Miracle Men - Phase Two IC

[Queen Sapes]

Issue #1: From Dusk Till Dawn


Several days ago...

Remote Federal Containment Facility #3 - "The Pit", New Mexico

A big man in an well-worn but unblemished United States Army general's jacket walks briskly down a wide hall lined with doors, each spaced ten feet from the next, for security. Behind each door was a single prisoner who had been deemed dangerous by the government because they presented a threat to American safety for one reason or another. About eighty feet down the hall the man stopped at a door, quickly punching in a nine digit keycode, which beeps three times before it begins the process of unlocking the door. The entire door rustles as it unlocks, the steel bars within slowly sliding out to open it up. After about a minute, the man opens the door. Inside is a single man sitting on a bed running out of the wall. He's older than most would expect, possibly even into his seventies. He looks up at the man as he enters.

"We're back," the General says to the prisoner, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a black pistol. He tosses it to the prisoner, who catches it effortlessly, and says, "Get up and follow me. And don't even think about shooting me in the back of the head. That chip of yours is already online," the General says as he walks out, Second Shooter close behind.
Blackstone Federal Penitentiary, Freedom City, Virginia

A man, bigger than most, walks down the featureless and damp grey hallways beneath Blackstone, occasional drops of moisture dipping off the ceiling and down onto his dark green general’s jacket. He stops in the hall at a large tank of water put into the wall in place of a cell, and taps on the glass. A pair of piercing red eyes stare back at him from inside the tank as soon as he removes his hand. The General slaps a couple of papers against the tank for its inhabitant to see: custody release forms.

”You already got the surgery, so that must mean you’re willing to cooperate,” the General says, winding up the release forms and stuffing them inside his jacket. ”Ready to get to work?” he asks, pressing a button on the wall that starts draining the tank, releasing Scylla from her prison.
Deep Six Prison Facility, Emerald City, Washington

Three people walk through the underwater tunnels comprising Deep Six, stopping at one of the larger containment cells housing one of the more dangerous prisoners. A guard starts opening the door’s sealed bulkhead, a woman in a white lab coat unlocking the door with her keycard. The third man, big, clean, and wearing a weathered general’s jacket, simply waits for them to finish. Within a couple minutes the door is open, and all three step through to find a man suspended in the air in a metal harness, special drugs pumped into his veins to suppress his mutant ability but allow him to remain conscious.

”Are you sure the chip is implanted?” the General asks the woman, who nods in confirmation. ”Good. Now let’s get him out of there are ready to move in thirty minutes,” the guard and woman leap at the General’s order, cutting the sedation and unlocking his harness. The General steps up close to the prisoner, getting close to him to make sure he can hear. ”Time to wake up, you’ve got a job.” Vanish, in his sedated state, can only manage a sadistic smile in response.
Fortress Island State Penitentiary – “The Fortress”, Emerald City, Washington

An older, broad-shouldered man in the dark green jacket of an Army general stands aboard the ferry bound for the Fortress, the sea water splashing up on the sides of the boat trying to spray the man. The ferry pulls into the docking station, where several armed guards stand at attention around the bench that sits on the dock for those waiting for the ferry. A single woman, with skin like a lizard, sits on the bench, all of her belongings in bags next to her. The guards all salute as the General steps off the ferry and looks at the woman.

”Glad to see at least one of you is ready to go,” the General remarks to the woman, who looks up at him. ”You got the chip in your head, right?” he asks the lizard woman, who nods in confirmation. ”Good. Now c’mon, grab your things, we’ve got a plane to catch,” he says as he places his hand on Cici’s shoulder, leading her to the ferry.
Buckner Ridge Penitentiary – “Lockdown”, Buckner Ridge, Tennessee

Dozens of armed guards in heavy combat armor all patrol the area surrounding Buckner Ridge Penitentiary, and each salutes a ‘hello’ as a green jeep drives up the winding path to the prison. Once the final security checkpoint is passed and the jeep stops at the prison’s front gate, a big man, wearing the dark green jacket of an Army general, steps out, and surveys the surrounding area. Immediately, one of the guards runs over, presenting the man with a clipboard and a pen. The General fills out the paperwork presented to him, handing the clipboard back to the guard. The guard waves over to a control tower, and runs back into the guard post, two sliding doors into the prison opening up as four guards escort one of the prisoners back out into the open air. Between the four armed men stands a ten year old boy, locked in several runed shackles, who stops before the General.

The General produces a photograph from his pocket, comparing it to the boy in front of him. ”Hmph,” the General grunts, stuffing the photo back in his jacket. ”Thought he’d be taller. He’s chipped?” he asks the guards, one of whom nods yes. ”Perfect. Get him out of these cuffs,” the General says, gesturing to the boy’s enchanted shackles. He kneels down lower to the boy’s height, and says, ”Hope you’re ready to get to work.” The guards remove the shackles, and the General leads Nia into the jeep.
Providence Asylum, Freedom City, Virginia

”Are you sure this is her?” asks an older man wearing a green Army general’s jacket to one of the nurses working at Providence Asylum. He points through a window at a woman sitting by herself in a fairly empty room, normal save for a strangeness of the eyes. The nurse nods, the look on the General’s face not changing. ”She just looks… so normal,” he says, stunned. ”She has a chip in her head?” he asks the nurse, who once again nods. ”Alright. Prepare for her release,” the General says, pushing open the door into her room.

”I’m aware you don’t see the world quite the same as me,” the General says to the young lady in a gruff voice. ”But I’m your new boss, miss. Are you ready to get to work?” he asks. The woman looks up from her backing, her eyes scanning the General. She smiles, as Jettatura goes with the General.
New Haven Prison Facility, Aeon City, Kentucky

An armored car sped up to the front doors of New Haven, stopping in front of the building as an older, strong man quickly got out and jogged up the steps and into the front door. The city’s mayor had been kidnapped by some madman who was threatening the city itself, so rather than risk the mission, the last prisoner had to be extracted quickly. The General filled out the custody release forms with the speed of a man who had done this a dozen times by now, sliding it to the men working the front desk, and waiting for the prisoner to be released. In ten minutes time she was there, a young woman cursed into a wheel chair.

”Ready to go?” the General asks the woman. ”We’ve got all your stuff outside in the car.” he says as he wheels her out of the building and down it’s wheelchair ramp. They stop at the back of the armored car, the General popping open the back doors and revealing the insides. Sitting there, in pristine condition, is a suit of specially-made purple power armor, perfectly fitted for the girl in the wheelchair. Asura smiles at the armor as the General helps her into the vehicle.

Over the skies of Mexico a decently sized private jet shudders from slight turbulence, its occupants either shaken or woken up by the suddenly rocky ride. The plane is a luxury vehicle, its white body lacking all but the most basic identifying marks. It’s been a surprisingly quiet ride down from their headquarters in an undisclosed part of the United States, especially given the plane’s passengers. Eight seats line the plane’s cabin, giving each individual more than enough room to feel comfortable. The first black leather seat lies unoccupied, its passenger having recently stepped into the cockpit to speak with the pilots. The next seat back on the opposite side of the cabin is occupied by an older man, likely in his seventies, with the hard edge of an experienced hitman. A black case sits on the floor next to him.

The next seat is taken by a young lady not quite human, a reptile’s hide covering her from head to toe, marking her forever as a mutant. She’s followed by a young boy who looks like he belongs with the others here just as much as he should be taken away. Behind him, a relatively normal girl with eyes that appear to be just off enough to tell you something is wrong with her. Each of them has a black case sitting on the floor next to them, just like the first man. The first of the last three seats is taken by a younger man with a certain arrogance about him, although the killing edge of the first man is just as apparent. He’s followed by a girl clearly not in the best of health, a wheel chair sitting beside her along with a much larger case that partly obscures two windows, and is apparently built directly into the floor. The final chair is occupied by some sort of monstrous octopus woman, who is supplied a constant flow of water from an overhead apparatus that produces the nourishing liquid.

As the plane shakes from turbulence, the strong, older man each had met before steps out of the cockpit. He runs his hand through his buzz cut silver hair, and reinserts a pair of dog tags into his shirt. ”Good morning!” he says cheerfully to the group assembled, particularly to those just stirring. ”Now I know none of you have bothered with any introductions, so I’ll do it for you. In case you didn’t pick up on it already, I’m General Marland, acting command of this little group. And I would like to officially welcome you to Task Force Epsilon, or the Miracle Men for short. You're all here because in one way or another you have been deemed hostile and dangerous to the general public, so someone decided you needed to be locked up, instead of making use of your abilities. We’re going to change that. Assembled here is a team of specialists from all walks of life who ended up in the same situation, brought together to earn your freedom and maybe do a little good in the world." General Marland walks into the aisle, stopping just before the second chair. "Thomas Grace, alias Second Shooter," he says, pointing to the man in the second chair. "One of the world's top marksmen, responsible for countless assassinations over the past fifty years, and previous member of the first Miracle Men squad." He steps forward, pointing at Cici. "Cici Lionell, no known alias. Superhuman powerhouse, daughter of a former supervillain and superhero, and responsible for a couple minor rampages in a dozen major cities."

The General continues forward, pointing to the young boy sitting in the fourth seat. "Nniadobetae, otherwise known as Nia. Demonic shapeshifter who once sowed chaos throughout the entirety of Freedom City," Marland says as he steps forward to the next seat. ”Sidney Toro, alias Jettatura. Received powerful magical-psychic abilities froman unknown source as a child, and once leveled a portion of Ferroburg, Pennsylvania in a rampage.” The General is careful not to place his hand on any of the seats as he move back into the plane. ”Vazer DeLorin, alias Vanish. Skilled assassin with the inherent mutant ability of teleportation, and a bit of a temper if his file is correct. The General stops behind Vanish’s seat, and gestures to the final two. ”Summer Mitchell, alias Asura. Crippled in a lab accident, but one of the finest technicians in the villainous world. Built her own powerarmor that allows her to work freelance, when she isn’t busy in prison. And that back there is Scylla, real name unpronounceable. Atlantean terrorist responsible for the assassination of key Atlantean political figures, including the King’s cousin.”

The General walks back up to the front of the cabin, tapping a few buttons on the wall, causing a screen to appear out of the wall, which begins displaying information regarding the mission. ”Alone, each of you is a skilled agent in your own right and if this were a simple assignment we would have sent one of you in alone. Unfortunately, it’s far from simple.” General Marland taps a few spots on the screen, which causes the data displayed to change to several photographs of an older Hispanic man, an extremely basic floorplan, and small map displaying a portion of a city. ”We’ll be arriving shortly in Guadalajara, Jalisco, one of the thriving Mexican cities in the southern portion of Mexico. Your mission, in simplest terms, is an act of breaking and entering. You are to enter the estate of one Count Karol Duval, a wealthy and influential investor in the local thriving technology scene, and find two items of interest. The first is the server room, where you are to copy all files over to this,” the General says, holding up a small flashdrive, ”and then delete all files and destroy the servers. We’re told that Duval and his men are working on a program that has the potential to threaten all Human life on the planet. You can see why this is a concern.”

The General hits the screen a couple more times, an image of an amulet appearing onscreen. ”Your second target is the Amuleto del Murciélago, an ancient talisman in Duval’s possession that possesses interesting mystical properties. We’re unsure where on the premises the amulet is stored, so unfortunately you’re on your own for that part. So, sounds simple enough, correct?” He looks to the team, some of whom nod a yes to the General. ”Unfortunately, it’s not. There are three major obstacles to the completion of your mission. First and foremost, we have no idea where Count Duval’s estate is actually located. We’ve received reports of it in over a dozen locations, and given Duval’s known associates, we have reason to believe he possesses a means of physically relocating his estate. Second, Guadalajara has one major superhero active in the city, the self-named #Hashtag. Lethal action against #Hashtag is not permitted. He does good work in a city that desperately needs him. However, you are allowed to perform whatever action you must to get him out of your way should he confront you, as long as he’s alive and can return quickly to action.”

The General pauses for a moment, almost as if he’s unsure about the final piece of information. ”Last but certainly not least, Count Duval is a century-old vampire who heads a local vampire clan, with numbers just under 7,000, including an additional 500 Human thralls. Traditional methods of engagement aren’t going to work here, which is why each of you has been given a machete and wooden stake in addition to your usual equipment. To kill these monsters, it’s either direct exposure to sunlight, decapitation, or a stake to the heart. Second Shooter, your normal rounds have been replaced with silver bullets. They won’t kill a vampire, but they will slow them down and certainly take them out of a fight. Also, everyone take a commlink,” the General says, tossing a small ear-piece to each member of the squad. They are small, circular disks, one side with holes for sound to come through, and the other a single larger hole that will pick up and transmit sound. ”They’ll allow you to communicate, and let us keep in communication with you. Questions before we arrive?”

[Cogsrow]

-CiCi wraps her tail around her and pulls her scarf up taking a breath into it and sighs and holds it out to the general, she was only dressed in a sweater and jeans- Can you hold onto this? I don't want it to get hurt.

[Arcran]

Shooter sits silently as the new mission is given. He'd been through this all before, except there was a mystical gem, not a clan of vampires. He'd been so close to escaping afterwards. He'd nearly disabled the chip when they found him. He'd lost the schematics, lost the plans. He'd have to start all of that over now. New schematics, new scanning for bugs. Still, he was getting a second chance.

At the news about the silver bullets, Shooter gives a quick two fingered tap of his head in salute. He appreciated that much, of course. For a second he was worried that he had been given wooden bullets. Those would have been next to useless. Shooter briefly ponders Holy Water; did that stuff actually work? It could be useful. With Mexico having such a strong Catholic presence it couldn't be too hard to get his hands on some.

Second Shooter gently clears his throat to get the General's attention, looking him in the eyes with his icy blue machine-gunner eyes before speaking.

"Aside from #Hashtag, are casualties supposed to be kept to a minimum?"

He quickly racks his mind about #Hashtag, Count Duval as well as his new "allies". Knowledge was half the battle, correct? The team was different this time. No kid, no midget alien. Now they had a lizard, a cripple, and something that looked like it belonged in a tank in China Town. Still, most were young. Too young, too green.

He considers pulling out a cigar, but that would require disabling the smoke detector, and that was against federal regulations, right? Wouldn't want to break the law.

I'll be spamming Well-Informed once again!

Count Duval: [roll0]
#Hashtag: [roll1]
Vanish: [roll2]
Scylla: [roll3]
Cici: [roll4]
Jettatura: [roll5]
Asura:[roll6]
Nia: [roll7]
The General: [roll8]

Also, going to roll whatever applicable Expertise there is for telling if Holy Water affects Vampires. Eidectic Memory makes it Trained.
[roll9]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer had been looking about the plane with a bemused look, the slender smirk on his face clearly saying, 'how quaint'. "A few questions," he said when the general finished speaking. "First, and most importantly, does this Hashtag person possess any particular regeneration or self-healing abilities? This is actually critical, because it may otherwise be difficult to achieve all stated mission objectives while properly impressing on him just how I feel about the fact that he actually added the blasted symbol to his codename. Second, do you have any further data on the capabilities of these vampires? Normally for a mission like this I'd just head down to the science fiction section of my local bookstore and consider it decent research, but with vampires, well, let's just say that that technique succeeds a little too well. Finally, do we have any data on previous locations on Count-" he hesitated briefly, halting himself before speaking the first nickname that came to mind, deeming it far too middle-school. "Duval's estate?"

Also gonna try Well Informed on Count Duval: [roll0].

[Green Bean]

"Pictures of Count Whats-his-nuts' inner circle would be nice. Visual reference and all." Ironically enough, Nia's bored and uninterested tone sounds especially realistic coming out of a young child's mouth. But he obviously wasn't putting much effort into the rest of his disguise, what with him swinging a little forked tail around. But the real clincher were his eyes, which were clearly taking very careful measure of the people sharing the plane with him.

@Arcran - Nia's past isn't exactly top secret, and with a roll like that, I figure Second Shooter pretty much just knows everything in his backstory. Happy reading!

[Propagandist]

Fascinating!

Scylla observes her new teammates with more excitement than suspicion. Surfacers, which made them interesting enough, but some were far more than that. Mutants, magicians, geniuses, assassins. Even a demon! A being from another plane of being! And all of them trained in the arts her people valued so highly. It seemed that she had chosen well, joining this team. She smiles when introduced by the general, an expression that looks an awful lot like a predator baring its teeth.

Hanging her new commlink from a head tentacle, as she lacks external ears, she listens to the questions put forth by the others. They were all sensible, it seemed, even if some were trying not to appear so. Vampires! She had heard of them, but never seen one before, at least as far as she was aware. They didn't venture beneath the waves often. Odd, that. One would think being far from the sun would appeal to them. She adds her own question, piping up in her odd warbling voice. "You say that this Count Duval is head of a vampire clan that numbers in the thousands. Surely they do not all live on his estate? Do we have any idea of what security is in place on site?"

Shooter critted his roll about Scylla, so I guess he knows all there is to know from her backstory. How he knows about the villain who only operated at the bottom of the ocean is up to you, but yeah, consider her an open book. :smalltongue:

[Mono Vertigo]

Sidney's pupils are perhaps a tiny bit too contracted, not blinking frequently enough, but the rest of the body they're a part of is very unremarkable considering the other passengers.
From the descriptions, one'd have guessed they'd appear to her as eldritch horrors, given her gift of evil seeing. But one rarely works closely enough with the young woman to know that she's seen serial killers on TV with benign alterations such as glowing eyes, and mothers in the street as writhing masses of thorns and tentacles. (She'd never dared to peek at the baby in the carriage in those cases.)
Doesn't make sense, but it doesn't need to, because the Eye is telling the truth. There really is a lot of evil lurking in everybody's heart.
Only two look notably different from what she remembers to be the norm, and their features were not even that repulsive or evil-looking. For the most part. The others... meh, the usual snake eyes and twisted horns.
"I fear visual reference won't be of any help to me", says Sidney, putting on the commlink, "so I'm going to ask instead, about the people we're not supposed to harm permanently, like that Hashtag man, can we at least drive them momentarily insane? That'd help. Momentarily how, can't tell in advance, it depends." The small smile she makes is a little twitchy, too, and she turns back to talk directly to the others. "By the way, when I do that, you might want to close your eyes, or something, I don't know what it looks like when I do it, so I can't say what are the visual hints, but I think you'll know. When I make people insane, I mean."

[Arcran]

Should Jettatura look at Shooter she wouldn't see a demon with flaming eyes, a beast with acid dripping from its fangs or even simply a rotting corpse.

No, Shooter is nothing so outright hideous. Instead, a skeleton sits in the chair, a skeleton with many shadows. The bones are bleached white, picked clean, nothing remaining but the tough, hard bone that lies beneath the flesh of every mortal man. The shadows are not his own or, if he has one, is lost in the plethora of shadows originating in every direction. Women, children, men, beasts; every conceivable shape is somewhere within his shadows. They thrash and flail, trying to reach the skeleton, never coming any nearer, for a shadow is always apart from the body.

And, always, the skeleton is grinning, teeth contorted into a hideous imitation of a smile.

[NineOfSpades]

Asura

Summer kept waiting for the punchline, because this had to be a joke. Their mission was to find some Hispanic vampire lord, who's house changes addresses like its going out of style, and the commander hadn't offered them any more direction than 'he's probably in mexico'. "This is all well and good, very constructive conversation, but I've got a minor nitpick. News flash, Mexico covers over 750,000 square miles. It could take days or weeks to try and track this place down. If we can't find his house, the rest doesn't really matter does it?" More likely, she thought, this little team would end up wandering the badlands for months and never come close to the place. "Heck, this isn't even a proverbial needle in a haystack. At least the needle doesn't get up and go hide in a different haybale every so often."

Summer sighed, leaning back in her chair, clearly a bit agitated. Honestly it was mostly just jetlag. That and she was still pretty worn down from the surgery. On an intellectual level, she knew full well that there were no nerve endings in her brain that could transmit any tactile sense. On the other hand, however, just knowing it was in there made her head itch. Closing her eyes for a moment, she let her thoughts clear and began building a solution. Her fingers started twitching, and a careful observer could see her eyes darting back and forth, like she was reading through a book in her minds eye, which was a fairly accurate assessment of what was going on in her noggin. Snatching up the pamphlet that had all the in-flight safety tips, she deftly tore out a page and started scribbling away feverishly. "So what else do we know about vampires?" She asked. "I mean, ways to I.D. them. Do they cast a shadow? Can they be seen in mirrors? What about body heat, they endothermic or ectothermic?"

She paused a moment from her drawing, leaning over towards the window and breathing heavily on it to fog up the glass, before hastily doing out a few equations on the windows surface. Satisfied with the result, she went back to her drawing "I should be able to manufacture an interface to pinpoint these fang-jobs. Then all we need to do is look for the largest concentration of them available, and I'd put money on Duval being there. And if not, we'll certainly have no shortage of his goons to squeeze for information." After a moments pause, she added "On a side note, I'll need at least 4 Cell phones to use for scrap parts. Can we stop at a radio shack or something? Shouldn't take me much more than an hour to throw something together"





Invention Design

Vampire Detector: Senses 10 (1pp/rank) (Ranged Detect Undead (2), Extended (5), Accurate (2), Radius (1)): Flaws: Limited (Vampires Only)(-1), Concentration (-1), Distracting (-1), Standard Action (-2))(2pp)

Taking -15 on my design check to speed up the time by -3 steps on the table. The design will take 16 minutes to finish.

Design roll (DC12) Taking 10 on my roll, for a total of 12.

Taking -15 again on the construction roll to reduce the time to 30 minutes per pp cost. It'll take an hour to build.
Construction Roll (DC12): Taking 10 again for a total of 12.

[Queen Sapes]

"Of course," the General says to Cici, taking the scarf and placing it in overhead storage while the others ask their first questions. "Civilian casualties and all kinds of collateral damage are to be kept at a bare minimum. We don't want you attracting any unwanted attention. It's a city full of vampires, we don't need the Freedom League or any other superhero team showing up deciding you are a problem," the General states matter-of-factly to Second Shooter's question. "Regarding #Hashtag, from what we can tell he has no inherent healing abilities. His powers appear limited to light control, or at least that's what he says his powers are limited to. Most of our information comes from his personal blog, since it would seem he is undetectable by machines. We tried to do some digging to find out what we could about him, and aside from the blog we have nothing. We're not even sure what he looks like. Once again, any lasting damage against #Hashtag can't be taken, even mental damage. We want him up and running by tomorrow, not trapped in the hospital for any reason." General Marland says, answering some of the questions Vanish and Jettatura asked.

"We've got over a dozen previous locations of his estate, although there doesn't appear to be any common thread between them. It appeared in the jungle around town for a few weeks, in place of a neighborhood park for a couple minutes, in place of a local supermarket for a few hours, it's all unreliable information. Thankfully it appears to limit itself to Guadalajara, but it could be literally anywhere in the city. However, there is one man in the city who we're told may have a way to find Duval's estate. Angel Ballesteros, a local Guadalajaran detective and former priest. Reports are he's been to Duval's estate on multiple occasions, and apparently specializes in 'supernatural' cases. We had an agent in the city a couple weeks ago who asked Ballesteros about Duval. They aren't on good terms. Ballesteros is also under the same protection as #Hashtag, since they appear to be the only two major forces fighting for good in the city. If all else fails, you could always find one of Duval's vampire lackeys in the city."

