Kingdom Come IC

[Belial_the_Leveler]

The twenty-first century is well into its final quarter and historians are already tallying up the ups and downs of the past eight decades. The advent of nanotechnology and genetic engineering balanced by the bioweapons scare. The experimental development of limited artificial intelligence balanced by serious ethical and moral clashes among human intellectuals - and physical clashes between said intelligence and humans. The embracing of renewable energy sources as fossil fuel reserves run out balanced by disastrous forays into nuclear fusion. The confirmation of the existence of alien life balanced by no less than three major invasions. The reinstatement of the United Nations balanced by major economical and political decline worldwide. Someone looking up at this list and the state of the world will come to the conclusion that while the world has advanced by leaps and bounds in many fields, human civilization has not significantly improved as a whole. In many cases it has even regressed. And while many experts perpetually debate as to the reasons, many are quick to blame one issue that the list includes not: the existence of metahumans.
Starting with the public appearance of Superman in the late 20th century and the formation of the Justice League to fight the white martians, and culminating with the Justice League and Superman's brief return from retirement at Magog's challenge and the United Nations' much-condemned decision to employ a gigaton-range thermonuclear bomb against the gathered metahumans a mere decade and a half ago, metahumans have affected the world far more than any scientific advancement or political change in the modern world.

Current events in the world of superheroes and supervillains are centered around a slow recovery from that last major event and a passing of the torch as renowned heroes from the generation of the first Justice League pass away due to old age or retire while the latest generation still has a lot of catching up to do. For over ten years, metahumans have been a great help against natural disasters, industrial accidents and major crime involving advanced technology or the occasional supervillain. Superman's inexplicable return to retirement has been followed for over a decade of relative calm.

But things change. And the events set in motion by the relatively innocuous disappearance of a large oil tanker in the Pacific are about to make the world interesting again in that faux-chinese way as sleepless (insomniac!) watchers scramble to intercept...


Project Overwatch, 0030 GST, location(s) classified

So, what do you think? <yawns> Freedom Fighters XI or Sovereign V?
We're supposed to be watching against threats, not second-rate Hollywood films. <snorts> Besides, a group of supersmart people pooling their mad genius to protect the world and a superstrong alien from a heavy-gravity planet saving the day for the Nth time? Too much like work for my tastes.
<giggles> So I like the classics - sue me. It's not as if a free movie or two is that illegal. The guys over at Echelon totally spied on bathrooms and clothing stores, right?
No Project-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named references please!
<deadpan> What, we're in obscure fantasy literature now?
<groans> If that's what you spend your free time on, maybe I should adjust my opinion of your intelligence, young lady. Downwards.
Take your super-mothering out of my recreation, you old... <blinks> Wait, did you see that? Pacific sector 54 or 57, I think.
Backtracking now... <quiet and serious> Oka****e!
Did you just...
We don't have time for that. Bring them in now.
But I haven't prep...
We don't have time for that either. <pause> I'm scrambling interceptors.
OK, ok. Hope your planning is up to stuff...
<line goes dead>
Wait, was that a Tolkien reference?...





Multiple locations over the world, 0035 GST

The letters had gone out days ago. Paper delivered personally was very old-fashioned in this era of informatics but, with the right preparation, it was also untraceable. A reasonable precaution when one is contacting powerful individuals - that may or may not want to have a secret identity - in the privacy of their own abodes.
The contents of the letter even more important than their method of delivery; an invitation to a new version of the Justice League. A bold claim and potentially dangerous, if true, it also gave information on how the sender could be informed if the recipient accepted (by speaking "I accept" at the letter itself) and that further contact might be forthcoming at some future date.
When the silvery-blue glow arrived, no other letters had been sent yet. Many of those contacted were still mulling the invitation over and had not yet decided. So a brilliant aura like Aurora Borealis come to Earth surrounding them and insistently tugging at them -the most well known and historically studied manifestation of the old League's teleportation system - came as a major surprise...

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

When River had received the letter, it came as a surprise. She had known she was establishing...something of a reputation recently, but getting called to join the new Justice League? The was the big time, there.

It was...kind of worth it, too. Her growing reputation had come with new enemies, some of whom she hadn't been sure how she was going to beat, or even fend off for too long. Having backup available would be a pleasant change of pace, and she was pretty confident that she could contribute effectively to such a team.

The real question, of course, was whose reaction she was more eager to see - Thomas's, when she told him she had been called upon to join such a prestigious team, or those blasted Primals when she told them, nope, sorry, I'm on a team already!

Fun times.

Of course, the greater surprise came a few days later, when she was bodily yanked away from the pizza place where she was meeting Jessica for a meal. Literally mid-bite, she was surrounded by some strange blue light and poof relocated. She came out of the teleport no longer appearing as a normal young woman, but in a cohesive body of water, kinda her default reaction to apparent danger at this stage. Tragically, her half-eaten slice of pizza immediately became a soggy mess in her hand.

[Sir_Chivalry]

Ibn Al Xu'ffasch

At first, it was a curious thing, one that almost made Ibn jump at the startling nature of it. The mannequin displaying William Cobb's Talon armour had an arm raised, grasping the letter. Ibn, dressed in his housecoat, hurried back upstairs from the cave into the mansion, and upstairs to the room he and his wife shared.

"Mar'i. Mar'i!"

His whisper woke his sleeping wife, a woman who, though now middle-aged, didn't look a day older than when he met her thanks to her mother's Tamaranean genes. Her luminescent green eyes lit the room with a weak light as she got up and walked over. Ibn motioned for her to follow.

"Could you pick this up?"

He motioned to the letter which, rolling her eyes, Mar'i picked up, and nothing happened. Ibn unfolded his reading glasses and starred at it, flicking it with a nearby letter opener. Nothing happened.

"Right, well I guess we've got to put it on the scanner!"

Mar'i cleared her throat.

"Or we can open it, alright dear."

Reading the contents, Ibn mused for a moment on the thought of a new Justice League. Perhaps it was time, with his father's health failing, for a new Batman to make his presence known.

After a few days of getting his father's old suits out of storage and using them as a template for designing his own, Ibn was about to try it on when he was pulled by a mysterious blue light, only having time to grab the sword on the table in front of him, the blade of his grandfather and mentor Ra's Al Ghul.

As the teleportation effect ebbed, he flourished his blade around him and assumed a defensive stance, the intimidation factor of this only marred by him wearing reading glasses, pajamas, a housecoat and fuzzy slippers.

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom

Captain Atom read the letter again. He hadn't told his CO about it. He knew he should. But it could just be a joke, right? One of the guys playing a prank. Not that the scientists were practical jokers. Atom was just stepping out of the shower, a mild acid, when the glow surrounded him. Calling up his barriers, he arrived wearing a suit of glowing body armor created from quantum energy.

[HopeHubris]

Chairman

Receiving a letter from the Justice League, even if it wasn't the original group, was quite an honour for ol' Billy Stuhl, every other hero he had met laughed at him and his powers, but with this new opportunity he was determined to prove that he would be a valuable asset, and a great force for good.

Reading over it for the ninth time in as many minutes, he whispers "I accept", then stands there, unsure of what to expect, reading the letter again when nothing happened.

His initial eagerness having been dispelled by the sudden disappointment, he began to assume that his letter was a mistake, finally becoming resigned to the fact that he would be forever sidelined as a joke when he felt something.

"My chair senses are tingling!" he exclaims, as the beam of light engulfs him, grabbing a chair from to defend himself with (From thin air if none are close), against the armed and be-slippered man.


If he had to summon a chair it looked like this https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTDSDyKYHKlcCTrP9VqLKtI0we0dk0-uhDQD8pwxQgcaDd9KI6v1A

[Re'ozul]

Crawler

Endless plains of dirt. No trees, no grass. This was his prison.
Well, not prison as he had elected to stay here. It was his containment. A space between dimensions, just free enough that his second conscious did not elect to compell him to try and break out. It had been a long time since he had entered this place. Or at least he thought it had been. He had been here for decades, but what that time meant on the outside he had no idea.

So he walked and walked and walked. Sometimes he ran, sometimes he flew, he even tried burrowing a few times when his subconscious decided that was interesting. Though the latter turned out to be even more confusing with geometries messed up as he tried to go 'down'.

