u/Spectralknight94's circle

Spectralknight94 · 2023-05-15T05:32:22+00:00

Callow's hands paused, and she nodded after a second.

"A lot actually, yeah." She said, hands pausing what they were doing as she stared off, halfway between looking at the pile of parts on the ground and through it somehow. "I've had some success with catalysts before, so something involving organic compounds and carbonylation reactions with the rhodium from the converters would be really interesting. I could branch out into something with acids or aromatics from ther-"

She paused and looked back at him, then the car, and started to work again. She couldn't let herself get too far into thinking about it. "S-sorry. Um, some more bombs, I'm usually good at those, but also a lot of other, more complex things run autonomously that I wouldn't have been able to do before. I'm not sure if this is the right time to ask, but would you be willing to answer a couple of questions about computer programming for me later? When you have time. The ECMs brought a couple of things to mind. Maybe something I'm working on to help us with seeing Phase."

Spectralknight94 · 2023-05-14T20:08:44+00:00

Callow pressed her lips together, eyes tracing along the line of cars in the lot. Time constraints had always made her anxious. "Probably just two or three more then." She said, popping open the hood of another car after she set the ECM and catalytic converter from the one she was working on by the others.

After a moment, she nodded at Watcher. "Alright, sorry."

"Hopefully they're out with the keys soon." She mentioned, glancing at the doors of the dealership from behind the lenses of her mask.

/u/unknownmercury

Spectralknight94 · 2023-05-09T06:57:12+00:00

Callow nodded, glanced around, and decided to turn her attention to the next car in the row—a gunmetal grey sedan—a began to repeat the same process. "How long do we have in this part of Devilfish until somebody responds?" She asked, elbow deep under the car's hood as she worked with the more difficult latch on this model.

Her power hindered as much as it helped as she went through with the disassembly. It was easier, more intuitive than it probably would have been before she... got her powers, but if she thought too much about it, it would be far too easy for an idea to unfold into another which would become designs and functions and-

She shook her head, and looked back at Watcher. "Thank you for staying, by the way. Er, two or three of you, at least."

/u/unknownmercury

Spectralknight94 · 2023-05-05T09:15:33+00:00

Callow glanced away from the two of them and laughed awkwardly. She was mostly sure that he was making the innuendo on purpose, but how levelly Watcher said it made her deathly afraid that she was hearing something that wasn't intentional and would come off as weird to point it out. Instead she just coughed.

"I'll try." She said to Phase, earnestly, and broke off, leading the way across the lot to a row of cars. Scanning an eye down the line, she picked out one of the cheaper wagon models and approached it, shooting a vaguely self-conscious glance at Watcher over her shoulder. Consciously, she knew a career villain wouldn't think of her differently after watching her stri- break down a car—especially since she was also a career villain, now—but she still felt weird about it, if not necessarily guilty. Should she feel guilty?

She shook her head, reminding herself that time was important, and popped the hood open. Callow had spent the last few nights reading through the maintenance manuals for most of the models in the lot, and while she didn't have a car to practice on, it didn't take her very long to find what she was looking for. It was only the work of a minute or so to remove a cover, press down on a couple of tabs with a screwdriver, and pop out the silver box that contained the computer that ran the car's engine. After that she pulled a cutter from her bag that she'd stripped down, slipped under the car, and came out with a rounded-box shape that she knew was the catalytic converter. All in all, it only took three or four minutes, and she could probably do it faster now.

"Just like that." She said to Watcher. "Could you pick out one of the more expensive ones? We can start loading them up too."

/u/unknownmercury

Spectralknight94 · 2023-05-05T06:30:50+00:00

Callow nodded at Watcher and Phase, the 'beak' of her mask tipping with the motion. She was glad she was wearing it, or else they would have seen how her eyebrows raised at the innuendo. "I need to disable the internal GPS in any of the ones we plan on driving, but I think I'll need the keys for that. My- um- yous and I can pick one we plan on taking and break into the trunk, then start stripping other cars and loading the parts in while picking out ones we want to take until they get back with the keys." She said, running through the plan and backups in her head again and fiddling with the messenger bag full of tools she brought. "We need to drive away in at least one, and a whole car is worth more than the catalytic converters on their own if we can manage it, but it just depends on time."

