The Mysterious Miss Direction vol. 02

Fortuna looks at you with a somber expression which quickly transforms into a well rehearsed smile. "I’m doing great. Thanks for asking." She lets the smile drop and looks down below as she elaborates. "The longer you do this the more evident it becomes that this lifestyle is both the cause and the solution to all of your problems.

"Not everyone has the luxury of living two separate lives. Your average Joe doesn't have the option to turn into someone else and run away when everything becomes too much to handle.

"It seems like among us there are two types: The obsessive types that end up leaving the real world behind and becoming the mask. These are the dangerous types, if you ask me. And then there are those that get real good at compartmentalization."

Her voice drops almost to a whisper. "Villains like the Madam really wreak havoc with that whole separation of worlds thing. She took my sister from me. I’ve made a lot of bad choices since then. Hurt a lot of people. Burned a lot of bridges. Its been a long time since someone called me anything but Fortuna... Try to keep your worlds separate, Missy. It’s best for everyone."

Miss Direction listens raptly, drinking in all of this valuable information. Not just on what hero life is like, which really should be advertised to anyone who decides to get into it and hasn't read very many comic books, but on Fortuna's own stakes in this.

"I'm sorry," she tells her. "About your sister. I could have assumed that she had made things personal for you too. In fact, from what I've been able to tell in my limited dealings with her, she likes to make everything personal. She seemed to think she was untouchable." She wants to laugh at the statement, but her lingering guilt as to Lily's fate stops it in her throat. Clearing the failed laugh with a cough.

She kicks her legs idly for a moment, before getting into the meat of why she asked to meet with her. "I wanted to talk to you... about that night, and what really happened between me and Lily when I made that deal with her."

She takes a deep breath. "There's... something... in my mask. An entity of some sort. I heard its voice when I first became Miss Direction, but it had gone silent until I made that deal with Medium Madam. It urged me to do it. To pull her into some strange dreamscape so that we could beat her at her own game." She wraps her arms around herself. "It was a hard battle, and not only because Lily is an exceptionally strong super. Things got very, very personal, and... and in the end, I snapped. I didn't just want to see her defeated. I wanted her to feel as weak as she had made me feel."

She looks up at Fortuna, hoping she wouldn't see judgement behind that famous mask of hers. "I wanted to see her beaten and broken. And part of me wants to believe that the mask was influencing my emotions, making all of that hate and anger bubble up until I lashed out with all of my power at her... but I'm not so sure..."

She shrugs, not sure of what else to say other than, "In the end... it wasn't enough. Lily still got the better of me, but she wasn't expecting for the entity to take over. That's why, when we finally woke up, she was catatonic. It did something to her, and I have no idea if I can trust my own powers anymore..."

That was the reason she had taken so much time off as Miss Direction, though she hated to admit it. The idea of putting on the mask again scared her. But she did it anyway, because she would rather be scared of being Miss Direction than let herself feel like Lily won, regardless of what happened.

Fortuna is visibly uncomfortable. She keeps her eyes focused on the world below. "She certainly does. I tried putting myself in her shoes before. Thinking about how it would change you if you always had a leg up on everyone you meet because you can see their thoughts. It's a double edged sword though. You also know what everyone thinks of you and not many people have high opinions of her. Doesn’t excuse her actions but that has to be tough..."
Your words have Fortuna’s rapt attention. She doesn’t look at you with any judgement. If anything, she seems like she is studying your words very carefully.
When you finish speaking your concerns, Fortuna offers you a comforting smile and says, "Do you want the good news or the bad news? A lot of supers don’t like to talk about how they got their powers. You certainly aren’t alone in getting them from a mask of dubious origins. My life forever changed the day I put this mask on too. Luckily for me," she gives a wink when she says luckily as if her brand is so deep seated it is an involuntary reflex at this point, "this mask doesn’t talk to me. But you aren’t the first that I have heard say something like that.

"Have you ever heard of Elfshot? Probably not. She’s not well known. Spends most of her time in New Atlantis and most people like to pretend that place doesn’t even exist for some reason. But anyways, she also got her powers from an old discarded relic. We talked for hours about where these items might have come from before she hesitantly asked if my mask talked to me too... I thought she was joking at first but she introduced me to others that described similar experiences. Some well known supers, others less so. I was blown away by how many people were being talked to by the objects that granted them their abilities...