'Hmm? What is that?'

An irregularity in the endless field. Seconds later he was at its side.
A letter in the dirt, its size rather larger than normal and fit for his twisted 'hands'. Opening it was easy, as was reading it. Comprehension, on the other hand, took a while.

...

This, this was more than he had hoped for. Perhaps a form of pardon and probation. Maybe preliminary grey status with an obligation to help against threats. This however, was fullblown initiation.
Immediately he was weary. What had prompted this? It must have been some form of threat great enough to warrant his release. It wasn't that he feared such threat, but the possibility of this being a ploy to play him was setting his mind on edge.
But in the end it was a way out. An offer that was too good to refuse it on the suspicion of possible manipulations alone.

"I Accept." How long had it been since he had actually spoken? His voice still the same as an overly loud and gravelly train station announcer.

With a sound of ripping paper and screeching steel, space rips open in front of him. He remembers; this was the way he had come in.
Was he supposed to walk through? Perhaps he was to wait for someone to get him? Some instructions would be nice.

The tug of teleportation answered his questions.

'Oh great...' were the last thoughts to ever emerge in the endless plains. Its sole occupant gone, the machines on the outside shut down, and reality collapsed.

[Tichrondrius]

Nathan Graves

Recognition.

Maybe it was the blood of Luthor burning inside him but his greatest desires and gifts seemed to coincide with that of the old man; ambition, cunning, greed, recognition, not to mention a certain disregard for the rules of this society. As he clutched the letter in his hand he knew that at last he have had achieved it. He'd started to go out in costume for a few weeks in a row- the massive battle suit was sluggish but elegant and made short work of most things he came across.

The suit made no real attempt to mask his identity while he was out in the field, but the reckless young man didn't really care too much. He wasn't like he was handing out his business card but he wouldn't have minded if the name Graves was honored in neon across the sky. He was in charge of the company now, or soon would be, and this was his birth-right! He'd use it however he damn well please.

It was his, him, Nathan ****ing Graves. And it was him that found himself suddenly in the midst of some of the greatest heroes alive; the ones that were left and the new ones that sprung up afterward. The extremely expensive suit he was wearing seemed to be fitted perfectly for him by some custom designer. With a Martini in one hand he'd been whisked away from his new office after a particularly difficult Board Meeting with that gang of leaches his Father left in charge.

"What's all this about, then?" He questioned, casting a withered eye on the man in what seemed like a bunny costume and another wielding a chair. Nathan simply straightened his tie in response.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

The room the teleporter deposits you in does not herald the most auspicious of beginnings. It is a vast chamber the size of a foot ball field, true. And it is all made up of metal and crystal in the form of a multitude of machinery, computer screens, control stations and even alien-looking devices.
But it is also mostly in the dark. Countless cables can be seen springing out of gutted machinery like weeds, what lights are on flicker with interminent power and there are even rust spots in many a corner. Fully three quarters of everything in the chamber is simply not functional.

A young woman in a grey business suit comes out from behind a defunct control station to greet you. Of well over average height -she probably is over six feet in her low heels- athletic behind the corporate attire and with her long black hair pulled back in a tight braid, she would only clash more with the decor if she were a clown - and an alien clown from mars at that. She's also quite young - no more than eighteen, you suspect.

Please don't mind the mess. We had to call you a month ahead of schedule due to a developing situation and the overhaul is only just beginning. At least auxiliary power is up and artificial gravity and the teleporters are among the things that work.
She presses a button in the seemingly unpowered command station and a portion of the far wall the size of a basketball field retracts, leaving only a pane of thick glass between you and the view beyond; the planet Earth, as seen from geosynchronous orbit over North America - which means you're in the Justice League's old Watchtower... or a station very like it in a nearby orbit.
Emergencies, as I said. Project Overwatch has been keeping an eye on both heroes or potential heroes -that's you- and supervillains for some time now but the bad guys seriously moved up their schedule. And here you are.

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

River kept her guard up, looking warily about the people who had appeared along with her, until the woman arrived and explained things. Enough that it was clear that they weren't being immediately threatened, at least. She shifted back to human form.

"Wow." Was the first thing she said, when their host treated them to that view of the planet. They were in outer space. That...that seemed like it should have been a more...involved process.

"So, what's the emergency, then?" she asked, looking about the half-completed room. More in hopes of finding a trash can than for anything practical.

[Sir_Chivalry]

Ibn Al Xu'ffasch

Ibn scoffed at the labels of good guys and bad guys . . . perhaps this would prove to simply be another ill-fated JLA reformation.

"Alright miss, tell us why we're here then? Besides the 'bad guys' are on the move . . . which ones? Why? Are we talking Von Bach, Joker's Daughter, Grodd? We need to know scale here."

[Rhyvurg]

CAPTAIN ATOM

Atom says nothing for the moment, silently observing these people. This woman especially perked his interest. And that's saying something, considering there's a monster in the room. To young to have a position of authority, so she's a stand in, or doesn't age like humans do. But little things about her look, her height, hair color. Not to mention location. All suggested a connection to a certain past League member. He lets his armor dissipate.

[Re'ozul]

Crawler

The teleporter deposits him in a rather large room. Thanking whoever made that decision lest he inadvertantly crush someone, Crawler looks around. Not that anyone would notice him doing so as for him it siply means opening the eyes positioned all over his body.

'Huh. A water woman, a man in pajamas brandishing a sword, a brat in a business suit, reminding him far too much of Luthor, some guy wielding ... is that a chair?'

At least there is one face he recognizes, even with changed containment suit and all, the glow and feel he gets from the man is unmistakeable.

Disregarding the woman that spoke upon his arrival, he plods towards Atom and 'rumbles'.

"So Atom, are you the one I have to thank for giving me this chance? If so I will gladly give it. Though I have to ask. What happened while I was in the plains? This place looks abandoned. Did something wipe out the old league?"

[Belial_the_Leveler]

The villains I spoke of are a relatively new group, as far as we can tell. We suspected their existence in how some events a year ago turned out - a manipulation of a border conflict in the Middle East by someone selling an old "power serum" formula and powered armor... to both sides.
The young woman says.
Since almost every member of the old League has died of old age or has been killed in action and the very few that remain are... dealing with their own problems, older and wiser heads than I decided we needed to bring in some new people - you.

She pauses for a moment and stares at an apparently defunct screen. Her lips tighten in a grimace and then she nods.
As for the current crisis, this group of supervillains has launched an attack on the old and theoretically decommissioned submarine base in Point Midway. Of course, it isn't really a submarine base and it is quite far from decommissioned and so I brought you all here to the League's old Watchtower ahead of schedule to wait for developments and interfere as required. You guys should probably suit up.

[HopeHubris]

Chairman

Deciding that no one was going to attack him in the immediate future, and feeling a little overwhelmed, Bill places the chair down and sits, trying to take everything in, chuckling lightly when he sees the fluffy slippers.

Gosh, this is so exciting! I'm about to help stop some real supervillains with a team of proper heroes, maybe I'll be able to show them what I can do, that should stop some of the mockery at least Chairman thinks to himself before saying anything

"I'm happy to help however I can"
Chairman says to the woman, before standing up and turning to the rest of the group
"Greetings fellow heroes, I am the Chairman master of all things... chair"


Anyone paying particularly close attention to the chair notices that it grows a cushion as Stuhl puts it down

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

"Submarine base, huh? Nice," River said with a slender grin. "What sort of developments are we waiting for? Is the attack already underway?"

When Chairman introduced himself...yeah, River couldn't help it. She raised a brow as she regarded him. Master of chairs? So he, what, viciously and savagely forces the bad guys to go sit in the corner? she speculated. Well, a teammate's a teammate, I suppose. "River. Or, uh, Riptide. Water elementalist."

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom


Crawler
Disregarding the woman that spoke upon his arrival, he plods towards Atom and 'rumbles'.

"So Atom, are you the one I have to thank for giving me this chance? If so I will gladly give it. Though I have to ask. What happened while I was in the plains? This place looks abandoned. Did something wipe out the old league?"

"I...I'm not..."


