Champions Unlimited (CVnU Team)

@awp832:

"I know." Solaris smiled. "I looked up your work."

@solarius:

"...You did?" she asked, unsure if that was good. "....Of course you did."

@awp832:

Solaris offered a re-assuring smile. "I like your work."

@solarius:
"...There are proud moments. And ones not so proud as well."

@awp832:

"True of every living being." Solaris shrugged.

@rage_hard: "Oh I'm just young, I'll probably get taller when I'm older!" John shrugged as he offered a smile.

@solarius:

"I suppose." Radiant agreed with a heavy heart. ".....Still. Demons of the past, and all that."

-----

Two Years Ago. 1 day before the press conference.

Radiant Rocket sighed, mentally preparing herself for the hard conversation to come. She opened the door to a dark room, it was dark and had a funny smell, she had expected that. Lying in the back of the room was a man with a bottle in his hand, she had expected that too. "You're drunk." she said, in as chiding a tone as she could manage.
"I am.. how I want to be." was Wander's reply.
"Come on. I need you. Get up." When that got no response she said it more forcefully. "Get. Up."
He coughed. "You don't need me. What do you need with a drunk hero with no powers?"
Radiant Rocket was confused. "You have powers. You can see into the future..." It was incredibly powerful and had saved them before.
"No... I don't. I just... that's just what I thought I could do." he tried to take a swig but the bottle was empty.
"....What do you mean? What are you saying?"
"I'm saying... I was wrong. One of my long-term visions was wrong."
"You don't have long term visions. You only see into the future a few minutes." But then Heather caught on. "Right?" she asked. "You told me you could only see into the future a few minutes."
"I did. I can. I mean... that's how it started." Wander tried to explain. His hair was a dirty brown color which did a good job of hiding the soil matted into it. "That's how it was when we were kids. But... you kept getting faster, Solid kept getting tougher, even Lady Lucky kept getting.. well.. luckier. I couldn't just stay there being Boy Wander forever, the kid who could only see five minutes into the future. I had to push myself. I had to try for something stronger. So I did. Small at first, then... longer, a lot longer."
"....You're... talking about Carapace..." she guessed, whispering it. He nodded a confirmation and that set Rocket's eyes ablaze.
"Yeah, I saw Carapace. I saw everything play out exactly as it did only..."
"Only..?" she asked.
"Only it was supposed to be me." he said eventually. "You were supposed to pick me. I saw you pick me! It was my plan, my, risk. And I was supposed to die, Lucy was supposed to live. "
"Christopher.."
"Go away."
She went.

@awp832:

"I know the feeling." Solaris said gently. "We all have them, even living stars."

@lady_rosalina: Rage smiled innocently. "Maybe you get bigger than Rage!" He said enthusiastically.

@rage_hard: "Aww I'd doubt that but we'll see in a few years!" John stuck his tongue out.

@rage_hard: @lady_rosalina@awp832

Solaris gathered everyone together again in the same room. "Before I begin, does anyone have any questions or concerns about our group, or myself?"

@solarius: "None on our part." Rose shook her head.

@solarius: @lady_rosalina@rage_hard

Radiant Rocket looked over those in the room. Are these my new team members? she wondered what they could do. It wasn't going to be like before, that was for sure. Heather had always had her brother she could rely on, and two solid friends with her. But they will become friends, in time. Or at least she hoped so.

"I think it's okay to get started.." she said, thinking she could get to know her companions more personally later. It might be better to talk one on one anyway.

@awp832: @lady_rosalina@rage_hard@caetus_

"Some weeks ago an Egyptian deity named Set attempted to free the spirits of a majority of his pantheon. You may or may not be aware that the old gods of every religion were killed off in a major war some years ago. At the same time as Set attacked, a team of archaeologists searching the ruins of recently rediscovered Thanagar disappeared. I had hoped civilian authorities in Egypt would deal with it, but they have not. Since I do not believe in coincidences, I would like a small team to travel to Thanagar in Egypt and explore the ruins, see if you can find the missing team and rescue them if possible. Bring back any information you can find on the city itself, I suspect it is about to become an important place in the coming months." She paused a moment before proceeding. "The rest of us should spread out and find more like us that might be interested in joining our team. You're welcome to stay here in the process or at any other time and we should get to know one another better...practices might be in order, since we are not accustomed to using our powers in conjunction with one another."

"...Brandon." Radiant said after a moment. "...I mean, Brandon Cole, my brother, he would be an ideal candidate to join." she explained. "But... I couldn't get him to come with me. " she added with a hint of remorse, still not completely sure why he had turned her down. "Perhaps someone else might convince him."

