Kintsugi Plays Fallen Hero: Rebirth

(Alternatively, if we'd rather skip thinking about our feelings and go straight to thinking about explosions, I could give this therapy homework to the RNG. :P)

 

I'll be honest I am just so conflicted on which one to pick. I can't decide, I wanna be all of those feelings all at the same time somehow

 

Josie's hypothetical future therapist: What you're describing is called alexithymia. It's not uncommon for people who have experienced trauma to—
Josie: —delegate all decisions to a handful of indecisive internet strangers?
Therapist: What?
Josie: What?

 

We are currently experiencing All The Emotions… but for the sake of the narrative, random.org says the primary one is:​

> Impatient—I want to get this over and be done with it.

By now, you just want this over and done with. No more planning. No more preparation. Just finally being able to act and see what happens.

It's exhilarating, really, like finally pushing that first domino and waiting for the rest to fall.

For a moment, you almost feel out of breath, the weight of the occasion finally hitting home. This is it. Finally.

You push open the door to the bathroom with a carefully neutral face, making your way to one of the stalls. There are people here, but not that many; none of them pays much attention to you, apart from a cursory glance.

Good.

> Lock the Stall Door

Quietly, you remove the lining of your purse, enabling you to remove the small, flat charges resting at the bottom of it. They should be undetectable by anything but a thorough search. Luckily, this gala does not have that kind of security. Wouldn't want to offend the celebrity guests.

You take another breath before you pull your dress up, enabling you to remove the additional flat charges you've taped beneath your skirt. You still feel a little nervous carrying this much explosive power around, and you will be glad to finally get rid of them.

For a moment, you look down at the charges resting on the toilet, re-adjusting yourself until you think you look presentable once more. Your hands don't shake as you pick up the charges, quickly setting the timer on each of them.

Now you're on the clock—no time to lose.

You quickly put the charges back in your purse, clutching it gingerly to your chest.

As you exit the stall, you take a moment to make sure your face is in order, smiling a little at your reflection. Nobody pays you any attention as you walk out of there.

> The Restroom Door Swings Shut

Your stomach feels like ice and vinegar, and this time you walk with quiet purpose. You know that the timers are ticking, carefully set to allow you just enough time to place them all. Luckily, you've got the spots where you need to place them memorized.

Keeping that in mind, what steps have you taken when planning for the explosion?

　‣ I have made sure to minimize the risk of casualties.
　‣ I'll place them where they're most efficient. If someone gets hurt, so be it.
　‣ I want maximum damage—people don't matter.

Of course, we plan to bring this whole place down before the night's over, but how much damage do we intend this first set of charges to do? Are we willing to accept some injured partygoers as the price of doing this right? What about deaths? Or have we done our best to avoid either of those?​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 25% / Obscurity: 75%
████████████████████
Arrogance: 22% / Anonymity: 78%
████▒███████████████
Ruthlessness: 45% / Empathy: 55%
████████████████████
Daring: 53% (+6) / Caution: 47%
██████████▒█████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Fine.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: friend.
Ortega and Josie: 81%
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Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 65%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 71%
██████████████▒█████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

>Minimize casualties
(For purely practical reasons! If there's rich casualties everyone gets so rude about manhunts.)

(Also OOC I'm a weenie and cmon what about the caterers and staff?)

 

If there's lots of survivors to dig out, that's fewer heroes on the initial manhunt...?

 

Achievement Unlocked: All Part of the Plan
Rationalized your less-than-villainous choices as TOTALLY NECESSARY.

But nah, you're right—it's not like villainy has to involve murder, let alone the slaughter of civilians. Socialite obituaries might distract from our headlines.​

> I have made sure to minimize the risk of casualties.

Even though you can't predict where everybody will be, at least you can make sure to avoid the areas where most people gather. This is just for panic, after all, and to divert attention before your big entrance.

Hopefully nobody needs to die.

You wonder if that really is the right way to feel right now—you are supposed to be a villain, after all. These people should mean nothing to you, and honestly, they sort of don't. But meaning nothing also means that you have no real need for them to die.

They're just there to witness your unveiling.