The villains I spoke of are a relatively new group, as far as we can tell. We suspected their existence in how some events a year ago turned out - a manipulation of a border conflict in the Middle East by someone selling an old "power serum" formula and powered armor... to both sides.
The young woman says.
Since almost every member of the old League has died of old age or has been killed in action and the very few that remain are... dealing with their own problems, older and wiser heads than I decided we needed to bring in some new people - you.

She pauses for a moment and stares at an apparently defunct screen. Her lips tighten in a grimace and then she nods.
As for the current crisis, this group of supervillains has launched an attack on the old and theoretically decommissioned submarine base in Point Midway. Of course, it isn't really a submarine base and it is quite far from decommissioned and so I brought you all here to the League's old Watchtower ahead of schedule to wait for developments and interfere as required. You guys should probably suit up.

"Miss, your...superiors want to send us into a fight without any experience working together, against an unknown enemy?"

[Sir_Chivalry]

Ibn Al Xu'ffasch

"I don't go anywhere until you answer my questions. Try me, I'm sure I've heard of these guys, unless your friends at Cadmus are responsible for this mess."

[Re'ozul]

Crawler

'No, the mannerism is all wrong. Atom wouldn't have given such a confused answer.'

His eyes fixating the lookalike, he can make out differences that at first had seemed cosmetic or a result of better technology.
A low chuckle rolls from him, a wet rumbling sound which, amplified by his sheer mass, causes the floor to vibrate.

"So, they somehow made another one of him. Guess if it ain't broke..."

He turns towards the woman.

"So we are the replacement for the old better-than-thous? Well," his many eyes roam over the assembled people "we are definitely more varied than them. Though I have two questions. One, what are the rules of engagement for this? And two, we'll be using your teleporters to get there, right? I very much dislike having to squeeze into one of your flying tincans."

[Tichrondrius]

Nathan Graves

"Powered Armor? Not from my company, I assure you." Nathan protested, taking a deep sip of his martini. He couldn't discount that some of his board members may have gotten to that point, but he wasn't going to share that information with these cretins. At least, not yet. When he actually took the time to look outside himself, however, he did find a couple of things he liked.

"Well, well, well." The young man continued after eying the view. No, not the Earth. The billionaire's eye roamed over both the attractive young women there with him while giving the monster a wide berth, especially when it talked. He finally settled on the one in the business suit, figuring she looked like she could use a little fun. He did tip his glass at River before going into full play-boy mode on the one who summoned them here.

"So, what's your name, darling? I'm supremely rich you know." He started off with his classic pick up line. "I'd be happy to suit up if you've happened to bring my hardsuit along, although this Armani is my real powersuit." Nathan joked, earning himself a chuckle. "I'd be happy to 'suit down' with you later-"

[Belial_the_Leveler]

I don't know what my superiors are thinking. Need-to-know, as usual. In this case it might well be justified. The one enemy we have identified is Professor Ivo, a mid-20th-century supergenius in nanorobotics, organic electronics and quantum computing. He practically invented those fields himself and as far as we know nobody on Earth - not even Lex Luthor - was ever his match in them. So you understand if we...
WARNING! A.R.G.U.S. authorization confirmed; codename Necessity.
One by one the more intact control panels light up as an electronic voice speaks.
Beta fusion reactor online. Orbit adjustment initiated: firing lateral thrusters.
What the hell? It is clear that your hostess is as surprised as you are as the Watchtower slowly begins to shift. She presses a series of buttons too fast for you to see and speaks in a very annoyed, imperious tone. A.R.G.U.S. authorization: Equity. Initiate Overwatch scan for Necessity.
Negative. Overwatch in stand-by for CHECMATE fire control. Alternative connection initiated; personal global communicator.


One of the larger viewing screens in the control room lights up and a veritably chaotic view crops up. In profile is an adult chinese woman in a black-and-silver jumpsuit with an assortment of gadgets in the belt and headgear and a snow-white cloak behind her.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_XcMXznhMzAY/Ss64cFr3rOI/AAAAAAAAAyI/RqUkQ15UQ80/s320/num+10.jpg
She's currently standing in mid-air a thousand feet above the ocean below, working furiously on a virtual laptop apparently made of solidified light. She's also surrounded by over two dozen man-sized, sphere-shaped drones made of the same solidified light and floating in a spherical formation around her, apparently generating a powerful forcefield. This is probably a good thing; an entire company of men in powered armor, two androids and five superhumans with fire and electricity projection abilities are trying to breach it and, presumably, attack her. In the background, even more androids and energy controllers are engaged in aerial combat by similar numbers of advanced aircraft, again made out of solidified light.

Yes? the woman asks without pausing in her work.
What in the name of Tartarus are you doing? your younger hostess asks furiously. The Watchtower has lit up like a Christmas tree on overload and two thirds of its systems are not even operational?
The chinese woman's eyebrows rise at the tone of the question even while her lips turn up to form a small smile. Do you want the good news or the bad news? she asks in all seriousness.
I'd settle for ANY news.
The suited-up chinese superhero looks up from her virtual screen and straight at the camera - possibly one of her drones is carrying it. Even while she takes in the scene at the Watchtower and especially the rest of you, her hands do not stop working at their furious pace.

I'll get into details in a moment, ladies and gentlemen. But we're pressed for time. Are you ready for an assignment of critical importance?

[Re'ozul]

Crawler

This would the moment to dramatically raise an eyebrow, if he still had any.
He wasn't quite sure what was going on ... ok, he had absolutely no clue what was going on, but the visuals of battle, even if only a standoff, did get him excited. It had been way too long.

Spreading his 'forearms', if you could call the sick mockery of human appendages growing out of his fordermost legs that, in the best approximation of a shrug he could manage, he acknowledges the request with a simple word.

"Sure"

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

Okay, getting right into it, then, the elementalist thinks, surveying the field and trying to recall what she could.

Well Informed regarding Professor Ivo: [roll0].
Well Informed regarding the woman in silver: [roll1].
Expertise (Science): [roll2]. Increase total by +14 with regards to marine applications, if applicable.

When the woman asked if they were ready for an assignment, River just shifted back to her water form. "Ready," she said, her voice somewhat distorted, but intelligible.

Change Fluid Form Array to Water Form.
Change Water Elemental Array to Tidal Blast.

[Rhyvurg]

Captain "states the obvious" Atom

"How much longer were you going to keep us in the dark, Amazon? Your people are fine warriors but poor deceivers. Physical size, hair color, and position of authority that belies your age suggests you are no mere Amazon, but Wonder Woman herself. And tell your friend backup is on it's way. We will discuss your poor deceptions later."

[Sir_Chivalry]

Ibn Al Xu'ffasch

"I'll need five minutes to get my clothes."

Ibn walks towards what passes for a teleporter on this broken down satellite, noting with amusement that Nathaniel Adam's replacement was assuming their young guide was Wonder Woman. Aunt Diana would have at least had the good sense to not try secrecy with the world's second best detective.

[HopeHubris]

"I'm ready when you are, miss... Sorry, I didn't catch your name, what was it?"

Stuhl was already in full hero garb when he was teleported, as he is rarely out of it, save when he's sleeping or appearing publicly as the owner of ChairHouse Warehouse


Well Informed, Ivo: [roll0]
Well Informed, Woman: [roll1]

[Belial_the_Leveler]

You think I'm Wonder Woman? the young agent laughs. My cup size is way too small for that.

Far be it from me to interrupt your happy time. the Chinese superheroine says with a scowl But Over.L.O.R.D. absconded with fifteen hundred crates of base Midway's so-called assets. That's the good news - the base contained well over ten thousand.
She takes a deep breath and visibly calms herself.
And here's a piece of information for the rest of you; one of the latest projects my mother and father worked on together for Overwatch was an experimental tachyon detector. As they discovered, anything moving at speeds faster than light either in the normal universe or via dimensional travel releases a double energy signature of Cherenkhov radiation and a tachyon pulse. The radiation is little more than a lightshow but the tachyon pulse? That travels backwards in time. With the right detection equipment, one can detect any faster than light travel before it happens.
She waits for a moment for you to realize the magnitude of the breakthrough. Many things traveled faster-than-light, not least among them several sufficiently powerful superhumans as well as all interstellar spacecraft and alien entities.
Which brings us to the bad news and why I put the entire Overwatch system on red alert.
A second screen lights up, showing a map of North America. It rapidly zooms in on the state of Washington and eventually to an unassuming line of mountainous terrain with what looks like a large but old communications station at the top.
Fort Teller, Washington. The groundside coordination center for Overwatch. A minute ago, the tachyon scanner detected a teleportation signature of five human-sized individuals with powerful superhuman signatures, a teleportation that will happen five minutes hence. Since I don't believe in coincidences, those superhumans will almost certainly be there to disable the fort.

