PART TWO: GO BIG OR GO HOME

"ROOKIE HEROES REAPER AND CONDUIT RUIN EVERYTHING"
Millennial Orbit Article Contributed by Sonja Challa

Both

It's been weeks since this article came out but it still stings every time you read it. At this point, you can only bear to skim the clipping….

Not only does the newsblog chew you out for destroying The Gravitas, there's also a quote from Rexford Schillers damning you for "costing him hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Shiloh

Of course there's a quote from Jury too, saying that you sabotaged what otherwise would have been a successful mission for him.

Both

Luckily, Officer Sanders managed to do some damage control, citing you both as the heroes who helped the police locate Trackr. He also contributed your Prodigal story to the investigation and managed to clear your names of criminal charges, but most still think that you're responsible for The Splice Circle murders.

So while you may not be a fugitive thanks to Officer Sanders, the MCPD still hates you. In fact, the only reason the police haven't knocked down your door is...

Shiloh


Jenny, my blessed PFPP agent, had the wherewithal to hack into the government database and alter my personal information after my Victonian visit. She also extended the favor to Conduit's personal datafile.

You owe Jenny big-time for that one…though you haven't exactly expressed your gratitude yet, since you missed several of her calls as you took time to recover.

Both

Last and certainly not least, Mayor Victon's office commented in the article, saying that it's "amateur hero screwups like this one that Mayor Victon's hoping to further regulate during the rest of his term."

While this Orbit article probably helped to make Sonja Challa's career, it appears that she has done irreparable damage to yours. Even though she gave you a boost with that first piece on Trackr, she has thoroughly trashed your name with this second article—a fact you won't forget anytime soon.

The people of Millennia City now think of you two not just as hacks, but as actual dangers to society. If you thought getting a good hero gig was hard before, it just got doubly difficult.

And your Legend Level seems decimated before it has even had a chance to rise, down to a measly -1 according to your heroic license. You'd check the official Hero Legend Meter website that tracks your Legend like a credit score, but you know it's bound to be depressing.

The only positive news is that, good or bad, famous or infamous, you've placed yourself on the map in a big way. Getting people's attention is the first step to becoming a hero, even if it's only negative attention.

And now that all of Millennia City is watching, it's up to you to decide what they see next.

With that thought in mind, you took some time to rest and recover from that first, traumatizing night. More importantly, you took time to reflect upon your actions.

Considering all that happened with The Gravitas case, how do you really feel about your first heroic night?

Sometimes, remaining positive and having a good attitude is all that matters. You still believe in yourself—and that's a trait worthy of Legend.

Using your Powers in real-life heroing situations was quite a rush, but it proved to be equally terrifying. Even though you managed to survive the night, your Power and Health Levels could have dropped to dangerously low levels.

After a week's rest you're fully healed and rePowered, but how do you feel about your fighting decisions?

You certainly learned that your feelings regarding the law really matter—especially since these feelings have significantly affected your relationship with the MCPD.

How do you plan to react to the law and the police moving forward?

Officer Sanders will definitely be a useful contact as you try to salvage your career.

Finally, for only one night on the job, you amassed an impressive array of enemies. Who do you think is your biggest threat?

The Splice Circle.

Madame Vice.

Mayor Victon.

Jury.

Rexford Schillers.

Prodigal.

This crazy mystery girl clearly has it out for you—she knew your code name, sabotaged your first mission, and successfully framed you. It should be a top priority for you to figure out who she is and what she wants.

No matter how you feel about your first case as a hero, you realize that this is going to be way harder than you expected. You're going to have to be stronger, smarter, and faster if you have any hope of surviving the deadly enemies you face, and of finding the success you so desperately crave.

But what if this is all a crazy pipe dream? What if you're not good enough? What if the odds just never work in your favor? Your dreams could simply not come true and no one would know except for you….

You quickly shake these doubts off, though. No one ever said this was going to be easy.

Ready to get back to work, you pull on your costume.

Shiloh

You know Grandma will kill you if you don't say goodbye before leaving, so you walk into the living room, where you find her wrestling with a rather large palm frond. Grandma has lost one lilac earring and her floral dress is covered in dirt stains.

