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Jason Riley (Quantum)

"People out there need help. Those of us who can, should."

0 · 1,239 views · located in Capetown, Texas

a character in “Project Oddity”, as played by Owl Eyes

Description

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I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind

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Name:
Jason Marcus Riley

Alias:
Quantum

Age:
23

Gender:
Male

Affiliation(s):
(TBD)



I left my body lying somewhere in the sands of time


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Height & Weight:
6'0
190 lbs.

Hair:
Black

Eyes:
Dark brown

Skin:
Dark brown

Distinctive marks:
Scar across his left shoulder

In Quantum form
Every inch of him is a glowing, dark red color, with his eyes and mouth a brighter, lighter red

Uniform:
When out as Quantum, but not powered up, Jason wears a black tinker-made body suit, especially designed to go into quantum form with him with some light armoring and a mask. His sister rigged it with a tracking and communications device.




I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon


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Personality:
~ P R O T E C T I V E : S T E A D Y : S M A R T : G U A R D E D : R E C K L E S S : C O N T R O L - F R E A K ~


Jason has been taking care of people for a long time. Even as a kid, he was the one who would step in if he saw someone getting rough with a woman. He was the one standing up for the scrawnier guys when his teammates felt like shoving someone around. There's always been something inside of Jason that hated watching others get taken advantage of. Luckily, he has always been big enough, rich enough, popular enough that his word meant something to others. So, Jason's moral compass is pretty consistent. The weak shouldn't have to put up with bullying from the strong. And the strong are the only people around who have the power to stop it. The downside of this is that Jason doesn't tend to think before charging into danger. He gets tunnel vision on the person he's saving. That kind of attitude makes it easy to get hurt.

This noble view of the world hasn't shielded him from his own share of hurts. Jason learned at a young age that the people closest to you are just as good at hurting you as anyone else. So Jason doesn't like letting others in. That doesn't mean he isn't friendly. That doesn't mean he isn't social. It just means that Jason is happiest when it's just him and his sister. She's the only person out there he knows will ever hurt him.

Finally, Jason has a bit of a control-freak streak. It's hard for him to give up control of a situation, especially when he feels that he's the best one for the job.

Likes:
(Running)
(Cherry pie)
(A good fight)
(Cooking)
(Helping People)
Dislikes:
{When his sister is upset}
{His father}
{Watching people get hurt}
{Giving up control}
{Surprises}



I feel there is nothing I can do.



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Powers:
Quantum Transformation:
[BREAKER - 6 / BRUTE - 5 / SHAKER - 7 / BLASTER - 7 / MOVER - 4]

When Jason activates his power, he enters what he calls his "Quantum" form. His entire body is remade in dark red energy. This form wafts energy that looks like flames, but doesn't give off any heat. The same is true of blasts that he gives off. They have force, but no heat and cannot burn a person. In this form his mind does not change, but his body is more or less impervious to physical attacks. He can be pushed and moved, but cannot be pierced by a bullet or blade. He also is stronger in this state, able to lift a bus-sized object. He can shoot bolts of this energy, create shields, and use it to fly. When in Quantum state, Jason is able to move more quickly than a normal human.

Limits: Jason can still be pushed, shoved and thrown around in Quantum form and depending on the force, the blows still hurt him. He's also highly susceptible to energy attacks (ex. electricity, lasers, fire). Being in quantum is a huge energy drain. With training, he's able to extend the amount of time he spends in form, but right now, he's able to spend no more than 6 hours per day and must eat and sleep a full night's sleep in between.

History:

Jason's early life was a living nightmare. Outwardly, his family was perfect. His father was a successful lawyer, his mother was the perfect trophy wife, and his sister was the darling of just about everyone she met. Jason did his part to keep the charade going. He became a football star, kept perfect grades, was a supportive brother, a helpful son. But for as long as he can remember, no matter how hard he worked, his dad was never happy. His dad was constantly picking apart everything he did, criticizing, bullying, intimidating, abusing. It was like being a prisoner in his own home. His dad was always careful to hide his abuse from River, but his mother knew and did nothing. When Jason brought it up, asked for help, she just said that they needed his father, that if he worked harder then it would all stop. Jason never asked anyone else for help again.

Things fell apart just after he graduated high school. He had gotten caught with some friends smoking weed and it took every ounce of charm he could muster to convince the cop to call his mom instead of his dad. When she arrived, Jason climbed into the car and listened silently while his mother lectured and nagged before he exploded. He screamed at her, accusing her of looking the other way while his dad treated him like shit. The last thing he ever said to his mother was a plea to just kill him, to just drive into traffic and kill him now. Just as he said this, he noticed his mother run a red light, saw the lights from the oncoming traffic, locked eyes with his mom, and regretted everything.

When the truck hit, it triggered his power, knocking him into his quqntum form. Being in quantum form saved his life, but knocked him out for about 48 hours afterward. When he came to, his mother was dead, his sister was a wreck, and his father's anger was just barely under control. He managed to hide his treatment of Jason from River for a few months more, but eventually it came to a head. He and his father finally had an all out fight and in his anger, Jason went into quantum mode, destroying half of their house, putting River in danger. After that, he ran away, cutting contact with his father and his sister. His father had always doted on River, Jason was sure he would be safe.

He spent the next two years training and becoming a hero. The HLA ran a program that paid him to study and catalogue his powers and helped him train, helped him learn to be a hero. He had just gotten an assignment in Capetown when he received an email from his sister and a video that showed his father beating her. He sent for her immediately, arranged for her to live with him in Capetown. Though she isn't a registered hero, he obtained some leeway for her, and keeps the HLA from going after her, even when her activities stray away from a strict hero definition. Jason operates openly in town as Quantum, protecting people.

