Tenaxa

Her hand came to her mouth in horror as she read. “F#&@ me sideways…” She muttered. I’m a fucking lab experiment. And they want to retrieve me like a wayward rat. She plugged the USB drive into her laptop and read: She looked at the profile they had on her. Mom and dad’s names and address and that was also the address that she was listed under. Names and pictures from high school, hero profile information, pictures of her in action…dang they had a lot. Wait…pictures of her in Pocket D with her friends? Pictures going into Penny Palace and AfterHours. Going into or out of several other clubs. Even pictures on campus. “My friends…I…put them in danger.” She looked up, desperately hoping to see someone, warn someone. She’d been in plenty of dangerous situations over the past several years. She’d made enemies of various groups, but never so much that she’d put her friends in danger. This was new territory. Sure, they were mostly meta-humans, but still they were at risk. She stopped and stood up. She took one more look at the information on her screen, noting the listed address in the Etoile Islands. Then she harshly yanked the USB drive out of her laptop and initiated a wipe of the drive.

DNA Analysis: Victoria Hanes-Sykes: 0% DNA Match 0% match with any geographical locations. No historical data, no relation to anyone living or dead, no correlation to any location. “What…How…?” She quickly looked through the technical details, trying to figure out what she was looking at. Most of it was way outside of her understanding, but some scientist had written an “executive summary”. “Thank goodness for thorough scientists who have bosses that don’t understand the science.” She said to herself.” “Specimen is not related to any known human genome. Correlation to all known lines is close to zero. Specimen’s genome does not match any human or mutant genome lines from any specific location on prime earth, or any known dimensions. The DNA of the subject can only be described as “Superior”. There are no defects, flaws, or markers for any known negative genetic conditions. Based on our analysis the specimen should have an exceptional level of strength, speed, intelligence, coordination, and overall health including an extended lifetime. This final product was determined to be mildly flawed but worthy for further study. Subject is sterile. Our analysis shows this is similar to the Fifth-Column gene conditioning but taken to the extreme without any of the side effects. Additionally, it is similar to Crey’s Revenant Hero project, and may have been the basis for that project. With all listed data, it can only be assumed that the specimen is either artificially grown or an existing embryo that underwent extreme gene conditioning. This profile, and associated DNA markers, matches data obtained from records acquired after take-over of BioGeneTech Laboratories (approximately 20 years ago). No record of successful, living subjects was noted, but these records may have been destroyed in the hero raid on the company that resulted in their assets being sold off. Laboratory Recommendation: Acquire subject, alive, for study and questioning."

