# Superheroes of the Trust Game Thread III



## DM_Matt (Sep 3, 2008)

The group verbally pounds Barrington while Optic scrambles his transmission.  Barrington gives up and shuts it off.  

The rest of the funeral goes mostly as planned, with the group, as well as Thess' parents, crowding around to carry the casket, which is a bit awkward considering the incredible range in strength among the group.

The Archbishop says some prayers at the graveside with the rest of the group.  Hope again sees the same ghost by the graveside, who appears briefly before ceasing to maintain her barrier.  

As the event ends, the group has the option to talk to the waiting reporters, or teleport out with Black and White.


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## Victim (Sep 3, 2008)

Star isn't teleporting back, so she'll be available for comments while she checks the weather for her flight back and the news.


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## kirinke (Sep 4, 2008)

Hope decides to linger, to investigate the ghost, which apparently only she sees. If asked, she says she has some private business to take care of. As the others go, she wanders off to a private place, well taken care of, but remote from the reporters and pomp of the funeral.

Stephan's family plot. She sits with head bowed.

"I know you're here," she says quietly to the spirit(s)?

"What do you want?" she asked tiredly.


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## DM_Matt (Sep 4, 2008)

kirinke said:


> Hope decides to linger, to investigate the ghost, which apparently only she sees. If asked, she says she has some private business to take care of. As the others go, she wanders off to a private place, well taken care of, but remote from the reporters and pomp of the funeral.
> 
> Stephan's family plot. She sits with head bowed.
> 
> ...




A ball of purple energy appears.  Within it seems to be Viridian's charm.  "We are Viridian's line of power.  We are her ancestors.  We are Viridian.  We are Maghda.  We are interrupted.  We are...revenge.  And we are...leaving...but we will be heard." 

...it disappears.


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## kirinke (Sep 4, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> A ball of purple energy appears.  Within it seems to be Viridian's charm.  "We are Viridian's line of power.  We are her ancestors.  We are Viridian.  We are Maghda.  We are interrupted.  We are...revenge.  And we are...leaving...but we will be heard."
> 
> ...it disappears.




"Viridian was my friend," she said quietly. "She... was a better witch than I ever will be, I wish...." she closed her eyes, rubbing away tears. "Barrington is directly responsible for her death. His orders, his.... soldiers killed her. He plans on something horrible, something that will tip the balance errevocably towards evil. Many more innocents will die if he is not stopped. Innocents like... Vi." she said, softly, so softly that no one near her could hear, except the spirits themselves. "I can show you," she says. "If you will allow it," she looks up.

"We could use your help and.... In helping us, you will get your revenge." she said, waves of grief, guilt and anger seem to eminate from the deeply troubled superheroine.

"Taking your rage out on his followers will not solve anything. Those people outside the church are dupes, people who have been sucked in by his lies. They... Viridian would not want innocents hurt, however suckered they may be." she said quietly. 

"Do not dishonour her memory like that," she begs. "Please," she looked at Stephan's grave. "Please, do not dishonour her memory, like I did with his," she waved her arm towards the quiet, silent mound of earth dotted with sweet smelling herbs and wild-flowers she had planted.


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## DM_Matt (Sep 4, 2008)

Victim said:


> Star isn't teleporting back, so she'll be available for comments while she checks the weather for her flight back and the news.




Laura Lewis, who had recently gotten the interview from Nitro and seems especially skilled at getting where other reporters can't, approaches Star and says "Great speech today.  Too bad Barrington didn't stay for a debate.  Reactions to what we just saw?"


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## Vanifae (Sep 4, 2008)

Apollo stands by her and nods, "Yeah I wish I had more to say but I feel like I barely knew her... and then she was gone."


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## Elric (Sep 4, 2008)

Nitro butts in.  He notes that Laura Lewis is a stunning blond probably doesn't hurt her ability 'to get where other reporters can't'.  

"Clearly Barrington was afraid to stay for a 'debate' because he has nothing to say.  When you're a mass murderer trying to achieve world domination while trying to pretend that you're a disciple of Gandhi, it's pretty easy to get called out for BS and hard to keep up the act.  It wouldn't have been a debate; it would be Barrington further revealed as the pond scum that he is."


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## Victim (Sep 4, 2008)

Megan takes a few tenths to wipe her eyes and compose herself.  _Okay, don't freak out._  And Apollo and Nitro chime in.  _Well, I thought I was doing this...  Isn't anyone teleporting back?  How is Nitro going to get back on his own?  And Apollo...  I sort of wanted to fly back myself, get some space.  You're sort of distracting...  I need to get this right - I've already screwed up enough.  And don't cry._

"Even if Barrington was telling the truth about Thess's death not being under his orders, that still doesn't paint a very flattering picture of his activities." Star adds.  "Spraying out a large number of poisoned darts means that you're not carefully controlling what size dose the target gets, which seems like it would lead to accidental ODs.  Even if more normal drug problems like allergic reactions and interactions with other drugs have been taking care of."

"And what exactly did Barrington think would happen when he projected a solid seeming holograph into the church?  It's very fortunate no one was hurt.  I don't know exactly how his new device works, but I bet that if he can beam the image from space (I'm assuming Optic informed everyone else once the situation was chaotic), he can put it into the air so other people are out of the line of fire or make the image fuzzy so it's much harder to mistake for a real person."

"Accidents and carelessness shouldn't go together with large scale weather control and ecological modification," Star declares.  "I think that developing nations deserve a better than being the testing ground for dangerous and experimental technologies.  People have already done a lot of damage to the environment just incidentally, so the unintended consequences, especially in the long term, of messing with the climate deliberately with a global network could be disastrous."

"I'm not saying that we should outlaw those sorts of technologies or hide them away.  But we should move with a bit of care and deliberation, and not just have weather control machines spread around the world by a handful of people who aren't living on the planet right now."

Star finishes, then seems a bit embarassed.  _Umm, that was sorta long._  "Is there any thing else?"


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## Vanifae (Sep 4, 2008)

Apollo nods, "Yeah Barrington is showing his hand, he isn't trying to help people just manipulate them.  He isn't interested in improving the plight of the little guy, just himself.  You get more with honey then vinegar my ma would say and he is definitely spreading that honey around but do not be fooled, he is a ruthless criminal/terrorist world threat.  I am running late for an appointment, but if you want a private exclusive and I can fill you in on whatever you like... contact my people."

Apollo hands her a card with his contact information.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 4, 2008)

Wren decides to head out with White and Black.  He has had enough, and needs to get down to some work...


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## Jemal (Sep 5, 2008)

Optic does, of course, inform his colleagues how Barrington projected the image, and quietly requests the Trust to see if they can find the satelite.  If any reporters have questions, he makes himself available to answer them, but declines making a 'general statement'.


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## kirinke (Sep 6, 2008)

Hope gets up, the loss and grief around her palpable and real. "If you wish to help, I will listen. I.... I cannot promise you vengence, but I can promise justice." her expression under her mask was grim and bleak. Barrington had to be stopped. 

She makes her way towards the church and Archbishop Fairwell. It's rather obvious that she's not interested in making a statement to the press.


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## DM_Matt (Sep 7, 2008)

Victim said:


> Megan takes a few tenths to wipe her eyes and compose herself.  _Okay, don't freak out._  And Apollo and Nitro chime in.  _Well, I thought I was doing this...  Isn't anyone teleporting back?  How is Nitro going to get back on his own?  And Apollo...  I sort of wanted to fly back myself, get some space.  You're sort of distracting...  I need to get this right - I've already screwed up enough.  And don't cry._
> 
> "Even if Barrington was telling the truth about Thess's death not being under his orders, that still doesn't paint a very flattering picture of his activities." Star adds.  "Spraying out a large number of poisoned darts means that you're not carefully controlling what size dose the target gets, which seems like it would lead to accidental ODs.  Even if more normal drug problems like allergic reactions and interactions with other drugs have been taking care of."
> 
> ...





"Ya know, that is quite interesting -- the question of side effects.  I'm gunna get the network to consult some scientists about all that.  No one in the press has really addressed it."



Vanifae said:


> Apollo nods, "Yeah Barrington is showing his hand, he isn't trying to help people just manipulate them.  He isn't interested in improving the plight of the little guy, just himself.  You get more with honey then vinegar my ma would say and he is definitely spreading that honey around but do not be fooled, he is a ruthless criminal/terrorist world threat.  I am running late for an appointment, but if you want a private exclusive and I can fill you in on whatever you like... contact my people."
> 
> Apollo hands her a card with his contact information.




"Ya know, I just might do that."



Elric said:


> Nitro butts in.  He notes that Laura Lewis is a stunning blond probably doesn't hurt her ability 'to get where other reporters can't'.
> 
> "Clearly Barrington was afraid to stay for a 'debate' because he has nothing to say.  When you're a mass murderer trying to achieve world domination while trying to pretend that you're a disciple of Gandhi, it's pretty easy to get called out for BS and hard to keep up the act.  It wouldn't have been a debate; it would be Barrington further revealed as the pond scum that he is."




"I'd like to ask you a bit more about your alleged government ties, but I think it could be good for everyone if we had an in-depth interview with a bunch of you...in prime time.  Next week, maybe?  It will give you guys the chance to defend yourselves in a more detailed fashion -- before a HUGE audience.  I think it would be a great opportunity for you."


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## Elric (Sep 7, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "I'd like to ask you a bit more about your alleged government ties, but I think it could be good for everyone if we had an in-depth interview with a bunch of you...in prime time.  Next week, maybe?  It will give you guys the chance to defend yourselves in a more detailed fashion -- before a HUGE audience.  I think it would be a great opportunity for you."




Nitro's wrestler persona is back, but somewhat muted by the occasion.

"That would definitely be a better occasion for it.  I can't deny any request to appear before a huge audience.  Especially in prime time.  Sounds great."


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## Victim (Sep 7, 2008)

> Apollo nods, "Yeah Barrington is showing his hand, he isn't trying to help people just manipulate them. He isn't interested in improving the plight of the little guy, just himself. You get more with honey then vinegar my ma would say and he is definitely spreading that honey around but do not be fooled, he is a ruthless criminal/terrorist world threat. I am running late for an appointment, but if you want a private exclusive and I can fill you in on whatever you like... contact my people."
> 
> Apollo hands her a card with his contact information.






> "Ya know, I just might do that."
> 
> "I'd like to ask you a bit more about your alleged government ties, but I think it could be good for everyone if we had an in-depth interview with a bunch of you...in prime time. Next week, maybe? It will give you guys the chance to defend yourselves in a more detailed fashion -- before a HUGE audience. I think it would be a great opportunity for you."




Star looks visibly uncomfortable.  _Private exclusive...   And I don't like crowds either._  She glances around at the stars and the reporter.  _I don't belong here._  "I'll just let you work that out.  Bye."  Megan flies off, first heading out to sea, then going supersonic back to the base.


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## Vanifae (Sep 7, 2008)

Apollo watches her ago and then smiles at the reporter, "I am down for that, big crowds don't scare me."


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## DM_Matt (Sep 7, 2008)

Victim said:


> Star looks visibly uncomfortable.  _Private exclusive...   And I don't like crowds either._  She glances around at the stars and the reporter.  _I don't belong here._  "I'll just let you work that out.  Bye."  Megan flies off, first heading out to sea, then going supersonic back to the base.




(She meant viewing audience)


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## DM_Matt (Sep 7, 2008)

Elric said:


> Nitro's wrestler persona is back, but somewhat muted by the occasion.
> 
> "That would definitely be a better occasion for it.  I can't deny any request to appear before a huge audience.  Especially in prime time.  Sounds great."




"Great.  I'll have my people call Mr. Gold."


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## DM_Matt (Sep 7, 2008)

(Lets get back on track.  BTW, Psi Ki's palyer wound up not having time.  She might show up again though later.  Meanwhile, I got another replacement character)

Shortly after everyone gets back to HQ, each of you receive a text message "s-wing, mtg room, 5m. -w/b."  When you arrive, Black, White, and Blue are already waiting, as well as two others -- a short brunette with glasses none of you have seen before, and a lanky man with a tag clearly indicating himself to be a member of Green division.  Each seat, as before, has a screen mostly set into the table, but popping up a bit, a name screen on the back, a keyboard, and a dock for your phones. When you plug in, it automatically logs you in on the local machine and displays your name on the back.  The Green division guy is Beta Green 8.  The other is listed only as Chi Violet.  The Chi designation is for special individuals not currently assigned to a superteam or non-super division.


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## G. Skylark (Sep 7, 2008)

Skylark looks up and gives a curt nod to the others as they each enter the room.  At the same time she is arranging files on her PDA, looking for any agenda, briefings, or notifications relevant to this meeting.  She also self-consciously closes the Freecell game she was playing.

Unsure of the etiquette of the situation, she considers remaining quiet until the meeting begins.


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## Victim (Sep 7, 2008)

Eyes red, Star flies into the room, looks around, and drops into her chair.  _That was fast - Thess is barely in the ground.  On the other hand, I guess they already have my replacement on the team, so why would they wait long on someone else._ 

She logs in wordlessly, and lays her head down against keyboard.


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## DM_Matt (Sep 7, 2008)

Victim said:


> _That was fast - Thess is barely in the ground.  On the other hand, I guess they already have my replacement on the team, so why would they wait long on someone else._




(huh?)


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## kirinke (Sep 8, 2008)

Hope returns to the base after taking care of some personal business in Freedom city. She notices the new face and grimances internally. *War gives no time to the bereaved, nor does it allow for us time to cope. * She thinks, vision swimming momentarily with unshed tears. She blinks them back, rubbing her eyes and grabs a bottle of water from the nearby fridge and downs it to ease the tension in her throat. 

"I'd... I'd say hello and welcome... Only I wish it weren't under these circumstances," Hope tells the newcomer softly.


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## DM_Matt (Sep 8, 2008)

White says* "Sorry to put you guys back to work so quickly, but we have some options here.  Grant has both delayed and expanded his product launch -- into  a three-day series of parties, meetings, and product launches -- thats launches plural -- starting in another week.  Chi Violet here -- Skylark --  is a scientist who will come in handy on that mission...and probably a preceding one...and hopefully on a permanent basis depending on how things go.  Beta Green 8 here is saying that Grant has been laying a lot of financial groundwork for this, some of it quite suspicious.  He'll be working on getting you what you'll need.  

But first, there's a mission that you might consider beforehand.  Mr. Black?"
*


"Yeah. We have heard that the CIA has an informant in Barrington's largest factory complex, located in Tianjang in China.  We know that they are not only producing tower components and mechs, but pieces of Barrington's hyperdrive.  The problem is that they aren't going to do anything.  Something about not messing with China.  Probably wise for the government, but we're not the government, no matter what that bastard Shepard says.  Blue, show them the intel."


"Gladly."  (images pop up on the screens at your seats).  Here we see a satelite image of the factory.  You'll notice that its heavily guarded, and located at the outskirts of the city.  Its workers live in town though, and they regularly send and receive shipments."  The map pans out "here you can see the paths that goods have taken.  It seems that this factory takes in parts from many others and assembles them for final shipment, as well as adds the finishing -- and more powerful -- technological touches.  It is also the only site in China that ships directly to Dr. Otaku's base."

Black picks it up again "Our suggestion is that you find this contact, and use his information to disable the facility.  We have a problem, though.  We don't know who the contact is.  We know who his handler is...here is his personnel file.  His name is Dick Markum.  42 years old, African-American, 6 feet tall, MIT grad, moved on to the Marines, recruited into the CIA from there,  top US field agent in China....oh, and he was in the same government enhancement program I was. They spliced in some Grue DNA.  He has limited shapeshifting and mind reading powers...and we don't know where he is."


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## Elric (Sep 8, 2008)

Nitro nods to the newcomer.  _A shy but sexy librarian type._

"Disabling Barrington's factory sounds good.  Hopefully this will go better than our last operation in a factory when I got speared by a welding bot wielding a red-hot poker.  And I emerged pretty unscathed in the scheme of things there."


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## Victim (Sep 8, 2008)

Star groans.  "So we go to China - where most of us will stick out like sore thumbs because we're not Chinese - and then try to find one shapeshifting guy.  Without knowing where he is.  And then we get him to show us this other unknown guy.  And we use that guy to disable the factory."

"Does anyone even speak Chinese, or Mandarin, or whatever?"  _I guess this new person must._


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## Elric (Sep 8, 2008)

Victim said:


> Star groans.  "So we go to China - where most of us will stick out like sore thumbs because we're not Chinese - and then try to find one shapeshifting guy.  Without knowing where he is.  And then we get him to show us this other unknown guy.  And we use that guy to disable the factory."
> 
> "Does anyone even speak Chinese, or Mandarin, or whatever?"  _I guess this new person must._




"Forget about speaking Chinese and blending in for a second.  Can we get some really good masks?  The pollution is pretty terrible there and fighting while breathing that air doesn't sound fun."


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## DM_Matt (Sep 8, 2008)

Victim said:


> Star groans.  "So we go to China - where most of us will stick out like sore thumbs because we're not Chinese - and then try to find one shapeshifting guy.  Without knowing where he is.  And then we get him to show us this other unknown guy.  And we use that guy to disable the factory."
> 
> "Does anyone even speak Chinese, or Mandarin, or whatever?"  _I guess this new person must._




Blue says "I thought of that.  Fortunately, thanks to some of Op-Tech's better ideas, we just finished aspects of the mental interfaces for your phones.  Now you'll be able to interact with our databases merely by thinking. We can't yet add in direct displays without surgery, but we are able to use our new-and improved earphones to produce audio responses, which means that we can incorporate translation software.  You'll hear everything in English, and be fed your thoughts in Chinese when you think about doing that.  Nifty huh?"


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## DM_Matt (Sep 8, 2008)

Victim said:


> Star groans.  "So we go to China - where most of us will stick out like sore thumbs because we're not Chinese - and then try to find one shapeshifting guy.  Without knowing where he is.  And then we get him to show us this other unknown guy.  And we use that guy to disable the factory."




Black grims mischieviously "Sounds fun, doesn't it..."


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## Victim (Sep 8, 2008)

"If we run into Control Freak again with those mental interfaces, aren't we going to be pretty screwed?" Star asks.  "It sounds like we're going to get caught and provoke an international incident."


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## Elric (Sep 8, 2008)

Victim said:


> "If we run into Control Freak again with those mental interfaces, aren't we going to be pretty screwed?" Star asks.  "It sounds like we're going to get caught and provoke an international incident."




"I think we'll figure it out if Control Freak translates everything we're thinking into pig Latin or something.  We'll be detected eventually when we go after the factory, I presume, but I don't think we're going to get captured.  Don't underestimate yourself all the time.  You pack a powerful punch.

We should try to get evidence from the factory about Barrington's activities.  That would help against him directly and if we uncover more credible evidence of nefarious schemes, it would help in the PR war as well."


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## Jemal (Sep 8, 2008)

"Well, the way these interfaces are supposed to work, there's not really anything CF can do to them outside of mistranslating.  He COULD make some rather uncomfortale situations if he manages to tap in and translate something like "We come in peace" to "We want to eat your babies", but if we find out he's there, we can just deactivate the software and/or ignore it until he's dealt with.  That's assuming he even realizes it's incorporated.  If CF messing with our translation is the worst we have to worry about, I'll be VERY happy.  On the other hand, having an actual speaker along just in case of a mistranslation or malfunction would also be advisable."
Optic nods a greeting to the new arrival, automatically commiting her facial features to memory and scanning her DNA for future identification.

"Anyways, finding the handler would be the first thing we have to worry about, and if we can do that quietly there's no reason for Barrington or his gang to have any clue we're even IN China... Say, don't suppose there's been any bloodwork done on Mr Markum, has there?  If I can get a look at a sample of his DNA it should be a lot easier for me to find him, regardless of what he looks like."


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## G. Skylark (Sep 8, 2008)

Skylark whispers back to Hope, in her heavy British, "Terrible business, I'm sorry for yer loss."  If Optic's DNA scanning is noticeable, Skylark is visibly nervous.  _It's alright, 'e's not a Cyberman, that isn't a disintegration ray, this isn't a BBC sci fi programme _she tells herself.  She is oblivious to Nitro eying her up, but when she sees him does think to herself _whot a stonking great Yank_.

Skylark has a few questions of her own for the meeting directors.  "Should we be concerned wit' gathering evidence from th' factory, prior to taking it apart?  And in th' event that Mr. Markum or his agent aren't available to 'elp, should we proceed wit' th' sabotage?"


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## Vanifae (Sep 8, 2008)

Apollo shrugs, "I doubt things will go quietly Barrington has a habit of throwing monkey wrenches into our well "thought" out plans.  I think we have to assume that we will have to fight our way out."


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## DM_Matt (Sep 8, 2008)

Jemal said:


> "Well, the way these interfaces are supposed to work, there's not really anything CF can do to them outside of mistranslating.  He COULD make some rather uncomfortale situations if he manages to tap in and translate something like "We come in peace" to "We want to eat your babies", but if we find out he's there, we can just deactivate the software and/or ignore it until he's dealt with.  That's assuming he even realizes it's incorporated.  If CF messing with our translation is the worst we have to worry about, I'll be VERY happy.  On the other hand, having an actual speaker along just in case of a mistranslation or malfunction would also be advisable."
> Optic nods a greeting to the new arrival, automatically commiting her facial features to memory and scanning her DNA for future identification.
> 
> "Anyways, finding the handler would be the first thing we have to worry about, and if we can do that quietly there's no reason for Barrington or his gang to have any clue we're even IN China... Say, don't suppose there's been any bloodwork done on Mr Markum, has there?  If I can get a look at a sample of his DNA it should be a lot easier for me to find him, regardless of what he looks like."




Black says "As a matter of fact, we do.  We have all the records and research from that program..I mean, this organization is built pretty much on cancelled Cold War projects and that spaceship...and I had a very special personal interest in getting those files.  I'll send over his DNA.  Being that his powers were added through genetic manipulation, I'm sure there is plenty of material on his genetics in the data."


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## DM_Matt (Sep 8, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> Skylark whispers back to Hope, in her heavy British, "Terrible business, I'm sorry for yer loss."  If Optic's DNA scanning is noticeable, Skylark is visibly nervous.  _It's alright, 'e's not a Cyberman, that isn't a disintegration ray, this isn't a BBC sci fi programme _she tells herself.  She is oblivious to Nitro eying her up, but when she sees him does think to herself _whot a stonking great Yank_.
> 
> Skylark has a few questions of her own for the meeting directors.  "Should we be concerned wit' gathering evidence from th' factory, prior to taking it apart?  And in th' event that Mr. Markum or his agent aren't available to 'elp, should we proceed wit' th' sabotage?"




"If possible to both."


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## kirinke (Sep 9, 2008)

_*Great government agent caught in china....*_ Hope grimances inwardly. *Sucky much?* she looked at Black.

"I'm going to need some heavy magical camoflague in order to work in China. They have their own mages, all it'll take is one with the bright idea and the gift of looking at magickal signatures....."

Though she rarely had to use her more offensive powers as an agent, there were times when she had to.

Those would be documented. She had to assume that. Here, she had been very careful while in public not to use the same powers she displayed as a Aegis Agent.... Still.....


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## Victim (Sep 9, 2008)

"It's still a neural interface," Star complains, thiinking of Control Freak's threats in the simulation.  _Do you really think your safeguards are going to be sufficient against his power?_

"So Optic will find the CIA guy with Grue DNA via his super vision, then we'll convince him to put us in touch with his agent..."

"Won't us being Westerners still be suspicious there?"

_Yeah, Nitro, my power is so great; everything is working out wonderfully for me here...  It's not underestimating myself; it's observation.  And great, more trouble with Hope._

"Are we supposed to make an example of the factory, or should be try to hide our sabotage?"


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## Elric (Sep 9, 2008)

kirinke said:


> "I'm going to need some heavy magical camoflague in order to work in China. They have their own mages, all it'll take is one with the bright idea of looking at magickal signatures....."




Nitro ponders.  "Now that you mention it, I might need more disguise than usual.  Assuming WWE China Edition was successful, and I never really paid attention to whether it was, I could have a billion fans who want autographs over there.  It would take a long time to sign that many autographs and I think even my arm might get tired."


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## kirinke (Sep 9, 2008)

She bit her lip and cautiously stretched out with her senses, trying to gauge whether or not this would be a good idea. She prayed this wouldn't be as traumatic as the first vision she had.

*Please no demons, please no demons....*


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## DM_Matt (Sep 9, 2008)

kirinke said:


> She bit her lip and cautiously stretched out with her senses, trying to gauge whether or not this would be a good idea. She prayed this wouldn't be as traumatic as the first vision she had.
> 
> *Please no demons, please no demons....*




She has trouble getting a vision.  This in itself says something though.  Whatever is about to happen, it is extremely unlikely to involve th supernatural.


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## DM_Matt (Sep 9, 2008)

Victim said:


> "It's still a neural interface," Star complains, thiinking of Control Freak's threats in the simulation.  _Do you really think your safeguards are going to be sufficient against his power?_
> 
> "So Optic will find the CIA guy with Grue DNA via his super vision, then we'll convince him to put us in touch with his agent..."
> 
> ...




*"That's your call,"* White says. * "Barrington has been Sigma Team's department, and you guys are the best of the best.  Either way, we'll back your play."*


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## Victim (Sep 9, 2008)

_And if we're not, then we'll just get killed sooner or later..._  She reverses her posture, leaning back just a little bit farther than the chair goes.  "Just running around slagging stuff might be easier, but if we can compromise some components subtlely, then that might be our chance at getting to Otaku right now."


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## kirinke (Sep 9, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> She has trouble getting a vision.  This in itself says something though.  Whatever is about to happen, it is extremely unlikely to involve th supernatural.




The tension drains out of her body and she looks vaguely relieved about something. It... wasn't definate, but at least she would be dealing with demons or the outright supernatural. It tended to bring out the worst in her. 

"Welll... Barrington tried to make a big play in Isreal, lookit how it turned out there. We don't want to go making his mistakes." she looked grim. 

"Just busting in and throwing our powers around probably isn't smart. We don't... We don't want to kill the workers so, we're going to have to be waaay more careful this time than we've been in the past." her hands clenched and unclenched nervously. You don't know if she's speaking for herself or the group in general.


"I'm probably the last person that should be saying that, reminding everyone I mean, considering my past acts. But... I think I'm learning from my mistakes. I know we're all damned angry at Barrington, but...." she took a swing from her water bottle, easing her tight throat again. "What I did before was the heighth of selfishness. Vengence.... Isn't the answer, justice is. Let's.... um. Keep that in mind." 

She said quietly, almost waiting from some snarky remark from Star or one of the others. If it's one thing she did learn from Vi, it was that.


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## Victim (Sep 9, 2008)

(Well, since you were asking for it...  )

"You're the only one who would interpret destroying a factory as doing something that would kill a bunch of people inside," Star returns.  "It makes high tech stuff, so there's going to be plenty of expensive and difficult to replace things for us to break."


----------



## kirinke (Sep 9, 2008)

Victim said:


> (Well, since you were asking for it...  )
> 
> "You're the only one who would interpret destroying a factory as doing something that would kill a bunch of people inside," Star returns.  "It makes high tech stuff, so there's going to be plenty of expensive and difficult to replace things for us to break."




Hope's mouth twitched, into a semblance of a smile. "No. I just mean we have to be much more careful than we have been and that we should all mind our tempers when we get there." she looked at the superheroine. "_No_ collateral casualties at all." 


*At least Star is still snarky. I can live with that. If she wasn't, I'd be worried.* she thought humourlessly. *If anyone tried to replace her, that would be the first sign something isn't right. Star being nice to me.*


----------



## G. Skylark (Sep 9, 2008)

Elric said:


> Nitro ponders.  "Now that you mention it, I might need more disguise than usual.  Assuming WWE China Edition was successful, and I never really paid attention to whether it was, I could have a billion fans who want autographs over there.  It would take a long time to sign that many autographs and I think even my arm might get tired."




Skylark gives an exasperated look.  "'eaven forfend yer fans might be disappointed."

Speaking more generally, "Fancy disguise or no, we should 'ave a cover story as to why we're nosing around.  Even if we look like the locals, to be sure there'll be questions as to who we are and whot our business is about.  Perhaps we're... industrial investors?"

She thinks for a moment, and realizes that she hasn't been introduced.  "Oh, me name is Geraldine Skylark, by the by.  Jus' call me Skylark.  Physicist by trade.  Got, er, gravity powers."  She decides that in this instance, brevity is best.  Or maybe she's just too shy.


----------



## G. Skylark (Sep 9, 2008)

kirinke said:


> Hope's mouth twitched, into a semblance of a smile. "No. I just mean we have to be much more careful than we have been and that we should all mind our tempers when we get there." she looked at the superheroine. "_No_ collateral casualties at all."




"If we're aiming for that, an' I agree that we _should_, I'm supposing it would make finding the agents on the ground all the more important.  They might have an inkling as to when the factory men would be off."  Skylark chomps on a Tums.  "An' in accomplishing this, am I correct in thinking that we shouldn't be going bananas with our powers until we are in the process of bashing the factory to bits?"


----------



## Victim (Sep 9, 2008)

> "An' in accomplishing this, am I correct in thinking that we shouldn't be going bananas with our powers until we are in the process of bashing the factory to bits?




Star frowns sourly, "No flying?  How long do you we think it would take to do this?"


----------



## kirinke (Sep 9, 2008)

"Mmm. We shouldn't be going 'bannanas' with our powers at all. Trust me, it's of the bad." she said darkly. "And yes, been there, got therapy, still in therapy and will continue to have therapy for the forseeable future,"


----------



## Victim (Sep 9, 2008)

"Based on stuff so far - like the Foundry and your baseball game - I don't think we can keep a low profile as long as we'd want to.  It's just not going to work."


----------



## G. Skylark (Sep 9, 2008)

kirinke said:


> "Mmm. We shouldn't be going 'bannanas' with our powers at all. Trust me, it's of the bad." she said darkly. "And yes, been there, got therapy, still in therapy and will continue to have therapy for the forseeable future,"




"Pardon, I was responding primarily to yer concern of using magical power, and of, um, Ms. Star's concern about 'iding our sabotage.  An' it might be a good prudent idea to 'ide our power use jus' on the principle that they might be less properly defended if they aren't expecting a super powered assault.  Which they might anyways..."


----------



## Victim (Sep 9, 2008)

"Since the factory is connected to Otaku and Barrington, it definitely takes supers into account for its security."


----------



## Elric (Sep 9, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> She thinks for a moment, and realizes that she hasn't been introduced.  "Oh, me name is Geraldine Skylark, by the by.  Jus' call me Skylark.  Physicist by trade.  Got, er, gravity powers."  She decides that in this instance, brevity is best.  Or maybe she's just too shy.




"Good to meet you, Skylark.  If you've got gravity powers, I guess you'll be taking over the heavy lifting duties for the group then.  I could never lift tanks without a lot of effort- and we know every superhero group needs someone who can do that with ease.  I guess I'm still go-to guy for getting beat up like crazy, though."



kirinke said:


> "Mmm. We shouldn't be going 'bannanas' with our powers at all. Trust me, it's of the bad." she said darkly. "And yes, been there, got therapy, still in therapy and will continue to have therapy for the forseeable future,"




_'Trust me, it's of the bad?'  Hope can't even talk in coherent sentences anymore.  This self-pity stuff has just gone over the top._

"I think the factory is definitely going to involve some fighting.  Why would this factory be different from the last factory we were at?  But until then we don't want to go around causing a commotion, and we're pretty identifiable by now.  Maybe we can get some of those masks than Ben Fine had created." [for Sarah Grant, then disguised as 'Samantha Granger']


----------



## kirinke (Sep 9, 2008)

Elric said:


> "Good to meet you, Skylark.  If you've got gravity powers, I guess you'll be taking over the heavy lifting duties for the group then.  I could never lift tanks without a lot of effort- and we know every superhero group needs someone who can do that with ease.  I guess I'm still go-to guy for getting beat up like crazy, though."
> 
> 
> 
> ...




ooc:
Hmmm.... Nitro's Sarcasm detection must be off today.


----------



## G. Skylark (Sep 10, 2008)

Elric said:


> "Good to meet you, Skylark.  If you've got gravity powers, I guess you'll be taking over the heavy lifting duties for the group then.  I could never lift tanks without a lot of effort- and we know every superhero group needs someone who can do that with ease.  I guess I'm still go-to guy for getting beat up like crazy, though."
> 
> 
> 
> ...




"Bloody tanks?!  I 'ope not.  But I agree we should assume the competence of our enemies.  So the first part is to get disguises and a cover story, and preferably find these agents.  Subsequently, we figure out 'ow to destroy the factory, then do it?"  Crunch.  "An' if entry by air is troublesome, I could try an' pull us all in wit' a gravitic warp tunnel.  It, erm, should be safe.  Probably."


----------



## Victim (Sep 10, 2008)

"Masks, cover IDs, whatever."


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 10, 2008)

Elric said:


> "Good to meet you, Skylark.  If you've got gravity powers, I guess you'll be taking over the heavy lifting duties for the group then.  I could never lift tanks without a lot of effort- and we know every superhero group needs someone who can do that with ease.  I guess I'm still go-to guy for getting beat up like crazy, though."
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Black says "Getting Ben to help might be hard.  When we met Ben, we tied him up and beat up his girlfriend.  Then we turned his dad he wanted to kill over to the authorities and they released him on bail.  He's refused a security detail we offered him.  We can contact him, but I'm not sure he can get him to make the masks."


----------



## Victim (Sep 10, 2008)

Star sighs, "It would probably take too long to make them anyway."


----------



## Elric (Sep 11, 2008)

"Pretending to be there on business could work.  Maybe we're investors.  If you aren't particularly familiar with us as a superhero group, I think if I had well-coiffed dark hair and a nice suit on I could pass as a businessman.  Just give me some of the hottest new business lingo- 'demand side increasing returns to scale', or something like that, and I'll be set."


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 11, 2008)

Elric said:


> "Pretending to be there on business could work.  Maybe we're investors.  If you aren't particularly familiar with us as a superhero group, I think if I had well-coiffed dark hair and a nice suit on I could pass as a businessman.  Just give me some of the hottest new business lingo- 'demand side increasing returns to scale', or something like that, and I'll be set."




"Easy to arrange." Blue says "And fake papers, too.  Don't get caught, though, I'm not sure how deep we'll be able to worm the records into their databases.  We can also get you satellite transmitters for your phones.  They are already encrypted, but it will be better if we can avoid Chinese networks altogether."

Black says "The real question is how you find Markum..."


----------



## Victim (Sep 11, 2008)

"Just tell who I'm supposed to be for this undercover thing," Star sighs.  _This one is going to take awhile _


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 12, 2008)

(So about formulating  a plan of some kind...)


----------



## kirinke (Sep 12, 2008)

Hope coughed. "Guys, remember the last time we went 'undercover' with the same back-story? They knew who we were before we even got in the door." she looked at each of them. 


"Otaku also has the resources to ferret out our identities even in disguise. Not to mention, he's working for Barrington and I can safely say he also has his own sources of information, ranging from the mundane to the supernatural to the magical." she said, wanting to at least let them in on the realities of what they were doing. Which... When you looked at it closely, it wasn't exactly 'heroic'. They were committing acts of sabotauge. And the country they were invading wasn't gonna be too happy about it.

"Whatever we do, we gotta be careful, far more careful than we have been. This isn't just some super-hero fight when we put the bad-guys away. We're going into a soveriegn country with the intention of smashing some of their resources to hell and gone. This... This is real. This is war, not a game." she said seriously. "And we really, really don't want to be caught." she said, nodding in agreement with Black's earlier statement.

"Whatever our cover is, it's going to have to be perfect. As nearly perfect as we can manage." she added.


----------



## G. Skylark (Sep 12, 2008)

"I'm actually rather new to this international espionage business, but maybe we should pose as tourists?  Be easier t' pull off, an' is possible that 'investors' would be more closely scrutinized by their government.  It would also give us the excuse to wander about wherever, looking for Mr. Markum, on the pretense that we're curious or lost." 

She pops another Tums.  "Another possibility, I suppose, is pure stealth reconnaissance.  Be difficult, sneaking around all the time, and Mr. Markum would have a 'ard time finding us on his own, be 'e able.  Might give our enemies less warning."

"Any ruse we choose, we're going to need all the local information available on Tianjang to search fer Mr. Markum.  In particular, we need maps, especially if an' when we proceed with the factory assault.  The investigative cover we decide on may determine 'ow we get ourselves into Tianjang, but we also need an extraction plan wit' multiple contingencies, since we expect to withdraw under fire."

"Also I have two immediate questions fer the directors.  First, will we be in continuous contact wit' the Trust?  An' second, if we're identified by the Chinese prior to the sabotage, do we retreat?"

She looks around at others for their thoughts and suggestions.


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 12, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> "I'm actually rather new to this international espionage business, but maybe we should pose as tourists?  Be easier t' pull off, an' is possible that 'investors' would be more closely scrutinized by their government.  It would also give us the excuse to wander about wherever, looking for Mr. Markum, on the pretense that we're curious or lost."
> 
> She pops another Tums.  "Another possibility, I suppose, is pure stealth reconnaissance.  Be difficult, sneaking around all the time, and Mr. Markum would have a 'ard time finding us on his own, be 'e able.  Might give our enemies less warning."
> 
> ...




"  Our communications tech can bypass the Chinese intercepts...You can be in constant contact with us...well, Whitey moreso than I...I'm going to be in in South America with a couple strike teams...Barrington's people are getting attacked periodically there, and I think I might be able to call on some old friends from when I was working for the feds making the hemisphere unsafe for Communism.  

Extracting you won't be the easiest.  Preferably, just get out of the country...you should be able to just teleport the group...or Wren if need be.   Otherwise, you backup team can either try to avoid detection and fly in, or else hijack a plane or boat unnoticed and get you out that way."


----------



## Elric (Sep 12, 2008)

kirinke said:


> "Whatever we do, we gotta be careful, far more careful than we have been. This isn't just some super-hero fight when we put the bad-guys away. We're going into a soveriegn country with the intention of smashing some of their resources to hell and gone. This... This is real. This is war, not a game." she said seriously. "And we really, really don't want to be caught." she said, nodding in agreement with Black's earlier statement.
> 
> "Whatever our cover is, it's going to have to be perfect. As nearly perfect as we can manage." she added.




"Yeah.  If the Chinese government really supports Barrington and Otaku in what they're doing at this factory- they probably don't know about the portal to hell thing, but they might know all of the details of what's going on at the factory- then if we're identified, and we almost certainly will be if it comes to breaking into the factory, this could cause a major international incident.

That might be worse than anything we gain from this whole operation even if the sabotage goes as planned.  The US gov might face pressure to extradite us and the Chinese gov might redouble their support for Barrington.  Plus, if we do find credible evidence for the Portal to Hell, the Chinese government might turn against Barrington/Otaku; but they won't believe us if we've been going around blowing up Chinese factories."


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 12, 2008)

Elric said:


> "Yeah.  If the Chinese government really supports Barrington and Otaku in what they're doing at this factory- they probably don't know about the portal to hell thing, but they might know all of the details of what's going on at the factory- then if we're identified, and we almost certainly will be if it comes to breaking into the factory, this could cause a major international incident.
> 
> That might be worse than anything we gain from this whole operation even if the sabotage goes as planned.  The US gov might face pressure to extradite us and the Chinese gov might redouble their support for Barrington.  Plus, if we do find credible evidence for the Portal to Hell, the Chinese government might turn against Barrington/Otaku; but they won't believe us if we've been going around blowing up Chinese factories."




White says "I don't think you'll have to worry about extradition.  Its a high risk, high reward mission.  It is the most important factory and science facility that isn't a superbase, and the superbases -- the Lighthouse and Dr. O's lair, and too well-defended. If we want to stop Barrington's rise, this is the best accessible place to attack and the best source of info out there. "


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 12, 2008)

Black adds "Remember too that Dr. O is technically under house arrest.  China pretends not to be on his side.  We almost certainly will be able to prove that false by hitting that factory.  Besides, we need to know more about those Towers of Peace & Prosperity, because even if not us, there are a whole lot of folks out there who want to destroy them."


----------



## Victim (Sep 13, 2008)

"If the towers are so important, why don't we just go look at one without going to a hostile country halfway across the world and doing secret agent stuff?  We could just go to Mexico and probably have the blessings of a lot of people there, instead of pissing everyone off."



> Hope coughed. "Guys, remember the last time we went 'undercover' with the same back-story? They knew who we were before we even got in the door." she looked at each of them.
> 
> 
> "Otaku also has the resources to ferret out our identities even in disguise. Not to mention, he's working for Barrington and I can safely say he also has his own sources of information, ranging from the mundane to the supernatural to the magical." she said, wanting to at least let them in on the realities of what they were doing. Which... When you looked at it closely, it wasn't exactly 'heroic'. They were committing acts of sabotauge. And the country they were invading wasn't gonna be too happy about it.
> ...




"I remember it working pretty well until it became clear we weren't actually going to buy anything from them because we didn't have the money.  And the I remember you telling them everything," Star returns.  "I don't think that's how to maintain a cover ID."

"We're not going to be walking up to their factory and inviting them to inspect all of our documents.  We just need stuff that puts us in the same city."

"If their superbases are too well defended, aren't we just going to slowly lose anyway since we can't actually tough their main resources?  They haven't had much trouble attacking bases..."


----------



## kirinke (Sep 13, 2008)

Victim said:


> "If the towers are so important, why don't we just go look at one without going to a hostile country halfway across the world and doing secret agent stuff?  We could just go to Mexico and probably have the blessings of a lot of people there, instead of pissing everyone off."
> 
> 
> 
> ...





"Sweety, they already had their heavy hitters in place. They had no intention of letting us leave alive. They already knew."


----------



## Victim (Sep 13, 2008)

kirinke said:


> "Sweety, they already had their heavy hitters in place. They had no intention of letting us leave alive. They already knew."




"Or they're just cautious about making illegal, multi-million dollar deals.  They've probably considered the possibility of their clients screwing them before you brought it up," Megan says.  "If they knew from the beginning, they would have brought us into a trapped room instead of trying to trick us into one after we arrived."

"And those guys weren't the heavy hitters."  _Sweetie?  What a bitch._


----------



## Elric (Sep 13, 2008)

kirinke said:


> "Sweety, they already had their heavy hitters in place. They had no intention of letting us leave alive. They already knew."




Nitro's memory is surprisingly good.  "I don't think so, Hope.  You told them more or less everything, and the next thing Gunner (going by Jonasson) said was to try to get us to a different location.  They had never brought it up before.  It was a good thing I saw through what he was trying to do, or we might all be dead.  Instead of rationalizing all of your mistakes after the fact, how about you acknowledge previous mistakes and stop making so many of them?  You don't have to be an FBI agent to understand that."



			
				DM_Matt said:
			
		

> kirinke said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## kirinke (Sep 13, 2008)

Elric said:


> Nitro's memory is surprisingly good.  "I don't think so, Hope.  You told them more or less everything, and the next thing Gunner (going by Jonasson) said was to try to get us to a different location.  They had never brought it up before.  It was a good thing I saw through what he was trying to do, or we might all be dead.  Instead of rationalizing all of your mistakes after the fact, how about you acknowledge previous mistakes and stop making so many of them?  You don't have to be an FBI agent to understand that."





Hope nods, acknowleging that. "It wasn't my best moment. Hell, I probably shouldn't even have gone, especially after just finding out that Faust was still alive." she scowled at that, the wind around her smelling of autumn suddenly before clearing up. "And I know I should have sought out treatment for my ah problems long before I joined with the Trust." she shook her head, remembering how she had come so close to doing the unforgivable.


----------



## Victim (Sep 13, 2008)

Star sits up straight, eyes narrowed.  "Why would that have helped?" she asks bitterly.  Her voice becomes mocking "You just say 'Oh!  But I'm in therapy now!  That stuff before doesn't count.'"


