N.E.P.H.E.W., The Villainy

[Sliver]

So here you are, sitting in some random dark bar, where thuggery and shenanigan thrive. There aren't any big shot villains around these places, they have nastier and eviler places to be at. But you had to meet somewhere, right? You wouldn't let some random bums enter your place before you actually met them, would you? You aren't a completely stupid bad dude, you hope.

You followed the directions you got from that SMS, and didn't fail to find the place. That was your first test. The other tests, those that will help you achieve your goal, will be real.

As you arrived, you were escorted to a table that seems to be reserved. Drinks soon joined your table without you even ordering, the bill is already pre-paid. The hostess doesn't even seem to be confuzzled by a robot showing up.

After a while, when you all show up, you get what first seems like a bill. Ought to be a mistake, right? Sure, but on your part. It's not a bill, but a message.

"You have gathered here today, to witness this unholy union of a mismatch of villains that share a goal. An evil goal. And I hope to help them get it. Or watch them hilariously fail." You flip the page "The way is long and hard, so if you aren't willing to work hard and risk your lives, leave now. Just try it, you know to much so you won't even reach the door alive. But it will be amusing to watch you try, so go ahead." You flip the page again, now bearing a different text than a moment ago, it's a small page indeed "The first step on the path of villainy, is similar to the first step of any adventure. To walk the path, first you need to see the path. The "Eye of Iamos" was recently obtained by Ivan Protovski, the manager of "Pests 'R Us". Good luck."

[Speebump]

Howard has spent most of the time since NEPHEW arived studying his allies reactions. By this point he's learned not to focus on anyone for too long and seem like he's staring, but if you had a stopwatch you'd find that he spends exactly the same amount of time looking at each of you. He takes the note in at a glance, then searches his memory for anything he might know about "Pests 'R us" and "Eye of Iamos".

Then he looks around the table and asks in a good approximation of a polite tone. "Thoughts, Gentlemen?"


OOC stuff:
Using Eidetic Memory to make untrained knowledge rolls.
Pests 'R us: [roll0]
Eye of Iamos: [roll1]

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch was among the first to arrive at the dimly-lit meeting place. As his "allies" filtered in, he sent subtle tendrils of thought snaking into their minds, more to ensure they lacked the ability to detect or defend against such probes than to glean any information from their feeble minds; time enough for that later. He frowned slightly when he failed to enter the mind of the machine, but quickly regained his composure. The rest appeared to have no special defenses against his imperceptible assault.

Once everyone has read the note, Moloch responded to the machine's query, speaking in a smooth voice, one which would seem perfectly at home coming from a wealthy gentleman were it not for a subtle but noticeable touch of reverberation, "Before we get down to business, it would be best if we introduced ourselves. I'm sure we would all like to know a little about our new allies and their capabilities before risking our lives at their sides. I am Moloch, the Emerald Duke, an ancient demon of unfathomable power. I am possessed of flight and telekinetic powers, as well as telepathic communication. Now, who's next?"

[The Dark Fiddler]

George arrives last of everyone. He's wearing his best clothes, which is to say that it's slightly less ragged than his other pair. He looks around at his allies and wonders what exactly their own plans and motivations could be. When Howard speaks, he's about to state the obvious and point out that they need to find Mr. Protovski, but is cut off by Moloch. He listens closely to his explanation, trying to get a good feel for his powers, and speaks when nobody else begins after Moloch.

"I would be... George," he says. His voice isn't weak exactly, but it doesn't hide his age of 68 either. "Just George, I guess. All I've been called in years. And as for me?" He hesitates slightly, wondering exactly how much information to give. "I manipulate cosmic energy. The stuff's everywhere, and it's pretty powerful too." He takes a few moments to focus, and suddenly a brilliant, gold walking stick appears in his hand. "Pretty handy too," he says as he dismisses it.

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Undamaged.

Vox scans the pages quickly, his eyes peering out at the pages from behind the round green lenses of his helmet. So much of it was cryptic - the entire affair was a box of mystery wrapped up in enigma and tied with a ribbon of riddle - but the promise of more power and further respect had drawn him in like a fly to the stink of old meat. He sniffs in annoyance at the threat of destruction, should he try to leave, but he can't help but glance out of the corners of his eyes, searching for a shadowed observer, but gave it up after a moment or two. If there was danger, it was less immediate than his tablemates, the rogue killbot and the hellspawned demon. If creatures like this were to be his allies, what need have he of enemies?

When the former speaks, Vox turns his head to regard it. "Someone is playing a game with us," he answers, and when he speaks his voice is low and smooth, almost melodic. "We're pawns on someone else's board, for the moment." He thinks a second before nodding. "But even a lowly pawn can become the most powerful piece in the game, with the help of its allies." Before he can say more, however, the demon speaks and begins the introductions. Vox shifts his attention to the 'Emerald Duke' and glares at him, although his mask does not betray expression. Vox hates being interrupted. His glare morphs into wide-eyed glee when Moloch mentions his telepathic powers. "A telepath?" he asks, when the demon has finished. "Interesting. I am Vox, and my voice is a sonic weapon capable of shaking things apart." He plucks an imaginary piece of fluff from his sleeve. "I am also quite persuasive." He looks to George. "Where did you learn to do that?"

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Didn't learn," George says bluntly to Vox. "Just sort of... figured out how, when I was younger. Guess I just got lucky? Maybe the stars aligned when I was born," he says sarcastically.

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed.

Reflective, one-way green lenses stare at George for several uncomfortable seconds, until: "Maybe they did." Vox adjusts a cuff before continuing. "You've been given power, George. What you've done with it is your own business. If life has been hard on you, you've only yourself to blame. If you act like a doormat, people will want to walk all over you. He speaks from the heart, having only recently ceased to be a doormat himself. The old man looks so beaten down and weak that Vox imagines that he might have once held pity for him. Still, he could be useful. "Perhaps all this will change your fortunes."

[Tar Palantir]

"Best be careful," Moloch says, smirking. "In my experience, such power is rarely without cost, and I have a lot of experience. But if your attire is anything to judge by, grandfather, you've made a few payments already. No offense meant," he appends quickly, "we've all paid our dues one way or another. I've been burned at the stake so many times I've lost count. Somewhere in the twenties, I think. Dunno why it's such a popular choice, stinks like you wouldn't believe. Bah, listen to me ramble. Please, continue." He gestures openly towards the rest of the group, but mostly towards Damian and the machine.

[Volthawk]

Volker walks calmly to the table, two Rogue Cell troops flanking him. He stops a little way away, hearing the other's conversation. He then speaks. in a somewhat gruff voice "So you people are the rest of the group?"

[Speebump]

Howard focused his attension on Moloch for just a touch too long after he mentioned 'telepathic communication'. Flight, telekinesis and either immunity to fire, shear toughness or some method of recovering from apparent death. Not an easy fight by anyones standards. Still, he hadn't demonstrated or claimed to be capable any of the more disgusting aspects of telepathy. Definitely not to be trusted.

He nods to the man in the gas mask before responding to Moloch's question."I am Howard. I don't have any 'supernatural' powers. I have notably superhuman strength and resilience. I do not have any access to my more advanced systems, due to the poor quality of materials used in my repair."

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed.

After inspecting the ramshackle robot for a few moments, Vox inclines his head in greeting. "Perhaps, should things go well, we could work to have you more adequately maintained," he says. The machine could be trouble, being naturally resilient to his more devious manipulations, but metal could be bent and broken, and so Vox was not intimidated. Still, it would be better to have him as an ally than an enemy. "I have certain associates, close friends, who might be convinced to return you to your former glory, should you so desire." Appear generous, giving, and friendly. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

When Volker arrives with his guard, Vox looks up and raises a hand. "We are," he says. "I wasn't aware we could bring accompaniment." He is somewhat disappointed, having opted to leave the buxom and flirtatious Cindy... something or other back at the penthouse, where she eagerly awaited his return. Ah, well. Now he knew better. He motions towards an empty seat. "Please, sit. We've just now been introducing ourselves. You also received a mysterious letter, I presume?"

