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Birdie McKnight

Insane in the Mainframe.

0 · 1,230 views · located in Wasp Labs, Tunisia

a character in “New Guardians”, as played by Talisman

Description


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"Now, bear with me here, I know it's
gonna sound dumb but... have you
tried turning it off and on again?"


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"You've always loved the strange birds."
"The geeks will inherit the earth!"
"Stronger than ever, I'm ready to burn."
"Code monkey not crazy, just proud."

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            Full name: . . . . Andrea Birdie McKnight. ..
            Nicknames: . . . Birdie. .. [Preferred]
            Age: . . . . . . . . . .. Nineteen :: June Twenty-Third

            Sexuality: . . . . . Bisexual
            Hometown: . . . Silicon Valley, California
            Mentor: . . . . . .. Phantasm

            Dialogue colour: . . . #B6B6B4

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      Appearance

        Eye colour ♦ . . . Soft Gray. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . Hair colour ♦ . . . (Bleached) White
        Height ♦ . . . .. . Five Foot Nine Inches . . . . . .. Weight ♦ . . . One-hundred Thirty pounds


        ♦ Everyday appearance ♦ . . .
        A woman with eccentric tastes, Birdie wears what she wants to wear. She's a colorful girl and her dress is no different. She will wear about anything she can call cute, if it can tickle her sensibilities. She loves sundresses, jacket and scarf combinations, shirts, skirts, hoodies, pants, boots, heels, anything she think she can make work, and with someone with Birdie's unabashed personality, she thinks she can work everything. Despite all that, she has an unmistakable fondness for layers. A lovely shirt, with a nice cardigan, and nicer scarf, and to tie it all together with the most adorable pair of boots. Her favorite season is winter because it allows her to open up her closest. Of note, however, is her hair, which, in a sense, isn't really her hair. She bleaches it white, and the roots, eyebrows, and some missed streaks reveal her original hair color as a dark brunette.


        ♦ Hero appearance ♦ . . .
        Ah yes, well. It wouldn't make sense if someone with the moniker Ghost patrolled the streets in a dazzling display of color, now would it? Birdie's colorful attire is reined in as a Ghost to the binary black and white, with minor highlights of blue. The base outfit is a black shirt underneath a black leather jacket and black cargo pants and all stitched with white thread. On the chest of the jacket is the insignia of the Phantasm which hopefully one day be passed down to her. Over that, Birdie wears what she likes to call her "badass longcoat" which as chance would have it, a black longcoat with the same insignia and stitching as the jacket. The longcoat has a hood that's always pulled over her head and a number of pockets sewn inside of it to accommodate all of her doohickeys. And what superhero would be complete without a mask? Hers is a simple black one that covers her cheekbones and eyebrows and a pair of goggles and a black scarf wrapped around her neck that can be pulled up over her mouth.


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Abilities
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    Personal Invisibility Field ♦ . . .Birdie doesn't really enjoy being called the invisible girl-- like that is all she is, or it's the only thing that makes her unique. Regardless, it is true that her power is that of invisibility, or in more technical terms, a projected personal invisibility field. There's a keen difference between the two, believe it or not, and one Birdie is quick to point out. If her power was mere invisibility, then all of her clothes would still be visible. With an invisibility field, it includes her clothes as well. Activation is achieved through a sudden and abrupt lack of oxygen entering her system, or in layman's terms, she holds her breath in order to vanish. From her understanding, it is an evolved or mutated defensive mechanism. Same concept as unconsciously holding ones breath when faced with stressful situations.

    Skills ♦ . . .Technogeekry! Birdie is massive tech nerd, which means she has an interest in all things electrical and technical. The resident tech expert, she has knowledge in computer and security systems, with some dabbling in engineering. She likes to call what she does data liberation though the philistine would call it hacking. A few lines of code, some prebuilt applications, and a bit of time and she can crack through a computer system and to the juicy, gooey, innards. That being said, a hero needs more than to be able to hack and turn invisible. She is able to turn these systems to her advantage when necessary, and she keeps with her a stock of gadgets to aid her in fighting crime. Granted, she still young, and there are things she has yet to learn, so there are problems even she cannot solve. She also has some self-defense and handgun training, both which become all that more dangerous when paired with her invisibility.

    Limitations ♦ . . .Like some cruel cosmic joke, the one thing that activates her power is also affected by an acute case of asthma. Pollen, the cold, vigorous exercise, strong perfume or cologne, smoke, or even the damn weather can cause a sudden flair up. Since her power is involuntary, revolving around her oxygen intake, her powers become erratic during these flair ups, causing her to partially flicker in and out of sight. On particularly bad flair ups, she's basically a walking strobe light. So tries to combat this by carrying her inhaler on her at all times, and sometimes even two or three.

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      Personality

        A chirping little Birdie, so full of color and so full of life? Oh yes, very much so. It's a metaphor, you see? Birdie is an eccentric woman, who is quite vibrant despite the starkness of her hair. She's what you would call a cheerful type of individual, happy-go-lucky with a devil-may-care attitude. A veritable font of good-nature and optimism. Her laughter is the infectious sort, and almost makes you want to laugh with her-- at least until she starts coughing up a lung. But a quick hit from her inhaler, and she's back to laughing like nothing happened. Nothing can keep this little Birdie down for long. It should come to no surprise then that she has never met a stranger, eager to talk and get to know anyone she'll be spending any amount of time with. How she manages that without being annoying is anyone's guess.

        That being said, despite all of this setting her up to be the obligatory air-headed type, Birdie is quite down to earth at the heart of her thinking. Ironically... Though one may be forgiven if initial appearances prove otherwise. She's in possession of a fierce intelligence, sharp wit, and at times can be made of offbeat sarcasm. If faced with a dumb question, she won't hesitate to answer it with a dumb answer in the most deadpan tone she can muster. She's no one's fool, and Birdie likes to think she can tell when she's being played, though sometimes her belief in everyone's better nature leads her astray. Still, she's quick on the uptake and can read between the lines. Fool her once, shame on you, fool her twice, and you 'bout to catch those hands.

        When she decides to stop chirping and put that energy toward something else, an uncommon focus descends on her. She will not be outdid or outsmarted by a problem, eager and determined to suss out a solution. Time, effort, and ability will triumph in the end, after all... Along with an ungodly amount of caffeine. A focused Birdie is a dangerous Birdie as the wide net that is her attention is focused on a singular point. A caffeinated Birdie? Even more so. However, there is also an odd... habit that tends to pop up when she gets like this. She has a tendency to talk to both herself and inanimate objects around her, and usually answers in turn. A... skill, in the loosest sense of the word, where she talks out her problems, and usually in doing so realizes her mistakes and finds an obfuscated solution.

        She is also a nerd. Like, a massive, unapologetic, unrestrained nerd. She loves her video games, and will fight you if you diss her favorites, and the same goes with her television shows, which includes her Japanese animes. Of course. She's also rather... inundated in internet culture, though she tends to keep this to herself. So no spouting off memes from her, thank goodness. However, more than that, she's in love with tech of all kinds. While her primary focus is that of computer systems, programs, and software, she's also dabbled in the hardware and can wield a soldering iron proficiently. She'd more than happily talk for hours about all the new tech developments in the world, and geek out over the newest and hottest gidgets and consoles that hit the markets.


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Likes

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Computers, for business and pleasure. What, you didn't think she was one of those console peasants, did you? Nah son, she built her own. Video games, because all work and no play makes Birdie a dull lady. Besides, someone needs to put the scrubs in their place. Electric chill trap, and old eighties music... What?

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Dislikes

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Country Music; ♫ Oooh my baby left me and took my dog when she went. ♫ Bugs, not like cockroaches, but computer bugs. One errant line of code can sink a program and drive Birdie one step closer to insanity. Cockroaches are bad too, though. Obviously. Losing; hax. Its got to be hax, like these losers could ever beat her fairly.


