Can You Do It In The Dark?

[frenchkissed]

Who: Eddie Brock frenchkissed, Peter Parker tinglesense, and you!
What: Meddling kids lead to an entire city of people losing their powers.
When: Jul 20 — Jul 31
Where: Excelsior!
Content Warnings: Potential violence, identity issues
Opt-Out: Don’t be in Excelsior during this event!

CAN YOU DO IT IN THE DARK?

An investigation headed by Eddie Brock and Peter Parker results in not only a city-wide blackout, but hundreds of metahumans losing their powers!

In the days that follow, those affected by the blast will be forced to contend with what it means to exist without their powers. All the while, bad guys will be looking to take advantage of the situation and move in on vulnerable areas within Excelsior. People who are used to relying on their abilities will need to find new ways to fight back.

In the end, all powers are restored, but not without some hijinks along the way.

RUMOR MILL —

Everyone loves a good urban legend. There's the story of Bloody Mary, the vanishing hotel room, the one about the tall, slender man who dresses in a tuxedo, that story about the abandoned bunker beneath Excelsior that no one can get into, the one filled with untold riches and gold... Naturally, some stories are more far-fetched than others. Some die off as whispers in the night, while others get entire forums dedicated to them. Leave it to bored teens take it upon themselves to go urban exploring in the dead of night, or hokey paranormal YouTube reporters saying they've found the clue that everyone's been missing.

Maybe you even went poking around yourself, having caught wind of these rumors and wanting to see the land of legends for yourself.

Unfortunately, most hunts lead to dead ends and boring drives home. There's nothing to see, really. The bunker doesn't even exist. It's all just a thrilling goose chase to pass a boring evening.

...

But if it did exist, shouldn't something more practical than a mountain of gold lie inside? Eddie Brock seemed to think so.

If nothing else, these rumors sure are a conversation starter.

Stranger Than Fiction

Unsurprisingly, like most rumors, there's a hint of truth to this bunker of gold story. With Spider-Man's technomancy powers and Eddie's investigative prowess, the two are able to find the source of all these rumors. There's no untold riches, but there is a treasure trove of strange, old technology.

However, investigating this space quickly goes awry when Peter's technomancy accidentally brings something to life.

Upon being powered on, a machine rapidly begins draining the power from the city. One by one, skyscrapers flicker out, televisions go dark, refrigerators stop humming. The entire city is steadily plunged into darkness, silence. Like with most power outages, most wait for the lights to flick back to life. Here, there's no such luck. Waiting for things to right themselves won't yield any results.

Once that realization sets in, it might be best to help those who really need it. Beyond the crying, frightened children and the teens who can't bear to part with their computers, there are those for whom the darkness holds unseen terrors. Be there for those in need, for those afraid of the dark, for those who've gotten separated from their families and can't find their way back on their own.

No power also means no computer systems, which means no credit cards. And who carries cash these days? No, in times like this, it makes sense to go back to the old bartering system.

Someone on the street is hawking four flashlights and a can opener in exchange for some batteries. Someone else is looking for what he can get for two cans of tuna and a roll of dimes. Get in there and make a deal!

Or... you could get in with the good crowd and begin looting stores. But, no, you're heroes! You should stop the looters! Ignore that little voice telling you otherwise. Instead, join up with those organizing shelters for everyone and working to get people out of the city as quickly as possible.

I Don't Want To Be You...

Just as people are beginning to work through this city-wide blackout, the real trouble begins. Not long after this loss of power comes, well, a loss of powers. All the juice in the city has to be used to fuel up something. Instead of a super-mega death ray, or some other magnificent murder device, the machine in question sucks away superpowers.

Metahuman abilities, extraordinary talents, basically, anything that makes a metahuman different from their average human counterpart, is drained away and trapped within. Of all the devices for Spider-Man to stumble into...

How this power loss manifests varies from person to person.

A keen observer might notice the correlation between someone's emotional attachment to their powers and just how difficult it is for them to be taken away. Someone who has a strong connection to their powers, for example, might go through immense pain when it comes to losing them. On the other hand, someone who never wanted powers in the first place might not even realize they've lost their abilities until it's too late.

Like the power outage before it, simply waiting for your abilities to return to you won't be enough. Even if you leave the city premises, your powers won't return to you. For all intents and purposes, this is who you are now.

Punch, Kick, Bite... Fight!

What better time to contemplate your identity without your powers than in the face of danger? Ne'er-do-wellers exist in all shapes and sizes, and some take it upon themselves to take advantage of this chaos. While powers might have been the preferred method for taking care of trouble, knives, fists, and guns still work just fine. Hoodlums and robbers roam the streets, wielding all sorts of makeshift weapons. They'll corner anyone in an attempt to see what they can get.

Chief among these miscreants are Lola and the Gang, a once quiet gang of Pink Lady and Greaser-types armed with brass knuckles, switchblades, and cigarettes.

Chances are you'll smell their brand of smokes before you see them rolling up six deep and ready to brawl. Hand over everything you own and they'll leave you be, but put up any resistance and it's time to scrap.

Of course, you could try to talk your way out of this, but their patience for talking is small enough to flip your lid. So make like a tree, and get to fightin'.

Even if you don't encounter them, there's no telling what number of con artists, thieves, jokers, and jesters you'll encounter. Be sure to keep your wits about you!

Topsy-Turvy

With the recent spur of Confluences, more metas have made their home in this world than those who crafted this device had ever accounted for.

Eventually, both in part to a team of dedicated scientists and due to the device's own shortcomings, the device containing all of the powers in Excelsior will combust. Powers, neatly contained like orbs, are sent bursting through the sky on their hunt for their rightful owners.