This is somewhat related to the Paragon University thread, but it has diverged from the in-game happenings too far. So this is a story that is happening in-game to Tenaxa, A.k.A. Victoria (Tori) Hanes-Sykes. Background: She sent a DNA sample in to one of those testing places (Ancestry, 23-And-Me, etc.) to see if she was related to anyone. Also, sorry for not be a great writer. Eh, you get what you pay for. 😉 ********************************************************************************************** Her phone chimed in a way she hadn’t heard since she had set it up several years ago. She grabbed it and looked: ALERT ALERT Alarm triggered at Front Door, Back Door, Kitchen, Office1, Office2 A map of her parents’ house was displayed with several flashing red points. She looked confused for a moment and tried to open the camera app for her parents’ house. All blank. “Shit, primary system was disabled! That’s the back-up that’s calling me!” She quickly called the Paragon PD number. A quick exchange of information occurred; Paragon PD was already on their way – they had gotten the alert as well. She looked at her options – it would be at least a half an hour to get out to her parents’ place in the suburbs. No way she was getting there in time to help. “Fuck!” She swore. Who would break into the house? They’d have to be idiots with both her adopted parents being high-tier registered heroes. She activated the jump boosters and got to the tram. Sighing, she climbed on for the long ride to the suburbs. The ride to her parent’s house seemed to take forever. As soon as the tram doors opened, Tori used her bracer to switch to her hero outfit, then used her jump-boosters to get from the tram station to her parents’ place. When she got there, several police cars were there and even a tactical anti-metahuman squad (just leaving). Clearly the Paragon PD took it seriously when someone broke into the home of a hero who was also one of their top criminologists. She stopped long enough to have her hero ID scanned before rushing over to the officer in charge. She recognized him as one of her dad’s frequent associates. He was talking to what appeared to be some people from the neighborhood. He turned as he saw Tori approaching and came over to her. “Tori, it is nice to see you but I’m sorry it has to be on such an occasion. It appears some people broke into your parents’ house. They disabled the primary security system, but the secondary system detected them. Apparently, someone was nearby and got the jump on some of them. Some blade-wielding vigilante type we were told by your neighbors. Took off but left us a couple guys in lab coats who had fancy weapons and scanners. We already took them down to the station, but they aren’t talking. My guess is ex-Crey. Doesn’t appear anything was taken, but they were looking for something. Made a mess of the kitchen and office areas before they were stopped. Cats are with the neighbors and the investigators are pulling any evidence they can find." He stops for a moment; “I know this is technically evidence, but they had a couple copies so I held onto one.” He held up a modest-sized manila envelope. “But with your security clearance, I’m not technically breaking any rules to hand it over to you. Not exactly sure what it is but it has your name on it. Some kind of technical jargon about DNA or something. Had some information on you but listed this as your home address.” He pauses again. “Tori, they may have been after you. You might want to watch your back for a while.” “We’ve let your mom and dad know and will keep someone here to watch the place until they get back.” Tori stares for a moment and slowly takes the envelope. On the outside it is clearly marked with the DNA testing lab where she sent her sample. “Uh…thanks.” She says, slightly shocked as she recalls she sent the sample from her parents’ house, using their address. A few hours later she is on her way home. She sits on the tram staring at the envelope. She looked up at the list of stops, thinking “Can’t go home, they’ll have found my address and be there. Or…maybe I could go home and just be ready.” She smiled a bit. “No, not worth the risk. Or…I go to the D; can’t get me in Pocket D.” OR: “Campus; they’d be crazy to attack that populated an area.” Later: She sat in a lonely area of Pocket D, the muted music still thumping in the background. She takes a deep breath and slowly removes the contents of the large envelope. A couple page letter and a USB drive. She unfolds the letter. It is covered in scientific details, but also demographics and a breakdown of who she was related to. She stares at the results as a shocked gasp escapes her...

((Written with American Valor)) Pool Tables at the D Alie and Tori explained the basics of eight ball/solids and stripes game. Alie reset the table while Krys looked a several different sticks. Krys gave a smaller stick to Liv who immedately tried to spin it like Tori and it flew at Alie. While Liv was laughing, Krys caught the pool stick and looked at Liv. "Oops, you should see that face." She laughed pointing at Krys. "I'll hold this until its your turn hon." Krys said with a smile while peeking at Tori who was giggling at Liv's poor attempt. "I'll teach you how to do that later, Liv. When you're sober." Tori said with a laugh. Alie set the table with a very tight rack and her own wicked smile at Tori as she set to break. The snap of the cue and the thunder of the break the game was started. Tori was a solid player. She wasn't going to get rich off of playing pool, but her natural coordination allowed her to make a fair number of shots. Krys, being totally inexperienced, was awkward at first, but quickly got the hang of it and was getting better as the game when on. She kept being distracted by Tori’s mesh shirt. Krys waited till it was Tori shot then opened her jacket to distract Tori with her black leather lace peek-a-boo top. Liv was hopeless. She was drunk and far more interested in flirting, dancing, and swinging the cue around than actually playing the game. She had fun, but she was terrible, though entirely entertaining to watch. Alie carefully curated her game to keep it close. Tori and Krys both noticed her likelly tanking shots that she could have made. She was as good as she wanted to be and could have clearly wiped the floor with any of them. The taunting and teasing went on during the game. This included Liv removing her jacket then leaning over in front of the pocket and slowly unbuttoning her bib, holding it barely closed in an effort to distract.It was very effective. The game went back-and-forth, with Tori and Krys giving in to their competetive natures. Liv...being Liv and miraculously sinking a ball of the correct type...once. Allie controlled the game, keeping it close using ball positioning and sinking balls when she needed to. For the final shot, Allie put the cue behind her back, closed her eyes, and sunk the eight-ball. "That's game ladies. Now what was our bet?" She said with a grin." Liv was now half-asleep in a chair and woke up just enough to say; "No fair, I want another chance. Best two out of three? Krys and Alie laughed softly, “Oh no It’s Winners choice Let’s nake a Deal ladies” Krys said with a sparkle in her eyes