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    Computer Skills ♦ . . .Hax! As one would expect from a computer nerd, Birdie has formidable skills with computers. With enough time and the right tools, she can jack into most internet capable devices and either mine data or turn its systems to her advantage. Of course, as a hero, she is aware of whose privacy she is breaching and only does so as necessary, or if she feels the user wouldn't mind.
    Problem Solving ♦ . . . Just an extra line of code here and there and... walla, problem solved. Working with computer systems has instilled Birdie with a problem solving suite of skills and out of the box thinking. Her own eccentric thought process only aid in attacking problems from multiple angles. Hey, if it looks stupid, but works, then it ain't stupid.
    Focus ♦ . . . When the chips are down, and something requires Birdie's undivided attention (or something interests her) she develops and uncommon determination and drive to accomplish whatever task she has set or has been set for herself.
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Weaknesses
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    Physically Frail ♦ . . .Look at her, do you really expect someone like that to be a physical powerhouse? Sure, she knows a bit of self defense, but don't expect her to go ten rounds with anyone trained in martial arts. Her asthma only complicates matters, as after a few punches she's more than likely to start wheezing.
    Overconfident ♦ . . . She perhaps puts a bit too much stock in her skills. Birdie is still young, and still has a lot left to learn, but with that youth comes the idea that hey, she's invincible and is going to live forever. Running into a problem or something that she can't solve frustrates her to the point of recklessness all the while stating she got this.
    Water ♦ . . . Birdie's not the best swimmer, but she can do enough to keep her head above water. Also, there's the fear of drowning floating around in the head. And if she were to drown, then her invisibility would make finding her... difficult.

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      "Fight Me!" ♦ Despite being physically frail, Birdie has the eccentric habit of puffing up her plumage and strutting. It's an act, she knows it, and she knows you know it too, but still. The girl isn't the mousey-type, and has a tendency to tell people to fight her in jest. She knows she'd lose, they know she'd lose, and the dog knows she'd lose too. Still. Fight me.
      Talking to Herself ♦ When she's focused, she starts talking to herself, or to inanimate objects and answers them. It helps her to talk out probably in hopes of catching a solution in the explanation.
      NERD! Video games, tech, anime, internet memes, Birdie is a fine connoisseur of each. Fortunately, she's not insufferable about it and doesn't wave it in people's face, but if interests align, she's not hesitant in divulging an inordinate amount of time to discuss the finer points of each.
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      Disappointment ♦ Well, not her own, of course, but her father's. She's what you would call a daddy's girl, and would hate to do anything to disappoint him. She tries to do right by him and tries her best to make him proud. He's given her so much, it's the least she could do.
      Suffocating ♦ You try living with asthma and not worrying about suffocating to death one day. It's a horrible way to go, wheezing and coughing, unable to get air into your lungs. It's a helpless feeling, one she learned all after all the asthma attacks she had. It's why she's likely to carry a number of inhalers on her at all times.

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      History

        Despite what initial impressions may lead you to believe, Birdie, or Andrea Birdie McKnight if you wanna go dig up her birth certificate, is heiress to both McKnight Industries and the McKnight fortune. What? You think all the toys she plays with come cheap? Surprise, she's a rich chick, though she doesn't act like it. Such the advantages of being born a McKnight. McKnight Industries, or MKI for when one gets tired of writing that out, is an R&D firm located in where else? The heart of Silicon Valley, and has it's fingers in many pies. From foreign and government contracts, MKI works in a number of related fields, with technological engineering and cutting edge computer science.

        That being said, Birdie wasn't created in one of those labs. In fact, she wasn't even planned, but a serendipitous little accident. See, back in the day, her father, one David Lee McKnight, was known an an eccentric rich boy, with far too much smarts and charisma for his own good. A known playboy and womanizer, he honestly probably wouldn't have remembered her mother's name had it not been for Birdie. That being said, she... doesn't really like to talk about her mother. The story goes that she was a gold digger, and sensing a way to get paid, she had David's child-- Birdie-- in order to collect that sweet, sweet child support.

        Sure, David could have just said no, and ignored both Birdie and her mother for the rest of their lives and denied them a cent, but one look at his little Birdie and he was sold, wrapped around her little finger like an auxiliary cable. The child support came in, though... Birdie never saw much of the money herself. What she did see was her mother come home with new clothes, purses, and vehicles. For all intents and purposes, Birdie was a meal ticket and, well. She was never mistreated, but... she never got the attention she wanted from her mother. But when she was with her dad, he showered her in it. He did all he could for her, took her on business trips when he could, and even let her in some of his meetings. He was the owner, after all. What were they going to do? Tell him no? Besides, by this time they were used to his shenanigans.

        Eventually, however, her mother began to get greedy, wanting more and more money from David while using Birdie as a tool to get it. Unfortunately, there was not much David could do, as she was the mother, and had the right of custody for Birdie. But one day, that too changed. See, Birdie had developed asthma at a young age, and she almost suffocated to death because her mother forgot to refill her inhaler prescription because she was off doing who knows what with her money. Needless to say, this pissed David right the hell off. A number of court dates an army of lawyers, and one large lump sum later David had full custody of Birdie. Of course, this all went on without Birdie catching on to her father's secret.

        The secrets came flooding out however when she soon developed the power of invisibility herself. She was a little late taking a hit from her inhaler when she began to flicker. After the initial terrifying experience, and some subsequent experimentation on her own (holding her breath and watching in a mirror as she blinked out of existence) that she realized that, hey, she had a superpower. After excitedly revealing it to her father, she realized that he too had the same power, demonstrating it in front of her. Apparently, their power is hereditary, as Birdie's grandfather also had it. It was about then that David revealed himself as the Phantasm to his daughter.

        Personally, she thought it was all so cool and once she grew up enough, began accompanying her father on his escapades, which usually amounted to white collar superheroism. Hacking into companies' private files to root out corruption and illegal deals, or remotely triggering an alarm on a bank that was being broken into, before locking the doors on the would be thieves. Of course, this was all done in the stereotypical theatrics as PHANTASM! and Birdie loved it all. There were also times that they ventured out from their computer screens to take the fight to the villains on more personal terms. See, a bonus to running an R&D department is the limitless supply of gadgets and gizmos at their hands-- some of which were quite useful in the apprehension of the criminal element.

        Soon, it was time that Birdie flew the nest as it were. After earning excellent marks in her preparatory high school and rather unorthodox extracurriculars, she was given an invitation to enroll in Ascot Academy, and also the New Guardians-- though the last one wasn't quite as publicized, for the obvious reasons. Still, she accepted, because she had to strike out on her own at some point, and though David was disappointed to lose his faithful sidekick, both Ascot and (off the record, of course) the New Guardians received a generous donation.

        Oh, and he paid them too.


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Played by ♦ . . . Talisman
Face claim ♦ . . . Devon Jade
Sheet by ♦ . . . bombinate
Coding inspo ♦ . . . Achelois


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So begins...

Birdie McKnight's Story

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Raphael Pavesi Character Portrait: Lonna Le Fey Character Portrait: Gabriel 'Gabe' Ventura Character Portrait: Josephine Kingston Character Portrait: Beatrice Barlow Character Portrait: Birdie McKnight
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NEW GUARDIANS : ACT ONE

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Time: 9.03am, Monday 9th October, 2017


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The morning of Monday the 9th dawns bright and chilly, one of the colder days despite the time of year. Many might glance at the sky with a disgruntled frown, asking why the weather gods had decided to bring a winter breeze a month early. It could have been worse though, for it was only the wind that stirred leaves and sent the odd chill down pedestrians' backs. When out of the wind and in the sun, the weather seemed warmer, closer to the summer passed than the winter to come.

The city itself seems quiet, more peaceful than an large, thriving metropolis has a right to be. Yet, anyone knows that beneath that tranquil peace is sure to be the rumblings of crime, a common undercurrent found in any big city. Well, perhaps New York's crime stats were a bit lower than your average city. It did lay claim to a few prominent members of The Wardens, and was the secret home to The Warden's newest venture: The New Guardians, a group of younger heroes being trained to save the world.

