The Adventure

Dec 6, 2024 9:53 pm

In a few minutes, there's a reply to Small Fry's message:

"I don't know if you're a bot or...? If not, we can talk at 108 Acorn Lane."

That address is in a residential area, similar to this neighborhood. It's about a 10 minute walk away.

Dec 6, 2024 11:02 pm

i’m not a bot. i’m a fairy. on our way1

Small Fry flutters up from the keyboard. "Shall we?" she squeaks in her currently-chipmunky voice.

Dec 7, 2024 10:29 pm

I know exactly where that is
As they make their way over to Acorn Lane Dani pulls out her selfie stick Illuminates herself in golden light and begins streaming
Hey Fuchsia Boosters! It's your girl, Fuchsia Blu with my first official update on #mysuperherojourney. Say hello to the team! She points the camera towards the others unless they are visibly refusing consent. Also it sounds like we're going out on what I would call our first legit superhero adventure as a team...a kidnapping! How exciting is that?
She responds to some of the comments in a mostly generic but generally positive sort of way. Before they reach their destination, she puts the camera away. "Thank you for the hearts you guys, I'll keep you posted on my journey so don't forget to like and subscribe and even better, share this channel with a friend....

Dec 7, 2024 10:53 pm

OOC:

I'd like to see Doppelganger chime in before moving forward with this mission. 3/4 of you want to look into the missing girl situation, but Doppelganger may have other insights or plans.

Doppelganger

witchdoctor

Dec 9, 2024 5:09 am

Darshelle

"We need to learn to work together if we're going to be a team." 'Darshelle said confidently. "And taking in a multinational corporation isn't exactly an exercise that includes 'training wheels'. So let's try some smaller stuff first. Solving a kidnapping sounds like a bit of 'do-gooding' we can handle."

Dec 9, 2024 8:34 pm

You all arrive at Acorn Lane, having worked up some sweat, or a lot of sweat, depending on your individual fitness levels. Remember, the summer heat is blazing.

108 Acorn Lane is the definition of "modest home." Absolutely nothing stands out; it's brick, has windows and doors, and the yard needs more maintenance. Even the most optimistic and wordsmith-y realtor would have a hard time writing an enticing description.

As you walk up to the front door, it opens and a worried-looking woman steps out onto the porch. She appears to be in her 30s, and is dressed conservatively.

"Uh...hello? Are you the Fierce Fource Care One team? With a fairy? I'm Sarah Caldwell. Glad you could make it. Let's talk out here."

She shuts and locks the door behind her, obviously not yet willing to let a strange "super-team" into her home.

Sarah's Stats:

Accountant (2)
Frustrated Poet (2)
Mother (1)

[ +- ] Image

Dec 9, 2024 9:43 pm

Small Fry is about the height of a cell phone—or more to the point, a height at which she is winged. (She did, after all, call herself a fairy via the chat.) While the sun doesn’t bother her, given her Sunshine and Rainbows ‘power,’ she is a little bit ‘winded’ from flying several blocks—kinda like how she felt after the time she ran her first mile.

"Lily LaViolette," she replies to Ms. Caldwell, holding out her hand as if to offer a handshake which is a really bad idea when your hand is smaller than a pinky-nail. That, and she probably isn’t supposed to use her full real name. "My professional name is Small Fry, of Fierce Fource."

She of course gives the team a chance to chime in with intros of their own before asking, "Could you please tell us your daughter’s name, and well… when you last saw her." Small Fry of course wants details about the last time mother and daughter were together. She wants The Story… but she doesn’t want to give too much prompting, trusting a mother would know what information is important.

Sarah Caldwell

Dec 10, 2024 12:14 am

Eyes wide, Sarah "shakes" the teensy hand. But when nothing obvious happens to her, she visibly relaxes, and offers Small Fry a thin smile.

"My daughter's name is Eliza. As the posting said, I last saw her 3 days ago. She just...just didn't come home after school. The school year is winding down, so I thought maybe she was staying after to finish up some work...but...."

A heavy sigh and a long pause.

"Look, the first thing you need to know about Eliza: she's a genius. No, I'm not some delusional parent who believes their child walks on water. She really is smart. She can fix anything, build anything. I think...I think she may even be one of those mutants. Don't mutant powers develop around puberty? Because she's always been smart, but the past six months...the things she can do now...."

She pulls out a photo. You see a spunky, bright-eyed girl surrounded by a clutter of blueprints, tools, and gizmos.

[ +- ] Image of Eliza Caldwell

"That's her. Those things around her? Made them herself...all by herself. She's...she's far beyond me. When she starts talking about engineering and quantum states and...it's hard for me to connect with her. It's hard for anyone to connect with her now...."

Another pause.

"And she's missing and...I don't know if she's been abducted, or if she ran away! You see, she's threatened to run away recently. Said she doesn't need me, that I'm...suffocating her. Said she can patent her inventions, that OmniCorp would hire her for a six-figure salary right now. I told her she needed to stay in school, that her...abilities...might be temporary, and...she didn't listen, of course."

"So now she's gone. Where?! And if someone took her...did they know about her ability, and are planning to use her for...for evil? Or did she just leave on her own...because she hates me...?"

She'd been holding back tears, but now they come in buckets, accompanied by racking sobs.

