csyphrett

Re: The Magistracy's Legion 20 Ray Hammet paused at the crowd of angry dwarves in armor. He kept his hands up to show he was peaceful. His eyebrows said he was puzzled. Where were all these monsters and weirdoes coming from? This was Ray's fifth encounter with otherness so far. The elves and the pink elephant had been bad enough in their own right. Now dwarves were blocking the road, and the language they were throwing each other didn't sound too happy. "Hey guys." Ray tried to sound friendly. "I'm going that way. Do you mind letting me through?" One of the dwarves yammered at Ray, axe swinging in his agitation. The rest gave a shout and a mass clanking of their armor. Beady eyes glared at the taller wanderer. "I'm having a rough day myself." Ray edged over to the other side of the road so he could walk around the roadblock. The little men turned to follow him with their eyes. "Let's let sleeping dogs lie and all that." The head dwarf screamed. The followers screamed. Ray screamed. Then the troop charged the lone man with upraised axes. Ray ran. How do I get into these messes? Ray ran, clutching his bag to his chest. The open fields on either side of the road didn't give him a lot of cover to hide. He would have to fight it out with the midget Vikings. Ray triggered his transformation again. His skin fell away as his bone plating came forward to protect him. The dwarves sang as they charged after him. They paused when their prey turned with eyes reflecting the faint star light like copper pennies. "Let's dance." Ray smiled, throwing his bag around behind his back. The shell juggernaut crashed into the party of reavers. Hammering fists knocked the bandits aside. Blades crunched against Ray's exoskeleton. Hammet punted one to make room to get clear of the crowd. The crashing of metal hitting dirt drifted back to the fighters. Ray turned. He had taken out at least three munchkins. The rest charged, swinging swords and roaring their battle cries. One hand grabbed the leader's head inside his winged helmet like a basketball. A fling knocked the massed forces down, or back. Ray started kicking to keep the dwarves down. Metal clad bodies flew for yards. The traveler stepped back, satisfied that he had taken down half of the enemy. The other half seemed shocked by the rout. Ray roared, shaking his arms above his head. He hoped his skull face looked more terrifying than it did. The still moving dwarves ran, dropping their weapons on the road. They vanished in the grass within seconds. Ray rubbed his face as he started down the road again. Something was going on, but he had no clue what he could do about it. He didn't have any way to get an overview. Maybe he should call Rickert, or some of the guys from the old days. Ray walked, fresh skin oozing over his exposed bone plates. He had been out of the loop for a while. He hadn't quit his job under the best of conditions. That was part of the reason he was walking across America like the Fugitive, or David Banner. Ray wondered where he was. The next town he hit he needed to make some phone calls. There had to be someone who could tell him what was going on. Then he could hit it. Ray saw a sign ahead. Some town was two miles away. Once he reached Springfield, Kansas, he could try and get a handle on the problem. He started whistling as he walked. Ray paused when he reached the end of the road. A city limits sign stood on one side. He looked off in the darkness, wondering where the town was. Ray took off his bag and hid it in some bushes off the road. He made sure to memorize the location in case he made it back. He started forward. The road had turned to dirt, leading through some trees. Then the overgrowth cleared to reveal a wide section of land with a village of planks and straw in the distance. A hill massed in the foreground. Ray studied the scene, not happy with the fact something seemed to be on the top of the hill and he couldn't see it. Things flew in the air over the hill. More monsters were par for the course. Ray decided to examine the hill first. Something drew the flying monsters there even if he couldn't see it. If he was wrong, he would head into town and look around. Maybe someone there had the answers. Why else would a village that resembled pictures from a history book still be standing around a hill with monsters looping over it?

Re: The Magistracy's Legion 19 Kat Friday jogged up the road leading to the cabin where she and her friends were staying. Ulster glittered slightly below, sometimes hidden by trees as she ran. Andy Chen floated beside her, an outline of a young man that frowned at his friend's bad mood. "It looks like the others are home." Andy nodded to a light ahead. "I can go ahead and tell them what happened." "I can handle my own blame." Kat jogged a little faster once she saw the lamp glowing for herself. "I messed up so I should be the one to tell everybody we're going to have to run again." "They'll understand about the rock things." Andy pretended to be running along too. It made him feel more human. "That could've happened to anybody." "That doesn't make me feel better." Kat slowed when the outline of the cabin sprung out of the night in sharp relief. The wooden steps rebounded noisily as she climbed them to the wooden porch that squeaked like a pot full of angry mice when she crossed to the front door. Kat barged in, paused at everyone looking at the television. She had hoped to tell them herself. Now they were seeing it on Action News and were silent. That couldn't be good. "That couldn't be good." Cole Kobaine said, shape holding steady as he watched the screen. "It's a sea serpent crashing into a ferry." Brady Baggins leaned closer, internal temperature making his skin glow cherry red. "We should be down there." "Kat beat up some rocks in town, guys." Andy moved closer to look at the black and white television. His outline stirred Cole's shoulder into a wave that settled down. "That's cool." Brady pointed at something on the television. "We should be there taking care of business." "Where are Mr. Rickert and Tempest?" Kat wanted to punch Andy, but decided to let it slide. She couldn't hurt him with her hands. "I have to talk to them." "He's on the phone." Cole pointed a greenish blue finger at the small office to one side of the living area. "He's been in there a while." Kat went to the door, listening at the wood panel before knocking. She pushed in without waiting for an answer. At least Andy hadn't barged in to spill the news like he had with the boys. She was surprised they hadn't said anything. The news must be more compelling than Andy. "Thanks, Andy." Mr. Rickert smiled. "I owe you one." Kat's teacher hung up the phone. Sunglasses hid his malformed eye, but she felt it's impatience when he turned to look at her. Tempest Martin stood to one side, pad and pencil in her hand. Dark, curly hair formed a halo around her heart shaped face. Neither looked happy to see Kat as she stood by the door. "I made a mistake and I might have exposed us." Kat felt a small wash of relief, then thorns. What would they do now that they knew they had to move again? "There were these things at the mall." "They are popping up all over the world." Mr. Rickert leaned back in his chair. "I want you kids to stay here until I get back. I have to go to Kansas to deal with this emergency." "Take us with you." Kat knew they were too young to get involved in her mentor's eyes, but doing something was better than waiting for news. "We can help." "I don't think that would be a good idea." Mr. Rickert stood. "I need you here to look out for Ulster while I'm gone. These rocks aren't the only things that have been seen." "You don't think we can handle it." Anger roared in Kat's eyes. "I want you here." Mr. Rickert walked over to the door, frowned when Kat wouldn't move. "I won't be able to protect you, and my transport only seats one. I only have a few minutes, and I have to tell the others." "You're going to leave us on our own?" Kat still blocked the door. "I'll be back in a day at the most." Mr. Rickert's twisted face tried to smile. "We'll deal with any breach then." "What happens to us if you don't come back?" Kat relented enough to move out of the way. "I made some calls to some old friends who can help you if you have to leave." Mr. Rickert opened the door. "Tempest has the codes if you need to ask them for help." Tempest put the pad away as she went to stand beside Kat. The two young women watched Mr. Rickert break the news, listened to the complaints, and the final good-byes. Then their shield went to his bed roll in the corner and pulled out a pistol in a holster and strapped it on. "I have to go wait down the road." Mr. Rickert looked at the five people he had carried with him across the country. "Don't take any chances. Look out for each other. I'll be back when I'm done." Mr. Rickert grabbed his battered jacket from the hook by the door, and stepped out in the night. His transport wouldn't land. Instead it would hover in a clearing a mile down the road, and he would have to use a rope ladder to climb up to it. Then he would ride to an air base and catch a super sonic jet to Kansas. Either he would get there in time, or not. At least he had tried to protect the world for his kids to grow up in. You couldn't do better than that.