A year has passed since the group was first formed, and since then their number has doubled as new recruits have been invited to join by the veteran Wardens. Within the last month, almost every member of the young heroes' group has received a scholarship (or invitation for those wealthy enough not to worry about money) to attend the prestigious Ascot Academy, a private school offering high school courses as well as college classes.

For those in the high school, a mandatory uniform sees all the students wearing a sea of white and navy. Thankfully, the university students are free to wear what they wish, provided it isn't too ostentatious. As the new day begins, school calls to our heroes, where they might temporarily put aside weapons and masks for pens and calculators... well, at least as long as trouble doesn't come calling.



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The girl hit the ground with a dull thud, a grunt of suppressed pain squeezed from her lips as the wind was knocked from her lungs. Her shins stung, her hands were prickling from the slap of the mat, and various bruises were already sprouting across her dark skin, and yet she was pushing herself up with barely a frown.

"Isn't this child abuse or something?" Beatrice Barlow chirped up at her mentor, rolling her wrists slightly before crouching back into an anticipatory position, fists raised above her face. Rather than mimic her pose or respond to her teasing, Francis Leeds merely threw a towel at the teenager. His own towel was clutched in his other hand, wiping a thin layer of sweat off his face.

"Come on old man, one more round." Bea attempts to coerce her mentor, even though she knows better than anyone how frustratingly stubborn he can be.

"You have school starting soon" He replies, nodding towards the digital clock projected onto the wall of the manor's fitness centre. "I don't pay for you not to go."

Bea snorted and placed her hand over her heart, faking a regretful tone as she teases, "If only I've got one of those special scholarships, then you wouldn't have to pay a dime."

Francis Leeds merely raises an eyebrow at the girl's teasing, his lips quirking up in what might almost be considered a smirk. Someone who didn't know the man well might assume that his expression was unchanged, still that mask of blankness that The Shadow maintained at all times. Bea, however, could tell that this was Leeds' version of a smile, the equivalent of a normal person physically clutching their stomach in laughter. It was a victory, and she was sure as hell going to tell Dot about it when she did get to school.

As she grabbed her water bottle and took a refreshing gulp, Bea shook her head at her mentor, "You gonna drive me? Otherwise I might accidentally miss the bus."

Leeds merely straightened as he picked up his own bottle, flung his towel over his shoulder and proceeded to leave the training room, calling back over his shoulder, "I'll be leaving in fifteen minutes. Don't be late."

Twenty-five minutes later, after a hasty shower, pulling on her school uniform, and grabbing her school books, Bea finds herself seated in the passenger seat of Francis Leeds' favourite sports car as they pull into the entrance of Ascot Academy. The wrought iron gates were pulled wide, bracketed by solid columns of old brick decorated by climbing vines. The school itself has ivy climbing over the old building, the one that looks like it was plucked right out of 18th century Europe and plonked on the outskirts of New York city. The new building, hovering over the old, is new and sleek in comparison, and Beatrice knows from experience holds a hub of expensive tech that her wealthy mentor - among others - helped to fund.

The nine o'clock bell to signal the start of first period has already rung, no doubt the 8.50 bell telling students to get to class had already sounded too. Bea looked forward to the day she would be a college student, and didn't have to abide by the timetable those bells set. At least she didn't have to go to one of the other city schools where they started at some ungodly, even earlier hour.

"Come on, Frank, first period is gym and you know I don't need any help with that!" Bea sighs as the car grinds to a halt, attempting to do the impossible and convince Francis into doing something he's already refused her. "We could go get starbucks and I'd still be back in time for English."

"Out." Was all Leeds answered with as he leaned over and opened her door for her, raising his brows as he waited for the young girl to leave. Bea pulled a face and slid out of the car, petulantly poking her tongue out as Leeds closed the door and drove off with only a "Be good" in farewell.

Bea squared her shoulders and smoothed her skirt, resigning herself to the mind numbing dullness of playing volleyball for an hour. Truthfully, it wouldn't really be that bad. She had a few friends in the class and Bea was always fairly good at sports, but she'd still rather be wagging with Francis. Or Dot, maybe she should text Dot and...

Even as the thought crossed Bea's mind, something beeped. It wasn't the cellphone in her bag however, but the small device she kept in the thin belt hidden beneath her school blouse. Digging it out, Bea felt a grin spread across her face because she knew before she'd looked at the message and plugged in the ear piece what the beeping meant. The New Guardians were being called in on a mission. No school for the day!


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"New Guardians, report to home base immediately. This is a priority mission, everyone is required." The Shadow's voice was brusque and business-like, leaving no room for questions. The broadcast no doubt going out to all the members of the young team.

"Yes, sir." Raphael Pavesi responded quietly, head down so as not to draw attention in the small lecture theatre, hand covering his mouth. The Italian, who had risen early for a lecture at Ascot, quickly packed up his items and pulled out of his row, ducking his head further as he slipped from the room. He waved vaguely at the one friend he had in the lecture, reminding himself to text her later to ask for notes.

Then, it was only a short walk to one two teleportation devices within the school. This one took the appearance of a supply closet, yet only the thumb print of one of the heroes would cause the door knob to unlock. To anyone else it would be mysteriously locked. Raf pulled it open now, hooking his bag securely over his shoulder as the door locked behind him and he was able to step up onto the large disc-like indents on the floor. The one beneath his feet glowed, a robotic voice calling out his name as it scanned his body and confirmed his identity,

"Aeolus. Member B-1-1."

Gritting his teeth, Raf watched as yellow light washed over his body, and suddenly he felt as if he were moving at the speed of light without actually moving an inch. Gravity weighed him down, his breath was pushed from his lungs, his finger tips sparked, and then as suddenly as it began he was standing on a similar pad, but in a much larger room. Really, the teleportation pads take less than the blink of an eye, but it always feels longer to Raf, who hates them. Yet, with time of the essence, he figured it would be better than flying to base.

The underground base has a simple layout. One main room in the centre is where most activities, training exercises, and mission hand-outs occur. Around the circular room are a few niches - one of which holds the teleportation pads, enough to transport the whole team in one go anywhere in the world. Directly across are automatic doors which lead to more training rooms, areas such as the gym and a small swimming pool, rooms for training powers, and more. Between that door and the teleportation pads are, on one side, doors leading to the large garage, while directly across from them are the doors leading to the communal living areas and bedrooms.

Raf heads towards the bedrooms now, rushing through the doors into a large living room with an extensive kitchen attached, and then through into a short corridor with bedrooms branching off. Some of the rooms are empty, as not every member chooses to live at base. Raf's room is the third on the right, a tidy, personal space which he rarely invites others into. He likes to hole up on his chair most nights to read a book. Today, however, he dumps his back, quickly pulls on his outfit and then heads back out to the main atrium.

His gloves activate with a through, inscribed, golden skin crawling over his hands. He flexes them as he comes to stand in front of The Shadow, nodding his greeting to the older hero while waiting for the rest of the team to join them.

It isn't long before the teleportation pads illuminate again, and as the robotic voice calls, "Dusk. Member B-0-1." , with a wide grin on her face steps the identified hero. She's in her uniform and grinning, holding back her energy as she comes over to The Shadow.

"Should'a just gone to starbucks." She teases her mentor, and Raf isn't sure, but he thinks... he thinks he just saw the Shadow almost smile.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Raphael Pavesi Character Portrait: Lonna Le Fey Character Portrait: Josephine Kingston Character Portrait: Beatrice Barlow Character Portrait: Birdie McKnight Character Portrait: Wyatt Whitley
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"Shouldn't you be paying attention to class instead of watching those cartoons of yours?"

Birdie's eye flicked from the video she was watching over to the text editor that had just miraculously opened itself on her laptop. She glanced up from the screen and looked around the class room, before her eyes floated back down. It seemed that her father had managed to break through the security measures she had set for him. Damn. She'd felt good about the extra layers she'd put into locking him out too. She'd have to reinspect the encryption, and probably add another layer tonight, see if that could at least slow him down.

It was a game the two of them played, where they tried to hack into the other's work or school computer every morning. While he never failed to gain remote access to her system, the best she managed was to change the clock on his own computer. Still. that was worth a giggle or two. So far, she thought that meant he was winning, but she'd never admit defeat. One day, it would be her making fun of his browsing choices. She paused the video and turned her attention to the text editor, letting her fingertips dance across the keyboard in reply.