"Some of them got along swimmingly with... whatever these entities are. Others had more antagonistic relationships. Elfshot described her entity as acting much like you just described your own. We talked a lot about what we thought it was and, more importantly, what it wanted. I wish I could tell you that we ultimately landed on something concrete..." Fortuna shrugs her shoulders.

"She has this theory. Thinks that the entities are benevolent, even if it doesn’t seem like it. She thinks they are pushing us to make us better heroes. Forcing us to confront our fears and come out the other side stronger. She says that my mask probably had a voice inside it at one point but it must have been defeated by whoever had the mask before I did." Fortuna shakes her head. It is clear she does not agree entirely with these theories.

"I haven’t seen Elfshot in a while. Too long. To say I’m worried would be putting it mildly. I think she challenged whatever that entity of hers is.... I keep telling myself that she won. That she hasn't been around because she evolved into a higher being or whatever... If you aim to challenge whatever is inside your mask, please don’t do it alone. I don’t want to risk... not knowing what happened to another friend."

Miss Direction's shoulders seem to relax now that she knew Fortuna wasn't going to try and institutionalize her for hearing voices. She wanted to feel relieved that other heroes dealt with the same things she did, and, in a way she was, but that relief was overshadowed by the thought of other entities, as powerful or more so than the one that accompanied her, being out there.

"I'd consider taking a trip of New Atlantis, but, like you said, I have to balance both lives." She sighs morosely. "I don't have the luxury of taking off to look into it all without drawing suspicion."

"You know... I had actually thought of asking you about that. Taking a trip of New Atlantis, before I even knew about Elfshot," she mutters, segueing into part two of the meeting. "I had spoken with Officer Bailey about Lily's progress, and about wanting to see her." Looking pointedly at the streets below, she tries to push sincerity and purpose back into her voice, with minimal success. "I don't really feel guilty anymore... I don't think. I think I just want to show her that... that she didn't win. That I'm still going to carry on trying to protect people, despite what she put me through..."

"Maybe while I'm there, I can find out what happened to her after I blacked out, if she'd even tell me." She makes the mistake of looking at Fortuna again, and then right back down over the edge. "Not that I'd be able to do it any time soon. I mean, Bailey told me she had barely just starting coming out of her state..." she rambles, before stopping herself.

"Whoa, slow down there cowgirl. I wouldn't go hoping on the first weird portal thing to New Atlantis just yet. It's a weird place filled with strange people who don't play by the rules." She thinks for a minute and realizes that perfectly describes Crowfall as well. She shakes her hands to wave that thought off. "What I'm trying to say is, it would probably be best to have a little more understanding of what is inside your mask and what it wants before you go walking those cobblestone streets. There are a lot of... things that are far older than us puny humans in that place that would just love to take advantage of someone in your position in order to get out of there. Lilith can run a pretty tight ship and not everyone appreciates her watchful eyes."

Fortuna pauses as she contemplates how to respond to what you say about the Medium Madam. "I applause you on that, kid. That drive to keep fighting the good fight is hard to keep lit sometimes and if she wasn't able to extinguish it, then I doubt anyone or anything ever will. You think long and hard before talking to her though. I know you might want closure and it'd be nice to show you are the bigger woman, but it also plays right into her cards. It could fuel her if she learns that she is still on your mind. Lily sure has got some ego."

Something down the street catches Fortuna's eye. She stands up and places a hand over her eyes like she is a lookout on a ship who is trying to block out the sun. The sun that set hours ago. "I'll make a few calls, maybe trade in a few favors. It ain't easy to get a call into the Catacombs but it can be done. And I'll double down on finding Elfshot. I think it would be good for both of us if we could talk to her." Fortuna's gaze follows a pair of white cargo vans driving down the street one after the other. "I think it's showtime, Missy. Try to keep up."

Fortuna draws a pistol from her belt and fires a grappling hook across the street so she can literally swing into action and pursue the vehicles.

Miss Direction nods at all of the good advice Fortuna is offering her, but it takes her a few seconds to realize that something was happening. Shaking her head to get it on straight, sending a few bells tinkling away on her hat, she longing looks at the disappearing superheroine.

"I want a grappling hook..." she whines before taking off in a series of tumbles and leaps to try and keep up from the rooftops.

It is a little difficult to keep up with Fortuna and the van while making your way on foot. You watch as she dual wields grappling hooks to swing around the city like some kind of human spider. She makes absolutely not attempt to remain hidden Fortuna hoots and hollers, attracting the attention of just about everybody on the streets of Crowfall. Civilians passing buy reach for cameras and heads pop out of the windows of the van.