"The estate itself," the General begins, tapping a couple of buttons on the monitor, "Is set up like most other Mexican haciendas. It is a two-story building with very open outdoor hallways, and an open garden area in the direct center of the estate. Vampire guards watch the roof while thralls patrol the outside, acting as guards for the hacienda. Actual rooms are largely unknown save for a dining room, as all others are kept off-limits during the parties Duval holds frequently at his home, and that was the only time one of our agents could even get close. Other defenses are unknown."

"As to the vampire capabilities, they possess the usual abilities: flight, hypnosis, blood drinking, enhanced strength, and immortality save for the previous weaknesses. All indications are that they can't be seen by mirrors and are only as warm as the air around them, which for Mexico brings it to about body temperature usually. They do cast shadows, so if that device of yours could actually succeed at detecting them, go ahead and try building one when we land," the General says to Asura's plan. "The vampires don't all live at Duval's estate, instead he keeps a few dozen at his hacienda, and the rest are scattered as his agents throughout the city of Guadalajara. We don't have information on all of Duval's inner circle, and most are out of the city right now, but there is one in particular member of interest," Marland says, tapping the monitor's buttons again. The image of a young Hispanic man appears on screen, his hair slicked back with some kind of product. "Silvano Corazza, a once promising programmer who was turned by Duval and his men. Corazza is the one responsible for writing the program, and it's possible he could do something similar to it again. If encountered, he is to be eliminated at all costs."

Count Duval:
Unfortunately, even during the brief time you were free, you weren't able to pick up anything on Duval. Technology investors aren't the biggest people in the public eye, and is Duval is a vampire like you've been told, it would make sense that he tries to stay far from the public eye. After all, even with vampires recently taking an up-swing in popularity, they are still monsters that any number of monster hunters would chase.

#Hashtag:
Once again, a small local hero who you know pretty much nothing about save for what the General is telling you. Mexico doesn't see a big amount of superpowered action and you haven't ventured down into Mexico on too many occasions. On all the trips you did take South, you rarely came into contact with any superheros, and you've never been prepped on #Hashtag before, so he's likely a new face in the superhero community.

General Marland:
Good old General Marland. Last time the Miracle Men were put together, he was in charge of coordinating the squad. There were obvious issues with the previous squad, but his return means he's back on board with the project. His appearance in person rather than over a screen this time is interesting though, and his personal recruitment is something to note as well. Otherwise, the General's record is the same. Numerous military successes until he was promoted to special projects where he has struggled to put together a useful superhero military group.

Leaving what you learn about their characters up to everyone else, although you do think that holy water will do some damage to a vampire.
Count Duval:
You come up with nothing about Duval, after all, not a lot of people are looking to take out technology investors. Even so, the fact that he's a vampire leads you to suspect he's remained purposefully off the radar, to keep himself safe from those who would hunt him for being what he is.

[Arcran]

Shooter leans back, trying to take in all the new information as his mind flies forward. Open hallways on the hacienda were a huge boon; shooting bullets around a corner was always difficult. Doable for him, but difficult.

"If we're smart, we can maneuver around #Hashtag entirely," Shooter says simply. "Most of us can pass for somewhat ordinary citizenry. Cthulu, Wheels, you two focus on building that device," Shooter states, not mentioning he could probably put together the basic schematics a bit quicker. "The rest of you can hunt down Angel Ballesteros. If he's willing to share information, we're set and that device is redundant. If he's not willing, we still have the device in the works. While you do that, I'll search for leads on Silvano. We can have all targets located within a day if we do this correctly and work forward from there."

"That is, as long as nobody objects to us splitting up. We have comlinks, so should one of us be attacked by a superior force, we can contact the others. Get reinforcements and all of that."

Shooter leans back in the chair once again, a bit perturbed by his lack of information. The only one he knew anything about was The General and, frankly, of the three he was the least interesting.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer listened intently, nodding slowly at the answers. He frowned just a moment when the general mentioned it taking the place of other houses. "I assume the locations it replaced were...put back when it had moved on?" he asked. So much for searching out large open spaces or trying to plot a pattern of craters or something.

And then an idea came to him. A brilliant idea full of glorious possibility. "A fair plan, but I think there is another option. There is a superhero by the name of Warden who possesses a device capable of tracking teleportation effects. All we have to do is find him, kill him, and take the device. Then we can use it to track Duval's estate. No problem."

[Arcran]

Shooter looks at the man with no small degree of scorn.

"The teleporter wants us to kill a man with access to a teleport tracker, does he know?" he says with a smirk. "Tell me, was he the one who captured you? Trying to use us for a bit of petty revenge?"

"Anyways, how do you know the device would work on vampires? I heard nothing about 'teleporting' being a power of theirs," Shooter says, staring Vanish in the eye.

"Everybody here has enemies. The mission comes first."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"I didn't say there weren't other, even better reasons to do it," Vazer replied, a bit nettled by the suggestion that he was ignoring the mission, though still his baseline interpretation of "cordial". "I just figured I'd cut out all the ones that none of you would be expected to care about and focus on those related to the task at hand. The hacien- nope, can't say it with a straight face - the lair is moving about the city in a manner that replaces whatever was in that location before. To me, that suggests highly advanced teleportation. I should like to think that if the place, say, dropped from the sky or burrowed up from the ground, that would have been included in the report, although to be fair, I suppose no harm was ever done by underestimating government intelligence assets."

[Green Bean]

Nia stretched in his seat, more out of restlessness than anything else. "I could just disguise myself as Detective Ballsack and get taken prisoner. Then you guys follow me in. Worked on the Trojans last time I did it."

[Arcran]

"I'd presume a teleport done by a vampire in possession of a magical artifact would be mystical in nature, not at all similar to the trace of a mutant," Shooter says, a bit disappointed in Vanish. "Anyways, that would be too large of a detour. We need things we can access now."

He looks at Nia, trying to determine if he was kidding. The demon wasn't possibly old enough; after all, he'd only begun to hear reports of him a few years back. "And when they ask questions? Questions you don't know the answers to? What do you do then?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Hmm...interesting theory. Do you really think his teleport tracer would only detect mutant teleportation? I might be able to use that..." Vazer mused, and actually, there was no sarcasm in his tone. He honestly didn't know exactly how the item worked, had just figured, it detected all forms of teleportation. But it might not, and that could be an exploitable weakness. Hmm...

"Well, regardless, and despite the clear differences in our definitions of the term 'detour', fair enough," Vazer said, sounding snide once again. When he questioned what the demon would do if asked questions he couldn't answer, Vazer muttered under his breath with a cold grin, "Ooh, I bet I know this one..."

[Green Bean]

He looks at Nia, trying to determine if he was kidding. The demon wasn't possibly old enough; after all, he'd only begun to hear reports of him a few years back. "And when they ask questions? Questions you don't know the answers to? What do you do then?"

Nia's expression betrayed no particular indication of whether he was kidding or not. Whatever was wrong with his attitude, you couldn't fault his poker face. "Crazy, billion year old vampire who wants to take over the world? And Ballestrous goes up against him, more than once? Mortal guy knows things. His little groupies ain't gonna ask me questions because then I might give 'em answers. And no one wants to be the guy who knows too much. They shut up and take me to the count, or at least one of his inner circle."

[Cogsrow]

-Cici Smiles and sits in her chair watching everyone talk, not speaking up herself since she didn't really have anything to contribute. She was there to hit things...and hit other things really hard, not come up with plans, she wraps her tail around her and bites the tip out of nervous habit-


Cici's true self was a normal 20 year old woman, dressed as her and looking completely and normally human. What was truly scary was the giant lizard beast behind her, chained up but rageing against the locks. It twists and thrashes violently constantly looking at all of them hungry. You see the chains are almost breaking, barely being contained.

[Propagandist]

As Shooter suggested they work together, Scylla leans over toward Asura. "Honestly, I know very little about technology, and even less of it up here, your designs do not work like Atlantean tech. But if you do want help building your device, I'd be glad to. I am very good at taking things apart." She wiggles her tentacles and grins.

Scylla shakes her head at Nia. "You don't have compartment in your belly for us to hide in. You get taken prisoner, the only thing you've accomplished is making yourself a prisoner. This seems simple enough. This detective can point us the right way, though finding him without alerting other police could be something of a rough current. If getting him alone is too difficult, we use this device of Asura's, we catch a little fish, we make the little fish scream a bit. There are things on this plane scarier than any vampire."

[Arcran]

Shooter frowns at Nia, obviously not satisfied with the answer. He quickly looks to Scylla.

"I only ask because, unlike the rest of us, you wouldn't really blend. News would spread fairly quickly if people knew a giant octopus monster was walking around town. We need to be subtle, at least at first."

He simply nods as Scylla explains why the imposter plan is bad, obviously agreeing.

[Green Bean]

"Pfff. You could probably ask the General here for my tracking info. And I'm pretty sure I can escape a prison madefor some mortal old man." Nia shrugged and blew some hair out of his eyes. "But hey, I'm flexible. Infiltrate, isolate, interrogate, I probably got something in my bag of tricks for ya."

[Mono Vertigo]

Giant octopus mon... oh, so that's Scylla's actual appearance.
Or part of, at least.
Explains the whole Atlantis thing.
Sidney ponders out loud: "Let me think, what have I read about vampires...?"

I suppose Magic applies here. Routine check: 22. If you want a narrower question, they I'd like to know what these vampires's abilities and powers are likely to be.
EDIT: forgot to ask, do I know anything more about that talisman Duval has?

[Queen Sapes]

I'm assuming another routine check on the talisman?

Vampires:
The undead monsters known as vampires strangely enough are extremely similar to how they're depicted in fiction. Sunlight, decapitation, and a stake to the heart will kill them, Holy water burns them, and they all possess superior strength, speed, and do not tire. The older a vampire becomes, the more powerful he is, and at a certain point they manifest flight, hypnosis, and on occasion other powers such as shapeshifting.

Amuleto del Murciélago:
While you're unfamiliar with this exact amulet, you can guess at what it likely does. The so-called "Bat Amulet" is likely one of those mystical items specific to certain kinds of people that amplifies certain powers or grants new ones. Given that it has the word bat in its name, it likely applies to vampires.

[Mono Vertigo]

Sid finishes thinking out loud. "I think I remember, the most powerful vampires are the oldest ones, and the undead bloodsuckers don't like holy water, either. As for the talisman, it's just my opinion, but I'm willing to bet that the place where we'll find it is around Duval's neck. So that'd be good, because once we find the vampire boss, we also find the Amuleto Del Murciélago, without having to fiddle with even more safes or magical seals, buuuuut on the downside, that'd make Duval much more dangerous."
Her fingers tap absentmindedly on the armrests. "Even more dangerous than your average elder vampire, of course."

[Queen Sapes]

"Whatever you plan to do, I suggest you decide quickly," the General says, moving to one of the plane's windows and peering out. "We'll be landing very soon. We don't know when Duval plans to unleash this program, so you need to act as quickly and decisively as possible." The sky takes on an orange tint as the sun starts creeping down towards the horizon, sealing Guadalajara in dusk.

[Arcran]

"Any objections to splitting up to accomplish our goals?" Shooter inquires, opening his suitcase and beginning to assemble his gear. "If not, prep for the mission."

It was the best plan. If one got caught there's another six to come intervene. By splitting up they could most efficiently get all targets. Even better, each part of the plan was a backup for the others. While not fool-proof, it was certainly likely to succeed.

[Propagandist]

"I have no objections." Scylla takes a last extra-deep drag of the water and removes herself from the apparatus that had been providing the liquid. "Find the detective, phones to make a vampire locator. I'll stay in the shadows, I suppose? Shooter is right, alas. Citizens of the surface do tend to panic when they see me. Though it would make for a glorious distraction! I quite like playing monster!"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"No objections. A question though, General. I assume that given the technology we've been furnished with for this mission," he holds up the commlink as his example, but there's little doubting what he's actually talking about, "that you are able to track our locations. Is there any reasonably quick and secure way for me to access that data? In the event of an emergency where we need to converge on a teammate's location quickly, being able to see everyone's current GPS coordinates would be quite helpful."

[Green Bean]

"I'll go talk to the detective, then. Give me the address and I'll go charm some information out of him." Nia nonchalantly made sure the earpiece was attached, and leaned forward to pick up his briefcase. "Might be easier if I can hire him. You got any money? I can steal it on the way over, but it'll slow me down."

[Queen Sapes]

"Unfortunately, no," General Marland says to Vanish's question. "I'd like to give you that, but unfortunately my hands are tied, only I have been authorized for that. But, I will be in touch, so if you're ever in need of teammate's locations just ask and I can feed you the information you need."

A musical chime goes through the cabin as the pilot begins speaking over the intercom. "Attention passengers, we are now going in to land. I expect no troubles landing, but I must remind you to watch your footing as we descend to prevent any injuries. Good luck on your mission and I'll be here when it's time to head out." The plane starts its descent to the city below, landing in a few minutes of quick decline and skidding itself to a stop on the runway below. The plane has landed on a private airstrip outside the city, not far from the city but far enough that no prying eyes would take notice. As the plane pulls itself to a stop a pair of trucks drive up from the main road stopping near the plane. The driver of one gets out and jumps into the passenger seat of the other and it drives away just as quickly, leaving one truck near the plane unoccupied. The truck is a big vehicle, easily enough to sit the entire team, and the back is covered by a canopy that obscures any passengers from onlookers. General Marland approaches the plane's door and pushes it open, a ramp quickly sliding itself out and onto the ground below.

"Here's Ballesteros' address," the General says to the first member of the team down the ramps, handing them a slip of paper with an address written on it. "We managed to get you a vehicle you all will fit in, one that will hopefully keep you away from anyone who would alert the police and potentially endanger the mission. The keys are inside, and there is a map of town in the glove compartment. Come back here when everything is done, and we'll get you out of here as quickly as possible. Remember, your targets are the program and the amulet, #Hashtag and Ballesteros are to be left in as good a condition as possible, and if you are discovered try to keep civilian casualties to a minimum. Try to escape, betray your mission, or reveal who you work for, and that bomb in your brain will drop you faster than you can say 'sorry'. Everything else goes, good luck to you Miracle Men."

[Arcran]

Shooter takes the paper, handing it off to Vanish.

"Alright, everybody in the truck. Drop me off at the edge of town," Shooter says, hopping into the back as he begins to assemble his handguns. "I'll begin my mission from there. Scylla, Asura, you two need to find a warehouse or something, somewhere where you can build. The rest of you do as you will," he says, removing a cigar from his briefcase and lighting it up, gently leaning back against the seat as he finishes attaching the silencer. He'd leave his body armor and sniper in the briefcase for now; those would attract a bit too much attention at the moment.

"Keep radio contact to a minimum. Use only for new information or as a panic switch. I don't want to listen to all of you yammering all day."

[Green Bean]

Nia exited the plane immediately afterwards, and tried to get a glimpse of the address on the paper. When it became clear he was too short, he briefly became seven feet tall and read it over Shooter's shoulder before reverting back to his 'default' self. "I guess drop me off somewhere nearby wherever this guy lives." He wrinkled his nose a little at the smell of a cigar in the confines of the truck, but didn't say anything out loud. Rah rah team and all that, plus hopefully a smoking habit meant the old man would die soon.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer pulled out his smartphone, went over to Google Maps, and typed in the address, before handing the paper to Nia. "Unless this little truck ride is strictly necessary as some sort of team-building exercise or something, I think I'm going to just pop over to the detective's house and see if he's home. Anyone who wants to tag along is welcome, I can generally bring three or four people with me, depending on exact weight."

[Green Bean]

"Oh god yes, get me out of here." Nia immediately excused himself from the truck.

[Cogsrow]

-Cici steps off of the plane rubbing her arm and looks at Nia= I'll go with you then...dont' like to ride in cars.

[NineOfSpades]

Asura

Rolling down the ramp and off the plane, Summer felt the warm, dry air of the Mexican city blow over her. It was enough to make her regret not changing into her armor first, since the suits internal environment was carefully calibrated to her preferences, rather than the blistering outdoors.

Scylla had expressed a disinterest in working with Summer, and Summer had similar feelings. She didn't have the best track record when it came to cooperative engineering. Still, it would be nice having a bodyguard while she worked. Summer was all to aware of the fact that, without the armor, she was by and far the most vulnerable member of the team. "Well, lets get going then." She said to her assigned partner, and started rolling away. "We don't need anything fancy, just a few scrap supplies and a quiet place with working electricity. A warehouse is probably more than sufficient, lets just find a cheep motel and set up there" She glanced over her shoulder, back at Scylla "Oh, mind being a pal and getting my bags for me?" Summer did her best not to smirk.

[Propagandist]

Scylla practically recoils in horror as the dry, dusty air blows in as the ramp lowers. "Your people live in this? Hmph. Perhaps those who called you savages had a point."

"Oh, mind being a pal and getting my bags for me?" Summer did her best not to smirk.

"Of course, milady." Scylla gives Summer a bow so exaggerated she actually scrapes the ground. Never the less, she does slither her way back into the plane. "General? Asura's possessions. In that great safe next to her chair, I'm guessing? May I? She needs a hand, or ten, apparently."

Once Summer's "bags" are in tow, Scylla rejoins her erstwhile partner, grumbling under the weight as she makes her way to the truck. "What do you have in here, a mountain?"

"Where we go is your decision. You know what is required. I am but the humble monster in the shadows, there to eat those who interfere with your work, milady." Scylla laughs, but it's hard to tell how much she was actually joking.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer nodded. "Grab hold, then," he told them, before looking to Jettatura. "Are you with us?"

Vazer was one of the ones who appeared rather normal under her cursed gaze. Well, until he faced her directly, at any rate. At that point she could see that his mouth was formed constantly into a wide slash of an exaggerated smirk, filled with razor-sharp pointed teeth that seemed to be giving off some sort of pale light.

[Cogsrow]

-Cici reaches over and grabs on to her- Never actually teleported before

[Green Bean]

Nia rolled his eyes a little and put his hand on Vazer. "It's awful. You feel like you're going somewhere, but you always end up back on this terrible plane."

[Cogsrow]

-Cici looks at nia and tilts her head- But we're already off of the plane.

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter, Scylla, and Asura take off in the truck headed for town, leaving the other four for Vanish to move. It doesn't take long for them to hit town, five minutes at most, at which point Second Shooter hops out, leaving the truck to the girls. A few more minutes and they pull into a cheap motel on the edge of Guadalajara, the kind of place where you park in front of the room you want and they don't ask for I.D. or payment up front. The room itself looks like it was pulled out of a 70's porno, psychedelic designs covering the wallpaper, carpet, and windows. Two queen beds take up the room, each with a coin slot that causes them to vibrate, and a small table with a couple chairs and a microwave sits in the corner. There is exactly two other cars parked at the motel, so thankfully nobody is around in the orange stained dusk to see Scylla move into the room.

[Arcran]

Shooter had only ever been to Mexico once, and that job had been brief. So, unlike most of his missions, Shooter wasn't going in with a wide array of contacts. Hell, half of his contacts probably thought he was dead anyways.

Still, there was always one surefire way to find a path into the criminal underworld; drugs. With a practiced eye Shooter strolls down the streets, arms inside his bulky jacket, looking for his ticket towards the criminal underworld.

Realized I forgot to use Well-Informed earlier on Corazza
[roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Once everyone's gathered, Vazer teleports them. No display accompanies his power, flashy lights or humming noises or whatever. If the address was close enough, there wouldn't even be a sensation of movement, though otherwise instead of their surroundings just changing, the new location would kind of "spin" into place around them, which could be momentarily disorienting. Vazer used the GPS coordinates and the map image to target the teleport, aiming for a relatively out-of-the-way location with a bit of cover, if there was any to be found. Or failing that, well, just around the corner of the detective's block would do well enough. Normally, he'd have arrived in the air, but with passengers who may or may not be able to fly, and considering the location would likely be non-hostile, he decided that stealth was a secondary concern.

He immediately scanned the area, alert to anything potentially dangerous or useful nearby.

Using Teleport. Routine Check and no current check penalties caps my rank at 10, so if it's within four miles I'll just 'port us there normally. Otherwise it will be an Extended teleport.

Also, Perception check for general looking around. Routine for 30 total.

[Green Bean]

With the mission now a go, Nia figured he should probably drop the Max Webster look for now. Ballesteros was a man, so he decided to play the odds and took the form of a woman. Human standards of beauty made little sense to him, so he mostly just used advertisements as a base and modified from there. A nearby billboard of a woman sipping on a Coke bottle gave him a nice template - he toned down the features that weren't actually possible without photoshop, he tweaked the cheekbones a little, shrunk the lips, lightened the hair a shade or two and reduced the volume. He couldn't speak the language, so he mixed up the features a little to make his ethnicity ambiguous. In the end, a beautiful, dark-skinned woman stood at eye-level with Vazer, wearing a yellow floral sundress and looking utterly at home in the Guadalajara streets.

"Well, shall I go talk to him?" Barring any objection, Nia walked towards Ballesteros' office.

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
It doesn't take long for Second Shooter to find exactly what he's looking for, especially on the outskirts of Guadalajara. The police don't pass through this part of town as often as they probably should, so everything has an aura of dangerous about it, especially the man in his seventies wearing heavy clothes. Second Shooter spots a teenage Mexican boy, not even past high school age, wearing a grey hoodie relaxing on a street bench. A couple of other teens run up to him and Shooter sees the three teenagers quickly exchange cash for something Shooter doesn't spot in a plastic bag. The few people on the street don't seem to react to this obvious drug deal, either not noticing it or purposely choosing to ignore it. In a moment, the two teens leave, the boy in the grey hoodie relaxing back on the bench.

Once again, you don't recognize the name, but it's at least for good reason. Programmers were never really important targets, and you passed on almost every single one of those jobs for something bigger and much more exciting. If he was young when he was turned, and by extension young when he rose to prominence, there is almost no way you would have ever heard of Corazza.
Vanish, Jettatura, CiCi, and Nia:
The group arrives in a little alleyway off of a central plaza where Ballesteros' office is supposed to be. His office is a ways into town, past the older parts of town where poverty is more common, and into the portion of the city clearly benefiting from the new technological renaissance. The streets are clean, the alleyways are graffiti-free, and everything is genuinely peaceful. The plaza Ballesteros' office is located off of is a quiet little slice of the city that is duplicated across its streets, save for the outer part of the city. Some children play on the smooth stone of the street, two older men play chess on a table, two young teens flirt while sitting on a fountain's rim, supposedly doing math homework, a woman grills meat on a barbeque on a balcony above the plaza, and her husband lounges in a chair in front of their home while reading the newspaper. All are enjoying the early summer's dusk in their own ways, and there isn't even a road cutting into the plaza to ruin their time with the sound of even light traffic.

