Sepiaverse
Charlotte wants to investigate the Sepiaverse cemetery, to learn more of when her family comes over.
Byron and Rusty knew little of the Vyortovians. Just another cult. But from over on the Sepiaverse, learned that the Family were actually part of the royal family, took it up on themselves to go to the Prime universe and set about their deeds. Hundreds of years ago.
So, yes, Charlotte is of Sepia blood. She was never indoctrinated … (or, concern, did she get some memories wiped, perhaps when she died …?
Numina makes her excuses a few times to not be around. Taking breathers. But also contributing to the convresation. Indeed, she’s the first to confirm that the Hecates must be in communication.
The Jason/Byron conversation has been going on for a while. He’s gotten his emotional equilibrium back, and he’s owning stuff as much as he ever has … but he’s also reasserting control. And “… memetic programming” as a term he invented.
Okay, that’s not going to work. Numina/Summer can debate that one. And Jason knows this. And Alycia clearly understands it from that whole warehouse thing. Numina starts to go down that rabbit hole, and Byron is sort of handwaving it aside it (“smartest man in the room – when he can define the room”).
J: What has Alycia told you so far.
B: Nothing. She’s in custody. [And, amazingly, they haven’t questioned her.]
J: Wait, you have the daughter of greatest nemesis, past and present; someone who was “easily” captured; and you haven’t even questioned her?
B: Why would we? What could she know? She hasn’t been in touch with her father in two years.
R: You know, he’s got a point. [Exchange looks with Byron.] [Goes to check the guards.]
C: Well, there’s how she got here without damaging the membrane.
B: Well, clearly, she just borrowed the tech from my son. [“and my son borrowed it from me”] [Byron seems weirdly blinkered about it.]
J: I need to talk with Alycia before I take her out of here.
B: (sputtering) Where would you take her?
J: Back home.
B: What possible reason could you have to remove her from custody here, where she’s safe
J: To maybe save my life. Or to restore my memory. Or is that of any value here?
B: Watch your tone of voice, young man. There’s no call to be snide.
J: Right. I’m dying, my memory isn’t working, all due to your shenanigans – why should I be snide?
B: Well, a lot of that was last-minute coding. Clearly it’s a rounding error …
Jason is going to push the issue. Charlotte stands by to help. Numina is willing to support Jason, that Jason with Alycia is better than Byron with Alycia. Also, screwing with Byron. [Provoke! 5!]
J: Goddammit, Dad. I’m dying here. My memory has been raped. And you just – I came here for Charlotte. For you, if you needed it. And for Alycia. And you are not standing in my way.
Byron stands there. Anger. Affrontery. Cheek. He’s not bellowing because others in room (and he always has to be the cool, superior intellect), but that restraint is clearly crumbling when …
… a klaxon goes off, alarm lights.
Shock. Byron picks up phone. Listens. Swears.
B: Your “damsel in in distress” just broke out of prison.
Adam
It’s been a few hours. Quarter to 7, easily before curfew. Doesn’t want to answer questions TO HIS DAD about Keri. Hour and half after pizza. Flying home, heading south. Getting closer to school and … school grounds have vision-blocking construction fences, just since the training session this afternoon. The buildings are cocooned in construction fabric on scaffolding.
Calls team if they went by the school after pizza. Nope. Goes to investigate. Awkwardly goes to chat with the cops directing traffic.
“Corvus Construction” signs. Construction crews in there working like ants. Adam thinks everything looks normal but … um … Keynome is here, so, maybe worrisome?
Harry
An hour and a half past the pizza. Hanging with people, A-10 and the Irregulators. Movie?
Leo
Clearly Adam’s sitch is a problem. Cruising main street, getting their equilibrium.
Adam
Who’s inside? [Assess the Situation! 5!] Energy pulse that knocks him on his back, 150 miles south. Seeing spots from what just happened – oh, wait, one of them is getting bigger and closer and coming down here.
“Round 2, Fight!” shouts Troll, and crashes into him. Adam “gives ground”. Cops are shouting in alarm. Troll grabs him and throws him down the street, skipping off the asphalt.
And Facet shows up and tells Adam to just Stay. Down.
Harry
Harry is with Alloy, A-10, and Telekinecian, and Armiger. They’re in the theater. A-10 keep leaning closer.
And Harry’s phone – and all of theirs – get a Hero Alert. TK is up first, moving out of the theater. Harry grabs everyone out of the theater at superspeed.
Leo
Otto - news blast on all channels. Not about the high school.
Vyortovia just offshore!
They all round the corner, and there are Facet and Troll.
Quick text. “Come to the school if you want to fight some supervillains.”
