HF RPG 2.5

IC Kaiba:

Placing the blade back in place, he stared down at the Hero. 

"Before it was your city it was mine, Hero. I protect the people. It is what I was built to do, and I will continue to do so whether or not your Factory approves."

OOC: So not only are my posts long but also will be broken into several parts, because two groups of posts have a bit of time passing between them. Here's the first bout.

IC: Timothy Gyro – Gyro and Scarlet’s Apartment

Unlike his friend, Gyro wasn’t flying, instead opting to sit half-in the window of their shared apartment. When they heard that they would need to find accommodation, they were each other’s first choice. They even found a high-up place with big windows for flying out of- though they had to have a bit of a drop first, Scarlet to avoid scorching the windowsill, Gyro to avoid getting stuck or lopping it to pieces.

He arched his back to stretch his spinal strut, and felt the sensation of his blades shifting on the floor. He’d angled them so they were folded, but not against his back, since he couldn’t well sit down like that, even folding down as they did. He didn’t feel through them, per se, but the rotor they connected to on his back was incredibly intricate and sensitive, and so he could feel them touching things as one could feel the sensation of a held pen being dragged over paper, though to a stronger degree. It meant he could easily fight with them as well as keep his dexterity with them- he could feel if they were being touched, or shot at, but with none of the pain.

He had watched Scarlet go after denying her invitation to follow with a grin and a joke about wanting to have a break from his dorky rookie sidekick. She knew it was a joke, and it was, but Gyro really did feel like he needed some alone time. His processor felt less heavy here, in the open air.

He always felt he could trust Scarlet with anything. She was like a little sister, and she had told him he was like the uncool older brother she never had. They told each other everything, from lame jokes to innermost secrets.

The night was clear. Gyro felt his blades twitch as he stared up at the stars, at the sky, at the open airspace he could easily fill with a jump and a whirl of the blades. It felt like home there. The ground made him feel ill after a while, he couldn’t stand it. It… had caused problems, in the past.

He reached into his pocket and gently touched the scrap of paper housed within. Paper was really old, but unhackable, unable to be traced or read unless one had access to the physical copy. He was careful not to look at it, in case Zib or one of the other Mission Managers were to try and hail him. He knew what it said.

It wasn’t easy to get, though. The list almost felt like a countdown, a series of times and places he’d managed to get during the calamity of the Mecha mission. One had passed already, the fact confirmed with a glance at the headlines for the planet. He was worried, but the Hero intervention for the event hadn’t made the rest of the list obsolete. Not yet, anyway.

The next date was soon. He wasn’t sure what to do about it, he didn’t want to face this. The list was meant to be a middle ground- he could ignore it, or he could go. When he got the list, he figured he’d have until the last date to decide. After the first event, he realised it was more complicated than that; any number of things could happen to mess the whole plan up. He had to decide, and he had to decide soon.

He wasn’t sure if he could talk to Scarlet about this, a feeling that was so alien in and of itself that he felt strange even thinking it. He trusted her with everything, and yet, this was beyond everything. This was something that could change him, change his life, end terribly in any number of ways. It was so, so big, so immeasurably large a weight in his Hero Core, that he was surprised he could still fly carrying all that baggage.

So he waited, and thought, and felt a knot twist itself tighter and tighter in his tanks. He took his air intakes slowly and steadily. This was another crossroads, another arsenal of possibilities he had to grab from blindly. Scarlet wouldn’t be out forever. She’d come home eventually. And when she did, he’d talk to her about it, or he wouldn’t. Like binary code.

He hesitantly climbed out of the windowsill and to the TV. He didn’t want to think of any of this right now, it made him feel all messed up on the inside. Instead, he flicked on the television and flopped haphazardly onto the couch. Life decisions, though demanding, could probably wait indefinitely. He was good at winging it, anyway.

He smirked at his own pun.

~

OOC: Yes I managed to fit every current Rotor's name in Gyro's post, what of it

~

IC: Ken Render and Mara Quiver – Makuhero City

Render lazily glanced around as he walked alongside Quiver, who was carrying bags full of her miniatures. He was carrying some of them, too; he didn’t much understand the little doohickeys, but Quiver sure loved them. He smiled at her, chewing a wire.