----------



## kirinke (Sep 13, 2008)

Victim said:


> Star sits up straight, eyes narrowed.  "Why would that have helped?" she asks bitterly.  Her voice becomes mocking "You just say 'Oh!  But I'm in therapy now!  That stuff before doesn't count.'"




Her fingers shook slightly as she gripped the water bottle. "What happened before.... With Faust. I was experiencing what his victims experienced. Do you have any idea what that's like? Any clue on how that would affect someone?" she said tiredly. "That's why seeking therapy earlier would have helped. Would have maybe helped me cope better. I dunno." she looked away. "It... what happened still counts. And I've still got a long road ahead of me." she said distantly in a way that would give anyone with any experience in people who have had traumatic experiences, clues on just how badly it did affect her. 

Her eyes turned back to Star. "Remember what I showed you with the spider demon? Now imagine that, happening day after day for a month or more." she asked quietly. "That'll give you some slim idea of what it was like."


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 13, 2008)

kirinke said:


> "Did I say that?" Hope counters, her own voice tired. "Why do we keep doing this Star? I know I've screwed up. It still counts, it's still there. Stewing over it doesn't help either." she raked her fingers through her hair.
> 
> "Lookit, because of what happened.... Well let's just say my judgement was clouded then. I'm getting better, but... It's going to be a very long road."
> 
> ...




"Cool it, guys," White says.  "We have a problem to solve, world to save, etc.  We just need to figure out how. ?

Black adds "Its not that those other places are unconquerable.  Its just that we cant do so yet.  Dr. O's place has his own androids, Barrington's forces, and a huge Chinese military contingent around it.  It may require an army or a nuke to take out.  The Lighthouse will be a challenge, but we can learn how to take it.  Barrington did.  Regarding Mexico, it is a thought.  We are very worried about Barrington's efforts in Mexico and Cuba.  He may be trying to establish staging grounds to hit the USA directly. However, we can't start raiding Barrington's towers until we know more about them -- and we that base has all the details we'll need...including possible info as to their actual expansion plans."


----------



## kirinke (Sep 13, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "Cool it, guys," White says.  "We have a problem to solve, world to save, etc.  We just need to figure out how. ?
> 
> Black adds "Its not that those other places are unconquerable.  Its just that we cant do so yet.  Dr. O's place has his own androids, Barrington's forces, and a huge Chinese military contingent around it.  It may require an army or a nuke to take out.  The Lighthouse will be a challenge, but we can learn how to take it.  Barrington did.  Regarding Mexico, it is a thought.  We are very worried about Barrington's efforts in Mexico and Cuba.  He may be trying to establish staging grounds to hit the USA directly. However, we can't start raiding Barrington's towers until we know more about them -- and we that base has all the details we'll need...including possible info as to their actual expansion plans."





"No choice then," Hope remarked. "Well, let's keep this simple instead of convoluted. I think.... I think that the tourist angle might be better suited for us. The chinese wouldn't have a reason to closely look at a bunch of tourists the way they would with potential investors."


----------



## Elric (Sep 13, 2008)

kirinke said:


> Her fingers shook slightly as she gripped the water bottle. "What happened before.... With Faust. I was experiencing what his victims experienced. Do you have any idea what that's like? Any clue on how that would affect someone?" she said tiredly.




Nitro thinks to himself.  _Worse than your horoscope being off?  [As must have been the case when Ares somehow managed to knock me out, though I never bothered to look at the newspaper that day afterwards to make sure].  Impossible!_


----------



## Victim (Sep 13, 2008)

"You say you don't like it, but you're never careful about what you touch.  When you fondle that guy's personal effects, I think you should take responsibility."


"Shouldn't there be some way of talking our way into inspecting the towers without raiding them?"


----------



## kirinke (Sep 14, 2008)

Victim said:


> "You say you don't like it, but you're never careful about what you touch.  When you fondle that guy's personal effects, I think you should take responsibility."
> 
> 
> "Shouldn't there be some way of talking our way into inspecting the towers without raiding them?"




_*She doesn't understand. I wish she could, would. Hell. You can't control it, not.. not really. You can only ride it out and hope you come out whole on the other side.*_

"Precognition and postcognition can't be controlled, at least not completely. Just the fact that I can share those visions with others is unusual. I've never heard of anyone else being able to do it." Hope tried to explain. 

"I mean, I'd have to live completely isolated from everyone and everything in order to avoid triggering the postcognition through touch, never mind that I can have a vision just by being in the same room as the object. It's not like a light switch I can turn on or off. And now.... Now that I am apparently developing pre-cog as well, I don't even know if I can control that at all." 

She leaned back, looking distant. "Sometimes, it happens when I'm asleep, when I'm doing something completely unrelated to a murder investigation. Objects connected to something like murder have the highest percentage of triggering a vision, but it... It can happen at any time." she looked at Star. "Gloves won't help, I've tried that in every combination imaginable. The visions come, whether I will or no. That's what being a seer means. It's not like a spell I can cast at will or a power to turn on and off." 

"The only thing I can control is deliberatly opening myself up to that, whatever the visions come from." she chuckled darkly. "And even then, I can't predict whether or not I'll have a vision."


----------



## G. Skylark (Sep 14, 2008)

(New speech color for readability).

_Poor Hope, _Skylark thinks.  _She seems a tad batty.  An' has problems with her powers.  I guess I can relate, like when I thought making gravitational warp tunnels would collapse the planet.  Actually, come to think on it... nah... in any case, I wouldn't wish to worry them.

_She leans on the table, resting her head in her hands.  "So I will provide a retreat wit' a warp tunnel.  An' Mr. Wren can substitute if I am unable.  Good.

Should we consider performing reconnaissance on the factory simultaneous wit' searching for Mr. Markum?  On the chance that 'e's not about.  Also, have we nothing on Mr. Markum's agent?"


----------



## kirinke (Sep 14, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> (New speech color for readability).
> 
> _Poor Hope, _Skylark thinks.  _She seems a tad batty.  An' has problems with her powers.  I guess I can relate, like when I thought making gravitational warp tunnels would collapse the planet.  Actually, come to think on it... nah... in any case, I wouldn't wish to worry them.
> 
> ...




ooc:
Difficulties with um perception is a normal problem for seers. Comes with the territory. At least Hope realizes it and is taking steps to keep it under control.


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 14, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> (New speech color for readability).
> 
> _Poor Hope, _Skylark thinks.  _She seems a tad batty.  An' has problems with her powers.  I guess I can relate, like when I thought making gravitational warp tunnels would collapse the planet.  Actually, come to think on it... nah... in any case, I wouldn't wish to worry them.
> 
> ...




"No, he's a source, not an agent.  Markum hasn't reported anything useful about him other than that he works at the factory, and must have pretty good access.  the way I see it, you have two basic sets of options.  The first is to attract Markum's attention, then talk him into revealing the source.  The second is to attract Markums' attention in order to track him and find the source.  In both cases you need a ploy to flush him out, and in both cases, step two will be tricky."


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 14, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> (New speech color for readability).
> 
> _Poor Hope, _Skylark thinks.  _She seems a tad batty.  An' has problems with her powers.  I guess I can relate, like when I thought making gravitational warp tunnels would collapse the planet.  Actually, come to think on it... nah... in any case, I wouldn't wish to worry them.
> 
> ...




"Reconning the factory is only worth it if its unlikely you'll get noticed.  You will probably need Markum's source to get very far."


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 15, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> (New speech color for readability).
> She leans on the table, resting her head in her hands. "So I will provide a retreat wit' a warp tunnel. An' Mr. Wren can substitute if I am unable. Good.
> 
> Should we consider performing reconnaissance on the factory simultaneous wit' searching for Mr. Markum? On the chance that 'e's not about. Also, have we nothing on Mr. Markum's agent?"




Wren's eyes rise, as he finished his perusing of the information, meeting the eyes of the new woman.  "If we need a quick retreat, I have been working on fine tuning that little ability, and I'm ready to use it.  Just stick somewhere within my vision, and close enough for me to use it.  I can get us all out, as well as anything or anyone else that we deem pertinent for extraction."

"On a more direct note, I like the idea of reconnaissance on the factory.  The more information we have, the better equiped we will be for dealing with things as they arise.  I'm tired of going in blindly and coming out frantic and even with one less friend at times.  For that, Optic, Is there any way to link our visors on some way, only upon need, so that we can all view another allies visor vision?  That way, should one of use be able to get an advantageous view of things, we can all share the link.  Also, should one of us come into danger, the others will know it and be prepared on what we are facing.  Like seeing around a corner, it's a safety precaution."


----------



## kirinke (Sep 15, 2008)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> Wren's eyes rise, as he finished his perusing of the information, meeting the eyes of the new woman.  "If we need a quick retreat, I have been working on fine tuning that little ability, and I'm ready to use it.  Just stick somewhere within my vision, and close enough for me to use it.  I can get us all out, as well as anything or anyone else that we deem pertinent for extraction."
> 
> "On a more direct note, I like the idea of reconnaissance on the factory.  The more information we have, the better equiped we will be for dealing with things as they arise.  I'm tired of going in blindly and coming out frantic and even with one less friend at times.  For that, Optic, Is there any way to link our visors on some way, only upon need, so that we can all view another allies visor vision?  That way, should one of use be able to get an advantageous view of things, we can all share the link.  Also, should one of us come into danger, the others will know it and be prepared on what we are facing.  Like seeing around a corner, it's a safety precaution."




"Good idea, also we could use some time to practice working together. Every battle we've fought in, we've basically been doing our own thing. Which is why we've been getting so badly hurt. No coordination." Hope offers.


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 15, 2008)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> Wren's eyes rise, as he finished his perusing of the information, meeting the eyes of the new woman.  "If we need a quick retreat, I have been working on fine tuning that little ability, and I'm ready to use it.  Just stick somewhere within my vision, and close enough for me to use it.  I can get us all out, as well as anything or anyone else that we deem pertinent for extraction."
> 
> "On a more direct note, I like the idea of reconnaissance on the factory.  The more information we have, the better equiped we will be for dealing with things as they arise.  I'm tired of going in blindly and coming out frantic and even with one less friend at times.  For that, Optic, Is there any way to link our visors on some way, only upon need, so that we can all view another allies visor vision?  That way, should one of use be able to get an advantageous view of things, we can all share the link.  Also, should one of us come into danger, the others will know it and be prepared on what we are facing.  Like seeing around a corner, it's a safety precaution."




Blue notes "So first you mean actually getting HUD visors for everyone.   Well, we sure know that's easy.  We can reproduce them based on Optic's visor, hooked into your phones. We won't be able to get you a full vision suite right away, but certainly we can get a lot of info in there, and neural controls...of course, there is the Control Freak problem....Well, if he can already do that, we're kinda screwed anyway...We won't be able to get there for you permanently, but we can rush some limited-use prototypes for ya.  They will have a limited amount of power though.  Optics draws from his suit."


----------



## Victim (Sep 15, 2008)

"If I could see what Optic does," Star adds, aproving of the plan to network HUDs "then I could shoot around corners or the other side of walls and not get hurt."

"It does make us a lot more vulnerable to anything that can tap into our transmissions, since they'll get visuals and locations instead of just our comments.  It's easier to be careful about what we say than what we see."


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 15, 2008)

kirinke said:


> _*Great government agent caught in china....*_ Hope grimances inwardly. *Sucky much?* she looked at Black.
> 
> "I'm going to need some heavy magical camoflague in order to work in China. They have their own mages, all it'll take is one with the bright idea and the gift of looking at magickal signatures....."
> 
> ...




Blue suddenly says "...wait a minute...I think we can get you to be a bit more anonymous...all of you...we can make some new combat suits from Ares' database  with the matter assembler.  He's sold that stuff all over the place.  Perhaps a dark armored bodysuit with a passive cloak, some minor gadgets, and a that visor integrated.  We can slap on a fake logo, and boom, anonymous generic strike team.  We might even be able to disguise your powers.  Hope will be the easiest, since she can shoot lightning.  Black has an arsenal of weapons that draw electricity form his lightning power.  We can just make some cosmetic changes to  one, and hope will have a blaster instead of a lightning attack.  We might be able to disguise some others, to...hmmm...."


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 15, 2008)

"Sounds like this might work better for us all. Star's ability to shoot around corners would be a blessing. Also, as for Control Freak getting access to them, if there was a way to limit it to only generating incoming images, and not allow outgoing image, perhaps that would suffice. Some kind of triggering alarm for anything besides these linked visors with HUD getting access or accessing their views would allow Optic to override them, or easily alert us to comprimising situations. We could then just as easily take them off and stow them. Any kind of advantage would be better than nothing. If we deem them compromised, take them off. Seems pretty easy to me, but I'm not as adapt as Optic or our resident electronics super."

"Now, we can take the time that it will take to get them ready to go over our tactics, in case retreating is going to be done on a spur of the moment basis."

Wren will test out his teleporting with the new ally, and await the new HUD option visors. For his suit, he accepts any type available. Also, he will try out his new power alterations to help disguise him as much as possible as well.


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## Elric (Sep 15, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> Blue suddenly says "...wait a minute...I think we can get you to be a bit more anonymous...all of you...we can make some new combat suits from Ares' database  with the matter assembler.  He's sold that stuff all over the place.  Perhaps a dark armored bodysuit with a passive cloak, some minor gadgets, and a that visor integrated.  We can slap on a fake logo, and boom, anonymous generic strike team.  We might even be able to disguise your powers.  Hope will be the easiest, since she can shoot lightning."




"I can just avoid any signature Nitro moves like a kick in the balls."

_No one else can understand what it's like to have to forgo your signature moves like that.  No one.  Ever.  Never.  Such awesomeness can't be controlled; it can only be unleashed on hapless foes and you hope that the wounds heal, so that they're not all singing soprano forever._



			
				kirinke said:
			
		

> "Good idea, also we could use some time to practice working together. Every battle we've fought in, we've basically been doing our own thing. Which is why we've been getting so badly hurt. No coordination." Hope offers.




"I don't know- Star and I tag-teamed Pharoah pretty well that last fight.  Sometimes it's like we aren't reacting well to what's happening in real time and are going based on our preset notions of what's going to be occurring, even if events have turned out differently.  That we should work on"


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## kirinke (Sep 15, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> Blue suddenly says "...wait a minute...I think we can get you to be a bit more anonymous...all of you...we can make some new combat suits from Ares' database  with the matter assembler.  He's sold that stuff all over the place.  Perhaps a dark armored bodysuit with a passive cloak, some minor gadgets, and a that visor integrated.  We can slap on a fake logo, and boom, anonymous generic strike team.  We might even be able to disguise your powers.  Hope will be the easiest, since she can shoot lightning.  Black has an arsenal of weapons that draw electricity form his lightning power.  We can just make some cosmetic changes to  one, and hope will have a blaster instead of a lightning attack.  We might be able to disguise some others, to...hmmm...."




IC:
Hope grinned. "I've been practicing on alternative attacks, since the Foundry. I can now switch between lightning, ice and air at will. That goes for my ability to create objects too," she tapped her fingers on the table. "It's generally known that 'Hope Winters' can only use the lightning strike and the hail attack, if we use the objects as well as that facet, I might be able to slip through." she frowned.

"My lightning strike derives from my ability to control weather. I have no ability at all to control electricity." she said thoughtfully. "I can however direct the strike from anywhere. I could use the weapon as a prop if nothing else."


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## DM_Matt (Sep 15, 2008)

kirinke said:


> IC:
> Hope grinned. "I've been practicing on alternative attacks, since the Foundry. I can now switch between lightning, ice and air at will. That goes for my ability to create objects too," she tapped her fingers on the table. "It's generally known that 'Hope Winters' can only use the lightning strike and the hail attack, if we use the objects as well as that facet, I might be able to slip through." she frowned.
> 
> "My lightning strike derives from my ability to control weather. I have no ability at all to control electricity." she said thoughtfully. "I can however direct the strike from anywhere. I could use the weapon as a prop if nothing else."




"Everywhere including your fingertips....You can channel it into a weapon that will do plasma blasts or lasers or whatever t odisguise you attack"


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## kirinke (Sep 15, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "Everywhere including your fingertips....You can channel it into a weapon that will do plasma blasts or lasers or whatever t odisguise you attack"




"It'd take some practice, but I'm willing to give it a go," she said.


----------



## G. Skylark (Sep 15, 2008)

"New suits?  Smashing.  I 'ardly feel like a super'ero in these," says Skylark, ostensibly referring to her somewhat oversized lab coat.  "An' I would be 'appy to practice teleporting wit' Mr. Wren."

"Returning, for the moment, to this issue of flushing Mr. Markum out... from the two options described, it sounds as though we either rely on his initiative, or his carelessness.  Is there anything we think likely to draw him out?  Rumours of CIA involvement, that 'e would feel compelled to investigate, maybe?"


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## Victim (Sep 15, 2008)

Elric said:


> "I can just avoid any signature Nitro moves like a kick in the balls."




"My own powers are going to be a little harder to disguise, since most energy attacks tend to a bit more straightfoward.  If I just shoot straight, then a prop blaster thing could work though," Star remarks.  "And I've never fired a gun before, so I probably have it pointed right."  

"And wearing an armored suit like that seems really clunky.  Plus, where would we put them while we look for that guy - heavy armor like that would be a little suspicious."



> "I don't know- Star and I tag-teamed Pharoah pretty well that last fight.  Sometimes it's like we aren't reacting well to what's happening in real time and are going based on our preset notions of what's going to be occurring, even if events have turned out differently.  That we should work on"




"Yeah, you always knock out the people I shoot, and even Barrington's ship got in on hitting the Pharoah.  But what exactly do you mean?"


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 15, 2008)

Victim said:


> "My own powers are going to be a little harder to disguise, since most energy attacks tend to a bit more straightfoward.  If I just shoot straight, then a prop blaster thing could work though," Star remarks.  "And I've never fired a gun before, so I probably have it pointed right."
> 
> "And wearing an armored suit like that seems really clunky.  Plus, where would we put them while we look for that guy - heavy armor like that would be a little suspicious."
> 
> ...





"You'll have to stash them and change before you raid the factory. We can set up a fake arm cannon that can retract.  When it activates, it will cover your hand and make it seem like its blasting the baddie.  Wren can easily project his ring attacks through a prop gun with a handguard that covers the ring.  Nitro doesnt need anything, since there are plenty of guys out there with super-strength.  Apollo with a little practice should be able to channel his light through a fake blaster as well.  Fake gravity gun for Skylark Optic's visor already enhances and reroutes his own eye attacks.  We can duplicate that in gun form....Most other stuff can be chalked up to suit abilities...the flyers will have fake grav engines on their suits, and I'll pass around some fake grenades that burn up in a big flash and be an excuse for some power going off.  I think we're good with fake attacks."


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## Elric (Sep 15, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Yeah, you always knock out the people I shoot, and even Barrington's ship got in on hitting the Pharoah.  But what exactly do you mean?"




"I don't know what I meant to say there.  Sometimes I just say lines for the sake of saying them, as if I was being fed lines like..." 

_Where do people get fed lines, again?_ "An actor in a movie, that's it"


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## Victim (Sep 15, 2008)

"While I'm not the biggest expert in the world, I've never seen a blaster cannon shoot anything that can move in a circle."

_I don't get it.  Is he trying to be funny or something._


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## DM_Matt (Sep 15, 2008)

Victim said:


> "While I'm not the biggest expert in the world, I've never seen a blaster cannon shoot anything that can move in a circle."
> 
> _I don't get it.  Is he trying to be funny or something._





"There are stranger guns out there.  They won't notice in the confusion...and you really should kill the security camera's anyway."


(Guided energy blasts?  If a power can do it, a gun can too.  I have no idea how your power would actually make sense either, but however it works, someone could build a gun that does that...

I'm trying to accommodate those who want things very realistic, but I think I've strayed far enough from 4 color already. I get that the "Superhero team that dabbles in the secret international terrorism / espionage / etc. scene" concept mashes a couple genre's together to the extent that you might not trust that I'm not going to screw you for having flimsy disguises  (as in, very minor tweaks rather than this stuff) like you might assume in a true four color game, but I don't want to go so far as having airtight scientific descriptions of absolutely everything.  Its not full-on comic book logic land, but its not total Milspec or Hard SciFi either. )


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## Victim (Sep 15, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "There are stranger guns out there.  They won't notice in the confusion...and you really should kill the security camera's anyway."




Star frowns, "I guess."  _I don't like the idea of some trinket doing what I burned for._




> I'm trying to accommodate those who want things very realistic, but I think I've strayed far enough from 4 color already. I get that the "Superhero team that dabbles in the secret international terrorism / espionage / etc. scene" concept mashes a couple genre's together to the extent that you might not trust that I'm not going to screw you for having flimsy disguises  (as in, very minor tweaks rather than this stuff) like you might assume in a true four color game, but I don't want to go so far as having airtight scientific descriptions of absolutely everything.  Its not full-on comic book logic land, but its not total Milspec or Hard SciFi either. )




(Well, I was sort of wondering if disguising would involve some sort of trade off from our normal abilities.

But mostly, Star just looks for things to go wrong.)


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## G. Skylark (Sep 16, 2008)

"I suppose we ought to practice with our props.  Wouldn't want to drop the facade by accident."  She secretly hopes that her 'gravity gun' looks like Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver.

"Let's see what else we can find on Mr. Markum," she says, as she plays with the computer in front of her.  "Likes, dislikes, particularly his habits.  Things that'll draw him in, things that will drive him away.  Let's see what information we 'ave on the bugger... and maybe we can nick some files from the CIA."

OOC: In case a Computer skill check is necessary, Skylark is at +11.  I haven't figured out Invisible Castle yet, so may I ask the GM to make the roll?


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## kirinke (Sep 16, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "There are stranger guns out there.  They won't notice in the confusion...and you really should kill the security camera's anyway."
> 
> 
> (Guided energy blasts?  If a power can do it, a gun can too.  I have no idea how your power would actually make sense either, but however it works, someone could build a gun that does that...
> ...




"You should see the wall of the weird weaponry Aegis has. Some of those guns boggle the mind." she chuckled. "I bet the Trust has an even weirder trophy case"


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## DM_Matt (Sep 16, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> "I suppose we ought to practice with our props.  Wouldn't want to drop the facade by accident."  She secretly hopes that her 'gravity gun' looks like Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver.
> 
> "Let's see what else we can find on Mr. Markum," she says, as she plays with the computer in front of her.  "Likes, dislikes, particularly his habits.  Things that'll draw him in, things that will drive him away.  Let's see what information we 'ave on the bugger... and maybe we can nick some files from the CIA."
> 
> OOC: In case a Computer skill check is necessary, Skylark is at +11.  I haven't figured out Invisible Castle yet, so may I ask the GM to make the roll?




Black says "He's a good agent.  Cautious, always looking at the angles.  Good fighter, but mostly because he plans ahead.  He's married with two kids, and his family thinks he's a businessman.  He's a competent hacker, but not amazing.  He stays below the radar with numerous rotating low-profile cover identities, and he hates unfamiliar territory.  He likes to really get to know an area -- be it a meeting zone, a drop spot, or whatever -- before using it.  He's good at making away territory into home territory.  He's a bit more willing to fight rather than run than most such agents, but that's because he usually has contingencies to get the upper hand, and if he can get away with killing an enemy rather than escaping, he'll do it."


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## Victim (Sep 16, 2008)

"Cautious doesn't sound too good for us."

"Is there any sort of spy signal or something that he'd recognize?  I wish I'd watched that one TV show..."


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## kirinke (Sep 18, 2008)

"Well, if we had something of his, we could use that to begin tracking him." Hope offers.

*It can't be worse than Ares weapon.* she thinks to herself.


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## DM_Matt (Sep 18, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Cautious doesn't sound too good for us."
> 
> "Is there any sort of spy signal or something that he'd recognize?  I wish I'd watched that one TV show..."




"A signal?  No, but he does keep in contact with the CIA somehow.  According to these files, he does have some kind of contact with the US Embassy in Beijing, which is the next city over from Tianjin, a little to the Northwest."


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## G. Skylark (Sep 19, 2008)

"Anyone up for a bit of peeping in on the US Embassy?"  muses Skylark, peevishly.  "Truth be told, seems it's the only real lead we 'ave going in.  Unless we can beat the streets like inspectors or somethin'.  Do ye suppose we could find a way to 'ack the Embassy's communications and security?"


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## Vanifae (Sep 19, 2008)

Apollo sits back and shrugs, "You guys decide I am not a planner."


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## Victim (Sep 19, 2008)

"This is probably going to sound stupid, but how are we getting TO China?"


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## DM_Matt (Sep 20, 2008)

Victim said:


> "This is probably going to sound stupid, but how are we getting TO China?"




"Teleporting would be the easiest.  Skylark or Wren can do it, or I can," White says.


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## DM_Matt (Sep 20, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> "Anyone up for a bit of peeping in on the US Embassy?"  muses Skylark, peevishly.  "Truth be told, seems it's the only real lead we 'ave going in.  Unless we can beat the streets like inspectors or somethin'.  Do ye suppose we could find a way to 'ack the Embassy's communications and security?"




"If I were him, I'd never walk in.  I'd never come close.  I'd go near a contact in a public place and report in telepathically.  Eat in an adjoining restaurant or something.  You can try to find how he does it, but you are probably best off coming up with something he wants, and make him go after it.  Then either follow him or contact him.  I'm sure you can think of types of information he'd want...a technology, a defector, some useful defense data, whatever.  Then just put it out there that its available in some fashion that should lure him to a specific place.  We can help with that it you want...get the false info to some of the right people...but you'll have to make things look right on the ground."


----------



## Victim (Sep 20, 2008)

"Do we even need to use fake data?  We could use the stuff we got from the Foundry as the bait," Star says.  "Since it's real, that should add some legitimacy."


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 20, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Do we even need to use fake data?  We could use the stuff we got from the Foundry as the bait," Star says.  "Since it's real, that should add some legitimacy."





"That could work, but the trick would be figuring out a fake source in China for the data."


----------



## Victim (Sep 20, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "That could work, but the trick would be figuring out a fake source in China for the data."




"Set up some hacker?  I don't know about information black markets..."  _Otherwise I could have a lot more money._


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## DM_Matt (Sep 20, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Set up some hacker?  I don't know about information black markets..."  _Otherwise I could have a lot more money._




"But why would a hacker appear in person.  This seems like the kind of thing that would be done online...unless the hacker has it and DOESN'T want to give it up...then hes have to come and take it."


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## Victim (Sep 21, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "But why would a hacker appear in person.  This seems like the kind of thing that would be done online...unless the hacker has it and DOESN'T want to give it up...then hes have to come and take it."




"Well, he might not want to give it up - at least not to Markum - like you said.  Or he's worried about intercepts.  I said I didn't know how to do these transactions!"


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 21, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Well, he might not want to give it up - at least not to Markum - like you said.  Or he's worried about intercepts.  I said I didn't know how to do these transactions!"




"Ok then, so what we need to do is find a hacker -- our files have info for a number of them in China, make it look like he has the info, and wait for Markum to come after him...or impersonate him and contact Markum."


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## Victim (Sep 21, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "Ok then, so what we need to do is find a hacker -- our files have info for a number of them in China, make it look like he has the info, and wait for Markum to come after him...or impersonate him and contact Markum."




"Sounds like something resembling a plan," Megan says.  "Optic, will you need any help setting for the information we have and some fake downloads, messages, etc?"  

"What other stuff do we need to do?  Besides the fake documents, I guess we should hack an airline for the ticket records.  And then we'll need clothes and stuff.  Tourist guides..."


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 21, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Sounds like something resembling a plan," Megan says.  "Optic, will you need any help setting for the information we have and some fake downloads, messages, etc?"
> 
> "What other stuff do we need to do?  Besides the fake documents, I guess we should hack an airline for the ticket records.  And then we'll need clothes and stuff.  Tourist guides..."





"We can buy tickets without hacking.  They don't ask for VISAs, customs does when you get there.  If you don't have appropriate stuff in the closets of your rooms, we'll have some fabricated. Optic and Blue should be able to set up the fake trail with the help of our alien AI.  We should be able to make it look like this hacker did a good job of covering his tracks, but not too good not to get caught.  Most Chinese of the best hackers are hardcore nationalists, many with ties to the government.  I suggest that we take one of two routes...the riskier but more plausible claim will be making it appear that a government hacker has gone rogue.  It is more likely to attract Markum, but also more likely to attract the Chinese.  Alternatively, we can go for an indie, but he'll be less attractive to both."


----------



## kirinke (Sep 21, 2008)

ooc:
Would Hope have any contacts in that arena? One's that she can trust, hacker wise, maybe through Bit Basher?


----------



## Victim (Sep 21, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "We can buy tickets without hacking.  They don't ask for VISAs, customs does when you get there.  If you don't have appropriate stuff in the closets of your rooms, we'll have some fabricated. Optic and Blue should be able to set up the fake trail with the help of our alien AI.  We should be able to make it look like this hacker did a good job of covering his tracks, but not too good not to get caught.  Most Chinese of the best hackers are hardcore nationalists, many with ties to the government.  I suggest that we take one of two routes...the riskier but more plausible claim will be making it appear that a government hacker has gone rogue.  It is more likely to attract Markum, but also more likely to attract the Chinese.  Alternatively, we can go for an indie, but he'll be less attractive to both."




"We're going to be attracting Chinese attention anyway - we might as well have them looking in the wrong direction."

_Oh yeah, we have money to just buy them.  And while I didn't want to have to work on setting up the hacker, the fact that they don't need or want me to...  _

"How many days worth of stuff" _medicine_ "should we pack?"


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 22, 2008)

Victim said:


> "We're going to be attracting Chinese attention anyway - we might as well have them looking in the wrong direction."
> 
> _Oh yeah, we have money to just buy them.  And while I didn't want to have to work on setting up the hacker, the fact that they don't need or want me to...  _
> 
> "How many days worth of stuff" _medicine_ "should we pack?"




(My own oversight, not an in character issue at all)


----------



## kirinke (Sep 22, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> (My own oversight, not an in character issue at all)




ooc:
There's also the fact that Hope probably needs to pack her own 'medicine', the anti-depression stuff and whatever the Trust shrink prescribed her.


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 22, 2008)

(The oversight I was referring to was the hacking part)

Hope could contact some hackers, but it seems that the you already have a patsy.

Black says "Bring a week's worth of stuff.  That should be more than enough.  Ok, hmmm, I think this patsy will do.  Zhang Yu, Age 28, lives on a rice farm with some pretty ridiculous comm equipment.  It is in the middle of nowhere, near enough to Tianjiang that Markum will go for it, and far enough that we'll be able to control the location and see backup coming from pretty far away.  The bonus is that this guy really does have some great intel.  So the question then becomes -- do we try to intercept Markum on his way in?  Do we let him mistakenly approach the hacker and see what happens?  Do we take down the hacker and try to pose as him?  Something else?"


----------



## kirinke (Sep 22, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> (The oversight I was referring to was the hacking part)
> 
> Hope could contact some hackers, but it seems that the you already have a patsy.
> 
> Black says "Bring a week's worth of stuff.  That should be more than enough.  Ok, hmmm, I think this patsy will do.  Zhang Yu, Age 28, lives on a rice farm with some pretty ridiculous comm equipment.  It is in the middle of nowhere, near enough to Tianjiang that Markum will go for it, and far enough that we'll be able to control the location and see backup coming from pretty far away.  The bonus is that this guy really does have some great intel.  So the question then becomes -- do we try to intercept Markum on his way in?  Do we let him mistakenly approach the hacker and see what happens?  Do we take down the hacker and try to pose as him?  Something else?"




IC
Hope is mostly quiet during the conversation. "Intercepting Markum on the way in is bad, we don't even know what he'll look like. Letting him approach the hacker is even worse, this guy could kill him before we could get close to save him and posing as him is a very bad way to start a relationship built on trust." she said wryly. 

"My best suggestion is pretty simple. We let the deal go down, at least up till the meet. We take the hacker down and then wait for Markum to show up." she looked up at the others.

"From there, I can see a couple of possibilities. One, we're probably are going to have to convince Markum that we're the good-guys, without a big fight. Because, he's gonna be rightfully ansy when he sees us en-mass. We tell him the truth, maybe have Wren and Skylark teleport him here, so we can convince him." she looked rueful.

"That's the best-case scenario. Worst case scenario is the big-fight where we have to knock him out and take him back here so we can convince him. I'd rather not have to resort to that,"


----------



## Victim (Sep 22, 2008)

"Why do we need to meet Markum as a group?  It should only take a couple of people, right?  With teleports, the rest of us could be out of the way but still close enough to help if needed."


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## DM_Matt (Sep 22, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Why do we need to meet Markum as a group?  It should only take a couple of people, right?  With teleports, the rest of us could be out of the way but still close enough to help if needed."




(Its clear this mission isn't really your guys' thing, so...)

Black and White's phones suddenly start making all kinds of noise...

"Oh, crap.  There is a massive riot at the Liberty Dome at the Comets' game.    People got violent for no apparent reason...and they lost contact with the Treadwell Blimp, which had been at the game (the dome is retractable, and is retracted for day games), but has since begun flying South.  Maybe yo uguys should go see what's up."


----------



## Victim (Sep 22, 2008)

"Let's go.  Do we need to use the teleportal at the airport, or we can just get 'ported directly?"  _This feels like something actually superhero-y._


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## G. Skylark (Sep 23, 2008)

"Oi, you serious?  Well, time to earn me keep."  Skylark stands up and cracks her knuckles.  _Sports riots are me cup o' tea, _she thinks.  _I didn't think they had them, over the pond?

_She begins crushing the spacetime between the stadium and here with a minor singularity between her hands.  "Will it be straight to the stands, then?  Or into the pitch?" she asks.

(OOC: Spatial Control, Portal, extended teleport.  I'm assuming that Skylark doesn't need to see her destination.  If she does... I guess she'll be asking for a video feed of the event).


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## Victim (Sep 23, 2008)

"In the middle, or at the parking lot." Star says quickly.  "We'll want a chance to see what's going on before trying crowd control."  _And I'm going for the blimp anyway._


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## Elric (Sep 23, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> (Its clear this mission isn't really your guys' thing, so...)
> 
> Black and White's phones suddenly start making all kinds of noise...
> 
> "Oh, crap.  There is a massive riot at the Liberty Dome at the Comets' game.    People got violent for no apparent reason...and they lost contact with the Treadwell Blimp, which had been at the game (the dome is retractable, and is retracted for day games), but has since begun flying South.  Maybe you guys should go see what's up."




"A riot at the Comets game?  They didn't get upset when some lovable newscaster couldn't get the opening pitch to the plate, did they?  We should go check it out"  

_I knew that doing such a cool opening pitch with The Rock could backfire.  You set expectations too high, the next thing you know there are senseless riots over 47 mph opening pitches._


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## DM_Matt (Sep 23, 2008)

White says "Save your energy, I'm right here, so I might as well get to help.  Liberty Dome!"  

Everyone is suddenly transported just inside the main entrance to the dome in flickering blue light. All your equipment is with you.  From here you can see the fighting, and cops scrambling to maintain order.  The riot police aren't deployed yet.  It looks like the fighting is more often than not along racial lines.

Optic looks around and something jumps out at him.  There is something in the air.  A rapid analysis shows that it is a spore of some kind.

Since Star mentioned it, the blimp is to the south, over the river, headed to the Boardwalk district, known for its hotels and casinos.


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## Victim (Sep 23, 2008)

"Okay, I'm going for the blimp.  Apollo, come on."  _The blimp is probably involved in this whole thing somehow, so now it's heading off to go start more stuff or something.  Wasn't that in a movie?  I can't really restrain normal people anyway, so I can't contribute on crowd control._

Star blasts off.


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## G. Skylark (Sep 23, 2008)

"Oi oi OIIIII!!!!"  Skylark is not sure what sport they're fighting over, but it sure isn't 'football' or rugby!  "I'll break your bloody ankles mates!"  She applies weight gradually to the combatants within her area, in hopes that she won't shatter any spines.

(OOC: Gravity Control, 'down' weight on rioters in range, excepting allies).

"Bloody hell, White!  Whotever got these blokes rioting might bugger us too!  Now we're in the middle of it!"  She is slightly aware of her hypocrisy in complaining, given that she did offer to teleport everyone into the middle of the melee.


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## kirinke (Sep 23, 2008)

"Spores?" Hope looks concerned when Optic relays the message. "Can you tell how much of it is in the air and where it's concentrated?" She asks and waits for a reply while donning a gas mask. (ooc: I assume they have appropriate equipment)

"Wren, if you could make a large container of some sort? I'm going to try to funnel the stuff into it. Once I get it in, could you close it?" She asks, gauging the situation. "Everyone, gas masks." she looks up, seeing Star blast off.

"Damn it!" she snarls. "Why does she...." she shakes her head.

"Okay. Let's contain this mess," she says, concentrating as hard as she can, the air crackling with static electricity as the wind begins to pick up.

ooc:
Air control to gather the spores up and into whatever Container Wren can conjure up. Hero point if necessary to do this.


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## DM_Matt (Sep 23, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> "Oi oi OIIIII!!!!"  Skylark is not sure what sport they're fighting over, but it sure isn't 'football' or rugby!  "I'll break your bloody ankles mates!"  She applies weight gradually to the combatants within her area, in hopes that she won't shatter any spines.
> 
> (OOC: Gravity Control, 'down' weight on rioters in range, excepting allies).
> 
> "Bloody hell, White!  Whotever got these blokes rioting might bugger us too!  Now we're in the middle of it!"




(To clarify, White is not present.  She can TP others without going with.  Her TP power is VERY strong.)


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## Victim (Sep 23, 2008)

(Somehow, I don't see things happening in that order, since Star was planning on after the blimp before she even arrived, whilst it would presumeably take Optic time to zero in on the spores and then warn everyone.)


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 23, 2008)

Wren notes the panic, as well as Star taking off with Apollo.  Splitting up so unevenly was not always a good thing, in his mind.  Apparently, Star didn't understand the meaning of teamwork very well.  Or perhaps she was looking for a quick death, like Viridian.  He wonders who would be the next to die in the group, as there was no cohesiveness in this group.  Perhaps there never would be...

"Star, keep in communication.  That goes for you too Apollo.  If you see or need something, ask."

Turning back to the scene at hand, Wren hears the question, and answers, "Done..."

Near the area where there are less people, Wren has now created an opaque cylinder, hovering in the air at least 30 feet from the ground.  The size of it should be enough to contain the spores, and anything else that would need to be contained.  (Create Objects Rank 9, Progression for 10' cube max per rank, equals 90 cubic feet of a container)

Turning his attention to the people, Wren wonders how best to control the situation.


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## DM_Matt (Sep 23, 2008)

Victim said:


> (Somehow, I don't see things happening in that order, since Star was planning on after the blimp before she even arrived, whilst it would presumeably take Optic time to zero in on the spores and then warn everyone.)




(His vision powers don't actually take time.  They are always-on senses.  it would take him time to learn details about the spores other than the fact that they are spores.)


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## Victim (Sep 23, 2008)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> "Star, keep in communication.  That goes for you too Apollo.  If you see or need something, ask."




"I hear you.  Spores are heavier than air, right?" Star comms back to the group.  _Wow, the blimp is behaving erraticly at the same time spores are being spread into the stadium causing a riot.  Maybe the blimp is spreading the spores and we should take care of it before it starts more trouble in other places?  At least that's what a reckless and stupid person thinks.  And our standard equipment doesn't come with gas masks anyway._

(All out Move: 40 000 feet.  Def 27.)


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## DM_Matt (Sep 24, 2008)

(I'm going to wait for the rest before resolving.)


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## kirinke (Sep 24, 2008)

Victim said:


> "I hear you.  Spores are heavier than air, right?" Star comms back to the group.  _Wow, the blimp is behaving erraticly at the same time spores are being spread into the stadium causing a riot.  Maybe the blimp is spreading the spores and we should take care of it before it starts more trouble in other places?  At least that's what a reckless and stupid person thinks.  And our standard equipment doesn't come with gas masks anyway._
> 
> (All out Move: 40 000 feet.  Def 27.)




"Light enough to float in a strong breeze." Hope replies, eyes glowing as she manipulates the spore laden air into the the container Wren created. "Be careful. Don't breath the stuff in."

ooc:
I think gas masks are a part of the standard equipment. At least when they give us more gear than we already have on our persons anyway.


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## DM_Matt (Sep 24, 2008)

kirinke said:


> "Light enough to float in a strong breeze." Hope replies, eyes glowing as she manipulates the spore laden air into the the container Wren created. "Be careful. Don't breath the stuff in."
> 
> ooc:
> I think gas masks are a part of the standard equipment. At least when they give us more gear than we already have on our persons anyway.




(Looking among your equipment, they thoughtfully included gas masks.  Riots tend to result in tear gas.)


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## Elric (Sep 24, 2008)

_What in the blazes_

Nitro doesn't need a bullhorn to shout really, really loudly.

"STOP THE INSANITY!  DOES THIS LOOK LIKE A SOCCER MATCH?  

"IF YOU DON'T CUT THIS OUT, I'M GOING TO KICK EVERY ONE OF YOUR BUTTS... AT THE SAME TIME"

He grabs the large sign of the ‘American Insurance Group’ from the entrance to the stadium and crushes it in one motion.

“AND YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE WON’T BE AROUND TO PAY FOR ALL THE ICE YOU’RE GOING TO NEED EITHER”

(OOC: Mass intimidate on the crowd)


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## DM_Matt (Sep 24, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> (I'm going to wait for the rest before resolving.)




(Time for a flip flop...more information is always good)

The blimp is over the river, about half a mile from the stadium, and a half a mile or so from the boardwalk.

Star rushes to the blimp, and looks in a window.  There are a number of gadgets in there, quite out of place.  The first is a portable gravity drive, which explains why the blimp is going much faster than she would expect...although it seems odd that the workings of the blimp itself seem to be off.  The gravity drive seems to be doing all the work keeping it in the air and moving it.  She also sees a few machines connected to tanks of some sort, which lead to hoses into the exhaust systems.  There are three Middle Eastern men in the blimp with automatic weapons and suicide vests.  There are no recognizable supers in the group.


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## DM_Matt (Sep 24, 2008)

Apollo goes with Star (and both have a standard action to spend this round)

Guided by Optic, Hope summons a swirling wind, forming a large but very mild tornado-like structure.  Spores are meant to ride the wind, so they are very easy to clear form the air with a strong enough wind, without the wind itself being otherwise dangerous.  She sucks them up and guides them into the container that Wren forms using his powers, shaped specifically to be fed from the tornado. The combination of their powers does not immediately decontaminate the area, but even just the first several seconds clears most of it (and a whole lot of dust).

Nitro performs his feat of strength and taunts the crowd in a voice so loud they can all hear him.  Many stop fighting...but others instead see his assertion of dominance as a big fat target for their chemically-induced bigotry.  In doing so, Nitro accidently organizes the crowd.  Many non-whites are simultaneously attracted to attacking him, causing the crowd to separate into groups a bit more and become more binary as people unite to try to charge towards Nitro.  This separation causes some de facto counter organization as infected whites strike against the now-united group headed towards Nitro.  He gets hit by a bunch of bottles and such, but is not hurt...then again, the crowd has not reached him yet, and but many crazed sports fans have broken free and are headed towards him.  What was a sports brawl has sorted itself out into a race riot.

Skylark manages to hold down some of the crowd, especially those breaking free and headed towards Nitro.


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## Victim (Sep 24, 2008)

(No civilians?  Are the tanks attached to the sides or just sitting on the floor?  How high are we, in terms of rounds of free fall?)

