You're back home after delivering a heart for transport from the UK to Dallas. One of your longer jobs. The apartment is quiet, it looks like your roommate isn't home yet.

Well, that was OK.  Jaden sat down and went to check his messages and social media.  He planned to go out dancing later-- it was good exercise, a good way to burn off some of the energy he always had.

Your social media feed was full of people talking about a possible "super hero" out of Freedom Harbor out east. Though there are a few people dismissing the claims as some mutant playing dress up.

Jaden frowned.  So what did it matter if a super-hero was a mutant dressing up?  Wasn't that someone with powers, going out and doing things?  That could be a mutant.  That could be really... well... anybody, could it?

He looked up from his phone.  There was a mirror over there.  Yeah.  Maybe...

Oh, to hell with it.

Jaden looked around... not a lot of stuff to make a costume out of, but... yeah, jacket, scarf for a mask, that would do for now.

It wasn't like anybody would get a good look at him.

He went outside to see what was going on on the streets.  He kinda wanted to meet this superhero, but if he was going to, he wanted to be able to say something.  Something more than, "Yeah, well, I've got powers and I use them to make money, unlike you."

Yeah, that would suck.  It was time that he stepped up.

As you reach the street, three firetrucks. lights and sirens blaring rushed past the building.

Well, now!  That might be important-- Jaden followed them.  Normally, he might run ahead of them, but since he didn't actually know where they were going, that could be a waste of time.

The firetrucks eventually stopped in front of a school that was being consumed by an out of control blaze. Several more trucks arrived. Teachers were trying to keep the children from panicking, but it was clear they were close to as well.

All right!  This was a good time to see what he could do.  Jaden sped into action, concentrating on getting the teachers and students free, first and foremost.  He ought to be fast enough to do that.

Without too much effort, you manage to get the trapped teachers and kids out.

He then made a followup check to see if he could rescue any records, computers, that kind of thing.  Why not?

You manage to save a few of them, but the fire did get most of it.

Well, time to say something.  Holding still let him be visible to the firefighters and people he'd rescued.

"...I got all the people out," he said.  "Got a few records.  What happened?"

"All I've heard is that a kid suddenly burst into flames and started spreading fire everywhere. Probably a mutant or something," the fire fighter said.

"Well, that's not good," said Jaden.  "Did anyone see where that kid went?  I didn't spot anyone made out of fire in there..."

"No idea, ask one of the teachers, I have a job to do," the firefighter said.

Well, fine.  Jaden tried the teachers.

"So did anyone see where the firebug went?" he asked.

"Um, yeah. I saw him in the parking lot," one the teachers said.

"Still here?" asked Jaden.  He figured that he could search the area fast if it was somewhere nearby.

"As far as I know," the teacher said, and when you get there, you do see a young boy of about eight or nine crying there.

Jaden sat down next to the boy.

"Hey," he said.  "Are you all right?"

"I set the school on fire!" the boy said between sobs.

"Gotcha," said Jaden, putting a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder.  "I'm sure you didn't mean to.  Can you tell me about what happened?"

"I don't know! I just started feeling really hot and then everything was on fire!" the boy said.

"Okay, sure," said Jaden.  "I just want to understand.  What happened right before you got hot?"

"I don't know, it all happened so fast," the boy said.

"I believe I can answer a few things," a very familiar man said.

Jaden turned to look at the man.

"...Yes?" he said.

There was a man dressed in business casual clothes and a pair of winged sandles, floating above the ground.

"I've been sent to bring the child back."

"Ah," said Jaden.  "Hi, dad.  What do you mean, 'bring the child back?"

"Back with me," Hermes said. "Helios should have done a better job looking after his son."

"Oh," said Jaden.  "So, little dude-- your dad's the sun?  That's pretty cool."

He looked back at his father.  "So, he can't learn how to control his powers yet?"

"But my dad can't be the sun, the sun's huge!" the boy said.

"He's a little too young and would put a lot of mortals in danger," Hermes said.

"Not literally the sun," said Jaden.  "God of the sun.  I haven't met him, though... So, uh, dad, where are you gonna take him?"

"To Mount Olympus for now," Hermes said.

"What about his family here, though?" asked Jaden.  "It's gonna be rough on this kid.  And them."

"I don't have much say in it. It's a command by Zeus, but I'll do my best to allow some visitations," Hermes said.

Jaden nodded.  That wasn't really great, but... a child who could accidentally start a fire like that needed special help, the kind that normal schools couldn't provide.

"Are you going to at least tell his parents something?" he asked.  "You're a messenger, after all."

"I have to take him first and then I will," Hermes said.

"All right," said Jaden, reluctantly.  "Look, dad.  We've got to do right by this kid.  He didn't ask to be born like this.'