Face Claim:
Michael B Jordan
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If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?

So begins...

Jason Riley (Quantum)'s Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Alexander Dalton Character Portrait: Jason Riley (Quantum)
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"Alright, lady. Just give me the purse and no one has to get hurt."

Jesus, do all of these guys learn English from 1940s gangsters or what?

The woman-- no girl she looked like she couldn't have been older than sixteen-- had her back pressed against the dirty brick of the alleyway. She didn't cower as the man advanced, knife extended. Instead, she held her crutches out in front of her, apparently ready to take a swing. Jason smiled from behind his mask. There were parts of Capetown that he hated-- the traffic, the weather, the neverending stream of superpowered bullies eager and willing to prey on the weak. But one thing he had to admit, the humans here were tough.

He dropped down hard from his perch overlooking the alley, landing in a crouch. His body shone brightly enough that when the man turned, he had to shield his eyes. Jason took his shot, lifting a hand to shoot a ray of dull red that knocked the man backwards and bounced him off of the adjacent alley wall. He restrained himself from delivering the kind of blow he really wanted. He had no clue what, if any, powers the guy was hiding, and it wouldn't do to smush a mover, just because he thought he was a brute. Whatever the thug's powers, they seemed not to protect him very well. He hit the wall and then fell face first to the ground, out cold. Jason turned his attention to the girl, who had slid down the wall to sit with her head between her knees. She was gasping, clutching her purse light she thought someone else might appear to take it away. Jason approached her slowly, knelt down to her level.

"You should go," he said, not unkindly. "No telling how long he'll be down. Are you hurt?" The girl shook her head and hesitantly accepted Jason's hand so that he could help her to her feet.

"I've seen you before on the blogs," she said. "You're Quantum." Jason smiled at her. "I always thought you'd be hotter," she said, nodding towards his hand. It glowed a dark, dull red, wisps of flame-like energy leaking out. Jason laughed out loud.

"Ouch, what a way to thank a guy," he said and stepped away to grab the mugger by the collar of his shirt. He gathered himself and then blasted up and out of the alley, mugger in tow.

"Thank you!" he heard called after him. Jason laughed again and arced gracefully, heading towards the police station. He dropped the mugger at their front door, and dropped a thumb-sized device next to him. The tiny drive had already been loaded on the flight over with a recording of the incident taken from the tiny camera in his mask. His sister might be an incredible pain in the ass, but there wasn't anyone he trusted more to make him good tech. He gave a short, almost mocking salute to the officers posted and arched away, coming to land on another rooftop somewhere downtown.

He would go home soon, relinquishing Capetown to another hero who would take over after sundown. He had a feeling that it was going to be a quiet night. Of course, he had no way of knowing that really. It seemed like new parahumans were practically flooding into Capetown, and for every one who just wanted to be left alone, there were two or three who were happy to exert their powers on others to take something they hadn't earned.

Still, maybe it was wishful thinking, or maybe it was the air of peace and tranquility the setting sun radiated over the skyline. But for one moment, Jason felt like maybe the tides were turning, that maybe tonight people would be safe. He sighed and sat down on the corner of building, dangling his legs over the edge. Probably just wishful thinking. he thought. and surveying the streets below. He powered down, and could almost feel the fizzle of his human body bubbling back into place. He was in his uniform, clad in black from head to toe. His mask beeped softly, a signal from his sister. She kept a tracker activated that pinged him when she was on the move and normally only shut if off if she was up to something he'd rather not know about. It seemed like she was headed downtown. He was toying with the idea of meeting up with her when quick movements out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

It's that kid again... In the distance, Jason could see a slight form sprinting across the rooftops, vaulting from one to the next. He tapped the side of his mask and the image expanded, zooming in. It was indeed the same kid he had seen several nights before. He looked like a teenager, blond, in jeans and a black jacket. Every once in a while, bright blue energy shot out from the kid that he would spring board off of and continue on with his sprint.

Jason stood as he watched him. He'd dealt with vigilantes before, but it was rare to find one this young and this dedicated. For five nights straight he'd seen this kid. He hadn't stepped in because so far he wasn't hurting anyone and he seemed to have a handle on himself and his powers. Still, Jason's curiosity was starting to get the best of him. He clenched his fists, and instantly his body flashed deep red. He lifted off from his perch and flew low, between buildings, shadowing the boy.

After a few minutes, the boy left the rooftops. Jason crept closer and watched as he entered a sandwich shop. He hesitated on the edge on the building. Should he go in? He had his civilian clothes on under his suit, it would be easy to blend in. He was interested in the kid. He was always on the lookout for the younger capes coming up, those who might benefit from a guiding hand...

His mask beeped again, this time with a message from River. He rolled his eyes and tapped the spot where his mask normally was. He had no idea how River had rigged the thing to continue to function when he was in Quantum form, but then again, the tinker ability was weird like that. A faint holoscreen appeared before his eyes. It was a video of a huge dog, a german shepherd barking, and a dingy kid at its side. Underneath the video a line of text flashed. Dog coerces sandwich lady to feed street kid. Capetown is weird. Jason rolled his eyes again and was about to close out the feed, but then he saw the kid in the background of the video.

