There's a Crisis at Crusader Citadel (IC)

[hero4hire]

PROLOGUE: THE NEW GUYS
The Crusaders are and have always been the primary band of heroes in Campaign City. They consist of :

Mantaman, their leader, who wears an aquatic battlesuit that can fly and discharge electric bolts that can harm or stun.


Evergreen, a mystic plantwoman who animates and controls vegetation.


Blizzard, a young new hero that has cold and vibration powers.


Dreamweaver, the mistress of illusion.


Enforcer, a super-powered secret agent.


Finally Laserfire, a hero with pyrokinetic and photokinetic abilities.


The headquarters of the Crusaders is called Crusader Citadel, situated in the top four floors of the Harmon Building at the corner of Lake and Center streets in downtown Campaign City.
It is heavily guarded by advanced automatic defensive systems and contains a launch platform for the Crusaders’ mini-space shuttle as well as the TEACHER computer system, a near sentient computer of ultra-advanced design.
The arch-foes of the Crusaders are the Crushers, a loose confederation of many individual villains who have cause to hate the Crusaders for one reason or another. Thus, their membership is constantly expanding and changing.

Recently the Crusaders have sent out the word…as more and more villains pop up, they are now looking for new heroes to expand their ranks.
So that is what brings you to the Harmon Building on a Sunny Autumn Afternoon; to meet the Crusaders and apply for membership in their prestigious group. As you arrive in front of the Lobby Entrance as instructed by the Crusaders, you notice other costumed people arriving as well.

OOC: In true comic tradition, you all arrive at the same time. Go ahead and describe your journey there or a flashback scene where you get the invite to tryout from the Crusader of your choice. Something that will give us a feel for your character.

[kenseido]

G-Factor

Jacob walks into the lobby and begins to question whether his girlfirend was right or not. When he showed her his abilities, she thought it was neat. When he asked her to sew him a costume, she thought it was a hoot. When he said he was going to try out, she thought he was nuts. Seeing all these other costumed hero, Jacob felt very out of place and almost turned and left.

Maybe she is always right after all.

He had lept and wall walked all the way here, just to get out the nervous energy. Sadly, he still felt nervous. I mean, what kind of power is 'Personal Gravity Manipulation' anyway. He started to recall his workouts with hsi Dad and some of the talks Dad gave him and his brothers about performance anxiety, or 'gane day jitters' as he called it. He moved off to the side a bit, and started calming himself down with some deep breathing.

And a little prayer.

[badpenny]

The Black Blade

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The Black Blade knelt down at the edge of the roof and peered down into the alley. The four of them were no match for him, and they knew it. But they did what they were supposed to do and drew their weapons. Two guns, a crowbar, and a machete. He liked the variety.

With a deft flip, The Black Blade fell forward into a somersault and landed on the asphalt with ease. The four men were anxious and not a little scared. They knew who they were facing, but he didn't seem to be carrying that sword of his....

"You made a mistake coming into this 'hood without your blade, man. We gonna get you and make names for ourselves."

The Black Blade. "Yes, I'm sure you'll try." They charged him and the Black Blade simply leaped over the men. The one in the back of the charging pack received a booted foot to the back of his head for his trouble. He stumbled forward into one of the other men and they both fell hard to the ground.

The two with guns whirled and drew down on the Black Blade. The Black Blade held up his hand and the two gunsels who faced him thought he was going to plead with them not to shoot him. But suddenly with a shimmer the Black Blade's namesake appeared in his hand. As the men shot at him, he swatted the bullets from the air and closed the distance with them.

They recoiled in surprise and fear. Just as they were about to bring their guns to bear again, the Black Blade slashed out with his sword and cut both guns cleanly in half as if the metal was nothing more than cheese.

The one with the machete tried to sneak up behind Black Blade, but he was revealed to the swordsman's Mind Sight. And just as someone with eyes in the back of his head would react, Black Blade pivoted and kicked the man unconscious.

