Heroes of Azure Bay

[Llyarden]

7am, Sunday 15th June, 2015.

It is a peaceful morning.

This is not unusual in Azure Bay, although in recent weeks it has become a scarcer occurrence. It is two months, almost to the day, that the Sapphire Guard disappeared, leaving no trace of their presence. Despite numerous attempts by heroes and villains alike, their secret hideout - commonly considered to be the mostly likely way of finding them - has still not been found. Although the official line is that the Sapphire Guard a) informed the authorities before leaving and b) would be back in the near future, people are starting to wonder. And worry.

But for now, it is a peaceful morning. The sun is shining, it's a pleasantly warm temperature, and it's supposed to be a nice week.

Just a simple intro so people can get used to their characters and such. What are you doing in the reasonably early morning of a Sunday?

[Quellian-dyrae]

David was just walking into his dojo. Sure, it was a 600 square foot studio sandwiched between a Jamba Juice and a dollar store rather than, say, an open-air pagoda atop a grassy hill with a koi pond and lots of bamboo around, but whatever. There were training mats and a rack full of practice weapons and the Hang In There poster pictured a Stereotypical Asian Martial Arts Guy clinging to a cliff by his fingertips; his dojo was secure in its pedigree.

David washed down his morning painkillers with whatever smoothie the teenager behind the Jamba Juice counter had assured him was incredibly good for him, and then started laying out the mats before going through a warmup routine in preparation for his 8:00 class.

[Zelphas]

The J.A.R.'s manipulation appendages work quickly, building a vaguely sinister-looking ray out of the scraps of the junkyard near Azure Bay in the space of a few seconds. The left appendage picks up the ray after it is complete, turning and firing it towards a sheet of corrugated metal obviously positioned for the purpose. There is a flash of red light, and the metal warps and melts into slag. Before it has finished cooling, the ray has been dismantled, rebuilt, and another ray fired at the sheet, covering its suddenly cooled metal in a thin layer of frost.

If Think Tank was still an emotional being, he would sigh. Instead, his expanded consciousness is filled with a blank, emotionless buzzing, as his advanced intellect tries to come up with something, anything, to do. Perhaps I have not lost all ability to emote, he thinks to himself, the thought subtly stirring the air around his bulky, armored form. I still seem to retain some capacity for boredom. Interesting. Further investigation may be merited later. For now...perhaps a reconnaissance flight around Azure Bay shall grant me some diversion.

The jet engines in the J.A.R.'s bulky legs fire up, propelling Think Tank on a wobbly flight through the air. He brings himself to the height where he would simply be an unidentifiable blot in the sky, and then turns towards Azure Bay proper.

[Nintendogeek01]

"Mmmmm..." Ellen moaned with a degree of bliss as her eyes opened, no sleep wasn't a necessity, but there was something irreplaceable about opening her eyes to see the sleeping face of her fiancé first thing in the morning, "Morning," she whispered as she leaned in to give him a light peck on the forehead, Robert shifted and groaned a bit in his sleep as a half-smile stretched across his face.

Soon enough Ellen was up and in the apartment's kitchen making a light breakfast for Robert, already dressed to go out for the day. "I thought you didn't have any work from the labs this weekend?" Robert asked as he sat down at the counter.

"Well I might stop by to see how research is going," Ellen sheepishly admitted while Robert sighed, "Oh don't give me that, the main reason I'm going out is to see who can do catering for the big day!" she told him with a beaming smile as she served him his eggs and sausage.

"They'll serve more than just sweets right?" He asked, his tone clearly teasing his fiancée.

"Oh hush," she replied back, very lightly tapping him in the back of the head. By this stage in her life Ellen had long learned to be careful with her strength, especially important since Robert and her mother were non-powered. "Try not to fall asleep at that meeting honey," she said before hugging him, "Have a good day!" and soon she had zoomed out the door.

"You too dear!" He called after her.

[Red_Jenny]

Azar growled as she edged toward her quarry. "Come here, little one." The towering alien was 40 feet up a tree in a neighborhood park, balanced on a branch that would have been hard-pressed to hold up a small human. Azar shifted slightly, and the branch creaked and groaned perilously under her weight. "Mr. Mittens, this is no place for miniature apex predators." The kitten mewed piteously and refused to budge.

Emissary shook her head and swore under her breath. She had encountered dozens of species. Pets were common, even among her own notoriously joyless people. Only humans were mad enough to keep bloodthirsty pure carnivores in their homes and give them names like "Mr. Mittens."

Then again, she was the one up the tree rescuing a tiny killing machine. Madness is relative.

This had not been how she planned the day to go. After her morning combat training was finished, she had done something truly remarkable for a Zendari. She had gone for a walk, just because she felt like it. Trouble, though, had a way of finding her, even if it came packaged in kitten form today.

The branch cracked and splintered, then gave way all at once. Azar plucked the unlucky kitty from the air in the nick of time and tucked in as she plunged to the ground, rolling out of the fall to the gasps of the gathered crowd.

With a smile that came out somewhere closer to a grimace, Emissary detached the kitten's claws from her arm and presented a squirming Mr. Mittens back to his owner, a wide-eyed girl who couldn't be more than 8. "Keep a closer watch on your feline."

"Do you want to play?"

Azar considered the question with the gravity it was due. "Very well..."

[Llyarden]

David
7:30am

Quite before anyone would be expected to show up to the class, there was a knocking at the door of the dojo, followed swiftly by an unfamiliar woman's voice. "Mr Gold! Mr Gold! Hello? Are you actually there? Is this the right place?"

Think Tank
7:21am

Something, to Think Tank's considerable intellect, and from his vantage point, was odd about the pattern of the traffic. With almost perfectly synchronous timing, a series of cars, vans and other assorted conveyances left what Think Tank recognised as the offices of various news companies and started heading towards the city hall. It appeared that something was happening; judging from the speed at which some of the cars were travelling, whatever it was was clearly unscheduled.

A few minutes before this, a small selection of unmarked cars left the police station and headed, in what could almost be described as a convoy, towards Azure University.
Ellen
7:23am

Rather unexpectedly, Ellen's phone rang; the caller ID showed up as the University number. Why they would want to contact her, especially this early, she had no idea.

Azar
7:14am

Games with the little child and her cat were interrupted when the child's mother recieved a phone call and looked...first bemused, and then worried, before heading forwards to retrieve her child, with a look up at Azar that is a mixture of apologetic and (as usual for humans) a little frightened. "We need to go home, Sam," she said, trying with little success to hide her concern from the child. "Daddy got a phone call from some important people and we need to work out what it means. Um, sorry," she added to Azar.

The other end of the phone call was as follows: "Madeline? It's Connor. The police have just phoned. They say something has happened to Rob."

No sooner has she left than two vans, each with the logo of a minor news company, come carreening around the corner and seem to be racing each other down the street, to a mixture of alarm and indignation from the people that move back a little bit in case the vans go off the road entirely.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David got a curious look on his face, but headed over to the door to open it up. "No Mr. Gold here. I'm David Green," he said. It was possible she just had the name wrong. They were both colors that began with G after all.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank pauses for a microsecond in midair, pondering his choices concerning the two groups of vehicles he had seen. The news vehicles are likely moving to cover some sort of hostage situation or other catastrophe at City Hall. Such a task, while doubtless diverting, is relatively straightforward. The unmarked constabulary vehicles headed for the University, however, pose a slightly higher chance of intrigue or, at the very least, cerebral stimuli.

With that in mind, Think Tank realigns his engines, sending him rocketing towards the University at the speed of a car on the highway.

[Nintendogeek01]

Huh, weird, especially since she shouldn't have been needed today... unless the lab found something majorly big! That's an exciting thought! "Hello, you got Ellen," she answered the phone with her usual cheery tone.

[Red_Jenny]

"Of course." Azar waves goodbye to the young girl, paying no mind to the nervous look on her mother's face. It was to be expected. What wasn't expected was what happened next. Emissary caught the end of the phone call just as the news vans came screaming around the corner. Were they connected? Something happened. The man on the phone couldn't have been more vague if he tried. She considered chasing Madeline down and questioning her, but the woman seemed frightened enough already.

Besides, the vans were the bigger problem at the moment. Whatever they were racing off to cover probably deserved her attention, and they were putting people in direct danger to do it. She sprinted off in pursuit. Azar couldn't outrun a car on the open road, but in city traffic, she could keep up, especially by taking shortcuts, as she clambered up the side of a building and jumped from rooftop to rooftop before landing near one of the vans.

"You there! Driver! What is so vital that you would endanger innocent lives just to see it!?"

[Llyarden]

David

"Oh, thank goodness you're here." The voice belongs to a somewhat elderly woman, who looks like she's been crying recently, and who gives a furtive look around before continuing. "The authorities said we weren't to tell anyone before it was publically announced for fear of causing panic, but...my granddaughter Isabelle...she was at one of these 'raves' last night...and everyone there has vanished!" At these last few words she starts to break down into tears again. "Please, you have to help her!"

At the name 'Isabelle' David figures out who the woman, who had looked vaguely familiar to him, is; she has a granddaughter in her late teens, who is a minor (like, PL2 'minor') speedster, who attends some of his classes.
Isabelle is someone who tends to make great leaps of often-incorrect logic; one such leap of logic is a deduction that, since David is such a good fighter, he must obviously be an active Hero. Which, y'know, isn't actually far off, but that might explain why her grandmother seems to believe that David will automatically jump to helping.
As it happens, David actually remembers Isabelle talking to one of her friends about a big concert/party that was happening on Saturday night, though the name of the main performer and host, 'Technicolour,' is not familiar to him.

Think Thank

Think Tank arrives at the university, where there are a selection of people who look like plainclothes detectives and a man in a very smart suit wandering around the reception, where the young woman behind the desk is apparently on the phone to someone. "...and a robot's just shown up outside. Anyway, if you could come down and, like, deal with this, that'd be great. Byee!"

Ellen

The voice at the other end of the phone line sounds like they have decided to be madly cheerful today, no matter what happens, and are being sorely tested. "Hi, Professor, it's Jenny Caul, I'm a media studies student, like, at the Uni, and I volunteered to do a shift on the reception desk for, like, extra credits. And now there are, like, all these people who say they're from the police and some dude in, like, this really fancy suit who, like, want to use the labs for some reason that I didn't understand - oh, and I heard one of them talking about 'Ozmundyas Clarke.' That's, like, Technicolour's real name, isn't it? Do you think he's here? That would, like, be so awesome. I wonder if he would give me an autograph?" At this point someone on the other end of the phone line apparently interrupts her, because she stops abruptly before continuing a few moments later. "Right, sorry, yeah. Anyway, I don't know how any of this stuff works because, like, I wasn't paying much attention when the old biddy told me what to do - and a robot's just shown up outside. Anyway, if you could come down and, like, deal with this, that'd be great. Byee!"

Technicolour, aka Ozmundyas Clarke, is a rapper who's rather popular at the moment due to his habit of hosting extravagant gigs. Ellen doesn't know all that much about him, but he does have a selection of light-themed powers, most of which he uses to make his shows look better.