Well, if she was already in place to do some reconnaissance... he hit a spot on his wrist, one that would enable speech-to-text so that he could reply. "Do me a favor. Check out the blond kid in the black jacket I need to know his deal."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jasmin Lehtinen (SÀhkö) Character Portrait: Jericho Amile (Wendigo/Ghoul) Character Portrait: Alexander Dalton Character Portrait: Terry 'Tess' Farina (Hush) Character Portrait: Mara Haruka Black Character Portrait: River Riley (Zero)
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#, as written by Tanman
◄:Terry ‘Tess’ Farina:â–ș
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Slowly making her way home, a normal person would’ve probably continued along without a second thought. But Tess wasn’t a normal person. At first, it was just something she could faintly hear, but with the slightest amount of focus, she was able to make out what was being said, and from where. "Do me a favor. Check out the blond kid in the black jacket I need to know his deal." Blinking once, Terry looked up towards the roof of the building across the street, squinting slightly as she could make out a figure up there. Immediately, she regretted her decision and looked back away, hoping that her glance was more subtle than it felt. Looking back into the Which Wich, it seemed the dog was still inside, along with the swarm of patrons. Of course, one stood out a little more in this situation.

The boy eating by himself at one of the tables matched the description she heard. Was he being targeted or something? Taking a last bite of her hamburger as she moved slightly past the doorway, Tess kneeled by the window of the store, reorganising her bag and the food as she tucked the burger wrapper away. Maybe it wasn’t any of her business, and maybe it wasn’t something untoward, but it wouldn’t hurt to watch for a few moments more. Pulling out her phone, Terry pretended like she was popular enough to receive a message, sipping from her drink while looking over the screen. Fortunately, she didn’t have to pretend very long before shouts and swearing could be heard from inside the store. Pivoting quickly on the spot, Terry immediately regretted the decision as she covered her mouth.

The dog- No, the
 Whatever that was, began to shift and morph in a gruesomely disturbing twist of inky blackness. It was disconcerting and more than a little terrifying, Terry reflexively taking a step back from the scene. She really wished she hadn’t just been eating. Forcing down the uncomfortable feelings, soon enough, the transformation was complete; a young man standing at the counter and receiving more than a few stern words from the cashier. A shapeshifter? That really creeped her out
 Shivering involuntarily, the mood in the store seemed to have drastically shifted with this new revelation; the parahuman in the middle of the room drawing everyone’s attention. Was he the one connected to the male on that roof?

Tess decided to tear her eyes away from the intimidating boy with the skull paint. At least, for the moment, though she still kept him in her peripheral vision in case he was an actual danger. The blonde man seemed to have gotten involved in some sort of mess with a lady in the confusion, though no sooner had they began speaking did the blonde fellow seem to remember something, suddenly darting around her and out the door. “Uh excuse me-“ Tess felt she had an obligation to warn the boy to his observers, but he was quick, and she wasn’t exactly loud. The fellow slipped out of earshot and into the nearby alleyway before she’d gotten more than two words in. Moving to briefly bundle her belongings up again, by the time Tess followed to the sidestreet, the boy was already gone. Parahuman as well? It wouldn’t be unheard of in Capetown. That might have explained the interest of the other party in observing him. Still, if he was a parahuman, he could probably handle himself. Hopefully. There wasn’t exactly much she could do at this point.

“I really need to stop sticking my nose into other people’s business
 “ Tess finally concluded, checking her phone once more for the time. It was pushing closer to seven now. Not exactly the safest time of day for a lone young lady in a town full of super powered individuals. She really should start heading home before her father began worrying. Pocketing the device again, she made her way to pass the sandwich store for the third time that evening, briefly looking inside to see if the commotion had resolved, while at the same time glancing back to the building opposite. She couldn’t see anyone there anymore, so hopefully she was just being overly paranoid for that other boy’s safety.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jasmin Lehtinen (SÀhkö) Character Portrait: Jericho Amile (Wendigo/Ghoul) Character Portrait: Alexander Dalton Character Portrait: Mara Haruka Black Character Portrait: River Riley (Zero) Character Portrait: Jason Riley (Quantum)
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River flinched when the boy swore, shrinking away. It was an old instinct, one that always surprised her when it resurfaced. That time of her life when she could expect shouting to be followed by blows seemed so far away now. She was safe now, and knew how to protect herself if she wasn't. It was silly that her body was still reacting as if she was still 18 and trapped in a house with a ticking bomb. Shaking her head slightly at herself, River tried again to reach for the napkins, but the boy brushed past her smoothly.

"Hey its no big deal. Listen I got somewhere to be like, Right now soooooooo . . . . .Bye." He practically dashed from the restaurant. River rolled her eyes despite herself.

"Oh, no problem, just a bunch of women and children here with a skull-faced half-man-dog-thing, don't worry about us," she muttered under her breath. She cast a glance around the room, alarmed by the number of children she saw looking back at her. The boy hadn't done anything threatening so far, but in her experience, Paras who flaunted their powers were just gearing up to wreak some kind of havoc. She was loath to reveal her powers publicly, the police were sure to have some difficult questions about her income if she was flagged, but she couldn't just leave this restaurant full of people to fend for themselves...

"Hey, um, dog guy," she called. She straightened her back, hoping she was projecting her usual casual confidence instead of the complete baffled uncertainty that she felt. There wasn't much she'd be able to do herself if the guy turned violent, but she was at least sure she'd be able to take whatever he would dish out better than the others in the shop. It was better to draw his attention to her than let him stay focused on the poor shop girl. She ran a hand through her hair and there was a quiet click as the handful of security cameras shut themselves off and all of the cell phones in the shop lost reception. If she had to act suddenly, she'd rather not have to worry about purging evidence afterward. "You're not planning on robbing us or anything, right?"




