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<blockquote data-quote="MnM_UH" data-source="post: 733418" data-attributes="member: 10023">Issue #6 - &quot;Fire&quot; (Continued)Scene 3: &quot;Damage Assessment&quot;The United Heroes gathered in the Hadley Manor main library, a place Harpy had spent far too little time.&nbsp; Every time she came to the library, she discovered books she never knew were in her possession.She was still shaken from the vampire encounter.&nbsp; Though the bite marks on her neck healed nicely -- thanks to Seraphim's healing touch -- the emotional scars were a bit deeper, and her mental control was not yet to the extent that she could just block out her emotions.&nbsp; She tried, but Harpy wasn't that strong yet.&quot;It's good to see everyone back together again,&quot; Seraphim began.&nbsp; &quot;We have all had a very exciting past few days.&nbsp; Perhaps a short briefing is in order.&quot;&quot;There is no time, I tell you,&quot; Torpedo exhorted.&quot;Ah yes,&quot; Iron Dragon replied.&nbsp; &quot;The Chaos Engine you've been going on about.&quot;The Atlantean shot Iron Dragon a look.&nbsp; &quot;This is important.&nbsp; That Trickster character is up to something very dangerous.&quot;&quot;I want to know how they busted Fang out of that cell,&quot; MorningStar said.&nbsp; &quot;I thought it was protected by magic, Harpy.&quot;&quot;It was,&quot; Harpy replied.&nbsp; &quot;They must have affected the outside of the cell, where it wasn't protected.&quot;&quot;Lodestone,&quot; Electrostatic offered.&nbsp; &quot;He could have affected the bars.&nbsp; His powers involve magnetism.&quot;&quot;That makes sense,&quot; the Scoundrel added.&quot;Fine, but how did Lodestone get in here?&quot; Harpy demanded.&quot;It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that he snuck in, would it?&quot; MorningStar asked.&quot;Sneaking's not really his style,&quot; Electrostatic countered.&nbsp; &quot;Besides, this was a big undertaking.&nbsp; I'm surprised we didn't see their leader.&quot;&quot;Just because we didn't see him,&quot; Seraphim said, &quot;doesn't mean he wasn't here.&quot;&quot;He has some powerful illusion abilities,&quot; the Scoundrel said.&nbsp; &quot;I don't suppose invisibility is beyond his capabilities.&quot;&quot;But how did he get past our defenses?&quot; Pathfinder asked.&nbsp; &quot;We have sensors keyed to look for invisible intruders.&quot;&quot;Just like the countermeasures in the PD's property room: Lodestone,&quot; Electrostatic said.&nbsp; &quot;He can disable pretty much any electronic device, unless it's shielded or made from non-ferrous materials.&quot;&quot;The perfect double-team,&quot; MorningStar observed.&nbsp; &quot;Lodestone knocks out our electronic protections, and Trickster uses illusions or whatever so we can't see him break in and out of the building and take Fang with him.&quot;&quot;And all the while, the rest of them kept us busy,&quot; Seraphim added.&nbsp; &quot;Very clever.&nbsp; It's painfully obvious we're dealing with a mastermind here.&quot;&quot;That's why I want you to focus on the Chaos Engine,&quot; Torpedo said emphatically.&nbsp; &quot;If you're not willing to do anything about it, I will go it alone!&quot;The Atlantean hero started out of the library.&nbsp; &quot;Wait, Torpedo!&quot; Harpy called out.&nbsp; She rushed to his side in the hallway.&nbsp; &quot;We're just trying to make sense of what happened here while you two were gone.&quot;&quot;The Chaos Engine matter must be dealt with now,&quot; Torpedo replied.&nbsp; &quot;We have little time.&quot;The rest of the heroes made their way into the corridor.&quot;The story of the Chaos Engine is an old one, a story from Atlantis' past of which we are not terribly proud.&nbsp; A few centuries ago, an Atlantean scientist named Ugantiral discovered chaos theory, similar to that studied in your universities and 'think-tanks' now.&nbsp; At the time, Atlantis was embroiled in a great civil war, an amusing term.&quot;&quot;Anyway, Ugantiral was on the side of the Imperialists, and built a great war machine -- dubbed the Chaos Engine -- that would make use of his new theory.&nbsp; I'm not sure what the Chaos Engine would look like, but I know that it was never fully constructed.&nbsp; The war ended before Ugantiral finished it, and his superiors 'mothballed' the project.&quot;&quot;Since then, every so often when an individual would come along and try to galvanize forces against the Atlantean monarchy, they made mention of completing the Chaos Engine and taking back the surface world.&quot;&quot;Wow,&quot; the Scoundrel said.&nbsp; &quot;But how do we know that Trickster and his crew have any real concrete information about this Chaos Engine?