The driver puts the pedal to the metal. They have to swerve constantly to avoid traffic as they use both sides of the road to try and get away from Fortuna. She seems completely unfazed by the increased danger to pedestrians and other vehicles that the van very narrowly avoids contact with. Every once in a while you’ll read a article about a hero’s actions accidently causing harm to civilians. You’ve never heard a story like that about Fortuna though. Maybe it is that uncanny luck of hers.

Fortuna fires her grappling hook directly at the van. It crashes through the back door and quickly starts reeling her in like a manic laughing fish. "Hurry up, Missy, or you’ll miss out on all the fun!" she calls back to you.

Maybe its the adrenaline pumping through her system as she tries to chase down Fortuna and the White Vans (which she decides to write down later as a possible band name if the hero thing doesn't work out), or being called out in such a way by the heroine, but a smile finally cracks on her face as she gives pursuit.

Racing along the rooftops isn't working. She's fast, but not fast enough to keep an eye on both where she is going and where the vans are going. If she was going to catch up, she was going to have to think outside of the box.

Luckily, that was her specialty.

---

This was not a good night for the driver. They hadn't expected any resistance. The streets had been quiet since the capture of Medium Madam, and it almost seemed like the perfect time to pull off some dastardly deeds. God, the others hated it when he called them that, but he couldn't help it. It just gave him a chuckle to think of their crimes in the same light as those Saturday morning cartoons he used to watch when he was younger.

It also helped him sleep better at night.

What isn't going to help him sleep better at night is the whooping and hollering of a certain super heroine that they absolutely could not have afforded to encounter tonight. Her grappling hook bursting through the back of the window matched the cries of outrage from his companions as one of them tried in vain to work it free. His heart dropped as well, but mostly from the fact that he would no longer be able to get the deposit back on the rental.

That's when they hear Fortuna yell. Who was she calling out to?

A few seconds later, a strange sound catches his attention. Was that... carnival music? The strangely joyful tune poured in from the hole in the rear window, and when he checked the mirror he could see what appeared to be a jester chasing after them on impossibly long legs.

This night just kept getting better and better.

---

Miss Direction honestly didn't expect the stilts to work this well, but the extra length to her stride helped her make great time, as well as being able to follow directly along the road. The only problem was her cards. Every time her 'foot' landed, it would send cards flying out in each direction from the force. She kept shuffling and sending her cards to rebuild and reinforce, but she knew it would only last so long.

Within a few seconds she was just behind Fortuna, and a new problem presented itself. She couldn't step closer without getting in the other's way.

Well, its a good thing she wasn't too attached to her new legs. Stepping forward toward the side of the van, she allows the stilt to dissolve, but not before bringing the other one down to send her forward in a leap towards the roof of the un-hooked van.

You slam into the roof of the van with enough force to cause it to dent heavily. You wince in pain and think about how even your bruises are going to start having bruises if every night of super heroics continues like this.

The goon at the wheel panics and starts cutting the wheel back and forth in a desperate bid to shake loose the superhero on the roof. It sort of works. You leap from the van as it starts to roll. Sticking the landing on the sidewalk takes practically no effort and gives you a front row seat to the chaos.

The van you were just on top makes two full rotations before coming to a stop back on its wheels just in time for the second van to slam into it. Fortuna is launched into the air and fires her grappling hook around a nearby streetlamp. This allows her to redirect her momentum into a series of flips and she lands directly next to you on the sidewalk.

Crooks start to crawl out from the wreckage. Fortuna gives you a smile, cracks her neck, and charges into the fray. She socks one mook in the gut just as he was going to draw a gun. You can hear the sound of footsteps walking over broken glass on the other side of the wreck as everyone from the other vehicle works their way around to get a piece of the heroes that ruined their night.

Fortuna slams one of her pistols back into its holster, then quickdraws and fires at one of the wheelmen. A net rapidly expands from the barrel of the gun and completely encapsulates the man. She mockingly blows smoke from the barrel and puts it back into her holster.

---

Dice Pool Limit: 5

Current HP
Miss Direction: 3
Fortuna: 3

Threat Rating:
Mooks: Petty Crooks - 10

Miss Direction brushes imaginary dirt from her hands as she stands to look at the wreckage her landing had inadvertently caused. Rolling her shoulders a bit, she approaches the goons coming out of the van at a slight jog.

