Doubts and Discoveries

"I never adventured in my own timeline" Southern Cross replied. " I guess I'd better tell you my origin then? To keep a long a story short, I was kidnapped from my own reality, rebuilt from the ground up, and have been trying to get back to my home reality ever since".

Southern Cross wrote:"I never adventured in my own timeline" Southern Cross replied. " I guess I'd better tell you my origin then? To keep a long a story short, I was kidnapped from my own reality, rebuilt from the ground up, and have been trying to get back to my home reality ever since".

Armor gives a good-natured shrug. "On my world, I'm something of a celebrity," he explains. "In fact, my biggest advantage is little more than, well, popularity. I typically work cases by relying on that friendly response; the cops tell me details they've kept out of the papers, reporters tell me what they've kept from the police -- and if all of it leads me to a member of the general public who's too scared to come forward, he usually confides in me without needing to be persuaded. Something about making my costumed debut on live national television, an ordinary human rescuing hostages from a super-powered villain."

Tigerwasp wrote:The massage was very enjoyable and not even realising what she was doing, tigerwasp co-operated with Joe's ministrations. Technical talk left her cold. The concept of adjusting time to fit, like a pair of slacks, was bizarre to her. she decided it would be in her best interests not to pursue that line of enquiry further.

"So what's the plan after I've bathed, done my hair and re-applied my face?" She enquired.

With more access to Tigerwasp's gorgeous body Joe expanded his massage, stroking her sides, right next to her breasts. He replied, "I think you should register. It's easier to control the system if you're not hiding from it."

Armor wrote:Armor gives his characteristic nod. "I'd also recommend we use Doc's OPNET connection to scan for unusual facts involving the site of that proposed meet; a possible meta started vying for control of LexCorp after Luthor vanished during a business trip somewhere in Italy a little over a year ago. As for the local authorities, it's my initial guess that self-appointed 'Guardians' of the city run things a bit" -- he pauses -- "differently in Spokane."

Chronos asked, "I've never heard of Luthor or LexCorp. Are they important?"

Southern Cross wrote:"I never adventured in my own timeline" Southern Cross replied. " I guess I'd better tell you my origin then? To keep a long a story short, I was kidnapped from my own reality, rebuilt from the ground up, and have been trying to get back to my home reality ever since".

Chronos looked a little puzzled and he asked, "Adventured? What do the supers on your timeline normally do? And how different were those two realities?"

"Quite different,considering my home reality had no confirmed powered beings and the next reality definitely did" Southern Cross replied." Furthermore, the South won the Civil War in that reality, unlike my home reality,where the North won. I had to help organize that reality's supers into the Avengers in order to fight off a Cyberman takeover."
"And you haven't heard of Lex Luthor or Lexcorp?" he went on,clearly shocked." I can understand not being aware of Lexcorp,as it was a product of John Byrne's post-Crisis Superman revamp in the '80's, but to not recognize Superman's arch-foe? Either Superman never got the recognition he did in my and Armor's realities, he never existed there, or someone else took Luthor's place as Superman's arch-foe. I'm betting the Ultra-Humanite, the first super-villain."

Southern Cross wrote:"And you haven't heard of Lex Luthor or Lexcorp?" he went on,clearly shocked." I can understand not being aware of Lexcorp,as it was a product of John Byrne's post-Crisis Superman revamp in the '80's, but to not recognize Superman's arch-foe? Either Superman never got the recognition he did in my and Armor's realities, he never existed there, or someone else took Luthor's place as Superman's arch-foe. I'm betting the Ultra-Humanite, the first super-villain."

"On this odd world," Armor put in, "super-beings claiming to be cousins of Wonder Woman are currently fighting a Saudi war -- and while I've never heard of the addictive drug in question, a medical remedy for 'Mite' has just been announced by STAR Labs."

"With a name like that,the drug likely either turns you into an insect or shrinks you down to insect size," Southern Cross quipped."Where's the nearest internet-capable computer?"

Tigerwasp wrote:Tigerwasp slithered slowly and smoothly forward out of Joe's reach. The large bath was easily capacious enough to put her out of arm's reach.

