Kintsugi Plays Fallen Hero: Rebirth

Current approaches under consideration:

• I add things up. "I thought I saw you at the gala, but…", in the hopes of giving Mortum an opening to leave before Ortega can recognize her
  
• I feign confusion. "You heard what?", in the hopes of getting an explanation of how the hell Ortega knew we were here

Anyone have further thoughts on which if either we should go with?

 

Okay, I'm going to say our indecision lends itself best to confusion.​

> I feign confusion. "You heard what?"

"You heard what?" You feign confusion and weakness, looking at Ortega with a helpless frown.

"That you were here as well. I thought I spotted you at the party earlier and asked one of the nurses to check for you."

"The party…that's…I don't remember."

"She might have a concussion," Dr. Mortum adds, looking at you and not at Ortega, no trace of a French accent in her words. Now it's more of a southern drawl. "She needs to rest."

"And who are you exactly?" Ortega starts with a frown; then she redirects her question to you instead. "Who is she?"

You don't hesitate before you answer; that's the best way to lie convincingly.

　‣ "This is my personal physician, Dr.…"
　‣ "This is my friend…."
　‣ "This is my date…."
　‣ "This is my colleague…."

quick, name a cover story

tragically the MC won't even consider """cousins""" unless they or the puppet are Black​

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

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 tired.
Willpower: You feel tired.
Injuries: You are hurt, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

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

Armored Suit

Anathema'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: 47% / Obscurity: 53%
█████████▒██████████
Arrogance: 25% / Anonymity: 75%
████████████████████
Ruthlessness: 39% / Empathy: 61%
███████▒████████████
Daring: 64% / Caution: 36%
████████████▒███████

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: 82%
████████████████▒███

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

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

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%
████████████████████

 

We told Ortega before that Barbara had her own date to the party, right? So 'date' would line up, and hopefully Mortum has a good cover for being there herself...

 

Ortega actually didn't discuss the gala at all with Barbara, just with Josie (who said no thanks to big, public parties).

…Juggling three identities may have some slight practical downsides, as you can see.

 

...I'm still gonna vote we say date

 

> "This is my date…."

"This is my date…." You hesitate long enough for Dr. Mortum to catch up and introduce herself.

"I'm Jay Brown," Dr. Mortum fills in, smiling a little at Ortega. "Looks like you got caught in that mess as well."

"Sort of…." Ortega frowns a little, as if she is trying to figure out how to feel about this.

"Are you one of Barbara's friends?" Dr. Mortum raises an eyebrow, giving Ortega a quizzical look.

"Oh, I'm sorry," you interject. "This is Julia Ortega. I mentioned her, remember?"

"Pleased to meet you," Ortega adds a bit hesitantly, making no move to shake her hand.

"I didn't know that Barbara was seeing someone," Ortega adds after a moment of truly awkward silence.

　‣ I take this chance to end the flirting between Barbara and Ortega.
　‣ I say it was just a date, nothing serious, and keep the status quo.
　‣ I don't want to ruin things with Ortega; I'll let Dr. Mortum down gently.
　‣ I don't want to ruin things with Ortega; I'm sure Dr. Mortum will understand.

Welp, guess this might as well happen.

There's nothing that scandalous about Barbie going on one date; it's not like she's actually committed to anything with Mortum or Ortega. On the other hand, if we'd rather head off any chance of love triangle nonsense, we could take this (admittedly awkward) opportunity to drop the flirting with one of them.​

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

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 tired.
Willpower: You feel tired.
Injuries: You are hurt, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

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

Armored Suit

Anathema'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: 47% / Obscurity: 53%
█████████▒██████████
Arrogance: 25% / Anonymity: 75%
████████████████████
Ruthlessness: 39% / Empathy: 61%
███████▒████████████
Daring: 64% / Caution: 36%
████████████▒███████

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: 82%
████████████████▒███

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

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

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 tentatively leaning status quo because turning to Mortum and going "hey babe, thanks for the ride to the hospital, but the superhero who just showed up is my real beau xoxoxo" seems so, so awkward. And so does going "lol you should've flirted more" at Ortega.