It is hard to keep the smile off your lips. But then again, this is a party, so it is not entirely out of place. You are allowed to smile as you weave through the crowds. You are allowed to be happy. This is your big day.

Your first proper birthday.

And yet, there is a part of you that keeps wondering if this isn't too easy. A part of you that is waiting for your plans to be discovered as you deftly place small adhesive charges under tables and behind pillars. But nobody spares you a second glance, and you just keep floating through the crowds, following the path you already have planned in your head.

One charge after the other, getting ready for your carefully choreographed debut.

Finally, with one last look at your too-expensive watch, you find yourself adrift for a moment, just watching the people that surround you. Soon their lives will change, and yet they have no idea. Only you do.

Perfect.

"Excuse me," someone says as they bump into you, and you mumble something equally nondescript in turn. A glance at your watch shows that time is running out fast, and you need to make sure that Barbara is in the right position.

　‣ I will trust Ortega to take care of Barbara.
　‣ I will trust Dr. Mortum to take care of Barbara.
　‣ I will make sure Barbara is safe and outside of the building.
　‣ If Barbara gets injured, it makes her less likely to be a suspect.
　‣ It's just a puppet—why should I care?

It's about time to leave Barbara's body, which means we need somewhere to put it. The obvious option is to leave her with Dr. Mortum for safekeeping, though if we want to make 100% sure she's safe we could step outside before the bombs go off. If we're more concerned about avoiding suspicion, we could leave her just near enough harm's way to ensure she's deemed a victim—or if we're not too fussed about her safety, wherever looks least suspicious.​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 25% / Obscurity: 75%
████████████████████
Arrogance: 22% / Anonymity: 78%
████▒███████████████
Ruthlessness: 36% / Empathy: 64% (+9)
███████▒████████████
Daring: 53% / Caution: 47%
██████████▒█████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Fine.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: friend.
Ortega and Josie: 81%
████████████████▒███

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 65%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 71%
██████████████▒█████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

I'm gonna vote for the obvious, leaving her with Dr. Mortum for safekeeping.

 

Hmmm. I don't think Josie would go with this, esp with the impression that Barbara is a longterm element of things here....

But it would be entertaining, to see whether Ortega would take this new villain especially personally, if her flirt and spar gym friend got injured in the attack...

And then she eventually learned the truth :)

 

This was part of why we asked her out in the first place, after all.​

> I will trust Dr. Mortum to take care of Barbara.

It takes you less time than you feared to find Dr. Mortum again, as she's waiting right where you agreed. It's a small thing, but right now, it makes you breathe a sigh of relief.

"Did you run into any trouble?" she asks, smiling a little as she offers you a drink.

"No thanks." You shake your head and give her a disarming smile. "Honestly, I think I've had enough for the night…how about going somewhere more private?"

"I would suggest that you wait in the foyer, then, while I get the car?" Dr. Mortum looks you in the face to read your reactions.

"Thank you," you say with a faint smile. "I think I'll sit down a little, so why don't you come and get me when you're ready?" You nod towards the benches that line one of the walls. "I'll be over there."

"Good to know." The nod is short and curt, and you can see in her eyes that she is wondering if that is a safe spot. It is not, but you feel that you need to have some injuries to be a believable victim in case you have attracted undue attention.

"Don't forget me," you say, not liking the pleading tone in your voice. But this is a risk, and you are trusting her to get you out in one piece.

No. Not you. Your puppet.

"I'll just be a moment, ma chérie," she assures you.

"See you soon, then." You smile a little and sit down, trying to keep calm.

The minutes crawl by, and you are trying hard not to keep looking at your watch as you observe the exit. There are so many things that could go wrong here, and you are trying not to think about them.

Not very successfully.

Minutes pass, then seconds, and finally your internal countdown reaches zero. And a second later, the first charge goes off—the smaller warning one that is there to give you your final cue.

Smoke billows everywhere. The fire alarm screams out of tune with the crowd, and you fervently hope that Dr. Mortum is on the way before you allow yourself to leave Barbara's brain.

You don't feel the impact of the floor against her face.

You are already long gone.

As is Chapter 8.