Ballesteros' office sits at the corner of the plaza, a small place crammed between two other buildings. The door is completely glass, with the words 'Angel Ballesteros Investigations' painted on the window in white letters. No 'We're Open!' or 'Sorry, We're Closed' sign hangs in the door, and there is no other window to the place for it to hang in. There are no hours posted either, furthering the welcoming atmosphere. Instead, a wooden cross is sealed to the glass door at its center, and the doorknob appears to be made completely out of silver.

Walking up to the offices, you look down in front of the door and notice something odd in the bricks. There appears to be some kind of circle-like symbol arranged in the bricks. It clearly looks to have religious roots, and given all the other defenses at his door against the supernatural, it's likely this is yet another trap for supernatural entities.

The symbol in the bricks is indeed a demon's trap. Designed by magic-savvy priests early in the 17th century, a demon's trap is perfect for catching all kinds of creatures from Hell, trapping them behind a holy curtain of energy. The trap, however, is only designed to trap demons from certain dimensions, the ones that are commonly used to summon from. Angel is clearly big on self-protection, or he is targeted quite frequently by monsters if he has to keep this at his front door.

[Cogsrow]

-Cici walks around smiling and laughs- So good to be free....so umm where to first? -the lizard woman seems completely unaffected by the heat of mexico and she smiles as her tale whips around-

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Sounds good. One quick question, though. On the off chance that there is a God, should we be concerned that a priest/detective might be able to discern your true nature?" His smirk was amused, but the question was serious enough.

[Green Bean]

"I'm not that kind of demon. Normal humans wouldn't be able to tell. Supernatural investigators, who knows? I can make it work either way."

Nia approached the door distractedly, but smiled a little as she passed by the happy little crowd - his well-practised version of 'a kindly woman with Something on her mind'. He reached the office, eyeing the doorknob with some distaste, and rapped on the window.

[Propagandist]

"I have heard of these!" Scylla skitters over to the coin-operated bed, looking like an archaeologist who just stumbled into a tomb full of treasure. A quick blow to the box the coins fall into nets her a handful of change, and the bed is soon occupied by a happily vibrating squid monster.

"Wwwhhere shhhoullld wweee sstttarrrt? Ccaan yyyou uuuse annyttthing iiiin heeeere?"

[Cogsrow]

-Cici huffs at being ignored and he eyes go a bit more amber a bit more slitted and she looks at Vazer- In my experience there isn't a god, so she'll be alright

[Arcran]

Shooter is a bit disappointed with his result. A kid like that was likely just a street thug and probably has never met anybody high up in the organization that might know something. Still, the kid probably had his guy. And that guy would have a guy. And so on and so forth until Shooter had a man at the top.

Shooter makes his way towards the boy, taking a seat on the bench next to him. His hands are in his lap; a decidedly non-threatening pose even though Shooter could have a pistol in either hand in the blink of an eye.

"Speak English kid?" he murmurs, gently placing the suitcase on the ground by his feet.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Fair enough," he replied. "Heh. No arguments here," he added flippantly in response to Cici's comment. For his part, he was content to wait and watch for the time being. He thought briefly about patrolling the area, but decided against it. At this stage, it would just be paranoid.

[Mono Vertigo]

The state of the plaza makes Sid shake her head. "Inhabited places are not supposed to be that clean and peaceful. It's always suspicious, real things are not like that."
She eyes the normal people present, and the cross in the door, with disgust, before telling Nia: "I don't think your kind of presence will be tolerated here, if Ballesteros finds out and doesn't appreciate it, I'll calm him down." Oh, right, the chip. "... temporarily and he won't remember anything he's not supposed to."

[NineOfSpades]

Asura

Wasting no time, Summer began dismantling the microwaves for components, while internally running through the list of supplies she'd need, and debating if they should take the motors and circuitry out from the vibrating bed. As she worked, Summer spared a glance over at her associate. Despite Scylla's strange appearance, Summer felt no real animosity or revulsion. Much like with her armor, Summer found, the most important part was kept on the inside. Still, Scylla was a strange one. As a burst of sparks erupted from the back of the toaster as she removed the dielectric motor, Summer commented "So... We got some time before this will be ready." One on one interactions were not her strong suit, but she soldiered on "You from Atlantis then? You mentioned some familiarity with their tech."

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
"A little, Gringo," the kid says in a smarmy way, blissfully unaware of who exactly he's talking to. He eyes Second Shooter's suitcase as he sets it down, not doing a lot to hide the wheels turning in his head. "How can I, uh... Help you?"

Nia, Vanish, Jettatura, and CiCi:
Some of the people in the crowd around the plaza smile and wave back as Nia crosses in front of them, save for those engrossed in their reading or the fairer sex. Nia approaches the door without a problem, noting no change as she steps up to the door. As Nia knocks on the glass door it takes a moment for there to be some kind of response from inside. A man's voice, likely in his later 30's and with a thick native accent, shouts, "¡Está abierto, adelante!" Another moment passes and nobody appears to answer the door, leaving Nia standing on the steps of Ballesteros' office.

[Arcran]

Shooter slowly pulls the suitcase up to his lap, letting it hit his legs with an audible thunk. Between battle armor and a sniper rifle, his case was heavy.

"What's in the case is yours if you take me to your contact," Shooter says, leaning forward to stare the boy in the eyes. "And don't pull the 'I don't have a contact!' dance with me, kid. Do that and you're getting half the case. Easy money. Take it or leave it."

A slight lie, but hopefully enough to get the kid interested. Obviously he'd never hand over his gear to some kid but, then again, he didn't exactly bring his wallet on the mission.

Going to use Assessment 'cause I'm totally not going to murder him later.

[roll0]

[Propagandist]

Scylla watches with interest as Summer gets to work. This one could be very useful indeed. She laughs at the Atlantis question, a strange noise. "You could say that. I was a guest of honor in one of your prisons because the Atlanteans didn't feel like entertaining me any more. Their jails are weak, should you ever find yourself down there. Far too reliant on lazy and bribeable and delicious guards."

"My people and theirs, they do not get along. We Cecaelia move from place to place. We follow the currents. It has always been that way. There are others who live like we do, but not Atlantis, no no no. Royal Atlantis claims all the oceans as their dominion, and when they move into a new land, they stay, and they build. Even if the land is not theirs. So we fight. But their numbers are larger, and Atlantis is built on magic and technology from long ago. Powerful things, marvels! It would be fun to get you some, see what you could build! We cannot fight them in the open, so we fight them in the shadows. They do not like that. They have a mighty army, and want you to stand still as it marches over you. They become upset when you assassinate their leaders and blow up their buildings instead. Oh, and their king, he gets angriest of all. It's quite fun. So yes, I know something of Atlantean tech. I am very good at making it explode. That's why I'm up here. They thought a surface prison would keep me locked up better, but the joke's on them! I like you land-dwellers. You're very interesting. So many ideas, all rushing together!"

Scylla blinks several times, seeming to come back down to Earth after her monologue. "What about you? How did you come to be on this team?"

[Green Bean]

Nia did not speak Spanish in the least, but in this context he guessed it was an invitation. He pushed forward through the door into Angel's office.

[NineOfSpades]

Asura

Summer worked as she listened, unconcerned with the possibility of making a mistake even though her attention was divided. The components she was working with were simple and durable, unlikely to risk damage even as she rushed through the task. When Scylla finished, Summer took a momentary pause from stripping the rubber casing off the ground wires, and addressed Scylla directly. "Its quite a tale you've got" Returning to her work, Summer answered the question raised at her "I'll admit, mine is far less dramatic. Nothing so grand as being on the receiving end of enforced colonialism. I was just a really smart kid who made a really dumb mistake. I was barely a teen at the time I graduated college, and had all these ideas in my head, things that I wanted to do, and see, and build. I was sure I'd be able to change the world in the span of a decade." Though her normal tone was fairly polite, if a bit detached, Summer's voice became a bit agitated as she continued to speak. The memories clearly were not pleasant ones. "When I was offred a job for a company called Kesscorp, I jumped on it. They made me a great offer, lots of funding and freedom to work on the projects I wanted. They seemed very trustworthy. I didn't take the time to read through the fine print on the contracts, or look to deep into the company's history, and just took them at their word" She paused, sighing and shaking her head. "I was stupid."

The microwave was almost entirely disassembled at this point, each component carefully sorted into piles and set aside with meticulous care. "For a while, things were alright. I worked on the Mark 1 version of my armor, and was making huge strides in it. Never payed much attention to my coworkers projects, I didn't really want to get involved with them. It was a competitive environment, and being just a kid, I really had to work hard to show I could pull my own weight." Summer began reconnecting wires, into what appeared to be a makeshift circuit board. "Anyhow, one of the other projects on the floor where I worked was a dark-matter reactor. Never learned the specifics, but the short version is that whoever was building it skipped a dozen saftey steps when he built the thing. Like I said, it was a highly competitive work space, and everyone who was there wanted the number one spot. Damn reactor exploded less than a minute after it turned on, and took half the floor with it. Guess you could say I was lucky to even survive. But I got a lovely parting gift." Summer tapped the side of her wheelchair a few times, to make the point clear. "Lots of people who get blasted with exotic radiation get endowed with strange and wonderous powers. I lost half a year to a coma, got a body that was broken and poisoned. Nervous system, muscles, all soft tissue. My life expectancy dropped to a year and a half without treatment, and treatment would run for at least a few million dollers."

While she was somewhat agetated before, Summer was clearly angry now "And Kesscorp didn't care one bit. They stole my work from me while I was laying in a hospital bed, erased any sign that it belonged to me, and then slapped me with half a dozen lawsuits when I tried to get them to cover the medications and surgery and treatments I needed to keep breathing. Those bastards made a hundred million dollers off of MY work, and couldn't spare a fraction of it in return!" Summer jolted momentarilly, having given herself a minor electric shock as she reconnected two wires. The suprise seemed to settle her down somewhat, because when she continued speaking, she was back to her usual, calm, self. "So there I was, wasting away and with no idea what else to do. So I started building myself another suit, figuring that if I was going to die, I'd at least make sure to spite the people responsible. I hammered away at Kesscorp with the Mark 2 suit, making sure they paid for what they'd done. Weirdest thing happened though. I guess people who saw my attacks figured that I'd been hired by someone else to do it. I started getting job offers and requests from other companies who wanted attacks against their rivals. People willing to throw down 5, sometimes 6 digit paychecks for contracts that usually took less than a week." Summer gave a shrug "Like I was going to turn them down. I had no intention of dropping dead, and staying alive for me was a very expensive prospect, so I took the mercenary work and made a decent living doing it. Uprgraded my suit 5 times since then, though I ended up getting captured when the police managed to suprise me while I was doing some maintenance on it. Not long after that, I got a new job offer, and that brings us up to the present."

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
"Ah, si, si!" the kid says, a smile running across his face. He stands up, making sure the money and drugs likely stored in his pockets is safe. "Follow me," the kid says, motioning for Second Shooter to follow him. The two walk several blocks around town, moving a little further into the city, before the kid turns down an alleyway. The dusk plays with the alleyway light, cloaking most of it in shadow leaving very little exposed to direct sunlight. About halfway down the alley the two buildings that make up the alley's left wall separate at a small gap, and a single beam of sunlight splits the darkness from here. The kid walks all the way down the alley, stopping to knock on an iron door.

"¿Quién está ahí?" shouts a voice from inside questioningly. The boy shouts back, "Es Rico!" A moment passes and then the sound of door locks clicking open can be heard from the other side of the iron door. In a few seconds the door slides open and a man wearing ill-fitting clothes with long and coarse looking hair steps out. "¡Hola Rico!" the man says happily, his arms out at his sides to further the greeting. "¿Usted es volver a comprar más cosas?" he asks, patting the boy on the shoulder. Then the man's eyes go out and look around the alley. He spots Second Shooter, standing there with his suitcase by his side. The man points to him, and angrily asks, "¿Quién es usted?" He pauses for a moment, keeping his finger pointed at Shooter. "Gringo, I asked who you are?" he says, changing his language.

You are extremely certain that this kid is nothing special in any way, shape, or form. The best he could probably do is throw a decent punch, and even then he has little chance against someone like Second Shooter. A single bullet would easily take him out of a fight, and if placed correctly it could kill him without any hassle.
Nia:
"Un momento, por favor," a man dressed in formal attire says from the back of the shop. Ballesteros' office isn't so much an office as much as it is a magic shop. A long counter lines the building from the door to the back, various bottles, charms, and other magical knickknacks waiting on the counter with price tags attached. Shelves line the walls, all filled with items used in spells, potions, books on mystic subjects, and an occasional weapon enchanted against this or that demon. At the back of the shop is a Hispanic man in his later thirties, placing a few new items on the shelves from a box he holds in his hand. After a moment of letting Nia look around, he sets down the box and turns to see the demon in disguise.

"Cómo puedo-" he stops dead in his tracks as his eyes fall on Nia. His eyes narrow, and he reaches over onto the counter where he quickly grabs a silver sword. "I didn't know if the demon's trap was still working. I guess I do now. I'll have to pray for its restoration later, but for now, why have you come to my store?" he asks, pointing the sword at Nia from across the room. "Demons don't usually choose to walk in without a reason. Is it retribution? Assassination? A random act of violence? I'd like to know before I send you back to Hell."

[Green Bean]

Nia mentally shrugged to himself as his disguise lasted all of a dozen or two syllables. It looked like it was time for Plan B. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Well, you got me half-pegged. Yeah, I'm a demon, but I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to hire an investigator. The sign on the door said that was a thing you do, right?"

[Arcran]

Shooter frowns again. Gringo. He didn't like the word, especially coming from scum like this. The man was too ill dressed, too slimy, too low to be high enough on the pole to know about a vampire computer engineer. Then again, it was an alley without sunlight. Perhaps the man himself was a vampire?

"A hitman," he says simply, hands at rest by his side. "New in town and looking for a job. If you could send me in the direction of your employer I'm sure I could cut you in on the payoff," he says, never breaking eye contact with the man.

Going to Assess this guy too. Can never be too safe.

[roll0]

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
"Who do you think my boss is that he needs some old man to do his dirty work, Gringo?" the man asks, still sceptically eying Second Shooter. "Besides, when bullets make bodies, then bad days follow. That's what my Tato always told me. Everything's good here, we make good money, and only the dumb hurt themselves. Why stir up trouble, eh?" he asks, stepping toward Second Shooter.

Once again, you make the assumption that this man isn't that big of a threat. He would probably punch a little harder than Rico can, but a single bullet would still probably drop him or kill him quickly. Even up close he wouldn't be much of an issue, as he just looks like a typical street thug with little to no combat training at all.
Nia:
"Yes, I do a little investigating for good folk who need help. But I don't see why a demon would ever want my help, and I certainly don't see why I should trust you. The good Lord says you are monsters and can't be trusted, and I know that to be truth. I never met one of you who didn't try and gut me eventually." Ballesteros never takes the sword away from his defense, ready in paranoia for Nia to attack him.

[Arcran]

"Why not take a little more money? How much work is it, eh?" he inquires. "Show me your boss. I can promise you that he'll thank you for it later. Maybe give you a promotion. It can't be fun working the streets, no? Bring me to your boss and I promise you'll be in some manor in two years."

The reward could very possibly be his life, Shooter can't help but think to himself. This was the last time he was going to ask.

[Green Bean]

"Oh great, you too, huh? I'm not that kind of demon, and- oh, nevermind, it doesn't matter. I don't want to be here any more than you do." Nia lowered his hands, but slowly, not giving Angel an excuse to attack. "You heard of a guy named Count Duval? I'm sure you have. Anyway, the people holding my leash want him dead - deader - and the word is you're the guy who knows where he lives."

Nia nonchalantly eyed up Angel's trinkets and magical defences. He couldn't kill the guy, but escape was always an option. "So there, you don't even need to trust me. Just tell me where Duval lives; maybe I'll kill him, maybe he kills me. Either way your city's better off, and you never see me again."

Trying to determine what specifically Angel has in terms of anti-demon counter-measures, with an emphasis on anything preventing me from escaping.

Expertise: Demonology - [roll0]

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
"No dice, Gringo. My boss don't want what you're selling, and I know a cushy job when I see one. I like what I've got going!" the man shouts, getting more agitated. "Cops stay away 'cause we're too small, clients come to us 'cause they know we're the best, and our sellers like little Rico here," he says, patting the boy on the head, "are the best in town." He mumbles quieter to Rico, "go on, little man." Rico runs off, heading down the alley as quickly as he could. "Now go back to the home, Old man. Bet they've got bingo going tonight. Leave our buisness to us."

Nia:
"I've fought Duval a few times before," Angel says, lowering his weapon a little bit. "He's not exactly as easy man to take down, but you're certainly welcome to try. But before I help you out, I need to know exactly who I'm helping. Duval isn't the biggest threat around, and I certainly don't want to help remove the vampire lord of Guadalajara just to put in power the werewolves or one of the demon clans. And I definitely don't want to see the Santa Muerte arrive in town. So, show me who I am working with, por favor." As he says those last words, Nia's earpiece rings a little, reminding him of the earlier restrictions on this mission. No revealing your employer, or it's lights out permanently.

At a glance, there doesn't appear to be anything trapping you inside Angel's office. There are no real traps on the inside that you can see, at least not against your particular brand of demon, although there are plenty of things on the shelves that can be of use against you. Most of the stuff you see is ingredients that can be mixed into defenses against your species, although all of that would take time. There are a couple of trinkets and pre-mixed potions that would do some damage, and the silver sword he wields is certainly cause for alarm.

[Green Bean]

"Let me tell you, I'm under one hell of an NDA here. Pun intended, I guess." Nia went through his mental Rolodex of people he could pin this on. Something secretive, but largely benign, and factitious enough that they plausibly wouldn't ask Angel directly. Ah, the Order of Light! They fit the bill, and it might be nice to throw a little sand in Eldrich's gears. "But you're a smart guy, right? Maybe you don't need me to tell you what kind of order I work for. What matters is that Duval may not seem your biggest threat, but he is casting a long shadow in the world at large. And where there is shadow, you can always find light. "

Nia's going to imply that he's working for the Order of Light.

Deception: [roll0] (+5 more if he's into women who look like models)

[Propagandist]

Scylla is silent for a while after Summer finishes her story, digesting all that was said, finding herself getting angry on behalf of her new teammate. "That's an awful tale. You deserved none of that."

"As long as it isn't something that will set the chip off, I will do what I can to help you. Anything we might find or steal that would be useful, I will keep safe. Beyond magic and miracles, is there a... cure?" Scylla's question stems from an ignorance of surface physiology as much as sympathy. "Or are these expensive treatments the best there is?"

"And while it might not make you feel better physically, is there anyone you would like to see suffer a bit before they die?" Scylla's chipper attitude returns with this change in subject matter. "I'm good at such things- I have quite a list of my own, and who knows where these missions might take us, after all."

[Arcran]

Shooter sighs, something which would likely seem a sigh of despair to an outside observer. It actuality, it was a sigh of relief; shooting was so much easier than speaking.

In one smooth motion Shooter draws his pistol, firing right past the ear of the boss. The shot ricocheted off the wall, off the lip of the roof and finally into the back of Rico's skull, killing the boy instantly.

"Now, will you take me to your boss or should we bet on how many times I can skip a bullet before it finds your knee?" Shooter says simply, the gun disappearing from his hand once more.

All of this was delivered by a particular calmness. Shooter knew he wasn't particularly imposing (age would do that) but, fortunately, actions tended to speak louder than words.

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
"Rico..." the man says, shocked at Second Shooter's cold blooded murder of the teenage kid. "He was just a kid, man... Didn't even have any family left..." The man is clearly shaken, and wordlessly mouths several things to himself while holding his forehead. "He was a good kid! Never made trouble, always did good work! Screw Duval's instructions, you're dying here!" The man's mouth suddenly warps a bit, his canines ejecting much further out and sharpening into blades. He blinks and his eyes reopen, taking on the appearance of a deep and brightly glowing red light. The vampire lunges at Second Shooter, swinging with the clear intent to shatter the sniper's arm at the elbow and make him less of a threat.

[roll0] vs. Parry to hit. Toughness DC 21.
Nia:
"Hmm..." Angel hums out, clearly considering what Nia said. After a moment he speaks again, saying, "Alright, if what you say is true, then I can help. But you'll excuse me if I chose to keep the sword," he says, lowering it, but not letting it go completely. "This may be the longest conversation I've ever held with a demon, but I'm still a bit worried you'll smash my head against the counter if I turn around without it." Angel reaches into his shirt and pulls out a necklace with a silver cross at the end, displaying it for added effect. He walks around the wooden counter, which has various religious symbols carved into it, and reaches under the counter for something. He pulls out a large leather-bound journal, which he unbuckles and opens. Inside are countless pages with notes, pictures, and sketchings of all kinds of supernatural beings. He starts flipping through them and says, "I assume you aren't going after Duval alone, so you may want to bring your friends in here now so they can hear it too."

[Arcran]

The blow easily catches Shooter but for an old man the president-killer is surprisingly spry, actually rolling with the attack to make the vampire's massive power all but useless.

His first thought is to run for the streets, get the vampire into the sunlight but, tempting as that may be, it simply was not an option. That would get too much civilian presence and possibly blow the mission.

There was, however, a different option; the rooftop. With a quick draw, Shooter pulls his adhesive climbing cable from his belt, pulling him up towards the rooftop. At the same time, Shooter aims down the iron sights of his pistol, firing from on high.

Gun is silenced, so it shouldn't draw much attention.

AC: [roll0] I realize I messed this up: I only get a +10 with my pistol, so subtract 2 from this.
Damage: Toughness DC 21, 26 if AC is 19-20.

If it misses, has Homing for two rounds. If it hits, he's making a DC 18 Toughness next turn.

[Green Bean]

"Oh, you better believe I'm not. Just figured rolling in here with the heavies was the wrong decision." Nia keyed his earpiece to open a channel to Vazer, Jettatura, and Cici. "Alright, we're all clear in here. Come on in, just keep things friendly, right?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer didn't reply verbally, just walked to the building. Hands in his pockets, baseball cap on backwards, he looked like a pretty average fellow all told, even considering the contemptuous smirk he was still wearing. He gave a silent upnod to Angel and just leaned against the wall directly right of the door.

[Mono Vertigo]

Sid comes in, a normal-looking scrawny woman, giving off nonetheless the vague feeling she used to be a goth, or a nerd, or some other kind of social pariah in her younger years. "Hello!", she says somewhat cheerfully, staring awkwardly at Angel.

Using Assessment on Angel. If I'm not wrong, the GM rolls secretly for that.