[Sliver]

Damian examines the group slowly, then stands up. "I will not go through with a foolish game like that" snd storms towards the door. But before even reach it, he clutches his chest and drops to the floor. To make the point clearer, his body disintegratd before hitting the floor and nobody seems to nitice.

[Speebump]

Howard looks at Vox, while he doesn't have human body language it is obvious that he is assessing him.

"If you truly had the resources to do so, I do not believe that you would be here." He states. Dr. Steel was a supergenius, arguably the finest roboticist in the world, even if Howard hadn't exactly been his finest work. Still there was a good room for improvement between high level superscience and junkyard improvisation. "None the less, I would appreciate your assistance."

Then Damien storms off. Howard focuses on Damien's disolving form before stating. "I do not like playing games with unknown rules."

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed.

Damian's sudden death and subsequent disintegration causes Vox to jolt upwards out of his seat, first in an instinctive effort to flee, and then, following his composure, out of a desire to get a better look. Under his helmet, a bead of sweat forms on his brow and trickles down into his eye. Whoever had brought them together was not to be tested, and he would have to be careful to stay on that person's good side. Blinking it away, he returns to his seat before looking back towards the robot. "Indeed," he answers. "But to learn more about what's going on, we'd need to play it anyway." He adjusts his collar. "In any case... you're right. I can't fix you myself, but that's not so say that there aren't others who can, and that I don't know any of them. Should fate allow our fortunes to intertwine, I could see a mutually-beneficial partnership to be a most agreeable circumstance. For all of us." He eyes the robot, trying to see past the hastily-repaired damage and the ignoble composition of its elements to the potential that lay therein. "Who was it that built you in the first place, if I might inquire?" he asks, politely.

[Speebump]

"I was designed and built by Dr. Steel, on commission." Howard pauses momentarily, considering how much more information to give. This is still noticable despite his fast rate of thought. "My original designation was K132. I was purchased by a villain of notable wealth, Viperess."

[Volthawk]

Volker sits, his two troops remaining standing. "Yeah, I did. Any more information yet?" He didn't seem fazed by Damian's death.

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch watches Damian disintegrate with a critical eye, stroking his chin with one clawed hand. He muses aloud, to no one in particular, "I don't know. The efficiency is impressive, I'll admit, but I just can't see it. I mean, I can appreciate the whole understated minimalist thing as much as the next guy, but this just feels uninspired. Between the hands-free kill and the elegant corpse disposal, I can give it a six, at best." He then turns to Vox and says, "New at this, I presume? No need to fret. Didn't even look that painful. This guy's a real softy compared to my bosses." He gives a mock shudder. "Besides, it's not like you're going to live forever, anyway. What's a few decades one way or the other?" He chuckles briefly, then turns to the newcomers. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'm Moloch, demon prince, possessed of flight, telekinesis, and mental communication abilities. That's George, who can manipulate cosmic energy; Vox here has voice-based sonic powers; and the machine here calls itself Howard. It's just strong and durable. And whom might I have the pleasure of addressing?"

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed.

"Doctor Steel? I am impressed. How did you come to be so badly damaged, if that's not too personal of a question?" After asking, Vox turns to face Volker. "As did we all. If you take a seat, you'll find another letter from our enigmatic benefactor. After reading that, you'll know as much as I do - which is to say, largely nothing." He pauses, allowing Moloch to have his say. "There's something to be said for 'just' strength and durability," he adds, when the Emerald Duke has finished, in an attempt to further appeal himself to the dangerously mechanical Howard. "And... no. That's not the first time I've seen a man killed. It was just... sudden. Unexpected. The note warned against leaving, but I never thought..." He lapses into a moment of silence before concluding: "And, to answer your question, I plan to live for as long as is possible. Forever, if given the chance."

[The Dark Fiddler]

George is incredibly shocked by Damian's death, but he does his best to hide it. His feeble appearance probably isn't winning him any points with the rest of N.E.P.H.E.W. anyway, so no need to appear weaker than he really is. He nods to the new arrival, but since Moloch explains his powers for him, says nothing. He thinks back to try and recall facts about the Ivan mentioned in the note they received, now that it's brought back up, however.

[roll0]

[Speebump]

Howard waits for a gap in the conversation before responding sardonically. "I lost a fight. You will find that a hero's qualms about killing, rarely extend to machines."

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed.

That raises a slew of interesting philosophical questions. If Howard could be reduced to an inoperable state and then subsequently repaired, could he really be said to have been killed? Do terms such as 'alive' and 'dead' even apply to the inorganic, or are they bestowed upon sapiency as a matter of course? Rather than voicing his thoughts on the matter, Vox folds his hands together on the table and inclines his head towards the machine. "A truly shocking and hypocritical act of prejudice on their part, certainly," he says. "I've seen the same sort of disregard applied to alien life, as well. These so-called 'heroes' definitely seem to adhere to some very uncomfortable definitions of what is acceptable conduct in battle."

[Volthawk]

"Well, for the human recruits of the big villains, it's not the heroes you fear - like you said, they tend to incline towards being nonlethal - but your bosses. They tend to be a bit free with the lives of the people working for them. Plus the people who don't paint themselves as 'heroes' but still are antagonistic don't have those beliefs against violence." As he speaks, Volker looks at the paper with the information on it and reads it.

[Tar Palantir]

"Indeed, the hypocrisy and irony are even worse than that. Killing an ensouled being like a human isn't that big of a deal, since they end up somewhere they deserve after the fact. Well, the evil ones do at least, dunno what happens to good souls after they die. Same thing with earthbound demons like me; on the off chance you actually manage to kill one, their soul goes right back in the pot with the evil human souls to be remade into a new demon, albeit of much lesser power. On the flipside, greater demons, angels, and machines don't have souls, and so do not persist beyond their destruction. Of course, the first two are rarely destroyed and machines can often be repaired, so pros and cons." He shrugs. "Eh, not much to do about it though. The aliens thing did always bug me though. I mean, at least some of them must have souls, right? Then again, I never met anyone who did sales offworld, so who knows?"

[Speebump]

Howard has mostly ignoured the idea of souls up until now, but dealing with a Bona Fide demon has brought the idea to the for. Souls went to somewhere they deserve? Evil? As judged by whom?

Some would claim that adultery was evil, as if the agreement to mariage was somehow more important than any other agreement. Or eating meat was by also considered evil by some. Some could consider mind control justified. What kind of judge awaited souled beings?

Ultimately though, it was not important right now. "I should not complain. I had no qualms about killing her. Anyway, I beleive we have a puzzle to solve. Unless anyone has any prior knowledge, I suggest we locate all 'Pet's 'R Us' store in the city and begin working from there."

[Sliver]

One of Volker's troops speaks up "You mean Pests 'R Us? I saw a commercial of them, it's a pest extermination company... Don't think they have a shop..."

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Guess that'd explain why I'd never heard about it; if they had a shop, I'd probably have seen it at some point," George says simply, ignoring the talk about detestable heroes. He was never like that... but he was different now, a different person with a different job; would he be like that now? What extents would he go to to achieve his goal? "Guess we'll need to find a phone book, then?"

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed.

Nodding so that the lenses of his helmet catch the light and flare dramatically, Vox non-verbally assents to George's suggestion. "That, or a computer." He turns to Howard. "I don't suppose that you've been outfitted with a wireless receptor and remote access capabilities? If so, you could simply run a search on our 'Mister Protovski', and the Eye of Iamos while you're at it." He then looks toward Moloch. "Or is something like that more up your alley? Have you ever heard of it?"