Azar

The two vans screech to a halt, along with a whole load of other news vans that had been converging from other roads, outside the City Hall. "Wha - argh!" The driver had somehow failed to notice the 7ft-tall alien outside his van door until he tried to open it and hurry out. Unfortunately, because of Azar being in the way, the door ricocheted back and hit him in the face. "Get out of the way!" he exclaims, opening the door more carefully this time and trying to squeeze past the alien, before his brain caught up and he realised that she had asked him a question. "Oh, er, there's some big announcement going to happen at quarter to. Totally unscheduled announcement - from the Mayor himself, no less - means big score, and I need to get a good spot before those jokers over at Channel 3 -" Channel 3, as it happened, being the logo on the other van "- get there before me!"

[Nintendogeek01]

"Use the lab? Okay I'll be there soon, try and find out who gave them permission in the meantime," she told the student, she hung up and immediately began running at superhumans speeds to the ABU's labs; this wouldn't cause a scene, after all everyone at the University knew she could run and work that fast, in a world where most everyone has at least a minor superpower it was easier to hide in plain sight by giving people a taste of what you could do.

What Ellen didn't let on to anyone else was that she was also super-strong, able to fly, and fire kinetic energy from her eyes; Ellen didn't tell anyone outside of her immediate family that she was Gleam, one of Azure Bay's superheroes who've attempted to fill in for the missing Sapphire Guard, emphasis on attempted. Ellen's excursions haven't always been successful, especially since the criminal element has gotten more bold, but damn it she will not let that stop her from trying to save this city, and keep it safe for its missing heroes. She did want it to be in good condition for their return after all, they'd definitely be back.

Ellen finally skid to a halt near the labs, seeing the robot just outside, "Excuse me sir or ma'am!" she shouts towards it, "If you need to see someone from the department Ms. Caul can attempt to reach them for you or tell you how to contact them!" she helpfully informs the robot before going inside to see this "man in a suit."

"Excuse me, Professor Ellen Bright of Superhuman Studies," she introduces herself when meeting the man, "I'm told you want the labs for something? Now I'm willing to hear you out but you need to understand that we do important work here, what do you need the labs for and did you get permission from the head of the department?" she asked, a bit more sternly than usual, but only because it was time for business and not due to any hostility.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank takes note of the woman as she runs up, moving at speeds far faster than the average human being could manage. I am not here for anyone, madam; I am simply seeking diversion. The words simply appear in Ellen's head, obviously the words of the "robot" in front of her and just as obviously not spoken aloud.

As he speaks with the new arrival on the grounds, Think Tank almost absentmindedly attempts to read the mind of the man in the smart suit and the detectives around him.

Mind reading on the smart suit and the detectives. Rolled a 24 in the OOC.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David frowned. A bunch of kids going missing was bad enough; the fact that one of them was one of his students only made the already clear course of action completely unavoidable.

David went to hang the little "Sorry Guys! No Class Today!" sign he had made after the Sapphire Guard disappeared on the door. It wasn't the first time he had needed to use it. "Don't worry, ma'am. I'll find her," he said with calm confidence.

He took out his phone and ran a quick Google search: "Technicolour performance Azure Bay Saturday." Hopefully that would get him the party's location.

What, exactly, he planned to do once he got there...well, he was still figuring that part out. He was quite sure that once he came up with the plan it would be clever, effective, and end with whatever Phase-powered psycho was responsible for kidnapping a bunch of teenagers recovering from severe blunt force trauma in the emergency room.

[Red_Jenny]

"Hmph." Emissary finds the man's explanation wanting, but these fools were a distraction, and grudgingly, they were right. Whatever the mayor was announcing was likely far more important than a pair of reckless drivers. Azar gives the doorframe a nice sharp punch, leaving a fist indented in the side of the van and sealing the door shut to anyone without super-strength. "You locked your keys inside."

Emissary wades through the crowd, trying to get close enough to hear the speech. From her limited knowledge of such things, this was quite odd. What could be so important that the mayor himself would come out to announce it to the city? Natural disasters, accidents? In those cases, she had seen the politicians mostly move aside and let the workers work, and such things were hard to miss. She would have noticed them already. This was different.

[Llyarden]

Ellen & Think Tank

"You're not..?" asks one of the four men who had turned to face Ellen as she walked in, before turning to give a glare towards the receptionist. "I asked you to phone the head of the department! Well, you're here now, I suppose. Detective John Thompson, Azure BI," he introduces himself, producing an ID and badge for her inspection. "We're investigating a major crime and someone -" with a glare towards the man in the smart suit "- insists that our on-site Phase analysis teams are not trustworthy enough. Thus I'm afraid we need to requisition your lab for about an hour."

'BI' stands for Bureau of Investigation. They're basically the detectives in comparison to the 'uniforms' of the regular PD. No, I have no idea how the American police system works.

"Ahem," says the man in the smart suit, clearing his throat with a rather arrogant smirk, "Detective, as I'm sure you're aware, my client is currently involved in litigation against the Azure Police Department after a previous conviction which involved that same team. Conflict of interest and all; it wouldn't do for them to be trying to convict the person who's suing them."

It is at this point that the television screen in the reception, which had until this moment been displaying a woman cheerfully explaining that it was going to be sunny tomorrow, abruptly cuts to a view of City Hall, interrupting what was otherwise likely to become a full-blown argument.

Yes, this makes no temporal sense given that Think Tank and Gleam were still at about 7:25, but never mind.

David

Searching for 'Technicolour performance Azure Bay Saturday' gets...surprisingly little, actually. 'Technicolour Azure Bay' gets quite a lot; Technicolour, whose real name is Ozmundyas Clarke, is a reasonably popular rapper (judging from the number of comments on his various social media accounts) who provides his own lighting effects with Phase powers. His own website says nothing about a performance on Saturday, however; it has a list of his performances but the one on Saturday is not one of them.

After a little bit more searching, though, David finds a couple of comments on social media that indicates the location of this performance was to be Lake Carnigan; a reasonably large lake about an hour's drive outside of the city, a popular walking destination - and apparently a makeshift performance venue as well.

While he's trawling through various websites, his phone brings up a small notice from a news website: 'Breaking News: Mayor to make an announcement at City Hall.'

David gets a Hero Point for his The Students Complication.

Azar

"You..!" exclaims the driver, futilely trying to open his door again, but apparently thinking better of antagonising the alien even more than he already has and biting back whatever insult he had been about to throw at her. "You got that, right?" he asks the nearest cameraman in some vain attempt at regaining control of the situation, as the Emissary pushes her way through the crowd (without much difficulty; there aren't many people here anyway and most of them are not foolish enough to get in the way.)

More or less on the dot of quarter to eight, the Mayor of Azure Bay appears. He's a relatively young man with brown hair cut in a military style. Behind him is the Azure Bay Police Comissioner, an older woman with greying hair. Both are dressed in dark suits, as are their assorted assistants, bodyguards and so on. The reporters shout out a few questions which are ignored, but mostly (on account of having no idea what's going on) just wait to see what is going on.

They don't have to wait long.

Everyone who watches the speech

"Ladies and gentlemen," begins the Mayor, without preamble, as he steps up to the microphone. "It is with great sorrow that I have to inform you that a terrible crime has taken place in our county. One hundred young men and women have been kidnapped by assailants unknown at this time." There is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a series of startled exclamations, which he rides over. "To those of you who have been affected by this tragedy, my deepest sympathies go out to you, and my sincerest apologies that we were unable to prevent this from happening. But I assure you, we will find them. We will get them back. And so my next comment is to the despicable people who carried out this crime. We will find you. The county of Azure Bay will not be intimidated by you. We will undo this terrible act you have done and you will face justice for this crime. Dorothy," he steps back and gestures to the microphone as the Police Comissioner moves to take his place.

Is the Mayor...crying?
It's a surprisingly well-kept secret (the Mayor is careful to keep his private life out of public view, perhaps sensibly given the recent resurgence in villainy), but the Mayor actually does have a daughter who is 17 years old.

In stark contrast to the Mayor's remarkably emotional speech, the Comissioner is clipped, to the point and rather impatient. "I will be brief as I have no interest in delaying a full mobilisation any longer than necessary. First, I would like to reiterate the Mayor's points. We will find who did this, rest assured of that. I would encourage you all to give those affected by this crime a little privacy at this time. Second, if any of you have any information that you think might be even tangentially related, we have activated a police hotline for this emergency, which you can reach on 724 973. Additionally, I would encourage anyone who helped to set anything up for a performance at Lake Carnigan to contact us on that same number as their information may be highly relevant to the case. Thank you."

The Comissioner and Mayor hurry back into the City Hall, and there's a few moments of stunned silence before the reporters manage to gather their senses and start shouting questions at the unfortunate people who have been left behind to field all these questions.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David finished locking up, and bid the woman farewell with another reassurance that he would find her granddaughter. "Just one more thing. How did you learn about this disappearance? And could I get the contact information of whoever it was. If I can talk with them it might help a lot." Once he had her answer, he took the short, metallic baton from his belt, pressing its top down for a second. His hoverboard came flying over, and he hopped aboard and went flying off towards Lake Carnigan. Moving at highway speeds and as the crow flies, he hoped to shave a good bit off of the normal drive time.

Still, it'd take some time. David pulled up the video of the mayor's address while he flew.

So the police were mobilizing. Still, the area was likely already secured. David could likely convince or trick the police into letting him in, although the truth was, he'd probably be better served staying out of the way. He wasn't an investigator and he knew it. But hanging around nearby might let him overhear a lead, or at the very least he could offer his assistance to the police in apprehending the kidnapper. Anyone capable of making that many kids vanish was not someone the police could deal with on their own.

How did they do it? David asked himself.

Enough guys with guns could force them out, but it'd be messy. At night, in the woods, people could easily slip away. That meant potential witnesses. Maybe if they had trucks on standby. Keep an eye out for truck tracks. Even then, it's a big risk when you know a quarter of the audience has powers. Even a weak power might be able to take on a guy with a gun, and enough weak but combat-capable powers could overwhelm a military unit if their wielders were brave enough. Big enough group, there's even a chance of a serious power or two in the lot. Confusion and fear might bind their actions, but still, it's a risky play for a competent criminal.

A mass mind controller could accomplish the same, but with less risk and less mess. Still a large group to move subtly, but at night and outside the city, it'd be doable.

Coming to that Technicolour is a light-controlling performer. Can't ignore the possibility of some sort of weird hypnosis effect. Pied Piper deal.

Most obvious would be someone with mass teleportation abilities. Or portal abilities and enough intimidation factor on hand to force people through.

Come to that, someone with enough strength to carry a person and high enough levels of super speed could do it just by snatching them up fast enough.

David sighed. As usual, there was no shortage of ways for Phase powers to ruin his day.

He went back to Technicolour's website, looking for the contact page and praying it wasn't one of those generic email forms. He knew he wouldn't be able to reach Technicolour himself, but if he could get in touch with a member of his staff, he might be able to put together more about what happened that night.