Tori smiled briefly at Liv’s comment. Even drunk, Liv was cute, flirty, and funny. “I…didn’t…” Tori started. She wanted to apologize but that had triggered Krys before. She momentarily thought about just following Allie and Liv to avoid the situation. But she knew that wouldn’t help. She put her hand tenderly on Krys’ arm and tried to look at her through the mirror shades. She only saw her own, reddened eyes. “Please don’t run away.” Tori said, almost too quietly to be heard. “We really need to talk.” She grinned sheepishly. “I know it sounds cliché, but I think we need to maybe…you know. Later.” In her head alarms were going off left and right. This is not you Tori, don’t open up to people, don’t let them in! She’s dangerous! Things…people aren’t for long-term. This is just going to be trouble. She fought off her negative thoughts and fears, for the moment and wiped her eyes. She took a deep breath. “C’mon, I think Liv is ready for some more fun and we better keep an eye on her, or she’ll start hitting on someone and that’ll end up a mess.” She tried to smile, but it was a nervous smile. She wanted to grab Krys and kiss her. Make her feel better and forget both of their problems. Instead, she simply walked alongside Krys as they followed Allie and Liv.

Tori felt her phone buzz and stopped, quickly pulling it out, hoping it was Krys. Her shoulders dropped a little when it was Allie, but she was still hopeful. “Ok Tori, you can do this.” She said to herself. She looked up to the bar, seeing Allie and Liv looking down at her. But she didn’t see Krys. Tori smiled and waved, hurrying up to them, but slowed when she got close. She took a deep breath and then stepped toward them. “Hey you two, finally had enough dancing?” She said with a smile that probably didn’t look all that convincing. “What’s this about gambling and playing pool? You going to keep me out all night?” Tori grabbed whatever shot happened to be sitting on the bar by Allie and Liv and threw it back. Then she settled in to lean against the bar trying to look casual. That is until she sees Krys approaching. Tori stood up and has to calm the panic. She tries to smile. “Th-there you are.”

Tori starts to say something but is too stunned and Krys is gone before she can recover. “I didn’t mean pity…” she says at the closing door, tears welling in her eyes. Tori kneels down in the small room, trying to take in what just happened. In her mind she went through what Krys had said. She landed on; “A killer.” Despite the drinks and the emotion, she starts to put things together. “They got into school because…from the Isles…killers… No…no…NO! It couldn’t be… No way!” Tori puts her hand on her chest, almost hyperventilating. She knows her paranoia carried her through years of living on the streets, and then hero work. Her instincts are good, but she can’t imagine this is all connected. “What do I do? Who do I talk to?” She takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out, calming herself. “No, play it cool. Just go out and brush it off, have some fun. Pretend everything is cool. That they kill isn’t necessarily bad. I’ve gone pretty harsh on some people at times too.” She thought about it; mostly creatures like Banished Pantheon or Devouring Earth are where she didn’t have concern, but if someone was trying to kill her, she had no issues using her weapons to kill. Tori thought about them living here for years in Pocket D. Of course they were connected to the bartenders Isaac and Brett, and probably others. “I’ve got to seriously watch my step now. Maybe we can still make this work but I also have to gather some more information. See if these three are a threat.” She stands and steps out into the Tiki lounge half expecting all three to be standing there, weapons in hand. When they aren’t, she lets out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. She wipes her eyes clear of tears and wanders out to look for Krys and the others.