"I'll have you know dad, this is the epitome of culture. It's basically an artform in Japan."

A moment later, and she watched as a reply typed itself below her own.

"It looks like a knockoff Power Rangers show."

"The correct term is 'Super Sentai', you uncouth heathen. And shouldn't you be in a meeting somewhere?"

"... Touché."

David should have been in Britain at the time on business. Business business, not super business, on a consulting job if she remembered correctly. She quietly chuckled to herself. If he was anything like her, and he was, then he too was in the middle of some boring power point explaining things that he already knew. Which, of course, would have given him ample time to break into her system and judge her viewing habits. Unless he had broken in a while back, and had been watching along with her. Which was a very real possibility.

"It's a computer ethics class, we're learning 'bout why doin' bad things are bad. I can literally feel my soul leaving my body."

"Haha, oh god. My condolences."

"Says the man who got remote access to my system."

The irony of it all was not lost on her. Honestly though, it was kind of the perfect cover. Who would expect a superhero-- well, junior hero-- to be taking an ethics class on campus? Certainly not her, but it wasn't like she could get a waiver for it or something. "Oh, yes. I am Ghost, so please gimme an A mister professor sir." That just wouldn't be intelligent.

Before David had time to respond, a different type of message popped up, this one a little more important from the others. It was a team summons from Shadow. Apparently, she wouldn't be able to finish her episode in class today. On the plus side, she didn't have to linger around for the rest of the class, so Birdie was excited for that.

"Well that sounds important."

He was still in her laptop, it seemed.

"Duty calls. At least try to get some work done today, pop."

"Yeah, yeah, you too sweetheart. Try to be careful."

With that, she closed the laptop and slid it into her bookbag before making a swift exit from class.




"Ghost, member B-1-2."

"Vitamin B-twelve, reporting for duty," Ghost said with a mock salute as she stepped off of the pad. She had made a quick stop to her SUV in the campus parking lot to exchange her school backpack, for her work backpack, which held her costume and all the toys that Ghost needed to do her job properly. After that, she had made her way back into campus, but not before stopping at a local bagel shop and ordered a few for the ride. That would explain the paper bag she had in hand, and the bagel she was currently chewing on. It appeared that her little detour had given some of the others ample time to beat her.

She had changed into her outfit in the teleporter room, and already had the white furred hood of her badass longcoat pulled up over her head. She took another bite from her bagel and approached the others that'd congregated before her. "I miss anything important?" she asked after swallowing. Ghost took up a spot beside Quantum, and tilted the opening of the bag of goods towards her.

"Bagel...s?" She asked, adding the plural after the fact, considering Quantum's eating habits.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Raphael Pavesi Character Portrait: Lonna Le Fey Character Portrait: Gabriel 'Gabe' Ventura Character Portrait: Josephine Kingston Character Portrait: Beatrice Barlow Character Portrait: Birdie McKnight
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MISSION ONE: WASP LABS

Time: 9.30am, Monday 9th October, 2017
Destination: Wasp Labs, Tunisia

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Shadow remained as impassive as ever as each member of the New Guardians trooped in, face revealing nothing. Usually, these debriefs took place over the large screen he stood in front of, the communication device standing taller than he was and presenting several smaller screens surrounding a much larger one in the centre. There was a direct link to The Warden’s base, where a video conference could be set up with the flick of a button. That is where Shadow would usually be, standing stiffly in front of The Warden’s screen rather than watching for the young heroes to congregate. Today, however, he had been in the neighbourhood.

The older hero watches patiently and silently, merely inclining his head when greeted by various members or remaining impassive as others filtered in. He watched and assessed as the group gathered, noting who went to stand with who, the way some glanced at their feet or nervously said hello to the whole group. None of these children, young adults – as his mentee would remind him – were his enemy, but no knowledge, no matter how small, was ever wasted.

“So, what’s the mission, boss?” Dusk quips cheerfully, eagerness to act telling by the way she was lightly shifting from foot to foot.

Shadow glanced at those gathered, noted the few who weren’t here yet, and then came to a decision. Those who were late would have to sit out, time was of the essence. Without a word, Shadow turned towards the monitor behind him, fingers lightly tapping a few of the keys and bringing up the familiar face of a local news reporter. Dusk groaned behind Shadow, and the older hero felt the tips of his mouth quirk up slightly in amusement. Shadow well knew her frustration that the reporter constantly mangled her hero name.

On the screen, Hapley was speaking to the camera while a small square image in the corner of the television revealed the focus of his segment.

“Terror in Tunisia! The villain known as Echo has been sighted in the African nation, sending the country and its neighbours into panic as his drones move across the border.” The screen shifted from Perd’s chubby jowls to a shot of a Tunisian city. It looked like a war zone; buildings were crumbling and engulfed in flame, civilians were fleeing in terror as small, robotic humanoid-drones slowly marched through the streets. Behind them, leading the small army of deadly robots, came a robotic creation that stood as tall as the eight storey building it had just crushed beneath metal hands. Though unable to see within the giant robot’s insides, the villain known as Echo would be inside, controlling the devastation from the relative safety of his robotic walls. As the scene continued, the giant robot, an intimidating vision of black and grey steel, turned in its tracks, its arm stretching out, hand opening to reveal some sort of weapon. A flash of light, and suddenly another building was destroyed.

“I’m receiving word that-… yes! Steel comet has arrived.” Perd’s voice announced just as flash of grey streaked through the sky, a powerful sword glinting in his hand as the British hero brought it down on the still outstretched hand. With a sickening crunch the metallic limb was split almost in half.

The image froze as Shadow paused it, his gaze returning to the keyboard as he typed in a few more commands.

“Please tell me we’re going to take on Echo!” Dusk gasped, excitement lacing through her small body. She’d been longing to take on the asshole again since the last time they’d met – when he’d called her ‘that Shadow brat’ and then laughed as she’d angrily corrected him. Why couldn’t anyone get her name right?

Rather than answer his protegee, Shadow merely hit another key and brought up a satellite image of a lone, seemingly innocuous building, followed by schematics for the same construction.

“No! Shadow, please.” Dusk moaned pre-emptively, recognising the logo barely showing on a corner of the building on screen; a steel and black wasp imposed on a dark shield. Across from Dusk, Aeolus shifted restlessly, frowning slightly at the image on screen. He didn’t recognise the insignia on the building, but then again, he hadn’t been at this game as long Dusk, nor did he have The Shadow as his mentor.

“Wasp Labs, two hours from Echo’s position, currently being evacuated of most staff. We’ve been watching various labs for months-…” -Shadow ignored the loud huff coming from his protegee, who had spent countless boring days on recon at one of the American Wasp labs, and continued- “…and we’re certain that this one is hiding something of importance. Usually, with the number of civilians on staff a mission such as this would be difficult, however with the evacuation, the facilities will either be empty or...”

Aeolus leaned in slightly as Shadow pressed another button, and a slightly blurry, pixilated image appeared on screen. It was the same facility, only various trucks and cars had shifted position in the carpark. The image zoomed in to a pair of figures entering the building, a tall, lithe male glancing arrogantly over his shoulder and a slim woman beside him, staring resolutely forward.

“…guarded by criminals. Ricochet and Esfir Vasile were spotted entering the facility three days ago.” Shadow continued, naming the pixilated pair on screen, “We have yet to determine why they were there, or whether they’ve returned since. But, given the lack of civilians at the labs, we won’t get another opportunity to strike. Your mission is a three-pronged strike. Team alpha; Aeolus, Yuki, Quantum, Sigil, and Knockout, you’ll be coming in from the south and drawing any remaining guards from the building. Team beta; Patriot, Aether, Golden Girl, and Menon, you’ll approach from the north…”

Bea snickered quietly as Shadow announced the teams and shifted over so that she could elbow Dot gently, muttering under her breath, “Remember that last fic Claudia wrote? About alphas and betas?”