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch folds his hands and thinks for a few moments. "Iamos, Iamos....If I recall correctly, the House of Iamos was a line of seers in Greece who claimed to have descended from Apollo. The Eye was the source of their prophetic gifts, and with its power they achieved great prominence in ancient Sparta. It seems likely the oracular abilities it bestows will allow us to 'find the path', as our employer so eloquently stated, with the slight possibility of debilitating insanity on the part of the user. Tiny chance. Barely worth mentioning. Don't know why I said anything." He clears his throat before continuing. "As far as tracking this Protovski down, I don't have any thoughts. Mortals usually come looking for me, not the other way around."

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed.

Oracular abilities? The power to see into the future? Imagine the worth of such a thing! To know exactly when and where to strike, and to be forewarned beforehand of an inadvisable action. It would mean near invincibility in battle - for how could you defeat an opponent who already knows every move you'll make - and... no, calm down. If it were as powerful as all that the House of Iamos would have remained a powerful force in the world, as opposed to a footnote in esoteric lore, remembered as a curiosity and recounted by demons. Still... "Depending on the capabilities of the Eye of Iamos, a chance of madness may be a small price to pay for the power to see into the future. Are we to assume that Protovski, due to his possession of the Eye, has foreseen our intentions to come for him and made arrangements to belay our acquisition of the artifact?" He folds his fingers in front of himself. "In any case, 'Pests R Us' must have a corporate office somewhere, to conduct its business, and Protovski himself must have a home address. We should check both places, either for the man Protovski, clues as to the location of the Eye, or, if Protovski is a fool tremendous enough to keep it on him when not in use, the Eye of Iamos itself."

[Volthawk]

"Don't get too exited. He just said 'prophetic'. That doesn't really mean total future vision, considering how prophecies are traditionally vague things. And then there's questions of if the future is set in place or has many possibilities and threads, and how much we can change it."

[Speebump]

Howard goes still for a few seconds, trying to figure out how he could have such an error in his memory after such a short time. He'd believed that his mental hardware was undamaged, but this was obviously not the case. It looked to be a relatively easy fix though.

He turns back to Vox with a jerk. "I do not have any special ability to interact with computers. I doubt it will be too difficult for us to access the internet though.

In responce to the mentions of gaining prophetic abilities Howard simply states. "It is unlikely that I will be able to use such a item." After all any object that had side effects on someones sanity would likely rely on somekind of mental link. "A more immediate concerd we must consider is the possibillity that he will see us coming. Depending on the accuracy of the visions he may hire additional security or attempt to hide from us."

OOC: Bleh... Howard may have eidetic memory, but I sure don't.

Edit: And I got ninja'd too.

[Tar Palantir]

"If necessary, we can head to my estate to do further research. I have both a substantial library and a sophisticated computer system, though I don't make much use of the latter. I also have guest quarters for everyone; I think we'd all prefer to stick together until this is done, yes?"

[The Dark Fiddler]

"If our best source of information on the Eye is going to be Greek myths, I don't think we're going to find much else, no matter how much we study. I suppose more info on Ivan couldn't hurt, though," George says, not mentioning that a place to stay sounds really good. "We'll need to plan how we're going to approach him, as well. To we do it with guile, or openly? Steal the Eye, or attempt to get it from him through legitimate means?"

[Volthawk]

"Well, that would depend on who he is, how he acts, his morals, and the like, wouldn't it? I mean, if he acts like one of those heroes, he'll hardly give it to us willingly, while if he's more...flexible, that it would be easier to obtain."

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed.

Vox considers leaving for Moloch's estate, but then considers the comforts of his own penthouse - especially those comforts offered by the vivacious young woman awaiting him there. At the moment she is convinced that she loves him more than she loves herself, and would be content to stay there until his return. He could release her from his control remotely, but that would mean allowing her true mind to awaken in an unfamiliar place that she could easily point out to the authorities, and he's gone through that little fiasco once already, and that one time was one time too many, involving outrageous bribes and liberal abuses of his power. He shakes his head. He would have to go home and take her somewhere to release - or...? He grins beneath his helmet.

"I would be honored to visit what I am sure is your most impressive abode, Moloch, and I thank you for the invitation. Unfortunately, I will need to use your phone once we arrive. Is that acceptable?"

It would be simple enough to call his home, tell the girl to meet him somewhere at a certain time, and then release her from his control once she'd arrived. No muss, no fuss, no worries.

With that little snag taken care of, he turns to George.

"I concur that knowing more about the Eye's current possessor is of paramount importance. If we could find a phone number to reach him by, I am sure that I could be of great assistance in that endeavor; I'm quite good at learning things from the source."

And then, at last, he looks to Volker.

"He may simply be kind enough to exchange the eye for material goods, or simply out of the nobility of his heart. I don't suppose we'll know until we ask him. I do not myself envision a great deal of violence in this undertaking."

Sorry about that triple post; the website was giving me trouble there for a while.

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch waves a clawed hand dismissively. "No trouble at all. Probably have to break some poor girl's heart, charming lad like you, heh. My apologies. Which reminds me, does anyone here have an automobile? I usually just fly in and out of town, it's not that far, but I just realized that wouldn't exactly work here."

He then turns to George and Volker. "If he's willing to give it up willingly, that's fine by me, but I would be ready for violence. Seers tend to do big picture better than details, so the chaos of battle will work to our advantage. Sudden, overwhelming force is our best bet, to my mind."

He stretches briefly, continuing, "Best not get ahead of ourselves. First thing to do is find this gentleman, and then we can discuss the varied merits of negotiation and defenestration."

[Speebump]

"Thank you for the invitation, but I shall not require a room, I do not sleep. I would appreciate access to you computer though." Howard pauses momentarily. "Do you all wish to move on now? Or do you wish to finish your drinks."

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed.

The helmet nods in response to Moloch's allowance of telephone privileges. "Thank you," says Vox. And then, on the subject of transportation: "I have a car. It seats two." He says that last word rather firmly, and the others can almost feel his concern for the continued perfection of his automobile. The car would have cost him an arm, a leg and several gallons of blood... had he actually paid for it. His procurement of the car is a story in itself, and one that can be told another time. Suffice to say it was an interesting affair in its own right.

[Speebump]

"It is relatively dark out. I believe that I can walk, given directions." Offers Howard. After all, he won't get tired.

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch gives Howard a brief set of instructions, carefully enunciating each street name and turn, adding, "Be certain that you follow these directions precisely. The manor is warded with a spell of misdirection; as you get closer, you will feel like you are lost, trees will look like you've passed them before, that sort of thing. It's just an illusion; don't deviate from the path. The enchantment may be able to befuddle your mind like it could a mortal, but it will warp the scenery to compensate. Just stick to the directions, and you'll be fine. That goes for all of you; don't go wandering."

He scribbles a copy of the instructions on a napkin and hands it to Vox. "I can fly myself, so your seat can go to one of the others. I'll be in touch in case you need me." He taps the side of his head. "Just concentrate on whatever you want to tell me, and if I'm in range I should pick it up. Don't worry; I only hear what you want me to."

[Volthawk]

Volker looks over to his two troops, then over to Moloch. "How much space did you say you had there?"

[Tar Palantir]

He turns to Volker, saying, "Ah yes, I don't have enough guest rooms for your companions, but if they don't mind some less private and more spartan conditions, there are quite a few beds in the old servant's quarters. They haven't been used since I sprung for the self-maintenance enchantment, but they should do."

[Speebump]

Moloch gives Howard a brief set of instructions, carefully enunciating each street name and turn, adding, "Be certain that you follow these directions precisely. The manor is warded with a spell of misdirection; as you get closer, you will feel like you are lost, trees will look like you've passed them before, that sort of thing. It's just an illusion; don't deviate from the path. The enchantment may be able to befuddle your mind like it could a mortal, but it will warp the scenery to compensate. Just stick to the directions, and you'll be fine. That goes for all of you; don't go wandering."

"I shall be sure to do so." Replies Howard, comitting each instruction to his precise memory. It will interesting to see what illusionary effects will be attempted by Moloch's 'wards'. A good observation of those would be helpful if he decided that Moloch was too telepathic.