((Written with American Valor)) Tiki VIP Lounge @ The D Krys walked slowly with Tori hand in hand across the floor to the eastern glass wall looking out over the rock islands. "So I'm certain I understand your question, but I don't think I can just give you an easy answer. See we both like you." Tori smiled at that and nodded. Krys paused at the rail where she leaned in close to Tori pointing out the floating truck with her left hand while her right slipped out of Tori's hand and slid along to the small of her back keeping Tori close, Then Krys urged Tori forward as they continued walking now making it easier to hear. "I'm guessing you grew up here in the city of tomorrow with your family, where you went to school, and dances and all that stuff. We didn't." They had crossed over the invisible line no one spoke of but everyone knew it was there. Krys glared at the Longbow agents and Wolf spiders drinking together. She spoke a bit clipped as she continued. "We been running the streets for as long as I member. Then one day *Poof* everything was gone. No one knew nothin’. We lived on the wrong side of the wall in ol' Darwin. No one cares nothin’ for no one. The first rule of no mercy isle. Krys looked at Tori who was listening and had mimicked her earlier movement. Tori was holding Krys by the small of her back as well. Tori understood and nodded. Krys continued, "There was rumors that you might get help from different people, hero types even. I learned fast what that really met. I was 9. That’s when I met Ollie. I um mean Liv." Tori saw the twinkle in Krys eye as she felt the movement from the small of her back to slipping into her rear pocket. Krys smiled as Tori did the same even smoother despite of the Daisy Dukes. From the little she knew of Krys, Tori understood now wasn't a time for I'm so sorry crap things she heard before herself. They had turned a corner and walked through opening doors as Sam the bartender had pushed a button at the bar. “Krys, I grew up here in Paragon, but…well, I lived on the streets for a while. In Kings Row. So yes and no. I was lucky, a bunch of stuff happened, and I got adopted. Had a lot of catching up in school and I was a bit rebellious." Krys grinned softly still guiding as Tori continued, "I went to school, but I think I went to one school dance and hated it." Tori thought for a moment on the scope of what they each were sharing she looked at Krys. "So, I guess I did have some privilege, but not the standard, happy, upper-middle-class upbringing." They were in the Tiki Lounge. Krys had stopped near a lava style wall with tropical trees and plants in front of an opening; Krys gave a squeeze and pulled her self free Of Tori. "We're here." She moved a bush out of the way and stepped in. With a hand wave she called Tori in.

Tori just noticed the exchange to the bartender. She wasn’t sure what it was all about and wondered briefly before Krys distracted her again. She felt off-balance. She was usually in control when she was out at a club dancing and flirting. “Yeah.” She said hesitantly. “Where we going? Wait you don't like...oh..." She took Krys’ offered hand as she tried to regain her composure as she followed Krys off into the club.

Tori was a little taken aback, but quickly recovered and smiled. “Gin-and-tonic. It is my go-to drink. Simple, tasty, refreshing, and not so heavy as beer.” She turned to Brett. “Two more gin-and-tonics please Brett.” As Brett went about mixing their drinks, Tori leaned back on the bar right next to Krys. “Alie and Liv still out there? Sorry, I was thirsty. I don’t think I hydrated well after my workout.” She looked Krys over. She was really cute and had a toned body. Tori’s mind wandered to some additional thoughts, but then she realized she was staring. She looked up and saw that Krys was watching her and had caught her staring. Tori quickly looked away and blushed but couldn’t suppress a grin. Brett saved her further awkwardness by placing their drinks on the bar. “Here you go ladies. You need anything else?” “Thanks Brett, I think we’re good for now.” Tori responded, with a smile. Brett smiled back and gave Tori a little knowing nod. Dang, that guy is good at this. Nothing like a real, professional bartender to understand what’s going on. She thought to herself. Tori turned back to Krys. It was time to broach a potentially sensitive subject. “So…what’s the relationship between you, Allie, and Liv? I mean, I know you are all friends…but…you know.”