Star ducks away from the window and tries to find a blind spot underneath and near the front of the blimp.  (Stealth +5 after moving)

"3 men with machine guns and bomb vests.  There are a bunch of gadgets including gravity drives in the blimb, and it looks like it's spraying something," Star says quietly into the commlink.  _Okay, they don't seem to be supers...  Good, because 3 supers would be hard to handle.  But how can I take them out without touching them with my power - and without them blowing up?  ..._  She asks any explosives experts, "Could I cut off the explosive vest from someone without blowing it up?"

(Standard Action pending...)


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## DM_Matt (Sep 24, 2008)

Victim said:


> (No civilians?  Are the tanks attached to the sides or just sitting on the floor?  How high are we, in terms of rounds of free fall?)
> 
> Star ducks away from the window and tries to find a blind spot underneath and near the front of the blimp.  (Stealth +5 after moving)
> 
> ...





(There are some internal storage areas that Star can't see.  You are only a couple thousand feet up. You have precise, but there will still be a significant chance that you'll trigger the bombs on a hit, and even more on a near miss.  If you did not have precise, you would trigger them automatically on a hit or a near miss.  Shooting Plasma balls at people strapped with explosives is in general an incredibly risky business.  They vest might also be triggered to activate if they are removed in an unintended fashion.)


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 24, 2008)

Hearing Stars words, Wren thinks quickly, as he turns to Skylark.  "I think that blimp has your name written all over it, considering there's a gravity device on it.  I read up that it's your specialty..."

"As for these people, looks like they are simply under the influence of those spores.  Snaring them or putting them to sleep should work.  Hope, think you can put them to sleep?  Nitro, see about that ground attack to get them off their feet.  Optic, Nitro's going to need some help, so why not give them something else to divert their attention? (Morph as Nitro, confuse those people, lol)"

Wren then begins his own work, as he works to bring forth some cosmic strands, encompassing as many of the people as he can target.  He works to alter the snare to get as many of them as needed.  

[sblock=Snare Attack with Extra Efffort]Use HP to Extra Effort on an alternate Snare attack.  Remove Transparent and replace with Area Shapeable Extra, Remove Affect Insubstantial x2 PF for Progression x2 PF.  Results in Snare Rank 11 with Area of 5x5x11=275 cubic feet of area to get as many of the people snared.  Attack +11 Snare Area Attack (Shapeable) (1d20 11=18))[/sblock]


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## Victim (Sep 25, 2008)

"I didn't see any hostages," Star offers without much confidence, "but I'll assume that there are some unless you tell me its clear, Optic."

_Umm, what was her name again...  Wren didn't say._ "New person, can you make an anti gravity bubble to catch falling things?"


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## G. Skylark (Sep 25, 2008)

Skylark is nearly knocked over by Nitro's sudden yelling.  _BLIMEY that was loud!

_She knocks over the swarm of rioters closest to Nitro when she hears Wren and Star over the commlink.  "Oi, Nitro!  Got to fly.  Give these blokes what for, eh?"

As she flies all out toward the blimp of doom, she answers: "I can shut down gravitic drives.  Catch the blimp, probably.  There's a risk that the gravdrive boots up while I'm doing the catching."  When she is close enough to the blimp she will use her Mass Sense to determine whether it is liftable.


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## kirinke (Sep 25, 2008)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> Hearing Stars words, Wren thinks quickly, as he turns to Skylark.  "I think that blimp has your name written all over it, considering there's a gravity device on it.  I read up that it's your specialty..."
> 
> "As for these people, looks like they are simply under the influence of those spores.  Snaring them or putting them to sleep should work.  Hope, think you can put them to sleep?  Nitro, see about that ground attack to get them off their feet.  Optic, Nitro's going to need some help, so why not give them something else to divert their attention? (Morph as Nitro, confuse those people, lol)"
> 
> ...





Hope shakes her head. "No, not immediately." she said. "But I can help with the containing of people." she said and proceeds to do just that, helping Wren box people up with walls of Ice and Air.


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## Vanifae (Sep 25, 2008)

Apollo is going to back up Star; he isn't sure how to handle this kind of situation so he will just follow her lead.


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## DM_Matt (Sep 25, 2008)

Star and Apollo still have actions left over from the revious narrative round.  After that we do init.

Init:

Nitro 19
Blimp Crew 17
Apollo 13 (heh)
Optic 12
Star 9
Hope 8
Fangor 8
Crowd 7
Skylark 4


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## Elric (Sep 25, 2008)

_Oops.  Did you really think you could cow an angry crowd of tens of thousands?_

"Hey guys, don't leave me and Optic behind.  I can't fly or jump the river, and these people can't afford all of the ice that they're going to need if I get stuck here."

(Nitro delays)


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## Victim (Sep 25, 2008)

> As she flies all out toward the blimp of doom, she answers: "I can shut down gravitic drives. Catch the blimp, probably. There's a risk that the gravdrive boots up while I'm doing the catching." When she is close enough to the blimp she will use her Mass Sense to determine whether it is liftable.




_It's a F-ing BLIMP, gravity drive or no.  You should be able to f-ing catch it even without shutting down the engine.  If not, why'd you pick a name that implies flying well?  Or does she mean hold the whole thing up?_  "You shouldn't need to hold the thing up, just catch anything that falls out."


Vanifae said:


> Apollo is going to back up Star; he isn't sure how to handle this kind of situation so he will just follow her lead.




"We'll have to be careful because of the bomb vests.  I was thinking of blasting a hole so the people fall out, then if they explode the blimp and anyone else will still be okay.  Then our gravity controller can catch them in a power before they hit."

"I'll need more time to set up the cutting shots though.  Once they start to go, your guitar thing could peel back the parts I cut..."

Megan waves a hand, creating several orbs that orbit near the bottom of the blimp.  Each programmed to merge with any specialized cutting plasma patterns, to add extra juice to the planned attempt to breach the gondola.

"Apollo and I can be back before you count to 5, Nitro.  And Hope can make ice."
--------------------------

Trigger to combined attack with anything she uses.  Not a 1, so it should be able to help if she goes through with it.

Stealth check is 14 


(No one beats 20 initiative?  The totals overall seem pretty sorry.  We have bonuses, right?    At least the baddies seem to be starting off with poor luck too.)


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## DM_Matt (Sep 25, 2008)

Victim said:


> _It's a F-ing BLIMP, gravity drive or no.  You should be able to f-ing catch it even without shutting down the engine.  If not, why'd you pick a name that implies flying well?  Or does she mean hold the whole thing up?_  "You shouldn't need to hold the thing up, just catch anything that falls out."
> 
> "We'll have to be careful because of the bomb vests.  I was thinking of blasting a hole so the people fall out, then if they explode the blimp and anyone else will still be okay.  Then our gravity controller can catch them in a power before they hit."
> 
> ...




Star sets the shots up.  The blimp is actually moving quite fast.  It will be over land in a round or two.    A blimp is a blimp, but a gravity drive is a gravity drive.  It is headed towards the boardwalk, which is full of large hotels and casinos.

It does not seem that the crew can see Star.  They just seem to be piloting the thing, reducing altitude gradually.  

Nitro and Optic delay, waiting for a ride.

Wren braces himself and extends his ring.  Thousands of energy strands pour out of it, filling the stadium.  Most of the people are bound by the strands of cosmic energy, which turn into grey metal as the energy fades.

Hope creates a massive wall to keep in the rest. 

Meanwhile, Star's second set of shots combine with her first set to cut the floor out of the blimp under the three terrorists. 

Skylark arrives as well, and is easily able to seize control of the gravity drive.  Using her mass sense, she realizes that the balloon portion is much heavier than it should be.  She suspects that it does not contain helium like it should...thus the need for a gravity drive.

The bombers try to hold on, but after a few seconds, fall through the floor.  Then something strange happens.  They do not seem to take any particular action, but their vests detonate, and quite separately the baloon exploses in a massive fireball.  

Skylark, Apollo, and Star are caught in the explosions.  Skylark's force field protects her from the main blasts, but she gets hit by shrapnel from the bombers (2 injuries/bruises).  Star is surprisingly unlucky, getting caught in the main explosion despite her amazing speed, and taking a shrapnel hit too (twice stunned, injured/bruised).  She is blasted clear form the explosion, and barely manages to float to the water (hp to reroll the concentration check).  Apollo fares exactly the same.  The flaming blimp crashes into the river, its momentum carrying it almost to the shore.  Its edge lands a mere 100 yards or so from the Southside Palace, the largest hotel and casino in Freedom City. Had Skylark not taken control of the gravity drive, it would have hit.


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## Victim (Sep 25, 2008)

"*F-!* Star curses, hovering over the river and trying shake off her injuries.  She yells - defensive and desparate -  to the group through the comm, "I didn't shoot anything explodey.  I swear!"

----------------------------

Def 23/13.  Toughness +9.  Bruised x2.  Injured x2.  Stunned.  HP 1.


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## DM_Matt (Sep 25, 2008)

Victim said:


> "*F-!* Star curses, hovering over the river and trying shake off her injuries.  She yells - defensive and desparate -  to the group through the comm, "I didn't shoot anything explodey.  I swear!"
> 
> ----------------------------
> 
> Def 23/13.  Toughness +9.  Bruised x2.  Injured x2.  Stunned.  HP 1.




(...and now comes the next wave...same round, readied actions...)

Apollos sees a man under water in a black diving suit, a cape, and a helmet with a glowing red line where his eyes are.  He kind of looks like a stingray.  By the time Apollo sees him, he is too late.  A pair of needles streak from the water, striking Apollo.  An electrical current travels between them, sending shocks through his entire body.  He falls into the water (stunned by the stun power, requires recovery saves unlike the regular stun).

Meanwhile, as Star hovers near the water's surface, a  shark with  webbed human limbs jumps out of the water, surging from the depths with partial aid of a grav belt, tail slaps her in the face.  This time she fails to stay in the air and splashes into the water.  Just as she sinks below the surface she passes out.  (KO, staggered, stunned, another 2 bruises)

(I swear, you are just VERY unlucky on your rolls.  )

Next round begin...

On the boardwalk, a car's gas tank suddenly explodes, sending poeple running for cover.  Some men get out of vans.   Skin heads.  Armed, some with bats, some with guns, some also with spray cans blasting into the air.  they don't have masks on, but if thats the spores, its quite possible that an infection would not actually alter their behavior anyway.


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## G. Skylark (Sep 25, 2008)

"Oh yeah, catchin' blokes what fall out should be BLOODY HELL!!!"  She careens through the air from the explosions.  She is rather relieved at how lightly she is injured.  Then she is dismayed at what happens to Apollo and Star.

"Skylark to all points!  Apollo and Star got jumped by some bloody aquatic super-buggers at the river!  They're drowning!  Can you hear me, Star?  Apollo?"  (Skylark uses Gravity Control to lift Apollo and Star up out of the river; if they are no longer visible, she will descend to where she can see them or feel them using Mass Sense.  She will prioritize Star if necessary).

EDIT: "Oh!  And there are Nazi wannabes on the boardwalk!"


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## Elric (Sep 25, 2008)

Victim said:


> "*F-!* Star curses, hovering over the river and trying shake off her injuries.  She yells - defensive and desparate -  to the group through the comm, "I didn't shoot anything explodey.  I swear!"
> 
> Nitro pauses for a second to think.  _If Star didn't set the explosion off, how did it happen?  Do we know anyone who can explode things with his mind?_
> 
> ...


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 25, 2008)

*Wren: 2 HP left, Tough +14, Fort +11*

Wren: 2 HP left, Tough +14, Fort +11

Using a HP, Wren shakes off the Fatigue that his last action imbued upon him.  Hearing the new series of events, Wren can only hope that Star and Apollo were not dead. Hearing Nitro ask about the teleporting over to the boardwalk, ,he acts quickly.

"Hope, I'll be right back.  Nitro and Optic are needed on the boardwalk."

With but a thought, and knowledge that there was going to be trouble all around soon enough, Wren teleports to the boardwalk, with Nitro and Optic.  Immediately upon arrival, Wren notes the baddies, and their spray cans...

[sblock=If Teleport location is MORE than 600 feet...]If distance from his spot to the boardwalk is more than 600 feet, he will use the Teleport as a Full Round to get Nitro and Optic to the boardwalk.  Wren also takes account of the new surroundings, asking Hope, "If things are under control there now, get out while you can.  Looks like the party has moved to the boardwalk.  Otherwise, I will be there in a few seconds.  Star and Apollo seem to be in the river." [/sblock]

[sblock=If Teleport Range is LESS than 600 feet...] Wren will teleport the two allies to the boardwalk, take an account of the surroundings (Standard Action capable), and then teleport back instantly to aid Hope.

I was hoping to gain the standard action to do something useful, yet with the rules, I can't switch powers in an array during the same round.  OH well, what kind of gear is on me right now?  Some type of stun gun perhaps?  Anything is better than wasting the standard action I have the ability to use...  But, I don't think it's less than 600 feet from where I am in the stadium, so moot point.[/sblock]


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## kirinke (Sep 26, 2008)

Saint launches herself into the air and flies towards the river, using her ability to control air to telikenetically snatch Appollo and Star out of harm's way.


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## Elric (Sep 26, 2008)

"You fascist thugs are going down!"

_Wow, John, I bet no one has ever used that one before_

After getting teleported to the boardwalk, Nitro tries to get into position to Shockwave (11 dmg, 110 ft Cone) as many of the skin heads as possible without hitting bystanders (using his move action to jump if necessary), then uses Move-by Action to end up not right next to all of the spores/possibly behind partial cover if it looks like they have projectile spores that could reach him.


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## kirinke (Sep 26, 2008)

Saint reaches the river and Skylark. "Sky, cover me please. I'm going to get Apollo and Star out of there," she said after a quick assessment of the situation.

Using her air control ablity, Hope snatches the two downed and nearly drowned superheroes out of harms way.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 26, 2008)

kirinke said:


> Saint reaches the river and Skylark. "Sky, cover me please. I'm going to get Apollo and Star out of there," she said after a quick assessment of the situation.
> 
> Using her air control ablity, Hope snatches the two downed and nearly drowned superheroes out of harms way.




Reading your OOC - 

Wren notes Hope's intent on going to the boardwalk as well, and takes her along with Nitro and Optic.  Turning to Optic, he asks, "Optic, can you get a location on Star and Apollo with your visor?  Lock onto their equipment signals or something?"


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## kirinke (Sep 27, 2008)

"Thanks," Hope said, looking concerned. "If I can't get them both out, Sky will have to get the other." she added.


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## G. Skylark (Sep 27, 2008)

Skylark's eyes widen at the arrival of Hope.  She swears profusely, and instead of lifting Apollo and Star out of the water, will use extra effort to extend her force field to cover Hope and whoever she pulls out of the water.


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## kirinke (Sep 27, 2008)

Hope assesses the situation, considering her decision to lift them out. It would be a huge waste of effort. "Change of plans, Skylark, I thought I could lift them out, but it looks like you'll have a better chance of getting them both out then me, I'll cover you if you could lift them out."


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## Elric (Sep 27, 2008)

kirinke said:


> Hope assesses the situation, considering her decision to lift them out. It would be a huge waste of effort. "Change of plans, Skylark, I thought I could lift them out, but it looks like you'll have a better chance of getting them both out then me, I'll cover you if you could lift them out."




_Amazing.  I think this is the first time that Hope didn't think she was the best person for a job.  I wonder what sort of mystical intervention caused the change of heart?_

(OOC: If Jemal isn't around to post an action, I say that Optic should duck behind cover and scan the area with his [Distracting] X-Ray Vision), looking for signs of, say, Murder Mouse or other supervillains)


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## kirinke (Sep 27, 2008)

ooc:
Chalk it up to counciling and stragetic use of theraputic drugs. I figure that alot of her problems before were due to trauma and PTSD. She's getting better. I think she'll slowly become the person she was before that incident with Faust and his lil coven or maybe even better.


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## G. Skylark (Sep 27, 2008)

"Roger that, Hope.  Two vicious blighters in the water, and there may be a sniper, so visual cover would be ducky.  I can see through fog and dust and such using gravity waves."  (And Skylark will go with her original plan, lifting Apollo and Star out of the water with Gravity Control.  Assuming she can do that with a standard action, she will use her move action to drag their weightless selves to safe cover.)


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## kirinke (Sep 28, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> "Roger that, Hope.  Two vicious blighters in the water, and there may be a sniper, so visual cover would be ducky.  I can see through fog and dust and such using gravity waves."  (And Skylark will go with her original plan, lifting Apollo and Star out of the water with Gravity Control.  Assuming she can do that with a standard action, she will use her move action to drag their weightless selves to safe cover.)




"I wonder how well they can swim in a box of air?" Hope cracks. "Alright, get Star and Apollo out and I'll trap the fins and or take a crack at the sniper, whichever one I can find first. Oh, I can see through that mess using the air currents, fun huh?" she said, making sure that Skylark was appropriatly covered.

ooc:
Foresight to determin what might happen.


----------



## DM_Matt (Sep 28, 2008)

kirinke said:


> Saint reaches the river and Skylark. "Sky, cover me please. I'm going to get Apollo and Star out of there," she said after a quick assessment of the situation.






Fangor the Fierce said:


> Wren notes Hope's intent on going to the boardwalk as well, and takes her along with Nitro and Optic.  Turning to Optic, he asks, "Optic, can you get a location on Star and Apollo with your visor?  Lock onto their equipment signals or something?"




Optic sends this information.  This will come in handy quite soon.  Meanwhile, he analyzes the spores while waiting for Wren to teleport him.  He tells the group "These spores are from a Animus Serpent, a Queen.  Aminus Serpents are small parasites that live in the human brain and feed off certain chemicals and brain matter that lead people to unreasoned hostility and violence, and telepathically suggest they act on these things.  The queens reproduce by producing spores that enter people's minds and grow...this is just the first step.  Eventually these things will take over their victims...and they can spread the infection through bodily fluids...and if two of them produce a child, that child will be a queen.  The bad guys could have harvested spores for this, and may have a queen on their side. She'll be humanoid, but appearance and powers vary widely since they are all hybridized with their hosts' DNA.  By the way, Devil Ray is Crime League...where there is one, there may be more..."



kirinke said:


> "Thanks," Hope said, looking concerned. "If I can't get them both out, Sky will have to get the other." she added.






kirinke said:


> Hope assesses the situation, considering her decision to lift them out. It would be a huge waste of effort. "Change of plans, Skylark, I thought I could lift them out, but it looks like you'll have a better chance of getting them both out then me, I'll cover you if you could lift them out."






G. Skylark said:


> "Roger that, Hope.  Two vicious blighters in the water, and there may be a sniper, so visual cover would be ducky.  I can see through fog and dust and such using gravity waves."






kirinke said:


> "I wonder how well they can swim in a box of air?" Hope cracks. "Alright, get Star and Apollo out and I'll trap the fins and or take a crack at the sniper, whichever one I can find first. Oh, I can see through that mess using the air currents, fun huh?" she said, making sure that Skylark was appropriatly covered.
> .




Hope tries to cover Skylark as best she can, blowing water and dirt around, but she cannot fire her lightning while Star and Apollo are in the water, and she also can't suck the bad guys into the air...there is too much water in the way. 


Meanwhile, Wren teleports Optic and Nitro to the boardwalk.




Elric said:


> "You fascist thugs are going down!"
> 
> _Wow, John, I bet no one has ever used that one before_
> 
> ...




Suddenly, a blue, humanoid  creature of pure energy phases through the the floor right behind Nitro. It's Hiroshima Shadow.  "YOU THINK YOU COULD KILL ME!!!," he roars, and strikes Nitro, sending him flying into the status of Adam and shattering it at its center point.  Water spurts in all directions (injury, bruise, stunned, energy damage)
.
Optic's suit catches a high-caliber bullet, knocking him back a step.  Even he can't figure out where it  came from.  (injury/buise).  He gets charged by a few Skinheads, but their bats do nothing to him  He hopes the one spraying spores hasn't infected him.  One of them sprays him with a MAC-10, and a bullet gets through his suit (injury/bruise).

It looks like some guys from the Paradise hotel are fighting back.  A number of armed men, a mix of security guards with tasers and pistols and some better-armed mobsters (including a few with energy weapons), take up defensive positions using pillars and other scenery, and take down a few of the skinheads.  


Devil Ray shoots at Skylark, but misses without Hope needing to deflect it with her winds.

Skylark does manage to lift Star and Apollo, as well as enough water to to display a whale.  The altered gravity allows Star and Apollo to float to the top.  Apollo manages to shake off the effects of the electricity. (Ya know, Hope can heal Star...)

The shark does another jump, this time at Hope, but misses.  

Next to Wren, a car suddenly explodes.  He manages to react rapidly, summoning an energy bubble to entirely contain the blast and save many civilians (rolled a 20 on his save)


From one of the villain vans, a bearded man, wearing silver gauntlets and a black suit with a purple star in the center, and glowing with purplish-black light, floats over to Wren.  "hard light constructs.  Interesting.  I thought I had the monopoly on that power now that Star knight is out of the way. I guess I'll have to rectify that."  He fires a blast of black light, but it misses Wren.


Hope and Skylark are also approached by a new villain.  He floats in the air and wears a red and yellow robe.  Lightning crackles from his fingertips.  He fires a blast at Skylark, and is not made to miss by Hope's windy smoke screen.  Skylark is hurt (bruised), but not that badly.

Optic shouts "I'm not so sure this IS Barrington...this is just about the whole damn Crime League, though...Devil Ray, Dr. Stratos, Black Star, Hiroshima Shadow...and maybe others...!


----------



## kirinke (Sep 28, 2008)

"Skylark, my powers are pretty worthless against this guy. If one of you could take him on, I'll deal with devil ray."

ooc:
I'm not sure, unless she power stunts it. I took out the healing and put in foresight instead. I don't see a problem though with Hope making that effort.

I was thinking of her taking out the shark and devil ray, because Stratos' is fairly immune to Hope's powers and attacks.


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Sep 28, 2008)

Wren - 2HP left Toughness +14, Fort +11< Refl +9, Will +14



DM_Matt said:


> Optic sends this information.  This will come in handy quite soon.  Meanwhile, he analyzes the spores while waiting for Wren to teleport him.  He tells the group "These spores are from a Animus Serpent, a Queen.  Aminus Serpents are small parasites that live in the human brain and feed off certain chemicals and brain matter that lead people to unreasoned hostility and violence, and telepathically suggest they act on these things.  The queens reproduce by producing spores that enter people's minds and grow...this is just the first step.  Eventually these things will take over their victims...and they can spread the infection through bodily fluids...and if two of them produce a child, that child will be a queen.  The bad guys could have harvested spores for this, and may have a queen on their side. She'll be humanoid, but appearance and powers vary widely since they are all hybridized with their hosts' DNA.  By the way, Devil Ray is Crime League...where there is one, there may be more..."
> 
> Next to Wren, a car suddenly explodes.  He manages to react rapidly, summoning an energy bubble to entirely contain the blast and save many civilians (rolled a 20 on his save)
> 
> ...




"Everyone keep each other covered and don't work alone!  Let's work together this time...Trust me..."

Thinking quickly, and knowing that they each had their hands full, Wren decides to give his allies a little bit of help.  

"...and through all things, there is the power of life... power of light... and the power to live...take these as gifts... do not take them for granted..."

With but the quick thought and few words, Wren bestows the power of his own innate powers onto each of his allies that would make need of it.

[sblock=Inspire]Ok, Wren will use his full round action to grant 4 of you with the +4 bonus to all attack rolls, saving throws, and checks for the NEXT round.  Make sure they count, as this allows those 4 to bring these rolls ABOVE the PL limit.  Only 1 round, so make them count, please.

The power will go to the ones that would best make use of it.  With only being able to choose 4 people, so OOC thread has the offer.  Once I get an idea of who would use it, then I will add those names here... [/sblock]


----------



## kirinke (Sep 28, 2008)

"We won't," Saint promised. "Alright, Skylark, if you could, please take Stratos. I'll take Devil Ray or the shark, whichever comes first. Apollo, get Star to safety, unless anyone has any better ideas?"


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## Elric (Sep 29, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> Suddenly, a blue, humanoid  creature of pure energy phases through the the floor right behind Nitro. It's Hiroshima Shadow.  "YOU THINK YOU COULD KILL ME!!!," he roars, and strikes Nitro, sending him flying into the status of Adam and shattering it at its center point.  Water spurts in all directions (injury, bruise, stunned, energy damage)




_Ouch!_

"I've never seen you before in my life.  You must have me confused with someone else.  I think you want the guy in purple and black over there." Nitro quips after he gets thrown into the statue of Adam.


----------



## G. Skylark (Sep 29, 2008)

Skylark places Star, weightless, in the air, while dropping the water back into the river.  Floating protectively between Stratos and Star, Skylark is gripped by fear!  _Stratos!  The bloody Crime League?!  An' he's their leader, right?  If he gets me with a bloody stroke o' lightning I'm done! _She grits her teeth from the pain of her injuries, and trades fear for anger!  "Doctor Stratos, I presume?  I read yer dissertation, it was RUBBISH!!!"

(Assuming Apollo gets Star to safety, Skylark will make Stratos as heavy as Gravity Control 13 can.  Hopefully this will put him into the river and cause falling damage.  If Apollo doesn't get Star out of here, Skylark flies them both into the hotel through a window).


----------



## kirinke (Sep 30, 2008)

Hope smirks behind her mask and takes out the closest bad guy she can (that's not Stratos), or at least levels a powerful lightning blast at the unfortunant snot.

"I'd say 'Nice to meet you,' but I'd be lying. Name's Saint by the way, forgive me for not attacking you, but I already know it's fair useless," she chuckled. "Your buddies on the other hand, don't react well to electricity I believe," she said mildly, though something in her chest constricted.

Secrets, so many secrets. Her investigations had led her to believing that he might be her father, her mother was unknown. She never found out, but suspected oh suspected that she was a villian too, maybe a powerful one.


----------



## Elric (Oct 1, 2008)

*Nitro, 1 HP, Bruised/Injured (energy)*

(Assuming Wren uses Inspire on Nitro, which seems like the current plan)

Nitro shakes off the stun with an HP and springs to his feet.  _Don't try taking on glowing energy dude.  That would probably hurt_.  Then he takes a running jump towards Blackstar, trying to punch him, grab him and slam him into the pavement.  "Eat pavement, Purple Star dude!"

Acrobatics to stand as free action (1d20 17=36)

All-Out Attack for 5, Charge, Power Attack for 5.  Use Improved Grab on a hit.

Then use Extra Effort to take another attack, at the same bonuses.

First attack roll: Attack on Blackstar ( 9 base,  2 Charge,  4 Inspire,  5 PA, -5 AOA=  15, damage 14 5= 19). (1d20 15=29)

Grapple check ( 28 normal,  4 Inspire) (1d20 32=42)

Second Attack on Blackstar ( 9 base,  2 Charge,  4 Inspire,  5 PA, -5 AOA=  15, damage 14 5= 19). (1d20 15=20)


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 2, 2008)

Wren says:
"Everyone keep each other covered and don't work alone! Let's work together this time...Trust me..."

Thinking quickly, and knowing that they each had their hands full, Wren decides to give his allies a little bit of help. 

"...and through all things, there is the power of life... power of light... and the power to live...take these as gifts... do not take them for granted..."

With but the quick thought and few words, Wren bestows the power of his own innate powers onto each of his allies that would make need of it.

Apollo sees the famous Dr. Stratos appear on the scene and immediately takes the opportunity to blast him.  He summons his bow, draws back the string, and an arrow of light appears.  It streaks towards Dr. Stratos, penetrating his deflecting winds and striking him in the chest.  The lightning controller goes flying (Stunned and bruised)/

As she sleeps, Star suddenly sees purple lines floating and curving on the dark, spinning, background.  They swirl around creating circles, which capture other lines until they create pentagrams.  Once each fully form, they become portals, and a women jumps out, seemingly jumping into Star.  Each time one hits, she opens her eyes momentarily.  One of them is Viridian.  Once the last hits, she wakes up.  her vision, however, is oddly tinted slightly purple.  Others notice that her eyes are glowing purple.

"I'd say 'Nice to meet you,' but I'd be lying, Hope says to Stratos. Name's Saint by the way, forgive me for not attacking you, but I already know it's fair useless," she chuckled. "Your buddies on the other hand, don't react well to electricity I believe," she said mildly, though something in her chest constricted.

Hope smirks behind her mask and fires a lightning bolt into the water.  The Water spreads the electricity out and hits both Megalodon and Devil Ray.  Only Megalodon is hurt, however, and only a bit singed (1 bruise).

Skylark places Star, weightless, in the air, while dropping the water back into the river. Star is waking up but doesn't have her flight back up yet.  Floating protectively between Stratos and Star, Skylark is gripped by fear! _Stratos! The bloody Crime League?! An' he's their leader, right? If he gets me with a bloody stroke o' lightning I'm done!_ She grits her teeth from the pain of her injuries, and trades fear for anger! "Doctor Stratos, I presume? I read yer dissertation, it was RUBBISH!!!"

Skylark uses her gravity control to dunks Dr. Stratos into the water (hit and stunned again).

Megalodon jumps up to hit Hope and misses.  Devil Ray shoots at Skylark, and hits, but she grits through the electrical blast.  Devil Ray darts out of sight underwater.

------------------------


Nitro shakes off the stun with an HP and springs to his feet. _Don't try taking on glowing energy dude. That would probably hurt._ Then he takes a running jump towards Blackstar, trying to punch him, grab him and slam him into the pavement. "Eat pavement, Purple Star dude!"

NItro strikes and tackles Black Star, holding him down and striking him again across the face (2 bruises, staggered, stunned, hp for Nitro from a reroll by BS)

With Black Star being handled, Optic turns to Hiroshima Shadow, and blasts him with with his eye laser, sending the energy being flying.   (bruised and stunned).

Optic gets shot again, stumbling and nearly falling (hp spent to avoid very bad result).  He still can't find the sniper.

Hiroshima Shadow shakes off the damage and blasts Optic (hp for optic) with a bolt of radiation, setting his battlesuit aflame and throwing him into the water (disabled, staggered, stunned, injured, bruised x2).  Fortunately, the water puts out the fire.

Another car explodes near Wren.  He manages to take the hit for the bystanders, absorbing the force with his force field (no dmg).


----------



## Victim (Oct 2, 2008)

> As she sleeps, Star suddenly sees purple lines floating and curving on the dark, spinning, background. They swirl around creating circles, which capture other lines until they create pentagrams. Once each fully form, they become portals, and a women jumps out, seemingly jumping into Star. Each time one hits, she opens her eyes momentarily. One of them is Viridian. Once the last hits, she wakes up. her vision, however, is oddly tinted slightly purple.
> 
> Star is waking up but doesn't have her flight back up yet.




_...Thess?_ Megan wakes up from her head injury/vision, coughing violently.  Disoriented in the reduced gravity, Star thrashes around in suspended water.  _What's going on, that was really weird.  Did something happen, or was my brain just frying from repeated head hit and drowning?  I see ... purple?  Which could go either way.  And...  I CAN'T FLY!  I CAN'T try to focus fly.  So I'm definitely broken now.   But why did I think of Thess? - Because she died since you suck, just like you're sucking now._

Star narrows her eyes and concentrates on her power.  _Trying to keep everything all controlled and neat and safe just made me weak; got my friend killed.  _  A cluster of her plasma orbs appears in the air above the water bubble, then spiral inwards and condense into a larger, overcharged sphere.  The unstable ball of energy is a slower to accelerate than her normal attacks but builds up speed as it arcs up into the air then dives down towards Blackstar, barely missing Nitro.  While the first projectile is in flight, Star works creating more, evidently planning to hammer the ex-Star Knight through the pavement.

[sblock]
Standard Action: Plasma Orbs against Blackstar.  Plasma Control +8 Autofire 2 (1 for 1, max 4), Penetrating 3 (4/rank, +3)  not for undoing effects), Homing 2 (2 extra chances), Indirect 3 (any angle), Precise, Accurate 

Power Attack for 5.  Attack: +9: 21  Not counting the bonus for attacking a stunned target, so potentially 23.  

Damage starts at 13.

Precise Shot, Precise and Indirect to deal with the grapple and prone.

Def: 23/14 (cover from water?)  Toughness +9/+10 DR.  Bruised x4.  Staggered.  HP 1?

I don't think Displacement would work if she can't fly yet.[/sblock]


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## Fangor the Fierce (Oct 2, 2008)

*Wren - 0HP left Toughness +14, Fort +11< Refl +9, Will +14*

Seeing Star come out of it, Wren's faith is bolstered.  Things were not as bad as he had thought, and they had a chance at managing this battle.  But, there was still luck to contend with...

Turning to the wounded Optic, he notes that he keeps getting sniped from the water.  Also, there were other enemies there in the water, so it would be best to get him out quickly.  Teleporting quickly to Optic, Wren then immediately Teleports straight back to where he was before, with Optic now out of the water (Teleport, Turnabout Feat, Move Action).

As he does, he quickly scans the area to try and spot the hiding sniper (Free action, Notice +13[7,13] = (20))

Then, as he appears in his place, Wren turns to Optic, who is not all into the fight, and washes him over with a burst of cosmic healing, for good measure.  

"Come on, we're not out of this yet!"

[sblock=Healing used withOUT Hero Point]
Due to OOC clarification, I will teleport as move, notice anything if possible, then Heal as Standard action.  Healing at Rank 10 for Optic[/sblock]

Wren will ALSO ready to use his Interpose on Optic, to negate those easy sniping attacks that are sure to come... (Interpose feat)


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## G. Skylark (Oct 3, 2008)

"Wicked shooting!"  Skylark is now a fan of Apollo.  She hardly expected to get Stratos so swiftly, and feels relieved but strangely embarrassed about piledriving him like a chump.  "Erm, 'ope the blighter doesn't drown...."

"Ah, I'm gonna keep 'im underwater for a tick.  See whot I can do about Mr. and Mrs. Fish 'n Chips down there, too.  Stay clear of the water, mates!"

(Skylark will maintain the Gravity Control effect around Stratos at Area 11, in an attempt to catch Devil Ray or Man-Shark in the radius around Stratos.  Even if they aren't in range, the effect is Subtle so maybe they'll wander into it if they try to rescue Stratos. If this will catch allies in the radius of the effect, Skylark will switch over to single-target Telekinesis on the array to keep Stratos down.  And since she's using the Gravity Control array for attacking, Skylark should probably physically hold up Star, if she isn't flying yet.  Sorry Star.).


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## kirinke (Oct 4, 2008)

Hope floats in the air, boyed by the air currents she naturally controlls and is ready to attack or defend, depending on what the enemies do.


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## Elric (Oct 5, 2008)

*Nitro, 1 HP, Bruised/Injured (energy)*

Spend an HP to buy off the fatigue from Extra Effort.

"You know" Nitro comments/taunts "the way you talk I figure you'd have put up a better fight."

If Blackstar is still conscious and isn't stunned, try to damage him through the grapple (grapple +28, 14 damage).

Blackstar is currently prone from getting stunned by Nitro, it seems.  If Blackstar is stunned as well (by Star), instead attack him outside the grapple, power attacking for 5.

If Star KOs Blackstar, then I'll want to see what else has happened before declaring an action.


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## DM_Matt (Oct 6, 2008)

Wren flashes from existance, fetches Optic out of the water, and reappears with him in the same spot.  He runs his glowing ring over Optic's body, and Optic partially heals (still staggered and stunned, but not disabled anymore)

Apollo fires another arrow, this time at Megalodon, but misses the big shark.


Star narrows her eyes and concentrates on her power.    A cluster of her plasma orbs appears in the air above the water bubble, then spiral inwards and condense into a larger, overcharged sphere. The balls seem to contain crackling purplish-black energy, not the same as Black Star's, but unusual.  The unstable ball of energy is surrounded by a network of energy arcs, both inside and out.  It is a slower to accelerate than her normal attacks but builds up speed as it arcs up into the air then dives down towards Blackstar, barely missing Nitro. While the first projectile is in flight, Star works creating more, evidently planning to hammer the ex-Star Knight through the pavement.

It seems whatever revived her is also juicing up her powers.  The ball hits Black Star and he howls in pain as the energy branches out from the wound and arcs through his body (Disabled, KO, Stunned, additional bruise/injury...right now she has +2 DC and Lethal Only).  "Jussssssssssticceeee!!!" shouts the women in Star's head.  Star feels powerful...and more confident than ever.

Star's flight goes back on, but her energy jets share the same odd energy as her attack.

Hope repeats her lightning attack, this time lightly wounding Devil Ray.

"Wicked shooting!" Skylark is now a fan of Apollo. She hardly expected to get Stratos so swiftly, and feels relieved but strangely embarrassed about piledriving him like a chump. "Erm, 'ope the blighter doesn't drown...."

"Ah, I'm gonna keep 'im underwater for a tick. See whot I can do about Mr. and Mrs. Fish 'n Chips down there, too. Stay clear of the water, mates!"

Skylark drops another gravity effect, trying to keep the two aquatic supers down.  The speedy swimmers manage to get out of it, though they are forced deeper into the water.  However, they are extremely strong, and good enough swimmiers  to get back to the surface, this time both going for Skylark, since she has proven herself quite dangerous.  

The man-shark misses, but Devil-Ray's taser hits.  She manages to struggle through the pain and keep control of her body (hp to reroll a 1, save succeeds).  Stratos remains stuck underwater and stunned for the moment.

Nitro is next, then the bad guys.  Meanwhile, some reports come in on your radio.  White says "We have a situation.  Maestro, Dr. Simian, and Medea took over part of the Lonely Point Navel Station.  They have Mind Control powers.  We don't know how long they had control, but right now they are defending the main control building for the city's air and sea defenses....uh, oh, now we know why....Daedalus just broadcast a distress call...I'm patching it in "Hey new guys...Battle Bunny just broke a hole in Freedom Hall's new shield, and were taking rocket and machine gun fire...two Black Hawk's and two Apache's....uh-oh, the Black Hawks are dropping off troops....We're in reasl trouble here"


----------



## Victim (Oct 6, 2008)

_Okay, that's a little weird.  Concentrating the power like that had some strange effects...?  I guess it makes sense that color changes to purple, since that's a more energetic position in the spectrum, right? Blue -> Indigo -> Violet, etc... But black instead of white. ???  Eh, the centers stayed right on path.  I have this.  Sure, there's some secondary arcs; containment isn't 100% - but the whole thing isn't rupturing.  Where clearance is an issue, I just won't use the focused, overcharged shots._ Star rationalizes.  _If I had been fighting like this before..._

"Thanks, Nitro.  Nice set up!" Star grins triumphantly, echoing the wrestler's compliment in the last fight.


----------



## Elric (Oct 6, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Thanks, Nitro.  Nice set up!" Star grins triumphantly, echoing the wrestler's compliment in the last fight.




Nitro is a tad uneasy.  "Nice shot, Star.  But that seemed excessive.  You could have killed him."

_You're one to talk.  One of your signature moves is a kick in the balls.  Still..._

Nitro processes the message from White.

"Uh oh.  We'd better wrap things up here, and fast.  I don't really want to try to punch that dude glowing with radiation.  Let me try to distract him and set him up for one of you guys.

Hey glow stick dude!  You're going to have to do better than last time if you want to beat me." Nitro boasts, as he does a series of flips and spins to divert the radioactive villain.

Distract (Intimidate) on HS, opposed by best of Intimidate/Sense Motive/Will save

Second roll is Acrobatics to feint as a move action, at  12, opposed by best of Acrobatics/SM. (1d20+17, 1d20+ 12=[2, 17], [10, 12])

(Total of 19 on Distract, and 22 on the feint.  If the feint works, use Set-Up to transfer it to the next other person taking an attack on HS, and whoever that is should use Power Attack if you have it to take advantage of the opportunity)


----------



## Victim (Oct 6, 2008)

Elric said:


> Nitro is a tad uneasy.  "Nice shot, Star.  But that seemed excessive.  You could have killed him."




"He's Crime League; he's not going to break that easily.  I haven't."


----------



## Elric (Oct 8, 2008)

Victim said:


> "He's Crime League; he's not going to break that easily.  I haven't."




"I don't know Star.  You're one tough cookie.  Even if there's only a 2% chance you could kill a villain by accident, that means that by the time you get to fifty villains something is bound to go wrong.  And fifty villains, that's what, a few months at our current rate?"

_Different colored stuff, new attitude, lots more villains than we're used to, has the potential to be worse than what came before it.  Sounds like Star could end up as Spider-Man 3!_


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## Victim (Oct 8, 2008)

"Look, I've got it.  It's under control, and I'm not trying to kill anyone here," Star replies.  _Why let them get off so easy?_  "But even if my attacks are bit less safe for them, they're also not something villains will ignore, or that can only set other people and not stop anyone themselves.  And we still have a bunch of guys here, Freedom Hall, and the Naval Base.  Let's hurry it up."


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 8, 2008)

Victim said:


> _Okay, that's a little weird.  Concentrating the power like that had some strange effects...?  I guess it makes sense that color changes to purple, since that's a more energetic position in the spectrum, right? Blue -> Indigo -> Violet, etc... But black instead of white. ???  Eh, the centers stayed right on path.  I have this.  Sure, there's some secondary arcs; containment isn't 100% - but the whole thing isn't rupturing.  Where clearance is an issue, I just won't use the focused, overcharged shots._ Star rationalizes.  _If I had been fighting like this before..._
> 
> "Thanks, Nitro.  Nice set up!" Star grins triumphantly, echoing the wrestler's compliment in the last fight.






Elric said:


> Nitro is a tad uneasy.  "Nice shot, Star.  But that seemed excessive.  You could have killed him."
> 
> _You're one to talk.  One of your signature moves is a kick in the balls.  Still..._
> 
> ...






Victim said:


> "He's Crime League; he's not going to break that easily.  I haven't."






Elric said:


> "I don't know Star.  You're one tough cookie.  Even if there's only a 2% chance you could kill a villain by accident, that means that by the time you get to fifty villains something is bound to go wrong.  And fifty villains, that's what, a few months at our current rate?"
> 
> _Different colored stuff, new attitude, lots more villains than we're used to, has the potential to be worse than what came before it.  Sounds like Star could end up as Spider-Man 3!_






Victim said:


> "Look, I've got it.  It's under control, and I'm not trying to kill anyone here," Star replies.  _Why let them get off so easy?_  "But even if my attacks are bit less safe for them, they're also not something villains will ignore, or that can only set other people and not stop anyone themselves.  And we still have a bunch of guys here, Freedom Hall, and the Naval Base.  Let's hurry it up."




Unfortunately, the experienced terrorist is unaffected by Nitro's jumping and taunting.  "I've been hitting plenty hard...besides, you can't hurt me without hurting yourself almost as bad, and we both know it.  You are irrelevant, worm."

Five skinheads approach Nitro and try to attack him.  two work together to force him to dodge into one baseball bat hit, but it bounces off his powerful pecs.  Another one is about to club him from behind when the thug takes a hit from a plasma rifle that blasts away part of his back and lights him on fire.  He falls down.  "You rock, Nitro!"  shouts the mobster who shot him. 

Some skinheads shoot at Wren, but miss.  Most of them have swarmed into the hotels, some being cut down by defenders on the way in.  Apparently, it was worth it to them to get cover and bystanders inside.  Meanwhile, it looks like some of the guards and gangsters are being affected by the spores, and join the skinheads.

Wren takes a sniper shot in the chest, and goes down (crit, no hp to reroll, disabled, staggered, stunned....missed dying result by 1)

HS fires a blast of radiation at Optic, burning him badly yet again (stunned again, another injury and bruise.

Black Star is down, and thus does nothing.

Another gas main blows under Wren and Optic.  The seriously injured Wren fortunately manages to avoid a further, fatal wound, but Optic is burnt again, and is thrown across the boardwalk (another injury and 2 more bruises, also stunned again).