Shadow continued, “…Team gamma; Dusk, Ghost, Interstellar, and Fever, you’ll be entering the facility covertly to gather intel.” Shadow shifted to the map of the area and indicated the points from which he wanted each team to arrive, “Objectives for alpha and beta are the same, draw hostile enemy fire and create cover for gamma team to enter the facility. If Ricochet and Vasile or any of their associates are inside, we’ll need alpha and beta to draw them out before gamma go in. Gamma, your only mission is to collect information.”

Dusk held her hands up in a defensive position as Shadow directed the last warning to her, “Observe, collect info, got it boss.”

Shadow didn’t react to his mentee, merely typed in a series of commands to the communication table before telling those gathered, “The necessary details have been sent to your personal devices. You have ten minutes to gather what you need before the teleportation devices will take you to the drop off zone. From there, you’ll be on foot to the destination. You’ll have two hours maximum. Work together, and do not disappoint me.”

Aeolus nodded as the brief came to a close, and glanced across at the four individuals in his team. Though he was always one of the quieter ones of the team, he held respect for all of those within the New Guardians, and was prepared to push through his natural reticence in order to prepare for a meeting.

“Shall we come up with a plan?” He inquired to any of alpha that were listening, before pulling out a slim cellphone from the only pocket on his tight uniform. Raf opened up Shadow’s message and quickly scanned over the basic information sent to him and his team. It was enough to give them insight into the area, without overwhelming them with facts that they wouldn’t need.

Without a formal farewell, Shadow left the young heroes to ready themselves, heading towards the teleportation devices. He’d only gone a few paces before halting as Dusk cut him off,

“You’re going to fight Echo?” She guessed, shifting to walk with her mentor towards the alcove housing the teleportation pads. Shadow didn’t respond, but Dusk knew him well enough to be confident in her assumption, “You going to tell me what they’ve got in that lab?”

“You don’t already know?” Shadow responded with the slightest, teasing arch to his eyebrow. Bea pulled a face, biting back a scowl as she watched the tall man type in the coordinates for his destination and step onto the closest pad, “Did I ever tell you that patience is a virtue?”

Bea parted her lips to respond, incredulous that Shadow had just teased her, twice. She’d spent the dullest days watching a nearer set of Wasp labs, to no avail. Now, knowing that something was obviously happening in this foreign lab had her itching with curiosity to find out. If Shadow wouldn’t tell her, she sure as hell was going to give the stealth mission her all to find out just what was within the lab’s secretive walls.

“I’m so ready for this.” Dusk grinned as she turned back towards her comrades, raising her wrist and tapping on the small digital screen attached to her uniform. A miniature blueprint of the facilities appeared, showing several stories above ground, and at least two basement levels. Security locks, restricted corridors, secret rooms… whatever they found would pose – hopefully – new and exciting challenges. Feeling her grin widen, Dusk glanced at the others on team gamma, “This is going to be so much fun.”

The setting changes from New York City, NY to Wasp Labs, Tunisia

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Raphael Pavesi Character Portrait: Lonna Le Fey Character Portrait: Josephine Kingston Character Portrait: Beatrice Barlow Character Portrait: Birdie McKnight Character Portrait: April Choi
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▬▬▬ JO KINGSTON
Dialogue ● #8e4348 / Thought ● #FEFB88
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        “I miss anything important?”

        Jo didn’t even notice her little songbird enter the room; she was too busy glaring at Gloomy for not even pretending to notice or care about what she had to say. “Nah, nothing yet. He's just sitting there, being his dreary self, refusing to talk to any of us until he feels like it.” The distaste was imminent in her tone. There was always something about their “leader” that irritated Jo. He was just so… pretentious. Shadow acted like he was better than all of them, even around his fellow Wardens. Kara talked about him occasionally, about how he was so tall, dark, and handsome, but she couldn’t hold a conversation with him for shit. Mostly because he almost never responds to what she says.

        While Jo was busy silently brooding, Birdie tilted the bag in her hand towards her, making an offering, “Bagel...s?”

        Jo’s face lit up immediately at the offering of food. “Yeah sure! Thanks!” Without any sort of hesitation, she reached into the bag and pulled out two bagels. She bit into the side of one of them, tearing it completely in half. She had the other half in her mouth merely moments afterward. When she was about to dig into the second bagel when Gloomy started expositioning the team.

        It was quite a bit of information to take in all at once, but Jo was used to it at this point. The New Guardians received even more of these lovely briefings before almost every patrol or mission. She made sure just to take in all the important bits: In a collapsing city, they must distract baddies so some of them could infiltrate and get any necessary information. Well, Jo at least hoped that’s what Shadow was trying to relay to them. Occasionally, she would shift her attention back to Birdie, her gaze merely tracing the lines of her jaw and the curve of her cheeks.

        When the briefing was over, Shadow did the usual: disappear with some “encouraging words”, not allowing any time for the New Guardians to ask any questions or gain any extra information. There was one thing in particular that was making Jo scowl as she turned to look at Birdie once again. Sure, team beta was only four members, but so was team gamma, the group that was in, arguably, the most dangerous position. Not to mention, they weren’t exactly the most combat skilled team. Dusk was an amazing fighter, Ghost could hold her own against an enemy or two, but Interstellar and Fever… And they were going to the belly of the beast without any help from the Wardens.

        But, such was their overlord’s desire, so Jo could only comply. With a sigh, she did her best to turn her frown into a smile. One hand reached out to place a touch to Birdie’s arm; Jo hoped that this would be encouraging. “Hey, do me a favor and try to stick to Dusk. She… knows what she’s doing. Not that you don’t know what you’re doing! You absolutely do, you’re very smart and, I, uh, just… Sorry.” Jo’s free hand went to her forehead which she rubbed stressfully. “Good luck, and be careful. If you need back up at any point, don’t hesitate to call me, ok?” With reluctance, Jo pulled her hand off of Birdie’s arm. With one last smile, she turned and gathered ‘round her alpha teammates.

        “Alright loves, here’s what I think we should do!” Despite many of her shortcomings, Jo’s spirited audaciousness made her a natural born leader. Her mind raced as she assessed all of their powers and tried to figure out where they would be best. “Ok, since me and Knockout are essentially human airbags, we’ll take up the lead, absorbing the brunt of most attacks. Aeolus, since you can fly and fight with some range, I’d say stick to the air and keep an eye out for both us and the two targets. Yuki, it’s Africa, so it’s gonna be warm. I don’t doubt your abilities, but it’s just a fair warning. I think you and Sigil should bring up the rear, taking out any stragglers and being on the ready if any of us need some backup. Especially if Ricochet or Vasile show up.” As Jo explained the details of her plan, she turned and looked at the teammate she was talking about. “Any exceptions or suggestions to improve the plan?”

The setting changes from Wasp Labs, Tunisia to New York City, NY

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Raphael Pavesi Character Portrait: Gabriel 'Gabe' Ventura Character Portrait: Josephine Kingston Character Portrait: Birdie McKnight Character Portrait: Wyatt Whitley Character Portrait: April Choi
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#, as written by chrian.
H A R U T O
S H I M A Z A K I

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「Yuki」

#16ACC7

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As expected, Shadow merely nodded slightly at his question and didn't say anything else, nor express any noticeable expression. Haruto is quite confident in himself when it comes to reading other people (not that he himself couldn't be read that easy), but their leader seemed to always shrouded himself behind a rather mysterious veil. He never fully hides nor reveals anything about himself, and no one can really tell what Shadow has on his mind all the times. Haruto doesn't really know how he should feel about him though. But his mentor once told him that when Shadow first approached him, he didn't trust him in the least, now the man has become one of the very few people whom Hyouga spoke so highly of, so Haruto figures that he should respect the man, as well as following any orders and decisions he may give the lot of them.

As he waited, more and more people started to arrive. Menon walks in only a few moments after Haruto arrives, though not from the teleportation pads so he may have arrived earlier and left somewhere to tend to his own business. The guy greeted everyone as he stood next to Aeolus, though it was quite clear that he was somewhat... fidgety, judging by the way he nervously said. Haruto doesn't blame him though. Each and everyone of them has their own characteristics, and he respects the way people be themselves. So, in response, he just smiled back to him as gently and brightly as he could, like he always did, "Hi there, Menon. You look fine today."