The other three fled without much more thought. Black Blade smiled. Their dope sack got left behind in the process. Black Blade retrieved and dumped the contents into his hand. Two dozen bindles of dope and a nice fat wad of cash.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The voice from behind him. With Black Blade's Mind Sight he picked the man out in roughly the same spot as he'd been in but a few moments before. He turned to face him. Enforcer!

"You do your part," Enforcer said. "I've known you were the one helping yourself to a little booty, but that's okay with me. I know you use it to fund your crime fighting. Or I would have come for you another way." Enforcer let that hang there while he jumped down into the alley to stand next to Black Blade.

"We need you to make it official. No more back alleys. Well, only if you want to. I know how much fun it can be." Enforcer chuckled softly. "No, we need you at the Citadel. We're busy all the time, and we need some new blood."

The two men looked at each other.

"What do you say?" Enforcer folded his arms. "Others, too. Just so you don't think you're special."

"I see." Black Blade said. "I don't think so. I like working alone."

"Maybe, but I think it's just because you're not a trusting soul."

Now it was Black Blade's turn to chuckle. "You know everything, don't you?"

"Intel is power, my friend," Enforcer agreed. "You know you want to. At least at some level. Got a cot with your name on it...."

"Well. I can't compete with that." He tossed the money to Enforcer. "Donate it to charity. When do I show up?"

"Tomorrow afternoon'll do. You might have to try out." Off Black Blade's cocked head, Enforcer added, "The others haven't had the privilege of witnessing your fancy moves. You know you like it when the ladies 'ooh' and "ahh'."

"Who else?"

Again Enforcer chuckled. "Now that would be telling."

[ClassDunce]

U.S Steel - Matt Brubaker
HP: 1 Luck: 2 Condition: Fine

Click. Tap. Pain.

Click. Tap. Pain.

Matt Brubaker suppressed a shudder as he made his way across the hardwood floors of the penthouse loft that had once been the home of Eli Coen but was now his. Natural light filled the place and practically brought a beautiful and calming glow from the warm tones of the real wood that covered the floors. Matt didn’t pay any attention to that though after a particularly grueling session with his physical therapist he wasn’t paying attention to much of anything.

Click. Tap. Pain.

He didn’t know why he hadn’t rescheduled the appointment for another day after he made his decision to actually attend the recruiting event that the Crusaders had invited him too. Well they hadn’t actually invited him. The invitation had been made to U.S Steel just a week before Eli Coen had died. Eli had no intention of accepting. He didn’t have a very high opinion of the Crusaders believing them to be not fighting the right fight and having their priorities all wrong. Matt didn’t really care about that.

Click. Tap. Pain.

Matt’s walking made a steady rhythm on the hardwood floors. First the determined click of his right heel, then the tap of his cane, then the endless sliding of his right foot with the familiar stabbing pains in his ankle, knee, ass and back.

Click. Tap. Pain.

The rhythm of his steps stopped as he paused to stare at his most hated enemy, Stairs. Of course the only way to enter the workshop that made up the entire floor of the building beneath the loft where Matt made his home now was down this single flight of stairs. There was no elevator access. Just stairs. Before the injuries he had never really noticed them. He had ran up and down them two steps at a time without giving them any thought whatsoever. But not anymore. They’re everywhere. And down is worse than up, that’s the thing people never realize. Going up you usually don’t fall that far.

It had taken Matt a few weeks to learn the least painful way of going down stairs. He went sideways like a crab. Cane first, then left foot, then right, with more than the usual agony as his left leg took his weight sending spasms of pain from his neck down to the very tips of his toes. When he brought his right leg down the first step he had to stop for a moment to let the pain pass. One down sixteen more steps to go.

Click. Tap. Pain.

+++

Oh sweet Jesus.

Matt let out a sigh of pleasure and relief as the U.S Steel Mk1-C armor sealed with a hiss and the built in Exoskeleton made him feel like a whole person once again. Like always he took a tentative step forward and there was no pain. Inside the armor he wasn’t a cripple anymore. He was a whole man again and for Matt that was reason enough to accept the Crusader invitation. A nearby wall opened up as the flight jets built into the Mk1-C armor kicked into life and then he was in the skies over Campaign city.