Written with American Valor Pocket D Ladies Night Tori smiled and took a cue from Liv and bent over to the bartender, letting her vest hang open a bit. “Brett, we’ll be out dancing; save our spot here and be a dear and have a gin-and-tonic ready for me when we get back?” Tori drained about half a beer before Liv shouted "I wanna DANCE!" This time leaving her beer untouched. She started to first pull on Alie who was drinking and glared at her. Liv switched to Krys where she changed tactics, Looking at Tori she opened her jacket up. Liv began shaking her arms and shoulders wiggling at them while dancing backward to the dance floor. She expertly danced her way through the crowd causing a bit of commotion. Liv slinked around some of the men and women causing them to notice her. She smiled a devilish grin at them all. Some spilled drinks being startled by the sudden contact. It was obvious Liv didn't care as she moved to the music. Tori followed Liv through the crowd. She let the music take control of her. It was dance time and Tori let her worries, problems, and stresses fall away, Alie grabbed Krys's hand stopping her a moment from following Tori. She whispered something to Krys causing her to frown but Krys nodded yes. Alie let go of her and both of them moved out to catch up with Liv and Tori. The two moved and bumped up against each other. Krys’ smile returned fully as she watched Tori dance with Liv. She dismissed Alie’s suggestion and engaged to having fun. Krys copied Tori and Liv’s movements as she slipped between and around them. Alie followed suit only focusing a bit more on Liv and her circle which Liv's dancing was gathering around her. The women danced and moved as the music shifted styles and beats. None of them seemed to care if they were a little risqué and garnered looks and whispers from some of the other patrons. After many energetic songs, Tori finally put an arm around Krys’ shoulder and spoke over the music to the group. “I’m getting thirsty and I need a break. It is drink time for this gal.” She wove her way through the crowd and back to the bar. Brett the bartender had indeed maintained their space. When he saw Tori making her way over, he put the requested gin-and-tonic on the bar for her. “Thanks Brett.” She said with a smile and thirstily drank. “Ooh, water would probably be better to quench my thirst, but…” She shrugged and finished the drink.

As she rode the tram Tori looked through her phone and played some games to occupy her mind. The medical examiner’s report details still bugged her. As did things about that whole situation, and Max, and…well, everything right now. Her intuition was setting off alarm bells left and right, but she couldn’t identify what it was. She texted back; “OMW” with a smiley face. “Ah cool, they’re in the fight club bar. It’ll be easier to find them. Wonder if there is any event going on tonight in the fight club?” Tori stopped. “No, don’t even think it, Tori.” She said quietly to herself. “You are here to hang out with some nice, normal friends from school, not be a badass. Though… I do love to showoff sometimes.” She thought about it a bit. The girls looked pretty fit…very fit…but not sure they were athletes or just in shape. And fighting…some people weren’t into that at all. She thought back to her days of competition. A lot of people thought for sure she’d go pro once she turned eighteen. There were even a few offers for MMA. But she’d been doing hero work secretly for a couple years by then. She’d gotten the taste of hero work and didn’t want to give it up. Before she left home she’d grabbed her wristband just in case. The one that Mae from Moth Armorworks had provided her. She could almost instantly change into a couple of pre-programmed outfits. One was always her “working gear” as she called it. The lightweight but incredibly strong clothing from Icon that she used when playing hero. One was also usually a swimsuit…you know, just in case of relaxation emergencies. A lot of the clubs had hot tubs or pools in the back or even near the dancefloor. “Well, I’ll see how things go. Maybe we’ll just dance and have fun. Maybe they’ll all think I’m so hot that they can’t keep their hands off me!” She giggled to herself but also rolled her eyes. “Unlikely.” Before too long she was at Pocket D. The music thumped loudly, and lights flashed in an attempt to overwhelm the senses. She tried not to look like she was in a hurry as she weaved through the crowd toward the fight-club bar, waving at a few acquaintances as she passed. When she got there, she saw Alie, Krys and Liv hanging out by the bar. She gave a wave and headed over. “Hey there, buy you ladies a drink?” She said, grinning.