Another pause. It is clear agent "Necessity" is not telling you everything. If what she says is true - and you sense no deception - then she (and you) are pressed sorely for time. But while what she does say gives you a bad feeling, you don't see why a relatively old military installation would be of such importance as to require you to defend it. Then again, she's not finished explaining.
Unless you want North America to have a lot of immediate "hot" company from Mr. Stanislaw Ulam and Mr. Edward Teller, we cannot lose that fort.

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

"So best move would probably be, those of us who are prepared to fight should be teleported down there immediately, get into position, hold them off until the rest of the team can gear up and get there," River suggested.

She thought for a moment, the scientist in her starting to speculate, then added, "I...assume the detection equipment has already detected our own arrivals, distinct from the five we're concerned about? If not, this would be an incredible opportunity to experiment with the potential effects of using information gained from the future in the present."

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom

Nathan has to focus on something other than 'cup size' for a moment before he speaks. "We have five minutes before the assault on the fort. Can the Watchtower do a site to site teleportation? We can go help Necessity as much as we can, then some of us can go to the fort to defend it. If we can finish the fight at Midway quickly, we can all go. Those of you that must...suit up," he glances at the two humans. "Should do so quickly. With some luck I can take back what was taken and we can deal with those villains later, after the fort is secured."

[HopeHubris]

Chairman

Not wanting to impose on the other heroes, now that he had finally gotten his chance to prove himself, Chairman abstains from the decision making process, deciding that he will go with whatever the rest of them want to do.

While waiting for the others to decide what to do, Chairman paces awkwardly for a little while, then reseats himself on his chair, which has become even more cushioned since he last sat on it.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

The teleporters are going to have some trouble locking onto a new destination with the station moving at several kilometers per second in a low orbit. the chinese superhero says. Luckily, I dispatched a stratofighter with its internal weapons bay empty of ordnance as soon as the situation developed. It should arrive within the minute and get you where you should be in another minute and a half. The rest of you can still use the teleporters to return to your homes - by the time you have suited up, the teleporters will have recalibrated.
Wait a minute! your young host interjects. Low orbit? Has your brain short-circuited? The station has no working sensors!
The image in the screen shrugs. You can fly a stick and you can use alternate sensors. Try not to break anything.
So be it. your host fumes. But if this station goes the way of the last one, I won't be responsible for any Texas-sized holes on the planet.

You hear the unmistakeable sound of an engine reverberating somewhere inside the station's hull - which means your "stratofighter" taxi has arrived.
Get moving people. the chinese superhero admonishes. And good lu...
Suddenly the screen shines brighter than the sun, all details lost in the impossible glare. A split second later it devolves into one brief glitch and then a "lost signal" message against a black screen.

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

That's...not good, the elementalist thought. She was concerned for the heroine, but there wasn't much to do for it now. Without hesitation, she headed towards the "taxi" (or would get directions to it and then head for it, if its location wasn't obvious).

[Re'ozul]

Crawler

His eyes narrowing at the mention of the Stratofighter, Crawler adresses the woman at the controls.

"I'm NOT squeezing myself into one of those tincans. Just teleport me there with enough added height that I won't accidentally materialize in the ground. I can survive the fall, and it may still be quicker."

He shakes his huge body in a motion meant to limber up, then growls commandingly.

"Now, DO IT."

[HopeHubris]

Chairman

"So... We just go... Over that way then?"
Chairman half mumbles as he walks towards the sound of the rumbling, dragging his chair behind him

[Rhyvurg]

Crawler

His eyes narrowing at the mention of the Stratofighter, Crawler adresses the woman at the controls.

"I'm NOT squeezing myself into one of those tincans. Just teleport me there with enough added height that I won't accidentally materialize in the ground. I can survive the fall, and it may still be quicker."

He shakes his huge body in a motion meant to limber up, then growls commandingly.

"Now, DO IT."

Captain Atom

"You'll be fine, come on." Atom heads for what he assumes in the hangar bay.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Your young host rolls her eyes, trying not to show how nervous she is at her superior's disappearance. She presses a few buttons and Crawler vanishes in the silver light of teleportation. A few moments later, after looking at a screen you could have sworn was not working, she smiles.
OK, he's there. Or he will be after a fifty-mile freefall. It might take him a minute or two but that's the closest I could manage, aiming from the hip - so to speak. The rest of you move in to a teleporter if you want to suit up or to the jet in the hangar; there's no time to lose!

.................................................. .............................................

In the hangar, the "stratofighter" is a seventy-foot arrowhead-shaped craft about twice the mass of a normal fighter jet. The cockpit has place for just one pilot but a weapons bay is also open in the fuselage, leading to a mostly dark hold the size of a small van where five or six people could squeeze into if they tried. The entire craft is coated in silvery antiradiation paint and ceramic antithermal tiles, the weapons bay being no exception. Luckily, it is also pressurized, if uncomfortable. In the dim light you can read the warning labels about radiation, heavy metals and high-energy magnetic fields, though thankfully none of them is issuing any warnings. It is fairly obvious that this craft has been designed to carry a small but deadly mass of nuclear, kinetic or laser warheads when operational.

As the craft's ion thrusters ignite with the whine of magnetohydrodynamics rather than the roar of a missile, g-forces several times those of a single Earth gravity push you against the protective lining and each other. In the minute and a half of the sharp descent as the tiny craft roars defiance at the void with a silver ion trail like the hammer of Thor, there is neither time not breath for speech...

.................................................. ..................................


The silence of the void reminds Crawler of his prison. Darkness, emptiness, utter cold - except for the breathtaking sapphire orb of Earth beneath him. Soon, the air begins to whine in a freezing breath, then claw at him as it shouts, until the fire of a mighty roar to rival a volcano accompanies him on his descent. Terrain features grow larger and larger but remain hazy through the flaming curtain of re-entry until the ground comes up and hits him like the maul of a titan... or an angry blow from Superman himself. The ground shatters beneath him, throwing earth and fire in a ring of death - luckily nobody is nearby.

As Crawler pulls himself out of the crater of his arrival in a way fitting to his namesake, he sees the silver-blue glow of a too-straight bolt of lightning against the sky, almost too distant to see; this must be the jet carrying the others. But they are still a few moments away even as the thunderbolt becomes red, then smoke-white as the craft slows down.

.................................................. ...........................


Re-entry in a craft capable of that much acceleration is not pleasant at all but you manage. Had you not, career as superheroes would have been beyond you. As you come out when the jet touches down and the hatch opens, you see a hundred-yard-wide crater nearby and Crawler, well, crawling out of it, his body rapidly recovering from the terrible impact.


But what alarms you the most is that the others have not yet arrived via teleporter - and that the chain-link fence and small outpost on the road that leads up the mountain, and probably the military base, has very recently been thrashed with excessive force. And Crawler wasn't the one to do it...

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

She climbed into the uncomfortable weapons bay, looked about a moment, and then gave Chairman an expectant look. "This is all you, man," she said, and the watery distortion of her voice made it hard to tell if she was trying to be encouraging or teasing.

--

Once they landed, she'd case about the area, and look to the others. "I could scout it out fairly quick, or we could just charge in," she said, not entirely sure how they wanted to be about it.

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom

Atom emerges from the ship, not looking to rattled by their arrival. "We're not at full strength yet, I don't think charging in is a good idea. I suggest scouting first."

[Sir_Chivalry]

Ibn returned after retrieving his costume, complete with sheathe for his sword.

"Well, let's get started everyone. So how are we getting the spider there?"

He arches an eyebrow at the explanation.

"Alright then."