Next time: We have a date with destiny (and some heavy property damage) to get to.​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 25% / Obscurity: 75%
████████████████████
Arrogance: 22% / Anonymity: 78%
████▒███████████████
Ruthlessness: 33% / Empathy: 67% (+3)
██████▒█████████████
Daring: 53% / Caution: 47%
██████████▒█████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Unknown, left in Mortum's care.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: friend.
Ortega and Josie: 81%
████████████████▒███

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 65%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 71%
██████████████▒█████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

Dark.

Down, then up, your mind making directions where there are none.

"Ah!" Your real body jerks awake as you leave Barbara to her fate, trusting that her comatose body will be safe.

Dark. Still dark?

For a moment, you struggle with disorientation. Then you remember: you are lying in the back of the van that your brainwashed garage owner parked nearby.

With a grunt of frustration, you shift your body underneath the tarp, the unfamiliar resistance of the powered-down armor giving you a moment's pause. Dr. Mortum's finest work, she claims; well, after tonight, you will know for sure.

It takes a moment to tap in the right sequence, bringing the armor to life; green numbers scroll across the corner of your vision. You can taste metal on your tongue as you feel the Rat King cozy up against your hindbrain, the telltale stench of burning hair tickling your nose as the nanovores contained inside your glove come alive.

You brush your hand against the tarp and it dissolves. It takes effort not to do the same to the back door of the van as you open it. After that brief struggle of will, the nanovores quiet down once more, eagerly awaiting your next command.

Perfect.

Outside, crowds are gathering—but they are all looking away, pointing to the show that is underway at the museum. Chaos. Smoke. Screams. Confusion.

Now, how will you take your first step into the world?

　‣ I blow up the van as I leave—got to make an entrance.
　‣ I'll emerge from a cloud of smoke grenades.
　‣ What's the big deal? I just get out.

This party has officially reached HAPPENING-CON 2. How should we let them know?​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: The unnamed villain

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Armored Suit

The unnamed villain's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores that are functionally similar to having a disintegration touch. It is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed, as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status

Need Repair: 0% / Fine: 100%
████████████████████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 25% / Obscurity: 75%
████████████████████
Arrogance: 22% / Anonymity: 78%
████▒███████████████
Ruthlessness: 33% / Empathy: 67%
██████▒█████████████
Daring: 53% / Caution: 47%
██████████▒█████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Unknown, left in Mortum's care.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: friend.
Ortega and Josie: 81%
████████████████▒███

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 65%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 71%
██████████████▒█████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

(As you may notice, our stat screen has been expanded for the occasion.)​

 

Smoke grenades!

 

Countdown to when we announce our name..

 

It's important that our entrance be suitably mysterious!​

> I'll emerge from a cloud of smoke grenades.

Your new self can't be seen stepping out of any old van, not just because the van might give clues, but because it would be far too mundane. You need to be larger than life, not some two-bit villain with a set of cheap wheels. Smoke is perfect for your purpose—not only to hide where you came from, but to give your debut just the right kind of ambiance.

Reaching back into one of the hidden compartments in your armor, you remove a small smoke grenade. Popping the safety, you drop it to the ground and wait a moment before you step out into the billowing smoke.

There's a slight pause as the world turns gray around you, and then the smoke thins enough for people to notice that there is something in it. Namely, you.

You can feel surprise turning into fear, like soap bubbles popping in the sunshine.

"Move!" you command, not recognizing your own voice as it filters through the voice distorter in your helmet. At the same time, your mind reaches out and brushes terror over volatile thought patterns nearby, getting the panic started.

Sidestep never frightened anybody, but this time you most certainly will. Even your vocal distortion is carefully calibrated to give a faintly unearthly impression, with hisses and metallic grinding sounds bleeding into your words. The crowds scatter as you laugh, the distorters transforming your mirth into something alien and vaguely menacing. You're doing this. You're actually doing this. You have booked the stage, set up the play, and cast the roles. Now the audience is running for their lives as sirens wail in the distance.

It feels amazing.

Striding through the museum plaza, you finally see some people who are not milling around in panic. Security guards. Of course. There will be more, but right now there are only two who have spotted you and drawn their guns.

