Sharkguard: The Sea-Roaring Defender IC

[ripleycat]

The breathtaking debut of the Staggering Sharkguard, the greatest hero that's ever been on land or sea! Collect all four variant covers!

Issue #1: Big Fish, Small Pond

"There's no bad publicity except an obituary." -Brendan Behan


7:00 AM, Thursday, February 23rd, 2012.
Southside, Freedom City.

Westpark Plaza was one of the countless cheap but reliable apartment buildings that sprung up in the Southside neighborhood of Freedom City in the '60s and '70s. Eight stories of sturdy red brick, it stood out from its steel and concrete peers, and might even be called good-looking, if one were feeling charitable. The neighborhood had never declined like some of Southside's other districts, and it was well-located; close to the college and the airport, with a great view of the South River and the harbor from the roof.

Rising maintenance costs and an incompetent owner had put Westpark Plaza out of business by 2007. The city had hoped to seize the plot after the building was abandoned, only to find that the owner, one George Taylor, had willed the place to his son, a man with neither the skill, interest, or money to actually do anything with the building. Unfortunately for Freedom City's urban planners, he was also unwilling to sell the apartment complex. So Westpark Plaza sits, a treasure trove of valuable bricks on even more valuable land, looking just as solid as the day it was closed five years before, without a soul inside.

Except, of course, for the two souls in the corner suite on the 5th floor...

Sharkguard, Savior of the Seven Seas and unquestionably Freedom City's greatest defender, stretched his incredible form and looked down on the world from five stories up. Southside seemed peaceful in the early morning light. Not the tense "calm before the storm" that seemed to spread through the city on so many days, but genuine calm, as if Freedom City itself had elected to give up being crazy for one day and just decided to wander down to the corner and grab a cup of coffee. In fact, if anything, it was a bit too quiet. Usually by this time Alyssa was up and about, having breakfast and getting ready for school. Today, though, her father hadn't heard so much as a peep from the girl.

With a surprisingly gentle knock for such a massive hand, Sharkguard opened her door and peered inside. Alyssa was awake, but still in bed, and the moment she saw her father enter she buried herself under the covers. "Ohhh, dad, go away! I don't want to have go to school today! I don't ever want to go back! They're horrible!" comes an indignant, if still sleepy voice from under the blankets.

OK, here we go! :smallbiggrin: Just a little father-daughter moment to get a feel for his voice.

[Starsign]

Of the numerous days in his life, the half-man half-shark muscleman known as Sharkguard had two kind of days that he'd rarely seen. These amazingly quiet days, and the apocalyptic, war-fought days. As such, both are something he wasn't used to. Sharkguard looked out at the vast city from one of the numerous 5th floor windows. Today he wore a pair of casual shorts and a large blue t-shirt. He usually only wore such clothing when he's off-duty with Alyssa; today he wouldn't be wearing this for long however, not with what is planned. Sharkguard could almost smile bravely at what will be coming.

Coming back from almost daydreaming, Sharkguard notices the time and that Alyssa hadn't woke up yet. He mumbled something unintelligent under his breath as he goes to her room. He often didn't get a lot of sleep, at worst 3 hours a day, but Alyssa slept for nearly 9 hours now. Her indignant tone towards him didn't surprise the shark-man; often Alyssa woke up in a bad mood especially when it came to school. Speaking softly was never something Sharkguard is good at, but he tries his best for his daughter. "Alyssa, c'mon. I know you hate those students in Math, but you need to go." He tries to be forceful while keeping an open heart. He didn't like forcing her out of bed, but sometimes it was needed. Just hopefully not yet.

[ripleycat]

"Mmmm, I don't wanna." comes the petulant voice from under the covers. After a moment, Alyssa sticks her head out and looks up at you with her biggest, most pitiful puppy dog eyes. "Can't we just call the school and say I'm sick? I don't want to deal with Jenna Ross anymore. She's such a B-I-T-C-H!" Alyssa seems a bit unsure about what the word she's spelled out actually means, but she seems fairly certain that whatever it is, it's bad and it applies to people like Jenna. "You know what she said yesterday? That my parents must have known how useless I was going to be, and that's why they abandoned me." Her eyes are wet, but she's trying not to cry. "I-I just wish I could show them who my real dad is. That would shut her up so quick! B-Besides, I want to stay home and watch you at that fundraiser for the hospital. You're gonna be on TV again!" As is often the case, Alyssa's mood becomes less sour and sad as soon as she talks about you, a hint of excitement creeping into the background.

Alyssa's complained about little Miss Ross before (many times, in fact). To hear her tell it, Jenna was the only daughter of a rich family, who acted as if the world revolved around her. Her parents hadn't helped matters, spoiling the girl rotten. Cunning enough to avoid getting caught by the teachers, she had a clique of friends who helped her dominate Alyssa's classes socially. A little Queen Bee in training, except that to call Jenna a Queen Bee would be a mortal insult to all of the crazed supervillains who had used that name over the years. Most of them were probably better people.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard forced a stern look on his face the moment Alyssa spelled out something she shouldn't have. "I don't want to hear that again Alyssa!" He didn't shout nor raised his voice, but he clearly was displeased with the young girl's choice of words. "I know that... Even if it fits her," the shark-man superhero couldn't stand the Ross family either, "you need to try avoiding her. All she's doing is trying to make you miserable." Sharkguard and Alyssa had agreed on the two never revealing to anyone else that he had adopted her, it would be best for them both that way.

Upon hearing about the fundraiser, Sharkguard's face went from a stern look to a hearty laugh. "Ha! Aye, I've been looking forward ta that too!" He gives his sailor/pirate accent a bit of a practice run. Sharkguard more often than not acted that way in public, even if it is public knowledge that the accent is obviously not a real accent. He enjoys using it, reminding him of his times as a sailor, and that even now he's still a sailor at heart. "Yarr gots'a TV at school, don'cha? Watch there instead!" Leaning forward the time he talked to Alyssa, he stands straight up; the dorsal fin on his head almost touching the ceiling. He then says in a playful, if slightly commanding order, "Now get outta bed already!" His accent gave his voice a more hardened, gravel-y and slightly deeper tone compared to his normal one.

[ripleycat]

Alyssa wilted a bit at Sharkguard's stern tone. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, it's just... She trails off, though you can hear her mutter "well, she is" under her breath.

"I'll try to just avoid her. That's what all the teachers say I should try and do anyway. It's hard, though. It's not just class together, she likes to find me and pick on me at lunch, too."

The last vestiges of Alyssa's sourpuss start to the day vanish when the sailor accent comes out, and you finally see her crack a real smile as she tries one of her own. "Tha' be starting durin' Mrs. Williams' class. She likes ye, says you're, uh, a 'positive role model.' I bet she'll say yes if I ask her te let us watch ye!"


"Now get outta bed already!"

"All right, you win, I'll get ready." Alyssa crawls out from under the covers and hugs you tightly, glomping onto one of your legs, which is all she can get her arms around anyway. You hear her tummy rumble after a few seconds. "I'm hungry. Can I have waffles this morning?" It's amazing how fast her mind can switch gears when she's in a good mood.

[Starsign]

Glad to see that he convinced his daughter, Sharkguard chuckles quietly as Alyssa hugs her leg. At just over eight feet, Sharkguard is a colossus compared to most kids, something he's always found funny. He gets down on one leg and gently hugs Alyssa, wrapping his massive arms around her body. He made sure not to hug her tightly, and held her for a moment, remembering why he choose to take care of her and why to enjoy every moment of it.

As soon as Alyssa stomach growls, the shark-man lets go of Alyssa and stands up. "Haha, alright," he says back in his normal tone. "Waffles would probably be best considering the time. Go get changed out of your pajamas." With that, Sharkguard leaves Alyssa's room and over to the kitchen right next to the main hall. He himself didn't eat much when he could. Usually he'll go for a few fish in the ocean when he is hungry, so Alyssa never notices him eating. As he prepares Alyssa's waffles, he checks the fridge to make sure that there is enough orange juice for her. His large and strong hands makes it too inconvenient to try and hold glasses, so she has to pour her own glass. Once finished, he waits for her to come. The fundraiser isn't happening within the next hour or two, so he wasn't in a hurry to go.

[ripleycat]

Outside, you can see the bustle of the city start to increase as more people wake up and head out to start their day. Crowds of pedestrians mill past on the sidewalk, bundled up against the morning chill, and the trickle of cars on the roads has increased to a torrent. Though the earlier tranquility has started to fade, the peaceful vibe remains. The only sign of any sort of trouble has been a single ambulance going wailing past. It looks like the city just might cooperate with your plans, for once.

A few minutes after you get everything set up, Alyssa comes out of her bedroom and makes a beeline for the orange juice in the fridge. She's changed out of her pajamas, wearing a pair of black jeans, a bright teal floral blouse, and a pair of red Converse Hi-Tops, her "lucky" shoes.

Pouring herself a glass and slathering the waffles with syrup, she settles in at the counter and begins devouring them as if she hadn't had a meal in a week. "Are you going to be home for dinner tonight?" she asks, both hope and trepidation in her voice. All too often, the demands that come with being a hero have kept you away from Alyssa when you wanted to be around. It was one of the drawbacks of the unusual life of a superhero. Natural disasters and power-mad supervillains popped up at the most inconvenient times imaginable. Not that there was ever a convenient time for someone to point a death ray at City Hall, but sometimes it seemed like they conspired to disrupt a hero's life as much as possible.

[Starsign]

Seeing the city begin activity again made the shark-man smile. He's always had bad timing with threats, and very often he didn't like it when he could spend time with his adopted daughter. But there has been good points to it. Not only was it usually exciting, but often it would go on camera and Alyssa could watch, sometimes right up close where the action really was. But hopefully today things will go alright for both of them.

As Alyssa came, Sharkguard gave a wave to her. "You look wonderful today," he says to her. "I'm gonna do my best to be home on time. The pork is there to be heated in case I'm not, but the fundraiser shouldn't be done till 3 PM." It was almost seven now. The fundraiser started at ten. It was likely gonna be a long event, but Sharkguard isn't a stranger to long working times. "And even if I am, you'll at least be able to watch whatever you might have missed of the fundraiser, right?" He noticed the time. They had about twenty minutes, maybe more, before they needed to leave.

[ripleycat]

"Yeah." Alyssa nodded her agreement. "That'll be fun. It'll be nice to see you get to do all that cool stuff without being in danger." Alyssa, of course, had supreme confidence in her adopted father's abilities, but sometimes even she got scared by the extreme situations Sharkguard found himself in.

"I'll make sure dinner's heating up when you get home, so you can relax, OK? Eep!" Alyssa's eyes go wide as she glances at the clock. "I gotta get ready!" She dashes off towards the bathroom to get set for school.

While she's gone, you glance through the itinerary for the fundraiser. There was a press conference at 10:00, followed by a brief meet and greet with some of the wealthy donors. With displeasure, you spot the name "Ross" among the rich folk who've gotten their names in the program. Alyssa may not be the only one who who has to deal with that family today.

After that, the events themselves kicked off. For Sharkguard, that meant a power-lifting demonstration, followed by a collection of somewhat less orthodox demonstrations of his might, including what for a lesser hero would be a firing squad, a quick sparring session with Claremont Academy's representative at the event, Megastar, and an opportunity to cut loose and use his strength on a collection of super-tough materials, a karate board-breaker's demo cranked up to eleven.

After a break for lunch and another meet and greet, this one with some of the kids from the hospital, which promised to be more enjoyable than the one with the donors, there were a few more tests of skill and toughness, including the main event, a huge obstacle course that took up much of Liberty Park. After that, there was a chance to meet and mingle with the kids in some less-hazardous trials, and the auction, allowing the wealthy one more chance to show off just how generous they were.

From there, Sharkguard was home free, though the press would probably want another word with him. They always did. If things worked out, he just might make it home for dinner after all.

Alyssa returned, all rugged up for her trip to school. Against all odds, you both had a few spare minutes to relax before the day started. "Hey dad? This weekend, you think maybe we could go down to the bay and hang out some time?" The seashore out near Lonely Point was both pretty and essentially uninhabited, one of the spots in Freedom City you could enjoy both the outdoors and Alyssa's company without the risk of prying eyes.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard chuckled once more before switching to his sailor accent. "Ah, don't be so worried 'bout me! Yarr father's never in danger!" As Alyssa goes off to get ready for school, Sharkguard glances over what will be happening. The press conference wasn't likely gonna be anything fun, and with the Ross family there, meeting the donors would be just as sour. However the events was what Sharkguard is excited for. From the power-lifting to the durability and the sparring challenges, it hardly looked like a boring day for him. The obstacle course was going to be interesting; Sharkguard was never one for agility. From there it should be simple enough, have fun with the kids, have fun with the press, go home for dinner with Alyssa.

With a few minutes to spare, Sharkguard sat on one of the big couch and let Alyssa sit on his lap. He wrapped one of his arms gently around her, letting his rubber, yet impossibly-hard skin be felt by her. "Aye. I was thinking of doing something like that," he says with a smile. "That would be a wonderful day to spend an evening." Sharkguard loved the sea, unsurprisingly since he is a shark-man. He didn't get much time to enjoy the sea, but he made the most of it when he could.

[ripleycat]

"Awesome!" Alyssa's face lights up when you agree. "We haven't gotten to go out there in forever."

All too quickly, though, the little moment of repose is up, and it is time for the two of you to go out into the world. With no neighbors to eavesdrop, seeing Alyssa off is simple. In the lobby, she stretches up on her tip-toes to give you a goodbye kiss, but you still have to kneel down for her to reach your cheek. "Bye dad! Have fun! See you tonight. Love you!"

There's a tall chain-link fence that surrounds the overgrown and dilapidated grounds of Westpark Plaza, but the lock on the gate snapped like a twig in Sharkguard's mighty hands long ago, and nobody bothers to come around and check such things. With pedestrians and workers wandering in and out of storefronts and back alleys, nobody so much as blinks as Alyssa joins the throng, heading down the sidewalk to take the four-block walk to Cyrus St. Elementary, out closer to the river.

With Alyssa off to school for the day, Sharkguard finds himself with about an hour before the event begins, and surprisingly, nothing on his plate.

If there's nothing that comes to mind, we can timeskip, but I thought I'd put the opportunity out there. :smallsmile:

[Starsign]

As Sharkguard sees Alyssa off, he says to her softly, "Love you too Alyssa. Have a good day." He waits for her to go out of sight before making his own way to the fundraiser. He really was looking forward to the time he will spend with his adopted daughter on the weekend. Her and the sea are very personal to the shark-man. The city held great importance, but he loved the sea and his daughter as much, if not possibly more so.

Now however was the time for Sharkguard to eat. He went off over to the seaside area of Freedom City, ready to nab some fish that were swimming freely. Since becoming a shark-man, he had an irresistible taste for aquatic creatures. Unsurprising, but it was a habit of his that he loved. Hopefully he won't take too long. An hour can go by very fast.

[ripleycat]

As Sharkguard heads to the docks, the crowds on the sidewalks part, and even Freedom City's notoriously fickle drivers let him cross the streets without so much as a honked horn. Being recognized helps clear some traffic. Being a giant musclebound shark-man helps more.

Though he's one of the best-known heroes in the city, and for that matter, the whole world, there are a lot of folks in Freedom, and the reactions of those seeing Sharkguard in person for the first time are always interesting. Some just stare, some scream or flee from the monster, much to the amusement of those who know the great hero a little better. Many more gasp in amazement or start taking pictures. You gets stopped and asked for autographs by three people before you reach the riverbank.

As you near the wharves, things change. The smell in the air becomes sharper, the salty, unmistakable scent of the sea, tinged with the fishy smell of the seafood market and the fishing boats. Even in the open air it assaults your shark senses. The population changes too, thinning out, becoming mostly fishermen, sailors, and dockhands, a rougher crew than the tourists and office workers you had to wade through to get here, but at the same time, friendly in their own gruff way. They aren't the sort who flail and squeal and pull out a camera phone when they see you, but you were one of them, once, and there's a camaraderie in the air that feels very different from the rest of town.

"Haha! Lookee here, boys, it's the biggest catch of 'em all!" The raucous laugh echoes around the back of the Farragut Fish Market as a barrel-chested, grey-bearded man emerges, toting a tub of salmon and ice destined for the front stalls, followed by a small throng of sailors and stevedores. Adam Washington has run the market for years, since long before you ever came to Freedom City. A former sailor himself, a nasty accident made him reconsider his life, opting for the slightly less eventful life of a dockside merchant. Tall for a human (though still a good two feet shorter than you), with rough, scar-covered hands and a twinkle in his eye, and decades of ropy muscle packed onto his frame by hard work, Adam looks like he stepped right out of a sea shanty and into the real world. Age has slowed him down a bit, but he's still not a man to be trifled with. Even you might feel the sting from one of his big roundhouse punches.

"What brings the mighty Sharkguard down our way this mornin', hmm? If you're on the trail of one of them madmen you're always fighting on TV, we won't be much help, I'm afraid. Things have been quiet 'round here, well, least as quiet as they ever get!"

[Starsign]

Walking through the large city, Sharkguard didn't show much surprise or annoyance to those who fled in fear of him. It was almost amusing to the shark-man, how one day someone will be terrified of him, and the next day they'll be so much in glee. The three people coming towards him wasn't a surprise either for Sharkguard. Usually he would gladly accept autographs normally, today he turned it down, instead answering with something along the lines of, "Yarr got's to wait till the fundraiser now!" His sailor accent is used a lot in public, something people have enjoyed a lot.

Heading to the wharves, Sharkguard felt a lot more at home. He loved the salty air and the fishy smell. He knew about the gruff, friendly feel that it came to sailors. They were the kind that would arm-wrestle with the giant shark-man, even if they would lose horribly. They were the fearless, hearty kind. They were the kind like Sharkguard, the ones he knew best and the ones he enjoyed hanging around the most when he couldn't be with his daughter.

Sharkguard always had to be careful not to go overboard with eating in the open air Farragut Fish market. The amount of fish and other creatures there sometimes made Sharkguard want to feast in the aquatic food. He's good at resisting the fish however. Seeing Adam Washington come, the shark-man gives off his own hearty laugh. "Well ya got to actually capture the fish before you can say you caught it!" Sharkguard had never tried actual wrestling with the rather muscled sailors before. It might have been interesting but still heavily one-sided. "I'm here for a few fish. Need something to eat before the fundraiser now." Adam was one of those people who could stare down at Sharkguard and not flinch. He would be one of those people Sharkguard would consider a friendly rival had both of them be human or super-powered musclemen. "Got about fourty minutes before it begins."

[ripleycat]

"Well, ya've come to the right place, then, haven't you?" Adam spreads his arms open wide over his displays and laughs. "Anything you want! Consider it returning the favor for saving our asses time and again."

His tone turns more appraising and canny as he strokes his beard. "Though, if I'm remembering right, it's the shark part of you that's hungry, in't it? The hunter. Mmm. If you're after something still in the land o' the living when you're biting into it, there's been a bloody great swath of tuna migrating past the bay this last week or so. There's bound to be some of 'em coming in close to shore. Big, healthy fish, biggest I've seen in years. Bluefin are doing well again. You take your pick, Sharkguard, an all you can eat buffet, or a fast chase with a great slab of tunasteak at the end. If you're fast enough to catch 'em, that is. We got it all around here."

[Starsign]

Sharkguard crosses his arms as he looks proudly at the former sailor. "Aye! That tuna sounds quite succulent. Now I gotta tell ya, I'm always the hunter, human or shark." He nods his head before heading out to the shore. The shark-man gave a quick dive off into the sea and began searching around for some meaty tuna, along with any other kind of fish he could find. Sharkguard swam abnormally fast compared to a normal great white or mako shark. He enjoyed the exhilaration of speed and hunting down other aquatic species. What became important is to not go overboard with the hunter part. As fun as hunting fish is, he never tried that on humans or other innocent civilians.

Okay wanted to lengthen my post but I didn't have a lot of time. Go ahead and fastforward to after Sharkguard has his fish meal (and also describe how it went if you want :smallbiggrin:)

[ripleycat]

Sure enough, there are a number of the bluefin swimming about the mouth of the bay, and beyond them, out at the very edge of the coastal current, an enormous school heading south, like a ribbon twisting though the water. The full-grown tuna are huge fish, six feet long or more, weighing hundreds of pounds, and built for speed. They can top 40 miles an hour, letting them outrun damn near anything in the water. Except Sharkguard. In a wild pursuit across the bay, through the kelp beds and down into the depths, the true alpha predator catches one of the big fish in his jaws, staining the water red and netting himself a good 200 lbs of meaty goodness, more than enough to sate the hunter for the time being.

Crossing the South River into the heart of town, the outskirts of the fundraiser can be seen well before Sharkguard gets within two blocks of Liberty Park. Streets have been cordoned off, pedestrians redirected, and within the blocked off area you can see a swarm of people running around, getting things ready, with the event tents rising behind them and some of the bigger chunks of the obstacle course rising behind those. The obstacle course looks a bit like the construction site for some huge, half-finished building from here, all concrete and plywood.

A rather frazzled looking man with a clipboard and walkie-talkie in his hands practically vaults the cordon when he spots you in the distance, nearly bowling over an equally harried looking woman directing traffic. You hear him speak into his walkie-talkie as he runs. "I've got the big guy, we might actually start this thing on schedule. I know, it's a flippin' miracle." He skids to a halt in front of you and catches his breath for a second. The nametag on his chest tells you that you are in the presence of one Joseph Silva, Asst. Coordinator.

"Sharkguard! Glad you could make it. You're the centerpiece of all this, you know. Wouldn't have gotten nearly the attention or the cash we did without you. You all set?" The words sort of tumble out in a rush, like he's forgotten how sentences work. "The press should be ready by the time we get to the media tent. Don't worry about 'em. I've seen you handle the cameras before, you're fantastic. Besides, it's fun and games to raise money for a children's hospital. They're gonna give you the softest of softball questions. No worries, right?"

[Starsign]

Having a wonderful time nabbing his bluefin breakfast for the day, Sharkguard waves to the sailors as he moves off to the fundraiser. The feeling of the familiar salty air becoming the city air always came as a weird change to the shark-man; like it was something he could never get used to. It was almost as if he never really belonged on land in the first place. It really was but a minor thing however. In heart, he is still human, not a shark, and he liked it that way.

Coming up at the fundraiser, Sharkguard could see the obstacle course. He wondered if making it look like a construction site was intentional or not. Either way, it seemed a bit like something out of his league. He didn't have any sort of super-speed or agility above the water. Despite this however, it would, at the very least, be a unique challenge for Sharkguard. When he sees Joseph come, he gives off a chuckle as the human comes up to him.

"Of course I be ready! Yarr think ta mighty Sharkguard be caught off-guard for anything?" He gave off his sailor accent as proudly as he could. He felt that it would help lighten up the mood of a show that never needs to be worrying in the first place. "No time to waste. Let's 'ave this fundraiser started and the press comin' if they want it." It was always fun to talk with the press. He had hoped now that Alyssa would be watching now. Being the centerpiece, there's no way she could miss him.

[ripleycat]

"Fantastic! And between you and me, I'm really glad to have a pro around. Makes my job a million times easier." Joseph leads you back through the cordon, getting a dirty look from the woman he almost knocked over as he does.

The crowds milling around the park seem a bit more excited to see you than the folks you passed in the city, pointing and taking pictures as you pass. Nobody flees for their life.

The media tent is a huge affair, covering about half a football field and doubling, it seems, as the place for the later meet-n'-greets. For now, it's filled with a mix of video and newspaper journalists, cameras and several rows of chairs laid out in front of a raised platform with a table and microphones. There are chairs for the VIPs behind the table, including a rather oversized monstrosity of reinforced steel. It's obvious that this is meant for you. A murmur runs through the reporters as they see you arrive, and a few snap pictures of their own.

Two of the chairs are already filled. A tall, well-built man with spiky blue hair and a black half-mask over his glowing blue eyes, seemingly with metallic silver skin that shimmers and ripples when he moves, and a very professional-looking woman in her 40's with wire-rimmed glasses and long, prematurely white hair. From previous dealings, you recognize them as Dr. Chase, the hospital's director, and Megastar, leader of Claremont Academy's in-house superteam, the Next-Gen. You're also one of the few people outside the school who knows that inside that metallic shell is Chris Beck, a short, wiry 16-year old bonded to an alien superweapon that gives him his powers.

There's a rush of wind as a blue-and-white blur streaks to a halt beside you. "Hey Jaws, there you are! What're we waiting for, let's get started!" Johnny Rocket, punctual as always, finally puts on an appearance. The speedster blurs again, appearing in his seat a split-second later.

A moment of interaction with the other heroes and the Doc, while I finish getting the press questions written up for later today.:smallredface:

[Starsign]

Seeing the crowd grow excited with glee reminded Sharkguard just how popular he was in the city. It was almost unbelievable when he looks back on it. Before he was simply a former sailor who left the old city he lived in because of a mysterious storm that changed him. Now he was practically the most famous hero in Freedom City and had a life almost completely different from his old one. The shark-man didn't reminisce during such times like these however. He waved proudly at the crowd and news reporters as he went by. These were one of the many things he enjoyed about being a hero. The rest would need several more sets of arms to be able to count them with his fingers.

Sharkguard was a little embarrassed upon seeing the massive chair. He was big sure, but he wasn't a fifty-foot tall giant whose touch would break even the hardest wooden object. Still, he wouldn't mind it on-camera. Turning to two people who had already arrived, Sharkguard could remember when Dr. Chase examined him with curiosity. She had taught him a few things about medicine and first aid since his arrival to the city, and he was appreciated that he got the chance to learn from her. As for Megastar, Sharkguard found himself uncomfortable having to spar with him. Bonded with an alien superweapon or not, Chris was still a teenager underneath that. The shark-man didn't find it comfortable having to fight with such young upcoming heroes. He didn't underestimate Megastar's abilities, not at all, but he still didn't like the idea of taking on such a young superhero.

His thoughts with Megastar broke off as Johnny Rocket appeared. "Aye! Yarr almost came late ta this as well," he playfully retorted to the speedster. "We would've been waitin' on yarr instead!" One thing Sharkguard liked about Rocket was his carefree attitude, something he wish he had more of when he wasn't busy saving the world or taking care of Alyssa. Not deciding to take up any more time, Sharkguard nodded to Megastar and Dr. Chase before taking a seat for himself, all set to begin the fundraiser now.

[ripleycat]

As Sharkguard takes his seat, the press take their positions, cameras and recorders rolling, and Dr. Chase leans forward, tapping on her microphone to make sure it was on.

"Ah, there we go. Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press, welcome to the Fifth Annual Shriner's Children's Hospital Fundraiser and Charity Auction. I'm Dr. Anna Chase, the hospital's director. The three men next to me need no introduction, of course, but we'll give them one anyway." A few chuckles ripple through the crowd. "The fastest man in the world, Johnny Rocket, the leader of Claremont Academy's heroic Next-Gen team, Megastar, and last but not least, the truly incomparable Sharkguard." This last statement unleashes a flurry of clicks and flashbulbs from the press.

"What we have planned today is an event that will show off the best Freedom City has to offer, and one we are sure will be tremendously entertaining for our patients, our immensely generous donors, and of course, all of you watching at home. Three of the finest heroes in our city, and indeed the entire world, will be demonstrating feats of strength, speed and skill beyond the wildest dreams of mortal men."

"Before we begin, though, we would like to open the floor to questions for our participants today and myself."

An immediate rabble of voices spring up from the press. "Dr. Chase, the hospital seems to have spared no expense in this effort. How much money do you expect to make after the costs of this event are subtracted? Isn't all this a bit counterproductive?"

"Not at all. In fact, the increased exposure granted by the events have helped us raise more money than we have in the last four years combined. We expect to make a profit of well over $5,000,000 once all is said and done, money donated in amounts both large and small by the generous citizens of Freedom City. Enough to allow us to break ground on a new ward for burn victims, and a clinic to provide them with the specialized care they need and deserve. And of course, that's not counting the results of our auction later today."

"Sharkguard! You've twice been voted as America's Greatest Hero by World Magazine, and are by all accounts the most powerful defender our city has. Getting you here today is quite a coup. What made you say yes?"

The questions are not all coming from the same person. I'm just using the same color for all of the press.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard got comfortable in his large metal chair as he could tell this might take awhile. The cold steel didn't work well with his skin, however it was much better than hot metal that has been out in the sun for a long time. The view of the press's activity increasing as soon as Sharkguard was mentioned made him wonder if Megastar or Johnny were jealous. Focusing on the press however, Sharkguard responds as truthful as he could about the event. "Ta better question would be, what couldn't make me say 'aye'?" One thing about his sailor accent, he made sure not to use pirate-like words such as "Matey" and "Scurvy Dogs." It didn't fit him. At heart he's more of a sailor than a pirate, even if the latter breathes in his lungs. "I enjoy givin' yarr a showing for ta children, it's one of ta best ways one can think of for them, and I'm sure ta others think as such." He looks to Johnny and Megastar as he proudly yet heartfully asks them, "Do ye agree?"

[ripleycat]

"Aye, tha' be so." Johhny grins roguishly as he imitates Sharkguard's sailor accent. "I'm a hero because I want to help people. One day like this gives me more joy than busting 100 nutjobs with deathrays."

"Yeah, these kids have gotten a raw deal, y'know? S'nice to let em enjoy themselves while they raise cash to take care of the hospital. Didn't wan' to pass that up." Megastar chimes in.

"Megastar, the Claremont Academy's presence is something of a surprise. There were several rumors that not only are you here as a participant, but also with the large number of children present, that you're on the lookout for new potential students. Any truth to those rumors?"

"Not one bit. I'm here because Dr. Chase invited me to participate, not as an official rep of the school. 'Sides, that's not how it works. Claremont's a school first, Next-Gen comes second. We don't go looking for kids with powers just 'cause they've got powers." He shifts in his chair, looking slightly uncomfortable. It was a half truth. The school did keep an eye out for young metahumans in need of training, and superpowered students often found themselves with generous scholarships to Claremont. It just wasn't Megastar's job to do it.

A hipster-looking guy with a notepad and recorder literally elbowed his way to the front, earning eyerolls and looks of annoyance from other journalists. "Issac King, Daily Word." The eyerolls increase at mention of the tabloid. "Sharkguard, we have a great many readers interested in your personal life, which you've been famously private about. Is there a Mrs. Sharkguard, or significant other in your world? What about-"

Joseph steps in from the edge of the tent, clearly annoyed."Sir, that's not a pertinent question. Please-"

"No, Mr. Silva, it's all right. It's an individual decision to answer such questions if our guests wish. This is an open session, after all." Dr. Chase cuts Joseph off in turn, though the long sigh she gives makes it clear what she thinks of the gossip hunters. Johnny Rocket facepalms. With his public identity, he never had to deal with this stuff. Of course, he had to deal with paparazzi instead, which might actually be worse.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard tries his best to avoid chuckling from Johnny Rocket intimidating his sailor accent. The shark-man wasn't really the kind to mock others, whether playfully with allies or intimidatingly with villains. He was glad that there was some variety among the heroes; it would be boring if all the heroes were powerhouses after all. With the question addressed to Megastar, Sharkguard was tempted to speak up in favor of the teen. He was rather amazed how the teen was able to respond calmly, but Sharkguard hoped that Megastar was thinking of the fundraiser first, the Acadamy second.

Upon being asked about his private life, Sharkguard leaned forward a bit to the audience. "Arrr," he says quietly, giving the press a question of whether they hit a soft spot with the shark-man or not. A moment later however he shifted back to his casual and confident state. "Sorry, but I ain't gots interest for love. I keeps private for a reason." He relaxed back on his chair now. He really didn't want anyone to know about his life with Alyssa, and was glad to have kept it that way for now.

[ripleycat]

King grumbles at your curt and honest response. He'd clearly been fishing for something he could get a column and some buzz out of, and had come up empty. A few of the other reporters smirk as the tabloid writer gets shut down.

"Johnny, a lot of these events today are competitions of some kind. This is all for a good cause, but is there any pressure on you to win? Superheroes are a famously competitive lot, after all."

"I think that's kind of looking at it backwards, Steve. It's not just that it's for a good cause, it's that we're the entertainment as well. Don't get me wrong, nobody likes to lose, but we're putting on a show here. You know what your old coaches used to tell you in little league, about how it's all about having a good time, and not about winning? Well, that's actually true here."

The ease with which Johnny Rocket can work the press probably surpasses even your own. Aside from the famously conservative Daily Herald, who clutch their pearls and write some semi-hysterical op-ed piece about him every time the openly gay hero pops up in the public eye, nobody ever seems to have a harsh word about him. Aside from simply being a powerful and respected hero, a good part of it seems to be his talent at being clever and charismatic under the spotlight, always picking the right words for the situation. It's a skill that most PR agents would kill for.

"Um, while I've seen all the precautions they've taken for the safety of the spectators, some of these events look downright dangerous for you three gentlemen, things out of your, uh, rather hazardous day jobs. Are you worried at all that one of you might get seriously injured, or worse?"

Megastar and Johnny glance at each other, shake their heads, and reply "Naah!" in unison, almost like they planned it.

"What about you, Sharkguard? Some of your challenges look terribly dangerous. Any concerns?"

[Starsign]

Sharkguard really couldn't agree further with Johnny Rocket. The shark-man wasn't too worried about losing in friendly competitions. In feats of strength and toughness, there wasn't much that could faze him, an orbital satellite cannon at maximum velocity might, but not much below that. If the obstacle course was going to be a race however, then Sharkguard didn't have much in the way of a chance. Johnny completely outspeeds him and even Megastar had some agility over the shark-man. Still, wouldn't be fun to not do his best at it.

Sharkguard's own thoughts on the hazardous challenges mirrored the other heroes. "My concern for damage ain't on us, but on ta hazards em'selves!" The shark-man was completely confident on getting through this without a scratch, possibly aside from Megastar.

[ripleycat]

Sharkguard's bravado earns a few chuckles and a few more pictures from the crowd. Even the other heroes and Dr. Chase seem amused. Joseph tries to get her attention, and when he does, the doc looks down at her watch and grumbles.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would love to continue this, but we have a schedule to keep to, unfortunately, and it would be unfair to our most generous donors, who were promised time with our stars today. I'm sure that after the events, there will be more time for the press."

The journalists grumble, but allow the heroes to file out behind Joseph, who leads you to another large tent, practically next door. This one is strikingly different from the very practical press tent. There's a floor installed, covered in thick carpet, the tables around the outside are draped in white tablecloths, with several platters of very expensive food and drink laid out. Soft music plays in the background, and a number of staff are hovering around, quick to take care of any need the donors have.

The donors themselves are mingling in small groups as you enter. You spot several people you're familiar with, both for good and ill. Fletcher Beaumont II, owner and publisher of the Freedom Ledger, the city's largest paper, and Duncan Summers, headmaster of Claremont Academy and one of the wealthiest men in Freedom both smile and nod as they see you. They might seem to have little to do with a rough sailor, but you know they're both retired heroes, the men once known as the Bowman and the Raven. Megastar practically collapses in relief when he sees Summers is here, so he's not alone in a room of the rich and powerful.

Others seem less pleased to see you in particular, and are obviously keeping up appearances by being here. There are the Rosses, of course, George and Haley, the parents of Alyssa's arch-nemesis at school, and Hieronymus King, the CEO of Majestic Industries. While he's done a lot of good with his money, providing much of the medicine used by the hospital, for example, he's also famously ruthless, allowing nothing to stand in his company's way, and certainly not things like "morals" or "laws." He's currently looking at you the way he would a particularly interesting sample in a lab.

[Starsign]

Seeing how the people were amused at his brave words, Sharkguard couldn't help but chuckle quietly too. His sailor accent was never really a thing of intimidation, more of amusement and theatrics. As he hears that it is time to meet the donors, the shark-man had wondered where the time went. It certainly didn't feel as long as it should have and he was rather disappointed that he had to leave the press for now. Still, this was a fundraiser and it wouldn't be proper to not meet the donors like he had promised to when he signed up.

Coming into the new tent, Sharkguard was rather impressed by the place. Between the food, the aesthetics, and the overall mood compared to the press, this felt a lot more at peace. He relinquished himself from the food; he already had his fill beforehand and it wouldn't be fair to the donors in the first place. He wouldn't want to go and skip lunch, however now was way to early to even ask for a snack. A hero such as him should be vigilant and strong in mind and body.

Once the donors came in, Sharkguard was glad to see some of the retired heroes there. It would be incredibly rude of him to go and avoid greeting those that he didn't like much, however he preferred to meet the ones he was looking forward to first. "Mr. Beaumont," he began as he slowly walked up to Fletcher. Sharkguard had heard of the owner's numerous activities that he performed as the Bowman. He knew what it was like to perform heroics without superpowers, he had done it himself before after all. "A welcome sight to see you here. For a while I was worried you would have been caught up in the press." Sharkguard kept civil here, no need of his accent when talking in private.

[ripleycat]

Behind Beaumont, Megastar was chatting with Summers and some of his colleagues, clinging to the headmaster's words like a social life raft. Whoever signed off on tossing a teenager into the middle of Freedom City's social elite hadn't thought this through. Johnny has already slipped into storytelling mode, animatedly telling the tale of one of his latest exploits to the two youngest people there, the teenage daughters of the Sinclair family, who are giggling loudly in the corner, earning disapproving looks from some of the older attendees.

"Don't I wish." Beaumont chuckles a bit. "I'd much rather be with my reporters, to be honest, but publishing the Ledger leaves little time for that, and a lot of time for situations like this. Not that this is bad, mind you."

"Can I tempt you?" He holds up a long stemmed glass of champagne with a half-smile. "Or does the sharky part of you react badly to such things?" Beaumont's battles with alcoholism were well known in both the hero and civilian communities. He'd curbed the worst of his excesses, but still never seemed to miss a chance to offer toasts and drinks to those around him.

"A toast, Fletcher? Well, can't say I'm shocked, but you've picked a good one." Hieronymus King approaches and picks up a glass from the tray, misinterpreting (perhaps deliberately, you're not sure) Beaumont's offer to you as a cheer. He gives you an appraising, and apparently approving glance, nodding and raising his own flute of champagne. "To Sharkguard. I've never had the honor of meeting you in person, sir. Must say, the TV cameras don't do ya justice. You're damn near a giant. Glad you work for the side of the angels, and it's nice to see you out for these kids. Lot of them could really use the pick-me-up from today."

Hearing King speak is odd. His words seem genuine enough. His body language and expressions are all correct for someone expressing his sorts of feelings, but there's a weird undercurrent, an oiliness, like he's channeling the world's most sinister used car salesman.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard notices Megastar and Johnny having their chatting sessions. He wondered why in the world they would send a teenager to an event, even if said teen was one of the most elite heroes of his age Sharkguard knew of. The shark-man then looked at Johnny, who was much more at ease compared to Megastar. Though Sharkguard didn't always approve of Johnny's... Somewhat womanizing habits, they were sometimes nice to have among the social circles, especially when some people were out of place such as Megastar and the shark-man.