"I thought you were meant to be washing my hair." She queried with a laugh. "As for registering; I don't see a big issue with it. I am completely new here so it's not as if they can have any leverage against me. Also, with so many metas registered, I will simply be one amongst many. Do I need to register my adventuring attire too? I wondered if they had a recognition chart or some such....because I do like to change it a lot."

The greater issues surrounding her position in this new world were clearly not of great consideration to Tigerwasp; unlike her attire and appearance.

Joe let Tigerwasp escape with mock, and real, disappointment. He'd expected that. Joe replied, "I think our wolf police would have called you out if you were illegal, you're very... noticeable."

Southern Cross wrote:"And you haven't heard of Lex Luthor or Lexcorp?" he went on,clearly shocked." I can understand not being aware of Lexcorp,as it was a product of John Byrne's post-Crisis Superman revamp in the '80's, but to not recognize Superman's arch-foe? Either Superman never got the recognition he did in my and Armor's realities, he never existed there, or someone else took Luthor's place as Superman's arch-foe. I'm betting the Ultra-Humanite, the first super-villain."

Doctor Chronos answered, "Ah, Superman, I recognize that name. The comic book equivalent of Pax. Meta-humans, or Novas as we called them, started appearing in 1998. Their real(?) world exploits more or less replaced the general comic cultural icons within a few years. I was born with my powers in early 2008 and was moving on the world stage about 6 months later. I missed a lot."

Armor wrote:"On this odd world," Armor put in, "super-beings claiming to be cousins of Wonder Woman are currently fighting a Saudi war -- and while I've never heard of the addictive drug in question, a medical remedy for 'Mite' has just been announced by STAR Labs."

Doc said, "Wonder Woman... another comic book hero?"

Southern Cross wrote:"With a name like that,the drug likely either turns you into an insect or shrinks you down to insect size," Southern Cross quipped."Where's the nearest internet-capable computer?"

Doctor Chronos commented, "If it's the same as on my world, it's a super-steroid based on meta-human hormones and such. It can take a very strong normal human and make him into a low grade meta-human for a while. And through that door and too your left."

UPDATE PENDING

We will be transitioning to the next scene in Italy (if you are going) or something else will "come your way" this time tomorrow. (about 24 hours from this post.

Lets wrap up the dialog and please post any questions/requests directly to me if your doing research, etc..
I will be monitoring site all day tomorrow and will post for the most part, immediately.

"In my world,Wonder Woman was the first female superhero" Southern Cross replied." Like all the powered heroes there,she was fictional."
He then follows Doc's directions to the computer room. While he enjoyed his powers,he had been an internet geek for years,and furthermore,needed to find out about his counterpart and this reality's other superpowered beings.

Southern Cross wrote:"In my world,Wonder Woman was the first female superhero" Southern Cross replied." Like all the powered heroes there,she was fictional."
He then follows Doc's directions to the computer room. While he enjoyed his powers,he had been an internet geek for years,and furthermore,needed to find out about his counterpart and this reality's other superpowered beings.

After a hack algorythm ran, cross is to determine a certain unnamed governmaent program has had 4 other Southern Crosses in the last decade. The latest was scrapped after the Guardians and the Council of Gaia shut the program down last month. No other details are available.

Southern Cross decides he wants to go to Italy. He'll discuss with the rest of the group what he's found out, after he's had a chance to think about it.

"When you're ready, I'm ready," says Armor, easygoing as always. "I'm not sure I see any point in registering, though; I don't happen to be a meta."

Joe nodded to TW and said, "Great".

Doc nodded to everyone and said, "Great... although I'd say someone able to build cross time tech from basically nothing can't reasonably claim to not be a meta."

OOC:Just need to know the travel accommodations. The 'contact' is in Carpino Italy and claims that they will contact you upon arrival.

OOC: I do hope it isn't teleportation as Tigerwasp has an unfortunate habit of messing up all technology she interfaces with.
Given her own limited flying ability, it is too far for her to get there under her own steam.