 

No need to worry, ladies—Barbie has two hands.​

> I say it was just a date, nothing serious, and keep the status quo.

"It was just a date." You shrug with a teasing smile. "Those happen, you know. Especially when you get the opportunity to go to a gala as fancy as this one. I love an excuse to dress up."

"And you do it quite well," Dr. Mortum says, the faint half-smile on her lips quite telling. Does she enjoy making Ortega squirm?

"Life is too short to limit yourself," you say, to nobody in particular.

"I see," Ortega finally says, clearing her throat a little. "I'm sorry for interrupting. I was just worried."

　‣ I tell Ortega we will talk later.
　‣ I tell Mortum we will talk later.
　‣ I tell them both I need to rest now.

Time to break this party up. Do we want to continue this chat alone with one of them, or just get everyone out so Barbie can head home?​

Spoiler: Show Stats

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

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 tired.
Willpower: You feel tired.
Injuries: You are hurt, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

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

Armored Suit

Anathema'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: 47% / Obscurity: 53%
█████████▒██████████
Arrogance: 25% / Anonymity: 75%
████████████████████
Ruthlessness: 39% / Empathy: 61%
███████▒████████████
Daring: 64% / Caution: 36%
████████████▒███████

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: 82%
████████████████▒███

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 59% (-6)
███████████▒████████

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

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%
████████████████████

 

(If we would rather avoid further responsibility for Barbie's surprisingly-busy hospital social life, I suppose we could always ask what the RNG thinks?)

 

I don't have much of an opinion either way so I'm down for RNG

 

RNG says option 3: these two should let poor injured Barbie rest already, jeez.​

> I tell them both I need to rest now.

"It's fine," you say, running a hand over your face. "But I really need to rest now. I feel awful."

"Of course," Ortega says, looking guilty. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Do you want me to leave as well?" Dr. Mortum frowns a little as she tries to pick up on what you want.

"Please." You smile tiredly as you sink back in the bed. "I just need to sleep. We can talk tomorrow?"

"Of course." Dr. Mortum nods and gets to her feet. "Don't worry about a thing—I'll talk to the doctors on the way out."

"Thank you." You do your best to look tired and miserable as both of them exit the room, one after the other.

Finally, you can relax.

You allow yourself half an hour to gather your wits about you. Then you swing your legs over the side of your bed and start looking for your shoes. There's no need to hurry, as you don't want to risk running into either of them when you leave.

Your life is complicated enough already.

> Luckily, Your Legs Work Fine

You have to admit you are a bit nervous as you make your way to the lobby a little while later, but you needn't have worried.

The hospital is in turmoil; once you step out into the lobby you can smell the fear and uncertainty.

Right now, you are glad that you are not a telepath.

There are people waiting in the lobby: people trying to contact their relatives, reporters looking for a scoop, the shocked and lightly wounded not yet processed. There have been a lot of injuries tonight.

You hug yourself a little, looking over the shaken faces of the crowd. What will they remember of tonight? What will you?

　‣ I won. That is all that matters.
　‣ I won't be a victim anymore—they will play that part now.
　‣ Did I do enough to keep people safe?

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

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 tired.
Willpower: You feel tired.
Injuries: You are hurt, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

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

Armored Suit

Anathema'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: 47% / Obscurity: 53%
█████████▒██████████
Arrogance: 25% / Anonymity: 75%
████████████████████
Ruthlessness: 39% / Empathy: 61%
███████▒████████████
Daring: 64% / Caution: 36%
████████████▒███████

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: 82%
████████████████▒███

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 59%
███████████▒████████

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

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 won't be a victim anymore—they will play that part now.

Josie cares about not needlessly killing people, but also wants to send a message / redefine their life in ways regardless of (and sometimes because of) ways those actions hurt others. The narrative that Villainy is Strength is Not Victim keeps coming up - might as well continue it.