------

Six Years Ago:

"Happy birthday -dear Lucy- Happy birthday to you!" sang everyone, except for Lucy herself of course.
"And many more!" added Christopher.
"To the baby!" Brandon toasted him cheerfully. Lucy was 20, the same as all the rest of them in truth, but her birthday was on December 19th, so she was the youngest of the four, technically. Heather was the oldest -her birthday was July 12th, her twin brother Brandon was technically speaking July 13th -a fact that his sister reminded him of regularly. Christopher was in the middle on September 1st. So she was 'the baby' of the group, Lucy didn't mind too much most of the time. Everyone was all smiles, today was such a good day. But it could be better.

She took a breath and blew out the candle -there was only one, but she supposed it was symbolic-. Heather had baked the cake for her. She was her best friend, a great leader, but a good cook she was not. Lucy intended to savor every bite, just the same. She closed her eyes I wish... for just a few moments alone with her. Just a little bit. We're never *alone*. Just enough to tell her....

Lucy Wells had good luck with wishes. Great luck, as a matter of fact. She didn't remember all of them, but on her 9th birthday she wished she didn't have to see her father anymore. That night he hit her, her mom had filed for divorce the next day. On her sixteenth birthday she was in a terrible car accident. She remembered being dazed, bleeding, dying, she supposed. She wished to live, and somehow... she did. She had lost a lot of her memories at that point, but she lived just the same. And now she just wanted a little bit of time.

It wasn't long before it came true enough, just like all the rest always did. Christopher checked his watch and sighed "I have to get going, happy birthday. Sorry to run, I have a ton of things to catch up on."
"It's okay." Lucy replied. "and thank you."
"I'll drive you home." Brandon said quickly. Christopher was prone to drinking too much, everyone worried about him.
"I guess I should go too." Heather said, since the others were leaving, but Lucy interjected on her own behalf.
"Stay." she argued. "An hour or two, it'll be fun, we'll watch a movie or something." Heather didn't look convinced. "I'll drive you back, don't worry." Lucy added. "Come on, it's my birthday." guilt usually did the trick. And it won out here too.
Heather nodded. "Allright, pick out something you want to see." she told her, saying goodbye to her brother and her other friend.

At that point things were going well, but that was about as far as it got. They watched a show together, Lucy drove her home, and she never managed to build up the courage to ask her. Well... Lucy thought, as she watched Heather Cole disappear into her room. There's always next year.

@awp832:

Solaris nodded a little. "I will send Ryan to speak with him later...Ryan can be very convincing."

@solarius:

Radiant Rocket nodded, turning her attention back to the other matter at hand. "Well... a bit of training is probably a good idea. But I hate to leave those archaeologists out on their own. If any of them are still alive, we should try to find them as soon as we can."

@awp832:

"I agree on both counts." Solaris said. "I would like you and the others to travel to Egypt and see what you can find out in and around Thanagar. I'll monitor your signals and join you if something comes up and you need my aide, I have some leads closer to The Strip that I need to follow up on." She paused a moment. "There are two individuals who claim to originate from ancient Thanagar, if you run into a winged female I highly suggest avoiding a confrontation unless you have no other choice."

@solarius:

"...and the other native?" Radiant asked.

@awp832:

"There are two individuals, both female. The story gets unnecessarily complicated from there but either one could be present. My sources tell me Luna Hawk should be in the United States while you are in Egypt, but I do not have a tracking on Solar Hawk. Solar Hawk is the more aggressive of the two and the more likely to attack on sight rather than ask why you are present. If you see either one I would urge caution." She said

Crows formed in one spot. they a;; crowded and soon leon rose where the crows were, he was newest on the team and wasn't to sure about even that. He took a few steps studying every detail of what he was able to see

@leon_dissada:

With Solaris inside of the main bunker complex it was the Fedora and tench coat bedecked Ryan that first encountered the new arrival. Ryan smiled a bit, adjusting his hat with one hand. "Welcome to The Strip. Do you wish to speak with Solaris?"

@solarius: Leon locked eyes with him. his eyes were grey and had a ring like pattern going around them,. the eyes were very unatural. "if that's who is in charge of this...place" he said looking around still as his eyes seemed to pick up on every detail. He had heard from an aquatince about the team, maybe this would help shed light on the changing of all he knew since his death

@leon_dissada:

Above ground The Strip was little more than a small island with a giant landing strip covering its surface. There were a few buildings, including a cathedral, but most of it was clearly hidden away under ground.

"It is." Ryan confirmed and motioned for the new arrival to follow him. "My name is Ryan, I am an associate of hers. What brings you to our island?"