“Well, how’s about that,” he commented. “Third place, junebug. And I saw yer competition, too- ‘bots made fer high detail paintin’. Hope yer feelin’ proud, ‘cos I sure am.”

She glanced away, though he saw the small smile she was trying to hide. “Um… th-thank you, for saying that, a-a-and for c-coming.”

He waved his hand. “You kiddin’? Ain’t no trouble at all. We know yer not too keen on goin’ alone. ‘Sides, this is what you love doin’, right? And, y’know, the li’l game with it is pretty interestin’.”

“Quark s-says it’s g-good practice of t-t-tactics,” Quiver nodded. “Sh-She’s really g-good.”

“She plays?”

“S-Sometimes, with m-me.”

Render raised his eyebrows. “Well, don’t that beat all.”

They stopped momentarily outside of one apartment building, where Quiver was staying with friends. Render walked her inside. He, Thumper, and technically Quark were living with members of Thumper’s wrestling group, but Quiver and Flood had elected to stay elsewhere- which was fine, seeing as they didn’t want to impose on Thumper’s friends- even Render wasn’t planning to stay long when he started living with one of the wrestlers, he was just unsure of how long he’d have to rent a home for at first, and now he and his housemate were pretty good friends, and it wasn’t like their home didn’t have the room for him.

Quiver had gotten an offer from a friend of hers, another Hero by the name of Titanos Forticus. Render had met him before; he was a decent enough kid. Captor, Render thought was also a pretty nice guy, but that Nimius Ardor fellow was another matter. His surly demeanour and murmured insults didn’t make for any pleasant chatter with him. According to Quiver, he mostly kept to his room, though, so she was still content.

He handed back her bag of miniatures as they reached the elevator. “Welp, looks like we’re partin’ ways fer now, junebug.”

“Th-Thanks again. T-Tell Ellie I’m s-sorry I couldn’t g-go.”

Render smiled. “Sure will. She understands, lotta loud noises in a match. I won’t tell her how y’went, though. I think she’d wanna hear it from you.”

The elevator opened, and they exchanged goodbyes as she boarded- albeit awkwardly, with all her bags.

~

IC: Mara Quiver – Forticus’ House

It took some fumbling, but Quiver managed to open the door to the apartment. She called out “H-Hello?” as she went to her room to set her boxes and bags down.

IC: Crowley - Makuhero Resevoir. 

What many people seemed to forget about Makuhero City was that it was built on water. A network of aquaducts and canals weaved over, under, and through the teeming metropolis, stretching from the open ocean to the east, to the reservoir to the west. 

It was in this reservoir, sheltered beneath the shadow of the towering hydroelectricity plants that supplied power to the rest of the city, that Crowely had made his home. It had taken him quite a while to make his way here - after Jawblade had used the reservoir and aquaducts as a route to attack the power cables for Hero Factory years ago, security had been tightened throughout the network - but now that he'd found this place, he was almost... happy.

The reservoir was large enough that he wasn't likely to run out of food anytime soon, and there was little in the way of competition or predators for him to deal with. As long as he kept his distance from the power plant, and didn't draw attention to himself it was quite possible that he could live here in relative peace. 

At least, he hoped so...

IC: Skylor - Sparrowhawk

My eyes narrow at this gal's snappy response. They narrow even more when she ignores me to have a chat with the white-armoured warrior above. I knew from the second I saw this Hero that she was useless, but I s'ppose I can thank her for just confirming my observations. By the time she's givin' her monologue-victim a word in edgeways, I'm mutterin' "Fine, if you won't help I'll just get back to the Factory myself."

IC Kaiba:

 

Placing the blade back in place, he stared down at the Hero. 

 

"Before it was your city it was mine, Hero. I protect the people. It is what I was built to do, and I will continue to do so whether or not your Factory approves."

IC: Evangeline Weaver - Makuhero City.

"I am not having this argument right now," she sighed, keying her comms, "We've got Sky. The civilians have run off, but that pain-in-the-exhaust vigilante's still hanging around. What do you want me to do?"