"I'm trying to do my best here. Zeus is still head god. His word is law," Hermes said.

"Sure, but Zeus didn't forbid you from telling his parents, right?" said Jaden.  "So that should be fine.  And Zeus didn't forbid trying to help this kid out after you bring him to Olympus, right?"

"It does mean I have to follow his orders first. I'll do what I can later," Hermes said.

"All right," said Jaden, reluctantly.  "...you're going to wind up making me visit Olympus at this rate.  Are there other kids like him out there?"

Knowing Zeus, there probably were...

"Not many. Most don't manifest their powers so early," Hermes said.

Jaden sighed.  He was fairly sure that defying Zeus would lead to lots of trouble, possibly more than he could handle... but also, honestly, this was what had to happen.  Unfortunately.  Well, at least the kid would be safe from retaliation.

"Okay," said Jaden.  "Well... I guess that's how it has to be.  See you around, dad.  Take care, kid."

"I give you my word that he'll be well taken care of," Hermes said.

"Thanks, dad," said Jaden.  He looked around to see what the authorities were doing; someone probably ought to let them know.

The authorities seem to have the fire under control.

Well... someone ought to let them know.  Jaden looked for someone high-ranking and official, and appeared abruptly in front of them.

"Uh, hey," he said.  "So, got an update for you."

"Yeah? What is it?" the gruff looking fire fighter asked.

"The fire was indeed accidentally started by a kid with powers," said Jaden.  "Not on purpose.  He was really broken up about it.  But, uh, the proper authorities have taken custody of the kid, and they're taking him to a different place where he won't start another fire, and can learn how to not start fires before he can come back."

"Okay. That's good then," the man said. "It's a good thing no one was seriously hurt."

"Yeah, it was lucky that everybody got out in time," said Jaden.  "Breathed a little smoke getting those computers, though... you got it from here, chief?"

"Yeah, thanks for your help," the chief said.

"Cool," said Jaden.  "Uh, I'll be around."

He then vanished in a blur, and set out to explore the city further.

The city seems to be quiet after that excitement.

Well.  That was... all right, he supposed.  Still.  He set a news alert on his phone for major disasters, crimes, that kind of thing, and set out to explore the internet for a while.  You never knew what you might find that way...

You do find some stories reporting on the fire.

Well, that was something... but it has already happened.  New events were his current concern.

There was some serious flooding along the Missouri River do to levy damage.

Well, it was a bit outside of his normal line of things, but why not?  He sped out to see if he could help.

About an hour of work later, you have managed to save many pets, older people and important memories for people.

Well, that was good.  He could help get sandbags into place, too...

...this wasn't quite as romantic as the heroic deeds he'd been imagining, but on the other hand, it was good.  He was helping people  He was making a real difference.  That felt right.

A little old lady walked up to you when you were finish.

"That you for your help. I was wondering if I could invite you to dinner as thanks. My house is in a safe area."

That was odd, but... well, why not?

"Uh sure?" said Jaden.  "Thanks."

"It's not a problem, you must be a hungry young man," the elderly woman said as she started leading you up a hill.

"Well, I suppose so," said Jaden.  With his speed, it was easy enough for him to pick up a quick snack when he needed to.

The old woman led you back to her house. Which happened to be a rather large one in a Victorian style.

Jaden looked everything over as he went.  Why not?

"So have you lived in this area a long time?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, it feels like ages," the old lady said as she opened the door for you.

Jaden started to step inside, and stopped right on the threshold.

"...so you aren't actually just some random old woman, are you?" he said.

"Whatever do you mean, dearie?" the old lady asked.

Jaden sighed.

"Well, fine," he said.  "Let's do this."

And he stepped into her house.

The house is quiet.

"The dining hall is straight ahead and the washroom is the last door on the left," the old woman said as she headed to the kitchen.

Jaden blurred his way through the restroom, and walked at a normal rate of speed into the dining room.

"It's been a while since I've had a man over," the old lady said from the kitchen before chuckling to herself.

"Well, then I'm honored," said Jaden.  "So.  I don't think that I got your name...?"

"It's Delilah Davis, but just call me Dee," the little old lady said as she brought out a tray with a ham and several sides.

Jaden blinked.

"...So how long was that baking?" asked Jaden.  "And why did you have so much food ready?  I mean, I'm not complaining, but that was really fast for food like this."

"Oh dear, did it happen again?" Dee asked. "My house is a little strange like that,"

"Well, yeah," said Jaden.  "So, uh, do you mind telling me what the deal is here?  I'm already here, after all."

"I did want to give you a good meal for all you did...but there are parts in my house where time seems to work differently," Dee said.