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It seemed that no sooner had River agreed to watch the kid than he exited the restaurant, nearly knocking over a girl lurking near the door and dashed back into another alley. A moment later, he was back on the rooftops. Jason followed quickly, again making sure to keep out of the boy's line of sight. He was heading in a straight line and he looked familiar with the route. Jason wracked his brain, trying to remember if he had seen the kid in this sector. He was usually relinquishing patrol to someone else by now.

The boy came to a stop in a dangy worn down part of town, in a cracked and abandoned parking lot surrounded by shuttered buildings. He's training, Jason realized, watching the boy throw junk around, shrouding it in sky blue energy. Jason crept closer, crouching down around the corner, careful to stay out of the boy's line of sight. His energy didn't seem to damage what it interacted with, it seemed more like a manipulative shield, similar to Jason's own power. And he was strong. Jason was contemplating revealing himself when there was a loud crash from a nearby alley. They boy heard it too and charged toward the commotion. Jason shadowed him and quickly came upon the scene. The boy generated a shield, protecting the civilian and challenged the three thugs. Two ran off, while the other glared and began to glow a poison green. Jason swore and sprang into action. He'd ran into this villain before and if he didn't act quickly a lot of people were going to get hurt. He dropped down to land next to the boy and shot a broad ray of red light at the villain. He flew backwards out of the mouth of the alley, arching high in the air. In the split second before he hit the ground, Jason jumped, executing a neat flip over the top of the force field and threw his arms out, projecting a second shield around the civilian trapped there.

"Brace yourself!" he shouted at the boy. A moment later, the villain hit the ground.

BOOM

The explosion was huge. He must have been gearing up to blow even before he started glowing. If it had gone off in the alley there's no way someone wouldn't have gotten hurt.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jasmin Lehtinen (SÀhkö) Character Portrait: Jericho Amile (Wendigo/Ghoul) Character Portrait: Alexander Dalton Character Portrait: Mara Haruka Black Character Portrait: River Riley (Zero) Character Portrait: Jason Riley (Quantum)
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#, as written by Lin
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During the time she waited for her second sandwich, some interesting identities entered the store. Like, that dog that didn't really seem act like a real dog at first. It turned out that it really wasn't a dog. It was something not quite human, and the scream indicated that it wasn't just her who found this kind of power... special.

Mara tilted her head in curiosity. What kind of power was that? Changer? She would have said something if it wasn't for the look Ace gave her. She remembered the general rule he followed: If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it. Mara intended to follow the rule, so she kept her mouth shut.

As she munched on her sandwich, she kept her eyes glued to the table. How many capes were here? How common could you run into someone with abilities? She wondered.

"Hey, um, dog guy," a woman said. Mara didn't look at the woman. Ace, as expected, noticed and was immediately on guard. Another cape? Was she going to attack? "You're not planning on robbing us or anything, right?" The girl still munched on her sandwich, but finally peeled her eyes from the wooden table to look at the woman and the other cape.

Oh. She was that adult woman who was talking with the other adult woman from when she first entered the restaurant. Mara could only watch on in to see what would happen. She wasn't quite done with her sandwich yet. Besides, she'd never gotten attacked before. To hurt her is a difficult task for weak capes if they didn't know her ability. Her guard was mostly down, but Ace's guard was most certainly up.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Jasmin Lehtinen (SÀhkö) Character Portrait: Jericho Amile (Wendigo/Ghoul) Character Portrait: Alexander Dalton Character Portrait: Terry 'Tess' Farina (Hush) Character Portrait: River Riley (Zero) Character Portrait: Jason Riley (Quantum)
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#, as written by Tanman
◄:Terry ‘Tess’ Farina:â–ș
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The tension was still in the air of the store, with only a few remaining people inside. The shaper was still the focus of the attention given his earlier display, but as of yet, hadn’t made any dangerous motions. At least, if making a mess on the countertop didn’t count as something sinister. Still, it was impossible to ignore the screams and panic of that clerk. A few of the scared individuals that had fled the store were now getting well clear of the scene, and judging by the phones in their hands, it was likely the police or a hero agency had been called. Awkward as the situation was, it was handled
 Right? It’s not like she could step in without drawing undo attention to herself – Anyone with the confidence to do so was basically telling those around them that they were likely a parahuman themselves. She could probably slip off to change, but despite the loud cashier and heavy air, it seemed unnecessary.

Indecision plagued her. Or perhaps it was more she’d made the conscious decision to wait? Regardless, that confident woman had the guts to ask the important question that would either defuse or escalate the situation. Maybe she could’ve done that if she’d been in the room, but as it stood, she was an outside observer. She’d made up her mind. Heeding her earlier advice to herself, Terry finally stepped back away from the window, continuing her way down the street and back towards home. Even so, her ears were peaked to try and eavesdrop on the changer’s reply, just in case. She wouldn’t get to hear too much more then that as she made her way from the store. Well, unless things got really messy and broke into a huge fight – and at that point, she’d be able to make her way back.

The trip home was peaceful. Well, relatively peaceful. Since she was running behind, Tess decided to take a couple of the shortcuts she’d learned in her time living in Capetown, moving through the odd alley and busted up chain link fence. Her family wasn’t exactly poor, but they weren’t extraordinarily well off. Still, her mother was a shrewd woman. Which was another way of saying she was a cheapskate. As such, a cheaper rent in one of the shadier neighbourhoods wasn’t much of a concern for her parents; at least for a few years until they reconsolidated their funds to purchase something more substantial and not have a crippling mortgage. Either way, it wasn’t a huge concern of Tess’. She had a modest savings from her casual work, and hopefully the grades for a scholarship of some sort. If not, it was just a matter of finding some like-minded individuals to be roommates with. No sweat.