"I'm fine!" Grandma says, wiping her brow. "Tropez here is just having a bit of a hard time adjusting but he'll feel right at home in no time. By the way, that video game woman called again…and she sounded rather angry."

In your haste to start your heroic career, you quit the video game testing job without telling the company (or returning your advance deposit). Perhaps not the smartest move, especially now that you have no idea how you're going to start making money as a hero.

Unfortunately, your bank account also took another hit this morning after you paid $800 for rent; Grandma's pension doesn't cover all the bills.

"Anyway, are you going to go see Jenny?" Grandma asks, returning to her battle with Tropez.

Grandma thinks that with all of this fresh, heroic hell on your plate, it'd be smart to strategize with your PFPP agent, Jenny. She has access to government information and claims to have a lead that could help you sort out the mess with the Gravitas case. But you probably bit off too much too fast taking on The Splice Circle, so you've got your sights set on a smaller-scale mission for tonight….

"Oh Shiloh," Grandma says, "have you made a decision yet about the sidekick-mentoring project?"

Despite your heroic false start, Grandma has still been insisting that you take on a sidekick-mentee. She's always been involved in mentoring Powered youth—you even had your own hero-mentor back when you were younger (though the most exciting thing he asked you to do was pick up his dry cleaning).

You'd never tell Grandma but you don't have much faith in the program. Besides, you can't imagine why any young Powered person would want to work with an amateur like you. You've been rather reluctant to choose all week but at this point you're just tired of Grandma's constant and "helpful" reminders.

"All right, all right," you say, pulling up the applicant files on your MeChip. As they scroll in front of your face, you decide to go with…

Sparrow: a sixteen-year-old orphan from the Eastern Fringes who has the appearance and abilities of a typical bird. Coming from a neighborhood like the Fringes, she won't have many heroic opportunities within her reach (a fact you know all too well).

Sparrow's profile says she's extremely smart but painfully shy. She definitely looks older than sixteen but you know that's just a side effect of growing up in the Fringes without parents. You're happy to take on someone who's as eager to become a hero as you are, especially someone with such a similar background.

"Good choice, young master," MeChip Kodlak says, appearing today in one of his standard-issue outfits, a barbarian-like outfit, with a troll skull on his shoulder. "I'm sure Sparrow will make a fine sidekick."

"I hope you're right, Kodlak," you think, figuring it's best to practice the thought-command function as much as possible.

Jade

"And you, Jade?"

You sigh, slapping a hand across your face. "Gran..."

"I'm not budging on this. You are a hero as well!"

"B-buh-but! I-"

"No buts!"

"Tarana Rain..." he mumbles, "I think it is best for her to be my sidekick." She does seem to be well-trained by the best, and we need to take what we can get.

"Pfff...good luck."

"Oh, shut up."

"No no no, good luck running with the spoiled rich girl who no doubt will consider you a peon."

"Shush. I'm sure that everything will be fine."

"You have more confidence than me."

"Come on. We can do this."

Shiloh

"I'm going to go with Sparrow," you say to Grandma.

Both

"I had a feeling you both might choose those two," Grandma says, a mischievous smirk stretching across her face, "which is why I told them to meet you in Ringe Square in five minutes to help you with whatever you've both got planned for tonight."

Shiloh

You open your mouth to protest but know it's no use—arguing with Grandma once she has made up her mind is mind-numbingly futile. So you simply nod, jaw clenched. This is certainly going to be…interesting.

Before you go, you walk over to say goodbye to Golda, stroking her petals for good luck.

"And for heavens sake, Shiloh," Grandma starts, once again looking more worried than you can stand. "Please be careful out there?"

You nod at Grandma, knowing it will be hard to screw things up worse than you did last time….

Jade

"And you," She said, pointing a finger at you. "Keep my boy safe."

"Got it. I'll keep him safe." You cast a knowing grin at Shiloh.

"Pfff, him? Keep me safe? Please." Shiloh shakes his head, turning back to his room. "Whatever, let's see how this goes."