[Cogsrow]

-Cici walks up rubbing her arm, looking around wondering if anyone is stareing at her....her tail curls around her leg as she leans against the left side of the door-

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
Second Shooter's bullet nails the vampire in the leg, the silver bullet burying itself in his leg. "Aargh!" the vampire screams in pain. From the bullet wound, smoke begins pouring out and it audibly sizzles inside his leg. The vampire lunges at the alleyway wall, climbing up like a spider, and reaches for Second Shooter. But light pouring over the rooftop meets his fingertips, charring them quickly as the vampire quickly retracts his hand in pain. He snarls at Second Shooter and drops down, scanning the alley for something.

Toughness Roll: [roll0]. Toughness -1 and Dazed.
Nia, Vanish, Jettatura, CiCi:
"This everyone?" Angel asks as soon as Cici enters, giving each of the villains a once-over with his eyes. When he receives a nod from Nia, he chooses to continue. He flips a few pages, finally landing at the part of the journal he was looking for. "When you're going after Duval, you face one big problem: his home isn't exactly easy to track. Even I have never been able to find it without invitation. Duval, back in the early colonial days, received a spell from one of the local priests that allowed him to move entire cities in seconds. Duval's extremely paranoid, he constantly uses the spell to make sure he and his family remain undetected. Unfortunately, it means I cannot track his home or the magic. However, Duval is big on keeping up appearances. He likes to be known, but doesn't like for his vampire parts to be seen." Angel slides the book up to the counter's edge for the others to see. "He routinely holds parties for all kinds of socialites in the city, human ones, not his fellow fangs. This is the easiest way to get into his home. He sends out an entire fleet of cars to transport people to his hacienda, all black cars with tinted windows for the driver's safety. You're in luck, because tonight Duval is supposed to be having one of these parties." Angel points out several photographs of the black cars, each with a license plate that is a crude pun about vampires. "Find one of the cars, follow it to Duval's home, and you're in. But I should warn you, word is he recently got his hand on some ancient relic that I imagine will be rather dangerous in his hands."

Angel appears to be your typical human, albeit he appears as a glowing being of pure white light to Jettatura, but very athletic and clearly in good shape. Given that he regularly deals with the supernatural, his mind is likely highly resistant against mental attacks. In addition, you get the sense that he possesses some kind of internal abilities even he may not be aware of. It may have been how he was able to see through Nia's disguise without any issue.
Scylla, Asura:
After an hour or two of work, the vampire detector is completed, meaning Asura and Scylla now have a means of finding Duval's vampires. And just in time too, as they glance out the windows and see that the sun has almost disappeared over the mountains, dipping the dusk into nearly night. The sky is still relatively light, but shadows cover this part of town. The town has started to pick up at night, as people can be seen roaming the streets, and a few people lurk in groups around the parking lot.

[Arcran]

Had Shooter been a typical, unprofessional assassin this is likely where he would have taunted his quarry. Or laughed. Or simply grinned. Or all three at once.

Instead, Shooter rests the pistol on his arm, taking careful aim at the vampire. His next shot would kill the beast, or at least as close as a bullet can do it.

Just going to use Improved Aim this round.

However, don't forget the Secondary Effect for his bullet. That'll be a DC 18 Toughness.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer listened intently to the detective's advice, nodding occasionally. He glanced briefly over the pictures, a cursory look at first, until he spotted the license plates, whereupon he lost himself for a few moments reading the various puns. "Heh. Heh heh. Nice. ...Uh, sorry." Getting back to business, he said, "I should be able to locate and...tail one of the vehicles, but it would be easier alone. There is also some element of luck involved, so it would likely be ideal if you all conducted a separate search just in case. Mr. Ballesteros, would it be safe to say that the lair will remain in one place for the duration of the party? He doesn't generally wait for his guests to arrive, teleport the place elsewhere, and send his guests home from a different location, does he?"

I'm also considering running like an internet/social media search and maybe finding an invitee that way, but would that be an Investigation check (i.e. have Vazer pull out his smart phone and look it up) or a Technology check (i.e. ask one of the tech whizzes to handle it) or...something else (Expertise [Current Events] maybe?)

[Cogsrow]

-Cici sighs and looks out the window feeling useless, she wasn't cut out for this it seems, the best she can hope for is to fly higher than they could see-

[Queen Sapes]

Nia, Vanish, Jettatura, CiCi:
"Yes, for the night it will remain where it is," Angel says to Vanish's question. "But only for tonight, unfortunately. Duval has a habit of moving around after his parties, and he can go for months between them, so you likely only have this shot tonight. Try the more wealthy parts of town, that's where most of his invitations seem to go. Also, expect a little increased and more skilled security. His usual guard will still be in place, but there will be more guards hidden around, Duval doesn't like people crashing the party." Angel lifts up his shirt, revealing a massive scar that runs from his hips up towards his chest, likely from some kind of sword. "Trust me."

Second Shooter:
The bullet still lodged in the vampire's leg wound continues pouring out smoke from the burning wound. The vampire grunts in pain, but still seems just as determined to take Second Shooter out. The vampire finally finds what he was looking for, slowly moving a short distance to a nearby trash bin, where he reaches down despite the burning pain to pick up a brick he likely intends to chuck at Second Shooter.

Vampire Toughness Roll for last round effect: [roll0]. Another -1 and dazed again.
Vampire Toughness Roll for this round: [roll1]. Another -1 and now staggered instead.

[Arcran]

Shooter had never liked attempting to snipe with his pistol. While he was more than capable of it he preferred that extra weight of a real rifle and the power of it. As the vampire picks up a rock Shooter drops low, flattening himself against the rooftop. It wouldn't do to get taken out by a simple stone, would it?

With a slow, deliberate pull Shooter takes the shot, the bullet inbound for the vampire's heart. A killshot, plain and simple.

Dropping Prone. Prone Fighter means I ignore the normal penalties besides Hindered. Vampire has a -5 penalty to any ranged attacks.

I'll be going All-Out-Attack, trading 5 of my Active Defenses for +5 to hit.
I'll also be using Power Attack, taking a -5 to hit for a +5 Damage.

That brings our total to-hit bonus up to +10 and the damage bonus up to +5.

AC: [roll0] Crits on 19-20
Damage: This will be a DC 28 Toughness, 33 if it crits.

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
Second Shooter lines up the shot perfectly for the vampire's heart, firing the silver bullet into the monster's chest. The bullet pierces through the shirt, cracking through the bone, and burying itself in the monster's heart. As this happens, the vampire rears up, preparing to throw the brick at Second Shooter to knock him down, when the bullet finds its mark. The beast freezes in his tracks, and drops the brick. His limbs go numb as he falls to his knees, landing sitting on his legs. From the center of his chest where the bullet hit, his skin starts drying out, becoming a cold, grey, cracked rock. The process spreads slowly across his now-immobile body, long enough for him to speak.

"Heh. Silver. Always thought it would be a stake," he says, suddenly at peace, the snarling beast having receded. "Guess I was wrong and right about not taking you to see Señor Duval, huh?" The process spreads up to his neck, preparing to overtake his head, as his arms are already two thirds gone. The vampire chuckles a little to himself, his body not moving too much as it becomes solid rock. "Que Dios tenga misericordia de mí," he says to himself, then he looks up at Second Shooter. "Adios man. Be seeing you soon, Gringo," he says as the process overtakes his head. It seals at the fingertips, soles of his feet, and the top of his head, and immediately shatters into trillions of little pieces. The vampire blows away, literally dust on the wind, leaving nothing but a couple of silver bullets.

At the end of the alleyway as you watch the vampire blow away, you spot a security camera turn towards the dead body of Rico. It scans the area for a moment, settling briefly on the vampire blowing away in the wind. Then, it turns up a bit and spots you. The camera slowly follows your movement, obviously watching you.
Vampire Toughness Roll: [roll0]. Readjusted for not-so-secret weakness : 11. That means 4 degrees of failure, so he is dead.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer nods, that might help remove at least some of the luck from the equation. "Any particular streets you'd suggest?" he asked.

Even as he did, he was poking at his smart phone. Patience was not one of Vazer's strongest virtues. He browsed a few social network sites, searching for any indication of people who had been invited to Duval's party, and then ran a couple searches for homes for sale or rent in the city, mainly just to grab a couple addresses for use as seed targets to begin his search at.

Investigation: [roll0]

[Arcran]

Shooter stands there silently, watching the vampire turn to dust. A kill shot, just like he'd planned.

When he turns to use his communicator he catches a glimpse of a camera out of the corner of his eye. With a deliberate motion he lifts his gun, firing it right into the lens of the camera. While it may have been overly dramatic it sent a clear message. Shooter was not afraid of Duval in the slightest and, in addition, is willing to literally spit in his face.

His message sent to the vampire, Shooter quickly touches his ear, turning on the comlink.

"Duval knows of our presence within the city. Made contact with a hostile bloodsucker just now. Threat is now eliminated but, before his death, he made it very clear that Devual was expecting a visit. Shooter out," he says, using his adhesive gun to lower himself back to the ground.

Once he has two feet on the solid ground once more Shooter takes a few quick strides towards the small hole in the wall the vampire had lived in, gun in one hand and his briefcase in the other. Once inside he simply begins to search for something, anything that could lead back to Duval or Silvanno.

Using "I Don't Miss" on the camera. It's a Precise Perception attack with a DC 22 Toughness if you want to do that.

Going to Investigate! Doo doo doo!
[roll0]

[Mono Vertigo]

That Angel guy is interesting. Not devoid of sins - no one is, no one can be - but it would be wise to keep him on their side. If only because she feels hexing him would be difficult.
"I'll have to disguise as one of his guests, I think. I'll pass with a little luck, and what's a little luck, if not your enemies being unlucky? Heheh."
Her plan involved stealing one of the guest's wallet, clothes, and jewelry. In the best cast, in their house; in the worst case, while they're still wearing them.

[Propagandist]

Scylla peers through the window, looking suspiciously at those lurking outside. The vampires were aware of their presence, Shooter had discovered that much. Were these vampiric ambushers, or just the sort of fine upstanding people who skulk around cheap hotel parking lots at night?

She speaks into her commlink. "The vampire-detecting device is ready. There are some suspicious-looking people gathered outside the hotel. I vote we test it. Perhaps we can get the name of one of these important guests."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer held up one finger and brought his phone to his ear, walking out of the building and saying, "Speak." Then, once he was outside, he cased about to make sure no one was nearby, and if they weren't, would speak (softly) into the commlink. "Acknowledged. We believe we have figured out how to find the estate, but it will have to be tonight. Scylla, please inform us if you require backup, or notify us if you confirm there is no threat." He wouldn't break off from the others until he was sure. "Also, requesting your coordinates," that last, of course, wasn't actually to Scylla, but even with his precautions, he didn't plan to even vaguely allude to the possibility of the General's existence. He took "don't reveal your employer" seriously even without having a chip in his head.

Then he put away the phone and walked back inside.

[Queen Sapes]

Vanish, Nia, Jettatura, and CiCi:
"Of course. Uno momento," Angel says, reaching under the counter, pulling out a notepad and a pen. He starts scribbling out street names on the paper as he speaks to Jettatura. "I don't believe it matters to me how you hope to gain entrance, just be sure not to lead him back here if, and when, you are unsuccessful in killing the Count." He writes while Vanish steps out to speak with the rest of the team over the earpiece, the General feeding him Scylla's location upon his request. When Vanish walks back in, Angel rips the paper off of the notepad and hands it to Vanish and the team. "There you are. Every major street in the richer parts of Guadalajara. I suggest you get moving, night is falling soon, and it isn't safe to walk Guadalajara at night. For more reasons than the vampires." Angel says, closing up the journal and putting it back under the counter.

Second Shooter:
Second Shooter enters into a small room, only about the size of a typical bedroom, but enough space for a vampire living here for work. The only window in the entire room is covered by a heavy blanket, and Second Shooter moves it aside to peer out. The window looks out onto the street, but with how it faces, sunlight would flood the room at dawn, giving good reason to the blanket. The main part of the room is occupied by a green couch that has seen some wear, and a television that sits on a table playing some Spanish soap opera. Two boxes sit on the ground next to the TV, one filled with bags of unmarked drugs, the other filled with money in rolls. Shooter checks the couch cushions, looking for anything that might have fallen through the cracks, only to find the TV remote. A fridge sits in the corner of the room, and Shooter pops it open. Inside are dozens of full blood bags and even more empty ones, each marked with the words 'Hospital Univeristario de Guadalajara' indicating where they came from. On top of the fridge is a pad of paper and a pen which lists names and amount of product carried. The name of the kid from outside 'Rico' is on the list of names. Finally, Second Shooter turns to the final thing in the room besides for a sexy calendar, an older computer sitting alone on a desk.

Shooter moves over to access the outdated piece of technology, only a couple years old at most. Shooter shakes the mouse as the computer clicks on, and he begins searching through it for something useful. Unfortunately, there are only two things on the computer of any interest: the internet search history which is shockingly dry, and a document that acts as sort of an event planner, listing the visiting times of someone named 'Gerardo'. The last one was days ago, and the next one isn't for another week. Not a lot in the room to go on, and certainly no information that directly involves either Duval or Silvanno. Second Shooter is about to leave the room when something interesting happens on the computer. A new text document opens itself up and begins typing out a message as Second Shooter watches.

Hey Buddy. You know, Guadalajara used to have a big problem with gangs. It doesn't anymore since the city got a lot more money and the police were able to take care of them, but a lot of the older generation still remembers the gang days. And a lot of those older folks are pretty jumpy, calling the police on anything they hear that might

The typing stops for a second then erases the word 'might' before going again.

might be a gunshot or somebody getting beat up in an alleyway or anything like that really. There's maybe a hundred calls a day like that. Most of the time it's nothing, just some kids playing baseball, or a stray cat knocking over trash cans, or even a muffler that doesn't work right. Almost all of the city is now hooked up together thanks to our big technology renaissance. And even though I don't usually need to, I like to check out every one of these calls. So you can guess my surprise when one of these calls actually turned out to be something! First, I see a kid lying dead in an alleyway from a bullet to the head. I think 'whoever did this doesn't get a chance to turn himself in'. Then, I see a vampire, no gun, being dusted at the other end of the alley, and I start getting confused. Finally, I see some guy standing on the rooftop with a gun in his hand, and I get pretty conflicted. So here's what we'll do: you take the kid's body to a hospital or a priest or something, then turn yourself in, and we never have to talk again. Don't? It doesn't matter where you run away to, I'll find you, deliver the beating of your life, and then throw you in jail. You got one chance to make the right decision. Please choose the one that's more fun for me.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Appreciate it," Vazer said, taking the list. "Anything else we need to do here?" he asked the others.

[Arcran]

As Shooter goes through the house he dumps the money in his briefcase; he'd need a bribe if he hoped to find Silvano now. Of all the drug dealers in the city, Shooter had found the one working for a vampire. He also takes the list, committing the names to memory; perhaps a rival would pay good money to remove the streetlings of another dealer? Who knows.

Still, Shooter is almost about to leave when the document pops up. He wasn't particularly savvy when it came to computers but he did know one thing; computers didn't turn on by themselves and they did not open documents without somebody there.

As the text appears, Shooter nearly curses aloud. Was his silencer faulty? How had he not noticed the camera coming in to the alley? His time in prison had made him soft, weak. In his prime he never would have made a mistake like that. Then again, in his prime he could have just said he killed JFK and the man would have done whatever he wanted, whether it was jump or take him to his boss.

As the words appear he actually curses aloud this time. If this was some hacker, some fool then perhaps he could simply kill them. However, if it was Hashtag... Well, he'd have to figure something out here. He couldn't simply kill Hashtag as, well, that was against their job.

Slowly, Shooter chickenpecks out a single statement.

Hashtag?

[Green Bean]

"Yeah, I think that's it. Big party, rich people, lots of guards." Idly, Nia wondered if the old man had been horribly murdered yet. He looked over at Angel. "Well, this was productive. Good luck with your werewolves, and I hope we never meet again."

[Mono Vertigo]

"I'm good, personally."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer nodded once to Angel, and walked back outside. In another situation he'd teleport immediately to the first street on the list, but that would have to wait until Scylla and Asura were confirmed clear.

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
It takes a moment for the text to begin flowing out again, the little bar just blinking repeatedly on the screen while Second Shooter waits for an answer. Finally, after roughly thirty seconds, a response begins to type itself out.

Actually, it's #Hashtag, but I can forgive it because back then it was just known as the pound symbol. And by back then, I probably mean the sixties. But anyways, yep, it's #Hashtag, in the flesh

The typing briefly stops and once again backspaces out the word 'flesh', immediately continuing once the word is deleted from the sentence.

text. Glad you've heard of me, must mean I'm pretty popular. But then again, I already knew that. Instead, it must mean you at least know a little bit of what is in store for you if you chose to try and walk away. So, what'll it be?

Nia, Vanish, CiCi, and Jettatura:
"The feeling is mutual, Demonio," Angel says to Nia as the team walks out of his shop. He jots down a quick note to himself, likely about Nia, before returning to work storing items on the store shelves. Outside, the crowd that was lounging has started to disappear, drawn inside by the coming night, as the warm air starts to soften a bit as night takes hold of the day.

[Arcran]

Shooter frowns. He'd hoped it was some random hacker, not the actual #Hashtag. That he could kill him, Shooter had no doubts. But that he could defeat him without killing him? That was a bit trickier.

Once again Shooter begins typing, his chicken-pecking making text appear painfully slow.

I'm on a tight schedule right now and turning myself in is not an option. However, I have information. A list of street dealers for the vampires, just like the kid I shot was. I have more than that, but if you try

This time, Shooter is the one to backspace, slowly hunting for the bold option. When he finally finds it under format after perhaps ten seconds, he continues.

try to kill me that information may just disappear. Who's the bigger fish? Me? Or half a dozen vampire drug dealers?

[NineOfSpades]

Asura

It wasn't pretty, and it certainly wasn't up to par with the usual quality of her work, but all things considered, the home-made vampire detector came out swimmingly. Summer took a moment to pause and admire her creation, a textbook sized block of wires and circuitry, along with a small analog display and a single large antenna sticking up from the back.

Scylla chimed in about some suspicious characters waiting outside. Might be nothing, might be something. The point was raised about testing the device. Summer wasn't 100% onboard with that, since she wasn't sure her ad hoc engineering would hold up to multiple field tests without breaking down for additional repairs. Surely, there were other ways to tell if the people gathered outside were a threat. The com-link buzzed to life, providing an update to the rest of the teams situation.

"Well, if you already have the location..." She mumbled, a bit disappointed that her handywork would be taking a backseat to the more primitive information gathering techniques. Flipping a few dials, the handheld device hummed to life, the screen brightening up as it prepared to begin sanning the surrounding environment. "Alright bloodsuckers, When I say Marco, you say Polo".

Firing the main switch, the screen erupted in a flurry of data streams, along with a half dozen error messages. Summers adept hands worked the controls over, like a master musician at their instrument, as she dialed in the conflicting signals and fine-tuned the scans results into something usable. After a moment or two, an overlay of the city and surrounding countryside appeared. "Marco"




Taking 10 on perception check (Forgot I could do that) to locate vamps.

Perception: 23 -1 per 200 miles

Sorry about deleting a roll.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer took that reply to mean, "It's probably fine, but no sense not having more fighters on hand if it isn't." "Anyone who wants to come, link up," he said to those with him, extending a hand. Once everyone who wanted to travel was in contact, he'd teleport them to the provided coordinates.

[Green Bean]

"Let's go, I'm done here." The moment they were out of sight of the local populace, Nia reverted back to his Max Webster form - no sense complicating things with the folks on the other side. He touched Vazer's outstretched hand with a finger, keeping a bit of distance. "Ugh, that shop made parts of me itch I didn't even know I had anymore."

[Queen Sapes]

Syclla and Asura:
As Asura flips the switch on the vampire detector, it lets out a ping that sails across the city several times, separating the undead from the living. Thousands of little red dots appear on the screen, some small individual dots, others grouped together in fairly large groups of dots. The dots are scattered inconsistently throughout the city, some small groups scattered pretty much everywhere, save for a large circle that appears to center around the address of Angel's offices. The largest gathering appears to be in the residential district, a steady stream of red dots moving in and out of a large cluster packed so thick the individual dots are impossible to differentiate. It couldn't be more than ten minutes from your current location. The device also shows that a gang of about four vampires is standing in the parking lot outside, probably looking for something to snack on.

Second Shooter:
Kill you? Why would I kill you, I'm the good guy!? No, I'll just beat you up so that you learn your lesson, or at least never do it again in my hometown. If you make it out of jail, that is. And anyways, right now you're my priority. Those vampire will turn up eventually, and they'll meet their maker. Either I'll do it, or some hunter will. And with the info I pulled off the hunk of junk we're talking on, I'm sure I can find them, no problemo. But you? You show up, kill a kid, then say you're busy and hope to just walk away from this? Nu-uh, that's not going to work. And no matter where you run, I will find you.

[Arcran]

Shooter continues to frown. If he doesn't try to kill the man can he beat him? He doesn't even know what the man can do. He again begins to slowly type.

He was hardly a child. He was old enough to deal drugs. Old enough to work with a vampire. Trust me when I say we are on the same side; both of us want to take down the vampires. I have a job. I intend to complete it. If you will not permit me to attempt to remove hostile vampires from your city can you really claim you are its protector? You would rather avenge drug-dealing scum than allow me to aid your city?

[Cogsrow]

-Cici grabs on to Vazer, great another warp....time to hold the vomit it-

[NineOfSpades]

Asura


Summer was delighted at her invention working exactly as designed. It was always so rewarding to see the fruits of one's labor brought forth. She felt almost like a doctor reading an X-ray. The cities vampire infection was raging. Cancerous and likely terminal if not treated. She also was able to quickly zero on on the cluster of targets outside the motel. "Well that's one mystery solved" She commented. Switching on the com link, Summer issued an open channel to her team to fill them in. "The V-Scanner is finished and functioning as intended. I've got a readout on the city and surrounding countryside. I can confirm the probable location of our target. Low ball estimations of the number of V's on-site as 50 to 100." Summer wheeled herself over to the window and glancing outside "I can also confirm 4 at our current location. While I have every confidence that Scylla can handle them, some additional support would be appreciated. I'd offer my own services, but my methods tend to be rather..." Summer searched for the right word. Effective? Technical? Brilliant? "...Overt. Probably best if we avoid drawing attention at this stage."

[Propagandist]

"Oh yes, I could handle them, but never turn down help, especially help that will teleport in close by and startle your enemies." With that highly specific advice, Scylla opens the hotel room door and gives the vampires a cheery wave and a grin filled with pointed teeth. The mass of writhing tentacles that reaches out and coils tightly around one of the bloodsuckers is less welcoming. Scylla lifting the vamp high in the air and smashing him face first into the pavement even more so.

"An appetizer! Don't run away, little snacks! I'll get to you next!"

Free action to elongate Scylla's tentacles to their full 30 feet. Taking 10 to attack one of the vampires outside using her Multi-Arm Strike power. Scylla's attack bonus is 13, making this a 23 for Multiattack purposes. DC 22/24/27 toughness save for the vamp, depending on Multiattack. Also using Fast Grab, initiating a grapple (ST vs their ST or Dodge, whichever's better.) Scylla gets a +5 circumstance bonus for using all of her extra limbs in the grab attempt. [roll0] One degree makes the vamp restrained (immobile+vulnerable), two or more is bound (defenseless, immobile, and impaired).

