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TEST DRIVE MEME: NOVEMBER EDITION
TEST DRIVE MEME
A Confluence, capitalized, is the converging of one or more supernatural forces.
This Confluence is predicted. Guild officials are ready to capture the new Starfallen and explain the situation to them. All of this has become quite mundane for them, but you -
You find yourself suddenly falling from the sky. Careening towards the pavement, only to be caught at the last minute by thin ribbons made of stardust. They would have caught you far faster, as they've been getting quite skilled at snapping tumbling bodies from mid-air, but...
This Confluence is predicted. Guild officials are ready to capture the new Starfallen and explain the situation to them. All of this has become quite mundane for them, but you -
You find yourself suddenly falling from the sky. Careening towards the pavement, only to be caught at the last minute by thin ribbons made of stardust. They would have caught you far faster, as they've been getting quite skilled at snapping tumbling bodies from mid-air, but...
ONE MIND, ONE WILL. CENTRAL CITY, MICHIGAN.
Staticky octogon-shaped portals appear in the sky you just fell from. At that same moment, every screen in Central City flares to life. A PINK-SKINNED ALIEN with glittering, crystalline compound eyes stares calmly into the camera.
"My greetings to The Society of Samaritans. My dear old teammates. And their hero friends like Atom...? Atomight? Atomight. If they're even still alive... When you've lived as long as I have..."
He trails off, staring into the distance. It takes a moment for him to resume speaking. "I hope they don't still have you all convinced of the delusion of free will. What does free will matter in the face of immortality? Of freedom from strife? I would reshape you all into something so beautiful." He gives the camera a beatific smile. "I don't know why you would eschew that - so I'm just going to take the choice out of your hands. It's for your own good, really. The Forerunner is here to save you from yourselves."
At that, monsters start to pour through the portals. Instantly there's mass panic. Screams fill the streets.
The Forerunner is viewed as a "god" by the monsters coming through. ABOMINIDS twisted long-limbed biological monstrosities slavishly devoted to him, and his AUTOMATA, incredibly intricate machines lacking free will. Alliance members appear familiar with his tactics, and familiar with the foe. They can tell you that The Forerunner himself is unable to cross between dimensions due to the tragedy that made him. In an act of heroic self-sacrifice which warped his mind, he was trapped between dimensions and his body was warped beyond recognition. This isn't the first time he's attacked Earth with his monstrosities, hoping to weaken the planet's defenses.
The monsters are not the only threat. The Forerunner has developed the ability to hack free will. Automata and Abominids are putting mind control helmets on unpowered citizens en masse, the projected stream of sound they provide capable of binding the victims to his will.
Swarms of converted non-meta civilians are quickly captured and converted. These people are not themselves, but they must be fought, freed, or avoided. You, heroes and villains, are the only force that can avert disaster. The mind-controlled civillians are targeting infrastructure like power transformers and fire departments.
Even more worrying, the Converts are swarming the local hospitals, raiding metahuman wards to take control of metas too sick and weak to fight back. These metas are the intended building blocks for the invasion force, who will be mind controlled and forced to fight despite illness or injuries. At ground zero for the earliest attacks, medical staff need help transporting sick patients and newborn babies to hospital wings that can be more effectively barricaded. Some will wind up trapped, stuck holding doors shut together while fists pound outside.
Whether heroes or villains, those unfortunate enough to be captured will find themselves given a modified mind control device at the base of the neck. If you are so unlucky, you will act completely normal at first to put the people around you off guard. And when the opportunity arises, you will try to convert others by implanting those same devices. The constant stream of mental hacking will leave your personality mostly intact, save for the devotion to the Forerunner.
"Surrender and sublimate. Flesh into flesh. All are one in the Forerunner." They chant in the streets.
Removing the devices instantly liberates the captive. However, there are so many of them. It's up to the Starfallen to hold the line, and stop others from being taken.
"My greetings to The Society of Samaritans. My dear old teammates. And their hero friends like Atom...? Atomight? Atomight. If they're even still alive... When you've lived as long as I have..."
He trails off, staring into the distance. It takes a moment for him to resume speaking. "I hope they don't still have you all convinced of the delusion of free will. What does free will matter in the face of immortality? Of freedom from strife? I would reshape you all into something so beautiful." He gives the camera a beatific smile. "I don't know why you would eschew that - so I'm just going to take the choice out of your hands. It's for your own good, really. The Forerunner is here to save you from yourselves."