&quot;&quot;That cylinder they stole,&quot; Pathfinder asked, &quot;did it have anything to do with this Chaos Engine?&quot;&quot;And what about this Klimordial fellow?&quot; Seraphim asked.&nbsp; &quot;What part does he have in this scheme, if any?&quot;&quot;Given the obvious intellect and planning skills we're dealing with in this Trickster fellow,&quot; Harpy said.&nbsp; &quot;I wouldn't be surprised if this is some elaborate plot to get us looking in the wrong direction.&quot;&quot;A red herring?&quot; Iron Dragon asked.&quot;I will need to return to Atlantis for answers to some of these questions,&quot; Torpedo replied.&nbsp; &quot;I would bring the rest of you along, but I feel that the rest of you should go to the island where I found the Scoundrel and face the villains.&quot;&quot;I concur,&quot; Seraphim replied.&nbsp; &quot;What say you, Harpy?&quot;&quot;Give us a location,&quot; Harpy said to the Atlantean hero.&nbsp; &quot;We'll do the rest.&quot;***********************************************&quot;I am still concerned about how we handled that combat,&quot; Harpy said to Seraphim.&nbsp; They both stood in the parlor, and were facing the window, looking out at the night sky.&nbsp; The bay was as beautiful as always, with sailboats and their lights tickling the waves below.&quot;There was no way to know what was going to happen,&quot; Seraphim offered.&nbsp; &quot;Do not beat yourself up over this.&nbsp; We all survived, and the worst thing that happened was that they resuced Fang.&nbsp; Be thankful none of us was seriously hurt.&quot;&quot;No,&quot; Harpy countered.&nbsp; &quot;The worst thing that happened was that we played right into their hands by going along with their plan.&nbsp; We were humiliated...&quot;&quot;I can't agree with you on that point,&quot; Seraphim said.&nbsp; &quot;You are a fine leader.&nbsp; Do not doubt that.&quot;&quot;Why would I?&nbsp; What have you heard?&quot; Harpy demanded.The angel smiled.&nbsp; &quot;Nothing.&nbsp; I know the hearts of mortals, and you seem to be in self-doubt.&nbsp; Do not be.&quot;&quot;I know that some of the others wish you were leader instead,&quot; Harpy asserted.&quot;That may be,&quot; Seraphim answered.&nbsp; &quot;But you are in charge.&nbsp; I won't have it any other way.&quot;Harpy looked away.&quot;You are young,&quot; Seraphim said.&nbsp; &quot;I understand your misgivings.&quot;&nbsp; He placed his hand on her shoulder.&nbsp; &quot;But you have been given special powers, and you are a bright girl.&nbsp; There is much to do to prepare.&quot;Harpy turned to face her angelic companion.&nbsp; &quot;You're a great guy, Seraphim.&nbsp; I just wish...&quot;Seraphim frowned just a little.&nbsp; &quot;Do not wish for things that cannot be.&quot;************************************************&quot;She almost died,&quot; Electrostatic despaired.&nbsp; &quot;I couldn't do a damned thing about it.&quot;MorningStar put her arm around the electric hero.&nbsp; &quot;Jeremy, don't feel bad.&nbsp; That vampire witch was real trouble.&nbsp; I'm just glad she doesn't like my fire powers.&quot;The flames enveloping MorningStar were cosmetic, even though the others always worried about her burning things when she walked across a rug or sat down.&nbsp; They were more for show that effect.&nbsp; MorningStar could &quot;turn them up&quot; when she needed them to cause real damage.&quot;If Harpy died,&quot; Electrostatic said.&nbsp; &quot;I'm not sure how I would deal with that.&quot;&quot;Look,&quot; MorningStar offered.&nbsp; &quot;I know she's cute and all, but you've only known her for a little while.&nbsp; Maybe this is just a crush.&quot;&quot;No, it's not.&quot;&quot;You know, she has the ability to bend men to her will,&quot; MorningStar pointed out.Electrostatic stood up quickly, and was clearly offended.&nbsp; &quot;No way!&nbsp; I love her, and I'm not afraid to say it!&quot;MorningStar also stood up.&nbsp; &quot;But how do you know?&nbsp; How do any of us know that our feelings are real?&nbsp; Harpy is skilled at controlling people.&nbsp; She reads minds too, don't forget that.&nbsp; She probably knows how you feel.&quot;&quot;She doesn't have to read my mind to know how I feel,&quot; Electrostatic countered.&nbsp; &quot;She knows already.&quot;&quot;Yeah,&quot; MorningStar replied.&nbsp; &quot;I'm sure she does.&quot;&quot;No, I told her,&quot; Electrostatic said.&nbsp; &quot;I told her and...&quot;&quot;Nothing happened, right?&quot;&quot;I...&nbsp; No, nothing happened,&quot; Electrostatic said.&nbsp; &quot;I don't know how she feels.&nbsp; We're supposed to pretend like nothing's going on.&quot;&quot;That's probably for the best,&quot; MorningStar pointed out.