Being tempted by Beaumont for a toast, Sharkguard wasn't surprised at the offer. The shark-man however wasn't too used to such things like fine wine. Once working as a sailor, Sharkguard was more used to downing large amounts of more rough kinds of alcohol; ale, beer, whiskey, such kinds and other similar beverages. To respond to the retired superhero, Sharkguard says, "Well I can't say that such fine wine is a proper fit for me. But if you can get everyone," he gives a quick look around, remembering some of the younger people here, "er, Mostly everyone, to raise a toast as well in honor of this fundraiser, then I'd agree." The shark-man was pretty confident that Beaumont wouldn't have an issue routing everyone to the toast.

Sharkguard's attention then turns to Hieronymus King, who comes in with a cheer. He always was wary of the CEO, hearing about the numerous ruthless acts King made for his benefit. Sharkguard didn't want to spoil either of their images however in trying to start an argument, so rather he tried to go along with it like a friend. After all, better the CEO than the Rosses. "No need to embarrass me sir," he responds to King calmly. "I appreciate it if this toast goes to the fundraiser now, this isn't just about me after all." Sharkguard kept reminding himself to remain civil. No pirate accent, no shouting, no boisterous attitude; that will come latter.

[ripleycat]

Beaumont looked sideways at the nosy CEO. "I was merely offering my friend a drink, but I suppose someone who wasn't involved could make that mistake." His smile returns as he turns to you. "Though if we are going to have a toast, I like your idea, Sharkguard." Picking up his glass, he faces the rest of the elite guests and calls out in a voice used to cutting through the racket of a bustling newspaper office.

"Ahem! Ladies and gentlemen! A moment of your time, please! On the excellent suggestion of our esteemed guest, I would like to propose a little toast. Here's to this wonderful event, and to the noble cause that's brought us all here today!"

A few of the more highborn, old money guests look a bit miffed at Beaumont's lack of decorum, and a few others, including the Rosses, look positively angry at being roped into something you've suggested, but the newspaper magnate's words do the trick; nobody wants to be the one who refuses to toast a cause as innocent as raising money for sick children.

"Here, here! Well said!" King chimes in. "Well, Sharkguard, there's your toast. Will you join in?"

[Starsign]

Sharkguard almost regretted suggesting the idea to Beaumont as he sees the former superhero begin rounding everyone up for a toast. While he couldn't tell what the CEO was thinking, the shark-man could clearly see the Rosses weren't pleased by it, almost antagonized even. Despite that though, Sharkguard figured the Rosses wouldn't openly speak their anger or frustration, at least not here. He would try to avoid antagonizing them further for the rest of this meeting.

Sharkguard nods to King as he raises a glass of his own. The fragility of the glass made him wary of his own strength. It'd be bad to shatter it in a time like this. "Of course!" He spoke in response to the CEO. "Let us toast to this wonderful event and wish that it's success shall be grand as planned!" Considering things don't often go as planned however, Sharkguard really was wishing on the inside.

[ripleycat]

After the toast, the Ross clan retreat to one of the far corners of the large tent, brushing past you and talking quietly to each other. You pick out the word "monster" amid the mumbling.

"There's just no pleasing some people." Beaumont grumbles, watching the haughty pair go by.

"Ain't that the truth." King nods. The man had a reputation as someone who'd eat a kitten on national TV if it would turn him enough of a profit, but he was justifiably proud of the good Majestic Industries' charitable wing did. The hospital was one of their big recipients. It benefited him just as much as you to have the event go smoothly, and he seemed irked at those who weren't playing along.

"Say now, Sharkguard, while I've got you here, I was wondering if perhaps I could talk to you about a little proposal some of my researchers pitched to me a few weeks back. The shift from enthusiastic philanthropist to silky salesman is subtle. King simply knows how to work people.

"The head of our biomedical division is a super-nut. She loves you heroes. Never seems to stop talking about whoever's saved the world that week, and all that gossip that springs up around heroes and movie stars and other famous types, you know? Honestly, it's a bit of an obsession, but she did come up with something worth investigating, I think. There are many heroes who have abilities us normal folks envy. I don't just mean super-strength, or flying around like a bird or a plane. Other things, that are really more important in the grand scheme of the world. Boosted immune systems, or immunity to poisons. You don't see a lot of heroes under the weather."

"She wants to study as many heroes would be willing, to see if maybe we couldn't crack a few of those mysterious abilities. If just one or two examinations bear fruit, medicine could jump forward years. A lot of nasty afflictions might go the way of smallpox and polio, eradicated. Now, a lot of the official parts of this are below my position, but it seems foolish not to use a free moment with a great hero to help her cause."

"A few hours with the docs could save as many people as stopping any of those crazies you fight each day. Would you be willing?"

[Starsign]

Sharkguard took no care of what the Rosses thought of him. It was very annoying how they took plain anger at him. At least King had the hospitality to pretend to play by the rules; it usually worked out better for the CEO, for better or worse of the city at whole. Of course, Sharkguard had to follow along to keep his own reputation. He didn't really have any sort of charisma or talent of the voice like King did, so trying to pick out ideas in tight situations usually never boiled down to "loophole your way out of it." This situation was frankly no different.

With a small sigh on the inside, Sharkguard gave a small chuckle to King and Beaumont. "An obsession can work both ways so long as it isn't something the head isn't endlessly talking about when she should be doing her work," he responds in a semi-lighthearted tone, almost tempted to let his accent out again. "So long as she doesn't get out of control, I'd love to provided you'll be able to find a way past all the red tape and rules that halt such ideas." By "past" Sharkguard referred to convincing, however he was pretty sure King would just rather go around it instead, regardless of how rocky that kind of traveling would be for the shark-man. "We should however discuss this sometime else. Wouldn't want this idea to overshadow the fundraiser now."

After saying that, he turns to Beaumont for just a moment. He knew the retired hero would not agree with the shark-man. Alas, Sharkguard did not really have a good way with words.

[ripleycat]

"Wonderful, wonderful! Dr. Simhalan won't make things uncomfortable, I assure you. She may be quite the fan, but she's the soul of professionalism on the job." King offers you a broad (and slightly unsettling) grin and a handshake that would be quite firm, if he wasn't trying to move your hand up and down. As it is, the CEO just awkwardly waggles his arm before letting go.

"Normally, there's quite a bit of form-filling and paper shuffling involved with getting a new hero involved in the program, but I should be able to circumvent most of that for you. Being at the top of the pyramid does have its perks, after all. If everything goes to plan, we will be in touch in a day or two. It's not an overwhelming procedure, should just cost you a morning, nothing more."

"Ah, Hieronymus, I'm sure Sharkguard is just as happy as you are to be part of this program, but I wonder if I could speak with my friend privately for a few moments?" Beaumont pipes up. His voice is light, but his expression doesn't match it.

"Of course." King holds his hands up disarmingly. "I should be on my way to the stands, anyway. Must keep up appearances. A pleasure to meet you, Sharkguard, and I'll speak to you again soon."

As the CEO leaves you alone, the former Bowman shakes his head and speaks urgently, but quietly. "I know it's not proper to refuse somone like Mr. King in a setting like this, but... be on your guard if you go through with this, you got me? The man is a wolf in sheep's clothing, and Majestic Industries has been investigated many times. Not to say this isn't legitimate. It may very well be, and if so would be a worthy cause, to say the least. Just... think about what a company that powerful might want to do with your DNA beyond trying to cure sick and disabled people, all right? Maybe I'm paranoid, a newspaperman seeing a story where there isn't one, but better safe than sorry, right?"

As Beaumont speaks his mind, Joseph Silva appears at the tent entrance behind him and mimics knocking on a door. "Good Morning, ladies and gentlemen. I'm afraid I have to steal your superheroes, folks. Getting to be time for the first events to kick off, and we've got a full day today, need to keep to the schedule. The VIP seats are prepared, for those who wish to get settled in before the fun starts."

[Starsign]

Sharkguard tries his best to ignore King once he accepts the CEO's offer. A day or two could mean the most inconceivable time ever. Sharkguard hoped that it wouldn't happen when him and Alyssa were spending the day at the bay. Regardless, he kept a smile on the scene and nodded quietly at King's explanations. He was almost relived when Beaumont interrupted the conversation. "Right. I'll finish up with Beaumont here and then I'll get ready for the exciting part!" He almost let out a laugh before deciding to hold it in and save it for those feats he'd be doing soon.

Coming over with Beaumont, Sharkguard wasn't too surprised at the concern the retired superhero had. The two were thinking pretty much the same thing on this offer of King's. "Don't worry, I'm well aware of the possible consequences to this. The most I'll be hoping is that some outside force causes an accident that allows me excuse." Sharkguard spoke quietly, as to not attract attention. He is going to make due of what may happen then.

The shark-man's attention then turns to Mr. Silva at the entrance. "Ah... Finally!" Sharkguard became excited to see things moving forward now and decided that now was a good time to get his accent back into play. He practically grabbed Megastar by the arm as he made his way out. He gives a boisterous call to the teen and Johnny Rocket, "Let's give 'em what I and yarr are supposed to do. Aye?"

[ripleycat]

"I can't wait!" Megastar put his hands up in a mock boxing pose. Some of his enthusiasm seems to stem from getting away from the rich folk, no matter what he was headed for.

Joseph smirks and shakes his head, then starts talking in that rapid, words-spilling-out way again as he leads you to the center of the park, where the bleachers and event rings are set up. "Save it for later, Muhammad Ali. Alright, guys, here's the rundown of the morning's events. There's a little something to introduce you to the crowds and show off your strengths. Megastar, you'll be doing that flyover demo, like we discussed. Johnny, Sharkguard, you'll be doing something a little more... ballistic."

"We have a group of soldiers here from McKarren army base, who we asked to participate after a very generous donation. They're going to be doing a little target practice with you. Johnny, you get to show the crowd that you're faster than a speeding bullet, and Sharkguard, that bullets don't mean anything with you."

"Once we've shown them how amazing you are, there's our sparring match between Megastar and Sharkguard, and then Johnny gets his run through the obstacle course. Then we've got all three of you, well, breaking stuff, that all-around strength/skill/speed demo, should be a lot of fun. Then comes our lunch break, and I'll fill you gents in on the afternoon festivities then. Now let's have a good show for the kids, OK? Any questions before we get going? Ask 'em now, things will be hectic for me in-between events."

[Starsign]

Once at the center of the park, Sharkguard listens to Joseph's explanation. He had the temptation to comment about Megastar's planned performance. "A flyover? That sounds too simple a performance for ye," he says to the teen before hearing about his and Johnny's own parts. "Hah! Their bullets should be no less than ta tickle of a mouse." He stretched his neck and arms in preparation. "Any sort ta pose or posture ya want me to do during it?" The shark-man wondered if he ought to try catching bullets with his hands, maybe even his teeth. Of course that was something Johnny was much better at doing for obvious reasons.

When the mention of the sparring match came up, Sharkguard got the need to ask something. "Any rules to 'dis spar? I gotta say I'm tempted to pull a punch for two against yarr Claremont Student." Sharkguard felt pretty bad saying that, but he didn't like the idea of going all out on Megastar and at least had to say it once.

Once that was done and over with however, Sharkguard smashed his two fists together. "Well I'm ready to bring on ta challenge! Ya all make sure to get yarrselves overshadowed by me!" Sharkguard was indeed all pumped up now. Being on camera has never been an issue for him, and this one was no different. Hopefully though his legwear is bulletproof enough.

[ripleycat]

"You haven't seen me fly, Sharkguard. I'm just gonna tell you to cover your ears, cause I'll make those rifles you two are dealing with sound like popguns." Megastar grins. "And you don't have to take it easy on me, big guy. I can handle it."

"The sparring will take place in the designated area. There's no leaving it, and no use of ranged powers. Think of it as a boxing match. Don't try to kill each other, but don't pull your punches, either." Joseph answers. "And you know all about looking good for an audience. Whatever poses you want to try are up to you. They'll keep their shots above the waist. We don't want a wardrobe malfunction."

The two firing ranges are set up at the West end of the park. Johnny's is wide open, with lots of room for him to run. Yours is a three sided box of hefty steel and bulletproof glass, to keep the crowd safe while letting them see you. The soldiers, all dressed in their fatigues, rifles at the ready, are a bit in awe of you. "This is nuts. Whoever woulda thought we were ever gonna be shooting someone for charity?"

"S'nothing. I saw him shrug off a rocket launcher on TV once. We're not gonna do Jack."

The soldiers line up about 15 yards in front of you, in line, rifles at the ready. You hear Joseph's voice come on over the park's PA system, quieting the large and enthusiastic crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the 1st annual Shriner's Children's Hospital Fundraiser! It's wonderful to see so many people out for a good cause. Today we have three of Freedom City's greatest superheroes, who have agreed to show off their talents in a spectacular display of skill and entertainment. Presenting..."

"...Megastar!" True to his warning, a deafening sonic boom explodes above the park as a silver-black streak shoots past over the heads of the crowd, almost too fast to register. Before anyone except Johnny can react, the streak shoots past again, going the other way, creating another boom, and another and another, like sonic fireworks, as Megastar criss-crosses above the audience in a blur before a landing that rattles windows and shakes tree branches, in the classic "one-knee, fist-down" action hero pose. The crowd goes nuts.

"...Johnny Rocket!" "Fire!" The command of the soldiers is more than enough warning for Johnny, who darts here and there in his firing range, making Megastar look positively snail-like. He ducks through several volleys of single shots before the soldiers decide to unload everything they have. For a second or two the firing range looks and sounds like a warzone as it fills with a swarm of angry lead. You make out the blur that is Johnny dash up and down the walls, over and under every shot, until the guns click on empty and he stops in the dead center of the range, not a hair out of place or a spot on his uniform. With a roguish grin he bows to the soldiers, then turns to the audience and and shrugs, which gets laughs and cheers in equal measure.

"AAANNNNDDD... Sharkguard!" "Fire!" Your soldiers fire off a volley at the pronouncement. They do kind of tickle before ricocheting off your chest, leaving not even a welt. They do what Johnny's soldiers did, firing several (totally ineffective) volleys before they go all out, unloading hundreds of rounds in your direction.

OOC: If you want to try to catch a bullet in your hand or mouth, I'll call it a DC20 reflex check.

Your Impervious overcomes the Damage 6 the assault rifles do. No damage, no toughness roll.

He took your tease personally. Megastar's max flight speed is 5,000 MPH. :smalltongue:

[Starsign]

Sharkguard nodded in agreement at the rules of the spar. If Megastar was serious about it, then the shark-man wouldn't hold back. He grew a bit more confident and excited about the fight. Perhaps he had been underestimating the teen a bit too much. At the site of the event, Sharkguard was glad for all the environmental protection set in place. Bullets has sometimes bounced off him and into something, or worse, someone else. It happens only in rarity, but it is still something he watches out for. He placed his first aid kit out of the way; shouldn't be needed here. Seeing the squad group in awe, Sharkguard gives them a rallying message. "Yarr don't be so struck by my build! Do all ya can and I'll make sure it ain't wasted, aye!?" The time with the rocket launcher was fun, the time with the automatic rocket launchers even more so.

When Megastar's name was announced, Sharkguard looks up to see the teen was right, flying at speeds the shark-man could not hope to match. The sonic booms made didn't kill his ears, but they were loud. As Megastar landed, Sharkguard wondered, just WHERE did that alien superweapon come from? Afterward came Johnny Rocket's turn. Sharkguard was a little nervous about the speedster getting hit during the event, but Johnny came out without a sweat, impressing the shark-man.

Then came Sharkguard's own turn. He pounded his fist to his chest as if he was giving the firing squad the signal. He then kept his hands bravely posed at his side as he faced the first few volleys of bullets. Sharkguard kept a confident, teethy smile during the showcase, eventually leaning forward a bit and calling out, "Is THAT ta best yarr can do?" He really didn't look the slightest bit worried. "Yarr anti-material weapons can't even a dent on me landlubbers!" He doesn't use pirate 'words' much, but decided that once or twice couldn't hurt. During his speech he tries to see about catching one of the many bullets with his teeth. Sadly his reflexes are sloppy; most either bounced off his teeth or ended up harmlessly in his mouth. Even on the inside Sharkguard's body was impossibly durable.

At the last stretch of what he would jokingly call a pathetic excuse of an attempted assassination, Sharkguard rears up and proudly laughs to himself. Watching normally fatal weapons be completely harmless to him is always a riot, and a huge twist from those decades ago.

[ripleycat]

The bullets that bounce off Sharkguard's invulnerable skin ricochet wildly off the plexiglass, some of them bouncing back into you, and doing nothing yet again. The display of invulnerability and your complete lack of worry earns a standing ovation from the crowd and even some rather amazed cheers from the soldiers. It's one thing to see superpowers on TV, quite another to see them in person. "Did-did he swallow some of 'em?" "Yep."

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you think you've seen all our heroes can do, you haven't seen anything yet!" Joseph's voice crackles over the PA again after the cheers have subsided. "Our thanks to the brave soldiers of McKarren Base for coming out today and participating in our event." The soldiers earn another round of applause as they take a bow and grab their seats for the rest of the day.

After a couple of minutes of break, where a couple of the doctors from the hospital look the trio of heroes over and the firing ranges are cleaned up and partly dismantled to give the crowd a better view of the other areas, the disembodied voice of the assistant coordinator booms out again. "Now, if you'll direct your attention to the center ring, so to speak, you'll see two of our heroes take on a challenge more fitting to their incredible talents- each other!"

The center ring, as Joseph calls it, is indeed in the center of the park, and resembles a boxing ring, though it's twice the size of any normal ring, to accommodate the outsize bodies that will be doing battle in it. One of the assistants gathers you and Megastar together. "All right, you two are the star attraction here. Now Mr. Silva told you the rules, right? No leaving the ring, no ranged abilities, and while we want to give the crowd a fun and hard-fought show here, don't go overboard, OK? Keep each other in one piece. We don't want to have to go track down a superhealer to re-attach body parts. You guys ready?"

[Starsign]

Sharkguard looks happily at the crowd giving him a standing ovation at his performance. He didn't expect the bullets to ricochet back at him, but it did make for a good show anyway. He had to admit, those bullets wouldn't he hard to digest; his powerful teeth made it able for him to crush them in his mouth with ease. He nods at the soldiers of McKarren Base as they take their bow and leave. He knew standing up to a creature bigger than eight foot tall is quite an accomplishment, more so being able to actually take it on if they had proper firepower. Sharkguard took the short break to stretch; readying himself for the little spar coming up.

Sharkguard was glad to see the boxing ring was bigger. Some superhero brawls can take down a whole block; he usually exerts just enough to keep buildings from falling. It's one of the reasons he is more comfortable at sea, much bigger area; no sort of threat that can stop him from going all out. Gathered with the assistant and Megastar, Sharkguard responds with, "Yarr got no need for alert. Retreat and range ain't in my dictionary." He turns to the teen. "Just no sort of buildin' crashin' now, ye hear? Ya can crash into me like a meteor from ocean's deep space, but I want no collateral damage." Sharkguard winks at Megastar, "Doesn' mean yarr can go all out though. I'd be disappointed if an alien superweapon can't hold up to the sea's invincible captain."

[ripleycat]

"I'm not gonna leave the ring, man. Don't worry about collateral damage." Megastar flexes for the crowd, who cheer lustily as you both climb into the ring. You can tell he's enjoying this as much as you are. "Worry about me beating you into a flatfish!"

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, there's not a soul among you who hasn't heard of Sharkguard and Megastar. They're two of the mightiest heroes our fair city has ever seen. They've faced threats large and small, but how will they fare against a most formidable foe- another hero!?"

"Gentlemen, you've been told the rules, and all eyes are on you. Lllllleeeeeettttt's get ready to rumble!"

You can tell Joseph's wanted to do that all his life.

Here we go! Roll Initiative, over in the OOC, please. If you win, go ahead and post Sharkguard's first combat round here. :smallsmile:

After Init, rolls can go here or in the OOC as needed, doesn't matter to me. Please use GitP's roller or Invisible Castle, if you don't feel like dealing with the board roller's weirdness.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard smiles at Megastar's upbeat and confident mood. The shark-man returns in kind, nodding while responding with, "Yarr ain't gonna be crushing my shark bones today kid!" He waits for Joseph's call signaling the fight. Sharkguard could almost roll his eyes in an obvious manner at the announcer's phrase. However it was an accurate one to use, this is definitely going to be a rumble.

With a quick dash-like leap, Sharkguard charges to the teen, teeth drawn but not in use here. He quickly goes for an uppercut aimed at Megastar's torso. No need for head concussions right off the bat, especially in a friendly brawl such as this.

Okay, so going to Charge (which should be doable) giving me +2 Attack and -1 Defense... Right? ^^;

Anyway, attack: [roll0] Minus 2 from this if Charge doesn't apply. DC 32 Toughness save if it hits.

[ripleycat]

Even with his hands up, the quick leaping attack catches Megastar offguard. Your uppercut slams right into his chest, and you get a weird sensation, like you punched a hunk of steel and put your hand in water at the same time. The teen hero takes a couple steps back, and you see the liquid metal suit re-solidify, none the worse for wear.

"Gonna have to try harder than that. Meg's a tough girl." Megastar smiles, then throws a haymaker right at your jaw. "Try this on for size!"

Your attack hits, but Megastar rolls a Natural 20. I count defensive nat 20's as critical successes (this goes for any you roll, as well), so Megastar takes no damage this round.

From the OOC: Megastar's Toughness check: (1d20+11)[31]

Attack: [roll0] If that hits, it's a DC 25 Toughness check (before your half-immunity)

[Starsign]

Sharkguard makes little attempt to dodge. He was always poor when it came to avoiding attacks and would prefer to take the blow anyway to keep anyone else from needlessly taking the hit. In this case, the moment Megastar's fist collided with the giant shark-man, the teen could feel the force of his punch stop suddenly, not like hitting metal, but some sort of impossibly hard material instead. Not even a bruise was made on Sharkguard, who proudly responds with, "Hah! Same to ya, yarr youngling!"

The shark-man responds with Megastar by pushing the teen's arm away using one arm while giving a quick punch with the other, one more to momentarily disorient the teen so Sharkguard follows up with a powerful straight jab to Megastar's face, aiming just below the eyes.

Considering Half-immunity to Toughness brings down the DC to 20, it makes the attack unable to beat Impervious.

Attack: [roll0] DC 32 Toughness if hit.

[ripleycat]

The teen hero slips backwards, avoiding your strike by the narrowest of margins, then brings his hands back into a guard. "Try harder? OK, I can do that!" Megastar ducks low, and twists suddenly, putting everything he has into a short, powerful uppercut aimed at your side. It's a blow straight out of Rocky, trying to crack ribs and knock the wind out of you.

18 is a miss.

Megastar: All-Out (+5/-5) Power (+5/-5) Attack: [roll0]

DC 30 toughness (pre-immunity) if it hits.

[Starsign]

Just because Sharkguard watched Rocky quite a bit didn't mean he saw that punch coming. The hit was quite true to it's mark and Megastar could feel like it actually made some sort of blow. However as he comes to realize, the punch wasn't even enough to add up to a bruise. "I didn't think yarr to use something right outta that movie," he says in an impressed manner. "However I prefer 'aving my style stay my own youngling!" With that Sharkguard pulled a more offensive maneuver, reeling back for a short moment before throwing multiple punches at the teen, one or two he whiffed on purpose to not make it look like such a beatdown, however Sharkguard made sure his downward punch a precise hit.

All-Out Attack +5/-5 [roll0] DC 32 Toughness

[ripleycat]

Sure he was going to do more than annoy you with his strike, the rain of blows catch Megastar flat-footed, and while he manages to dodge and block a few of them, Sharkguard's main punch strikes true, sending the silver-skinned teen reeling back into the ropes. Even through the protective shell of the alien weapon, you can tell he got his bell rung, as he gazes around unsteadily, guarding his torso where the punch had smashed through his guard.

The crowd, who have been chanting and cheering for both of you, gasp at this new development. You even hear a scream or two.

Megastar managed to get the lowest possible result on his re-roll. He is Stunned and Staggered, and takes no action this round. Your turn again.

[Starsign]

As he nails Megastar, Sharkguard watches the teen reel back in injury. This was really just a spar, not an actual fight; the shark-man had thought for a moment if he went a little too strong there. While this was a good chance in all other cases to get in another strike, he decided to instead give Megastar a chance to recover from his daze. "Ay! Is that ta best yarr can do Megastar?" He calls out to the teen, both as a taunt and as a notice to get back in the fight. "Back up on yarr feet youngling!"

Roleplaying this free turn away :smalltongue:

[ripleycat]

"Y-you hit hard, man, but I'm not done yet." Comes the still confident, but shaky-voiced reply as Megastar gets his bearings back. Shaking his head, the young powerhouse rushes forward and throws a massive roundhouse punch at your jaw.

All-out (+5/-5) Power (+5/-5) Attack: [roll0] If that hits, it's a DC 22 Toughness save (after immunity).

[Starsign]

Sharkguard took the time of waiting to watch Megastar's strike and attempt an evasion. The blow barely misses the shark-man's head, a few inches at most. "Heh, got ta heart of a boxer in yarr," he says proudly to the teen. "But I got ta heart of a sailor!" Sharkguard quickly sways and moves to Megastar's side, using the momentum of the move to throw a left hook at the teen's stomach, avoiding any vitals or the area Sharkguard already dealt a nasty blow to.

Well no All-Out Attack this time: [roll0] DC 32 Toughness.

[ripleycat]

Megastar grunts at the blow, but it doesn't seem to have affected him like the last one. "Well, sailor or not, I'm not letting you out of here without a mark to show for it. Come on!" He straightens up and uncorks a haymaker.

Attack hits. Megastar is Stunned and Bruised by the attack. Fiating away the stun, take a hero point.

Attack: All-Out (+5/-5) Power (+5/-5) Attack. [roll0] If it hits, A DC 22 toughness check (post-immunity)

[Starsign]

Sharkguard watches the haymaker collide with his face as his right foot moves a step back from the blow. For a change, the blow left a noticeable bruise, however it didn't bother Sharkguard at all, or even inflict anything that actually weakened him at the slightest. "Aye. There's yarr mark, youngling," he says without a hint of embarrassment. "Now I'll leave one on yarr suit too!" Sharkguard wasted no time as he closed in and throw one immediate and swift punch at Megastar's stomach again. The speed and force of that one may be enough, though Sharkguard had to admit, it was a lot of fun fighting in a friendly spar.

All-Out Attack again: [roll0] DC 32 Toughness

Next fight I'm gonna use some grappling for fun :smalltongue:

[ripleycat]

Megastar doesn't even get to make a snappy comeback, as the blow to his stomach knocks the wind, and his senses, and probably some childhood memories right out of him. He doubles over for a second before crashing to the mat, out cold. Though the alien suit stays active, protecting his identity, you can tell there's nobody behind the controls, as it flows around his body, looking more like water than skin.

The crowd cheers loudly as the sparring session comes to its end, though there are a few groans and boos from those that had been backing Megastar.

"There you have it, ladies and gentlemen! A battle between two titans has ended with Sharkguard as the victor!" Joseph's voice comes back on over the PA. The assistant you spoke to before the match comes running over with a couple of doctors from the hospital in tow. They examine the teen hero, clearly a little out of their depth with the silver-skinned superweapon. Their assistance isn't much needed in the end, though, as Megastar comes to after about a minute and is helped to his feet.

Megastar fails by more than 15 again, knocking him out. Sharkguard wins, and I get a nice benchmark for how much more powerful than a standard PL 10 hero you are. :smallsmile: Combat time is over. We're back to a more freeform posting style for the next few.

[Starsign]

Dealing the finishing blow to the spar, Sharkguard tries to relax as he takes down Megastar. The embarrassment the teen would likely have though was probably going to haunt the shark-man later on somehow. He goes to wave and flex at the crowd for just a short bit before Joseph brings his voice over the PA again. With that, Sharkguard goes to Megastar with the first-aid kit the shark-man carries with him for cases such as this. Seeing the teen get up within a minute had Sharkguard smile.

"Ah, younglings still got plenty of endurance on yarr," he comments as he opens the first aid kit next to Megastar. "Yarr needin any aid? Can't 'ave an injured guy keep with events now, and I got plenty of experience in this department too." If allowed, Sharkguard gives first aid to the teen to prepare him for the next events. He hasn't used his kit for awhile; mostly it's for his daughter when she gets a cut from falling over or something else. It's rarely used for himself, though he's glad to have it when it is available.

Would like to take 10 on a Medicine check for a result of 20 if it can be in play here.

[ripleycat]

Megastar is led out of the ring and into yet another of the large tents. This one turns out to be the medical tent. The only occupants are a couple of doctors, a guy who got heatstroke out in the bleachers, and a kid who looks to have gnashed his arm open on something. All look on in amazement as you come in.

Taken into a private "room" in the back, Megastar sits down and waves off the docs. "I'm OK, guys, really. Just need a little air, you know?" They don't leave, but dutifully give him some space, helping with the other patients for the moment. "That was crazy, Sharkguard. I knew you could hit hard, but feeling it is something else." Making very sure nobody else is close by, the silver skin peels away, leaving the wiry, freckled teenager looking around, still in a bit of a daze. He's got a wicked cut on the bridge of his nose and black eye to make a sailor gasp from where you nailed him, and some rather large, but not as deep, fist-shaped bruises on his torso. "Oh man, I've got a date this weekend. I need a cool story for this shiner. Any ideas?" The kid did have a knack for finding silver linings, you had to give him that.

Medicine check auto-succeeds, removing the staggered condition. The bruises are minimized after several minutes with icepacks and the doctors' care. Megastar makes a full recovery.

[Starsign]

Coming into the medical tent, Sharkguard noticed the two other injured people in there with their surprised expressions. The shark-man gives the old man some ice for his heatstroke and cleans and bandages the kid's gnashed arm. "Yarr both be alright now," he tells the two civilians before heading into the private room with Megastar. He watches the doctors give room before watching Megastar shift back into the teen he is known as. "A lot of people tell me about how hard I actually can hit," He responds to Megastar as he opens his first aid it, not using his accent in the meantime, "but you are right; my strength really is something else when they actually feel it."

Sharkguard first cleans the blood coming from the nasty cut Sharkguard dealt to the kid's nose bridge using deionized water, then quickly dries the water and bandages the wound to prevent further contamination. The shark-man hands Chris a pack of ice. "Place that over your eye. You got a lot of courage for your confidence back in that spar, and a lot of heart for being able to take all those punches." He enjoyed the younger generation and there energetic moods. Sharkguard just smirks quietly at the mentioning of the kid's date. "Well, remember the mall incident that happened yesterday night? You were there while I was busy taking down Baron Samedi's army of undead. If ya hadn't met her since then, you can explain how you were injured during it." He pauses a bit before making a small sigh. "I do regret not being there for the other injured however..." The shark-man gave a small, rare, but clear look of regret on his face.

[ripleycat]

"But I was injured, remember? One of 'em smacked me with a lamppost while we were... Ohhh, I see what you're saying." Chris smiles under the icepack. "Yeah, that'll make it sound pretty cool. Thanks."

He seems genuinely taken aback by your show of regret, used to your boisterous public personality. "Hey, it's OK. The paramedics got there quick, and you'd already done a lot. You hold yourself to a weird standard, man."

After a few minutes with the ice, and a check to make sure the cut is no longer bleeding, Megastar re-activates the silver shell. "Thanks. I think I'm gonna be fine." He winces a bit as he stands up. "Well, sore, but fine."

[Starsign]

Sharkguard simply smiles at Chris as he comes to what Sharkguard was suggesting. "Just don't overdo things for the rest of the day. Your bluff won't hold water if you look like you've been eaten by a shark." He pauses for a moment, getting a look to see if there was any sudden reaction from the kid. "Not that I'd eat you, or any human for that matter. I mean c'mon, when is the last time I thought of eating something not fish?" Sharkguard had a large aquatic diet, but kept himself from feasting like a black hole. Despite his massive build, he didn't need to eat all that much.

On the subject of yesterday, Sharkguard drops the look of regret quickly at Chris's words. "Hah, well I really enjoy fighting for the thrills, but I always try to put saving and protecting the innocent first." He was glad that casualties at the mall incident was low, if not nil. "And besides! All ta press got to the mall. Not really the same savin' the city in secret as savin' it with everyone watching, aye?" One thing about Sharkguard is that there was never such a thing as "pressure" with him. It didn't matter if the whole world was watching him as the lone protector in a fight determining the fate of the galaxy; there was no apparent look of fear or stress with the shark-man.

[ripleycat]

"Heheh... eh" Megastar chuckles nervously, trying, and failing miserably, to not stare at your teeth. "I, uh, I'll take your word for it." He calms down as you change the subject.

"You're right, of course. The job's about keeping people safe. Doesn't matter that it's usually really fun, or any of that. It's more satisfying to help people, in the long run." He falls silent for a moment. When he starts again, it's in a more reflective tone than the enthusiastic teen usually uses. "I wish I could get all worked up about the press like you do. Something like this, where there's time to prepare, it's different, but when a bunch of reporters rush up and start yelling questions, I'm always afraid I'm gonna blurt something out and and give away my identity, and then everything'll go to hell. Can't wait till I'm officially an adult, man. Couple more years and I'll be able to do it! Be a full time hero!"

From outside, you hear the PA crackle, what sounds like someone smacking a speaker a feedback hiss, then Joseph's voice. "Piece of junk, come on... Ah, there we go! Ladies and gentlemen, if you'll turn your attention to the centerpiece, the first of our intrepid heroes is about to make his way through our obstacle course!"

"Hey! Come on! Let's go see Johnny do his thing!" Megastar jumps up at the announcement. From the outside, at least, he looks none the worse for wear. To be young again, and bounce back like a rubber band...

[Starsign]

Sharkguard keeps with helping Chris's injuries as the kid explains. The shark-man cleans the bruises of any possible infections before placing another bag of ice over it. The bruises weren't anywhere near as bad as the cut on the nose or the eye, but some attention was still needed regardless. As he worked, Sharkguard responded to the teen, "It is great to help others. I also, enjoy the thrills of battle and fame of course. You can probably understand the former of the two now." He chuckles quietly before explaining the deal about the press. "It comes naturally when you've had decades of talking with the press. I like putting up a show for them as much as I can without making it too overblown."

Sharkguard removes the ice from the bruises to see how they are doing, then laughs at the kid's comment about age. "Hah, don't think I've ever met someone who was excited about growing older. Keep what ya got now; it always lasts shorter than you think it does." Once Joseph gets on the PA about the next coming event, Sharkguard keeps Chris from leaving in his human state. "Aye, aren't yarr forgettin' something Megastar?" He gives a friendly wink to Chris. As enjoyable energetic as the teen was, he needed to watch himself out there.

[ripleycat]

"What? Oh. OH... The silver skin re-activates in record time, flowing around Chris and reforming into the familiar visage of the Megastar the public was familiar with.

"That was close. OK, now let's go!" With identity properly guarded, Megastar heads for the tent entrance.

Outside, Joseph continues his introduction. "The courses our heroes will face are not all the same, and will be tailored to their own unique skills to a degree. First up today is the lightning-fast Johnny Rocket!" There's a break in his announcement and loud applause for what you assume is Johnny mugging for the crowd before his run. "Though Johnny's proven himself to literally be faster than a speeding bullet today, the course will require quick thinking to match those quick reflexes. Will he be up to the task? Let's find out, shall we? The engineers are giving the course a final once-over, and the Rocket will begin when the starting gun sounds!"

Inside the colossal, sprawling structure, you can hear the rattle of machinery and hydraulics that were most certainly not active when you arrived earlier this morning. Several CC cameras have been placed in areas the audience may not have a good view of, their images being broadcast on screens near the bleachers. Megastar has found himself a spot near Dr. Chase and some of the other organizers. He waves you over eagerly. "Hurry up, man, it's Johnny. He'll probably be done before the gun goes off."

[Starsign]

Sharkguard follows Megastar in a slower pace than the kid did. The shark-man was over forty now, rushing became something he doesn't do unless there was something in dire need. Exiting the tent, he smiles to see Johnny ready to go. While he loved the fame, Sharkguard wasn't one to steal the spotlight when it was someone else's time for it. And for such an occasion like this, agility wasn't something Sharkguard was known for, so he was glad Johnny was doing the obstacle course and not the shark-man.

Sharkguard finds a spot beside Megastar and near Dr. Chase as he does his best to get comfortable. It was likely that he wouldn't be sitting for long, but he might as well while here. "Well, time to see what this Rocket can really do in that course, aye?" He asks Megastar, easily obvious that the shark-man was excited to see Johnny in action.

[ripleycat]

The gun sounds, and just like Megastar predicted, Johnny is up and moving before the smoke stops drifting from the barrel. On one of the screens you can see his entrance to the course, a broad ramp that quickly narrows to a precipitous, almost tightrope-like path above a 20-foot drop. He takes it with ease, sprinting across the gap and leaving the narrow bridge shaking behind him.

There's a metallic clang as Johnny reaches the far side of the bridge, ultra-slo-mo replays helpfully showing the pressure plate in the concrete floor triggering as the speedster passes by overhead. In something out of an Indiana Jones movie, long spears shoot out of the walls of the hallway, creating an impassible hedge of spikes. Well, impassable for a regular person. Johnny, despite a couple of breathtakingly close calls, manages to bend out of the way and simply run along the wall, staying above the spears and even using a couple of the for footholds.

As he reaches the end of the hallway, Johnny vanishes from normal view and the view on the TVs above the bleachers becomes a split-screen, one half following the speedster like the camera of a video game, and the other half becoming a bird's-eye view, showing that Rocket had just entered a large, twisting maze. He hits a dead end quickly, then backtracks, and runs into another just as fast. Having figured out what he's gotten himself into, Johnny stops and wags a finger at the hovering camera drone behind him. "Very clever, guys." He methodically (for him, which still means moving at hundreds of miles an hour) begins working his way through the maze. A couple of times he seems to get turned around and disoriented, but his sheer speed allows him to eliminate all the false endings. It's a brute force solution to a puzzle supposed to test quick thinking, and by the end he's gone through the whole maze twice, but he does reach the end. He grins and speeds back up as he exits, which proves to be a mistake.

There's a loud *SNAP* and faster than any of you can blink, a section of the walkway lifts up like a drawbridge, catching even the speedster by surprise and tossing him back into the maze with a yelp. The camera helpfully zooms in to show the hair-thin tripwire that Johnny had just broken. The walkway lowers back down, only to ratchet back up the moment the speedster re-emerges from the maze. He steps back, and it lowers again. After a couple of steps back and forth to confirm his theory, Johnny throws himself forward, accelerating to his full speed almost instantly. The walkway springs up again, but this time the mechanism is simply too slow, as Johnny springs over the rising edge like it was something he did every day.