At that, monsters start to pour through the portals. Instantly there's mass panic. Screams fill the streets.
The Forerunner is viewed as a "god" by the monsters coming through. ABOMINIDS twisted long-limbed biological monstrosities slavishly devoted to him, and his AUTOMATA, incredibly intricate machines lacking free will. Alliance members appear familiar with his tactics, and familiar with the foe. They can tell you that The Forerunner himself is unable to cross between dimensions due to the tragedy that made him. In an act of heroic self-sacrifice which warped his mind, he was trapped between dimensions and his body was warped beyond recognition. This isn't the first time he's attacked Earth with his monstrosities, hoping to weaken the planet's defenses.
The monsters are not the only threat. The Forerunner has developed the ability to hack free will. Automata and Abominids are putting mind control helmets on unpowered citizens en masse, the projected stream of sound they provide capable of binding the victims to his will.
Swarms of converted non-meta civilians are quickly captured and converted. These people are not themselves, but they must be fought, freed, or avoided. You, heroes and villains, are the only force that can avert disaster. The mind-controlled civillians are targeting infrastructure like power transformers and fire departments.
Even more worrying, the Converts are swarming the local hospitals, raiding metahuman wards to take control of metas too sick and weak to fight back. These metas are the intended building blocks for the invasion force, who will be mind controlled and forced to fight despite illness or injuries. At ground zero for the earliest attacks, medical staff need help transporting sick patients and newborn babies to hospital wings that can be more effectively barricaded. Some will wind up trapped, stuck holding doors shut together while fists pound outside.
Whether heroes or villains, those unfortunate enough to be captured will find themselves given a modified mind control device at the base of the neck. If you are so unlucky, you will act completely normal at first to put the people around you off guard. And when the opportunity arises, you will try to convert others by implanting those same devices. The constant stream of mental hacking will leave your personality mostly intact, save for the devotion to the Forerunner.
"Surrender and sublimate. Flesh into flesh. All are one in the Forerunner." They chant in the streets.
Removing the devices instantly liberates the captive. However, there are so many of them. It's up to the Starfallen to hold the line, and stop others from being taken.
DIADEM HOTEL
Whether you've survived the chaos, or arrived after the trouble's over, you're not going home anytime soon. Hopefully, the LUXURY HOTEL they've put you up in will ease that sting.
The DIADEM HOTEL is usually reserved for the obscenely wealthy. Its rooms are enormous, the beds quite literally enchanted to offer the perfect night's sleep, and the food would usually cost your life savings just to sample. But given the circumstances, the Guilds feel its the least they can do to aid your transition into this world. EVERYTHING is complimentary, and everyone gets an ALLIANCE CREDIT CARD to spend on entertainment, clothing, and whatever other necessities they might need. The cards have an obscenely high limit and there doesn't seem to be an expectation for you to pay it back... though if they catch you abusing it, their accountant will be coming for your head.
There's a shopping center immediately across the street. It has an impressive array of outlets that cater to your every need. Food, clothing... and swords? If you can think of it, it's for sale. Although anything clearly supernatural or metahuman seems to be at a minimum and offered under the table. You can grab clothing made to withstand any superpower and a surprisingly mediocre Taco Bell order while you're at it. There's a Super Cinema in the shopping complex across the street that's showing the 11th sequel of a popular action racing franchise, BLASTS FROM THE CURIOUS: LAST OF THE NEFARIOUS, in which Hubcaps Nefarious tries to undo the Carmageddon caused by evil tech entrepreneur Jebs Robs. He uses the Large Hadron Collider to launch a Bugati into the past to save the world and the most important thing of all: family.
CENTRAL CITY isn't exactly the nicest place in the world, even after the clean up from the Forerunners's attack. Wander too far from the shopping district and you'll find yourselves thick into territory controlled by the local non-meta crime syndicate... but maybe that's where you want to be. Maybe you're here to see just what this world is dealing with. If you're going to be stuck here you might as well make yourself useful, right?
Or perhaps you're NOT the heroic type. Maybe this is simply scoping out the competition.
Regardless, it won't take long for TROUBLE to find you. Test out your new powers, do a little thieving, stop a few muggings - this is your time to use as you see fit.