[Mono Vertigo]

Sid touches Vazer's hand. "He's a peculiar man, that Angel, maybe even one of a kind. Wonder if we could drag him back into this mess somehow, later, if we run into trouble, he could do some damage to our enemies, I'm sure, yeah."
She takes a look back toward the shop. "We'll do just fine on our own, though."

[Quellian-dyrae]

The next moment, the four were in the hotel room with Scylla and Asura.

[Green Bean]

Nia arrived just in time to see Scylla step out the door and start smashing some poor fool into the pavement. Her head hadn't exploded yet, so it was reasonable to assume the parking lot was now a free fire zone. "Welp..."

Initiative: [roll0]

[Mono Vertigo]

"... it's crowded, here."
Her eye twitches and starts glowing a little.
[roll0] Derp. Rolled 17 in the OOC.

[NineOfSpades]

Asura


Summer wheeled herself off to the side off the room, clearing space for the arrival of her teammates. She was actually somewhat suprised to see how many had come to lend aid, given that it was only a small handful of vampires. "Afternoon" she commented, with a small wave. Scylla seemed to have taken the initiative, and had claimed first blood against the vampires, with what could only be described as 'gleeful sadism'. "The vampires are in the parking lot, and I wish you all luck on disposing of them, preferably in a swift and quiet manner." She thought a moment, then added "So, can I assume that the days events proved fruitful?"

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
You can't justify murder. Everybody deserves a chance. Everybody. Even the bloodsuckers. Their redemption is a little bit harder to come by, but some still surprise you. That's why I'm giving you a chance to make amends. Do the right thing, and turn yourself in. Final warning.

The typing abruptly halts there, as if #Hashtag is distracted by something else enough that he is seeing.

Everyone Else:
Scylla's elongated tentacle snags the nearest vampire, flinging him up into the air only to smash him back onto the ground. His face is picked back up completely warped, the smash clearly shattering countless bones and causing serious damage to the undead monster. He lies limp in Scylla's tentacle, but is still alive, the smash to the head not quite what is needed to kill the bloodsucker. His friends all react quickly to Scylla's attack from such a long distance away, two engaging their true vampire halves. Their fangs shoot out of their jaws, eyes burn a glowing red light, and their fingers end in viscious claws as the hiss at Scylla. The third one sprints away, obviously going for help.

Vampire Guy #1 Toughness Roll: [roll0]. Unconscious.

[Green Bean]

"One sec." Nia took a step in a direction that would never appear on an Euclidean map, and suddenly he was standing directly in front of the fleeing vampire, whereupon he made a very spirited attempt to put his arm through the vampire's ribcage and out the other side. Then he stepped back into the motel room next to Summer. "We got what we came for. I'm guessing your vampire detector is a success?"

Taking 10 on Nia's attack roll, using Demonic Strength to make a normal melee attack. Attack bonus is +10, DC 25 Toughness Save.

[Arcran]

Shooter ponders his options. Fight #Hashtag, try not to kill him, probably have a rough time of it. Turn himself in, immediately break out, be in the clear. That wasn't an option either. However, there was one other choice...

Before he attempts it, Shooter quickly scans the room, looking for any remaining microphones or cameras. If #Hashtag heard him the plan would be a bust anyways.

[roll0]

[Cogsrow]

-Cici kicks off the ground, and flew at the closest vampire as fast as she could, stopping just a moment before slamming her foot down and pivoting into a punch towards his fanged face. The mad look in her eye completely unlike the docile girl that had been walking around with you earlier-




[roll0] gonna risk a roll, cause I like rolls
and toughness check 27

[NineOfSpades]

Asura


"Indeed it is" Confirmed Summer, holding up her handiwork "While it lacks any real ascetic polish, the V-scanner was able to fully map the city and surrounding suburbs, and give a readout on the vampires locations in real time." It was clear just from her tone that she was quite proud of herself.

Summer moved over towards the fridge sized crate and began unbolting it, figuring she'd best start warming up the Mark VII now, so it'd be preped for action when the moment came. As she did so, Summer did a quick headcount and noticed they were one short. "Shooter still out in the field I take it?". As she said so, the hinge doors swung back, revealing the shimmering armor within. "And how are you doing today, #7?" Asura sked, sounding like a mother talking to her child. At her word, the suit let out an electric hum as the motors and circutry within began to engage. "Glad to hear it"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Mmhmm," Vazer answered as he looked out the window. If there was only one vamp still standing, he'd content himself with playing chauffeur for this battle. Otherwise, he'd pick one at random and with a flick of his wrist, attempt to teleport his Standard Issue Wooden Stake right into its heart.

If only one vamp is left, no action. Otherwise:

Standard: Targeted Teleportation to attack with wooden stake. Perception range I believe still obviates attack rolls on objects launched with Move Object, so Toughness DC 25.

[Arcran]

Shooter quickly presses his comlink, activating it.

"Shooter to Asura. I repeat, Shooter to Asura. How many supplies remain from the creation of the vampire detector?"

[Queen Sapes]

Nia, Vanish, Scylla, Jettatura, CiCi, and Asura:
Nia's attack on the vampire who was trying to sprint away succeeds without a hitch as he jabs his arm through the monster's chest. It plunges out the other side without so much as a spot on it, punching out in a neat hole through the vampire's stony skin. The heart, however, remains intact as Nia disappears from the site, the vampire stumbling briefly before falling to his knees. In shock over the wound he has suffered and survived, he starts examining the gaping wound with his hands, mouth ajar in stunned disbelief. Behind him, CiCi appears from the hotel room and launches an attack on one of the other two vampires, planting her foot to deliver a kick with such force that it snaps the head off, making a sound like a bone snapping. The head goes flying as the body falls over, quickly turning into grey stone that shatters and blows away in a stream of dust. The head flies over the hotel roof and up into the sunlight where it meets the sun and starts to glow like an ember. Then, not a moment later, the head erupts in flames as it flies through sunlight, exploding like a firework into ash.

The last vampire sees all his friends falling in quick succession, and kneels down, lowering his head to beg with the team. "¡Piedad, piedad por favor!" the vampire pleads, his hands clasped together in a silent prayer as he trembles at the team's presence.

[Cogsrow]

-If the last vampire is left alive then CiCi flies again at him pouncing and going to slam her fist down through his skull, her throat letting out a guttural snarl unlike anything a human could make-



[roll0] and damage 27 again.

[Propagandist]

Scylla navigates her prize back through the hotel door and drops him on the bed, looking like a cat proudly presenting a dead bird to its owner. "When he wakes up, we can see what he knows, if he can still talk. I don't think most of the others are going to be telling us much. Oh, and lovely armor, Asura!"

She watches her teammates in action with unhidden enjoyment. They're as capable as I had hoped. Impressive! "Kick him again!"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Nicely done," Vazer said to those of the team who had attacked. Efficiency, he could respect, and they were efficient. "I'm going to get started on this list. Does anyone need a ride anywhere before I go?"

[Mono Vertigo]

Though Jettatura hadn't had any time to attack, the imminent threat had been enough to fully awaken her Evil Eye's power. Covered from head to toe in an uniform vaguely reminiscent of a magician, her head hidden by a hood, the most striking part was still the huge spectral malefic-looking eye hovering in front of her face.
"Do you need me to check where the bloodsuckers came from, or is it covered by your vampire detector?", she asks Asura, surveying the place.

If that's necessary, tracking time. Perception: [roll0]

[Green Bean]

Seeing that 'his' vampire was still conscious, Nia popped back out, grabbed it by the throat, and dragged it into the room as well. "There, now you got a spare so they know one of them's expendable."

"One of you should do the interrogating. I can put a whammy on 'em to make it easier if you want."

[Mono Vertigo]

Jettatura advances toward the unfortunate survivor. "Heh. You guys didn't give me time to actually attack them. Let me handle this."
She leans close to the vampire. A thin smile emerges from the shade of the hood. "Hey there. You're a tough one, aren't you? Tough undead bastards. But you've still got a soul. I can see it. It's ugly. Those stains are never going away. I bet they were already there before you turned into a bloodsucker." Her oversized eye flares. "I could turn what's left of your soul into a Jackson Pollock painting, scrambled all over the place and abstract, very slowly, by doing the spiritual equivalent of shooting you in a non-vital organ and leaving you to bleed. If you tell us how you and your friends found us, and what you know about us, I might not do that, though. Oh, and who are your bosses and stuff like that."


[roll0]

[Queen Sapes]

Everyone but Second Shooter:
CiCi's attack on the vampire hits, dealing serious damage to the bloodsucker's face. The image CiCi twists the monster's face into would be gruesome by most standards, a true horror show if the vampire actually possessed blood in his body. As it is the vampire is simply maimed into unconsciousness, his broken head falling flat on the ground, alive as the undead can be. Back inside the room, the vampire is still in shock at his broken chest as Jettatura speaks to him, scooting back until he hits the bed.

"I- I don't know who you are!" the vampire stammers, shock rolling back into fear of Jettatura and the others. "We were just out looking for a snack or something and then the tentacles got Martín! I didn't know what was happening! Duval told everybody he was going to make it safe for us everywhere so we figured we'd get the jump on things, ya' know? Get the snacks for a fiesta before everybody else goes out..." he says, drawing off as he looks around the room, shrinking once he spots Scylla.

Just in case, for answering Second Shooter, yes there are some leftover parts lying around for whatever.

[Cogsrow]

-Cici doesn't stop pouncing on the unconscious vampire slamming her fists into his face and body using all her might in each strike against the undead foe-


I dont' think..I need to roll since he's helpless

[Green Bean]

Jettatura seemed to be playing the part of 'bad cop' quite well, so Nia decided to sidle in with 'indifferent cop'. "Why don't you tell us a little about Duvall? Why is he the king vampire in this city?" He very pointedly ignored the violence going on behind him.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Since everyone seemed content here, Vazer, well, vanished. He'd begin a systematic search of the streets on Angel's list, teleporting about to various locations (generally arriving up in the air), quickly scanning the area for cars that matched Angel's pictures (and when in doubt, looking for the funny license plates), and then moving on to the next if he didn't see anything, rately spending more than half a minute in any one spot.

Long experience allowed him to place his arrival points so he was always sheltered from detection, often just a hair outside some potential observer's peripheral vision.

With my current maximum of ten ranks per power doable Routinely, my Array is currently set with ten in Teleportation and ten in Offscreen Teleportation. For security, Vazer won't be teleporting at Extended range, so max of four miles in any given jump. He has Total Concealment from all senses save touch.

Routine Stealth and Perception checks to avoid detection and spot the cars, for 30 in each.

He'll keep up this process until a teammate contacts him, he locates a car, something...interesting happens, or he gets bored and decides to try something else (which would be able fifteen minutes, for him; at-will teleportation does not an attention span make :smallamused:).

[Propagandist]

"Snacks? What a wonderful idea! What's everyone's appetite like? We have three, do you think that will be enough? I admit I could probably eat a whole one myself." Scylla reacts to the vampire's terrified looks with glee. "What's wrong? Not enjoying being part of the food chain? I thought vampires of all creatures would understand. I'm the least frightening thing in this room. You really should answer their questions. The worst I can do is take a limb or two, I certainly can't do anything to your soul." She points exaggeratedly at Jettatura.

[roll0] Intimidate, because there's no kill like overkill!

[Queen Sapes]

Nia, Jettatura, CiCi, Scylla, and Asura:
Outside the motel room, CiCi continuously pounds the unconscious vampire into the ground, not causing any kinds of damage that would actually kill the beast, but definitely getting her fill of violence on the poor creature, leaving much of his face to the imagination of those who could stand looking at it. Inside, the still-living yet mutilated vampire tries to push himself further into the bed when Scylla speaks.

"¡No lo hagas, por favor!" the vampire shouts, still just as terrified. "I- I don't know," he says to Nia, looking to the little boy that impaled him with a punch. "Its just always been that way, ya' know? Duval... Duval doesn't tell anybody stuff about himself, least not as long as I've known him. But the other guys, the older ones say he once would tell stories at his parties, so they p-pieced an idea together. They say he came over with the Conquistadors, a soldier or something, and fell in love with an Azteca girl. They married and had a daughter or something, that's when Duval's sire drank his wife and sired him and his daughter. Duval killed his own sire and has been around since, building the lineage of Guadalajara. He's a good leader, nice guy but reserved, tried to keep us safe. I don't know, I only met him a couple times."

Vanish:
Fourteen minutes of searching the streets nets Vanish exactly nothing. Vanish teleports through the streets searching for any sign of black cars with tinted windows, but fails to find one for most of his journey. Ready to give up on the search, Vanish spots a black car pulling slowly through traffic in the late day, the early darkness making it extremely difficult to see through the car's tinted windows. The car appears to be the same design as Duval's others, and has a license plate which reads 'BLD-M0BL'. Not the best Vanish has seen from the vampire's car fleet, but not that bad. It would seem Vanish has found one of Duval's cars, which is currently stuck in traffic that is surrounded by the people walking the street in the warm night air.

Second Shooter:
While waiting for Asura's response, #Hashtag starts typing up another message for Second Shooter, this one oddly off-topic and unrelated to the previous discussion.

Hey, shot in the dark here, but you know these guys?

The computer asks before the window is replaced with video from a different security camera, this time of a man matching Vanish's appearance. The man looks around for a moment or two, scanning the area, before teleporting away, at which point the footage takes a moment and finds him in another location, this time a side shot. The video ends when he teleports again. Then a separate video opens up, this time footage of a gang of four guys being attacked by some kind of long tentacle, a little kid, and a lizard woman. The footage ends quickly, only long enough for Second Shooter to recognize the people in it and the text document reopens for Second Shooter to respond.

[Arcran]

Shooter sighs.

You think I'd work with that Shooter begins, finding the bold option far quicker this time.

That looks like the newest band of circus freaks. I work with professionals Shooter types, ending the statement. No use in making #Hashtag think that they were all on the same team, right?

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer gave a slender smirk, nodding and saying under his breath. "Gotcha."

Then through the commlink, "Target sighted. I'm going to tail it to the house. I'll be by to pick you all up once I've gotten the coordinates."

Now, the smart thing to do, the thing that, one assumes, Second Shooter would do if he was a teleporter, would be to follow the car along through the air. Vazer's power and uncanny awareness would ensure he remained outside of the line of sight of even the odd individual who happened to look into the air, let alone anyone in the vehicle itself. It was the safest, most effective way to do it.

But it wasn't nearly as amusing as just teleporting into the backseat of the car and letting it drive him along, unseen and unheard.

Vazer'll pop right into the car. The teleportation itself is Subtle 2, and he retains his total concealment from all senses but touch, and Routine Stealth check of 30. If it's clearly impossible for him to do so undetected (such as, the entire back seat is occupied and he literally just can't appear without, say, landing on someone's lap), he'll immediately Move By Action back out of the car into the air and follow along conventionally.

[Cogsrow]

-Cici Grips the body and tries to rip it to pieces throwing them into the air not caring where they go, if she succeeds she would sit there on her knees breathing hard, like she was more animal than any sentient creature. Her eyes glowing almost as she grips the ground cracking it-

[Mono Vertigo]

"See? Now, that's useful! Duval has a daughter then, and they're both pretty old... if he's not lying, that is, but that would be an odd detail to lie about. Gotta get more holy water, and stakes, and..."
Halfway through her list, Jettatura seems to remember she has a hostage. Casually, she points a finger gun next to his head. "Oh, yeah. If nobody's got any more question, I'll go and destroy his psyche. Good method, it's not messy. Well, nothing the average person can see anyway."

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter:
Alright, just asking. So what have you decided?

Vanish:
Vanish appears inside the black car, his teleportation going completely unnoticed by the driver. The interior of the car is nice, all padded black leather, separate air vents for each passenger, and a small ice box likely with refreshments inside. The driver is an older Hispanic man with a goatee wearing a suit, and he moves blissfully unaware of Vanish's presence in the car as he moves through traffic, likely headed for the home of a guest.

Nia, Jettatura, CiCi, Scylla, and Asura:
CiCi hurls the broken pieces of the vampire up into the sun where they one by one burst like firecrackers in the late dusk/early night. Once she is done she simply rests in the parking lot, waiting for the others to finish up what they're doing. Inside, the vampire panics as Jettatura prepares to destroy his brain. "Wait! W-wait!" he screams before she can act. "It's just a rumor. V-vampires are immortal, right? We don't age, l-like, at all. And the story s-says Duval's daughter was sired young, but I've never seen a little girl 'round his hacienda. I'm a newer vampire, so I asked a bunch of the guys who are older, like sired within the last seven years-or-so, and they never saw a girl either. The oldest guy I talked to, about ten years, said he couldn't talk about the girl, but that she was why Duval's gonna erase us all. He's gonna erase us for her."

[Green Bean]

"Hang on, how is the oldest vampire you know only ten? I thought you were supposed to be immortal or something." Nia brushed a little ash that had drifted indoors from his shoulder. "You know, relatively speaking. You guys got a turnover problem?"

[Queen Sapes]

Nia, CiCi, Asura, Jettatura, and Scylla:
"K-kinda," the vampire stutters out. "A lot of the older vampires live more secretive and secluded lives. The newly spawned get the rough jobs and are basically expendable unless you got some kind of importance to Duval. Hunters pass through all the time and kill dozens of us new spawns at a time, so not a bunch of us make it past five."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer looks around the car with his head bobbing approvingly. Not bad, Duval. Not bad, he thinks, leaning back and relaxing, his powers keeping him shifted just out of phase, only tangentially tethered to the physical world.

[Mono Vertigo]

"As demonstrated today!", she replies joyfully to that last remark.
What little they just learnt about Duval's daughter rings bitterly to Jettatura's ears. A little girl, cursed to exist as a monster by another one, now living in a world that has irreversibly changed since her last days as an innocent child. There must not be much innocence left in her either.
If she didn't wear a hood, everyone would have been able to see her melancholic expression. Geez, if Duval murdered his sire because of what he did to his family, then that would make him a better father than hers. Of course, that doesn't change anything about him being an undead abomination who deserved definitive death, just by virtue of his feeding habits. It just means that she might give him the mercy of a quick kill.
Might.
"I don't suppose you know what 'erasing you all' means, do you, beside maybe killing you all?"

[Cogsrow]

-Cici finally gets a hold of herself and lets out a small breath, she stands up and slowly walks into the room with the others, going back to her timid self. she just leans against the wall closing her eyes. Trying to hold the rage down.-

[Queen Sapes]

Nia, CiCi, Asura, Jettatura, and Scylla:
"I do, and it's pretty much the opposite," the vampire says, smirking now as he gains a boost of confidence at the question and what he knows. "Duval wanted everyone to know what is going down tonight, so he let all his vampires know. Rumor is he even got word out to places around the world. You see, Duval got his hands on two big things all at once: some ancient amulet and this super-smart programmer whose name I can't remember. Started with an S. Anyway, I heard about this and figured he was planning on shutting down the city to let us feast. You know, the programmer could get the city offline, and the other guys always talk about how these ancient relics boost or give you powers, so I figured Duval was beefing up for a fight. It's nothin' like that! His amulet doesn't give people power or anything like that. It erases memories. Memories of us!" he says pointing to himself excitedly. "Memory of vampires."

He lets the words sink in for a second before continuing. "It was such an incredible thing to hear, ya' know? Flash some light through the amulet and nobody in the room knows what a vampire is anymore, 'cept the vampires. It even takes out written information. There are guys 'round the world who would kill for that kind of power, but Duval's thinkin' bigger. This programmer guy is a genius, so Duval put him to work on some kind of internet virus that would spread everywhere overnight as soon as it's let loose. What's it do? Well, Duval and this guy got to work on figuring out the magic of the amulet, what makes it do what it does. Took 'em years to put it together, but they got it, took out the whole light flaw, and got it into the virus. Once they release it, it'll spread everywhere in about thirty minutes. In an hour, all digital information on vampires is gone. Two, it reaches out of the computers and erases it from people's minds. Everybody forgets about the vampire race. Three, and it erases all written word. Duval says in three hours from release, nobody will know what the word 'vampire' even means, 'cept the vampires themselves. And he hits the release button tonight," the young Hispanic vampire says, grinning from ear to ear in excitement.

[Cogsrow]

-Cici Growls a deep and gutteral growl- I just killed your two...friends without any tricks. So don't go smiling or I'l rip that face off and feed it to you

[NineOfSpades]

Asura

Summer finished donning her armor, the last of the protective seals engaging as the system finished running diagonstics. The video display engaged, augmented reality overlaying system information and sensors onto her screen. Stepping out of the transport box, Summer felt a rush at the ease of movement. It had been far, far to long since she'd last powered up the Mk. 7, and it felt good to be back.

The talk from the vampire wasn't good, that was for sure. A digitized magic virus that destroys information on a race of parasitic undead would be catastrophic. It would be impossible to ever mount any sort of counteroffensive, should they succeed, since everyone would forget whatever information was rediscovered about the bloodsuckers just as soon as it was learned. It also made things a bit more difficult to solve. They couldn't just blast the compound into rubble, since a file could be kept on a remote storage server and be uploaded later. They needed to stake this problem at the source.

Switching to her comlink, Asura relayed the news to Second shooter "Asura here. Sorry for not reporting in sooner, I was getting dressed. Got a few updates for you. Yes, there are some scraps left over from the V-scanner. Secondly, we have a solid lead on what Duval is planning, and the implications are both bleak and global. We need to regroup and mobilize fast" She then quickly brought Shooter up to speed on the plan that their captive vampire had described, and the nature of the magic-tech virus. As always, her mind worked on multiple levels, linking her system into the net, and running scans and searches for broadcast points, both wireless and wired, from Duvals compound. That might be the fastest way to disable the virus, by closing off Duvals network from the rest of the grid. Virus can't spread without a means to transmit the signal.


Technology check to identify if it'd be possible to cut of Duval's compound from the rest of the internet, and how to best do so

Technology Roll [roll0]

[Propagandist]

Scylla watches the young vampire's excitement with a puzzled expression. "The scale of what Duval is attempting is certainly impressive, but you do realize you won't be part of it, yes? We are going to be killing you before we leave."

Unexpected travel, posting from phone. Still alive, will be back in a day or two!