[Re'ozul]

Crawler

Shaking himself as his flesh knits together again (and spraying blood all over the place as he does so), Crawler responds by climbing on top of the nearest hill and taking a look around. Not that anyone could tell as doing so requires no movement from him, due to the multitude of eyes all around his body.

Feeling a exhilarated by the recent drop (how long had it been that he felt that much excitement?) he is a bit too happy at the moment.
As such the others are subjected to what sounds like a cement mixer and a scrap press singing:

"I spy with a thousand little eyes..."

Perception check: [roll0]
Relevant abilities:
Darkvision, Distance sense, Low-light vision, Radius (Visual), Counters concealment (total) (visual), Counters Illusion (visual), Direction sense, Extended (visual) x1, Infravision, Rapid (visual) x1, Ultra-hearing, Ultravision

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Captain Atom can sense a torrent of energy from up ahead reaching out to the heavens - pillars of radiation extending from some point in the hills beyond the broken gate and reaching out to the heavens. They are microwave and terahertz radiations, most often employed not only to carry large amounts of information in directional microsecond bursts that are very hard to intercept but also as a means to power satellites in orbit without requiring such satellites to carry any power supply of their own - a consideration if certain orbital weapons are already at the limit of modern rocket payloads and would also require huge power supplies that simple solar panels could not account for.

Captain Atom can also faintly sense the magnetrohydrodynamic currents of powerful but heavily shielded fusion reactors in the complex ahead... and a much more visible but less powerful and less shielded fission source less than a mile ahead... occasionally but randomly discharging powerful electromagnetic emissions consistent with an artillery-grade beam weapon.





It is quite easy for Crawler to see where the mangled steel and broken concrete of the gate is still hot - but everyone could tell that from the puffs of smoke coming off it and the acrid smell of scorched metal. It is a bit harder to locate the path of lesser heat sources traveling up the country road and match them with the breaks and scorch marks in the terrain but ultimately, the enemies up ahead were not trying for stealth.

Or rather, are still not trying; Crawler can hear the whine of multiple weapons discharges in the hills beyond, less than a mile away.

[Re'ozul]

Crawler

His head turns towards the others, all eyes focussing on them.
Once again, cement-mixer voice starts up.

"Theres fighting going on in the distance over the hills, about a mile away. Unless you have some other means of approach, I'd suggest climbing on and holding on real tight."

[HopeHubris]

Chairman

When the group boards the jet, Chairman hands the chair he was dragging from the initial meeting room over to River, "This should be a little more comfortable".

---

The last out of the craft after it crashed, the Chairman drags a chair with him, which, if not actually from the craft, certainly looks like it could have come from it.

"Um, sorry, I didn't catch your name" Chairman awkwardly mumbles out at Crawler, "but I think the rest of us can fly"


Just as a note, unless anyone has been paying super-close attention to Chairman, I doubt they've seen him do anything yet, and his chair-making powers are subtle, so most of the time you'd probably just assume he found the chair somewhere, at least, out of battle, that, and his chairs are indistinguishable from a real chair.

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom

"One of them has a fusion powered artillery-grade energy weapon, he's less than a mile away." He lifts off the ground, surrounding himself in a protective barrier.

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

She shifted form again, becoming an only-vaguely-humanoid cloud of steam. While not her only means of flight, it was her fastest.

[Sir_Chivalry]

Ibn Al Xu'ffasch


Crawler

His head turns towards the others, all eyes focussing on them.
Once again, cement-mixer voice starts up.

"Theres fighting going on in the distance over the hills, about a mile away. Unless you have some other means of approach, I'd suggest climbing on and holding on real tight."

With a single deft leap Ibn is atop Crawler, bracing himself for what is sure to be a bumpy ride.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

You arrive at the scene of the fight in a few moments, and with only moments to spare. Some crawling, others riding monsters, yet others flying under their own power and at least one riding a flying chair they summoned under their own power, you cross that last mile and come in on a scene of ruin.


The defensive line has crumbled; one tower, four pillboxes and a solid steel gate have been blasted apart down to their foundations. They're only recognizable because their pieces partially match the other defensive buildings in shape and color; a dozen more pillboxes, three other towers, a partially subterranean concrete bunker with holes large enough for anyone inside to use rocket launchers on those outside and two dozen heavy tanks in permanently fortified positions. All have also been destroyed though not to the extent that the first line of defense has been blasted to pieces. Smoke, craters, smoking craters everywhere. No blood - though you suppose weapons that could cause such destruction would not leave bodies behind. Some of the craters appear to have been made by conventional artillery -mostly those on open ground- while the rest, most of them on the fortifications, are blackened holes of melted stone, concrete and metal forming a dull black glassy surface.
Moving just beyond the vanquished defenders is a massive robot, at least fifty feet tall. It is vaguely humanoid but far bulkier and so heavily armored that it has no distinguishable head. Beneath the armor, multiple cleverly protected weapons can be seen, placed all around the giant's circumference.
http://www.r3veblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/thumbbig-118156.jpg
This machine appears to be responsible for all the devastation yet not a single mark can be seen marring its suitably ominous bulk.

[Re'ozul]

Crawler

Decades of lonesomeness do not make for a particularly stable being, especially when said being simply loves to fight. Of course for Crawler, many fights are hindered by the tinyness of the opponents. Normal people just are so small that, even if they are exceptionally strong, fighting them is more of a chore akin to try and swat flies. They just are able to dodge too much.

As such it can hardly be held against him that when he lays eyes on the big machine that laid waste to the defenders, he simply bellows loudly once and charges in.

Attempted Slam attack:
Damage Rank 16
Critical threat on 16+ (Improved Critical x4)
All out attack (full 5)
Attack check: [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

The elementalist just kinda...stared at the thing for a moment. That was...that was bigger than she was used to dealing with, she'd admit it.

Whatever. You're in the Justice League now. No stinking...ah...begins with an m...whatever! No stinking giant robot is going to be able to match the Justice League!

She started moving, strafing around to fly in from above and to the right. Something told her that spreading out was probably going to be the smarter way to engage this thing.

She'd lead with a heavy hitter that would also, potentially, give her companions an advantage. Water swirled around her, manifesting from thin air in four thick ribbons that gathered around the vague outline of her arms. The water pooled into a small sphere, not going much beyond a few feet in diameter, despite the deluge that she was feeding into it.

Thrusting her hands at the robot, she let fly, the condensed blast of water shooting across the way, straight for the robot's "head". The hydrolic blast carried immense mass and energy in a comparatively tiny package. It didn't have much of an "edge", but if it managed to pierce the thing's armor, it would sheer right through and detonate to tear it away, exposing more vulnerable circuitry beneath.

Initiative: [roll0]. If I'm not on turn, ignore the actual actions.

Move action to get some range, gonna stay, eh, let's go with vicinity 150' from the rest of the party/nearest party member, 500' from the robot. Staying in Steam Form for now at least.

Standard Action: Hydraulic Blast at the robot, Power Attacking for 5, at [roll1]. DC 32 Damage and DC 27 Weaken Toughness, both resisted by Toughness. This attack is not Penetrating, however.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Crawler's powerful blow at the robot stops on an immovable, invisible barrier a couple of feet from the robot's surface as if it hit a wall. No, more than that; the entirety of Crawler's own force is deflected back onto him!

As if that weren't enough, the armored gunports on the giant robot's surface that face in Crawler's direction open, and multiple relatively tiny - merely tank sized - cannons discharge a torrent of weaponized energy at his direction.

The robot itself doesn't seem to have noticed the attack; it keeps going up the path that leads to the central installation, taking step after ponderous step with ground-shaking momentum...



OOC:
Crawler is hit back by his own attack. Then he is also hit by [roll0] at multiattack damage 10 (toughness dc 25 plus any criticals plus any multiattack bonus)




Riptide's torrent of hyper-accelerated water also strikes an invisible barrier without touching the robot's body and instantly reverses course; apparently the robot has a "return to sender" protocol.
And just like it happened with Crawler, the gunports facing in Riptide's direction open, the weapons within discharging their little energy storm with cybernetic dispassion. The robot keeps going in its slow, ponderous gait.