Re: xialin showdown Page 13- "Is there anything I can do to help you, Kagome?," asked Jade. "Keep clear." The spirit maiden fired her bow at the ghost. The ghost faded away. "Was that it, is he gone for good now?," asked Jade as she carefully started to move over to Kagome. "I think he is recharging." Kagome checked her quiver. "We might have weakened him, but he is still lurking here in the restaurant. I can feel that much." "How long do you think we have before he comes back?," asked Jade as she looked around. Then she asked, "Do you think we will have to quickly look for that thing of power you're feeling before he returned, and are you sure there is nothing I can do to help?" "I don't know." Kagome looked worried. "Hopefully he won't be back before tomorrow night. Maybe whatever is in the basement is what attracted him." "Then maybe we should head down there and try and find it real fast before the ghost comes back," said Jade. She turned and headed for the basement. The spirit maiden followed. She pointed to a wall, joined to the concrete floor. Stacks of supplies filled the shelves. A rack of seasoning and various dry vegetables marked where she pointed. "Okay I guess I better move everything while you keep watch just in case he comes back soon," said Jade as she started moving the seasoning and veggies out of her way as quickly as she could. A few minutes later, and the rack was moved out of the way to reveal a brick wall and concrete floor. Kagome pointed at a section of the wall near the floor. "Thank you ladies for finding my prize." The strange voice came from the door behind the two women. Jade quickly turned around to see who was there. A tall man in a trenchcoat and hat stood by the stairs leading out of the basement. He held what looked like a black cauldron in his hand by metal handle. Something boiled in the cauldron. Jade quickly moved in front of Kagome to protect her as she said, "Who the hell are you and what are you doing here? You are not allowed here." "I'm afraid that you must give my regrets to your father." The hat and coat held up the cauldron. A huge bubble of slime burst in the air. Something floated in the air between them. Kagome reached for an arrow.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... The Man with The Golden Torc by Simon R Green: Eddie Drood thinks he's fighting the good fight and keeping the world safe for humanity. Then he is declared rogue and almost killed. He finds out that everything hasn't been like he thought. CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Got the other two collections of PS 238. There is a lot of foreshadowing of trouble in the future, and some new kids with new powers. Overall the light moments such as the nuke stopping silly putty outweighed the dark. Also got CSI:Dying in the Gutters. A murder at a comic convention. Moment that made me stop to MST3K. "Mr. Quesada you might have been the intended victim." "Who would want to kill me?" (Anybody who didn't like civil war) CES

Re: The Magistracy's Legion There is a scale at the top of every post. You place the mouse pointer on that and click. Another window should open with a comment board. CES

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... From the NSU Kid monster hero subdues two burglars in his home. OOC: "They needed an ambulance"? They should have thought of that before breaking into the house! CES

Re: The New Circle Mr. Nobody 1 Michael Evers sat behind the wheel of his car. He pursed his lips as he watched a square block of bricks and glass across the street. He could sit outside until the man he was following came out. He could go in and look around. Evers decided that he should check out the situation. He was being paid to follow Lowell so a little bit of side snooping was necessary. Besides he needed to stretch the kinks out of his legs. Evers pulled his old Chevy down the block and parked it with the nose pointing back to the place he was going to break into. He reached into his jacket and pulled out what looked like an ordinary pair of glasses. A book came out to complete the camouflage. It would look like he had fallen asleep reading to anyone who spotted him sitting in the dark. Evers pulled the glasses on, holding the book in his hand. His eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped over on the wide seat. The car would look deserted until a pedestrian got close enough to look inside the windows to see him supposedly sleeping. Something not quite there crossed under the streetlight as it headed for Lowell's warehouse. Two orbs of darkness rotated in the air revealed by yellow radiance before vanishing in the dark again. The metal door next to a loading dock swung open, momentarily revealing those orbs floating inside the brick edifice, before closing again. The twin spheres picked their way through the piles of cardboard boxes attracted to the sounds of voices echoing in the high ceiling expanse. One was Lowell. He didn't sound happy. The floating balls hurried across the concrete floor. They paused at the sight of Lowell pulling a gun on another man with a loose tie and sleeves rolled up. The other man had his hands up in a warding gesture. Evers had been paid to monitor Lowell, but allowing murder was out. The two spots rushed forward. Unseen hands jerked the pistol up to point at the roof high above. Lowell turned to struggle with his attacker. Something hard smacking him in the face dropped him to the ground. His belt tied his hands on their own. The other man grabbed the phone and called the police. The only thing he knew for sure was his boss had tried to kill him. He didn't understand what had stopped him. He didn't care. This was his chance to deal with the problem in such a way that he could get clear and save himself without killing someone else to live. Lowell was going to jail for more than attempted murder. Every box in that storage place was filled with contraband of one kind or another. Letting the police have it would put the heat on his boss. It wasn't a perfect plan but had to serve until something better came along. The floating dots drifted out of the warehouse and back to Evers's car. He sat up after they entered his glasses. He put the spectacles away as he blinked for a few seconds. Time to give his client the bad news before the police did. Evers drove off, looking for a phone booth.

