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HOUSE OF M(ETA)

HOUSE OF M

A DREAM IS A WISH…

In dreams you will lose your heartaches,
whatever you wish for,
you keep.

Anti-Meta sentiments are on the rise. This is no secret. Check the news and you see it, politicians arguing about the dangers that superhumans pose to the world. What if they go rogue? What if they stage a mutiny? How can they tell that heroes are really the good guys, when so many of them have secret identities. In the last week, multiple protests against metahumans potentially moving to their cities have broken out across the United States. Some cities have proposed legislation that would make it illegal for metahumans to live within their borders.

Excelsior is leading the charge, politicians are looking to ban any metahuman whose abilities are not technical in origin from living there.

It is little wonder, then, that so many go to bed dreaming of a better world. One without the hardships of this one, or of the one they endured before.

Meanwhile, across the country, Sunset Falls is in a state of change. Mayor West finally has candidates willing to take the position of Mayor from him. This shift in the city's attention prevents anyone from paying much mind to the odd and potent energies taking shape. Sure, there are strange occurrences happening. A young woman walks by the school and immediately forgets her name, her job, and where she lives. Others report a strange feeling of being watched. Those sensitive to it may feel something otherworldly and strange hanging in the air. Bearing down on them with oppressive force.

And, dear heroes, as you know - two forms of surging energies create what is known as a Confluence.

THOSE LEFT BEHIND

You wake to pandemonium.

An emergency broadcast is blaring across any transmissible signal. A Confluence of unprecedented size has struck. Half of the country has been consumed by it.

By noon, there is a quarantine in place - not that anyone seems to be trying to leave the affected area. No, this quarantine is to prevent people from trying to go in. Unauthorized access is not permitted, not until the capes in charge have a better idea of what is going on. Once again, the Godfall Protocols are enacted. All able-bodied metahumans are recruited to the task, and once again, the Starfallen will find themselves standing shoulder to shoulder with those far weaker than them.

This time there is no giant monster to fight. Just a barrier, invisible to the naked eye, that seems to alter anyone who enters into it. The early metahuman scouts report themselves to be unaffected for the first few hours, but any normal humans who enter this space quickly find themselves… no longer themselves.

Atomight, Frances Starling and Mechanima are all at the Alliance HQ. For once, the three faction leaders seem to be in perfect harmony. This is a bad idea, they cannot send their people into this No Man’s Land… but they have no choice. The Godfall Protocols are what they are, they were created for this very reason. Though they are not arguing with each other, the government agents suddenly standing in HQ are telling a very different story. The three of them are not hiding the fact that they are all too aware that their “freedom” comes with a price, and their resentment is reaching a boiling point.

At some point during these early hours, Atomight finds himself temporarily locked out of his office. While the three leaders are distracted trying to regain entry, Fantastic takes center stage and begins issuing the most scripted heart-felt speech you have ever heard. Unlike the other three, he doesn’t seem to care much for what he could be sending people into. This is not a speech meant to inspire confidence that all will work out in the end, that the weakest among them will be taken care of, it is a speech to inspire soldiers.

By the end of this first day, they have gathered enough information to make a determination. The Starfallen seem to be more resilient to whatever effects are occurring than the rest of the population. They are called to a unique, private meeting - one in which all three leaders attend.

“We don’t know what you will be facing there,” they state plainly. “But we know you have the best chance of making it out with your minds intact.”

The choice is yours. You can help secure the area, you can retreat to Little Love and hope that this expands no further, or you can step into the unknown.

You can engage with the leaders here.

HOUSE OF (M)ETA.

Inside the quarantine zone, all is well.

Your alarm rings a little late and you find yourself groggy and briefly disoriented, as though waking from a very long dream. One that you find yourself considering to be unpleasant, and not worth thinking about. You stretch and slide out of bed, perhaps kiss your partner good morning and prepare yourself to wrangle your children and get them prepared for school, but today is like any other day. The world is as it always has been, and you find yourself oddly comforted to know that things are not as bad as they could be.

And then your day begins.

If you are a card carrying member of the Guardian Alliance, then you report to work before most of the world is up and running. Atomight appears to be busy in Central City, as he is not present and is not answering any calls, but you know what to do. The Guardian Alliance is all about finding ways to be useful, without enrolling in any of the government run Metahuman departments. It pays less, and you have to have frequent check-ins with actual government approved heroes, but you find a measure of freedom in it… though the pressure is immense. One wrong move and you may find yourself imprisoned for “irresponsible” use of your powers, branded as the reason why metahumans should stay under the thumb of the government after their service ends, and not allowed to organize themselves in fear they may take over the world.

