As the smoke envelops them, the air around them changes, the smell of construction and dust being replaced with...esperation. And machine oil. And the smell of someone who hasn’t changed out of his battle armor in a long, long time.
Bruce Wayne hasn't worn the Batman mask in a while, not in private, and he hasn't bothered to put it on now. A redhead woman also wearing a Bat uniform stands nearby, a batarang dangling from her fingertips as she watches them warily. And, waving smoke away from her face, is a woman in fishnets and a stage magician’s outfit, moving to sit heavily behind them.
"It’s been a long time. You people have a talent for showing up at the worst points of someone's life, don't you?" Humor isn’t something Bruce has had a lot of time to indulge in. His mouth barely quirks into a smile before dropping into the familiar Batman scowl. "I'm not sure why the Legion of Super Heroes has taken so long to take an interest, but I could use your help again. Not that you have a choice, the Regime's taken your Time Sphere and locked it away in the Hall of Justice."
It takes some time but he explains it all in fairly simple terms: five years ago, the Joker kidnapped Superman's pregnant wife, Lois Lane, implanted a device in her that would trigger a bomb when her heartbeat stopped, then drugged Superman with kryptonite-laced fear gas so that he accidentally killed her, thinking he was fighting one of his enemies. When her heart stopped the detonator triggered, causing a nuclear bomb to also destroy Metropolis.
The bomb, plan, and detonation device were given to the Joker, however, from an outside influence -- most likely the four Time Travelers.
In the five years since, Superman's become lost to his grief, gone mad with power, and taken over the world with a soul-crushing totalitarian regime, in an attempt to stop all crime. Many heroes and innocents have died opposing him, civil rights are being trampled on. Several powerful heroes -- like The Flash and Yellow Lantern -- have aligned with him.
"I did my research after the incident in the hospital with Barbara. I've discovered traces of the time travelers' interference in historical records, digital surveillance, and the personal accounts of other heroes -- countless alterations to history that undermine the defenses of the planet. If they're the ones that equipped the Joker five years ago, they're responsible for the nightmare the world is facing now, and they're probably preparing the planet for something even worse. We need to get your time machine out of the Regime’s hands. If you can go back and prevent the incident that set Superman down this path, this nightmare will be over and we'll undermine the Four's plans -- but we'll have to defeat the Regime to get to it.”
He speaks like a man who doesn't expect any opposition to what he's saying. In his mind, there's no other choice. As far as he's concerned, defeating the Regime is the only way to set things right. Even if their mission to travel back in time and prevent the Regime from forming makes this entire struggle pointless.
[ooc: This thread can be used to ask the Resistance npcs questions, and for characters to take a breather, talk to their friends, make IC plans, etc.]
PART 1: A BREATHER
Bruce Wayne hasn't worn the Batman mask in a while, not in private, and he hasn't bothered to put it on now. A redhead woman also wearing a Bat uniform stands nearby, a batarang dangling from her fingertips as she watches them warily. And, waving smoke away from her face, is a woman in fishnets and a stage magician’s outfit, moving to sit heavily behind them.
"It’s been a long time. You people have a talent for showing up at the worst points of someone's life, don't you?" Humor isn’t something Bruce has had a lot of time to indulge in. His mouth barely quirks into a smile before dropping into the familiar Batman scowl. "I'm not sure why the Legion of Super Heroes has taken so long to take an interest, but I could use your help again. Not that you have a choice, the Regime's taken your Time Sphere and locked it away in the Hall of Justice."
It takes some time but he explains it all in fairly simple terms: five years ago, the Joker kidnapped Superman's pregnant wife, Lois Lane, implanted a device in her that would trigger a bomb when her heartbeat stopped, then drugged Superman with kryptonite-laced fear gas so that he accidentally killed her, thinking he was fighting one of his enemies. When her heart stopped the detonator triggered, causing a nuclear bomb to also destroy Metropolis.
The bomb, plan, and detonation device were given to the Joker, however, from an outside influence -- most likely the four Time Travelers.
In the five years since, Superman's become lost to his grief, gone mad with power, and taken over the world with a soul-crushing totalitarian regime, in an attempt to stop all crime. Many heroes and innocents have died opposing him, civil rights are being trampled on. Several powerful heroes -- like The Flash and Yellow Lantern -- have aligned with him.
"I did my research after the incident in the hospital with Barbara. I've discovered traces of the time travelers' interference in historical records, digital surveillance, and the personal accounts of other heroes -- countless alterations to history that undermine the defenses of the planet. If they're the ones that equipped the Joker five years ago, they're responsible for the nightmare the world is facing now, and they're probably preparing the planet for something even worse. We need to get your time machine out of the Regime’s hands. If you can go back and prevent the incident that set Superman down this path, this nightmare will be over and we'll undermine the Four's plans -- but we'll have to defeat the Regime to get to it.”
He speaks like a man who doesn't expect any opposition to what he's saying. In his mind, there's no other choice. As far as he's concerned, defeating the Regime is the only way to set things right. Even if their mission to travel back in time and prevent the Regime from forming makes this entire struggle pointless.
[ooc: This thread can be used to ask the Resistance npcs questions, and for characters to take a breather, talk to their friends, make IC plans, etc.]