A crash sounded off in the distance, quite far by Tess’ estimation. She’d found she was getting better at judging sounds and the like, especially when it was quiet enough to focus on them like this. An accident? Or something else? Shaking her head, she decided to continue on her way. She’d already made up her mind that she couldn’t keep stopping for each and every little sign of danger. There were plenty of actual heroes for that, and if she didn’t get home, her parents would worry. She couldn’t risk having her secret out. Just as she was thinking that, an explosive green light lit up part of the horizon, a rumbling sound and rush of wind reaching her after a short delay. Must have really been something if she could feel it from here
 Her hands fidgeted slightly as she looked in the direction of the explosion. Giving an exasperated sigh, Tess continued on her way, moving parallel to the distant blast. Something like that wouldn’t go unnoticed. Heroes would be there. They could handle things.


It wasn’t long before Tess stumbled upon some people. Striding down the street, she cocked her head to the pair of panting voices, eying the two scruffy gentlemen in her way, though neither seemed to have noticed her. The two looked more than a little shaken, so perhaps that was why she was so fortunate. Not wanting trouble, especially in her civilian wear, Tess tried to stealthily cross the street to avoid them, not making eye contact and keeping her head low. The one on the left was tall, thin, with a number of piercings and one of those large ear spreaders. His hair was tied behind him in a greasy rat’s tail, his outfit a decidedly punk ensemble, and although she wasn’t the kind to judge books by the cover, she visibly grimaced. His partner didn’t look much better, a balding fellow in stained white tank top, some degree of muscle showing. Both were panting as they caught their breath, leaning against the brick wall for support.

“Shit, how do the freakin’ capes get there so fast?” Ratty spoke, resting his hands on his knees before sitting up. “Think someone snitched? Or maybe that guy’s psychic?”

“I don’t know how them freaks work! Just be glad we got out of there before that guy exploded! Whoever that Aegis guy was, he’s got to be toast now!” Baldy replied, spitting a wad to clear his mouth. “Not that we’re gonna find any cash in that mess. Damn it, let’s get the hell out of here!”

“Whoah whoah, easy there Buck. This is our chance.” Rat-tail grabbed his friend by the shoulder, raising a finger to indicate he had an idea. “While our friend draws all the focus of the heroes that way, we just need to find ourselves another target, snatch us some quick cash, and get off scot free.”

‘Buck’ as he was revealed to be, gave rat a look of disbelief. “You crazy man? You still wanna go after getting that close to that mess? What if another fre-“ Baldy didn’t get to finish his sentence as Rat-Tail interrupted. “What’s the chances we run into another one? Our luck’s not that bad you dipshit.” Slapping Buck on the back, Rat took a few jogging steps away, spreading his arms wide. “Come on, stop being a chicken bait. We-“ Ratty stopped speaking, and Tess knew that was a bad sign.

“Pheeew~, See? When life gives you lemons
” Ratty whistled, then whispered to the bald fellow, and Tess distinctly heard the sound of jogging footsteps coming up behind her. “Hey, hey, missy, what’s the hurry? Those are some big books, need some help?” Ratty was closing in, and Tess wanted no part of what he was planning. Hastening her pace, she hoped he’d give up the chase, but the gangly man wasn’t slow. “Hey, hold up, I just want to talk!” Tess risked a glance behind her, and was startled to see him less than a couple of metres from her, reaching forward to take her arm.

Breaking into a run as the snatch came in just wide of Terry’s hand, she heard Rat-Tail shout to Baldy to get after her as well, but was confident she could escape given her abilities as a parahuman. At least, until she heard the rumble of an engine. Stealing another backwards glance, she spotted Ratty clambering onto a motorbike with Buck at the front, gunning it to follow after her. There was no doubt in her mind that she could deal with two ordinary individuals, but she couldn’t transform without completely revealing her identity. She had to find somewhere to hide or outrun them, and then Hush would make sure that they ended their night in a jail cell.

Knocking a trashcan behind her in an attempt to slow them down, Tess really hoped she’d get that chance as she ducked into another side alley. She could handle it... Right?

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Character Portrait: Alexander Dalton Character Portrait: Jason Riley (Quantum)
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Just bubble the guy. That's all he had to do. The punk looked like he was in the process of powering up. Which would be perfect timing. That was when some guy that was on fire dropped down next to Alex out of nowhere. Before he could even react Mr. burning man fired off a broad ray of red light at the villain. Sending the guy flying backwards clear out of the alley and high in the air. Alex had little time to think before he saw the man jumped away behind his wall and add his own red barrier to protect the civilian. "Brace yourself!" Realization dawned on Alex as the villain came crashing to the ground. "SHIT! Hold on!!" He backed up straight into the wall, crouched and held his arms crossed in front of himself defensively. He began fortifying and adding layer upon layer of fields across his body, even adding more energy into the wall behind him before the villain hit the ground. followed by a blinding green light.

BOOM

Deafening, that's the easiest way Alex would have described it. The proceeding shock wave had thrown Alex against the wall hard, shattered most of the layers he had placed over himself and cracked the wall. The light didn't blind him thankfully but Alex could barely hear anything over the high pitched ringing. The villain laying on the ground steaming and not moving. A quick snap of the fingers and the unconscious bomber was safely bubbled and bound. It was best not to take any second chances after that blast. After turning slowly due to the sudden feeling of nausea Alex released the wall. it looked like the Heroes barrier had taken next to none of the shock wave, him and the civilian both looking a lot better then Alex was feeling. "Everyone alright?"