Back in view of the crowd, the irrepressible hero waves to you all before dashing into the final part of his course, which initially seems to just be a winding, corkscrew path, twisty, but straightforward, less an obstacle and more just getting the most out of the remaining space. That is, until the walls smash together a hairsbreadth in front of the Rocket's nose. Johnny jumps away, then rushes through as they open back up again, only to be confronted by the section's floor and ceiling crushing together. Diving through, he meets another section of wall determined to make him into a pancake. Squeezing past at the last second, he gets into a rhythm, zipping under, over, or through an array of increasingly devious and complex devices in a demonstration that's as much acrobatics as it is pure speed.

With a roar from the crowd, Johnny literally vaults over the last piece of machinery, tumbling and popping up in a grand bow to the audience. "There you have it, ladies and gentlemen! The first of our runs has concluded, and in spectacular fashion! Let's hear it again for Johnny Rocket!" Johnny grins and waves, absorbing the cheers for a minute before joining you and Megastar. He looks ragged and a little stiff, but unharmed. "I'm too old for this stuff. Slowing down." He says with a wink.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard practically stood with the crowd as he gave a standing ovation to Johnny's performance. The shark-man would probably have just smashed his way through the place instead of maneuvering around at light speed. It really went to show how different the two heroes were in abilities and tactics, yet the same in heart and spirit. As Johnny Rocket came over to him and Megastar, Sharkguard put his hand on the speedster's shoulder. "Naw, yarr still as fast as I've seen ya been," he says to comfort Johnny. "That course was just demonic, something ta dreaded hydra would flee in terror of if he had feet, haha!"

By the hydra he had meant the one from Greek mythology; over seventy feet tall; a monstrous multi-headed aquatic snake abomination that once terrorized the seas many years ago. Of course mythologies don't make it to modern day, at least as far as Sharkguard knows. The shark-man turns to Megastar, who he expected to be undoubtably amazed at the performance. "Think this ol' Rocket needs a bite ta eat Megastar? I'm pretty sure ta next event's all mine, aye?"

[ripleycat]

"I'm good for the moment, but thanks." Johnny grins at your support.

There's a brief lull as the docs look Johnny over and declare him fit to continue without any treatment, and the obstacle course is shut down to refit and move things around for Megastar's run after lunch.

Joseph emerges from the PA booth to grab a water bottle, looking a little sweaty, but rather self-satisfied. "This is fun! I haven't gotten to be an announcer since college. Normally this job is all running around and getting people to sign things. Hey guys, as long as I've got you here, the last event before lunch is just about ready."

"The breaking demo is a little more informal, since it's built on you guys getting to show off as much as it is us demonstrating your skills. We've got pieces of just about any material you can imagine, from wooden boards to... well, I couldn't pronounce it, but it's some kind of alloy from ASTRO Labs. '50 times stronger than steel!' to hear them tell it. We'll see. Honestly, I think both of you big strong guys could put a fist right through the stuff. Between you and me, if you could, that'd be great. Their rep's a real jackass. Be nice to see him get taken down a peg or two."

Even the normally serene Dr Chase, sitting a few rows over, nods her agreement. "I have no idea how that man ended up in public relations, but he makes me want to slap him with a hand full of hypodermic needles."

Nobody on the planet would blame you, doc. Hey Johnny, you can sit it out if you want, you look bushed."

"Nah, I wouldn't miss this one. You two lazybones ready?" He smiles at you and Megastar. "Or do you just want to watch this one too?"

[Starsign]

Sharkguard helps with examining Johnny after the obstacle course. He had skill in treatment after all; he was glad to make use of it where he can. "Just give me a holler and I'll come about to yarr aid mate," he tells Johnny right before turning to Joseph, seeing that the guy had already worked up a sweat. "Aye. Ta breaking demo. Fine time to test 'em materials." He folds his arms in confidence. While his arms weren't strong enough to do things like pierce the Earth's core, he was sure nothing man-made that he couldn't break down.

"Now Doctor," he says to Chase. "No need for violence in this kind 'o place. Yarr want to teach an egoist a lesson," he beats his own chest, "Yarr got's to beat 'em past their pride!" After that display of confidence. Sharkguard looks down at Megastar. "Think ya can match me youngling? Don't want yarr to fall short now." Though competitive, Sharkguard clearly spoke in a friendly tone meant to rouse the teen up after the sparring the two had. From there, he turned to Johnny. "Well I sure as hell ain't gonna step back from a challenge I excel at! Yarr just watch and cheer us on, aye?" The shark-man was glad that Johnny Rocket had finished his most notable challenge of the fundraiser. Sharkguard wasn't too familiar about the obstacle course he'd be doing, but could imagine it being something well-tailored to him; same for Megastar, who would likely get a more aerial challenge.

[ripleycat]

"If you're not gonna be trying to pound my face in, I could do this all day!" Megastar hops to his feet.

"He's right. I may not be as strong as you guys, but that doesn't mean I can't tear stuff up. Lead the way!"

The breaking demonstration turns out to be set up on a wide stage facing the audience, back near where the boxing ring had been set up. There's a tent set up behind it to serve double duty as a stage curtain and a storage area. On the stage, you can see they've set up an initial "test" just to get things started, a trio of wood-and-brick walls, close to what a real building would have.

"OK guys, have fun, and try not to bust up the stage itself too badly if you can help it. It's a rental." Joseph returns to the PA shack, and a minute later you hear his voice crackle through the speakers again. "All right, ladies and gentlemen, if you'll direct your attention to the east end of the park, you'll see our heroes get a chance to show you their strength the old-fashioned way- by breaking boards and busting down walls!"

As you take your spots, the assistants wheel out some plexiglass screens to keep you shielded from debris from each others demos. No need to have someone get brained by a flying brick, after all.

For these initial rounds, you can take 10 on the attack, or actually roll, which guarantees a crit if you hit, but of course runs the risk of missing entirely.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard smirks quietly at the two other heroes and their energy, then follows Joseph to where the boxing ring was. The showing of brick and wood walls didn't seem to challenging to Sharkguard, it was pretty much like cardboard to a normal human. As he takes up his position, he turns to the other two who were hopefully prepared as well. "Yarr now watch how it's done!" He rouses the two heroes again as he reels back and throws a hard punch at the wall, not going to make a crazy showing of moves and instead go for quick yet powerful strikes, just like he's always done, both as human and as a shark-man. Once done he'd check to see how Megastar and Johnny held up.

Gonna take 10 for this one. BTW is there any sort of option that allows me to 'borrow' the Power Attack feat for this part? IIRC there was something in the rules about it.

[ripleycat]

As the organizers intended, these materials can't stand up to your staggering strength, and your wall collapses in brick dust and splinters to cheers from the audience.

Megastar throws a pair of huge roundhouse punches that do to his wall what you did to yours, demolishing it handily, if somewhat more violently. While Johnny lacks the strength of the powerhouses, he's plenty strong for a regular person, and with some focus and concentration, he manages to crack his wall with a pair of well-placed kicks. A third breaks it clean in half.

After the opening round, the assistants huddle and bring out materials better suited for your individual talents. Johnny gets a circle of boards, like he's in a karate movie, and is challenged to break them all in two seconds or less. Megastar is presented with another wall, a more formidable one, bricks a good foot thick. Your challenge is upped as well, but instead of just making it bigger, they change the material, as a slab of granite is wheeled out in place of the shattered brick wall.

You can spend a HP to gain an advantage for a scene. I'd let a "scene" count as the whole breaking exercise if you want to "buy" Power Attack. The wall can't make the same against your damage and is destroyed.

The Take 10 or roll option will be there for anything you hit during the demo. Bending or pulling something apart requires a strength check instead.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard turns just in time to see Megastar and Johnny Rocket break their walls. He respected how Johnny was surprisingly strong despite his powers being more focused around speed. He could probably land some punishing bruises on the shark-man if they ever went at it sometime; however Sharkguard would rather avoid that. He's strong enough to take down Megastar in a few strikes, he couldn't imagine how long Johnny might last.

Deciding that any sort of showing off wouldn't be rewarding for simply breaking a brick wall, Sharkguard watches the granite wall come up now. It was a material more fitting for him, but he figured Megastar could break through it just fine too. Sharkguard went for a more dramatic way of breaking the wall, quickly leaning back and then delivering a brutally hard headbutt to the wall, coming out without a mark from hitting it.

Gonna roll for attack this time for the crit, All Out Attack in full play: [roll0]

[ripleycat]

Perhaps the headbutt hit a weak spot in the rock, or maybe Sharkguard is simply that strong, but the big chunk of granite comes apart like it was hit with dynamite. When the dust clears, all that's left are a few fist-sized pieces of rock and a lot of rubble. The crowd, the organizers, and your fellow heroes cheer loudly and somewhat disbelievingly.

It takes Megastar three hits to dismantle his wall, eventually just picking it up and shattering it over his knee. Johnny has less trouble with his challenge. Speed is what he does best, and the boards are matchwood with almost a second to spare.

After the war crime you committed against the granite, the assistants switch over to metal without a second thought. A bulky slab of iron, what looks to be an actual railroad tie they picked up from somewhere, replaces the stone. With a hint of irony, one of the helpers advises you try try bending it, rather than "risk hurting those big hands of yours." You're not sure if he's teasing or serious.

Megastar huddles with two of the assistants, who nod and return with a baseball bat and a crowbar. Whether it's bravado or having seen too many kung fu movies, the silver-skinned teen challenges them to hit him as hard as they can.

Johnny rolls his eyes, but doesn't say anything to Megastar, as he's got something similar planned, a pair of helpers ready to fling clay pigeons at him. He announces to the audience that he will break every one before they can hit the ground.

Like I said, you demolished it. No roll needed.

If you've got a stunt you think would be fun to try, lemme know, and I'll work it in. :smallsmile:

[Starsign]

Sharkguard's face gave a rather sinister and extremely confident smile as he sees the granite wall shatter to practically nothing. It was a real testament to his strength, as frightening as it can be. It was also something he'd unlikely repeat for awhile too, but hell if it wasn't satisfying. Sharkguard turns to see how Megastar and Johnny Rocket were doing. The former's slight difficulty showed that he was still young, though with extreme potential. The latter's speed always did dazzle the shark-man, and this was no exception. How one can focus at such speed, Sharkguard had no clue, and he likely never will.

Sharkguard's attention is then turned to the iron wall he has to deal with now. The advice to "bend" it didn't seem to faze the shark-man, who had different plans. "HAH! I eat iron for breakfast!" Whether he meant literal iron, or the kind found in food, is up to the interpretation of those listening. Sharkguard backed up from the wall a bit, going to give some space in preparation. Then he quickly dashes forward and charges forth, smashing shoulder and arm-first into the wall in an attempt to break past through it. Hopefully he would at least break through some part of the wall instead of some part of himself.

Charging the wall, going for a Slam. Rolling for crit, All-Out Attack: [roll0] Will reroll if I roll 1. Super Strength of +12 may also apply.

[ripleycat]

Sharkguard's bull-rush hits the iron slab with a resounding *CLANG!* and the unmistakable (and unpleasant) sound of metal shearing. The re-purposed railroad tie bends and breaks at the point of impact, sending one piece sailing over the plexiglass barrier. Megastar catches it and tosses it back with a thumbs up. "Nice!"

Johnny has little trouble keeping up with his challenge. The most difficult part is actually breaking the targets when he gets to them, and that's what eventually lets him down, as 23 targets in, he hits one, and the stubborn thing just ricochets into the barrier instead, shattering there. There are mixed cheers and groans from the audience, and he smiles and shrugs. "So close!"

Megastar takes the blow from the baseball bat easily, and the handle snaps on impact, as you might expect. The crowbar is a different story, and more impressive. The silver skin flows to meet the strike, and the bar bends around the teen's arm as the armored shell disperses the blow's energy across his body. He takes a few steps back, looking rather impressed with himself and the superweapon. You see him muttering under his breath to "Meg," the alien AI that helps control the weapon.

Having failed to really challenge any of you, the organizers up the ante, bringing out three hefty pieces of sheet steel. "Things are getting serious, now, folks! These targets are made of sterner stuff, let's see how the heroes fare!" Joseph intones over the PA.

The iron fails by more than 15, and is destroyed.

[Starsign]

As Sharkguard sees the sheet of iron shear apart and caught by Megastar before it flies to somewhere inconvenient or unpleasant, Sharkguard could only shrug his arms in slight embarrassment with a semi over-the-top "Avast!" Taking down iron in one blow was something, now sending it flying was more of a mistake than anything. Still, it ended for the best, and Megastar was rather impressed. He frowns for a moment as he sees Johnny miss one of the clay pigeons. Seeing that the speedster lack the strength to break such objects was rather unfortunate, especially after being able to break down a brick wall in three blows. Still, it couldn't get worse from here, could it?

Sharkguard now turned to the steel sheet. Indeed things have gotten interesting. Sharkguard paused slightly to think about what to do, then walked up to it and threw a quick but strong straight punch with his right arm. Once he got the hit in, whether it pierced straight through or not, he showed a different feat of strength by beginning to use both arms and tear the sheet of steel apart from the inside, hopefully leaving it as two torn and ruined steel pieces at the end.

Okay, first going for crit: [roll0]
And then a Strength check: [roll1]

[ripleycat]

The sheet dents and tears where you struck it, leaving just enough of a gap for you to work your fingers into. The metal groans and twists, then gives way in a rush, tearing into two battered halves. Even the organizers seem impressed by the feat, and join in as the audience applauds.

Megastar tries a different tack, picking up the sheet and bending it in half, then flipping it over and bending it back the other way. It takes a few turns, but eventually the overworked metal simply shreds in his hands. He too gets applause, as people realize he did to a piece of sheet steel what normal people do to a paper clip when they're bored.

Johnny puzzles over the sheet for a moment. This wasn't something he could just bash his way past. With a grin, he begins to run around the sheet, faster and faster, until he's nothing but a blue-white blur. Debris starts getting pulled into the swirling downdraft created by the speedster, and the organizers duck behind the barrier to stay safe, until the suction breaks one of the bolts and starts pulling the whole pane of plexiglass in. Megastar grabs it, holding it back as some rather horrible metallic noises sound from Johnny's part of the stage. He comes to a stop, dispersing the impromptu windstorm with a rush, and showing off the utterly mangled piece of steel in the middle with a bow.

The steel fails by more than 10 against the blow and is disabled. It cannot match the strength check, and is destroyed as you pull it apart.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard found himself amused once again at his own strength. The various tricks he had to take care of each material definitely gave some variety for the audience. However when it came down to it, he was beginning to run a bit short on ideas. His plans in combat usually ran down to "punch and take blows until foe goes down" and preferred not going with some of the more brutal tactics that included tearing material into two and another one he would introduce at the end.

For now he watches the other two heroes do their own skills. Bending it as is was something Sharkguard hadn't thought of. It was a clever showing of skill over brute force, where as the shark-man was quite the opposite. He then looked at Johnny, who blinked once or twice in disbelief at what the speedster did. He had no idea how that worked, like it was some master ability someone would take years of understanding their powers to learn. Sharkguard himself was old, but his own body had only been his for over a year now. Johnny probably had a decade or even longer to master whatever speed powers he had available.

...Just then Sharkguard had an idea. "Ay! Johnny!" He calls Rocket over to Sharkguard's area while the organizers were preparing for the next set of materials to come in play. "Got a challenge for yarr if up for it. Seeing that speed yarr had so much experience for..." He gives a friendly glare. "I want'a see how many blows ta Rocket can strike on me in a span of three seconds." Sharkguard folds his arms in confidence. "No need for holdin' back on me so long as yarr don't mess up the entire area."

[ripleycat]

"All right, but if I knock you out, remember, this was your idea." Johnny grins. "Can we get one of those slo-mo cameras on this? I'm gonna lose count halfway through." The assistants dutifully bring over a camera to monitor the stunt. "How many do you think I can get, folks? 50? 100?"

The crowd chuckles. Someone shouts out "150!" like they're at an auction, which gets an immediate response of "I say 175!" from some other wise-ass and more laughs. "200!" "225!" "250!" The two banter back and forth until Johnny stops them. "250? Eesh, no promises, but I'll see what I can do."

"All right, here we go, Jaws. This is going to feel... weird. I'll try not to actually hurt you. Not that I have to worry about it with that steel skin of yours." With that, Johnny points to an assistant with a stopwatch and throws a quick, sharp punch at your chest. You only feel that first strike as a distinct blow. The rest come as something between a tattoo needle and a jackhammer, a weird undulating sensation, too fast to register as single blows, or even see as single blows. It's uncomfortable, but not overly painful, at least for someone as tough as you. A regular person would be a senseless heap of bruises about a second in. The Rocket moves in a semicircle as he hammers at you in short, rapid motions, like he's working a speedbag.

After what feels like an eternity but is really just well, three seconds, the assistant with the stopwatch shouts "Time!" Johnny slows to a halt, taking a couple deep breaths. "Whew! How you feeling, Sharkguard? Didn't hurt you, did I?" He glances up at the screen as the slow-motion camera finishes up, several seconds behind real time, counting up the blows. It finishes with the counter flashing a staggering "312!" on the screen, more than a 100 strikes a second. "Woohoo!" Johnny cheers, enthused, but slightly winded. "I don't know how long I could have kept that pace up, but dang, you make one hell of a sparring partner, big guy!"

"If you gents are done beating on each other, we've got a couple more things that might be able to withstand a beating themselves." Joseph's voice reminds you, as the assistants bring out sheets of something much tougher than the stuff you've powered through so far- titanium.

Johnny will pull his punches, so there's no need for a toughness check.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard never really had an idea on how many punches Johnny Rocket could land on him. He figured that it could have very well went into the thousands if given more time, practice, and not public view as such. Still, he knew it was going to be a fun display to see. The auction-like calling from the audience amused him even further. They were quite excited to see the shark-man get pummeled hundreds of times, not that he expected to come out in a wreck of a mess. True to the speedster's word, the flurry of punches did feel weird, though not harmful. He lacked the quickness to tell exactly how fast Johnny was going. It probably was a tiring experience for Johnny if it lasted longer than Sharkguard said.

As the three seconds pass, Sharkguard watches Johnny Rocket take some deep breaths, showing a bit of wear from it to the shark-man's surprise. He did his best not to show it as he winked to the guy who used him as a speedbag. "Ain't got a bruise here Rocket!" He says in his graveled, gruff sailor/pirate accent. The time of 312 hits, of which was probably above what any of the audience expected, was certainly a heck of a performance "Yarr did an excellent job," he tells Johnny. "I can get in 10 o' ta hits at most in the same amount of time; really shows how we vary, Aye? I can definitely be there for sparring if yarr want to another time." While very friendly, Sharkguard wasn't too interested in anything past a friendship with Johnny.

With the titanium here, Sharkguard takes one look at it before setting his plan in motion. The shark-man first took the sheet from the top and began bending it down, or even snapping the piece off by hand. If it didn't break already, Sharkguard showed his scowling teeth and chomped on the titanium sheet once, now tearing the piece apart using his teeth and once that piece was gone, he throws his fist at the bent sheet, aiming to smash a hole right through the hopefully weakened sheet.

[ripleycat]

The titanium, made of sterner stuff than anything else so far, screeches and scrapes under your teeth, but even it can't withstand the enormous pressure your jaws can bring to bear for long. The top corner bends a bit before snapping with tremendous force, the more brittle metal unable to bend the way the steel did. Robbed of much of its strength, the center of the sheet bends and cracks under impact, which your teeth and fists quickly turn into a full-fledged hole.

The assistants allow the winded Johnny Rocket to sit this round out, but Megastar also gets a crack at a titanium sheet. After a great deal of effort, he gets fed up with wailing on the ultra-hard metal and begins focusing his blows in a different way. After a minute, he proudly holds up the mangled sheet to the audience. "Look! I made a bowl!"

Even Joseph chuckles at that as he comes on to announce the final challenge. "Titanium is one thing, but our heroes' final task is something truly remarkable. The generous researchers over at ASTRO Labs have donated several sheets of an experimental alloy that they claim is, and I quote, '50 times harder than steel.' Let's see if this super-material can actually hold up against super powers!"

The titanium fails by more than 15, and is destroyed.

[Starsign]

Taking it's time to break, Sharkguard doesn't push himself as he tears out the titanium. Materials keep getting stronger, sure, but of course it can't compare to Sharkguard's own skin. He was better known for shrugging off attacks of increasing severity than crushing material of increasing severity. Still he had no quarrel with showing off his strength, in fact he loved it. Showed how organic is mightier than metal. He was glad Johnny got the chance to rest, especially since it was kind of Sharkguard's fault the speedster was winded out in the first place. Megastar's humorous metal-shifting of the titanium again showed how things differed from each of the heroes, and the shark-man could not help much chuckle to that.

...Now the super-alloy came. Sharkguard highly doubted that this material was fifty times greater than steel, however it was probable that it is well out of titanium's league in hardness. Sharkguard decided to try every strategy he had used on it. First blowing two punches at it, one for his two hands. After that he grabs a part of the alloy, possibly the dent that he made if he struck hard enough, and tries ripping a hole in it. Even if he couldn't really tear it into two like he did with the steel, a good tear in it would be enough to show that the alloy needs some more work. If it withstood all that, Sharkguard had more for it to come. He still had the charging slam, the teeth-tearing, and the headbutt to use.

Going for a physical attack with that dual punches: [roll0]
And strength check for attempting to tear it: [roll1]

[ripleycat]

Unlike everything else you've tackled so far, the super-alloy doesn't crumple under your assault. Sure, a few small dents and cracks have shown up, and you can feel it straining under your grip, but it looks pretty solid, especially when you compare it to what you've done to all of the other "tough" materials. For a few seconds, at least, it looks like this stuff might actually live up to the hype.

Megastar has little luck with his slab as well. Several punches have done little more than leave him shaking his knuckles. He switches tactics, putting a foot down on the sheet and yanking back on the corner as hard as he can.

The alloy takes 2 "bruised" conditions, but is still intact.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard was impressed in one sense, and at the same time, not too surprised that the super-alloy was holding up. He figured that the hype had meant something, and it was rather showing here. Still, it wasn't going to bring down the shark-man's spirit. Sharkguard takes a moment to gain distance before charging and smashing into the alloy material elbow-first. If there was a dent made there, he'd then go and bring his teeth down on it as if to try and tear the material apart. Even if there wasn't a dent made, Sharkguard would grip an area of the material with his teeth and tear it apart as best as he could.

Attack for Slam: [roll0]
Strength: [roll1]

[ripleycat]

The sheer amount of force behind that charge does what your fists alone could not, and the alloy buckles, gaping cracks and an elbow-shaped hole in its center. The crowd cheer loudly, impressed by your having done what the maker said was impossible. In the VIP section, you catch a glimpse of both King and Beaumont collecting bets from a very disgruntled-looking man in a shirt with ASTRO Labs' logo printed on it.

In the meantime, Megastar has managed to bend his piece slightly. Fed up, and inspired by your performance, he flies up and comes barreling down on the sheet from above. Though not damaged to the extent yours is, when the dust clears, the supposedly impervious sheet is nowhere near as flat as it was to start. He also gets a loud ovation.

"Weeeelll, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen! If there's anything our heroes can't handle, we haven't seen it here today! Maybe we'll see something new next year." Joseph is doing a remarkably poor job of hiding his smugness over your destruction of the alloy. "And with that spectacular showing, it's time for us to take a little break. Grab some lunch, stretch your legs and come on back, folks, because we've saved the best for last! But first, let's give our mighty heroes one more round of applause." The crowd responds to the suggestion with gusto, cheering the demonstration of power that's been put on this morning.

The alloy fails by more than 10, and is disabled.

[Starsign]

With the super-alloy material broken right from his almighty charge, Sharkguard bellows out in triumph at his success. "Yarharharharhar!" It was a very "pirate-y" laugh, something he wasn't ashamed of doing during moments such as this. He raised a fist into the air before watching Megastar crash down like a comet onto the alloy. Sharkguard joins in with the crowd in the standing ovation, the shark-man being quite very surprised and very impressed that Megastar could damage the alloy greatly, even if not to the extent Sharkguard did. The shark-man could have destroyed the alloy, but there wasn't much point when the damage to AEGIS Labs has already been done to an irreparable degree.

With the event winding down to lunch now, Sharkguard walked over to Megastar and Johnny. "Aye. Yarr both did a heck of a show out there," He says in an extremely pleased fashion. "Was a little worried I'd be ta star of that. I'm amazed yarr even did that kind of damage to that alloy, youngling." Chris' parents should be extremely proud of him now if they know about his superhero life. "So yarr both hungry by this point? I could devour a whale after all that!" Whether Sharkguard could eat a whale or not was up to interpretation, but everyone did know that the shark-man believed that he definitely can if given a good reason to.

[ripleycat]

"Aw, thanks. What can I say, I'm just that good." Megastar smirks, but his body language betrays his embarrassment at the praise. He's probably blushing under the alien shell.

"I don't know about a whale, but I'm famished. Let's eat!" Johnny replies. Or rather, the space where Johnny used to be. The speedster reappears in a blur on the other side of you, munching on a hot dog. "OK, I'm set. When do the next events start?"

"What? Oh, right, slowpokes gotta eat too, I guess." He grins. "Well, they've got some food tents set up over thataway. Burgers and dogs, that sort of high-class fare. Or we could hit one of those little places downtown if you fellas aren't in the mood for grilled grease. Sure they'd appreciate the business, with this shindig shutting down traffic for most of the day."

"Hey, I'm not slow! I'm just... not as fast as you." Megastar grumbles. "I'm good with a burger or two. 'Sides, what's-his-name, Joseph, will probably have a fit if we go missing in the middle of the event. Better stay here for lunch. Plus, I'm broke." he adds under his breath.

Lunchtime! Free-form RP break here. You have about an hour, give or take. Whatever strikes your fancy, I'm good with. I have no plans for the lunch break except giving you a chance to chat with the other heroes if you want.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard was about to take a seat down when he came off-guard at how fast Johnny managed to get something to eat for himself. Seeing as how they were in a private area, he decided to cut the accent for now. "Ha. Johnny I sometimes wonder how you manage your free time when waiting for the next big thing to happen in the day." He goes to look in the direction of where the tents were set up for lunch. Fried foods weren't any good on his body, even less so than a human. "Well now I don't really like those kind of foods by the tents; but Megastar is right, we probably shouldn't leave for now." He turns to the teen, hearing the mumbling had the shark-man raise an eyebrow.

With a small plan in mind, Sharkguard speaks up, "Actually earlier today a couple sailors have talked with me about trying something different, something more... complex than raw fish." It wasn't a secret that Sharkguard often found himself by the bay or docks with the other sailors. "Johnny, there was some sort of exquisite place nearby; I recall that restaurant had one of those exotic fish-like delicacies there. Is it possible you might be able to check it out, or if you might have the cash, pay a dish for me? I can pay ya back of course."

Sharkguard waits for Johnny's response and hopefully for the speedster to take off, then turns to the teen. "You're broke?" Sharkguard asks in a quiet tone; this was the first he heard of that, figuring Chris' family had a good profit due to his success at the Acadamy.

[ripleycat]

"Generally, by going and finding the next big thing." Johnny finishes the dog in a few bites and smiles wryly. "You mean like a sushi joint? Oh! By the docks! Wait, yeah, duh, I think I know the place. I'll get you a party platter, big guy. Best of everything. Back in a few. You can pay me back whenever, I know you're good for it." With that, the speedster flashes away out of sight, into town.


"You're broke?"

"Hmm? What? Oh! I-I didn't mean it like that. I mean, my folks aren't like, Headmaster Summers rich or anything, but we-we're not poor. I guess it does make us look kind of like big spenders, with me going to Claremont and all, but we could never afford that on our own. They're just not trying to make ends meet, that's all." Megastar seems genuinely taken aback at your concern and moreover, your tone. The embarrassment in the air is so thick you could cut it with a knife and spread it on toast.

"I-I'm on a scholarship, you know, because of Meg here." He waves at himself, indicating the silver alien weapon. "You know that spooky crimefighter who shows up at night? The Raven? She found out who I am underneath this, back when I first came up with the idea of being a superhero, and was just kind of crashing into things and trying not to get killed. She just said she pulled some strings. Never got anything more out of her, but the full ride to Claremont showed up a couple days later."

Chris rubs the back of his head and stares at his shoes in the universal sign of awkward confessions. "I, um, I just meant me. I'm broke. I am all the time. My folks don't give me an allowance or anything like that anymore, and I can't find a job, and even if I could, I couldn't hold one down, 'cause of school and... this. Bein' a hero. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love it, it really is the best thing ever, but it sure would be nice to have a buck or two in my pocket, not have to scrounge for weeks to afford a couple movie tickets." He mumbles something under his breath again. You catch a snippet that sounds like "Not that she'd go with me anyway..."

"How do you do it, Sharkguard? I mean, you're a full-time hero, 'always on duty' and all that. I can't wait until I get that chance, but... how do you balance it all out? Where do you get money and clothes and food and all that, and how do you find free time? I'd go nuts if I couldn't unwind at least every once in a while."

[Starsign]

As much as Sharkguard wanted to thank Johnny before he took off, the shark-man didn't get the chance. Compared to speedsters, Sharkguard was a snail; then again, pretty much everyone else is too. He shrugged slightly before taking a seat to listen to Megastar, taking care also to avoid breaking any chairs he sits in. "Ah, right," Sharkguard responds to the teen's initial comment. The shark-man tries to keep any sort of embarrassment or soft, kind tone to a reasonable level for himself. "Well not all of us have the resources of millionaires. Believe me, you'd find my salary a bit below what you'd be expecting of me." He gives off a quiet chuckle. Often Sharkguard would do construction work or something down by the docks for needed cash in order to have the food and clothing, among other essentials, for himself and, more importantly, Alyssa. He did his best not to publicize his side-work however. It wasn't quite as interesting as his superhero work.

At the question of his own life, Sharkguard let out one brave "Hah!" He sometimes wonders how he can keep up with being a full-time hero while maintaining his time with his adopted daughter. He did do his best to explain everything else to Chris though. "Well it really is all a matter of planning youngling. I do find a bit of work to do when things aren't on the verge of getting destroyed. Usually comes off as a nice change of pace." He looks at his body and clothes now. "As for this body, well, I need minimal to eat believe it or not." He pounds his whatever-is-greater-than-adamantite chest again, expressing his healthy body. "I've also got a few sets of these pants, jeans, however you might like to call 'em." He folds his arms and fishes for his toothy smile. Most villains were more interested in targeting the chest (due to it's size) or the head than the legs, (which aren't really easy to hit or very crippling for the person if they are hit anyway) so he hadn't much worry about damage to any sort of clothing he wears to his work. "You'd be surprised at how free time can be given to you without notice."

After waiting for the teen's response to all that, Sharkguard took a good look at the alien superweapon that bonded to Chris. "Hey... I was wondering, how did ya end up finding and bonding to Meg here?" Sharkguard didn't use the actual name out in public, just to be safe. Here though, in private, there wasn't any worry of using the actual name. "I'm amazed how an alien superweapon could easily agree to bonding with a human, to be honest." For a moment, Sharkguard tried to imagine himself bonded to the weapon... Then threw the mental image out, finding the idea too weird for his liking.

[ripleycat]

"Um, well..." Megastar glances around to make sure nobody is listening to your conversation. "OK. So, I was out camping last summer, right? Upstate, with my folks and a couple of friends. And I'm off on my own in the woods, trying to relax, cause I needed some time without my parents arguing nonstop two feet from my ears all day. Anyway, off in the woods, and up in the sky I see this little bright spark moving around, like a shooting star. The thing gets bigger and bigger, and I realize, you know, holy ****, it's a spaceship! And not only that, it's on fire and all beaten up. The ship comes barreling out of the sky and crashes on the far side of this little lake. I go running over there as fast as I can, and oh, it was bad. The ship was, well, it wasn't much of a ship anymore, and there was wreckage everywhere, and it was all on fire. Three of the crew were dead, but there was a survivor. He was torn up, but he'd propped himself up against a tree away from the crash. They were some of the Lor, you know, those friendly aliens who were on the news all the time a couple years back?"

You do indeed remember. The Lor are an exotic, but humanoid interstellar species who have had limited contact with Earth for decades, usually keeping their hands off as they see the planet as a "developing world", not yet ready to join the galactic society. Two years ago, Earth was on the receiving end of an invasion from the brutish, hive-minded Grue. The Lor brought the force of their military down on the invaders, helping Earth's heroes send the suddenly outgunned Grue fleeing for their lives. Since then, the Lor have been more active and friendly towards Earth, maintaining an embassy at the UN.

"When he saw me, he waves me over, and tells me 'Keep it safe. Take it, keep it safe from...'. He didn't get to finish, he was pretty far gone. Anyway, he had this little box with him, and so I pick it up, because this must be the thing that needs protecting, right? I'm already freaking out pretty badly because I'm standing in the middle of an alien crash site, you know? It doesn't really help things when this silvery... stuff starts flowing out of the cracks in this box and starts covering my body! I just lose it, I'm screaming, running around the woods, trying to get this stuff off, and I can't, and every time I touch it it spreads more. I end up covered by it, head to toe, even under clothes and shoes, even over my eyes and mouth! But the thing was, I could still see, still breathe. I would have been fine if I could actually calm down. Which made it kind of stupid that I ran right into a Grue shock net, now that I look back."

"That's who had damaged the Lor ship and made them crash land. I don't know how they got there so fast, they must have been right behind the Lor, but they were after this box, or the stuff from the box, anyway. I think I'm about to die, when I hear this voice in my head all of sudden: 'Partially online, awaiting full reboot and unification. Physical protections at 65% efficiency. Options: Offensive return fire or device nullification and energy absorption?'"

Chris waves his hands around enthusiastically as he tells his tale. It's obvious that he doesn't get to tell this story very often. "It turns out 'Offensive return fire' means 'Wicked awesome energy blasts from your hands!' The Grue were not expecting that, I can tell you, and they got out of there in a hurry. So, now, I'm safe, and I've got this alien stuff all over me that gives me superpowers. It took a while to figure things out, but I knew right away that I wanted to be a superhero. I spent a couple of weeks learning what this stuff was and what it could do. I can't really show you, not here, but when I don't look, um, like this, Meg looks just a tattoo on my upper arm. It's awesome, but also pretty inconspicuous when she's gotta be."

"I can't even pronounce her real name, but in English it translates to, um, oh jeez, wait..." "Metamorphic Encephalic Guidance and Attack Suspension, Christopher." A soothing, but slightly mechanical feminine voice pipes up out of nowhere. Chris doesn't seem disturbed by this at all. "Right, right, which is a mouthful and a half. Even she usually calls herself M.E.G.A.S., but I use Meg. She doesn't seem to mind."

"Anyway, the next part I already told you. It's like a month later, and I'm bumbling around, being the world's worst superhero, when the Raven swoops down. Once she's convinced that I'm not the world's worst supervillain, we have an extremely intimidating conversation, and she gives me that line about pulling strings. Next thing I know, bam! Claremont Academy."

"Anyway, when I was at school, we had a visit from a Lor ambassador, and he explained a little about Meg. I guess she's not actually a Lor device. She's way older, an artifact they found, something they want to study, but the thing is, she bonds to a person for life. I get her AI and these powers for as long as I'm alive, or as long as I want them, which is pretty cool. The Lor actually seemed a bit miffed. I think he was pissed that she picked a 'lowly human' to bond to. Not like there was a choice, but still."

"Anyway, that's my story." He grins. "What's yours? I mean, if it's OK to ask, that is? Where does one sign up to become an awesome 8-foot-tall sharkman?"

[Starsign]

Sharkguard keeps an eye out for possible listeners as Megastar tells his origin. The shark-man didn't take any sort of interruption the exposition but kept his thoughts circling in his mind during it. It was amazing how coincidences happen; Chris' meeting with the Lor came almost seemingly by pure luck, much in the way how Sharkguard came into his own transformation... Possibly. "Aye. I do remember the Lor. I'm still grateful for their assistance way back then." He then smirks and gives a quiet chuckle. "Not to say that I couldn't handle the Grue myself." That was his confidence talking. He continues to listen to Chris and his story. He remembers his own sort-of-origin quite well, trying to draw whatever parallels he can between his own and the teen's past.

He smiles as he sees Chris begin to get very enthusiastic about telling his past. It was good to know one doesn't regret how they came to be today, especially the younger kind like Megastar. The talk of energy blasts must have been a heck of a blast to use. "M.E.G.A.S? Interesting acronym. So the Lor have no sort of info on her at all? Does she even know some things about herself before being found by the Lor?" It seemed a bit weird how Chris got an alien superweapon from a race that also picked it up from somewhere else. Still it was so much better that he got it than a hostile alien race such as the Grue.

What surprised him was how the Lor seemed unhappy with how M.E.G.A.S. bonded herself to Chris. "What, they got no confidence in a human with such an item? You'd think after seeing the city for a couple months one would realize the potential of this place, aye?" If it were up to Sharkguard, he'd tell the Lor to show the kid the ways of the cosmic universe. The shark-man places his hand on Megastar's shoulder. "Well, either way I suggest you keep up with your duty. This power; your bonded friend, Meg; I think you both have potential greater than any human-born hero here." He gives a glaring wink to the teen. "You promise me that you'll explore the stars as a cosmic savior when I grow too old to keep this work up, aye?" What was great about being old are the expectations he could tell the younger generation about, even if it also added on pressure.

"So, yarr be wantin' to know 'bout my origin?" He switches back to his pirate/sailor accent, deciding that if he were to explain his past, he'd make it an enjoyable, possibly hammy, time during it. "Gotta say it was a literal sign-up. But that ain't ta main course. Get comfortable now..." He waits for a possible response from Megastar, in addition to a possible response from everything else the shark-man had asked/talked about earlier.

[ripleycat]

"Hey, thanks, Shakguard. Seriously. That really does mean a lot coming from someone like you. I'll try my best." Chris beams so wide you can practically see him blush under the silver suit.

"Well, they must have some info. I mean, they had the artifact, so they must know something. I haven't heard much about that from them, they're pretty tight-lipped, and mostly ignore me, or treat me like any other hero." Megastar shrugs.

"Thing is, Meg's not just some device the Lor picked up from someone else. She's ancient, like tens-of-thousands of years old, created before human civilization old, so there's a lot that's a mystery to them."

"We had a Lor archaeologist come talk at the Academy last fall. Actually a pretty nice guy. Got to talk to him a little bit after his presentation. Apparently, the race that made her doesn't even exist anymore. Nobody knows exactly what happened to them. The Lor and human scientists have all sorts of theories, you know, war, plague, something like that, who knows? This guy though perhaps they'd um, 'transcended this plane of existence,' that they'd actually become so advanced they'd moved on and don't bother with us anymore."

"I don't know if I buy any of that, but they do know these ancient dudes were super-advanced. Like, they built stuff the Lor can't even do today. And they left ruins and artifacts all over the galaxy. They've even found some here! Down in southern Africa somewhere, I think. They were way into science, and did experiments wherever they went, and they went everywhere, so their artifacts are really valuable. I'm making it sound a lot simpler than he did. They don't know much at all, most of my info comes from Meg. Hey, what are the guys who made you called again? I feel stupid calling them 'ancient dudes.'"