----------



## Elric (Oct 8, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> Unfortunately, the experienced terrorist is unaffected by Nitro's jumping and taunting.  "I've been hitting plenty hard...besides, you can't hurt me without hurting yourself almost as bad, and we both know it.  You are irrelevant, worm."




_Ouch._ 



> Five skinheads approach Nitro and try to attack him.  two work together to force him to dodge into one baseball bat hit, but it bounces off his powerful pecs.  Another one is about to club him from behind when the thug takes a hit from a plasma rifle that blasts away part of his back and lights him on fire.  He falls down.  "You rock, Nitro!"  shouts the mobster who shot him.




"Thanks, man.  But can you set that thing on stun?  Or, if you've got huge cojones, how about taking a shot at that guy over there"  [pointing to HS] (Are there still a bunch of skinheads within Shockwave range?)



> Wren takes a sniper shot in the chest, and goes down (crit, no hp to reroll, disabled, staggered, stunned....missed dying result by 1)




(I believe Wren should still have 1 HP left.  He spent 1 on buying off the fatigue for the Snare attack, 1 on Inspire and didn't have to spend that last one on the recent Healing maneuver, though Fangor forgot to edit his HP total to reflect this)


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 8, 2008)

Elric said:


> _Ouch._
> 
> 
> 
> ...




(Elric is correct).

Wren's firce field breaks up the bullet just before it penetrates his chest, creating only a minor shrapnel wound (injury, bruise).  NOW Wren is out of hp.


----------



## Victim (Oct 8, 2008)

"Worm?  Were you ever even a person, Shadow?  You're certainly not now.  Your own f-ing allies strung you up and used as bait to draw out the Israeli super."  Star blasts out of the water and hovers, poised to dodge incoming attacks.  _Can this even work?  Optic's eye beams seemed to do something, but can something made of radiation even burn?  I don't think the ionization and charge will do anything to most radiation stuff either, will it?  But lasers worked, and I wouldn't think they'd do much either.  So my power will work too._

She creates another few overcharged orbs, which approach Shadow from odd angles and then miss.  _Sh-!  Well, hopefully he'll be surprised when they come back._

"Dammit, where the hell is Murder Mouse and that other guy?!" _And dang, but with those guys in the hotels, this could turn into a huge mess.  *&^%(#^()&*&_

[sblock]Free Action: Displacement (sight)

Standard Action: Plasma Orbs against Hiroshima Shadow. Plasma Control +10* Autofire 2 (1 for 1, max 5*), Penetrating 3 (4/rank, +3), Homing 2 (2 extra chances), Indirect 3 (any angle), Precise, Accurate 

*+2 rank vengeance spirit bonus included

Power Attack for 5. Attack: +9: 12
Roll Lookup

Yeah, not going to hit.  Well, that's what Homing is for, I guess.

-----------------------
Dang it, I forgot that Star is Staggered.  Ignore the feint attempt.

--------------------
If HS is KO by her turn, instead use Trigger to create shots above surface of the river to attack creatures coming out of it.
------------------------------

Def: 23/14.  Toughness +9/+10 DR. Bruised x4. Staggered.  Displaced.  HP 1
[/sblock]


----------



## kirinke (Oct 8, 2008)

If it looks like Skylark and Apollo have the situation in hand, she'll turn to helping those on the boardwalk.


----------



## G. Skylark (Oct 9, 2008)

3 bruises, 0 HP

"OW!  Bloody %@#&!  Why are all these sods trying to electrocute me?!  Devil Ray you skivey GIT."  Skylark thinks she is going to need a lot of aspirin after this fight.  But more importantly, she is angry!  She flies a bit higher to try and make herself a harder target, and tries to hit Devil Ray with a crushing gravitic blast.


(+10 attack, 13 damage on the Blast.  It's indirect and subtle, although I don't know if these have any particular benefit in the present situation.  It also has a range of 325 feet; Skylark is going to try to see if moving further up will get her out of Devil Ray's range, while keeping him in hers. Elric has pointed out that attacking will lift the gravity effect on Stratos.  But it would take something like 10 rounds to even start drowning him anyway).


----------



## kirinke (Oct 9, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> 3 bruises, 0 HP
> 
> "OW!  Bloody %@#&!  Why are all these sods trying to electrocute me?!  Devil Ray you skivey GIT."  Skylark thinks she is going to need a lot of aspirin after this fight.  But more importantly, she is angry!  She flies a bit higher to try and make herself a harder target, and tries to hit Devil Ray with a crushing gravitic blast.
> 
> ...




"I don't think so," Hope says, firing another shot at either Devil ray or the shark.


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 10, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Worm?  Were you ever even a person, Shadow?  You're certainly not now.  Your own f-ing allies strung you up and used as bait to draw out the Israeli super."  Star blasts out of the water and hovers, poised to dodge incoming attacks.  _Can this even work?  Optic's eye beams seemed to do something, but can something made of radiation even burn?  I don't think the ionization and charge will do anything to most radiation stuff either, will it?  But lasers worked, and I wouldn't think they'd do much either.  So my power will work too._
> 
> She creates another few overcharged orbs, which approach Shadow from odd angles and then miss.  _Sh-!  Well, hopefully he'll be surprised when they come back._
> 
> ...




(Can't move the action without more posts, but talking is fine)

"I had my reasons for letting them hold me. But I need not answer to the likes of you.  However, to edify your brutish American mind, I was a person, but now, I am more than a person. I am a city.  I am its anguish.  I am its dead.  I am its ghosts.  You American savages made me like this.  In the blink of an eye you slaughtered innocent civilians by the tens of thousands...you killed 140,000 people in Hiroshima directly, and who knows how many by cancer over the years...and all to try to show the Russians how big your d*cks were.  Today, this city will burn...not because anyone made you do it...You honorless swine will destroy it, because that is what you Americans do..."


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 11, 2008)

(Fangor?)


----------



## Victim (Oct 11, 2008)

"Then you should have killed Harry Truman, @sshole!" Star retorts.  "It's not like Japanese hands were clean either - it was a total war all around.  I'm not saying that nukes or mass firebombing raids were the right thing to do.  Some people in power start a war and then hundreds of thousands die after conscription or as civilian casualties?  Real fair.  Just like waiting 50 years before you even show up to get your vengeance.  How many of people you're hurting were even alive during WW2?"

(From what I've read, 'Shima's first appearance was in the early 90s because he's a Dr. Metropolis villain, despite an origin that occurs 48 years before.  Hence Star's comment - if somethings are different that she'd know about, then I can change her speech of course)

"And your whole poetic justice thing of getting Americans to destroy themselves might have a more weight," she adds.  "if you just set up the situation - like maybe causing a blackout and hoping for riots or something - instead of using some sort biological agent to mess with people."  

She whispers into the comm, "Optic, the spore things are what's making people extra violent, right?"  (Star was KO during Optic's initial explanation).

"And I thought it was just the second bomb that was for showing off the Russians.  Not the Hiroshima one."


----------



## Elric (Oct 11, 2008)

"Hey, Skylark", Nitro asks.  "Any way that you can hold me up so I can attack those guys in the water from above?"

(OOC: Skylark's Affects Others Flight power can be used on Nitro with a touch; Skylark could, e.g., shoot Devil Ray then fly over to Nitro and presumably extend the flight to him)


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 12, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Then you should have killed Harry Truman, @sshole!" Star retorts.  "It's not like Japanese hands were clean either - it was a total war all around.  I'm not saying that nukes or mass firebombing raids were the right thing to do.  Some people in power start a war and then hundreds of thousands die after conscription or as civilian casualties?  Real fair.  Just like waiting 50 years before you even show up to get your vengeance.  How many of people you're hurting were even alive during WW2?"
> 
> (From what I've read, 'Shima's first appearance was in the early 90s because he's a Dr. Metropolis villain, despite an origin that occurs 48 years before.  Hence Star's comment - if somethings are different that she'd know about, then I can change her speech of course)
> 
> ...




HS starts to answer, but gets cut off by a series of blasts from Wren's ring, sending him flying into the Paradise Hotel sign.  The electrical sign explodes  in a shower of sparks and broken glass as he moves through it, then moving through the wall into the second floor.  The outer wall bursts into flames as he passes through.  The Paradise Hotel sign is now silhouetted against the flames of the floor above, creating an eerie and ironic sight. (HS = Stunned and Bruised by Wrens Autofire attack).

Apollo shoots and wounds Megalodon.

Star tries to hit him, but he now has cover and concealment in the hotel, so the orbs miss, running into the hallway.  They do, however, begin to turn back around for another try.

Hope sends a bolt into the water but fails to harm either villain.

Devil Ray dodges a strike from Skylark, and fires back with his taser, this time managing to stun Skylark.  She stays in the air anyway, though, her innate gravity control functioning on autopilot.  Her repulsion field, however, fails, and Megalodon jumps into the air, tackling her, grabbing her with him mouth, and bashing her through the surface of the water. (staggered, stunned, pinned, bruised x2)

Looking to his mobster fan, Nitro says:
"Thanks, man. But can you set that thing on stun? Or, if you've got huge cojones, how about taking a shot at that guy over there" [pointing to HS] 

He says "No can do...this thing doesn't have stun.  It just has boom."  It looks like he was gunna go after HS, but now he can't, so he fires at a skinhead, missing and blasting a fiery hole in a car door. 

Nitro and Wren are each attacked by four skinheads, and Nitro takes a bruise.  When the thugs realize they can;t hope t dent Wren's force field, they run away, one firing a machine pistol uselessly at Wren.  Just about all the rest of the skinheads are now in the casinos themselves.

One of the sniper's bullets bounces off Nitro.

Another ad hoc car bomb goes off by Wren and Nitro, lightly wounding both (injury and bruise to each).

In the casinos, patrons, guards, and gangsters start being effected by the spray and turning randomly violent.


----------



## Victim (Oct 12, 2008)

(Are Devil Ray and Meglodon visible targets for Star?  I'm not sure if they're hit and running in and out of the river to gain some cover/concealment.)


----------



## kirinke (Oct 12, 2008)

ooc:
Should I attempt to rescue Skylark and how?


----------



## Victim (Oct 12, 2008)

Megan holds the rather distinctive glowing visage of HS in her mind while her shots come around for another go at the blasted super.  "By the way, according to you theory that Americans destroy everything, wouldn't coming here and picking a super fight be more than a little suicidal?"

Then Star slides backward a bit, _Eh, I'm not that okay if trying to move makes me feel like that.  Well, I'll just have to shoot everyone from here until Wren can fix it.  Dang it, I can't see that Shark and what's-her-name.  I could shoot blindly into the water, but that's probably not a good idea with her in there._

"Hope, do you want to help take care of those Nazi guys before they can get too far into the buildings?" _Ranged attacks seem like the way to go against these guys.  Wait, without Skylark holding him down, Stratos will be able to fight again._  "I'm setting up some shots for Stratos when he tries to come up; someone please help our new person."  _Right, so I should probably work on that._  Star creates some overcharged plasma attacks and directs them attack the red clad weather controller.  _Well, he's not here right now so the lock might be a bit fuzzier.  It's not like any of us are in his colors though, so there shouldn't be any chance of a mix up.  Unless someone is all bloody and red because a shark is eating them.  I'll just have to be ready to abort them._


[sblock]Free Action: maintain Homing Attack on Shadow:
 Plasma Orbs against Hiroshima Shadow. Plasma Control +10* Autofire 2 (1 for 1, max 5*), Penetrating 3 (4/rank, +3), Homing 2 (2 extra chances), Indirect 3 (any angle), Precise, Accurate 

*+2 rank vengeance spirit bonus included

Power Attack for 5. Attack: +9: 20

Standard Action: Standard Action: Triggered Plasma Orbs to attack Stratos. Plasma Control +10* Autofire 2 (1 for 1, max 5*), Penetrating 3 (4/rank, +3), Homing 2 (2 extra chances), Indirect 3 (any angle), Precise, Accurate 

*+2 rank vengeance spirit bonus included

Power Attack for 4.  Attack: +10: 24

If Megalodon isn't stunned by anything this turn, use Extra Effort to surge and shoot him again (also Power Attacking for 4).  I really don't think we want him dragging Skylark underwater and chewing on her.

Move Action: MIA 

---------------------------------------
Def: 23/14. Toughness +9/+10 DR. Bruised x4. Staggered. Displaced. HP 1[/sblock]


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## kirinke (Oct 13, 2008)

"Alright, see if you can help Skylark and Apollo Star, I'm rather useless against Stratos." she says and flies down to fling up boxes of ice and air around the Neo-Nazi nimrods.


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 13, 2008)

Victim said:


> (Are Devil Ray and Meglodon visible targets for Star?  I'm not sure if they're hit and running in and out of the river to gain some cover/concealment.)





No.  Both are under water.  Megalodon jumps in and out, but Devil Ray never leaves.  His guns are designed specifically to hit above-water targets from in the water (The electrified parts are shielded in a case that breaks off once the pressure changes to indicate not being under water)


----------



## Elric (Oct 14, 2008)

*Nitro, 1 HP, 1 Bruised/Injured (Energy), 1 Bruise (Physical)*



DM_Matt said:


> Another ad hoc car bomb goes off by Wren and Nitro, lightly wounding both (injury and bruise to each).




(OOC: I assume that this is physical damage, in which case Nitro should only be bruised.

Nitro regens one of his two bruises from physical damage.

I haven't heard if Nitro can locate Megalodon under the water.  Assuming he can, Nitro leaping charges Megalodon, Accurate Attack for 3: +5 to hit (+14 not counting underwater penalties), -2 Defense, 11 damage on a hit.  If Nitro hits, use Improved Grab to try to free Skylark.)

"I'll save you Skylark" Nitro yells, before taking off in the direction where Megalodon disappeared into the water.


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Oct 14, 2008)

Wren hesitates, wondering what was going to be happening by the time it comes to making a decision...

OOC - Not sure what My init is anymore, so I will pause until it's my turn.


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 14, 2008)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> Wren hesitates, wondering what was going to be happening by the time it comes to making a decision...
> 
> OOC - Not sure what My init is anymore, so I will pause until it's my turn.




(Wren is first)


----------



## G. Skylark (Oct 15, 2008)

"Oh yeah sure I can give you a lift OOWWWW!!!!"  she says to Nitro, as she is zapped and then snapped up by Megolodon.

Nitro's rescue attempt will be much appreciated.


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Oct 15, 2008)

Responding as quickly as he can, Wren calls out, "Star!  Take Hiroshima out while he's dazed and confused!  I will get the water situation hopefully under wraps..."

Then, turning to Nitro, he says, "I might need a hand here..." while conjuring up another little trick of his.  This time, he conjures forth the largest glowing fishing net imaginable.  The thing is easily enough to hopefully capture everyone in the water, as Wren tethers it to himself, for good measure.  90 Cubic feet might be enough to easily capture anyone and everything in the water...

[sblock=Cosmic Fishing Net]
Create Objects 9 (4/rank)
Action: Standard
Duration: Continuous
Extras: Movable [+1], Duration (Continuous) [+1]
Flaws: None
Power Feats: Innate, Precise, Stationary, Subtle, Tether, Progression (10’Cube x rank)
[/sblock]

Turning to Nitro, Wren starts pulling the fishing net out of the water, with his catch in tow...

OOC - Since it's movable, I should easily be able to pull this thing out of the water.  If aid is needed, I think Nitro would lend it easily.  Otherwise, we'll see how this works out....


----------



## Victim (Oct 15, 2008)

"They're still incoming on him."

(IIRC, Hiroshima Shadow was stunned by your last attack, then Star went and shot him - missing, amazingly enough.  So HS will recover from the stun at the start of Wren's turn and thus be back to normal before Star can shoot again.  So there's no special advantage for attacking him this round - but rolling higher can make up for a lot.


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 16, 2008)

(Kirinke?  Jemal?)


----------



## Jemal (Oct 16, 2008)

Optic groans as he digs himself out of the rubble.  Kneeling in pain he surveys the situation, and unleashes a volley of optical blasts which rain across the landscape, bathing their opponents in crimson before Optic falls forwards, barely catching himself on his hands and knees.

[sblock=ooc]
Extra Effort to Power Stunt my normal Blast into...
Blast 10 - Eye Laser multifire: Accurate, Precise, Targeted Area(Shapeable), Full-Action, Tiring, Progess: AreaX6.
Basically it's my normal blast, but I make it a tiring full-action in exchance for being able to spew laser-bolts over 1000 5' cubes (Shapeable by me).  
I'll shape it to hit as many badguys as possible without shooting any of my allies (Considering the 5000' shapeable line I've got to work with I'm hoping that's not too difficult).

My invisible castle's not working right now, though, so if you'd be so kind as to roll the attack for me, it's a single attack roll at +10, and compare it against each defense in the area.  ANything hit makes a DC 29 toughness save.  If I roll single-digit, I'll use HP to reroll the attack.  Otherwise, I'll save it for the first Toughness save I fail next round.

Also, I'm not entirely sure what my (Or all the badguys) situation is..  I know I'm pretty badly wounded, but have lost track of exactly how bad.
[/sblock]


----------



## kirinke (Oct 17, 2008)

ooc:
I see the options for Hope as follows:
Helping contain the chaos the skin-heads are causing,
Popping a bubble of air around her and Nitro's heads so they can jointly rescue Skylark or just popping a bubble of air around Nitro's head so he can rescue Skylark....
Helping contain the fire in the hotel.

Which one would be best?


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 18, 2008)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> Responding as quickly as he can, Wren calls out, "Star!  Take Hiroshima out while he's dazed and confused!  I will get the water situation hopefully under wraps..."
> 
> Then, turning to Nitro, he says, "I might need a hand here..." while conjuring up another little trick of his.  This time, he conjures forth the largest glowing fishing net he can imagine, and Wren tethers it to himself, for good measure.  90 Cubic feet might be enough to easily capture anyone and everything in the water...
> 
> ...




Wren only successfully grabs Megalodon and Skylark.  He can leave a hole in the top for Nitro to come in, but he can't bring the net to shore.  He would have to be much stronger.




Victim said:


> Megan holds the rather distinctive glowing visage of HS in her mind while her shots come around for another go at the blasted super.  "By the way, according to you theory that Americans destroy everything, wouldn't coming here and picking a super fight be more than a little suicidal?"
> 
> Then Star slides backward a bit, _Eh, I'm not that okay if trying to move makes me feel like that.  Well, I'll just have to shoot everyone from here until Wren can fix it.  Dang it, I can't see that Shark and what's-her-name.  I could shoot blindly into the water, but that's probably not a good idea with her in there._
> 
> ...





Star's enhanced energy balls arc back and strike HS as he moves into the hotel, throwing him through another wall across a hallway, and through at least one additional wall, creating man-sized fires as he moves through them (stunned, injury/bruise).

Star's other energy ball attack hits Dr. Stratos hard as he exits the water in a whirling column of air, sending him flying back, but not ending his flight (injured, stunned, bruised)

Apollo shoots at Stratos, but his protective air currents deflect it away harmlessly.



G. Skylark said:


> "Oh yeah sure I can give you a lift OOWWWW!!!!"  she says to Nitro, as she is zapped and then snapped up by Megolodon.
> 
> Nitro's rescue attempt will be much appreciated.




Hope heads for the docks, using strategically-placed whirlwinds to interfere with the skinheads and clear the spored out of the air.



Elric said:


> Nitro regens one of his two bruises from physical damage.
> 
> [sblock]
> I haven't heard if Nitro can locate Megalodon under the water.  Assuming he can, Nitro leaping charges Megalodon, Accurate Attack for 3: +5 to hit (+14 not counting underwater penalties), -2 Defense, 11 damage on a hit.  If Nitro hits, use Improved Grab to try to free Skylark.)[/sblock]
> ...




Devil Ray shoots at Wren, but misses.

Nitro dives into the water, jumping into the top of Wren's fishbowl-shaped net.  He grabs the shark around the neck with one arm and bashes the shark on the head from on top, (bruise).  Then He moves his hand up to the shark's nose and pulls back while wrenching its lower jaw with the other.  It loosens its grip on  Skylark.  A current of water suddenly jets through the holes in the net, then materializes into a beautiful girl with long blond hair and bright green eyes, looking to be about 18.  She grabs Skylark from Megalodon's lock and jumps out of the net with her.  Nitro recognizes the girl. That's Nereid of the Next-Gen, descended  from the original Siren and from Atlantean royalty.  She's not as strong for either Megalodon or Devil Ray on her own, but she'll be a help.

Nereid shouts "She needs healing FAST.  I'll all the backup you're going to get, by the way.  The rest of my team is on another eruption of violence elsewhere in the city!.  There are spore attacks in at least two other areas, plus the strike on the League.  Oh, and Duncan Summers says to call him NOW."

The shark tries to get out of Nitro's hold, but can't make any progress (loses the roll by more than 20).



Jemal said:


> Optic groans as he digs himself out of the rubble.  Kneeling in pain he surveys the situation, and unleashes a volley of optical blasts which rain across the landscape, bathing their opponents in crimson before Optic falls forwards, barely catching himself on his hands and knees.
> 
> [sblock=ooc]
> Extra Effort to Power Stunt my normal Blast into...
> ...




Optics blasts mow down skinheads on the boardwalk and stun affected bystanders (taking 10 on minions I assume).  He also hits a number of skinheads in the hotels, shooting holes in walls and hitting targets he can see with his x-ray vision on the other side.  The boardwalk is basically clear.

[sblock] He is staggered, btw, so he cant do exactly what you are going for (cant do full round action), but I'll let you do an AP of the blast AND visor enhancement combined (or rather, let you apply the tiring to both parts), so you have 32 points.  Tiring STA Blast 10 is 20pts, Accurate 5 is 5pts, Progression 6 is 6 points, Precise is 1 pt. In this case, you are taking the tiring drawback AND taking extra effort so you will be Exhausted (rather than just Fatigued) AND Staggered.  On the other hand, its a really, really, cool move, and the fact that you are taking an exhausted for it is actually fair since I'm letting you really abuse progression. [/sblock]

The bad guys in the Paradise Hotel, despite the fire, decide to fortify.  Clearly, something different happens with the spores than has been.  The remaining defenders quite suddenly succumb, and everyone's rage suddenly calms.  The armed ones move in a rapidly and orderly fashion to strategic positions guarding the entrances and organizing behind windows.  The unarmed position themselves as human shields in front of combatants, and make a human chain across the entryway.  Optic can see through to the back of the hotel.  Orion is standing there holding a little girl in one arm, holding a combat knife to her throat.  She looks terrified.  In his other hand, he's pointing an MP7 forward, with its extended butt plate bracing against his shoulder.


----------



## Victim (Oct 18, 2008)

(Is HS still visible from the outside?)


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 18, 2008)

Victim said:


> (Is HS still visible from the outside?)




(No...except by Optic, what with the seeing through wall and such.  Though when he's unstunned, HS will probably move.)


----------



## Victim (Oct 18, 2008)

Star works on creating more amped shots, while taunting Stratos.  "You're doing great so far Stratos.  You've been a supervillain for what, like 20 years or so.  Restarted the Crime League, blah blah blah.  And now what?  You're fighting as a diversion for Barrington.  He's the one who defeated and is holding your nemesises.  Shouldn't you be going 'Fool!  Only I, the great Dr. Stratos can defeat Captain Thunder!!' or something?  And working with someone who sets schoolchildren on fire?  Let's not even get into the 'Oops, my genius weather control device doesn't actually work' deal."

_Gotta get the angles right..._   Star plots her shots to hit the soggy super from underneath and to the side.

"Everybody, let's hear it for Dr. Stratos, former leader of the Crime League!  Maybe if you do a super dooper job today, Barrington will give you a real position instead of just being a diversion," she says condesendingly.  _And I'm probably about to hit by lightning...  Not if I hit him first!_

[sblock]
Standard Action: Standard Action:  Plasma Orbs to attack Stratos. Plasma Control +10* Autofire 2 (1 for 1, max 5*), Penetrating 3 (4/rank, +3), Homing 2 (2 extra chances), Indirect 3 (any angle), Precise, Accurate 

*+2 rank vengeance spirit bonus included

Power Attack for 4.  Attack: +10 = 21 

Using Indirect to try to knock Stratos into the flaming wreck of the blimp, juggling him with successive hits from autofire.

If Stratos isn't Disabled or KO'd, EE to shoot him again.  Increase Power Attack by 1 if he's stunned.

Def: 23/14. Toughness +9/+10 DR. Bruised x4. Staggered. Displaced. HP 1 [/sblock]


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## kirinke (Oct 18, 2008)

Hope finishes her attacks on the skinsheads. This was disturbing to say the least, why was the crime league even working with Barrington? Were they doing this of their own volition or were the being controlled?


ooc:
Where is Hope in regards to everything else, and what can she do that's useful where she is?


----------



## Jemal (Oct 19, 2008)

"Orion.. In the back *COUGH* He's got a little girl hostage, and these guys're suddenly organizing.  We need to regroup too, come up with a plan." Optic's voice is weak over the comm - That shot took practically all he had left, and he can barely stand, but it seems to have bought them some time, at least.



> Nereid shouts "She needs healing FAST. I'll all the backup you're going to get, by the way. The rest of my team is on another eruption of violence elsewhere in the city!. There are spore attacks in at least two other areas, plus the strike on the League. Oh, and Duncan Summers says to call him NOW."



Optic connects to his phone and Dials Mr Summers


[sblock=ooc]
Ouch, staggered?  Didn't think I was that bad, *L*.  
OH, also one thing I'm not sure if you've been noticing/remembering or if you were wanting me to do it, but Optic has low level regeneration (Bruise 3.  1 check to heal a bruise/round, no action, at +4)

Yeah, I thought that much Progression might be pushing it a bit, but it makes sense for a last ditch blast move.  And it WAS hella cool, if I do say so myself.  

Optic spends his single action this round doing what he does best - Looking around and relaying as much information as he can gather to the team, simultaneously datalinking and dialing his phone (quickness 10: Computer-related and Visual actions should let me do both of those as a single action, eh?)
[/sblock]


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## Elric (Oct 19, 2008)

*Nitro, 1 HP, 1 Bruised/Injured (Energy)*

_I'm wrestling with a shark.  And winning.  And he's even a supervillain shark.  This is so awesome._



> Nereid shouts "She needs healing FAST.




_OK, someone's not ready for the big leagues.  *Optic* needed healing fast.  Getting body-slammed into the ocean without your force field by a villainous shark- that's just part of a day's work_

"Thanks for the assist, Nereid.  Skylark, you want to tag team Megalodouchebag, here?"

OOC: Nitro regens last bruise from physical damage.

If Megalodon isn't stunned or the like when my turn rolls around, try to inflict damage within the grapple, grapple check at +28 (14 damage).

If Megalodon is stunned when my turn rolls around, instead Power Attack for 3 and attack normally, +6 to hit, 17 dmg.

Move action to Demoralize Stratos (Intimidate, at +12).  "Not so tough when you don't outnumber the other side, eh, dude who flies around in a robe looking ridiculous?"


----------



## kirinke (Oct 19, 2008)

Jemal said:


> "Orion.. In the back *COUGH* He's got a little girl hostage, and these guys're suddenly organizing.  We need to regroup too, come up with a plan." Optic's voice is weak over the comm - That shot took practically all he had left, and he can barely stand, but it seems to have bought them some time, at least.
> 
> 
> Optic connects to his phone and Dials Mr Summers
> ...




Hope scowls as she finishes mopping up the skin-heads and the spores. "I'm finishing up here, want me to come over, or is there something else I can do?" she asks.


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 20, 2008)

Jemal said:


> "Orion.. In the back *COUGH* He's got a little girl hostage, and these guys're suddenly organizing.  We need to regroup too, come up with a plan." Optic's voice is weak over the comm - That shot took practically all he had left, and he can barely stand, but it seems to have bought them some time, at least.
> 
> 
> Optic connects to his phone and Dials Mr Summers
> ...




(I'm gunna let him connect as a reaction due to having Quick10 on this, and talking is a reaction too, so this info can come out of turn.)

"Summers here.  Jack Carson I presume.  Yeah, I know stuff like that.  It's about time we talked.  You're the new supercrew in town, and I have a lot of useful information. Old habits die hard I suppose.  I also command the Next Gen.  Patch me into one of your comm channels.  (Once done)  

I've discovered that the Crime League seized control of our air defense systems.  After taking control of the necessary part of the naval base, the Maestro broadcast his sound-based mind control over the secure communications network.  For an unknown period of time, they had total control over Freedom City airspace.  I believe that the blimp was not the primary distributor of the spores, but in part a distraction to cover for a number of aircraft to hit other parts of the city.   Their guys struck in at least two other areas -- City Center and the West End.  The rest of the Next-Gen are helping the police take back the government buildings there, but the police are affected as well to a degree, so this is difficult.  West End is the most diverse part of the city, and its going insane -- and burning.  Two new supers have been spotted trying to keep things under control but they are a bit rough and out of their league.  They are a masked and armored duo named Syke and Syko (Pronounced Psyche and Psycho).  One seems to be calming the crowd while the other snares them with goo...but sometimes when they see gang ink they just bust heads.   Things don't look to be going well at Freedom Hall either.  The Apaches have damn near taken out all the defenses and the soldiers look to be making progress and look to be backed by supers.  It looks like what's left of the league isn't sure if the attackers are mind controlled soldiers or Legion of Hope replacements, or some combination of the two."


----------



## Elric (Oct 20, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> They are a masked and armored duo named Syke and Syko (Pronounced Psyche and Psycho).  One seems to be calming the crowd while the other snares them with goo...but sometimes when they see gang ink they just bust heads.




"That's got to be, you know who."  Nitro says.  "Random duos of new superheroes don't appear out of nowhere.  We've met those two before in their civilian identities."

(OOC: Samantha Grant with empathetic powers and Ben the inventor w/ the snare gun.  Nitro isn't sure he wants to give that away to Summers though)


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 20, 2008)

Elric said:


> "That's got to be, you know who."  Nitro says.  "Random duos of new superheroes don't appear out of nowhere.  We've met those two before in their civilian identities."
> 
> (OOC: Samantha Grant with empathetic powers and Ben the inventor w/ the snare gun.  Nitro isn't sure he wants to give that away to Summers though)




(You guys can communicate that on backup channels, leaving Summers only in the main channel)


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Oct 20, 2008)

Wren knows that numbers matter, so he makes sure that they kept their own numbers.  Looking towards the most injured, Wren deals them a dosing of Heal, starting to look like his rounds are about to start with injury detail...

Heal Rank 10, Standard Action, Persistent, Regrowth, Stabalize

Move action to get to whomever needs it....

That is, until he hears about a hostage girl.  Wren then takes the initiative to move to the area, take in the girl, and decides to try and remove this little incident from the battle.  Calling forth some more cosmic power, his ring glows slightly, as threads of cosmic energy attempt to bind the villain, hopefully enough to release the girl hostage.

Snare 11, Attack (+11)
Extras: Transparent [+1]
Power Feats: Reversible, Tether, Affect Insubstantial x2

Snare Attempt... (1d20 11=19)

No HP left to reroll, so this is going to be a tough call...


----------



## Victim (Oct 21, 2008)

"We know there's a lot of stuff going on; we're trying to finish up here as quickly as possible and then we'll go help the League."


----------



## kirinke (Oct 21, 2008)

Hope's eyes narrow at that. Considering the egoes involved, it was very unlikely that the Crime league was a willing participant, more likely they were being controlled somehow. She focused once more, the wind around her picking up. 

"I can't get a clear shot at Orion. He's got the kid as a shield, If I hit him, chances are, he'll slice her throat in the backlash. Wren, can you use your create objects ability to stop freeze him somehow? Box him up so the kid isn't hurt?" she asks. "The civilians are mind controlled, I think I can knock them out of the way without seriously injuring or killing them." she turns to the main channel. "As soon as we're done with this, I'll head out to the west end and help out there."

_*Damnit. We could use Vi right now...*_ she thought despairingly, stymied.


----------



## G. Skylark (Oct 21, 2008)

(Stunned, Staggered, Bruised x5)

"!?!?!?!!!!!  COUGH GACK BLEAH" she very much appreciates Nereid pulling her out.

(Let's try last round's roll to shake off the Devil Ray stun.  Fort. save at +9.  1d20 9=16  And now this round: 1d20 9=14  Ah, forgot the cumulative bonus, that's 17 and 16.)


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 24, 2008)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> Wren knows that numbers matter, so he makes sure that they kept their own numbers.  Looking towards the most injured, Wren deals them a dosing of Heal, starting to look like his rounds are about to start with injury detail...
> 
> Heal Rank 10, Standard Action, Persistent, Regrowth, Stabalize
> 
> ...




Orion fires two bursts into the approaching snare, blowing through its leading edge, and sidesteps the rest.



Victim said:


> "We know there's a lot of stuff going on; we're trying to finish up here as quickly as possible and then we'll go help the League."






Victim said:


> Star works on creating more amped shots, while taunting Stratos.  "You're doing great so far Stratos.  You've been a supervillain for what, like 20 years or so.  Restarted the Crime League, blah blah blah.  And now what?  You're fighting as a diversion for Barrington.  He's the one who defeated and is holding your nemesises.  Shouldn't you be going 'Fool!  Only I, the great Dr. Stratos can defeat Captain Thunder!!' or something?  And working with someone who sets schoolchildren on fire?  Let's not even get into the 'Oops, my genius weather control device doesn't actually work' deal."
> 
> _Gotta get the angles right..._   Star plots her shots to hit the soggy super from underneath and to the side.
> 
> ...






G. Skylark said:


> (Stunned, Staggered, Bruised x5)
> 
> "!?!?!?!!!!!  COUGH GACK BLEAH" she very much appreciates Nereid pulling her out.
> 
> (Let's try last round's roll to shake off the Devil Ray stun.  Fort. save at +9.  1d20 9=16  And now this round: 1d20 9=14  Ah, forgot the cumulative bonus, that's 17 and 16.)




Star throws  her energy ball, but it curves away, deflected by Stratos' powerful winds.  Apollo fires as well, but he hits, wounding Stratos slightly.

"I..I have my reasons...and I did not need those silly devices anyway.  I have THIS."  He blasts Star with a bolt of lightning.  She blacks out momentarily and wakes up floating on the water.  She knows her body is in bad shape, but the spirits are making up for it...but she is losing control. She is even more confident and angry than before (stunned for the round)




kirinke said:


> Hope's eyes narrow at that. Considering the egoes involved, it was very unlikely that the Crime league was a willing participant, more likely they were being controlled somehow. She focused once more, the wind around her picking up.
> 
> "I can't get a clear shot at Orion. He's got the kid as a shield, If I hit him, chances are, he'll slice her throat in the backlash. Wren, can you use your create objects ability to stop freeze him somehow? Box him up so the kid isn't hurt?" she asks. "The civilians are mind controlled, I think I can knock them out of the way without seriously injuring or killing them." she turns to the main channel. "As soon as we're done with this, I'll head out to the west end and help out there."
> 
> _*Damnit. We could use Vi right now...*_ she thought despairingly, stymied.




(K needs a real action here)



Elric said:


> _I'm wrestling with a shark.  And winning.  And he's even a supervillain shark.  This is so awesome._
> 
> 
> 
> ...






Elric said:


> "That's got to be, you know who."  Nitro says.  "Random duos of new superheroes don't appear out of nowhere.  We've met those two before in their civilian identities."
> 
> (OOC: Samantha Grant with empathetic powers and Ben the inventor w/ the snare gun.  Nitro isn't sure he wants to give that away to Summers though)





Devil Ray tries to shoot Nitro, but misses.  Meanwhile, Nitro continues to keep Megalodon under control, then rears back with one arm and bashes it in the head, knocking it out.  Stratos is demoralized.



Jemal said:


> "Orion.. In the back *COUGH* He's got a little girl hostage, and these guys're suddenly organizing.  We need to regroup too, come up with a plan." Optic's voice is weak over the comm - That shot took practically all he had left, and he can barely stand, but it seems to have bought them some time, at least.
> 
> 
> Optic connects to his phone and Dials Mr Summers
> ...




Neirid drags Skylark to land.  Skylark remains stunned, however.


----------



## kirinke (Oct 24, 2008)

Hope growls and sweeps her hand towards the human shields. Wind billows out in a sheet, forcing them away. Not a clear shot. But at least she can get rid of the sheilds. 


"Damnit. I can't get at Orion. I'm clearing the field for someone to," 


ooc:
Attacking the human sheilds, non-lethal damage, intending to knock them out.


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 24, 2008)

kirinke said:


> Hope growls and sweeps her hand towards the human shields. Wind billows out in a sheet, forcing them away. Not a clear shot. But at least she can get rid of the sheilds.
> 
> 
> "Damnit. I can't get at Orion. I'm clearing the field for someone to,"
> ...




(I assume yo uare using your area attack, using Variable t ospecify wind.  You need to rework the stats though.  Its WAY too many points.  Area Burst Blast 10 costs 30.  Indirect, Variable, and Affects Insubstantial make 33.  Where are you getting the points for Progression 10? ... I'm using it here without Progression)

Hope's winds blow the human shields in the front door out of the way, sending them flying into various parts of he casino.  Orion (he hasn't gone yet), now with an open shot, fires at Hope, hitting her square in the chest with a three shot burst, sending her flying back over the river.  Fortunately, she doesn't crash (stunned, injured, bruised, ff is down, flight is not)


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 24, 2008)

Meanwhile, more from Daedalus:  "Some of these guys aren't soldiers!  A few are supers or high-tech assassins...at least two of the latter...plus they have that damn Bee and that crazy Canadian Mad Maple.  They've got Bowman, and Maple and some soldiers have Lady Liberty cornered.  Dr. Met and I are holed up  in my vault, using arrow slits the Doc made to defend ourselves.  Raven is trapped somewhere in the building."


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## DM_Matt (Oct 24, 2008)

(FYI, Skylark makes the save this round, so she should post an action)


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## Elric (Oct 24, 2008)

OOC: Matt forgot to resolve Nitro's Demoralize attempt on Stratos last round, but it worked, so everyone who is before Nitro will have him at -2 to saves as a result.  By my count, that's Apollo (who, if no one else has a suggestion for, I'd say shoots Stratos), Star, Hope and Fangor.

Initiative (as I see it, just counting us):
Apollo 13
Star 9
Hope 8
Fangor 8
Nitro 7
Optic 7
Skylark 4


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## Victim (Oct 25, 2008)

_Well, I called that one.  And I'm back in the filthy freaking river again._ Star thinks as she recovers from the momentary blackout.  _Thanks...  Wait, wasn't someone helping me up?_ She lifts herself just out of the water with a touch of flight.  "I hear you, let's get this over with."  

Megan twists around, looking about from her now lower altitude.  _Hey, now I can see into the ground floors.  There's Orion - with a little girl.  What a bastard.  Not supposed to - F-! THAT!_  She whips off a quick burst at the elite normal which verge off, fly around the pair, and then blast into his back.

Then she creates another grouping of shots which fly off in Stratos's direction as her last burst comes around for another pass.

[sblock]
Spend HP to recover from Stun.

Adjust 5 ft up with Flight.

Plasma Orbs to attack Orion. Plasma Control +10* Autofire 2 (1 for 1, max 5*), Penetrating 3 (4/rank, +3), Homing 2 (2 extra chances), Indirect 3 (any angle), Precise, Accurate 

Use Indirect to avoid hostage, Precise Shot, Precise.  Attack: +14: 33

Extra Effort: SURGE to attack Stratos.

Plasma Orbs to attack Stratos. Plasma Control +10* Autofire 2 (1 for 1, max 5*), Penetrating 3 (4/rank, +3), Homing 2 (2 extra chances), Indirect 3 (any angle), Precise, Accurate

Attack: +14: 17  Bleh.


Homing Attack on Stratos: Plasma Orbs to attack Stratos. Plasma Control +10* Autofire 2 (1 for 1, max 5*), Penetrating 3 (4/rank, +3), Homing 2 (2 extra chances), Indirect 3 (any angle), Precise, Accurate 

Power Attack for 4. Attack: +10: 18   That should miss again unless someone stuns him.  1 Homing chance left.

Def: 23/14. Toughness +9/+10 DR. Bruised x4. Staggered. Displaced.[/sblock]


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## kirinke (Oct 25, 2008)

Hope lets herself down to the ground, breathing harshly, looking up at the battle between Stratos and the others.

_"Did you loose something important 20 some odd years ago?"_ she gasps in pain, through the wind-born speech ability. She could see the similarities so much now....

She has to know.... This may be her only chance _to_ know.


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Oct 25, 2008)

Seeing the assault on the guy, Wren takes the chance to get the girl to safety, as he attempts to Teleport her from harm's way.  Hopefully with the threat of hitting the girl removed, he could work on making sure this guy stayed down.

[sblock=Teleport]
Teleport 6 (6/rank)
Type: Movement
Accurate [+1], Affects Others [+1], Area [+1], Selective [+1]

Grapple Check for TP'ing the hostage (1d20 6=12)

Apparently, this just isn't my battle...[/sblock]

Seeing the effect fail, Wren decides to try yet again... (Move action, again...)

Grapple Check for TP'ing the hostage (1d20 6=25)

Not taking the chance, Wren teleports to the nearest 'safe' spot, and leaves the girl, as he returns straight back to the others.


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## DM_Matt (Oct 25, 2008)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> Seeing the assault on the guy, Wren takes the chance to get the girl to safety, as he attempts to Teleport her from harm's way.  Hopefully with the threat of hitting the girl removed, he could work on making sure this guy stayed down.
> 
> [sblock=Teleport]
> Teleport 6 (6/rank)
> ...




(Since Wren is first to go, I'll adjudicate this)

Wren folds space and steps forward, appearing in front of Orion, he grabs the girl and tries to teleport her away, but fails.  It is not because he could not grab her, but because he senses that SHE is resisting. (no EE needed.  In fact, he made the first check)).  

She opens her eyes extra wide, her pupils turn to slits, and the whites of her eyes turn a slightly glowing yellow.  She opens her mouth, and her canines enlarge into fangs, her tongue becoming forked and reptilian.

She lunges forward and bites into Wren's shoulder.  She manages to dig in (injury, bruise).  The girl suddenly turns into  a green mist, and tries t invade Wren through the wound and through his nose and mouth.  She finds too late that her methods are incompatible with Wren's alien physiology (immunity to poison, disease, and the need to breathe).  Wren sneezes several times, and bleeds out the wound.  The green mist is expelled and floats towards the ground, solidifying into a very angry Animus Queen lying on the floor.


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Oct 26, 2008)

"Looks like the queen's needing to be taught some lessons..." is all Wren can manage to say, as he inspects his own wound.


----------



## kirinke (Oct 26, 2008)

"Wren, knock her out, I..." she coughs again, eyes swimming from pain.


----------



## Elric (Oct 26, 2008)

"Star, can you try to knock Stratos towards me?" Nitro asks.

(OOC: As in, direct her attacks so if he suffers Knockback it's down and towards Nitro.  Ideally I'd like to have Nitro take a Charging Standing Jump at Stratos to try to hit him and use Improved Grab, but that requires him to get a little closer, Matt has said.  Otherwise I can leap underneath him and probably get close enough to Shockwave him)


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 26, 2008)

wrong thread.


----------



## Elric (Oct 26, 2008)

"OK, Skylark, you may need to come bail me out in a second.  Here goes nothing."  With that, Nitro takes an incredible standing leap towards Stratos and slams his hands together creating a massive shockwave heading towards the flying villain.

(OOC: Acrobatics to add to distance, Jump check. (1d20 17=33).  That's 10 + 14 Str + 18 from Acrobatics= 42 base*25 (Leaping 4)/ 2 (standing jump)= 525 feet for the jump, as a move action.  Then use Shockwave, 110 ft Cone Area, 11 damage) as a standard action.


----------



## G. Skylark (Oct 27, 2008)

Shake shake shake shake.  Skylark attempts to find cover, and calls back, "Awright Nitro!  Knock the stuffin' out of that tweedy wanker!!"