Re: The New Circle Pinball 2 Character Name: Pinball Real Name: William Braxton Nationality: American Hair/Eye Color: Red, hazel Place of Birth: Littleville, Kansas Date of Birth: 6/2/1948 Height/Mass: 5'2"/100 pounds. Cost Characteristic Value 5 STR 15 30 DEX 20 12 CON 16 20 BODY 20 5 INT 15 20 EGO 20 PRE 10 COM 10 PD 3 ED 3 10 SPD 3 REC 6 END 32 STUN 35 OCV: 6 DCV: 6 OECV: 6 DECV: 6 Phases: 3,6,12 Cost Powers and Talents (END) Absorption 12d6 to running 60 pts, always on (-½), no range (-½), limited phenomena: impact damage (-½) 24 pts +2 Running 4 pts, Only after damage is absorbed (-1/2), Triggered by high impact damage (-½), can only turn on impact (-1/2), can only stop when absorbed damage runs out (-½) non-combat velocity only(-1/2) 1 pt Armor (20 pd) 30 pts, linked to running (-½) 20 pts Damage Reduction 75% resistant 60 pts, Only works against high impacts (-½) Only when running (-½) 30 pts Cost Skills 3 AK: Littleville 12- 3 PS: Chemistry 12- 3 PS: Physics 12- 3 Climbing 13- 3 Acrobatics 13- 3 Cramming 12- 3 Paramedics 12- 100 Points Disadvantages 15 DNPC: Dr. Nelson 14- 15 Secret Identity 15 Minor 15 Afraid of being hit 10 Reputation: Mad Scientist in Training 11- 10 Looking for cure 20 Accidental Change: Pinball 14- CHA Cost = 102 Total Powers Cost = 77 Total Skills Cost = 21 Total Cost = _200 Background Information: Billy Braxton suffered a radiation accident when he was still a teenager growing up in Kansas. He was using a short cut to get home after being out after curfew. He hoped to sneak in his window and pretend that he had fallen asleep while doing homework. Billy was caught in Dr. Nelson's experimental kinetic wave modifier beam in front of the scientist's house. The intense light appeared not to have done anything but bleach some of the color out of the surrounding area. His clothes had suffered from the same effect, but he was more worried about being caught than what had happened. And the whole town did know about Dr. Nelson's experiments, if not what he was trying to do exactly. The next day, Billy was knocked down by the local bullies in a surprise ram. They forgot their victim as they hurried into the school before the first bell. That simple push down propelled the boy a few miles at the speed of a car before he could slow down to a walk. Billy hurried back to the school, and spent the rest of the day fearful of anyone touching him. As soon as he was through for the day, he hurried off somewhere to try and figure out what had happened. He contacted Dr. Nelson for help later after some thought, and used working for the scientist as an excuse to cover their search for a cure. Quote: "Not again!" Personality: Billy was once carefree as any student in the 50's Midwest. After his transformation, he has become almost paranoid about an accidental impact, and obsessed with learning enough to cure his problem. Appearance: Billy Braxton is a normal looking boy with red hair and hazel eyes. As Pinball, he has been described as a rolling ball of silver energy bouncing off anything in his way. Powers: Billy has the unenviable ability to absorb impacts like falls, collisions, punches, gunshots, and turn that into speed which carries him along uncontrollably. He has learned to turn by bouncing off things in his path. Plot Hook 1) Littleville is a speck on the road near the middle of Kansas. Why then is the surrounding cities and towns having speedster attacks? Plot Hook 2) A middle aged Billy Braxton believes that a PC's knowledge of speed and physics can cure his now expansive condition. What lengths will he go to keep from being a human wrecking ball? Plot Hook 3) Dr. Nelson's equipment has lain dormant in the clutches of the government for twenty years. Something happens and everything within a few miles of the base has been immobilized. The hunt is on for the doctor's assistant to see if he knows how to reverse the effect. Can the players find William Braxton before some foreign power or super terrorist? GM's Note: This D-man was obviously based on Speedball created by Steve Ditko.

Re: The Magistracy's Legion 18 The Persian floated in the air, using his built in weapons to fend off the flying things that were trying to stop him and Cowboy. He found that his web gun was the best option. One hit put most of his targets on the ground. And his on board targeting gave him that hit. Cowboy stood at thirty feet tall. Arrows were needles stuck in his double breasted shirt. He threw his shoulder against the stone work he felt but almost couldn't see. The wall bent under the impact, cracking the air as small chunks gave way. Cowboy backed up and charged the weak spot again. He heard cries of alarm and clear the wall as he ran forward. At the last step he threw himself in the air. He collapsed that section of the wall as he stepped into a visible courtyard. The Persian drifted behind the bovine bulldozer, spraying the ground troops as he went. He felt they would try a mass assault to drive his giant colleague out of the castle grounds. He meant to discourage that as much as possible. "Keep going." The Persian lit his eyes into spotlights. "We have to find the source, that's where the others will be." "On it." Cowboy slammed into the main castle wall. He aimed for a window, arrow slot, for his charge. He drew back and hit again. A hole appeared, stone bricks falling inside the tower. Cowboy shrank down to fit inside the tower. The Persian followed, sensors trained for the energy pattern present with the Empty. Martina should be with the others. "We go down, Cowboy." The Persian led the way, spraying liquid nets. He took a spear in the arm but ignored it to punch the next man into his friends below. "Let me." Cowboy pushed pass the purple and gold leader. He expanded to fill the hall. He swung hard that cleared the way through the hall. "Good job." The Persian covered the upper stairwell with his web. "Keep moving." Cowboy took the stairs in leaps and bounds. He smashed through a blockade at the bottom of the stairs. The Persian stuck the men together when he reached the devastation. "That way." The Persian pointed down a corridor lit by torches. "I hear heartbeats and some kind of humming." "That must be where our guys are." Cowboy started down the hall, estimating how much he could grow if he had to. "I don't see any more of those little guys." "The rest must be up in the upper part of the keep." The Persian paused, examining the hall. "There should be more wear and tear for a standing army." "What do you mean?" Cowboy paused too. He was aware of traps that could be used against a giant. "It looks like no one has walked beyond a certain spot." The Persian hunkered down for a closer look at the carpet. "Your foot prints are the only ones I can detect." "That means the mastermind is alone." Cowboy smiled. "Let's get on with it." "You can't go any further." A black silhouette formed into a woman covered in black with her eyes burning like fire. "The others have been captured." "What happened?" The Persian thought perhaps the army was a stall for anyone trying to get into the building now. If they happened to stop an intruder, so much the better. "These bands came out of nowhere and wrapped around us. I teleported away. I don't know what happened to the others." Martina looked down. "I didn't know what else to do." "We know where they are." The Persian glanced at the locator signal readout inside his eyes. "They're at the end of this corridor." "So we go in and bust up the bad guy." Cowboy cracked his knuckles. "That's what we do." "No, I go in alone and look around for an easy stop." The Persian faded from sight. "If I don't stop this, you come in as big as you can." "This is a big chance to be taking, Boss." The long cow face looked miserable. "We can't risk the others." The Persian drifted down the hall. "If all it takes is one shot, so much the better." The synthetic man paused at the door. He readied his web gun. His captive friends were stacked in front of the door with Jerry Silver. Crystalmach stood in a cleared circle, some kind of lettering moving on the floor around her. The Chemist and someone that wasn't in his memory files were in similar circles. The Persian fired his web gun at the only person moving under his own power in that room. The red strands struck some kind of wall, wrapped around it harmlessly. He flipped to a sonic attachment as the man wrote on the air with his finger. The Corps leader flew straight up, smashing against the roof. Stone clutched him in place. "Hopefully there won't be any more interruptions." Lord Scriptus went back to his writing.