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Jason looked the kid up and down as he spoke. He had taken some damage in the blast, but he still had the presence of mind to secure the villain. That meant his instincts were good. And is first thought had been to check on the civilian. That meant his morals were good too. He dropped the shield and held a hand out to the man behind him, who had dropped to the ground, covering his head during the blast. The man reached for his hand and then hesitated. Jason rolled his eyes. "It's fine, it's not actually flames," he said. The man frowned and took Jason's hand, letting him haul him up to his feet.

"Looks like we're fine over here," Jason said to the kid. He turned back to the man. "Best get home soon. You know how Capetown gets after dark." The man seemed to pale and he hurried from the alley, pausing to mumble a quick thanks in the kid's direction.

Jason leapt into the air, landing gracefully next to the fallen villain and the aqua-colored shield that surrounded him. Hesitantly, Jason reached out a hand to touch it. It was hard and smooth, almost like glass, but felt far less brittle. The villain within was out cold, but he needed to be transported to the specialized para containment sector of the local jail before that changed. Jason turned back to the kid, surveying him. The safest way to transport the villain was probably inside of this bubble and Jason wasn't sure he could replicate it.

"Call me Quantum," he said, and extended his hand to shake. "Any chance you fly?"

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Character Portrait: Alexander Dalton Character Portrait: Jason Riley (Quantum)
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Alexander Dalton



A dream would have been nice. Though Alex couldn't and most likely wouldn't complain since Monday's were one of the few days where he had no class or any sort of odd jobs. Which would have meant sleeping in being an option. That was until an ungodly air horn of an alarm startled him awake so badly that he fell on off the bed in a tangle of limbs and bed sheets. Just the kind of way to start the day.

" I should have never tweaked that thing to be so damn loud." Grumbling to nobody in particular.

Rubbing his eyes, he glanced at the at the clock. Almost noon. Another hour would have been nice but that would risk wasting the day away and getting a possible scolding from the grandparents. Time to get the life together then. A nice afternoon shower followed by some instant coffee and he was ready to start on some new projects. He opened the blinds and windows to let some light and fresh air in. The weather looked cloudy and grey. Nothing unusual given the autumn season. Some rain would have been nice. a reason not to go out and patrol a bit when night came around. Alex mentally kicked himself for the thought though. He was better then that. And no self respecting hero would ever think like that to begin with. Turning his attention away from the gloom hanging over Capetown, Alex plopped himself at his work desk and booted up his computer. The usual tabs opened up. News feeds were nothing unusual, same cape related incidents as usual. Luckily no mention of his little event last night.

Right. Yesterday. He leaned back in his chair, spinning around for a bit. Why had he bolted from that scene at the shop? He could have changed quickly and went back to help. That's what any registered hero would have done. Heck some Most likely would not have even hesitated to just jump in while still dressed in civilian clothing. Alex sighed. There wasn't any point worrying about it now. best leave the past in the past and learn from it. Though, there was still THAT scene that went down. He groaned once again.





"Looks like we're fine over here," The burning man said to Alex as he made sure the man they had both saved was alright. As the man hurried from the alley, he pausing just for a moment to give Alex a quick yet genuine thanks before scurrying out of the ally. It gave Alex a warm feeling inside and made him reflexively smile under his mask. it was simple things like this that made the whole vigilante hero thing all worth it. even if he was only doing small things. it was still making a difference.

Alex wasn't letting himself get his head stuck in the clouds though. not with the given situation. He was still by all technicalities an unregistered para human doing cape work illegally. And here he was with who he assumed to be an actual hero. not an ideal situation at all. He watched as the blazing hero inspected the captured villain and his barrier.

After what felt a lot longer then a minute the hero turned back to Alex. He hero was now looking him over in a way that made Alex swear he was about to be taken in for questioning. "Call me Quantum," The name sounded familiar enough, confirming Alex's suspicions of the guy being A cape. He would have to look the guy up later to see who he was dealing with. It was right about that moment when a flame covered hand was extended towards him for a hand shake. "Any chance you fly?" Alex hesitated before accepting the handshake. He had a plan that he hoped would work.

" Aegis, And to answer you're question. Yes and no. I can but not that good, yet." That was around the time he sighed and shook his head. " Sorry about this though."

Lucky him for the element of surprise. Alex yanked his hand away, and with his other hand he shoved the hero back. A thick aqua bubble snapping around the now trapped hero. " I'm really sorry about this sir! the bubble should pop in about eight minutes, the other guys should last twenty. Again sorry about this!" And with that, Alex made a break for it, doing his best to not look back.



It was debatable if that had been the right move then and there. But like the shop incident, it was in the past now. Either way it didn't ever hurt to be too careful or slightly paranoid. Thinking it was about time to get some actual work done, Alex sat up and began toiling at his workbench. Trying to modify and update his costume. He did want to look more professional after all. It would have helped if he had some sort of thinker based power for this kind of stuff though. Luckily there was the always helpful internet.

After about two hours worth of adjusting and minor works of fabrication Alex got tired of being cooped up and decided it was about time to go out on the town. Maybe do some shopping and get a few parts and materials for his costume while he was at it. He sprung from his chair and quickly slapped on his usual casual getup and exited out the window as usual. He breathed in the crisp air and smiled a bit. today should be a good day, or as good as a day could get in a place like Capetown. And so he headed off down the street, thinking he should go to the shopping district downtown first before hitting any more out of the way stores.