&quot;Maybe for team cohesion or whatever,&quot; the electric hero replied.&nbsp; &quot;I don't know how well I'm hiding it.&quot;&quot;I can see we're not going to see eye-to-eye on Harpy,&quot; MorningStar said.&nbsp; &quot;Let's go get ready for that island mission.&quot;&quot;OK,&quot; Electrostatic said.&nbsp; &quot;But this time, I'm going to protect Harpy no matter what.&nbsp; Nothing's going to happen to her while I'm around!&quot;MorningStar watched as Electrostatic left the room for the meeting chamber.&nbsp; You may be a super hero, my friend, MorningStar thought.&nbsp; But she is more than you can handle.&nbsp; I hope you realize this before it's too late.Watch for Scene 4, Coming Soon!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="MnM_UH, post: 733418, member: 10023"] [b]Issue #6 - "Fire" (Continued)[/b] Scene 3: "Damage Assessment" The United Heroes gathered in the Hadley Manor main library, a place Harpy had spent far too little time. Every time she came to the library, she discovered books she never knew were in her possession. She was still shaken from the vampire encounter. Though the bite marks on her neck healed nicely -- thanks to Seraphim's healing touch -- the emotional scars were a bit deeper, and her mental control was not yet to the extent that she could just block out her emotions. She tried, but Harpy wasn't that strong yet. "It's good to see everyone back together again," Seraphim began. "We have all had a very exciting past few days. Perhaps a short briefing is in order." "There is no time, I tell you," Torpedo exhorted. "Ah yes," Iron Dragon replied. "The Chaos Engine you've been going on about." The Atlantean shot Iron Dragon a look. "This is important. That Trickster character is up to something very dangerous." "I want to know how they busted Fang out of that cell," MorningStar said. "I thought it was protected by magic, Harpy." "It was," Harpy replied. "They must have affected the outside of the cell, where it wasn't protected." "Lodestone," Electrostatic offered. "He could have affected the bars. His powers involve magnetism." "That makes sense," the Scoundrel added. "Fine, but how did Lodestone get in here?" Harpy demanded. "It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that he snuck in, would it?" MorningStar asked. "Sneaking's not really his style," Electrostatic countered. "Besides, this was a big undertaking. I'm surprised we didn't see their leader." "Just because we didn't see him," Seraphim said, "doesn't mean he wasn't here." "He has some powerful illusion abilities," the Scoundrel said. "I don't suppose invisibility is beyond his capabilities." "But how did he get past our defenses?" Pathfinder asked. "We have sensors keyed to look for invisible intruders." "Just like the countermeasures in the PD's property room: Lodestone," Electrostatic said. "He can disable pretty much any electronic device, unless it's shielded or made from non-ferrous materials." "The perfect double-team," MorningStar observed. "Lodestone knocks out our electronic protections, and Trickster uses illusions or whatever so we can't see him break in and out of the building and take Fang with him." "And all the while, the rest of them kept us busy," Seraphim added. "Very clever. It's painfully obvious we're dealing with a mastermind here." "That's why I want you to focus on the Chaos Engine," Torpedo said emphatically. "If you're not willing to do anything about it, I will go it alone!" The Atlantean hero started out of the library. "Wait, Torpedo!" Harpy called out. She rushed to his side in the hallway. "We're just trying to make sense of what happened here while you two were gone." "The Chaos Engine matter must be dealt with now," Torpedo replied. "We have little time." The rest of the heroes made their way into the corridor. "The story of the Chaos Engine is an old one, a story from Atlantis' past of which we are not terribly proud. A few centuries ago, an Atlantean scientist named Ugantiral discovered chaos theory, similar to that studied in your universities and 'think-tanks' now. At the time, Atlantis was embroiled in a great civil war, an amusing term." "Anyway, Ugantiral was on the side of the Imperialists, and built a great war machine -- dubbed the Chaos Engine -- that would make use of his new theory. I'm not sure what the Chaos Engine would look like, but I know that it was never fully constructed. The war ended before Ugantiral finished it, and his superiors 'mothballed' the project." "Since then, every so often when an individual would come along and try to galvanize forces against the Atlantean monarchy, they made mention of completing the Chaos Engine and taking back the surface world." "Wow," the Scoundrel said. "But how do we know