If you took the darker path, then you will find yourself reporting to an ordinary office building in whatever city you live in, for a boring job that you do not have. Villainy is not a safe passtime, but those who band together tend to stay alive a little longer. The Society of Villainous Reformation exists to provide the community that most villains lack. Villainy comes in many shapes and sizes, and the Society has all sorts. The only uniting factor in this faction is the fact that you do not want to be used the way heroes are. You want to use your powers as you see fit, whether that means you get an edge on tests or rob banks to your heart's content is up to you.

Or are you a vigilante? A complete wildcard, answering to nothing and no one but your own personal sense of justice? Vigilantes have a reputation for being brutal and efficient, needing none of the teamwork and oversight that the guilds use. They are also generally less accountable, unless The Society or the Guardian Alliance steps in.

Starfall, formerly Starstruck. He was one of the first heroes to enroll in the government's War Hero project, which has now become a mandatory military service for all young metahumans upon reaching 18.

The most concerning thing right now in the world is the cult, the Battlements of the Shining God. They are known to sacrifice people to their fearsome God, stating that it will give them the power to put things right. But… you have never seen them in person. Only heard of the wreckage they leave. But disturbingly, if you tune in to the nightly broadcast that the Dreamers of the Willow Maiden put out to help lull you to sleep, you will note they seem… off. Warning of a war that is coming. You are fairly certain you can handle a confrontation with them, though. After all, nothing you couldn’t handle has ever happened.

And as you fall asleep at night in this perfect world, in your perfect life, you swear you hear The Lady herself whispering in your ear. Wake up, wake up, this dream is not yours to live.

Yet when you try to hold on to those words, they slip from your thoughts. And when you awaken, all remains as it should be.

SNAP BACK TO REALITY

For those who agree to go into the quarantined zone, you find yourself given the best gadgets both the Alliance and The Society can offer. They are unsure how to prepare you for this, though the scouts that made it back say that things seem… fine. Peaceful, even. Everyone seemed so happy, but they did not recognize them.

Contact will be difficult to maintain. The radios were functioning while they were inside, but it seems that the further they went into these zones, the worse communication got.

When removed from the quarantine zone, those who were affected regained themselves bit by bit. Some held on stubbornly to their illusionary life, but when presented with undeniable evidence of the life they had before, and reminders of any joy they found within it, they came back to themselves.

“Are you saying that they have to befriend them to remind them of their sanity?” Mechanima asks, torn between incredulity and amusement.

“What he’s saying,” Frances cuts in, “is that they need a reminder that they have a life worth living outside of whatever the hell is going on in there.”

Atomight nods. “This appears to be a shared delusion manifested by magic. So, a mass psychic relay would be the best way to break the hold. However, it will take time to do safely.” He turns to the gathered volunteers. “Your job is to start cracks, so the whole thing shatters when we deliver the final punch… and no one soul is left bearing the brunt of that psychic backlash.”

There’s a moment of silence. You find yourself being handed resources for your trip inside - no weapons, just first-aid kits and any items you may have told people to gather that could remind your lost friends of who they are.

"This is going to change everything," Atomight continues. "Even if all this goes to plan, the fact that it happened at all means things won’t stay like they’ve been."

He doesn’t elaborate. Mechanima’s mask turns to troubled static, and Frances throws a glance back towards the Alliance’s tents. Many of the native metahumans are gathered, and Fantastic is posing for photos with them. The hashtag #METASTOTHERESCUE has been trending for hours, and were you to believe social media, Fantastic is the one leading the charge.

You turn, take a deep breath, and walk through the invisible threshold into another world. The teleportation devices you have been given will take you directly to the city of your choosing.

IN SUMMARY...

The unrest in Excelsior and the upcoming election in Sunset Falls has caused a massive confluence, which has affected a great portion of the country.

Anyone within the border of these affected areas finds themselves thrust into an alternate universe, wherein they lived a very different life as a native citizen of this world. In this version of the world, the Godfall Incident never happened.