IC: CORE

MAKUHERO CITY

He turned to Echo and Insurgent, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb down the next street.

"I know a place down that way - cheap, and I'm on good terms with the owner, so we'll get some decent stuff."

Bonus points for it not being a shady joint either.

IC: Nathaniel Zib - Hero Factory

"Vigilante...?" He switched back to Weaver's feed. "Oh. I'm sending out another ping to your location. See if you can't take him in peacefully, and if not, you have Beemer and Sparrowhawk with you. Make sure they don't go running off, though; they're still going to need to report back here immediately after."

~

IC: Heroes

Heroes in the area would get a ping about a villain sighting, and a request for assistance in case the situation escalated. If Zib didn't get a response, he'd call in off-duty Heroes.

~

IC: Mara Quiver - Home

No response. Quiver hadn't called out very loudly, though, so it was possible no one had heard her. She didn't like being in the house by herself, but she'd heard their movement and talking, so she knew her friends were here. She slipped into her room, not wanting to disturb them.

She placed her already painted pieces on their shelf, still in the bag, before starting to unpack her new sets onto her desk.

IC: Insurgent

"Alright, sounds good." Insurgent said.

IC: Captor

_{Location: Casa la Forticus}

Where as Quiver might have expected her tall friend to come greet her, instead the canine form hero calmly looked into her room, before approaching her. "Quiver. Hello. It is good to see you again."

IC: Mara Quiver - The Fort-Icus

She heard his padded footsteps, but his voice still startled her. She mumbled, "H-Hello. G-G-Good to see you, t-too. S-sorry I've been out s-so long, th-there was a c-c-convention."

IC: Isaac Rider
A gunshot. Rider sighed, as he realized he was needed once again. He jumped up out of his seat, and ran out of the apartment, Claws hovering quickly behind him.
OOC: Medical help incoming~

IC: Captor

^{Location: Titan's Homestead}

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, I am not in charge of your off-duty activities. What you do and how long you're out doing it is no business of mine unless you decide otherwise." Captor said in a gentle but still characteristically gruff voice.

IC: Mara Quiver - Fortified Titan Household

"O-Oh, um... S-sorry." Quiver turned away to busy her hands with her boxes. "Um, I h-hope you had a n-n-nice day. Did you, um, d-do anything? F-Fun, I m-mean?"

~

IC: Ken Render - Bus

After seeing Quiver off, Render hopped on a bus headed for the sports arena. He was meeting Flood there, and Quark too, if she finished her work in time. If not, he was sure she'd have Thumper's match going on her arm-mounted screen or something.

He smiled to himself. Now hat she could move up ranks, Thumper was getting to do more matches, and matches that were more publicised. Oh, she had big matches before, but those weren't as often as now. And, the recent bout of peace definitely helped in allowing her the time to pursue her passion.

Someone was staring at his faraway grin. His smile turned sheepish. "Uh, ma'am."

He looked out the window instead. Gosh darn, if this peaceful break hadn't brought some good to it for everyone. He wished it would last forever, but it never did. Still, he could dream.

IC: Captor

^{Location: A Fortress By Any Other Name}

"Well, I just came home from a mission, so you could say that." Captor approached Quiver. "What kind of convention were you at, if you don't mind me inquiring anyway?"

IC: Isaac Rider

A short time after, Rider had arrived at the scene. There was 3 heroes on the scene, plus one other robot he did not recognize. Rider noticed Sparrowhawk's bleeding side.

"Isaac Rider, medical hero, here. Is my help needed?"

IC: Skylor Sparrowhawk - Makuhero City

I'm tryin' to be angry as I stalk away, ready to take wing. Only problem is, I really don't  have the energy for it - my strength seems ta s'pprisin'ly be seepin' from the GAPING WOUND (I'm exaggerating) in my side. As if readin' my very thoughts, I hear a voice from behind me asking if anyone needs a hand. I turn to see another Hero who wasn't there a sec ago, claimin' they're a medic. I glance down at my cut...I'll live, but it would be nice if it conveniently went away. Now, don't misjudge me: I'm not one'a those proud 'I'll be fine' types (like I bet the try-hard gal I just spoke to is). Nah, I can tell when I need help, and more importantly when I want help. 'Fraid to say, dear reader, this is one of those times.