Harry and the Irregulators
Alert! Is this a drill?
I don’t think so.
GRIN
Primeverse
Leo plasters one on Troll. Flies backward along the asphalt. Grabs a lamppost behind him, runs forward, swinging it at Leo, catching light poles and power lines, sparks, craziness.
Harry running …
Sepiaverse
Jason laughs.
B: Have you lost your – [okay, that’s awkward] [Exit]
J: (to Numina and Charlotte) We should go and find her.
Numina, big book, holds out hand, tosses the book to Jason, been doing some light reading. 3D representation of the subbasements of the building. Construction of the Federal City Capitol Building. Points at “here” for the Senatorial Cells. Also, FYI, this is the coolest power.
C: Jason, come with me. [Grabs him, and descends into the earth to the cells.]
The guards are unconscious (probably), doors are there. Alycia’s backpack is there.
Jason [barely, 7] assesses the situation. Pacing the room, looking at each cell, yeah, this one, looking at the cot, the chair, carrying her backpack, opens it up, riffs through, sketches of the building, the tunnel, diagrams (not in her handwriting).
And rubber-banded stack of uncancelled envelopes, addressed to “A”, all relatively recent, last 18 months, letters to her from Achilles. “My dearest daughter” stuff. Not his handwriting. “18 months, my intellect dwindling, need every assistance …” [[Dave: dictated via inter-Hecate comms]] Nothing referring to her responses. “I’ve learned this. Here are some clues.”
Based on the diagrams, basically know where to go to get to the Keynome chamber. Very circuitous, but a route.
Charlotte grabs him – “Not now, Jason, you’re be ridiculous …” – and drags him through a more direct path. “Numina, track my loc–”
First or second step, we’re hitting resistance / headwind (from the Keynome?).
Jason suggests using sailing / tacking tactics.
She tries, even as the force takes something out of her [Condition: Angry, so tired of this crap, if you hadn’t been arguing for hours …]
Primeverse
Harry is running. Weird – lights up at the schools. Flashes of light on the street. Heads in, sees Facet, who’s blasting light beams at Concord, who seems distracted. Tries to protect Concord by hitting her, at a tangent, distracting Prism in turn, knocking her into a fence, vanishing from view.
Adam tries to track her down (since Leo is probably able to handle Troll). “WE ARE CONCORD, AGENT OF THE CONCORDANCE. CEASE AND DESIST.” Spots a bundle of insecurities hopping away over fences. Tries to bubble her. [Direct Engage! 3!] She whirls and blasts him! [Powerful Blow! 10!] Shouts out to call on Link for help (imposing a condition), and gives ground. Leo feels guilty for charging in without checking on how Adam was doing – so he hesitates (along with Otto and Pneuma). Troll’s light pole is heading into a wide-open Leo.
Harry – try to deflect the poll, [10!] [Clears insecure]
Otto rocketpunches a bunch of the sparking cables over at Prism. [11!] Resisting blows, shorting out everything, fall to ground, “I give up, I surrender, don’t kill me!”
Sepiaverse
Big underground space, extensively retrofitted. They’re freaking TAPPING the Keynome. Oddly crude machinery.
Silhouette of Alycia, arguing with another silhouette, gesturing … Achilles. She glances at Jason, as they argue.
Jason leads with the heart. [Pierce the Mask! 7!] _What does she want him to do?
_
Alycia shouts an order at Achilles, then turns toward Jason, takes a step forward, pulls out weapons, stepping over a line of the collapsed nanogoo, Chin steps behind her enough that she’s blocking him. Her facial expression … _Let me GO. This is a crappy situation, I’m not happy to see you here, a fly in the ointment, and …
_
As Achilles pulls out weapons of his own, pointing one at Alycia’s back, one at the Keynome …
End of Session
Jason: Away from the Team (Charlotte)
Link: Closer to the Team (Concord) - clearing Guilty
Mercury: Image of Self
Ghost Girl: Image of Self - Savior+, Mundane-
Concord: Closer to the Team (Harry) - Savior+ [maxxed], Danger-
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I’ve been using (sometimes with slight variations) episode titles from old Stan Lee / Jack Kirby comics (esp. Fantastic Four). In this case, it feels vaguely unspecific but meaningful – the team divided between universes, divisions in the Quill family, divisions between Jason and Alycia, the divisive fail between Adam and Leo and Harry, the divisions over that the hell is going on with Jason’s head … it’s all _divisive.
Very eager (for obvious reasons) to work through to a unifying conclusion._
author: *** Dave H.
url: https://app.roll20.net/forum/permalink/6053543