(Skylark will ready an action to grab Nitro with telekinesis and drag him to safety if he gets zapped.  If that doesn't happen, she'll use Gravity Blast on top of Stratos' head (indirect), so any knockback will drive him down.  Attack roll, ranged at +8 1d20 8=17 .  Correction, Skylark is +10 on ranged attacks with her Gravity array, so the total would be 19)


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 28, 2008)

Victim said:


> _Well, I called that one.  And I'm back in the filthy freaking river again._ Star thinks as she recovers from the momentary blackout.  _Thanks...  Wait, wasn't someone helping me up?_ She lifts herself just out of the water with a touch of flight.  "I hear you, let's get this over with."
> 
> Megan twists around, looking about from her now lower altitude.  _Hey, now I can see into the ground floors.  There's Orion - with a little girl.  What a bastard.  Not supposed to - F-! THAT!_  She whips off a quick burst at the elite normal which verge off, fly around the pair, and then blast into his back.
> 
> ...




Star's blast sends the now-coverless Orion flying accross the casino (stun, bruise, injury)

Stratos continues to dodge her attacks. 

Apollo shoots at Stratos again, and misses again.




kirinke said:


> Hope lets herself down to the ground, breathing harshly, looking up at the battle between Stratos and the others.
> 
> _"Did you loose something important 20 some odd years ago?"_ she gasps in pain, through the wind-born speech ability. She could see the similarities so much now....
> 
> She has to know.... This may be her only chance _to_ know.






kirinke said:


> "Wren, knock her out, I..." she coughs again, eyes swimming from pain.




Hope tries to recover, only for HS to make another attack.  He blasts her with radiation again, this time hurting her quite badly (disabled, staggered, injured bruised)



Elric said:


> "Star, can you try to knock Stratos towards me?" Nitro asks.
> 
> (OOC: As in, direct her attacks so if he suffers Knockback it's down and towards Nitro.  Ideally I'd like to have Nitro take a Charging Standing Jump at Stratos to try to hit him and use Improved Grab, but that requires him to get a little closer, Matt has said.  Otherwise I can leap underneath him and probably get close enough to Shockwave him)






Elric said:


> "OK, Skylark, you may need to come bail me out in a second.  Here goes nothing."  With that, Nitro takes an incredible standing leap towards Stratos and slams his hands together creating a massive shockwave heading towards the flying villain.
> 
> (OOC: Acrobatics to add to distance, Jump check. (1d20 17=33).  That's 10 + 14 Str + 18 from Acrobatics= 42 base*25 (Leaping 4)/ 2 (standing jump)= 525 feet for the jump, as a move action.  Then use Shockwave, 110 ft Cone Area, 11 damage) as a standard action.




Nitro climbs up on Fangor's net, takes a few careful steps across it and jumps towards Stratos, clapping his hands together and blasting Stratos with  the resulting shockwave.  Stratos goes flying and crashes into the water (staggered, stunned, bruised 2)

Devil Ray rushes at Nereid and bashes her across the temple with his armored hands. the hit knocks her out and turns her around.  He grabs her from behind, putting his other hand around her waist, and starting to swim off with her.



G. Skylark said:


> Shake shake shake shake.  Skylark attempts to find cover, and calls back, "Awright Nitro!  Knock the stuffin' out of that tweedy wanker!!"
> 
> (Skylark will ready an action to grab Nitro with telekinesis and drag him to safety if he gets zapped.  If that doesn't happen, she'll use Gravity Blast on top of Stratos' head (indirect), so any knockback will drive him down.  Attack roll, ranged at +8 1d20 8=17 .  Correction, Skylark is +10 on ranged attacks with her Gravity array, so the total would be 19)




Skylark then makes a downward motion with both hands and a burst of gravity comes crashing down on Stratos, knocking him out.


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Oct 28, 2008)

0 HP, 2 Injury, 2 Bruise
Toughness +12 (from 2 bruises), Fort +11< Refl +9, Will +14

Since TP is still last action tried, Wren turns his attention to the unconscious ally, quickly taking her from her captor.  (Assuming Grapple Check again, so here goes....TP Grapple to take Nereid away from Devil Ray (1d20 6=24))

Removing the unconscious woman from Devil Ray, Wren takes the chance to deal with the Devil Ray without remorse for retaliation.  With gun in hand, Wren shoots at the villain, and Teleports back to safety with Nereid.  (I have no other attack, since keeping with TP AltPower, so I had to improvise.  This gun should work... +9 to hit I believe, and +4 dmg bonus for the bullet.  Crossing Fingers, Gun Shot to Devil Ray... fingers crossed (1d20 9=20))

[sblock=Valid Action?]Ok, Move action to TP to Neried, Standard Action to shoot, and then complete TurnAround with Teleport to return back to where he was originally.  With TP and TurnAround, I can Teleport, take standard action, then Teleport back as a Full Round.  Is shooting with the gun a viable option?  If not, then I skip my standard action, to retrieve the woman, with Grapple Check.  Nothing else I can do, at the moment, but to start damage control...[/sblock]


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## kirinke (Oct 29, 2008)

The agony following Hiroshima's blast was intense, horrifically intense, worse than anything else she ever felt. As it washes over her, she can't think, all she can do is feel the pain and even that becomes too much to bear. She slips into unconsciousness. 


ooc:
I figure since she does have an heat/flame-weakness common to ice controllers, that blast is gonna be felt. She goes down and out. Oh, first blast was from Orion.


----------



## G. Skylark (Oct 29, 2008)

(Staggered, bruised x5)

"Wicked." Skylark congratulates herself (and Nitro!) quietly upon bashing Stratos.

Her bruises ache, but her confidence returns!  Floating just above the boardwalk, debris and litter lazily spiral around her force field!  "Oi!  Hiroshima!  Go whinge somewhere else!"  She hopes that Hope isn't badly hurt, she's grown rather fond of the nutter.

(Gravity blast on Hiroshima Shadow, blasting him away from Hope.  Also, she'd like to use mass sense to determine if HS has any mass, or if he's actually made of energy.  Attack roll 1d20 10=27 )


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## Victim (Oct 29, 2008)

"I'm going to Freedom Hall now," Star says abruptly.  _I don't really need -those- anymore._ The plasma spheres converging on Stratos's unconscious disappear.  As does Star, leaving a sonic boom behind.

[sblock]Move Action: start flying towards Freedom Hall, 1000mph.


Def: 22/13. Toughness +9/+10 DR. Bruised x4. Staggered. Displaced.  Fatigued.[/sblock]


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## Elric (Oct 29, 2008)

*Nitro, 1 HP, Bruised/Injured (energy)*

"Nice, Skylark", Nitro remarks.  _OK, there goes Star.  She's acting a little strangely._

"I'll save you, Nereid!"  Nitro yells.  _Aren't you saying that a lot today?  Yeah, you are_.

Summoning a burst of strength and swimming technique he didn't know he possessed, Nitro launches himself towards Devil Ray in what he'll surely end up calling a "Nitropedo."

(OOC: Extra Effort to power stunt off of Enhanced Strength 20: Strike 10 (PF: Mighty), Swimming 8, Enhanced Feat 1: Environmental Adaptation (Underwater).

Charge Devil Ray, AOA for 5, PA for 5.  +11 to hit, 19 damage on a hit.  Defense 14.  

Attack on Devil Ray, Charge, AOA 5, PA 5 (1d20 11=19)

If that wouldn't hit, and I'm thinking it won't, use an HP to reroll (down to 0 HP).  Attack on Devil Ray, Charge, AOA 5, PA 5

HP reroll if first attack missed (1d20 11=23))


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 30, 2008)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> 0 HP, 2 Injury, 2 Bruise
> Toughness +12 (from 2 bruises), Fort +11< Refl +9, Will +14
> 
> Since TP is still last action tried, Wren turns his attention to the unconscious ally, quickly taking her from her captor.  (Assuming Grapple Check again, so here goes....TP Grapple to take Nereid away from Devil Ray (1d20 6=24))
> ...




Disappearing form the Casino, Wren tries to wrest Neirid from Devil Ray, but unlike Orion, Devil Ray's armor makes him extremely strong, and he pulls against the fold in space created by Wren's ring. While he is pulling with his ring, Wren cannot also try to blast Devil Ray, so with his other hand he pulls a gun out of his costume, the one provided by the Trust, and fires parallel to his rings' energy.  The bullet pierces Devil Ray's armor, leaving a trail of blood in the water (injured, bruised), but Devil Ray still manages to wrest Nereid free from Wren's ring.



Victim said:


> "I'm going to Freedom Hall now," Star says abruptly.  _I don't really need -those- anymore._ The plasma spheres converging on Stratos's unconscious disappear.  As does Star, leaving a sonic boom behind.
> 
> [sblock]Move Action: start flying towards Freedom Hall, 1000mph.
> 
> Def: 22/13. Toughness +9/+10 DR. Bruised x4. Staggered. Displaced.  Fatigued.[/sblock]




She is near Freedom Hall now, but not there yet.  She can see the flames well though.  The gunships don't see her for now.

Meanwhile, Duncan Summers tells Optic "I'm hearing that Maestro used his control of air traffic to mind control the crew of a passenger jet.  Its headed towards the Federal Building.  Someone has to stop it!"

"I'm on it!" Optic says.  "Apollo, fly me there and I'll control the plane!"




kirinke said:


> The agony following Hiroshima's blast was intense, horrifically intense, worse than anything else she ever felt. As it washes over her, she can't think, all she can do is feel the pain and even that becomes too much to bear. She slips into unconsciousness.
> 
> ooc:
> I figure since she does have an heat/flame-weakness common to ice controllers, that blast is gonna be felt. She goes down and out. Oh, first blast was from Orion.






Spoiler



She cant do that, but she CAN just lie there and close her eyes. In fact, thats probably a wise thing, since if she doesn't, she'll probably get shot up by the guys in the hotel.



Seeing Hope go down, HS shouts "NEXT!"  and blasts Skylark, sending her flying, her costume catching fire in a a few places, though the flames quickly go out (stunned, injured, bruised)



Elric said:


> "Nice, Skylark", Nitro remarks.  _OK, there goes Star.  She's acting a little strangely._
> 
> "I'll save you, Nereid!"  Nitro yells.  _Aren't you saying that a lot today?  Yeah, you are_.
> 
> ...




The Nitropedo surges into the wounded Devil Ray, speeding up behind him, then passing underneath him, facing him.  DR sees Nitro pass him by, and then gets uppercut by Nitro's knee under his chin at 250MPH. Devil Ray goes flying backwards out of the water, flipping like a dolphin but landing on his back. (KO)  Nitro meanwhile uses the opposing force from Devil Ray's chin to set himself upright and change direction, allowing him to catch Nereid as DR drops her.




G. Skylark said:


> (Staggered, bruised x5)
> 
> "Wicked." Skylark congratulates herself (and Nitro!) quietly upon bashing Stratos.
> 
> ...




HS hs no mass.  But Beign stunned, Skylark loses her action.

Orion recovers and stands up again, and but the thugs in the hotel can't hit the party, which is now all either down or out over the river.


----------



## Victim (Oct 30, 2008)

Star drops to near the ground and tries to circle around a bit as she approaches the League base, weaving between buildings to hopefully stay out of sight.  "The Hall is on fire.  The helicopters are still here.  You guys doing all right?" 

"And, Optic, any pointers on taking down a copter?"

[sblock]Move Action: move at 500 mph, circling around a bit to avoid the direct approach between the locations.  Stealth 21: Roll Lookup

Def: 22/13. Toughness +9/+10 DR. Bruised x4. Staggered. Displaced. Fatigued. [/sblock]


----------



## DM_Matt (Oct 31, 2008)

So since things are pretty messy, here is a summary/minor cut scene of what is happening:


On the Boardwalk, you have begun to contain the problem.  You have captures Stratos, Devil Ray, Megalodon, and Black Star, and cleared the outdoors of bad guys.  Among the good guys, Hope is disabled, Nereid is out, and Star and Skylark are staggered. 

Orion, Hiroshima Shadow and the Animus Queen are holed up in the Paradise Hotel with a whole lot of mind-controlled individuals.  Spore-infected people are still fighting and rioting in other buildings nearby.

Apollo and Optic are off hunting a hijacked airplane.

The military has retaken Lonely Point Naval Station, but the Maestro, Dr. Simian, and Medea teleported away.  Their current location is unknown.

The police are struggling to contain a spore infestation at city center, with the help of the Next Gen.  They have, however, set up a perimeter around the stadium which Wren's conjured bonds and Hope's air purification and ice walls (which won't last forever by the way) managed to contain.

Meanwhile, street fighting in the West End is raging out of control, with the newcomers Syko and Syke making a dent but not fixing the underlying problem.

Freedom Hall is burning in a number of places, its force field and external defenses destroyed.  Two gunships remain in the air, and the two Black Hawks have dropped thier troops and are waiting to pick them up again.   The attackers have high-tech weaponry, and some are a bit more powerful than the others, including Killer Bee.  Star has just arrived on the scene, compelled by the Viridian-related spirits that are currently inhabiting her.


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 1, 2008)

So, strategy?  Take back the hotel?  Help Star help the league?  Something else?


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Nov 2, 2008)

Wren has two choices.  Take out more bad guys, or heal his allies.  Considering the numbers, he opts to heal someone.  Heal most beneficial ally that would make a difference this upcoming round.  (If removing staggered would help them get complete action, then that is first priority.  If not, then Hope first option to be healed.)


----------



## Victim (Nov 2, 2008)

_What was I thinking?  I should have got healed before attacking here.  Not being able to fly easily is going to make this much tougher than it needs to be.  Well, I don't have to rush in like a fool._  Star tries to remain hidden and creates some plasma attacks set to attack the tail rotor of one of the Apache gunships in about 10 seconds.  She switches the channel to the one Daedalus has been using, "Okay, I'm outside.  I'll be starting on the helicopters in a few, but don't expect anything right away."

[sblock]Plasma on Trigger: attack Apache in 2 rounds.  

Vehicles have terrible defense, right?  Power Attack for 5 then.

Freedom Hall is in the park, pretty much, right?  So I guess Star would be hiding in a tree?[/sblock]


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 4, 2008)

(Moving things along slightly)

Some police vans finally stream onto the boardwalk, providing some assistance in securing the scene.  Officers in riot gear and gas masks jump out and try to contain the problem.  

Meanwhile, more from Duncan Summers "I'm picking up information about a cure for these spores.  It seems that a new anti-fungal is among the many new products that Grant Industries is about to release.  My sources say they've contacted the government about mass distribution.  Something is fishy here..."


----------



## kirinke (Nov 4, 2008)

Hope is still mostly unconscious or at best semi-conscious and can't exactly respond....


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 6, 2008)

Wren starts to healing, starting with Hope (now not Disabled).  The police have surrounded the hotel.  The leader, a captain named Bill "Bulldog" Maddocks, approaches the group.  Tall and broad, with piercing blue eyes, he says "Thanks guys, but we have this.  AEGIS armor suits will be here shortly to clean it out."

Meanwhile, Star is hiding in the smoke while setting up plasma balls to strike at the helicopters, but she and the League probably will need help.


----------



## Victim (Nov 6, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> (Moving things along slightly)
> 
> Some police vans finally stream onto the boardwalk, providing some assistance in securing the scene.  Officers in riot gear and gas masks jump out and try to contain the problem.
> 
> Meanwhile, more from Duncan Summers "I'm picking up information about a cure for these spores.  It seems that a new anti-fungal is among the many new products that Grant Industries is about to release.  My sources say they've contacted the government about mass distribution.  Something is fishy here..."




"So is that 'the cure is worse than the disease' bad, or just improving the wealth and status of one of their allies bad?" Megan asks quietly.  Star plots another attack, this one going to the other Apache with a shorter "fuse."  _Second verse, pretty much the same as the first...  Hmm, should I try to blow the gun off the transport helis - they don't bristle with weapons like the other ones, or just try to crash them too.  Or I could try to slip away so I'm not in line with any return fire._

[sblock]Same thing.  Other attack helicopter.  1 less round delay.[/sblock]


----------



## kirinke (Nov 7, 2008)

Hope looks around groggily, half incoherent with pain. "Hate fire...." she mutters. "Srry"


----------



## Elric (Nov 7, 2008)

*Nitro, 1 HP, Bruised/Injured (energy), Fatigued*



DM_Matt said:


> Wren starts to healing, starting with Hope (now not Disabled).  The police have surrounded the hotel.  The leader, a captain named Bill "Bulldog" Maddocks, approaches the group.  Tall and broad, with piercing blue eyes, he says "Thanks guys, but we have this.  AEGIS armor suits will be here shortly to clean it out."




A tired Nitro has been busy piling up KOd supervillains to hand over to Bulldog while reciting his exploits.  "First Star and I combo'd Blackstar.  Then I rescued Skylark and took out Megalodon.  Then Skylark and I combod Stratos.  Then I delivered the Nitropedo-have I mentioned how awesome that name is- came up with it myself- and KOd Devil Ray.  Sometimes, I amaze even myself."

Well, should we head over to Freedom Hall?  Star could probably use some help and she's been acting kind of strangely.  Don't want her to do anything rash."


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 7, 2008)

Victim said:


> "So is that 'the cure is worse than the disease' bad, or just improving the wealth and status of one of their allies bad?" Megan asks quietly.  Star plots another attack, this one going to the other Apache with a shorter "fuse."  _Second verse, pretty much the same as the first...  Hmm, should I try to blow the gun off the transport helis - they don't bristle with weapons like the other ones, or just try to crash them too.  Or I could try to slip away so I'm not in line with any return fire._
> 
> [sblock]Same thing.  Other attack helicopter.  1 less round delay.[/sblock]




"Grant wouldn't be dumb enough to put out dangerous products.  We can assume its legit.  But he'll make a fortune off it and get great PR off it."

(Awaiting the rest of the group's actions before adjudicating anything).


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 7, 2008)

Elric said:


> A tired Nitro has been busy piling up KOd supervillains to hand over to Bulldog while reciting his exploits.  "First Star and I combo'd Blackstar.  Then I rescued Skylark and took out Megalodon.  Then Skylark and I combod Stratos.  Then I delivered the Nitropedo-have I mentioned how awesome that name is- came up with it myself- and KOd Devil Ray.  Sometimes, I amaze even myself."
> 
> Well, should we head over to Freedom Hall?  Star could probably use some help and she's been acting kind of strangely.  Don't want her to do anything rash."




"Yeah, yeah, you're a tough guy, we know.  Easy when you're basically invulnerable.  As I said, we've got this."


----------



## Victim (Nov 7, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "Grant wouldn't be dumb enough to put out dangerous products.  We can assume its legit.  But he'll make a fortune off it and get great PR off it."
> 
> (Awaiting the rest of the group's actions before adjudicating anything).




"Other drug companies have.  Wasn't it Merck or something?  And if it was something subtle that could be a legimate mistake..."


----------



## kirinke (Nov 7, 2008)

ooc:
Once Hope is healed, she'll either help put out the fires or go where she is most needed.


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Nov 7, 2008)

Wren continues to heal those that need it.  He does, however turn to Optic.  "Shouldn't you inform them of that queen in there?  She's got some other type of nasty way to infect people.  Tried it on me, but it didn't work."


----------



## kirinke (Nov 8, 2008)

Hope comes too, regaining her senses as her injuries heal. "Thanks Wren," she said. "Where can I be of most use?" she asks into the comm, almost automatically.

Her voice is unsteady, faltering a little as the pain from HS blast still jitters in her system.


----------



## G. Skylark (Nov 8, 2008)

"Bugger all," says Skylark, while popping vicodin.  "I'm a tad mismatched aginst that 'iroshima bloke.  'e doesn't 'ave any mass."

"I could go to Freedom 'all.  Anyone need a lift?  Nitro?"


----------



## Elric (Nov 9, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> "Bugger all," says Skylark, while popping vicodin.  "I'm a tad mismatched aginst that 'iroshima bloke.  'e doesn't 'ave any mass."
> 
> "I could go to Freedom 'all.  Anyone need a lift?  Nitro?"




"I would, but Wren, can't you just teleport all of us over there?"

[OOC: Optic left w/ Apollo to go after the plane.  But presumably one of us has told the police about the Animus Queen and they're ok with dealing with it]


----------



## kirinke (Nov 9, 2008)

Hope staggers to her feat, weaving unsteadily for a moment before she narrows her eyes on the police. She knew how well Stratos could plan, how devious Medea could be. And now, she didn't trust her own eyes.

Well it didn't help that even with Wren's healing, her vision had a tendency to go double on her. She shook her head. Convoluted reasoning.

"A moment, if you would." Hope coughs, looking at the police, searching for any inconsistencies, anything that was 'off'.
ooc:
How many are there exactly? Do any stand out to her as suspicious?
(+15) Investigate........................... (10r)
(+15) Knowledge: Arcane Lore.......... (10r)
(+15) Knowledge: Streetwise............(10r)
(+14) Notice................................. (11r)


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 9, 2008)

The group fills in Bulldog about the Animus queen.  He still insists they've got it.  They are all wearing gas masks and no know to avoid being bitten.  The AEGIS armor suits provide full life-support systems, so they'll be quite effective.

Neither Hope nor anyone else thinks anytihng is up with BUlldog and his crew.  They seem legit.

Meanwhile, Star finishes setting the bombs, and they go for the gunships.  Her aim is excellent, and she takes out their main rotors right away, sending both spinning towards the ground.  When they hit, they explode, sending burning fuel and munitions everywhere, and lighting some nearby trees and cars on fire.  

Drawn by the spirits, Star easily slips into the building during the chaos.

After discussing the matter with Bulldog, the group needs to get to Freedom Hall. (Presumably,) Wren teleports them to the scene.  Star is not visible, and many portions of the outer layers of the building are on fire, with certain portions collapsed.  The entry area is in ruins, with the doors blown off, and is filled with smoke and isolated flames.  No soldiers are visible.  

The two Black Hawks are now very much on alert after Star shot down the Apaches, nd are preparing to fire their weapons.  One has a mounted machine gun, the other a repeating grenade launcher.


----------



## Elric (Nov 9, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> The two Black Hawks are now very much on alert after Star shot down the Apaches, nd are preparing to fire their weapons.  One has a mounted machine gun, the other a repeating grenade launcher.




"I got this. I think."  Nitro leaps forward and Shockwaves the helicopters.  

(I should be able to hit both, but if not prioritize the one with the grenade launcher)


----------



## Victim (Nov 9, 2008)

_Jeez, I'm glad out of that.  I kinda figured that they would be able to pull of a controlled crash from that altitude.  And that military stuff would be less... explodey - it's not like I was going for fuel tanks or anything.  Well, pretty much anything I could do to them would make them crash anyway..._

"Umm, Freedom League people...  I'm inside now.  Where are the bad guys?" Star whispers into her comm, then switches channels.  "How are things going at the hotel?"  _I hope I can find my way around in here._  Star tries to fly as quietly as she can in the building, trying to avoid detection as she advances through the normally public area of Freedom Hall.  

_What do I do once I find people though.  I'm going to have a hard time shooting everyone, and I'm too dizzy to hit and run really.  Well, I'll work something out once I see some people.  Setting some traps up, and then drawing enemies into them should work at least once._

[sblock]Stealthing and moving around.[/sblock]


----------



## kirinke (Nov 9, 2008)

Hope's lips press together as she takes in the damage, the horror of it was daunting to say the least. "Damn.... This is bad," she says. "Let's see if we can find any survivors."


----------



## G. Skylark (Nov 10, 2008)

"Good show, Nitro."  And Skylark will blast a helicopter if Nitro doesn't get one... if he gets them both, then she supposes the polite thing to do would be to make sure they don't crash too hard, using telekinesis.

(Ranged Gravity attack +10, 1d20 10=25 )


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 10, 2008)

Wren went first with the teleportation.



Victim said:


> _Jeez, I'm glad out of that.  I kinda figured that they would be able to pull of a controlled crash from that altitude.  And that military stuff would be less... explodey - it's not like I was going for fuel tanks or anything.  Well, pretty much anything I could do to them would make them crash anyway..._
> 
> "Umm, Freedom League people...  I'm inside now.  Where are the bad guys?" Star whispers into her comm, then switches channels.  "How are things going at the hotel?"  _I hope I can find my way around in here._  Star tries to fly as quietly as she can in the building, trying to avoid detection as she advances through the normally public area of Freedom Hall.
> 
> ...




Star moves in, using the smoke for cover.  It does not , however, scramble the proximity fuses on a pair of claymore mines.  even in her weakened state, however, she frenetically twists and turns through the air, dodging the hail of shrapnel from the first, then getting to cover ahead of the second. Four soldiers emerge from behind cover, firing at Star with rifles spewing continuous light blue energy beams.  Star is hit by one of them.  For a moment, she feels her body go numb, and begins to collapse, but sudddenly,  a wave of purplish-black crackling magic washes over her, and she regains her footing. 

The rage is now uncontrollable.  She wants to destroy everything in her path, especially the bee.  In her mind's eye, she sees Killer Bee and several soldiers.  They are running down a tunnel, two floors down.  Its an escape tunnel.  They are chasing Raven.  She's stumbling, while trying to avoid their fire.



Elric said:


> "I got this. I think."  Nitro leaps forward and Shockwaves the helicopters.
> 
> (I should be able to hit both, but if not prioritize the one with the grenade launcher)




He manages to damage one of them slightly, while the other is unharmed.


They return fire, blasting holes in the pavement but failing to harm Nitro at all.



G. Skylark said:


> "Good show, Nitro."  And Skylark will blast a helicopter if Nitro doesn't get one... if he gets them both, then she supposes the polite thing to do would be to make sure they don't crash too hard, using telekinesis.
> 
> (Ranged Gravity attack +10, 1d20 10=25 )




Skylark manages to force one down, disabling it.  The pilot tries to eject, only to be forced down again, stuck to the pavement.



kirinke said:


> Hope's lips press together as she takes in the damage, the horror of it was daunting to say the least. "Damn.... This is bad," she says. "Let's see if we can find any survivors."




(uh, ok, she does this, but its not an action)


----------



## kirinke (Nov 10, 2008)

Hope looks up, seeing the battle between the Helicopter and decides to lend a hand.

"Guys, going to unleash a tornado on the one with the Grenade launcher." She tells Skylark and Nitro.

After they get clear, she does just that.


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 12, 2008)

kirinke said:


> Hope looks up, seeing the battle between the Helicopter and decides to lend a hand.
> 
> "Guys, going to unleash a tornado on the one with the Grenade launcher." She tells Skylark and Nitro.
> 
> After they get clear, she does just that.





(In the future, PLEASE state what power you actually mean to use.  I am assuming you are using your blast with variable descriptor, but it could be almost any of your powers).  

The chopper is damaged, but manages to stay in the air.  Realizing that things are clearly too hot out here, it turns and starts flying away.


----------



## Elric (Nov 12, 2008)

"Hey Star, we came to back you up.  What's going on over here?" Nitro asks.


----------



## kirinke (Nov 12, 2008)

Elric said:


> "Hey Star, we came to back you up.  What's going on over here?" Nitro asks.




Hope moves over to them. "Sorry I was late, I lost the argument with Hiroshima." she quips. "Thanks to Wren, I was able to survive it," she grinned at the alien and turned sober. 

"So, wanna go in and help Star?"


----------



## Victim (Nov 12, 2008)

Elric said:


> "Hey Star, we came to back you up.  What's going on over here?" Nitro asks.




_Killer Bee... _  "What's going on is that *ALL THE CRAP IN MY WAY HAS UNTIL THE COUNT OF THREE*!" Star screams with rage, bringing up her hands.  But a slow count to three takes less than half a second.  Star looses her power to vaporize anything in the direction of Killer Bee.

[sblock]Barely Controlled Plasma Projection: Corrosion +11 Area (Cone 110 ft)
Side Effect: Blast +11[/sblock]


----------



## Elric (Nov 12, 2008)

Victim said:


> _Killer Bee... _  "What's going on is that *ALL THE CRAP IN MY WAY HAS UNTIL THE COUNT OF THREE*!" Star screams with rage, bringing up her hands.




Star's voice over the commlink startles Nitro. (OOC: assuming she's left it on).

"Woh, Star seems to have kind of lost it.  I knew Thess getting killed was hard on her.  We'd better go after her before she gets into trouble."


----------



## kirinke (Nov 12, 2008)

Hope winces at the raw rage coming through the comm. "I can relate and agree. We need to stop her before she does something she'll regret later," 

*Speaking from experience*...... she thinks glumly, sparing a knowing glance at the wrestler.


----------



## G. Skylark (Nov 13, 2008)

"Once more, into the breach!  Let's find our girl."  Skylark figures that Star needs help, so it is time to act!  Carefully, of course.

(Skylark will use Mass Sense to try and find moving human-sized and -shaped things inside Freedom Hall, as she enters).


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 14, 2008)

(Seems like there is a lack of info, so I'll move on a little)

Star finds a path between her location and the tunnel, and blasts her own tunnel with her disintegration fires.  The witch powers do not augment it, instead forming a force field that limits its damage.  Star writhes with pain, and loses her balance, tumbling down the hole.  She hits the ground hard in the escape tunnel below, and blacks out for a bit. (bruised twice more and stunned)

The rest enter the building.  There are two elevator shafts at the end of the lobby.  In between them if the large entry desk, with the android receptionist cynthia is slumped over on top of it, her face melted by a plasma bolt.  There are four soldiers holding the line, with two using the hallways before the desk as cover, and two other using the desk.  You can hear them calling for backup.  

Skylark can sense a huge mass change somewhere below the rightward hallway.  A very large volume was just vaporized.


----------



## Victim (Nov 14, 2008)

(Acrobatics to reduce falling?)

Star burns herself, making a agonized cry.  Then she crashes and blacks out for a moment.  _No, I have to keep going._


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 14, 2008)

Victim said:


> (Acrobatics to reduce falling?)
> 
> Star burns herself, making a agonized cry.  Then she crashes and blacks out for a moment.  _No, I have to keep going._




(OK, but there is no change. The stun was from the initial hit, the fall was just a bruise.  She's very fragile at this point, and the force field was momentary)


----------



## Elric (Nov 14, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> The rest enter the building.  There are two elevator shafts at the end of the lobby.  In between them if the large entry desk, with the android receptionist cynthia is slumped over on top of it, her face melted by a plasma bolt.  There are four soldiers holding the line, with two using the hallways before the desk as cover, and two other using the desk.  You can hear them calling for backup.




_W'oh!  Their receptionist lady was an android?  No wonder my hitting on her didn't go anywhere.  Well, I guess Daedalus can put her back together more easily when events like this occur._

(OOC: this would be a great time for Skylark's inward knockback trip power.  Figure Nitro gives her a chance to do that before he tries that below)

Nitro leaps over the desk and bashes the two soldiers head together, while leaving himself in a great position to defend himself.  

(OOC: Assuming these guys are minions, Defensive Attack 5 and Accurate Attack 4 and take 10 on the attack roll, so attack total 18 for 10 damage, Nitro's Defense is 26 until next round, use Takedown Attack if I drop the first guy and hit the second.)


----------



## kirinke (Nov 15, 2008)

Hope waves her hand and a blast of air flashes from her, arcing towards the soldiers.

"Surprise, we're crashing the party," she snarks. "Hope no one minds,"

ooc:
Blast: Blast 12, Imp Crit 3, Knockback 4, Indirect, Variable: Air


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 15, 2008)

(Since its an easy minifight, I'm moving it along with a generic attack action from Wren, since thats all you'll need in addition to the posted actions to get these guys).


The group bursts into Freedom Hall, and confronts the very out-of-their-leagues guards.  Wren shoots a guard with his ring, bashing him agaist the hallway wall and taking him down.  Hope blasts the one in the other hallway with lightning using an almost perfunctory wave of her hand.  She calmsly steps forward as he flies down the hallway. Nitro jumps over the desk and grabs the two behind it, bashing their heads together then hurling them at the walls.  They both bounce off and slump to the ground.  

Some of you hear footsteps coming from the opposite hallway to the one where Skylark noticed the matter disappear, and thus where Star apparently is.


----------



## Victim (Nov 15, 2008)

Star launches herself into the air from the ground.  Disoriented by another head injury, she wobbles in the air and tries to figures whether or not Killer Bee would be moving towards her or away.  She sets a trap anyway.

"KILLER BEE!"

[sblock]Use Acrobatics to stand from prone as a free action.  Auto succeed.

Standard: Plasma Orbs on Trigger to attack an approaching known enemy.  Full Power Attack.[/sblock]


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 16, 2008)

Victim said:


> Star launches herself into the air from the ground.  Disoriented by another head injury, she wobbles in the air and tries to figures whether or not Killer Bee would be moving towards her or away.  She sets a trap anyway.
> 
> "KILLER BEE!"
> 
> ...




Star pulls herself up to see the fight coming to her.  Raven stumbles around a corner, pursued by Killer Bee, a guy in power armor she;s never seen before, and several soldiers.  Raven pushes off the wall with one hand to keep standing, and throws a grenade with the other.  It explodes in a flash of flame and produces heavy smoke.  This keep the guards back for the moment, but not the two supers.  Power-armor guy jumps out of the smoke and bashes Raven over the head with the butt of his gun.  She goes down.  

Killer Bee emerges from the smoke, and looks towards Star.  He points his gauntlets at Star.  "You."  He says.  "How convenient." Star tries to use her power, and the flame and magic solidify into a black-bladed flaming dagger.  Star seems to be able to control it like her plasma balls.  "KILL HIM!" the voices say...


----------



## Victim (Nov 16, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> Star pulls herself up to see the fight coming to her.  Raven stumbles around a corner, pursued by Killer Bee, a guy in power armor she;s never seen before, and several soldiers.  Raven pushes off the wall with one hand to keep standing, and throws a grenade with the other.  It explodes in a flash of flame and produces heavy smoke.  This keep the guards back for the moment, but not the two supers.  Power-armor guy jumps out of the smoke and bashes Raven over the head with the butt of his gun.  She goes down.
> 
> Killer Bee emerges from the smoke, and looks towards Star.  He points his gauntlets at Star.  "You."  He says.  "How convenient." Star tries to use her power, and the flame and magic solidify into a black-bladed flaming dagger.  Star seems to be able to control it like her plasma balls.  "KILL HIM!" the voices say...




_No.  Superheroes don't kill; he should live a nice long life._  Star narrows her eyes.   _And every second of it should be horrible agony from the crippling injuries I inflict.  Scum like him should hope in vain for the mercy of a quick death. _

"You picked the wrong f-ing day to come here!" Star threatens, getting ready to dodge at superspeed.  She spares a glance at the powered armor guy, "Take your goons and get out of here.  You'll probably want to intercept the rest of my team; try to keep them busy."  _I want to be able to take my time._

Star swings her arm around wildly while trying to dodge the Bee's poisoned spines.  Her plasma dagger makes several slashing passes at Killer Bee's armor in time with her gestures.

[sblock]Free Action: Activate Displacement

Plasma Orbs? to attack Killer Bee. Plasma Control +8 Autofire 2 (1 for 1, max 4), Penetrating 3 (4/rank, +3), Homing 2 (2 extra chances), Indirect 3 (any angle), Precise, Accurate 

Not sure how this dagger is going to work, so I just posted her normal stats.

Defensive Attack for 3. Attack: +10: 22

Def: 25/13. Toughness +9/+10 DR. Bruised x6. Staggered. Fatigued.  Displaced (normal sight).

Elusive Target kicks in if someone tries to melee her. [/sblock]

(Are there any sort of exposed major wires or other hazards she can try to knock him into if KB occurs?)


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 17, 2008)

Meanwhile, you all get a message from Duncan.  

"We have a serious problem here.  Daedalus has a failsafe in his suit that sends video, gps, diagnostic, and other information to a number of allies when he is incapacitated.  I just got that signal.  In addition to Bowman, Daedalus,  Dr. Met, and Raven are down.  Medea, Dr. Simian, and _Ares_ teleported into the vault behind Daedalus and Dr. Met.  Don't even try to take on Ares in this situation.  The whole damn city is awash with hate and violence.  He feeds off it.  At the moment, he's just about unstoppable.  Raven has a beacon for me, too, with just GPS.  I'll relay the location to you. I don't know where Liberty is.  I suggest you do what you can to take back some captured leaguers, but you don't have long. They can evac with teleportation, and right now Ares is unstoppable."


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 17, 2008)

Victim said:


> _No.  Superheroes don't kill; he should live a nice long life._  Star narrows her eyes.   _And every second of it should be horrible agony from the crippling injuries I inflict.  Scum like him should hope in vain for the mercy of a quick death. _
> 
> "You picked the wrong f-ing day to come here!" Star threatens, getting ready to dodge at superspeed.  She spares a glance at the powered armor guy, "Take your goons and get out of here.  You'll probably want to intercept the rest of my team; try to keep them busy."  _I want to be able to take my time._
> 
> ...




(OOC: Are you going for an accidental kill by electrocution or the knife being better than it looks?  Or are you intending to fight the spirits and try to capture him.)


----------



## Elric (Nov 17, 2008)

*Nitro, 1 HP, Bruised/Injured (energy), Fatigued*



DM_Matt said:


> Some of you hear footsteps coming from the opposite hallway to the one where Skylark noticed the matter disappear, and thus where Star apparently is.




"Let's start by helping out Star."

(OOC: I don't have a good sense of obstacles or distance, but clearly Nitro, Skylark, Wren and Hope will try to close in on where Skylark sensed Star to be.  If Nitro gets to a place where he can shockwave multiple villains without hitting any allies, he'll do so.  Otherwise, try to attack normally and use Improved Grab)


----------



## kirinke (Nov 17, 2008)

*Oh great. Ares again....*
She shuddered. That was not something she was gonna do a repeat on. 

Hope looks at Wren. "Alright, idea, we give you cover while you teleport the others to safety." her lips pressed into a thin line.


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 19, 2008)

Responding to Star, the armored guy looks to Killer Bee, and says "She's not in my contract."  He gestures for the soldiers to pick up Raven, while resting his rifle over his shoulder with one hand.

Star triggers displacement, and slashes at the Bee.  The moment the dagger, connects, however, it converts back unto energy and drives deep into his exploding in a blast of flame and purplish-black energy.  The Bee goes flying into the wall, breaking a hole in it. (Disabled!).

He struggles to lift his hand, and fires a volley of darts at Star (with a big AOOPA)  "DIE!!!!!" , striking her despite her displacement (the mandibles in his suit give him a vibration-based sense).  

She sees that some of the darts has hit, and the sedatives calm her rage.  She collapses in a haze. She hears (but will not remember) a voice say "But YOU are in my contract," then the sound of an energy blast.

(Triggers toughness autoreroll, reduces the damage to a bruise/injury, but then the poison gets her instead)

The rest of the group arrives.  They see KB lying in the hole in the wall, dead from a plasma blast to the head. The armored guy is sheathing some kind of advanced pistol.  Soldiers are carrying Raven away.


----------



## kirinke (Nov 20, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> Responding to Star, the armored guy looks to Killer Bee, and says "She's not in my contract."  He gestures for the soldiers to pick up Raven, while resting his rifle over his shoulder with one hand.
> 
> Star triggers displacement, and slashes at the Bee.  The moment the dagger, connects, however, it converts back unto energy and drives deep into his exploding in a blast of flame and purplish-black energy.  The Bee goes flying into the wall, breaking a hole in it. (Disabled!).
> 
> ...





"NO!" Hope growls and the air solidify's in front of the soldiers, preventing them, at least momentarily from getting away with Raven.

"Wren, Skylark, try to get Raven and Star away," 

ooc:
Create object to get a wall in place that'll at least stymie the soldiers long enough for Wren and Skylark to act. Is the armoured guy Ares?


----------



## G. Skylark (Nov 20, 2008)

"Wrong way, wankers!"  Skylark will attempt to catch the fleeing soldiers (and Raven) with a dizzying whorl of gravity waves.  Hopefully without hurting Raven.

(Gravity control alt. power: Trip 11, Area-burst, knockback (inward rather than outward), Power Feat: knockback 4.  Takes a full round action).


----------



## Elric (Nov 20, 2008)

*Nitro, 1 HP, Bruised/Injured (energy), Fatigued*

_Uh oh.  I think Star may have pulled a Hope._

"Not so fast, dude."

Nitro goes after the armoded guy, regular attack.  Improved Grab on a hit.


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 20, 2008)

kirinke said:


> ooc: Is the armoured guy Ares?




Not unless he is actively disguising himself and not using his scythe.  This guy is wearing black and camo armor and a mask. He looks like he fits in with the rest of Barrington's guys.


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## DM_Matt (Nov 20, 2008)

(I'm gunna try to wait for Fangor to post this time out.  He hasn't posted in a bit)


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## Fangor the Fierce (Nov 21, 2008)

Sorry, been sick.  

Wren sees that the whirlwind of gravity is trying to effect the new enemy, as he waits for the opportune moment to take his chance.  Sensing that the time is right (hopefully allowing Skylark the benefit of her power working), Wren gathers Star and Raven, and TP's them directly to the TRUST location, immediately calling out, "White!  We need some medical attention!"

[sblock=Teleport]Teleport, Rank 6, Accurate [+1], Affects Others [+1], Area [+1], Selective [+1] and of course, I will fail... <a href="http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1820200/">Teleporting Star and Raven away, Grapple check at  6 due to TP Rank (1d20 6=11)</a>
[/sblock]

Should his attempt fail, then Wren will immediately blast the armored man instead, making him think twice.  Blast +11, Auto Fire +1, Partial Penetrating +4  <a href="http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1820201/">Blasting the guy this time... if needed. (1d20 11=17)</a>


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## DM_Matt (Nov 22, 2008)

New Init Rolls (wow, rather high):
[sblock]
Hope 23
Armored Guy 21
Fangor 21
Skylark 20
Nitro 19
Soldiers 11
Star 6
[/sblock]

Hope solidifies the air in the tunnel, trapping many of the soldiers behind it, and a few others, the armored guy, and the hostages on your side of the wall.

The Armored Guy says "Cute, you think you've won. That wall will come in handy."  Medea, Dr. Simian, and Ares teleport in behind you.  The Armored Guy suddenly disappears, but Skylark can still sense him with her mass sense.  Hope gets hit with a volley of sound waves so focused that no one else even detects them, knocking her down (Stunned, bruised, injured).  They come from roughly where the armored guy is.  

The ape fires the mighty guns on his hoverchair at Wren, creating a massive blast that nonetheless breaks against his force field.  He is unharmed.  Ares makes a swipe at Nitro with his scythe, slashing him somewhat-superficially across the chest and blasting him into the wall. (injury, two bruises, stunned, incurable damage).

Skylark summons some small singularities (the power is not selective, btw...this is a problem.  It hits everyone.  However, most of the party is prone anyway.)  The soldiers go flying, and get knocked out when they hit the walls.  They drop Raven.  Of the main baddies, only Medea is affected, but she gets smashed  into a wall and falls down (staggered and stunned!)

Wren is now up.  In light of the recent developments, is he still just teleporting Raven and Star away, or everyone?


----------



## kirinke (Nov 22, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> New Init Rolls (wow, rather high):
> [sblock]
> Hope 23
> Armored Guy 21
> ...




"Wren, teleport everyone out that you're able!" Hope coughs. "Don't engage them more than you have to,"


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Nov 24, 2008)

Wren takes the cue, and TP's the group away from here.  He will try to include Raven and Star, using any concept possible.  Cosmic Awareness, Notice +13, and utilizing the GPS capability on any TRUST equipment that Star would have to hone in on her location, if he can't see her.


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 24, 2008)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> Wren takes the cue, and TP's the group away from here.  He will try to include Raven and Star, using any concept possible.  Cosmic Awareness, Notice +13, and utilizing the GPS capability on any TRUST equipment that Star would have to hone in on her location, if he can't see her.