"Yeah, if you don't mind," I gesture sheepishly to my injury. "Got shot, ya see."

IC: Isaac Rider

"Alright, stand still." Rider quickly got to the taller hero's wound, putting his hand on the wound, and beginning to fix the dented metal with his powers.

Claws hovered close to him, beeping nervously.

IC: Mara Quiver - Forty Fort Fortress

She perked up. "Oh. Um, it w-was a miniature f-figure c-convention. I e-enter my p-puh-painted ones in art c-competitions, and I p-play with th-them in the t-tournaments sometimes. R-Render came w-with me today, b-but he c-couldn't stay. Ellie has a b-big match t-tonight, a-and he's going to g-go watch."

~

IC: Dorothy Quark - Hero Factory

Quark looked over her report for errors. She didn't like to rush, but she did have somewhere to be. Thumper had a fairly prominent match tonight, and while she never insisted they attend, all members of the team were conveniently off duty at the moment. Quark had just returned from a bout with space pirates, herself, and all seemed well unless some crook was looking to cause trouble in the next few hours.

On cue, Zib hailed her. She submitted her report with one hand and answered him with the other. "Quark."

"Where are you right now?"

"I'm still in the Hero Factory, but I am just on my way out. If you're checking up on my report, it's submitted."

"Huh? No. There's an issue at this location-" he sent her some coordinates, "-and the only Hero who's responded so far is a rookie not designed for combat."

She covertly checked the time. She finished early, she could resolve whatever scuffle was happening and get to the arena. It was even on the way. "Very well. But I see several Heroes at the scene on this map."

"Um, that's the thing. Two of them- Sparrowhawk and Beemer- need to be taken back to Hero Factory. Beemer joined in on a fight with civilians that Sparrowhawk started- but he seemed to have misunderstood the situation, so go easy on him. And Sparrowhawk told me to shut up! How rude!"

Quark paused in leaving the room, but then quickened her pace. "Is the fight still going?"

"No. A Villain by the name of Kaiba Blader turned up. We're aiming to bring him in peacefully, but I'd rather have experienced Heroes on the scene in case things go downhill."

"Send me a summary of the situation on the way. I'll handle it."

"Thanks, Quark. Call in if you need backup. And, uh, go easy on them, okay?"

"No promises. Quark out." She marched out the front of Hero Factory, heading for her ship.

~

OOC: The Space Mum cometh

IC: Evangeline Weaver - Makuhero City, Streets.

"How's about you make this easy on everyone, and just come quietly?" She called up to Kaiba as she began to climb up towards where he was, "No one needs to get hurt!"

IC Kaiba:

He paused, seemingly regarding the idea.

"....No."

And just like that, he was off again, running across the rooftops.

IC: Ruby

Ruby was relaxing in her apartment when the notice from Zib went out.  She wasn't on duty, but her apartment was near the action.  She decided she'd better call Zib about it.  "Zib, this is Ruby.  You need me to help?"

IC: Evangeline Weaver - Makuhero City, Rooftops.

"Oh, come on," she clambered up the last few feet, and watched Kaiba's receding form vanish into the night. "Sorry Zib," she opened up her comms once more, "He's gone, again."

IC: Echo - Makuhero City

Still following silently behind Core, Echo watched the White Wolf leap overhead to a different roof before vanishing out of sight and shook his head imperceptibly.

Vigilantes like that almost never seemed to consider escape vehicles; running was such an inefficient method of transportation when regularly opposing Heroes.

IC: Skylor Sparrowhawk - Makuhero City

I sigh as the pain in my side decreases, at least a little bit. This newcomer seems fairly no-nonsense, somethin' a lotta Heroes seem to be missin'. The other Hero is still natterin' away in the comms, unsurprisin'ly. I look across at the med..."How long have you been a Hero, then?" I ask him absent-mindedly.

IC: Isaac Rider

"6 months or so...."

Rider said, equally as out-of-it.