"It requires two tongues to pronounce properly. In English, though, the closest translation for what my creators called themselves would be... Collectors. Or perhaps Preservers. Yes. Preservers is the more accurate term."

"Thanks, Meg." Megastar does an exaggerated "getting comfortable" stretch and grins. "So, now I get to hear your story, right? You actually signed up for... this? That's pretty wild. How the heck did that work?"

[Starsign]

"Hmm, interesting," Sharkguard responds to the teen. The Lor did seem a bit secretive about everything cosmic in the universe. The shark-man is rather annoyed by it. He thinks that humanity, and Earth as a whole, is ready to learn more about the galaxy they existed in. Earth has been touched by outside forces from space many times, in many ways. Sharkguard is sure that those of Earth, himself included, can handle whatever cosmic forces can after them... If he could, Sharkguard would show those Lor that humans are ready, but even if they are friendly, the Lor were a bit... Arrogant, especially to the shark-man. (possibly of his own arrogance) If there would be any progress to humanity moving to space, it wouldn't likely be soon... But it will eventually happen.

So then Sharkguard got to his own origin; being much older, he didn't need to describe the whole thing so he kept it as minimal as he could... Or as minimal as he wanted to. "Aye, it was indeed a sign-up, not in ta way yarr expect though." He wondered what the teen was expecting; he could have thought that the shark-man was some sort of space pirate, or a mutated creature from eldritch locations, or a centuries old sailor of Earth's seas. It wasn't going to be like that however. "Well yarr be surprised that I was once human, and ain't from this city. Ever hear of the city to the north, Portfall?" The name came from how it was famous for it's sealife profits and it's ports... And a mysterious accident that hit the city years ago.

"I was once the captain of the sailors. Biggest dang sailor yarr ever seen." If he was going to tell his story, he'd make the most of it. "Been known for my strength and courage, so I got a little offer from a company called Aquo-Sign, an organization focused on the research of aquatic species." Sharkguard remembers how they had been known to improve sealife and the quality of the ocean. Profits for the fish and quantity of clean water, among other positive benefits, wouldn't be the same without Aquo-Sign. "They wanted me as an... Experiment; wanting me to see if I could become a crime-fightin' hero. Naturally I accepted, power was something I enjoy to be honest." Sharkguard's brave face slowly lowered. "As it turned out though, experiments don't always show results. Despite the best of efforts, there weren't any sort of noticeable changes in me. For all we knew, nothing had changed. A waste of time."

Sharkguard took a look outside, seeing if Johnny was coming back, then moved back to Megastar. "Course after all that buildup, I wouldn't simply go back to life as it was before. Powers or not, I went to crime-fightin' myself. Put on a shark costume, gave myself ta name Sharkguard, and gave the role a shot." He looks to his first aid kit he always brought with him. "Superhero work as a human however wasn't like fighting as I am now. I carry this for aid, both for myself, and for others. Nowadays these don't see their bandages on me, but I keep it just in case. 'Sides, my boisterous attitude helped out more than I can remember." He stretches his neck a bit. "Played ta role well for decades, then I retired after Portfall calmed down from crime."

Sharkguard smiles now, he knew he was getting to the best part. "But it seems that nature decided I wasn't done yet. 'Bout a year later, there was this... Storm that hit Portfall; a magical, or scientifically magical, force that drove through the city. Can't describe it's looks in any way other than a glass-clear storm of winds and thunder. Turned out I was right in ta middle of it. Felt like an eternity before it passed... And when it ended," He spreads his arms out proudly, "I became what I am now. Hell of a time that ain't gonna be forgotten." he waits for a response from Megastar before the shark-man crossed his arms again. "Despite what happened, Portfall wasn't as beat up as you think. That and my sudden change, which as yarr see is easily noticeable, made it a bit difficult to stay. So I took off, went south through the seas to find a place more suiting for me."

He looks outside once more. "And that's how I got here," he tells Chris, at the end of his little story. "Once I got into Freedom City, yarr know the rest, aye?" Sharkguard had hoped that the teen enjoyed the tale, even if it may not be what Megastar expected.

[ripleycat]

Megastar listened raptly to your tale. "Yeah, I've heard of Portfall. Got a cousin who lives near there. You were a regular human? Really? I- wow, for some reason, I'd always thought you were... well, a mutant."

"Wait, you were a superhero even without these powers? Cool!" Chris seems genuinely impressed by the revelation, almost as much as he is by the tale of the storm that transformed you into your current form. "Are you sure what the Aquo-Sign researchers were doing to you was actually science? I mean, how would a magic event trigger a scientific change? Have you ever asked anyone about that crazy storm? I mean, like, a mage, or someone like that? There's a girl at Claremont, a witch, calls herself Seven, she might know someone who could tell you more about it."

About half a minute later, Johnny comes zipping back across the park with a large plastic-covered tray in tow. "Hey fellas, lunch is served! Sorry it took so long, there was a line." Johnny sets the elaborate collection of sushi down on a nearby table. "And you owe me..." He takes a receipt out of his pocket and glances at it. "$35.21. Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

[Starsign]

Sharkguard was glad that Megastar was impressed, even if he might not have been static. "Aye, I was indeed a superhero before getting powers. You wouldn't believe how different it was. I can't fight with brute force like here. I stuck with skill and sneak attacks, my costume helping me absorb what damage I did take." He points to his first aid kit, "Again, this was incredibly useful back then. At the least, I keep it as a good luck charm." On the subject of Aquo-Sign's experiments, Sharkguard thinks to himself for a moment before saying, "Could be a possibility. It's fuzzy nowadays but I remember those experiments involving tubes, something sharp, and some headache-inducing things..." Definitely not clear at all. "I don't think my eyes were working then, so guess I didn't really know. If you can get a meeting with Seven for me, I'd appreciate it." Sharkguard gives another toothy, happy smile. "Promise you won't tell too many others about my past. I prefer keeping it secret."

Just then Sharkguard notices Johnny coming in. "Ah! Was wondering about the wait. Thanks for being able to deliver." He puts a hand on Johnny's shoulder before beginning to dig into the sushi. "I'll pay you once this fundraiser is done." Sharkguard usually was able to keep his word, at least better than he does with Alyssa. "As for what happened... Well me and Megastar here discussed about each others origins. Yarr remember the time we discussed both of ours long ago too, aye?"

[ripleycat]

"Hey, sure, no problem. Like I said, I know you're good for it." Johnny nods, then grabs a piece of sushi with a grin. "Finder's fee."

"Ah, so you two got to trading origin stories, eh? Fun times. Yeah, I remember when you told me. You've got a good one, Sharkguard. Mine's not a story I really like telling. There isn't much that's entertaining about attempted murder, you know?"

Megastar also comes over and picks up a few pieces from the tray. "Ooh, California roll. Nice. Hold up, Johnny. Attempted murder? I thought you just inherited your powers. Wasn't your grandpa the original Johnny Rocket, back in the '40s or whatever?"

Johnny sighs and nods glumly, realizing he's going to have to tell his tale anyway. "Yeah, he was. Great hero, but in the fifties, he decided to retire, settle down, raise a family, all that. My dad didn't inherit his abilities, which was just fine with grandad. I did, but I didn't know it until..."

"OK, so this is about 15 years ago. I'm your age, Megastar, Jesus, that makes me feel old... Anyway, back when my gramps was Johnny Rocket, he fought a group of villains called the TNTrio. Corny, yeah, but they weren't a joke. Nasty gangsters who got their name from blowing up shops that didn't pay their protection money. He won, though, put 'em away for decades. Thing was, the last of them, rat-faced guy by the name of Sonny Farris, got out of jail, and started gunning for my grandfather again. He found him, or rather, he found us, I was there. Pulled a shotgun, tried to blow us away. Gramps hadn't used his powers for years at that point, but he was still fast enough to push me out of the way."

"He got the worst of it though. Seeing him all torn up like that, and the stress and trauma, it triggered something in me. Next thing I know, I'm racing through the streets of the city, faster than a jet fighter! That first time, man, nothing's ever felt like that since. Got my granddad to the hospital in record time, and went back and beat the tar out of Farris. Ever since then, path's been pretty clear. I'm a superhero!"

He steals another sushi piece. "Great, now you've got me in storytelling mode too, Sharkguard. So I've got two for you. Who's the toughest villain you've ever fought, and who's the cheesiest? Those big scary world-breakers are one thing, but the villain ranks seem to attract a lot of total losers, too. Who ya got?"

[Starsign]

Sharkguard's eating slowed down as Johnny had begun to mention about his own past. The shark-man remembers well about the last time they talked about origins, and Johnny's was no fun. "...Aye, fun times indeed," Sharkguard says in a deadpan tone indicating his sentence was simply harsh sarcasm. "Fifteen years since then... I'm amazed how far you've come since then." With age comes wisdom and experience, Sharkguard knew that for a fact... Mostly. "I remember the TNTrio. They really thought a few dozen tons of dynamite would blow me up." He laughed in excitement. "Hah, well they were well beyond wrong there." Sharkguard remembers well most of the times he encountered seemingly life-threatening situations. Somehow it was surviving what was the absolute worst of punishment that is the most exhilarating to the shark-man.

"Toughest yarr say?" Sharkguard tries to recall the times he's faced a "tough" supervillain and not in the hard-to-injure way, he's faced enough of those. Most of the time Sharkguard's challenges involve the danger that those around him are in, not himself. However... "I gotta say, of them all, Gravitina has always been the worst." He did not like that name, and for good reason. "You remember her Johnny? The one that manipulates gravity on a whim, can throw almost anything with it; cars, trucks, buildings... Myself..." One of the most frustrating things Sharkguard had about the gravity-using woman was that battles usually, if not always, ended in incredible amounts of destruction; no small part in Sharkguard being used like a ragdoll when she gets the chance. "Blasted witch makes it difficult to freely move, much less get a hit on. You always fare better than I do," she says to Johnny. "If she wasn't constantly at odds with the Psion family, I'd hate to see what she'd do in her spare time."

Sharkguard waits for Megastar to speak before moving to the topic about corny villains. "Well, now here's a literal example I got! I remember this corn field, and I ain't kidding, a corn field, that came to life and mutated through out-of-control science!" He checks to see the expression on Megastar's and Johnny's faces before continuing. "Now he's some hideous man-corn creature known as Mister Maize, who's goal is, in his own words," Sharkguard does his best to copy Maize's 'extraordinary accent," "Three mai enshaved corn brothas prom da typhany of inthrustry!" The shark-man almost cracked up over the impossibly poor English words that the corn-man 'spoke' of. "And if you thought that was bad to listen to, wait till you see him. He never shuts up! You could almost call laughter one of his weapons." And it was probably the only weapon Mister Maize had, as Sharkguard trounces him thoroughly the time they met before.

Many thanks to kpenguin for the idea of Mister Maize :smalltongue:

[ripleycat]

Both of the other heroes wince at the mention of Gravitina. "Oh God, her. Last time she came to town I got a building dropped on me." "It was an oil truck for me. That fireball was not fun to outrun. I only have it easier with her until she notices me. Then I get to fight my way though those damn mass fields."

"For my money, the worst is Madame Zero, that damn ice controller."

"Don't like getting cold feet, Johnny?"

"You wouldn't laugh if you'd fought her. It's not just beating her, it's all the collateral damage and the clean up and just... rrrrgh. And yes, I hate running on ice, that is part of it. What about you, hotshot? You've had so much experience, after all. Who's yours?"

"Sandstone. Remember her? The rock mutant? That fight took forever. You can't hurt her, she just re-forms! The cheesiest, though, that's easy. Dart-Master."

"You had to fight Dart-Master? I'm so sorry. He likes to focus on me most of the time. Thinks he's my 'arch-enemy', of course. Him and his stupid 'trick darts.' Ugh. Because being good at a pub game means you've got the chops to be a supervillain. Stupid, stupid man."


Megastar loses it when you begin describing Mister Maize. Johnny simply facepalms. "A... cornfield? Are you serious? You're not making that up?" "No, unfortunately, he's not. I've seen him on the news. You win, Sharkguard. I can't top that."

Mister Maize is brilliant. Consider it a given that you will encounter both of these guys by story's end. :smallbiggrin:

Also, I have no structure here, so we can do this as long as you want, until you're ready to move on to the events again.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard kept eating sushi as he listens to what the other two had to say. "Bah. You two were lucky with that woman. She could have dropped me on either of you at maximum velocity." Sharkguard's own innate toughness made him better used by villains as an object than throwing objects at him. "Daedalus is still trying to figure out how to boost his armor's blunt resilience since that time..." Boy was that a terrible reminder of an event for Sharkguard. Made him wish he could fly at times.

On the subject of other villains, Sharkguard smiles at the ones they mention. "Ah Johnny, yarr just haven't been at sea during the winter enough!" Sharkguard was more suited to ice than other heroes. And while the collateral damage was definitely a pain to clear up, it was better than having gravity forced against a being who's tougher than super-alloy. "And hey, I liked fighting Sandstone! Hadn't found a foe who could go toe-to-toe for so long before. Some of the best eight hours of my life I had against her, haha!" Inside Sharkguard had hoped that he didn't bring down Megastar's spirit saying that.

"Dart-Master?" Interestingly, Sharkguard had never fought against that "villain" before. "I've heard of him a lot, but I ain't seen him in person. Either he's scared of me or he really focuses on you all the time Johnny." He gives off a low chuckle as he sees Johnny's and Megastar's reaction to Maize. "Aye. Both of you should let me know if either of you encounter him. It's not something you will forget, trust me." He finishes his share of sushi before turning to Johnny again. "I don't really care if you can't top the corniest guy I fought, I wanna know about the corniest you took on that wasn't Dart-Master." The speedster technically didn't answer that question yet.

I'm interested in going a bit further, at least one more post each after this one before we move on.

And yes, Mister Maize is an awesome idea. I don't think anyone else but kpenguin (who I credit with the idea) could have come up with something as brilliant as that. :smallbiggrin:

[ripleycat]

"Oh, all right." Johnny and Chris search their memory banks for some real losers for a few moments, eventually huddling up as they discuss some of the sadder "super"-villains they've encountered.

"What about Junkheap?"

"'I am the spirit of the landfill! You will pay for your wasteful ways!' Yeah, that was pretty bad. Course, he's a good guy now, so does he really count?"

"Technically, I guess not. Hmm. I know, the Orange Outlaw! I swear, the man stepped right off the pages of a comic book from 1960."

"I've never fought him. Did have to repaint part of downtown after one of his stunts, though. You know, one who was kinda memorable... you remember Naughty Girl?"

"Yeah, but I just think the way she vamps up is more annoying than cheesy. Plus, she never did anything for me, for obvious reasons."

"Lucky. Her pheromones had me drooling all over myself in front of my friends. That was such a humiliating day. Hey, speaking of humiliating, the Dungeon Master!"

"Ha, yes! And his magical dice! 'Behold the D20 of DOOM!' Oh God, so bad. Hey Sharkguard, were you active when he tried to turn the Hamilton St. Mall into 'The Temple of Elemental Evil?'"

"How'd you beat him? His deathtraps are actually dangerous if you let him get set up."

"He rolled a 1 on the final encounter."

"Heh. Now, does cheesy automatically equal 'not dangerous'? Because I can think of a villain who takes both absurd and dangerous to really high levels."

"Oh, you don't mean... and Sharkguard was off saving Atlantis, he never got to experience that disaster. That's the answer, right there!"

They turn to you and proudly announce in unison "Tyrannosaurus Hex!"

"The greatest magician saurian-kind has ever seen!"

"By the Titanic Terrors of the Triassic, you will pay, puny mammals!"

"Oh lord, and his wand! His wand and his dapper little top hat! Bahahahaha!"

"I have never laughed so hard at something that was trying to kill me!"

Johnny eventually stops laughing long enough to explain. "Oh God, I can't breathe. Tyrannosaurus Hex was exactly what the name implies. He's a dinosaur, from a dimension where they never died out. But he's also a supervillain in his home dimension, a sorcerer who dresses up as a 'stage magician.' I mean, that would be bad enough, but the thing is, he's a really bad stage magician. Part of me hopes he comes back, just so you can see it."

Depending on the plot and how bored I am, you may encounter any or all of these foes in your journeys. Yes, even the wizard dinosaur. You have been warned. :smalltongue::smallbiggrin:

[Starsign]

Sharkguard listened on the various other villains Megastar and Johnny mentioned of. All of these were a riot from the ones Sharkguard encountered beforehand. "Aye. Junkheap was quite the buffoon. I'm glad to see he knows better now. Can't say the same for most other villains." The many they encountered was surprising, but being a veteran superhero would do that. "I remember my time with Orange Outlaw. Didn't like that coat he blasted on me. Almost as bad as bruises." Orange definitely became a hated color for the shark-man after that. "Never 'met' Naughty Girl; not sure if I want her ire at any point." The Dungeon Master however was a very fun one. "I do remember that time with the Temple of Elemental Evil. He actually thought I'd be more concerned with the extreme heat and chill." He flashes back to a previous encounter. "And then there was the time he turned King's corporate building into Tomb of Horrors. Aside from the escorting of the workers, that was quite fun, throwing myself into all those traps." Sharkguard was always more focused on others rather than himself, and sometimes came to forget how he's holding up compared to everyone else.

But then there was Tyrannosaurus Hex. Sharkguard was indeed saving Atlantis during that time, a place he enjoyed visiting when, or if, he ever had the time. "...A stage magician?" The idea of a creature in such an outfit was quite hard to believe... Among so much else. Sharkguard ended up chuckling so hard he couldn't control his accented laugh. "Yarhahahar! That really is something now. I do imagine he'd be back. Not really like most villains to give up after one failure, aye?" Sharkguard pounded his fists together like in preparation. "As fun as magic can be, I find no better weapon for myself than brute force." Brawn against brains, always a classic matchup; almost as fun (for Sharkguard) as brawn against brawn.

For the record, I've got no idea which of these villains are in FC and which you made yourself. However most of them look like a blast, so I have considered myself warned. :smalltongue:

Anyway, ready to move onto the next scene after seeing if Chris or Johnny got anything else to say about Sharkguard's reactions.

[ripleycat]

"Well, you're built for brute force, that's for sure." Johnny quips.

"Yeah, all three are here, we're good to go." A voice crackles into a walkie-talkie some distance behind you. A relieved-looking Joseph wanders up. "Hey there gents! This event's set to kick back off in about 10 minutes, so if there's anything you need to do, or any questions or concerns you've got for us, go ahead and do it now. Megastar, you're up next in the obstacle course, so good luck."

I'm fresh out of witty banter, so we'll go ahead and move on with a mini-post here. :smallredface:

[Starsign]

As Joseph comes up in appearance to the three heroes, Sharkguard flashes his toothy grin again. "Glad ta hear it!" Sharkguard stands up as he sees the sushi finished. He had lost track of time as he chatted with Megastar and Johnny. He was all set for the next event. After Megastar's obstacle course would be his own and hopefully not one like Johnny's. "So," Sharkguard spoke up quickly to take advantage of the free time of questions. "So what will Megastar's obstacle course be like? In fact, what will my own be in terms of difference between Megastar and Johnny's?" He was excited to know how his course would go.

[ripleycat]

Joseph chuckles at the barrage of questions. "Well, I can't tell you everything, because the element of surprise is part of the challenge, after all, and also because I don't actually know what all the challenges are, but I can tell you a bit."

"A couple of the obstacles are the same for all three of you. Part of the fun is seeing the different ways you deal with them, after all. Johnny's was all about speed and agility. Megastar's course involves some more aerial challenges, since he's quite the flier, and a strength-focused obstacle or two."

"Yours, Sharkguard, has some more strength challenges and some puzzles, since, well, no offense, but with these guys around, nobody expects you to be the fastest one through. There's also some underwater obstacles, so you can show off those swimming skills of yours. One of the reasons we're doing this after lunch. Had to get the underwater cameras ready."

"Is that enough of an answer, big guy?" Joseph asks, as Megastar waves to you and heads off to the starting line. "Like I said, I'm not up on all the particulars. The engineers were brainstorming ideas until the last minute. Hey, you two should grab a seat, enjoy the show. I gotta get back to the announcer's booth, get us started again."

[Starsign]

Sharkguard listens with focus at Joseph's description of the courses he and Megastar will be taking. "Gotcha loud and clear sir!" The aerial challenge sounded like something more for fun than for a challenge. However considering Johnny's obstacle course, that kind of confidence, if the teen has any, wouldn't last for long. Sharkguard gently brushes his elbow against Megastar. "Flight shouldn't be an issue for you, aye? Gotta say I've always wondered what flying is like, but, heh, you know me; I'm a captain of the seas! Just be sure to make quite the show and I'll do the same." He winks at the teen as he begins his way out, hopefully with Johnny.

The challenges of strength in a course designed to be fast would be something of interest; the puzzles even more so. Sharkguard was never known for being a genius, and rightfully so. If he could pull it off, Sharkguard could really express his brainpower here. Worst comes to worst he'll smash his way through, but challenging himself can be more fun anyway, to both him and the audience.

First up however was Megastar. Sharkguard looked for a good spot to sit down at, one that will hopefully get a good look at the course. Sharkguard turns around to Johnny, who was hopefully following, and asks, "So, what is it like to move at implausible speeds for yourself?"

[ripleycat]

Johnny chuckles. "You know, it doesn't feel implausible when you're doing it. It doesn't feel weird to me, it's just something my body can do. It's strange. It's like... it doesn't feel like you are going fast, it feels like everything else is stuck in slow-motion. I've had to carry a few people while running, and some said it was terrifying, others thought it was awesome, so I don't know. One guy passed out."

"Hey, if you ask nicely, maybe you can get Megastar to carry you around. Find out what flying and super-fast feel like all at once, eh?" Johnny teases. As if on cue, Joseph comes on over the PA.

"Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. After a well-deserved break for them and a lot of hard work for our engineering crew, it's time for our heroes to get back into action. If you'll direct your attention to the starting line once again, it's time for none other than Claremont Academy's own Megastar to try his hand at our obstacle course. Now, you may notice quite a few changes to our course setup from earlier today when Johnny Rocket went blazing through a nest of tricks and traps. The course each of our heroes will face is mostly unique to them. After all, where's the fun in doing the same thing twice, and don't our heroes deserve a challenge tailored to their extraordinary skillsets?"

The Assistant Coordinator is clearly enjoying this, and you half-expect him to break into an evil laugh after that. You note that if this job ever falls through, Joseph might have a future as a monologue writer for supervillains.

Unlike Johnny's mostly closed-in, narrow run, the sections of the course have been opened up wider for Megastar. There are also a few places where the walls have been taken down and replaced with safety netting, allowing the crowd a better look without having to follow all the action on the cameras. Chris mugs for the cameras and crowd as he stands near the entrance to the course, looking cocky and confident.

I'll post his actual run tomorrow. I've got a nasty headache, but I didn't want to lose what I had done. :smallredface: Feel free to chime in if inspired. :smallsmile:

[Starsign]

Sharkguard tries to imagine super-speed as Johnny explained it. Moving at incredible speeds feels like time slowing down? Would make sense, but it does seem, in a way, like a terrifying lifestyle. "Well, seems easy to live with, but moving across huge areas like that sounds like it could take forever." He makes sure he wasn't attracting too much attention at this time. "I'd hate to try doing... Almost anything when time slows down to a crawl; that'd be too boring for me." Regardless of that, super-speed definitely sounded like a wonderful thing to have once one gets used to it and Johnny definitely had a ton of experience, just as Sharkguard had much experience with his strength.

Sharkguard was going to respond to Johnny about the idea of having Megastar carry the shark-man, but Joseph's voice on the PA stopped the conversation. Sharkguard's attention turned to the course set up for Megastar. It was going to be interesting how a flying course would work. Of course the same would be for the shark-man's own course. He could only smirk quietly at Chris's cocky outlook. The teen had both incredible physical strength and tremendous flight speed; both would likely be at great use here.

[ripleycat]

The gun sounds, and Megastar is off and running, climbing up the ramp and using it as a convenient place to get airborne. The first room appears to be unchanged from Johnny's run, but that proves not to be the case. As Megastar passes through the doorway, he appears to trigger a sensor, as the poles shoot out of the walls again. This time, though, they are not set up as spears, but with substantial weights on the ends. They look like someone put sledgehammers jutting from the walls, and from the battering the teen takes, they hit like them too. He's knocked around the room like a pinball, a comparison the silver skin doesn't do anything to help. Standing up, he ducks under one of the "hammers", rips it from the wall, and uses it to simply smash his way though to the end of the room, where he takes flight again, out into one of the open-air sections.

From your vantage point, it seems to be a simple, if challenging speed/agility test, a series of hoops on poles, set high in the air. They form a pattern that looks a bit like a roller-coaster, with loops and twists and and loop-de-loops, folding back on itself several times. Megastar regains his cocky grin and shoots off through the course at blinding speed. As soon as he passes through the first hoop, though, the last loop promptly bursts into flame, followed by the others, progressing quickly towards him as he travels towards them. On the screen, you can see his eyes go wide as the simple test becomes a flaming tunnel, but the grin returns as well, and he actually speeds up, rocketing through the course so fast the wind blows out the flames behind him.

Megastar actually causes a sonic boom as he shoots out of the hoops and arcs back down into the next area, a wide tunnel with sturdy metal walls, including one that blocks him off from the end of the course up ahead. There's little here that looks suspicious, but that's proven not to mean a thing on this course so far. On the screen, you see him encounter a Chris skids to a halt, looking puzzled. There really isn't anything here, and if it weren't set up in the middle of a park for charity, you'd be sure it was a dead end.

That's when a panel slams shut behind Megastar, and the walls start closing in. "Oh, come on! That's cheap!" You hear him complain, though he seems more angry at himself for actually getting caught in the oldest, most cliched supervillain trap in the world than anything. He cranes his head, as if listening to someone talk. Meg must be offering her opinion on the situation. Dashing back to the entrance, he jumps up and shoots down the rapidly narrowing hallway at his full speed, lowering his shoulder with a yell and striking the barrier with a force that might have knocked you out of the ring, if he'd been allowed to do it during your fight. The steel door gets turned to scrap as the teen smashes through to thunderous applause, his momentum carrying him, half flying and half stumbling, over the finish line. He finishes with flair, though, regaining his balance and doing an impressive flip into the air. "Woo! That's right, can't stop me!"

"No we couldn't! Megastar got knocked around a bit, nearly squished and almost set on fire, but that's just a slow afternoon for one of our fair city's great protectors. The second run, completed in spectacular fashion by Megastar. Let's hear it for him, folks!"

Once the cheers have subsided a bit, he joins you and Johnny. "Well, how'd I look? I still can't believe I fell for that stupid wall-crushing deathtrap. That's like the first thing they teach you at Claremont."

[Starsign]

Sharkguard gets comfortable as Megastar begins his runthrough of the obstacle course. The first trap featuring the sledgehammers almost made the shark-man wince slightly as the teen gets bounced around quite a bit. He later however smiles as Megastar smashes his way through with the sledgehammer Thinking just how I'd get past it, Sharkguard thinks to himself. From there the course changes to the roller coaster-like structure of hoops as he watches the teen fly through them in an enjoyable display of agility and maneuverability. Even when the flames came, watching Megastar fly through them in a confident mood really reminded Sharkguard of the potential the teen has.

Once the unbelievably cliched "wall-crushing" trap comes in, Sharkguard held back from chuckling. He had been in such traps before, intentionally even, so he knew what it was like for Megastar to fall for it... Perhaps. Regardless however, plowing literally through it was something the shark-man bravely clapped his hands as a show of congratulations. Once things quiet down. He takes a moment to go over Megastar's situation in the course before responding with, "That was a heck of a time you must have had, especially with the flaming rings!" Sharkguard was betting he'd encounter flaming rings in his course... Underwater... Somehow.

On the subject of the cliched trap, Sharkguard only could chuckle quietly. "Hah! Actually you'd be surprised at how often one can fall for it. It depends on how you do things." He winks at the teen. "I myself never really bother avoiding such traps, especially when time is of importance. And after all it's another thing to test my strength on!" Sharkguard could probably expect the works for his own obstacle course... Except flying. "I'm guessing such a deathtrap was your first time out of training, aye?"

[ripleycat]

"Um, yeah, yeah it was." Megastar nods. "Still should have seen it coming, though."

"Hey, you did great. Busting through that door at the end was pretty impressive." Johnny gives his admiration to the teen.

"We've got one more run remaining, so don't go anywhere quite yet, folks. The mighty Sharkguard has yet to test his mettle against the course, and we know you don't want to miss that!"

While the engineers quickly clean up and maneuver the course sections into place for your run, Dr. Chase takes the opportunity to speak, handing out some goods from the charity auction, and commending some of the big spenders whose donations made the event itself possible. The engineers are good, and the time passes quickly. They have the obstacle course set to challenge you in a mere half-hour.
...

30 minutes later...

"All right, ladies and gentlemen! The grand finale is upon us, and what a finale it is! Sharkguard himself will be taking on the best our technicians could dream up. Johnny Rocket and Megastar made it past our gauntlet unscathed, will the King of the Seas be so lucky? Only one way to find out!"

Joseph's bombastic announcement signals that it's time for your run to start. "Break a leg, big guy. Well, not literally. You know what I mean." Johnny claps you on the shoulder and grins. "Show 'em what you can do. This is gonna be awesome!" Chris chimes in. An assistant comes over to escort you to the starting line. Time to shine!

[Starsign]

Much like Johnny, Sharkguard agreed that busting through the door was a real impressive move for Megastar. Of course such a tactic isn't the best option when it came to civilian areas, but Sharkguard enjoyed it when used in supervillain bases or castles. Inbetween now and the completion of the obstacle course, Sharkguard prepared himself for the event, mostly through exercise and stretching. While he didn't get cramps too often, the shark-man always made sure to get himself ready whenever he is aware of what comes. He keeps himself from things like lifting cars or trees in the possible case of damage. As much as he loves being a hero for the thrills, it doesn't help anyone if he causes a lot of property damage in the process.

Once things are set up, Sharkguard tells Johnny and Megastar, "I hope yarr both be entertained by this," as he makes his way off to the starting area. There would really be no way he could do this as fast as Megastar or Johnny did their courses. Even at sea, Sharkguard wasn't sonic fast like those two. Of course that hopefully won't be an issue; Sharkguard would probably have his brains tested more than his strength. He stuck with his fists a lot, but when time called for thinking, he tries his best at it despite being no genius. All set up, Sharkguard smiles confidently and menacingly as he is ready to go. The soonest the gunshot came, Sharkguard would take off, beginning the course and going to make as good a showing of his performance as he can.

[ripleycat]

The starting gun fires, the crowd roars, and you're off! Once up the ramp, you see the first room ahead. It appears quiet again, but you have to wonder what's waiting behind those walls after they tried to skewer Johnny and smash Megastar.

You find out soon enough! As you enter, the room hums to life again, but these aren't simple spears or hammers shooting from the holes in the walls, but coiling whips of steel! The writhing coils wrap and snap around your body, like fighting through a living spiderweb, threatening to bring you to a halt almost before you've started!

Give me a DC 15 Reflex check, please, to avoid getting caught in the lashes. Failure means you're entangled and can only move at half speed, and will have to make another save next round to get across the room. Failure by 5 means you are bound and can't move at all. If that happens, it's a DC20 Strength check to break free.

[Starsign]

Heading into the first room, Sharkguard had expected something like the walls closing in on him, or some sort of massive pusher charging him back. What he wasn't expecting were coils. Regardless, it quickly taught Sharkguard to think more on his feet than his muscles as he makes the attempt to avoid them while moving through. While he barely avoids the worst of it, a number of them manage to coil themselves on the shark-man. However Sharkguard was never one to simply stop, only be slowed down. He braces himself as he keeps moving forward, using his strength to break off the coils while reflexively doing his best to avoid the rest. Megastar had some difficulty here, but Sharkguard would rather avoid struggling right off the bat.

Reflex Save: [roll0]
And just in case, a Strength check: [roll1]

[ripleycat]

The coils do manage to wrap you up, but they can't restrain you, and those that try are torn unceremoniously from the wall by your titanic strength. It's slow going, however, and the assault continues, pulling and lashing at you as you wade towards the door, threatening to pull you down again.

OK, one more reflex save (and a strength check, if you end up bound again). If you make it, or fail by less than 5, Sharkguard manages to make it to the exit.

[Starsign]

As much as Sharkguard tries here, he finds that the rate he is going at is not helping him at all. Quickly he finds himself tangled up again, now worse than before. The whips binding his movement to a halt in large numbers. He even finds his eyes wrapped and blocked by the whips. He almost found this embarrassing. He wondered if Megastar or Johnny would have fallen into the same situation... Still this was hardly the time to think about it. With a great heave, Sharkguard gave one short but powerful charge forward, breaking the whips that had held him before. With the end in sight, Sharkguard tries for a more aggressive approach, dashing down the hall quickly rather than being careful like before. Hopefully this tactic would be better.

And another Reflex save: [roll0] and Strength: [roll1]

[ripleycat]

Your strength and momentum are simply too much for the whips to restrain any longer, and you manage to reach the end of the hall and round the corner with no further struggle or embarrassment.

It's only a few feet into the next room from there. It's small and square and seems relatively innocent, compared to the room full of angry metal snakes. Indeed, it looks more like something out of a video game than something out of a supervillain's lair. The exit has been sealed with a humming blue forcefield "courtesy of Majestic Industries R&D," you hear Joseph's slightly muffled voice mention outside. Product placement aside, it seems to be in place so you're not tempted to simply smash through the wall.

In front of the exit sit five steel blocks, with different colors painted on their edges. They're big things, too. They'd be taller than an average person, though not you, of course. Five pedestals are lined up behind the blocks, with the same colors painted in rings around them. It's obvious this is one of the puzzles Joseph mentioned when you asked what was in store, though color matching might be stretching the definition of "puzzle" a little bit. Sharkguard may not be a genius, but this sure does seem to be selling him short.

Since my art skills are, as the kids say, friggin' terrible, the part of the blocks and pedestals will be played by the color of these smilies. :smalltongue:

Current Configuration

Pedestals
:smallfurious: :smalltongue: :smallbiggrin: :smallsmile: :smallfrown:

Blocks
:smallfurious: :smallbiggrin: :smallfrown: :smalltongue: :smallsmile:

[Starsign]

Breaking his way out of the whips and coils, Sharkguard mentally tells himself to pick up the pace as he hurries to the next room... Where he is confronted by a block puzzle. Sharkguard quickly slowed to a crawl to give himself a minute to think about the puzzle, but figured it out within a matter of moments. "Ay! Yarr think I'd got ta mind of a child?" He shouts in playful retort as he decides to make his work quick on the puzzle. While he could probably try to see if he can break through the forcefield, it would be better to use his brains here instead, like he should.

First, to get a feel of the weight of the blocks, Sharkguard grabs the red block and lifts it with both hands, placing it on the red pedestal like he already figured it out. Once that is done he decides to pick up a block with one hand, and another block in the other provided he is able of lifting it in a stable manner. He uses his right arm to pick up the green block and his left for the purple bloc, placing them on the green and purple pedestals respectively. Once that is done he does the same with the blue and yellow blocks, placing them on the blue and yellow pedestals. While he didn't just plop the blocks right on the pedestals, he wasn't quite treating them like fine china either. Hah, this can be done by a child, he thought to himself. There's gotta be some sort of oblivious trick or trap to this. If the forcefield lowers right once he's done with the block formations, Sharkguard would hurry onto the next area.

[ripleycat]

The blocks, you notice, are hefty, as befits big chunks of steel, probably a ton or so apiece. A normal person couldn't budge one, but you're able to lift them easily, even with one hand. Also of note is the forcefield, still firmly in place, and the *bing* noise and small light that come on when you place the green block on its pedestal, but only for the green block. There's something else at work here besides just matching color to color.

Current Configuration

Pedestals
:smallfurious: :smalltongue: :smallbiggrin: :smallsmile: :smallfrown:

Blocks
:smallfurious: :smalltongue: :smallbiggrin: :smallsmile: :smallfrown:

[Starsign]

As Sharkguard places the blocks into what he thought was the answer, he realizes he was correct in that there was a trick to it. Did it depend on order, or was it about positioning? Sharkguard decided on the latter. The green block started one part to the left of it's pedestal, so he would try moving the other blocks to the counterpart pedestal. The purple block to the yellow pedestal; the blue block to the purple pedestal, the yellow block to the red pedestal, and the red block to the blue pedestal. The green block will stay as is, Sharkguard hoped it might allow for some sort of progress here.

[ripleycat]

Your repositioning teaches you the following things:

1. "One to the left" is not the answer, as only the green block's light remains lit, and the forcefield doesn't so much as flicker.
2. After the first failed attempt, the blocks have become noticeably heavier. About twice as heavy, in fact. While the blocks are still feather-light to someone who once raised an oil tanker over his head, it seems the engineers weren't simply content with letting you figure out the puzzle at your leisure. Get too many of these wrong, and you'll be straining muscles as well as brainpower.

Current Configuration

Pedestals
:smallfurious: :smalltongue: :smallbiggrin: :smallsmile: :smallfrown:

Blocks
:smallsmile: :smallfurious: :smallbiggrin: :smallfrown: :smalltongue:

[Starsign]

With Sharkguard realizing he's now playing the physical version of Mastermind, he makes sure to try and think more carefully... And smarter. He had little idea how cryptic this was going to be, so first he made the look for clues, he checked around the room quickly to see if he could find anything of a hint, like a projector or light amplifier of any kind. He wouldn't be making another chance on the blocks until he found a clue of any sort.

Notice check: [roll0]

[ripleycat]

The search uncovers... not much, really. There are no projectors or emitters. In fact, there is nothing in the room besides the blocks, the pedestals, the forcefield (and the door behind it), and two cameras, so the audience can watch you work.

Your sharp senses do discover something, almost by accident. When searching down around the base of the green-trimmed block, you spot a tiny, almost unreadably small letter A, stamped near one of the corners. A close check of the other blocks reveals that all of them also have minute markings as well. ((Results below, in the diagram.))

Current Configuration. The order of the letters is below.

Pedestals
:smallfurious: :smalltongue: :smallbiggrin: :smallsmile: :smallfrown:

Blocks
:smallsmile: :smallfurious: :smallbiggrin: :smallfrown: :smalltongue:
H--K--A--S--R

[Starsign]

Sharkguard was getting a little worried as he finds difficulty with searching for clues. Such a puzzle definitely was cryptic to him and the lack of hints would end up making him guess like a raving lunatic until he hit a brick wall. Thankfully the absolutely tiny markings he noticed gave a bit of hope in him as he gave a mental image of everything he knew so far. So the green pedestal had the marking of 'A' and placing the green block on it was seemingly the answer... So perhaps it was a matter of order? Green block on A, Red block on H, Blue block on K, Purple block on R, and Yellow block on S, in that order. Or perhaps it was a matter of naming? Perhaps Sharkguard needed to spell out a name using both the letters on the pedestal and the first letter of each colored block.