Jaden digested this.

"Do you know why?  Has it always been like this?"

"It's always been like that," Dee said. "It moves around the house in different patterns I've never figured out."

"Huh," said Jaden.  "Anything else odd happening around here?"

"I think one of my friend's houses is haunted," Dee said. "But that seems like it'd be a common thing with old towns."

"You would think," said Jaden.  "Anything else in this house, I mean?"

"I think that's everything," Dee said.

"Well, I guess we might as well eat, then," said Jaden.  He slowed way down to eat.  It only seemed polite.

"What's it like being a superhero?" Dee asked as she ate as well.

"Well, I just started," said Jaden.  "Kind of hard to say.  But it feels good, helping people out."

"You've done a wonderful job here," Dee said.

"Well, I guess so," said Jaden.  "...I have a vibe that bigger things are coming down the line.  There's too much going on out there.  Big things are waking up, I'm pretty sure."

"I'm not sure what you mean," Dee said.

"I'm not sure yet, either," said Jaden.  "But the world's been quiet for a while, believe it or not.  Big heroes haven't been around.  I think that's changing.  Mutants are only part of it.  Bigger things are coming.  Just a feeling that I've got."

"It's a good thing you're here then," Dee said.

"I just hope that I'm enough," said Jaden.

"I'm sure you are," Dee said.

"Maybe," said Jaden.  "Maybe.  I guess I'll find out."

"I appreciate you spending time with me," Dee said.

"Eh, it seemed like a good thing to do," said Jaden.  That was kind of what he did-- decided things as he went.

"I hope you saved room, I have a pecan pie cooling," Dee said.

"Well, I can manage at least a slice," said Jaden.  He did eat a lot.  High metabolism.

Dee went into the kitchen and came back with a couple platers with a slice of pecan pie on them. She placed one before you.

"Thanks!" said Jaden.  He made an effort to not eat it too quickly.

The pie has been eaten.

"Thank you," said Jaden.  "It's been good.  I should probably get going, though."

"Okay, well, thank you again for spending some time with me," Dee said.

"Sure thing," said Jaden.  "Hey, I'll leave you my number, so you can stay in touch, all right?"

"How nice of you," Dee said. "Thank you."

"Take care, now," said Jaden, and then he was gone, back to poking around the city to see what he could see.

The city seemed to be quiet for the moment.

(OOC: Give me a notice check.)

Luck Reroll says 25

You notice some sort of flying car high in the sky.

Well.  He couldn't fly, but he could, and did, follow the car to see what it was doing.

You see the car land on the roof of the Johnson Savings & Loans. Men armed with strange looking guns and equipment got out of the car.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:59, Sun 31 May 2020.

Well, now.  That was interesting.  Jaden went over and watched their next move, ready to strike as soon as they tried something.

The men put down a strange device that suddenly grew out and spun, cutting a large circular hole in the roof.

And then Jaden was there, leaning on their turned-over machine.

"Guys," he said.  "To take money out of a bank?  Two words:  ATM Card.  Seriously. Get with the times."

"Who the hell are you?" one of the men asked as they levelled their guns at you.

"I'm just the blink of an eye," said Jaden, and he vanished to appear among them.  Punching lightly, just got get the point across.  "A blur you can't follow.  And too fast for you."

Area Damage 4, just as a softener.

One of the thugs went down, the others tried to open up on you.

(OOC: Make two toughness saves. DC - 20)

Luck reroll for 25 and 24.

Jaden shrugged off their shots, and went in to hit them much harder.  He hadn't practiced a lot, but how tough could these guys be?

Probably just one target-- Attack 19, Damage 12

That sent another of the men to the ground, leaving just one to shoot at you, and they missed.

Jaden casually walked over, invisible at his top speed, and punched the guy.  A lot.

Attack 27, Damage 12 Multiattack

The last bank robber went down.

Well, time to call the cops.  Jaden did so, taking an instant to make sure that the robbers were disarmed and restrained.

The cops were there quite fast and had the bank robbers restrained.

"Okay, guys," said Jaden.  "See you around!"

And he was gone.

And you arrived back home.

Well, time to check out the news, and see what was going on in the city.  He'd done some good today.  It felt nice.

The news seems to be mostly about what you did today, including having "experts" in to talk about the rise in superhumans.

That was interesting... what others were there that the media had found?

There was you, a young woman in Freedom Harbor and another one in Seattle that hasn't been ID yet.

Well, cool.  Jaden vaguely speculated if the others were demigods as well.  That Singularity woman threw lightning bolts and flew.  Could she be a child of Zeus?  There was no shortage of those...

The report also went on to talk about an increase of mutant activities as well.