[Nintendogeek01]

"Ah ah, no need to snap," she said with some admonishment when the officer yelled at Jenny, "And if this is for an investigation I'm sure getting permission won't be a problem, in fact..." Ellen got out her phone and super-speed texted a message to the department head, asking permission on behalf of the officer (giving his name and whatnot), asking what forms she'd need to grab, etc. Ellen had made friends with just about everyone in the superhuman studies department (though Stephen did have that bizarre fixation on H. P. Lovecraft...), so it wouldn't be strange for Ellen to text the department head. While waiting for the reply she turned to Jenny, "Here Jenny, that's the number for the department head, call that one in cases like this... if it's not as important call me..." and thus Ellen helpfully gave Jenny the numbers to call in rough order of priority.

"Now gentlemen," she turned back to the investigators, "I'm afraid I can't stay too long bu-" before she could finish the broadcast aired, and Ellen was absolutely horrified, she gasped and held both hands to her face. As if missing kids weren't already enough of a tear-jerker, the tears she saw beginning to form on the Mayor's face really watered up Ellen's eyes. "Oh my God..." she uttered out, she wheeled around to face Detective Thompson, "Do you know about this? Is there anything you can tell me?" she asked with genuine concern.

Gonna roll persuasion to see if Detective Thompson can tell her something. Attractive is likely to give a +2 circumstance bonus to this roll: [roll0]

[Zelphas]

Think Tank immediately takes off from the University, angling his jets towards Lake Carnigan. A mass disappearance, which the authorities believe is of malicious intent (likely due to the mayor's daughter being one of those abducted), having taken place in a popular local venue in the early hours. Intriguing. Finally.

As he leaves, he shuffles through the minds of the detectives and the lawyer once more, asking a single question: What is the identity of the lawyer's client?

Standard Action: Attempt to read minds again, ignoring all but the detectives and the lawyer. [roll0] The question I'm asking is above, but I will still listen to any surface thoughts I get.

Move Action: begin flying towards Lake Carnigan, as soon as I get whatever I can from mind reading.

[Red_Jenny]

It all became clear in an instant. Azar raged internally. A cowardly act, targeting those who were little more than children.

She watched, perplexed, as the mayor handed the podium to the police commissioner. Was he crying? This was an awful crime, to be sure, but that wasn't the reaction she expected from an official announcing the news. Was this personal? She made a note of the police hotline and tried to make sense of the situation. She was a warrior, not an investigator, but she worked out what she could. The mayor made no mention of a ransom. It seemed isolated - people were not being snatched off the street. One incident, but on a mass scale. What did that mean?

Azar's first thoughts, as they often did, ran to space. An "alien abduction"?

Humans were obsessed with the idea. It filled their media to the point of cliche. Reality was another matter. Most accounts Emissary had seen were hysterics, hoaxes, or drunk idiots in daddy's flying saucer messing with other drunk idiots in daddy's pickup truck. Certainly nothing of this scale or this public, but that didn't rule it out. Many species had the means and motive to do something like this, especially with victims as variable and scientifically interesting as humanity.

She wasn't helping standing in the middle of the street speculating, and Azar could see only one place to start. Making her way out of the tangled throng around City Hall, she hailed a cab.

"Courier, do you travel as far as Lake Carnigan? I will give you double your usual pay to take me there as fast as possible. If not, get me as close as your employer will allow."

You are a diplomat, be diplomatic.

"Please."

There. Well done.

[Llyarden]

David

"The police contacted the relatives of everyone who was at the performance. I think I spoke to a Sergeant Nirian." The woman rummages through her pockets and eventually retrieves a card, which indeed says 'Sergeant Q. Nirian,' and has a number that David would recognise as the reception desk for the local police department.

Tecnicolour's contact page does not have any contact details for the man himself, but there is both an email address and phone number for his agent, 'Purview Inc.'

Ellen

Ellen gets a response back after a couple of minutes. [Don't these people know that we have important experiments going on in there? Do they even have a warrant?]

...and then, after the broadcast, another one.

"I'm afraid I can't say much," Thompson replies. "Not because I don't want to, but because I don't know much. Everything has been highly compartmentalised." He gives a glare at the lawyer at this point, who raises his hands placatingly.

"Now, Detective, you're surely not blaming me for that?" he asks. "As it happens, Professor, I [i]have been keeping track of the investigation, by necessity when my client is the main suspect thanks to the prejudice and small-mindedness of the investigators. So far the police have proved to be soundly ineffective at finding anything at all."

The argument that likely would have resulted is interrupted somewhat by the arrival of another person; an older, balding man in a white lab coat. "Sorry I'm late; some idiot thought that we were supposed to turn left at Green Avenue instead of right."

He is followed in by a younger man, also wearing a lab coat. "Sorry, Doctor, but the sign did say-"

The older man waves his apologies away and turns to Ellen. "Professor Bright, correct? I believe I dropped in to one of your lectures at some point. Dr Samuel Frost, at your service. I apologise for my brusqueness, but if you could show us to the labs that would be ideal at this point. No sense in wasting time. John, if you could fish Clarke out of the car," he adds after a moment to the detective, who gives a nod of acknowledgement and heads back out.

Azar

"Um, er, y...yeah?" the cabbie manages. The car is...something of a squeeze for Azar, but nonetheless the man apparently takes the 'as fast as possible' to heart (or maybe just wants to get the big scary alien out of his car as soon as possible) and drives perhaps even more recklessly than the news vehicles. Fortunately the roads are quite quiet as the city recovers from the shock of this revelation that one hundred of their citizens have been stolen.

David, Think Tank and Azar (when she gets there)

Lake Carnigan is a popular picnicking and walking destination. There is a quite substantial clearing on one side of the lake, where a makeshift stage has been constructed, complete with stacks of speakers and some stage lights that have been tied around convenient trees.

It is, as it turns out, not in fact bristling with police. There are precisely two police officers there, one smoking and the other drinking a cup of coffee, both leaning on the hood of their car.

There are also four other people there who don't look like police; one dressed in matte-black body armour with a fencing helmet that obscures their face, who is looking at a bush and poking at it with a stick, a powerfully-built man in slightly tattered clothes, who is just kind of wandering around aimlessly, a woman who is standing ankle-deep in the lake and not doing much else, and a man in tattered, dirty clothes who seems to be crouched down like he's about to sprint off somewhere.

David (who I'm presuming keeps track of the martial arts scene to some degree) recognises the armoured one; Shrike, a skilled martial artist in his own right, who carries a sword but usually fights with it sheathed, preferring to bludgeon his opponents into submission with the scabbard. He seems to generally be on the side of the heroes.

Armoured one: Shrike, a martial artist who fights with a staff.

Big guy: Apex, a powerhouse with some shapeshifting.

Woman: Glimpse, a woman with limited pre- and post-cognitive abilities

Ragged man: Landslide, an earth controller.

All three are reasonably minor heroes; not well-known by any stretch of the imagination but by all accounts reasonably good at what they do. They aren't known to have worked together before, so presumably they had the same idea as you did and came investigating of their own accord.

Shrike is very good at close combat and really not good at all at range.

Apex prefers to give himself the traits of predatorial animals like wolves, tigers or that sort of thing. A slight downside to his power is that he also takes on something of an animalistic mindset as well.

Glimpse is...remarkably diligent about keeping information about herself off the news, but what is known about her is that she can only control her powers to predict the future or see the past about 10 seconds in either direction. Beyond that she only gets, well, glimpses, hence her name.

Landslide is an environmentalist who's been in trouble with the police before for activism against whichever industrial facility has annoyed him this week.

Shrike's 'staff' is actually a sword in a scabbard. It seems to be something of a matter of honour for him that he doesn't ever draw it unless he's against a 'worthy' opponent; the only reason anyone knows it's a sword at all is that it got stolen from him once.

Apex's real name is Mark Caliente; when he's not busy hero-ing he's a boxing coach. He has a wife and one child, who is roughly of the right age to have been amongst the disappeared, which might explain his presence - he's not normally a one for the investigative side of things.

Landslide's real name is Michael Thompson; he's somewhat of a black sheep of the family in comparison to his brother and parents, who were all police officers. Never married, and no children.

Glimpse's real name is Sandra Jennings; she's a secretary working for one of the larger news corporations in Azure City. She has a long-term boyfriend and no children as of yet.

Shrike's real identity is Madeline Callaghan. She's a mother of two, split up from her children's father, who uses a voice modulator to make her voice sound masculine. Why she goes to all these lengths to occlude her identity is not entirely clear; she hasn't made any major enemies in her hero-ing career that would warrant such caution.

The woman is Glimpse; she has some pre- and post-cognition abilities, though mostly limited to about 10 seconds either way.

The big guy is Apex, a fairly standard powerhouse type who can give himself the traits of animals.

And the crouched-down guy is Landslide, who as the name might suggest is an earth controller.

The armoured one doesn't have any notable Phase powers.

Glimpse does sometimes get visions outside of that window, but they're often fragmented and outside of her control. She can induce them (which presumably is what she's trying to do at the moment) but doing so tends to tire her out quite considerably.

Apex's powers are limited to mimicking the traits of animals that could be native to his local area. So in a forest like he's in now, he could probably get some wolf traits, maybe a bear.

Landslide's powers are...not the most controlled of things. Powerful, sure, but not precise.

[Nintendogeek01]

Ellen forced herself to regain her composure and turned to greet Dr. Frost with a smile, "Pleasure to see you Dr. Frost," she silently reminded herself it wouldn't help anyone to not focus on what needs to be done right here and now, "Like you said, time's-a-wasting, right this way," she guided Dr. Frost to a lab that she was fairly certain wasn't currently in use. With luck what Dr. Frost was doing had something to do with the disappearances, so maybe she would stick around a bit lonager.

After reaching the lab, "So Dr. Frost, is there anything I can assist with? If nothing else I can offer my familiarity with the lab," she offered.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Routining the Expertise (Phase Powers) check for 25 after Eidetic Memory.

David swooped down towards the clearing. The open-air area solved one problem; securing the place would be a nightmare. Given the limited police presence and the superhumans already poking around, it didn't seem like they were opposed to assistance in any event. That was good; David would circumvent the police if he had to, but he'd just as soon work with them.

He recognized the three supers (and the martial artist). Of course, there was no reason to expect trouble; like him, they were almost certainly just here to help. Still, David made it a habit to plan contingencies for dealing with known supers he encountered. It was an amusing mental exercise and good sense besides.

Glimpse is unlikely to be effective in combat, although her short-term precognitive powers may afford her a powerful defense. If she can communicate those visions to allies effectively, she could be a dangerous force multiplier. Enemies capable of predicting where I'm going to move are enemies capable of killing me. Corollary: a force multiplier is ineffective in conjunction with a base force of 0. Open against more significant threats, neutralize rapidly if her tactical capabilities are confirmed. Overwhelming physical assault should prove effective; knowing what the enemy is going to do is irrelevant if you lack the physical capacity to prevent it.

Apex would be like fighting Ben, Claire, and Laurel one at a time all at once. Powers are based on his environment; forcing him into the lake may temporarily confuse them. Expect him to adapt to any strategy; change tactics frequently to keep him a step behind. Speed at which he can change traits is unknown; assume zero effective delay in combat and take advantage if it proves otherwise. Standard paragon fighting tactics apply. Forcing him into the air might require him to emulate a flying creature, which would likely be physically weaker than most other options.