After making a few a few circles around the city, and stopping what would’ve been a horrible car accident between an eighteen wheeler and a Honda accord, he landed on the street in front of the Harmon building just as a few other heroes began to arrive. Matt was at a loss for what to say to them but like always seemed to happen these days he decided to say what Ira would’ve said. “It’s a nice enough day for it.” The words came out cheery even with the synthetic altering of his voice that the suits speakers broadcasted to the heroes around him. He sounded just like Eli always did while in the suit.

[Millennium]

The Crucible
John Carmichael
HP = 1, Condition = Fine


John ran down the corridor, puffing with each step. <Must get fitter, must get fitter. There's no way I'm going to sound cool when I shout at this guy. Oh Christ, he's getting away!>. This wasn't going as well as he'd hoped. So far he'd managed to take out 4 of the bank robbers, but the last one was getting away. It didn't help the image if the cops saw you dashing out the building after a thief that was giving you a clean pair of heels. <Oh wait! Door!>.

Carmichael lifted his hand and pointed ahead of the fleeing crook. Cold energy sparked from John's hands and within the blink of an eye a wall appeared where an empty doorway used to be. The crook almost smashed into it, but stopped himself in time. The thief spun around and lifted a gun at John's chest. "Take a step closer and you're dead hero boy!".

"Why are you trying to shot me with a fish?" asked Carmichael, looking straight at the gun. When the crook looked down in confusion John took his chance and unleashed all the energy at his disposal, blowing the crook off his feet and knocking him out cold. <Sweet>.

"You think he realised you were knackered at the end there?.

Carmichael spun round to see Dreamweaver standing there. Had she always been there? "We like what you're doing, and think you can help us out". A shimmering light appeared in the air, resulting in a date and time hanging in front of John's face. "Get to the Citadel and we'll see if you've got what it takes"


On the day in question anyone standing outside sees a purple Lamborghini with the plate "Crucible" pull up at the front door. John steps out and the car instantly disappears. When he sees the other heroes his shoulders sag a little. "Oh, and there was me hoping I'd been picked out especially"

[ZamuelNow]

Soul Fist

Gifts.

It was a concept that was running through the mind of Tyrone Samson as he walked down the street. Ever since the life changing incident where he discovered his special talents, he had been trying to aid whoever he could. What surprised him the most was though he was blessed with a gift to help people, people kept returning the favors despite claims from detractors that people no longer cared in this day and age. Such as the the clothing he was wearing. He preferred the previous uniform's simplicity but it grew worn and tattered over time. After saving the daughter of a local preacher from a gang with ill intentions, the preacher presented Tyrone with a robe and sash passed down from his grandfather. No amount of refusal would be accepted and the daughter offered an intriguing bit of wisdom from her young mind. If he is to be a force of good, shouldn't he be inspiring? It might not seem like much but he gave hope to those who thought all was lost. The concept gave him pause. While his actions were well intentioned, perhaps he was handling the presentation wrong.

Seeing the line waiting outside the Crusader Citadel warmed his heart. While they came from all walks of life, many others with a natural gift were here to do what they could to help those in need. Feeling the warm sunlight on his face, he could tell it was going to be a good day.

[hero4hire]

After the heroes arrive, some in style, some with just the clothes on thier backs. They have a moment to size eachother up. Inside the Harmon Building Lobby is the special elevator that one would take to gain access to "The Citadel" some 30 or so stories up. It is easily marked by the giant stylized "C" on the elevator doors, setting it apart from the more mundane elevators. An elderly woman leaves the lobby as you stand out front walking a pink poodle. She hardly takes notice of the five of you despite your garish attire. It seems as neighbors of the Crusaders, the residents of the Harmon Building have seen it all.

OOC
Feel free to chat or go straight to the elevator as you deem fit.

[badpenny]

The Black Blade

The one thing about being a full time crime fighter was he was making a name for himself as he was piling up victories. On the other hand, he was making a name for himself and attracting the attention of the Bosses. He probably had at least two contracts on his head, and those were the two he knew about.

