I walk a few steps closer so I can make out his badge.

"I am Seraphina Martel. What's your named and badge number?"

If he's really security, he'll know who I am, either directly or as a monitor.

In reply to Seraphina Martel (msg # 20):

He narrows his eyes farther. "You're a student here, aren'tcha?  Well.  That don't mean you aren't involved!  So stay back!"

You can make out Harry Hillson.  You can't quite make out the badge number yet.

Getting closer?

Yes.

I keep getting closer, but slowly. I don't want to spook him. Well, if he's a terrorist, then actually I do, but I know what I mean. "Mr. Hillson, I've never seen a security guard at St. George's before."

In reply to Seraphina Martel (msg # 22):

"Maybe you just haven't looked for one.  Ever thought a' that?"

His eyes flick in Dad's direction and then back to you.  "Ah hell."

He fires his taser.

We've never spoken of this, but I am assuming that since he is in the Gray Scale/Limbo/Outside Time with you, then he can take actions.  Like firing a taser at you.

Let me know your thoughts.  And if you think the taser would effect you.

That makes sense to me. I don't know if it should affect her. You've made it seem like superpowers are super duper before and that truck-juggling strength is common, but it also seems like powers are generally pretty low-tier at the same time. I don't know. What do you think?

In reply to Seraphina Martel (msg # 24):

Thanks.

I am assuming Dad and Sera are kind of on...uhmmm...maybe The Thing from the Fantastic Four level strength.  Not the strongest (in terms of raw power), but up there none the less.

Invulnerability is different than super strength.  Even an Olympic weight lifter is going to feel a taser.

So it just depends on how you define Sera in that category.  Is she super strong, but just as vulnerable as anyone else?  A glass cannon so to speak.

Or does she have some toughness that goes with it?

Last year in the date episode she got in a truck-throwing contest and everybody involved was able to clear like two football fields with a hurled pickup, which is where I'm getting my impression. If you want to tone it down, that's okay by me. I just want to have consistently-defined parameters. Same thing with speed and toughness. Maybe we should take some time to define things. Or not. Your call, really. That level of strength was noted, as was super speed and toughness independent of the time powers, the former inherited from her father and the latter form her mother, and the whole suite at very high levels. But again, if you want to change it, then okay.

In reply to Seraphina Martel (msg # 26):

I'm fine with the strength level.  She's meant to be super dupes strong and she is.

For Invulnerability:  I am assuming Sera can shrug off the taser this guy is trying to hit her with.  If someone dropped a live power cable on her, how would that affect her?

And what about being shot?  What kind of gun/rifle/tank would be powerful enough for her to feel it?

Speed:  I am assuming she can super leap.

I would not think she could run like the Flash, but then again with her time freeze power, I wouldn't think running speed would be much of an issue.  But let's define that as well for reference.  I would not think Sera is the Flash.  But I could see her being a very capable sprinter.  That sound about right?

Anything else you can think of?

Well, before when her power was time control, she was more durable than a normal person but not so much invulnerable as able to regenerate so fast that it might as well be invulnerability, and more severe damage took concentration. I.e., she still felt pain and took damage, but she reversed her personal timeline to when she wasn't damaged.

Since it's been revealed that she never had time powers at all, regular invulnerability is probably better.

As for what's powerful enough to hurt her, I'd like to know what the general super level of the setting is. She should be on the very high end, whatever that is, but that could be anywhere from 'doesn't need a bulletproof vest' to 'may as well be a deity.' Same with strength and really everything power.

I never envisioned her as having super-speed in and of itself, just time powers that made it look to external observers as if she had supreme speed faster than anything else. You know, cheating, rather than actually being faster. But she doesn't have time powers.

Basically, I'm fine with just about any level of superpowers, but whatever the levels are in the setting itself, I want Sera to be in the the top ranks of them.

Does that make sense?

In reply to Seraphina Martel (msg # 28):

Makes perfect sense.  Thanks.

So you are about at the Fantastic Four level of power.  There aren't any Supermen  in this world.  Though there are some bad guys who are on the world threat kind of level (think I mentioned them in a post waaaaaaayyy back at the start of the game).

Okay.  I will assume then it takes a great deal of electrical power to make you notice.  So...

The taser wires leave smolder marks on your shirt.  The current doesn't even tickle.

The "guard" looks at you, then at Dad, then mutters, "Shit.

"Look.  I'm just tryin' to pay off my student loans.  They said this would be an easy score.  I can show you where the bombs are."

I would prefer, ideally, that she would be able to take on the biggest baddest villains in one-on-one combat and win more often than she loses.

I slowly look down at my shirt, brush off the taser wires, and look back up at the fake guard.

"Sure. Go ahead."

I wait for him to do that. I expect that we found them all, but there may be some we didn't get. I am careful to be taciturn and not promise him anything, since once we release him to the real cops, it'll be out of our hands what they charge him with.

You did find them all.

Each time he shows you a new spot, and the bombs are already gone, he seems to get more nervous.

At the last spot he wipes sweat off his forehead.  "Okay.  You really gotta believe me.  This is all of 'em that I know about.  I don't know of any others.  This should be all of 'em.  So...I'm guessing you're not going to let me go?"

He chews his lip a moment and then says, "Look.  There's one more thing I can tell ya.  It's who's running the show.  I mean...I don't know their name or anything.  But I do know something that might help you find them.  You let me jet, and I'll share it."

I don't promise him anything, mostly because I can't in good faith.

"Who else is in on it?" I prompt, using my patented ice queen stare, stance, and general aura of menace that has, in fact, made grown men wet themselves on several occasions.

He thinks about it a moment, then sighs.  "We're supposed to meet up at a motel afterwards.  One in town.  The Sleepy Inn.  Room 14."

He shakes his head.  "I don't know who else is involved.  Everything I did was by phone an' IMs.  No personal contact."
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:41, Fri 29 Dec 2023.

I press the issue. "What time? What numbers in the calls and IMs?"

I get out my notepad to write it down.

In reply to Seraphina Martel (msg # 34):

He takes out his phone.  You jot down information.

Dad studies it and nods. "I can have some people track this.  May take them some time.  What do you think about this lead with the motel room?"

"Should we make it our business? Will we get winged for vigilante activity?" I ask Dad.

"Okay, thanks. Now I'll need your full legal name. If this info is good, I'll recommend that you not be charged and I'll testify that you assisted if they decide to go ahead anyway," I tell the guy.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:46, Wed 03 Jan.

He shuts his lips tightly, pursing them like a duck.  He turns his head slightly, looking away, while scratching the back of his head.  "Harold.  Harold Dongle.  Okay?  That's my real name."

Dad cocks an eyebrow at your question about legality.  "You do remember your Mom and I are considered FBI special agents, right?"

"Of course. That's why I'm asking you. Is this the kind of thing you're allowed to do legally?"

I write down Harold Dongle's name.

Harry Dongle.

It's a good thing I am very practiced at self-control and icy calm, or I would giggle a lot.

I tap the dude to send him back into regular time.

"Next up, Gadget Girl."

Gadget Woman...thank you very much...gives a start.

She looks around, then at you and Dad, and snaps her compact shut.

"Guess my cover's been blown then.  I'm reaching for my badge."

She reaches into her coat and pulls out a badge.

Agent Loretta Swalworth

Office of Justice

Meta Crimes Division

Dad groans.  "Not you bastards again..."

Agent Swalworth snorts.  "We're always on the job."  She turns to you.  "You are interfering with a delicate operation.  Can you kindly return me to where I was?"

"Huh."

I am slightly surprised by this development.

"Yeah. Do you know where the bombs are? Or the conspirators? We caught one guy and a bunch of the bombs."

I get out my notepad to check the list of names and numbers while I wait for an answer. Just in case.

In reply to Seraphina Martel (msg # 40):

She glares at you and Dad, then adjusts the glasses on the tip of her nose.

"Well why don't you tell me what you found.  And I'll tell you if you got them all."

I diligently read off the names with flat affect, then I list out the locations of the bombs we found.

I occasionally glance at Dad to see his reaction to this woman. She might not be legit, like the guard wasn't.

Dad is giving her the hairy eyeball.  He's clearly not happy she's here, though he doesn't seem to be tensing up to punch her.

But who knows?  The night is still young.

She whips out her cell phone and starts tapping on it, taking down notes of everything you've said.

"Excellent!  We'll take it from here."

She glances towards the security guard.  "I'll take him into custody as well."

And boop, back into normal time she goes.

"She seems extremely suspicious to me," I say to Dad, now that we're Sideways and she's not. I wish it was a still a pause button on life...but I guess it never was. I was just ignorant.

"The sort of thing a clever conspiracy would plant, just in case a telepath or a superspeed kid or whatever was around to thwart their plans. Is there any way we can verify her identity?"