[The Dark Fiddler]

"I can fly too, in a way," George says to Moloch. "I don't know if you want me to fly there, then, or if that would be a problem. I know the streets though, so walking shouldn't be much of a problem, should it come to that."

[Tar Palantir]

"Ah, in that case you can accompany me. Flying in is tricky if you don't know where you're going, the wards conceal the manor until you're practically on top of it, but I know the route like the back of my hand." He holds his hand out in front of him for a moment, squinting at it intently. "Or rather better, I should say. How often does one really look at one's hand, anyway? Regardless, best to set out soon. I'll need to prepare the defenses to accept guests, so if you beat me there, best to wait for me outside. George?" This last question is said as Moloch begins to move for the door.

[The Dark Fiddler]

George is about to follows Moloch, but stops. "Are we sure it will let us leave? I don't want to end up like what's-his-face did," he says bluntly, examining the door.

[Tar Palantir]

"I believe keeping us here indefinitely is not our host's intention, but I'll go first if it makes you feel better. To whom it may concern," he says, now addressing no one in particular, "our egress is in no way an attempt to decline the task you have set for us, but rather an attempt to fulfill the same. Here goes nothing." And with that, Moloch goes to the door and attempts to open it and exit the bar.

[Sliver]

You only get a few odd stares, but nothing happens as you reach the door and open it, stepping into the darkness outside.

[Speebump]

"I shall see you in a few hours." States Howard. Then he heads out for the long walk accross town.

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed.

Vox makes his own exit, nodding in recognition of every staring patron. By acknowledging them, he hopes to cement himself in their memory. Recognition is one of the many paths to power. With that done, he leaves the restaurant and, after unlocking the doors, slides into the driver's seat of his automobile. Following that, he and any passenger he may be taking along speed towards Moloch's estate.

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch turns to George, apparently unfazed by the possibility of death he just faced, and says, "Well come along then." As soon as George joins him, he sprouts a pair of bat-like wings and takes to the air, glancing back to make sure George is keeping up, and wings towards his stately home.

[The Dark Fiddler]

George hesitates for a split second before leaving, just in case Moloch only passed through the defenses by virtue of some demonic immunity he had, but follows behind his new host. He summons a platform of brilliant, translucent energy and steps on it as it raises into the sky, still following Moloch.

[Volthawk]

Volker gets up and leaves, talking into his commlink as he stashes his gear into a duffel bag, taking out a longcoat and putting it on - it wouldn't be clever to walk around fully armed. "Alright, people. Look ordinary then come over to me. I'll be outside the bar. I may have managed to get us a base of sorts." He then waits outside until his eight other Rogue Cell troops gather up, and sets off to the manor. We really need to get some proper transport...

[Sliver]

Your only real options are a truck parked nearby or waiting at the station for a bus.

[Speebump]

Howard makes his way accross the city towards Moloch's mansion, trying to avoid any unwanted attention. The last thing he wants is reported robot sightings. He sticks to the more poorly lit areas of Big City and maintains a humanlike method of walking, even though he could run the whole way and not get tired. Moving like this is relatively safe, but eventually he will have to get to a landmark mentioned by Moloch and from their he'll be at the whims of the demons directions.

[Volthawk]

Volker looks over to the two troops with him. "See if you can get that truck up and running."

[Sliver]

You easily find an old track and transfer ownership. It takes you close to the residence but you realise it's too hard to handle and are forced to continue on foot.

In a few hours all of you are at your destination.

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed.

The vocal villain arrives safely at his destination and parks in an available space. After locking the car behind him, Vox lets his gaze linger on the exterior of Moloch's estate, consciously comparing their two lifestyles. He leans back against the freshly-waxed door of his automobile and awaits the arrival of the others.

[Speebump]

Upon arriving Howard locates Moloch and asks. "You stated that you had a computer system. Please direct me to it."

This is closest that Howard can manage to a known telepath.

[Tar Palantir]

Upon arrival, Moloch touches the front door, concentrating momentarily. An emerald light pulses across the surface of the door, and it swings inward to admit the group. "The wards are thought-sensitive," he explains to his guests. "Each door has three sensations, emotions, or concepts to which it is attuned, the "password", if you will. The front door's code is primal fear, the feeling of sand in your eyes, and the smell of ozone after a lightning strike. You can't just think the names of these things, though; you have to conjure memories of experiencing them. Even someone who knows the code might not be able to get in. For example, angels don't know fear, so they can't avoid tripping the wards at the front door. Each of your rooms has a ward that you can tune for yourself in the same manner that you would open it. My own bedroom is also warded, and its code is tied to specific personal memories of mine that no one else has experienced, so don't try and enter it."

Entering the manor, the villains are greeted by a spacious entrance hall. Two staircases curve around the edges of the room, meeting in the center of the far wall, and hallways branch in either direction on both the first and second floors. Speaking in a loud but matter-of-fact tone which echoes in the open space, Moloch speaks, gesturing where appropriate, "Welcome to my humble abode. The bedrooms are up the stairs on the left, there's a bathroom in the same wing, my room is the one with the double doors at the top of the stairs, and Howard, the computer room is up the stairs on the right. Additionally, Howard, there's a workshop on the first floor on the right. Nothing fancy, but it's fairly well furnished with tools and material should you feel the need to work on yourself. Library's the door between the two flights of stairs, directly below my room, and Volker, the servant's quarters for your men are first floor on the left, as is the kitchen, in case anyone is feeling peckish. Everyone, feel free to make yourselves at home; once you're settled in, we'll meet in the library to get to work." Once everyone is oriented, Moloch himself follows Howard, saying, "I hope you don't mind if I join you. I'm still not as familiar with computers as I'd like to be, and I hope to pick up a few things watching you work." Though his words and tone seem to ask permission, the authoritative manner in which Moloch guides Howard to the computer room doesn't seem to leave much room for refusal.

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed.

Well. It was certainly more impressive than his penthouse suite. But don't forget, he reminds himself, Moloch has existed for centuries, if not for millennia; he's had countless lifetimes to amass wealth and power. And then, in a slightly more cynical tone of thought: And he's still so much of a second-stringer that he has to team up with the rest of us. Well. That was sobering. But no, Vox would not be jealous of Moloch's experience. What the demon had accomplished over thousands of years, Vox vowed to attain in the course of a single lifetime. He turns to the demon and inclines his helmeted head.

"Your home does you credit, Moloch," he says.

[Speebump]

Upon arrival, Moloch touches the front door, concentrating momentarily. An emerald light pulses across the surface of the door, and it swings inward to admit the group. "The wards are thought-sensitive," he explains to his guests. "Each door has three sensations, emotions, or concepts to which it is attuned, the "password", if you will. The front door's code is primal fear, the feeling of sand in your eyes, and the smell of ozone after a lightning strike. You can't just think the names of these things, though; you have to conjure memories of experiencing them. Even someone who knows the code might not be able to get in. For example, angels don't know fear, so they can't avoid tripping the wards at the front door. Each of your rooms has a ward that you can tune for yourself in the same manner that you would open it. My own bedroom is also warded, and its code is tied to specific personal memories of mine that no one else has experienced, so don't try and enter it."
A password I can't use, joy.

Entering the manor, the villains are greeted by a spacious entrance hall. Two staircases curve around the edges of the room, meeting in the center of the far wall, and hallways branch in either direction on both the first and second floors. Speaking in a loud but matter-of-fact tone which echoes in the open space, Moloch speaks, gesturing where appropriate, "Welcome to my humble abode. The bedrooms are up the stairs on the left, there's a bathroom in the same wing, my room is the one with the double doors at the top of the stairs, and Howard, the computer room is up the stairs on the right. Additionally, Howard, there's a workshop on the first floor on the right. Nothing fancy, but it's fairly well furnished with tools and material should you feel the need to work on yourself. Library's the door between the two flights of stairs, directly below my room, and Volker, the servant's quarters for your men are first floor on the left, as is the kitchen, in case anyone is feeling peckish. Everyone, feel free to make yourselves at home; once you're settled in, we'll meet in the library to get to work." Once everyone is oriented, Moloch himself follows Howard, saying, "I hope you don't mind if I join you. I'm still not as familiar with computers as I'd like to be, and I hope to pick up a few things watching you work." Though his words and tone seem to ask permission, the authoritative manner in which Moloch guides Howard to the computer room doesn't seem to leave much room for refusal.