[Queen Sapes]

Nia, CiCi, Asura, Jettatura, and Scylla:
"Heh, suppose it doesn't matter if I smile or not then?" the vampire asks, setting into a new stage of acceptance. He reaches into the pocket of his jacket, which is barely hanging onto his broken form, and pulls out a wallet, flipping it open to look inside at a picture. "I 'spose I can't go back like this anyway. Mi mama y papa... They'd be so mad and surprised!" the vampire chuckles as tears start swelling in his eyes. "They told me not to do it. They said 'Benjamín, don't go out, you'll get yourself killed' and I shrugged 'em off. Then I went and got turned that night. Guess they were kinda right. Never even found out about me being a monster, little Mia woulda freaked," he chuckles to himself despite the tears. The vampire forces back the tears and pulls out the photograph he was looking at, holding it in his hands as he tries to control himself. He discards the wallet and continues by saying, "Just- Just don't let them know I went out. If anything, let 'em know I died doin' the good thing." He presses the photo against his chest and closes his eyes, silently whispering, "Que Dios tenga misericordia de mí." He opens his eyes back up to look at the team. "I got nothin' else. Do me a favor and make it quick, k?"

Based on what you know about Duval's hacienda, specifically that it's built to move around all the time, you'd guess it has local systems for practically everything. As such, there aren't likely to be any ways of cutting the cables or that connect it to the internet, and its power systems are certainly located on the site. There could possibly be some kind of satellite or antenna that is supposed to release the virus, so cutting that could stop its release. However, that's assuming there is only one place Duval can release it from at his house, and given that there is at least two active signals from the area, that doesn't seem too likely. If all else fails, swiping it off of Duval's servers and destroying all traces of the virus save for the thumb drive the team carries will be the easiest and most direct means of taking it out.

[Cogsrow]

-Cici's eyes soften and grips her sweater wringing it in her hands- You should still say goodbye...they'll love you no matter what you've become

[Arcran]

Shooter is both relieved and a bit perturbed; on the one hand, there were the parts to create something to make Shooter don't show up on the cameras. On the other hand, they didn't have time for that, meaning that they might have to simply wing it.

"Copy. #Hashtag knows of our presence within the city. He is tapping in to the security cameras throughout. Vanish, I need you to teleport me out of here and take me to a camera-free location. We can proceed from there."

As Shooter says this he grabs his briefcase. He'd need to get his actual gear on as well.

[Green Bean]

Nia's profound sense of ennui brought about by this entire conversation could have inspired an entire generation of existentialist philosophers. "Look, kill him, tie him to the bed, whatever, let's just go. It's not like it matters at this point."

He stepped out the motel room before he opened up the team channel out of the prisoner's earshot "Yo, Vaz, we're all wrapped up here. You find us the way in?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer grimaced. The timing of that particular request was...less than ideal.

Nonetheless, there was a good chance that he could get back, and even if not they had other options for locating the lair. Extraction, though, was his job. He'd quickly check the nearest cross-streets, and teleport out of the car. If the general hadn't given him Shooter's coordinates by then, he'd appear a couple thousand feet in the air and request them. Either way (unless, of course, the general didn't provide the coordinates for whatever reason, in which case he'd inform Shooter and then blink back into the car), he then teleported to Shooter's location.

"I don't have a confirmed location guaranteed to be free of cameras," he said as he arrived. "Places that spring to mind are where the others are gathered, where we originally landed, or outside of the city entirely, unless you have other ideas. Take your pick but choose fast, I was in one of Duval's cars and have to get back." He only hoped that the traffic stayed congested enough that it couldn't get far.

"Working on it," he added in response to Nia's question. There was a hint of frustration in his voice.

[Arcran]

"Where you guys are is a no-go. He just showed footage of you lot," Shooter says as he shakes his head. "Can you get me wherever our mutual friends constructed the detector? That location should be vampire free at the very least."

Shooter looks to the computer, hoping that #Hashtag couldn't somehow see through a computer screen.

"How much time until we go begin the assualt?" Shooter asks, hoping that there was enough time for him to construct his stealth device.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"That's where everyone else is. Time to the attack depends on whether I don't lose this car and/or if the others have devised a faster way of finding the place."

[Arcran]

"There then," Shooter says, nodding affirmatively. "Just make sure we're away from any windows."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer nods, sets a hand on Shooter's shoulder, and teleports them back to the hotel room, indeed appearing as sheltered from the windows as he could. He didn't give the rest of the group so much as a "got to run" before blinking back to the cross-street he had noted previously, appearing about a hundred feet up and casing about for the car.

Routine Perception for 30

[Arcran]

Shooter himself doesn't bother talking to his teamates before he begins to scan the room, looking for cameras and, of course, somewhere that a person looking in would be unable to see him.

[roll0]

[Mono Vertigo]

Most other people - good people - would probably feel at least a little moved by the regretful but resigned speech of the vampire.
Unsurprisingly, Jettatura isn't.
"All done? Fine. Good news: it's quick."
It's also surprisingly painless, much in the same way that one might not notice right away the sudden loss of a limb thanks to adrenaline.
This being the end of the interrogation, the cursed sorcerer doesn't try to drag on and play "guess, did I or did I not shoot you"; in a symbolic gesture, she kills the vampire cleanly.
"Freaking bloodsuckers", she mutters once she's done, "the only good ones are those who step into the sun right after being turned."


Didn't think attacks could warrant requests for routine checks, but given the context, can we just say it does, and she 'shoots' him enough times to kill him? It's not painful, he's expecting to be killed, and he's pretty defenseless.

[Queen Sapes]

Everyone but Vanish:
Second Shooter appears in the room right as Jettatura dusts the vampire, who quickly turns to stone before disintegrating in a pile of dust, leaving nothing behind but a photograph of the vampire, likely from back when he was human, taking a group picture in the sun. He stands there happily with his mother, father, and younger sister, in front of a fountain somewhere. The picture falls down to where he sat, a little dust weighing it down on the floor of the motel room.

You search the room for roughly a minute before you are able to determine the room is empty of cameras, despite the porno-vide you get from the room. Nothing in the room or hidden in the closets, and it doesn't appear that anything has a direct view of the room's window, although the massive truck the General supplied blocking the view from the right helps some. Just as you're about to relax, you spot, a fair distance away, the motel owner's computer which sits on a desk inside the motel office, right next to the window. Rested on top of the monitor is a webcam, aimed directly at the motel room window, able to see practically everything inside. You can't tell if it is on or not though, since you can't see any kind of light coming from it to indicate it's on.
Vanish:
Vanish returns to where he left the car to discover it in the process of picking up some passengers. A man with a well-trimmed goatee and grey streaks in his hair wearing a tuxedo escorts a woman, with her hair in a bun, wearing a white dress into the back of the black car. They get in as the driver pulls away from the sidewalk, heading through the traffic, which by now is picking up, back to Duval's hacienda. Vanish follows through the air with relative ease as the car heads out.

[Arcran]

Shooter almost curses. The camera had likely already seen him with the view it has. Hopefully the video was either too grainy at that distance or #Hashtag couldn't access everything instantly.

"Somebody block the window," Shooter says, waiting for somebody to follow his request before continuing.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Target has been reacquired. It has picked up its passengers and I am in pursuit," Vazer said into his commlink as he followed along, blinking through the air every few seconds as the car made its way through the streets.

[Queen Sapes]

Everyone but Vanish:
From outside the motel room, the voice of a young man with a light Mexican accent which sounds as if it is being processed through a speaker shouts, "I gave you a chance, man. But you lied, then you tried to run away, so now it's time to pay the price." Outside in the early night, the sky has darkened enough that the team is able to see light swirling around in the parking lot outside. The lot is filled with thousands of tiny purple beams of light that buzz through the air silently, slowly converging on one spot in the center of the lot. Suddenly, pieces of the light start to dart to the ground, sticking together to slowly build something from bricks of light. Piece after piece comes together in the parking lot, putting together legs, a body with a large build, a square head surrounded by massive shoulders, and two arms with fists the size of a man's head. Then the remaining light pieces set out details, giving the figure the look of a futuristic robot. Grooves in the body, over-sized futuristic ball joints, and exhaust ports primarily sprout all over the body. When the entire thing is finished not a moment later, standing in the parking lot is a massive robot at least over ten feet tall, which glows purple in the early night.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, viewers from around the world, once again I have found a group of villains who seek to destroy the peaceful city of Guadalajara!" the voice shouts over the unseen speaker, clearly speaking to more than just the team. "Only I, your host, #Hashtag, can defeat these villains and save the city! As always viewers, you can watch #Hashtag deal with these villains as I'll keep this fight streaming as long as possible. And be sure to donate to the charities I linked to in the description! #Hashtag appreciates it, and you may win yourself a visit from Rosie the Robot herself! Wave 'hi' Rosie!" #Hashtag says, the holographic robot in the parking lot waving towards the camera overlooking the parking lot. "Alright, let's get to the action, and as always I'll be here to answer any questions you guys have!" And with that the robot springs into action, charging at the motel room.

#Hashtag: [roll0]
Second Shooter: [roll1]
Nia: [roll2]
Jettatura: [roll3]
Asura: [roll4]
CiCi: [roll5]
Scylla: [roll6]

Our players in the first round will be:
-Second Shooter
-Nia
-Jettatura
-Asura
-#Hashtag

Then round two begins and everybody can go whenever.

Once again, combat will be different from usual M&M in order to maximize speed. The players who roll above #Hashtag will be able to act in the first round before him in whatever order, then he will go, then round two immediately begins. In round two players can go in whatever order. Players will always be first, enemies second. You can always choose to abstain from taking any action, but this will mean you abstain from the entire turn. Initiative order doesn't so much exist in my games as it just determines who gets one extra action. Once again, there is no order for who posts when, actions will be considered taken in the order they are posted. If you want to figure out tactics for the fight regarding post order, do it OOC.

[Arcran]

Shooter's professionalism slips away as he curses loudly. The damn webcam had done this, hadn't it? Whatever #Hashtag's powers might be they were potent, that much was certain. The light show was likely to bring the police as well, unfortunately, which would mean far more casualties. Even more, they were apparently being streamed, whatever that meant. He was talking to viewers; were they on television? That couldn't be good; if people saw his face, knew he was back in the game...

"Give me one minute of distraction, that's all I ask!" Shooter says, popping open his briefcase. He began to assemble his rifle just as he began to slip into his combat armor, hoping that he can manage this before #Hashtag pulls anything too spectacular. He makes sure in particular to put the helmet on first, hoping to keep his identity somewhat safe. Even though Thomas Grace was a nobody it was convenient to not always be hunted.

"And keep him in one piece!"

Putting on my armor and getting the sniper rifle ready!

[Green Bean]

Nia rolled his eyes a little at the garish display. But if this guy wanted to take this to the public arena, he had to know he left one big weak spot wide open. The thing about livestreaming is, people came in fresh all the time; no one got all the context. He shifted his form a little - he was still recognizably the same person, but now he was wearing a rather garish superhero costume. Golden yellow tights, blue cape, domino mask, all entirely adolescent and thus entirely believable coming from him.

He teleported, appearing directly in front of the robot where he knew any unseen cameras would capture a ten foot tall robot looming over a small boy.

"We only wanted to be your friends, #Hashtag!" There's heartbreak in his voice - a boy hurt by someone he once looked up to. "Is this truly why you're the only superhero in this city? Who else have you betrayed like us?"

Deception to undermine audience support: [roll0]

Mechanically, you could call this Demoralize via Taunt.

[Mono Vertigo]

"... what the hell?"
At least, Jettatura was already transformed, her identity was safe.
She squints at that pesky robot, which makes her spectral eye look funny, gauging the danger.

Using Assessment on #Hashtag.

[Queen Sapes]

Everyone but Vanish:
"Nice try little guy, but do you really think I would actually stream a superhero fight live?" he asks Nia, taunting the demon. "Kids watch my show! I have to edit out all the more bloody violence all the time, I can easily remove you from the footage or show what you did to that vampire. I just give that speech so I don't have to add it later. You'd be surprised how hard it is to get the audio sounding natural when you have to add it in after the fact," #Hashtag says as the holographic robot stops its charge, sliding backwards a little to put some space between it and Nia.

The robot #Hashtag has materialized doesn't appear to be all that threatening actually, literally all its strength likely focused into its attack power. The whole appearance of an armored titan is likely for show as well, and since its appears to be made out of solidified light, what defenses it has are likely to be tiny. In your eye, the robot doesn't even appear any different from how it should to the others, making it very obvious this isn't actually #Hashtag, but a holographic construct he sent in to fight in place of him instead. If you had to guess, you'd bet this thing isn't as strong as #Hashtag, likely just possessing weakened versions of his actual powers.
Second Shooter:
No rolls necessary. Second Shooter suits up.

Nia:
#Hashtag Will Roll: [roll0] with proper adjustments made based on the bluff. No change.

Jettatura:
No rolls necessary. Information in above spoiler.

[Mono Vertigo]

Jettatura's Evil Eye grows in size, spiritual parasite to its human host, before staring at the giant robot menacingly, like a certain Sauron on his tower.
"He's somewhere else", she states simply, "It's just a hard light construct."

Demoralizing #Hashtag: [roll0]+10

[NineOfSpades]

Asura

Weapons systems are go, Saftey's are off. Time to go to work. Shooter, who seems to have taken the de-facto role of leader, issues instructions to not to kill the local vigilante. "Do my best" Summer answered. Her equipment wasn't designed to go light, and was more akin to a heavy artillery platform.

Raising her right arm, There was a momentary build up of energy, crackling bolts of high-voltage electrical discharge as the generators reved up. Targeting systems ran through their algorithms, making micro adjustments to Summers aim as she locked on to Hashtag.

Except it wasn't hastag, nothing more than a construct, leaving Summer Cursing as she aborted the fire sequence before it went off and took out some civie in the line of fire. But then she had a second thought.

"If its not Tag, then there's no need to play nice. Preparing full armaments." Her armor shifted, bracing into the ground as the chest plate unfolded. There was a slight wrrrr before an enveloping bolt of energy erupted outwards, lighting up the street for a single instant.


Targeting The Hashtag-bot with my Giga-Cannon
Line area
DC 20 Ref for half effect
Move Object 10 (Pushing him away as far as possible)
Damage 10 (DC 25)

[Queen Sapes]

Jettatura's psychic assault falls on deaf ears as the robot ignores her completely, likely unable to recognize it. Asura's beam though, tears through the motel room window, blasting a sizable hole in the front. The robot dodges the bulk of the blast, the energy slightly cracking the hard light of the robot as its knocked aside a little. From its partially transparent eye, it let's out a quick blast of light as well, which speeds into the motel room. It misses Asura but strikes the bed, sparking a small fire on one of the mattresses.

Jettatura:
No rolls necessary.

Asura:
Robot Dodge Roll: [roll0]. Complete success.
Robot Toughness Roll: [roll1]. -1.

Holographic Robot:
[roll2] to hit Asura. Toughness DC 20. Miss.

END ROUND 1. BEGIN ROUND 2.

[Arcran]

With his rifle and gear together Shooter feels right at home. He sprints the few feet required to shoot through the new window, looking down the sight of his rifle as he aims for the head of the robot. Shooter smoothly pulls the trigger of the rifle, listening to the almost silent hiss of air as the bullet flies toward its target.

"Asura, try to track where the signal is coming from. You're the techie one, right?"

Going for a +/-5 Power Attack
AC: [roll0] Critical 19-20
Toughness DC 28.

[Propagandist]

Scylla had hesitated while Nia confronted the robot. If the demon's ploy worked, it wouldn't do to have her appear in the background. Hashtag's preparation, though, meant she could try her luck without alienating the audience Nia might have won over. Slithering out through the destroyed window, she lashed out at the hardlight creation, trying to lash and pull the thing apart.

Using Multi-Arm Strike. [roll0] DC 22/24/27 toughness check for the bot, depending on multiattack. Also using Fast Grab to try to grab the robot. [roll1]

[Mono Vertigo]

Jettatura swears generously, damning robots and their lack of awareness.
She rushes to the action, joining Scylla, and kicks the construct in an ankle, hoping to distract it and help Scylla.


Aiding Scylla: [roll0]+2
Also preemptively announcing that if the light construct attacks this round and rolls an 11 or higher, I'll spend a Luck point to force it to reroll and take the worse result.

[Cogsrow]

-Cici Growls and would burst through the window at her maximum flight speed landing infront of him glaring- Is being a hero a game to you! YOU'RE A SHAME THE CAPES EVERYWHERE -she shouts as she goes to uppercut the robot-



[roll0] 1 attack and if it hits dc 27toughness

[Green Bean]

Nia didn't bother to retort - there wasn't anything else to say, really. But he did keep up the heartbroken look, just in case #Hashtag was lying about the streaming. Besides, now that the construct had attacked, this was now self-defense. As Cici flew at the creature, Nia teleported into the air behind the construct, timing a turbo-strength kick in the back for the instant she hit the front.

Power Attacking, +3/-3

Attack Roll: [roll0]

DC 28 Toughness if successful

[Queen Sapes]

Vanish:
As Vanish tracks Duval's car, it pulls away from the main road, heading through side roads instead of the main streets. It takes a few minutes of following through side roads before it reaches a large gate it stops at. A moment passes before the car continues through after a man in a suit approaches the car. It travels up a hill before reaching Duval's hacienda.

Everyone but Vanish:
Most of the team strikes the holographic robot at roughly the same time, the light construct erupting instantly in an explosion of shattered glass. The glass falls to the ground, shimmering away as it fades out into nothing, leaving the group in the parking lot with a motel room slowly starting to burn.

Hate my methods all you want, I feel it's important to love what you do and how you do it. Speaking of which, it looks like you knocked down Roxie! But I can't let you escape, so let's being her back. How's that sound? And while we're at it, let's bring in her pal Richter. #Hashtag says as the light in the parking lot starts to swirl around again, this time in two seperate spots nearby.

Second Shooter:
Holo Robot Toughness Roll: [roll0]. Look

Scylla:
Holo Robot Toughness Roll: [roll1]. How

CiCi:
Holo Robot Toughness Roll: [roll2]. Fast

Nia:
Holo Robot Toughness Roll: [roll3]. It Broke.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Gotcha," Vazer hissed with a satisfied smirk. He cased quickly about the area, his power didn't require a ton of familiarity, but he had to at least know roughly where he was going.

A part of him wanted to teleport straight in, sneak through the place, acquire the targets, possibly assassinate Duval while he was in the neighborhood, steal anything that wasn't nailed down...

He shook his head to dismiss the pleasant fantasy. If it were that easy, he would have been sent alone, not with the entire crew. He wouldn't be surprised if whatever magic allowed the place to teleport would also block entry from outside teleporters, and possibly sound an alarm as well. No, they had one chance at this, it would not do to rush.

With a nod, he teleported back to the motel.

Working on the assumption I'll arrive after the battle, but let me know if I should just roll init :smallsmile:.

[NineOfSpades]

Asura


"Asura, try to track where the signal is coming from. You're the techie one, right?"


"Ten Four" Summer Responded, Booting up the appropriate sub-systems. While that was running, she thrust forward both of her fists, and let fly a hail of rockets targeting the new arrival robots. Thankfully the weapon systems were mostly automated, leaving her intellect free to focus on tracking the signal.



Attacking both Roxie and Rictor with the Seeker rockets (Using autofire's Spray option)

Note: attack is homing and will attempt to hit again on subseqent turns if they miss.

Attack roll (Roxie): [roll0]
Attack Roll (Rictor): [roll1]

Not sure if you want perception (since I have radar sense) or technology to track the signal. So here are both.

Perception: [roll2]
Technology: [roll3]

[Mono Vertigo]

Jettatura groans loudly. "Oh, come on! I hate this guy already."
None of her natural talents could deal with that sort of enemy, but fortunately, her knowledge of the dark arts were more than sufficient to improvise spells in such occasions.
She lowers her head and starts chanting in a dead language, all the while doing bizarre gestures, in order to invoke a protective shroud of darkness...

Going to jury-rig a defense.
Aiming to make myself a temporary Immunity against Hard Light; not sure if that requires 1, 2 or 3 ranks. DC check is 15 + that rank, and protection spell will be ready in as many rounds as ranks (this is the part where I hope the rank is lower than 3).
And of course, spending my Hero Point.
Expertise: Magic check: [roll0]+12.

[Green Bean]

"Yo, rein it in, he's back." He pointedly indicated Vazer. "Let's just leave."

[Mono Vertigo]

Jettatura interrupts herself. "Better idea. Let's go. Somewhere it won't find us so easily."


Can we scratch the previous action then? Not jury-rigging anything, not spending my Hero Point.

[Arcran]

As Vanish returns, Shooter quickly turns to him.

"Somewhere without cameras," he says simply, looking at the new constructs. Unless he was sorely mistaken #Hashtag was simply stalling for time. In that situation the best option is to simply get the hell out of dodge. Just in case Vanish wasn't able to get them all out in one swift move, Shooter activates his armor's camouflage, pushing himself against the wall to better hide.

Using Hide in Plain Sight!

Stealth:[roll0] +5 more if his armor can copy the environment.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"He still managed to track us back here?" Vazer asked, his voice deadpan, his dry sarcasm concealing a brief flare of fury. People who could track him after a teleport were...kinda a trigger. "Two trips, whoever's first, let's go," he said, reaching out his hands. As soon as three people were in contact, he'd teleport them to the first place that came to mind as being reasonably nearby, having open space, probably not being particularly populated at the moment, and not having cameras - the Mexican coast.

Delaying until three people are in contact, then two move actions for an Extended Teleport to...basically the nearest beach :smallamused:. Teleports are Accurate and Precise, but let me know if that's insufficient for that targeting.

Initiative if necessary: [roll0].

[Mono Vertigo]

Being pretty much defenseless in the current situation, Jettatura grabs Vazer first.

[Cogsrow]

-Cici roars, baring her fangs and dashes at the nearest robot fist ready as she goes to punch through it's chest-



[roll0] toughness dc 27

[Propagandist]

"Take the others first. I imagine I'll still be here when you get back. Besides, it's better theatre to fight us terrible monsters, right Hashtag?" If Scylla's voice were any more condescending, it could probably be weaponized. As it is, she's forced to rely on tentacles and claws to assault Richter.

Using Multi-Arm Strike again. [roll0] DC 22/24/27 toughness check for the bot, depending on multiattack.

[Queen Sapes]

Second Shooter, Nia, and Jettatura all quickly latch onto Vanish as he blinks away from the motel and out of #Hashtag's sight. They reappear miles away from the motel, on an empty piece of shore at the nearest body of water: la laguna de cajititlan, a relatively nearby lake. The four drop onto the sand, and each scan the immediate area quickly, finding nothing that looks like a camera watching them. The sun has almost disappeared over the mountains, leaving this part of the lake dim and quiet, the only sound being the lake lapping at the shore.

Back at the motel, the fight continues on track. Asura unleashes a volley of rockets that tear apart the hard-light robots, shattering Rosie's right arm and destroying Richter's legs. At least that's who everyone assumes took the damage. It's a little hard to tell when both robots are completely identical in every aspect. CiCi charges forward a few seconds later after the volley hits, punching her way through the reformed Rosie as the robot shatters again. The crippled Richter is easily caught by Scylla, who dismembers the robot with her tentacles, causing it to explode in light. I hate how you villains always choose to run when the fighting gets tough. Haven't I taught you that you can't beat me? That I will find you, and I can make just as many robots as you can topple? On cue the light starts swirling again where Rosie and Richter fell, and in a new third spot.