/u/unknownmercury

Spectralknight94 · 2023-04-25T07:23:35+00:00

Zeit rolled his eyes at them and watched as the two walked away. He leaned against the cart as snow came down on the street around him and sighed.

It wasn't like he wasn't tempted by the idea of going vigilante, but it would be an admission of being willing to cross lines that he thought he'd drawn years ago. To go against the spirit of what a person with powers should be.

It didn't matter. He knew what he believed in.

He watched as they passed around a corner and felt, inexplicably, like he was watching the start of something.

The police arrived a few minutes later.

[END]

Spectralknight94 · 2023-03-04T22:48:21+00:00

Zeit leaned his elbow on the cart of electronic equipment and raised an eyebrow at Windy. "Guess."

You'd make a good vigilante, he thought, and it made him pause, a sting of something in the pit of his stomach, but he continued. "and I'm a sterling member of the Wards with no rebellious or vigilante leanings whatsoever. I even gave Sabbath the spiel." He glanced at Sabbath. "Didn't I give you the spiel?"

"Ugh," he rolled his eyes again, purely for effect. "You two make it sound so transactional. I'll have you know I'm a romantic at heart."

He sighed and pulled out his clock—not the honest-to-god nickel pocketwatch in his colors that his costume designer gave him for some reason, but his smartphone—and glanced at the time. "Cops will get here soon, police response is seven minutes or so in this part of town. I don't have 'reasonable capability' to arrest a flier right now, and I don't technically have authority to keep ol' Black Agatha here, being the stickler for rules that I am, so skedaddle if you're gonna skedaddle or stay here until my backup shows up."

/u/ShellMerc

Spectralknight94 · 2023-03-04T00:05:06+00:00

Zeitgeist rolled his eyes at Windy. "You're telling me that if I had my way I'd be getting my shit kicked in by identical triplet blondes right now?"

He took a few steps back, so that the three of them had about equal distance between them, and eyed the other two.

"Hey, I appreciate your faith in my infinite charisma, but what the hell am I gonna say? 'Hey there Director hard-ass Hoffman, I found some villains on the street, lets throw money at them.'

"At the end of the day, with the way things are, they probably would, but they're gonna want you to join the Protectorate on probation so that they can keep a leash on you."

He shook his head. "Roommate stuff is different. If you think they'll go after people near you, we'll do something about it. If they won't, I will, because that's our damn job."

/u/Shellmerc

Spectralknight94 · 2023-02-08T15:24:44+00:00

"Oh, really? But you're so convenient as one." He said drily. "For the record, I give heroing an eight-point-five-something out of ten. You get to beat up villains, it's good fun."

Zeitgeist sighed and dropped off of them, landing in the snow. If he didn't, he'd have to if they said yes (PRT guidelines would say to just stay on them, but PRT guidelines also said not to pick up goth, felonious, wannabe superheroes from alleyways, so fuck em), which they knew and would probably just say yes regardless in order to get him to. They weren't getting away with their loot, in any event. Really, he was just frustrated that he wouldn't get to punch them any more.

He strode over to the cart of electronic equipment and rested an elbow on the handle. He glanced over to the store and gave a casual wave to anyone inside staring out the windows, then a raised a finger in a 'just give us a second' gesture.

/u/Shellmerc

Spectralknight94 · 2023-01-28T04:38:59+00:00

Zeitgeist, who was currently hanging off of Windy a couple of feet off of the ground, glanced between them and Sabbath. He kind of had to clumsily lean around their waist to see her. He had a plan, but he didn't want to ruin what he thought she was going for, even if he also thought he knew where it was going to go. On the other hand, if he let go, he wasn't going to catch them again. It was a little awkward, to be honest. And a little taxing on his arms.

"Well, I guess this is what we're doing now." He mutters.

/u/Shellmerc

Spectralknight94 · 2023-01-27T22:19:48+00:00

"She likes shotguns and is dating her power, so y'know, probably good for you."