Howard seems unphased by Moloch's imposition. "Feel free, but unless your ablities include superhuman reading rate, I am unsure how much you will learn."

[Sliver]

As you begin to settle in, the wards seem to go off. An intruder? Already?

Suddenly, a tall man in bronze breastplate appears in front of you. His long blond hair almost covers the fact that he is missing an eye. Fog gathers around him as two guard dogs appear, calmly sitting by his feet.

He smiles at the group "Well hello there, I am Iamos." He smiles at you. "At first I wondered, why were you looking for a part of me. Then I thought, 'hey, why don't you check? you can see the future, right?' WRONG." Iamos seems a bit petty and childish at the moment "As you might see, someone else has claimed to own my eye, and you wish to transfer ownership to yourself. Now, there could be any number of reasons for that, and really, I don't care. I don't mind the eye thing either, don't be confused, I have two of them. Had. You might be wondering by now why did I go to all the trouble to drop by here? I was bored."

And he vanishes. With the dogs.

What. The. F..K.

[Volthawk]

Volker sighs. "Who the hell wears breastplates these days? Bronze one, as well. Come on, these are modern times." Volker then turns to his troops "Anyway, get settled in, guys.

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch strokes his chin. "It appears the Eye of Iamos is a somewhat more literal name than I expected. It also appears that I had forgotten how tiresome demigods are to deal with." He sighs and rubs his temples. "Twice as full of themselves as humans, and too powerful to simply kill when they try your patience. Let us finish this portion of our quest with due haste, to minimize our interactions with Iamos."

[Speebump]

Howard rapidly turns away from the fading figure. He is really starting to get tired of all these outside context problems. "I do not care at this point. So long as he is not a hinderance he can make whatever cryptic appearances he wishes."

Once Moloch has shown him to the computer system he sets about searching for information on Ivan Protovski and Pests 'R Us. Howard doesn't really know much about hacking and such, but he's quite capable of spending ours sifting through webpages for relevant information and remembering every bit of it. An open Social Networking site, a publicly available census, crossreferencing a contact number with telephone directories. It's surprising how much information is publicly available if you look hard enough.

If Moloch asks questions about what he's doing he'll answer, but won't slow down by much to do so.


OOC: Taking twenty on a computers check for research, for the result of 22.

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed.

The vocally-powered villain watches the sudden arrival and disappearance of Iamos with his expression of annoyance gracefully concealed by his helmet. When the being dissipates, Vox turns to address George. "Do you think we'll have to put up with more of that sort of thing over the course of our trials?"

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Those have to be the most interesting locks I've ever seen," George thinks to himself as Moloch explains the wards. Although he doesn't have anything to put in his room, and he plans on assisting in the research, he decides to set his wards before he does so. He decides on a few emotions that he's fairly certain the others wouldn't have experienced: the feeling of being a hero, the betrayal he felt when the people turned on him, and the loneliness of living on the streets. Satisfied, he goes to meet the others in the library. Iamos's appearance unnerves him, however.

"I would hope not," George says to Vox, "but I honestly wouldn't be surprised if we did. Things can get quite insane fairly easily."

[Sliver]

Howard easily finds two addresses. One for the Pests 'R Us garage. It seems like they work from a fire station type of building in the city outskirts. And the other is Ivan's house. It doesn't mention anything related to the Eye on Ivan's records though.

You find that Pests 'R Us isn't his only company, but he runs other successful side businesses. He has a small criminal record, but was cleared of most charges either because witnesses refused to testify or a general lack of evidence. While Pests' garage isn't noted for having any notable qualities, Ivan is living in a private 10 stories tall office building near the expansive area of Big City, it seems he has his own villa built on the rooftop, and a private security company. None are noted as being super powered or anything unique, just well equipped.

Evan is noted to have been suspected for being responsible for drug dealings, car jacking, robberies, bribery, blackmail, public nudity and others, none of which was actually proven due to reasons noted above.

[Speebump]

Howard will continue looking for any extra information(not that he truly expects anything, but he needs something to do) until the others get up next morning. He'll then explain what he's found matter of factly before stating his opinion. "I suspect that his use of the Eye has been sufficiently effective to allow him to get away with his various criminal activities and be a successful manager to more businesses than he could normally. The fact he works rather than simply winning vast amounts via gambling or lotteries suggests that precognition is imperfect. We must assume that he well have foreseen us coming, even if he does not have full knowledge of our abilities. I am uncertain as to how well equiped his security force is, but I beleive that they will be a threat, atleast in large numbers."

[Volthawk]

"Well, see if you can narrow down the kind of gear they have. I mean, my people are pretty good - around the level of a proper trained soldier, I'd say - but they may have better equipment and numbers on their side."

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch nods at Howard, and then says, "I think our best bet would be to concentrate our forces, so that even with his foresight he won't be able to do anything but slow us down. Go in together at the entrance and work our way up, clearing each floor as we go to avoid surprises." He then pauses, and each member of the group hears a voice in their head, saying, "I'm concerned that Ivan may have a vision of this session, so I suggest we do all planning through my mental communication, and make false plans aloud. Might not make a difference, but worth a shot. My real idea is for George and I to fly across to the roof from a nearby building while the rest of you, including Volker's men, attack the ground floor. George and I can then either secure the Eye or, if Ivan has fled, open a second front behind our foes."

[Volthawk]

"Hmm, yeah, pure brute force should do it."

Well, I happen to have some grenades - flashbang, smoke and fragmentation. I could take a few troops and chuck some grenades over one side, draw their attention. Then the others and the rest of my troops could move in on the other side, where security would be lighter, since they'd be focused on my end. So then they'd have two fronts to fight on. We might even be able to take them out completely like that. And hey, didn't you say you had wards over this place?

[Tar Palantir]

The wards make this place difficult to find, and detect unauthorized entry, but they've never been tested against a seer, and they weren't designed with such powers in mind. Ivan wouldn't need to be able to find the manor in order to have a vision about it. I haven't encountered a seer of any sort for more than a thousand years, and anti-oracular wards are horrendously expensive. I didn't think they were worth the cost. This last thought sounds half angry, half embarrassed.

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Wounds: Unharmed

"I concur," says Vox. "Despite his precognitive abilities, we have no reason to believe that Ivan is capable of any other sort of meta-human feat, and we can safely conclude from his low profile that he lacks pseudonormal assistance."

In his mind, however:

You may wish to have me accompany you to your confrontation with our adversary, Moloch, he thinks. While my voice is a powerful weapon, I may be able to persuade Ivan into parting with his treasure.

[Speebump]

Unable to hear the telepathic discussion, Howard responds to the verbal conversation. "A brute force approach relies upon us being able to overcome his defenders when they are dug in. I do not believe that many of us are immune to conventional firearms."


OOC:
Attempting sense motive to notice the psychic conversation based on everyone elses pausing and turning to 'listen' to various people: [roll0]

[Sliver]

Howard found one extra detail over his night research. Ivan has a foot fetish.

He can tell something odd is going on with the others.

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch thinks to himself, Hmm. The machine isn't in on our psychic discussion, but we don't want to risk tipping off Ivan about our deception.

Coming up with a plan, he says aloud, "A more subtle plan would normally be preferable, but we should keep in mind the Eye's powers. Deceiving Ivan would be extraordinarily difficult. However, I do appreciate you sharing your thoughts, Howard." He didn't feel comfortable with saying anything more obvious, and just hoped Howard would get the hint.