A quick scan of the area's signals leads you to believe that the robots are being projected from the motel's wireless router of all things. A quick look into that though doesn't lead anywhere. It almost appears as if the router is creating the holographic robots all on its own, with no outside direction.

Looking at the rolls and comparing them to numbers, any rolls I make would be pointless.

[Quellian-dyrae]

After giving the area a cursory glance, Vazer vanished yet again, returning to the motel for the others. "All aboard," he said with a deadpan voice.

Move+Standard Action: Extended Teleport to return to the motel. Vazer's Vulnerable this round as a result.

[Propagandist]

"You have much to learn, Hashtag. 'Don't fight battles you can't win' is wisdom, not cowardice. There are plenty of places you can't find us, more than you could ever know, surfacer. All you have taught me is that your creations are fragile, and if we ever fight in person I hope you have more tricks than this, else it will be a short fight. Not that I wish to fight you! You seem quite heroic."

"One way ticket, somewhere that's not here. First class, non-smoking, please." Scylla snakes a tentacle over to make contact with Vazer.

[Queen Sapes]

Rather than give #Hashtag another moment to distract them, Vanish springs forward, grabbing at both Asura and CiCi while Scylla snakes a tentacle towards him. When in contact with the three, he quickly teleports the three out of the area and to the nearby lake he dropped Nia, Second Shooter, and Jettatura at. In less than a moment, all the Miracle Men stand at the shores of the lake quietly, the lake water lapping at the sand as they figure out where to go from here.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"I can already tell that not killing Hashbrown is going to be the hardest part of this mission," Vazer said without preamble. "In any event, I located Duval's lair. I didn't scout it; I wasn't sure exactly what security measures might be in place and thought it prudent to discuss a plan of action. That said, I have the location in mind and can get us there easily enough, so the real question is what we want to do once we're there."

[Cogsrow]

-Cici pounds hte ground and roars- DAMNIT I"M ANGRY -she snarls and tries to breath and calm herself but can't- Where's the ****ing vampire? I need to kill something....

[Green Bean]

Nia rolls his eyes a little at Cici as he shifts out of his garish costume. "We could always drop you off at their front door and sneak in while you're killing them." Or they're killing you was the unspoken subtext.

[Cogsrow]

I am perfectly okay with this idea

[Propagandist]

Scylla is in the water and happily swimming around almost before Vazer finishes setting down. "We can wind you up and point you at some new victims in a few minutes, Cici. Let's talk this out."

"If we go in the front door and start stabbing, we will be overwhelmed and we will die. Now, what do we actually need to do? Copy and destroy the count's files, find this amulet. Introduce the count's pet programmer to the afterlife if we find him." Scylla vanishes under the water and returns moments later, munching on a fish. "If the vampire at the hotel wasn't lying, I'd bet one of my non-regenerating limbs that the amulet is on Duval or his daughter. Even better, we need to go into a room full of computers. These things are a bit beyond me, but I would not trust the count's defenses to keep Hashtag from interfering." She glances at Asura. "Though I imagine some of us are even better with technology than he is. Maybe we could make them fight each other? I'm serious. These files are the key to his entire plan, Duval might show himself if the alarms went off, and those endless light constructs would make a much better distraction than any of us. Less bleeding."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"An intriguing proposal. However, as much as I hate to say it, it would be dependent on just how certain we are that Corned Beef could make such an attack in such a manner that allows him to survive it. Him getting killed by vampires would compromise a mission objective, despite how hilarious it would be to watch...Did he present a sufficient threat that it might be feasible? I didn't actually get a chance to gauge his combat performance back there."

[Green Bean]

"From the looks of it back there, the guy doesn't need to put himself in danger. Unless he's tied to the grid - who knows how his powers work?" Nia sat himself down, shifted off his shoes, and wriggled his feet into the sand. "What sort of checks were they doing on the guests? I'm sure we could take out a limo - maybe we smuggle ourselves in that way?"

[Arcran]

"I know for a fact that he isn't the biggest fan of the vampires," Shooter says, thinking rapidly. #Hashtag didn't want all of them, just him, right? If he was to roam the city perhaps the computer whiz would hunt him instead of the group? It would make it that much harder to deal with Duval but what could be done?

"#Hashtag is targeting me as a priority. Apparently shooting drug dealers is illegal here," he says blandly, leaving out one little detail of it. "I can at least keep him occupied for some time. I'll lead him on a chase through the city while you focus on Duval. If I need help, the resident teleporter can get me out."

There isn't a trace of fear in the eyes of Shooter despite the obvious risks of the plan. They needed to get to Duval and #Hashtag was in the way. It was all part of the job.

"Anyways, if he doesn't fight in person odds are that I can't actually kill him, making that objective easy to accomplish."

[Green Bean]

As amusing as the thought of the old man getting arrested and Marland detonating his skull to preserve their secrets was, Nia felt the plan needed a little more thought. "You sure he's still only after you? It sounds like there's a lot of assumptions involved. And we still don't know if we can use him to soften up the vampires."

He straightened himself up and looked around at the assembled villains. "You know what? Someone give me a burner phone. I'll call #Hashtag and ask him myself."

[Queen Sapes]

Suddenly, as the group discusses how to infiltrate Duval's hacienda, the whole team hears a loud but muffled boom go off nearby. They each scan for the source of the explosion, but nothing nearby seems to point to it. No strange ripples in the water except for Scylla's movements, no sand bursting into the sky, no smoke coming from over the hills. Everything is just as quiet as it was before immediately after the explosion. Then Asura's body goes limp and she falls to her knees, toppling over until she lies face down in the sand. In the back of her helmet is a hole roughly the size of a golf ball which lets out a small stream of white smoke. Around the hole is a blood splatter, and there is clearly some blood on the sand behind her. Her body just lies in the sand as the others gather around to inspect her, and then the familiar buzzing in their ears starts.

"Attention Miracle Men. Asura has been terminated," says General Marland, colder than he had been before. "She attempted to interrupt the signal to the chip, and in response it self-detonated. We'll be sending a few men to retrieve her body for cremation and her armor for storage. Tampering with either her body or armor will result in termination. You are allowed to retrieve any equipment necessary for completion of your mission. Otherwise, simply leave Ms. Mitchell where she lies. I also suggest you return to Guadalajara quickly. Command has recognized your sudden change in location and is getting worried about an escape attempt. I don't think I need to tell you what happens if they think you're running," Marland pauses for a few moments to either add effect or let the Miracle Men take Asura's equipment. "We'll be routing a replacement agent to your location shortly. He was prepped as soon as Asura's signal began breaking, and Command tells me he left from a base north of the border moments ago. He should be arriving any moment now. Please return quickly to the mission, and think of this as a lesson. Break protocol, and that's the end of it. There are no second chances in the Miracle Men. Not anymore." With that Marland goes silent, leaving the others to discuss again.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"...Well. I was going to make some comment to the effect of solo distractions sounding too risky given our current lack of knowledge of the opposition. But then the general reminded me that our survival isn't technically included in the mission parameters. So that was nice of him," Vazer said, completely deadpan.

"In answer to your question, Nia, My sum total knowledge of Duval's lair is currently limited to its location. I was hoping to get a better indication of what sort of technological means they might have to detect powers like mine on hand, but well," he gestured at Asura's body. "That won't be happening now. In any case, unless you can talk him down, we need a secure location to plan our move without Tagalong annoying us or Mission Control getting trigger-happy."

Then into the commlink, "General, if you know of any location in the city where we can come up with a plan out of sight of security cameras, please feel free to send me the coordinates. Otherwise, I will take it as a personal favor if you will keep Command from blowing any further mission assets' heads off for five minutes while I try and locate one."

[Green Bean]

Nia didn't miss a beat. "Oh good, I can use her phone." Nia took a moment to go through Asura's non-armoured possessions, careful to move slowly and distinctly so anyone monitoring him would see he wasn't tampering with anything. He managed to find an inexpensive civilian model smartphone, probably part of her mission packet as their resident tech expert.

Nia carefully put his thumb over the camera, and called up the phone's browser. A few seconds of browsing found one of #Hashtag's social media accounts. He sent a quick private message from an anonymous account. The subject line was simply the address of the motel they had just trashed, and the message body was his newly found phone number.

[Propagandist]

Scylla frowns like a child denied an ice cream cone. "Hmph. I liked her. Was that really necessary?" She parks herself on the water's edge, deep in thought for a moment. "I'm sure Shooter could lead him up and down every street in the city, but Hashtag called us all villains and attacked us, if you'll recall. I don't think he'll just let us go on our merry way. As for his combat abilities, I couldn't say, Vazer. His constructs seemed fragile and toothless, but he was putting on a show, a distraction. He was certainly holding back, and he never put himself in any danger." She watches Nia curiously. "Let's see if he'll play along."

[MrE]

Agent Harper was definitely not Jimmy's favourite handler. I mean, she had the looks, that was a big bonus over most of his previous handlers, but really it was all a big trap. Harper had no sense of humour. "So I charged his girlfriend's room with static. When she came down she practically had an afro. Bobby couldn't understand what I'd done. Hilarious." Harper gave him a cool stare as they sat in the bunker where he was awaiting his next mission. "Nothing? Really, I mean come on, they got to have had some practical jokes at the CIA, or wherever you trained. I'm the king of practical jokes! Fine!" Jimmy put on a mock pout and pretended to sulk, but Harper just picked up the phone and curtly asked when she could expect to give Agent Yates his next tasking. He'd only been there two minutes: this must be a record. Jimmy gave himself a pat on the back, literally, though it was so fast that it would have been impossible for the naked eye to make it out.

"Understood. Guadalajara." She ended the call before fixing Jimmy with a cool stare: "Right, there's a mission in the works: 6 agents out there and you're to join them-"

"Got it, Guadalajara, got it," Jimmy burst to his feet in a second. "You can tell me the rest over the phone," he quipped pointing to the back of his skull where they both knew his mental implant was placed, "A pleasure as always Agent Harper."

It took Jimmy Yates 73 seconds to travel from Washington DC to Guadalajara and Harper had not even finished dialling Command.

* * * * * * *

The most perceptive of the group felt it first, but soon even those with but ordinary senses felt the rush of displaced air as a new member joined the group.

Travelling faster than the speed of sound, a skinny boy suddenly blasted into the group. The air crackled for a few seconds as it was suddenly filled with static.

"Hey guys," he said, immediately striking a nonchalant pose and grinning from ear to ear. Jimmy really liked his entrances.

His eyes moved to the slumped corpse of Asura and he made a face. "Oh. So 'backup' was an optimistic description..."

[Arcran]

Shooter quickly locks eyes with Nia, a frown on his face.

"What do you hope to do with that?" Shooter says simply, his voice flat. "Piss him off? We know he somehow works with all this technological crap; how do you know he isn't just going to appear as soon as he finds out what the phone -"

And then a smirk crosses Shooter's face. Calmly he pulls out his sniper, striding slowly away from the group.

"Do it, then toss the phone in the sand. We'll see if he wants to take the bait," Shooter says, keeping a careful on the phone as he prepares to fire.

And then the new guy showed up. Shooter frowns slightly, unhappy with the new member. Too young, too cocky.

"What do you know?" he asks simply, looking at the newcomer.

Using Well-Informed on our speedster.

Investigation: [roll0]

[Cogsrow]

-Cici blushes seeing the new speedster and ducks her head into the sweater and waves- hello......

[Green Bean]

"I plan to lie to him until I get what I want. That usually works." As Nia talked his form kept shifting as he made up his mind about what sort of angle he was going to take. "If he sends a construct through, you shoot the phone. If he comes through, we hit him until he's unconscious and then we can do our mission in peace. He's already seen all our faces, and we're leaving this beach in a minute anyways. It's a real win/no lose kind of thing."

When he finally stops shifting, he's an older man with clipped, graying hair, a light-coloured suit and absolutely ramrod straight posture. Everything about him screams "government agent". It's around here that Jimmy made himself known. "Nice to meet you, et cetera, et cetera. As you may have guessed, we're kind of in the middle of something here."

[MrE]

"Yeah, someone should probably get me up to speed," he grins at the pun waiting for a response. Should probably have waited for Harper to brief me. Oh well, too late now!

"The name's Jimmy, but you can call me Bolt."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Jimmy's commentary managed to achieve whatever subtle transformation turned Vazer's smirk from sardonic to amused. "Vampire named Duval is throwing a party tonight in his teleporting lair. Our job is to go in, steal some program of his, kill the guy who built it, destroy his versions, grab a magical doodad he has, and get out. Dusting him and his vamp cronies is not frowned upon. Stealing everything that isn't nailed down and on fire has not been explicitly prohibited. Killing civilians is discouraged."

"In the meantime, there's a 'hero' in the area who calls himself," sigh, "#Hashtag. Yes, with the stupid little symbol as part of the name. He's angry at Shooter here for, I don't know, killing someone or something, and the rest of us for proximity, pretty much. So he's trying to fight us. Signs point to high-level technopathy. Killing him is discouraged with extreme prejudice," he gestured once more at Asura's corpse for emphasis.

"Mmm...I think those are the key mission parameters. Anything I missed?"

[Cogsrow]

-Cici sits in the sand drawing marks with her tail- No that's pretty much all of it, oh except that his actual plan is to use the amulet and computer virus to wipe out all information and knowledge in the world that Vampires exist so people would forget how to hunt them....kind of stupid really I mean they die if you rip their heart out or their head off.

[Propagandist]

Ooh, a speedster, how fun! There was a talent one didn't see much of under the waves. Scylla waves cheerily from the shoreline. "Hello, Bolt! That's the long and short of it, stopping the vampire apocalypse. Oh, and we're trying to bait Hashtag into showing himself. Don't stand near the phone."

[Queen Sapes]

While the rest of the group makes introduction, Asura's former smartphone lights up and begins humming with an incoming call. A quick glance at the screen to check the caller ID, and Nia sees that there is no number. Instead on the screen is a random collection of nine symbols that quickly and regularly change on screen, making the caller ID look more like an ink blot. Meanwhile Jettatura makes her quick introductions with Bolt, who appears extremely burned out and hollow to her, at least partially a reflection of his abilities. Out on the lake a boat starts pulling into view around the corner of the shoreline, happy cheers coming from it as it heads out on the evening waters.

(NPCing Jettatura very briefly since Musashi is supposed to be gone until sometime next week.)

Bolt, from what you've heard, is one of many, many, many less than over performing villains gifted with superspeed. He shares his powers with dozens of other thieves, and at a glance he appears to fall in line with the others, just another kid who got a power that lets him steal better than the next guy. But unlike other speedsters, Bolt has a leg up in the world thanks to his electricity manipulating abilities, which is probably why the Miracle Men project chose him instead of any other speedster.

[Green Bean]

Nia maintained his covering of the camera eye when he answered the phone. Then, in full angry drill sergeant mode, he started off nearly screaming into the phone. "What the Sam Hill did you think you were doing, blundering into a delicate operation like that!? You nearly got two of my agents killed by going off half cocked like that!"

[Queen Sapes]

#Hashtag takes a moment to respond, beginning with a long sigh. "Alright, first off, tone down the yelling. That only works when the other person somehow fears you, and since I know for a fact you don't know who I am, and cannot even begin to track me down, you don't really have much to intimidate me with. Secondly, agents? Really? You mean the child murdering seventy year-old, monster from the deep, demon kid in tights, lizard woman with anger management, and giant robot? What 'delicate' operation could you possibly be running that demands that specific combination? And for them to kill one drug dealing kid, four vampires, then hang out at a motel? Is this some kind of ill-conceived attempt to stop drug trafficking? And lastly, who are you exactly, and why are you just standing on the beach?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer blinked over to Shooter. "I'll be back in five minutes. I'm going to see if I can find us a base of operations. Let me know if you all need extraction before then," he said softly, then once again going on a nice little teleport jaunt through the city, trying to find a place that looked like it didn't have any cameras around. An abandoned building would be ideal.

Routine check on...Perception (30) or Investigation (20), whichever is more appropriate, to try and find us a place in the city to hole up. He'll keep at it until he finds a place, gets called back, or five minutes passes. I honestly have no idea if five minutes is even close to enough time for that teleportation or not, but we'll give it a shot :smallamused:.

Routine Stealth (30) and Total Concealment from all senses is on.

[Cogsrow]

-cici taps her chin as she keeps looking at the speedster and then looks away blushing- Wait a minute.......why don't we set his house on fire? that'll kill vampires and we kill them as they come out?

[Green Bean]

"A stakeout, you arrogant little SOB! I had two agents across the street from that inn trying to keep an eye on those circus freaks when you started a brawl in the parking lot!" Nia stopped here, and just breathed heavily for a moment or two. He imagined himself fending off a coronary, taking a drag on a cheap cigar, and when he spoke again, his voice was much calmer. "You've got us on a beach, do you? Guess 'least our lab boys still know how to fool a trace. Colonel Münchhausen of AEGIS, Svengali Division."

"We've been tracking that gang of nutbars for the past few months through the old man; he's a merc, so he sells us information. Near as we can tell, they're after Duvall, who's got something big planned tonight. No idea why, maybe it was the voices in their heads. We don't have the manpower to bring any of these guys in, so our orders are to contain the fight as best we can and minimize loss of innocent life. What were weren't expecting was a super-brawl an hour before the main event. How the hell did you get involved in all this?"

[MrE]

There were so many conversations going on this 'team' at once that Jimmy's head became a blur turning to listen to each in turn. One of them vanished, clearly off on his own mission, whilst another lounged in the water, and the lizard girl plotted arson, though she seemed to be talking to no one in particular.

But at least it looked like Nia had a good brain, even if the others seemed as about as inept at this whole spying game, as well, Jimmy himself.

Watching the strange display on the cellphone Nia was using Jimmy stepped closer and held out a hand to the device.
Then a jolt of static leaped from his hand into the phone, a specifically designed coded burst.

+Locate caller. Respond with coordinates+

Using Comprehend Machines (hopefully the fluff is ok)

[Arcran]

Shooter simply nods to Vazer, knowing that the teleporter can at least put on the airs of a professional. And, somewhere in the back of his mind, Shooter wishes that he could teleport all across the city without hardly a care.

Through it all, Shooter keeps his rifle trained carefully on the phone, face obscured by his body armor. The shapeshifter was quickly proving to be more than a little useful and seemed to know exactly the buttons to push.

"Kid was at least a teenager and a goddamn drug dealer," Shooter mutters under his breath, honestly not understanding all the fuss about that.

[Queen Sapes]

"Your merc decided to kill off a kid and his vampire drug supplier. No tears shed for the vampire, but the kid I have issues with. I gave your mercenary a chance to turn himself in but he refused, ran back to the villains at that hotel with the help of a teleporter, and so I did my heroic duty and engaged them. I was testing their strength when they teleported out again, and then I get a message from you," #Hashtag says very matter-of-factly. "Also, an AEGIS stakeout, huh? Interesting, considering AEGIS isn't allowed in Mexico thanks to UNISON. You know, if I chose to believe you that just means you're violating international law, right? And that I can release the information that you're down here onto the internet, causing an insane PR nightmare that will likely cripple both AEGIS and UNISON for months, even if you have approval to be here? So you'll go ahead and let the hero who actually belongs here handle this. Have your merc lead them away from Mr. Duval with a little false information. Once they're away from the population centers, I'll attack them with countless dozens of my holographic robots, overpowering them until they're successfully in cuffs. Then I turn them over to the proper authorities, and everything gets wrapped up in a nice little bow! The villains are behind bars, I avenge the loss of young life, and you don't have to pay your merc anything more."

While #Hashtag is talking to Nia, Bolt's electric order responds with a very simple message: +No call detected+. An odd response considering that Nia was very clearly speaking on the phone to someone, yet despite that the phone doesn't want to recognize that it's in a call. Meanwhile, Vanish starts hopping around the city as quickly and quietly as possible, his search for an unmonitored spot in the city not turning up anything truly promising for the first few minutes of searching. Apparently this is the most watched city in the world, as cameras are visible on an endless number of corners.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer reappeared beside Shooter after a few minutes. "Well, I have good news and bad news," he said. "Good news is, I actually managed to cover about two and a half times the search area I had expected in the timeframe specified. Bad news is that that's only because I was able to almost entirely cut out the whole 'careful search' part of the process, because this city has security cameras flipping everywhere. I'm thinking the best bet would be to head back to the motel. Either Nia can get him off our backs or we'll just have to claim our base through force by destroying every camera in a hundred yard radius. And maybe the streetlights too. They can be an example to others..."

[Green Bean]

"You know what, kid? I'm gonna call your bluff. Assuming I don't get cut loose and buried, yeah, you could cause an international incident, get me and my entire division fired, cripple AEGIS and UNISON for a month or two. But you won't, because you're a smart guy, and you know exactly how many innocent people would get hurt because of that. And you clearly haven't quite thought your plan through - what's to stop them from just leaving like they did at the motel? Then I lose my one in and can't track 'em anymore. And I did notice, incidentally, that your plan leaves Duvall free to finish his plan, which I have on good authority will kill a whole bunch of people. Not as in 'if he's not stopped soon'; as in, tonight, people are going to end up dead. But I guess if you can't stream a fight with a vampire, why bother stopping them!? No subscriber numbers in that!" Nia paused there, as if he'd realized that was a bit too far.

"Look, I didn't know the old man killed a kid - that's on me for not keeping him on a tighter leash, and I'm gonna have to carry it with me now. But I am not a god, and I cannot descend from the heavens and force an ideal solution. And you're a powerful guy, but you're not a god either. All we can do is work with what tools the world has given us. So here's my offer. They're going after Duvall tonight, and he is the most immediate threat to innocent life. Either hit Duvall yourself first, or play containment. Your choice. When this is over, I'll give you our files on these guys, whatever you need to track them down, though my intel indicates that they're heading back stateside, and AEGIS will probably call in the League for that." Nia's tone grew a little darker and angrier, with just a hint of guilt behind it. "And to sweeten the pot? When this night is done, no matter what happens, I will give you the old man; I will deliver him to you, personally, at a time and place of your choosing, and I will hogtie him myself if I have to. Arrest him, get rid of him, whatever you like. I will not lose any sleep over what happens to him."

[Arcran]

Shooter shakes his head as Vazer speaks, clearly unhappy with the news.

"He's a paranoid bastard, isn't he? Can't believe I didn't notice the camera the first time I went into the alley," Shooter mutters. Had he known he was being recorded he likely wouldn't have shot the kid. Probably.

"Do you think he's petty enough to attack us while we hit Duval?" Shooter inquires. "If we can just focus our attention on the main threat we can deal with #Hashtag later," Shooter says. "If we could kill the damn kid this would be so much easier. Otherwise we're just stuck keeping him occupied."

As the shapechanger continues to work with the group, Shooter begins to muse a plan. He could break his way out of prison without hardly an issue; his tertiary firearm could get smuggled in even if he was naked, damn it. The only issue is that, should he try to escape, #Hashtag would be quick to intervene. What they needed to do was find him, neutralize his powers, and leave it be.