The DIADEM HOTEL is usually reserved for the obscenely wealthy. Its rooms are enormous, the beds quite literally enchanted to offer the perfect night's sleep, and the food would usually cost your life savings just to sample. But given the circumstances, the Guilds feel its the least they can do to aid your transition into this world. EVERYTHING is complimentary, and everyone gets an ALLIANCE CREDIT CARD to spend on entertainment, clothing, and whatever other necessities they might need. The cards have an obscenely high limit and there doesn't seem to be an expectation for you to pay it back... though if they catch you abusing it, their accountant will be coming for your head.
There's a shopping center immediately across the street. It has an impressive array of outlets that cater to your every need. Food, clothing... and swords? If you can think of it, it's for sale. Although anything clearly supernatural or metahuman seems to be at a minimum and offered under the table. You can grab clothing made to withstand any superpower and a surprisingly mediocre Taco Bell order while you're at it. There's a Super Cinema in the shopping complex across the street that's showing the 11th sequel of a popular action racing franchise, BLASTS FROM THE CURIOUS: LAST OF THE NEFARIOUS, in which Hubcaps Nefarious tries to undo the Carmageddon caused by evil tech entrepreneur Jebs Robs. He uses the Large Hadron Collider to launch a Bugati into the past to save the world and the most important thing of all: family.
CENTRAL CITY isn't exactly the nicest place in the world, even after the clean up from the Forerunners's attack. Wander too far from the shopping district and you'll find yourselves thick into territory controlled by the local non-meta crime syndicate... but maybe that's where you want to be. Maybe you're here to see just what this world is dealing with. If you're going to be stuck here you might as well make yourself useful, right?
Or perhaps you're NOT the heroic type. Maybe this is simply scoping out the competition.
Regardless, it won't take long for TROUBLE to find you. Test out your new powers, do a little thieving, stop a few muggings - this is your time to use as you see fit.
THE PUMPKIN KING. SUNSET FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS.
The recently open door to the underworld is now closed but that doesn't mean Sunset Falls is free from supernatural events. That said, what's currently happening is at least a normal kind of abnormal, a well-established, necessary yearly ritual.
Every year, a being known as Magna Cucurbita, also called the Pumpkin King or Old Man Autumn, must be appeased so that Autumn in the northern hemisphere can start progressing to Winter and the other seasons. In the past, this entailed flattering him with various depictions in TV specials and movies, but with some of these beloved holiday specials and movies moving to streaming services and being viewed by less people - and increasing Christmas creep - this seasonal elemental has taken affront at the lack of attention at the end of the harvest season.
Fortunately, the magical community in Sunset Falls knows how he can still be appeased. Every year they perform a ritual in some pumpkin fields, corn fields, and orchards just outside Sunset Falls. While the ritual is led by the Alliance's Silent Mystic, the magical community sees it as something that transcends the loyalties of the guilds and all are welcome to help out, regardless of affiliation. It takes a large number of people performing it to make it work, enough that those that might be hesitant will practically be begged because of the importance of making sure Autumn doesn't last all year long.
After being teleported in by the mages, the ritual is a mostly harmless one. Much like the recent masquerade ball, all participants must pick out a harvest mask but instead of magically hiding their identity the mask does the opposite: it enhances it, transforming and taking the form of something deeply personal or that best represents the individual. Sometimes the carvings and paint can show more than one thing, causing a wearer to have an entire collage of personal symbols, objects, characters, or even whole scenes depicted on the mask.
Two participants, often chosen at random, then have their hands bound together with twine woven from straw. They have to walk through the pumpkin patch and both eat an apple from the orchard, then walk into the cornfields. Once all the sound gives way to the white noise of rustling corn stalks, they have to kneel and tell each other their greatest desire. This can be any number of things, both possible and impossible, like the recovery of something long-lost (or gone forever), a short-term goal they're desperate to accomplish, or a lifelong dream they keep aspiring towards.
This admission must be the truth or at least close to the spirit of it, and the stronger the desire, the sooner the ritual will be finished. This is a harvest of emotion that appeases the spirit.
Until both have said their truth, Magna Cucurbita can be seen in glimpses, circling in the corn around them, wearing his grand suit embroidered with pumpkins, accompanied by two skeletal Halloween spirits. When he is finally appeased the spirit gracefully departs, leaving behind the scent of pumpkins, bonfires, and ripe apples. Participants can then return to the others.
When enough participants have appeased the Pumpkin King, a very light first snow will fall, heralding Winter, and the ritual will be declared over. The new season is always welcomed in with the mages treating everyone to magically delicious hot cocoa and hot cider, various apple treats (baked, candied, and caramel), and various pumpkin based foods like pie and pumpkin spice bread.