Re: The Magistracy's Legion 17 Ray Hammet looked at the night sky, wishing the stars meant more than lights. Hammet turned his attention to the empty crossroads where he stood. Fields of corn bordered one side of the road leading west. Flatness lay in the east. He could see a light miles away as clear as the evening was. Ray shifted his traveling bag to his other shoulder. He had been on the road for a while and had many more miles to walk before he got to where he was going. His head turned to check out what lay in the other cardinal directions the road ran. Trees blocked his view of the north. House lights peeked through the branches like giant bugs. The south was the same as the east, flat and unhealthy looking. Ray scratched his chest through his flannel shirt. He crossed the empty road and headed east. He had been in the service for most of his life. This new freedom bothered him more than he wanted to admit. Ray had walked for an hour before he heard a car coming down the road behind him. He stepped off the side, knowing his tallness let the sky light him up as a moving shadow. He was walking because he didn't want to deal with other people. He stepped a little farther off the road. No need to make the driver stop to talk when he wanted to be alone. Ray kept moving, glancing over his shoulder. The car was coming fast. He could see the lights growing as the engine roar carried down the dark asphalt. Pain shot through the soldier's chest. He stopped to watch the auto advance. Ray frowned as the car picked up speed and headed right for him. He swung his bag into a field of short grass behind a wooden rail fence. He didn't want to lose his stuff if he survived. Ray waited patiently for the car to reach a point a few feet in front of him. He jumped up, rolled over the roof, dropped to the other side. He landed on his feet as the Charger screeched to a stop. Funny place to run into the Duke boys. Ray walked over to the driver side of the Dodge. He didn't want trouble. Being a vagrant made the police look at you as the trouble instead of victim. He did want to know why the guy had aimed for him. Ray paused when he was almost within arm's reach of the car. His chest sent arcs of lightning to his brain. Yellow lights shone about where the driver's eyes would be if he were watching the ex-soldier approach. "Got something to say?" Ray took a breath, wishing he knew what was going on. "You're not afraid?" The driver whistled slightly. The amber beads nodded. "Still I have my quota to fill. Nothing personal." "I don't think so." Ray stepped back, scarred hands lifting in defensive fists. "I don't know what your game is, but it's personal to me." "Don't be that way." The Charger's door swung open. "You'll be the first sacrifice in a century. Others will follow until the demon wolf walks once more." Tentacles exploded out of the interior of the vehicle. Ray realized it wasn't a car after all as he threw himself back. It just looked like a car. The boneless limbs scrabbled for a hold as he bounded to the side to keep out of their reach. "It's always a monster." Ray stepped back again. The skin over his forehead split apart before bone plates emerging from underneath. A glow escaped his shirt as the transformation ran its course in a second that lasted forever. "I haven't had squid since being stationed in Japan." The limbs wrapped around Ray. He didn't mind. The transformation had shaken the car devil like it was intended to do. The rest was up to him. Ray kept his arms and legs together as the thing pulled him toward the open door. A mouth must be in that dark recess. The experiment braced his feet on the body of the car and pulled on the tentacles. He grabbed two of the appendages, and squeezed as he exerted dragging force on his enemy. The limbs came apart under his pressure. He fell to the ground. The dismembered appendages flopped around him as he tried to get up. The car door slammed shut as wheels ground grass up. The Charger veered back on the road, moving with animal grace. Ray leaped. His fingers slid on the trunk's top until he made hand holds. He didn't know where this monster had came from, but he knew what he was going to do. Killing monsters is what he had been made to do. The lid bled as the plated hands dug in. Ray pulled himself up the roof. He punched through with his mace-like fist. He had a moment to see fear in the inhuman eyes. That was the best part sometimes. Then he was inside the shell, swinging with everything he had. The car rolled to a stop, pieces falling off and dissolving into mist as it slowly halted. Ray pulled himself clear of the mush. He didn't try to brush the slime off his clothes and bone skin. He just walked back for his bag. He could change and clean up at the next town.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Done with the Song of Susannah by Stephen King. While the gunslingers try to regroup, Mia/Susannah has Roland's baby and learn that Mia is going to be able to keep it as promised. CES

Re: The Magistracy's Legion 16 Jeff Ashcroft pulled his tie from around his neck, stuffed it in a jacket pocket. Paperwork had to be written and filed on his team's actions. That was the worst part of his job. Taking down a bad guy made him feel alive, filing the arrest and team effectiveness reports took that feeling away in a hurry. "Reports are coming in from everywhere." The Watcher looked out over the devastated cemetery. Parts of the undead were fighting their collection and burning by regular army and marine forces. "The world is under attack and it's getting worse." "What do the brains think?" Ashcroft rubbed his face, already deciding that the center of the cause should be excised like a cancer before they got bogged down fighting the symptoms. This habitual tunnel vision didn't make him popular with his commanders. "Something is going in Kansas." The Watcher looked at his friend, helmet hiding his expression. "We have two Magistracy incursions there, and the Corps's jet made a beeline for the general locale according to the intel." "Let me make a call." Ashcroft pulled out his cell phone. "You get the others ready to go." "We don't have authorization to move on this, Jeff." The Watcher glanced at the armed forces clearing the zombies. "We're supposed to wait on orders." "Can't hear you." Pointer pressed a number. "I'm going, and I'm getting my team to go with me. We're stopping this." "This is against my better judgment." The Watcher stepped away to get the two teams together and ready to move out. The Magistracy's answering service asked Jeff to step through the system with button pushing until he finally got a live operator. A few more minutes of wrangling got him Kevin Reilly. The operations officer didn't sound happy. "What can I do for the School?" Reilly sounded distracted. That might be good. "Something is up in Kansas." Potentially sharing information could be bad news, but Pointer wanted faster transportation than a plane from Arlington. "Both of the School teams want transportation using the Tower systems. Everyone knows you have the only working teleporter." "You know I can't authorize that." Reilly's end suddenly muted. Then the crackle and rush came back on. "John Public says get your guys together in a cleared space and we'll bring you across." "We're doing it right now." Pointer looked at his eleven colorful comrades bunching around the Watcher as he briefed them on the problem. "Give me two seconds." "Leave your phone on." "All right, guys." Pointer walked over to the group, glad none of the military was close enough to listen to what he was going to say. "We're leaving. Anybody who wants to stay step over to the right about ten feet." No one moved, not even the Watcher. "Bunch in as much as possible." Ashcroft held the phone up, stepping in the middle of the group. He didn't know how the system worked other than what he had experienced when he helped snag the Halberdier. "We're ready." "Go time." Reilly said something else but it was lost in the flash of light as the team appeared across the country. "Welcome to Magistracy Tower." John Public stood to the right, next to a technician in fatigues at a control panel. "We were just getting ready to leave when you called." "Going to Kansas?" Pointer pushed through his squads. "That's why I called." "This is amazing." Ashcroft ignored his friend's urge to find out how things worked as he made his way to the front, putting his phone away. "We need one of these babies." "That's right." Public smiled. "Everybody is in the meeting room right now." "Incoming." Reilly's voice on the intercom was followed by a klaxon. "Red Alert. Incoming." "I guess introductions will have to wait." Public sprinted from the room. "Spread out, and look after the civilians in case there's trouble." Pointer followed, finding it hard to keep up with the man in gray. The School could handle this emergency. That's what they were trained to do. Still he didn't like the timing. Public and Pointer burst into the operations room. Reilly had a close up of something moving across the Atlantic, heading dead for the tower. It looked like a man. "Not again." Reilly gave the go sign to unlock the defenses. "We need to hide this place instead of hanging out here in the middle of the ocean."