 

(Some telepath-typical vomiting ahead.)​

> I won't be a victim anymore—they will play that part now.

You won't be a victim anymore—they will play that part now. Looking around, you can't help but feel they deserve what is coming for them. Every single thing.

You went through this. It is only fair they should as well.

> Time to Go Home

You can't risk letting your body wait at the hospital any longer than necessary. The chaos will only last so long.

It's already been too long.

Lying back in bed, you try to relax enough to let Barbara go, closing your eyes as you sink into the darkness.

Slipping…

Dark…

The way back is always the quicker path. Yet this time, you hurry the process so much that Josie stirs to life with a gasp loud enough to hurt, falling forward on your hands and knees.

The hospital floor is spinning underneath you, and you have to swallow hard to keep your bile down.

There are footsteps. A concerned nurse. A hand on your shoulder.

Touching her mind with yours, you gently allow her to help you to your feet, making her remember someone else entirely. It's something you are used to, the slow routine of anonymity. It might not be flashy, but it is safe, and that is the important thing here.

You take a moment to collect yourself before stumbling out into the night.

Too close. Too close. This is an experience you don't want to repeat again, a stupid risk to take for very little gain. You shouldn't care that much about anybody but yourself.

That's what almost got you killed last time.

That's what got you captured.

That's what they can use against you.

Never again.

 

> You Feel Sick

You throw up twice on the way back to your hideout.

You had been planning to go back to your place. You really had. But as shaken as you are, you don't want to risk being caught without your suit. If things go south, you want to be equipped to handle it.

And your equipment is right here.

It takes you half an hour of nervous pacing before you're calm enough to turn on your laptop, preparing yourself to log in and see what is going on in the world.

What it's saying about you.

Flipping through the news sites, you soon find one of the top live television feeds. That's the best way to get some nice moving footage, and you are curious to see how you look on camera. It's…unreal. That's the first thought that comes to mind. Is that really you?

You had no idea you would look so spooky on camera, wrapped in smoke and shadows. Now and then the camera glints off your helmet, revealing nothing but reflected light. It's even better than your old Sidestep suit was, melding with the background until you move—and even then, you seem to shift between locations without effort.

It's hard to keep track of you with the camera, and it adds an odd uncertainty to the footage. Just exactly what were they capturing?

And just as you had thought, the armor makes it almost impossible to guess your gender under the helmet. Good. That means the field will stay open to a lot of speculation.

Many of the scenes make you chuckle as you watch, remembering the sweetness of the fights. You will go over them in detail later to pinpoint exactly what went right…and what went wrong.

You are very pleased to see the ruins of the museum though; that collapsed wreck will have to be torn down completely before they rebuild it. It's a fitting testament to your plans, and the reporter is suitably hushed while surveying the scene.

Herald, however—Herald is…oh fuck, how the cameras love Herald. You can see it now: he really has a charisma that goes right through the screen.

But in this case, that only means you are all the more impressive. You're the shadow to his light, the villain taking him apart at the seams. Watching the fight, you can't help tensing up on the edge of your seat. This is what you wanted when you planned the suit: getting the ability to not just walk alongside the heroes of this city, but to beat them.

If only Ortega hadn't shown up so quickly, you could have made an example of him. But trust Charge to ruin your fun.

Charge. It feels odd to think of Ortega in her other identity, but hearing the reporters commentate your fight makes it feel more real. It also makes you smile when they speculate whether she is starting to slow down; it has been some time since she lost a fight this badly.

Good. Perhaps you will actually be able to push her into retiring—that would be even sweeter than just winning.

In comparison, there's not much footage of you fighting Lady Argent. That being said, what footage there is makes you laugh out loud. She's really taken for a ride there, and the cameras are loving every single moment of it.

You can't believe you managed to get away with this. Next time you have to remember: more fighting, less talking.

Fighting the Rangers was hard. But in the end, you managed to get away with some bruises, scrapes, and minor injuries, as well as armor that needs maintenance. That's nothing.

You were lucky Steel wasn't there, though you think you might have been able to take him as well….

The Confidential is the biggest newspaper in town, so whatever headline they have will set the tone for how people see you. You still remember how furious Steel was with them for daring to write negative articles about the Rangers, but they've always had a reputation for not following the lead of either the government or the companies.

Of course, your view on the matter is that their so-called independence is what sells them papers. It wouldn't have to be more than skin-deep to do that.

Nobody is independent in this town. Nobody.

Except you, that is.

…Josie…​

Chuckling a little to yourself, you look down at the screen, seeing what they have made of tonight's events.

"The Phantom of the Gala!"

The headline screams at you in loud black letters, the image below showing you facing off against Ortega. You're just a menacing shadow lit from behind, Ortega's arc of electricity framing the shot perfectly.

In the text below, some words in particular catch your attention:

"Who is Anathema?"

Good, at least they got your name right.

It doesn't really matter what they call you because if you dislike it, you can always make them change it later.

You suppose that is another thing you have to think about from now on, how to handle the press. Among so many other things.

Still, that is a question for another day.

You've got your whole future ahead of you.

Spoiler: Show Stats (no change)

CLASSIFIED

Subject: Anathema

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 tired.
Willpower: You feel tired.
Injuries: You are hurt, with no significant wounds.

Telepathy

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

Armored Suit

Anathema'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: 47% / Obscurity: 53%
█████████▒██████████
Arrogance: 25% / Anonymity: 75%
████████████████████
Ruthlessness: 39% / Empathy: 61%
███████▒████████████
Daring: 64% / Caution: 36%
████████████▒███████

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: 82%
████████████████▒███

Barbara's relationship with Ortega: flirting.
Ortega and Barbara: 59%
███████████▒████████

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

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%
████████████████████

Congratulations!

Epilogue to follow at some point.​

 

Epilogue

A familiar underground laboratory, bathed in the pale light of fluorescent screens. Dr. Mortum is seated behind her desk. Barbara casually lounges at its edge, eying her closely.

"I didn't think I would see you again this soon." Dr. Mortum looks pleased by the surprise, leaning back in her chair.

"My boss still has plans. Grand plans." She leans forward, placing a wad of money on the desk. "And they are very happy with the way the armor performed."

"I'm quite pleased myself." Dr. Mortum picks up the money, leafing through the wad before putting it down. "But you know the rules. I only build things that interest me."

"Does it count if the person interests you?" Barbara's smile is soft and teasing.

"Sadly, ma chérie, I don't mix business and pleasure."

"That is probably a wise choice. Maybe one I should listen to."

"Maybe you should." She grimaces a little, looking between her and the money. "It would be the perfect time to quit."

"I've already asked for a raise." Barbara's voice is steady, as is her hand when she picks the money up. "I'll stick around for a while longer."

"Just don't stick around long enough for things to escalate. It's a dangerous business."

"I know." The smile is razor thin.

"Don't risk your life for nothing."

"It's not for nothing." Barbara is looking away, anywhere but at Dr. Mortum. "I'll take my chances."

"Just be sure you have the odds on your side."

"I'll burn that bridge when I come to it." She gets to her feet, back straight, face controlled.

The words seem to hang in the air, long after she has left….

> And the Wheel Turns

Joes Bar

Late one evening, as smoke and music wrap around the room like cobwebs. Rosie is sitting at the bar, drink in hand, Barbara leaning against the stained surface next to her.

"Have you ever thought about getting more permanent employment?" Barbara steals a few peanuts, popping them into her mouth.

"You mean like you?" Rosie sips her drink, but doesn't turn to look.

"I mean exactly like me." Barbara leans in a little closer, elbowing Rosie. "It could be fun."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" This time Rosie turns around, looking straight at the woman next to her.

"My boss is in the market for someone who knows how to throw a punch and can keep their mouth shut. Permanent retainer."

"Anathema?"

"Yeah." Barbara sips her drink, not taking her eyes off Rosie. "That's the one."

"So, what would the job be?"

"The usual." The shrug is nearly imperceptible. "They know who you are—that's why they want you."

"And the stakes?" Rosie rubs her chin thoughtfully.

"For now, citywide. Want to establish a presence here."

"It sounds legit, but…" There is a pause as Rosie looks directly at Barbara, searching her face for clues. "I trust you, but…can I trust them?"

"As much as anyone with power." The words are harsh, cynical.

"That's fair, I suppose." Another pause. "And you say the money is good?"

"I wouldn't be here otherwise."

"Count me in, then."

"Just the answer I was hoping for. Let's get another round to celebrate." Barbara waves to the bartender as Rosie empties her drink with a laugh.

It looks like it's going to be a long night.

 

> Wounds Heal

The Rangers' Headquarters

The cafeteria is small and cozy, bringing a touch of home to the businesslike surroundings. Two cups of coffee sit on the table, but only one has been drunk from.

"Are you sure you're fit for active duty?" Ortega sips her coffee, scrutinizing the man in front of her.

Herald doesn't look up; he keeps staring at his coffee. "I am." There's a brief pause as he flexes his arm. "Still a bit sore, but that will pass."

"I wasn't talking about your body," Ortega says, wincing a little in sympathy.

"Oh." Herald looks up in surprise, an embarrassed flush on his cheeks.

"I need you to keep a cool head. Can you promise me that?"

"I can." Herald straightens his back, gripping the mug in both hands. "I've learned my lesson."

"For all our sakes…I hope so."

> Scores Are Counted

The television is large enough to cover half a wall. Flashes of light and color dispel the dim gloom as the newsreel plays, pauses, then plays again. Lady Argent stands in front of the screen, immobile, arms crossed, never taking her eyes off the action.

A gesture freezes the screen mid-blow, catching Anathema in the act of landing a blow on a bruised Ortega. She tilts her head and the scene rewinds slightly, then resumes again.

The battle plays on, but she turns away, walking through the rhythm of blows as if she has committed every step to memory. Her claws twitch a little as she moves, following the echo of her ghostly opponent.

She looks up at the screen as her own silvery form enters the fray, and a deep frown mars her otherwise perfect brow.

"Next time, cheater…."

Once more, the footage rewinds.

Once more, she stares at the screen with rapt attention.

> Plans Are Made

The underground hangar smells of oil and metal, sounds echoing sharply between the reinforced walls. In the center of the room, Marshal Steel's armor stands dormant. Steel himself is seated cross-legged on the floor in front of a laptop. Thin cables connect it to the processing unit in the armor, the diagnostic program running quietly as he keeps an eye on it.

Next to him, Ortega is lying on her back, watching the slowly rotating fans with an unreadable expression on her face.

"I don't think you can cram much more into that system, Wei. You can't make it do everything you want."

"We won't know until we try." Steel doesn't turn away from the screen.

"You should let the crew handle that."

"They'll only tell me no. I know her best." Finally satisfied that things are running smoothly, he shifts around, looking at Ortega.

"What?" She tilts her head slightly, looking over at Steel. "You got that look again."

"How are you functioning?" The question is blunt and to the point.

"Systems-wise I'm already up and running." Ortega raises an arm, flexing her hand. "My body has a while to go yet. I don't heal as fast as I used to."

"Neither of us do." Steel frowns a little, scratching at the edge where flesh meets cyborg leg. Unlike Ortega, there's no cosmetic overlay; his mechanical parts are revealed by the shorts he's wearing. "Do you regret it?"

"What? Fighting in a dress?" Ortega's laugh is a little too quick in coming.

"Not retiring when you had the chance."

"Not really fond of the kind of debt that would land me in." There's a sigh as she grudgingly maneuvers herself into a seated position. "You've seen my files. Costs keep racking up."

"They'll be wiped clean once we reach the end of our service."

"You mean usefulness." The words are sharp enough to provoke a sigh from Steel.

"You know what I mean." He casts a glance towards the laptop, which keeps running quietly. "It's not that different from the army."

"You enlisted." Ortega flexes her hand, running her thumb over the rim of the conductors embedded in her palm. "I never asked to be made into what amounts to an indentured servant."

"You could have settled for being ordinary."

"I like walking."

"You like the action," Steel snaps back. "Admit it."

"Of course I do." Ortega looks down, the frown growing deeper. "It's just…"

"What?"

"I can't get over seeing Anathema's name plastered all over the news as if they were a villain."

"You know it's not the same person."

"Doesn't mean it feels right." Ortega grimaces.

"You need to get over that. It's just a name. We've had legacy villains before."

"I suppose you're right."

"You know I am."

"Do you ever wonder if we're doing the right thing?" Ortega's voice has gone softer now, and she looks intently at Steel.

"No."

"You could have hesitated, you know?"

"If we don't stop people like Anathema, who will?" Steel shrugs and turns back to the laptop.

"I know." She sighs in frustration. "It's just that sometimes I wonder if maybe—"

"Stop it." Steel doesn't bother to turn around. "I don't know what bothers you so much about this last fight, but you need to stop. We need to focus."

"Heh. True." The laugh is an embarrassed attempt at trying to cover her emotions. "Focus. I can do that. Don't need to get my imagination running for no good reason."

"And Julia? One more thing." Steel turns his head again, giving Ortega a stern look.

"What?"

"We'll get them. You know we will."

"The Rangers always get their man," Ortega echoes, sinking back on the floor.

 

> Notice Is Taken

The music is loud enough to drown out all but the most intimate of conversations, the shadows lapping around the private room. On a red leather couch, clad in an immaculate rust-colored suit, sits a tall, middle-aged mixed…man? Woman? Their hair is short and wild, ears pierced by dozens of rings of various designs.

"An interesting report." Their voice is a surprisingly low, gravelly rumble.

"And what are your orders?" The young woman in front of them stands at attention, hands behind her back.

"Observe, for now. Let's see if they last more than a few months before we make a decision."

"As you wish, boss." She bows deeply, then exits back to the club, closing the door behind her.

In the darkness of the room, Hollow Ground leans back against the couch, putting their feet up on the table.

"Anathema, huh? Let's see what kind of games you like to play."

> A New Villain Is Born

This far up, Los Diablos stretches out beneath you like a neon blanket, the city lights drenching the gentle shine of the stars overhead.

The city.

Your city.

You flex your hand, feeling the armor boot up around you, wrapping you in a cocoon of invincibility. You almost feel drunk—a whole world of possibilities surrounds you, and only you can decide what you do next.

What path you will take.

Who you will become.

Nothing can stop you.

Nothing.

> The End

The adventures of Josie Jacobs will continue in:

Fallen Hero: Retribution

And that's that! I guess you could say we've been...........Fallen Hero: Reborn.

…

Anyway! While I attempt to get my act together for a second thread, does anyone have, like… thoughts/questions/alternate paths they wanted to see? I'm not actually sure what I'm doing here, but I'm open to suggestion and this has been extremely fun. :D​

 

Wait THAT'S the whole first game? I know it's an indie project but I was expecting a little more... then again we did go for 30 pages

 

Yep! Playthroughs can go a little longer or shorter depending on your choices, but I'd say this one is reasonably representative. The pacing does, I think, work a bit better in non-forum-thread form, but I definitely wouldn't have chosen to LP it if the sequel wasn't already out.

 

of the games like this that I have personally played, most only had like 9 or 10 chapters, which I think is roughly how many were in this one? and usually like. 12 or so at most. and then they tend to go into sequels...I am actually currently waiting on the sequel for one of the ones I really like, and another that I like that has the first game still in development (though nearing completion) is also already planning their sequel. so I'm not like, surprised exactly