Dec 10, 2024 1:24 am

Small Fry feels her temperature starting to rise as the mother mentions OmniCorp.

"Oh no… Ms. Caldwell, I don’t believe your daughter hates you. ‘Six-figure salary’ is not the language of a rebellious child." She recalls the feeling she had when she learned Jimmy Z hated his parents. And they were connected to OmniCorp. So was Mr. Johnson who also displayed bizarre anger issues. "It sounds like an OmniCorp exec got to your little girl, and without parental consent at that!"

Dec 10, 2024 4:26 pm

Fuchsia picks up Small Fry's statement and hands it to Ms Caldwell, is that possible Ms Caldwell? Could she be under the influence of another person? Have you noticed her spending time with any new acquaintances?
She pulls out her phone. Does your daughter have any social media that you know about? There may be clues there

Last edited December 10, 2024 4:26 pm

Sarah Caldwell

Dec 11, 2024 1:22 am

The distraught mother tries to stop her blubbering, so she can answer your questions.

"Oh no, I don't think Eliza really wanted to work with OmniCorp. She's never liked them; neither have I. I think she said that just to...to irritate me, and drive home the fact that she doesn't need me."

"But an OmniCorp person approaching her...? Yes, yes, I could see that...and that's what scares me! She'd probably think she could outsmart them, but...."

"No, she hasn't been spending time with new people...the opposite, in fact. All her old friends bore her now. She just wants to tinker, and plan, and...and read manuals and academic papers...."

"She used to have some social media accounts, but she deleted them all once she started getting smarter. Said they were 'brain rot' and 'had traumatized at least two generations.' I tried looking her up anyway once I realized she was missing, but I couldn't find anything."

Doppelganger

witchdoctor

Dec 11, 2024 8:58 am

Darshelle

"Is there something of hers, a personal item or piece of clothing, we can take with us?" Darshelle ashed sweetly. "That might let us follow her 'psychic vibrations'?" Doppelganger had an initial idea of how to find the girl but felt like couching the ask in mumbo-jumbo might sound better than the actual plan of just becoming a bloodhound.

Sarah Caldwell

Dec 11, 2024 8:03 pm

"Psychic...vibrations? So are you a telepath or something? Sorry, this superhuman stuff is all new to me...."

She taps her chin for a few moments.

"Yeah, I can give you something. One second."

She enters the house, shutting the door behind her, but then returns almost immediately. She holds out a colorful leather tool belt, obviously well-used, as it's frayed and worn. It's covered with several ironic stickers and patches. It doesn't appear to have any tools on it, or in its pouches.

[ +- ] Example of Sticker/Patch

"Here you go. She used this one often on her...engineering stuff. Maybe it'll help...if the...vibrations...haven't expired?"

Dec 13, 2024 3:32 pm

Totes_McGee says:

"She used to have some social media accounts, but she deleted them all once she started getting smarter. Said they were 'brain rot' and 'had traumatized at least two generations.' I tried looking her up anyway once I realized she was missing, but I couldn't find anything."[/b]

Hmmm....can't say I completely disagree with her sentiments. Maybe I can take a look with a fresh pair of eyes..."
Fuschia examines the belt, on the off chance that there might be some sort of clue to a potential screen name or online handle,
I love all these stickers and patches, and she gets on her phone and checks for any social media presence including nerdy science and tech forums

Last edited December 13, 2024 3:33 pm

Rolls

Techy stuff - (2d6)

(36) = 9

Dec 13, 2024 9:21 pm

Unfortunately, the belt yields no clues, and Fuchsia can't find any online presence for Eliza.

However, Fuchsia notices an interesting post on the Small Town subreddit: someone was driving by Sal's Junkyard, which is just north of town, and claims they saw a "robotic squirrel" bouncing around the junked cars and other debris.

Several people have commented. A sampling of the responses:

- The OP is full of shit.
- Sal's is a disreputable business run by a jackass.
- It's an OmniCorp conspiracy.
- A warning that nobody should touch the squirrel's nuts.

Dec 16, 2024 10:19 pm

"Squirrel!" Small Fry blurts. She grimaces awkwardly and attempts to regain her composure: "What I mean is… Sal’s sounds like a lead we should… follow."

Doppelganger

witchdoctor

Dec 17, 2024 12:50 am

Darshelle

"We might not need the bloodhound truck after all." she says sweetly. "Girl's a genius inventor so who else is gonna make a robot squirrel? Hm? Might as well check the place out. Worse cones to worse, we looked into the whole robot squirrel thing."

Dec 17, 2024 9:14 pm

hmmm... why not both?
She hands the belt to Doppleganger. To Ms Caldwell she adds,
I have no doubt that we will locate your daughter and get to the bottom of this Ma'am.

Fuschia has no further questions for the distressed mother and is ready to leave when everyone else is.
when they are out of earshot...
You guys... this could be HUGE. Do you guys know what this feels like to me? two words. Arch. Nemesis. I mean c'mon this has evil robot genius mastermind written all over it! robot squirrels? C'mon. This is exactly the kind of content people love. Do you guys remember when Dr Pyra posted her fight with The Earth Gremlins? That video was legendary. This is going to put us in the big leagues in no time!

Dec 18, 2024 1:50 am