that Trickster and his crew have any real concrete information about this Chaos Engine?" "That cylinder they stole," Pathfinder asked, "did it have anything to do with this Chaos Engine?" "And what about this Klimordial fellow?" Seraphim asked. "What part does he have in this scheme, if any?" "Given the obvious intellect and planning skills we're dealing with in this Trickster fellow," Harpy said. "I wouldn't be surprised if this is some elaborate plot to get us looking in the wrong direction." "A red herring?" Iron Dragon asked. "I will need to return to Atlantis for answers to some of these questions," Torpedo replied. "I would bring the rest of you along, but I feel that the rest of you should go to the island where I found the Scoundrel and face the villains." "I concur," Seraphim replied. "What say you, Harpy?" "Give us a location," Harpy said to the Atlantean hero. "We'll do the rest." *********************************************** "I am still concerned about how we handled that combat," Harpy said to Seraphim. They both stood in the parlor, and were facing the window, looking out at the night sky. The bay was as beautiful as always, with sailboats and their lights tickling the waves below. "There was no way to know what was going to happen," Seraphim offered. "Do not beat yourself up over this. We all survived, and the worst thing that happened was that they resuced Fang. Be thankful none of us was seriously hurt." "No," Harpy countered. "The worst thing that happened was that we played right into their hands by going along with their plan. We were humiliated..." "I can't agree with you on that point," Seraphim said. "You are a fine leader. Do not doubt that." "Why would I? What have you heard?" Harpy demanded. The angel smiled. "Nothing. I know the hearts of mortals, and you seem to be in self-doubt. Do not be." "I know that some of the others wish you were leader instead," Harpy asserted. "That may be," Seraphim answered. "But you are in charge. I won't have it any other way." Harpy looked away. "You are young," Seraphim said. "I understand your misgivings." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "But you have been given special powers, and you are a bright girl. There is much to do to prepare." Harpy turned to face her angelic companion. "You're a great guy, Seraphim. I just wish..." Seraphim frowned just a little. "Do not wish for things that cannot be." ************************************************ "She almost died," Electrostatic despaired. "I couldn't do a damned thing about it." MorningStar put her arm around the electric hero. "Jeremy, don't feel bad. That vampire witch was real trouble. I'm just glad she doesn't like my fire powers." The flames enveloping MorningStar were cosmetic, even though the others always worried about her burning things when she walked across a rug or sat down. They were more for show that effect. MorningStar could "turn them up" when she needed them to cause real damage. "If Harpy died," Electrostatic said. "I'm not sure how I would deal with that." "Look," MorningStar offered. "I know she's cute and all, but you've only known her for a little while. Maybe this is just a crush." "No, it's not." "You know, she has the ability to bend men to her will," MorningStar pointed out. Electrostatic stood up quickly, and was clearly offended. "No way! I love her, and I'm not afraid to say it!" MorningStar also stood up. "But how do you know? How do any of us know that our feelings are real? Harpy is skilled at controlling people. She reads minds too, don't forget that. She probably knows how you feel." "She doesn't have to read my mind to know how I feel," Electrostatic countered. "She knows already." "Yeah," MorningStar replied. "I'm sure she does." "No, I told her," Electrostatic said. "I told her and..." "Nothing happened, right?" "I... No, nothing happened," Electrostatic said. "I don't know how she feels. We're supposed to pretend like nothing's going on." "That's probably for the best," MorningStar pointed out. "Maybe for team cohesion or whatever," the electric hero replied. "I don't know how well I'm hiding it." "I can see we're not going to see eye-to-eye on Harpy," MorningStar said. "Let's go get ready for that island mission." "OK," Electrostatic said. "But this time, I'm going to protect Harpy no matter what. Nothing's going to happen to her while I'm around!" MorningStar watched as Electrostatic left the room for the meeting chamber. [I]You may be a super hero, my friend,[/I] MorningStar thought. [I]But she is more than you can handle. I hope you realize this before it's too late.[/I] [SIZE=3][B]Watch for Scene 4, Coming Soon![/B][/SIZE] [/QUOTE]

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