Tori was showered and ready to go when she noticed an email notification. One from “Dad” with an attachment. Security passworded. “Hmmm.” She said as she entered the password to open the email. “Hey, this was not easy to get. There is a lot of attention on it so please keep it as private as possible. ME report attached.” “Crap, we don’t need the attention on this.” She grumbled as she opened the attachment. She opened a document and took notes on the results; Name: Willet Jonson Sex: M Age: 22 Height/Weight: 6’0” / 200 lbs Brown hair, brown eyes Blood Type O+ DNA: Only victim’s DNA found Cause of Death: Asphyxiation Toxins injected and/or absorbed through skin contact in multiple locations Lacerations on back of neck in the shape of the letters K O A Possible site of toxin injection Bruising on chest from CPR Toxin Screen indicates multiple strong sedatives. Tori sent the text with the information to Max. “That’s some weird shit.” She said to herself. Someone is fucking with people. She also noted on the school feed about the fight at the party including several football players. “Seriously, what is going on around here? Oh well, not for me to worry about right now.” She said as she headed out to Pocket D.

Tori wandered into her apartment, dropped her laptop on the couch, and plopped down on a chair, still holding the pizza box. “Damn, maybe today is looking up.” She grinned. “Ugh, I need a nap. She stood, and put the leftovers in the refrigerator, then stripped her clothes off as she wandered to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed. She set her phone alarm for one hour and quickly fell asleep. In what seemed like moments, Fozzy’s Judas blared from her phone waking her up. She slowly got up, stretched, and wandered into the bathroom. After cleaning up a bit, she looked at herself in the mirror. “Do I really want to go work out?” She asked, then grinned. “Of course I do, I always feel way better after a workout.” In a few minutes she was at the dojo. She carefully put her clothes in a locker and stepped out to do some stretching and some Kata. She wore only a sports bra and shorts this time, as the temperature in the dojo was quite comfortable. She followed with various exercises, weights, and some work on the heavy bag and training dummy. She smiled as she worked out. Unlike many who struggled through working out, she relished it. Finally, she finished, a sheen of sweat covering her body. “Now I’m ready to have fun a the D tonight. In minutes she was back in her apartment and showered. She put on some tight jeans, and one of her vests with just a mesh top underneath.

I am not sure where the very latest info is located. The arc with Marchand (available at like lvl 35? primarily in Brick) about the "New Praetorians" updates some of that lore. I'd have to poke around further to get full updates on the final status of Praetoria is. Dark Astoria arcs update some of the lore and add a lot as well.

So many sources for lore you can't possibly read them all. City of Heroes Fandom is a good wiki to start with. https://cityofheroes.fandom.com/wiki/In-game_timeline Here's some stuff I found from Reddit with a quick search: archive.Paragonwiki.com is the community-run backup of paragonwiki as it existed during live's shutdown. https://cityofheroes.fandom.com/wiki/ is a completely separate project that has culled much of Paragonwiki's content, usually ver-batim. https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/ is Homecoming's official wiki containing much edits/updates/revisions, especially those pertaining to HC's custom content/changes And more: Start here and work your way through the sidebar (*Under Game Info*) : http://www.cityofheroes.ca/game_info/history/paragon_city_an_introduction.html As you do (1.), every time you encounter an enemy type whose lore you're unfamiliar with, go here and find that enemy type's page, read its history: https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Category:Enemies I don't know of a single document with basic or detailed lore. Though I'm sure somewhere someone has created one. When I encounter something I have questions about I usually check City of Heroes Fandom but there are plenty of other sources out there. Good luck and good reading.

I seriously want to RP with all the posters in this thread. Except myself of course. That would be weird. 😛 Almost forgot; I also want to defeat the Grun'Tuk invasion. 🙂

“Clubbing? Yeah, more than I should. Between that and…um, other stuff, I don’t spend near enough time studying. The D is nice but gets overly busy. Some of the other clubs are pretty nice and a break from the D.” Tori snuck in a glance at Krys, taking in the nice sight. Damn, that girl’s got it going on. She thought to herself, then immediately mentally chastized herself. She hungrily devoured wings. And of course, few things go better with wings than a good beer, or two. “Yeah, the D gets plenty of locals that think they can hang with celebs and, uh, heroes. Always good to have a wingman – wingwoman – there to help you out of a jam. You can usually find me in the D for at least a little while almost every night. Heck, sometimes I’ll just sit at one of the side bars and do homework. Its just a good vibe there, you know.”