Provided they don't indulge in a snowball fight first, everyone is then taken home.
EXCELSIOR
A scientist in Excelsior has come forward, claiming that he can solve the current metahuman crisis with science. Robots, he says, without intelligence. One that is programmed to follow human law by the letter. They do not need metahuman intervention. Their problems are caused by scientific minds, and so the solution must come from them.
The robots in question are mass-producted from cheap material. Their programming is… slapdash, at best. And there is no government sign-off on these robots, the eager scientist simply flings open the door to his lab and unleashes them upon the city.
Rejoice, he cries, I, Sprocket Biggs have saved this city!
He has not.
The robots are doing what they are instructed to. They are intervening when they catch sight of someone endangering others, or breaking the law. Unfortunately Sprocket did not think to check what laws they were upholding, nor did he think to prune the more ridiculous ones that have entered legislation over the centuries. And so these poor, ridiculous creatures descend upon the unsuspecting populace with only their binary understanding of what is and isn’t a law.
Some of the laws the robots are adhering to are…
• It is illegal to attach a vending machine to a utility pole without prior consent from the utility company.
• No person may walk about in public if he or she has the common cold.
• Destroying a beer cask or bottle of another is illegal.
• It is illegal to entice girls away from the Maple Lane School for girls.
• X-rays may not be used to fit shoes.
• All lollipops are banned.
• A law to reduce crime states: "It is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town.
• It is illegal to paint polka dots on the American flag.
• People may not buy a mattress on Sunday.
• All motor vehicles must be preceded by a man carrying a red flag (daytime) or a red lantern (nighttime) fifty feet in front of said vehicle.
• It is illegal to pretend that one's parents are rich.
• One may not spit on a bus.
• When two trains come to a crossing, neither shall go until the other has passed.
• You cannot buy meat of any kind on Sunday.
• No person may walk about in public if he or she has the common cold. RCW 70.54.050 Exposing contagious disease -- Penalty. Every person who shall wilfully expose himself to another, or any animal affected with any contagious or infectious disease, in any public place or thoroughfare, except upon his or its necessary removal in a manner not dangerous to the public health; and every person so affected who shall expose any other person thereto without his knowledge, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
• A law to reduce crime states: "It is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town. This law was set up to curb an ever increasing crime rate in the area. Due to its sheer stupidity, however, it is needless to say that the law has affected nothing.
• You may not shuck peanuts on the street.
• It is illegal to display a hypnotized or allegedly hypnotized person in a store window.
• Dancing and drinking may not occur at the same establishment.
• You may not carry a concealed weapon that is over six feet in length.
• One may not spit on a bus.
• Those who sit on men's laps on buses or trains without placing a pillow between them face an automatic six-month jail term.
• No one may set fire to another person's property without prior permission.
• It is illegal to carry a fishbowl or aquarium onto a bus because the sound of the water sloshing may disturb other passengers.
• No one may kneel on a pedestrian skywalk.
• Spitting on city buses is outlawed.
• Persons may not wear a life jacket near a public body of water.
• TV's may not be bought on Sundays.
• Strippers may not come closer than four feet to any customer.
• No structure shall contain more than two toilets that use potable water for flushing.
• It is illegal to give noxious substances to a bird in any city park.
• You may not ride an ugly horse
• And many more.
These misshapen, malfunctioning hunks of metal are not much of a threat to any metahuman. They’ll sound their klaxons and chase you with grabbing hands, intent on hefting you above their heads and taking you directly to the nearest authority. This could be a police offer, but it’s much more likely to anyone with authority nearby. Don’t be surprised if your captor rockets through the windows of a board meeting, dropping you in front of the CEO expectantly.
They’re surprisingly durable, at least physically. It’s probably possible to overload them mentally without much effort, a simple logic puzzle or two might do. Or just bring up a few conflicting laws! Maybe even break as many as possible. Best to team up and grab a buddy so they don’t know who to chase.
The robots in question are mass-producted from cheap material. Their programming is… slapdash, at best. And there is no government sign-off on these robots, the eager scientist simply flings open the door to his lab and unleashes them upon the city.
Rejoice, he cries, I, Sprocket Biggs have saved this city!
He has not.
The robots are doing what they are instructed to. They are intervening when they catch sight of someone endangering others, or breaking the law. Unfortunately Sprocket did not think to check what laws they were upholding, nor did he think to prune the more ridiculous ones that have entered legislation over the centuries. And so these poor, ridiculous creatures descend upon the unsuspecting populace with only their binary understanding of what is and isn’t a law.