There's no time to have fun here, and they're not really a big threat, but you still pause for a moment to decide how to approach this. Fighting heroes is one thing, but how will you treat normal people?

How much of a villain are you, really?

　‣ I'll try not to harm anyone too badly.
　‣ What happens, happens. They are in my way, so they are going down hard.
　‣ I want to see blood—if someone gets killed, it's no skin off my back.

These certainly aren't unarmed civilians, and they're in our way, but they are unenhanced humans. Is it worth taking care not to hurt them? Do we figure a few non-fatal injuries are part of the job description? Or have they earned worse than that for standing in our way?​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: The unnamed villain

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Armored Suit

The unnamed villain's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores that are functionally similar to having a disintegration touch. It is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed, as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status

Need Repair: 0% / Fine: 100%
████████████████████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 32% (+7) / Obscurity: 68%
██████▒█████████████
Arrogance: 22% / Anonymity: 78%
████▒███████████████
Ruthlessness: 33% / Empathy: 67%
██████▒█████████████
Daring: 53% / Caution: 47%
██████████▒█████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Unknown, left in Mortum's care.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: friend.
Ortega and Josie: 81%
████████████████▒███

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 65%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 71%
██████████████▒█████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

Note that if we feel we've had enough Tough Moral Choices in the past few minutes, I could just assume our decision to avoid casualties applies to security guards as well. :P (Or, uh, roll a D3, I guess…?)

 

Yeah let's try not to hurt the rent a cops

 

We're not an amateur here—I think we can at least make it five minutes into our new career without hurting anyone.​

> I'll try not to harm anyone too badly.

Just because you are not on the side of the law anymore doesn't mean you have suddenly turned into a murderer. They are in your way, and you will take them down—but they are just doing their job.

Normal people you can afford to go easy on.

Blam!

The first shot they fire misses, tearing through the crowd behind you. Did someone get hit? You don't care, and you don't turn to look. Instead, you quicken your pace, calculating the best way to take them down.

　‣ I should be bulletproof. I'll just walk up to them and knock them out.
　‣ I'm fast. I'll just dodge the bullets and rush them.
　‣ I'll trigger their paranoia and make them attack each other.
　‣ I will shut them down hard with a telepathic command.
　‣ They're just people. I can beat them up easily enough.

Time for a warmup round! What's our move?

We could take this chance to test out our suit's augmented speed and reflexes—guns are useless if your opponent can close the distance between you in an instant, after all. Or we could target their minds, with a simple attack or something more elaborate—getting two armed guards to attack each other non-lethally might have been a tricky maneuver for the old Josie, but our armor's telepathic boosters should change that. (Assuming we don't mind showing off our telepathy, anyway; if we were thinking of keeping that ace up our sleeve, we'd want to be less blatant about it.)

…Or if you prefer, we could just take them out normally. Not everything has to be a whole production if we don't want it to be.​

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Subject: The unnamed villain

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
████████████████████
Subtle Manipulations: 74%
██████████████▒█████

Armored Suit

The unnamed villain's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores that are functionally similar to having a disintegration touch. It is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed, as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status

Need Repair: 0% / Fine: 100%
████████████████████

Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 32% / Obscurity: 68%
██████▒█████████████
Arrogance: 22% / Anonymity: 78%
████▒███████████████
Ruthlessness: 33% / Empathy: 67%
██████▒█████████████
Daring: 53% / Caution: 47%
██████████▒█████████

Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Unknown, left in Mortum's care.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: friend.
Ortega and Josie: 81%
████████████████▒███

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 65%
████████████████████

Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 71%
██████████████▒█████

Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
████████████████████

Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
████▒███████████████

Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
████████████████████

 

Fast >:)

 

nyooooom​

> I'm fast. I'll just dodge the bullets and rush them.

The guards are just people with guns. Ordinary people with guns. Honestly, you fought crooks like them when you were Sidestep, and back then you didn't have the tools you do now.

Tensing your muscles, you feel the armor coming alive around you, time seeming to slow down as you cross the space between you and the guards. You can hear their panicked thoughts in your head—too fast, too fast!—and the shot goes wide, and you're in their faces, and they can't see your smile behind your helmet.