The wound was nearly sealed.

"How'd you get this?"

IC: Nathaniel Zib - Hero Factory

He sighed at Weaver's statement. To Ruby, he said, "I'm afraid you're a little late for the original announcement, but I could use someone searching the area. Villains wandering around Makuhero City isn't exactly a nice thought."

He replied to Weaver, writing out a situation update in text form as he did so, "I'm sending Heroes to scan the area, but that Blader has a nasty habit of just disappearing. I've sent a Hero, Dorothy Quark, to assist in returning Beemer and Sparrowhawk. Once she arrives, you can help search for the villain."

~

IC: Timothy Gyro - Kat and Tim's Apartment

Gyro jumped up from his position upside down on the couch in a less than graceful tumble, blades clattering against the floor, as he received a message from Zib on his HUD. He wasn't close to the incident, but apparently the crook involved was last seen headed in his general direction, and a flying Hero would have a better chance of tracking a guy running across rooftops.

He switched off the TV and checked he had all his gear before swinging himself out the window. He gripped the windowpane, fumbling with the special window-fitted lock one-handedly before managing to secure it, and pushed from the side of the building. The freefall felt nice, wind whipping against his armour, so he gave it a few moments before letting his blades slow his descent and carry him towards the fleeing villain.

As he flew along his merry way, he called Scarlet. "Hey, Kat. Wanna come help me look for this villain guy? Apparently he ran off scared when Heroes showed up."

~

OOC: Quick note to Dane- Rider would have been a Hero much longer than a couple of weeks by now! Since he was made just before the destruction of the original Hero Factory, and we timeskipped six months, Rider would be around six months old.

IC: CORE

MAKUHERO CITY

Thankfully, they managed to reach the Establishment (literally, the bar was called 'Establishment'; Core had given up trying to convince the owner to change it to something better) without incident. Opening the door, he gestured for Echo and Insurgent to step inside.

IC: Insurgent

He followed behind. This seemed more Insurgent's type of place.

IC: Evangeline Weaver - Makuhero City, Rooftops.

"Got it," she sighed, sitting down on the edge of the roof as she waited for backup to arrive. 

IC: Echo - Establishment?

Echo moved inside the bar after Insurgent and immediately began scanning the room for any Heroes, vigilantes, or other unfriendly characters.

And also for empty tables.

IC: Dorothy Quark - The Reckoning Comes

Quark checked the time as she came in for landing, still fuming. She, arguably, had enough time to get these two troublemakers back home. But, she seethed to herself, if these Heroes made her even one minute late...

She disembarked after parking nearby, locking the door behind her. Weaver was waiting with three other Heroes, Beemer and two rookies that Quark didn't recognise. She marched up to them, her displeasure showing very clearly on her face. However, her voice was calm- a forced calm, but calm nonetheless. "Weaver, thank you for your help. I'll take it from here."

The Heroes present may have felt a shift in the atmosphere, the dread from someone in the vicinity having done something that warranted a stern talking-to.

IC: Evangeline Weaver - Makuhero City, Rooftops.

"They're all yours," she nodded down to Quark, before beginning to sprint off in the direction she though Kaiba had gone in, "Just try not to scare them too much, they're only kids!" 

IC: Dorothy Quark - Save Them

She nodded to Weaver before turning her intense glare onto Beemer, and then to each rookie. She opened her wrist-mounted screen and found Sparrowhawk's picture. She turned to the other Hero. "You must be the non-combat Hero Zib mentioned. Thank you for responding. I will be taking these two back to Hero Factory. You are free to go; the others may need assistance in finding the fleeing villain."

She looked back to the other two, stared a moment longer, and then, in a voice that rose with every syllable, "Now, can someone explain to me... EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD WHEN YOU DECIDED TO START A STREET BRAWL WITH INNOCENT CIVILIANS LIKE A GANG OF HOOLIGANS?!"

IC: Captor

^{Location: Penthouse For Giants}

"That's good. Do you have a miniature I could see now?" 

IC: Isaac Rider

He nodded, nervously, before heading off, Claws trailing behind as ever.