Some of the laws the robots are adhering to are…
• It is illegal to attach a vending machine to a utility pole without prior consent from the utility company.
• No person may walk about in public if he or she has the common cold.
• Destroying a beer cask or bottle of another is illegal.
• It is illegal to entice girls away from the Maple Lane School for girls.
• X-rays may not be used to fit shoes.
(more laws here)
• All lollipops are banned.
• A law to reduce crime states: "It is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town.
• It is illegal to paint polka dots on the American flag.
• People may not buy a mattress on Sunday.
• All motor vehicles must be preceded by a man carrying a red flag (daytime) or a red lantern (nighttime) fifty feet in front of said vehicle.
• It is illegal to pretend that one's parents are rich.
• One may not spit on a bus.
• When two trains come to a crossing, neither shall go until the other has passed.
• You cannot buy meat of any kind on Sunday.
• No person may walk about in public if he or she has the common cold. RCW 70.54.050 Exposing contagious disease -- Penalty. Every person who shall wilfully expose himself to another, or any animal affected with any contagious or infectious disease, in any public place or thoroughfare, except upon his or its necessary removal in a manner not dangerous to the public health; and every person so affected who shall expose any other person thereto without his knowledge, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
• A law to reduce crime states: "It is mandatory for a motorist with criminal intentions to stop at the city limits and telephone the chief of police as he is entering the town. This law was set up to curb an ever increasing crime rate in the area. Due to its sheer stupidity, however, it is needless to say that the law has affected nothing.
• You may not shuck peanuts on the street.
• It is illegal to display a hypnotized or allegedly hypnotized person in a store window.
• Dancing and drinking may not occur at the same establishment.
• You may not carry a concealed weapon that is over six feet in length.
• One may not spit on a bus.
• Those who sit on men's laps on buses or trains without placing a pillow between them face an automatic six-month jail term.
• No one may set fire to another person's property without prior permission.
• It is illegal to carry a fishbowl or aquarium onto a bus because the sound of the water sloshing may disturb other passengers.
• No one may kneel on a pedestrian skywalk.
• Spitting on city buses is outlawed.
• Persons may not wear a life jacket near a public body of water.
• TV's may not be bought on Sundays.
• Strippers may not come closer than four feet to any customer.
• No structure shall contain more than two toilets that use potable water for flushing.
• It is illegal to give noxious substances to a bird in any city park.
• You may not ride an ugly horse
• And many more.
These misshapen, malfunctioning hunks of metal are not much of a threat to any metahuman. They’ll sound their klaxons and chase you with grabbing hands, intent on hefting you above their heads and taking you directly to the nearest authority. This could be a police offer, but it’s much more likely to anyone with authority nearby. Don’t be surprised if your captor rockets through the windows of a board meeting, dropping you in front of the CEO expectantly.
They’re surprisingly durable, at least physically. It’s probably possible to overload them mentally without much effort, a simple logic puzzle or two might do. Or just bring up a few conflicting laws! Maybe even break as many as possible. Best to team up and grab a buddy so they don’t know who to chase.
CLIFF NOTES.
➢ New arrivals will be appearing in Central City. They fall from the skies and are caught moments before impact by magic users from the guilds.
➢ Taking advantage of thinned spots between dimensions caused by the Confluences and the recent opening to the Underworld, the otherdimensional tyrant known as the Forerunner is attacking the city.
➢ The Forerunner uses mind control devices and monsters to try to bring the city under his thumb. The mind control devices instill a sense of loyalty and devotion to the Forerunner.
➢ Those who are under his mind control will attack key infrastructure in the city, including hospitals. Players must defend themselves from a hoard of mind-controlled civilians, metas, and maybe even friends!
➢ This will last roughly one day before being brought under control. A heck of an entrance, though! In the aftermath, newbies will be brought to the DIADEM HOTEL.
➢ In Sunset Falls, the annual rituals to appease the Pumpkin King must be undertaken. The ritual involves showing him your truth. You must take a mask and put it on your face, and the mask's appearance will reflect your deepest truth.
➢ Two characters will be randomly paired together, and must share a truth about themselves. This can be any number of things, both possible and impossible, like the recovery of something long-lost (or gone forever), a short-term goal they're desperate to accomplish, or a lifelong dream they keep aspiring towards. Once done, the spirit is pleased and departs, allowing winter to come.