Not to be outdone, Miss Direction gives the first goon a resounding kick to the chin as he makes his way to his feet, and begins to launch into a series of kicks, somersaults and twists to avoid any gunfire that might happen. Hopefully Fortuna's luck extends to her, so no onlookers get injured.

Both you and Fortuna move effortlessly around the petty thieves. Their punches and kicks don’t come close to landing and every second you guys are sending another one down the asphalt with solid strikes.

The two of you move in unison on a gunman and strike him across the face at the exact same time. The gun he was about to fire goes flying from his hand right into the middle of a puddle of leaking gasoline. You watch as it ignites and the fire races back toward one of the wrecked vans. "That can’t be good," is all Fortuna manages to say before the van explodes. You feel a rush of heat and concussive force that lifts you into the air...

---

Two nights before that explosion, you are standing next to your mother. She has your face held between both hands and appears to be inspecting you. The look on her face is not one of approval. "How have you been sleeping? I don’t know if it is all that time you spend in the dank basement of that museum or too many late nights, but these dark eyes make it pretty obvious that you need to take better care of yourself. I know the past few days have been stressful for all of us. Why don’t we do a nice relaxing spa weekend together?" Mary realizes she is still maintaining a deathlike grip on your face. She drops her hands after giving your cheek a little pinch.

---

Current HP
Miss Direction: 2
Fortuna: 2

Holly tries in vain to pull away from her mother's prying inspection. She knows how terrible she looks, and she tries not to let in on the fact that she's been working a full-time job on top of spending most of her nights prowling the streets to fight crime.

Well, she had been, but her tussle with Medium Madam had given her the incentive to take it easy and rest her aching body for a few nights until she could meet with Fortuna.

"I've been sleeping fine, mama," she whines, though her lie is ruined by a yawn she has to stifle. "Just been a rough week, putting in extra hours to help out since the directors been on leave. And what about the shop? Can't really leave for a weekend if someone needs to watch it."

Mary rolls her head and lets out a groan of frustration. "Don’t get me started on that shop. During the best of times it is barely staying afloat and I think we both would agree that this isn’t the best of times. Half the customers only come in to see your father. I honestly don't see the point in keeping it open." She looks across the room at your father as he jokes around with old friends. "Of course that isn’t going to stop me from putting in my hours. I just wish he saw this the same way I do: as a sign that it is time for us to sell that place and get ready for the next stage of our life."

The way she says this sounds ominous for the status quo of the Morton family.

Holly's expression melts into defensive sadness. "I know that it hasn't always been easy, but that shop means the world to Dad. I couldn't begin to think of what he'd do with himself without it." She tells her mother, knowing she doesn't really have to.

Her mother was probably the only person in the Morton family ready to move on to a life of normalcy. Patrick, of course, was still a party clown on the side. Her father would never hide from a chance to be in the spotlight, even if that meant being the owner of a pawn and oddities shop. Holly was probably the closest to normal, but even she couldn't get past all of the good memories she had of that shop.

But, Holly thought as she folded her arms, her mother did have a point. It wasn't her father's shop that paid the bills. It was her mother's talent as a seamstress. That was what kept them clothed, fed and under a roof with as few leaks as they could manage.

She pursed her lips thoughtfully, and when she looked up, she could already see that self-satisfied gleam in her mother's eye when she recognizes that someone knows she's right. But there's definitely a hint of sadness there as well. "What would be the next stage? Do you guys even have anything saved for your retirement?"

Mary gives you a defensive look of mild shock. "Come on, Holly. Of course we’ve put away some savings. I know you and Patrick don’t exactly need us taking care of you these days, but that doesn’t mean that your father and I are helpless and senile yet either. We aren't ready to turn the tables and ask to move in with you because we can no longer support ourselves." She takes a deep breath. It is clear that the stress of this week has weighed heavily on her. It isn’t in her nature to lash out like this. Mary runs her hand across your arm and gives an apologetic smile.

"I’m sorry. I only meant that you don’t have to worry about us. We'll be fine. But it certainly would be a lot easier to make what we have saved up last if we were further from the city. A lot further. I hate to be so far away from you and Patrick, especially if grandkids are ever going to be on the way, but... this city has a way of wearing you down. Does that make sense?"