Re: The Magistracy's Legion 15 Jerry Silver wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand as he stepped over another lightning struck piece of stone. He hunkered down in the shadow of a column. He had dealt with more of the things than was good for him. At least he had been right about the brains of the operation being close by. Humming reached his ears. It reminded him of generators turning. They would be huge by the level of sound he was picking up. The more he followed the noise, the more things tried to hack his head off. Silver heard creeping coming down the hall behind him. He readied to launch once more in the fray. He paused when he heard someone complain about the smell. The gargoyles didn't speak as far as he knew. "This is Jerry Silver." Silver felt confident his name would get some kind of response. "Speak up, or I'll blow holes in you." "This is Believer of the Corps, Silver." The voice, female, was harsh and unmusical. "We're here looking for Crystalmach." Silver stepped out in plain view. Electricity curled around his hand. That was enough to light the newcomers who had followed his trail of bodies. The woman, dressed in black with a large white cross on one side of a breastplate, pointed a long revolver back at him. Her dark hair was pulled back in a braid. Others spread out behind her, ready to defend themselves if they had to. Silver nodded, recognizing the group's members from file pictures. Believer stood in front. The Graft stood to her left, third hand raised outside his poncho. Blood Dagger stood on the right, glowing knife in hand. The Empty stood at the back of the group, covered in moving darkness. "Crystalmach came here by herself. Obviously she failed in whatever she was trying to do." The Believer lowered the big pistol she carried. "The Chemist is here somewhere too." Silver let the electric light die from his hand. Small sconces stuck out from the stone walls above them, torches providing feeble light. "I was going this way." Silver pointed down the hall toward the buzzing he felt. "We'll go with you." The Believer consulted her comrades with her eyes. No one disagreed. "Any direction is good as another when you don't know where you are." "Safety in numbers too." The Empty sounded panicky to Silver. "Let's go then." Silver turned and headed down the hall, wishing for a cigarette. Silver paused in front of a set of ornate doors. No guards. He didn't like that. He didn't think he had beaten them all. Where were they? The humming, vibration, was coming from the other side of those two doors with their carved symbols. So he could wait until the party was over, or open them. He held up his hand to let the CORPS know to wait. Why get them killed if he was wrong? Silver took a moment to look for a door knob. He shook his head at the absence of any. One hand pushed on one of the doors. It opened with a mouse squeak as it slid back. Silver frowned at what he saw in the chamber beyond. A man sat in a circle. Unknown letters danced around him. The Chemist, Crystalmach, and another man clad in night sky, stood in smaller circles. The letters moved around the trio, before waltzing back to their master. "Jerry Silver." The mage wrote a letter in a space in the line, sending it down the stream. "I don't remember inviting you to my humble abode." "Let's cut to the chase." Silver stepped into the chamber, hands blazing. "I want you to stop doing what you're doing and release my friend, and his friends." "Or?" "I start blasting." Silver pointed at the writer. "I don't think so." The writer sliced the air, fingertip glowing a soft mauve almost as a counterpoint to the glaring white yellow of Silver's electricity. Bands wrapped around the magistrate, dropping him on a clear piece of floor. Shouts told him that the Corps had been wrapped in the same way. This guess was confirmed as three more heroes was added to the pile. "I have things to do." The writer checked the flow of his scripting. "I'm changing the world and I really can't afford to have interference right now. I'm sure you understand." Silver pulled on the bands wrapped around his torso and legs. He wasn't surprised they didn't break. He didn't bother with repartee as he tried to think of a way out. He wondered when the magician would notice the Empty had vanished.

Re: The Magistracy's Legion 14 Kat Friday flew through the front of the mall. She hit the tiled floor, rolling to her feet. Bystanders were running from her. If she wasn't fighting for her life, she would have run too. The West Side Mall dominated the small town of Ulster, almost like a Wal-mart would any other town. Almost the whole town came to the West Side for supplies of every type. Kat had come down from the mountain overlooking town to get a couple more shirts and jeans. Now she would have to get an extra shirt to replace the one she wore. Kat pulled the ripped sleeves off her shirt as she headed for the parking lot. She didn't look like much of a threat at 5'2", 90 pounds. Muscles moved under her tanned skin like bands of steel rubbing against each other. Someone was going to pay for that shirt. Kat frowned as the two assembled piles of rock shook in silent laughter. One pointed at her with a misshapen finger. Fury caused blotches of red to cover Kat's round face. They threw her through a wall, then laughed at her. We'll see about that. Kat ripped up a piece of asphalt out of the lot. She flung it like a discus. The piles of rock scrambled to get out of the way, rocks approximating stumpy legs throwing them into shallow dives. "Who's laughing now?" Kat pulled up another piece of artificial stone. She flung it so she could charge behind it. The bigger pile of moving rocks swung an arm at the short girl. One crushed tomato of a human was its intention. Small hands grabbed the loosely constructed fist. The thing made a sound of puzzlement. Then the world spun wildly, reversing earth and sky for a few wild seconds. The titan crashed on a street a few blocks away. The smaller heap looked for its comrade with an eyeless countenance. Then it roared, charging with its head down. It ran into something holding its flight. The human had run her shoulder into it at waist level. The legs were still going, but the upper torso crashed to a landing behind the miniature titan. "You owe me a shirt, you nitwit." Kat grabbed the head of her fallen enemy, and punted it with a sneakered foot. "Dang it. Why did I do that for?" "You should play soccer." The familiar voice of Andy Chen drifted down to Kat. "It's out of here." Kat looked up at her floating friend, a shimmer under the light from the mall's street lamps used to mark different sections of the lot. Almost invisible lines drew a grin and the shape of eyes against the night sky. "Let's get out of here." Kat started across the lot, fists clenched tight. "Everybody will know I wrecked the mall. I'll have to move on before the cops come up to the house." "Mr. Rickert might be able to gloss this over." Andy floated in her wake, a shifting outline the same density as smoke. "He's pretty good at that sort of thing." "I was so supposed to keep a low profile." Kat gestured at the wrecked cars around them as they walked. She pointed at the hole in the front of the West Side. "That doesn't look like low profile to me." "You stopped a public menace." Andy tried to put a hand on her shoulder. It split in two parts, then reformed as he shook his head for forgetting. "Don't worry about it." Kat Friday focused on the mountain at the edge of the small town and kept walking. Everyone would know who she was by tomorrow. Then the trouble would follow. That's why they were hiding out in the first place. She had screwed up.