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Characters Present

Character Portrait: [NPC] Bartender Character Portrait: Jasmin Lehtinen (SÀhkö) Character Portrait: Vic Martel (Nobody) Character Portrait: Jericho Amile (Wendigo/Ghoul) Character Portrait: Alexander Dalton Character Portrait: Kayle Tallion (Twisted Smile)
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Capetown, TX. 09/20/2017, 10:36 AM. 73°F,
Partly Cloudy. Arc 4: Abberance.




Chaos. It was indescribable as anything other than complete chaos and pandemonium. The English language could try in vain, but there's no describing the utter devastation that was going on before Jasmin's eyes.

..... "Everyone is coming together." Jasmin Lehtinen spoke her thoughts aloud, in awe. All around her was a mass of capes, and more poured in, from around the world, like ants. There was a crowd of hundreds now, almost entirely made up of foreign aid and support groups from around the world. A large chunk was the United States' own HLA and THA teams from all around the country. The building's parking lot was large, but it could hardly accommodate the crowd that was forming. Jasmin looked at the HLA's headquarters building. You'd expect a team of heroes to have a tower or a skyscraper somewhere, maybe letter-shaped and on a perfectly-sized island nearby. Instead, Capetown's HLA HQ was more like a police station, no more like a fire station. There was a section of the building that was obviously large and box-shaped, like how you could always point out the gymnasium at a school. Probably a training room, Jasmin thought. The parking lot was also large, large enough to accommodate a lot of emergency response vehicles. Even so, the group swelled past the parking lot's perimeter, and into the empty streets. On the edge of the crowd, more capes arrived, through portals, flying vehicles, or carried by Speedsters. it was surreal. Capes of all sizes, shapes, ethnicities, colors of suits, villains, heroes, people made of fire or earth, capes with things floating around them, or Tinkers in suits of armor. Changers that look like monsters or animals, capes hovering above the head-line, or capes flying about. The murmuring from the surrounding crowd made conversation nearly impossible.
..... Until up ahead at the HQ, a large, flashy-green portal opened up. The portal threw out swirling green sparks at the edges of the portal-way, almost like Dr. Strange's portals. From inside the portal came a blinding white light, infront of which Jasmin could make out four dark silhouettes. Immediately, Jasmin knew who these four were, and in the same way it did when she heard the air raid sirens start up, her heart paused for a second. The Triumvirate.
..... The first to step out of the portal and come into focus was Legend. Leader of the Triumvirate, and aptly named, Legend had a blue suit with silver and red accents and a red cape. Legend, Jasmin knew, had a nigh-invincible body, could fly, and had mind-boggling strength. The next to step through was Hero, who, in Jasmin's opinion, was a lot less aptly named. He looked more like a villain, like Dr. Doom, than one of the most renown heroes in the world. Hero's powers' specifics weren't fully public knowledge, but it's known that he has access to virtually any power in the world that he wants' and is limited to three to four at a time. The next to step through, and last of the Triumvirate, was Suit. Jasmin didn't know much about his antics and tactics, but she knew he was the most impressive Tinker on the planet. Like a mixture of Rick Sanchez, Tony Stark, and Batman, he had a gadget for literally everything. Jasmin looked at him with the most interest, as he was possibly the most mysterious of the Triumvirate to her. Suit has never been seen outside of his suit, like Master Chief, no one knows what he looks like or even his skin color. He's known as the most powerful and versatile Tinker in the world, due to being able to copy a Tinker's specialty once he comes across another Tinker. As a result his gadgets are so much more complex and magical than even the most powerful Tinkers Jasmin has heard of. Suit's suit itself has thousands of different gadgets and things invisibly embedded into it, and the suit can morph between several different styles and looks, each with different specialties and functions. He has specific suits for specific Abhorrents, and today, he was in his Tangle suit. The last silhouette, though not officially part of the Triumvirate, was a famously strong cape named Synergy. Synergy was known to commonly accompany the Triumvirate during major threats like Abhorrents. Synergy, Jasmin knew, was a seriously powerful Trump cape with the power to copy the powers of other capes that he touches, up to two at a time. When he copies a power, he has the power's full potential unlocked as the original cape could possibly have. So, say there's a cape that isn't experienced with their power but has potential to learn a lot, Synergy, after copying the power, would use the power like a master. Synergy also has the ability to synergize two copied powers and have them interact in unpredictable ways outside of the scope of the original two powers. This combination makes him an extremely powerful cape.
..... These four were the veterans of the veterans, and while their being here did calm Jasmin a little bit, it also filled her with a sense of dread knowing that the situation she was in was very, very real. Jasmin watched ahead as soldiers began to flood out of the portal that the Triumvirate had walked out of. PCRT? That was the most likely answer, but they didn't have the normal black face mask and red-accented body armor that Jasmin was used to seeing, these soldiers instead had bulkier clothing with blue accents and half-gas-mask-like half-night-vision-like goggles.
..... "-and those are PCRT Abhorrent response members. Their suits are Tinker-made, specifically to resist Tangle's radiation, laser-beams, and his plant minions' attacks." Ray said, as Jasmin realized she had speaking to her this entire time, as Jasmin hadn't been paying attention. As Ray finished her sentence, Jasmin noticed that up at the front of the crowd, Suit took a large sleek black box reminiscent of a suitcase off of his back. He got on a knee and placed it on the ground. Immediately, it started coming apart as if made of hundreds of boxes that were seamlessly each a part of the original box a second ago. Then, rotors popped out of the tops of the black boxes, each perfectly smooth and the size of a rubix cube, and they began flying around the crowd of capes. Drones, Jasmin thought, as one flew to her and hovered in front of her. Jasmin looked next to her at Ray, and noticed that Ray had put her left arm outstretched in front of her, and the drone landed on her wrist, and began to transform, reconstructing itself into a wrist band, about two inches wide and an eighth of an inch thick. Jasmin did the same, and though the wristband seemed to be made of some sort of black metal, it felt curious to her, as she felt literally no paths of connection to it through electricity. For the first time in her life, Jasmin felt something she couldn't shock.
..... "Some kind of power-resistance material, probably made by some Tinker who is the only in the world who can make it. Besides Suit, I guess." Ray spoke again, confirming Jasmin's suspicions. Jasmin moved her arm around and was surprised that this amount of metal on her arm felt completely weightless. Jasmin looked to Lucas and Mark, or Chrysopoeia and Sandstorm as they were in costume, and they also had the wristbands. Systematically, every cape in the crowd began accepting the drones onto their arms. Legend, up at the front of the crowd, began a noble-sounding speech about how everyone here was doing a great service to humanity. Suddenly, Jasmin became aware that her face was naked, without her iron-shavings mask. Jasmin pulled out the bottle and unstoppered it, magnetizing the shavings to her face, conscious of the spiky configuration they fell into along the magnetic field lines. Ray, or Seraphim, wasn't in her portal-costume, but it was understandable as the armor of portals would be dangerous in this crowd of close bodies.