The confusion he was having is almost astounding. He bet the fans were having a riot over this... Then Sharkguard notices what the letters on the pedestal can be made into. KHASR can become SHARK. There was his next hint right there. Now he wondered why the Green block worked with the pedestal marked A. He recalled what colors DIDN'T work for each pedestal.

Red Pedestal = Red/Yellow Block
Blue Pedestal = Blue/Red Block
Green Pedestal = Non-Green Block
Yellow Pedestal = Yellow/Purple Block
Purple Pedestal = Purple/Blue Block

Thinking to himself, if he was to spell out his own name then it would make sense why A would be in the middle... Yet the sense it made wasn't quite there yet. How to determine the rest... Sharkguard took a chance by placing the Red block on the Yellow pedestal, the Blue block on the Red pedestal, the Yellow block on the Purple pedestal and the Purple block on the Blue pedestal. He went under the idea of that the name SHARK being jumbled was actually an order for how the pedestals were set up from left to right and where the blocks should respectively go. So it was like a code.

Going from Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Purple.
Going from S, H, A, R, and K.

So when the latter becomes H, K, A, S, and R. The blocks need to switch formation as well, so it becomes Blue, Purple, Green, Red, and Yellow, from left to right. Hopefully this was the correct logic Sharkguard had.

[ripleycat]

The blocks are getting increasingly hefty, about four times what they were when the challenge started. Your re-arranging doesn't seem to have helped any, either. Only the green block remains teasingly lit. This part of the course must be close to one of the speaker poles, because outside, you can hear Joseph giving a little speal to the audience, explaining the weight-gaining blocks; prototypes of ASTRO Labs new Gravitational Anchors- Hold fast with no messy foundations to dig! You can also hear what sounds like laughter starting to spread through the audience. If nothing else, your struggles seem to be entertaining people.

Current Configuration. The letters are not on the pedestals, they are on the blocks themselves. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

Pedestals
:smallfurious: :smalltongue: :smallbiggrin: :smallsmile: :smallfrown:

Blocks
:smalltongue: :smallfrown: :smallbiggrin: :smallfurious: :smallsmile:
R--S--A--K--H

[Starsign]

Once Sharkguard realizes how his attempt failed again, he notices just HOW badly he was overthinking this. "...Yarrrg... This kind o' puzzle ain't ever something I had ta deal with on ta seas," he says to no one in particular as he goes to properly solve this. Instead of overthinking this like a lunatic, Sharkguard rearranges the blocks to spell out S-H-A-R-K instead of... Whatever he did before. Purple block on the Red pedestal, Yellow block on the Blue pedestal, Blue block on the Yellow pedestal, and the Red block on the Purple pedestal, keeping the Green block alone. "THERE!" Sharkguard practically shouts in frustration as he finishes with that. Once the forcefield is, hopefully, down, Sharkguard will move onto the next room.

[ripleycat]

The four remaining lights pop on, and at long last, the forcefield powers down. Behind it, the steel exit door falls open with a clang, revealing not a hallway or another challenge, but what appears for all the world to be... a big waterslide, coiling down and out of sight into a massive tank underneath the main course structure. The prop guys have done a fine job. A wave machine, rocks for the waves to crash against, and proper ocean flora and fauna have turned the swimming pool into a slice of the sea right in the middle of downtown. They even got the sharp salt smell of the air right.

"SHARK, eh? Well, if you insist. Most sharks live in the water, though. Let's see what our hero can do under the waves."

You got the puzzle. :smallsmile: On we go!

[Starsign]

Sharkguard had prepared for whatever in the world was ahead but the big waterslide of sorts, along with the tank of sea-life water, brought much glee upon the shark-man as he immediately dives head first down the waterslide. "Now THIS is more ta my likin'!" He shouts excitingly as he slides down to the ocean tank and into the water. From the sea-life to the salty air, Sharkguard felt much at peace; an ironic feeling considering where he is at right now. Regardless, the shark-man hurried onward through the sea to the destination he was to reach. Naturally he expected plenty of obstacles to haunt his way, or try to. From the waves to the rocks, heck probably other sharks and electric eels too. Speed was the focus here however, to try and make up time for getting stuck on the puzzle; Sharkguard avoids halting as he can to get to the end unless another puzzle got in the way.

[ripleycat]

There are fish and sharks (little ones) swimming around, but nothing that would actually attack you. They seem to be more for decoration than anything. After a short swimming burst, you encounter your first undersea challenge. Ahead of you in the water, you can see a series of hoops, like the ones they had set up for Megastar's aerial maneuvers, though a bit larger, to accommodate your frame.

Can I get three Swimming checks from you, please, just save a little time as I write this up? :smallsmile:

[Starsign]

As tempted as the shark-man was, he kept himself from taking a bite of the fish and sharks. This wasn't a diner after all and Sharkguard had lunch not too long ago anyway. Instead his focus was on the hoops coming up ahead. Sharkguard had to admit that he actually focused a lot on his strength for moving around in water. He had skill in swimming, but mostly he put large focus on being quick over being agile. Still it didn't mean he wouldn't try for agility as he begins moving quickly through the hoops, making sure he didn't touch them with any part of his body.

[ripleycat]

Built for speed over agility or not, you've burned through the underwater section up to this point. As you enter the ring course, however, your dorsal fin brushes ever so slightly against the top of one of the loops, and your bioelectric senses pick up a surge just before the ring bursts into crackling life, a powerful current shocking through the water around it, and you! It looks like they found a way to make you swim through "flaming" hoops underwater after all!

Make a Fort save, DC 25, and one more Swimming Check (DC 25), to avoid losing control at this new development and touching the other hoops. Failure on the Fort save means you are dazed. Failure by more than 5 means you are stunned.

[Starsign]

As his bioelectric senses kick in, Sharkguard's eyes widen notably just before the electrical current of rings appear. Regrettably he had touched one of the hoops, so the electricity runs through his body in a fury. Thunderous lighting wasn't really a weakness to him, but it was enough to try his body when it crackled at a high enough voltage like in this case. Sharkguard made a loud growl as he tries to keep focus and shrug off the effects of the electricity. To completely halt now would be a poor performance after what Johnny and Megastar went through. He remembers how Alyssa was probably watching; he didn't want to let her down, nor did he want to make her worry!

Fortitude save: [roll0]
Swimming check: [roll1]

[ripleycat]

That surge of adrenaline and determination seems to do the trick. Shaking off the electrical burst, you manage to make it through the remainder of the course in record time, while avoiding contact with any of the rest of the sparking electric rings.

Beyond the rings is a clear area, designed to look like a coral reef. Beyond that, you can see a ramp leading up and out of the pool. As you exit the rings and enter this tranquil-looking space, all hell breaks loose. The water begins to swirl rapidly, the surface turning to froth as a churning vortex appears, kicking up sand and sending the fish scattering. An immense pressure builds as the raging whirlpool forms, pulling you towards the center!

The 2nd and 3rd of the original swimming checks passed, so you make it through the rings without further trauma.

Now the real fun begins, though! :xykon: A DC 20 Reflex check will get you past the whirlpool, otherwise you get caught in the vortex. Mechanics wise, consider it a Regenerating Area Snare (with a little GM fiat).

It's up to you how you want to escape. Make whatever rolls you think you be necessary for your tactic, and RP it out. I'll resolve it. If it's really awesome, you get a HP. :smallsmile:

[Starsign]

Sharkguard's look of confidence returns as he begins dashing through the hoops, avoiding the electrical shocks that emitted from the circular hoops. Like with Megastar however, there was another, final trap waiting for the shark-man. He shouldn't have been surprised that it was a whirlpool, of which would provide an... Interesting challenge for him. "Yarr! Ta bane o' all seafarers!" Whirlpools were never fun, and for someone who can't breathe underwater, deadly. Sharkguard had a number of options available; avoiding it was unlikely with his reflexes so he'd need to be a bit more creative.

While Sharkguard had a way of getting around it, sometimes he enjoys the path of most resistance. When in the whirlpool, Sharkguard begins swimming in the opposite direction, using his strength to counteract the whirlpool's speed and eventually try to make one of his own to pacify the raging swirl of the water. If he could accomplish that, then it's smooth sailing to the end.

Making my Reflex save which I will so botch :smalltongue: [roll0]

And I'll be making a swim check since I'm pretty much moving against a whirlpool: [roll1] Would my four ranks in my Swimming power assist any?

[ripleycat]

At first, it's all you can do not to get pulled back into the swirling vortex, let alone move forward, but slowly, painfully slowly, you begin fighting through the raging whirlpool. For some time, it seems to do little against the powerful torrent, but Sharkguard is built for the water, like a torpedo, and bit by bit your wake begins to churn against the whirlpool, disrupting the current. Faster and faster you go, until finally, the vortex breaks apart, disrupted by the powerful wake created behind you. The "sea" returns to its calm state for a few vital moments, leaving you a clean shot to the ramp up and out of the water, and the finish line just beyond.

Normally, no, Swimming the travel power and Swimming the skill are separate, but in this case, it seems reasonable, since you're focusing on speed. In also gets you over the DC I had set for this in my mind, so consider it a success. :smallsmile:

Also, that was a pretty clever idea, so HP awarded. You currently have 5, just for reference.

[Starsign]

At the start, Sharkguard was honestly not sure if a maneuver such as this was going to work. He hadn't seen many whirlpools in his life and being in one was something he'd never done before. The painfully slow progress made might have made the shark-man try for a different strategy had he not been so stubborn. With his strength and perseverance however, he tranquil the water for a moment as he lets out a big "HAH!" With the exit in sight, Sharkguard made haste to the ramp and out of the water. So long as nothing like a last-minute trap appeared, Sharkguard made his way to the finish line; he was glad to have finished the course at last.

[ripleycat]

There are no more nasty surprises waiting for you above the surface, just a clear path to the finish line, about 10 feet from the water. As you cross at long last, the crowd erupts into loud cheers.

"That may have been the toughest course of them all, but Sharkguard stuck it out and battled his way through in fine style. The Savior of the Seven Seas proves his worth once more!"

A second wave of applause follows the announcement. The other heroes also come over to congratulate you. "Man, they didn't pull any punches with you, did they? That looked a real pain t' get though."

"I figured you were a little too old to be playing around with blocks, Jaws." Johnny teases. "Nice job. Those electric rings looked wicked."

Congratulations, you survived! :smalltongue:

[Starsign]

As Sharkguard crosses the finish line, he could hear the all-too-familiar yet wonderful cheering from the crowd. The obstacle course was a challenge and it put more than his muscle to the test. However when he overcomes the challenge and is greeted by the cheer of those in watching, it's always worth it. The shark-man raises a fist into the air as a sign of victory as he gives off a proud "RAWR!". Always put up a good show before, during, and after the event; that is and always has been Sharkguard's plan when it came to his superhero life. Actual superheroics are the top priority, but whenever he could, he loved to put on a show.

As he sees Megastar and Johnny move up towards him, Sharkguard waves to the two before responding to their congratulations. "It ain't nothin' Megastar," he says to the teen. "Yarr own course didn't look any easier; mine just looked harder." Sharkguard then responds to Johnny with, "Well I be overestimating the brains of the technicians. Still a challenge. I just prefer leavin' brainpower to ta actual masterminds, aye?" He still felt embarrassed on how long he took to complete the block puzzle. Perhaps taking a couple lessons from the intellectual heroes would be a good idea. "If by 'wicked' yarr meant 'awesome,' then I'd agree! Gotta say I be glad they added the electric rings. Else I'd be sailin' through the course faster than a sonic jet in ta skies!" His sentence is clearly an exaggeration but enjoyed making the comparison regardless.

[ripleycat]

Joesph comes over a couple minutes after you've finished the course, a laid-back smile on his face for the first time that day. "Congrats, you guys! That's the last of the real intense stuff. Well, there's another 'challenge' in a couple minutes, but somehow I don't think playing around with the kids is going to test you the way say, that obstacle course did."

"I have to say, you guys made this a lot of fun. I was worried this was going to be a disaster, but this is the first time since we started this 5 years ago that I wasn't running around trying to keep everything from falling apart the whole time. Turns out superheroes can actually look after themselves. Who knew? I sure hope we get to do this again next year."

"Anyway, the kids. We've got a chunk of the park set off from the rest of the tents and stages and whatnot." He points to the far northern corner of Liberty Park, where there's a running track with a grassy area in the middle. "They've been promised they can 'challenge' you guys, so be willing to take some punches and run some races, OK? You'll be free to mingle with them, talk and sign autographs and all that jazz afterwards. Megastar, I talked it over with Dr. Chase, and they're going to let you fly with the kids, provided you follow the ground rules; one at a time, only above the athletic field, and only 30 feet and below."

"I'm sure the press will want to talk to you too, but if they do that's not part of the event, totally optional. Any questions before we go wrap this up?"

[Starsign]

Sharkguard crosses his arms with a smile as he sees Joseph come over. From the beginning of the fundraiser to now, it didn't feel like it took very long. With a little luck he may even have some time to spare before taking Alyssa home. "Yarr call this," he points his thumb to the obstacle course he just completed, "a challenge?" In terms of completing it quickly, it was a challenge to the shark-man. However he liked being less modest and more confident when it came to the public view. "This was a heck o' a time. 'bout more fun in one day than a sailor can find in his life, aye?" As a sailor, he partially knew by experience. Before arriving in Freedom City he juggled his sailor life and his superhero life. While he loved being a sailor, it was being a superhero where he found the most excitement. He had never regretted becoming what he is now.

The idea of having fun with the children almost made Sharkguard show his toothy grin. However doing that where the children could easily see him didn't seem like a good idea. He didn't want to scare the children after all. "Well that sounds plan Joseph. I be wanting to show off a little for ta kids. Maybe once can even beat me in a race, yarharhar!" He wasn't into races like other people, but it wouldn't stop him from doing it. "Guess there ain't any chance o' me riding anyone over the water?" He might as well ask while he had the chance. Sharkguard wanted to Alyssa to ride him over the seas one day. It was one way to really experience the seas. Of course to him, it ain't ever a true experience unless you use a sailboat or a pirate ship.

With the mention of the rules for Megastar flying the kids, Sharkguard put a small, smug look and said, "Megastar ridin' children through ta skies at sonic speeds? Good thing I got me medkit!" He winks to Megastar like he was joking. "But naw. I got's yarr the best o' confidence for you youngling."

[ripleycat]

Joseph frowns, thinking your question over. "Don't see why not. The river's edge is technically part of the park." He thumbs his walkie-talkie and repeats the question to his superiors. After a minute, he gives you a thumbs up. "Yep, you're good to go. If you want to take some of the kids for a ride, feel free. Just stick to this section of the river, and one at a time, please."
...

When finally given the green light, the kids swarm around you and the other heroes in an adoring horde. Some are just those who came out for the fundraiser with their families, but most are patients at the hospital, and you can tell getting to meet you is a real bright spot. Some of the younger and smaller ones clamber up your hulking frame like a jungle gym.

"Heh, you look like a Christmas tree with all of 'em hanging off you like that." Megastar drops down, a boy sitting on his back, 'piloting' his superhero ride. "You want to race? I can't go too fast anyway, you might win fair and square." A young girl who's been following you around, looking absolutely starstruck since the session began finally finds her voice at Megastar's challenge. A tiny, rather sickly-looking redhead with freckle covered cheeks, she pipes up, a mischievous glint in her eye. "We can beat them! Right, Sharkguard?"

Despite calling it a "challenge", this section is really free-form. :smallsmile:

[Starsign]

Sharkguard looks to the river with glee as he gets the green light to take children for a ride. "Aye! I be sure to follow ta rules. Make sure that yarr gots plenty of life preservers." The shark-man never really used the word "lifejackets." He felt that it lacked the same meaning that a life preserver did. It didn't really matter though; right now it was about the children.

...And Sharkguard very quickly found himself swarmed by the children. He was glad that they weren't terrified of him but he got the feeling Alyssa would be very jealous if she saw this. The numerous children on him was rather cute to the shark-man. He had little trouble lifting them as he lets a couple hang on his arms and a few more hold onto his head and neck. Megastar's comment of him as a Christmas tree wasn't really off the mark that much. Sharkguard's response however was a friendly yet deadpan, "Yardyharhar Megastar..." This certainly wasn't the first time he was compared like that regardless if it was a serious one or not. He had noticed how Megastar was flying the kids around. It seemed like so much fun and he wished he or Alyssa could fly around sometime.

On the subject of the race, Sharkguard gave a sign of interest to the teen. He says to the girl, "Well I ain't evah one to back off from challenges," as he picks up the girl and helps her get into a life preserver. "Okay Megastar, this old sailor accepts yarr challenge!" He points to one end of the river and then points to the other. "We race from one end of the river to ta other. Make sure not to take shortcuts now. Johnny! Yarr can judge for us?" He checks to see how Johnny is doing. Hopefully he isn't too busy running laps around the field at a rate where it looks like a circular shield of energy.

[ripleycat]

Johnny pops up out of nowhere next to you. "Sure, I'll be your judge. I can keep an eye on you two easy enou- augh!" The speedster gets buried under a swarm of kids from behind as he talks. He picks himself up and shouts "Alright, you asked for it! I'm it, now!" as the children scatter away, laughing.

"We're playing team tag. They're one team. I'm the other." He adds by way of explanation.

"OK, I'm cool with your course, Sharkguard. Come on, Miles, let's leave these suckers in the dust!" Megastar hovers over the sidewalk where the edge of the park meets the Wading River as it flows through town. A few members of the press have noticed the impromptu challenge, and have gathered along the riverbank snapping pictures, knowing a good photo-op when they see one. One sets himself up at the "finish line" several blocks downriver, guaranteeing our heroes a photo finish.

"Time out, guys! Geez, I'm actually having to try, they're slippery little buggers..." Johnny calls a truce with his kids and switches to judging mode. "OK, you both obey Joseph's rules, I don't want anyone getting hurt, even by accident. You will race from here..." he vanishes in a flash and reappears in the distance, on the bridge at the far end of the park. "...to here!" the Rocket shouts back. Another flash, and he's back at the starting "line." "No cutting corners, and that means you, Megastar. Alright, everyone ready? Then... on your marks... get set... GO!"

[Starsign]

Sharkguard gives a comedic shrug and sighs as he sees Johnny playing tag with the kids. The shark-man would be in a world of trouble if he was in the speedster's position at that moment. Running was always a poor way to go for him and in a tag situation like that, he would just get trounced. If Sharkguard was going to race however, he couldn't do it with everyone on him. "Alrighty younglings, everyone off." Sharkguard had no need of forcing them off him as he made his way to the "starting line."

"Okay missy," he says to the young girl as he gets into the water. "Telling yarr now, hold tight and don't get seasick. He didn't plan on going full speed, but when Sharkguard did, he moved incredibly fast. Someone without a strong stomach would very easily belch during or at the end of it. Even if this was a race, the young girl's safety comes first. On the river just under the bridge, Sharkguard bends down enough as if he was an Olympic swimmer. "Ready anytime," he calls out to confirm his readiness.

When Johnny gives the word, Sharkguard takes off down the river. His start is a little slow to make sure the young girl didn't fall off. Once he got going however, he accelerated quickly. He can get rather competitive when it came to this and kept his eye on Megastar in the meantime. As he went, he asked the girl riding him, "Yarr alright so far missy?" He didn't want her getting ill over competitiveness after all.

[ripleycat]

"Yes sir!" Clinging to your dorsal fin, the young girl looks to be having a grand time. Johnny zips past several times, monitoring you and Megastar, keeping pace without breaking a sweat. Chris and Miles, his "pilot," swing around the corner a body length or two ahead of you, easy prey if you can keep it up for the next couple of twists and turns in the river. On the riverbank, some of the kids and a few of the more enthusiastic reporters are cheering their hero of choice on. "Come on, let's get 'im!"

[Starsign]

Much like the young girl riding him, Sharkguard was indeed having a blast racing Megastar down the river. He wasn't surprised at how Johnny easily kept up but the shark-man kept his eye out in case there were kids trying to sneak up on the speedster. On the actual course, Sharkguard could see the twists and turns ahead. At the little girl's behest, Sharkguard calls out, "Yarr got it missy," as he swims in a blistering hurry down the twisty river. His movement keeps the agility his huge body usually has, but he does often find himself sliding his body against the river's walls a few times. It was nothing serious as Sharkguard uses his body like a skateboard through a half-pipe. He moves to pass Chris and his rider. Hopefully he'd reach the finish line before the flying teen did.

[ripleycat]

"Wheee!" The young girl, who, with that sort of logic that only makes sense to kids, has chosen the middle of the race to explain that her name was Kaylee, and that she was a patient at the hospital, and that this was the best day ever, holds on gamely as you tear down the river. Megastar is also going as fast as possible, Miles flattened down on his back to make the pair more "aerodynamic". All things being equal, he's probably moving a hair faster than you are. Hovering above the water, however, means he can't make the sharp turns off the channel walls you can. Your ability to go all-out without risking losing your rider ends up making the difference, as you go sailing under the bridge less than half a body length ahead of the flying pair.

"There we go!" Johnny announces, standing on the span above you. "Sharkguard wins it by a nose! His nose, in fact!"

"Aw, man! Sorry, buddy. I thought we had 'em!" Megastar apologizes as he delivers his charge to the riverbank. Miles doesn't seem to mind, more enthused about getting to fly than losing the race. Kaylee cheers loudly from your shoulders, joined by those who had been rooting for you from the water's edge.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard wasn't looking at how close Megastar was when he crossed under the bridge. Focusing on the river made it difficult to look somewhere else. He mostly hoped that Megastar didn't perform some sort of last-second pass that he had often seen in fictional and non-fictional media. Thankfully that wasn't the case as he wins by a rather close length. Sharkguard does his best to hide his surprise as he stands up and gets out of the river; holding onto Kaylee well while now riding him piggyback-style. "I be lovin' the salty taste of success! Aye Kaylee?" He talks with his rider as he lets himself be greeted by the press. Hopefully the young girl wouldn't mind that.

Once he got a good moment in, he went over to Megastar. "Good race Megastar," he says happily as he goes to shake the teen's hand. "Don't feel to bad about it. Miles here seems to had fun either way. That's the important part, aye?" No one getting hurt meant that things couldn't have gone better. The kids had fun, the racers had fun, and the observers had fun. "Just be ready to give me a hand next time an invading warship appears above Freedom City." He winks to Megastar, a little jealous of the teen's flight powers but ultimately glad the shark-man doesn't have them. Would be pretty strange seeing him flying through the skies on his own.

If he got the chance, Sharkguard put down Kaylee in a quiet place to try and talk to her quietly. Discussion during a race was not the most ideal of circumstances. "Kaylee, would you be alright if I be askin' why you are a patient at the hospital?" Children of many forms end up in the hospital one way or another, whether it's a physical, mental, or emotional defect or injury. Sharkguard wanted to try and get to know people of very young age. He was quite old and had forgotten what it was like to be young. He didn't mind his age but liked remembering what life is like when one is a child.

[ripleycat]

"Heh, it's a deal." Megastar grins as he lets Miles off. "OK, who's next?"

Once most of the reporters have wandered back off towards the rest of the park and you've gotten a bit of privacy, Kaylee opens up a bit. She appears to be around Alyssa's age, maybe a little younger, probably in third grade. She smiles, and it's obvious she's not going to refuse you, but she does seem a bit put out.

"Do we have to talk about it? I'm sick of talking about it, everyone asks the same questions. It even stayed on during the race, I thought nobody noticed today..." Realizing that you meant no harm and were just asking a simple question about something she'd said, she glances around, clearly embarrassed, then gently lifts up her hair, showing you that the bright red strands are actually a wig.

"I have leukemia." she explains, with the air of someone much more weary and practiced at talking about such things than someone her age should be. "That's why I have to stay at the hospital. The treatments, one of them makes all your hair fall out, and I got so sick of people staring that they got me new hair, until mine can finally come back. I-I thought you'd seen it wasn't real..."

She brightens up again. "It's been really cool getting to watch you today. They have to watch me really closely, so I don't get to leave very often. I have to spend more time at the hospital than I do at home. It sucks. I didn't think I'd actually get to meet you! You're my favorite, cuz I think sharks are awesome, and superheroes are awesome, and you're both!"

I hadn't planned to do anything further with Kaylee, but this strikes me as a good subplot, with what the second issue's going to have you doing and all, so you get a tearjerker story based on a buddy of mine.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard was glad to have gotten a moment to talk quietly with Kaylee. He did indeed love the fame, but fame alone is something no one can live with. It would be especially bad for the press to get their eyes upon his private life. As the young girl talks, Sharkguard keeps a smile and friendly posture to her. He puts her down beside a tree near the border of the park and goes on one knee to stay at eye level with her. When she reveals about her leukemia however, his smile slowly fades and becomes a regretful frown. Bald hair had been something Sharkguard was familiar with; he had it himself for a long time as a sailor. However for a child to have it at such a young age... From her experience, it seemed like a very different thing. His eyes were focused on the wig for only a moment before turning back to Kaylee's weary face.

"Kaylee..." Sharkguard wasn't quite sure where to start. Words didn't quite feel like the proper way to begin. He slowly grabs the young girl's hand with his own. He keeps no pressure on her hand, wanting her to feel his skin instead. Eventually though, he spoke up. "That sounds like a horrible time for a young girl such as yarrself." He keeps the accent up despite that they were in private. His rather quiet and remorseful tone very different to the young girl. "However," the shark-man carefully places the palm of his hand on the girl's cheek. "I want yarr to stay strong through it. I know it's been a hard experience, and it will still be a hard life with leukemia. Sharkguard quickly figured out where he would be taking this speech. "In me own opinion, it's surviving and overcoming that difficulty that is important. Life ain't without ta dangers and surprises that make it interesting. Beatin' it shows how strong one is and it's having ta will and bravery that others can be inspired from. And when things get really bad, remember who is important to yarr. Parents fight to protect their kids; sailors fight to protect ta sea; I fight to protect ta city. When yarr know what to fight for, it brings out a whole new feeling in people." Sharkguard loved the fame and thrills given by his work, but always had the city close to his heart; just like his hometown.

"So can yarr promise me that missy?" Sharkguard gives a wink as his familiar smile returns. "I be sure yarr will find hair growing back normally. Yarr parents care about you, as do I. Plans be brewin' to cure these symptoms. Just stay strong and fight through this leukemia, aye?" He then goes to hug her if she allows it. Her body very tiny compared to his. "I'm glad yarr be likin' sharks. Remember that in ta waters they live in, they're as much protectors as they are predators; possibly more so." In his own eyes, Sharkguard believed that an ecosystem could not survive if a powerful bloodthirsty species existed within it. Every creature had a degree to which they needed to protect their home. He followed this philosophy well, almost like it was his personal aesop that he held in his heart.

Indeed it comes as a good subplot. I give my sympathies to your friend. He/She must have had a very hard time as well.

[ripleycat]

"Yes sir!" Kaylee gives you a brave salute after your heartfelt speech. When you go to hug her, she doesn't just hug you back, she glomps onto you like a limpet. "I'll fight as hard as I can. I promise!" She's trying very hard to be brave and not cry, but her grin is so wide her face might split open. This must be the definition of what "mixed emotions" looks like.

She glances up and gives you a puzzled look when you mention that 'plans are brewing.' "Really? What do you mean?" From her tone, it's clear she's used to talking and hearing about treatments like the chemotherapy that cost her her hair, harsh methods that eradicate the cancer but weaken the rest of the body as well. "Like a-a real cure? Where it won't come back?" This is obviously something she hasn't dared consider for a long time.

[Starsign]

As Sharkguard hugs Kaylee, he thinks back to his adopted daughter Alyssa and wondered of the similarities and differences the two girls had. Like with Alyssa, the shark-man was very careful when it came to contact such as this. He didn't want to crush her by accident, his strength can make that incredibly easy. He has had a lot of practice with it however and doesn't find fear in such tasks now. Sharkguard was glad to see Kaylee so ecstatic from his words. To her will to fight hard, he responds quietly with, "I know yarr will Kaylee." He goes to put Kaylee's wig back on her if she is alright with it, then goes to answer her other questions.

"Don't tell anyone else this, aye?" He looks around quickly to see if anyone else is listening. "I got's an offer by one o' the company donors to ta hospital. They be wantin' to examine me; see about some of my abilities. I been healthy for decades without being ill and they think I may have somethin' inside me. Best o' circumstances, their research can put medicine ahead... Possibly find cures for such illnesses like your leukemia." He tries to reassure her that he won't be used as some sort of test subject. Considering King, this would be very likely. Sharkguard however prefers to keep a good image of himself and was willing to take the risk. "I can make promises on many o' things, but I can't on this one. Science has no guarantee on anything, but I be hopin' for success. A cure ain't a miracle; it won't happen overnight. If this does work out I'm bettin' it'll take a year or two in ta best o' circumstances. What I be sayin' is that I''ll be doing my best to see if I can help out these children beyond motivations; that goes for yarr too Kaylee." He winks again before standing up, clearly dwarfing the young human girl now. "Just remember ta best plan is a strong will and healthy lifestyle, aye? Never forget that."

[ripleycat]

Kaylee listens raptly as you let her in on your plans. "Wow, really? I know it'll work! You can do anything! I know it'll take a long time, they always do, but I'll do my best to get strong and healthy again, so I'll be ready when your cure comes!" Super-science tended to be removed from the general public, usually some combination of too expensive, too difficult to reproduce, or just too dangerous. If all this came to pass, it would a big deal. Even Kaylee seemed to know this.

An new and exciting thought occurs to Kaylee as she gives you another hug (or rather, gives your knee another hug as you stand up, dwarfing the young girl.) "Do you think it might give me superpowers?" she whispers excitedly. Any answer you can give is suddenly and rudely interrupted.

"Aww, now ain't that sweet! Hahaha!" The gruff rasp sends shivers down your spine, and not just because it literally sounds like metal scraping on a chalkboard.

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/ripleycat/steel_no_1_cover_by_alexgarner-d30t1ok.jpg

Just um, ignore the Superman crest. :smalltongue: Otherwise, it's an almost perfect picture of how I imagine him.

Behind you, hovering about 10 feet in the air, is a gleaming silver figure in a flowing red cape. The man, while not as big as you, would still dwarf most people, standing well over 7 feet tall. Naked from the waist up, well muscled, like a heavyweight prizefighter, and totally bald, carrying a massive, crude-looking sledgehammer made of heavy steel. A normal person would strain to get it off the ground. He's waving it around with one hand.

There's a solidness to him that Megastar's liquid metal shell lacks. There's nobody inside this figure, just a core of steel. He seems very... superheroic in his look and bearing, proud and upright, especially with the long crimson cape fluttering dramatically behind him. If someone snapped a picture of him and stuck it on the front page of the paper, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a shot of some great hero, come to save the day.

You know him for what he really is, the supervillain Bulwark, a jumped-up thug with delusions of grandeur. While robbing a chemical plant, he was given real and frightening power when accidental exposure to an experimental material triggered a freak mutation. Now a very literal Man of Steel, but with none of the virtues of the famous one from the comics. Despite the grand style he liked to put on these days, he was still a two-bit thug at heart. His mind still worked in terms of petty revenge and easy scores. He must really believe the stuff from ASTRO Labs is worth the risk if he's willing to take on three big-time heroes.

"Hello, Bulwark." Johnny gives the metallic man a look that is half wary and on guard, half "Really, now? Are you kidding me?"

"You know, Sharkguard here headbutted a piece of steel in half earlier. You here so he can do it to you, too?"

The big silver figure just shakes his head and laughs a bit at Johnny. It's not a pleasant sound. "'Fraid not, speedy. Funny you should mention that little production you put on, though. That super-alloy is right up my alley. A nice upgrade for me, and a big prize for whoever feels like paying my price for a sample. Not just bulletproof, but untouchable by anything short of the big fish and his teeth? Oh yeah, I can feel it already."

He spreads his arms open wide and makes that rasping, metallic laugh again. "Now, I'm feeling charitable today, what with all the love and warmth you chumps have been spreading around here, so I'm gonna give you three a chance. You take those precious kids of yours and get out of my way, and nobody gets hurt today. Try and stop me, and you get a free tour of the morgue. My treat. What's it gonna be?"

Your first supervillain makes his appearance! Meet Bulwark, proof that you can look good and still be a total jackass on the inside! :smalltongue: Roll for initiative, if you would. Combat will start after your next post, if combat is where you decide to take things. :smallsmile:

[Starsign]

Listening to Kaylee's optimism, Sharkguard wonders for a moment if he shouldn't have mentioned the 'examination' that will be happening. He feels that he really could do anything with the (painfully learned) exception of beating a mastermind in a game of smarts. Just because he can however, doesn't mean that it will work the first time. Super-science is never a strong point to Sharkguard. Even if it is just going to be an examination, he needs to be sure of the possibility that something can go wrong. The fact that Hieronymus King would be the one to get it set up did not ease anything. Regardless though, it is going to happen so Sharkguard will do his best. He hides his slight worry with his chuckle as he sees Kaylee hug his leg. Super-science giving superpowers wasn't uncommon. Sharkguard himself was almost one such indication of one. He doubted that a cure as such would give people superpowers; at least, he hoped so.

The rude interruption quickly made Sharkguard turn to the screeching metallic voice. Seeing Bulwark here was poor for timing. Then again, Bulwark has always been consistent in coming at terribly inconvenient times. During the villain's little motivation monologue, the shark-man moves his head to Kaylee and quietly says "Stay behind me missy." Sharkguard knew this wouldn't end without a fight. Minimizing civilian injuries would be a must. Despite this, it wouldn't stop him from taunting Bulwark. Better to let the villain focus on the 8' tall muscled shark-man than a frail human.

"Yarr never know ta meaning of convenience, Bulwark." Sharkguard speaks in a confident but also annoyed tone. "Yarr'd been better to come earlier, or later. Now though I'd be havin' to give a lesson like I do with all sky-farin' lubbers like yarrself." Sharkguard has taken on Bulwark a few times before. The villain was a constant foe for him. "That alloy ain't gonna do yarr any good against me anyway. If anythin' yarr'd make a healthier meal!" Sharkguard had always wondered what Bulwark's... Metal was like. He got the suspicious feeling that it was simply more than simple metal. Either way he would only find out if he used it as a last-minute emergency. The shark-man quickly whispers to Johnny, "I'll deal with this fool; move everyone else away," and then prepares himself. Fights against two powerhouses when not holding back are very different from the spar Sharkguard had with Megastar. Here, collateral damage can be massive. In a less-than-optimal result, the entire park can be destroyed. Sharkguard is usually careful though, even against literal thick-headed brutes like Bulwark. "Just remember last time yarr tried this stunt. I almost send yarr to ta piranhas!" That last fight plenty of time ago taught Bulwark not to fight Sharkguard when he is in the ocean.

Rolled an initiative result of 0. Go me! :smalltongue:

Also I wanted to go for an intimidate based off Sharkguard's talking/yelling to Bulwark, which I think would happen before combat starts. Would that be allowed? (you can roll if you are alright with the Intimidate)

[ripleycat]

Johnny murmurs "You got it." under his breath, his wisecracking persona gone now that people are in real peril. Megastar puts himself between Bulwark and a band of kids that had been watching the river race only a couple minutes before, arms crossed over his chest. "You touch a hair on these kids, and I'll shove that hammer so far down your throat you won't be able to sit down."

Bulwark laughs off Megastar's ultimatum, but his bravado as you mention your last battle. He'd tried to hold a harbor ferry hostage, demanding an enormous ransom from the city, only to find that fighting a shark on the seas was not a winning proposition, especially not when your body sinks like, well, a big chunk of steel. "Heheh... eh. I learned my lesson, though, fishboy. You're oh so noble, Sharkguard, just can't stand seeing those innocents in danger. Me? I just need to get what I came for and get out. You know, smash and grab job!"

Bulwark punctuates his statement by flying up and coming crashing back down into the "finish line" bridge with a massive overhead swing of his oversized sledgehammer, smashing through the pavement and collapsing one of the support columns. The force of the strike makes it look like a bomb went off, overturning several cars unfortunate enough to be near the impact point, trapping their passengers inside! People begin screaming and running as the crippled structure teeters over the river, half the bridge ready to plunge into the water at any second!

Almost before Bulwark starts moving, Kaylee vanishes from behind your legs, along with a couple other kids who had been huddling near her. You catch a blue-white blur rocketing (literally!) into town as Johnny gets them to safety. Megastar isn't as fast on the uptake as the speedster (nobody is, really), but he still jumps into action, using the superweapon's immense strength to gather as many of the kids as can fit on his frame and flying low and away toward the other side of the park.

Bulwark floats back down in front of you, grinning nastily over the wreckage behind him, though there's still a quaver in his voice. You've had this dance before, and each time he's come off on the losing end. He knows, deep down, that you're better than he is, but that doesn't stop him from gloating a little bit. "Now get out of my way, Sharkguard, or I'll do worse! Go play the hero, fish. Get your name in all the papers, saving the precious civilians, and leave me to my prize!"

OK, we're now in combat time! Because he failed (spectacularly) against your intimidate, Bulwark will be at -2 to all attacks and checks this round. Also, take a Hero Point right off the bat because of the endangered civilians.

Johnny Rocket spends his round grabbing Kaylee and a couple of other kids and moving them away to safety. Metagame-wise, Johnny (and Megastar, to a certain extent) is present just in case (very unlikely) I made Bulwark too much for Sharkguard to handle, or if the rolls don't go your way. He will take non-combat actions like saving the kids each round unless needed to step in.

Speaking of rolls, you currently have 6 HP, including the one I just awarded. I know this is a solo game, but it would be helpful if you could put your current HP and conditions in a heading, the way we do in ECK. During combat, at least.

Megastar will be more active in combat than Johnny, but for this round, he also spends his action getting several of the kids out of harm's way.

Just for easy reference, init order:
Johnny
Megastar
Bulwark
Sharkguard

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 6 -> 5
Cond: Normal

While Sharkguard usually keeps up an optimistic and brave outlook in public, his mood changes drastically when civilians are in immediate peril and the advantage is not on his side. The shark-man quickly began scowling as soon as he saw the bridge's structure weaken. It was bad enough that children were in range, but now other civilians were at risk at the teetering bridge too. Sharkguard hated this situation; the villain puts the lives of innocents in jeprody to distract the heroes. This allowed the villain to escape with his objective completed and in tow. It would be easier to decide if the villain's goal was money; here what Bulwark is going for is the super-alloy to improve his skin. If there was anyone crazy enough to upgrade Bulwark with the alloy, he would become a much, much more dangerous villain. If Sharkguard could calculate how long the bridge could last, he might not be as worried. He had no such future sight however and there weren't enough heroes right now to take care of it.

Sharkguard decided to take a gamble and focus on Bulwark right now. In anger, the shark-man responds with, "I ain't lettin' yarr outta here with that alloy! Neither I be lettin' anyone die today!" With that war cry of sorts, the shark-man quickly charges forth and brings his left fist downward on the steel villain. Sharkguard immediately followed up with a powerful straight punch with his right arm. Bring the villain on the ground with the first blow and hammer him with the second. Aggressiveness was Sharkguard's plan here. "Yarr want to do worse? Get by ME first! I be bettin' yarr don't even know where the alloy is!" Getting Bulwark's attention to keep the villain from attacking anything else would be a good step forward.