OOC:
Riptide is hit back by her own attack (if her attack roll would hit her, that is). Then the robot again shoots at 1d20+18 with multiattack damage 10 (toughness dc 25 plus any criticals or multiattack bonuses)

[Rhyvurg]

Seeing their own monser thrust back, Atom decides not to go in swinging. He flies above the robot and squints, sending a blast of heat vision it's way. Let's see if it handles energy as well as physical attacks.

2 points into Blast (fire), 1 damage rank
[roll0] Attack

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Atom's little glance of heat-vision is also reflected, followed by the opening of gunports on the robot's massive head, with another barrage of counterattacks coming at him.
You're beginning to see how the big robot destroyed the defenders; it simply walked through them, reflecting back their own attacks and shooting at them for good measure.


OOC:
The heat-vision is also reflected. Also [roll0] at multiattack damage 10 (toughness DC 25, plus any criticals or multiattack bonuses)

[Rhyvurg]

The reflected attack glances off Atom's hardened quantum shell, and he arches an eyebrow. So, seemingly unassailable, well armed, and very large. More than one way to skin this cat. Flying down, Atom creates a wedge in front of himself and burrows into the ground beneath the robot.

[Sir_Chivalry]

Ibn Al Xu'ffasch

Ibn quickly assesses the robotic titan and as Crawler lunges forward he throws smoke pellets near its head, hoping the person who built it was stupid enough to put the visual sensors there.

Attack: [roll0]

Visual concealment 4

[HopeHubris]

Chairman sees all of the quite powerful looking attacks just bouncing off the large construct, glancing down at the chair he's carrying
"This probably won't cut it" he sighs

He then throws the chair at the large mech, as it flies through the air it enlarges, and bars form between the chairs legs, by the time it reaches the large metal man-beast it is large enough to fully entrap him.


Perception Range snare, DC22 Dodge to resist, 1st Degree Hindered, 2nd Degree Immobile

[Belial_the_Leveler]

As Captain Atom starts working towards his plan by plunging into the ground, the remaining team members attack;


Ibn's smoke pellets are deflected back at him like anything else striking at the giant robot. Unfortunately, just as with anything else, some gunports in the robot open up and a fierce barrage of energy fire strikes back.


Chairman uses his power to manifest a chair the size of a small skyscraper and throw it at the robot unerringly. Fortunately, it seems the robot's field is either unable to deflect something like that or it does not register as an attack. Unfortunately, the ponderous, slow monstrosity decides, out of sheer dumb luck, to take a step forward at the exact moment the massive chair lands. Instead of falling around it and trap it, the chair hits on the robot's moving head, is knocked off-course by the impact and falls backwards. A moment later, it winks out. And the robot moves on unhindered while unleashing yet another barrage at who attacked it.

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

She cried out - well, hissed out - when the lasers passed through her, burning away a not-insignificant portion of the steam making up her form. She had to focus some attention on forming more steam to repair the loss. Wouldn't do to return to human form with holes that size ya know.

New tack. She reached out with her senses. Hopefully, the robot wasn't completely autonomous. If there were humans operating it, she'd have a trick to play.

Move Action: Nada, I'm Staggered.
Free Action: Change Water Elemental Array to Infiltrate Fluids.

Reserving my standard action until I see what my Detect comes back with.

Infiltrate Fluids includes the following Senses effect:

Senses 18 (Accurate Counters Concealment [All] Counters Illusion Penetrates Concealment Ranged Radius Extended 2 Mental Detect [Creatures composed significantly of water]).

Basically, I'm looking to see if there are any humans inside the robot.

Also gonna roll a Technology check so that, if I do sense people inside, I might be able to get an idea of where they are regarding the robot itself, like if they're in a control room, or a weapons bay, or whatever. Not sure if that's possible/what the DC would be, but worth a shot: [roll0].

Current Status: -1 Resistance, Dazed until end of turn, Staggered. Regenerating two conditions at end of turn.

[Re'ozul]

Crawler

His injuries having healed already, Crawler still is woozy from the sudden stop and reverse.

'Okay, that didn't work. Ughhh. Maybe if I just stand its way?'

Moving around the big robot, Crawler puts himself in its way. His size should make it hard for the lumbering thing to step on or over him.

Regeneration takes care of the -2, but he is still staggered.
Move action as described.

Considering the picture of the robot and the info that it is 50ft high, crawler reaches about to its thigh. (He is basically a big dog to the robot)
So lets see how it reacts to a non-agressive hindrance.

[Sir_Chivalry]

OOC: Assuming it does hit, I think my Toughness roll was sufficient. I don't see an attack roll for the counter attack, so I don't know for sure . . .

Ibn Al Xu'ffasch

Ibn rushes forward, determined to see what the reason for this deflection field was. Could it stop close range attacks as well?

Gripping his blade in both hands, he leaps forward to stab his grandfather's sword into the robot's leg.

Attack: [roll0], toughness save dc 23 if he hits.

[HopeHubris]

Lets try this again
The Chairman thinks as he pulls another couple of chairs, looking much the same as the last one, out from behind his back, jumping onto one and using it to fly, catching up to Atom, and enlarging the other one, trying to simply place it around the robot, rather than to get him tangled in it this time.


Create Object, big-ass chair on the robot, DC20 dodge to avoid

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom aka "guy who makes physics professors cry"

The ground shakes and cracks surround the steel giant, filled with blue light. Everything is still for a moment, then the robot and a large portion of the ground it's standing on starts to rise into the air. A large disk of energy is holding the chunk of earth together, and beneath it is Atom, lifting hundreds of tons of stone and steel as he flies upwards. "Get clear, this thing may decide to take a walk! Don't forget there are others, this thing isn't alone!"

[Belial_the_Leveler]

The ground shakes and begins to crack as if from a major earthquake. With a sound like the vastest thunderbolt ever, the bedrock shatters and Captain Atom comes out carrying a sizable chunk of it and the robot itself - and foiling any other plans in the process.

Atom grunts as he floats upwards; the damn thing is heavy. In fact, it must weigh as much as a freaking cruiser - thousands tons. And no wonder; with the kind of nuclear footprint the thing gives off compared to its electromagnetic emissions and weapon/shield power levels, its frame has to be twice as dense as lead to even shield it!



OOC:
Captain Atom requires at least a total lift of 19 to move the robot and the piece of ground it walks on because the robot alone masses 5 thousand tons. So move the appropriate points from his array. Atom has to decide how far he lifts this round. Also, he prevents the rest of you guys from doing what you wanted except fot Riptide, who can tell the robot contains no water.

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

"Oh nice!" River said, her bright grin blending in with the rest of her misty features. She wasn't entirely sure of Atom's plan, but figured, may as well give him another option for it. She began focusing on her powers, keeping an eye - and a mind'a eye - out for other threats in the meantime.

Need to swap powers before I can do something, so will take a Standard to Defend at [roll0].

Also noting that my fluid sense is Extended 2, so keeping an eye out for any other water-based creatures who might be around/suddenly appear.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

While Chairman's attempt to entrap the robot is deflected but the returning chair misses him, and Captain Atom is lifting the robot up in the sky, the rest of you wait to see what will happen.


Which, in hindsight, might not have been the wisest option. For the robot goes on the offensive by launching a tiny-looking missile at you. The missile follows a relatively leisury trajectory until it is directly below the rising robot and then explodes. The sound of it going off is so powerful that even those of you whose ears survive don't hear it; you feel it like the blow of some angry god in your bones. The flash preceding the explosion is as bright as a hundred suns and the shockwave of its passing feels like taking a direct hit by an Abrams tank.
Atom has his radiation sense screaming inside his head as the readings go almost -but not quite- off the scales and Riptide feels every puddle and stream of water inside of a mile vaporizing instantly while every plant and animal soon follows...

[Quellian-dyrae]

The sensation of all those helpless creatures being just...consumed in an instant was sickening. Who had created this monstrous device, and loosed it upon the world?

She lost herself for a moment there...until she realized her intangible form had weathered the attack...but her allies may not have. "Oh no," she whispered.

Her form changed again, appearing largely normal, except for a bright blue glow in her eyes and radiating out from her wings. The essence of the life element flowed through her as she hovered in that scalding zone of nuclear fallout, constant healing power rushing through her body. With a thought, she projected it outward, curative magic falling on whatever ally appeared most injured.