➢ In Excelsior, a scientist has made robots that are programmed to uphold the law! Unfortunately, he didn't specify which laws, and these robots are now trying to enforce some really weird ones.
➢ These robots are largely harmless. They're physically strong but mentally dim. They're mostly loud, bumbling, and doing their best. If caught, you'll be brought to the nearest authority - who can be anyone in a position of power, or who simply radiates authority.
➢ The easiest way to beat them is to break as many weird laws as possible. Team up and get creative. Or if you think you can take them head on, suit up and beat them up.
➢ Current Players are welcome to treat this as a bonus event. These events are canonically happening within the game but can be largely ignored if you'd prefer to use the month for personal plots. You can tag into the TDM, reference these prompts in network posts, or use them in your own logs.
WILDCARD.
Metaheroes takes inspiration from all walks of comics. Take a look at the CITIES to get an idea as to what day to day life is like in the other cities. Perhaps you've encountered a supervillain (or hero) who needs to be thwarted, or a metahuman with unusual powers creating bizarre effects. You can also take a look at the MISSION BOARD to get your start as a professional hero, villain, or vigilante.
Eliot Spencer | Leverage
Then he's yelling in fear and surprise as he falls through the air. He's had dreams like this before but he's usually wearing a parachute, or a harness. And there's usually familiar voices screaming in his ear.
It's only once he's caught by-- something-- that he realizes he's not dreaming at all.
There's people screaming. People falling from the sky. Monsters running around. It's like something out of Hardison's stupid games. Speaking of--]
Hardison? Parker? [He looks around frantically. What the hell is going on?]
2. [After long hours of protecting people from whatever those things were, Eliot's absolutely exhausted. He sees whoever's in charge (an organization he doesn't recognize) herding up people like him; the ones who came free-falling out of the sky; and decides to cut and run before they catch him. He needs to figure out where he is, what's going on, and where his people are. Not necessarily in that order.
It's easy to melt into the chaos. His dirty and torn flannel gets switched out for a hoodie from an unmanned bodega. He grabs a cap while he's at it. Starts dodging security cameras and cellphones.
There's a rendezvous for unfamiliar cities. Ones were they don't have established backup plans. It's dependent on a bunch of things, the first letter of the city name, the month, and the day of week, but he ends up about ten blocks Northwest of city hall in the shittiest dive bar he's been to in a while.
He orders takes a seat at the counter and orders the cheapest beer they have. Now there's nothing to do but wait and see if his team will show.]
no subject
Hardison doesn't want to rely too much on an easily-traced government-issue credit card, but it'll be enough to at least get his hands on some basic tech.
Once that's out of the way, he follows the rendezvous protocol that the team had established, and enters the dive bar, scanning the room for a familiar face.
Or, in this case, a familiar hairstyle underneath a hat.
Hardison approaches the bar and takes a stool next to the man in the hoodie, leaning over in a very un-subtle way to get a look at his face.
And he leans back and lets out a dramatic sigh of relief. ]
Oh, man, Eliot, am I glad to see you. You would not believe the day I've had.
[ He leans in to try and wrap Eliot in a hug. ]
no subject
He allows himself to return the embrace, just for a moment, and tells himself that it's not for him-- Alec needs the reassurance. Then claps the other man on the back and pulls away.
He signals to the bartender to get a beer for Hardison.]
If it's been anything like mine, I just might. You heard from Parker?
[Eliot, having been laying in bed when everything happened, doesn't have a phone. Or a wallet. Doesn't have much of anything except his boot knife. He figures that, even if he didn't arrive with it, Hardison's picked up a cellphone by now.]
no subject
Been keeping an eye out for her, but nothing yet. Gonna remote access security cameras around to see if I can spot her somewhere.
[ And by "I" he means the program he will code to search for her face, but that goes without saying. ]
She's... she's tough. And clever. She could handle those... whatever the heck that was out there.
[ He sounds entirely convinced, because he knows it's true. Still, it's clear in his eyes that he's worried; How could he not be? Hardison leans on the bar, idly accepting the pint glass when the bartender slides it over to him. He doesn't take a drink yet. ]
You saw them, right? Second-weirdest thing I've encountered today. Third-weirdest was waking up in freefall, but I kind of always expected that to happen someday.