Landslide's power is imprecise; would be easy to maneuver him into harming the others. Hoverboard may negate some of his attack options, more if high in the air. Engaging him among the trees would be risky; secondary collapses would present a threat, but just as big a one to he and allies. Potentially worth the effort, especially to gain advantage of stealth. Likely to be difficult to physically harm, but turning his powers against him should be possible.

Most effective strategy would be to force Apex to aerial battle where others can't easily support, take advantage of relative frailty of avian traits to neutralize solo. Engage Glimpse and maneuver any incoming attacks from Landslide to threaten her for rapid incapacitation. Last, a strategic assault on Landslide to force him to take himself out without engaging his power directly.

He didn't take Shrike into account in his analysis; if it came down to a fight against him, it was simply a matter of who was more skilled.

He conducted a brief flyover while he thought, eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary.

Perception: [roll0].

[Zelphas]

Taking in the people at the lake at a glance, and scanning the area for more information, Think Tank lands with a loud CLANG at the shore of the lake itself. Tell me: are you standing ankle deep in the lake and staring out into the distance in an attempt to stimulate your limited pre- and post-cognizant abilities, or is it simply a recreational pursuit? appears in Glimpse's mind, devoid of any emotion.

Perception: [roll0]

[Red_Jenny]

"Thank you. Here..." Azar hands the cabbie her best guess at what he is owed as she works her way free from the backseat, her horns snagging on the roof a couple of times.

As she stretched and tried to deal with the unholy crick in her neck, she took stock of the situation. A makeshift stage and lots of 'speakers'. This explained why so many people were here, but Emissary could see nothing obvious to explain why they had vanished. Almost no police presence, but a number of unusual-looking people. Superheroes? She didn't recognize them, but that didn't mean much. She would be hard-pressed to recognize any superhero outside the Sapphire Guard.

One flying around, two standing in the lake, two just sort of standing around, and one poking a bush with a stick. Deciding the latter was the closest to how she'd investigate, she approached the masked person in black.

"Greetings. Do not be alarmed, I am here to help. Have you found anything of importance?" Azar set about looking for things she was experienced with. Signs of a struggle, blood, items left behind by the crowd. She had no idea what happened here, the best she could do was start to narrow things down.

Perception: [roll0]

[Llyarden]

Ellen

As his assistant starts bringing in a few boxes of gear, Dr Frost beckons Ellen away from everyone else and speaks quietly enough that unless any of the others present have enhanced hearing, they would not be able to hear. "Professor, if I may be blunt...the police are being stonewalled. Someone very important is making us jump through every bureaucratical hoop they can find, now on such an important matter of all times when we would, to be honest, normally be cutting corners. I don't know who - even my influence doesn't stretch high enough to figure that out - and I don't know why. I just know it's happening.

So if you want to help, Professor, I would suggest you head to the lake. Your knowledge of Phase powers might let you pick something up that our uniforms did not notice or even realise was important, and if we get any actual evidence we might be able to get some work done without being tied up in red tape. The two men stationed there owe me a favour and I've asked them to carefully ignore any heroes that show up for as long as possible."

It is at this point that the lead detective returns, bringing with him an African-American man in a shimmering, multicoloured greatcoat. His hair has been bound into dreadlocks, threaded through with more of whatever the strange shimmery fabric is. All in all, he is a very colourful person. His downtrodden posture and slow, slouching walk rather contrasts this. "Good," Dr Frost continues, as if he'd been talking about the weather or something. "We can get started. Professor," he adds, in vague acknolwedgement to her, before bustling off to start examining the lab equipment, ticking things off on his fingers and nodding to himself.

David, Think Tank & Azar

While at some point there were undoubtedly lots of useful footprints on the ground, they have been obscured by what appears to be a systematic marching up and down the clearing - presumably the police looking for evidence. Nonetheless, the search seems to have mostly been concentrated on the more central part of the clearing, and by looking at the outskirts, to the assembled heroes, at least part of what happened is quite obvious. Something - it's unclear exactly what - came out of the forest, driving the partygoers towards the lake. There doesn't seem to have been much sign of any struggle, although there are a couple of faint impressions on the ground that look roughly body-shaped, but no blood. Think Tank notices a couple of fragments of fabric and other assorted detritus that, one presumes, the police didn't notice when they went around collecting evidence.

Glimpse looks around to Think Tank, her eyes...blank, somehow. "Songs, colours. Everyone was dancing. And then...something. Something from the lake, but far out. People looked, and then they started moving into the lake. There were boats. And people from the forests!" She suddenly spins around, wobbling slightly as she does so. "Dark people. Coordinated, working in teams. Everyone fell. Then a flash of light." After a few seconds of silence, her eyes go back to normal and she focuses on Think Tank. "Oh, hello," she says, quite politely, in stark contrast to the toneless voice she'd used a moment ago, before rummaging in her pocket and pulling out what, to Think Tank's expert eyes, looks like a voice recorder, and clicking it off. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Not as yet," replies the masked figure to Azar, his voice sounded almost synthetic. "There must be something, though."

[Quellian-dyrae]

As the prophet started speaking a vision, David flew closer to listen. It matched up with what the prints were saying anyway. The flash of light could have been a mass teleport, but if that were the case, there would be no need for boats. Most probably, the party-goers were herded aboard the boats and taken elsewhere.

He thought that perhaps Apex's powers would be useful here. That many people would probably leave a strong scent trail, and he was pretty sure he had heard that relatively calm water would hold scents pretty well. Good chance Apex could track the boats even across the water.

'Course, that would have meant relying on a Phase power to solve the problem, and that just wouldn't do.

So instead, David said, "We should call into the police tipline, have them start investigating every marina and boat rental on the lake. Someone must have seen the boats going out or coming in last night. Probably wouldn't hurt for everyone who's flight capable to do a flyover of the lake too, in case they're waiting out there."

[Zelphas]

I was not in the vicinity of Lake Carnigan at approximately 3 AM today, so it stands to reason that you did not see me until after your vision had ended, comes the reply from Think Tank. He briefly considers taking the vision whole out of her mind, but discards the idea almost at once; as a super-powered being herself, she may be able to detect his probing, and he does not wish to start a confrontation. My knowledge of you suggested that you only saw the past and future in brief, uncontrolled bursts, after roughly ten seconds; do such 'glimpses' usually last as long as the one you just experienced?

As he speaks, Think Tank has begun moving away from Glimpse, toward the scraps of fabric on the beach. The local police are currently being slowed by their prime suspect, one Ozymandius Clarke; as I understand it, he was the one who was giving this concert tonight, and the one who reported the disappearance, David suddenly 'hears' as Think Tank clanks slowly past him. Though he did so by teleporting to the police station, a power he was not known to possess despite a string of earlier arrests, which means that Clarke could have hidden this power, developed it recently, or not be who he claims to be, or any other of a dozen less likely scenarios. In any case, calling the police costs nothing but time, and not much of it, so by all means do so; I would not expect a prompt response, however, until the matter is dealt with.

Think Tank stops in front of the cloth, reaching down with a grasping claw to pick it out of the mud. You favor anthropomorphic animalistic shapeshifting, correct? he asks in Apex's mind. Would you be able to follow a scent off of this cloth? Provided that you would not lose control of your primeval side and attempt to maul anyone here, of course.

[Nintendogeek01]

"A good idea Doctor, though I'm not really a super-hero," Ellen insisted, yeah it was common knowledge that she had super-speed, but that was just her being one of several people with a super power, she only ever used the full range of her powers in costume, something she kept secret since she didn't want "Ellen Bright" to get that kind of publicity.

But... if anyone watching the place was expecting a super-hero, they would get a super-hero. Ellen ran to a location where she could be in privacy, and quick as a flash had changed into her form-fitting costume, made to be reminiscent of bright stars, and thus where Professor Ellen Bright once stood, now stood Gleam, Defender of Azure City!

... at least until the Sapphire Guard returns...

Gleam took off into the air and was flying towards the lake, enjoying the flight all the while; flying was every bit as awesome as people imagined it to be: the wind in your hair slipping through your fingers, the breathtaking view below you, and, if you were fast, the stunts you could do. After a loopty-loop Gleam rocketed towards her destination with an exuberant "YAAAAAAAHOOOOO...!!!"

Once arriving she immediately recognized Glimpse, Apex, and Landslide; those three were observed like many superheroes, but she also realized that others were present, good! More people to help get to the bottom of this. Gleam gently floated down to the ground where she could be within easier earshot of the assembled heroes, "Hey there, it's good to see others here, for a tragedy like this the more help there is the better," she said as she finished her landing, "I'm Gleam, I hope you don't mind me asking but what did you find out so far?" she asked.

[Red_Jenny]

Azar was puzzled by the man's voice. A robot? No, a disguise, the black figure's movements were too fluid to be artificial. "There might be. Look at the broken branches. Something - someone, came out of the trees here, and moved toward the lake. No blood, no struggle. Strange. There were 100 people here, the odds would say at least one of them had powers of some strength, yet no signs of fighting back. Perhaps they were disabled or controlled somehow?" As yet another hero arrived, Azar moved to join the growing group by the lake.


"Hey there, it's good to see others here, for a tragedy like this the more help there is the better," she said as she finished her landing, "I'm Gleam, I hope you don't mind me asking but what did you find out so far?" she asked.

"There is nothing in this bush." If Azar's sense of humor was any drier, it would crumble to dust and blow away.

"Emissary Azar Aten, at your service. Just Azar, if you would, or Emissary, if you wish. That is my 'super-hero' title, I suppose. Whoever did this, they came down out of the forest. Might be worth looking there as well. They must have waited, set up this ambush. There may be useful evidence. As for the lake, I... am not from here." She explains, unnecessarily. "How large is it? What are the largest facilities? You could not quickly unload more than a hundred people at some back-yard fishing pier."

[Llyarden]

"If I make them happen, yeah," Glimpse replies to Think Tank. "Er...what did I say, exactly?" she adds after a moment.

Apex, meanwhile, snatches the cloth from Think Tank's claw, wrinkling his nose. "Ugh...robot smell. Not cool," he complains, taking a few steps away before bringing the cloth up and inhaling deeply.

There is a boathouse on the other side of the lake, though it only really allows one or two boats in at a time.
A short distance away from the boathouse, however, there is a fairly solid slope into the water that is unobscured by plants and other inconveniences; most people who come to sail on the lake or whatever go in and out there.

David suddenly gets the distinct impression that...something...is watching the eight of them. Something in the forest.

Azar starts to hear an extremely high-frequency tone, pulsing on and off in some kind of pattern. It seems to get closer for a short while before seemingly remaining at a fixed distance, coming from somewhere in the forest.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Routining the checks for 15 and 20.

David blinked at the robot's(?) thorough yet dispassionate analysis of his suggestion. Okay then. "Good point. In the meantime, there is a spot on the other side of the lake that boats'll often cast off from. We could check it out." He remembered his parents occasionally taking them there for picnics as a kid, letting the four of them swim and play in the lake and such.