Narrator wrote:OOC:Just need to know the travel accommodations. The 'contact' is in Carpino Italy and claims that they will contact you upon arrival.

(Assuming no one fesses up to having warp and/or teleport...)

There are problems which can't be solved by throwing money at them... but this clearly wasn't one of them. Doc arranged for first class tickets purchased right before the plane took off. Although unsure whether it would be needed, he also booked a top name hotel for the group.

Tigerwasp wrote:OOC: I do hope it isn't teleportation as Tigerwasp has an unfortunate habit of messing up all technology she interfaces with.
Given her own limited flying ability, it is too far for her to get there under her own steam.

Please see your PM's Wasp...I posted something a week or so ago for your input..

Armor lazily ambles over to Cross. "Find anything interesting online?"

"It appears as if I'm the fifth Southern Cross", Southern Cross replied."What truly bothers me though,is the fact that the unnamed government program that created them apparently created the other four over only a decade before it was shut down. What happened to them?"

Doc frowned and asked, "A better question is whether they had the same powers and such. Is your other self a copy in more than name? And while we're asking... given my history I assumed I don't exist, so much so that I didn't check. Is there anything in there about 'Doctor Chronos'?"

"It looks as if a security clampdown was put in place" Southern Cross replied."Aside from the fact that he Guardians and the Council of Gaia apparently SCRAPPED the last Southern Cross when they shut the program down a month ago,that's all the information I have on that subject. And I'm sorry Doc Chronos,I was to busy trying to find out my counterpart's history to find out whether you had a counterpart here."

NARRATIVE UPDATE
March 25, 2010 - 0800
Carpino, Italy
Participants: Armor,Southern Cross, Doctor Chronos, Tigerwasp.

The flight to Naples Italy was relatively uneventful, save for a minor inconvenience at customs. Someone mistook Tigerwasp for the uber popular actress Amber Grennon and rushed the line for an autograph. Security was all over the poor fool and 'Amber' was escorted to safety. Your baggage was shuttled to a small municipal plane and it was off to Ischitella which was another 45 minutes in the air. The final 1/2 hour drive to Carpino wrapped up the final journey to a meeting with a mystery person no one was sure of.

Spoiler:

Not knowing exactly where to go in Carpino, the driver pulls into a smallish hotel (pre arranged by Chronos) on the other side of town away from the main roads. It's about a 100-room residence with high class treatment for the discriminating rich or for those who want to lay low away from the paparazzi.

The ride in allowed some research to be had from Armor and Cross:

• A local hero by the name of Regiment, has recently registered and joined the Guardians to help enforce order. It is rumored he has apprehended over a dozen unregistered metas in the last month alone.
  
• A group called The Directive, which seems to be more of a legend and myth in Europe, has shown up again on the media radar. A naked meta was found wandering the woods of Carpino 3 days ago remembered nothing of their. The only words out of the empty mind was "The Directive."
  
• Other than that, Rome has been under lockdown for the past 3 days as an all-out hunt for a certain meta is underway. NO other details are has save for the Meta is responsible for the deaths of over a dozen people.

please post a brief 'arrival' text to show intent. Most of you are likely fatigued from the travel and might want a short nap and a meal.
It is assumed all of you are out of costume for the time being.

Tigerwasp and those that are thinking of registering..please see This topic

Armor decided to stretch out on the bed and relax -- a bit like sinking into a trance, but more nearly like just dozing off. "Can't manage a full night's rest in so little time," he thinks to himself, "but I can sure try."

Before doing so, he briefly considers the staggering events of the day and tries to put it all together; sometimes the subconscious fills in a blank the conscious mind ignores. "Of course" he muses ruefully, "sometimes a blank really is just a blank." He habitually sets one of his omni-gadgets for Force Field, and starts to meditate...

Oddly Joe disappeared shortly after the plane took off and didn't reappear until right before it landed. Doc handed out cash cards during the trip and asked, "On a side note, does anyone speak Italian?"

At the hotel Doc decided to meditate and wait for someone to contact them. If given the opportunity Joe will accompany TigerWasp in her shopping expedition.