Using All Out Attack +5/-5 to land an attack on Bulwark: [roll0] DC 32 Toughness

Surging attack again with the same modifiers. Here's to hit: [roll1]

Also next turn I will be trying something different. Got a semi-plan coming up :smallwink:

[ripleycat]

*WHANG!* *CLANG!*

The force of the blows knocks Bulwark out of the air and sends him stumbling back a few feet. Unlike the inert steel you demolished during the demo, the villain's form doesn't deform or break under your fists. He feels far more dense than the simple railroad tie you pummeled earlier. "Ah ah ah." He pops up grinning, clearly unhurt. "Gonna have to try harder than that. And of course I know where the alloy is, flounder. I was watchin' you bleedin' hearts on TV all morning, after all. Oh, and my turn!"

He hefts the huge hammer and takes a wild swing at your midsection, so violent in fact that you can easily slip out of the way as he loses his grip, smashing the hammer into the trunk of a huge oak tree nearby, turning it to splinters and sawdust! The tree, showing a promising future as a crimefighter, promptly falls over on the silver-skinned supervillain. An extremely agitated metallic voice roars at you out of the branches."God Dammit, Sharkguard! I'm gonna break you in half for that!"

As seen in the ooc, both of your attacks hit, and both of Bulwark's saves are made.

I'm going to let Bulwark's Nat 1 on his attack stand. Too much fun. :smallbiggrin: Since we're playing with the rule that Nat 1s have consequences beyond just auto-missing, I'm going to rule that he's entangled, like a Snare, and at -2 on all checks and attacks this turn. If not attacked, he will take a turn to bust free, if you want to try saving folks on the bridge.

Johnny continues to ferry kids out of the park this round.

Megastar takes two move actions, one to get across the park and drop those he was protecting off, another to come back.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 5
Cond: Normal

Sharkguard looks in a bit of surprise at how his punches barely affected Bulwark. The steel man is more like a statue of metal rather than a human with metal skin. Typically their fights were never a "one-two-knockout" show unless Sharkguard had the terrain advantage. That's all well and good when Sharkguard has the time, but not when a bridge is close to collapsing with trapped people on it. Thankfully he was about to get his chance to even things out a bit.

Sharkguard doesn't even break a sweat as he sidesteps out of Bulwark's clumsy swinging. The tree falling on the steel villain must be quite the embarrassing predicament. It gave Sharkguard the much needed time to assist back on the bridge. He didn't pay much interest in Bulwark's threat all things considered. "Yarr'd break your fish-floppin' hammer before any sort o' harm comes on this sailor!" While Bulwark has definitely been able to harm the shark-man numerous times, usually Sharkguard comes out being able to easily shrug off mighty attacks and weapons that other bricks would take an injury from.

Hurrying up to the bridge as fast as he can, Sharkguard takes his eyes off Bulwark to help get the trapped civilians to safety. First he got overturned cars back on their wheels, allowing people in there to get away. He also checked for anyone trapped by rubble that he can free. He'd rather get everyone free before anything else. "Everyone! get yarrselves outta this area as soon as yarr can! Don't go rushin' and knockin' other people over; try and be calm here! I be protectin' you and won't let this bridge fall till all yarr are safe!" Hopefully Sharkguard's presence didn't cause difficulties in the unstable bridge holding together.

Yay for Nat 1s! I'm betting this'll happen to Sharkguard himself at least 6 times throughout this game :smalltongue:

Taking the turn to free trapped civilians on the bridge. I'll also be making the next turn to do the same as well provided Bulwark hasn't caught up to him already. (and if there are still people that need rescuing of course)

[ripleycat]

The damaged concrete creaks and strains ominously under the added strain of the massive sharkman, but it holds- for now. Those who can heed your words and scramble off the bridge as quickly as possible, most fleeing down the sidewalk away from the park and into downtown, which has quickly become choked with civilians fleeing the super-battle. The chaos can't be solved in a few seconds, though. Even as you free people from crashed cars and rubble, cries for help continue to assault your ears.

Behind you, Bulwark turns the branches pinning him to the ground to matchwood, breaking free of the tree's hold with a roar of anger, shooting back up into the air, his long cape now a bit tattered by the grasping twigs. "Look at that, how noble! I think I'll send you all crashing down into the river!"

Sharkguard can reach the bridge with a move action, so your turn is fine. And yes, rescuing all the civilians will take multiple rounds.

Johnny and Megastar take advantage of Bulwark's temporary tree troubles and spend the round getting the last of the kids out of harm's way.

Bulwark, as mentioned, spends the round breaking free from the "Snare."

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 5
Cond: Normal

Sharkguard finds himself in a bad situation as he hears Bulwark gets free from the tree. There wasn't quite enough time to get the rest of the civilians to safety by the time the steel villain flew over here. If Bulwark managed to take down the bridge, Sharkguard would be fine, but the civilians wouldn't. The shark-man could notice that Megastar and Johnny had taken the rest of the kids to safety. At least they were safe. Sharkguard had this problem though, one he would need to solve quickly.

Sharkguard took focus on rescuing more of the civilians, trying to save as many as he could before Bulwark arrived. Once the steel man arrived however, Sharkguard turned his focus to him. He moved to intercept Bulwark's hammer, letting himself take the blow in place of the bridge. A notable look of anger visible on the shark-man's face. "Yarr know nobility is treasured among even ta most hardened o' sea-farers. But yarr be lucky if you come outta this with both arms intact sky-lubber!" Sharkguard never really was one to brutalize foes in such a way as he had just described. However he had the temptation of it before and it is certainly here now.

Spending the round saving more civilians. However using Interpose to block Bulwark's target (whether it'll be the bridge or a civilian) when he reaches the bridge.

[ripleycat]

Johnny zips past the once again mobile Bulwark like the villain isn't even there, picking up a rather dazed and bloody civilian from the back of a car and dashing away. Megastar hovers well above the scene, yelling coordinates and instructions to someone. From his tone, it sounds like he's gotten ahold of the cops. The FCPD was better trained and equipped to deal with metahumans and supervillains than any other police force in the nation, and probably the world. Unfortunately, it takes time for those special troopers to gear up. The nearest cops are probably just patrolmen, and it'll take more than nightsticks and pistols to bring down Bulwark.

Speaking of Bulwark, the metallic madman laughs at your threat. "Ooh, that's kinda dark for you, isn't it? Threatenin' to dismember me? That seems more like... well, like something I'd do!" Despite the bravado, there's the tiniest of quavers in Bulwark's raspy voice. It might not be your style, but he doesn't doubt you could do it, if you wanted.

"We'll just have to see who breaks first! Batter up!" Hefting his weapon of choice again, Bulwark hurtles toward the bridge, unleashing another violent (put much more on-target) swing of his mighty hammer, aimed dead center of your chest as he comes flying by like a bullet.

Bulwark's attack hits. DC 35 Toughness check (pre-immunity).

Johnny spends his turn removing someone trapped in their car on the bridge. Megastar contacts the FCPD with his suit's sensors and explains the situation. The first cops will be on scene in 5 rounds. Whether that will help or hinder Sharkguard remains to be seen. :belkar:

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 5
Cond: Normal

Sharkguard has little time to brace himself as Bulwark's hammer smashes into the shark-man's chest. However there was little effect left from the swing. Sharkguard's massive frame causes little more than him taking a step back from the hammer swing. "Hah! Yarr know what it takes to break me. I know yarr lack ta muscle for it, much less ta skill!" If there is anything Sharkguard took a little too much pride in, it was his durability. He is amazingly durable, but he loves to exaggerate that he's completely invincible. It's hardly true, but unless someone of his power goes against him the shark-man might as well be right.

"Now I be in ta mood to give yarr an example o' how to break something." Sharkguard quickly moved his left arm to grab the handle of Bulwark's hammer; his right arm went to grab the head of the hammer. If he could, Sharkguard would bend or outright break the villain's hammer to render it useless. "I never liked yarr villains usin' weapons such as this. Come out brawlin' like how we bruisers should!" Bulwark's use of his hammer meant that he isn't as dangerous without it. If Sharkguard could get rid of the hammer, Bulwark is in for a very uphill fight.

Going to Smash Bulwark's Hammer. Roll for attack first with All Out Attack +5/-5: [roll0]

If I hit, I will make a Strength check to try and break the hammer: [roll1]

[ripleycat]

*Creeeng* *SNAP* Caught flat-footed, Bulwark can't get out of the way in time. The hammer protests briefly as your big mitt smashes into it, bends violently, then snaps like a matchstick.

Bulwark snarls as his weapon of choice breaks under your assault. "Oh, now you've done it! You want a brawl? Fine by me! Let's dance, Fish!" He glances at the broken handle and smiles grimly. Seizing it in both hands, he lunges forward and tries to gut you on the jagged spike like some hideous spear.

The attack hits. I mistyped the hammer's toughness by 1, but it doesn't matter. The hammer fails by 13 and is destroyed.

Just for the record: Bulwark's Hammer: Device 3 (Easily Removable): Penetrating Damage 3 (Mighty, Reach 1)(9pp)

Bulwark's attack hits. Considering the haft of the hammer to be an Improvised Weapon, giving him an extra +1 to damage this turn. DC 38 (pre-Immunity). Bulwark's active defenses are at +5 until his next turn.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 5
Cond: Normal

The jagged, improvised spear drives at Sharkguard's torso with more force than Bulwark used with his hammer. However the shark-man is prepared for the blow. He guards his torso using his arms, letting the jagged spear's thrust stop. The thrust is ineffective at injuring Sharkguard. The best Bulwark managed to do is leave a scrape on the shark-man's right arm. Suddenly, Sharkguard's fierce scowl forms back into the confident smile most people knew. "That spiked pole ain't ever gonna replace yarr hammer," he responds in a enthusiastic manner. Sharkguard goes to grab a hold on Bulwark, relying on his strength to keep the steel villain still.

"I be preferrin' to be on somethin' else than ta bridge. Yarr skylubbers ever heard o' 'solid ground?'" If Sharkguard has his grapple in, he lifts Bulwark over his head; the villain's head pointed to the sky as his arms and legs are now kept locked and held by Sharkguard's arms and pulled downward. Even if it isn't the case, it almost looks like Sharkguard is trying to break Bulwark in half. "Better yet, yarr ever heard o' a river?!" Quickly, Sharkguard moves and dives off the bridge head-first with Bulwark still held in the same grappled position. The plan is for Bulwark to hit the ground beneath the river using the force from Sharkguard's dive. The shark-man had the advantage in water. Even if the slam at the end of the fall doesn't harm Bulwark, it'll at least scare the villain.

If anyone is able to see Sharkguard's little maneuver, it'd look like some sort of over-the-top wrestling move.

Okay! So I'm not too sure how this will work, but I knew it was going to be fun to try :smalltongue: The plan is: Grapple Bulwark, dive off bridge, smash into the river below. I'll roll for attack first: (All-Out Attack +5/-5) [roll0] and then roll for Grapple: [roll1] I will make any rerolls in case I miss or Bulwark beats them.

Since this is a bit of a... Complicated round, I am willing to Surge to accomplish this maneuver. Just lemme know if I need to Surge or if I need to do anything else. :smallsmile:

[ripleycat]

"Gerroff me, you damn monster!" Having thrown everything into his ad hoc spear thrust, Bulwark can't dodge away from your grasping hands, much less break free from your iron grip.

The plunge off the bridge seems to happen in slow motion, Bulwark wriggling in your arms like, ironically, a fish. You hit the water with a stinging splash, your substantial combined weight carrying you straight to the bottom with a painful thud, or in his case, a clang. Bulwark thrashes in the mud and silt, seemingly none the worse for wear and unaffected by being tossed into the depths, roaring things that would make the roughest sailor you ever served with blush scarlet. Perhaps it's best for all that he's muffled by the water.

With the +10 from the reroll, that's a 15, which hits. Not going to bother with Bulwark's grapple roll this round. He can't beat that roll with his own nat 20.

According to the book, grabbing, grappling, and throwing a foe is a full-round action, so I'll rule that what you're doing is pretty much the same thing. No need to Surge.

The bridge is about 40 feet above the river, and the river itself is about 15 feet deep in this area. That makes the falling damage a DC21 Toughness check, which both you and Bulwark can ignore.

As basically a living steel statue, Bulwark is immune to drowning, so there are no further effects this turn.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 4
Cond: Normal

Sharkguard had always wanted to do a wrestling-like grappling throw off a high distance before. Of course such a maneuver wasn't exactly something one can find a willing participant for. The chance he got however was all he needed. And was it an experience. From the jump off to the smashing blow, the feel of it was exhilarating. Even if Bulwark wasn't injured by it, it fulfilled Sharkguard's plan of getting both of them off the bridge. One could even say Bulwark walked the plank... Forcefully.

Of course now Sharkguard has to deal with a steel supervillain who is cursing his mouth off. The river wasn't like an ocean; not enough room to reliably move around and evade. Still, it is better than the ground where Bulwark can fly easily. After hitting the ground floor of the river, Sharkguard used his swimming to flip 180 degrees and placed his feet on Bulwark to try and keep him in place. "Yarr remember this atmosphere Bulwark?" The shark-man had an easy time speaking underwater. "It's called 'water.' I'd be diggin' yarr a sunken grave if I ain't so merciful." With his hands free, Sharkguard interlocks them and lifts them over his head. "Now head out o' ta dirt!" With a brutal force, Sharkguard brings down his hands like a hammer on Bulwark's body. The blow kicking up the dirt and silt from the floor of the river.

All-Out Attack +5/-5 [roll0] DC 32 Toughness. If possible can I feat stun Power Attack for next turn in case Bulwark continues putting up an excellent defense? (will be using it at the right moment :smallbiggrin:)

[ripleycat]

The supervillain struggles, but remains pinned under your feet. The patented Captain Kirk Two-Handed Punch(TM) clangs hard into Bulwark's chest. He grimaces in pain, but seems not to have been seriously harmed. From his awkward position, he yells something that quickly disperses into bubbles, then aims a kick at you, trying to break free.

Bulwark can't beat a natural 19, either. :smalltongue: He remains grappled. After the reroll, he still takes a hit from your attack. And yes, you can stunt Power Attack if you want.

Bulwark's attack: [roll0] DC 32 Toughness (pre-immunity) if it hits.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 5 -> 4
Cond: Bruise x1

Awkward or not, Bulwark's kick connects right with Sharkguard's jaw while the shark-man was recovering from his own attack. The force of the blow causes Sharkguard to stagger for a moment. Small swishes of blood fly from the shark's mouth. If there's any moment where Sharkguard should focus more, it's when he takes a brutal hit. Quickly recovering, Sharkguard moves the back of his hand over his mouth as if to get any leftover blood off it. "Alright, that does it." The serious tone of his voice is quite the indication for the person on the receiving end of that phrase.

Letting his foot off Bulwark, Sharkguard quickly begins swimming upward, up to the top of the river as fast as he could. When he reaches the top, Sharkguard performs a 180 degree turn and swims downward like a jet through the sky. The shark-man goes to plow right into Bulwark at such speeds to take him down, or at least bring great harm to him. He wouldn't be able to do this if he were on land, but if he could, at least there would be people watching. Sharkguard hoped the bridge is evacuated of people.

Due to a poor Toughness save, I take a bruise. (half of DC 32 should be DC 24)

Okay, stunting Power Attack here. Going +5/-5 All-Out Attack and Power Attack: [roll0] DC 37 Toughness, and I'm making sure this one will hit :smallbiggrin:

[ripleycat]

Bulwark pulls himself out of the muck and stands up on the riverbed just in time to get hit by a giant shark-shaped battering ram. The villain goes sailing through the water, tumbling a good 20 feet before crashing into one of the damaged pillars holding what's left of the bridge up. The battered structure can no longer support itself, and comes crashing down around Bulwark, burying him in concrete, asphalt, and a couple damaged cars. Thankfully, you see no people plunge into the river with the debris. Looks like Johnny and Chris got everyone off in time.

Bulwark frees himself from the wreckage, looking distinctly worse for wear. The bridge debris doesn't seem to have done any direct harm, but your hammerblow has left quite an impression- literally! The man of steel's chest has a massive dent in it, and he's wobbling on his feet like a man after an all-night bender.

The attack hits, and Bulwark fails by 11, just making him Staggered. His Impervious prevents him from taking any further damage from the Knockback damage. He's Stunned this round and takes no action.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 4 -> 3
Cond: Bruise x1

Smashing Bulwark into the bridge support wasn't Sharkguard's plan. To see the bridge collapsing definitely wasn't something he wanted to see either. However the lack of civilian casualties eased the shark-man's mind. The bridge will need fixing, but right now there is a steel man to take down.

Seeing Bulwark with the massive dent, Sharkguard readies himself for what will hopefully end this fight. "Alright skylubber. Yarr had ta shine for the day. Now sleep with ta fishes!" With his intimidating shout, Sharkguard swims in a fury over to Bulwark. The shark-man uses his swimming speed to deliver a crushing blow from his fist. Bulwark had forgotten the advantages Sharkguard has in the water and now is getting punished for it. It didn't matter if it was the river or the ocean.

Okay! All-Out Attack and Power Attack +5/-5. In addition, Charging for +2 to Attack. [roll0] DC 37 Toughness if hit, and I will spend an HP to make sure it hits. :smallbiggrin:

EDIT: Okay yeah, spending an HP to reroll that Nat 1.

[ripleycat]

Bulwark gets his unsteady guard up, but his dazed reflexes are no match for yours, especially underwater. The mighty blow smashes the steel villain flat, plowing him into the riverbed. He gets up quickly this time, however, not nearly as out of it as he was after crashing into the bridge.

With a bestial roar of rage, he hurls himself at you, taking a massive roundhouse swing with no thought for his own defenses or safety.

The reroll hits. Bulwark fails by 7, taking another hit and getting stunned again.

I'm going to fiat away the stun. Stun-lock is one of the things I hate most about 2e. Take a hero point.

All-Out (+5/-5) Power (+5/-5) Attack: [roll0] DC37 Toughness if it hits.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 4 -> 3
Cond: Bruise x1

While Sharkguard's strike was great, it seems Bulwark has enough fight to keep going. All well and good though since the steel villain seems to be more interested in attacking the shark-man than threatening innocent people. Bulwark's wild swinging easily nails Sharkguard in the left side of his face. The shark-man's head jolts in what seemed like a painful manner. However Sharkguard recovers almost immediately, making Bulwark's roundhouse completely ineffective. If there is ever a time when Sharkguard's confident smile is terrifying, it's after a seemingly powerful blow aimed at him comes up with no results. This happens quite frequently.

Sharkguard doesn't hesitate at retaliation as he brings his left arm for an upward gut punch at Bulwark. Right after Sharkguard follows it up with a powerful headbutt! His head can demolish a granite wall; he wants to see how it fares on steel.

Alrighty, Power/All-Out Attack +5/-5 [roll0] DC 37 Toughness.

Edit: Ugh, 10? Yeah I'll go reroll that.

[ripleycat]

Bulwark drops his hands to knock away the uppercut, leaving himself open to the headbutt, which cracks him right in the forehead like a ton of bricks. It stings a bit more than hitting the granite slab did, but Sharkguard's incredibly tough skin prevents any real injury. The same can't be said for Bulwark, who staggers back with another dent in his supposedly invulnerable body. He stumbles drunkenly for a few moments, taking one last swing at you before falling to the riverbed with a dull clunk. This time he doesn't get back up, lying motionless in the silt.

Bulwark fails by 14 and is Staggered again, knocking him out. Congrats! Combat time is over.

[Starsign]

The mighty headbutt shows it's wonder once again as Bulwark suffers greatly from the attack. His last drunken swing comes out easily telegraphed and stopped by Sharkguard's own hand. With that, the steel villain went down and out of the fight. Sharkguard takes a moment to relax before picking up Bulwark and placing him over the shark-man's shoulder. Destroyed bridge aside, collateral damage has been kept to a minimum. Things very well could have been a lot messier on the streets or in a building.

Sharkguard gets out of the water hardly looking worse for wear than he did before. That one lucky kick Bulwark left wasn't shown by much more than a bruise. Once out, Sharkguard takes a look around before announcing his victory. "Yarr! I been takin' care of this skylubbing piece of metal!" 'Piece of metal' might have been giving Bulwark a bit more credit than he deserved. Based on that fight, 'chrome wood' would have been a more accurate description. Sharkguard looks around for Johnny, Chris, and Kaylee. "How's ta city be farin' since yarr noble captain went divin'?" Based on how there were no civilians on the bridge, the situation was probably under control.

[ripleycat]

Kaylee is nowhere to be seen, having been one of those whisked off to safety by Johnny Rocket when the fight turned hot. Johnny and Chris are visible, though. Johnny zips past, carrying one of the civilians injured in the bridge attack. "Hey, there you are! I was getting worried." He grins at the comatose villain draped over your shoulder. "Nice catch, but I don't think it's worth eating. Maybe you can get it mounted, put it over the fireplace. Back in a few." He races away into town with his charge, towards a hospital.

Chris is talking with the first cops to arrive on scene, pointing animatedly at the river and what's left of the bridge. He almost seems disappointed to see you emerge from the water. "Aww, you trashed him already? I was going to jump in and help you. Oh well. Hey, great job. He looks pretty bad, you must have really put a hurting on him. Nobody else got hurt when the bridge went down, we'd gotten 'em all onto solid land by then. Things could have been a lot worse."

Some of the cops follow Megastar over. A grizzled-looking lieutenant offers you his hand, looking mighty impressed. "Oh my, Sharkguard! Seen you on TV a time or two. You're a bit bigger in person, even. Nice work! This jackass has been on our list for a long time. After a stunt like this, he's headed straight for a cell up at Blackgate, that big ol' castle-lookin' place upstate they built to hold supers. No more breakouts for Bulwark." He pats the unconscious villain's cheek condescendingly. "The press are going to be all over this, especially with the 8th St. bridge going into the drink. We can keep 'em off your back if you want, though. Think you've done enough for one day without having to deal with those vultures too."

[Starsign]

Sharkguard chuckles as Johnny zips by him. The shark-man didn't get the chance to respond to the speedster. Understandable though due to him carrying civilians to the hospital. Sharkguard wasn't sure of how many were injured and he'd go check up on that as soon as he got the lump of metal off his shoulder. As Chris comes up to him, the shark-man looks in admiration at the teen's bravado. "Hah! Yarr wouldn't been much help youngling. Bulwark here lost ta fight ta moment I been sendin' him down to ta depths. He should've known better than to fight without that hammer of his." He winks to Chris before the cops come over. "Good job gettin' all those civilians to safety Megastar."

As the lieutenant comes over, Sharkguard gives him a firm handshake. "Television has a way of making us tall people look shorter? In that case I'd be wantin' to make more public appearances!" He jests for a moment before focusing on the topic at hand, Bulwark. "Blackgate or not, I'd be sure this skylubber break outta there eventually. Too bad he's too focused on me to understand ta meaning of 'succeed.'" As the lieutenant mentioned the press, Sharkguard realized he needed to make it back to Alyssa. As much as he liked the press, they do comes like fishes in a barrel when it comes to events like the bridge's destruction. "I be seein' the press one day, but I'll need to leave this time... For my own reasons. I thank yarr for the help lieutenant."

In the case Johnny came back before he finished conversation with the lieutenant, Sharkguard would ask him where Kaylee is. Otherwise Sharkguard would look for anyone else that might need a lift to the hospital before moving on back to picking up Alyssa. Hopefully Sharkguard wasn't too late this time.

[ripleycat]

"Sure thing, Sharkguard." The lieutenant smiles. Police, paramedics, and firefighters are starting to arrive in earnest, cordoning off the area. It should be simple enough for you to slip out in the controlled chaos and avoid the press.

Bulwark is manacled, bound and gagged with everything the cops have on hand, and tossed unceremoniously into the back of a SWAT van that arrives a couple minutes later. The groggy supervillain shouts a few rather incoherent threats at you as he's loaded up, but it seems to be out of habit than anything else. He probably couldn't tell you what day it was after the stunner he took to the skull. As Johnny comes back momentarily, he tells you that Kaylee is safe and sound back at the children's hospital, before racing off again with another civilian.

With the police running a little interference, you're able to slip across the river and into town without attracting a swarm of reporters. Downtown and Southside are absolutely packed with pedestrians and angry honking drivers. The roads closed for the fundraiser in the park would have made things bad enough, but coupled with the bridge being demolished and the detours needed to reroute people, it makes this morning's rush hour look quaint and well-ordered. Despite your best efforts, the battle with Bulwark, the aftermath, and the time it takes to claw through the seething mass of humanity clogging up the streets and sidewalks have made you quite late, and Alyssa is already long gone by the time you get to her school. As a silver lining, that means you're only a few blocks from the abandoned apartment complex, which is much easier to reach, the traffic finally, mercifully thinning as you get away from the city center and the park.

As soon ad you open the door, something launches forward and hits you in the stomach like Bulwark's hammer. Looking down, it appears to be a small, smiling girl. "You're home! I got to see almost the whole thing on TV today! It was so cool! Smashing things and jumping in front of bullets and swimming through that giant obstacle course and beating up Megastar and that huge fight with that big stupid supervillain! I knew you'd win! Oh! And dinner's almost ready. I didn't think you'd be home so soon."

Alyssa apparently enjoyed today's adventure.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard is glad to be able to get away from the press today. The time it would have taken otherwise could have gone till the sun went down. All the chaos on the streets in Downtown and Southside were almost enough to make the shark-man scream out loud. It is a frustrating exercise to get somewhere in such traffic no matter what time it is. It is pretty typical however to see that he is too late to pick up Alyssa at school. Sharkguard has rarely been on time for one reason or another. The best he can do is make sure he gets home as soon as he can. Thankfully this time he got home sooner than he could have.

Shortly after Alyssa launches into him, Sharkguard bends down to pick up the young girl and hug her gently. "Hah! I did say that yarr father be never in danger!" He enters the room as he puts his adopted daughter down, switching to his normal accent in the process. "Of course I don't think you have enough confidence in me. How many times have I been later than this?" The answer is sadly greater than either of them wished. Sharkguard checks up on dinner before saying, "Alyssa something has come up today..." He knew Alyssa never liked to hear those words. "...I'll need to go out somewhere this week. But I've got it planned out. We can still go to the seashore near Lonely Peak this weekend, alright?" Above all, Sharkguard wants to be sure the two can spend an evening together in such an area.

Sharkguard goes to sit in a rather large chair, for a normal human, to relax from today's crazy events. "Now come here and tell me how your father how your day was!" By the sounds of it, seeing the shark-man on TV was enough to make up for however the rest of Alyssa's day went.

[ripleycat]

"A lot." Alyssa deadpans at the question of how often you've been late. It wears on you both, even if the reasons for it are well, pretty good. "OK, as long as we get to go sometime." She nods her reluctant agreement at the news about the trip out to the shore. Alyssa scratches her head and does an exaggerated "thinking" pantomime when you ask about her day.

"Well, in math, we worked on factions. Again." This has been an ongoing complaint for nearly two weeks. Fractions may be an important thing to teach, but Alyssa finds them easy, which leads to the kiss of death- boredom! "Jenna Ross had to go up and do a problem on the board, and she got it totally wrong, so that was funny at least!"

"In Mrs. Williams' class, we got her to turn on the TV so we could watch you at the park!" Alyssa beams at this. "Lunch sucked, though. It was this really awful... um, I-I don't know. They called it lasagna, but it wasn't really. It was all watery and there wasn't enough cheese and there were big chunks of raw tomato piled on top and I hate raw tomatoes." She makes a face of utter disgust at the memory that makes it very hard for you not to laugh. "I'm going to take my own lunch tomorrow, OK?"

"In art, we practiced perspective and shading. That was cool. Look!" She digs a sheet covered in 3d squares and circles out of her backpack. "We got to watch you again, too. Teacher said it was important. That was when I got to see you fight that big dumb silver guy!" You reflect that "Big dumb silver guy" sums up Bulwark better in one line than a 50 page police report could.

"And then I waited for you, but it took a long time and people were leaving and I got lonely and bored, so I came home and then you got here and then you asked me how my day was!" Alyssa brings the report to a close with a smile with just the tiniest bit of snark behind it. A timer beeps loudly in the kitchen, sending her running. "Oh no, and dinner! I almost forgot!" Dinner turns out to be a (now slightly overdone) pizza that she salvages with a bit of your help.

Sorry for the delay. We're just about wrapped up with this chapter. This little bit with Alyssa is the last thing, so whenever you're ready to move on, just say the word.

[Starsign]

"Don't worry. We'll be going," Sharkguard says to give faith to his adopted daughter. Scheduling has always been one of the shark-man's worst suits and that's before the entire superhero deal comes into play. This time however seems like one that won't go wrong. Sharkguard would uphold to the offer King made for him and Saturday will be the day he and Alyssa goes to the seashore. That is the plan at any rate.

On the subject of maths, Sharkguard smiles proudly at his daughter. She may not like math, but she definitely is skilled at it. "Hah. Don't go rushing for new things in that class. Math gets more difficult very quickly. When you're older you'll have to deal with BEDMAS and Trigonometry. Those will be quite the test for your wits." Math grows exponentially in difficulty. Sharkguard himself is able of basic Calculus at best. Anything beyond that would require someone more knowledgeable than him. "Still, better to be in an easy situation than an impossible one, aye?"

For lunch, Sharkguard wasn't surprised that Alyssa wasn't fond of lasagna. It isn't exactly a delicacy Sharkguard likes either. "Blah. Silly Italian food." He tries to replicate Alyssa's look of disgust before laughing at the absurd faces the two made. "If you know what to make for tomorrow, no harm in taking it. Just lemme help out after dinner with that." The talk of Sharkguard on television is what really caught his attention. "I knew that'd be the best part of the day for you! I take it the other children were excited to see me in action?" He winks as he mentions that. It's always great to have the children look up to him. A hero that shouldn't be idolized isn't much of a hero at all. "Did those cameras catch me underwater? Otherwise they missed the best part of the fight. Yarharhar!" Sharkguard often forgot about his surroundings when up in a villain's face. If he was a little more careful he might have kept the bridge from collapsing... Might.

Then the timer buzzed, announcing dinner time. "Overcooked or not, it looks great Alyssa!" He takes a quick look at it before casually mentioning, "No anchovies, no problem. Those things are baby food for me." A simple pepperoni and cheese pizza does Sharkguard fine. That way what is leftover can be given for Alyssa's lunch tomorrow. "Well now, let's dig in!"

[ripleycat]

Issue #2: The Good Intentions Paving Company

8:00 AM, Wednesday, March 1st, 2012.
Southside, Freedom City.

It's cold grey, and overcast in Freedom City, a steady rain falling outside. It's the sort of gloomy day that is tailor-made for calling in sick and cozying up with a mug of hot chocolate and a stack of your favorite movies. Alyssa even has it off, courtesy of a well-timed "staff development day."

Unfortunately, fate has an evil sense of humor and other plans for you, which it puts into motion as you turn on the TV just after breakfast.

8:00 AM, Wednesday, March 1st, 2012.
Lincoln, Freedom City.

"Police have the supermarket surrounded, but report a number of employees are still trapped inside with the creature." A frazzled-looking reporter stands in the emptied parking lot of a generic shopping center. Behind her, there is a mass of activity, a swarm of blue-shirted police dotted here and there with paramedics and firefighters and reporters fighting to get a good camera angle on the storefront.

"Several casualties have been reported. Information is still coming in, but as far as News 3's team is aware, so far none of the injuries have been life-threatening. Repeated requests for superheroic assistance have thus far gone unanswered, and-"

The report is interrupted by shattering glass and the chattering report of police firearms, followed by screams and a barked command to cease fire. The front line of the police force beats a hasty retreat as they are pelted with a salvo of cans and glass bottles from inside the supermarket. A cashier is held up as a human shield in front of a large, vaguely humanoid green-skinned creature inside. The police retreat further, not wishing to further endanger the unfortunate civilian. The tense scene unravels fairly quickly as soon as the beast inside opens its mouth.

"Yoo shtall pay for yur therrible cwimes against my people, puny hunmans!" The all too familiar voice shouts above the din. "Go, brothas! Be fwee once moore!" Several cans of corn are hurled at the cops, who stop laughing long enough to duck for cover.

It's going to be one of those days.

Cold Open time! Sharkguard is due at Majestic Industries at 9:00 sharp this morning, so that's the cue for some two-bit supervillain to throw a wrench in the works. That's right, it's the Homicidal Hominy himself, Mr. Maize! Dundundun! :belkar:

[Starsign]

Sharkguard is never exactly one to stay in the apartment on a rainy day. When not busy, which is frequent, he enjoys swimming in the rain. The sounds of it calms the shark-man and is usually a good time for him to relax. When Alyssa is home however, Sharkguard usually prefers to stay with her for the day. He finds it a good idea to spend as much time as he can with her. Rain comes more frequently anyway. Today of course he will need to meet with King today. Majestic Industries can't be too far away. With a little luck, Sharkguard should only be there for a few hours so he'd have more time with Alyssa after.

...Of course when luck is given, ninety percent of the time it seems to be bad luck. Turning on the television to see a supervillain gone loose isn't a good thing. When Sharkguard sees who the villain specifically is, he can't help but slam his head into the palm of his hand. "That's just beautiful," Sharkguard responds in deadpan sarcasm. Of course the sight of the police laughing at the obviously ridiculous-sounding creature is also beautiful in it's own way.

He knew he is very short on time now. An hour to get rid of the corn field villain and get to Majestic Industries. Someone like Johnny wouldn't have an issue but Sharkguard lacked the super-speed to get from point A to B in seconds. "Alright Alyssa I'll need to head off earlier than expected." He gives her a soft hug before getting his spandex pants and white-and-blue-striped bandana on. "Be watchin' me on the news missy!" Sharkguard hurries out the door and out to the streets. He would take every swimming opportunity he can to reach the supermarket at Lincoln. He always moved faster in the water whether it'd be the ocean, rivers, or... Sewers. Sharkguard usually avoids the sewers; smelling awful isn't something he is fond of.

I can tell this is going to be fun :smalltongue:

[ripleycat]

"Aw man... OK, have fun dad!" Alyssa waves goodbye. She looks understandably put out at having you leave early, but the prospect of watching you beat the kernels out of the corniest of supervillains makes up for it.

As the crow flies, the situation with Mister Maize is not actually that far away. Lincoln is Southside's neighbor, a rougher part of town that hit the skids hard in the '80s and never quite recovered. It's also home to South River State Penitentiary, the aging and overcrowded home to thousands of prisoners, including a number of "low-risk" supercriminals. The world's only homicidal, sentient cornfield was a guest there (until this morning, it seems.). If this mess has a silver lining, it's that Lincoln's relative proximity makes your trip a lot less painful than it could have been. Both neighborhoods run along the South River, making the winding channel a convenient highway for part of your trip.

Alas, the supermarket center currently being terrorized (for certain values of "terror") by Mister Maize is further inland, in the grid of lettered and numbered streets at Lincoln's run-down core, which means leaving the South River for a smaller tributary, then an even smaller canal, then a wastewater runoff, luckily full, because of the storm, and then finally, yes, a sewer line. The rainwater flowing down from the streets makes things a lot better than they could have been, but it is not your finest hour, and though you emerge literally right across the street from the shopping center, it's taken over 15 minutes and you smell, well, like a sewer.

Smell aside, the cops and paramedics seem relieved to see you, and your appearance causes a flood of walkie-talkie traffic as the news spreads through the crowd. The media picks up on it as well, several news cameras swinging your way. Near where you climbed back onto the street, a heavily bandaged police officer is being strapped to a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance. It looks like she hadn't ducked quite fast enough, and took a can of corn to the skull. Behind the paramedics, most of the cops have retreated behind barricades or vehicles to protect themselves from the edible missiles being hurled from inside.

To his credit, Mister Maize has done a thorough and impressive job of trashing the grocery store. The place is an absolute wreck, with all the windows shattered and shopping carts piled up outside in his own makeshift barricade. Foodstuffs of every kind litter the parking lot, the ghastly grain apparently having brought the captive tomatoes and apples under the banner of the fledgeling corn revolution. At the moment, Mister Maize is in the middle of a raging monologue, having discovered the baking goods isle.

"Cornmeal? Corn stharch? Corn syrup!? Itsh not emouth to butcher my brothers an sisthers, you murderouth beasts grind their bodies thoo pasthe and powder! Yoo drink their blood! Monsthers! Yoo are all monsthers!" He pauses to hurl a floursack out the storefront. It hits a police cruiser, exploding a cloud of white dust. "Do not woorry, fwends! The fweshbags sthall pay for their cwimes againth wheat and oat as well! Join uth!" His human shield (an understandably panic-stricken cashier, a skinny kid who couldn't be older than Chris) is held in front of him for all of this, giving the absurd scene an element of genuine danger. Mister Maize doesn't appear to have noticed you yet.

Though combat has not started yet (I want to let you get in a reaction post, at least) go ahead and roll Initiative, just to have it.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard is glad to see that the supermarket wasn't too far a distance away. While Sharkguard had been to Lincoln several times, he didn't take too much interest in it unless something is there that he can help with. He actually had wondered about visiting South River State Penitentiary if only to see the reactions of the number of criminals and villains there. The place is so packed full it's at risk of a major breakout; something Sharkguard will probably diffuse if it becomes the case. There isn't time to examine it now however; both a meeting and a corn field are of higher priority.

Unfortunately the path to the latter is much less than glamorous. Going through the canal is fine. Wastewater runoff isn't a problem either. The sewer line however is no fun to traverse. Fifteen minutes isn't too bad, however it could be a lot better. It's no fun to smell badly too. Sharkguard debated whether to pick up some soap while he's here. He would not be allowed in Majestic Industries like this and it doesn't set a good standard for other heroes either. As he arrived, he waves to the police and paramedics. "Ahoy! Sorry for ta lateness! I be hurryin' here fast as I could. Gonna get that smell off me soon as I got yarr corn field-man outta this place."

Sharkguard is surprised to notice the supermarket trashed. Usually Mister Maize can't do much more than break a window. Often the damage will more come from reckless, inexperienced heroes. Guess this is what happens when a villain gets free reign; especially ones as crazy as a living corn field. Sharkguard tries to hold off his chuckling as best as he can when he hears Maize's monologing. It's all fun and games until someone is terrified and at risk; the cashier being used as a shield is an excellent example.

The shark-man quickly needed to figure out what to do. He obviously couldn't attack Mister Maize when he has a human shield. It would probably be best to make the corn field willingly give up his 'protection.' Sharkguard decided that it's time to speak up now or forever be outspoken by the villain's monologue. "Ay! Maize!" He spoke loud and clear to get Maize's attention like a nightmare entering reality. "Yarr never get tired o' anythin' at all. How 'bout I take yarr to the sea; a cornfield could be good at marathon swimmin' aye?" It isn't quite something Sharkguard would usually say when there's someone inbetween him and the villain. In this case he'd like to avoid going to the terrifying option. An angry shark-man when he's looking at you is not a pretty image to remember.