Holly is quick to hold up her hands defensively, clearly seeing that she struck a nerve. In fact, its helping her recognize how all of these people in the same house was just a powderkeg of emotions ready to explode at the first drop of a match, at least for those among her family.

"I get it, I know. I wasn't trying to imply you guys are helpless. I just know how dad can be with money, so I just wanted to be sure," she explains. "And I completely agree, this city can be a real drag, but, unfortunately, its where the work is."

"It’s also where the crime is. And the superheroes." The tone she says this with makes you think she holds both groups in the same regard. "Do you ever get the impression that the first priority of these costumed crime fighters is their own enjoyment and actually helping people is a distant second?"

---

"This is so much funnnnn!" Fortuna shouts while dodging the punches of two goons and quickly following up with a spin kick that puts them both on the ground.

Another van of thugs comes flying around the corner of the street. Fortuna reaches into her holders and draws both pistols. She crosses her arms over each other and fires steel cables from each gun. The cables intertwine with one another and embed themselves in the brick walls of nearby buildings. Fortuna dives out of the way as the truck collides with the unseen wire and comes to a very abrupt stop. Those that aren't knocked out by the crash throw up the doors of the van and rush out to enter the melee.

---

Dice Pool Limit: 5

Current HP
Miss Direction: 2
Fortuna: 2

Threat Rating:
Mooks: Petty Crooks - 4

Miss Direction turns to face the newcomers to the party, a pleasant smile on her face as she lets two, card-woven whips form from her grip. She sends one wide, making a number of them focus on the end of it trailing up into the night sky as she flicks the other out to catch one of them by the ankle, bringing him falling to the ground as she rips his feet out from under him.

The other whip comes down with a crack to disable another goon, all while she keeps her eyes out for both onlookers and enemies. She didn't want anyone to get hurt.

The last goon falls with the crack of your whip. Fortuna twirls a gun around her finger, blows away smoke, and slams it back into its holster. "Not bad, partner." She gives you a smile and mimes shooting you with finger pistols. Off in the distance you hear police sirens. The citizens of Crowfall are well accustomed to alerting the authorities when superheroes business is happening outside their windows.

You look around and see the chaotic battlefield. Three vans are destroyed, a dozen or more men are down for the count, and there is no sign of what these men were fighting for. It is relieving to see that no innocent bystanders were caught in the crossfire.

A trio of police cars round the corner. When they see you and Fortuna, they shut off the sirens but keep the reds and blues flashing. The officers exit their vehicles and get to work. The most senior officer walks up to you and Fortuna.

"So what do we got ourselves here?"

"Had a tip these boys were transporting something dangerous for the Court," Fortuna informs the cop. He shakes his head. You assume Fortuna is talking about the Order of the Eternal Court. The secret society of Crowfall’s elite who like to play puppet master with everyone living in the city.

"This is above my paygrade."

"Couldn’t agree with you more." Fortuna gives him a playful wink and a shove to his shoulder. The cop looks pleased to be getting attention from one of Crowfall’s most popular heroes. "So you wouldn’t mind it if we came along when you talk to these boys, would you?"

It doesn’t take much more arm wringing to get the officer to agree. Fortuna walks back over to you with the smile of a winner on her face. "It isn’t past your curfew yet, is it? What do you say to a race to the precinct?" Before getting a response Fortuna draws a pistol and is pulled into the air when her grappling hook grips the side of a building down the street.

---

Dice Pool Limit: 5

Current HP
Miss Direction: 2
Fortuna: 2

Threat Rating:
Mooks: Petty Crooks - DEFEATED

Side Objective:
Beat Fortuna to the police station - Most successes win

"Wha-?" is all Miss Direction manages to get out before Fortuna disappears into the night sky, propelled by her trusty grappling hook.

"No fair!" she calls out in mock outrage before pondering her options. The stilts had worked pretty well, but there was no way she could take them all the way to the police station. She was doomed on foot. Then her eyes look down at all of the shattered glass, reflecting the stars back at her.

Perfect. She smiles wide as she waves her hand and a number of glass shards pool themselves together, carefully avoiding officers and subdued crooks alike, as she turns back to the senior officer. "Its been a pleasure, sir. Keep up the good work!" she tells him, giving him a playful salute as she pratfalls backwards into the makeshift mirror and disappears into the image it has created of one of the women's restrooms at the precinct.

Try and beat this! she thinks as she vanishes into the puddle mirror, and it shatters back into its component shards.