Meanwhile, with her left hand, she followed up with her previous plan of action. Ice and snow suddenly gathered around the ground, rising up as she lifted her hand, tapering as it went, until a twenty-foot diameter, fifty-foot tall spike of ice was protruding from the ground, a potential target for Atom (she wasn't sure if he was trying to fly the thing away or just drop it from really high, but if the latter, she wanted to make sure it hurt).

Free Action: Change Arrays to Life Form and Water Control (I...have always been under the impression that you can change any/all arrays once per round as a free action; if I'm incorrect in this, she'll only do the Life Form/Healing parts of this post).

Move Action: Life Form Healing on...whoever winds up the most visibly injured from being flippin' nuked. [roll0]. (EDIT: Which does nothing :smallsigh:).

Standard Action: Water Control - Create 18. Big ol' ice spike.

If the Ice Spike needs to roll Toughness since the nuke damage is lasting for a few rounds: [roll1]

[Re'ozul]

Crawler

'Nukes? A bit abrasive a tactic.'

Still, so far the Robot hadn't crashed back to earth, and his second consciousness would need minutes if not longer to come to the conclusion that flight might be appreciated. So now what?

Deciding to ignore the airborn battle for now and having shaken off the whiplash from crashing into the forcefield, he starts moving around, jumping on top of the different buildings looking for any other people.

Perception check: [roll0]
Relevant abilities:
Darkvision, Distance sense, Low-light vision, Radius (Visual), Counters concealment (total) (visual), Counters Illusion (visual), Direction sense, Extended (visual) x1, Infravision, Rapid (visual) x1, Ultra-hearing, Ultravision

[HopeHubris]

Chairman

After taking a nuke full in the face, Stuhl is staggered, falling to the floor and forming a metallic cylindrical chair around himself


I was going to wait until my initiative, so I didn't have to change any actions again

Here's a close enough picture of the general style of the chair

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom

Caught completely off guard by the nuke, Atom takes the full brunt of the blast. Screaming from unaccustomed pain, his arms tremble as he struggles to keep the robot aloft. "Might...need....to change the plan..." With a grunt of effort, Atom throws the robot as high as he can.

Shifting array into strength, keeping one rank in flight to stay aloft.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

The nuclear fireball and shockwave rises up in a small version of the standard mushroom cloud, everything within a mile at ground level struck by beyond-tornado-level winds and massive conflagrations. Several seconds after the flash, the small nuke's fury has been spent - but structures are still exposed to the countless fires and the radiation causes living things to sear away in flameless, insidious heat. Any humans in the bomb's area of effect would be either reduced to atomic shadows if unlucky enough to be caught in the open and take the maximum dose, blackened corpses seared to the bone from an average dose and, if lucky, merely suffer 2nd and 3rd degree burns and radiation syndromes of various intensity for the rest of their lives.

Captain Atom, having survived the low-yield nuke, puts all his strength into throwing the robot into orbit. Hopefully, it won't have a way to return too soon. Meanwhile, Chairman fortifies himself behind a titanic chair to weather the worst of the blast, Riptide is employing her healing and Crawler is searching the area while basking in the atomic sunshine.


In the distance, you can see the control installation of Fort Teller coming out of the blast largely intact. Perhaps it would have been different had the blast hit it dead center. Then again, perhaps not; heavily fortified military installations could probably take such hits with only limited damage. The robot must have had another plan to destroy it - or maybe it carried more than one missile. In any case, closer examination wouldn't hurt.

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

The raw power of life shining within River's eyes and wings held her in good stead, any physical trauma she sustained only glowing a soft blue and healing over practically before she had time to feel it. The radioactive energy initially proved more harmful, but her elemental powers adapted, and her body still healed rapidly from the damage.

She channeled that power outwardly, her first thought going to her companions, doing what she could to heal any injuries they had sustained. If they didn't want to wait, she'd still heal them as she followed along.

When she turned her focus to Atom, there was awe on her face. "That...was amazing," she told him. The thing had seemed all but invulnerable, and he had tossed it out like the trash!

Just doing healing until we're all to full and/or the party wants to move on, prioritizing most damaged people first.

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom

"It was stupid, I let that thing fire a nuke and killed God knows how many people." He raises a hand, enclosing them all in a glowing blue barrier. "Don't look for survivors yet, let the heat die down out here first, we could expose someone and kill them."

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

River's eyes momentarily lowered to the ground. She knew how many people, as it happened. After a moment though, she looked back up, her glowing eyes meeting his gaze solidly. "No. You didn't let it do anything. Even knowing it was capable of...of doing that...I mean, I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't think of anything I could have done to prevent it. You neutralized the threat. That's huge. I mean...we have no idea how many of those missiles it had, or if it had anything worse. Don't sell yourself short here."

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom

"You don't understand. I have to be better than Adams was. I have to be perfect."

[Sir_Chivalry]

Captain Atom

"You don't understand. I have to be better than Adams was. I have to be perfect."

Ibn Al Xu'ffasch

"You'd have to mess up . . . argh . . . pretty bad to . . . urgh . . . be like Adams, so I think you're doing well there."

Ibn is doubled over, trying to stay conscious.

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom

"The Batman offering encouragement and reassurance. I must be dreaming."

[HopeHubris]

Chairman

Gods... This... I mean... I've fought some minor criminals now and then, no supervillains in a small town like mine, but still, some of them were pretty bad, but this...

The Chairman thinks, remaining huddled inside his chair, rather terrified, waiting until he is certain the brunt of the attack has dissipated.

[Re'ozul]

Crawler

Its strange. After all this time in the endless plains of his prison, the very gfact there are things in the way makes it much harder to orient himself.
Several times now has he had problems trying to spot somthing because it was behind something else. This is going to take some getting used to again.

'Maybe from a higher point?'

Crawler climbs on top of the highest of the ruined buildings, attempting to get an overview from there.

Perception check: [roll0]
Relevant abilities:
Darkvision, Distance sense, Low-light vision, Radius (Visual), Counters concealment (total) (visual), Counters Illusion (visual), Direction sense, Extended (visual) x1, Infravision, Rapid (visual) x1, Ultra-hearing, Ultravision

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom

"Hey, Chair Man, right? Relax, you're fine. It was just a nuke."

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Crawler sees the base at the top of the hills there. Fort Teller isn't much to look at - most of the installation must be underground - and all that can be seen is a windowless building about the size of a football stadium but only half as high. Most of it looks like concrete with a weird maze of metal bands running across its surface, each as thick as Crawler's foot. From a distance the whole building looks like a huge honeycomb shaped like a doughnut.


But the unusual architecture isn't what strikes Crawler as weird; it's the people. Despite the building being at the outer edge of the bomb's area of effect, there are two dozen soldiers standing guard around the front gate...

[Re'ozul]

Crawler

Turning back at the others, he starts talking at his usual loud level.

"Either you guys have made great strides in bomb-proofing normal people, or theres something weird going on at the Fort. Theres about two dozen or so people standing right in front of it enjoying the new sunshine."

[HopeHubris]

Chairman

"Just a nuke! I'm lucky to still be alive"
Chairman says, floating the chair/bunker up enough that he can crawl out
"Wait, there are other people, outside, that survived the blast? And they're not glowing or um... like you?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

The elementalist...didn't really know what to say to that. She could imagine the fort might have some sort of protection even for its outside guards. Force field technology, perhaps? But she couldn't imagine they'd have just stayed at their posts throughout the machine's approach, let alone the nuke.

Considering they had come with a warning about five superpowered threats, not a giant nuke-toting machine...

"Everyone good to go?" she asked.

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom

"Good to go." Atom adjusts his barrier, lifting everyone in a large bubble and flying it towards the apparent survivors.

[HopeHubris]

Chairman

"I suppose I'm as ready as I'll ever be"
Chairman says, still nervous about facing people who he believes withstood a nuke to the face

[Belial_the_Leveler]

As you all get closer to Fort Teller, you are instructed to "halt" and "identify yourselves" by the defenders. Carrying latest-generation, military-issue rifles, they "cover" you from all sides - though after surviving a small nuke, you fail to see how that is any kind of threat. It would be polite to at least acknowledge military authority though, and it might gain you points with your recruiters and would-be bosses up in the Watchtower and elsewhere. Even if the soldiers are being rather too cold and focused for polite conversation themselves...