Initiative being rolled! [roll0]

[ripleycat]

You wouldn't think a freakishly mutated plant-thing would be able to have the blood drain from his face, but Mr. Maize gives it his best shot as soon as he sees you. The talk of tossing the cornfield-man into the sea doesn't help, either.

"Stharkguard! D-Don't conme any clother! I-I'm warning yoo!" He hoists up his unfortunate hostage in front of him and plucks a restaurant-sized can of olives from the pile of debris and food on the floor, hurling it at you with surprising speed. "Do not intherfthere! The hunmans must pay fow therw cwimes! Sthand athide!"

And just to finish up where I left off last night, Maize's opening attack. We're now in combat time.

Attack: [roll0] If it hits, DC 25 Toughness, which I believe fails to overcome your Impervious once the half-immunity takes effect.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 1
Cond: Normal

The thrown can of olives would probably be enough to cause a concussion on a normal human. For Sharkguard, it instead harmlessly knocks into his chest and bursts open. Considering he went through a sewer line earlier, smelling like olives is a vast improvement. Though Maize didn't put up a fight yet, he still had a hostage. Sharkguard knew he would need to get the hostage safe before beginning a beatdown on the corn field. Looks like intimidation might be the safest choice here.

"Stand aside? Or what?" Sharkguard used a notably more serious tone now. "I got's to be sayin' that I don't like yarr tactic. Why be needin' a hostage? Yarr better than that, ya landlubbin' cornfield! Now I tell this once, I don't show restraint or mercy to those willin' to harm a being for yarr own safety. Yarr do any more harm to ta kid and I be showin' you a rage mightier than the greatest o' hydras in ta sea!" There has yet to be a point where Sharkguard has shown something resembling pure rage. If it triggers however, it's not going to be a pretty day for those on the receiving end. "So I be givin' yarr two choices. Let the boy go peacefully and take out yarr anger on me; I'd be even nice enough to allow a free hit or two in... Or yarr can keep your hostage and further try my impatient mind. Remember, harm my mate and ta seas bask in yarr corn body!" Sharkguard smashes his two fists together as he brandishes his teeth. "Aye, Maize?"

Sorry for the slow response, but managed to get my post in. Going for intimidate to try and get Maize to release the boy: [roll0]

Sharkguard's sheet has been updated with the added 5 PP too. I'm also going with the idea that Sharkguard's HPs reset every issue, like in ECK.

[ripleycat]

"Thith one ith part of the systhem, part of the tywanny over my people! He thells them to be desthroyed and devowered!" Mr. Maize seems less angry and more petulant after your threat, like a kid who got caught breaking the rules.

"Fine! Go, human! Yoo have stherved yor purpose!" The corn-man tosses the cashier aside. The teen scrabbles away as fast as his legs can take him, into the protection of the police line. Maize scuttles back inside the grocery store after dropping his human shield. "Happy now, Stharkguard? Come, wet's sthettle thish!"

Thanks for keeping your sheet up to date. And yes, HP reset every issue. You have two right now (see below). Sorry I didn't make that explicit.

Maize fails his Intimidation save by a boatload, and lets the hostage go. You get an HP for saving the kid and good RP. He failed enough that I'm going to rule he's shaken, and gets -2 on his checks next round as well.

Maize takes a move action, retreating into the store, and the total defense action as his standard action this round, giving him +4 to his defense score if attacked (for a net +2).

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 2
Cond: Normal

While he wasn't interested in expressing a sigh of relief and removing his focus, Sharkguard was very glad to see that he got Maize to release the human hostage. The shark-man turns to the kid and nods before looking back to the corn-field man. "'bout as happy as I be Maize," he says to the ridiculous villain. His lighter tone showing he loosened up from a few moments prior. "But course I be glad to make yarr swab this floor till yarr understand where yarr went wrong here!" Sharkguard quickly follows Maize into the store. The cluttered place makes it a bit more difficult to land a hit, but the shark-man lunges and attempts a wild straight punch. The place was beat up, but not much sense in ruining what else is still standing.

Going for an All-Out Attack +5/-5 [roll0] DC 32 Toughness.

[ripleycat]

*SPLUT*

Even ready for your attack, fighting on ground of his own choosing, the Homicidal Hominy can't get out of the way of your mighty fist, and cornstalks aren't built to take that kind of punishment. You punch a hole right through Maize's strange body, sending plant matter flying everywhere. If you hit a normal human like that, you'd be going to jail for murder. Mister Maize just seems angry, and a little resigned.

"Look waht yoo did! That thakes fowever to gwow back!" The absurd creature limps away, making a beeline for the display of corn in the produce section. "Bwothers! Aid me!" The stack of corn ears actually responds to his shouting for once, quickly melding with his body and patching the hole you made. "Hawawaw! Good as new!" Maize chortles as he turns to face you again.

That's a hit, even with his improved defense. Maize is Staggered and Stunned. I'm fiating away the Stun this time, take an HP.

Maize uses a move action to get to the produce section, and his standard action to activate his Regeneration (Flaw: Requires corn), healing away the Staggered condition.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 3
Cond: Normal

A good, heavy punch shows what brutes like Sharkguard are really capable of strength-wise. On a normal human, he or she would have taken a similar showing of injury... Except just way more lethal than on a mutant corn field. In most of Sharkguard's fights with Mister Maize, the former usually ends up delivering an attack as such on the latter. Maize was just not built to stand up to the shark-man and Sharkguard knew this well. Maize would have been aware of this too if he wasn't so impossibly nuts.

What surprises Sharkguard however is the regeneration ability that the corn field has. This is a first to his eyes; usually the two fought in areas without a source of corn. Either way this changed things... A bit. All it did mean is that Sharkguard needed to keep the villain away from the produce section. He would try diplomacy but he'd rather save that for the more sensible villains. "Impressive. I'd be wantin' yarr to teach me ta trick sometime... But I be in a hurry, so I don't gots ta time to be havin' fun with yarr."

Sharkguard didn't forget that he is still in need to arrive to Majestic Industries; hopefully in a better state than he is now. Getting Maize out of the produce section was the first step. The best way the shark-man could think off the top of his head is the obvious; blow him away with enough force. Sharkguard once again goes for another punch. This time he would be focusing more on sending Mister Maize flying across the grocery store instead of sending his contents flying.

I'm... Not too sure how I'm going to do this, but I know there are knockback rules so I'd like to see about using those. All-Out Attack +5/-5 and Power Attack +5/-5 [roll0] DC 37 Toughness. This is more to try and knock him away than bring him down instantly. :smallwink:

[ripleycat]

The corn-man is better prepared this time, and ducks back out of range as you take your mighty swing. The ends of one of his hands form into thin and very sharp splinters, and he lashes back with these poor man's versions of claws. "I have learned many twicks, Stharkguard! Hew, have anodter!"

Got a little time, thought I'd squeeze in a post for you. :smallsmile:

Knockback can and will be taken into account. Unfortunately, a 15 is a flat miss. :smallfrown:

Maize's counterattack: [roll0] DC 27 Toughness (pre-immunity) if it hits.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 3
Cond: Normal

Claws or not, that thing Maize would call a "weapon" is still made of corn. Sharkguard only recovers quick enough to have his torso meet with the sharp splinters. The corn-field however didn't try lashing hard enough and his "claws" break on impact with Sharkguard's improbably-hard skin. "Is that what yarr be callin' 'throwin' food?'" The shark-man rears back to unleash a powerful punch. "Aim for ta head next time yarr strike at this 'ere captain. my teeth could use somethin' to eat!" Sharkguard follows his powerful right straight with a left straight. Hopefully he might have better aiming this time.

All-Out Attack and Power Attack +5/-5; [roll0] DC 37 Toughness. Gonna reroll if I make a lousy roll.

[ripleycat]

This time, your punches are right on target. Maize gets lifted off his feet by two blows that splatter more bits of corn everywhere, sailing backward into a shelf, which collapses on him with a loud crash, sending yet more food scattering everywhere. The only response from the villain is a low groan.

Behind you, you hear footsteps crunching through the debris on the ground. A pair of SWAT cops peer cautiously around the corner. "You get him yet, Sharkguard?"

Maize fails by more than 15, and is KO'ed. Congratulations!

[Starsign]

The cornfield villain falls down to the good one-two punch as Sharkguard smiles at the quick battle. Mister Maize doesn't usually last long in a fight, especially when he has the guts to go melee with the shark-man. Sharkguard could hear the SWAT cops as he went over to pick up Maize. "Aye, I be gots ta landlubber." He walks over to the cops with the unconscious Maize over his shoulder. Sharkguard grabbed a bar of soap in the meantime, hoping to use it if he can. "Sorry to say, but ta water I be travelin' to arrive was less than clean. Gots a meetin' I need to get to soon. Any chance yarr brave ol' captain can use this?"

[ripleycat]

One of the SWAT officers glances around the totally wrecked store and smirks. "You know, somehow I don't think they're going to miss one bar of soap. Hey, why don't you go ask one of the firetrucks to hose you down? Bet that would do the trick. And thanks again for dealing with the corn boy. Nutty thing. Maybe after this they'll put him in a proper supers prison, and not that overfilled rat-trap by the river."

The clock out in front of a bank across the street notifies you that you have about half an hour left to get yourself cleaned up and across town to Majestic Industries, having made short work of Mr. Maize.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard produces his well-known smile when the SWAT officer responded to him. "Thank yarr for ta help." The shark-man moves out to a nearby firetruck. Half hour was not a lot of time to clean up himself and get to Majestic Industries. He isn't sure what will be worse, being late or being stinky. Either way King won't listen to an excuse, so Sharkguard would need to clean up and get there in time. When he finds a firetruck and a fireman at watch, Sharkguard waves and says, "Ahoy! I must apologize for ta short notice, but I be needin' of a wash. I gots a meetin' in half an hour and I can't be goin' as this. Are yarr available to run that hose on?" If the fireman agrees, Sharkguard hopes that one bar of soap will be enough.

[ripleycat]

The fire crew have a brief huddle, during which you can hear some laughter. When they break, one of them approaches you and nods. "It's a bit unusual, but sure. You won't even need that soap. This sucker'll take your scales right off if you're not careful. Have ya smelling like daisies and sunshine in no time."

A couple of the other firefighters have unspooled the hose from the truck and are attaching it to a hydrant on the street corner. "OK, brace yourself, sir! That jet of water will kick like a mule." The blast of water does indeed feel like someone swung a hammer into your chest. It would have knocked a normal person off their feet, and it drenches you immediately. With minimal help from the soap, the firefighters get you clean in just a couple of minutes. Of course, it's still time taken off the rapidly dwindling countdown to your meeting, and you're absolutely sopping wet, but hey, at least you don't smell like a sewer anymore.

You've got enough Immovable not to worry about knockback from the firehose.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard isn't too worried about the force of water the firetruck could throw at him. He's been in the worst of storms and waves out on the sea so a manmade blast of water won't be an issue for him. The force is definitely great though; hardly enough to stagger Sharkguard but would have blown away anyone less sturdy. The shark-man didn't spend much time cleaning. A couple minutes at best and made sure to get a bit of water in his mouth too. Even if it's just water, it's a better mouthwash than air.

From there, Sharkguard thanks the firemen for the assistance. "If yarr thinks that these jets can be blowin' my scales off, yarr trucks be in need of tunin,'" he jests in a friendly manner. "When I gots more time I'll be showin' yarr how good a firetruck I can be!" With that, Sharkguard hurries off to Majestic Industries. He'd take the fastest possible way there that doesn't involve sewer lines, anywhere nasty-smelling, or any method that would break laws or buildings. If he ends up late... Then he does but he really hopes to be there on time.

[ripleycat]

It's a mad rush across town, through every channel and canal wide enough to accommodate you, not to mention all the running to get through the land-locked areas, but in a superhuman (literally) effort, you manage to slide through the door of the towering skyscraper that holds Majestic Industries' headquarters at 9:00 on the dot.

For such a large company, things seem remarkably quiet. The only other person there is a courier dropping off a small stack of packages. The receptionist looks up and smiles mildly, as if giant sharkmen came and went through the lobby every day. "Sharkguard, I imagine? Sign in, please, and have a seat. Someone will be out to fetch you shortly." As a mark of the unusual clientele Majestic sometimes receives, there are undersized, normal, and oversized pens near the receptionist's window, and wide array of seats along the walls, including some that fit you comfortably. A burbling fountain and a TV on the wall provide white noise. Currently the TV is tuned to a news station, covering the aftermath and cleanup of your brief battle with Mister Maize.

After a couple of minutes, a white-coated man with tired blue eyes and salt-and-pepper hair pokes his head out of an elevator and glances around. "Ah... Sharkguard? If you'd follow me, Dr. Simhalan and Mr. King are ready. Do watch your head, please."

[Starsign]

Getting to Majestic Industries was one of those incredible moment of tension for Sharkguard. He was exceedingly worried about not getting there on time but the effort he put him payed off in the end. Sharkguard relaxes the moment he gets into the building, trying not to look anxious or tense. Such an emotion would rarely fit him. He regains his relaxed and confident posture as he greets the receptionist. He nods his head sincerely as he says, "Thank you kindly," and then sits at one of the chairs that fit him well. No need for his accent here. He should keep the civil pleasantries for these kinds of occasions.

The look of the place gives Sharkguard the feeling that people of many kinds have been here before or even works here. Whether that is supposed to be comforting or not, Sharkguard has no idea. He tries to not let his mind wander too much. He put himself in this situation quite awhile ago; no point in wondering about the consequences and disasters that may come of this. All he can do is go along with it and hope for the best.

Sharkguard admires the burbling fountain from his seat until the white-coated man comes out. The shark-man quickly gets out of the seat but walks in a slow pace to the elevator. "I certainly will," he says kindly as he ducks his head while entering the elevator. Hopefully it could do well with holding someone as dense as himself... Even if that's the least worrying thing on Sharkguard's mind right now.

[ripleycat]

The elevator groans a bit, but the notice on the wall says it was built to hold 10 people, and it's able to handle 1 person and you. The white-coated man, who looks more like a kindly old family doctor than a researcher at a multinational corporation, presses a floor button then waits patiently during the ride, filling in some sort of form on a clipboard while you travel.

After a few moments, he remarks off-hand, "You know, you're by far the best-known superhero to have joined the Hero Helper program." He continues. "Ah, 'Hero Helper' is the official name for this suite of tests and sample-taking. A bit cheesy, perhaps, but PR came up with it, not us."

Soon after, the door opens onto the 50th floor. Maybe three-quarters of the way up the Majestic Industries headquarters, it's still easily taller than most buildings in the area, providing a soaring view of the city from the windows. As you wind through the hallways, the windows quickly give way, first to offices and cubicles, and then to increasingly complex and high-tech looking equipment, true state-of-the-art labs.

Your escort steers you past a throng of researchers. Sandwiched between what looks to be a DNA lab, from the images you catch on the computer screens, and a closed room with a warning light above the door and several radiation notices on the door, is a small, rather unremarkable conference area, where two figures sit waiting for you.

"Dr., Mr. King. Your guest of honor has arrived. I'll leave you to it, then." The white-coated man heads back down the hall, leaving you with Majestic's CEO and a woman you're guessing must be the head of the program.

King has on a crimson cardigan, khakis, and an ascot. He looks more ready for a day out on his yacht than a day at the office. The woman is a tall but rather frail-looking figure in her early 30's, of clear Indian descent, with dark hair and eyes. She's wearing a labcoat and a pair of teal hospital scrubs.

If anything, she seems rather stiff and severe compared to the relaxed and casual CEO. This impression lasts exactly 5 seconds, as she glances up, sees you, and lets out a fangirl shriek that could shatter glass. With reflexes that would make Johnny Rocket stand up and applaud, she's out of her seat and circling you with wide, glee-filled eyes. "Ohmygod! This is... it's really... Heheeeheheheee!" She puts her hand over her mouth and breaks down giggling, like a kid who just got a puppy for Christmas.

Hieronymus King, for his part, seems mildly amused by the whole thing. "Ah, good to see you could make it, Sharkguard. Don't mind the good doctor. As I mentioned in our conversation in the park, she's quite the admirer of superheroes. Please, please, have a seat. We can get the i's dotted and t's crossed."

[Starsign]

Sharkguard does his best to relax as the elevator goes up. Though the sign says that it can hold 10 people, he is never quite sure if it's an accurate measurement or not. Instead he turns his attention to the white-coated man. "Well I can't say 'Hero Helper' is a unique name," he says in agreement with the human. "But the name does not make the program. If it's happened once then I'm glad to know I'm not the first." This program is something he only heard of recently and it was apparently pitched a few weeks back. How many heroes have applied since then and now...?

Sharkguard doesn't really have the time to think on it as he and the man arrived at the desired floor. The shark-man gazes the view of Freedom City from the 50th floor. While it definitely is a brilliant sight, he makes sure to not get too close to the windows. Despite his seemingly confident outlook, Sharkguard is not that big a fan of heights. He certainly has been in numerous situations that had him falling incredible distances (usually with him crashing into the ground) and he isn't terrified of the skies; however it is something he can never get used to.

Eventually they reach the conference room. It's lack of remarkableness and King's... Interesting choice of attire makes Sharkguard more concerned that he fell in some sort of trap. Still, the shark-man keeps the smile as if he is looking forward to this. He knows the CEO and woman will be. Sharkguard's eyes open wide for a moment as he sees the woman dash up to him in a jolt. She definitely is obsessed, King was right about that.

Sharkguard decides to ditch the formality and go with his accent; if the scientist does adore heroes she will not be bothered a bit. "Quite different seein' me in person than on a television screen, aye?" He winks jovially to the female. "Glad to see yarr be lookin' forward to this as much as I am." Once the female scientist gives him the chance, Sharkguard takes a seat as King instructed. He looks to the CEO with a more focused, if relaxed, look. "So apparently I be not ta first hero who's signin' up for this program. Has ta winds been kind for it's sails?"

[ripleycat]

After a few moments, the doctor calms herself somewhat and offers you her hand, though she's still awfully bouncy and giggly for a high-ranking professional. "It is! And you have no idea! Um, very sorry about that. Dr. Simhalan, head of the Hero Helper program at your service, but please, call me Saravati if you like." She finally releases your hand and allows you to take a seat, retaking hers as well.

"Well, we've been doing this off and on for a couple of years. Initially, it was with unstable superhumans. The young alien hybrid from Claremont, I believe she calls herself Changeling these days, was our first subject. The samples and tests were mostly for the heroes' own good at that point, but as our research progressed, we uncovered aspects to many of their abilities that could be distilled into things useful for the general public. That realization was really the birth of whole Hero Helper idea, but it was only a few months ago that it became an 'official' program, with it's own budget and director and all of that."

"As for our... 'sails', a bit of a mix so far, to be honest." Dr. Simhalan picks up where King stops. "So far we've developed an anti-cholesterol drug that hit the market a couple months ago, and a sort of spray-on bandage from the skin of a fire controlling mutant, but... there are a lot of projects stalled or still working through trials. Got high hopes for some of them, though! Big things on the horizon! And your abilities may be part of that!" She adds brightly.

"So, we have just a few forms for you to sign before we can get started. You're welcome to read them over. Just standard boilerplate, really. Permission for us to run the tests in the first place, permission to use the samples they may gather, that sort of thing." King slides a small stack of papers across the table to you. "Once all the prep and paperwork is finally out of the way, we can have Dr. Simhalan and her team take a look at you. Who knows, if all goes well, we might have you done and out the door in time for lunch!"

[Starsign]

Sharkguard does his best to relax and listen as King and Saravati explain about the Hero Helper program. It definitely sounds like they have gone through testing before and that they aren't making it up. At the very best this will put some sort of amazing medication on the market. Of course there will be something the CEO will get out of this too; just what, Sharkguard had little clue. It's not the least suspicious thing he has heard, but the shark-man has some promise that this might work out... Of course, seeing the CEO's attire again does not boost confidence. He sticks with the friendly tone, not feeling the need to get discourteous. "Sounds like a plan then. I be not hesitatin' when we begin."

Of course first came the paperwork. All these form-signing and signature points are just never Sharkguard's specialty. He had no doubt however that there would be some sort of loophole or much-disliked order that hid amongst the mostly-normal words. He didn't want to take up too much time either however. Sharkguard took an examination of the papers just to find something he might not like; he wouldn't try to take up too much time though, none of them wanted to be in this conference room all day.

I rolled 26 on my search check for the papers. Hopefully it's a good result. :smallsmile:

[ripleycat]

Your lookover of the forms reveals that King is being honest, more or less. There is a lot of boilerplate, the sort of small-print gibberish created by legal departments to be read by other legal departments, and also a lot of common sense questions and permissions translated into Bureaucrat-speak.

There are two pages that bring pause, though. The first is a form that (once you've suffered through the red-tape language) essentially revokes your right to sue Majestic Industries for "any circumstances or actions during testing, or for the use of material collected during testing."

The second questionable form is, by itself, not terribly damning. It's simply permission for Majestic to share whatever findings they get from the Hero Helper program with "all subsidiary companies, corporations and holdings." For such a big, multinational firm, this kind of thing is almost a necessity. A new drug might easily have half a dozen companies involved in its creation, production, and marketing.

No, what makes you uncomfortable, to say the least, is the list of companies that would be able to use the data and samples. Sure, there's the ones you'd expect to be involved, like Olympic Productions, a big marketing and advertising firm, and Gatti Pharmaceuticals, the team responsible for the actual production of most of Majestic's drugs (and also the creators of some of the most annoying commercials on TV, which is why you recognize the name).

But there's also ArmorSource, Majestic's military contract wing, infamous for their designs "mysteriously" showing up in the hands of villainous organizations like SHADOW. SPARTA, Inc, a mercenary company who provide security (and other, less savory services) to many multinational companies, including Majestic. Human Dynamics, a cutting edge genetics consortium, creators of many incredible advances- and just as many wild rumors and controversies, including stories of human clones.

Last but not least, there's Ceradyne, an infamously corrupt health care company that's been shut down and reformed at least 4 times, including one incident when their headquarters had to be stormed by a large team of superheroes, including you, after their CEO went mad, drank a formula that gave him superstrength, and began attacking his employees.

Your Search roll gets you three degrees of success. Results above.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard reads over the papers while trying his best not to look bored. He pities the person who had to write all this nonsense. Just looking them over is bad enough, making them must have been a nightmare. Reading it however turns out to be worth it as Sharkguard notices the few splinters on a ship's deck that these papers have. The inability to sue Majestic Industries is hardly an issue. Sharkguard didn't care too much about such things in case suing ever seemed like an option.

Now the list of companies are a different matter. It's good to see that ones such as Olympic Productions and Gatti Pharmaceuticals are here, annoying commercials aside. Others, not so much. Among them, ArmorSource was pretty much obvious. The shark-man half-expected it anyway and can roll with whatever they do. SPARTA, Inc is not a comforting name but Sharkguard is rather confident that they are the least problematic name on the list. Human Dynamics is a rather big hit-or-miss one here. Sharkguard has never quite dealt with them, having heard only rumors and conspiracies; he hopes they will not be an issue either.

...And then there is Ceradyne. That is a name Sharkguard never wanted to see or hear again. The time he dealt with that company was definitely one of his most unpleasant times. Between the carnage that was caused there and the company's "products," the shark-man had a few nightmares about it back then. That was one of those times he is very glad to have experience in proper medicine.

All-in-all, the papers' conditions aren't as bad as they could be. He isn't going to like the more... Shady companies getting a hold on his data but the only one that really worries Sharkguard is Ceradyne which is not known for it's subtlety... At least back then. Sharkguard also doesn't like the idea of refusing and leaving after coming all this way and it does seem like this testing can be good for world at large.

Finished his searching, Sharkguard signs the papers without delay. It's gonna be worth the risk, he thinks as he takes care not to damage the papers or pen while signing. The shark-man will probably need to keep tabs on Ceradyne when he is able to; maybe he'd report to Beaumont when able. Sharkguard will not be forgetting the risks and consequences that will come from this and he is sure that King will not be forgetting either.

"Right. Sorry for ta wait." He passes the signed papers to the CEO. Sharkguard felt surprisingly better now that he's made his decision. "I be ready as soon as you both are."

[ripleycat]

"Excellent! I think you'll be glad you made this decision. I know we are." King smiles widely as you pass the papers back. "I'll take care of these, doctor. I still know my way around the bureaucracy here." He turns his attention back to you. "Well, now that the painful but necessary part is out of the way, onto the more exciting business." King rises from his seat.

"I'll be the first to admit that my expertise lies in business, not science. I can't even spell most of what Dr. Simhalan needs to do to you, but this isn't her first rodeo, and I assure you that all the tests are quite safe." He claps his hands together. "I do wish my job was always like this, but alas, my other duties call. Sharkguard, I want to thank you again for agreeing to be a part of the program. It means a great deal to Majestic Industries and I hope, in time, to many patients."

"I shall leave you in the very capable hands of our good doctor. Should something arise today, or if you simply wish to contact me in the future, please don't hesitate." He produces a white business card with nothing but his name and a phone number printed on the front. Obviously this isn't the card that gets handed out to every person who comes calling.

With that, King takes his leave. Once the CEO is out of earshot, Dr. Simhalan snorts derisively. "Other duties my left foot. He's out for an afternoon on the Ocean Queen. Uh, it's his boat." She adds by way of explanation. "No matter, though. Right this way, and we'll get started!" She leads you to the back of the DNA lab room, where amidst all of the cutting-edge tech is a small area that looks more like a standard doctor's office or hospital.

"All right, we're going to get some measurements, take your vitals, just for a baseline." As she records these things and takes notes about how you differ from a normal human, Dr. Simhalan tries to engage you in small talk. It's clear she's still fangirling a bit about getting to meet you in person, because she's talking a mile a minute and bouncing from subject to subject like Alyssa does when she had too much sugar. "So how are you doing today, Sharkguard? I saw you on TV this morning! That was great! What's it like, being a hero? Everybody who's comes here answers that differently, it's strange. You have any family? You don't have to answer that of course! I know a lot of heroes don't like talking about things like that! Sorry!"

Medical care can require a lot of physical contact, as you well know from your own training and experience, but even for a doctor, you can't help but notice Saravati is very... touchy and awfully close for a physical examination. Also that she's blushing.

After that awkward situation is complete, she makes several notes on a clipboard, then gloves up and unwraps a syringe. "We're going to need a sizable blood sample, I'm afraid. There's quite a bit of analysis and testing that requires it." She attempts to stick it into a vein on your arm, only to have the needle break against your diamond-hard skin.

"Ah. Hmm." She reaches into the drawer again and pulls out a larger needle. She jabs at you again. Same result.

Saravati steps back and frowns, kicking at the floor in embarrassment. "Ah, Sharkguard? H-have you been to the doctor lately? Is there some trick to getting something through your skin? We have instruments that can collect blood samples from you, certainly, but uh, they can be... invasive."

[Starsign]

Sharkguard keeps the friendly look right up till the CEO makes his leave. Once Saravati starts to speak, the shark-man gives a small sigh of relief that it's now in the researcher's hands. So King happens to have a yacht; it is probably a thing a beauty that only he gets to use. Either way, it isn't concerning Sharkguard and he can focus on the situation at hand. "Comin'." He follows Saravati as he puts the business card away with him for now. The shark-man doesn't expect to call the CEO anytime soon... But one never knows.

Sharkguard takes a look at the various technology in the DNA lab as he follows the researcher to the back room. He is surprised at how small it is compared to everything else. He guesses that the Saravati prefers working in quiet places. As the recordings begin for Sharkguard's measurements and vitals, he answers the researcher's fastball questions. "Well I can definitely be tellin' yarr what it's like to be a hero. Exhilarating for one, enjoyable for another, and worth doing like sailing to a pirate's treasure hold!" He chuckles as he finishes his sentence. "Course bein' a hero is lots more than just fightin' villains. It's why yarr gots ta Hero Helper program, aye?" He is a little bothered by all the physical contact but does his best to pay no mind to it.

Right then he notices that the needle on the syringe broke on his skin. The shark-man looks a little embarrassed himself as he is reminded that his meetings with doctors ended similarly. "Well... Uhm... I haven't quite been to the doctor in forever. I rarely be needin' to make a visit for myself." He puts down his medical kit to the counter next to him. "I be havin' this kit with me, but it's lacks any sort o' syringe to gather a sample with." Despite the warning about invasive instruments, Sharkguard doesn't seem too bothered. "Well looks like I be needin' to take a look at these 'instruments' of yarrs. I ain't too worried so long as it doesn't leave a large stain on the floor." He winks to Saravati in a calm manner.

[ripleycat]

The doc giggles as you explain your feelings on being a hero. "Your accent is just the best thing ever. And you seem genuinely excited about it. Like some of the Claremont kids do. It just seems right. More heroes should be like you."

Dr. Simhalan tries to reassert her professional bearing after the setback with the needles. "Right then. Well, we can get a DNA sample from your saliva just as easily, though that doesn't solve the problem of how to get a blood sample. It's a start at least."

She unwraps a swab on a stick and reaches up toward your mouth. "Say 'Ahhh', please." Saravati, though, is unprepared for the rows of razor-sharp (and huge) teeth that await inside a shark's mouth.

All pretense of being professional disappears in a puff of smoke as she whimpers and pulls her hand back like, well, like she was afraid of having it bitten off. "Co-could y-you do that part, maybe?" She offers you the swab.

"Um, uh, well, as for our instruments that might be able to do the trick, a couple of them were being used this morning... hey, Tony! There you are! Great timing! Bring the cart over here." She motions at a tech who just wheeled a medical cart into the front of the DNA lab.

The cart has a bunch of rather intense-looking stuff on it that you're pretty sure you've confiscated from supervillains at one time or another. Saravati picks up two of the gadgets. The first looks like a circular saw mated with a blowtorch. The other is a truly massive needle with a rather worrying reservoir of oily red fluid. There's an unsettling hint of the mad scientist in the way Dr. Simhalan examines the tools, which vanishes quickly as she smiles again.

"These are diamond-edged and diamond-tipped, respectively. While there's no way of knowing until we try of course, they offer the best change of getting a blood sample from you without having to force something down your throat, which I think will be even more unpleasant for all involved."

Your current choices:
Door #1: http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/ripleycat/hand-held-circular-saw-436516.jpg

Door #2: http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/ripleycat/aurl.jpg

[Starsign]

Sharkguard begins to feel more confident as he chats with Saravati. Though King may not be the most benevolent of CEOs, his workers do seem quite kind. Saravati seems to enjoy her work and is genuinely excited about Sharkguard's interest to help out with the Hero Helper program; though the researcher has an... interesting look when she was examining him as well as the two instruments that look... Much more dangerous than usual.

In the meantime, Sharkguard gets his saliva DNA from the swab. He had no issues taking it considering his sharp teeth... And that gives Sharkguard an idea. After getting his saliva DNA he tries biting his lip with his teeth. Turns out that his skin is hard enough to the point where not even he can injure himself; at least without seriously dumb ideas. So naturally, the shark-man would have to handle one of those instruments. "Tch, turns out I be too hardy for my collection o' teeth. Well a sailor never gets anywhere without riskin' the seas!"

He takes a closer look at the instruments, which he would rather call "weapons." Neither of them looks pretty at all. It comes down to deciding whether Sharkguard wants a scar from the diamond saw or a hole from the diamond needle. Of the two, Sharkguard would prefer the saw. Since they are just going for a blood sample, a cut should not hurt as much as a needle that could pierce who-knows how far into his body.

"Alright, let's go with ta... Uh... Saw-blowtorch thingy. What be ta technical term for ta tool?" His accent almost slipped a bit as he tried to figure out how to describe the instrument. Sharkguard is not one of the more technologically adept people by any stretch of the imagination. "Just aim for ta spot right here," he says as he points to his right arm, just below the shoulder. "It'd be only ta sample we need right? Guess it'd be goin' without sayin' but be careful Ms. Saravati." Sharkguard gives another wink as he does his best to hide his worry that the researcher might get a little overboard with that saw.

[ripleycat]

Dr. Simhalan has you lie down to give her a better angle at the spot you'd indicated. She continues to talk as she preps.

"It's Miss, and please, just Saravati." She blushes again. "As for your 'technical' question, well, honestly, we just call it the Slicer. It's a one-off design. R&D sends a lot of failed prototypes our way. Seem to think the odd designs will help with the physiologies of our superhero patients. The original idea here was, I think, a surgical saw that automatically cauterized the cuts it made. Never mind how unnecessary such a thing would be in 95% of surgeries that even require a saw in the first place, but they built the thing like they were planning to cut through tank armor. It's seriously over-designed."

She flips the switch on the Slicer, which turns on with a loud whine. Sure enough, there's a narrow jet of blue-white flame just above the spinning saw. The chatty doctor continues talking over it. "It does come in handy about once a month, when we have to do something for one of you super-tough types. Now sit very still!"

It makes a horrible grinding noise, but the saw-torch does pierce your supertough hide. It doesn't exactly feel like kisses from kittens, either, but the actual incision is mercifully brief. Saravati is able to slide a needle into the cut, and collects the vials of blood she needs. "Ah, very nice. I'm so sorry we had to resort to that. It wasn't too awful, was it?"

Sharkguard has a bruised condition from getting the sample. Treat it like any other damage you would receive in combat, including recovery time.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard does his best to follow along the technological conversation as he lies down. He didn't get all of it but understood the parts that sums up what the Slicer is, an over-designed surgical saw that's better off tearing through tanks and machines than superheroes in surgical operations. It is no more apparent here as Saravati uses it to cut through Sharkguard's scales. The shark-man ever so winces slightly from the pain and sound that the Slicer causes. The Slicer could very well have been heard throughout the entire building. Thankfully it is brief and mostly clean. In the hands of a less professional doctor, it could have been a lot messier.

With the operation finished, Sharkguard gets up as he covers the wound with his left arm. He looks hardly bothered by the cut after it is made. "Nah, that ain't been a problem. Ta sound was a lot worse than ta cut yarr Slicer made." He goes over to the sink with his medical kit to rinse out the cut and patch it up. Sharks can be quite sensitive to blood for their smell. Sharkguard isn't really much different and can get queasy around it, even in small numbers. It's more of an issue in the water where blood floats around freely, but Sharkguard makes sure to clean the wound anyway just to be safe.

As he works on wrapping the wound, he tries to take his mind off of it for a moment. He turns his head at the researcher with a bit of a curious look. "Saravati, if yarr don't mine me askin', how long yarr be workin' here for? Gotta say yarr be quite the professional from what I've seen." Being the one who thought up of the Hero Helper program, Sharkguard figures Saravati is one of the top researchers at Majestic Industries. It usually doesn't hurt to ask though.

[ripleycat]

With the doc's help, you are able to bandage the cut quickly once the sample is taken. For all the fuss, it looks like all that comes from it is a few minutes with a slightly sore arm.

"What?" Dr. Simhalan frowns, then takes a pair of earplugs out. "Sorry, I should have offered you some of these." She finishes labeling the blood samples and hands them off to a lab tech.

"I don't mind at all! Let's see... Well, I've been here for, what is it now? Seven years? Eight?" She does a quick count on her fingers. "Eight. Majestic hired me right out of med school. Worked my way up from being a tech like these guys to running one of our smaller specialty labs. In the genetics department, about 20 floors down. And being specialists, we had lots of contact with the... well, at the time we called them 'non-standard' clients. Superheroes, you know. Well, almost all of them were heroes. There was one kid from back then who's a villain now. Damn shame."

"And as its kind of easy to see, I'm just mad about you guys. So I made a big deal out of doing the best work possible whenever we worked with a super's data. And you can probably guess where it went from there. We came up with several interesting ideas based on the anomalies and changes in superhero samples we worked with. That caught the attention of Mr. King, and when we went ahead with the Hero Helper concept, I was tapped to head the whole thing up. And that's all there is too it, really."

She runs off a mental checklist. "OK, measurements and vitals? Done. DNA sample? Done. Blood sample? Done. Good good. X-rays and MRI. Not yet. Why don't we take care of that next? Something a little less... messy than that last debacle."

"Normally, we'd just pop in next door for that." She points to the room with the radiation warnings on the door. "But we do have a couple of machines that are designed..." Saravati goes scarlet and mumbles something under her breath. "Uh, they're in the um, the animal testing lab. I don't mean to offend, I just... well, I thought they'd be more comfortable for you. They're bigger, especially the MRI machine. I-I don't want to have to make you cram yourself into something designed for a skinny normal person. Is that OK?"

Medicine check succeeds.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard listens in on Saravati's story as he finishes cleaning up his wound. Being here for so many years sure does give a lot of experience. It definitely must mean a lot for Saravati to be in charged of this program. Being hired right out of medical school sounds surprising to the shark-man. He didn't think of Majestic Industries as one to go to people and hire them; usually he thought the workers would come to them. Of course then again, Sharkguard didn't exactly come here to be invited to the Hero Helper program either.

Of course right when once complication ends, another one arises; this time it's the x-ray machine. Something normally made for a human will probably not work at all for Sharkguard and what is designed for him is in the animal testing room. The shark-man crosses his arms and thinks for a moment. His neutral face may provide some sort of worry for the researcher. However a moment later and he brings his grin back. "Well it ain't ta most covenient of places, but I be set to use that specific X-Ray machine down at those labs." He then winks at Saravati as he says, "Course if yarr can see it possible, I'd like ta lab to be not too crowded. I be thinkin' that ta more privacy we can get, ta better." Having to be in such a machine down at that area might be a bit embarrassing, to say the least. This one time, he'd like to minimize attention.

Once that is set, Sharkguard is ready to head down to the animal testing labs. On the way there, he asks Saravati, "By ta way. Can yarr tell me what ta landlubb- uh, kid was like? Ta one that came here and then turned villain?" Sharkguard is interested in knowing what happened, how a child turned into a villain and what he was like before. Very often he looked at the present; there is the villain and Sharkguard is the hero that confronts it. He rarely considers what a villain was like before he or she went down that dark path; this might be a good chance to learn what and why it happened to one child.

[ripleycat]

The giggle she makes leads you to think Saravati may have taken the wink and request for privacy the wrong way, but she straightens up and smiles more professionally. "Glad to hear it. It's just two floors down, we can walk easily enough. And of course we can be discreet about it if you wish. Animal testing is half empty anyway. New laws and requirements have really slashed what they can do. Not a program I hate to see struggling, to be honest. Always made me sad seeing some of the things they did. All in the name of progress, and better animals than humans, I suppose, but I'd rather not have anyone or anything suffering more than necessary."

As you descend the stairs, Dr. Simhalan mulls over your question about the patient turned villain. "Well, I haven't kept track of every single person who came through here, so I suppose there might be a few others who didn't walk the straight and narrow. But the one I remember was a teenager. Couldn't have been more than 15, if that. This was years and years ago, when I was new here. Her name was Chell, Roxanne Chell."