(They are on the same side of the walls as you are, so no problem).

Wren bends space and pushes the group through it, landing at the infirmary.  As he said before, he pages White.  Red and some random staffers rush over.  White teleports into the room and helps out.  Everyone is instructed to get themselves checked out.  After some scrambling around, Red reports "Good news first.  Raven will be fine. She'll wake up in a little while, when the poison wears off. Now the bad news.  Star is in bad shape, and White's healing isn't entirely doing it.  It might take her a little longer to recover."

White adds. "Gotta say, the whole black energy thing is weird, but I understand how its working.  'Witchcraft' does not exist, per se.  There are methods for those with other kinds of powers to repurpose them temporarily.  Some have all kind of superstitions about them, but really its just a way of concentrating.  It only works with certain powers, though.

Now genetic 'witches,' they start when someone with a power suitable for trapping soul energy puts themselves in a receptacle upon their death.  The stuff about them selling their souls is not entirely false.  They really are sacrificing their afterlife for power.  Some say the whole thing there is evil.  Certianly, most religions disapprove.  So do I, frankly...I'm not that kind, though Viridian was.  All this "white magic" verses "black magic" stuff is their way of feeling they haven't crossed the line into true evil, but its all a bit dark.

Anyway, the object, passed through the generations, collects the souls each time, and uses them to augment their abilities.  Viridian's family's object is now loose, as the line has ended, and the souls within are angry...it is taking on a life of its own.  We may ultimately have no alternative but to destroy them...but not while they are raging against our enemies.  Let evil fight evil for the time being."


----------



## kirinke (Nov 25, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> (They are on the same side of the walls as you are, so no problem).
> 
> Wren bends space and pushes the group through it, landing at the infirmary.  As he said before, he pages White.  Red and some random staffers rush over.  White teleports into the room and helps out.  Everyone is instructed to get themselves checked out.  After some scrambling around, Red reports "Good news first.  Raven will be fine. She'll wake up in a little while, when the poison wears off. Now the bad news.  Star is in bad shape, and White's healing isn't entirely doing it.  It might take her a little longer to recover."
> 
> ...




"Damn.... Isn't there anyway to undo the spell that binds the soul to the object? Any charm or magic has a counter, we might be able to release them." she said hopefully.

"Did we capture Medea and Stratos?" she then asked.


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 25, 2008)

kirinke said:


> "Damn.... Isn't there anyway to undo the spell that binds the soul to the object? Any charm or magic has a counter, we might be able to release them." she said hopefully.
> 
> "Did we capture Medea and Stratos?" she then asked.




"Well, we can destroy the object, or maybe find someone who has abilities that work on souls, but the thing is that we don't actually know what happens to them anyway.  Once released, we don't actually know where the souls go anyway.  Oh, and we have Stratos, but not Medea."


----------



## kirinke (Nov 25, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "Well, we can destroy the object, or maybe find someone who has abilities that work on souls, but the thing is that we don't actually know what happens to them anyway.  Once released, we don't actually know where the souls go anyway.  Oh, and we have Stratos, but not Medea."




"One of the great mysteries isn't it?" Hope says with a small, sad smile. "It's better than simply destroying them anyway." she looked thoughtful and underneath that.... Uncertain and a bit scared at what she was going to ask. "I need to speak with you privately when you get a chance,"

_*I have to know. One way or another. I have to. Is he my father? Is it a coincidence that he went crazy 20 years ago? Or do I have something to do with it?*_ she thought to herself. *I need to know who I am.*


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 25, 2008)

Meanwhile, at Freedom League HQ (Cut scene of what Errant was doing in the meantime) ...

Errant feels a little bad that he couldn't help Daedalus and Dr. Met.  He stood outside the vault, hiding among Barrington's men with his morphing abilities, while Ares and the rest quickly defeated the heroes inside.  Errant watches the supervillains open the vault and carry the heroes away.  Errant takes the opportunity to become invisible, and slips into the vault.  

As suspected, he finds what he was sent for -- the reason Daedalus chose this location to hide-- the self-destruct control, a small computer terminal in the wall activated by turning a light fixutre in the right combination -- but Daedalus did not have time to activate it, as the chamber was breached so suddenly.  His mission was to activate it.  It might be the only thing destructive enough to slow down Ares.  A ring of buried gamma ray emitters surrounds the base.  When the self-destruct is activated, not only are these emitters turned on, but a small point singularity weapon detonates within the base.  The short-term black hole will turn much of  the base into flying fragments of building materials, creating a bubble of shrapnel and radioactive energy while avoiding collateral damage too far out.

When he gets the signal that the good guys are clear, he sets a very short timer and scrambles to the surface.  He gets out the front door, with several seconds to spare, and lets down his cloak.  He starts moving forward again, when he hears the click of a gun.  Through the dust, he seen a man in a flight suit, calls to him in a Middle Eastern accent, shouting  "STOP!"  and waving an MP-7.  He hears a few of Barrington's men exiting the building behind him.


----------



## Hammerhead (Nov 25, 2008)

_The self-destruct device has been activated. I'm just about clear of the blast site,_ Errant thinks, sending the telepathic message to his superiors back at the Trust.

The sight of the armed man in the flight suit causes him to pause, however. _Can I use this guy? Eh, why bother._ "Don't shoot," Errant says, raising his hands for a second, then dashing back towards Freedom Hall, reactivating his perfect camouflage and growing a pair of feathery wings from his back once he's concealed himself. Errant then launches himself into the air and away from Freedom Hall once more, hoping to trick his enemies into heading closer to the doomed fortress. 

[sblock]
Free action to switch array to Concealment (and activate it), and to use Flight. Essentially two move actions, one moving towards Freedom Hall, and the other flying away from it (alternatively, one move action with a change in movement between it?)

Bluff +18
Defense 21, Toughness +11
[/sblock]


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## DM_Matt (Nov 26, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> _The self-destruct device has been activated. I'm just about clear of the blast site,_ Errant thinks, sending the telepathic message to his superiors back at the Trust.
> 
> The sight of the armed man in the flight suit causes him to pause, however. _Can I use this guy? Eh, why bother._ "Don't shoot," Errant says, raising his hands for a second, then dashing back towards Freedom Hall, reactivating his perfect camouflage and growing a pair of feathery wings from his back once he's concealed himself. Errant then launches himself into the air and away from Freedom Hall once more, hoping to trick his enemies into heading closer to the doomed fortress.
> 
> ...




The confused pilot (With Skylark gone away, he isn't pinned by her power anymore) moves towards him, firing almost blindly as Errant takes to the air and disappears.  He switches directions as the pilot reaches the other troops.  They all yell at each other and look around, arguing about where Errant is or if he even exists.  Errant hears the gamma ray generators charge up, and then feel like he is being pulled in by the singularity. The explosion makes no sound.  The sound waves cannot escape.  It seems most of the guys he delayed got sucked in and/or burned up by the radiation, too, though the pilot, while thrown to the ground, is not.


----------



## kirinke (Nov 26, 2008)

When Hope is able, she'll pull Ms. White aside.

"Listen.... I ah... Need something from the Trust. It's personal, I don't want it getting out to anyone right yet." she swallowed dryly and went on in a rush. "Awhile ago, I came across some information that leads me to believe that Stratos might be my father. My biological father. Can you authorize a paternity test and keep it eyes only?" she looked at the older sorceress, her eyes full of desperation. "I need to know. You read my file... I don't know who I am. He could be the key to that."


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## Hammerhead (Nov 26, 2008)

Errant watches the doomed men with guilty satisfaction. _Sorry about that. I guess you just happened to pick the wrong side; hopefully, we managed to get some of their leaders as well. It's like I actually killed them,_ he rationalizes. _No one forced them to go back into Freedom Hall._

Errant drops down out of the sky, wings morphing back into his body as he lands. He ends his virtual invisibility and assumes the shape of the fallen pilot, strengthening his leg with additional mass. He delivers a strong kick to his prone enemy, hoping to end the fight quickly.

"You idiot," he says sharply as he delivers the blow. "You're ruining all of our plans."

[sblock]Move action down to ground, Free Action Disguise at +27, then attacks with Body Weaponry and Power Attacks for 4: Attack bonus +8/+12 (if target is prone), does +14 S. [/sblock]


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## DM_Matt (Nov 26, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> Errant watches the doomed men with guilty satisfaction. _Sorry about that. I guess you just happened to pick the wrong side; hopefully, we managed to get some of their leaders as well. It's like I actually killed them,_ he rationalizes. _No one forced them to go back into Freedom Hall._
> 
> Errant drops down out of the sky, wings morphing back into his body as he lands. He ends his virtual invisibility and assumes the shape of the fallen pilot, strengthening his leg with additional mass. He delivers a strong kick to his prone enemy, hoping to end the fight quickly.
> 
> ...




He takes down the pilot with ease.  There are no more bad guys around.  Firemen, police, and National Guard troops start swarming into  the area.


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 26, 2008)

White gets a comm, and then reports "One of our guys just set off the self-destruct on Freedom Hall.  We believe Ares was in there.  He should be sufficiently wounded that he won't continue raiding the city.  Speaking of which, that agent will join your team when he gets back.  You could use a superspy."

Meanwhile, Star wakes up, weak and groggy.  She basically remembers what happened while possessed, except the end after getting shot by KB.  Red checks her out obsessively, while White, having received a summary from the analysts, continues:


"This is what we're hearing.  Ares, Medea, and the other supers with them survived the blast, but were badly hurt.  Medea managed to teleport them to the hotel, and one of their allies, probably Dr. Otaku, managed to break through the security perimeter on the boardwalk in some kind of heavily-armored ship, which they used to evac their guys.  Ares, Maestro, Simian, Medea, Hiroshima Shadow, Orion, Wild Card, and the Animus Beast escaped.  Possibly that guy with the sound gun too.  It seems Wild Card was busy using the confusion to steal stuff.  He and some mooks carried off the money from those casinos, as well as a couple banks.  Fortunately, the police had already transferred Stratos, Devil Ray, Megalodon, and Black Star to another location, so they were not rescued.

The security apparatus is slowly recovering, but it is desperately undermanned.  We pulled some strings to get the National Guard to summon up some Trust-front PMCs they had on retainer. We've shipped in a lot of reinforcements that way.  The airports are still shut down as they screen the air traffic controllers for mind control, and local police forces, EMTs, etc. are limited in their functioning by this too...Maestro  controlled a lot of guys when he got access to the emergency radio systems.  People infected by the animus beast are being rounded up in school auditoriums, stadiums, places like that, but the rioting continues.  The West End remains entirely out of control.  Meanwhile, Grant and co are promising the cure soon, and have already delivered small amounts, but people are going crazy over it -- even people who are not infected but fear they might become infected.  There is a real risk of attacks on shipments, and Psyko and Psyke, if they are who we think they are, might try something.  

Meanwhile, Barrington issued a statement saying he was driven to this because US government backed supers working out of Freedom City -- thats you, allegedly -- participated in the "murders" of numerous supers from countries in his alliance, held in violation of international law, imperialist bastards, blah blah blah.  Apparently you guys WERE the ultimate endgame, but you won the first battle and escaped the second."




kirinke said:


> When Hope is able, she'll pull Ms. White aside.
> 
> "Listen.... I ah... Need something from the Trust. It's personal, I don't want it getting out to anyone right yet." she looked nervous. "Awhile ago, I came across some information that leads me to believe that Stratos might be my father. My biological father. Can you authorize a paternity test and keep it eyes only?"




"Sure.  We take blood and record DNA of every super we capture and every super we employ, so its just a matter of having the computer run it.  Oh, wait, darn, we turned over Stratos before we tested him, but the feds will catalog his DNA sooner or later. Why would you believe he's your father, though?"


----------



## G. Skylark (Nov 26, 2008)

Skylark pops a few vicodin and Tums and re-ties her hair.  "As we're several of us fightin' fit, Ms. White, should we aid in the riot control an' mop up?"

She suddenly craves chicken tikka masala, and hopes desperately that the Indian restaurant down the street is still open.


----------



## kirinke (Nov 27, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "Sure.  We take blood and record DNA of every super we capture and every super we employ, so its just a matter of having the computer run it.  Oh, wait, darn, we turned over Stratos before we tested him, but the feds will catalog his DNA sooner or later. Why would you believe he's your father, though?"




"It's.... While investigating Stratos and the Crime league awhile back, Foreshadow and I came across some old photographs of Stratos, before he went nuts. Did you know he had a family? Well... one of those photos he was in, he was holding a little girl. That girl looked alot, I mean alot like me when I was that age. It was taken when she was six. I was found when I was like eight or nine." she looked at the older woman with a mixture of desperation and dread. "I've exhausted all leads on this Ms. White, I know it's grasping at straws, but right now, I have the chance of making sure either way. I don't want to miss it." she smiled a little, but it was strained, forced. "With Medea, it's more a hunch than anything else. I look enough like her to be a sister or daughter, plus with the magic.... It's just something that I have to eliminate. I... It's important to me."


----------



## Victim (Nov 27, 2008)

Star stirs and groans.  "What happened?"  _I remember...  But those things couldn't happen, right?  I can't wake up like that without healing and my power doesn't work like that._

"How is everyone else doing?" _And especially Apollo._


----------



## Hammerhead (Nov 27, 2008)

_Well that was easy,_ Errant thinks, looking down at his unconscious enemy. He glances around at the incoming emergency personnel, frowning. Errant grabs the pilot by the arms and drags him into a nearby alleyway, securing him with handcuffs. Kneeling down out of sight, he focuses his telepathic abilities on the pilot, reading his mind and delving into his thoughts. 

_What were the objectives of this mission? What was your extraction plan?_

[sblock]Telepathy +10 to mind probe.[/sblock]


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 29, 2008)

Victim said:


> Star stirs and groans.  "What happened?"  _I remember...  But those things couldn't happen, right?  I can't wake up like that without healing and my power doesn't work like that._
> 
> "How is everyone else doing?" _And especially Apollo._




Red says "Far as I can tell, those spirits were powering your body.  Its a huge strain on your system, but it worked for a while.  We'll get you healthy again though.  You're really asking about Apollo, aren't ya. It wasn't exactly hard to figure.  He and Optic are still in the city.  Their mission was successful though."


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 29, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> _Well that was easy,_ Errant thinks, looking down at his unconscious enemy. He glances around at the incoming emergency personnel, frowning. Errant grabs the pilot by the arms and drags him into a nearby alleyway, securing him with handcuffs. Kneeling down out of sight, he focuses his telepathic abilities on the pilot, reading his mind and delving into his thoughts.
> 
> _What were the objectives of this mission? What was your extraction plan?_
> 
> [sblock]Telepathy +10 to mind probe.[/sblock]




The pilot is an Egyptian air force pilot who was instructed to work for the Legion of Hope by his higher-ups.  Officially, he is a defector.  He had some experience with Apaches, mostly on simulators. Egypt doesn't have THAT many, but there are very few places where Barrington is popular where he could find someone with the right experience willing to take the risk.  He does not know much about the overall mission.  He was sent to  a grav-based multirole ship that crossed the Atlantic underwater. The attack was launched form there.  He took a transport sub along with the rest of the Freedom Hall attack force to the military base after the Crime League took it over.  He was instructed to provide air support for the attackers.  Once his mission was complete, he was expecting a rendezvous location, where he would eject and be picked up, possibly by the mothership he started on.


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 29, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> Skylark pops a few vicodin and Tums and re-ties her hair.  "As we're several of us fightin' fit, Ms. White, should we aid in the riot control an' mop up?"
> 
> She suddenly craves chicken tikka masala, and hopes desperately that the Indian restaurant down the street is still open.




*"After we are done here, that might be a good idea.  Your powers are especially useful for crowd control"
*


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 29, 2008)

kirinke said:


> "It's.... While investigating Stratos and the Crime league awhile back, Foreshadow and I came across some old photographs of Stratos, before he went nuts. Did you know he had a family? Well... one of those photos he was in, he was holding a little girl. That girl looked alot, I mean alot like me when I was that age. It was taken when she was six. I was found when I was like eight or nine." she looked at the older woman with a mixture of desperation and dread. "I've exhausted all leads on this Ms. White, I know it's grasping at straws, but right now, I have the chance of making sure either way. I don't want to miss it." she smiled a little, but it was strained, forced. "With Medea, it's more a hunch than anything else. I look enough like her to be a sister or daughter, plus with the magic.... It's just something that I have to eliminate. I... It's important to me."



*

Yeah...  I'm adopted, too.  I never met my real parents, and have ot abused my position here to track them down.  You could be Stratos kid.  I'll look into it.  Technically, t is relevant to your performance on the job, since he and the Crime league are against you.  Besides, its real easy."*


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## Victim (Nov 29, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> Red says "Far as I can tell, those spirits were powering your body.  Its a huge strain on your system, but it worked for a while.  We'll get you healthy again though."




"What spirits?"  _I guess that was real then...  And it explains why I'm still not better._  "I thought I was hallucinating or something - and I was so angry that worrying about what was happening wasn't high on my list of things to do."

"So if something else was messing with me, then I should discount the way I felt then and any plans I was working on?"  _It felt good to be angry and cut loose though; not to be so compulsively precise and careful...  And things seemed to hurt less._




> You're really asking about Apollo, aren't ya. It wasn't exactly hard to figure.  He and Optic are still in the city.  Their mission was successful though




Megan blushes slightly and, a little bit defensively, says "Well, not just about him...  Someone else could have been badly hurt while I was out again..."  _I'm such an idiot._  "And I hope it's not that obvious to everyone."


----------



## kirinke (Nov 29, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> *
> 
> Yeah...  I'm adopted, too.  I never met my real parents, and have ot abused my position here to track them down.  You could be Stratos kid.  I'll look into it.  Technically, t is relevant to your performance on the job, since he and the Crime league are against you.  Besides, its real easy."*




"Thanks. I... A part of me wants to be wrong on this, but another." she shook her head, clenching her hand in a self-conscious gesture. "I need to know."


----------



## DM_Matt (Nov 30, 2008)

Victim said:


> "What spirits?"  _I guess that was real then...  And it explains why I'm still not better._  "I thought I was hallucinating or something - and I was so angry that worrying about what was happening wasn't high on my list of things to do."
> 
> "So if something else was messing with me, then I should discount the way I felt then and any plans I was working on?"  _It felt good to be angry and cut loose though; not to be so compulsively precise and careful...  And things seemed to hurt less._
> 
> ...




(At this point, the room is broken into a bunch of conversations, and for this one Red has pulls closed the curtain around Star's bed, as she is examining her)

"It was you and it wasn't.  They were able to influence you by speech, by stimulating the production of hormones, especially lots of adrenaline,  to prevent shock, ignore pain, and keep you from passing out, and by amping up your movement powers to supplement your muscles. The reason the tranquilizers worked where the direct damage did not is that they counteracted the chemical means of keeping you awake.   But there was no mind control.  Not directly anyway.  Certainly they manipulated your mood, but yo ustill had control over your actions.  

And about Apollo, that can be our little secret.  The others don't necessarily know to look.  Besides, I worked very hard to get to where I am, despite some false accusations that I'm just a pretty face and advanced for reasons other than merit.  Screwing your teammates promotes those stereotypes, so even if I wanted to -- and I don't, I wouldn't hurt you like that -- and even if it were not against medical ethics -- which it is -- I wouldn't say a word."


----------



## Victim (Nov 30, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> (At this point, the room is broken into a bunch of conversations, and for this one Red has pulls closed the curtain around Star's bed, as she is examining her)
> 
> "It was you and it wasn't.  They were able to influence you by speech, by stimulating the production of hormones, especially lots of adrenaline,  to prevent shock, ignore pain, and keep you from passing out, and by amping up your movement powers to supplement your muscles. The reason the tranquilizers worked where the direct damage did not is that they counteracted the chemical means of keeping you awake.   But there was no mind control.  Not directly anyway.  Certainly they manipulated your mood, but yo ustill had control over your actions.




"I didn't say that I was being directly controlled or anything.  But following through on stuff I decided to do when I so enraged probably isn't such a great idea, right?"



> And about Apollo, that can be our little secret.  The others don't necessarily know to look.  Besides, I worked very hard to get to where I am, despite some false accusations that I'm just a pretty face and advanced for reasons other than merit.  Screwing your teammates promotes those stereotypes, so even if I wanted to -- and I don't, I wouldn't hurt you like that -- and even if it were not against medical ethics -- which it is -- I wouldn't say a word."




"I didn't think it'd be that big of a deal actually; I just didn't want things to be awkward or whatever...  And it's not like there formal superhero ranks or anything, so what's really ahead?" Star frowns.  "Besides, wouldn't he be more junior than me?"  _But he gets hurt less._

"What else am I supposed to do anyway, considering the time it takes to plan, execute missions that might involve travel to some foreign place for a week, and however long it takes for me to recover from being hammered into unconsciousness a few times?  And there's the potentially weird hours.  And security stuff.  I didn't really plan ahead, but it seems like keeping things in house makes some sense."


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## kirinke (Dec 1, 2008)

"How's Star? I think...  She killed Bee didn't she?" she shook her head. "She's gonna feel... Well. It's different for everyone, the first time they've killed someone. Even if it's justified." she looks at the curtianed off hospital bed and watches as Red pushes open the curtains.

She moves over, looking at Star in a mixture of pity and understanding. "Hey. Um... I know we've been at each other's throats since day one, but... I know what it's like to kill someone, not just demons or whatever. I know it wasn't entirely your fault, you were being influenced. But, if you need to talk about it, really talk about it, I'm here okay? I won't judge you. I... I can't." she looked vaguely embaressed, saddened. "I'm just glad he didn't kill you too." she smirked a little. "I wouldn't have anyone to knock sense into me when I go off the deep end, if you did get killed."


----------



## Victim (Dec 1, 2008)

kirinke said:


> She moves over, looking at Star in a mixture of pity and understanding. "Hey. Um... I know we've been at each other's throats since day one, but...




"And barging in here when the curtain is up for privacy is really not changing my mind," Star interjects.  _Not really surprising though._



> I know what it's like to kill someone, not just demons or whatever. I know it wasn't entirely your fault, you were being influenced. But, if you need to talk about it, really talk about it, I'm here okay? I won't judge you. I... I can't." she looked vaguely embaressed, saddened. "I'm just glad he didn't kill you too." she smirked a little. "I wouldn't have anyone to knock sense into me when I go off the deep end, if you did get killed."




"Wha..."  Megan says quietly, looking surprised and confused.  She says hesitantly, "I thought I saw people moving after the crashes...  The helicopters weren't very high up and military ones are supposed to have really good crew protection, right..."


----------



## kirinke (Dec 1, 2008)

Victim said:


> "And barging in here when the curtain is up for privacy is really not changing my mind," Star interjects.  _Not really surprising though._
> 
> 
> 
> "Wha..."  Megan says quietly, looking surprised and confused.  She says hesitantly, "I thought I saw people moving after the crashes...  The helicopters weren't very high up and military ones are supposed to have really good crew protection, right..."




Hope shook her head. "Bee. You... It looks like you killed him. No... I'm not blaming you. Um. I really don't know about the others in the copters though. But if you want to talk about it, you should okay? If not me than someone else. Bottling it in, well believe me, it isn't good and when it comes out, with people, even ordinary people it can get messy very quickly. I don't want you making the same mistakes I did alright? That path isn't a very good one." she looked regretful again. "Anyway. I'm glad you're going to be okay and I'm sorry for barging in. I thought Red was done, when she moved the curtains back." she looked at the other superheroine.


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 1, 2008)

kirinke said:


> I thought Red was done, when he moved the curtains back." she looked at the other superheroine.




(Red is a she.)


----------



## Victim (Dec 1, 2008)

"You think I murdered Killer Bee..." Star half asks, and half states.  Her head snaps back to Red, looking for confirmation on her face.

"He was alive when I passed out...  I shot him and hurt him pretty bad, and then he shot me and I went under from the poison.  He couldn't have have shot me if he was dead, right?"  _But it does get sort of fuzzy then.  And I was really angry.  I used to sorta lash out without control before when I was frightened or angry...  So with the drugs and spirit thingy weakening my control, I could have shot him then.  %&*^ _ "I didn't want to kill him."


----------



## Hammerhead (Dec 1, 2008)

_Egypt's been very, very naughty. Unsurprisingly. If we can't find Barrington directly, we might be able to draw him out into a confrontation our terms by hitting his support network.

If the superheroes captured members of the Crime League, they'll all know more about Barrington's plans than this guy. He's just a small fry. No sense wasting the Trust's time, this is a job for local authorities. Besides, better that an 'official' arm of the government learns of his so-called desertion, to create a greater sense of outrage against Egypt._ 

"I guess the trail ends here, for now," Errant thinks, dusting off his hands. _I disabled an Egyptian helicopter pilot that survived one of the crashes,_ he thinks to his superiors at the Trust. _Civilian authorities are securing the area, there's not a whole lot left to do around here. If you don't have any better ideas, I'm going to start looking through the wreckage of Freedom Hall to see if Ares is there, and what kind of shape he might be in. He's probably long gone or dead, but if he's still here and able to fight, it might be best if someone like me was there.

Or, of course, I could head back to HQ, or try and help quell the chaos in the rest of the city._


----------



## kirinke (Dec 1, 2008)

Victim said:


> "You think I murdered Killer Bee..." Star half asks, and half states.  Her head snaps back to Red, looking for confirmation on her face.
> 
> "He was alive when I passed out...  I shot him and hurt him pretty bad, and then he shot me and I went under from the poison.  He couldn't have have shot me if he was dead, right?"  _But it does get sort of fuzzy then.  And I was really angry.  I used to sorta lash out without control before when I was frightened or angry...  So with the drugs and spirit thingy weakening my control, I could have shot him then.  %&*^ _ "I didn't want to kill him."




"I know," she said understandingly. "I know you didn't want to or mean too...  I mean... You're the last person in the group that would kill on purpose. And um.... I'm sorry it happened that way." she looked away. "I'm sorry," she whispered, sinking down on a nearby chair. 

ooc:
Edited to reflect gender on Red.


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 2, 2008)

Victim said:


> "You think I murdered Killer Bee..." Star half asks, and half states.  Her head snaps back to Red, looking for confirmation on her face.
> 
> "He was alive when I passed out...  I shot him and hurt him pretty bad, and then he shot me and I went under from the poison.  He couldn't have have shot me if he was dead, right?"  _But it does get sort of fuzzy then.  And I was really angry.  I used to sorta lash out without control before when I was frightened or angry...  So with the drugs and spirit thingy weakening my control, I could have shot him then.  %&*^ _ "I didn't want to kill him."




The private conversation being interrupted, Red quits the examination and opens the curtain.  this is the kind of thing the whole group should be involved in.

"The reports do indicate that Killer Bee was killed by a plasma blast to the head, after he was shot into the wall.  We believe the baddies ultimately got away with this body"

White confirms this.  She adds* "There might be a lot of fallout from this, but we're behind you whether you did it or not.  Most people will think you did it, but many won't blame you. Barrington and Wolfson, Sheppard, and Doe, however, are going to use this to push their agenda of reigning us in. Combined with their other accusations, the reasons to limit the activities of capes -- and the claim that you work for the government, are getting stronger."*


----------



## kirinke (Dec 2, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> The private conversation being interrupted, Red quits the examination and opens the curtain.  this is the kind of thing the whole group should be involved in.
> 
> "The reports do indicate that Killer Bee was killed by a plasma blast to the head, after he was shot into the wall.  We believe the baddies ultimately got away with this body"
> 
> White confirms this.  She adds* "There might be a lot of fallout from this, but we're behind you whether you did it or not.  Most people will think you did it, but many won't blame you. Barrington and Wolfson, Sheppard, and Doe, however, are going to use this to push their agenda of reigning us in. Combined with their other accusations, the reasons to limit the activities of capes -- and the claim that you work for the government, are getting stronger."*




Hope nodded in agreement. "You aren't alone in this." she smiled a little, but there was no humour in it. "At least when you killed, you didn't mean to. I can't say the same,"


----------



## Victim (Dec 2, 2008)

Star frowns as Hope settles in, resenting the messenger with bad news and the prolonged intrusion.  _I can't seem to talk to Red at all without getting interrupted._

_So I did kill him...  This just feels so unreal._  "So I guess I screwed things up for everyone...  Maybe it'd better if you didn't support me."  She pauses, "That should help deal with the accusations.  But how does that relate to us working for the government?"



> Hope nodded in agreement. "You aren't alone in this." she smiled a little, but there was no humour in it. "At least when you killed, you didn't mean to. I can't say the same,"




Megan looks down. "I didn't mean to kill him...  but that's just because I couldn't hurt a dead person anymore.  So I'm not all that innocent in this," she says quietly.  _But on the other hand, I don't feel all that guilty about killing him either - shouldn't I feel terrible?  But I don't even remember doing it; it feels so hazy and disconnected.  Or maybe I'm just in denial...  But I feel worse about messing things up for the others._


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 2, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> _Egypt's been very, very naughty. Unsurprisingly. If we can't find Barrington directly, we might be able to draw him out into a confrontation our terms by hitting his support network.
> 
> If the superheroes captured members of the Crime League, they'll all know more about Barrington's plans than this guy. He's just a small fry. No sense wasting the Trust's time, this is a job for local authorities. Besides, better that an 'official' arm of the government learns of his so-called desertion, to create a greater sense of outrage against Egypt._
> 
> ...




Mr. Grey (Errant has worked for him often...he was the guy who recruited the group) responds "Your abilities are not best suited for crowd control.  You've done well.  I agree that the Egyptian should be handed over to the police.  Leave him for the others to find, then get to Sigma Team's hanger and use the teleportal to get back here."


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Dec 3, 2008)

At the mention of crowd control, Wren nods.  "I can help take care of crowd control.  Snaring a few dozen people should be pretty straight forward.  And if that damned queen shows back up, at least I'm immune to her attempts.  

That reminds me.  Red, do you think you should take a look at me, and see if there is any remnants of what she tried to pull on me?  Might be a sample left, so that you can come up with some kind of reversal for it, in case we encounter it again."


----------



## kirinke (Dec 3, 2008)

Victim said:


> Megan looks down. "I didn't mean to kill him...  but that's just because I couldn't hurt a dead person anymore.  So I'm not all that innocent in this," she says quietly.  _But on the other hand, I don't feel all that guilty about killing him either - shouldn't I feel terrible?  But I don't even remember doing it; it feels so hazy and disconnected.  Or maybe I'm just in denial...  But I feel worse about messing things up for the others._




"That's true, but..." Hope shrugged. "You didn't murder Bee alright? You killed him yes, but it was pretty much self-defense at that point, if you hadn't he would've made sure you were dead, instead of just badly poisoned. Like Ms. White said, we were end-game. Barrington wants us dead or captured." she looked suddenly intense. "If he had taken one of us, he could break us. And it's already been proven that he'll go to extremes to get the information he wants."


----------



## Elric (Dec 3, 2008)

"It's OK Star." Nitro reassures her.  "If you fight supervillains that means breaking chairs on occasion.  Let's just hope that we don't have to deal with whatever those strange spirits were for a while and they go after Barrington.  Evil feeds on stuff that's also evil, you know."


----------



## Victim (Dec 3, 2008)

"I think you're wrong," Star argues.  "There was another guy there, in full armor - he didn't move to help Killer Bee at all when I attacked, and said that I'm not in the contract.  If we're so important to his plan, then you'd think his guys would have kill/capture objectives or bounties or something.  And Killer Bee was so messed up that I was suprised he managed to get off one burst."  

"Maybe he just said that it was all about us so we'd take some of the blame."  _Why haven't you left yet?_

"Nitro, I'm not sure what you mean."  _It's okay...  I thought not killing was a huge deal for superheroes?_


----------



## kirinke (Dec 3, 2008)

Victim said:


> "I think you're wrong," Star argues.  "There was another guy there, in full armor - he didn't move to help Killer Bee at all when I attacked, and said that I'm not in the contract.  If we're so important to his plan, then you'd think his guys would have kill/capture objectives or bounties or something.  And Killer Bee was so messed up that I was suprised he managed to get off one burst."
> 
> "Maybe he just said that it was all about us so we'd take some of the blame."  _Why haven't you left yet?_
> 
> "Nitro, I'm not sure what you mean."  _It's okay...  I thought not killing was a huge deal for superheroes?_




"I don't know Star. You could have done it with the spirits influencing you." Hope said quietly. "Like I said before, I think it was justifiable self-defence if you did kill him. I don't blame you." she smiled again, but it was humourless. "Just don't make a habit of it, alright? That road leads to a place I don't think you want to visit. At all." 

You could see the lines of exhaustion now, her face was pale with it. 

ooc:
Was Hope healed at all from her last encounter with the bad-guys?


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 3, 2008)

White gets a page.  She sighs with relief.  

"Good news guys.  You been promoted.  The controversy over your actions necessitates knowing what You'll be the first full team with full access to Mr. Gray.  Mr. Gray, take it away...

Mr. Grey appears on  the screens in the infirmary.  "Greetings.  You have done your jobs well, and earned increased security clearance.  You have come under scrutiny by the media, and with this attack, which Barrington is blaming your actions in the Negev for, this scrutiny will increase.  Thus, I owe you an explanation of what we are, and where we came from.  

As you know, the Trust was founded during and after the fall of the Soviet Union, cobbled together from superheroes, jettisoned DoD Cold War projects, and our most valuable of acquisitions, a Geldaran mothership. A number of supers felt that it was necessary to create the group to ensure that major superthreats were efficiently dealt with, and feared that without the Cold War, the necessary security apparatus would not be maintained. Some also preferred that this kind of power was out of government hands, anyway.  Since we were offloading cancelled or soon-to-be-cancelled government programs -- both technological and operational -- into our group, it was necessary that certain government officials at the time know of our existence to facilitate the transition.  In the end, the government officials who felt these programs had to survive, and the supers who founded the Trust and provided the ship, came to an agreement.  

The Trust is literally a trust, a blind trust really, into which covert technologies and programs were placed.  The intent of the group is to protect the country and the world outside the confines of government, but with the resources of government.  We were built as the perfect blend between superhero groups and governmental security agencies.

Both sides agreed on a trustee, a man who was trusted by all -- Jack Simmons, the superhero known as The Patriot.  He also founded AEGIS, among other things.  He was terminally ill, however, but in the end, that actually worked to our advantage.  The Geldaran mothership included the most powerful and sophisticated supercomputer any of us had ever seen, including a highly-configurable artificial intelligence unit...with Daedalus' help, Simmons' consciousness was merged with the AI...creating me.  

I am Mr. Grey.  I am also the Trust AI. Most of all, I am Jack Simmons, reborn.  My mission is to act as I did in life.  The interests of the country are important to me but both sides knew I won't do anything that violates my morals...this is by design.  I was programmed to be the ideal combination between superheroes and national security. My programming prohibits me from directly coordinating with any high-ranking government official, but I can take their actions into account, and am incapable of actual treason.  

The Trust was set up in part by the Department of Defense, but we are not a government agency.  No president has ever known about it.  After the initial group, no well-known high ranking  government official has been informed.  In fact, while they have no agents within the Trust, the Trust has agents in the government to provide us access.  Our early allies in the DoD arranged to create X-Directorate, which is ostensibly an oversight group, but is in fact a front we use to access the intelligence community.  We also have agents within AEGIS, easily arranged since I founded AEGIS.  

Thus, you see our dilemma.  We are not a government agency, but we cannot reveal ourselves either.  Our critics are dead-wrong, but there is enough of a grain of truth that we must remain secret.


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## Victim (Dec 3, 2008)

Star blinks at the lengthy explanation.  "Why does it matter to you whether or not the media likes us?" _It matters to me though._  "And won't telling us just increase the information we can let slip..."  

"Does having our security clearance upgraded count for anything else?" _Knowing this stuff isn't going to change what we do, is it?_


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 3, 2008)

Victim said:


> Star blinks at the lengthy explanation.  "Why does it matter to you whether or not the media likes us?" _It matters to me though._  "And won't telling us just increase the information we can let slip..."
> 
> "Does having our security clearance upgraded count for anything else?" _Knowing this stuff isn't going to change what we do, is it?_




"You have a right to know the truth.  You are being attacked as government agents acting in violation of the constitution and international law.  

The media doesn't HAVE to like you, but it is easier to operate as a supergroup if they do.  Besides, the wall that has been erected between the Trust and the government means that we are well-protected, but not infinitely so.  The more public outrage, the more likely we will be discovered...and the facts can be twisted quite negatively, especially if they find those in the government who are aware of our existence.  With the possibility that the incoming government will be inclined to investigate the outgoing government, the danger of this is greatly increased in the coming months. Without knowing all this, I could ot have explained to you why popular support is important "


----------



## Victim (Dec 3, 2008)

"Well, it's not like we would say we worked for the government anyway."

(When exactly is it in game?)


----------



## Elric (Dec 3, 2008)

"Wow, honored to meet you Mr. Simmons.  From one superhero to another, how _do _you get abs like that?"


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 3, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Well, it's not like we would say we worked for the government anyway."
> 
> (When exactly is it in game?)




(What do you mean?  If you mean when is the game, its in the present.  If you mean in the game specifically, this is still just after you've gotten back.  The infirmary staff has temporarily left, other than Red, who as a department head apparently already knows this stuff.)


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 3, 2008)

Elric said:


> "Wow, honored to meet you Mr. Simmons.  From one superhero to another, how _do _you get abs like that?"




"Being a computer-generated image helps. "


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## Victim (Dec 3, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> (What do you mean?  If you mean when is the game, its in the present.  If you mean in the game specifically, this is still just after you've gotten back.  The infirmary staff has temporarily left, other than Red, who as a department head apparently already knows this stuff.)




(Well, I mean in the sense that time passing in the game doesn't seem to passing at the same rate in real life.  The game is more than a year old(!) but not many in game days have been mentioned as passing.  So I was sort of assuming that game started at roughly present day and moved from there.  But it's not like super hero stories are known for their rigorous timekeeping...)

"So how did the upload process work out?"


----------



## Hammerhead (Dec 3, 2008)

_Yeah, other than pretending to be Gandhi or disabling one man at a time, there's not a whole lot I can do. Roger, boss, on my way._

Errant changes shape once more, a respectable-looking man in a nondescript suit. Looking around and despairing at the total lack of cabs due to the attacks, Errant just takes off at a run towards the hangar.


----------



## G. Skylark (Dec 4, 2008)

Skylark happens to wander into the infirmary, as that is where everyone seems to be.  "Wotcher, Nitro."  Then she notices 'Mr. Gray,' and is astonished.

"Gor blimey, 'ow did they stuff yer brain inta a computer?"  Maybe now, with higher clearance, they will let her study some more alien tech!


----------



## kirinke (Dec 4, 2008)

After everything that has happened, this surprise on top of so many others, doesn't shock her much, but it does make her think.

"We're at war aren't we?" Hope asks softly. "Not just with our powers, but with our own images, which Barrington is only too happy to use against us. He's... He's planning something terrible, I think something that'll make the Terminus invasion look like a walk in the park by comparision, if we don't stop it." she shivered at the memory of the vision she had, of the missles coming down and the spirits of the dead zooming into that building, device?


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 5, 2008)

Victim said:


> (Well, I mean in the sense that time passing in the game doesn't seem to passing at the same rate in real life.  The game is more than a year old(!) but not many in game days have been mentioned as passing.  So I was sort of assuming that game started at roughly present day and moved from there.  But it's not like super hero stories are known for their rigorous timekeeping...)
> 
> "So how did the upload process work out?"






G. Skylark said:


> Skylark happens to wander into the infirmary, as that is where everyone seems to be.  "Wotcher, Nitro."  Then she notices 'Mr. Gray,' and is astonished.
> 
> "Gor blimey, 'ow did they stuff yer brain inta a computer?"  Maybe now, with higher clearance, they will let her study some more alien tech!




They used a variation of their teleportation and matter assembly technology to convert my brain into a more data transfer-friendly format.  Basically, my body was killed instantly and my brain re as a temporary machine.  Then they assimilated the data into the AI.  I didn't really experience anything.  One moment i was human, the next I was an AI.


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 5, 2008)

kirinke said:


> After everything that has happened, this surprise on top of so many others, doesn't shock her much, but it does make her think.
> 
> "We're at war aren't we?" Hope asks softly. "Not just with our powers, but with our own images, which Barrington is only too happy to use against us. He's... He's planning something terrible, I think something that'll make the Terminus invasion look like a walk in the park by comparision, if we don't stop it." she shivered at the memory of the vision she had, of the missles coming down and the spirits of the dead zooming into that building, device?




"Yes.  We think that is so.  Im interested, everyone, in your read of the situation.  Where do you want to go from here."

Meanwhile, Errant steps into the room.  For now, he's just watching.  He's been told to add himself into the conversation when appropriate (FYI, he knows what Gray told them...he is being transferred from Chi Directorate, the intelligence branch of the Trust, a group that answers directly to Mr. Gray and is often privy to info like this.)


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## Victim (Dec 5, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "Yes.  We think that is so.  Im interested, everyone, in your read of the situation.  Where do you want to go from here."
> 
> Meanwhile, Errant steps into the room.  For now, he's just watching.  He's been told to add himself into the conversation when appropriate (FYI, he knows what Gray told them...he is being transferred from Chi Directorate, the intelligence branch of the Trust, a group that answers directly to Mr. Gray and is often privy to info like this.)




"I don't know; this is all so overwhelming right now," Star says, looking flustered.  "Maybe we should publicize the stuff we found about the big drill, that way people won't attack it with stuff it absorbs even if it gets made..."

"Who is this?" she asks, refering to Errant.


----------



## Hammerhead (Dec 5, 2008)

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, the man in the suit says, holding up his hands apologetically. "My name is Errant, and it's a pleasure to meet you all." With a smile, he walks over to shake hands with each member in introduction. 

"I work for the Trust in Chi Directorate. Intelligence," he adds in explanation. "I don't think you guys will have to worry about Ares, at least for tonight. Thank God. Although hell, you did take down half the damn Crime League."


----------



## Victim (Dec 5, 2008)

Star makes no move to rise, and keeps her hands on the bed.  "Chi is intelligence?" she asks, her head whipping back between Skylark and the new guy.  _I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention when she was introduced, but I thought she was chi division too.  She's a spy?_

"What happened to Ares?"


----------



## Elric (Dec 6, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, the man in the suit says, holding up his hands apologetically. "My name is Errant, and it's a pleasure to meet you all." With a smile, he walks over to shake hands with each member in introduction.




"My pleasure, Errant" Nitro shakes his hand warmly.  "I always like working with people who specialize in intelligence."



> "I don't think you guys will have to worry about Ares, at least for tonight. Thank God. Although hell, you did take down half the damn Crime League."




Nitro agrees, "Wasn't that something?  You probably haven't heard the story of how I 'Nitropedoed' Devil Ray back there.  Now that's a story worth telling..."


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## kirinke (Dec 6, 2008)

"Nice to meet you Errant. Name's Hope Winters, codename is Saint." she smiled a little.


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## Hammerhead (Dec 6, 2008)

"There was a self-destruct at Freedom Hall that activated when Ares was poking around in there," Errant explains. He holds up his hand, then tightly compresses it as he makes a small sound effect for an explosion."Some kind of singularity bomb."

"No, I just heard about the overall result. Just what is a Nitropedo?" he asks with a smile. "One of your signature moves, or something you came up with just for the occasion? I hope you taunted him as you delivered it."

"Saint? Some kind of Catholic thing? Or did you just pick your name semi-randomly, like I did? So you're THE Hope Winters, huh? Formerly of the FBI? I heard that you just might be the best investigator there," Errant compliments her.