Classic god-moding and intruding on the plotlines of others to be the "I fix everything" character. Ouch, I'm sorry this happened to you but I know very few RP'ers (in-game, in forums, wherever) that have not run into this. That you have a persistent issue seems...ugh, extra annoying. I'm assuming you've talked to this person OOC and explained to them? If not...I also get it...don't want to cause conflict. That can be messy. Still, maybe worth a chat? Come here, vent, let us commiserate with you. Also, lots of people out there to RP with that happily want to participate in your storyline without destroying/cancelling it. Sounds like you've found a way around it, avoiding said annoyance. Good luck with your RP. In-game, as in RL, stay away from toxic people.

Tori was a little surprised at Liv, but grinned, thinking she’d be fun out at the clubs. She chuckled at Alie’s comment. “No worries.” She caught herself taking a closer look at Liv’s figure as she walked past. Really Tori? She thought to herself. But dang…I bet she’d look good dancing on the bar at AfterHours. “Hey, I’m pretty good with anything that classically belongs on a pizza. Or even some of the less common stuff, honestly. But for my first visit here I’d like to judge them on something pretty standard. Tori picked out a “loaded” pizza with plenty of meats and veggies. “Oh, sorry, forgot to ask if any of you are vegetarians.” She said and then sipped on her beer, taking in the rich hoppy flavors and citrusy notes. “Ah, this is what I needed after classes today.” Not wanting to sit through awkward silence she prompted them; “So what are you all studying at the university? I’m not sure yet. I sure like my Metahuman studies class, and Psychology isn’t too bad either. Just not sure what I want to do for a major.”

Tori smiled. Maybe today was looking up after all. “Krys, Liv, and Alie. Got it.” She nodded. “At least for now.” She added with a little chuckle. “Nice to meet you all. I’m kind of new to Paragon U and don’t that many people." She added a little extra wiggle to her step as she walked, happily showing off for the three. Then realizing that even though she wasn’t in the mis-matched grey sweats, she was still not looking her best by any stretch of the imagination. The old jeans and baggy sweatshirt didn’t do her any favors. She frowned inside but figured she could still try to make the best of things. “I haven’t actually eaten at this place, but the ratings on ‘Gulp’ are almost all four or five stars. And honestly, I’m starving, so I’d eat cafeteria food at this point if it were my only option. Just no reason to do that to myself if I don’t have to.” The Stone-Craft Pizza place had huge windows in front, showing off their brewing equipment on one side, and their brick pizza ovens on the other. The smell of cooking pizza assailed their noses, making Tori’s mouth water. “I know it is only mid-afternoon, but I could use a beer. I’ve heard the hazy IPA here is amazing. You won’t make me drink alone, will you?” Tori held the door open for the other women.

Tori looked up, a bit surprised that the trio would actually notice her existence. “Oh…um, just off the west side of campus.” She said, and then looked over the women, deciding that this could be an interesting meal. “I was just heading there, I can show you.” She said with a smile, trying to be friendly. “I’m Tori, nice to meet you.” She said as she lead the ladies out of the union and toward the pizza place.

Tori sat down in the changing area to put on some clothes for class. She fished around in her bag to see what she’d actually grabbed in her rush. A faded blue-grey length of cloth fell out of her bag. She reached down and picked it up. The little dragon logos were faded, but they were still there. She ran her hand over the headband and smiled. Tori gave a deep sigh as she stuffed the headband back into her bag and got ready for class. STUDENT UNION After some classes she sat in the student union, trying to avoid studying by watching video shorts online and munching on the “Ninja” cookies she had grabbed earlier. As she giggled at a video of Husky puppies, she checked her email. There was a message from Joe about his analysis. “Ah, gotta love the level of super-science they use in the Paragon PD! Really fast analysis on stuff like this.” She looked over the report. It was full of a variety of technical details, but she scrolled down to the summary. “Interesting but not sure that tells us much more.” She grabbed her phone and texted to Max’s (new) number: “Got results on towel blood analysis; Blood type O+ Several strong sedatives detected in the blood Small amount of blue/black lipstick Not sure that tells us much but there it is. I’ll give a shout when I get the ME report.” She leaned back in her chair and stretched, remembering how little sleep she got the night before. “It might be naptime…Or, it might be food time since these cookies are not going to fill me up. Yeah, some real food would be good.” She pulled up the “Paragon Foodie” app and looked at the university area. Plenty of choices; lots of places wanted to take advantage of the hungry college students. “Ugh, too bad there isn’t a Phat’s nearby.” She sighed, thinking about the excellent Asian-fusion place near AfterHours nightclub. “Let’s see…Tastee Diner1? Really? How cliché. Oh, Stone-Craft Pizza, part of Stone-Craft brewery! That sounds perfect.” As she packed up her things, she looked around, maybe there'd be someone that wanted to join her. ((Footnote 1: Tastee Diner was a favorite eating location of the original Paragon U crew back during “Live”. By “thread cannon” it was owned(?) by the mom of one of the participants. Great burgers, don’t eat the meat loaf…))