These orbs, somehow, know where they're meant to go. They're far from sentient, but they know their homes and they know they're meant to be there.

Things rarely go as planned, however, and these power orbs are eager to get into anybody, or any body, they see. Once they're free, chances are you won't make it far without taking an orb straight to the chest. Within moments, the new power is absorbed into your body and, congrats, you're now capable of super sonic hearing! Or acid spit! Or the ability to have pockets that never get full! Who knows what you might end up with.

Along with the new dose of powers comes an image of their rightful owner, something that the orbs brings along with them—a mental portrait of someone you may or may not have met before. You could do the right thing and help these wayward powers get to the right person, or you can take your new abilities for a spin and try your hand at being a god for a day.

Be careful, however, because these powers won't stick around for long. They've got a home to get to! The last thing someone needs is to try out their new flight abilities only to lose them mid-air.

AFTERMATH —

With the device in shambles, power steadily returns to the city and, though it may take some time, all superpowers end up returning to the right people. There's no clear indication of who this technology belonged to or what its original purpose was, but surely Reddit, Facebook, and Conspiracy!YouTube will be in a tizzy trying to figure it out.

IN SUMMARY...

• Peter and Eddie stumble onto a device that wipes the city of its power and all metaheroes within it of their superhero abilities.


• During the blackout, gangs attempt to take hold of the city.


• Those who leave the city will not regain their powers, but those who enter the city will lose them. Eddie and Peter will also be asking for help from any mech-heads, scientists, tech specialists, and anyone else who might know how to turn off the machine.


• When the machine is destroyed, powers don't immediately go to their rightful owner. Characters might cycle through as many as ten different powers before their rightful abilities are returned to them.


• Ask any questions here!

Comments

[helpdesk_hero]

I see. I guess I've seen that happen before. But now my question is why you're here? You don't look well. YOu should be sleeping somewhere.

[unkindled_madness]

...I'm hungry.

[Which is inconvenient, why can't his body just subsist on the occasional coffee. He glances back at David.]

Is that really all you have to say about it?

[helpdesk_hero]

An evil manifestation of an ex boyfriend of mine once literally stabbed me in the back. I'm not that shocked.

[He reaches out for Sephiroth, intending to pause him.]

There's a shelter I'm helping some people with. We have food there.

[unkindled_madness]

[Sephiroth moves away a little, just making sure David doesn't actually touch him.]

...of course. That sort of strangeness is commonplace for you, isn't it?

But I don't need a shelter.

[He's perfectly fine stealing random soup.]

[helpdesk_hero]

[David sighs. Why are people so stupidly stubborn? And yes, pot, kettle.]

Yes, strangeness is normal for me. And a shelter might be useful for you, Sephiroth. You don't look like yourself.

[unkindled_madness]

I need shelter because I haven't shaved?

[Not that he's ever shaved but anyway he's refusing to acknowledge the rest. It's his mind playing tricks on him.]

[helpdesk_hero]

Fine. Be evasive. I can't keep you from that.

[Gods save him from stubborn people. He moves amongst the shelves, looking for resources that will help the shelter that others might not have seen as useful.]

[unkindled_madness]

[Sephiroth lets out a breath, which has to come through his mouth because his nose is too stuffed up. He doesn't see how he's being "evasive" but he doesn't want to argue about a stupid shelter.]

...do you know what's causing this?

[helpdesk_hero]

[Dude, you're sick and David's got questions about it, but he's been ignored he feels like, so he's not going to press. Some people don't want their friends to be doctors to them.]

Don't know. Power went out, and with it, powers went out.

[unkindled_madness]

[Well, that's true enough, but Sephiroth isn't trying to hide the fact that he's sick. He just thinks it's stupid.]

Yours as well?

[helpdesk_hero]

[Of course it's stupid, but he wants to take care of people who need it.]

Yes.

[His voice breaks a little at the admission. He hates it.]

[unkindled_madness]

It's... temporary, surely. Like any of these things.

[helpdesk_hero]

[One hopes. David winces to even think of it.]

Last time I lost my powers was when I was just short of eighteen. I didn't have them again for more than four years.

[unkindled_madness]

[Sephiroth freezes. Years?]

...that's unacceptable.

[helpdesk_hero]

You think I don't know that?

[There's a moment of hysterical edge to David's voice, a hint of panic, as he speaks. He forces it down and gets his face under control the best he could.]

I hope it comes back sooner.

[unkindled_madness]

You hope?

I don't intend to sit around wishing my body back to normal. There must be a method to it.

[helpdesk_hero]

I hope.

[It's all he has, Sephiroth. Can't you accept that?]

I hate not being me, but this is all I can do.

[unkindled_madness]

[Nope.]

Enchantments can be broken.

[helpdesk_hero]

And if this isn't an enchantment?

[Wanda's enchantment hadn't been broken. Because reality warping was a thing.]

[unkindled_madness]

Whatever it is, it can be brought to an end. Or reversed.

[Maybe this isn't any more rational than David's "hope" but he just wants to feel like he's doing something about it.]

[helpdesk_hero]

I hope so.

[It's not rational, and he doesn't care. He takes some items off the shelf.]

ARe you getting plenty of rest and hydration?

[unkindled_madness]

...what amount constitutes "plenty"?

[Absolutely not.]

[helpdesk_hero]

I mean enough for the fact that you look sick.

[Does the man even understand that the man is sick?]

[unkindled_madness]

[...he knows what sneezing is.]

Does the body require more of these things when ill?

[helpdesk_hero]

Yes. More food, more rest, and more warmth.