Aether stepped in shortly after. Upon their first meeting, Haruto has had an instant impression of him being quite a cute boy. The way the two of them behaves around others is pretty much similar. He couldn't help having a nagging feeling that the younger boy is always seemed to be in a state of confusion. Like... all the time. He was so soft that it felt as if he was afraid to get on people's bad books. But that doesn't stop him from approaching Aether and tried to make friends with him. Haruto hoped that the boy will open up more about himself and be more confident in what he is capable of. One thing though, he doesn't really get why some of their self-proclaimed fans shipped him and Aether together, as he once accidentally came across some fanfictions of them. It was kind of weird, but he decided to let it off his mind for now.

The next one to turn up is Ghost, otherwise known to him by her civilian identity as Birdie. "Hey, Ghost-chan." He immediately waved and greeted her in a rather excited manner as she went and stood by Quantum, offering her some bagels. Well, Haruto wouldn't miss a chance to have some chit-chat with his favorite otaku girl, so he walked by her side, "Did you watch the newest episode of 'Attack on Titans' last night? That was quite a twist, wasn't it?" There was just no ends between them when it comes to Japanese cultures so they wouldn't hold back on talking about them anytime possible.

After the Sigil and Knockout arrived, Shadow gained everyone's attention and get down to the real purpose of their meeting, as time was running short and they can't sit around waiting all sixteen of them to come. A report footage was shown on the big screen, showing the villain Echo at large in Tunisia, a nation in Africa, throwing the civilians' lives into chaos as he control a giant robot to terrorize the city. That is, before a hero arrived and put an end to it. Haruto watched the whole thing with much enthusiasm, as it almost felt like watching a blockbuster in the cinema.

Haruto was seriously thinking that they are going to take on Echo, until Shadow paused the screen and move to the ins and outs of the upcoming mission. Like most of the times, he knows that there would be a huge amount of information to take in, so his listened as attentively as he could, while piecing what he had heard together. It seemed like they will be infiltrating a lab that Shadow has been observing for quite a while now. This mission would put Haruto at a disadvantage, due to the usual high temperatures of Africa, even more so if it was situated in a desert. However, it wasn't of anything special, until the screen was enlarged, showing two figures that were blurred due to the pixels. But Haruto recognized them. Ricochet and Esfir Vasile. He and Hyouga once faced them before and they are definitely not easy targets.

Shadow decided to divide them into three teams, each with their own missions. It seemed that he was placed in team Alpha, tasked with striking from the south of the facility. His heart raced a little when he realized that he and Aeolus were both going to work together. But he shook that little thought of and focused on the task at hand. When the briefing came to a close, Shadow left to let them to gather what they need and work out how will they work together in the upcoming mission. There was no room for questions or any extra information, as expected, but he's pretty much used to it now.

He went and stood with his team when Quantum gathered them together. She began to assess their abilities and set out which positions are best suited for them. Jo is reliable as a leader, so Haruto trusts her with her recommendations. After she finished assessing, he nodded to her and replied, "Yes, I admit that the dryness in Tunisia will be a hindrance, but I'll see what I can do. Freezing stuffs up wasn't the only thing I'm good at." He said with a small hint of joke, "I definitely won't let any of them to get in your way. But a bit of a warning though. I faced both Ricochet and Vasile with my mentor before, and they certainly aren't just some ordinary goons. I think it's best that none of us should face them head-to-head recklessly. That's all."

Haruto then turned to Aeolus, trying to hide the fact that he was seriously fanboying on the insides right now, "Hey, umm... Aeolus? Please watch your back too when we went out there, okay?"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lonna Le Fey Character Portrait: Beatrice Barlow Character Portrait: Birdie McKnight Character Portrait: Michi Kneller Character Portrait: Drew Anderson
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Michi hit the ground with a hard thud as he knocked her off balance. Another round of sparring, another round that Eun had won. While she should've been heading to school at that point, she had instead decided to spend some time training with her mentor. As she was pulling herself up he crouched down to her eye level. "Come on now, you're usually better than this," Eun mocked before standing up fully again "if you ask me, it seems like little maus is getting soft." Her only response was a glare, the irritation from her multiple loses starting to put her on tilt, and Eun mocking her surely didn't help things. She brought herself onto her feet now, watching as he walked over to a small table at the far end of his home gym. "How about a little break?" He said before tossing her a water bottle and towel. She caught them both with ease.

As he turned around to grab his own, Michi stuck her tongue out at him.

After practically chugging the whole water bottle in one go, she sat down in the middle of the gym to wipe the sweat off her face and pull the stray strands of hair back into her loose pony tail. Despite the fact that the comment made her upset, Eun was correct. She was being particularly clumsy today, he was simply taking notice of that and using it to his advantage. Michi cursed herself. He had been generous and decided to give her less rigorous daily training that usual, and she was messing it up.

From across the room Eun had seemingly picked up on this and walked over to sit directly in front of Michi. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Michi. You're allowed to be absolutely shit at training on some days, especially when fighting someone as perfect as me. The only thing you have to do now is push through it and get back on your feet."

Michi gave him the blankest face that she could possibly muster, "Only you would think that a statement like that would actually be encouraging." He smirked slightly before standing up again.

"Now-"

Eun was interrupted by the incessant beeping of the watch situated on Michi's arm. "New Guardians, report to home base immediately. This is a priority mission, everyone is required."

At once, Michi stood up, only for Eun to put a loose hand on her shoulder. "How about one more round of sparring?"

"Do you not understand the words "immediately" and "priority"?" Michi said, the harsh phrase spoken in a tone that indicated a different connotation.

"Hmm, I do. But I think you can afford to be just a little bit late."

Michi rolled her eyes. She knew better than to listen to him, but a side of her still wanted to prove that she could best him in a match. And much to her dismay, that side of her was a little bit more persuasive than the other. "Fine, one more round."

Eun gave a toothy smile, right before throwing a quick jab towards her.


Täuschung. Member B-1-4

Michi arrived in her almost stark white outfit, quickly surveying the room that the others had gathered in. She noticed that Shadow was no longer present. She also took note of the fact that it seemed she had missed the briefing about their mission, and silently cursed Eun for convincing her to do one last round of sparring. (She won't admit it, but in truth she convinced herself.) "Apologies for being late., an announcement she made to the others before she swiftly headed into the room. Turning towards Dusk, she asked "Can you summarize the information that I missed?"

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lonna Le Fey Character Portrait: Josephine Kingston Character Portrait: Beatrice Barlow Character Portrait: Birdie McKnight Character Portrait: Haruto Shimazaki Character Portrait: Michi Kneller
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"Of course, Yuki-kun," Birdie answered, now looking at the individual on her other side. She put a bit of mock offense in her tone while she spoke, like she missed it. Soon thereafter though, she grinned and laughed, "We have to talk about it when... Whatever this is," Birdie said, throwing a finger in the air and waving it around to indicate the meeting they were called to. "Is over with." It was right about then Shadow began the meeting by turning on a nearby monitor.

The moment Shadow said that the details were forwarded to their devices, Birdie's eyes immediately dropped down to the contraption on her arm. At a touch from her gloved hand, the screen lit up (tactile gloves, great for touch screens) and she began to navigate toward the aforementioned details. Most of all, she was looking for the schematics of the building, and where she could find the server room. Undoubtedly Wasp Labs had a server room. A lab always had a server room, and with a little technowizardry, she would be able to get access to all of the it's gooey details through there. At least, that was the plan, and there was a saying about plans and first contact. Hopefully it would really be that simple. Hopefully.

She also made notes of various other items she could use to her advantage, though the schematics did not make any mention of security cameras. Though, Birdie was relatively sure the building had its share, and they would be child's play to gain remote access to. A very computer literate child, but hey. Semantics. Regardless, she made a few more gestures, and a keyboard popped up on her device, where upon she began to make notes and point out points of interest. She was so focused she was almost surprised when Jo began to talk to her. She glanced up at the touch on her arm, brows a-fluttering and head a-tilting. She was touched that Jo was so worried about her, but that was Jo. And that was why she liked her so much.

