The Contest [Audio and Mingle]

[whoneedsdepthperception]

A. [Video. 8:00 am. Anywhere in Venture City]

At 8:00 am sharp on this otherwise cheerful morning, a number of television and radio newscasts are briefly hijacked. At the same time, this same signal invades the Omega Friends' "secret" communications network. Even many civilian computers will find that a previously undetected virus has forced open a videochat client. All of these hijackings are of the same thing, a shadowy man with a sinister message.



"Good morning, Venture City. I am terribly sorry to interrupt your regularly scheduled programming, but I have a brief announcement that is very important."

"I am pleased to announce a contest will start today, and end in one week's time. The objective of this contest is simple: I am encouraging you all to go out and seize the day, and defeat whoever stands in the way of your goals. I want to see how well you can crush your enemies. Impress me."

"Whether your target is a hero or a villain is meaningless. I want to see how much of a challenge you are willing to face, and how wily of an opponent you can be."

"The ones who impress me most will be rewarded generously. I have a substantial amount of money at my disposal, but if you are not interested in cash..."

The screen flips away from the talking silhouette to the inside of some sort of vault. It is filled with a variety of gadgets and armor and weapons obtained on the black market. Those of you that have object-specific weaknesses, or know the weaknesses of your enemy, have a good chance of glancing such metaphorical Kryptonite in the vault as well. (Also: literal Kryptonite.)

"I am sure I can find something you'll appreciate."

"I have eyes and ears everywhere. I will be watching. When the time is up, I'll be in touch."

[After Slade finishes his monologue, he will order a minion to return the TV and Radio broadcasts to normal. However, if you are reached via computer, Omega Network, or other two-way device, you should be able to ask Slade a question before he is logged out, if you so desire.]

B. [Mingle. 8:01 am. Anywhere in Venture City]
[After Slade's message, you and the person sitting next to you might have a lot to talk about!]

C. [Mingle. Anytime after the message, anywhere in Venture City]
[Slade has cameras and spies everywhere in Venture City. Feel free to pick a fight with your greatest enemy!]

Comments

Questions

[bigshoulder_lady]

Samus was in her suit, sitting on her ship. That said the message had been intercepted and she had brought it up. While she didn't like this particular character, she knew her boatload of credits from the Galactic Federation were worthless in a non-Gfed planet like this. She was skating by on the fact she had a worthless trinket that had been worth a good deal on the pawn circuit. She needed that money.

"Direct me towards a Villain and I'll get that reward from you. This is The Hunter," She stated in response via her communicator built into the suit. Of course she figured Slade for a NEUTRAL force, not an active villain.

Re: A. Questions

[whoneedsdepthperception]

Slade leans in closer, his face coming into better view on the monitor. "I am well aware of who you are, Hunter. I'd prefer that you selected your own target, but if you need direction..."

Slade keys at a terminal, and the feed changes to a montage of different recordings of Superman in action, fighting various villains. The selected clips are meant to show Big Blue in a bad light, using footage from when he has been forced to use the most brute force and cause the most collateral damage.

"This man is potentially the most destructive force in Venture City. Perhaps all the world. Defeat him, and I will be very impressed, to say the least."

Re: A. Questions-One Way Video

[bigshoulder_lady]

Samus had no face for the monitor, though she could see his masked one perfectly well. The one leaning over as she takes a moment. "I accept contracts, I do not just hunt at random at the behest of a mad man," She stated in her reply to his snip about selecting her own targets. And then there was superman there. Potentially the most destructive. Yet he was the big blue boy scout. She tapped her comm unit, about to tell him to give her an actual target.

Then it dawned on her that she could counter trap him if she accepted this contract and worked with Superman. He never said he wasn't a valid target and he was clearly a villain if he targeted Big Blue. "Okay. He shouldn't be too hard to track down. Contract Accepted," She replied to him. Her voice was somewhat garbled due to a scrambler.

[Video, response to Slade]

[high_on_daylight]

[One of the viewers responded with a light chuckle.]

"I scarcely think anyone here could actually defeat me were I to go all-out. It'd be unsporting to go out and fight them, given that. But then, the point isn't to seek people like me, now is it?"

Re: [Video, response to Slade]

[whoneedsdepthperception]

[Slade's visible eye narrows for a moment as he remembers having watched this same girl decades before. What has it been... twenty, thirty years now?]

"Good morning, Evangeline. You have't changed a bit since I last saw you."

Re: [Video, response to Slade]

[high_on_daylight]

"Much the same for you, though that could just be that you've done a good job maintaining your mask."