He then responds to Vox on the telepathic link, I should be able to telekinetically lift you across to the building from the next roof, since you cannot fly under your own power. This does leave the ground team a bit sparse. Volker, can your men handle the ground assault with just Howard backing you up? You wouldn't need to make much progress, just draw as much of the security team down on you as possible.

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Wounds: Unharmed

(Sorry I wasn't here last night; I didn't get home from work until half after midnight.)

Our raiding party would be composed of eleven highly-trained pseudo-soldiers and a robotic killing machine; I doubt that Ivan's welcoming committee could challenge them. That said, My sonic blasts very well could turn the tide of battle, and so I therefore defer to your experience, Moloch. I will fight where commanded.

And then, still thinking but not broadcasting it to the others, he adds:

For now.

[Volthawk]

Well, that would depend on how well-equipped and trained Ivan's security forces are. And how numerous they are.

[Speebump]

This conversation is far too stilted either everyone is trying to think of some more effective alternative or... telepathy. So they have another plan and won't tell me. Howard attempts to keep his frustration from showing in his voice. "Very well, do you want to go now? Or is there any preparation you would feel safe performing?"

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch considers carefully before responding. I think you should come with us, Vox. If the ground team needs reinforcement, both George and I fly quickly enough that we could go out a window and get to them in just a few moments. If the topside team needs reinforcement, none of the rest of you could reach us without punching through the security team and heading up every floor. Volker, that means you'll have to stay on top of communication; check in with me constantly so that I know if you go down, and inform me the moment you need backup. On the trip over, it would be best to familiarize your men with communicating telepathically, so that both teams have as much current intel as possible. Also, as you might be aware, Howard's out of the loop on this; I can't link with his mind and we can't risk tipping our hand to Ivan. Brief him on the situation once the attack has begun; by then it'll be too late for it to matter to Ivan, one way or the other.

[The Dark Fiddler]

George frowns, not exactly content with keeping Howard out of the loop. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any safe way of informing him of the true plans... at least the three of them attacking from above isn't too much of a divergence, and shouldn't inconvenience or confuse him too much. "Howard does raise a good question: when are we going to enact our plans?"

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Wounds: Unharmed

Being that Ivan is capable of precognition, I don't know that it matters when we launch our attack, as he is likely already aware of our intentions. Even in thoughtspeak, Vox's tone is imperious and stately. That said, we should likely stage an attack sooner rather than later, and in so doing prevent him from procuring additional protection for himself and the artifact. He nods towards Volker. In acknowledgement that so much of our plan relies on Volker and his men, we are unprepared to go after the Eye until his forces are assembled and brought up to speed.

[Tar Palantir]

Indeed. Once the men are briefed, we should set out immediately.

[Volthawk]

Well, when I go over there, you'd have to come over as well, Moloch. I don't have telepathy, so I won't be able to let them know the plan without risking the target learning about it as well.

Volker turns to leave.

"Coming?"

[Tar Palantir]

My telepathic communication works at great range. I'll remain here so as to reduce suspicion, while you provide the false briefing aloud. At some point, use the word 'pinnacle', so they know they can trust my message.

Moloch then says, "We should make any necessary preparations at once, while Volker briefs his men on the situation. We'll leave as soon as his men are ready."

He then sends a psychic message to each of Volker's soldiers in turn. Don't react, we may be being watched. This is Moloch, current ally to your leader Volker. I am relaying our battle plan telepathically so as to maintain the element of secrecy and surprise. The plan which Volker will provide is subterfuge. In case you doubt my words, he will use the code word 'pinnacle' to confirm what I am telling you. You will be attacking essentially as he will describe, but your attack will be reinforced only by the machine and Volker himself. Your group will draw the attention of the security forces so the rest of us can attack the top of the building and secure our objective. Ensure that you draw as much of their fire as possible and keep their eyes on you; no need to make too much progress, so fight cautiously. Keep in mental contact with me at all times; if Volker goes down or anything unusual occurs, inform me at once. And whatever you do, don't breath a word of this deception aloud. This is our best chance.

[Speebump]

"Very well, can one of you give me a lift? I have difficulty moving around in daylight, for obvious reasons." Howard asks.

I hope this isn't going become a running theme. If my allies start relying on telepathy too much it will be difficult to determine if one of them has been compromised. Nothing I can do about it now though.

[Volthawk]

"Well, the plan is simple. He just has a private security force, so although they might be well-armed, I doubt they're as well trained as us, while we may not be the pinnacle of troops, what with us not being powered, I expect we should easily defeat them. So, the plan is simply brute force. We have all our forces - us and the others here - and we strike with all our force at the front, we take down the security and we take the target. Simple."

[Sliver]

The troops look at each other, some are confused at first, but they are} assured by the others and straighten up, nodding to the instructions.

It's late morning as you are ready to move out.

[Speebump]

Howard is a bit frustrated at having not been answered, but elects not to complain about it. Drawing attention to the others distractions could only lead to bad things. Instead he elects to simply climb into the back of the truck that Volker and his men had stolen.

"I cannot walk accross town in broad daylight. I hope you do not have a problem with me joining you." It sounds more like a statement than a question.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Before going to bed at night, George takes Howard to the side, away from the others. "I just wanted to tell you, Howard, of the changes we made to the plan," he whispers, hoping nobody overhears. He knows the rest didn't want the plan spoken out loud, but Howard needed to know, and George honestly thought it was more likely that Ivan would see the attack itself rather than their planning of it. "Not much changed, really, but a few of us are going to attack from the top, instead of with the rest of you."

((Edit: Sorry... didn't notice the new page. If you want to ignore this, then I'll pretend it never happened.))

[Speebump]

OOC: I'm going assume that this conversation occurs shortly before we leave instead. If you want to go on without it happening that would be fine too and I shall delete this if you ask.


Howard gives a momentary nod to George before moving on towards the door. It is reassuring that George was willing and able to reveal the details of the plan to me, even if it may have been a mistake. It suggests that Moloch is only using his telepathy for communication and that their minds are untampered with. On the other hand it is one more event that our target might view. Still not something I can deal with right now.

[Sliver]

Finding the place was easy enough with the address you got from your research. The large office building doesn't stand out among the others, and it doesn't even have a sign!

The security at the front is lightly armed, but it's just sitting there greeting people. Even noticing you, they don't seem to react.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Although the security forces don't seem to be bothered by the presence of N.E.P.H.E.W., the thought crosses George's mind that seeing Moloch and himself fly upwards might. He focuses his thoughts and attempts to contact the demon through his telepathy, although he really isn't sure if that's how it works. "Should we maybe go a few blocks away before we fly up so they don't notice us?" If Moloch doesn't respond, he repeats the thought a few times before giving up and trying to subtly tell him to establish a telepathic communication.

[Speebump]

Howard looks at each of the 10 Rogue Cell members in the back with him in turn. They may be 'minions', but he was created for a subordinate position, he has no problem dealing with them as equals. "Are you all prepared?"

[Volthawk]

Volker turns to his troops. "Well, this is it. First mission outside the Organisation. This is our chance to prove that we don't need them, that we're better without them, that we can do better than just being used as pawns, minions, disposable forces for some 'supervillain'. This is our chance to prove that we, Rogue Cell, are the elite! We stand apart from the Organisation, and we don't just get by, we flourish! Let's go prove that the trooper needs to be recognised and valued! Let's go get Rogue Cell noticed! Time for us to benefit from our actions, not some employer that doesn't care if we live or die!"

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed

A smile quirks his lips beneath the faceplate of his helmet. "Indeed," Vox concurs. "Let's all get noticed." He looks over to Moloch and nods his head. "After you, fearless leader. Destiny awaits."