Re: Question about Hawkman villains I believe at one point it was stated that they had a device like an invisible membrane to protect them from vacuum. Geoff Johns has redefined nth metal to do more than eliminate gravity in the latest revival. CES

Re: xialin showdown Page 12- "What are you sensing?,"asked Jade as she carefully followed Kagome upstairs and looked around as well. "Great anger." The shrine maiden advanced into the center of the eating area. "There is also some kind of power present in the building." "Can you find the power?," asked Jade as she looked around and kept an eye out for the ghost. "It's downstairs somewhere." The maiden pointed to the back of the restaurant. The floor began to take on an icy appearance. Jade could see her breath floating in front of her and it was at least 75 and sunny. "I think he's back. So I stay with you or go try and find the item of power?," asked Jade as she readied herself for another fight with this ghost. "I don't think I can protect you if we separate." Kagome turned in a circle, frosty breath drifting in the air. Ice congealed into the phantom across the dining room floor. Ice covered the floor around him. Kagome turned and released, arrow turning into a blue streak of light that ripped the air. The ghost was struck in the shoulder. Ectoplasm boiled from the arrow's burning touch. His other hand swept across, sending cold air rolling toward both women. Kagome leaped to one side, already reaching for another arrow as she got out of the minitornado's way. Jade also jumped out of the way as she said to the ghost, "Damn it, can you please stop doing that and just leave my tea house alone." "This is my house." The ghost slammed his hand against the ground. "Power Geyser." The wave of blue energy swept Jade over the railing with the impact of a truck. She could see the ground coming up to meet her. "Oh sxxx, this is going to hurt if I can't find something to grab hold," said Jade to herself as she tried to grab hold of something, anything, just to try and break some if not all of her fall. Jade's hand slapped against the wooden face of the restaurant, hitting a small ledge. Jade grabbed a hold on the ledge and looked around to see if there was a way to climb back up, or just get back into the tea house. The ledge ran around the building, possibly to the front and back. It was only two inches wide and meant to be decorative. She could pull up to stand on the ledge and try and jump back up to the second floor. She could try to punch, or claw, through the wall. Jade worked her way around to the nearest window and broke through it to rush back up to Kagome. Jade found that Kagome had apparently stuck the ghost one more time, but had only been able to hold it off for the moment. The former resident looked washed out from the beating he had taken so far.