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

When the guards responded like people - hey, hard to be sure at that stage - River shifted back to her normal, human form, in this case indicated by the light leaving her eyes and wings.

She did raise her hands, more as a sign of non-aggression than anything.

"We're heroes. We've come to help. Is everyone okay here?" she responded to their demands. Part of her thought to say, "we're the new Justice League," but that sounded just a bit disrespectful at this point. Get a few more wins under the belt - preferably ones that don't involve a nuked countryside - before making that claim, was what she figured.

Insight: [roll0].
My Water Elemental array isn't currently on the powers that come with sensing creatures made of water, and River has no reason to suspect she should use it...well, pending the results of the Insight check of course.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Heroes. the officer in charge -a navy captain, by his insignia- deadpans. We are the US military. We need no... other heroes.

To River's ears the reply comes dry and ironic... perhaps. Maybe it is just her but the phrase seemed forced somehow, like someone trying to be funny without knowing how or like someone you just met in the street who is trying for the cold shoulder but can't quite manage it. The soldiers are not behaving as she expected - certainly not after a major attack on their defensive lines, a small nuke going off and heroes appearing to help them.

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom

"I guess it's a good thing I'm here then. I am Captain Nathaniel Walters, USMC, callsign Captain Atom. Your men will lower their weapons and you will show us to your commanding officer."

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

The elementalist was considering how to respond to that, and trying to figure out just why these guards were acting as they were. Were they enemies in disguise? Fakes? A stalling tactic? Or were they just people who had witnessed a nuke go off and trying their hardest to keep their heads and protect their posts?

Fortunately, Atom stepped up with full-fledged military credentials. Nice. She did add, "We should probably hurry, though. We have word that other superhumans may be teleporting here shortly, and we believe them to be a threat."

[Re'ozul]

Crawler

Sauntering up to, and then towering of both groups, Crawler doesn't say a word. Mostly its because his voice tends to put people on edge and whenever he tried to smile or grin people used to start shooting him.
So for now he takes the easiest option available to him and and lies down. Though that still has hims quite a bit taller than everyone else.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Saying nothing more - not that it needed to be said after Captain Atom's direct order - the soldiers escort you towards the facility's doors. As you and your escort arrive though, the doors open and an... unusual man walks out. Over six feet tall, he wears the black robes of a priest and a wide-brimmed hat but no symbols of faith. His eerie, too-large eyes stare at you with intense scrutiny and he smiles.
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130327034316/villains/images/c/c4/Reverend_Amos_Howell.jpg
Well met, friends. I am Reverend Amos Howell and I welcome you to Fort Teller. Once the lynchpin of the false unity of the United Nations' defense, it is now a bastion of the new Unity that encompasses all of mankind!
His voice is deep and powerful and somehow seems to encompass a lot more than one tone at a time, as if there are several people talking at once but in a perfectly synchronized... unity.

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom

"Reverend, I was wondering if you knew how these men survived being so close to s detonating nuke, and if you're aware of the giant robot that was just over there?" The bubble around the heroes vanishes, reducing to a glowing aura around Atom.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

The reverend smiles widely, showing perfect white teeth.

It is good that you wish to learn more about Unity. You and your friends would be a great addition to the fold!

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

"Uh-huh..." River murmured. The man was clearly insane, and given that she hadn't heard so much as word one on him, she could only assume he was just a random madman. They didn't have time for random madmen.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

But what about your friends? the apparent madman asks of Captain Atom. Why do they remain silent? Don't they, too, want to learn about the Unity?

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

We don't have time for this...blast it, we're the heroes here. Step up.

"We do not," River said bluntly. "I don't know what your game is, but you're wasting our time and we don't have enough to burn. We need to speak to the person in charge of this fort and prepare a defense. Now."

How far into (or past? :smalleek:) the five minute window for the teleport are we?

Also, Persuasion: [roll0] (extra +5 against those who would find her attractive).

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Then let me waste your time no longer. the apparently mad priest says. Behold the glory of... Unity!

Suddenly, all the soldiers escorting you open their mouths at your direction and masses of writhing, slime-coated, sickly-grey tentacles lash out at your direction, seeking to grab hold of you in their disgusting embrace.

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

The attack, honestly, wasn't that surprising. The loads and loads of tentacles, rather moreso. River got battered about pretty hard and grabbed from all sides.

She reacted instinctively, her form dissolving into steam. Hurt and angry, she gathered her power. Water swirled around her, before rushing out in all directions. It flowed harmlessly around her allies, guided by her will, but smashed into their attackers with the force of a tsunami.

Free Action: Change arrays to Steam Form and Tidal Blast.
Move Action: Nothin', 'cause I'm dazed.
Standard Action: Tidal Blast. All enemies in 60' (which I'm assuming is all enemies) take DC 27 Damage, Dodge DC 22 for half.

Current Status: -4 Resistance*, Dazed 1 (?) round, Insubstantial 2.

*I'm assuming my regeneration for Steam Form won't trigger until the start of my next turn (that is, one full round after it came on).

[HopeHubris]

Chairman

Chairman parries three of the four tentacles that struck at him, barely failing to block the fourth with his chair.

"What in the world is happening here?!"

Surprised, he hastily creates and drops a chair on each of the soldiers and an extra big one for the priest.


Free Action: Array to Create
Move Action: Nothing
Standard Action:
Create Chairs (Shapeable, 1 dense chair per target) DC 27 Toughness, Dodge Save 22 (No Damage instead of half damage)

Current State: -1 Resistance

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom

Yeah, like he didn't see this coming. As the tentacles crash against the barrier still enclosing him, Atom settles into a fighting stance, his attention on the preacher. In seconds, the cracks in his energy shell repair. "Bad idea, padre. Many men fear those who have the word of God. But there's men, and there's Supermen." Moving back, be gets between River and her attackers. "Attacking a lady? I don't approve of your manners, fellas." He throws a hard left at one of them and continues into a spinning backfist and a second.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

As falling chairs and a veritable tsunami roll over the soldiers and himself, the priest laughs deeply, not visibly inconvenienced beyond his suit getting wet. The soldiers on the other hand do not fare as well. Most of them have been at least somewhat bruised and knocked about by the attacks and about a quarter are dazed or staggered.

You attempt to reject the invitation into Unity. the priest calls over the din of combat. Those soldiers did so as well but their misguided defiance was corrected. So be careful my soon to be brothers and sisters; you don't really want to hurt the Unity within the men, or the men within the Unity? They are now one and the same, the men they were still alive but now vastly improved.

[Re'ozul]

Crawler

'Ugh, tentacles. I'm so glad I never had any of those. Well, except that one time.'

Still somewhat doozy from the pummeling these guys had inflicted on him, Crawler tries his best to break the tentacle's grip on him by charging forward.

Current status: -1 vs damage, dazed, immobilized, vulnerable
Escape Maneuver: [roll0]
If succesful, move right into the thick of things and immobilized and vulnerable are cancelled.

[HopeHubris]

Chairman

Oh no, I can't possibly harm innocents

He focuses his attacks instead on the priest, throwing one of the chairs he already created at the posturing man


Is this still going?

Move Action: move out of the range of the tentacles, assuming I'm still in attack range
Standard Action: Chairy-go-round at Priest
Free Action: Swap array to Reactive Chair

[Quellian-dyrae]

River

The "priest's" words managed to make her take particular care as she continued smashing him and his retinue with buffeting blasts of water. Because no, letting them keep attacking with tentacle swarms just wasn't going to happen.

More to the point, every second counted. They needed to neutralize these guys as quickly as they could and secure this base.

Standard: Another Tidal Blast on as many as I can catch in its 60' radius, with the main guy being a priority target. DC 22 Dodge for half, DC 27/21 Toughness vs. Damage.

Move: Nothing of interest.

End of Turn: Regenerates two -1 penalties.

Current Status: -2 Resistance, Insubstantial 2.

[Rhyvurg]

Captain Atom

Seeing Riptide can take care of herself, Atom turns his full attention to the preacher. "You and me have things to discuss..."

All-Out Attack, +2/-2
[roll0] Toughness DC 27