He pulled out his phone to dial the tipline, but stopped before he could press the first button. Something wasn't...quite...right.

David just sighed, put his phone away, and turned to the trees. "You may as well come out! Your presence has not gone unnoticed!"
he called, as much to alert the others as anything, though if it convinced whoever it was to come out and talk rather than something else, hey, bonus points.

Gonna roll another Perception check to try to spot whoever it is: [roll0].

And Deception to try to convince them to come out and talk rather than attacking or fleeing: [roll1], additional +5 if Attractive applies.

Was considering trying to alert everyone without alerting the watcher, but boy are the Innuendo rules useless :smallannoyed:.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank has to mentally restrain himself from leaping psionically into Emissary Azar Aten's mind. Her behavior, title, and admission of not being "from around here" all indicate extraterrestrial origin, and although aliens were not entirely unheard of, Think Tank had never personally met one, in this life or his life before. Whatever else occurs, this morning has proven diverting at last, he thinks to himself, resolving to probe the alien's mind if and when the opportunity presented itself.

Think Tank sends Glimpse his precise memory of her speech from approximately a minute ago, while pondering whether or not to explain to Apex that, it being an early morning in June, the J.A.R. was likely slightly cool to the touch. He realizes that Apex is likely using the word 'cool' in its slang form, debates the meaning of the word in that context, and dismisses the entire matter after coming to the conclusion that it was likely derogatory and he lacks the capacity to care, all in the space of a few seconds.

That does seem like a reasonable place for the aforementioned boats to go, provided they were not submersible or equipped with aeronautical capabilities, or teleportation, Think Tank agrees with Badger, making the mental note to observe the non-powered hero in a fighting situation as an intriguing oddity, as well as capitalize upon a situation where he can test Badger's reflexes against his own psionic blasts if it does not violate Think Tank's still somewhat-functional ethical guidelines. My presence will obviate the capacity for stealth, however, except as a distraction; this form is neither quiet nor unobtrusive.

As Badger turns to the woods, Think Tank does as well, sending his awareness towards the trees in search of whatever the man may or may not have seen.

Perception: [roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

"The boathouse on the lake is far too small for anything like that," Gleam answered Azar with a smile, "There is a public boat ramp that's used more often, though..." before Gleam can finish her thought, one of the assembled heroes began shouting towards the trees nearby, Gleam ran close by and skid to a halt at a spot between the shouting one and the robot... wait wasn't that the robot that was at the campus earlier? Bah! Not important right now! Gleam continued to leer towards the trees, hopefully whatever was in there wasn't hostile.

[Red_Jenny]

"That is an excellent point." Emissary takes Think Tank's suggestion of flying, submersible, teleporting boats in stride, as if that were an entirely normal consideration. "Teleportation would likely have leave some manner of energy trace. I wonder-"

The alien flinches, turning toward the woods. "Can you not hear that?" David earns a look of pleasantly surprised admiration. This one had remarkable instincts for a human. "There is a high-frequency tone coming from the forest. It is pulsing on and off, transmitting some sort of pattern. It was moving closer, it has ceased now..."

"Come out, or I will judge you a threat and respond in kind! You are not hidden!" Azar shouts as she draws her blade and begins stalking towards the forest. This thing, whatever it was, seemed timid. A show of force should sort things out.

Taking 10 on the perception check for a result of 18.

[roll0] Intimidation, to get who/whatever is in the woods to cooperate. If this can be done as an Aid to Badger, great, if not, well, no kill like overkill. :smallsmile:

[Llyarden]

Glimpse seems rather startled at her speech being inserted into her own memory, but gives Think Tank a grateful smile. "That makes everything a lot easier, huh?" she remarks, stuffing the voice recorder back in a pocket.

David can't see anything, but...that feeling of being watched is only getting stronger.

The transmission, which had previously been fairly repetitive, suddenly changes. Still repetitive, but now it's playing a different 'pattern', with much fewer transmissions. It also moves to the side and gets closer, but without Accurate Hearing Azar can't pinpoint it's location. She would think it ought to actually be in the clearing at this point.

Glimpse suddenly whirls around, her eyes blank again. "Something is coming!" Despite the pleas and demands from David and Azar, nothing emerges from the forest, nor can anything be spied even by the phenomenally observant Think Tank. The other assorted heroes look around in some bemusement, having obviously noticed nothing at all.

The two cops who had been watching the investigating heroes idly seem to have gone...very still.
They seem to still be breathing, albeit quite slowly.
Each one has a red-fletched dart in their neck.

[Quellian-dyrae]

In a heartbeat, David's entire demeanor change. A subtle fear crept over his features, his body language kinda shrank inward, he clearly started hovering closer to tree cover opposite the direction of the apparent threat. Everything about him just clearly said, "I am a non-powered human with absolutely no business being here, and not a meaningful threat compared to this assortment of superheroes."

Activating Misdirection and using Skill Mastery to Routine the Deception check. Anyone who enters or initiates combat against the group ignores David, reflected as him gaining Total Concealment from all their senses and immunity to Phase- and Tech-based super-senses that might see through it, unless they make a Will, Insight, or Deception check against DC 30.

He will also use this Concealment to Hide in Plain Sight at [roll0].

[Nintendogeek01]

"Any idea what it might be?" Gleam asked Glimpse, clearly more on her guard now, nothing had jumped out yet, but the seer clearly wasn't off guard yet herself, not a good sign.

Actively defending, also ready to interpose for any of the characters here that don't have a reputation for durability (I believe that would include Glimpse, Badger, and that other one Gleam didn't recognize through superhuman knowledge; I guess Azar would be included in that since I haven't seen anything to indicate Gleam would know about her yet. OOC I know this isn't the case but... IC I wouldn't know that... <.<

[Zelphas]

Think Tank considers the possibility that the Emissary and Badger are experiencing a shared hallucination, and places it as unlikely unless it was being forced upon them by an unseen assailant, which would be cause for action in and of itself. Therefore, he turns the J.A.R. so that the "front" was facing towards the forest. This movement was essentially irrelevant; Think Tank could sense in all directions with equal clarity, but he considers such a conceit useful should an actual illusionist be wishing to make them all face in one direction while acting in another, and not detrimental should an actual thing come out of the woods.

He idly took notice of the stillness of the police officers, thinking through several possibilities. The constabulary seems to have been taken out of whatever equation we now find ourselves in. Can anyone verify that we are not currently in a temporal dead zone, subject to an exceedingly powerful illusion, or otherwise? All of this was projected into the minds of those still moving, still completely deadpan.

Noting Glimpse's eyes once again turning blank, Think Tank considers and decides that personal privacy on Glimpse's part is a necessary sacrifice for forewarning of such a well-camouflaged being, even if said being turns out not to be hostile. In a moment, he reaches into Glimpse's mind, attempting to view what she is seeing.

Mind Reading on Glimpse for [roll0]

This technically hits everyone else within 30' of Glimpse as well, but Think Tank doesn't care at the moment, so he's not going to rifle through anyone's mind except the precognizant's.

[Red_Jenny]

"You are still not hidden! Come out!" Azar shakes her head and repeats her command, motioning with her blade toward the forest.

In a quieter voice, she keeps the others in the loop. "I cannot see through illusions and I know nothing of time manipulation, but I would doubt it. Whatever is giving off this tone, it is aware of us. The pattern changed and it moved after we shouted to it. It is very close, I-I am unsure where. It feels closer than the woods. That means little, but perhaps it is invisible, or very small. Be ready."

[Llyarden]

As Azar shouts, there is no response for a short time, before a red-fletched dart emerges from the forest and flies towards her, though the alien warrior's reflexes allow her to dodge aside from the attack.

No sooner has that happened than everyone in the clearing finds their attention drawn towards a point in the centre of the lake, where an incredibly beautiful woman is floating, though she had not been there a few moments before. Her beauty is of such astonishing magnitude that everyone there feels an urge to move towards her, perhaps even taking a few steps before they regain control of their senses. Perhaps having expected it, and despite being the closest, Glimpse has already closed her eyes and turned away from the waterborne woman, while Apex and Landslide shrug it off, but Shrike seems completely under the spell.

And then, with next to no warning, the silence of the forest is broken by a cry. "Go, go, go!" And the pounding of feet can be heard as figures in dark clothing begin to emerge from the forest.

Azar hears the rapid-fire beeping increase in urgency again - and then stop entirely, but a few moments before the dart flies towards her.

Naturally, the Siren's Call was a Mental power.

Also, Think Tank is certain that he should have heard people approaching before now.

The woman in the lake is known (by the press; she's never identified herself to anyone) as Siren. Her most notable power is the one she just used: a mental compulsion to approach her.
She also has a strong affinity with water, able to breathe underwater and swim at a rapid pace. As long as she's in a large body of water, she also becomes extremely strong and difficult to injure.
Her skin is...adhesive, almost. Touching her risks being stuck for long enough that she is able to retaliate.

???: Knockout Dart on Azar at [roll0]. Ellen interposes on a hit and is immune to the effect. You can target roughly the origin of the dart but it has Total Concealment. Miss.
Siren: Siren's Call on everyone; Visual (despite the name) Perception Area attack, emanating from the centre of the lake somewhere. DC20 Dodge to negate, and DC20 Will save vs Entranced/Compelled/Controlled Affliction. If Compelled or Controlled, you move into the lake and towards the person who used the power. Her concealment is Passive so she is now revealed.
Glimpse: [roll1], [roll2] Dodged.
Shrike: [roll3], [roll4] Typos are fun. Controlled.
Apex: [roll5], [roll6] Resists.
Landslide: [roll7], [roll8] Resists.

Troops: Double move. They currently have Partial Concealment due to the forest.

David: [roll9]
Ellen: [roll10]
Think Tank: [roll11]
Azar: [roll12]

Enemy NPCs: [roll13]

Allied NPCs: [roll14]

All PCs to act.

Status:
David: Fine (pending).
Ellen: Fine (pending).
Think Tank: Fine (pending).
Emissary: Fine (pending).

Glimpse: Fine.
Shrike: Controlled by Siren.
Apex: Fine.
Landslide: Fine.

Invisible dart-firer: Fine.
Siren: Fine.
Captains 1-8: Fine.
Assault 1-24: Minions.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David didn't spare Siren more than a glance, but in that glance he saw her, identified her, understood was she was doing, and immediately responded.

Wide-area powers were tricky, when you had allies around. A lot of supers couldn't control them at all. Siren, evidently, could exclude her allies from the effect. But that took some degree of effort, concentration. The mere distraction of impending attack might not be sufficient to break that concentration. But if it looked like your power had succeeded a little too well, then in that moment where you were both using it and scrambling to avoid the repercussions, your concentration just might waver.

So David flew towards her,just as her compulsion would normally demand. But instead of the normal languid walk into the water she was likely expecting, David rushed her at full speed and in the air, on a collision course with the bevelled end of his hoverboard leading. No water-based super who had watched The Little Mermaid could help but feel an instinctive twinge at a sight like that. And it all happened in the second or so that she was actively using her power.