Birdie nodded with a smile of her own and spoke, "I'll be fiiiiine," she said, exaggerating the word fine. "I have a trump card, remember?" she added, before holding her breath, and blinking out of sight in the next moment. "Can't hit what they can't see," she said through held breath, before finally exhaling. The last of her breath was punctuated with a slight cough, but she smiled brightly and waved it off. "The same goes for you too, you know? If you need me, just let me know," she said, gesturing at the device on her arm.

While Jo left to go meet with team Alpha, Birdie turned to meet with her own team Gamma. It wasn't long before their first straggler... straggled their way in. "Ah, Täuschung," Birdie greeted. Fortunately the teleporter always reminded her how to pronounce the name, else she may have had a bit more trouble. "Long story short? We're infiltrating a lab possibly guarded by criminals and a few villains. Fortunately, the A and B teams over there," she gestured toward Alpha and Beta "Are supposed to draw them out so that the best team, IE us, can slip in and collect information. Simple," Birdie explained with a short chuckle.

Glancing at the rest of the team, she began to tap away at the device on her wrist again. "Personally, I'd like to get to their servers so this little heartbreaker," she said, tugging out a wire from within the device to reveal a USB plug, "Can work her magic."

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Raphael Pavesi Character Portrait: Lonna Le Fey Character Portrait: Beatrice Barlow Character Portrait: Birdie McKnight Character Portrait: Wyatt Whitley Character Portrait: Michi Kneller
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Fever watched from her spot in the back of the group as the others walked in one by one, mostly from school she figured; a torture she had elected not to inflict upon herself evidently, though Mind Catcher tried his best to persuade her to go. She had gone through enough of high school before being expelled to understand what a pain it was.

Having been with the team for nine months, Fever found that there were really only a select few member she would actually want to be around. Wyatt, a.k.a The Patriot, was alright in her books; he shared the same work ethic as she did which earned him quite a bit of respect and his baking was incredible. Dusk was sweet enough to offer her help with her hand to hand combat skills, Mind Catcher was only able to give her so much practice with having a day job to work at, and it saved her the humiliation of having to ask someone herself. Raf was about the only one that Fever would feel comfortable enough actually calling a friend. He was quiet and with no pretense, she felt no pressure to "entertain" or "speak up" around him, she could easily be around him without saying a word which was much more in her comfort zone. Though with these few connections, there was a part of Fever, that could help but wonder if she was not meant to be in this group, after all most of them either didn't know, didn't want to know her, or couldn't stand her. She knew that a team needed to trust one another and, in some way or another, like each other; Fever didn't fit into that with a majority of the team. An observation that was hard not to notice.

Her thoughts were pulled away from this as Shadow stood at the front and started playing a video and the current chaos in Tunisia. Fever watched passively, her blank expression only being covered by the mask that she wore. Then he switched to a particular building, further away from the action than she would have initially suspected. It was a lab building owned by a company called "Wasp", Fever vaguely wondered if that was possibly an acronym for something or held a special meaning.

When Shadow finished he sent more detailed information to each New Guardian member. Fever noticed through the corner of her eye that Birdie was already swiping through everything with enthusiastic speed, like she did everything that had to do with technology. Team Gamma, the team that she was placed into, were starting to gather, so Fever quietly made her way over herself. In the briefing that Shadow had sent each of them, he had highlighted the better places for her to hide her body; some were outside the facility while others were inside. Fever contemplated each option carefully. If she were to take one of the options outside the facility she would have an easier time not only getting in but getting away afterward if things went wrong, however it was much closer to where team Alpha and Beta were set up which would mean a greater chance of someone slipping by and get to her. The spots inside the facility would be harder and take longer for her to get into an out of meaning if they needed to get out fast there would be a greater chance of her being unable to make it out, however it would be closer to the rest of her team and would ensure that teams Alpha and Beta could focus on just that instead of keeping anyone away from her team as well as her, being broken off from her team. Shadow had also sent her a short profile on a guard that would be inside the building, according to the bio information, he was a pretty high-level guard making any security information easy grabs for her.

"Ghost, be sure to hack the coms of this guard, I'll be able to feed you any information he knows through there and keep a lookout, it looks like he's mostly stationed either outside that final door we need to go through or a couple hallways down," Fever said showing her teammate the profile of the guard she was talking about. Fever wouldn't tell anyone, in case it didn't work out, but she had been practicing with Mind Catcher on actually controlling the movements of people. Thus far, she found it was at least possible if it was a movement that was natural to the body already, such as walking up and down a hallway or swinging a key card. However, there was still a good chance she wouldn't be able to do this, so she figured best not invite that to be a vital part of the plan.
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Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lonna Le Fey Character Portrait: Beatrice Barlow Character Portrait: Birdie McKnight Character Portrait: Michi Kneller
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hex: #b1a891 - team: gamma - location: new guardians' base


"This is going to be so much fun!" Dusk mutters again as she gravitates towards the other members of team gamma, her gazing memorising the layout of the Wasp facility, noting various Bea-sized vents to climb through, counting exits, and already planning a route into the bowels of the building. Shadow had kindly marked various parts of the facility - security measures, a communication room, and most importantly the general area their target occupied, whatever said target was. It would be up to Team Gamma to navigate their way there, overcoming any obstacles marked on the blueprint and any which differed from the holographic plans before her. Beatrice had been on more than one mission where carefully laid plans had had to be altered at the last minute thanks to previously unknown rooms and building layouts offering up surprises. It was more fun like that, really.

While open fighting such as team alpha and beta would be undertaking might appeal to the young hero at times - there was nothing more exhilarating than throwing yourself at opponents and triumphantly knocking them unconscious - the task of infiltration and information recovery was much more Dusk's speed. She nodded in welcome to Täuschung, before her gaze came to rest upon the hacking genius standing with them. Dusk nodded her understanding at Ghost's request, before cocking her head and listening to Fever. There were a lot of variables in their mission; what if there were guards not drawn outside the facility to fight? What if the layout was different? What if Ricochet or Vasile happened to be guarding their target? Yet, the New Guardians had trained for situations like this, and Dusk had been training since she was a kid to take on the unknown. Okay, technically Shadow believed in entering situations where you knew as much intel as possible, but he'd taught her to think on her feet. Bea doubts she'd be standing her today if she hadn't learned.

"Ghost pretty much got it in one." Dusk chirped at Tauschung with a grin, "Shadow should have sent you information. We'll be infiltrating Wasp labs to get some mysterious thing, and then getting out before whoever runs Wasp labs can call for reinforcements." Dusk nods towards the screens of the communication desk that Shadow had just been using. On one of the smaller screens the live action fight between Echo and several Wardens was still on going. "Shadow wants us to get in and out quickly while the rest of the world is watching that."

Putting a small red mark on Dusk's version of the facility blueprints, she pointed to the blinking light that now hung over one of the facility's entrances; a small, back door which would hopefully offer the easiest and least noticeable entrance inside. "I reckon we go inside here, find Ghost her server room, Fever somewhere secure to pass out, and then continue down to our target." Dusk suggested happily, even as other possible plans appeared and were waved away in her head, "Ghost, you think you'll be able to get into their security system too? Mess with the cameras and locked doors? Then Fever's guard can helps us get into anywhere else. Tauschung, do you think you can cast illusions over us? Block us from view of anyone walking by? Maybe even keep Fever's body under and illusion depending on the distance? Should mean we can get in and out without being seen. Hopefully."

Dusk was aware that she was rambling, offering up suggestions that might all turn to nothing when they reach their destination. But, she was excited. "We run into any guards inside, I'll try and take 'em out first, but ideally we'll be able to avoid them."

Dusk's hands patted down her utility belt, double checking that any and all tools necessary for espionage were in place, not to mention the compartment of chocolate buttons she'd packed a few days ago to 'keep her energy up'. Shadow had thought them unnecessary. Clearly he'd never been on a mission with cramps.