Re: Teen Guardians The Guardians 4:25 pm 'Great,' Emp mentally intoned as the group walked towards him. "Please everyone, those people are going to need your help. Get some water, hoses anything." He hated to try this right now as he needed to be focused on the area just in case she was still here. He'd be an easier target. He tried to project the emotion of concern towards the people hoping after his plea for help people might actually be concerned enough to help Pusher with the flames. "What's going on?" was the general question. More and more of the neighbors joined the crowd around Hardball and Emp. He looked at them, well at least for now they where going to maybe listen. "We're looking for a murderer that uses explosives on her victims. She calls herself Heartbreaker. Has anyone seen anything strange before tonight?" "No." One of the men looked around. "Everything's been quiet. You seem kind of young to be looking for murderers." Some of the local wives and daughters arrived, wondering what was going on. "What happened to the Devoreauxs' house?" "Look, that's a skull." "I can't believe this." Patty made a wider sweep, starting to include those places where someone might be overwatching the area--and looking for Hardball as well. If she had blown up the house--Heartbreaker would want Hardball to see it... Patty didn't see anything out of the ordinary. That suggested she had triggered an automated ambush, or a means to destroy Blanche's identity. No one can claim you're a villain if you're dead. "I know this will be hard to explain, the murderer was in that house. We believe it was a shape shifter." That was a lie but to these people it was likely easier to believe than Blanche herself being the killer of her parents. "Any information, any at all would be welcomed." At least with the shape shifter lie this might get someone to speak up about things that they might have actually noticed differently in house hold. So far he was lucky these people didn't seem to recognize him. That or his costume had been changed again without him realizing it. EMP's power activated, attracting all the women standing in the crowd. They began to press in on him, and Hardball, but mostly him. Some of them started to work out of their own clothes. "Agnes, what are you doing?" An octogenarian looked befuddled by his wife's behavior. "I'm getting me some fresh meat." Agnes responded, exposing her wrinkled body to the world. "Come here, big boy." Tachyon rounded the corner--and almost tripped herself as her jaw hit the pavement at the impromptu strip show on the street before them--and despite her semi-immunity to his powers, felt...the pull as well... ...She laid on the speed and swept him into her arms, slowing from his weight and her speed, yet taking him out of the line of naked folks... ...And around the corner twice and into an alley... ...Where she deposited him on his feet. "Wow...was I like that?" she panted, her cheeks a bit flushed and her eyes dilated slightly. "Y-yeah. First timers usually are." He smiled at her. He could still feel the power around him even as he silently cursed himself for not being strong enough to keep his power from triggering with so many people talking to him. At least now he remembered why he preferred to leave when the crowds showed up. Her right hand traced the musculature of his chest and her left guided his to her buttock-then her eyes began to clear slowly-but she didn't move his hand from where she guided it. "Where you able to find anything?" He kept his eyes on her, they where soft betraying the tone of voice he was using trying to work the effort to get his power back under control. "No, nothing," she said, closing her eyes and breathing deep, taking charge of her body and emotions once again. "Wow...sorry." She moved her hands to his arms-and stood on tiptoe and kissed him firmly on the lips-then broke it. "That wasn't you, that was me, okay?" she smiled. "Anyway, no, nothing, she had to be watching, but I didn't find her anywhere--and inside the house..." She shook again and folded into his arms. "It wasn't good--it was a pure trap--anyone else going in probably wouldn't have gotten out, but I can give a good description of the energy she uses for the explosive, not that that helps us figure out how she does it, but its something, anyway." She still hadn't move his hand away from her butt. Eric could feel the texture of her body where she'd left his hand and even as she was coming back down from the empathic burst he couldn't help himself against his own hormones. He gave her butt a bit of a goose before letting go. Tachyon gave an obligatory *eep* and smiled at him. Eric returned the smile with an impish grin. "Well I guess for now we better stay away from the group of people near the fire. Don't need a repeat of old people throwing themselves at me." Patty nodded. "right--stay here--I don't know if Hardball will listen to me--I hope he does, but...we need someone to question those folks, maybe someone saw her leave-and maybe someone knows where she went." She turned to go-then turned back and again stood on tiptoe and her lips brushed his cheek. "I'll be back--are you staying or moving on?" "Well you asked me to stay here so.. I guess I'll wait here for you to get back. Still if she thinks we where killed in the fire with her parents we might have the element of surprise on her if she tries to attack the captain." Tachyon smiled up at him, "Thank you," and then frowned. "I'll tell Hardball that, too, okay? I'd forgotten about the Captain what if he's coming in and she's waiting for him right now." The women snapped out of it, the husbands had questions, and Hardball was stuck in the middle of the crowd with everyone looking at him. "Right," said Hardball, "now that the horny housewife situation has been averted, might I suggest that the we all try to forget it ever happened and concentrate on containing the house fire before it travels to one of your properties. I know you have questions, but unless you want one of them to be 'Why did I stand around asking questions while my house was under threat' you should leave them all till later. First thing the men need to do is clear the cars from the streets so the firefighters can bring the truck in, first thing the ladies need to do is recloth themselves so the police don't have even more questions. As for me, I'm going to see if there are any survivors inside, 'cause that's what heroes do." He turned and walked purposefully toward the raging inferno. If Heartbreaker was the kind of psycho he took her for her 'replacement' would still be alive in there somewhere so that HB could revel in her agony. (Plus if HB was watching, and was as obsessed with him as she claimed she might slip up in an attempt to save him). Hardball saw that the house had blown in from the multiple explosions. Half of the fire had been put out by Pusher. He didn't see or hear anybody moving in the blaze and smoke. Pusher and the hasty bucket brigade Hardball asked for seem to be containing the fire. The pitching machine can see two blown apart beds lying in the shattered walls. Both have the remains of bodies on them, one just seems to have two adults, the other a teenage girl. What's left of them are on the bed. The girl vanished in a trail of dust and debris; a moment later, she, vibrating at speed, appeared next to Hardball. "Hardball," her voice had a vibrato to it that was caused by her hiding her identity, "Eric can't question these folks--I couldn't find Blanche, Heartbreaker anywhere--someone needs to questions them, find out if anyone saw anything, like her leaving--maybe someone saw her leave in a car or going a direction or something." She frowned. "And Eric said maybe she's looking for the Captain and stuff and I don't know when he's due in is that today or tomorrow and didn't someone warn the cops about him and her and what she might do and isn't it presumptuous of her to think that we were all caught up in the big boom or just you I can get you out of here and there that'd be a big surprise if you want but you don't have to just offering a suggestion." By way of answer Hardball turned from the sight of the burned corpses of what were most likely Heartbreaker's parents and some innocent child who she had chosen to take her place. Tachyon couldn't tell, given his usual manner toward her and his full face mask, but he seemed even more harsh than usual. For one thing he'd stopped calling her Rabbit. "Tachyon. How many people can you carry while you're at full speed? If it's only one take Pusher and get to Andrew Jackson High School as quickly as possible, since that's where the Captain is supposed to be making his dedication. I'll take Emp and go to the docks in case he's still there. The team who finds him calls the other. It may also be a good idea to have the Captain checked over by a doctor in case HB has already introduced the explosive to his system." He then strode of toward the direction that Tachyon had come. "On it." Tachyon zipped away, coming up behind Pusher. "Gotta go I'll splain on the way." She lifted him--he was heavier than Eric--but still, she could carry him, barely--and accelerated to full speed--that was seriously cut back with the excess weight--and she 'flipped gears twice, building up to speed--and burning more energy, energy she was rapidly running low on. "Hardball said he and EMP would go to the pier for the Captain on the in-case he was coming in, but wanted us to intercept at the school--he's due for the ceremony there as well." "I can swim through molecules." Pusher looked back, thinking he might have put most of the fire out. "It's not as fast as you, but it can get me through the city." "Just lighten yourself and I'll do the transport--I don't know how much time we have do you know how much time we have I'm going to have to stop for food or something pretty quick anyway." "Lighten myself?" Pusher looked down. "I guess I can do that." He activated his power, slipping inside Tachyon, so he can hold on while she ran across the city. Eric continued to wait, he wasn't sure how far Patty had taken him after her run but he was sure that at some point they'd be coming this way to let him know what was going on. There where at least two turns and then this alley way. Patty's speed increased, "Thanks!"...until they hit the school. "hungry," she almost whined. "Gotta get something to eat." "Go ahead." Pusher slid to his feet, cutting off his power. "I'll look around." "Back in Five." Tachyon hit her speed, cranking it up--and raced through the drive-through of the local fast-food, ordering nearly twenty dollars of food off the dollar menu; paying for it, she found herself a quiet tree and--for her, quite daintily but to the outside observer, literally shoveled the food into her mouth, tossing away the wrappers thirty seconds later--and, sated for now, pressed on the gas and headed back for the school, actually arriving almost a minute earlier than she'd predicted. "What's up? Find anything?" "The school's closed and the ceremony doesn't start until the day after tomorrow." Pusher pointed at a sign with the date on it. "He's probably dead on his boat right now." Eric's phone rang/vibrated. He saw it was Hardball calling. "Meet me at the bike. We're going to check the captain's boat to see if he's still breathing and your girlfriend and Pusher are taking the school." The phone went dead It would have been nice if he'd told me where his bike was, thought Eric. Eric knew that which direction Hardball had entered the area in to catch up with them. His bike must be along that line. Additionally he was only a block and a half, maybe two blocks away, and could still see the smoke above the trees to show him where to go. "Well, this should be fun." Eric fumed at the phone before using the grapple gun to get a bit higher, sending off his own message to Hardball. "Meet you at the pier." It also included the address for the boat in case Hardball didn't already know it. He preferred his own mode of travel and it would prevent a long delay in meeting up. Part of him was also annoyed that Pusher was more of a help to Patty then he would be at the school. Stupid powers. He sighed before laughing himself in the swings at full speed, at least since he'd been there once before getting there again would be a bit faster. The houses were for the most part one and two story. EMP spotted the destroyed Deveroux house and its crowd on his first swing to get altitude. A few minutes of traveling with his line gun allowed him to reach the vantage point of the dock he was at earlier. Police were in evidence below. At least his word had been taken seriously enough. Eric watched from his vantage point for a while seeing what he could make out from a safe close distance. He didn't want to give the police a different target than Heartbreaker. However he did send a text message to Hardball warning him of the police around the docks. He didn't need his friend getting caught and arrested by the police either. The police bundled an old man into the back of a police car in the parking lot. They tossed a gym bag in with him. Then the caravan took off. Nariko 5:10 pm "I think we should try and get some sleep, Nariko." Mr. Miyama closed down the gate room. "We have a big day tomorrow." He led the way out of the massive chamber. She nodded and followed, asking on the way out with a touch of wonder, "Just how *many* worlds can be reached via that gate, father?" "I don't know." Mr. Miyama walked, hands behind his back. "We're always discovering more every time we cross over." Nariko followed, feeling quite comfortable and safe in her father's presence. "How many have you found so far?" "About twenty." Mr. Miyama put the alarm system on as he headed up to the living areas of the house. "We observe first before we go in so we go somewhere else as much as possible." She nodded, obviously both curious and intrigued by the whole thing. "Are we going to go to a new world *this* time, father?" "We hope to. I don't know how the police will react to us leaving town after your kidnaping. They might not like it." She frowned, obviously a bit annoyed at the police. "Well, what do they *expect* us to do, father? Just sit around and be a sitting duck for whoever did this if they decide to try again?" "I don't know." Mr. Miyama smiled. "The police don't always seem rational."