All metahumans - regardless of if they belong to Society, the Alliance, and the Unaligned - find that the Godfall Protocols are being enacted, meaning that metahumans will be conscripted into assisting. Knowing most metahumans do not stand a chance against whatever metaenergies are causing this, the leaders of these groups are asking the Starfallen to enter willingly.

Being in the alternate universe for more than 72 hours will make you start to believe that you are part of it. It is very keen to assimilate you into it, and you may find yourself slowly developing false memories the longer you are in there.

Exiting isn't an immediate cure, but the longer you are out, the faster you will come back to yourself.

You can bring your AU-affected friends back to reality by reminding them of who they are, and that the life they have outside of the bubble is equally good as the one inside.

Anyone who wants to sit this one out can kick back, relax, and enjoy some Kansas hospitality. Little Love is a safe area and will protect any citizens who do not feel capable or are unwilling to jump into the unknown.

Please direct any questions regarding this log HERE.

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[There's movement in the rafters. A flash of what looks like tattered wings. There-then-gone.]

Red Hood.

[The voice is soft, but deep. Raspy either from disuse or damage-- it's hard to tell. It seems to echo through the building. The source is difficult to locate.]

Jason Todd.

[This time it comes from behind him.]

[Jason immediately spins and fire a shot in what he thinks is Cass's direction. His helmet's infrared vision is on as well]

Good evening to you too.

[She starts moving the moment he does. By the time he fires, she's on the standing to his right, just in his peripheral vision.

This is the hard part. The talking part. Convincing. Batman would be better. Or Red Robin. Or Nightwing. Or Batgirl.

But Cassandra is the one here. So she will have to... make do.]

You need to leave this place. This city-- you don't belong here.

[Jason spins and fires another shot. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't recognize Cass or remembers the way she fights. What he thinks instead is that she's stupid enough to pick a fight with him]

And what makes you say that?

[She dodges again.

Frowns under the mask. She doesn't know how to explain. Doesn't understand it herself.]

This isn't real. [She insists.] You would understand if you left.

Wow. You must think I'm really stupid. You think I'm gonna leave that easily?

[While he's talkin, he scans the warehouse for heat signatures. She has to be around somewhere]

Usually my competition puts on a better show than this to try and kick me out.

[Frustration begins to bubble up. He isn't listening, and she doesn't know what to say! What are the right words? The ones to make him listen? She doesn't have them.

Time for... the backup plan.

She falls back into the shadows of the wall behind her. Pushes through the sticky-dark-cold feeling that comes with using her power.

She drops from the shadows of the ceiling and lands behind him. Rushes forward quickly enough that even if-- when-- he does turn around, she'll be able to hit him before he can pull the trigger.

Using "The Falling Leaf" is instinctual. A nerve pinch that will knock him out for hours. Plenty of time to get Jason out of the... magic zone. To somewhere safe.]

[Jason doesn't even finish turning around when Cass gets the drop on him. He drops to the floor right after she hits him with the nerve pinch. His gun also drops and slides a foot or two away from them]

[Cass catches his body before his head can hit the ground. She frowns at the gun. But decides to leave it. She needs to... get out. Quickly. without being seen.

With a grunt, she goes to haul his body over her shoulders.]

[As she catches his body, however, she can see something start to change. Inky black tendrils snake from somewhere under his clothing to cover Jason's body, yellow streaks following after to create stripes, and while most of the Red hood costume remains largely unchanged, there's no way to hide that there's more to this. A second pair of eyes open in the helmet, and all four are now open and glowing softly red with slit-pupils in them, even as Jason's body moves with trained instincts to break from the attempted lift.]

"Back off, girl. This is not a fight you want to lose."

[While it's Jason's body, Sleeper is now behind the wheel, and will stay there until Jason can shake off the unconsciousness. They will protect their host, their partner, especially from someone who clearly wants to remove them from the equation.

An inky tendril snakes out past her to snag the gun, retuning it securely to the holster in a move that is only just slow enough to be followed. Jason doesn't like losing his guns, even if Sleeper doesn't usually bother with projectile weapons.]

[Cass lets him go out of surprise. Jumps back from the threat.

This isn't Red Hood.

This isn't Jason.

This is... something else.

The way it moves is almost-human. There are things she sees... it's using Red Hood's muscle memory.

Not-Jason is hunched. Protective. Protecting itself? Protecting Jason? She doesn't know. It's... hard to read. To understand. Familiar-but-not.]

Who are you?