"Ghost, you think you can keep out comms open while we're in there? Dusk checked the time, 2 minutes left until departure. The hero smiled at her teammates, possessing every confidence that together they'd be able to get in and out with no problems. "Anyone wanna add anything else?"

The setting changes from New York City, NY to Wasp Labs, Tunisia

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Raphael Pavesi Character Portrait: Lonna Le Fey Character Portrait: Gabriel 'Gabe' Ventura Character Portrait: Josephine Kingston Character Portrait: Beatrice Barlow Character Portrait: Birdie McKnight
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MISSION ONE: WASP LABS

Time: 9.40am (NYC)/ 2.40pm (Tunisia), Monday 9th October, 2017
Destination: Wasp Labs, Tunisia

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Ten minutes ticked by quickly when planning and plotting for a mission. As the timer ticked down the last minute, the New Guardians finished any last second preparations needed for battle. As per Shadow's instructions - those spoken and the more individual plans sent to each member's personal device - the various teams would be transported to the perimeter of Wasp Laps. Team alpha and beta would leave first, alpha arriving just south of the facility's entrance and pushing their way through security to draw out any remaining guards from the main entrance, while team beta would find themselves teleported just north of the labs and taking the second entrance as their target. A few minutes later team gamma were set to depart, arriving to the west of the facility, where the easiest path into the facility had been mapped out by Shadow and - hopefully - reinforced during the ten minute planning session.

As the deadline to leave came, team alpha stepped up to the teleportation pads. Aeolus gave his teammates a nod before Dusk, at the teleportation device's control pad, tapped in the coordinates. With a flash of light, Aeolus felt his body being hurtled through space as the transport technology pulled him halfway across the globe in the blink of an eye. He would have clenched his fists if he'd had time to do so. As it was, his boots were landing on the quickly set up receptor teleportation pads seconds after his departure, his team appearing beside him in the same moment. As Raf caught his breathe - he hated the teleportation devices, he took a moment to assess his surroundings.

It was warm, a pleasant 25 C (77 F), with the lightest breeze ruffling his hair (that would change). To one side of him ran a lonely road through a sparse covering of trees. Hills stood in the distance and the odd homestead, open to the mid-afternoon sun. He wondered if that was where Echo was wrecking havoc with his robots?

To the other side sat Wasp labs; a high-tech facility that gleamed with the prosperity of well-funded research. The lone road lead through tall security gates, a lone station to the side of the road no doubt for screening arriving individuals before cars were diverted to a car park on the other side of the metal fence. Beyond that was the small collection of buildings which made up the lab. None reached higher than a few stories. They were square, flashy things which utilised modern architecture and a combination of shining metal and brick. Alpha were closest to the first building, where a set of large glass doors marked the official entrance. A small fountain and courtyard decorated front of the entrance, though it was nothing ostentatious.

What Aeolus noted as he took in the building was the odd scattering of patrolling security guards, guns sitting happily at their hips. He sighted three from where he stood - one walking from the carpark towards the south-east fence, the other two by the building entrance. The carpark was mostly empty too, a good sign to indicate that most of the civilian staff had no doubt left already.

"Andiamo. Let's go." Raf said, taking a step towards the labs. There was no need for stealth here, not when his team's mission was to distract. With a grin, Raf flexed his hands and, making sure he wasn't too close to any team mates, called on the winds. The engravings in his gloves gleamed as they tugged at the air, sweeping the soft breeze into something fiercer, collecting dry leaves and dust as it swirled and wrapped around Raf. Aeolus took a leaping step and the wind caught up, propelling him up and over the fence in a graceful arch. He had no doubt that the rest of his team right beside him.

He landed with a thud on the concrete of the parking lot, knees bending to absorb the impact, head turning slightly to glance behind him at his team. Straightening, Rafael held his hand parallel to the ground, calling on the winds again. They came in a burst; a tight ball of fierce winds which flew towards the nearest parked car and sent it flying into it's neighbour several spaces down. There was no explosion (sadly), but a flying car would serve a good initial distraction to signal Wasp Lab's guards that they were about to have a fight on their hands.

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From the other side of the facility - where team beta were arriving - they would find no lone road, but rather a simple fence dictating the facility's boundaries. Beyond that, shipping containers lined one side of the immediate grounds, beside the locked containers stood a smaller carpark, no doubt for the executives of the lab, though only one car sat in its assigned spot. The other half of grounds before the buildings was taken up by grass and the odd picnic table. Apparently, the back of the facility was often used as a lunch station for the facility's employees. The second entrance was also often used by the bosses, and here too a few guards were stationed. Even from the other side of the grounds, the sound of screeching metal from a thrown car could be heard.

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Team gamma were the last to arrive, their landing position to the west hidden from view of the labs by a thick collection of trees pressed against the lab's fence. Bea blinked at the bright sun, already digging through her belt for the small wire cutting device she kept stashed there. Once through the fence they had the shortest distance to cross (a small stretch of grass) before reaching a small door on the side of the building. From there, if the blueprints they'd been provided with were accurate, Dusk and her team could find somewhere for Fever to lie and get Ghost to the servers. Then, Dusk was determined to find her way through the twisting labyrinth of underground hallways to their target.

"Can you cast an illusion over us when we're through the fence?" Dusk asked Tauschung over her shoulder as he brought the hand-held wire cutter to the fence and cut through the first diamond of metal. A grin stretched across Bea's face, fuck yes, this is what she lived for.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Lonna Le Fey Character Portrait: Beatrice Barlow Character Portrait: Birdie McKnight Character Portrait: Michi Kneller
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  1. Random fact, but for anyone who was curious, Täuschung means deception in German. o7

    by SpiritDancer
  2. It could also mean "mistake, error", "deceit", "delusion" and "illusion"

    by SpiritDancer

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Täuschung nodded at the explanations given to her by both Ghost and Dusk, mulling over the information in her head. Theoretically, they shouldn't have any problem pulling the mission off, but situations always had an unhealthy habit of taking a turn for the worse. There were always factors that couldn't be controlled, and those factors can either work in their favor or work against them.

From the information that Shadow had sent her, the possibility that either Ricochet or Vasile could be there was one of those very factors. Although she was quite confident in her and her teams abilities, if either one of the two were guarding the target it could quickly turn what should've been a simple mission into something much more difficult. It would do more damage than simply throwing a wrench into their plans. She would be lying if she hadn't felt some anxiety growing in the very depths of her stomach, sending a spark of unease through her.

Michi's illusions were useful, but sometimes she found herself wishing that they worked more similarly to Ghost's invisibility. Instead, they required a lot of attention to detail. It wasn't as simple as making someone invisible, but more akin to throwing a green screen over them and mimicking the surrounding area on the screen. In a area with homogeneous surroundings it was easy, but it quickly became more taxing the more detail she had to add, especially if there were any moving items she had to mimic. If done poorly it could easily start to warp and waver, an illusion that wouldn't fool anybody.

Their time to discuss plans was quickly over, and soon team alpha had been teleported to their destination. Team beta followed, and soon it was team gamma's time to step up to the teleportation pads.

In milliseconds they were taken from New York to Tunisia, the suddenness of it all always a little bit jarring, but Täuschung quickly adapted and glanced around to take in their surroundings. The trees gave them a decent amount of cover, to anyone passing by it's likely they wouldn't see them unless they knew what to look for.

Although she only caught the back end of it, there was an unmistakable sound of metal clashing against metal. The distraction teams had already started on their part, and soon team gamma would be infiltrating the facility. She quickly went over the plan in her head on more time. They had the near perfect team for the job, even in the worse case scenario.

Täuschung drew in a deep breath, emptying herself of all previous anxieties. This was going to be a successful mission, she was going to try her damn hardest to make sure it was. Nodding at Dusk's question, as soon as she began to cut through the fence she was mentally prepared to throw up an illusion at a moments notice. Already she could feel the serum beginning to enter her veins and make its way through her body, as if it could sense that she was about the use her abilities.