"It's a shame that we lose the techie girl," Shooter mutters. "If we could just track the bastard we could likely neutralize him without too much permanent damage."

[Queen Sapes]

"I'm sorry but if these villains," #Hashtag says over enunciating the word 'villains', "are such an actual threat that you threaten international law to stop them, why would you not care about what they do with Duval? And what sort of plan could Duval possibly be scheming? The guy's just some old tech investor who lives like an hour out of town with all the other really rich folk. Not the type of guy who would put together a plan that puts the world at his heels, you know?"

[MrE]

Frowning at the strange response from the cellphone, Jimmy quickly runs through their options: he was pretty good with technology, but he doubted he had much of a chance against #Hashtag's powers, so that left Nia to convince him, or them to find Hastag. Then again, the only reason they had for finding #Hashtag was to distract him or stop him intervening...

"You know," Jimmy muttered to the others, #Hashtag's pretty distracted right now: and I can move pretty fast. We could get to Duval whilst this conversation is still happening, take him out whilst #Hashtag is still distracted." Patience wasn't one of Jimmy's greatest qualities.

[Green Bean]

Nia laughed - it was wheezy, with just a hint of condescension. "Wow, I thought you were supposed to be the big hero around here. Why don't you call me back when you figure out your own damn city?" He hung up, and with no particular exertion, crushed the phone into pieces.

"Well, there you have it - the guy's clearly not as all-seeing as he thinks. Now that we know what he knows, what's our next step? Quickly though, before the boys upstairs get trigger happy."

[Propagandist]

"You would think the fact that Duval's estate moves around regularly might be a tip off to someone who can monitor the entire city. Most mysterious." Scylla allows herself a smile before turning to planning.

"Well, we have a speedster, a teleporter, a shapeshifter, an assassin. Surely one, some or all of you could get past Duval's guards. Find a quiet place on the grounds, anything will do - Hashtag seems to have overstated his talents, any spot Duval isn't monitoring, I doubt we have to worry about his prying eyes either. Vazer can bring the monstery types and Jettatura in once we have a spot.

Once we're there, I'm sure there are ways in and out of Duval's mansion that security doesn't bother with because a human couldn't fit through them. That's where I come in, or get in, rather. Cartilage skeleton, you see. I'm told surfacers find it disturbing to watch! I slip inside, disable what needs disabling, and the rest of you are free to enter and do what you do best."

Surely the others would find something to object to, but what harm was there in making your pitch first?

[Arcran]

"What are the odds the cameras have infrared or something on them?" Shooter asks, heading back towards the general group. "Regular cameras I can slip by no problem. We can likely all get in position. If you wear this," Shooter says, tossing one of his small cameras towards the monster, "I should be able to provide you with fire support even while you're inside. No promises of course, but the odds are good."

"Alternately, we shoot our way in," Shooter says, a wide grin invisible under his helmet. "That might be slightly self-indulgent though. It's safe to say that our shapeshifter can infiltrate, as well as you. I can probably sneak in, Vazer can just port in and a speedster should be able to just show up. That gets what, five of us in without any fuss? Why not just go that route?"

[Cogsrow]

-Cici Shrugs her tail absentmindedly drawing in the sand still- I am for indescriminate smashing to create a diversion, not like guns really hurt me and I can take vampires in a fight pretty easily.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"So basically, we all make our ways in by whatever means best suit us, and whoever gets caught is a distraction for those who don't?" Vazer's voice was deadpan, but brightened immediately as he added, "Works for me. Where should I drop us off? Maybe a block away?"

[Green Bean]

Nia casually blurred back into his original form. "Figure you can drop me off by one of those party cars? I got a plan to do distraction and sneaking at the same time."

[MrE]

Now this was his kind of team: every man for themselves, and hopefully it would all work out. Jimmy grinned and held his hand out for Vazer to transport them.

[Propagandist]

Scylla nods at Shooter's suggestion. "Sure. We all have our talents, might as well put them to good use. As for where to drop us, a block away seems safe. Anywhere where we can land and get a look at what's going on without the guards immediately panicking and trying to fill us with holes. That part comes later."

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer nodded, and he'd teleport the first three to within a block or so of the estate, with a good view of the road he had seen the cars going down. As soon as he released them, he'd blink back for the others, doing pretty much the same unless they requested a different dropoff point or weren't ready to go.

[Cogsrow]

-Cici Lets out a breath as she arrives and floats slowly in the air- Sooo I'm assuming you want me to wait before I charge in and break everything?

[Arcran]

With a small grin, Shooter activates his armor, blending in with the walls as he begins to slowly make his way towards the compound.

Sneaky sneaky!

[roll0] +5 if his armor can mimic.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer also faded from view, holding himself almost entirely out of phase, and attempted to teleport onto the roof of the estate.

Routine Stealth for 30, Total Concealment from all senses. Current array is Offscreen Teleport 10, Teleportation 5, Portal Blade 5.

Also Routine Perception for 30 to spot any, you know, people who are reacting to him, hidden vampires, security cameras, etc.

[Queen Sapes]

The Miracle Men appear not far from Duval's hacienda in a part of the small forest on his property that surrounds his home. Duval, likely to keep himself hidden from view, opted to keep most of his property heavily wooded, with the brush thinning until it reaches a circle area around Duval's compound plus a well-maintained area surrounding the expensive brick road. This brush makes it an easy place to teleport into, although it's likely Duval keeps the brush filled with traps, cameras, and possibly a guard or two. Everyone can hear the party already in full swing as night fully embraces the city, and even roughly a block away the lights of the party shine into the brush. It sounds as if a live band is playing upscale Spanish dance music at the party, their sound soft at this distance but unmistakable. Black cars run up and down the two lane driveway once every few minutes, bringing more guests to the party and leaving to get more. The team is out of view of the cars, and a quick glance around gives no reason for alarm, as no traps, guards, or cameras can be seen by the team.

Second Shooter wastes no time before making his way to the hacienda. He creeps through the brush towards the building, his armor taking in the colors of the plants around him. Within a few minutes he can see the building, a two-story upscale hacienda which is clearly modernized but built to emulate older styles. Both levels are open to the air on the outside, with guests in expensive outfits socializing everywhere on both floors. Decorative objects fill the floors, with antique vases on pedestals and ancient portraits hanging on the walls, all meant to impress. The hacienda itself is surrounded by am immaculately kept lawn, with hedges cut into statues, vibrant flower gardens, and a small pond with trickling rocks placed sporadically. The outside of the building is lit up like a bonfire, the lights casting a deliberate orange and yellow glow, probably to make the place seem much more inviting than it already appears. However, very few of the internal lights are on, only a few with the doors to the rooms propped open for guests to move through. The lights are also smartly positioned in a way that makes the roof of the building almost unnoticeable, and Second Shooter has a hard time from the ground seeing anything up on it. Second Shooter stops at the edge of the brush once he notices the guards stationed around, most standing against pillars or patrolling. All the guards are dressed in black outfits and carry no immediately noticeable weapon, although given they're probably vampires that seems unnecessary anyways.

Vanish silently drops onto the hacienda's roof, getting a good view of everything around him. From where he stands he can see the yard that surrounds the hacienda, noting only a handful of guards patrolling the grounds. It would seem odd to keep such a small force outside, but the force on the roof more than makes up for it. Roughly six dozen guards in all black outfits watch from the roof, some patrolling in a circle around the square shaped roof, others sitting near the edge and watching either the yard or the inside courtyard. None are watching for someone on the roof, and so they don't take notice of Vanish.

The inside courtyard is a lot like the yard, although a lot more of it is paved. Immediately from the driveway at the front of the house, the guests are directed into the courtyard, where a full-blown party is in swing. Dozens of tables are set up, each with a candle and some kind of flower, for guests to sit, drink, and eat at. A large part of the courtyard is dedicated to a dance floor, where a live band plays dance music for a large crowd of patrons. Another portion of the courtyard is dedicated to a massive fountain with a young woman made of stone standing atop, her face frozen in laughter as water pours out from under her feet. Guests lounge around this area, sitting at the fountain's base or lean on one of the nearby walls as waiters bring them small snacks on trays. What isn't brick dedicated to dining, dancing, or relaxation is well-trimmed grass with plants growing in neatly arranged lines surrounding it. A few small groups stand and talk on the grass, but not too many. And strangely, one section of the grass is kept completely clean of guests, as rope surrounds it and four guards stand around it at all times, keeping people clear. At the center of this patch is a rectangular plaque, which Vanish can only barely see from his current position.

http://www.realadventures.com/listingimages/1120/1120029/m_1120029a.jpg

http://i61.tinypic.com/xeq45x.jpg

[Green Bean]

Nia looked around, trying to find a near black car headed for the party that still out of sight of the house. When he found one, he took a lateral step and appeared in the front passenger seat, where he prepared to 'incapacitate' the driver. Fortunately, this close to the party they were going pretty slow.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer studied the area quickly, and then blinked up into the air, since while phased out others couldn't hear his words either. "Grounds are only lightly defended. Roof is heavily defended; I estimate around seventy guards. If anyone plans on any sort of direct attack, I highly suggest starting there and taking out as many as you can before they coordinate against you. There's some plaque or something in the party area that's under guard; might be worth checking out. Teleportation does not appear to be restricted, so I'm going to start searching. Inform me if extraction is required. I will attempt to make periodic reports as scouting progresses."

That said, he rephased and blinked back down, this time teleporting straight inside the house, a few feet to the right of the front door in fact.

Second verse same as the first. Stealth 30, Perception 30, Total Concealment from All Senses.

[Propagandist]

Staying flat to the ground, Scylla slithers slowly through the brush toward the house, the colors of her skin shifting away from her usual blue-green to blend into the brush. Pausing at the edge of the woods, she searches for passages in and out of the hacienda. The guards would be watching the obvious ones, but she didn't need a door, just enough of a gap to work her magic.

Scylla has Slithering and Concealment with the Blending flaw, but Stealth check, just in case. [roll0]. Perception check to find a way into the hacienda that the guards wouldn't consider a way in for a normal person. Grates, pipes, half-open windows, ducts, power lines, anything of that sort. [roll1]

[Arcran]

Shooter slowly creeps closer, not rushing anything. Vazer had said that the roof had the most bad guys and, well, that was as good a place to start as any.

Slowly, Shooter attempts to find a tree capable of supporting him and slowly scales it, going slowly to ensure his armor is able to keep up with him so that he isn't easily detected.

[MrE]

Jimmy looks at himself and grimaces. He certainly wouldn't blend in in these casual clothes. And it was likely that he wasn't fast enough to check the whole mansion without being detected: not with so many bodies getting in the way...

Turning away from the main group Jimmy let himself go, his whole body feeling a thrill as it was filled with energy. He sped back into town, looking for a shop that would sell clothes of a similar cut and quality as those worn at the party. Then, completely unscrupulously, he would break into that shop and steal a suit that would fit him, don it in an alleyway and return to the group.

[Cogsrow]

-Cici stretches and cracks her neck as she gets ready to charge in, counting down in her head, the familiar primal excitement at the ability to jsut cut loose and go all out-

[Mono Vertigo]

Jettatura decides that merely shoplifting proper clothes isn't going to cut it this time (and that it's going to take a lot more time than Jimmy doing it). She prepares instead a quick Cinderella* spell, that'll temporarily give her an appropriate disguise.

*It's little known that, historically, that kind of spell has been used far more by crooks and assassins than impoverished kind young ladies. It also involves the invocation of the specter of every elegant woman who died at a party and no fairy godmother.

Jury-rigging a magic ritual. Planning to make a Rank 1 Morph effect (DC 20), with a single other appearance of that of the average vampire woman who'd show up at that party. So it'll give me a +20 bonus Disguise check to impersonate a guest for the scene.
Expertise (Magic) Check: [roll0]+12
Will use a Luck point if I don't succeed this check. Barely made it with a 21!

[Queen Sapes]

Nia:
Within moments Nia finds a car driving up the long driveway, stepping out of the brush and into the passenger seat. The back seat is occupied by a younger white couple lost in each other, while the driver is yet another of Duval's men. He seems to be focused on the road rather than the rest of the car, and doesn't quite notice the small boy appearing next to him literally out of nowhere.

Vanish:
Vanish appears next to a potted plant immediately at the front door, getting a good view of the entrance hall. The hall is not so much big, but spans the entire length of this part of the building and is tall, making up both stories with only walkways to connect the two halves of the upper floor. The entire area is lit up bright and filled with people chatting and admiring the artifacts, artwork, and sculptures that dot the hall. On the opposite end of the hallway is an open doorway that leads into the courtyard where the rest of the party is, and the rest of the hall is lined with five closed doors that likely lead to the off-limits parts of the hacienda.

Scylla:
Silent as a snake, Scylla makes her way quickly towards the hacienda, scanning the area for a way in. Across the lawn, past the pond, is the hacienda's exterior wall, with all its obvious openings present. There are the doors which are currently guarded by Duval's men, the windows which look rather sturdy and Scylla doubts they would be unlocked anyway, and finally, out of the way at the base of the brick pack, is a tiny drainage pipe. The pipe is small, likely only there to prevent buildup of sprinkler water that could ruin the manicured lawn, but it would likely be perfectly sized for Scylla to slip through and possibly get into, or under, the house.

Second Shooter:
There aren't many trees around Duval's lawn, but Shooter is lucky enough that there is a nearby one that reaches up rather high. Despite his advanced age, Second Shooter is able to scale up into this old and ancient tree without being spotted by one of the rooftop guards. The higher Shooter climbs, the easier it is for him to see the dark shapes on the roof against the starry sky. As he climbs up, nearing the height of the roof, he spots something in the tree. In a nook on the tree's trunk is an old doll made out of cloth and yarn. It is a small toy, small enough a little girl could hold it easily, and has long black string for hair, buttons for eyes, and patchwork cloth everywhere, not only on the dress. The doll has clearly been here for some time, sitting inside the tree's trunk, as it is falling apart in places literally at the seams, but otherwise appears fine.

Bolt:
Thankfully, thanks to the booming economy, it doesn't take long for Bolt to find just what he was looking for as he dons a well-cut tuxedo, although it is a bit tight in the legs and loose in the arms. Despite that, it's the best fit for him and matches the party well, the black of the tuxedo matching with every other guy at the party, and the red bow tie matching the vampires. Given what he heard earlier about #Hashtag, Bolt doesn't spend much time inside the store, quickly rushing back to Duval's hacienda so the watchful eye of Guadalajara doesn't spy him.

Jettatura:
Jettatura pulls together the magic necessary to disguise herself, putting together a beautiful gown perfect and appropriate for the young lady, and even putting her together a bit more to seal the deal. Given the nature of the spell, it doesn't quite dazzle or cause the jaw of every man in a four mile radius to drop, but it does make her look rather beautiful, enough that she'd turn more than a few heads.

[Green Bean]

Taking advantage of his small frame, Nia clambered over into the drivers seat and made a very respectable attempt to snap the driver's neck.

I'm assuming this guy's a minion so I'm taking 10. Let me know if I need to roll anything.

[Propagandist]

Scylla smiles as she spots the pipe. That would work just fine. Bit of a tight fit, perhaps, but she only needed a few inches. As long as her head would fit, the rest of her would follow suit, no matter how alarming bony-skeletoned types found it.

She slowly slithers her way out onto the lawn, blending into the grass, and aiming for the pond. Scylla had every faith her abilities would keep her safe from prying eyes, but eyes weren't all the Count would have watching. The more she could stay out of sight, the better.

Another Stealth check to be safe, because, I dunno, someone might step on the squid-person while she's semi-invisible. :smalltongue: [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Vazer began exploring, starting with the closed door furthest to his right, and continuing back left; he'd simply blink to the other side of each door in turn, case about for anything interesting, and then move on to the next. For now, he wasn't conducting a thorough search, although of course if he spotted anything interesting he'd check it out. Primarily, he was just casing the place, collecting as much cursory information as he could.

He'd report his findings to the others, either whenever he was in an empty room, or by occasionally teleporting into the sky to do so.

If none of the five rooms held or led to anything of interest, he'd continue teleporting around the house until he had made a full scouting run of it, he located something interesting, or came upon an obstacle to his progress, keeping track of any guards or cameras he noticed.

Basically just casing the place with Routine Perception. Not doing any actual searching/Investigation checks yet.

[Arcran]

Second Shooter was not a superstitious man. He had a hard time accepting magic, hell, even mutants were a bit of stretch for him. Half of those with power broke the physical laws of the world while the other half outright ignored them but magic? Even after years of exposure, Shooter wasn't convinced it worked the way everybody seemed to think.

And yet, he was traveling with an obvious magician. He had killed a vampire today. While Shooter wasn't exactly a horror buff he knew enough to know that a doll was never a good thing.

And so, rather than train his gun on the vampires he trains it on the doll as he stares at it, trying to figure out exactly what the hell it is, both from a physical standpoint and a quick runthrough of everything he knows about creepy dolls hidden in trees.

Expertise (Whatever Applies): [roll0]
Assessment: [roll1]

[MrE]

Looking sharp in his newly acquired suit, Bolt blurred into the midst of the party, appearing one second amidst the group and smiling his killer smile as he wandered slowly through the throng. He did a quick circuit (quick for a human, painfully slow for Jimmy) of the party, before heading over to the guarded plaque in the garden.

He sauntered over and grinned at the guards, "Ooooh, what's this then?" he gawked, looking down on it, whilst trying to feign being a bit tipsy.

Deception: [roll0]

[Mono Vertigo]

Jettatura mingles among the guests with a bright, toothy smile.
While she pretends to listen to mediocre jokes and times her polite laughs, she looks around discretely... she can't wait to jump into action. Those jokes about mosquitoes and lawyers stopped being funny sometime during prehistory.

Perception check (to check if anything important/interesting is concealed/hidden by illusions, mostly): [roll0]+10

[Queen Sapes]

Nia:
Moving quicker than the driver can react, Nia gets directly in front of him and cleanly snaps the vampire's neck with his freakish strength. The snap is enough to sever part of the vampire's neck, which causes him to start solidifying into stone which dusts immediately, leaving a small pile on the driver's seat. The sound of the snap shocks the couple in the backseat out of each other's focus, and they both look to the driver to see him turning into dust right before their eyes, his head barely kept on his body. The young lady screams in horror, her date pausing for a moment in shock before opening his door, taking the hand of his date, and running out with her, leaving Nia alone in the car.

Scylla:
Scylla slithers out of the brush and towards the pond, making little sound aside from the rustling of grass as she moves to the pond. One of Duval's men walking the perimeter of the hacienda scans the lawn for any intruders, and spots the movement of Syclla right as she slips into the pond water. He says something to one of the other guards Scylla can't make out, and walks over to the pond, stopping at the water's edge. Thankfully, the pond is deep and dark enough that he isn't able to make out Scylla's form, and her entering the water spooked some of the wildlife out. A snake slithers up out of the water and onto the grass, making a break for it so Scylla doesn't attack him. The guard spots the snake, grunts to himself, and walks away remarking, "Serpientes estúpidas," as he leaves Scylla alone in the pond.

Vanish:
The two doors to the right end up inside the same room, an open lounge room with lots of artifacts, ornate rugs, paintings, sculptures, and older but comfy looking couches for Duval's men to lounge on. The floor here looks like it has experienced a bit more wear, as the wooden floor has scratches and bumps in it, possibly from equipment or furniture being moved around. Two doors at the opposite end of the room connect to two seperate rooms, one a small bathroom, the other a second lounge room which connects to the courtyard is lit up and filled with guests.

The door nearest the front entrance to the left leads into a long hallway, with three connecting doorways on the right and one on the end of the hall, which is guarded by two men who chat away in Spanish. The doors at the right all open up to private office rooms. Each has a simple desk, chair, and computer layout with some odd pieces of furniture added to each one such as extra chairs or a bookshelf. The computer in each of the rooms is off, and no loose papers are left out, all of them locked away inside the desk's drawer which has a key lock. The final door from the entrance hall opens up to stairs that lead upwards, where another set of guards chats at the entrance to the upstairs.

Second Shooter:
Second Shooter remembers the obvious warnings about strange dolls, especially where magic was concerned. Typically they were gifted with life from some sort of magician, or possessed by some ancient evil, or even occasionally came to life with no rhyme or reason. Then they would tease, torment, butcher, and eventually wipe away whatever had earned their scorn, usually the newly moved-in family of five and the exorcist, and then return to being a boring doll until someone else had them. Of course, that was mostly movies, since evil dolls aren't a very common occurrence in the real world. But then again, every movie myth has a basis in something, right?

But after a minute of watching the doll and examining it, Second Shooter feels at least a little silly worrying about the doll. From what he can tell, it's just an old and worn doll someone left in a tree, not some ancient spirit of pure evil. It doesn't look even at all menacing, the stitched smile on its face genuine. But if it's not likely to be evil, the question is why it's in the tree, and who it belongs to?

Bolt:
The two guards nearest Bolt immediately step in his path as he moves towards the plaque, both stopping him as he walks closer to the patch of grass. "Sorry sir, but under the wishes of Mr. Duval this part of the courtyard is off limits. I'm afraid we can't let you be too close to here," the man on Bolt's right says very bluntly. Yet even from this spot Bolt can just make out what it says on the plaque. The words are a bit hard to make out thanks to a growth of red and blue flowers around the plaque, but Bolt is able to determine just barely what is written.

En la memoria cariñosa de Esmeralda Duval

Jettatura:
While mingling with the guests at the party, Jettatura scans the scene for any kind of oddity going on. Strangely enough, the party seems to be exactly what it appears, just a party with a lot of vampire guards walking and standing around, making sure no trouble goes on. The food is normal, nothing invisble to the human eye lurking about, everything is completely fine. But while Jettatura scans the upper floor of the building, she spots someone. Standing on the second floor, leaning over the railing and looking around at the party is a young Hispanic man in relaxed business wear with slicked black hair. He leans up and lights a cigarette, the flame illuminating his face fully for Jettatura. While he may not appear that way to her, what the General showed them earlier that afternoon matches this man. Jettatura has found their tertiary target: Silvano Corazza.

CiCi:
While pausing in the brush surrounding Duval's hacienda while waiting for the others to get inside, CiCi spots a younger couple fleeing in fear of something up the road closer to the house. They pull into the brush hiding themselves away from whatever they saw while the man tries to calm his date who is hysterical.

[Green Bean]

Nia was a little short to reach the pedals, so he morphed himself into the (doubly) late driver and slammed down on the accelerator. As the car picked up speed, he looked for security hanging around the front. Having spotted a likely-looking guard near the front door, he tweaked his aim slightly. By this point, the car was obviously moving at an unsafe speed, veering past other arrived cars far too fast to stop. He pointed the nose of the vehicle at the guard at the front, and at the last possible second, as it climbed the front step, Nia warped outside of the car, clad in the form of the hapless security vampire. He dove to the ground as the car smashed its way into the house (and through the guard), and he smelled gas for a moment before the whole car went up in flames.