[Her tone is worried. She's worried about Jason. She's worried that she doesn't know how to fight this. Whether she'll be able to see it move. The way she sees people.]

[Sleeper moves back, giving both of them more space, a place to move, to assess. They aren't just using their eyes, but other senses, even some humans don't have names for. Most of the time when they've had to take over like this, they do their best to emulate Jason as the Red Hood, but this time seems different.]

I'm one of the reasons nobody messes with the Hood.

[Not the only reason, not by a long shot, but definitely up there. They rarely have to take over unless something big happens, usually it's more like a dance, sometimes trading off who leads because one has more to bring than the other.]

I could ask you the same thing? Why would you want to steal us from our lives?

[This thing has... claimed Jason? Protects him? She isn't sure. Maybe they've been magic-ed too. And ended up with Jason.

Or maybe it's part of the magic. Keeping him here.

Either way... they have to go.]

I'm stealing him back.

[She moves forward. Goes to strike. She wants to... see how not-Jason responds. How they move. She wants to learn.]

[The best way to describe the way the creature moves is liquid. They react with inhuman reflexes, using senses beyond those of normal humans.]

You have no claim on us, and no back to take. When he regains conscious, I am certain he will agree with me. I will not let you take my partner anywhere without me.

[There's no muscles to track. No... body to follow. Other than Jason's underneath.

Even if Cass does figure out how to hurt this thing... whatever she does could hurt the Red Hood underneath. Could injure him-- maybe even kill him. Depending on what affects the being. But she still has to try.

She doesn't bother responding. Talk is... distraction. She needs to focus. They dodged her once, but she moves fast. Faster than anyone else (without powers). She's good. She's... the best.

She may not know how this thing fights. But it doesn't know her either.]

[The creature moves with liquid grace, a fluidity of motion that seems to ignore the rules of normal bodies, as the skeleton or joints inside aren't exactly where they should be.

Sleeper could take them away from the girl, but they need to know if this is going to keep happening. It maybe she should be...taken care of before things get worse. But they feel some reluctance to do that. To take permanent action, so they just focus on the fight, staying just out of reach, moving with superhuman speed and power that Red Hood doesn't have alone.]

Do you wish to be our enemy?

[The human is strange. Far more attuned to things than most, but...different. Sleeper has better senses, better reflexes, but...this is a very close thing if they don't bring in other skills, other weapons.]

No.

[She doesn't understand this being. Doesn't understand what it's done to Jason.]

I'm trying to help. There's something wrong with him. With everyone here.

[She takes a step back. Then several more. Back into the shadows. She won't win this fight. Not here not now. There's too many not-controlled parts. Variations? Variables.

But if she's able to get to the shadow behind her she can teleport away. Try again later. When she's prepared.

She hates running away. Hates it. But it's better than risking Jason.]

I would know if there were anything wrong. We share...everything.

[That might not be comforting to hear, but since they spend at least part of their time sharing the same body and and senses, it's definitely something they should be aware of. If anything were off with either of them, surely the other partner would know.]

Perhaps there is something wrong with you that makes you think like this.

[Sleeper wants to buy time, time for Jason to recover from the blow, to find out everything they can, to figure out what kind of threat this truly is.]

Then... you're affected. Or affecting him.

[This being could be part of what's trapping people. Does Tim have one like it. Does Stephanie? Or it could be affected by the magic too. Cass doesn't know. She doesn't know.

Just a few more steps back. Then she can regroup. Re...think. Figure out what's happening and make her family safe.]

Leave the city. Go to... Little Love. Or Central City. There are safe places. Places not-affected.

[Sleeper can see the girl is trying to get away, although she's trying to keep her intentions from showing.]

I would never do that to him. We are...he is my other.

[A snort at leaving.]

You are a fool if you think we would abandon our territory on the say of a stranger.

[She doesn't have the words to convince them. Maybe Robin could. Batgirl, or Nightwing. But not Cass.]

I'm no stranger.

[Not anymore.]

Ask him about Batman. About Robin. You'll see.

[She reaches the shadows. Lets herself fall into them. Feels the now-familiar chill of... traveling.

She steps out on the roof of a nearby building. From here she can sit and watch as they leave. See what they do next. Decide what she'll do next.

The being is a... complication. Not-expected. It will take time to figure out what to do. Maybe just this will be enough. Maybe Jason will remember.

Maybe not. She'll have to wait and see.]

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HOUSE OF M(ETA)

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