@solarius: Leon" he said to him as he looked around "and i just came back from the dead not to long ago and everything's changed" he said to him "i figured joining here i may get some answers about some of the things that happened on the world" he said to him

(whatever happened to international)

@mth_:

( I don't know, the creator went quiet. Some of those characters are nominally in Champions Unlimited, but a lot of them are quiet now too.)

@solarius:

Radiant Rocket nodded. "Allright, we will be careful. If you think you can have Ryan get Brandon on board then I'm ready to leave for Thanagar at any point." she said, really it might be best if Ryan made the attempt without her interference anyway. He can catch up with us there if he decides to help.

@leon_dissada:

(Sorry for the delay)

"Quite possible." Ryan told him and motioned for Leon to follow after him. "Tell me some of what is confounding you on our way."

-------------------------

@awp832

Solaris nodded. "I will send him to speak with your brother. Do you need transportation to get to Thanagar?"

"I suppose yeah, that would be convienient." she said.

@awp832:

Ryan escorted Radiant Rocket up onto the tarmac...where she could see Ryan was also speaking to a new arrival. Either there was more than one Ryan or something else was going on with him. He ignored his counter part and led her to the big and heavily modified C-130 cargo plane the group used as a transport. "Since most of the team is away on other assignments, it looks like you get Sky Guardian to yourself."

@solarius:


"...How empty." she said, softly.

@solarius: (wow i didnt even get a notification. damn lol)

leon walked with him still looking around the place as he walked "well i died back around the mutant registration attacks" he said "back when veniswalia was put to ruin" he told her as teh wind blew around them. "and since then it seems many that i once knew ether died or have changed. i want to find out how and why...and what else has started happining in the world...and fearthermore how long i have been gone" he said

@leon_dissada:

(Notification system has been wonky)

Ryan nodded and they soon arrived in the bunker where Solaris was standing, scanning over a series of holographic displays tracking ongoing news events.

Solaris turned to face Leon once they arrived and offered a smile. Her eyes burned like twin stars and were painful to keep contact with for long. "Welcome to The Strip. I'm Solaris, I see you've already met Ryan. On your way here he informed you had a number of questions about the state of the world, hopefully I can answer them for you."

---------------------------

@awp832

"A bit perhaps." Ryan said and boarded the plane via the rear ramp with her. "Would you like company on your way there?"

@solarius:

Radiant smiled a little. "I suppose that wouldn't be an issue for you." she gathered. "I'd like that."

@solarius: he nodded. he noted that her eyes seemed to glow with the shine of stars. He wasn't to hurt by them though. even though his hood prevented his face being scene, he was able to stand light. something he didn't mind having now and one reason he didn't miss his vampire status. He looked around the strip still and spoke "seems this place has changed...much more then i had thought" he said

@leon_dissada:

"This used to be a US military base. The island was meant to test new equipment." Solaris explained. "It was abandoned a few years ago and purchased by a private investor. When I arrived on Earth I bought it and established my own base here for our team."

It is nice to join this team. Let my dark powers do good! ;0

It was a fine day, a bright morning sun, and a light breeze across the almost still ocean. Therein lies The Strip; a vast facility, the base of Champions Unlimited, occupying the entirety of this island.

Shadows started stirring and accumulating in one spot on the strip. Anyone on watch that day would've perceived a threat of it. Not Ryan. To his experienced eyes, it meant a newcomer; and a darn strong one at that. Even he did not expect quite the kind of a figure he had immediately rushed out of the strip's control tower to meet.

A dark shadowy figure, wearing a black robe and a mask, a star shaped one and his hands- no; you could not see any part of his body except the figure. He stood tall, wearing a cape of a lighter shade of black with steel plating running across his shoulders and around his neck. Where he leg should be was just a mass of flowing shadow that seemed to be pulsing.

"Greetings...and you are?" Ryan asked, hesitant at first.

"I wish to join your....group." The shadowy figure said, his voice almost a whisper, like he did not want to talk.

@lowlaville:

(Sorry for the delay, wasn't sure if you were done or not)

"Follow me." Ryan said and lead him to a security bunker. The blast door scanned Ryan's body and they both heard the sound of metal rods sliding out of the door. Ryan nudged the door open and took him to the command center where Solaris was surrounded by holographic readouts and news feeds of every ongoing situation in the world. Solaris turned to face the new arrival, her eyes burning like twin stars.

"Welcome, I am Solaris. You're interested in joining?" She smiled and it seemed honest and genuine and there was a warmth to the expression many modern heroes were lacking. There was another figure in the room as well but he was silent for now. @leon_dissada.

@awp832:

(Sorry, didn't get the notification for this one, system is wonky)

Ryan smiled and multiplied into a dozen others to occupy more of the cargo plane. One of them took the pilot's seat and began the process of taking off.