[She shakes her head.]

"Quite the interesting angle you're working, though. If it gets anywhere, this could create quite a bit of chaos in town."

audio; omeganet; Spider-Man; reply to Slade;

[webswings]

Oh man, I hate to break it to you, but you just missed someone beating you to the punch on the ominous super villain declarations.

Can we pencil you in sometime for next week? Tuesday, maybe?

Re: audio; omeganet; Spider-Man; reply to Slade;

[whoneedsdepthperception]

My dear boy, what makes you so sure I'm a villain?

[webswings]

...you're serious, right? Do I need to make a list?

Video

[takaradical]

[On the one hand, this is pretty obviously a trap.

On the other, look at all that swag.]

Alright, I'll bite. What's the catch? Lemme see the fine print on this deal.

Re: Video

[whoneedsdepthperception]

That catch is that you have to impress me. If you win a fight with just any thug off the street, I will not even bother watching. Take on a so called "super", and you'll at least have my attention.

Oh, and bonus points if you humiliate them in the process.

[takaradical]

That's it?

[A supervillain that doesn't want to screw him over? What a novel concept!]

Well forgive me if ya don't look like the most trustworthy guy in the world.

Mingle!

[getoutofmylab]

[ Having watched the video through, Dr. Telephosphor is unimpressed. He crosses his legs daintily, sitting back on the rooftop ledge he happens to be perched on. ]

Oh. Capitalism as usual.

A / audio

[akaikutsu]

[ Mako Mori is not impressed with this virus opening her device; she has details on Gipsy in it. She'd have to move them now. Mako Mori is also not impressed by this obvious lack of virtue and this even more obvious attempt at manipulation. She pulls her expression into a flat line, flicking on her audio. ]

The contest is to impress you, to receive illegal materials. Why instigate violence with greed?

[ Also, u rude. U hella rude, get out of my device. But that's left unsaid. ]

Re: A / audio

[whoneedsdepthperception]

[Slade's voice is smug and condescending-sounding.]

My dear, it is through conflict that we evolve. Without conflict there'd be no humanity.

[akaikutsu]

[ She keeps her tone stern, not at all budged. ]

An agreeable point, coming from a superior species.

Who made you a gardener in the city of weeds?

A: video, computer chat

[sociallyawkward]

[ This was totally not how Ruby expected to spend her morning. It was the first day of summer vacation, so naturally she was watching the Saturday morning cartoons. She also had her laptop open next to her. So it was that she got to watch his message twice.

Kind of weird, actually.

When those weapons show up on the screen though, Ruby presses her face right up against the computer screen to get a better look. Wow, some of those were really impressive!!

However, she also noticed that when his message on the TV cut, the one on the computer didn't.

........Which meant it really was a videochat, not just a video file. Probably.

She pulled her face away from the screen, looking a bit shocked. ] Oh. Oh boy. Tell me you can't see me. I'm still in my PJs...

Re: A: video, computer chat

[whoneedsdepthperception]

[Slade rests his chin on his fist as he replies. Rather casual for all the laws he is currently breaking.]

"Young lady, your modesty should be the least of your concerns right now."

[sociallyawkward]

It's not so much my modesty as it is the fact that I... [ Ruby. Ruby no. Is this the time? ]

Wait, hold on. Who exactly are you, anyway?

A: views on computer first, later on omeganet

[blossominghero]

[Tsubomi had been doing research on (what else?) flowers, when this had appeared on screen. Her eyes widened at the sight of it, but she had to keep herself from reacting the way she wanted to.

Thanking the fact her Heart Perfume was out of view, she quickly switched off her computer and moved to leave her room. Once outside, she accessed the network as Cure Blossom]

You're only going to cause a lot of pain and suffering by doing this, sir. Please, call this off...

Re: A: views on computer first, later on omeganet

[whoneedsdepthperception]

[Slade sounds smug.]

I think not. The people of this city would benefit from a little pain and suffering.

[blossominghero]

... You're a villain, then.

You... you won't get away with this, you know! The Omegafriends will stop you...!

A: Computer Chat

[descendsfromshadow]

[Blake had caught the transmission on the small wireless computer device she'd brought into the city with her. Because she remembers that voice, and that mask, all too well. When it ends, she realizes that the feed hadn't actually cut out.

So, he wants to talk? She narrows her eyes.]

You again.

Re: A: Computer Chat

[whoneedsdepthperception]

My star pupil, how nice it is see you again.

[descendsfromshadow]

[His what?]

That's very optimistic of you.

[She isn't anybody's pupil. Least of all to a human like this.]