Move: Into Close range of Siren.

Standard: Misdirection Affliction on Siren. If she counts as Vulnerable due to David's Total Concealment/Hide in Plain Sight, I'll Power Attack for 5. Otherwise attack normally. [roll0] (-5 if she's Vulnerable). On a hit, Dodge DC 20 (25 if Vulnerable) vs. Powers Impaired/Compelled/Controlled Affliction. The condition expires automatically at the end of her next turn. If she's Compelled or Controlled, she has to take her next standard action to use Siren's Call, targeting everyone she didn't target this round (since fluff-wise it's the same instance of the power, just briefly losing its apparent selectivity).

Thanks to Skill Mastery, will Routine the Deception check to appear as if he's been affected by Siren's power (which should also further support Misdirection Concealment fluff).

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Covering vision

Gleam saw the dart fly from cover to try and hit Azar; Gleam was ready to move over there and stop it, but it seems that the Emissary saw it and moved out of the way, good. Gleam had turned her head to face the direction the dart came from, but her head continued to turn to face the center of the lake where one of the most compelling figure she had ever seen in a woman was floating... absolutely captivating... Gleam took a few steps towards the woman and was ready to fly to her and...

NO! Gleam jerks her head away to look away from the woman in the center; she knew of her, deemed Siren by those who observed her, "Keep out of the water! She's trying to draw you in!" Gleam shouts, knowing full-well of the superhuman enchantress' aquatic affinity. If these soldiers and Siren were working together it could go a long way towards explaining the disappearances, but right now that meant she could render most everyone here easy pickings for the soldiers. Luckily Glimpse seemed to have the right idea and opted to look away from Siren completely, giving Gleam a valuable clue.

Not wanting to go too far from the others in case she needed to help them, Gleam flew closer to the lake and prepared to use her "Gleam Vision" (not that she'll admit to anyone that's what she calls it). Still wary of staring at Siren for too long, Gleam didn't take as long to aim as she normally would, but when she felt she had a clear line of sight to Siren, she opened her eyes wide and a neon turquoise beam of kinetic energy streamed through the air towards Siren, before Gleam quickly turned her head away from her target.

Note: As per the rules of avoiding sense-dependent powers, Gleam will cover her eyes and/or look away from Siren, gaining a +10 bonus to resistances against the effect at the cost of all targets having partial concealment to Gleam's attacks (-2 circumstance penalty)

Move Action: Fly to a point above the shallow end of the water.

Standard Action: Using "Kinetic Vision," to try and hit Siren. 2 for 2 Power attack, 2 for 2 all-out attack. [roll0]

Results of Standard Action: Gleam's dodge and parry go down by 2 until the end of next turn. If Kinetic Vision hits, Siren must make a DC27 toughness save.

Reaction: Interpose any successful targeted attack against Glimpse, Shrike (that was the martial artist one right?), Badger, and Azar.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank feels the mental compulsion at once, considers it and its power, and then flicks it away from him with a thought. Do not touch the Siren, he broadcasts to all allies. In the moment of recovery from the mental attack, he has missed sending out this message before Badger's movement. Her skin exudes an adhesive substance, likely for ease of grip as she drowns her prey. The soldiers approaching either have someone of extremely advanced magical or mental manipulation, or are using advanced technology to mimic the same for concealment purposes. Be aware; there may be a larger number of foes than is first apparent.

As he's 'speaking' to the others, Think Tank sends a concentrated stream of pure thought towards the floating woman on the water. The Siren finds her mind assaulted with several classic 'unsolvable' equations, and their answers. Think Tank even shows his work.

Move Action: Nah.

Standard Action: Mental Blast on Siren. Damage DC 23, resisted by Will.

[Red_Jenny]

Emissary avoids Siren's gaze more by luck and instinct than anything, focused on dodging away from the dart than the woman in the lake. Warned by the others, she keeps her attention away. She would be of no use trying to fight in deep water.

"I can hear when you attack, coward! Better to run away and be very, very quiet." It is both boast, taunt and warning to the dart thrower, who Azar ignores after her shout. Fumbling around after an invisible foe was useless, moreso with so many other enemies on the field. They would show themselves, or they would not. There were more important things to worry about.

"So, you have brought soldiers. Let us test them." The alien leaps into the forest, aiming for the nearest squad of black-uniformed men. "Are you real warriors, or just skittering little shadows? Come, fight!" Her shockblade sparks to life as she slashes at the nearest foe, a grim grin on her face.

Move: Close to melee with the nearest baddies. (Move to F9)

Standard: Basic attack against A9. DC 25 toughness and DC 18 Fort saves if attack hits. Azar has Takedown, so some extra rolls. If she drops the first minion she'll keep going until (hopefully) she's cleared the squad.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Edit: Heh. That's the dice roller for you. Make that first attack DC 30 and DC 23, then.

[Llyarden]

Round 2

As the approaching figures become clearer, it becomes apparent that they are moving with a trained speed and skill. There are eight men and women, masked and wearing green berets, each leading a team of three figures who are fully armoured and wearing helmets that obscure any facial expression they might have. All the figures are kitted out in what looks like body armour, and the helmeted figures are armed with odd-looking rifles, while the beret-wearers carry pistols.

The waterborne woman is quick enough as David rockets towards her to put up a hand and virtually swipe the hoverboard aside, spinning aside, seemingly propelled by the water itself, to avoid Gleam's blast of energy. David would also find that her hand is...sticky, almost - sticky enough that the hoverboard is held still for a moment. She says nothing as she looks up at him, but she obviously has no doubt that David's stunt was fully intentional, and Think Tank's mental barrage of equations meet a roiling wave of emotion that repels his attempted attack. And then, a moment later, she rises up out of the water a little and tries to grab David's legs - her arm being just as adhesive as her hand was.

Azar, meanwhile, strikes one of the dark figures in a strike of staggering ferocity; unsurprisingly, the man drops without much more than a gasp.

Glimpse abandons her position in the shallows and hurries towards the forest, ducking reflexively as a dart soars over her head, while Shrike goes the other way, still under Siren's spell, but then stops, shaking his head in some bemusement. Landslide moves, mud flowing up from the ground to cover him, and slams his hands into the ground, causing a fissure to erupt under the feet of one of the beret-wearers, causing him to stagger slightly, and those of his remaining two soldiers, who are virtually swallowed in their entirety. Azar gets a good view of this as the ground cracks under her feet but remains stable. And Apex roars in fury and charges an entire group, growing in size and fury until he towers over his opponents and bringing a massive paw down on the man...or rather, on a large tree trunk that he had somehow managed to mistake for the man.

Unsurprisingly, being such a big target, Apex recieves a veritable hail of red-fletched darts in return, and for all his phenomal strength there are simply too many darts for even him to resist, as he starts to shrink back down to human size. The team Azar had just attacked, along with the closest other force, train on her and fire, while the last remaining team fire at Landslide, though his muddy coating seems to absorb the darts without any effect.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit#gid=0)

Glimpse: Moves, and uses Offensive Precognition on Captain 8, who resists at [roll0]. This is Subtle I, only noticeable to those with Temporal Awareness for now. Resist.
Shrike: Controlled, double moves and then tries to shake off the Affliction: [roll1] Breaks free.
Landslide: Moves, and uses Fissure, which hits Captain 3 for a DC 18 Dodge save and then a DC23 or 19 Toughness save.
Dodge: [roll2] Half Effect
Toughness: [roll3] Bruised & Dazed
EDIT: This also hits Assault 7 and Assault 8, who fail their saves and are incapacitated.
Apex: Activates Predator Aspect (bear) and charges Captain 6, All-out Attacking for 3: [roll4] Laughable Miss.
DC30 Toughness: [roll5]

Siren: Tries to punch David at [roll6]. On a hit, DC24 Toughness vs damage and DC19 Strength or Dodge vs Fast Grab. Miss.
Dart-firer: Knockout Dart on Glimpse at [roll7]. Miss On a hit, DC15 Fort save vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated: [roll8]
Assault Team 1: Move and Team Attack Landslide with Knockout Darts: [roll9], [roll10], [roll11], [roll12], for an effect that he's immune to. All misses anyway.
Assault Team 2: Team Attack Azar with Knockout Darts: [roll13], [roll14], [roll15], [roll16], for a Fort save of some sort vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated. Hit by the Captain. No other hits. Ellen Interposes and is immune.
Assault Team 3: Team Attack Azar with Knockout Darts: [roll17], [roll18], [roll19] All misses.
Assault Team 4: Move and Team Attack Apex with Knockout Darts: [roll20], [roll21], [roll22], [roll23], for a Fort save vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated: [roll24] Hit by the Captain, 4 successes from Team Attack, DC23 Fort Save. Dazed.
Assault Team 5: Team Attack Apex with Knockout Darts: [roll25], [roll26], [roll27], [roll28], for a Fort save vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated: [roll29] Hit by the Captain, 6 successes from Team Attack, DC23 Fort Save. Resist.
Assault Team 6: Team Attack Apex with Knockout Darts: [roll30], [roll31], [roll32], [roll33], for a Fort save vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated: [roll34] Hit by the Captain, 7 successes from Team Attack, DC23 Fort Save. Stunned.
Assault Team 7: Team Attack Apex with Knockout Darts: [roll35], [roll36], [roll37], [roll38], for a Fort save vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated: [roll39] Hit by the Captain, 3 successes from Team Attack, DC23 Fort Save. Stunned again.
Assault Team 8: Team Attack Apex with Knockout Darts: [roll40], [roll41], [roll42], [roll43], for a Fort save vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated: [roll44] Hit by the Captain, 4 successes from Team Attack, DC23 Fort Save. Dazed again.

David: Fine.
Ellen: Fine.
Think Tank: Fine.
Emissary: Fine.

Glimpse: Fine.
Shrike: Fine.
Apex: Stunned and dazed twice over each.
Landslide: Fine.

Invisible dart-firer: Fine.
Siren: Fine.
Captains 1-2: Fine
Captain 3: Bruised & Dazed
Captains 4-8: Fine
Assault 1-6, 10-24: Minions

[Quellian-dyrae]

Think Tank's warning came just in time, allowing David to jerk his hoverboard aside before it was caught. Still, that had been a little too close. David hadn't expected that little trick. The punch he dodged casually.

Siren had impressive reaction times. And she was canny. And she had a way to bind his movements. And attacking her in melee was a risky proposition. And he was currently balancing atop a rather narrow surface just a couple feet above the water, which was her domain while David himself wasn't a particularly strong swimmer.

Yeah, there were more practical enemies on the field for David to fight.

He gave Siren a respectful nod, and in that gesture, his body language changed completely. Suddenly, he wasn't an uncertain, apparently helpless human with a cool piece of tech. With a simple straightening of his posture, shifting of his stance, and narrowing of his eyes, he went from a useless mortal to the deadly warrior he in truth was.

And then he flew across the field, coming in from the north and engaging the soldiers with a flurry of blows. His staff and hoverboard whirled and worked in tandem as he struck at enemy after enemy, a quick strike or two before moving on to the next, until one of them managed to put enough a stern enough defense to break his momentum.