[ Hardison takes a swig of the beer and freezes, eyes wide. He slowly sets the pint down and shoots a glare at Eliot. ]
Did you order me a god-damn PBR?
no subject
Parker can look after herself. [That's what you're supposed to do, a part of his mind whispers.] We just gotta giver 'er time.
[And if it takes too long, Eliot and Hardison will go looking. They ain't leaving her behind.
He watches Hardison take the glass. He wants Eliot to ask what the first-weirdest thing was, but he isn't going to give him the satisfaction.]
Haven't woken up like that since the last time I was in Barbados.
[He smirks to himself as Hardison takes a drink. PBR isn't Eliot's favorite, but he knows Hardison hates the stuff. His reaction was well worth ordering himself a bottle to nurse while waiting.]
I don't know what you're talking about, man, I just ordered whatever was on tap. [When you lie to people for a living, sometimes it's fun to do it badly.]
no subject
[ Hardison takes another drink anyway. BUT HE WON'T ENJOY IT, ELIOT. ]
what kind of country-ass lager...
[ He pulls out his phone, and starts typing something in. ]
Anyway, listen. You know how I've got some backdoors built into a few big institutions? Banks, record-keepers, government offices, things like that? I tried to get in to a few of them, you know, make sure we've got a little breathing room while we try to figure out where we are and what the hell is going on.
[ He looks down at the phone. It's not just worry in his eyes anymore; He looks... disturbed. ]
But I ran into a problem.
no subject
He nods, familiar with Hardison's back-up plans, and leans over to get a look at the screen. Will he understand anything Hardison's doing? Probably not, but Hardison likes showing off what he's good at and Eliot indulge him. If their shoulders get pressed together in the process, that's just how it is. It doesn't mean anything.]
You get locked out? [A problem could mean anything from "my programs need updating" to "agents are closing in on out location".]
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[ He sets the phone face-up on the bar, sliding it toward Eliot; The screen displays a search engine with 0 results. ]
Wells Fargo doesn't exist. Never existed. And not just them. A whole bunch of companies just... gone, and some unfamiliar ones in their place.
[ Which would, in literally any other circumstance, would likely be a good thing. But right now it's got his whole sense of reality tilted. ]
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This some kinda joke? [But Hardison doesn't look like he's joking. He looks freaked out.] The hell is going on here?
[First that... thing that happened downtown. Eliot doesn't even know how to describe it. He's seen some weird shit over the years but that might've just beat it all out. If the scale weren't so massive he'd say that he was on the receiving end of one of Nate's weirder cons. It has none of markers of a hallucination, or a dream, or anything like that. As far as Eliot can tell, this is real.
The attack itself was chaotic, but the aftermath was organized. This isn't the first time people have dealt with this kind of thing. But Eliot would've heard if something this crazy had happened before, especially if it had happened enough times to need a routine response.
He drags his hands over his face. He has all these pieces and none of them are adding up. He wants to hand them off to Hardison, but he can't right now. They need to prioritize. Right now they're too exposed.]
Okay. We're gonna wait here as long as we gotta, but after we're gonna need somewhere to lay low and figure this out. I don't have any safe houses in the area. Is there a place we can go?
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[ It's what Hardison basically would have gotten them, anyway. Just fewer steps to get there. ]
So once we get settled there and sweep for bugs — [ because why wouldn't there be bugs? ] — we can start figuring out what the hell happened to reality.
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We sure we wanna put ourselves on their radar? [Eliot trusts Alec's judgement, but only one of them has a price on his head in three countries.] I ain't got any of my IDs. You ain't got your-- [He waves his hand dismissively]--computer-stuff. They run my face, who knows what kinda crap they'll pull up.
[Luckily, Hardison will probably be fine. He isn't nearly as recognizable, and didn't get out as much in his early days. But Eliot's could be putting him in danger by association and that's unacceptable.]
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[ Hardison grabs his wallet and starts tabbing through it before pulling out a card and sliding it over to Eliot; The ID reads Cameron Mitchell. ]
I didn't get much choice in gettin' put on their radar, I got kinda pulled in with the crowed and got the whole intro along with my card and hotel reservation. They've got me in their system as John Browder.
Seeing as you didn't know about either, I take it you managed to skip their little orientation?
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Yeah, I got out of there when they started roundin' people up. I wasn't gonna stick around for that.
Since you got your wallet, you can cover drinks. [He says just to annoy Alec. He's no Parker or Sophie, but he did manage to lift some cash on his way here. He just wants to see the look on the other man's face when he realizes he's the one who's gonna be paying for the beer he didn't even want.]