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch smiles widely. In a few moments they'll have something else on their minds, I think. Vox, watch yourself. I'll pull you up after I've landed. Everyone, good luck. He then extends his wings through the back of his jacket and launches himself skyward, reaching the roof in just a few seconds. He then turns and secures a firm telekinetic grip on Vox, causing him to glow with a blue light. Assuming that neither of them have yet been shot at, he yanks Vox perhaps more quickly than he would be comfortable with, bringing him to rest fairly gently on the building's roof.


Fly to the roof as a move action, pin Vox with TK as standard. Next round, use TK to move Vox up to the roof as one move (if building is 100ft tall or less), or two if the building is taller than that. If anyone is on the roof, shoots at me, or kills Vox before those actions are finished, that might change my actions slightly :smalltongue:.

[Speebump]

Howard watches Moloch push off, then immediately turns towards the front door of the building. "Let's move." He says to Volker and the rest of Rogue Cell. He walks forward towards the front door at an even pace, making little effort to disguise his machanical nature. As he does so, he draws his pistol from the inside of his coat.

OOC: Let us know when you want us to roll initiative.
One move action to move towards the entrance. One move action to draw his heavy pistol.

[The Dark Fiddler]

When Moloch flies up to the top of the building, George shrugs and summons up a square of his cosmic energy to carry him up behind him. In the event that somebody is waiting for them up there, however, he is ready to create a wall of energy to protect them if need be.

Readied action to... well, do exactly what I said above.

[Sliver]

Ground team The lady the front desk looks up at the armed group. "The eleven o'clock meeting, right?" she checks her computer "15 people, three to arrive directly. Alright, security clearance granted, you can take the elevator directly to the roof. Have a good day."

[Volthawk]

"Well, crap."

Volker immediately starts to try the mental link.

They know you're coming. They're coming up the elevator to meet you. We're going in now. Either we'll get them to take us on rather than go up, or they'll go up and we can take the building and move on up.

Once he's done, he opens the van door, getting a grenade ready.


Initiative: [roll0]

[Speebump]

Since Sliver saw fit to spoiler whats going on downstairs I shall do the same.
Damn. We're expected. He hasn't hindered us, but he must know why we are here. Which leaves two possibilities. Either he is prepared to give up what want, or he is confident that he can prevent us from taking it. Or ofcourse, he isn't at all here and this is all an exercise to insult and frustrate us before we realise that. I hate precognitives. Alternatively he's trying to lure us into a false sense of security and the elevator is a trap. Ofcourse, if he's foreseen this encounter any move to avoid a trap would be walking into it. I really hate precognitives. There's no doubt that he could hire a force capable of killing us for atleast one day, even if he had to sell some his businesses to do so. Nothing to do but hope that his sanity is compromised and that letting us get close is a mistake.

All this passes through Howards head in less than a second. His responce to the receptionist is simply. "Thank you. Have a nice day yourself."

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed

Despite his great power, despite his ability to influence the minds of others with nothing more than a few words, despite his potential for destructive force, Vox has long regretted his inability to fly. As he is telekinetically lifted from the ground, into the air, and onto the roof, Vox envies (and not for the first time) those other metas who were capable of such a thing unaided. At that moment, even as the Demon sets him down unharmed, Vox feels such an envious hatred of Moloch that he very nearly loses his composure. Instead, he simply straightens his suit jacket and nods towards his field commander.

"Thank you," he says. "Shall we begin?"

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch says, "Hold a moment. Our cover is broken, and Volker says we may have incoming. Let's wait for the ground team to engage before moving. Traps are likely, keep on guard."

He then responds to Volker over the link. We'll hold position until you engage. If security is meeting us, I'd rather have a roof to throw them off of than a hallway to get gunned down in for as long as possible.

[Sliver]

Volker is part of the ground team and about to enter the elevator, why is he confused?

Speaking of the elevator, it has room for 6.

[The Dark Fiddler]

"So wait, our cover is broken, but the others haven't gotten into a fight yet?" George asks. "I may be a bit overly optimistic here, but what if a fight isn't in our immediate future?"

Bump.

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch tilts his head from side to side, saying, "It's a distinct possibility, don't get me wrong. Still, best to stay on our toes. I've got caught a few times because I let my guard down, and I'd be just as happy if I'd never had the chance to admire Doctor Guillotine's work firsthand." He pauses briefly before adding, "Fine machine, though. Can't agree with his motivation for making it, but the elegance and efficiency were a wonder to behold."

[Sliver]

An old man in a formal black suit opens the door as the ground team reaches the roof. Sometimes no plan is good plan too, it seems.

The servant motions you to come in.

[Speebump]

"We might as well head upward." States Howard towards Volker and his men. Having said that he gets into the elevator and even if they don't follow he heads pushes the button for the roof.

[The Dark Fiddler]

"So much for our plan," George says to himself, stepping down onto the roof of the building. "Are you two coming?" he asks his allies as he walks towards the man. "It seems waiting isn't going to do any good now, so we might as well," he continues. He doesn't let his guard down, however, and his hands are glowing slightly with energy as he prepares to throw up a protective wall, should it be needed.

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch shrugs. "We don't seem to have much choice. Onward, then." He follows George into the elevator, appearing resigned to the casual observer, but still maintaining a careful eye on his surroundings.

[Sliver]

Both teams now together, you enter the house. The large guest room has a tall ceilling and lit by hundreds of crystal balls hanging at different hights by a string. Fancy couches, a large desk, huge flatscreen tv, a lot of fancy art. The place is quite impressive.

In front of a bookcase that is moved from the wall stands a man in his late twenties, his back is to you.

"Hello" you are greeted by a russian accent "excuse me for being a poor host, I just rather get to the point and not be seen with the likes of."

He steps forward into a passage behind the bookcase motioning for you to follow.

After a bit of walking you get into a small lab. In it you see a human statue with a small difference. It only has one eye, made from gold and wires run from it to a laptop.

"So, what do you think?"

[Speebump]

"I am impressed. I doubt that it was easy to create a device that convert a mystic vision into a digital format." Replies Howard, making a logical assumption, but aware that is was an assumption none the less. "But as you wish to 'get to the point', I shall simply ask: What are your conditions for giving us the Eye of Iamos?"

[Sliver]

He smiled at the observation. "You'd be surprised at what ancient technology could do. It already was digital. That's why I'm willing to let it go. I can't use it to it's fullest potential. Only you can. But I have several terms. You see, Pests 'R Us is simply a cover company. But it has to continue to strive. We are the best because of the eye. To keep our domination even with the reduced access to the eye, I'd need you to take care of our biggest opponents. They use some mean machinery. My second demand is to be part of it. I want a slice of the power pie when your plan gets together. Of cource you can ask for financial support and I'll cover up after you and deal with the press. My last demand is to attach a chip to your metallic friend so I can access the eye wirelessly. Of course it's all the chip will do and I'll let you inspect it first."

He waits for your response.

[Volthawk]

"What kind of 'mean machinery' are we talking about here?"

[Sliver]

"Giant mechs mostly. Gas, fire, those kinds of weapons. I'd say it's too much just to kill some rodents, but I'm using an ancient artifact so I can't judge." Ivan shrugs.

[Volthawk]

Volker nods. Well, this makes things a lot more interesting...

"So, if we take them out for you, this machinery. Should we leave it for you guys, or can we keep it?"

[Sliver]

He shrugs "Yeah, sure. Do whatever you want with it."

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch stretches out his thoughts, connecting with Ivan's surface thoughts. Once he has done so, he begins to speak, while at the same time listening intently to what crosses the Russian's mind, and less so to what comes from his lips.

"Now, Mr. Protovski, I have been bargaining with mortals since the first neanderthal was ever jealous of his neighbor's club, and I know a suspicious deal when I see one. You have us take care of your competition, an act which seems like a fairly reasonable compensation from our perspective, given the difficulty of doing battle with the monstrosities you've described, but the benefit for you is rather minor; it minimizes the loss you suffer, but gains you little. The same with the chip. Getting a cut of the power when we succeed is more like it, but I'm not so sure. Once we have the Eye, you have no leverage, no importance to us, and no ability to make us keep our end of the deal. I suspect you want to get rid of the Eye, and I think I know why."