Move: Fly into D3. Well, really, the air above E4, but whatever.

Standard: Start attacking soldiers with Defensive Strike, Power Attacking for 5, making a Routine attack against minions. I'm not sure if the partial concealment for the forest would apply against close attacks; if it does, total attack result is 17. If it does not, he will also Multiattack for 3, to attack three guys initially with an attack roll of 16. Then using Takedown 2 to hit as many targets as I can. How Multiattack and Takedown interact tends to vary between GMs, so I leave that to you. In any event, every target hit has to make a DC 26 Toughness save vs. Damage (or DC 21 if they're immune to crits). In addition, David receives the benefits of a Deflect action this turn.

Current Status: Deflecting (1d10+27).

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Normal

After firing her "Gleam Vision," (fingers crossed no one can read minds), Gleam looked away from Siren to try and avoid retaliation from her powers, whilst looking away she noticed a group of the soldiers taking aim at the Emissary; while smashing a soldier into the ground, here's hoping he can still walk, proved that Azar could handle herself, jumping in to protect others was still borderline instinctual for Gleam and she immediately zipped towards Azar. The Emissary certainly didn't seem too concerned about the darts and had in fact already shifted out of the trajectory of most of them, but one dart was headed right for the Emissary's neck when Gleam reached out with a hand, causing the dart to stick into the palm of her hand.

"Ow..." it was absolutely nothing serious, and when she pulled out the dart the hole immediately closed without any visible bleeding, still it did prickle a bit. "Whoever you are you will not take anymore victims like those kids!" Gleam declares, absolutely no irony to be had in her declaration of protection.

Gleam could already feel her strength returning and thus flew, preferring to stay off the ground where Landslide's powers could indiscriminately hit her, within reach of the captain who fired a shot at Azar and attempted to backhand him, failing though as her hand went over the captain's head. Gleam was still making sure to keep her back to the lake where Siren was at, though she did not fail to notice the trouble Apex was in, she may need to fly over to him soon, and she was ready for it.
Free Action(s): Switching from kinetic vision to enhanced strength.

Move Action: Move adjacent to... was it Captain 2 who fired the shot? I think so.

Standard Action: 2 for 2 all-out attack against the captain with an unarmed attack: [roll0]

Results of Standard Action: -2 to dodge and parry until next turn. If attack check is successful, Captain 2 must make a DC27 toughness save.

Reaction: Interposing for Apex to protect him from the first shot fired from a Captain against him. If that doesn't happen I'll interpose the first attack against Apex (first) and then the same people as before. Before you say anything I know only get one interpose per round, that's just how I'm prioritizing it.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank takes note of Siren's glance at David, and begins calculating what it could mean. The immediate meanings are simple; it's the deeper ramifications that the unfeeling brain is struggling with. The Siren expressed relief when disengaged from physical combat. Any who can close with the siren and reengage her in close-quarters battle would be well advised to do so. Conversely, the Siren's expression of relief was due exclusively to the cessation of combat with Badger. In either case, returning Badger to active combat versus the siren seems to be our soundest tactical choice.

Addendum: due to the adhesive nature of the Siren's skin, a ranged combatant would be advisable as a failsafe should Badger become entangled upon the opponent. I may be well-suited for that roll, or another may be as well. Second addendum: the look of relief may be a ruse to lure Badger into battle with the Siren once more. Unlikely, due to the Siren's attempt to keep her facial expressions hidden from her opponents, but possible. Ranged support for Badger or another close combatant necessitated due to this possibility.

As he speaks, Think Tank jets unsteadily towards the soldiers in the woods, landing just outside the treeline with a heavy thump. After landing, he does not move, but the opponents all around him suddenly feel their muscles begin to seize as their brains command them to tense everywhere without their personal input.

Move Action: Fly to I12.

Standard Action: Instantaneous Autonomic Overload. All opponents within 60 feet of Think Tank need to make a DC 18 Will save versus Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed.

Free Action: Talk a lot.

[Llyarden]

Round 3

"Live fire! Live fire!" yells one of the beret-wearers, dodging aside from Gleam's attempted punch. In almost perfect unison, the entire attacking force pause and then begin firing in a different pattern, covering for their comrades as each squad reloads in unison. It is, in short, a splendid display of military precision.

It provides no defence whatsoever as David mows through them, little more than a silver blur visible to those who actually see him coming in time. The beret-wearers look astonished - and some of them proceed to sieze up as Think Tank's mental blast assaults their nervous system, albeit only for a few moments in some cases.

Azar reverses her grip on her blade and brings it back onto her closest opponent, who was still unbalanced from Landslide's earthquake. The electrified blade hit him squarely in the chest and he staggers backwards another pace or two, the shock numbing his nerves a little.

Apex, still twitching, shrinks back down to normal size, looking rather like a pincushion given the cluster of darts on his body.

Landslide turns around and makes a gesturing motion with one hand - a motion mimicked by the earth itself as it rises up in a giant crushing fist of mud that closes around the invisible creature. There is a splintering sound from within the muddy fist but when the earth drops back to normal whatever it is is still invisible.

Glimpse continues to walk towards the fight, as does Shrike, the latter entering into a very cautious defensive stance, as a dart from the invisible combatant soars over his head.

Remarkably enough, despite their entire support force having been obliterated, the men show no sign of wanting to back down, training on Ellen and David, though the latter is easily able to watch where their guns are pointing and weave aside. Some of them pull out odd-looking objects which they throw at the feet of Ellen, Azar and Apex. The alien is able to step aside though both Ellen and Apex find gloopy, viscous liquid erupting around their legs, risking anchoring them to the floor. One man yells "Flash out!" and pulls something from his belt, smashing it against a tree and causing a bright blast of light to flash through the trees.

Siren begins to move, soaring forwards suspended in a tendril of water. She flies straight past Glimpse and Shrike and aims instead for Think Tank, an adhesive palm slamming into the J.A.R.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit#gid=0)

Azar: Attack Captain 3 with Shockblade: [roll0], DC25 Toughness + DC18 Fort if it hits.
Toughness: [roll1], Fortitude: [roll2] Hit. Bruised, Staggered and Vulnerable.

Glimpse: Move and use Offensive Precognition on Captain 7. [roll3] Subtle I again. Defenceless against Glimpse.
Apex: Stunned; loses Predator Aspect as it's a Sustained power, and tries to shake off his four Afflictions (Stunned first): [roll4], [roll5], [roll6], [roll7] Shakes off both Stuns, but remains Dazed twice.
Landslide: Quagmire Fist on the area the invisible dart-firer is in; DC18 Dodge and then DC23/19 Toughness, positioning it to avoid Shrike.
Dart-firer Dodge: [roll8] Half Effect
Dart-firer Toughness: [roll9] Bruised & Staggered
Shrike: Activate Defensive Stance and move back towards the fight.

Siren: Use Waterborne to move up to Think Tank, and then try to punch him at [roll10]. On a hit, DC24 Toughness vs damage and DC19 Strength or Dodge vs Fast Grab. Hit.

Dart-firer: Fire at Shrike at [roll11]. On a hit, DC15 Toughness or Fortitude vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated Affliction: [roll12] and [roll13] Miss
Captains:
Those that aren't Dazed will change ammunition. 1, 3 and 4 will fire at Ellen while 5 and 7 fire at David. Resolving as Team Attacks with Small Unit Tactics (thanks to David obliterating the assault troops, they don't get quite as much of a benefit.) Base DC23 Toughness.
Vs Ellen:
[roll14]
[roll15]
[roll16]
Hit by one, 2 degrees of success by the other. DC25 Toughness.
Vs David:
[roll17]
[roll18]
Deflected at [roll19] Deflected
Captain 2: Throws a Class II Foam Grenade at Ellen at [roll20]. On a hit, DC18 Dodge vs Hindered + Vulnerable/Immoblised + Defenceless Affliction (your All-out Attack penalty will apply to this.) Hit.
Will to shake off Daze: [roll21] Still Dazed
(In case he gets Dazed again and can't change ammo) Captain 3: Throws a Class II Foam Grenade at Azar at [roll22]. On a hit, DC18 Dodge vs Hindered + Vulnerable/Immoblised + Defenceless Affliction: [roll23]. Miss.
Captain 6: Throws a Class II Foam Grenade at Apex at [roll24]. On a hit, DC18 Dodge vs Hindered + Vulnerable/Immoblised + Defenceless Affliction: [roll25] Hit, but Ellen Interposes unless she is immobilised. Hindered & Vulnerable if Ellen can't Interpose.
Will to shake off Daze: [roll26] No longer Dazed.
Captain 8: Throws a Class I Flash Grenade onto his own square. DC18 Dodge and then DC18 or 14 Fortitude vs Visually Impaired/Visually Disabled/Visually Unaware Affliction for David and Apex (and Ellen, if she interposes for Apex against the Foam Grenade): [roll27]. Captains 6, 7 and 8 are hit but are Immune. Apex takes full effect, but resists.
Will to shake off Daze: [roll28] No longer Dazed.

Status:
David: Fine (pending).
Ellen: Immobilised & Defenceless.
Think Tank: Fine (pending).
Emissary: Fine.

Glimpse: Fine.
Shrike: Fine.
Apex: Dazed twice.
Landslide: Fine.

Invisible dart-firer: 1 Bruise & Staggered.
Siren: Fine.
Captain 1: Fine
Captain 2: Dazed
Captain 3: 2 Bruises, Staggered & Vulnerable
Captain 4: Fine
Captain 5: Fine
Captain 6: Fine
Captain 7: Defenceless against Glimpse (and unaware of this fact)
Captain 8: Fine.
Assault 1-24: Incapactiated

[Quellian-dyrae]

David whirled to a stop at the southern end of the enemy group, spinning his staff in a showily complex pattern before the nearest captain. "Let's go then, give me your best shot," he taunted with a slender smirk, completely calm and confident, as if the only thing he was more certain of than the fact that the soldier would miss was the fact that he'd only get one shot.

Still, his attention wasn't fully on the soldier. He was irrelevant. His true focus was on Siren. The robot-dude seemed to think that David would have some sort of advantage against her, but David reconsidered what he knew and came to the same conclusion - that he was simply not the right guy for the job. He studied her movements, her tactics, the use of her powers, as she flew in and swung at the robot. Why would you fear me...?

Move: Trick/Redirect on Captain 8. -5 due to move action, Routine from Skill Mastery. He has to make a DC 25 Insight or Deception check or, if he attacks David and misses, his attack will be redirected at Captain 7 (as part of this, David will use his Reaction movement to get into square E20, so basically he'll fly around ahead of the guys shots so some of them are going towards C7 when he misses.

Standard: Analyze Enemy on Siren. Perception Range automatically hits, and this effect is completely undetectable unless she has Danger Sense. Siren must make a Will save, DC 1d20+10 vs. Mind Reading, Limited to learning her Complications and powers. If she fails by enough degrees that I get learn the answer to a question, it is: "What is a Complication Siren possesses that I can attempt to exploit immediately, if any." In addition, if her Will save fails to beat DC 20, she suffers an Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless Cumulative Affliction, but only against David.