"Claremont sent her to us. She was a mutant, a duplicator, to use the name the papers like to give that particular ability. They wanted a full examination, since duplication can be a very unstable superpower, wanted to make sure she'd be OK. Roxanne was the most bookish, timid little thing I have ever met. I swear, I've seen kittens who were braver and stronger than she was." Saravati chuckles softly.

"Such a sickly person with such a complex ability required many examinations, so she became kind of a fixture around here. Along with Claremont's phys-ed program, we were able to build her up. She was quite the athlete by the time her time with us wrapped up, but still terribly meek."

"I don't know what happened. I've heard several different versions of the story. Fire, car crash, some of the more sensational ones claim a supervillain attack. They all end the same way. One of her duplicates was killed. Roxanne was always aware of what her 'copies' were doing, what they sensed. Not quite a hivemind, but they are not independent beings."

"This time, she had the singular experience of quite literally living through death. And that changed her. That fear, timidity that had dominated her life, gone in a second, replaced by the most incredible adrenaline rush I imagine anyone has ever had. But replicating that feeling is all that matters to her now. A daredevil, completely amoral, willing to do anything just to see what it's like. She calls herself Proxy these days. Fitting, given her powers."

"No sense dwelling on sad stories, though. Here we are!" Saravati leads you through the door into the animal testing floor. Sure enough, it's half deserted. A skeleton crew of techs working in labs that don't look nearly as sleek or hi-tech as the Hero Helper floor does. There are a lot of rooms with the lights out and equipment covered, even some where spiderwebs and dust have begun to accumulate.

Dr. Simhalan leads you to a large room in the back. This one is still bright and clean, and has several large devices set up, veterinary versions of x-ray and MRI machines, designed to accommodate creatures even larger than you, like horses and zoo animals. "See, much easier! Private, too. I can run these myself, so it'll just be us." Saravati gets you set up in the MRI machine and cuts the lights, then ducks out to the control room next door.

It's... relaxing. Lying on a pillow in a dark room with the machine humming as it glides around you, it would be easy to drift off for a few minutes.

If you want, Gather Information or Knowledge (Streetwise) rolls for what (if anything) you know of Proxy's villain career.

A Notice check as well, please, for a totally different reason. :belkar:

[Starsign]

Sharkguard keeps rather quiet as Saravati explains about the young girl who once came here, Chell. The shark-man has heard much about duplication and it's unstable problems, though he's never taken on one himself yet. Chell's "experience" with death via her duplicate is one such example. Sharkguard never figured such a rush of adrenaline could change a person. He found himself at a loss for words for once. The shark-man himself is, in a way, similar to the young girl; he enjoys the thrills and adrenaline of excitement and combat and has no fear of death either thanks to his willing confidence and invulnerability. Unlike Proxy however, any urges Sharkguard may have are always kept under control... If only he could teach Chell that...

As they reached the animal testing labs and it's private room, Sharkguard feels like he can relax a bit now seeing that it's just him and Saravati. The number of machines here and their variety are surprising. The MRI machine looks very welcoming for one as big as Sharkguard. As he gets in it and the lights dim, he does feel like resting. For a guy as tough as him, how much could a quick nap hurt? Just to be sure though, the shark-man keeps awake and instead letting his body rest as the machine does it's job.

Notice check: [roll0]

[ripleycat]

As much as you try to control it, the darkness and the peaceful white noise do make you a little drowsy. Eventually, though, you emerge from this twilight state, your senses telling you that something is wrong.

The only light in the room comes from the far wall, where there's a window into the control room, so the technician can monitor patients while they use the machines. You're not sure how long the imaging session is supposed to take, but you're pretty sure it's less than the nearly 20 minutes the clock on the wall says have gone past. More importantly, and more worrisome, the control room is empty, Dr. Simhalan nowhere to be seen.

[Starsign]

Having decided to tire out, Sharkguard finds himself awake in presumably the same room as before. However he didn't seem to notice anyone in the dark area. It must have been at most twenty minutes and the researcher wouldn't just leave the shark-man like this. Sharkguard had just gotten relaxed and settled with this day's events and now this unexpected turn tenses him again. "Hello?" His voice rings throughout the empty room? "Ahoy! Saravati, are yarr there?"

Seeing as he probably isn't going to get a response, Sharkguard gets out of the MRI machine hopefully without breaking it in the process. He checks out the control room that Saravati was in before and then takes his leave to examine the rest of the animal testing floor. He hopes that he really didn't fall into some sort of magnificently convoluted trap that he happens to see more often than he wishes.

[ripleycat]

There's no response from the doc (or anyone else). As far as you can tell, this is the same room, and there are no nefarious deathtraps sitting in the corners.

As you open the door, you notice a few things:

One, it's quiet, eerily quiet, even for a half-empty part of the building like this, and only a few of the lights are still on.

Two, there's a massive spiderweb blocking the hallway a couple feet in front of you, so thick you can barely see through it.

Three, there's a massive spider just behind the web, nearly as tall as a normal human and almost as big, body-wise, as you are. It seems to tilt its head to the side when it sees you emerge, and makes a curious low-pitched "chrrr" sound. It doesn't seem terribly aggressive for the moment. In fact, it seems content. If the sound it was making wasn't coming from an arachnid the size of a compact car, you might almost say it was purring.

Giant spiders! Hooray! :smallbiggrin:
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k218/ripleycat/1000px-FrostbiteSpider.png

The spiderweb is giving the rest of the room partial concealment and cover until you get past it. Toss rolls (if any) you want to make up in the OOC, and I'll resolve 'em before you post to streamline things a bit. We are not in combat time right now.

[Starsign]

Opening his way out of the MRI room, Sharkguard comes to see a very... surprising change in scenery. The empty and quiet part of the room is a little strange but what is more worrying is the massive spiderweb and massive spider in the way. The shark-man is in disbelief that one is in the building, much less right in front of him. If this area is quarantined, it'd explain why there is no one else here; it doesn't explain how the spider got here. Sharkguard's face is full of disbelief first, but after seeing the spider not being instantly aggressive, he brings a small smirk to his face. He figures that this is either a nightmare or an illusion and he doubts that a giant spider is scary enough to the shark-man to be considered a nightmare.

While he needs to get pass the spider, Sharkguard didn't want to anger it either. Breaking it's webs probably won't be the most friendly of actions but that is the shark-man's best plan right now. Sure he could blow the webs away with a little trick of his, but that will easily anger the spider if it's in range. First, Sharkguard walks up a couple feet right next to the spiderwebs. "Ahoy." He begins talking to the spider, as silly as it may seem. He keeps a friendly and calm tone as he raises a hand to greet it. "I be Sharkguard of ta thunderin' seas. Well met!"

From there, Sharkguard found himself at a bit of a roadblock regarding what to say next. It's one thing to talk with a person, it's another to a large spider that the shark-man has never seen before. He isn't sure if the spider could speak the human language, but he's hoping the spider can at least understand. "If yarr don't mind an old sailor's job, I be needin' to get over there." He points out his arm at the other side of the hallway, intentionally moving it into the spiderwebs in the process. "Do yarr speak my language or understand it?" Sharkguard begins using his arm to move inside the spider's webs and to begin clearing a path for the shark-man. With both arms he moves and/or tears out the webs only in front of him. Sharkguard takes it slow to avoid an immediate attack from the giant spider.

Made a Diplomacy check on the OOC, result of 21.

Gonna make a strength check to move and/or tear out the spiderwebs in front of Sharkguard, will make on the OOC.

Not making a move action.

[ripleycat]

"Chrrr?"

The spider approaches cautiously as you start talking, then scrabbles a few steps back, making a slight growling sound then hissing loudly. It calms down quickly enough, apparently taking no further offense at the destruction of the web. The web itself is tough, really tough. It's like tearing through metal cables, and it's sticky to boot, adhering to you as you touch it. The spider approaches again. It doesn't appear to be able to speak, and it's unclear if it understands you. It raises a leg and prods at you several times, its mandibles wiggling while it sniffs the air. At least, that's what it looks like it's doing.

Apparently having determined that you aren't currently a threat (and also that you aren't edible), the spider stares up at you and makes that same curious trilling noise, shuffling back and forth in a little semicircle in front of you. It's not acting much like a giant predator. It's acting kind of like a stray dog. "Chrrrr..."

With the web out of the way, you are able to get a better look at the state of the room. It is not encouraging. Webs like the one you tore through are strung across nearly every passage and doorframe and between light fixtures hanging from the ceiling, and new ones are being strung, because your new friend is not alone. It is one of the biggest ones, to be sure, but there are three or four other spiders near the same size crawling around in the background, and at least a dozen smaller specimens, ranging from refrigerator-sized down to the diameter of a basketball. A literal stream of normal-sized spiders is invading from somewhere further down the hall, skittering about and beginning to build their own webs in the places their monstrous brethren have not already staked out.

The Strength check succeeds. Sharkguard is able to tear through the web.

Diplomacy check moves the spider from Indifferent to Friendly.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard manages to relax a bit as he finds the giant spider to be quite docile... Almost cute. Between it's proding and it's actions being that of a stray dog, the shark-man almost wishes that he could have it as a pet of sorts. Either way, it's not instantly hostile so it shouldn't be deemed a danger. All those B-movies that say and show how dangerous spiders are clearly did not do their homework on animal behavior.

Sharkguard has always thought the same about Jaws after all.

Not worrying too much about the spider, Sharkguard lowers a bit to pet the giant creature before taking a very good look at what else is here. To say that it isn't pretty is an understatement and his reaction, mixed with deadpan and shock, is quite fitting. "By Poseidon's trident... This floor's become a ghost ship!"

Tons of similarly-sized spiders and hundreds of normal sized spiders populated the room. Sharkguard almost loses his relaxing pose as he views this. The lack of people-sized cucoons, or people in general, gives him the assumption that they all got out fine. It means that Sharkguard had been left behind by the others, possibly to take care of this mess, but the rest should be fine.

Right now however, Sharkguard needs to figure out what happened and how to get out. Seeing as how the windows are completely webbed up, Sharkguard probably won't be able to know how things are outside unless he smashes one of the windows. He'd rather limit the damage, both to the building and to the ears of the spider's, as much as he can. Instead Sharkguard moves to on to explore the rest of the floor to see if he can find anyone or anything of interest. Obviously the spiderwebs won't make it easy, but Sharkguard has the strength to move or tear it aside.

[ripleycat]

The other giant spiders don't seem to be as friendly as the first one, who follows you curiously as you make your way across the room, but for now they don't do anything except hiss and skitter away as you push and tear your way through the webs. The stream of little regular spiders ignores you completely, going about the business of being little regular spiders.

As you get to the hallway leading to the rest of the floor, the source of the spiders becomes clear. The elevator doors are forced open, and the little ones are marching up from 50+ stories below, somewhere down in the sub-basements. You can't even see the bottom from here, but it's a fair bet the giants climbed up the elevator shaft as well.

A few more of the monster spiders have occupied the hall and the offices opposite the elevators, and have blocked off the stairs you and Saravati used to get here as well. Beyond the elevators are more lab areas and offices, mostly the ones that weren't being used even before the floor turned into a bad b-movie. The question of why this floor, more than halfway up the massive skyscraper, has been infested first remains unanswered for the moment, as does the situation outside. Besides the windows, there are phones and computers, of course, but even if they any still work, you'll have to disturb some spiders to get to them.

What you do see that raises the stakes is one of the big spiders dragging something around the corner into the other wing of the floor. Something completely wrapped in a mass of webbing, like the little ones do with their prey. Something human-shaped.

Because of the crit, I rule you don't piss off any spiders as you make your way through the room. :smallsmile: The elevator lobby is in the middle of the two wings of the floor, and the hall narrows there. The other side is a mirror image of the area you just left, with offices and labs. The floor plan widens back up, and you can't see the entire area without actually walking into it. Think of a dumbbell or a dog bone or this tiny, terrible diagram made with smilies.

:mitd:::::::mitd:

[Starsign]

Moving through the spiderwebs, Sharkguard realizes that he might have the problem of dealing with the other spiders. In a way, the shark-man shouldn't be surprised. Him moving through and breaking apart the spiderwebs is like a stranger suddenly entering your house and trashing the place up. At the very least however, he manages to reach the elevator and stairs where he sees what happened. It doesn't explain why all the spiders are on this floor but it does say where they came from... What Sharkguard needs to figure out is HOW they came to be like this. Just what kind of experiment happened way down there?

Unfortunately for Sharkguard, he doesn't quite get the chance to think of a way down. A chance turn of his head makes him see some human-shaped webbed up figure being dragged by one of the bigger spiders. Immediately, right then, Sharkguard realizes that things were going to get ugly very quickly. He didn't want to aggravate the spiders any more than he did, but now there just isn't any way around it. With all the spiderwebs separating him and the webbed figure, the shark-man has another plan to clear the webs aside from his arms.

Sharkguard gives a loud, commanding, almost angry yell to the spiders. "Move aside landlubbers!" Then the shark-man takes in air and exhales a powerful blast of salt water in the direction of where the spider with the webbed figure rounded the corner. The salt water comes out like a breath of super-strong air, threatening to tear down the spider webs in range through the force of the water... In addition to any spiders who may not have made it out soon enough. Hopefully this will leave an open area to move around in a bit.

Despite the yell, there is no intimidate attempt made on the spiders. Using my Super-Strength's power feat Super-Breath (fluffed as a water-breath now) to try and remove/move the spiderwebs (and trip any spiders caught) in the way. Cone 120ft; DC 22

[ripleycat]

The mighty shout and spray of seawater rattles the walls and knocks several of the spiders from their perches. Three are struck hard enough that they fall to the ground, motionless. The spider with the human prey weathers the storm better than the others, and pulls its quarry away, into the lab. The webs, on the other hand, remain mostly intact, much of the water simply passing between the strands.

A chorus of growls and hisses erupt from behind you, as the other large spiders begin moving toward the intruder, now undeniably hostile. Your big friend growls at the noise, but does not attack, simply skittering up the wall and clinging from the ceiling.

The spiders in the hallway (there are 4, including the one dragging the body) are knocked prone, and three are knocked out. The webs caught in the blast are "injured", but still intact.

The remaining spider takes two move actions, one to stand up from prone, and the other to drag the wrapped body fully into the lab room.

The hostile spiders behind you take move actions to approach, but have not reached you yet.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard sees that blowing incredible bursts of water at the spiderwebs did not do much, though it did knock out the spiders. Without an open area to move it, he's going to get surrounded very quickly. In the end, the shark-man needs to decide whether to prioritize the hostage over being in a better position to react to danger; naturally for him, he'll always focus on taking care of the hostage over his own safety.

Sharkguard only gives a quick look to see the spiders advancing before focusing on the spiderwebs. He throws his arms and later, body, at the webs. He uses all his strength to break past while they are still wet from the blast of seawater. The shark-man knew it would leave him open to attack but he did not care by this point. Someone is captured, Sharkguard can't simply leave that person for dead, and frankly the shark-man would enrage the spiders eventually no matter what he did. He has a nigh-invulnerable body; he's going to make use of it as much as he can.

Going to break as many spiderwebs as Sharkguard can that are in the way of him and the corner that the spider rounded. If I can move at least 10 ft, I'd like to perform a Rush as part of a Charge (Pg 158 of the Core Book allows it as part of a charge IIRC) on the spiderwebs in the way. Not sure if he can move back a bit to do so, but if he can he'd go for it.

...If that's a legal action in the first place. :smallredface: If I can't Rush and Charge for any reason, I'll just break the webs right in front of Sharkguard.

Normal/Opposed Strength check: [roll0]

[ripleycat]

The soggy webs prove no match for the might of Sharkguard, as you push through to the end of the hall to the entrance of the other lab. The spiders behind you, though, aren't hindered that way, and catch up quickly. Two hit you from behind, one simply trying to bite a chunk out of your leg, the other attempting to sink its venomous fangs into your shoulder. The third, however, hangs back a bit and throws a mass of sticky webbing at you instead of rushing into melee.

Neither of those options really works for a corridor filled with things you have to break through, as you can't move the requisite 10 feet without hitting a web, but they're already damaged and this is in danger of getting tiresome, so I rule you get through.

Attack rolls are (hopefully) visible for you in the OOC. If not, they are a 17, a 19, and a 12. That is a DC 18 Reflex save, a DC 18 Fort save, and a DC 19 Toughness save, in that order, should any of them hit.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 2
Cond: Normal

Sharkguard does his best to ignore the spiders coming at him as he does his best to move through the spiderwebs. Focusing solely on the spiderwebs meant that he is a complete, open target as he hears the spiders closing in. A quick, almost reactive step forward avoids one spider from biting his leg as the second one sinks it's teeth into his body. Whatever venom the spider may have however is wasted on the shark-man's hardy body and immune system. It would take a poison much greater than that to effect Sharkguard.

Of course what comes with the shark-man's great frame is a lack of evasion. It takes Sharkguard a little too long to realize that another spider has shot out spider silk in the form of webbing. the snare-like webbing entangles his lower body to the ground. If there's anything Sharkguard didn't want, it's to be delayed when someone is in trouble.

However all it is is webbing, just like the ones that he tore down before. With a great heave, Sharkguard tears his way out of the webbing as he continues to bolt his way down the entrance of the other lab and around the corner to follow another spider was dragging a human-sized wrapped object. As if the shark-man expected someone, he gives a boisterous shout, "Ahoy!"

He won't be surprised if he gets ambushed the moment he opened his mouth.

Made a Strength check of 41 to break the snare. Using my Move and Standard actions to catch up to the spider Sharkguard is following... Provided I don't need to make another Strength check for any more webs in the way of course.

[ripleycat]

There isn't an ambush waiting for you, though the spiders behind continue to pursue, biting at you again while the one further back scurries to catch up. The one with the human prey drops its quarry and scuttles onto the ceiling, frightened by the boisterous shout.

The other lab is covered with webbing, just like the rest of the floor. Another pair of the giant spiders sit motionless at the far end, watching you warily, but not yet attacking. The wrapped-up person lies on the floor just around the corner. So do five others, all wrapped up like the one you were chasing, piled in the corner and surrounded by webs. None of them are moving, but after a moment, a muffled, pained groan escapes from one of the packages.

It's quiet, but over the growls of the spiders, you can also make out a steady, rhythmic tapping or clacking, kinda like someone wearing hard-soled shoes on a wood or concrete floor. The tapping stops, then the unmistakable metallic twang and hiss of snapping cables suddenly echoes through the lab, followed several tense seconds later by an earsplitting *CRASH* that shakes the entire building. Dust billows out of the doors forced open in the hallway. If you want to get these people out, you're not taking the elevator. And neither is anyone else.

Biting spiders: [roll0][roll1] DC 19 Toughness saves if they hit.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard
HP: 2
Cond: Normal

The two spiders right behind Sharkguard just miss with their teeth as he rounds the corner to the webbed figures. With six of them there, Sharkguard can't remember if that's all of them when he entered with Saravati. By the looks of it however, it seems that this situation is either a lab experiment gone horribly wrong or the Dungeon Master is trying to repeat his performance at turning Majestic Industries into a horrific fantasy catacomb.

...Probably not the latter. The lab isn't a catacomb for one.

Hearing the groan from one of the webbed figures has Sharkguard relieve himself of some worry that the spiders had killed their prey. It wouldn't be pretty to explain to King how some of his employees turned up dead during what should have been a simple examination. The crash of the elevator means that escape has gotten a lot more complicated if he didn't want anyone outside to notice what is happening. Before Sharkguard can get the hostages out of their webbed coffins however, he has to deal with the three hostile spiders still trying to drive their teeth into him. He didn't exactly have the time or patience right now to try and calm all of them down normally. If anything he is getting a little agitated and in need of letting it all out.

Turning around with a serious expression, Sharkguard looks at the four or five spiders in view and roars in anger. "ENOUGH!" If there is any point where Sharkguard drops his accent, it's here. His voice calls out loud enough that he could have brought the entire building down if he was a sonic controller. Almost forgetting about common sense, the shark-man throws his fist at the wall of metal right next to him to prove his point to the spiders to back off and stay out of his way.

Intimidate on the spiders: [roll0] Not sure if a check needs to be made for the wall or not but lemme know if I need to. :smallsmile:

[ripleycat]

The thunderous shout and the crash of your fist smashing into the steel wall does the trick. The spiders hiss and growl in alarm, all fleeing wildly down the hall into the next room, leaving you and their unfortunate prey alone for now.

Spiders can't beat that result. Intimidation succeeds. No need for a roll for the punch. Combat time is over for now.

[Starsign]

Satisfied with the result of his shout and smash, Sharkguard turns around to the webbed figures. Being in such a "container" must be uncomfortable at best; can they even breathe under all that webbing? The shark-man kneels down next to one of the figures and tries to tear the webbing off. Sharkguard knows he needs to be careful; he has no clue how think the webbing is and his strength can end up harming the trapped person inside. While working on the webbing, Sharkguard tries to see if anyone is even conscious right now. "Any of yarr can hear me?" He is still tense from the situation at hand but can still use his accent just fine. "It's yarr brave sea captain, Sharkguard! Come on, I be needin' a sign that ain't a groan." It's probable that none of the trapped people can speak while under that webbing, but any sort of moment would do just as fine.

[ripleycat]

Your pleas get a mixed response. A couple of the silk-mummies, including the one you are tearing into, don't respond at all. Another simply groans again. One flops onto its side and tries to speak, but the words are too muffled to make out. The last makes an excited squawk when it hears your voice, sits up suddenly, smacks painfully into the wall, then falls back over.

The silk is quite thick and like the many webs you've torn through to get here, much too strong for a normal person to hope to break free. It's delicate, tedious work, and the person underneath gets a few bumps and scratches, but nothing serious. As you tear it away, you reveal the face of a young lab tech, a college-age kid with freckles and a peach fuzz goatee. He's unconscious, his skin is discolored, so pale it's practically blue, and his breathing is extremely shallow and irregular.

At that moment, something brushes against your back, making you nearly jump out of your skin. "Chrrr?" It's the first spider you "met." It seems more curious than defensive, making no effort to stop you, simply watching what you're doing and making that odd trilling noise. You get the feeling that if the giant arachnid had a tail, it would be wagging.

[Starsign]

Working through the spider silk is certainly not a comfortable time for Sharkguard or the trapped person. The amount of focus there is on the shark-man's face is something very rarely shown. While not exactly graceful, being able to get the face of one figure free from the webs. Based on the pale color and irregular breathing, Sharkguard can guess that they can't breathe in that silk coffin. This one should be fine in a little time but the rest will need immediate attention.

However the shark-man finds himself distracted by the spider from behind him. He almost made one of his hands into a fist before he notices it's the first spider he noticed. Seeing as it looks in such curiosity, Sharkguard pats the spider gently as he makes a small smile. "Brave little guy, aren't yarr?" Sharkguard turns back to the other webbed figures and starts working around getting their faces out of the webbing. He can completely free them afterward but for now they will be in need of some oxygen.

While working on the second trapped person, Sharkguard looks up to the spider watching him. In his own curious and optimistic tone he asks the spider, "Can yarr do me a favor and assist with gettin' this silk off?" He could almost plead if the humans couldn't hear him. "It'd be a great help for this old sailor, if yarr understand." Considering none of the spiders have spoken an actual word yet, the shark-man doubts that the spider understands English. Hopefully this might be a case of "spider see, spider do."

[ripleycat]

The spider tilts its head to the side when you start talking to it. After a few moments of watching you tear away the silk from the second person, the spider approaches and begins biting at one of the cocooned people, though this has the opposite effect from what you wanted, as the person inside screams and tries to roll away when they feel the spider jaws. The spider in turn skitters away, growling. It plants itself on the far side of the room, content to just watch.

As you tear open a breathing hole for the second victim, you see that they are also pale, discolored, and breathing shallowly. It's only then that you realize the first victim hasn't improved any since you tore away the wrappings. And being the well-trained medic that you are, it doesn't take long to figure out what's up. The unconscious pair have been poisoned, bitten by the spiders. Fortunately for them, you have antibiotics and a couple of doses of antivenom in your med kit. A couple of quick needle pokes and some forced swallowing of pills are applied, and while neither wakes up yet, both begin breathing more regularly, and a little color even returns to their skin.

[Starsign]

Trying to get the spider to help was a really bad idea as Sharkguard gives a one-in-a-lifetime, blink-and-you-miss-it look of panic. There has been many times where Sharkguard has had his eyes open in surprise or his face grim at the situation; this is one of the times when one realizes they made a mistake. Watching the spider moving to the corner at least means it will hopefully not be an issue. The bitten man will need to be treated next though, considering the bite mark.

...And the poison.

Sharkguard should have guessed that the people here were poisoned. He just didn't think they would be cocooned at the same time. Thankfully he always keeps his first aid kit with him; the only problem is if he runs out of antibiotics and antivenom... Either way, the shark-man didn't have time to spare. Focusing, he goes over to the bitten cocoon and moves away the webbing both on the man's face and the area where he was bitten. He'd apply the antivenom and treat the wound and move onto the next victim until all 6 are treated. Only after they are treated will he begin to remove the rest of the webbing on each human in here.

[ripleycat]

As you go from person to person, you find that only four have been bitten, five if you count the one your spider friend just nibbled on. You have just enough supplies to treat them all, though if anyone else gets poisoned, you'll just have to hope Majestic has an aid station somewhere or get them to an ambulance or hospital.

After an eternity of tearing away at the silk, all six are more or less free, though only two are really mobile on their own. The one who knocked themselves out by running into a wall when they heard your voice is, unsurprisingly, Dr. Simhalan. She glomps you in a relieved hug when her bindings finally come free.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I knew you'd save us! We didn't even have time to call for help! The elevator doors opened and those... things just started boiling out. We've got to get out of here, as quickly as possible. Aaaaah!" She spots the one sitting calmly in the corner and freaks out again.

[Starsign]

Finishing with the treatments, Sharkguard looks at his first aid kit to see that he'll need to restock on supplies after he's done here. He'd also need to find a place where the scientists can be safe. First things first however is to get everyone organized and out of this floor. Sharkguard places his hands to his side with a confident, yet relieved smile as Saravati squeezes his body in a hug. "Yarr think I was forgetting everyone? Gotta be sure that civilians are saved by ta end of ta day now!" He winks to the scientists.

Upon Saravati's little scream, Sharkguard turns around to see the friendly spider. He raises his hand to tell the scientist to calm down. "No need to worry about this youngling. Met it soon as I been out of ta MRI room and he became part of my motley crew." The shark-man pauses for a moment before rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, only member so far. The others here didn't take well to havin' their prized webs cut and then fled at my thunderin' roar. Point here is that this one's friendly; just don't be antagonizin' it or get close just to be safe."

Once Sharkguard calms down the scientists, he explains the situation at hand regarding the floor. "Alright, far as I know no one else are aware of what's happenin' to this floor. Ta elevator took a dive into black waters while I had been untanglin' yarr all however, so far as I know we're gettin' out through the stairs... 'Cept there's somethin' I gotta know." He narrows his eyes a bit on Saravati. "Mind if I ask what's hidin' in those sub-basements of Majestic Industries? Had a look down ta elevator shaft and I notice spiders comin' from there."

[ripleycat]

Despite your reassurances, the doctor gives the big spider a wide berth. She seems genuinely troubled by your question and the somewhat accusing tone.

"W-what? That's more than 50 stories. Why would they climb all that way, and why this floor?"

"Don't know. We haven't done anything with spiders here in... well, ever, really. They're not useful testing animals. The only labs I can think of that would have them at all are the ones that test products from animals, and it's pretty harmless, standard stuff from what people say. I think they've done some tests with spider silk, and they make antivenom for one of the medical supply subsidiaries. Nothing that would lead to... this." The other scientist who's up and aware chimes in.

"As for what's in the sub-basements, um, storage, maintenance, a few departments that do stuff that can't be exposed to light. Honestly, I don't go down there much, it creeps me out. I seeing like the sun. But there's nothing I know about that would..." Saravati pauses, distressed. "Sharkguard, I know Majestic has a lousy reputation but we're a medical research and heavy industry corporation, not a nest of supervillains. We don't go making giant spiders just because. I don't know what's going on. We can get access to the building blueprints once we're out of here. I'll help you as much as I can, honest."

[Starsign]

Sharkguard crosses his arms as he listens to what Saravati and the other scientist has to say. All the time during it he keeps a neutral look, as if he'll switch to any other emotion at any time. By the point Saravati is finished explaining, the shark-man is utterly still for a moment before breaking out a smile. "Well to be honest? I don't believe anyone who works in this building would do it. Even if they did, I'd not be one to be on the lookout for payback. Somethin' like that goin' public will be bad for everyone." He puts his hand gently on Saravati's shoulder. "Besides, Majestic Industries' copyright is there to help protect yarr and I don't like leaving people to fates that they may or may not deserve." He winks in a friendly manner. "I do gots a favor to ask later, but now let's get everyone else here up on their feet so we can get out of this floor, aye?"

Once everyone is able to stand and walk, Sharkguard tells the scientists to stay for a moment and motions the friendly spider to follow as he heads outside the lab. He checks the area near where the stairs are and looks to see if the passage is clear enough to go up or down a floor.

[ripleycat]

Some of the scientists are still in sorry shape, and need to be supported to keep them upright, but everyone should be able to get up or down a flight of stairs, at least.

The friendly spider skitters over as you motion to it, earning a few shrieks from the scientists, who understandably aren't quite up to trusting the giant arachnids after their ordeal. The door to the stairway is heavily covered in webbing, and the door itself has been auto-locked, indicating that someone outside the floor is aware of what's going on, at least. Neither obstacle is much of a challenge for your titanic strength. The stairwell is clear in both directions, as far as you can tell, though an alarm starts blaring obnoxiously as soon as you force open the door. Your spider friend growls and bites at the klaxon on the wall, which actually somehow does the trick.

Everyone is able to get out of the lab and into the stairwell without being attacked by the other spiders. "The Hero Helper lab has some first aid equipment in it. Let's head up there." is Saravati's suggestion.

[Starsign]

Glad to see that getting everyone out of the door is a breeze, Sharkguard nods to Saravati as they begin to make their way up to the floor where the Hero Helper lab is. Sharkguard makes sure to close the door behind them first as the rest start making their way up the stairs. No one didn't want any spiders aside from the friendly one to follow them. Sharkguard did wonder why an alarm went off as soon as the door was forced open. If they're like one of those alarms designed to keep people from breaking in, then is everyone else in the building already evacuated? So long as the spiders haven't spread to elsewhere, things seem under control at the moment.

The shark-man takes lead of the group as they make their way up the stairs just in case something lurks from above. He can't help but check the following spider every now and then to make sure it isn't doing anything rash. Thank goodness Sharkguard can resupply his first aid kit once they get up to the Hero Helper lab.

[ripleycat]

The spider is well-behaved (as giant arachnids go) for the short trip up the stairs. The hostile ones still inside don't seem to follow, at least for now. The door to the Hero Helper floor is locked as well, but no alarms go off as you force it. As you enter the Hero Helper lab, a security guard rushes forward, but stops short when he sees your unmistakable frame come through the door.

"S-Sharkguard!? What are you doing here? Did you come to help? The elevator's out! Did they make you climb all 50 stories? What's going-"


"That's enough, Mr. Wallace. Sharkguard was already here." Saravati pipes up, waving her hands to indicate the lab. "Let's get these people lying down, let the aides take a look at them. Sharkguard, there's an aid station in here. We can take a look and see what we've got."

"Oh! You were... that's an honor for us, then! Sorry this has all gone to hell. Security's locked the building down best we can. Scanning the floors. They're coming from somewhere way down below, but far as we can tell, the animal testing lab's the only floor they've made... it... to." He stares uneasily at your spider friend. "Uh, you know there's one following you, right?"

[Starsign]

Opening the door to the floor, Sharkguard greets the security guard with a smile. "Can't be sayin' this spider infestation came at a convenient time. Was in ta MRI room when it happened." He points to the friendly spider. "Talked with this lil' guy here. Can't speak but I think he be got some understandin' so don't mind him too much." The shark-man motions the spider to a corner of the room. "Just stay here for a bit, okay? I won't be too long," he says to the spider as he pats it's head.

Sharkguard helps those injured to whatever beds are available. His strength is more than well enough to carry them but he makes sure to be gentle considering he's also harder than diamond. Once they're all resting and examined the shark-man heads to the aid station to see what there is available. While sorting out what treatments are needed and what aren't, Sharkguard asks the nearby security guard, "So what be happenin' when ta spiders came? Anyone outside aware or is it has ta situation only be known in ta building?" Best to get answers while Sharkguard has the chance.

I'd like to make a Medicine check to see what sort of injuries or symptoms each scientist has: [roll0]

[ripleycat]

The spider sits obediently in the corner, poking and sniffling at all of the equipment on the counters, much to the consternation of the scientists still working in the lab.

Of the workers you rescued, all have had a few bumps and scrapes at least, four have been bitten, though two are in much poorer shape than the others. Two were simply cocooned, and they seem to have recovered fully by this point. All of them are stable, and though the bitten ones especially could use a hospital visit, nobody is going to keel over while you deal with the spider issue.

"So far, knowledge of the situation is only confined to the building and Mr. King. Majestic Industries doesn't like stuff like this becoming public knowledge if it doesn't have to. Not that things like this happen often." He adds hastily.

"There was no warning in the lab downstairs. The elevator doors opened, and they just started pouring out. We managed to call for help, but locking the doors didn't help us much." There's an edge to Saravati's voice that hasn't been there before.

"Whatever is going on started in the underground floors. Let Sharkguard go down there. He can handle it a thousand times better than you ever could." That fangirl attitude is still there, though.

[Starsign]

With everyone stable and safe on this floor, Sharkguard can't help but chuckle at Saravati's fangirl-ish moodset even when she's so sharp-tongued. "Well yarr be all glad I'm here," he responds in a friendly manner. "I just be glad I ain't there when King was contacted. Can't be a pleasant feelin' to know yarr company's been invaded." The shark-man walks over to the elevator doors and takes a good look down below. "Ain't gonna be fun for anyone getting an elevator back up either. Looks like I be takin' ta stairs down." Sharkguard could definitely jump down but he had no idea if anyone is at the bottom. He could also try climbing down the elevator shaft but that could take even longer. Best to be safe even if taking the stairs will be a nightmare.

Sharkguard looks at the giant spider and motions for him to follow. It's probably for the best to take him along to avoid any complications that may arise between the spider and scientists. Before being out the door, Sharkguard gives a wave and a proud call. "Now be sure to barricade ta doors in case any spiders decide comin' up. I likely be awhile but no worries; yarr sea captain ain't comin' back in shreds!" Once Sharkguard and the friendly spider leaves the room, he starts making his way down the stairs to the bottom levels. It definitely will be a long trek. Fifty floors is a long way down and the shark-man definitely won't appreciate it. He'll be tired by the time he walks all the way back up after dealing with this spider issue. That's if he isn't tired by the time he's made it down.

[ripleycat]

It's a long, boring, tiring trek down 50 flights of stairs back to the lobby, though you reflect that it could have been worse. You could have had to go up them. Your spider companion follows. It has an easier time of it than you do, often unspooling silk and dropping several floors down the stairwell at a time.

In the lobby, security has set up around the doors to prevent anything from escaping into the city. The lower floors have been evacuated, and many of the workers are milling and sitting around the waiting area. You are allowed past the large barricaded double doors that mark the stairs down into the subfloors and offered a flashlight and walkie-talkie, in case you end up in an area where the power is out. The first two floors are unremarkable, storage and custodial areas, as Saravati described. The lights are still on, workers' belongings scattered about. This area was obviously evacuated just as a precaution. There is nothing sinister here.

The third subfloor is a bit more unsettling. A plant lab, many of the rooms are lit by heat lamps and ultraviolet lights, but the overhead fluorescents are out, bathing the floor in eerie red and purple glows. Still, you find nothing particularly spider-y here.

The fourth floor is completely dark, the power totally out. The hallway the stairs open onto is scattered with scrap metal, dust and bits of plaster and concrete. The falling elevator seems to have crashed against the wall of the shaft here on its way by.

A Notice Check, good sir. :smallsmile:

[Starsign]

Well Sharkguard is right about one thing, going down the stairs is an incredibly tiring experience. He's glad to see that the lower floors have been evacuated and the workers and scientists here are safe; their wait for everything to resolve however must be excruciating. Sharkguard gladly takes the flashlight but leaves the walkie-talkie behind; it's likely he did that out of pride over his abilities. The flashlight however will be much more useful in the case of darkness. His smell only does so much for sensing and his bioelectric signals sometimes might as well be a poor-man's infravision, if even.

Sharkguard gave quick passes at the first two sublevels, but is much less uninterested when he sees what is below that. The plant lab is eerie in it's red and purple lights. For a moment he wonders, are spiders attracted to purple and red lights? It doesn't make too much sense really but who knows what kind of testing is done. The shark-man just hopes that this lab is used for research that benefits the world instead of one person.

Heading down into the fourth sublevel is where he gets a good feeling; it's the kind of good feeling when you know there's something bad here. "Stay close to me," he says to his spider friend as he enters the room, relying on smell and bioelectric signals to search around. He holds off from turning on his flashlight for now in the case that he'd give away his position to whoever is lurking here. He's prepared to use the flashlight and call out if is needed and he's pretty sure he will.

Notice check: [roll0]

[ripleycat]

This floor smells musty, not just the stale recycled air of the floors above it, but kind of dank and mildewed, like it hasn't been used at all for a while.

You and the spider make a circuit of the floor, navigating in the dark through a few empty offices and storage rooms, coming up empty until you come full-circle to the stairwell again. You don't get anything but confirmation of your suspicion that this floor has been unused for quite some time. Everything has been moved out have for a few sealed boxes, and everything is covered in a thick layer of dust.

From what you can tell, the power is out completely on the fifth floor below you as well. In the near pitch black, you can't see much more than a couple of feet down the stairs, and none of your other senses are picking up anything from down there. One of the few things you can see is the door to the fifth floor. All of the entrances to the stairwell that you've passed on your long trek down the from the Hero Helper lab and during your exploration of the subfloors have been closed. This one is open.

[Starsign]

Sharkguard gives a quiet sigh as he turns up nothing on the fourth sublevel. He had a good feeling and it turns out that his 7th sense is misguiding. At the very least a thorough sweep means that there's no doubts that he missed anything here. Though why have an empty sublevel right after a more used one is an interesting question.

Said question is more interesting when Sharkguard sees only one door open for the fifth floor. He can take a wild guess that whatever was in here was meant to have it's doors shut and windows covered. By this single open door, that did not happen. Considering it's not too far from the elevator shaft either, it'd give a reason as out where the outbreak came from. Moving through the door to the fifth floor, Sharkguard enters the darkness as he reaches for his flashlight. "Ahoy!" He calls out to the darkness, content with saying just one word. It should be all he needs to attract attention anyway as he turns on his flashlight to take a look around. He knows he's getting close now. It's not so much like a hunter heading to his prey as it is a mother bear meeting the hunters in her forest.

Notice check in case it matters: [roll0]