Reading his surface thoughts, subtly (so no save, but if he has a non-save defense against mind reading then I'll change my actions accordingly. I think I know his motives, but I'd like independent corroboration, so I'm using Bluff vs Sense Motive to try and trick him into thinking about his true reason for giving up the Eye.

[roll0]

EDIT: Spending a hero point to boost that to a 22.

[Sliver]

You have to reroll if you use a HP. But don't bother. Point not wasted.

He is mostly thinking about how annoying devils are with their all knowing attitude.

"After I install the chip on the eye, I will not be losing anything. In fact, your metallic pal would be able to tell me more than I can get now. Sure, you have a point. I'll add some explosives to be activated by the chip and destroy the fragile eye if you betray me. Thanks for the insight. Any other concerns?"

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch shrugs, deciding not to press the matter further. "Just be certain that you consider the consequences of betraying us should the thought cross your mind. I have walked this earth for thousands of years, and made many enemies in that time. I have drawn the fury of an angel of the Almighty upon me. I am still alive, and those who opposed me are dead. I trust that you will learn from their mistakes."

[Speebump]

"How do you beleive that I will be able to interpret visions better than you can now? And how exactly will your chip access my interpretations?" Asks Howard carefully.

[Sliver]

"It's not just visions that the eye produces. It works on all senses, but I am very limited on what I can produce on screen. The eye supplies more information the more senses it detects, which I can mimic but yet the eye isn't fooled. It's complicated, but once the eye detects your senses, the chip will transfer all that info to be recreated here."

[Speebump]

"I see, well then I hope you do not expect me to attach even a small explosive device anywhere near my core systems, but your oppositions mechs should provide sufficient parts for me to create an appropriate housing."

[Sliver]

"No, I was just kidding. I have other means of securing your use of the eye limited to our partnership" Ivan says as he hands you a map with the location of his opponents "Do the job, and I'll give you the eye."

[The Dark Fiddler]

"I'll just come right out and ask, Mr. Protovski: is this a trick? My allies seem content with accusations, but I find being forthwith is just sometimes more helpful.

Of course, if you were tricking us, I doubt we'll get you to admit it, through guile or being forthwith. Still, you never know what will happen until you try."

[Sliver]

"Gentleman" Ivan started "What would be my interest in tricking you? I could have warned my security and laid traps for you, but you would have blazed through it and taken the eye by force. I'm just trying to make a deal favorable to both sides and hope the resources that I put forth for your use are significant enough for our continued pact to maintain. It's impossible to run good business when you can't see both sides, and is foolish to try. I try to avoid being a fool."

[Volthawk]

Volker nods. "This deal sounds good to me, guys."

[The Dark Fiddler]

"I suppose I have to agree; it could certainly be a lot worse."

[Sliver]

Ivan nods in agreement "I suppose we would make it a verbal contract?" he smiles. "I'll prepare the eye and the needed procedure while you take care of our business..."

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch hesitates only momentarily before nodding. "We have an accord, then. We will return once our first obligation has been fulfilled. If you want to get in any final taunts at your competitors, I'd suggest you do so quickly."

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Is there any other information you can give us, to help our task?"

[Sliver]

"Not really, I don't think you will have hard time with it... They are big robots, you could limit their movements if you fight in closed quarters..." Ivan offers.

[Sophistemon]

Vox
Unharmed

The grey-clad villain stands motionless as the discussion unfolds. Moreover, he stands silently, which is quite unlike him. He eyes the Eye and its owner as he bargains it away to a group of untrustworthy and unscrupulous ne'er-do-wells for seemingly nothing of value. Certainly, once the world bows at their feet they will have the power to grant Ivan anything his wicked heart desires, but why would they? As they grow in strength his own power over them would diminish, and his threat to destroy the Eye is a mouth of soft teeth; he needs it just as much if not more than they do, and so he would never destroy it. He directs a thought at Moloch, directing his mind along that special mental 'frequency' that allows for telepathic communication with the demon.

Ivan already knows how this will turn out, he theorizes. Either we succeed and claim the Eye, and thereafter provide services for him, or we fail and are destroyed, thereby eliminating possible threats to his little empire. He's working a win-win angle. Beneath the green lenses of his helmet, Vox's eyes narrow. And that's my angle.

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch replies to Vox's postulate, remaining outwardly expressionless. Indeed, I would be surprised if he had not probed the future to see what would come of our arrangement. However, his knowledge is still limited; if the Eye granted true omniscience, either the forces of the Almighty or of one of the true demons would have claimed it for themselves. It all depends on what information he does possess. Assuming we will succeed, he most likely knows that we will fulfill our end of the bargain; it is a violation of my very nature to break such a pact, and I doubt the rest of you would unanimously decide to violate the agreement. That does not mean we won't betray him; we promised to eliminate his competition, cut him in on our power, and allow him to install that chip. Nowhere did we promise not to kill him once our bargain was complete, or even just, say, let slip to his competitors who hired us to destroy their mechs. If he knew that, I doubt he'd be willing to deal. We'll know more once we have an idea of the Eye's full capabilities.

[Speebump]

Howard notices a pause in the conversation and interjects. "I believe we have a deal, but you still haven't stated exactly who your competition are."

[The Dark Fiddler]

That information could easily be just as important as what we're fighting," George pitches in.

[Sliver]

"Right..." mumbled Ivan as he searched his pockets, finally pulling out a folded paper and handing it out to the demon. It's a map that shows part of the city with a mark near tin outskirts of the city titled Clean Sweep.

[Sophistemon]

Vox

Nodding his head, Vox telepathically replies to Moloch. I understand, he thinks. Keep to the letter, then, and not the intent. How demonic. And then, to himself, If any here are my key to greatness, it is Moloch. The others are Pawns - Howard may be a Rook, or a Knight - but Moloch is a powerful creature with countless lifetimes of experience in accumulating influence. But not to be trusted, of course. None of them should be trusted. He eyes the map, his lenses flashing. "Clean Sweep. Interesting."

[Tar Palantir]

Moloch glances briefly at the map, before handing it to Vox. "We won't keep you waiting long, Mr. Protovski." He nods his head respectfully before turning and heading for the elevator, and from there to the car out front.

As he does so, he says to Vox over the mental link, You've got a lot of potential; I've seen enough of the greats to tell. Would you be willing to indulge my curiosity? Why is it that you seek power? You're powerful enough now to live a life of comfort and ease; your car attests to that. You could rob a bank or a cruise ship and make enough to live out your life on a beach sipping margaritas for the next seventy years. I'm an eternal being of pure evil with nothing better to do; what's your excuse?

[Sophistemon]

Vox

The villain takes the map from Moloch and looks it over before folding it into fourths and tucking it into his belt pouch.

"Very well," he says. "Are we finished here?"

It would be easy, he thinks back at Moloch. And someday, once I've had my fun, and if I survive that long, I might retire just like that. He pauses, wondering how much he should tell the demon. Is his unGodly master not the heinous Prince of Lies? Deception may flow in Moloch's veins as blood does in his own. He's too old and powerful to be truly trustworthy. I imagine that you were born to your power, Moloch. I wasn't. It developed only recently, all things considered. For most of my life I was a nobody, a doormat, someone for other people to step on and step over on their way to greater things. Moloch can hear the echo of mocking laughter, unconsciously remembered, and there is another pause. It's not about the money, Moloch. It's about the power.

[The Dark Fiddler]

"Unless anybody has any last minute comments, I do believe we are," George says, feigning tipping his nonexistent hat. "It was nice meeting you, Ivan. I think we'll have your task carried out fairly quickly."

[Sliver]

Ivan nods with a smile "I'll be expecting your return soon."