But you hope they can feel it. You are much too fast for them. You can't help a quick laugh as you make a grab for the gun, yanking it out of the man's hand.

"I do not appreciate being shot at." Your voice is a low growl. The gun turns to dust in your hand, the nanovores eagerly devouring the metal.

"Uhm…sorry?" The guard steps back, but not fast enough. Your blow hits him straight in the gut, sending him to the ground; he lies there, gasping for breath.

The other guard takes a shot at you, but you simply sidestep the bullet. As you turn to glare at him, he drops the gun, raises his hand, and backs away.

The fear you can feel from him and the crowd makes you smile inside your helmet. You don't spare them a second look as you cross the increasingly empty stretch in front of you, stepping towards the museum.

For a brief moment, you catch something at the corner of your eye. No, not something. Someone.

Dr. Mortum stands at the edge of the crowd, Barbara unconscious in her arms, glaring at you with surprising vehemence. You've got no time to read her thoughts, but you don't get the impression she likes you very much. Getting Barbara hurt has won you no favors, but little does she know that what she's gently cradling is nothing but a shell.

Something you're ready to leave behind as you turn your back on her and head towards your new life.

> The Doors Hang Open

Entering the museum is quite a different experience than it was a couple of hours ago. The doors hang halfway open from the blast. Gone are the bouncers and the paparazzi, though there's still the odd flash of a camera making sure that your progress is immortalized. Good. You leave the cameras to their work, as they are one of the reasons why you chose this venue in the first place.

Around you, the crowd that was milling for the exit now retreats, pushed back by the aura of menace you are wrapping around yourself. Some have already fled the field, spurred on by the explosions you set earlier. But many have lingered, afraid of the sounds of fighting outside, unsure whether this is an attack from within or without.

Little do they know it is both.

So this is what it feels like to have people look at you in fear and awe. It's an interesting feeling; you are not used to being noticed, let alone feared. And now, you are both.

It's intoxicating.

It is a relief. You've stepped over the edge, and now gravity will do the rest.

Now, what should you do with this pliable melting pot of bystanders? Their fear makes them irrational and easily pushed, but in which direction?

　‣ I play into their fear, making them cower before me.
　‣ I play into their fear, making them flee the building.
　‣ I calm them down, making them evacuate the building in an orderly fashion.

Time for some crowd control. What are we planning to do with all these people?​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: The unnamed villain

Secret Identity: Josie Jacobs
Gender: Non-binary
Description: An average mixed person in their thirties with brown eyes and short, neat curly dark brown hair.

Josie Jacobs is a seasoned, tech-savvy tactician.

Physical Status
Stamina: You are rested.
Willpower: You feel calm.
Injuries: You are fine, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

Strength of Mind: 50%
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Subtle Manipulations: 74%
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Armored Suit

The unnamed villain's suit is a shadow with a mirror for a face, revealing nothing.
In its left hand, the suit has a neutered colony of nanovores that are functionally similar to having a disintegration touch. It is also equipped with telepathic boosters and enhanced speed, as well as jump-jets.

Armor Status

Need Repair: 0% / Fine: 100%
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Standard of Living: You are comfortable.

Psychological Profile

Infamy: 32% / Obscurity: 68%
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Arrogance: 22% / Anonymity: 78%
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Ruthlessness: 33% / Empathy: 67%
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Daring: 60% (+7) / Caution: 40%
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Main Puppet

Name: Barbara
Puppet Status: Unknown, left in Mortum's care.
Description: A tall white woman in her twenties, with blue eyes and long straight blond hair.

Allies and Enemies

Josie's relationship with Ortega: friend.
Ortega and Josie: 81%
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Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 65%
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Barbara's relationship with Dr. Mortum: flirting.
Mortum and Barbara: 71%
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Josie's relationship with Lady Argent: distant.
Lady Argent and Josie: 0%
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Josie's relationship with Marshal Steel: former ally.
Marshal Steel and Josie: 24%
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Josie's relationship with Herald: distant.
Herald and Josie: 20%
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Run away!