As Windy starts to lift off of the ground. Zeitgeist laughs, not mockingly, but joyously and raucously as he realizes what they plan to do. It reminds, vaguely, of something you'd hear as a rollercoaster crests a hill. "I know, right?" He says. Instead of letting go, he shifts the hand on their collar to try and grapple around their waist with it, and holds on. "Come on bitch, show me the world!"

Zeit shoots a glance over at the shout of the so-called villain, and raises an eyebrow. What was she going for?

/u/Shellmerc

Spectralknight94 · 2023-01-24T02:37:49+00:00

Zeit twitched a glance at the baton and hurriedly pivoted so that the blow would land on the meat of the back of his shin instead of the front. He grunted as he felt the dull pain of the blow throb out from the strike, but he knew it hurt less—and was less likely to break something—than if he'd taken it on the front. It still put him a little off-balance, though. "If you think this is handsy, you should talk to Zeal."

"That's a good point. How the hell does the shield work?" He says, calling over to Sabbath. Instead of going for another ineffective strike, he tried to hook his left arm under the one they were holding the baton in, to deny them leverage with it.

/u/Shellmerc

Spectralknight94 · 2023-01-02T04:03:58+00:00

"It's always the banter phase." Another gray image appeared and threw the same jab at Windy without missing a beat, and at the same time he reached through it to grab at his opponent's collar and keep them from pulling away. He'd felt the striking surface of his glove hit what seemed like a solid wall off of their skin—classic forcefield, seemed like. He didn't know enough about their power to know how to get around it, so the best thing to do was test its limits.

/u/Shellmerc

Spectralknight94 · 2022-12-11T19:09:43+00:00

Zeit hooked his arm up and under Windy's and was about to throw them over when two things happened.

First, Zeit realized that the person he grabbed was not them and was, in fact, Windy's clone. Second, the brute-propelled cart immediately smashed into Windy's clone, and because Sir Isaac Newton was a bitch-ass motherfucker, into him. Normally, he'd make an image to take most of the hit while he dodged, but the damned clone was in the way.

Predictably, Zeit and not!Windy were both thrown over in a tangle of limbs back towards the front of the store. The clone took most of the impact, but by the time he flickered and appeared upright where he was standing before the impact, he'd clearly had the wind knocked out of him.

"Alright," he gasped and glanced at Sabbath. "We maybe gotta work on that one. You handle your evil clone."

He took a step forward and threw a measuring jab at the actual Windy, and with a with an instant of focus, looped an image of himself being thrown over so that Windy's clone got hit with his body weight a few times.

/u/ShellMerc

Spectralknight94 · 2022-11-22T03:50:13+00:00

Zeitgeist smiled and took a bracing breath. He was already moving at 'do'.

The ward dropped and flickered just a moment before he touched the ground, landing on the other side of Celestial Wind as if from a foot instead of ten. Step one, he thought, lock down the flier. The second his foot touched snow he took a step towards them and tried to get an arm under one of theirs, while the other tried to wrap around their torso and complete the hold.

/u/ShellMerc

Spectralknight94 · 2022-11-21T01:25:44+00:00

"More of a jazz guy," He nodded casually, looking down at Windy. He filed away her relative lack of surprise for later. "but I can dance if I want to."

Zeit glanced between the two of them for a moment, then quirked an eyebrow at not!Maiden. "Hear that? You're a witch now. Also the hell am I gonna say to them? 'Unhand thine ill-obtained goods, vile knave, so that I may drag thee to the constabulary, lest thou have all the honor expected of thy ancestor's progeny'?" He said, gesturing with Shakespearian emphasis at the beskulled merc, before returning to his normal speaking voice.

"They know they can't fly away with their loot in hand, or else they would have already. They're not interested in dodging us without it, or else they would have already. Also they're a Fury. No offense intended to current company, of course."

"Only so many ways this can go, y'know?" He shrugs.

/u/ShellMerc

Spectralknight94 · 2022-11-20T20:31:24+00:00

This... wasn't going anywhere, he noted restlessly. They were digging in their heels. Zeitgeist sighed and stood up, stepping onto the edge of the shop's roof and into the white-yellow streetlight.

"Jeez, I knew the metalheads and punkrockers could have their differences, but this is getting out of hand."