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That doesn't mean he can't take a break first though. He goes to one of Central's many discreet dives, plops himself to a seat at the counter and orders a cheap beer before sighing from exhaustion]
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The kid looks worn down, but not confused or freaked out. This might be a good time to get some intel on this place.
He looks up to the TV on the wall playing the news. It's coverage of the clean-up with some human interest stories thrown in. He doesn't recognize the network.]
You'd think, goin' through all that trouble, they'd make helmets that didn't look so dumb. [Eliot drawls. Ease him into it, he tells himself. You're just looking for some comradeship to help process a weird day.]
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Yeah, no kidding. It lessens the intimidation factor by a lot. If you're gonna conquer, gotta do it with some kind of style.
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You get caught when everything went down? It looked like those things were hittin' hard. [Eliot scrubbed the worst of the dirt and ash off his face and hands before he ordered a drink. His movement is a little stiff, but he's practiced at ignoring injuries a hell of a lot worse than this. Other than his knuckles being scraped raw, there's no reason to guess he was in the middle of everything, and there's plenty of other possible explanations for that.
Which is all to say that Eliot could be any blue-collar guy getting a drink at a shitty bar after the city was attacked. So far, there's no reason to think he doesn't know what's going on.]
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Yeah. Got caught right the middle of it. Shit went to hell fast. I was trying to get away and to help out.
[It's almost the entire truth. He was doing what he could to help as the Red Hood but certainly wasn't running away from the danger. That's not how he works. He doesn't regret what he did but that didn't mean he wasn't physically tired.
He looks back at the older man. He seems a little gruff and a blue-collar worker. Not too far off from the people Jason usually sees from his times living in poorer and working-class neighborhoods. Jason's also taking note of the injured knuckles]
What about you? You managed to miss the party?
[There are plenty of reasons to have scraped knuckles so Jason won't assume for now]
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[The best lies are based in truth. It wasn't one straggler; Eliot had been cornered by six civilians wearing those helmets. Luckily, none of them were trained fighters. He managed to subdue them quickly and without unnecessary injury on either side.
He didn't like fighting them, they weren't in control of themselves, but he hadn't had a choice.]
You hear what it was all about? I wasn't around for the opener.
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[Takes another sip from his beer]
You're lucky you managed to miss that.
[Considering how the widespread the event was, it's almost impressive. Jason wonders if it was his own Bat-levels of paranoia or if there was more to what the older man said]
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Eliot gives a dry chuckle, like he can't he missed it either.]
Yeah. Last time I take a leak at the end of my shift, I guess.
[He takes a drink too.] And now we're supposed to-- what? Go home, trust that the powers at be 'll take care of everything? Let 'em clean up and go 'bout our day?
[It's easy to play the frustrated civilian who don't trust the authorities. Hell, his accent does half the work for him.]
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[Jason hears that frustration. He recognizes it from hearing other people before and from himself]
I don't get it but it always feels like the Alliance manages to do just the bare minimum to appease the public.
[Not that Jason's been impressed by them so far]
You've been here long?
[Though Jason can sympathize and empathize with the frustration and suspicion towards the government, the older man's statement gives Jason a sense that the man hasn't entirely accepted the guild system so far. Was he new to the city or to this version of Earth?]
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Shit. Not for the first time today, Eliot wishes he had his team in his ear. Conning was always felt better knowing you had backup.
He lets some of his exhaustion leak into his voice.]
Moved into town to find work almost six months ago, now. ["And regretting it" is left implied.]
Toby Martin [He introduces himself. Puts out a hand to shake, if the kid wants to take it.]
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Name's Jason. I hope you've seen better days. At least we're all getting the rest of the day off now.
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Side of the index finger. Knuckle of the middle finger. The palm of the hand.
Gun calluses.
He doesn't let his hand linger before pulling back.]
I'll drink to that. [He jokes. He clinks his bottle against Jason's and drinks.
Jason doesn't look military. He could be a hobbyist? But now that Eliot's paying attention, he sees the way the kid stays aware of his environment. Eliot took the best seat at the bar to keep track of the people around him. Jason's is second best. He's beginning to suspect that isn't an accident.
It doesn't necessarily mean anything. It's not even that suspicious. Jason could be a street kid, or in a gang, or have a tough home life. But when the pieces get put together it's enough for Eliot to take note.
He leans back to settle into his seat. It also gives him a better look at to check Jason for potential hidden weapons.]
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