Jericho flinched, partially out of reflex and partially because he wasn't paying attention, when the sparking swirling amalgamation of green light and energy abruptly popped into existence ahead. His eyes narrowed, focusing in on the 'gateway' as it were, taking in every possible detail about the quartet of capes before opting to change his eyes into those that normally belonged to a raptor. Minute details, tiny features, everything possible to see with 'mundane' sight opened up for Jericho. Suit was taller than Jericho expected, and Legend was... Almost everything that the Changer thought he would be, and maybe a little not so.

It was Hero that Jericho immediately distrusted, if only because the costume that he wore was one that made Jericho think of villains from comic books and similar. Hero made the Changer... suspicious, but for no good reason, seeing as how the man put himself through harms gauntlet day in and out when it came to the Abhorrents.

His gaze slid over to Synergy, or at least the man who held the name, and studied him for a time. Tall, dark, bald and with a posture that seemed to scream “Regality.” Jericho was reminded of a lion when he looked upon the man. His attention shifted back to Jasmin and the rest of his ‘friends’. Multiple eyes sprouted into existence upon his skull, ink flowing and then fading into nothing as pupils contracted and dilated on each recognizable face. Jasmin, Vic-Nobody, The Gunman, The girl who stepped out of light, the ‘not-a-batman’, and then a blondie who seemed to arrive just a little bit later than everyone else on a disk of turquiose light. Jericho’s eyebrows rose at the somewhat familiar form, before furrowing in concentration as he tried to piece together where he may have seen the unknown cape from.

His attention was again yanked away, his focus turning towards a small scuffle between a man who dressed himself like some sort of medieval ranger, with a bow and arrow to tout, and a man who wore nothing but a body suit marked with digital numbers. The body suit man had the ranger held up by the collar of his cloak, and a small circle had formed around the two. Several other capes watched on warily, and as some others from the edge began to push to break the two apart, Jericho noticed a familiar woman making her way over.

A black, silver and magenta colored cape floated over to the two scuffling, their words and voices growing louder and a little more heated. The cape’s mask covered their face, adorned with with the magenta markings that covered their- her- whole suit. A helmet that was remniscent of a hawk’s head, along with a visor that covered everything except for the bottom half of her face. From mid breast and upper sternum, her suit was silver and seemingly armored, with two markings on her stomach and upper groin glowing with hot pink light. Her voice was nothing like her suit led Jericho to believe: firm instead of soothing, authoritive, and pissed. “Hey! Hey! Pull yourselves together. Don’t break the unspoken rules.”

It was those words that caused the commotion to come grinding to a halt. ‘Don’t break the unspoken rules.’ Every cape within hearing distance, even some of those who only heard the ‘...rules’ stood a little straighter, gritted their teeth- all manner of stress reflex. ‘The Unspoken Rules’ were rules between capes that were exactly as they sounded: unspoken rules that every known and unknown cape followed. To break them was to vilify yourself against quite actually every other cape in the area. Maybe even the continent.

The two scuffling capes separated themselves, one looking cowed and the other looking almost as if his pride had taken a direct hit. Jericho, on the other hand, recognized Laser Hawk the moment she began speaking. His mind flew back through time to the aftermath of the bank heist: an HLA woman who turned her hands into magenta light and essentially dissolved matter. A breaker who was... Scary to say the least. Respected to say even less. She had flight as part of her kit, but from what Jericho saw of her, not very fast flight. He could outrun her, probably... She only flew as long as her hands were glowing, maybe a part of her power?

He was nervous all the same, a minutely guilty part of his conscience poking its dirty, dirty hands into his emotions. The Changer hummed to himself, reflexively shuffling away from Laser Hawk and the group of capes around her. He bumped into Jasmin, muttering sorry in his passing as he disappeared just a little deeper into the crowd of capes. There were plenty of people around to take attention off of him, right? “Fuck.”

It was only after a short moment of getting into a comfortable enough space- (read as getting distance between himself and Laser Hawk) that Jericho turned back towards the ‘front’. A drone was in his face, and as he reached out, the automaton landed and formed into the bracelets everyone else was receiving. Legend was going on about something or another, Jericho wasn’t paying attention, far too interested in the metal bracelet around his wrist.