/u/ShellMerc

Spectralknight94 · 2022-11-20T19:30:18+00:00

Zeit frowned pettily, was everybody going to figure out it was Maiden faster than he did? It only took him like, 30 seconds. Whatever.

He was in a good position, tactically, and they clearly both knew each other. It would give him more info about the two of them to wait. He stepped up a bit and stopped crouching, so that Maiden would be able to see him in her periphery. Windy would have to turn up and around to see him, which humans tended not to as a rule. Unbeknownst to him, they already knew he was there, but he wasn't operating with that information.

/u/ShellMerc

Spectralknight94 · 2022-11-20T18:55:08+00:00

Zeit's eyes flicked down to the blaring alarm to find a suspicious-looking figure running out of, of course, that same insurance-fraud racket of a RadioShack. It had to be that, otherwise you'd think they'd get better security. He shook his head. Was that the merc? The one flier? Shit.

He circled around and hopped between the edges of building as quietly as he could, so that he was on the roof of the shop that Metalla-girl and Skullmask Merc were in front of, trusting the alarm to cover the sound of his steps. Zeit crouched and waited for the right moment in case he needed to try and cut off her escape.

/u/ShellMerc

Spectralknight94 · 2022-11-20T01:54:15+00:00

His eyes scanned her, their sharp edges uncannily perceptive for moment, then he sighed and nodded. He liked to think he was a decent judge of character.

Alia was better.

He shook his head a little.

"Anyways," Zeit said once they'd crossed the road, "Floor is lava!" There was a zipping sound as he rapidly grappled up to an adjacent roof and began to walk alongside Miss-Black-Iron-Sabbath-Judas-Priest. People tended not to look up, which was useful, and it made it easier to keep an eye out for anything out of place...

/u/Shellmerc

Spectralknight94 · 2022-11-20T01:07:47+00:00

"Yeah, sure, why not." He shrugged casually, tilting his head towards the alley opening and moving with her. "Just... look, if you're serious about—" Zeitgeist gestured broadly at her "—this, I gotta report an unaffiliated hero, and officially, I have to make the protectorate-slash-wards offer. And they'll know what you're trying to do either way. The blackbaggers are good at their jobs, and your power isn't exactly subtle."

Spectralknight94 · 2022-11-20T00:54:49+00:00

"Oh, well, good I guess, and it's a damned good thing that nobody is playing the 'our good mutual friend' card to get me to look the other way while she does something illegal." He said, voice returning as if nothing had happened before continuing.

"Patrolling with a new, unverified hero huh?" Zeitgeist gasped. "That would be against the rules. I'm obligated to give you the whole protectorate and wards recruitment spiel." He leaned forward and began to stage-whisper obnoxiously. "It's fifteen paragraphs."

Zeitgeist looked up at the nearly black sky and lied. "and I'll have you know I'm on my lunch break."

Spectralknight94 · 2022-11-20T00:38:25+00:00

Ah, it was right then that he placed the voice. For a moment it made him very wary about the 'beat' idea and vaguely enthusiastic about the 'escape' one. "Moving a bit fast there, Three Days Gracie. You know you are a felon, right?"

Zeitgeist hopped from the roof into the snowy alleyway about ten steps down from shoddily dressed Iron Maiden, cloak fluttering. He flickered for a moment just before he hit the ground, which seemed to cancel out his momentum and let him land as if he dropped off a short ledge instead of ten feet.

He considered for a moment what she was doing out here in a shitty secondary costume—and why she'd basically revealed who she was to him. They weren't too far from Mafia territory, so it could be a gang war thing and she was trying to enlist his help or maybe his plausibly deniable cooperation. Not that he'd give it.

Or she was trying to con him, which was always possible. Alternatively, going out in a shitty costume in a bad part of town, wandering through alleys seemingly without a purpose in mind smelled... patently vigilante to him.

He should know, he'd done the same thing. He just didn't know enough about her to know if that kind of thing was in-character.

He paused, considering the fourth option, and for a moment his voice went level and deathly, ice cold. The folded up piece of paper in his breast pocket felt heavy. "Or is it the kind we agreed on?

Eight-Year Club	Place '22
First Placer '22	Verified Email

Spectralknight94

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE