Dead Eye took out the note and made sure he was in the right hallway of Professor Heritage.  He thought at first that it had been a joke - Dead Eye was nothing like Old Legacy.  He was no powerhouse like the physical man.

Adjusting his black eye mask and the tilt of his Fedora he reached out to open the door.  Entering the room he caught a glance of the receptionist before a 'gust of wind' blew the hem of his trenchcoat up, exposing his sneakers and plaid socks.

*Tee...hee...hee* twitered a faint and high pitched voice.

*We'll see your Mommy soon, Izzy.* thought Dead Eye to the spirit of the little girl hiding behind him.  *What is it?*

*Someone else is here.*

Dead Eye turned his attention to the eclectic group in the room.  His eyes fell upon Nephthys and he stopped, his right eye turning a milky white.

"Ah...Hello, Goddess."  He said quietly, moving forward and sitting down on the couch next to the blue tinged woman.  He passed his vision over everyone else relaxing around the room before grabing the funny pages and placing them on the floor in front of the couch.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:07, Fri 11 June 2021.

Warp is certainly eccentric, but Lauren has been to gaming Conventions.  And worked at an all-night diner in Megalopolis.  He barely warrants a raised eyebrow for his appearance.  On the other hand, the fanboy geek out and asking for a signature does throw her for a loop.  "Uh..." is all she can respond with before his cane(?) gives him the bad news.

"No, I'm afraid not.  Only a few community college art classes, uh, in this dimension.  Call me Freya when we're being superheroes."  Looking at the picture of Dr. Lager in the book, she can see a few lines on her face that indicate an older version of herself.  One with her old body, as well.  She mutters, "Me?  A scientist?"

While Undertow has moved to share the couch, a glance reveals that it is now a bit wet.  Lauren decides to remain where she is.

Nepthys smiled at Rune Knight's apology. "Ah, no need to apologize - I've been called much worse. And I'm well, thank you for asking." Her dark-eyed gaze drifted over the others as they arrived, and she pleasantly responded to their greetings.

First was the fellow that seemed to be focused on gathering information through technological means. When he eventually met her gaze, she waved at him and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Nephthys."

She smirked at Undertow's entrance and questions, though a part of Nephthys wanted to ask Undertow a bit more about her situation. Probably would be time for that later. Again, Nephthys introduced herself.

Next it was Starblaze, who seemed as happy to be here as Nephthys did. "It's nice to meet you, too, Starblaze."

She also welcomed Freya as the flying blonde entered.

Dead Eye was finally someone Nephthys recognized. They'd at least been acquaintances. She inclined her head politely when addressed. "It's good to see you again. I hope you have been well."

OOC: In answer to your question about media, Warp, Nephthys was thought to have been killed by Oblivaeon in retaliation for her working with the Ennead against Oblivaeon. She then showed up again recently, though clearly working as a heroine rather than villainess.

In reply to Nephthys (msg # 13):

Warp nodded nervously at her greetings. "Ah...yes. Hello. Yes, ah I have heard of your work after the...uh...unpleasantness. Very impressive." While he sounded sincere, he also looked like he was about to leap away and run for the door.

When Freya confirms what Emily had stated, he turns back to her and nods sadly. "Look, why dont you keep the book? I have much of her work, and this...this might be a way of honoring her memory. And who knows? This version of yourself could inspire you to do even greater things than you are doing now."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:54, Fri 11 June 2021.

"I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who decided on casual wear," Starblaze says to Undertow. "I was beginning to think I was underdressed---

"I mean," he starts to stammer, afraid that he might have offended everyone else in the room---especially the intricately put-together Nephthys, "Your costumes are pretty incredible.

"My powers make wearing a costume kind of pointless," he adds while glancing at the newest arrival with the fedora and the mask, "but a mask might make sense. Probably should have picked one up."

Undertow shrugged.

"Maybe we are. But I'm bad at asking people for stuff, and I don't sew. So here we are."

Looking for an outlet for nervous energy, clammy-looking fingers tapped a beat to some song on her knees.

"Must be something important. In there, I mean."

"Sure, thank you," Lauren says to Warp as she takes the book.  She has a sincere look on her face; it couldn't possibly be fake, could it?

She's not that sure her costume is that incredible, it's just a plain leotard.  But there is something to be said for a simple costume.  The point is what she does, not how she looks as she does it.

And in response to Undertow, "Probably.  Are we all here to meet with Heritage in a few minutes?  I thought it was going to be a one-on-one meeting, but now it's looking like something else is happening."

Just as everyone gets settled into their seats (or standing once the waiting room fills up) the woman at the front desk touches some kind of earpiece and then nods to the voice on the other end.

"Heritage will see you now."

She gives a perfectly professional smile as a hand dips beneath the desk. A second later the doors leading into the office swing open by themselves. It was a simple effect but still impressive all the same. The doors parted to reveal the inner sanctum of the world's most famous and storied superhero. It isn't just what Paul Parson VIII has done but also from the lineage that he came from. His father was America's Greatest Legacy and there were countless pictures of him fighting Nazis and flipping over German tanks. His Great-Grandfather was the first Legacy and a hero of World War I. If the history books are true then Legacy's ancestors have been fighting for America since the revolutionary war. This was the undisputed leader of the Freedom Five, the man who punched out the greatest threats to America, the world, and recently even all of existence.

With the stage set his office was both rather mundane and exactly what one would expect from someone like Legacy. Walls of books that seem to be mostly unread, a small shelf set up with a few mementos of his time in the Freedom Five and a rather simple desk covered in papers.

Heritage was wearing his signature blue and silver costume although he had a pair of reading glasses on as he finished up the paperwork and gestured for everyone to come forward. The room only had a pair of chairs to sit in but it had plenty of room to stand around in.

Heritage smiled and gave a quiet nod of recognition as everyone entered.

"Apologies for the wait. There are times when I would much rather be fighting off swarms of Aeon Men as opposed to dealing with resource allocations for the upcoming quarter. Please, come in. And breath, don't forget to breath. Nobody is in any trouble. Far from it actuallly."

He finished putting the papers away and reached into a side draw, pulling out series of files. Those with keen eyes would note that everyone's super hero alias was listed on a tab but overall the file seemed very slim, only a single sheet for each hero. Heritage pulled them out and set the files in front of him but kept them closed. Instead he leaned forward, resting his elbows over them as if he was protecting them.

"The reason why I asked you to be here is that we here at Sentinels Academy would like to move forward your graduation date. To today, actually. I know this is sudden but I think...no I know you are ready for the challenge."

He gave a smile as he revealed the big surprise.

"As you know the Sentinels of Freedom are on the path to retiring, or at least scaling back our active heroics. Some of us have been doing this for a long time and we are looking to pass on the torch. Daybreak has been doing an excellent job filling in but they are more of a reactive group and we are looking to start getting more proactive.

The Sentinels maintain close contact with superheroes around the world and quite often they need help. Almost all of the old super teams have broken up or aren't really suited for this task. Nightwatch continues its focus in Rook City, the Prime Wardens are gone and...well the Void Guard are proving to be difficult to rely upon. What we would like to do is put you together as a new group. I know in the past super teams grew organically but as part of the Academy curriculum we have been monitoring your abilities, your strengths and weaknesses and we believe that together you will prove to be a team like no other before. Perhaps not as iconic as the Freedom Five or having the raw power of the Prime Wardens but a group with the potential to make its mark on the world.

The plan is to get you situated in your own space here at the plaza, procure you a jet if needed for transportation and work on bringing you together as a team but as soon as the call for help arrives you would be activated and expected to go out and save the day."

Heritage gives a smile and takes a deep breath, acknowledging the amount of information he had just dumped upon the heroes in front of him.

"So...questions. By all means ask away. I know this is a lot but I'm hoping you see value in this opportunity. You have the potential to be one of the next iconic teams to come out of the Academy. This would push you right into the spotlight...and the crosshairs."

A look of distraction crossed his face as he felt the back of his  coat became damp.  He stepped carefully over the comic page and made his way over to the coat rack.  He hung his hat and tan trenchcoat on the rack, revealing the navy coloured suit and white dress shirt beneath.

The opening of the door drew his attention to the simple room beyond and Heritage.  The idea that he wanted them to graduate early and to form a superhero team together now was a bit of a shock.  What did they have in common?

"I think that whatever you have in store for us is larger than anything one of us can handle and you have a mission that needs to be done already in mind.  We have a very eclectic set of skills here though.  Groups normally take months to train together.  Do we have that kind of time, or will this be adapting on the fly?"

Dead Eye made no attempt to sit down on a chair and instead leaned against the wall behind the group.

Self-concious about her use of space earlier, Undertow took a standing position.

"I'll echo his concerns. Also, just to clarify, this seems like... well, superhero X from state Y or country Z or whatever calls you up and says they might need backup, and we fly there?"

She crossed her arms.

"Hell of a way to see the world. I only know like, some Spanish for work and just enough Greek to get someone to take a swing at me. I take it either someone here or one of the techs can sort that out, if we're gonna be leaving the country?"

Well, that was good news and bad news mixed together, and Lauren isn't quite sure which is which.  The Academy showed that her strength and toughness were impressive, though her technique could use improvement.  She had enough power to be out there as a hero already.  But going straight onto a major league team, skipping the minors or any practical experience?  She is a lot less sure of this than Heritage apparently is.  He's not perfect, but it'd be hard to find someone with a better track record of making the right call.

Though, as she looks at the assembled group, maybe they do have experience covered, and just need a bit of muscle power to round things out.  The few other people she'd seen around the academy with super-stength were even less ready to use their powers in the field than she was.  Still, she'd like to think she brought more to this than just being the least worst option.

Freya says, "There are so many things I could ask.  I mostly just hope that your trust in me is not misplaced.

"Just to clarify, are you expecting us to replace the Sentinels in the near future?  Or is it more that you need another team on hand to respond to everything that is going on?"

Nephthys observed the skittishness of Warp with curiosity, but didn't push him any further at the moment. Another item for later discussion, perhaps. At the discussion of costumes, the actress considered the access she had to professional help and how she might be able to offer such to the others without being offensive. More food for thought though the sorceress put it out of her mind as the group was invited inside.

Group auditions were relatively rare but not completely outside Catalina's experience. Though in this case, there didn't seem to be any actual competition. It was more just a confirmation that the group wanted to take the next step and use their training. Nephthys wasn't certain she was ready, but quickly decided that if Legacy thought she was ready, that was good enough.

Nephthys nodded at the questions from the others, as they were a good probe at what would be expected. But there was something else that Heritage mentioned that brought a question to mind. "You said you wanted a group that would be proactive. Is that a long term goal? Or did you have something in mind in terms of constant activity and vigilance?"

Warp nodded at the elder hero's statements. His cane was silent, but he tapped it silently on the ground. Seemingly more a nervous tic than anything else.

"I do have the ability to transport groups of people long distances. However having a vechile just in case would be useful.

I dont suppose you would give me access to your labs so I can further my own studies? I have my own, but I need new data on this current puzzle I am trying to unwind..."

Starblaze is all ears as Heritage explains the reason behind the meeting. He notes the reactions of the other people in the room, trying to use that to inform how he should respond.

"Well, that's quite a promotion," he remarks with a good-natured chuckle. "I'm in, and I'll give it my all. I can get from place to place on my own, but I don't think I can bring more than whoever I can carry.

"When do we get started?"

Rune Knight stood stoically, his default stance. He certainly felt he was ready, he had been in the hero business since before Paul the first was born his classes here were mostly to acclimate him to the times, electric lights, internet, cars, etc.

"I welcome the challenge head master. If you and your staff believe that this team will be able to work together properly then I believe you. It has been a long time since I had any sort of back up. I welcome the advantages a team offers."

After Warp mentions labs he speaks again "I would also appreciate workshop space and the opportunity to observe the works of the other scientists and magicians my work is a gestalt of the two and every little bit of understanding helps."

"I have plenty of room." Warp says to Rune Knight. "I used have much more...but then the whole multiverse went to pot and..."

"Focus." The cane suddenly piped up.

"Ah, right. In any case, all of you can come to my lab if you wish. No need to stand on formality. We are all here the same purpose, so its good to know what everyone can bring to the table." He said to everyone assembled, nodded and tapped the end of his cane on the floor. As if that meant something.

Heritage let everyone speak and quiet down before responding.

"Not so fast, we're jumping to a lot of conclusions here. You'll be housed here at the academy. We recently completed an expansion of one of the below ground levels. For housing and training purposes we would prefer things to be centralized. That way you and the others can protect one another and we can assist with training and support as necessary.

No you are not going to be replacing the Sentinels, at least not yet. Right now we see a gap in coverage. The Sentinels can help handle global threats like another Voss invasion and we have plenty of street level heroes up and coming to handle simple bank robberies but if we face an Omnitron attack, for example, we don't have a lot of options at the moment. We cannot be training up the next generation of heroes if all of our teachers are out saving the world every day. That is why we want to try putting together a team that will exist between individual heroics and global threats, to help take the pressure off groups like Daybreak or the Sentinels without sacrificing defense.

There is no immediate need. We're not sending you straight into danger. We will shift you to your new quarters and you will be expected to train together and get used to working with one another as quickly as possible. While there is no threat right now, who knows what tomorrow will bring?"

He smiled, looking around the room and nodding at everyone.

"Does that answer your questions? Do you feel better about this now?"

Undertow nodded.

"Makes sense. I don't have any problems with that. You guys?"

She looked at each of the other prospective members in turn.

"Well, my lab is still available for those who wish it. Assuming you need such a place with all the labs down here..." Warp shrugged.

"Works for me," Starblaze replies, nodding to Undertow. He looks back at Heritage and asks with a grin, "When do we get started?"

Rune Knight just nods along as Heritage assuages the younger members of the team. He had done some research on Heritage's heroics once he had learned to access a computer he would have them doing good work, not rescuing kittens from trees.

Nephtys listened to Legacy's explanation and nodded at the conclusion. "Sounds like an efficient setup for us to get to know each other and train. Count me in!"

"Alright.  I have faith in your judgement that our abilities will meet thr needs of the team.  I'll need to clear some personal things today and meet some individuals.  I'm in. 

Daryl looked towards the door as his eyes followed his young charge.  He'd need to recruit a training partner, perhaps a dead super for training and one last battle.

Heritage gives a nod and begins handing out the folders under his hand. Each one is labeled for a different hero and inside is just a couple of sheets of paper outlining "OPERATION FREEDOM RESCUE".

As he sees their faces Heritage gives a sigh.

"Don't blame me. Bunker was the one that came up with it. Feel free to discuss a proper team name with our market department. We also have uniforms and most importantly the password for campus wifi."

He gave a little chuckle at his joke. The sheet did list the processes for getting authorization to the various equipment, securities and networks they would have access to.

"Good luck to all of you. I hope you use this time to prepare as the whole world will be watching when you see action for the first time. The first time is always rough. No matter how much you practice it is only on the field of battle that a team is truly forged."