But if he was going to be a crime fighter, he was going to be do it full time and not be held down by mundane occupations and concerns. He moved frequently, paid in cash for everything, and generally left no permanent trail. He was free to follow leads at any time of the day.

He was All In.

Now that he'd been approached by Enforcer, he felt his world had shifted. With the backing of the Crusaders, he could begin to make a bigger impact and have the support of team members. Having someone (or a team) get your back would be a relief.

As he strode in the Harmon Building, he examined the other heroes present. A veritable casting call. Some or all of them would be his team mates. But who would make the cut? He had no idea if he'd make the cut, himself. He was not good at forging alliances. The Black Blade was more often than not at odds with the police; it didn't do a lot for your reputation among the law abiding to leave criminals with too many holes in them.

But it served no one to linger, so he headed for the elevator and pushed the button.

[hero4hire]

Black Blade presses the single button by the elevator also emblazoned with a similar, but miniature stylized 'C'.
Instead of the doors sliding open a voice, easily recognized by his many televised interviews as mantaman is heard through a hidden speaker.
"...is a recording. All Crusader personnel are currently involved in individual assignments and the Citadel is closed; TEACHER is on full security alert until our return. If you have important business, please feel free to use the red courtesy phone in the Harmon Building Lobby or call our toll free number 1-800-CRU-SADE, and TEACHER will relay your message or aid you in contacting the proper authorities. No prank calls please. We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience our absence may cause. Thank you...(click)"

[kenseido]

G-Factor

Jacob hadn't believed it when Dreamweaver suggested he tryout. He had been attemtping to foil a bank robbery - none of the superhero poses or lines he remembered worked - when she showed up and put the crooks down. He had managed to keep them from injuring any police officers by drawing their fire, so that was something.

And now here he is waiting to go up and see the Crusaders...

"...is a recording. All Crusader personnel are currently involved in individual assignments and the Citadel is closed; TEACHER is on full security alert until our return. If you have important business, please feel free to use the red courtesy phone in the Harmon Building Lobby or call our toll free number 1-800-CRU-SADE, and TEACHER will relay your message or aid you in contacting the proper authorities. No prank calls please. We are deeply sorry for any inconvenience our absence may cause. Thank you...(click)"

Of course. It was all a practical joke. He slumps his head, having obviously been taken. He looks around for the laughter, wondering just how many of the others are in on the joke.

[badpenny]

The Black Blade

Lance laughed quietly to himself. Okay, Enforcer, have your little joke.... Black Blade was aware of G-Factor coming up behind him as he had sensed him and everyone else in the lobby with his Mind Sight. But now he turned and introduced himself.

"Black Blade," he said and offered his hand. "Let's see if this phone gets us any further along in the application process. I'm assuming that's why you're here?"

He picked up the red phone and waited for a response.

[kenseido]

G-Factor

Jacob takes Black Blade's hand. "Ja... G-Factor." Idiot!

Jacob couldn't tell if this guy was part of the joke or not. Maybe this is some initiation prank? Well, Jacob was a good sport, so he would play along, if for no other reason then to avoid annoying their hosts.

[hero4hire]

The phone rings once and immediately picks up. A feminine voice answers in a pleasant, albeit monotone articulation. "This is TEACHER. Thank you for calling the Crusaders. At the sound of the tone, relate all relevant information. Be advised that you will undergo voice and psycho-inflectional analysis...all irrelevant calls will be discontinued. After relating all relevant information, stand by for analysis and response. Do not hang up if response is desired. BLEEP."

[badpenny]

The Black Blade

"This is The Black Blade. Enforcer contacted me yesterday and told me to show up this afternoon. Well, I'm here. Open sesame."

[hero4hire]

The Black Blade

"This is The Black Blade. Enforcer contacted me yesterday and told me to show up this afternoon. Well, I'm here. Open sesame."

The phone reciever beeps in 3 second increments for about 30 seconds, and then disconnects.