Sorry to thread Necro this, but was searching for something else and came upon this. I remember Tick-Tok from the Whitmoore Apartments. I was more of a reader and wasn't a participant until later on (Psilent Threat). I was more active in Paragon University thread. But yes, a few still remember. AV and I have revived Paragon University thread...go there...participate. 🙂

As she focused and went through the moves her mind went back to that day so long ago. She’d been going to the classes for several weeks. Every Saturday or Sunday they did martial arts demonstrations and then gave some lessons to those interested. They moved the location around, but Tori had always found a way to get to the park where the demonstration/lesson was going on. At eleven years old, living on her own in Kings Row, this was not an easy thing. On this occasion, at the end of the lesson, the instructor came over to Tori. He was tall, lean, and wore his tight-fitting super-hero costume, including a headband. Tori thought he looked really neat. “What’s your name young lady?” The instructor asked. “M’ Tori.” She mumbled, looking at the ground. “Well, M-Tori, you seem very good at this. Have you had lessons before?” He grinned crouching down so he was on her level. “Jus’ Tori. Is’ short for Victoria.” She said quietly. “I don’ have no lessons.” “Alright, Miss Victoria, I’m known as Steel Dragon. But you can just call me Mark. I think you are really doing a great job. I’ve rarely seen someone learn so quickly and execute moves almost like an expert in such a short time.” Tori smiled a little bit. “Thank you.” “I’ve got a little something special for you. This is an official Steel Dragon headband. It has my dragon logo on it and everything. It is for all your hard work and dedication.” Tori’s eyes were as big as saucers and her mouth hung open. He handed the headband to her and she just stared, unsure what to do. She tried to hold back the tears but was only partially successful. “Here let me put it on you. Wear it with pride.” Mark tied the headband on her head. “It looks great.” Tori grabbed Mark and hugged him. Mark was a bit surprised but gave her a little hug in return. A woman walked up to them. She had metal arms and a cybernetic eye. She wore her hair tight, short, and dyed purple and green. Her clothes were mis-matched and she wore heavy work boots. Tori thought she looked scary, but also kinda cool. “C’mon Lance, we gotta go. You saved another stray so let’s roll. Feist is playing tonight, and I don’t want to be late.” “Of course, Miss Sykes, I wouldn’t want you to be late for some indie group in a grungy bar.” He chuckled until the aforementioned Miss Sykes touched him with a mechanical arm, giving him a good shock. “Eeep!” He exclaimed and they both laughed. Tori looked confused. “Tori, this is my wife, Dodo Sykes. She’s not as scary as she looks – she’s just a big teddy bear underneath that hard punk look and cybernetics. Oh, and she has called me “Lance” since we first met. Short for Lancelot because I acted a little chivalrous on our first meeting. All these years later and the only time she called me Mark was at our wedding.” Mark grinned. “You get home now Tori, and make sure everyone knows you are an official member of the Steel Dragon fan club.” Dodo rolled her eyes and dragged Mark away. Tori ran over to a window and looked at her reflection wearing the headband. She struck a martial pose just like she’d seen Mark do and smiled at herself. Back in the present day, going through the forms, Tori smiled. That was the start of it all. The first real, honest, nice thing that she remembered anyone doing for her.