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I dont know if this is the right thread but I got the first collection for PS 238 by Aaron Williams. It's awesome. CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Finished Balefires by David Drake. Its a book of short stories, some of which have been collected in other books before. CES

Re: The Magistracy's Legion 13 "Higgins." Enoch traced a letter into the marching line with a smile. "I think it's time for Dr. Krueger's latest son to provide a distraction." "Magistracy Tower?" Higgins knew that other groups were busy across the globe. Naturally the UN's team would strike for the head if it could. "Yes." Enoch smiled as he watched the flowing letters. "Silver and the Chemist are being dealt with as we speak. The others might as well go too. Then we can deal with the other protectors of the Earth." "Understood, sir." Higgins nodded at the strategy. Eliminating potential threats one at a time before they joined forces was a time honored tradition. "Is there anything else?" "A glass of milk, please." The butler nodded. He left the office long enough to fetch a glass of milk. Then he walked to the screens behind the desk. A snap of his fingers produced the geneticist's lined face. "Higgins? Higgins. What can I do for you?" Krueger didn't look happy to see the saturnine face at the other end of the video phone call. "The young master would like your latest project to demolish the Magistracy Tower, and kill everyone inside." Higgins raised an eyebrow at the wince his request had set off. Krueger seemed squeamish for a mad scientist. "It needs to be done as soon as possible." "I'll send him, but I think it's too early." Krueger looked off screen for a second. "He should have a better than even chance of succeeding." "We'll let you know what happened." Higgins cut the connection. "Better than even chance." "His prototypes were less than that." Enoch smiled. "If he can kill or cripple just one, that will help us when they try to stop my father." "What happens if they try to stop you first?" Higgins stood with his hands behind his back, looking down on his sitting charge. "I have you here to protect me." Enoch grinned at the butler, keeping up with his work as they talked. "I expect you to be my shield. That's why you were bound after all." "I wouldn't say that." Higgins kept his staid exterior intact. "Demons are perfect man servants." "We'll see how perfect you are if the Magistracy stumble on our little nest." Enoch made a dismissed gesture. "Don't think about crossing me." "Wouldn't dream of it." Higgins walked to the door, walking through after a bow of his head. Enoch looked at the door, moving the swirling lines along with strokes of his finger at the right place. Higgins seemed to be carrying out his duties with the same capability, but something was emerging from underneath the veneer. The heir didn't like what he was detecting when he interacted with the butler. Higgins was showing signs of breaking his oath and double-crossing the two writers. If that happened, their plan would be disrupted depending on where the butler applied his treachery. Perhaps he should be removed. Enoch thought about it, but realized as long as he was helping to merge the Earth with the alternate, he couldn't act on his suspicions. One major act to break the ritual would mean everything would have to be restarted. Surprise would be gone if he did that. Higgins would have to be watched for now. If he had to act against the butler, hopefully it would be after the spell was completed. That was the best he could hope for at the moment. Enoch wrote in more missing letters to change reality around the world.

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... They're advertising a second book already, Barbara. Council of Evil, I think. CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Read the Spider book. The Robot Titans of Gotham are three different novellas collected together. The first two feature the Spider, hunchbacked defender of justice, versus men in power armor and bats that kill with a bite. The third features another pulp hero, the Skull Killer, that uses disguises and brands his enemies with the mark of the skull as he battles the Octopus, a man intent on making monsters and using them to blackmail the city. CES

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Read The Unknown Soldier collection from DC: Wartime stories of the man no one knows but is known by all. Buso Renkin 1 by Nobuhiro Watsuki: The start of a manga story about a kid who has his heart replaced by a device that becomes a weapon to fight monsters. Working on Song of Susannah by Stephen King and The Spider: Robot Titans of Gotham by Norvell Page. CES

Re: The Magistracy's Legion 12 The Persian sat at the controls of the CORPS jet. His constant checking of instruments betrayed a certain urgency to anyone who knew him. Crys shouldn't have took off without the rest of the team. "We're coming up on our landing zone." The Persian used onboard cameras to pick out an empty field. He flipped the wings so the engines pointed straight down. "Ready, Pers." The Graft stood by the door, waiting for the plane to land. The Persian checked his instruments one more time. Everything seemed ready to go for a landing. He could make out a shimmery veil and a small village beyond. Flying things filled the air. He didn't want to fly into an attack since the jet didn't have weapons. "The Empty isn't responding well." Martina looked sick in her blue coverall. The Persian looked over his crew. He judged they were ready to deal with the threat. He just didn't know if they had the capability. "The mission is to get Crystalmach back and shut down whatever is causing this interference." The Persian eased the jet down on its landing gear before shutting the engines off. "We'll be crossing open ground, so we won't have any advantage of surprise." The Persian went over his options before stating them, looking for the easiest deployment that would ensure victory. "Cowboy, you're our front line. Believer and Blood Knife, I need you to watch our flanks. Graft will look after Empty until her powers come back up to speed. That's the best I can come up with until we know more about our enemy." "No problem, Boss." Cowboy's voice was a rumble to match the jet when in flight. "Let's go before they try to break in to take care of us." The Persian nodded. Cowboy, dressed like a hero from a western movie, pulled his Stetson low over his bovine face as he pushed the jet door open. He jumped down, growing another two or three feet before he hit the ground. The minotaur paused for the others to unload before heading toward a hill in the distance on the other side of the village. Believer dropped down, hand on the long barreled pistol holstered at her hip. The white cross on her black body armor glittered as she moved to the left. Her eyes sought out any unobvious menace while she waited for the flying birds to test her mettle. Blood Knife landed lightly, and walked to the right. His hand glowed lightly as he moved forward. His World War era fatigues turned him into a shadow moving with a round lamp in his hand. Goggles protected his eyes and worked as a mask. The Graft grabbed the door frame with his artificial third hand, while holding Empty around the waist with one of his normal hands. He swung down gently, poncho swinging slightly around him. He needed something like that for full use of his symbiote. A shirt meant something trying to hold his third arm to his chest. The Persian jumped into the air, hovering over his team. He was the only member of his team that could fly. He and Charles had talked about adding several fliers to the team, but so far had been unable to agree on who to try to recruit. Cowboy ballooned up, attracting the attention of the flying birds with his huge stature. Smokey breath snorted from his muzzle as he walked forward, each step the length of a football field. His fingers clinched into fists as big as elephants. The flock descended, firing curlicues of fiery clouds at the giant suddenly appearing in front of them. One hand crushed several with a swing like a man swatting flies from the air. He spotted an outline of something that might be a castle. He waved at the ground forces as he stepped over the village. The Persian pointed his wrist laser at any flying birds that tried to regroup to come after his team. He blasted a couple of them to keep them moving away as fast as possible. The burning things screamed in fury as they circled in the air. The ground forces crossed the boundary. The Empty became a black oil covering its host's body. Martina drew the Graft in, vanishing in the night air. She returned moments later for Blood Knife and Believer. "We're all up by this castle, Persian." The Graft's voice sounded cheerful over the radio line. "Looks like a small army is getting ready for Cowboy. Ugly things if you ask me." The Persian dialed up his vision. He could see the four at the base of the wall, but not the castle itself. The Graft stood there, smiling under the cloth mask he wore over his eyes. "We need Crys." The Persian considered his mission. "Get in and find her. Cowboy and I will try to keep them busy." "Can do, Persian." The Empty took them inside the castle, out of their android leader's sight.