IC: Skylor Sparrowhawk - Makuhero City

"Got shot." I reply to the healer as my wound finally closes up. Unfortunally he doesn't have time to give the bland 'I'm so sorry' response I can see forming in his mouth - no, unfortunately (and I mean it this time), we're interrupted by yet another newcomer. How many of us is it now? Too many, and I was just heading off too...Anyway, this granny is shouting at us, or me specific'lly. I'd get annoyed, I'd offer an explanation, I might even turn 'round and look at her properly...but I honestly can't be bothered with stuck up old crones like this one, stickin' their fat heads into other peoples' business an' expectin' to get respect just cos they've spent more time than me waddling around the city tellin' people what to do.

In the end, after the arrival has yapped on for a bit, I do turn to her. I don't talk to her though - reasoning with people as over-serious as this one is pretty pointless, and I'm already in a bad mood (besides, she's not my superior for all I know - and even if she was she hasn't given me an order). Instead, eyebrow raised, I click my fingers. Music resumes playin' in my ears, prob'ly loud enough for her to hear, and certainly loud enough to drown out any more prattle from her. Now I was plannin' to go back to the HF, but the fact that they've not only tried to handcuff me, but have also sent a lunatic after me, has kinda put me off the idea for today. Tomorrow, when I'm less worn out, I'll report. For now, though, I think I need a rest...

As I turn my back on the Hero, I mutter into Zib's comms channel that "I'm finally goin' home - happy now? I'll be in tomorrow, just stop hasslin' me..." 

IC Kat:

I had my comms turned off, just enjoying the quiet and the wind on my face of the open sky. I wouldn't notice Tim's message until later.

IC Kaiba:

Remaining on the rooftops was a sure way to be easily spotted, so Kaiba took to the streets and back alleys of the city, headed to an old Friend's place....

IC: Mara Quiver - Realm of the Titan

Quiver nodded, quickly bringing her bag over. She carefully lifted a small dropship from within, beautifully painted and even featuring glowing engines when Quiver flicked a little switch on the base it rested upon. She mumbled, "R-Render helped me w-w-with the l-lights."

~

IC: Timothy Gyro - Above Makuhero City

Straight to voicemail. Gyro left Scarlet a full five minutes of knock knock jokes, appropriately pausing for her responses.

~

IC: Nathaniel Zib - Hero Factory

Zib frowned at the monitor. "Now, wait just one second! You can't 'come in tomorrow' for a disciplinary hearing! And- oh, dear..."

He could feel Quark's expression, even when not looking directly at it.

~

IC: Dorothy Quark - Rest In Peace, Skylor's Ears

Quark heard the music, and heard the rude call. She saw the rookie refuse to make eye contact- at first, she thought it was out of some sort of shame or embarrassment, and was almost going to relent. But it was something else entirely.

Furious, she took a minute to take some warm-up cycles of air. Tonight was turning out to be a real strain on her vocal unit. She quickly closed the gap between her and the rookie, snatched the rookie's arm in her hand, and bellowed at incredible volume over the music, loud enough to startle Zib all the way on the other end of the line, directly into the rookie's audios:

"TURN THAT OFF RIGHT THIS SECOND OR YOU WILL HAVE YOUR FLYING CAPABILITIES REMOVED FOR THE DURATION OF YOUR ALREADY INCREDIBLY LONG PUNITIVE PROBATION. I AM NOT JOKING. I WILL HAVE YOU BOTH METAPHORICALLY AND PHYSICALLY GROUNDED, SKYLOR SPARROWHAWK."

IC: Captor

^{Location: Big Guy's Crib}

Captor silently looked at the model ship for a moment. "It's beautiful. Your handiwork is quite admirable, Quiver." Although his praise was undoubtedly genuine, there was a hint of melancholy to his voice.

IC: Mara Quiver - Big Baby Bungalow Except Not A Bungalow It's A Penthouse Suite

"Th-Thank you." Quiver wasn't sure how to react to Captor's sadness, or to his compliment. Hunching her shoulders and glancing away, she asked, "D-Do you h-h-have something y-you like t-t-to do in y-yuh-your free t-time?"