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## kirinke (Dec 6, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> "There was a self-destruct at Freedom Hall that activated when Ares was poking around in there," Errant explains. He holds up his hand, then tightly compresses it as he makes a small sound effect for an explosion."Some kind of singularity bomb."
> 
> "No, I just heard about the overall result. Just what is a Nitropedo?" he asks with a smile. "One of your signature moves, or something you came up with just for the occasion? I hope you taunted him as you delivered it."
> 
> "Saint? Some kind of Catholic thing? Or did you just pick your name semi-randomly, like I did? So you're THE Hope Winters, huh? Formerly of the FBI? I heard that you just might be the best investigator there," Errant compliments her.




"Thanks and no, the codename is actually a misnomer. After my partner was murdered by Faust and his cronies, I went off the deep end, assumed an alternate identity and hunted the SOBs down." there was deep regret there in her voice. "I got the nickname by tracking one of his playments right to the gates of hell." she smiled a little, but there was no warmth or humour in it. "And impaling him on the spikes. The full code name is the Hellborn Saint. I shortened it to Saint."

"It wasn't right, I nearly went over to pure villiany. A good friend dragged me back from that brink. I kept the name to remind me of what nearly happened and what could happen, if I let my rage get out of control again." she said baldly. 

"It took nearly skewering Wren to realize how out of control I had gotten. I'm in therapy now and am getting better, but. It's going to be a long road before I'm back to my old self." she said honestly.


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## Elric (Dec 6, 2008)

kirinke said:


> "I got the nickname by tracking one of his playments right to the gates of hell." she smiled a little, but there was no warmth or humour in it. "And impaling him on the spikes.




"You'll have to get used to the occasionally crazy stuff Hope says.  I'm pretty sure the Gates of Hell don't have spikes" Nitro announces.  "Wasn't Hell an extradimensional prison, meaning that the gates are the dimensional boundary.  Who ever heard of an extradimensional boundary that's a spiked gate?"



> "It took nearly skewering Wren to realize how out of control I had gotten. I'm in therapy now and am getting better, but. It's going to be a long road before I'm back to my old self." she said honestly.




_The craziness dodge!  Where have I heard this before?  Oh wait..._



> "No, I just heard about the overall result. Just what is a Nitropedo?" he asks with a smile. "One of your signature moves, or something you came up with just for the occasion? I hope you taunted him as you delivered it."




Nitro describes how he had to rescue Nereid from Devil Ray and swam through the water like a superpowered Michael Phelps before delivering a mighty kick that knocked the villain out.  "I couldn't really taunt him, though.  That's hard to do while you're swimming at full speed.  I guess I can work on that for next time."


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## kirinke (Dec 6, 2008)

Elric said:


> "You'll have to get used to the occasionally crazy stuff Hope says.  I'm pretty sure the Gates of Hell don't have spikes" Nitro announces.  "Wasn't Hell an extradimensional prison, meaning that the gates are the dimensional boundary.  Who ever heard of an extradimensional boundary that's a spiked gate?"
> [/COLOR]





Hope grins at Nitro. "Hell depends greatly on your point of view. To me, the barrier looked like a gate. To someone else, it could be an energy field or a wall of darkness or a maze. It's mostly an illusion or self-deception though." she chuckled darkly.  "I guess that's one of the reasons why there are so many different descriptions of the place." she shrugged. "You'd have to see it to understand." she smiled at the wrestler. "Been thinking about it alot recently."

"And trust me, you definatly don't want to go there. It makes Buckner's look like a vacation paradise by comparison. And that's just the outside facade," she quipped.


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## G. Skylark (Dec 7, 2008)

"Skylark.  It's a pleasure."  She shakes Errant's hand.  She hopes that they hadn't actually met before; she is rather bad with names, and might be embarrassing herself now.

"Singularity bomb, eh?  I 'ave me doubts about the efficacy of those.  Well, I 'ope yer right that Ares and 'is mates got flattened."


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## kirinke (Dec 7, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> "Skylark.  It's a pleasure."  She shakes Errant's hand.  She hopes that they hadn't actually met before; she is rather bad with names, and might be embarrassing herself now.
> 
> "Singularity bomb, eh?  I 'ave me doubts about the efficacy of those.  Well, I 'ope yer right that Ares and 'is mates got flattened."





"The first rule I ever learned when dealing with supervillians is they aren't dead until you see the body and cremate the remains yourself. Even then, it isn't a sure bet." Hope said. shaking her head doubtfully. "At least, we won't have to worry about him for awhile at any rate."


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## Elric (Dec 7, 2008)

kirinke said:


> "The first rule I ever learned when dealing with supervillians is they aren't dead until you see the body and cremate the remains yourself. Even then, it isn't a sure bet." Hope said. shaking her head doubtfully. "At least, we won't have to worry about him for awhile at any rate."




"Funny," Nitro says.  "The first rule I learned is when dealing with supervillains is don't get kneed in the head.  Unfortunately, the second rule I learned was don't get kicked in the balls either."


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## kirinke (Dec 7, 2008)

Elric said:


> "Funny," Nitro says.  "The first rule I learned is when dealing with supervillains is don't get kneed in the head.  Unfortunately, the second rule I learned was don't get kicked in the balls either."





"Thankfully, as a girl, I don't have to deal with your second rule." she deadpanned.


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## Elric (Dec 7, 2008)

kirinke said:


> "Thankfully, as a girl, I don't have to deal with your second rule." she deadpanned.




"I know, right, that's why I think having [his girlfriend] Melina figure out similar lessons after that first rule might not have been the best.  For sure a male manager would have thought of that one before I experienced it in practice.  Heck, *I* should have thought of that one before I experienced it in practice."


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## Victim (Dec 7, 2008)

"Oh," Star replies belatedly to the comment about the singularity bomb.  _In a city?  That's some risk, Daedalus._

_I hear not killing people is a big rule for superheroes too,_ Megan thinks, staring ahead while the others joke around.


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## Hammerhead (Dec 7, 2008)

"It doesn't sound that crazy, considering I don't know much about the mystical arts. My experience tends to be clustered at the other end of the spectrum," Errant says neutrally. _Most superheroes tend to be pretty focused on preserving lives, even those of their sworn enemies. Obviously, Hope does not. I'd bet that her attitude divides her from the rest of the team._

"After seeing it in action, I don't have any doubts about the effectiveness of a singularity bomb anymore. That Daedalus knows his stuff. But I never said that Ares was dead, just that he wouldn't be any trouble for the rest of the night. Fortunately the destruction was contained solely to Freedom Hall," he adds to Star. 

"You know Nitro, you could always try and learn some sign language to deliver taunts while you're underwater or in space. Of course, you probably know one insulting sign already, but that might conflict with your family-friendly image," he jokes.


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## Victim (Dec 7, 2008)

_So much happened while I was out..._  "What happened to the Freedom League?  I thought I saw Raven when I was there.  No one got left behind in the singularity, right?"

_What the hell is happening?  Even if I'm enraged, it shouldn't shoot without a deliberate effort on my part - involuntary shooting when angry or frightened was the first thing I was able to fix.  Or so I thought.  I worked so hard to master my power.  But then I couldn't keep it from hurting me.  And now it's going off on accident...  What a waste.  Relying so much on my power in stressful, life and death situations might just be eroding my safeguards though._

_I wish Apollo was here - that's about the only thing that's going right for me since I haven't been to class in a while and I'm a disaster as a super hero.  But that probably won't last very long either._

"What are you going to do next?"


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## kirinke (Dec 7, 2008)

Victim said:


> _
> "What are you going to do next?"_



_

"Stop Barrington. He wants us focused on the city. He created this chaos so we will be divided, our resources thinned out, scattered so he can pick us off one at a time." Hope said, her voice eerily calm as she began to analyze the situation.

"Something like this.... I think it's a diversion." she looked at the other superheroine. "Let's hope I'm wrong." she paled as a sudden thought came to her.

"Buckners. Buckners. Damnation... That's it. Check on the facility. This is a perfect oportunity for a break out!" she shivered. "There are so many supers in there.... It'd be all to easy for Barrington to recruit them."_


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## Hammerhead (Dec 8, 2008)

Errant shoots a quick glance towards Nitro, raising an eyebrow as if to say 'I can see what you mean.' _Hope seems so...dramatic. It's as if she's performing for a daytime television soap opera._

"Buckners? What are you talking about? Do you mean Blackstone, the prison for metahumans? Risking the entire Crime League seems like quite the expensive diversion, especially considering that they might be the world's foremost experts on escaping from Blackstone."

"I think that recruiting the prison population of Blackstone would be a lot harder than you assume, Hope. While Barrington obviously has a talent in this area, these people are either generally loners, not exactly team players, or already owing their loyalty to an existing organization like the Foundry."

"Easy enough to check out though," he adds with a shrug, pulling out his cell phone after a quick search, dialing the number for Blackstone Prison.


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## DM_Matt (Dec 8, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> Errant shoots a quick glance towards Nitro, raising an eyebrow as if to say 'I can see what you mean.' _Hope seems so...dramatic. It's as if she's performing for a daytime television soap opera._
> 
> "Buckners? What are you talking about? Do you mean Blackstone, the prison for metahumans? Risking the entire Crime League seems like quite the expensive diversion, especially considering that they might be the world's foremost experts on escaping from Blackstone."
> 
> ...




Errant's contacts say everything is fine over there.  As soon as they heard of the problem in Freedom City, they activated full lockdown protocols and called in extra personnel (they always keep  a proportion of their guards who are off-duty on call)).  It would actually be HARDER to cause a jailbreak because of this, not easier.


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## DM_Matt (Dec 8, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Oh," Star replies belatedly to the comment about the singularity bomb.  _In a city?  That's some risk, Daedalus._
> 
> _I hear not killing people is a big rule for superheroes too,_ Megan thinks, staring ahead while the others joke around.





(A properly-calibrated implosion weapon is a great option for a self-destruct in a city.  There is plenty of clear space around Freedom Hall that can make for a good buffer against the pull, but explosions throw stuff everywhere, including the various hazardous materials located in FH.)


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## kirinke (Dec 8, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> Errant's contacts say everything is fine over there.  As soon as they heard of the problem in Freedom City, they activated full lockdown protocols and called in extra personnel (they always keep  a proportion of their guards who are off-duty on call)).  It would actually be HARDER to cause a jailbreak because of this, not easier.




ooc:
Sorry, my fault, she'd know about Blackstone (that it's blackstone, not buckners. Um, pretend she said that if you could. 

IC
"Sorry, Barrington gets my full paranoia on Errant. If those spores got that far," she shook her head. "I'm glad I'm wrong on that. Okay, so it's not a jailbreak. "We're the main target now though. He's got most of the Freedom league in his grasp, the city is in disarray. So what would be his next logical goal?" her eyes begin bleeding to white.

ooc:
She extends her own admittedly inexperienced new senses, trying to find out what he's planning next, his immediate goals.

Precog and postcog both, whichever seems to be the most likely to produce results.


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## Fangor the Fierce (Dec 8, 2008)

Keeping quiet, as he reads over all new files, and works on trying to figure something out, Wren takes note of another new member, it would seem.  The turnaround for Supers in this new group was astonishing, but so were the circumstances.  Hopefully, he wouldn't be one of the supers to be replaced. 

When the talk of being skewered comes up, Wren shrugs his shoulders.  "It will take a lot more than that little mishap to deal with me.  Besides, I always have plan B.  I just hope I don't have to ever use it."

Shaking the new guy's hand, Wren wonders how long he will last.  He wonders how long everyone will last, as a side thought.  Hope is a grab-bag of emotions and paranoia, Star seems to be lacking any confidence, Skylark is a little hard to understand at times due to the accent, Nitro's looking for the camera, but with them all together, they have somehow managed to get through this, in somewhat one piece.  

Knowing that his own powers were simply there to aid the others, he wonders if it was time to go on the offensive, instead of putting out fires.  Sure, he was The Guardian, and was apt to simply defend as best he could, but with this new group, he has come to realize that perhaps the old passage of "the best defense is a good offense.." might be something to look into a bit more.

"The media's going to be all over Barrington's views, as he is no doubt putting together a conference to have a story to persuade more followers to his misguided cause.  I say we look at cameras in the vicinity, and any other intel that we can use to discredit his coming attacks.  Ares isn't going to stay out of this either, and he will be back soon enough.  We've got to figure out where they would house that drill, what location from your memories that it is intent on attacking, and go from there."

"We can get a list of types of materials Barrington would have needed, for all the new technology that he's throwing around worldwide, and follow that trail.  With our capability, we should be able to track past purchases, shipments, and locations of those materials, and find out some prime locations to investigate and keep under watch.  With the recent attacks, and our gathering of information as well as the destroyed enemy mech units and gear, we should be able to find something.  Serial numbers of components, special materials and alloys.  Anything to stop playing catch up and start going on the offensive."

"Also, what ever happened to the recent supers that came and helped us?  I'd like to hear what they have to say, and perhaps get them organized a little.  All help at this time is welcome."


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## Victim (Dec 8, 2008)

"That's great," Star says bitterly.  "I'm looking foward to be crucified for both abandoning this city AND for acts of international aggression."  _But I don't like it, so it's probably a great idea._


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## Hammerhead (Dec 8, 2008)

"Thanks," Errant says, punching off his phone. 

"I think we can at least expect Barrington will continue his public relations assault on this team; especially you, Star. To counteract this, you might want to hold a press conference and unleash your secret weapon: the remnants of the Freedom League. You can get them to vouch for you guys, right?"

"I'm with Wren here. I remember that you guys were planning on heading over to China and find one of his factories, right," Errant suggests."I don't remember what they were making there, but that could even be a way to track down the world's biggest power tool."

 He's also arranged some kind of deal with the Egyptian military; I interrogated one of his helicopter pilots, and he was assigned to Barrington's crusade by his superiors. Officially a deserter of course, but that's just Egypt covering their ass. I would assume that Barrington's arranged similar deals with other nations. Disrupting those deals might be fun."


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## kirinke (Dec 8, 2008)

Victim said:


> "That's great," Star says bitterly.  "I'm looking foward to be crucified for both abandoning this city AND for acts of international aggression."  _But I don't like it, so it's probably a great idea._




"One thing to remember, don't put any stock in what your detractors say Star. You are valuable both as a person and as a superhero and we all make mistakes." Hope says wincing a little at Star's bitterness.

*Been there, done that. * she thought glumly. "There will always be someone who hates you, who will think the worst of you, simply because of what you are. That's what Barrington will play on. Don't fall for it,"

She grinned a little at Errant. "We're not exactly much for undercover work Errant and right now, the group is too well known for that. We're the frontliners now for better or worse and everyone of us has a target on our backs because of it,"

She figured it wasn't exactly paranoia if there actually was an enemy behind every bush. Well.... That was exaggerating things a bit, but it wasn't far off base at that.


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## Victim (Dec 8, 2008)

"People don't have to hate me just for who I am; my actions seem to be providing reason enough."

"And if too much public pressure will expose this place, what do you think it will do my crappy secret identity?  My value is going to be a real consolation to the other people who get hurt."


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## kirinke (Dec 9, 2008)

Victim said:


> "People don't have to hate me just for who I am; my actions seem to be providing reason enough."
> 
> "And if too much public pressure will expose this place, what do you think it will do my crappy secret identity?  My value is going to be a real consolation to the other people who get hurt."




"His actions are much worse. At worst, you are defending innocent people. Accidents happen. You did not set out to kill anyone. He did." Hope told the girl flatly. "We're at war Star, people are going to get hurt and maybe dead. We just have to make sure it's not us or the innocents we're sworn to protect." she looked at the other girl. "Have you ever harmed an innocent person? Have you ever set out to kill anyone? To my recollection, that answer is a resounding no. What happened, wasn't your fault. He made the choice of being there. He made the choice of attacking you. He made the choice of doing his best to end your life and the lives of the innocents around you. Let me ask you this. If you had not been lucky enough to make that shot and passed out first, would he have killed you?" she asks the girl.

*She's not a Fed or a cop or military....She can't understand that sometimes taking a life is unavoidable, especially when it's a choice between your life and the lives of those around you vs. one supervillian. She didn't set out to kill the SOB after all.* Hope thought to herself, knowing full well that killing Bee would have been her first personal goal not so long ago. She knew that mindset, shoot first, question the corpse when dealing with supervillians was wrong.... She shook her head. She wasn't going down that path. Never, ever again. Even if she felt that way, she wasn't going to _act_ on it.


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## Victim (Dec 9, 2008)

_Why the hell aren't you leaving me alone?  Yes, no, no - damn it, don't grind my face in everything!_ "Hope, you're a great f-ing detective aren't you?" Star snarls.  "Maybe you should detect that I don't like you. That I don't want your help - that I want to be around you as little as this job permits!  I don't want you to visit me."

"Please leave," she adds in carefully controlled tones.  "If that means you move your little meeting away, then fine.  Just get away from me before I show you the door."


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## Hammerhead (Dec 9, 2008)

_Wow._ Errant shoots a quick, uncertain look towards Mr. Grey, unsure of what action to take. 

"Look, I want to get this out of the way. I'm not sure if everyone was informed of this, but I'd like to request to join you guys. I wanted to demonstrate my utility, but maybe now isn't the best time. In any case, I'm here to help," Errant explains. 

"Anyway, Hope's FBI and I'm," Errant pauses for a second, unsure of just how much to reveal of himself. "I used to work for a three letter agency. In any case, I have some ideas about tracking Barrington that I want to share with her. Hope, you mind meeting privately?"  _Horribly transparent, but they do not want this to erupt into some kind of confrontation._

_You know, on any other assignment I could exploit that dysfunctional team dynamic there, make both Star and Hope feel isolated and alone. It would be child's play to break this team apart. But I have no idea where to start to help keep it together._

"In any case, it was great to meet you all. I can see why you guys are on the top of Barrington's hit list." He looks at Hope imploringly, sending a telepathic message to her. _Don't take it too personally. Star's just something of a wreck right now, and you can do more for your friend by giving her some space._


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## kirinke (Dec 9, 2008)

Victim said:


> _Why the hell aren't you leaving me alone?  Yes, no, no - damn it, don't grind my face in everything!_ "Hope, you're a great f-ing detective aren't you?" Star snarls.  "Maybe you should detect that I don't like you. That I don't want your help - that I want to be around you as little as this job permits!  I don't want you to visit me."
> 
> "Please leave," she adds in carefully controlled tones.  "If that means you move your little meeting away, then fine.  Just get away from me before I show you the door."




_I'm aware. We've been at each other's throats since day one. She has a problem with my attitude towards supervillians among other things. More so than most. I'm used to that. This isn't much in the way of a catfight,_ she thought wryly. _We've had worse and far uglier._ she paused. _Alright, I'll back off, give her some breathing room._ she laughed inwardly, though her expression betrayed nothing. Gallows humour. _I'd rather her pissed off at me, then blaming herself. Gives her something else to focus on, rather than what happened._

Hope sighs, hearing the pain behind the words instead of the ugliness others heard. She didn't hate Star, not really.  "Alright," she looked at the girl. "Lookit, all I'm saying, is it isn't your fault alright? Sorry to blundgen you with it though." she smiled, but it was sad. "We aren't ever going to like each other Star, but I do respect you." there was that. No hate, she didn't bother controlling her voice. She understood that the girl's pain and grief were talking. She turned around to leave, looking at the other federal agent wryly.

_Meet me in the commons if you could._ she said, knowing he wanted to talk about her and Star and probably some other things as well.  

Neutral party as it was. It wasn't gonna be fun. Hay, couldn't be worse than having the sneaking suspicion your da or mum are part of the Crime league and founding members as that. She thought grimly and shot a look at Errant.

_Keep that to yourself. The last thing I need is for that to be common knowledge right now._ she just prayed she was wrong, but something inside her knew Stratos probably was her father. Medea? she had no clue. But it was a strong possibility.


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## G. Skylark (Dec 9, 2008)

Skylark wonders who Melina is.  She didn't peg Nitro as the type to have just one girlfriend.

Three-letter agency, huh.  "It'd be lovely to 'ave you wit' us, Mr. Errant.  We're, erm, rather ill-suited for espionage and such."

"Cripes, wot are we all doing, meetin' in the infirmary?  We should have a proper sit-down, with an agenda and tea and such.  Sorry Star, do feel better.  Oh, and we did manage to bring Raven back with us."  Skylark grabs the vicodin and Tums she was looking for and floats out.


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## Hammerhead (Dec 10, 2008)

Leaving with Hope, Errant sits down in the commons area. "So things are always a little like that, huh," he asks glibly. "That must be great for team morale," he says, rolling his eyes. 

"I don't really want to get involved, but it's pretty clear that Star doesn't trust your judgment, right?" Hell, she probably assumes you're wrong. So whenever you tell her that she's a hero, that she did the right thing, that there was no other way, young Star just might think the opposite," Errant points out. 

"But enough of that unpleasantness. You say that you're all too high profile, but that's why you superheroes have secret identities in the first place. Obviously you can't go flying around China in your costumes, but I doubt that you'd draw any attention at all dressed in civilians. Hell, I doubt your enemies would even recognize you," Errant snorts. _An optimistic judgment, at best, but we could probably make things work even if they got identified. Somehow._

"If you're serious about attacking Barrington, it's going to require some detective work. He's not going to just leave his soft targets around for anyone to find."


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## kirinke (Dec 10, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> Leaving with Hope, Errant sits down in the commons area. "So things are always a little like that, huh," he asks glibly. "That must be great for team morale," he says, rolling his eyes.





She chuckled, but it was humourless "Pretty much. Out of all of us, Star and I have the tendency to get hurt the worst. We've had worse verbal tussles, but that was the first time she's actually asked me to leave. Not that I blame her." she said tiredly.  



Hammerhead said:


> "I don't really want to get involved, but it's pretty clear that Star doesn't trust your judgment, right?" Hell, she probably assumes you're wrong. So whenever you tell her that she's a hero, that she did the right thing, that there was no other way, young Star just might think the opposite," Errant points out.




"You're right about that in one way. Star has a tendency to think the worst of herself and it irritates the hell out of me. She could be so much more, if she had some confidence." she shook her head. "As for Star not trusting my judgement, right now, I can't blame her. I've screwed up majorly in the past few days, plus she has said right out she doesn't believe an Aegis agent should be involved as closely as I am with superheroes." 

Hope raked her hand through her hair. "She sees the world in black and white and we both know that's not so simple." she smiled lopsidedly. "My own worldview has taken some hits too, so I kinda know where she's coming from and the reasons why she believes what she believes, even if I don't agree with her. 

"My advice, be careful about killing anything on this team or at least if you have to, don't let Star see it." she smiled, but it was sad. 



Hammerhead said:


> "But enough of that unpleasantness. You say that you're all too high profile, but that's why you superheroes have secret identities in the first place. Obviously you can't go flying around China in your costumes, but I doubt that you'd draw any attention at all dressed in civilians. Hell, I doubt your enemies would even recognize you," Errant snorts. _An optimistic judgment, at best, but we could probably make things work even if they got identified. Somehow._
> "If you're serious about attacking Barrington, it's going to require some detective work. He's not going to just leave his soft targets around for anyone to find."




"The problem is, especially with me, there just aren't that many weather controllers out there that can do what I do, the way I do it. I've been lucky no one has thought to put two and two together to get four, but I'm not sure how long that is going to last." she closed her eyes. "Plus, as an Aegis agent, I am high profile. You can bet the chinese are aware of who I am. A postcog like me.... would be a boon in certain circles."  she looked at him knowingly. He was a spook. Having a postcog like her, who can give visions of the past to others in 3d, would be a tasty and valuable target to the unscrupluous. 

She didn't want to be forced to give up the information other federal agents possessed and she could do that, simply by touching them and opening her mind to what they've done. What she did now, for Aegis and the trust with her postcognitive abilities was good and useful. What the chinese could do with her, what Barrington could do with her. Wasn't.

She chuckled. "And then there's Nitro. Right now with all the publicity we've been getting, there just isn't anyway we're gonna be able to disguise him."


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## Fangor the Fierce (Dec 10, 2008)

Wren turns to Red, asking, "So, think there's any chance to check out what that queen tried to do withe me and try to make sure it doesn't happen to others?"


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## Victim (Dec 10, 2008)

Star glares at Hope's back.  _It should have been you._

Megan groans and pulls out her phone, "Oh yeah, that girl...  I think I missed that whole explanation thing while I was knocked out.  She had something to do with the spores, right?"


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## Hammerhead (Dec 11, 2008)

"More?" Errant asks. "She's a superhero. The pay isn't as good, but it's pretty much right up there with being a doctor. Maybe life isn't as simple as black and white, but Captain Thunder doesn't kill the bad guys. Raven doesn't kill the bad guys. Centurion didn't. She's following the example of the people she probably respects the most, looks to for guidance. I don't kill people either, Hope; it's generally just as easy to take someone alive, and you can get a lot more information from them."

"Star has a point. I'm surprised you haven't quit already; it's clearly a conflict of interest. Plus, it jeopardizes the team's ability to work internationally when you have an American government agent on the payroll."

Errant rolls his eyes; Hope's ego was out of control. Surely she realized that the world did not, in fact, revolve around her. "So don't use your weather control powers when you're incognito, obviously. And I've never worried about either seeing the past or the future. Those kinds of things are inherently unreliable; when you can't control your powers, they end up controlling you. Why do you think guys like Foreshadow play in the minor leagues?"


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## Elric (Dec 11, 2008)

Victim said:


> Star glares at Hope's back.  _It should have been you._
> 
> Megan groans and pulls out her phone, "Oh yeah, that girl...  I think I missed that whole explanation thing while I was knocked out.  She had something to do with the spores, right?"




(Nitro fills in with what he knows, presumably aided by someone who knows and remembers more and more accurately, so that Star knows everything that's been revealed to the PCs so far).


"Cheerful stuff, ain't it?  Cripes, as Skylark would say.  Well, hope you feel better."


----------



## Victim (Dec 11, 2008)

Elric said:


> (Nitro fills in with what he knows, presumably aided by someone who knows and remembers more and more accurately, so that Star knows everything that's been revealed to the PCs so far).
> 
> 
> "Cheerful stuff, ain't it?  Cripes, as Skylark would say.  Well, hope you feel better."




Star listens as Nitro explains, plus reviews the Trust's information on her phone.  "Wow.  And we were all exposed to that stuff?  I was right next to that blimp full of spores when it exploded..." she turns to Red, "We weren't affected or anything right?"

"Thanks Nitro."


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 11, 2008)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> Wren turns to Red, asking, "So, think there's any chance to check out what that queen tried to do withe me and try to make sure it doesn't happen to others?"






Victim said:


> Star glares at Hope's back.  _It should have been you._
> 
> Megan groans and pulls out her phone, "Oh yeah, that girl...  I think I missed that whole explanation thing while I was knocked out.  She had something to do with the spores, right?"




Red says  I just finished the DNA test on it.  Its VERY alien.  I doubt anything like this evolved on earth.  Something brought it here.  I also am not so sure that regular medications like what Grant claims to have should do the job without some specific tailoring...unless he knew more than he's letting on.


----------



## Victim (Dec 11, 2008)

"Didn't we already know that Grant was involved because of the technology stealing thing?"


----------



## kirinke (Dec 11, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> "More?" Errant asks. "She's a superhero. The pay isn't as good, but it's pretty much right up there with being a doctor. Maybe life isn't as simple as black and white, but Captain Thunder doesn't kill the bad guys. Raven doesn't kill the bad guys. Centurion didn't. She's following the example of the people she probably respects the most, looks to for guidance. I don't kill people either, Hope; it's generally just as easy to take someone alive, and you can get a lot more information from them."
> 
> "Star has a point. I'm surprised you haven't quit already; it's clearly a conflict of interest. Plus, it jeopardizes the team's ability to work internationally when you have an American government agent on the payroll."
> 
> Errant rolls his eyes; Hope's ego was out of control. Surely she realized that the world did not, in fact, revolve around her. "So don't use your weather control powers when you're incognito, obviously. And I've never worried about either seeing the past or the future. Those kinds of things are inherently unreliable; when you can't control your powers, they end up controlling you. Why do you think guys like Foreshadow play in the minor leagues?"





"Can't quit right now and yeah, it's a slippery edge I'm walking on." Hope looked grim. "I know killing is wrong Errant and what I did before wasn't the best choice I've ever made," she says, echoes of that past rage and hate towards Faust and his cronies, seeing her friend die screaming in front of her, or virtually in front of her, experiencing his pain first hand. Feeling that bone deep grief and guilt that seemed to swallow her whole. She shook her self, pushing the images and feelings back under. "It was selfish and inexcusable and it won't bring back anyone." she glanced in the direction of the infirmery. There was pity in that gaze and understanding.

"I'm not going there, ever again. I just wish that Star never had to either," there was regret. She shook her head. "It's not that easy Errant, to say not use my powers." she reached her arm over to him, and you can feel a subtle wind around her, riffling the sleave of her blouse."It's always around me and if one is sensitive enough, it's easy enough to detect." she shrugged. "China has it's own mages, I've met some of them Errant." 

"The visions of the future I do have are unreliable right now. But the past?" she shook her head. "When they do come to me, they're _never_ wrong. I can deliberatly let myself open to the visions, but.... they can come at anytime." she went and refilled her coffee mug. "That's the only 'unreliable' part of my postcog ability. I can't control when they will occur." she said quietly. "And when they do come to me, I can let others see as well. Most people don't have any defenses against it. And what defenses there are, carry a heavy price with them. It's not like telepathy, though it does have some elements of empathy. That's what makes it so frightening."

She had to let him understand. "I can maybe show you an example. I don't make promises on what we'll see, but it'll give you an idea of how it works, at least for me." she smiled lopsidedly. "My postcognive ability is  a bit like opening a door that you can't ever lock. A good gust of wind can knock it open."


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Dec 11, 2008)

"Well, if that's the case, then perhaps since we have a sample of this spore, and Grant says they are able to counter it, let's put it to the test.  If it works, then something is fishy.  If it doesn't, then we should get someone like Grant or those two kids to see if they can help in coming up with some antidote.  I would like us ALL to have it on hand, in case one of us gets infected.  Or, rather one of you.  Luckily it doesn't work on me."

"That HUD capability looks like it's something that we may need now.  With the recent events, and our getting separated all the time, we need some form of locating each other.  Black, can you devise some small tracking device or tagging that we can all wear?  I would like to make sure each of you wears some small discreet locater, that has a minute amount of cosmic energy.  That way, should I need to get us all out of a situation and not able to see you, I can sense the tracking devices, and get us to safety.  If you don't want that insurance, it's your call.  But, with things going as they are, our safety is a high priority.  Without us, it would seem, things are going to get worse."

Turning to Star, he simply smiles at her.  She's been through hell, and Hope's constant mothering is working the opposite affect.  Star doesn't need a mother, she needs support and trust.  She's earned it.

"Star, you get some rest, if you need it.  You did well today, as without your heading out quickly, Raven and the others would not have been saved.  Thanks.  If you need me, I will be checking up on something.  Call me."

Ending the discussion, he takes his leave from the group, to let her get some much needed rest, or solitude to sort things out.  Sometimes people needed to get through things on their own, and in their own time.  

Wren then decides to do some investigating, with his own sources.  Delving into his own past, he rifles through all information about this Animus Queen, her kind, and their purpose.  (Gather Info +14)


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## Victim (Dec 11, 2008)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> Turning to Star, he simply smiles at her.  She's been through hell, and Hope's constant mothering is working the opposite affect.  Star doesn't need a mother, she needs support and trust.  She's earned it.
> 
> "Star, you get some rest, if you need it.  You did well today, as without your heading out quickly, Raven and the others would not have been saved."




"You sure?" Star asks quickly.  _I killed someone...  A superhero isn't supposed to do that._


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## Hammerhead (Dec 12, 2008)

_Wow, it's almost too easy to get information out of this woman. She seems to trust me though. Nice enough, although pretty self-centered. Must come from being a big fish in the little pond of Aegis and the FBI; she must not have adjusted to working with other superheroes. Everyone gets to be special here._

"Exactly. You can't control when it works and when it doesn't; that's exactly the kind of unreliability I'm talking about. And I don't see how empathy could be a problem; the more you understand about your enemies, the better. Hell, that's what working in intelligence is all about." 

"Oh, so you can share your visions with others? Neat. You're a weather mage, right? Doesn't seem like past/future visions would really be part of the package. Inherited from someone in the family," he asks casually.  

"Me, I happen to be a hideous abomination of twisted and spliced alien genes," Errant says with a cheery smile. "I still look good though."


----------



## kirinke (Dec 12, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> _Wow, it's almost too easy to get information out of this woman. She seems to trust me though. Nice enough, although pretty self-centered. Must come from being a big fish in the little pond of Aegis and the FBI; she must not have adjusted to working with other superheroes. Everyone gets to be special here._
> 
> "Exactly. You can't control when it works and when it doesn't; that's exactly the kind of unreliability I'm talking about. And I don't see how empathy could be a problem; the more you understand about your enemies, the better. Hell, that's what working in intelligence is all about."
> 
> ...




"Most visions of the past, at least the ones I get tend to be rather violent. Especially if they're imbedded in objects. Great joy, great pain, great sorrow. It has to be strong to leave echoes of itself that a postcog can pick up." she smiled humourlessly. "And having that thrown in your teeth can be very unpleasant at the best of times." she shook her head. "I finally went and am going to therapy to help deal with it. Like I said before it'll be a long road before I'm back to what I should be."  

"I honestly don't know where I get it. I was found nearly beaten to death in an alley in New York when I was around eight. I have absolutly no memory from before that day," she smiled lopsidedly. "The telepaths I've met who've tried to look back that far, can't get through past that time. It's too painful for them." she said quietly. "Most told me, I'm probably better off not knowing."


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Dec 12, 2008)

Victim said:


> "You sure?" Star asks quickly.  _I killed someone...  A superhero isn't supposed to do that._




Before walking away, Wren hears Star's question, and hesitates at the doorway.  Turning, he faces her before talking.

"And how many would he have killed had he lived?  We never know... and it's not about rationalizing things.  It's about making those tough decisions, when others can't; even those hard ones.  Don't let it control you, and don't let it ever become an 'ok' decision to consider in battle.  When that happens, you lose your humanity.  But, as you can see, your remorse and reaction shows you what is the truth behind all this.  You are human, and you care.  Killer Bee would not have thought twice or been remorseful.  That's what seperates is from them.

Wren stops talking, and smiles at Star.  [color]"Sorry, I don't mean to sound like some counselor or anything like that.  It's just that I have seen more in my long life than you have, but we all react differently and in our own way.  Just know that you have people that will stand beside you, both in battle, and in life.  Rest up, and the offer still stands; if you want to talk, about anything, I'm not a bad listener..."[/color]


----------



## Victim (Dec 13, 2008)

"I'll think about it, Wren.  Thanks for the support though."  _No thanks.  You already think I'm weak enough without me crying all over you.  And I must be pretty sad to get advice on being a human from an alien._

Star tries to review the files on the simulator, but is not having the easiest time concentrating.  While getting some rest, she does a lot of staring off into space.


----------



## G. Skylark (Dec 13, 2008)

Skylark returns to her office and unlocks her desktop.  The order to go out and help deal with the riots might come at any time, but she figured there was no sense in just sitting around!  She downloads basic Mandarin lessons into her iPod and listens to them while writing a report on what happened that day.

The reports of Daedalus's implosion bomb nagged at her.  She decides to try and access any Trust files she can about the technology (Computers at +11), with a particular eye toward any measurements made of the implosion that just happened (if there are any).  Her aim is to come up with a theory about which dimension, if any, that Freedom League HQ ended up in (Physical Sciences at +21; Int at +7 if some other Knowledge is more relevant).

Skylark eventually drifts off to sleep at her desk, causing her to float in the air.


----------



## Hammerhead (Dec 15, 2008)

"Well if you're picking up visions of rainbows and kittens, that's not going to be too useful; picking up any useful information you can is worth a little unpleasantness, if you ask me. But who exactly do you think you should be," Errant asks. 

"If you want, I can try and crack the secret of your past. I'm no Mastermind, but it's worth a shot."


----------



## kirinke (Dec 15, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> "Well if you're picking up visions of rainbows and kittens, that's not going to be too useful; picking up any useful information you can is worth a little unpleasantness, if you ask me. But who exactly do you think you should be," Errant asks.  [/COLOR]




"No argument there, that was the very reason why I went into the Fed, so I could stop criminals from hurting people, like I was hurt." she replied. "But abilities like mine and yours carry a price, sometimes a heavy one. I'm paying for mine. I'm just glad I'm getting the help I need," _before I hurt someone innocent who can't regenerate,_ she thought to herself. 




Hammerhead said:


> But who exactly do you think you should be," Errant asks.  [/COLOR]




"I.... I don't know." she leaned back, closing her eyes briefly. "I'm not an FBI agent anymore. I guess you could call me a double agent, since I'm working for both AEGIS and the Trust, although our boss heads both or headed both organizations." she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I'm.... not exactly a superhero either. Most supers either view me as an anti-hero or a pain in the ass, sometimes both." she opened her eyes and looked at him. "It's complicated." Understatement of the year. 



Hammerhead said:


> "If you want, I can try and crack the secret of your past. I'm no Mastermind, but it's worth a shot."




Hope looks at him soberly. "I wouldn't  want to try it without a full medical backup. Last time I had a vision of the future, I nearly passed out from the force of it." she tapped the side of her head. "Any sort of deep mind-probe coupled with my own psychic abilities and um... past won't be pleasant." she said sensibly. "I wouldn't want to risk you or me without all the safeguards we can get." 

"And I'm gonna have to ask you to undergo a geas, so you won't be able to tell anyone what else you find in my head without my permission." she tapped her finger on the table. "I have someone I care a great deal about to protect." she smiled. "If you want, I'll undergo the same geas for you, just in case I pick up things about you that you'd prefer to remain secret. This way, we won't be able to betray the other's secrets, by accident or by force," 

She looks at him, and you can see that ferocious protectiveness behind the easygoing mask. She wasn't giving him any information he couldn't easily find on his own, through the Trust channels. This part, though, she was serious about. If he was going to delve deeply into her mind, she wanted those safeguards. Both for his sake, hers and those they protected.

"It's not that I don't trust you Errant, but anyone can be broken and a geas will help us both keep our mouths shut in that regard. I'm a very strong postcognitive, I don't want to accidently pick up something classified you did and then be forced to tell it later." 

"As to your previous suggestion about investigation... We should start with that blasted lawfirm. It represents most of the supervillians in town and no doubt has plenty of information on Barrington. I wouldn't be surprised if he was a major client of theirs." she grinned. It was a no brainer at that.  

ooc:
I'd say at this point, it might be fun to have a bit of her past revealed, at least some of her childhood before she was found. She is serious about the geas and she's more than willing and happy to undergo the same, to protect his secrets. It's not 100% fullproof, but it does add a serious layer of protection for them both, I doubt that Barrington or anyone else would be looking for something like that.
Basically, her stipulations are pretty sensible caevets to a deep mind probe, especially since they're both essentially psychics. 

The blasted lawfirm bit, um. it's Wolfson, Sheppard and Doe, right?


----------



## Hammerhead (Dec 17, 2008)

Errant can't help but laugh at Hope's suggestions of some kind of mystical geas. "I've kept secrets for a living, and had security clearance up to here for both the government and the Trust," he says, holding up his hand above his head. "And yet to help you learn your own secret, painful childhood, you require some kind of mystical bargain in exchange for my help?" Errant laughs again at the sheer ridiculousness of the affair. "Not in a million years, Hope. I make it a point to not let others control my actions," he adds. "Just what kind of secret would an eight year old be protecting?" _Family, obviously. Maybe dear Hope is the illicit lovechild, er...lustchild, of Captain Thunder and the Hellqueen. Heh._

"Oh yeah," he adds, snapping his fingers in sudden recall. "Speaking of medical backup, you want to head down to the hospital and pay a visit on our recovering superheroine? Raven, I mean. It might help if she sees a friendly face when she wakes up, so she doesn't flip out, knock half of us unconscious, kill the power, and crawl up the ventilation shafts?"

"But what kind of intel do you expect to gather from the good lawyers of Wolfson, Shep, and Doe? I have to say, I like Wren's idea of going after Barrington's supply chain. And I'm not sure that putting Star anywhere near a law firm is a good idea right now. Besides, wouldn't that be illegal? Especially for a federal agent? Aren't lawyer-client privileges virtually sacrosanct?" 

"Oh Hope," Errant says, shaking his head in mock disdain. "You're such a rebellious anti-hero."


----------



## kirinke (Dec 17, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> Errant can't help but laugh at Hope's suggestions of some kind of mystical geas. "I've kept secrets for a living, and had security clearance up to here for both the government and the Trust," he says, holding up his hand above his head. "And yet to help you learn your own secret, painful childhood, you require some kind of mystical bargain in exchange for my help?" Errant laughs again at the sheer ridiculousness of the affair. "Not in a million years, Hope. I make it a point to not let others control my actions," he adds. "Just what kind of secret would an eight year old be protecting?" _Family, obviously. Maybe dear Hope is the illicit lovechild, er...lustchild, of Captain Thunder and the Hellqueen. Heh._




Hope held up her hands in the universal supplication guesture. "No offense Errant.  It's just I have someone I care for a great deal who does have a secret identity. I don't want that compromised. You do understand that right?" she looked at him, he'd know probably she was speaking of Foreshadow. She smiled a little, it _was_silly in that light. "Alright, no geas. Like I said, I can get a bit paranoid at times. Sometimes I need slapping down." she said grinning a little more, a bit embarressed, but willing to admit to it being silly. "Just call me the o mightily silly one." she chuckled and sobered.

"And the medical backup. I'm serious about that." she wouldn't budge on that. "Remember, those telepaths who did try to break through?" she asked. "When they tried, they passed out screaming. The last time someone went that far back was when I was sixteen. Going into my head willy-nilly is the mental equivalent of tap-dancing on a mine-field." that wasn't a lie, he'd see once he began and that was just that mental block. Some of her cases would make your normal average serial killer run screaming in the opposite direction and those were the tamer ones.  "I don't want you to get hurt going through a deep mind-probe like that and it is a real possibility if you do go in without safeguards in place." you could hear the worry in her voice and see echoes of what happened to those telepaths. Some had been strong indeed. 



Hammerhead said:


> "But what kind of intel do you expect to gather from the good lawyers of Wolfson, Shep, and Doe? I have to say, I like Wren's idea of going after Barrington's supply chain. And I'm not sure that putting Star anywhere near a law firm is a good idea right now. Besides, wouldn't that be illegal? Especially for a federal agent? Aren't lawyer-client privileges virtually sacrosanct?"




"As for going after Sheppard and Doe, well going into another country with the express purpose of stealing information from them... Is just as serious a crime, if not more so, because you are usually inticing people to commit treason to their own countries." she grinned at Errant, wagging a mocking 'naughty, naughty' finger at the spy. "You guys break international law all the time. What's the difference between that and our own domestic law?" she chuckled. Now he was being silly. "Both carry significant penalties if caught. Besides, what I'm doing here isn't exactly... Um legal by any stretch of the definition."  she really didn't see much difference. The prisons in the states though, were much nicer than the ones in China. 

She steepled her fingers together. "Sheppard and Doe have been involved in a number of illegal activities, ranging from extortion to outright murder to get their clients off the hook. Don't get me wrong, we can't prove any of it in the courts. They have alot of judges in Freedom city bought or intimdiated into leaning their way in any case. We can trace alot of activity from them to Barrington and back again. The business at the docks?" she looked at him. 

"We traced to Sheppard and Doe as well as Barrington. "Right now, if we can get a hold of their data and computers, I can lay serious odds on finding more information including money trails. They're right in the middle of all this Errant." her easy going grin turned wolfish. "We take them out of the equation, Barrington will be crippled on several fronts."