"You seem to carry a great emotional weight on your shoulders." The original copy said. The others had spawned instantly without preamble. The other copies had also appeared where he wanted them rather than emerging somehow from his version, if he were even the original Ryan. They all wore precisely the same clothing and had the same mannerisms.

@solarius:

".... that's a lot to sum up after meeting me for only a few moments." she said, looking around as she brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "I don't suppose you know much about the Rockets...?" she asked, trailing off... " We were a product of ETHOS-One. That is, the European Teen Hero Organization -Section 1, commonly abbreviated ETHOS or ETHOS-One. Section One pertains to the mental and physical training of new heros, essentially it's like Hero School, but it's a bit more active. We form teams and go on missions some of which can be important and even dangerous. Not everyone makes it, even though the younger teams are accompanied by an instructor. But... we did. The Rockets were the major success story of ETHOS at the time. Maybe of all time, modesty aside. We were... well... heroes. When you turn 20, you're done with ETHOS, and as most teams do, we continued on as our own team, the Rockets. At that point.... everything was great."

@solarius

The masked man followed Ryan, as he was leading off the runway towards a bunker. Shadows beneath his feet rang as soon as he had stopped in front of the massive door. They pulsated outward and seemed to run through the entire base in a matter of seconds.

Ryan did not notice this, or did not pay it any attention. He pushed the door open with a degree of strength that appeared almost super human.

The figure draped in shadows, he paused as the woman asked a question. Then he nodded. "Such a rare specimen you are..." said, removing his mask, and revealing his face. He had long dark hair and pale skin. His eyes white and cloudy, like a blind man. "Yes...I want to join you-" He gestured at Solarius, "-and your fellow comrades here..."

@solarius Didn't bother to read the other 3 pages... So if this is still up, I'd like to join. I'm a jedi, but I can change characters if needed.

(methinks a different character concept might suit the genre better. Or at least, you know, reskin it. You can be LazerSwordMan with the powers of mental influence and moving things around but... you know.. give it an effort. Speaking of, read the other 3 pages. it's three pages. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming)

Brandon Cole reclined in his London apartment, sitting on his pull-out couch that doubled as a bed in a cramped dark space with very reasonable rent. Teachers didn't make too much these days, even superhero teachers. Brandon didn't care much though, he never had too much use for money. Clicking on a floor lamp with one hand and the back end of a pen with the other, he anxiously read over the quarterly psych reports on the Original Four, a name his team had picked out of black humor -which Brandon greatly enjoyed but he didn't think the psychologists were quite so amused. He twisted off the cap of a beer and flipped though the papers. There were five of them, curious.

Wardrake... Mercurial, Apothecary, Bait. Those were his kids, all fifteen and sixteen for Wardrake. Brandon himself was twenty-six, but he looked younger. Nature had given him boyish features and he generally kept clean-shaven which didn't help the effect. Even so, his tossled black hair and blue eyes made him a handsome character just the same. There was another report Solid Rocket. Brandon scowled. What the hell, they gave me one? He took a swig and opened the file.

@rexorr:

(Solaris here: awp there is actually a Jedi contingent on the forum. Most of the time they stick to the space stuff. Rex if you want you can use the Jedi or change characters. The team is currently being reorganized with an influx of new people. I hope to put us in the first new rp event that crops up. In the mean time I may send more of you guys with radiant rocket to Egypt.)

@awp832:

Ryan nodded a bit. "I take it from your tone that things changed."

---------------------------------------

@awp832

Ryan approached Brandon's rental place in silence, it was not in the greatest of neighborhood...not that Ryan had much to worry about. He pulled his trench coat tighter around himself and adjusted his Fedora before ultimately knocking on the door. The things Solaris has me do... He mused with a grin. That is one strange woman.

-------------------------------------------

@lowlaville

Solaris smiled at the shadowy figure. "Rarer than you may know." She told him. "We would be happy to have you on our team. There's been an influx of new people as of late. I wonder if you want to make a trip with one of our other members? There is something I want investigated in Egypt. You don't have to go of course, you did just arrive, we can instead discuss specifics and abilities and see who you might fit best with."

(So, basically, you're creating a new RPG? And if we are talking IRL, it has to be in brackets, right?)

@rexorr:

(What I want to do is when someone makes an RPG event such as an Empire Claim I'd like to be able to put our team in it so we are frequently active outside of our own thread. Right now I'm thinking about sending a few characters out to Egypt for a fairly simple/short RP investigating missing archaeologists in Egypt that will eventually lead up to a larger game. OC comments should be differentiated from IC comments in some way. I like to use ( ) but some people use other means. Whatever you want to do is fine with me)

(So... Can you keep me updated? I've just never done an RPG before, and I'm excited to start up cause it looks awsome and I'm willing to learn.)