She chuckled at the rebellious anti-hero comment. "At least I'm not wearing a nose ring, listening to death metal and sporting fish-nets." she shook her head. "It's just a general consensus among the more traditional superheroes." she grinned. "I did that once for Halloween," she admitted.

ooc:
She's getting better, at least she is willing to admit she's being foolish, unlike some feds/Aegis agents who do think they're never wrong.   It's one of the reasons why cops and people from other agencies generally respect her and like her. That and the fact she won't ask anyone to take any risks she wouldn't be willing to take herself.


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 18, 2008)

G. Skylark said:


> Skylark returns to her office and unlocks her desktop.  The order to go out and help deal with the riots might come at any time, but she figured there was no sense in just sitting around!  She downloads basic Mandarin lessons into her iPod and listens to them while writing a report on what happened that day.
> 
> The reports of Daedalus's implosion bomb nagged at her.  She decides to try and access any Trust files she can about the technology (Computers at +11), with a particular eye toward any measurements made of the implosion that just happened (if there are any).  Her aim is to come up with a theory about which dimension, if any, that Freedom League HQ ended up in (Physical Sciences at +21; Int at +7 if some other Knowledge is more relevant).
> 
> Skylark eventually drifts off to sleep at her desk, causing her to float in the air.




Skylark accesses the Trust files, and this time gets a different interface. She has direct access to Mr. Grey now, who appears in a side window on her computer.  She thinks he actually can be in multiple places at once, and hold numerous simultaneous conversations, some of which are basic semi-sentient subroutines but many which are apparently real.  The advantages of being one with an alien supercomputer.

"Hello Skylark.  Here is the data on singularity weapons from the Geldaran database.  As you can see, they encountered them, but they never had that technology themselves.  Fortunately, I have now gained access to Daedalus' database.  After the first attack on Freedom Hall, he sent encrypted copies of it to the Trust and to Duncan Summers.  His suit's emergency transmission included the decryption key.  Here are the specs on the self-destruct device."


Skylark examines the specs, and finds that it used a series of extremely short-lived micro-singularities to minimize explosion when they faded.  The result was highly destructive within their range, but did not rely on dimensional transfer to relieve the pressure, except the final, cleanup strike, which did drain away into another dimension, but would not have left anything big intact.


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 18, 2008)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> "Well, if that's the case, then perhaps since we have a sample of this spore, and Grant says they are able to counter it, let's put it to the test.  If it works, then something is fishy.  If it doesn't, then we should get someone like Grant or those two kids to see if they can help in coming up with some antidote.  I would like us ALL to have it on hand, in case one of us gets infected.  Or, rather one of you.  Luckily it doesn't work on me."
> 
> "That HUD capability looks like it's something that we may need now.  With the recent events, and our getting separated all the time, we need some form of locating each other.  Black, can you devise some small tracking device or tagging that we can all wear?  I would like to make sure each of you wears some small discreet locater, that has a minute amount of cosmic energy.  That way, should I need to get us all out of a situation and not able to see you, I can sense the tracking devices, and get us to safety.  If you don't want that insurance, it's your call.  But, with things going as they are, our safety is a high priority.  Without us, it would seem, things are going to get worse."
> 
> ...




Black is not here.  Presumably, he went on that mission to south America he was talking about before you left.

Blue, however, is the one to address.  He says "We'll have the plans completed and the order into the matter assembler by the end of the day. I warn you though that others with powers like yours will be able to sense them as well.  

Hopefully we'll soon be able to upgrade them with subspace communication technology.  Daedalus's distress call gave us the decryption code to the backup of his database he left with us.  It gave us a bit more insight into how to apply certain Geldaran technology, not to mention plans for so much more."

Wren also gets some results from his investigation of the Animus Queen.  Its DNA indicates that it is a distant cousin of the imperialist alien parasites, the Dao'Lug, sort of like chimps are to humans.  He also finds an interesting story by cross-referencing  Daedalus' database with the Geldaran database (Grey hasn't finished combining them yet). 

Apparently, the Dao'Lug homeworld, where they first evolved and where animus beasts are from, played an important role in Ares' downfall as a Geldaran lord.  Ares led his allies in what he told them was a bluff  attack against that planet, which is largely-undeveloped but is of symbolic importance to the Dao'Lug.  The intent was that the Dao'Lug would divert forces from a nearby planet of great strategic importance, leaving it open for Ares' real strike. However, their bluff was anticipated, the the forces dispatched to defend the homeworld were instead sent to destroy one of Ares' allies, whose fleet was headed for the strategic planet.  Meanwhile, the defenders there were ready, and easily beat back the attack.  Ares ordered an immediate retreat, saving his forces from the brunt of the damage, but failing in his mission objectives.  Ares took the Dao'Lug homeworld with no problem, but another Geldaran lord was killed and his capital destroyed.  Ares, meanwhile, held the Dao'Lug homeworld for two days before retreating in the face of a Dao'Lug counterattack.  Note also that Barrington's first batch of alien technology was a Dao'Lug cache sold to him by Ares...


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## DM_Matt (Dec 18, 2008)

After the others leave, Red says to Star "Sorry if they're getting you down.  You gunna be alright?"

...sudenly, one of her underlings comes in and says Raven is waking up.



Hammerhead said:


> "Oh yeah," he adds, snapping his fingers in sudden recall. "Speaking of medical backup, you want to head down to the hospital and pay a visit on our recovering superheroine? Raven, I mean. It might help if she sees a friendly face when she wakes up, so she doesn't flip out, knock half of us unconscious, kill the power, and crawl up the ventilation shafts?"




Leaving aside the arguments about what to do next, everyone gets a page from Red that Raven is waking up, and everyone should probably go to the infirmary. (Feel free to respond to stuff that happened earlier too though)


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## kirinke (Dec 18, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> After the others leave, Red says to Star "Sorry if they're getting you down.  You gunna be alright?"
> 
> ...sudenly, one of her underlings comes in and says Raven is waking up.
> 
> ...




Hope gripped Errant's hand in a friendly gesture. "Let's table the mind-probe idea for now okay? I've dealt with it this long, I can deal a little while longer okay? We have more important things to deal with right now. Let's go see Raven." you can tell there is a deep-seated terror there, something that Hope herself probably isn't aware of. But it terrifies her just the same, even if it is well-hidden. 

ooc:
Matt, your user name on the atomic think tank is justice_usa right? I think we need to figure out why her mind won't let her remember her past.


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## Victim (Dec 18, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> After the others leave, Red says to Star "Sorry if they're getting you down.  You gunna be alright?"




"...  I don't know.  This sort of seemed hard enough as it is, and then Thess and now losing control of powers and killing someone..."

"I'm not sure it's a good idea for me to keep doing this." 



> ...sudenly, one of her underlings comes in and says Raven is waking up.




"Something always seems to come up when we talk."


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## Elric (Dec 19, 2008)

Nitro gets the message.  _Well, you can always check the latest news about yourself on TMZ later_ he thinks, putting away his Blackberry.

He heads back to the infirmary.


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## Hammerhead (Dec 19, 2008)

"Yeah, but I don't live in China," Errant responds. "Last time I checked, we're both American citizens with a responsibility to protect our country and respect its laws. Not that I mean to go all Boy Scout on you, but all things being equal, I'd rather work within the law than outside of it. Besides, your badge makes any evidence we'd gather in a quick burglary inadmissable in a courtroom," he points out, frowning. _I can't believe she's jeopardizing this team in so many ways by maintaining her connection to law enforcement._

"Also," Errant adds with a quick smile, ""I' don't recall admitting to ever breaking international law or even stealing information from anyone." _And I never will, unless it's relevant to a current assignment._

_And hasn't this atypically evil law firm batted close to a thousand in making you guys look like a bunch of vigilante chumps? Again, you do not want to bring Star anywhere near these guys. I'm also a little unsure just what Hope thinks to get from a money trail. She's got some fixation of them, to be sure. They must be mystical in nature._

"So," Errant adds as he walks to the infirmary, "In your antiheroic days, have you ever ticked off the Raven? I've always admired her, especially when my abilities were more conventional. Of all the League, she probably has the greatest power."


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## kirinke (Dec 19, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> "Yeah, but I don't live in China," Errant responds. "Last time I checked, we're both American citizens with a responsibility to protect our country and respect its laws. Not that I mean to go all Boy Scout on you, but all things being equal, I'd rather work within the law than outside of it. Besides, your badge makes any evidence we'd gather in a quick burglary inadmissable in a courtroom," he points out, frowning. _I can't believe she's jeopardizing this team in so many ways by maintaining her connection to law enforcement._




"Mmm. There are ways around that. What we need is something justifiable to get a warrant. We do have clear evidence linking Sheppard and Doe to Barrington, what we have to do is capitalize on it." she looked thoughtful. 




Hammerhead said:


> "Also," Errant adds with a quick smile, ""I' don't recall admitting to ever breaking international law or even stealing information from anyone." _And I never will, unless it's relevant to a current assignment._




"Preaching to the peanut gallery Errant. You don't have to admit to it, for it to be true or not." she teased. "Not that I can throw stones at this point, anyway." 




Hammerhead said:


> _And hasn't this atypically evil law firm batted close to a thousand in making you guys look like a bunch of vigilante chumps? Again, you do not want to bring Star anywhere near these guys. I'm also a little unsure just what Hope thinks to get from a money trail. She's got some fixation of them, to be sure. They must be mystical in nature._




ooc:
They represent Faust and most of the supervillians in town. So yeah. Major fixation of Sheppard and Doe there. 

IC
"Yeah, point taken. What we need is a warrent to excute a search on them, we have enough evidence to get one, I just haven't found any judge willing to issue one." she looke grim. "Nor have we really had the time to do it, these past few days." she nodded at his comment on Star. "You're right though. We shouldn't let Star anywhere near them. She's fragile enough as it is,"



Hammerhead said:


> "So," Errant adds as he walks to the infirmary, "In your antiheroic days, have you ever ticked off the Raven? I've always admired her, especially when my abilities were more conventional. Of all the League, she probably has the greatest power."




"Who Raven?" Hope shook her head. "No, she understands why I went ballistic on Faust and his little coven. She doesn't agree with what I did, but she understands. Something to do with Dr. Sin, I think."


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 20, 2008)

The group gets there in time for her to wake.  Red rolls away the curtain between her and Star.  

Fortunately, Raven recognizes enough of you to not freak out.  "Where am I?  Where are the others?"


----------



## Victim (Dec 20, 2008)

"You're in our secret base.  I thought Daedalus had something to do with setting it up..."  Star adds weakly, eyes downcast: "I heard they were captured too."


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 20, 2008)

Victim said:


> "You're in our secret base.  I thought Daedalus had something to do with setting it up..."  Star adds weakly, eyes downcast: "I heard they were captured too."




"Maybe he did, but the league wasn't aware of it.  How's the rest of the city?


----------



## Victim (Dec 20, 2008)

"I don't know - I didn't last a whole lot longer than you.  I think some of us are still there, so probably not good."


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## kirinke (Dec 20, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "Maybe he did, but the league wasn't aware of it.  How's the rest of the city?




"About as well as you'd expect. Which... Isn't." Hope said grimly. She gingerly sat down on a nearby seat. "We evacuated as soon as we got our hands on you, they were going to capture you as well if we hadn't." she looked sad. "I'm sorry. Freedom Hall..." she shook her head. "Self-destructed."


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## Elric (Dec 21, 2008)

“Your android receptionist didn’t look so good either.  Heck, until today I didn’t even know she was an android.  At least she didn’t get killed or anything.”


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## DM_Matt (Dec 22, 2008)

kirinke said:


> "About as well as you'd expect. Which... Isn't." Hope said grimly. She gingerly sat down on a nearby seat. "We evacuated as soon as we got our hands on you, they were going to capture you as well if we hadn't." she looked sad. "I'm sorry. Freedom Hall..." she shook her head. "Self-destructed."






Elric said:


> “Your android receptionist didn’t look so good either.  Heck, until today I didn’t even know she was an android.  At least she didn’t get killed or anything.”




"Self-destructed?  Good.  That's how things were supposed to go under the circumstances.  For now I'll be safe with Duncan Summers at Claremont.  Its a shame about Cynthia...I mean, we can rebuild her and she's, uh, backed up, but she felt kinda real.  Then again, there are better reasons to be sad. Whats the next step.  Where can we go form here?"


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## Victim (Dec 22, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> Whats the next step.  Where can we go form here?"




Star looks away, "I thought you would know.  Everything seems to be going wrong..."


----------



## G. Skylark (Dec 22, 2008)

Discovering Mr. Grey loaded on her desktop, and having conversed with him, Skylark attempts to see what poking him with the mouse will do.  And then double clicking.  And then mouse dragging.

After that, going over the singularity-bomb files she idly wonders whether she can pull off that trick with her powers....

And then gets the call to the infirmary.  So she floats over.

Quote:
     					Originally Posted by *Elric* 

 
_“Your android receptionist didn’t look so good either. Heck, until today I didn’t even know she was an android. At least she didn’t get killed or anything.”
_

"Oi!"  Skylark whispers, scandalized.  "Robots are people too!  Well, some of 'em."


----------



## Hammerhead (Dec 22, 2008)

_Hope seems to make everything into a big, dramatic production. And really, since I was the one who actually witnessed said self-destruct, you think it would be my news to break._

"She just woke up, Star," Errant responds. "And the last time I checked, your team just defeated several threats to Freedom City and managed to capture half the Crime League. So really, things are looking up," he comments optimistically. 

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. My name's Errant, and I'm probably going to be working with these guys in the future," he adds, nodding his head towards the rest of the team. 

"Hope and I were discussing a few of our strategic options. One idea was to seriously investigate the resident evil law firm for connections to Barrington, as well as a money trail. Then we have Wren's idea to go after our enemy's less protected supply chain and cripple that. Hitting his hidden production facility in China might be part of this tactic. Other targets to attack may include his recruitment centers or his connections to foreign governments."

"And, of course, we're going to have to deal with any public relations issue that might arise due to the death of Killer Bee."


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## Victim (Dec 23, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> "She just woke up, Star," Errant responds. "And the last time I checked, your team just defeated several threats to Freedom City and managed to capture half the Crime League. So really, things are looking up," he comments optimistically.




"Tell that to the missing members of the League, everyone hurt in the rioting, and the people being mindcontrolled by alien spores," Star replies.  "Picking off some of their dispoable people isn't important compared to failing to protect an entire city." _Maybe that's why I suck though..._


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## Hammerhead (Dec 23, 2008)

_What a negative attitude._

"Well, you're a superhero. That means you respond to crimes and other emergencies. Ultimately, you're going to be a reactive force to the bad things that happen. You just have to do your best to minimize the damage," he explains with a smile. "And your team stopped the spreading of the spores to the entire city, helped contain the rioting, and captured a lot of the bad guys. If that's not a win, what is?"

"And okay, the rest of the League got captured. But they're not dead, and Barrington isn't likely to kill them in at least the near future. And you didn't have any personnel to spare to help them fight their battles, so there wasn't much you could have done to stop them."

"Besides, I can't think of two people more likely to escape from confinement than the Spirit of Liberty or a genius inventor, right? At the very least, they might be able to get a message to us, or we could try and track them down ourselves."


----------



## kirinke (Dec 24, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> _What a negative attitude._
> 
> "Well, you're a superhero. That means you respond to crimes and other emergencies. Ultimately, you're going to be a reactive force to the bad things that happen. You just have to do your best to minimize the damage," he explains with a smile. "And your team stopped the spreading of the spores to the entire city, helped contain the rioting, and captured a lot of the bad guys. If that's not a win, what is?"
> 
> ...





"Anyway... On attacking his recruitment centers, what about using publicity against him?" she asked, trying to change the subject. "Some of his recruits are probably just bedazzled by his retorik, we could show them exactly the kind of damage his is causing in Freedom City, hurting hundreds of innocent people, causing the destruction of Freedom Hall and things along that line. We need to get media savvy. Because that can kill us just as much as a sniper's bullet."


----------



## Victim (Dec 24, 2008)

"Be more media savvy by doing what, exactly?"


----------



## Hammerhead (Dec 24, 2008)

"You could hold a press conference," Errant suggests helpfully. "I'm afraid that I don't have much experience with the matter, but Nitro might. You're not exactly camera shy."


----------



## Victim (Dec 24, 2008)

"I thought we were already planning on doing that," Star adds.  _And Apollo was flirting with the reporter..._


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 24, 2008)

Ms White has returned.

She says "You guys should meet with Mr. Silver about that stuff.  He does publicity.  The biggest issue though is not making appearances but what you can say."

Grey comes on screen "even moreso, it is a matter of what you do to beat back the enemy and show your cause is just.  That will mean hitting the China factory and getting intel, or getting to the bottom of the Grant mess, or discrediting their law firm...something, some proof, some strategic leverage.  

Meanwhile, I;m getting some scary reports out of Africa.  The necromancer Ubunga-Na and his forces, after weeks of cutting down resistance in that area, and heavily backed by Barrington's forces and propoganda machine, has just declared Somalia, Kenya, Eritrea, and Sudan to now be the People's Nation of East Africa, with China's Red Dawn standing by his side.  Their forces are already moving into Ethiopia, and Djibouti, which houses the main US base in Africa.  This will likely set a trend.  Barrington doesn't just have  loyalty anymore, hes taking territory directly."


----------



## Victim (Dec 24, 2008)

"Maybe we should just go there - battling against a war of conquest fought with undead doesn't sound bad.  And it's no big deal if I lose control of power against zombies."  _We'll just have to run away again; it doesn't really matter where we go._


----------



## Elric (Dec 27, 2008)

“I don’t know, Star.  These might be head-shot zombies.  If that’s the case, having precise control of your powers will be, well, pretty much essential.

I’m up for zombie undead-butt kicking.  But first we need to figure out what kind of zombies they are.  Head shot or non-head shot?  Fast or slow?  Cunning or brutish?  Then, maybe we should rent a few appropriate movies to study tactics…”


----------



## Hammerhead (Dec 27, 2008)

Errant smiles at the joke. "If they are headshot zombies, then I think aim would be of greater use than control. Besides, Star's plasma can melt steel; I'm pretty sure it can provide complimentary cremation."

"For what it's worth, Africa sounds like a good place to go. This necromancer's army might be able to snowball into a ridiculously huge force as it kills more and more people."


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 28, 2008)

Grey puts up some footage of the zombies.  

"They might be more appropriately classified as ghouls.  They are animated corpses, and are a bit faster and stronger than humans, but are largely mindless animals.  They are very dangerous in large numbers, however.  They are sort of  "headshot" zombies, in that while they can be destroyed in other ways, they are very resilient, and can keep going without some limbs unless blasted to bits. A head shot will work though, too.

You can go there and kill zombies all day, although they have some more formidable troops -- some mechs and tanks -- backing them, but you cant fight the whole war.  If you want to take action, your best bet would be taking on Ubunga-Na on his own, although he is very well guarded, or defending Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, the only permanent American base in Africa, until further reinforcements can land, although that means looking a lot more like a US military superteam.

Alternatively, we can hit them elsewhere.  The China option remains on the table.  So does investigating Wolfson, Sheppard, and Doe, although that will be somewhat difficult being that keeping clean is their specialty.  Finally, we can look into the Grant situation, and what exactly he -- and his new medicine -- has to do with Barrington."


----------



## Victim (Dec 28, 2008)

"Didn't we already have some plan for spying on Grant at their product launch or something?" Megan asks.  "And are the zombies contagious?"

"How tough would that Uga guy have to be to take out that superteam?"


----------



## kirinke (Dec 28, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Didn't we already have some plan for spying on Grant at their product launch or something?" Megan asks.  "And are the zombies contagious?"




"It depends on what was used to animate the Zombie or even if it is a real zombie and not a person hypnotized into believing they are one. Alot of them are contagious and the rest.... Well any wound dealt by a zombie generally gets badly infected because it is a dead, rotting hunk of flesh and that sort of thing usually has a host of unpleasant viral and bacterial agents infesting it." she smiled thinly at the superheroine. "It's one of the reasons why they are so popular with necromancers. The other one is psychological. It's devestating to have to kill something that wears your friend's or loved one's face," you can hear the dark undertones of personal experience with that softly spoken statement.



Victim said:


> "How tough would that Uga guy have to be to take out that superteam?"




"Quite tough. As tough as Ares in his own way and we got lucky on that one." she looked at Star.


----------



## Victim (Dec 28, 2008)

"I wanted to hear from someone who knows what they're talking about," Star replies.


----------



## kirinke (Dec 28, 2008)

Victim said:


> "I wanted to hear from someone who knows what they're talking about," Star replies.




"You just did," Hope replies quietly without anger or boastfullness, reliving some of the worst moments hunting down Faust and his coven. Having the reanimated corpses of ten year old children attacking you is not something one easily forgets. Errant can easily see those images and the pain that goes with it, for someone like him, it's as loud as a shout in the ear. "And even the ones that aren't contagious, well. It's ridiciously easy for a necromancer to animate one and make it appear as if it is contagious." she smiled again at Star, but it was sad and weary. "It's also possible to create zombies from chemicals and virus born agents, though I've never heard of anyone actually doing that because it's nearly impossible to control the outbreak once it occurs." she shrugged. "I could be wrong on that, I couldn't find much information on that sort of zombie when I was researching them." 

Hope looked at each of her team-mates in turn. "When you're dealing with necromancers, you need to remember that they will use your deepest fears, your hidden phobias against you, so all you feel is despair. Can you face yourself in the mirror and defeat the ugliest side of yourself? Because that is what he will use against you." she shook her head. "It isn't just the dead you have to worry about with them." she rubbed the bridge of her nose, her eyes fell once again on Star. "Look at me and you will see the result of having to fight them. And I'm considered one of the lucky ones," there was dark irony behind the words.

_Lucky.... How can you call one broke beyond repair lucky?_ she thought sardonically.


"As to these particular zombies being contagious.... I don't know. Either way they are dangerous and if you get injured by one that's not contagious, the chances of you dying from the infection it causes is damned high."

It isn't a subject of which she is fond of, but as the man says, it is wise to know one's enemies.
Needless to say, Necromancers were high on that list.


ooc:
Remember, Hope does have a fixation/deep abiding hatred of necromancers and evil sorcerers in general thanks to Faust. She'd definately know general information about the major players, maybe even deeper information depending on how nasty/well known the necromancer is.


----------



## Elric (Dec 29, 2008)

kirinke said:


> "Look at me and you will see the result of having to fight them. And I'm considered one of the lucky ones," there was dark irony behind the words.




_You mean I'd turn into an overconfident know-nothing if I fought zombies?  Well, there are worse things..._ Nitro thinks.



> "As to these particular zombies being contagious.... I don't know. Either way they are dangerous and if you get injured by one that's not contagious, the chances of you dying from the infection it causes is damned high."




"I don't think so, Hope.  I think you're making stuff up again.  Ms. White, what do you think about us being likely to die if we get injured by a non-contagious zombie?  If this is actually true, but I doubt it, we'd need some major precautions if we even want to go in at all."


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## Victim (Dec 29, 2008)

"If we wanted useless generalities about monsters and necromancers, we could just watch a movie," Star glances at Nitro for his earlier suggestion, "or read Harry f-ing Potter."

_Apparently, someone digging out my dark side might not like it very much._


----------



## Hammerhead (Dec 29, 2008)

"Harry F-ing Potter? I don't think that was his middle name, but my memory is kind of fuzzy. Were there even any kind of zombies in those books?" Errant inquires with a smile. _I wish that was *my* middle name. It beats the hell out of the one I've got._

"Anyway, I thought that necromancers animated dead bodies Hope. So we're probably not looking at any kind of contagious infection, that's strictly in the realms of the Umbrella Corporation. As far as mundane infection goes, well, that's why I wear gloves." 

"And my mean dark side would be just as happy beating the hell out of a necromancer as my cuddly light one, so that tact isn't really going to help him," Errant boasts cheerily.

"So do we all like Africa, or does someone have a better idea?"

[sblock=Gather Information]
_What does Errant know about Ubunga-Na? Well-Informed with Gather Information, +14
Roll Lookup
1d20+14 → [4,14] = (18)
_[/sblock]


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## kirinke (Dec 29, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> "Harry F-ing Potter? I don't think that was his middle name, but my memory is kind of fuzzy. Were there even any kind of zombies in those books?" Errant inquires with a smile. _I wish that was *my* middle name. It beats the hell out of the one I've got._
> 
> "Anyway, I thought that necromancers animated dead bodies Hope. So we're probably not looking at any kind of contagious infection, that's strictly in the realms of the Umbrella Corporation. As far as mundane infection goes, well, that's why I wear gloves."
> 
> ...





Hope smiled bleakly at Errant. "For every myth, there is a grain of truth. And trust me, zombie infection is quite real." she undid her blouse, showing them two nasty scars, running from her shoulder to her breast resembling nothing so much than jagged claw marks, five per shoulder. It looked like it nearly had eviserated her.  "This was done by what was once a ten year old child. I spent  two months in Aegis intensive care and it nearly killed me." 

She buttoned up her blouse again.  "And trust me, having a doctor in full hazmat scrap your wounds every hour while you are strapped in your bed, with full power dampeners on is not a fun thing." she shuddered involuntarily at the memory. The child had seemed so alive, at least until she had leapt up at her, clawing with fingernails far too long and a strength that had flung her on her back. 

"Nitro, it is easy to say someone is making something up and dismiss them, when you have no knowledge to compare it to." she frowned, it wasn't as if she didn't deserve that jab, she had screwed up.


Hope looked at each of them. "You joke about your dark side, each of us has one. And it wouldn't be fighting your enemies. It'd be fighting you, for dominance in a mental battle that would seem like reality. You would not be able to tell the difference between what was real, what was a product of your mind or a product of the environment. It is everything you aren't, all the little evils and the great ones beside. Your base.... decency keeps it at bay." she went to get herself a bottle of water and opened it, drinking slowly. Again, her tone speaks of personal experience.


----------



## DM_Matt (Dec 30, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Didn't we already have some plan for spying on Grant at their product launch or something?" Megan asks.  "And are the zombies contagious?"
> 
> "How tough would that Uga guy have to be to take out that superteam?"




"The Grant thing went to hell once Apollo became a public hero.  We'd need a new in.  Besides, Grant is delaying some of the lunch parties to deal with this one launch of the anti-parasitic medication that just happens to be the cure to the Animus Beast's spores.  

The zombies are not contagious.  They are all created either by Ubunga-Na in the field, or mostly, at his castle in the Sudd, a large swampy region in Southern Sudan.  It seems that they do not have any independant ability to create zombies in the field.  They collect the enemy dead, put them on trucks, or sometimes grav transports, which Barrington lent him a few of, and take them to home base for reanimation.

There do exist zombie-like contagions -- in fact, Animus Beasts behave a little like that, but that is not this guy's M.O.  He has the power to animate dead flesh.  Hope, just because you got mauled by some other thing we decide to refer to as a zombie doesn't mean much about this particular instance.  The idea of zombies and the undead  really captures the human imagination.  People come up with a lot of scientific ways to simulate them...and of course, some, like Ubunga-Na, just happen to have an appropriate mutant power.

As far as that worst fears thing, many necromancers do that, but it does not mean they all do.  The ones who fancy themselves wizards and whatnot are especially big on that.  Ubunga-Na isn't so much into that.  He fancies himself as the son of an angel, gifted with strange powers to use for the cause of goodness.  Raising the dead is a common religious trope, after all.  He plays up the angel thing in front of potential Muslim followers, and includes just enough animism in his rituals to attract Animists."


----------



## Elric (Dec 30, 2008)

"You see, Hope."  Nitro says.  "This is why we don't take you seriously.  You're always sure that you're right, but you're usually wrong."


----------



## kirinke (Dec 30, 2008)

DM_Matt said:


> "The Grant thing went to hell once Apollo became a public hero.  We'd need a new in.  Besides, Grant is delaying some of the lunch parties to deal with this one launch of the anti-parasitic medication that just happens to be the cure to the Animus Beast's spores.
> 
> The zombies are not contagious.  They are all created either by Ubunga-Na in the field, or mostly, at his castle in the Sudd, a large swampy region in Southern Sudan.  It seems that they do not have any independant ability to create zombies in the field.  They collect the enemy dead, put them on trucks, or sometimes grav transports, which Barrington lent him a few of, and take them to home base for reanimation.
> 
> There do exist zombie-like contagions -- in fact, Animus Beasts behave a little like that, but that is not this guy's M.O.  He has the power to animate dead flesh.  Hope, just because you got mauled by some other thing we decide to refer to as a zombie doesn't mean much about this particular instance.  The idea of zombies and the undead  really captures the human imagination.  People come up with a lot of scientific ways to simulate them...and of course, some, like Ubunga-Na, just happen to have an appropriate mutant power."




Hope nodded. "Exactly. I didn't know about this particular type of zombie. Most of the ones I've dealt with were real zombies, the non-contagious kind and not ghouls." she rolled her shoulders to relieve some tension. "And those were bad-enough to deal with."


----------



## Victim (Dec 30, 2008)

"So when I asked about these specific things, and this specific necromancer, you thought it would be a good idea to muddy the waters with a bunch of inapplicable stuff because why?" Star asks angrily.  

_I didn't think Islam had anthro-whatever angels...  Not important._  "Let's just get this done.  If there are regular -shipments," she says, shifting about, "we could start intercepting them and maybe steal the gravity vehicles - I'm sure refugee places might find them useful.  Then he can't make more guys if he stays at the castle.  If he sends guys out to stop us, then we can teleport away and attack while his guys are away.  And if he comes himself, at least all the static stuff at the castle won't be there."

"Is that any good?"


----------



## Fangor the Fierce (Dec 30, 2008)

Hearing the bantering again, Wren simply shakes his head slightly, as he knows there is no use in thinking it will ever stop.  At the mention of zombies, head-shots, contagions, movies and theories, he can only sigh.

"Whatever we decide, let's do this quickly.  I think that perhaps we should do a little of all of the choices.  Barrington and his goons were so elaborate in trying to make a series of attacks in different places, and it would be nice to do the same.  Hit the factory, the zombies, the law firm, anything and everything with his damned name attached to it.  But, we don't have the personnel like he does.  He's got the right idea; Strength in Numbers.  He's learned from his mistakes."



Wren will then disperse with the info he found on the Animus and Barrington link, from two pages back...

 "With Raven now ok, and perhaps able to assist, we might be able to get some aid from others.  We need to pool our resources, and hit them where it hurts.  I'm tired of playing catch-up with them, and it would be nice to take the initiative for once.  Taking out his lackies might prove worth it, but what if they are simpy there to distract us from his real intentions.  With all that is going on, we don't know what actions are his, and what are simply his lackies own individual goals."

"Either way, I'm all for either attacking the factory, or the zombies.  Something's gotta be done, and quickly.  If it gets hairy, I'll get everyone out again.  I think I got a few little surprises for those zombies as well..."


----------



## kirinke (Dec 30, 2008)

Fangor the Fierce said:


> Hearing the bantering again, Wren simply shakes his head slightly, as he knows there is no use in thinking it will ever stop.  At the mention of zombies, head-shots, contagions, movies and theories, he can only sigh.
> 
> "Whatever we decide, let's do this quickly.  I think that perhaps we should do a little of all of the choices.  Barrington and his goons were so elaborate in trying to make a series of attacks in different places, and it would be nice to do the same.  Hit the factory, the zombies, the law firm, anything and everything with his damned name attached to it.  But, we don't have the personnel like he does.  He's got the right idea; Strength in Numbers.  He's learned from his mistakes."
> 
> ...




Hope ignored Star's outburst and her eyes glinted at Wren's comment about zombies. "I do too, I might not be able to conjure fire, but I think that a few well placed tornadoes and hail storms can do the trick quite nicely, especially since we're talking about fighting them in the open." she considered the options. "With your ability to create walls and such, compounded with mine, we can box them up and divide the playing field so to speak, make it easier to pick them off."


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## Victim (Dec 30, 2008)

"Are the zombies/ghouls/whatever tool using?  If they can't use guns or attack at range, then they're not really much of a threat anyway.  The supers usually give us the most trouble."  _Obviously..._


----------



## Hammerhead (Dec 31, 2008)

"Well, since these aren't *real* zombies, who can say? But I would expect that Ubunga-Na would also use conventional forces with conventional weaponry, in additional to his fake zombies." _I guess we can all be thankful that none of us had to fight real zombies, like Hope has,_ Errant thinks sarcastically. _And those necromancers made Hope face the darkest parts of her psyche, and she had to battle for control. Wow, Hope is so strong and tough, both mentally and physically. Truly an inspiration to all of us lesser heroes. Never mind that I don't think anyone else here would ever let a lone little zombie child ever bite them; everyone knows that even living children are usually rabid._

"Also, let's not forget the group that broke him out of prison, the Janjaweed. In addition to their more mundane pursuits of torture and genocide, they killed an entire African superteam, so they probably have a few supers of their own or some high tech weaponry. Star, I like your plan, but I worry that it might take up too much time, and give them too many opportunities to react. We might stumble into a deadly ambush and meet the same fate as the Brotherhood of Peace."

"Maybe just stick with the general so far: find a nice, tasty diversion, hit it, and then use teleportation to rapidly redeploy our forces and beat the living hell out of an unprepared Ubunga-Na and haul his ass to the World Court. Right now I'm not sure we know enough to come up with a more specific plan of action...maybe wait until we've seen what's going at location?"

_I assume that the African necromancer Barunga-Na and Ubunga-Na are, in fact, the same person. Otherwise we'll have to fight two of them._


----------



## kirinke (Dec 31, 2008)

ooc:
Actually, not so strong or tough.... It's one of the reasons why she's acting the way she is, overcompensating, being a general ass, etc. It durned near broke her and she's still recovering. 

IC:

"Sensible," Hope said. "We can talk about until we're blue in the face, but until we have something to work on, all it is... Is well talk."


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## DM_Matt (Dec 31, 2008)

Hammerhead said:


> _I assume that the African necromancer Barunga-Na and Ubunga-Na are, in fact, the same person. Otherwise we'll have to fight two of them._




My bad.  I should be more careful. Barunga-Na it is.


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## DM_Matt (Dec 31, 2008)

Victim said:


> "Are the zombies/ghouls/whatever tool using?  If they can't use guns or attack at range, then they're not really much of a threat anyway.  The supers usually give us the most trouble."  _Obviously..._




They can use some basic tools, but aiming guns is generally beyond their capabilities.  But like Errant noted, they have humans as well, some locals and some provided by Barrington.  The advanced tech he provides tend to focus on what the zombies can't do...artillery, anti-air, stuff like that.

(Hammerhead -- the Janjaweed are a real group, and are the ones primarily responsible for the genocide in Darfur.  They are not a supervillain team)


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## Victim (Dec 31, 2008)

"Okay, figures...  Is that enough for now?" Megan asks.  _Please._


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## DM_Matt (Dec 31, 2008)

Grey suddenly adds "I;m getting intel that WSD is increasing its focus on Hope as the proof that we are a government agency.  That trap you fell into at the baseball game really created some problems.  It looks like the next mission will amost certainly be abroad, on sovereign soil, without the permission of the locals, so I'm going to have to bench you, Hope.  You should reprt back to your job at AEGIS for the time being.  We still need you there."


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## kirinke (Jan 1, 2009)

DM_Matt said:


> Grey suddenly adds "I;m getting intel that WSD is increasing its focus on Hope as the proof that we are a government agency.  That trap you fell into at the baseball game really created some problems.  It looks like the next mission will amost certainly be abroad, on sovereign soil, without the permission of the locals, so I'm going to have to bench you, Hope.  You should reprt back to your job at AEGIS for the time being.  We still need you there."




"I understand, right now, we don't need that kind of scrutiny. If you need me in any capacity though, I'll be on call." you can hear the relief in her voice. "And I don't want to put the team at further risk. Right now I am a liability."


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## Hammerhead (Jan 1, 2009)

"Take care of the city while we're gone, Hope."


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## DM_Matt (Jan 1, 2009)

kirinke said:


> "I understand, right now, we don't need that kind of scrutiny. If you need me in any capacity though, I'll be on call." you can hear the relief in her voice. "And I don't want to put the team at further risk. Right now I am a liability."




"Thanks you for being so understanding. As far as the rest of you, time is ticking.  Please choose your target and deploy."


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## Elric (Jan 1, 2009)

"Take care, Hope."  

Before Hope leaves, Nitro finds her aside and says quietly.  "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about you and Foreshadow" <winks>


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## kirinke (Jan 1, 2009)

Elric said:


> "Take care, Hope."
> 
> Before Hope leaves, Nitro finds her aside and says quietly.  "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about you and Foreshadow" <winks>




She grinned. "Don't change Nitro, or every time you host an outdoor event, I'll send a thunderstorm your way." she mock threatened and turned more serious. "Look out for Star will you? She's on a thiner thread than I am," she told him quietly before leaving.


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## Victim (Jan 1, 2009)

DM_Matt said:


> "Thanks you for being so understanding. As far as the rest of you, time is ticking.  Please choose your target and deploy."




"Wait, we're going today?"

Star has neither a good bye nor a good riddance for Hope.


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## G. Skylark (Jan 3, 2009)

"Ta-ta, Hope."  Skylark is both disturbed and amused at the thought of zombies, having seen "Shaun of the Dead" too many times.  "Let's 'ave a look at th' satellite photography, it should give us the gen on where we can rumble Mr. Na.  Also where we might cause a distraction of the sort Mr. Errant suggested."


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## DM_Matt (Jan 4, 2009)

G. Skylark said:


> "Ta-ta, Hope."  Skylark is both disturbed and amused at the thought of zombies, having seen "Shaun of the Dead" too many times.  "Let's 'ave a look at th' satellite photography, it should give us the gen on where we can rumble Mr. Na.  Also where we might cause a distraction of the sort Mr. Errant suggested."





Grey displays the images.  As you can see, Barunga-Na's main force is moving east from his base in the Sudd in Sourthern Sudan into Ethiopia, headed straight for the capital, Addis Ababa.  Its backed by artillery, anti-air, and mechs, generally provided by Barrington and all manned by humans, including some Barrington has imported.  The Ethiopians aren't faring well, and are mostly trying to delay the invaders as long as possible to maximize exposure to American air strikes from ships and Camp Lemonier, although those are becoming increasingly dangerous thanks to the anti-air assets that Barrington has in the area. This push has a supply chain directly back to his base, where he has bodies sent back for reanimation and send in resupplies. 

His other force is moving Northwest from Somalia into Djibouti, which is defended by US forces and the 5th fleet.  Optic (as a genius engineer)  and Apollo (guarding aircraft mostly) are already en route to Camp Lemonier to set up some experimental souped-up microwave weapons.  Cooking humans is against international law, but zombies have no human rights.  Also from Somalia, a group approaches Harer.  These forces were transported to Barringotn's bases in Somalia.  They only have a roundabout route back to Barunga-Na's base. 


There are pockets of forces on some of the new state's borders, though only token defenses on the borders of Egypt and Libya, which are Barrington states.


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## Victim (Jan 4, 2009)

Star looks at the maps and does some cursory online research.  "We're going to be teleporting, right, so border forces aren't very important?  And isn't there supposed to be another government for southern Sudan?  Maybe we could talk to them about getting some help - not really for fighting, but for knowing the area?" Megan asks.  "Or have those people been killed already?"  _Maybe...  These people are killers. - Just like me.  Why do I have to work on this plan right now?_


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## DM_Matt (Jan 4, 2009)

Victim said:


> Star looks at the maps and does some cursory online research.  "We're going to be teleporting, right, so border forces aren't very important?  And isn't there supposed to be another government for southern Sudan?  Maybe we could talk to them about getting some help - not really for fighting, but for knowing the area?" Megan asks.  "Or have those people been killed already?"  _Maybe...  These people are killers. - Just like me.  Why do I have to work on this plan right now?_





"That government is long gone, removed when Barunga-Na drove out the peacekeepers.  There is not much internal resistance left.  We have someone in the area we can use though...a local mutant who sends us updates from the area...she may be able to help"


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## Victim (Jan 4, 2009)

"Oh."


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## Hammerhead (Jan 4, 2009)

"That seems like a very interesting situation down there. I guess I've entered worse," Errant claims with a smile. _I wonder if that's actually true. Probably not; these kinds of invasions and conflicts were always incredibly nasty, and the presence of zombies, real or fake, only made things much worse. In any case, I don't think I've entered it with a team like this. Should be fun, at the very least, and we have a real chance to help some people.

I wonder if any of my old friends from abroad are down there. Hell, I wonder what side they're on, if any. Not that they'll recognize me._

"So are you going to let us get some sleep before we pop in, or are we heading out immediately? I assume the default plan is to make contact with our woman on the ground and go from there once we get better intel? We have a location, name, face for her?"


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## Victim (Jan 5, 2009)

"Okay, maybe this a dumb question," Megan asks.  "But what happens to the reanimated ghoulie if the live person had powers?"


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## DM_Matt (Jan 5, 2009)

Victim said:


> "Okay, maybe this a dumb question," Megan asks.  "But what happens to the reanimated ghoulie if the live person had powers?"





It  depends on the source of the powers, how hard they are to control...well, basically, we don't know.  We are also not sure if he can only make one kind of ghoul or multiple different kinds.


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## Victim (Jan 5, 2009)

DM_Matt said:


> It  depends on the source of the powers, how hard they are to control...well, basically, we don't know.  We are also not sure if he can only make one kind of ghoul or multiple different kinds.




"That's worse than just yes," Star says.  "Someone should look up the African League or whatever just in case."  _If it wouldn't work on powers that are hard to control, then at least I don't have to worry about mine being used against everyone else._


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## DM_Matt (Jan 6, 2009)

Hammerhead said:


> "That seems like a very interesting situation down there. I guess I've entered worse," Errant claims with a smile. _I wonder if that's actually true. Probably not; these kinds of invasions and conflicts were always incredibly nasty, and the presence of zombies, real or fake, only made things much worse. In any case, I don't think I've entered it with a team like this. Should be fun, at the very least, and we have a real chance to help some people.
> 
> I wonder if any of my old friends from abroad are down there. Hell, I wonder what side they're on, if any. Not that they'll recognize me._
> 
> "So are you going to let us get some sleep before we pop in, or are we heading out immediately? I assume the default plan is to make contact with our woman on the ground and go from there once we get better intel? We have a location, name, face for her?"





"You should rendezvous with her as soon as you arrive in-theatre.  Your support crew is readying your aircraft now -- which, by the way, you guys are free to name, if you prefer something snappier than the TMA-26 Mk. IV 5319.  You can sleep on the plane on the way there, as it will take a few hours.  You might want to formulate a plan already though.  Our source on the ground will have up-to-date local information, but when it comes down to it, the satellite imagery is our best tool for tracking troop movements."


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## Victim (Jan 6, 2009)

Star looks at the map, "A lot western Eithiopia seems mountainy, if I'm reading the map right.  So there probably aren't a whole lot of good routes for moving lots of guys and armored vehicles.  Maybe if we blew up or collapsed the roads they're using, the army could be cut off so it can't get supplies or reinforcements."


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## DM_Matt (Jan 10, 2009)

Victim said:


> Star looks at the map, "A lot western Eithiopia seems mountainy, if I'm reading the map right.  So there probably aren't a whole lot of good routes for moving lots of guys and armored vehicles.  Maybe if we blew up or collapsed the roads they're using, the army could be cut off so it can't get supplies or reinforcements."





"Our contact on the ground is a mutant with earth and fire-related powers.  She can help with that.  The mechs are great at crossing tough terrain and have jump jets, and the zombies can persevere through a lot, but even the zombies cant climb EVERYTHING, the jets are real fuel hogs, and they still rely on trucks for most things.  It could be an effective distraction to hit one of their convoys, inflict as much damage as possible, wreck the roads, and then go to a more important target.  You'll have to pick up our local contact in Ethiopia.  

Wheels up in 2 hours.  Good luck."

(OK, time for the ATT move, and a new thread!  I'll make the stuff.)


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