Current Status: Normal.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Immobile and Defenseless

Though Gleam had failed to land a blow on one of the aggressors, she proved as resilient as ever when the bullets that struck her failed to cause any serious ablation, the little that did appear was soon healed. Besides, the one with the staff and flying disc was making up for it by taking down the rank-and-file. Gleam did get hit by this bomb that released a sticky substance that gummed up the movement of her joints and nearly adhered her to the ground, but staying aloft helped prevent that.

What drew Gleam's attention was that same bomb getting thrown at Apex; concerned for the superhuman getting captured Gleam immediately flew between Apex and the bomb, "Look out!" this time the substance glued Gleam to the ground, "You okay?" she asked Apex, both of them seemingly ignoring the flash bomb with nothing but a bit of blinking to shrug it off.

Fortunately the man who threw the sticky bomb was in close range, and within reach of Gleam's fists. The substance on her arm gave way as Gleam threw a fist forward to strike the soldier! The force of her super-powered strength rippled with the power of her punch, and shattered the adhesive substance, freeing Gleam to move once again!

Move Action: Just kidding! I can't actually move! :smalltongue:

Standard Action: Bog standard unarmed attack against Captain "whatever number I was adjacent to" hopefully it hits, otherwise Gleam's just gonna look like a really fast meat shield: [roll0]

Result of Standard Action: If attack check is successful, Captain "whatever number" must make a DC27 toughness save.

Notes: Result to escape snare was 20 over in the OOC, so the affliction ends.

Reaction: Interposing for the same people as before. Though Apex is no longer my top priority.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank's Armor bows inwards slightly from the Siren's blow, but a quick movement to one side causes her fingers to slip off of the non-stick coating of the metal despite their adhesive nature. Think Tank idly notes that the makeshift anti-ballistic gel that his true form was currently encased inside failed slightly due to the Siren's attack, causing his mental processing acuity to take a slight, temporary dip.

Most of the disembodied brain's attention, however, is focused on the un-Phased Badger as he incapacitates several minions before Think Tank is able to affect them in the speed of thought. He had done so without powerrs of any sort; Think Tank simply must have a look inside that one's brain. Theory: While the Siren possesses formidable mental fortitude, she is susceptible to physical attack, hence her reluctance to engage in such with any but the obviously non-physical foe, i.e., myself. Physical attack necessary to confirm this hypothesis: Landslide, Shrike, Apex, Emissary, Gleam, Badger selected as viable transmittors of said attack.

Once again, Think Tank sends out a pulse of paralyzing mental stimuli, catching Siren in this attack as well. Noting that such extreme uses of his mental power have begun to tax upon even his minimalist physical form, Think Tank wrenches his focus into a single needle of pure, logical certainty in the absolute significance of Siren in the general scope of the universe, and sends it blasting into her conscious mind.

Move Action: Dazed.

Standard Action: Autonomic Overload. Every enemy within 60 ft of Think Tank needs to make a DC 18 Will Save vs. Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed. (This is not cumulative, unfortunately.)

Free Action: Switch to Concentrated Psionic Barrage.

Extra Effort: Hit Siren with Concentrated Psionic Barrage. DC 23 Will Save vs. Damage.

Status: 1 Bruise, Dazed (Ends), Fatigued.

[Llyarden]

Round 4.

Think Tank's mental blast buffets through the attacking forces, causing some of them to sieze up entirely. For a moment he would think he has also found a vulnerability in Siren's mental defences, but just as he attempts to exploit another wave of raw emotion pushes his mental attack backwards. Nonetheless, distracted from maintaining her floating water bridge, Siren topples to the floor with a thud as it splashes down around her, though she is quick enough to scramble to her feet again. David's taunt goes to waste rather as his target, who looked like he was about to throw something at him, stiffens as Think Tank's attack takes hold of him.

Glimpse steps past the sticky goo that now littered the forest floor, drawing a thin blade from a pocket as she does, and plunges it into the leg of one of the hitherto-untouched beret-wearers, who yells in pain.

No way she could have just managed to hit him that easily just naturally. She knew where he was going to dodge.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Apex shouts back to Gleam, though whatever was in those darts is obviously still inhibiting his motions as his next punch goes wildly off-target.

Landslide brings the muddy fist back up to close around the origin of the darts (which are still somewhat arbitrarily firing around, one ricocheting off of the J.A.R. this time), though there is less of a splintering sound on his second attempt.

Shrike, finally back in the battle, looks at Siren with what can be assumed to be a grin behind the opaque mask. "Come on, then."

Unfortunately, Shrike's taunt, and indeed his movement up to the water manipulator, was ill-timed, for no sooner has he arrived there than one of the standing attackers pulls another grenade from his pouch and hurls it at Think Tank. While it's easy enough to dodge, it immediately explodes out into a mass of fast-hardening instant foam. Three of the beret-wearers are also in the area, though two of them dodge out the way easily and the last one quickly scrapes the foam off before it restricts his movements. Siren, though startled by the sudden friendly fire, is also able to step away from the worst of it, though she seems to be noticeably slower now that she isn't near the water. Azar gets a little covered in the goop, but the big loser is Shrike, who is virtually frozen in place like a statue by the foam. Ellen and Think Tank, too, are at risk of being glued down (again in Ellen's case.)

Two of the remaining attackers fire on Ellen, though they clearly had not expected her to break free from the goo so quickly and their attacks are aimed at her glued-down position. Another two fire at Glimpse, and though she manages to duck away from the majority of the fire, a couple of stray bullets strike her, causing the oracle to wince in pain.

Siren, meanwhile, steps around the immmobilised Shrike and hastens away, back into the water, which wraps itself around her like a shroud as she gets close.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit?usp=sharing)

Glimpse: Move and charge Captain 7 with a stiletto, Power Attacking for 5: [roll0], DC28 Toughness on hit: [roll1] Hit. Bruised and Staggered.
Apex: Punch Captain 6: [roll2], DC25 Toughness on hit: [roll3] Miss.
Landslide: Another Quagmire Fist; DC18 Dodge and then DC23/19 Toughness
Dart-firer Dodge: [roll4] Half Effect.
Dart-firer Toughness: [roll5] Bruised again.
Shrike: Maintains Defensive Stance and moves up to Siren.

Dart-firer: Fires at Think Tank at [roll6], for an effect he's immune to. Hit, not that it matters.
Captain 1: Stunned; attempts to shake off the Affliction: [roll7] No longer Stunned.
Captain 2: Throws a Class I Foam Grenade at Think Tank at [roll8]. On a hit, DC18 Dodge vs Hindered+Vulnerable/Immobilised+Defenceless Affliction. Everyone in the area, except Think Tank if he is hit, needs to make a DC14 Dodge save and then a DC14/12 Dodge save against the same thing. (This is not Cumulative with either the Class II grenades or itself.) Miss.
Azar: [roll9], [roll10] Full effect, Hindered & Vulnerable.
Landslide: [roll11], [roll12] Half effect, resists.
Shrike: [roll13], [roll14] Full effect, Immobilised & Defenceless, loses Defensive Stance.
Captain 3: [roll15], [roll16] Half effect, resists.
Captain 4: [roll17], [roll18] Half effect, Hindered & Vulnerable.
Captain 5: [roll19], [roll20] Half effect, resists.
Siren: [roll21], [roll22] Half effect, resists.
Save to shake off Daze: [roll23] No longer Dazed.
Captain 3: Fires a Knockout Dart at Azar at [roll24], DC18 Toughness or Fortitude vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated Affliction: [roll25], [roll26] Hit. Resist.
Attempts to shake off Think Tank's Daze (not that it matters): [roll27] No longer Dazed, but still Staggered.
Captains 4 and 5 will Team Attack Ellen with their pistols; base DC23 Toughness.
[roll28]
[roll29] Both miss, unless Ellen is made Vulnerable from the Grenade. If Vulnerable, DC25 Toughness.
And then they attempt to shake off any Affliction from the Foam Grenade: [roll30], [roll31] Captain 4 no longer Hindered & Vulnerable; Captain 5 dodged it in the first place.
Captain 6 changes ammo, and then he and Captain 7 shoot at Glimpse: [roll32], [roll33], base DC23 Toughness: [roll34] Hit by one, 2 degrees of success by the other. DC25 Toughness; Bruised.
Captain 8: Stunned, attempts to shake off Affliction: [roll35] No longer Stunned.

Siren: Double moves away if she can, and attempts to shake off David's Affliction: [roll36] (possibly +4, if she got back to the water) and any Foam Grenade: [roll37] Gets back in the water. Can't save against David because she's unaware of it.

Status:
David: Fine.
Ellen: Fine (pending).
Think Tank: 1 Bruise, fatigued (pending)
Emissary: Hindered & Vulnerable.

Glimpse: 1 Bruise.
Shrike: Immobilised & Defenceless.
Apex: Dazed twice.
Landslide: Fine.

Invisible dart-firer: 2 Bruises & Staggered.
Siren: 1 Bruise, Impaired & Vulnerable against David, and unaware of this.
Captain 1: Fine
Captain 2: Fine
Captain 3: 2 Bruises, Staggered & Vulnerable
Captain 4: Fine
Captain 5: Fine
Captain 6: Fine
Captain 7: Defenceless against Glimpse, 1 Bruise and Staggered.
Captain 8: Fine.
Assault 1-24: Incapacitated

[Quellian-dyrae]

David had to admit, he was feeling just a hint of arrogant disappointment in his fellow martial artist as the guy got covered in foam, while focused on defense. Maybe I'll offer the guy a discount on my Defense Against Supers course, he thought with some amusement.

If he survives, came a much grimmer whisper from the back of his mind.

David narrowed his eyes and took off, first flying in a quick attack-run at the two captains who were shooting at the paragon, his staff whirling in a rapid flurry of attacks against both of them before he darted away, landing solidly between Shrike and the enemies and raising his staff to a ready guard position, clearing intent on buying the warrior time to get free of the foam.

Move: Into E14.

Standard: Defensive Strike on C4 and C5, Multiattack for 2, Power Attack for 4, at [roll0], [roll1]. Crit 16+. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Damage.

Move-by Action: Into J12.

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: Defensive Strike, using the Damage portion to try to free Shrike at [roll2] and the Deflect portion to defend him.

Current Status: Fatigued, Defending (1d10+27).

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: 1 bruise (1/2 rounds), daze

"We're not out of this yet don't give up!" Gleam tells Apex as she flies out of range of the sticky grenade, heading straight towards Glimpse, whom seemed too distracted to notice the bullets about to hit her. Gleam wasn't fast enough to intercept both bullets, but she did intercept one of them; this time the bullet hit her head at an appropriate angle and force to temporarily rob Gleam of her senses, forcing her to stop flying for a bit to regain her orientation.

Upon her head clearing Gleam looked to the Captain that Glimpse had hurt already; Gleam did feel kind of bad for the leg stabbing Glimpse gave them, but under the circumstances she couldn't really take the soldier's side, "Sorry, but you did attack us first," Gleam said as she stepped in towards the guard and threw a palm thrust in his direction, focusing more on landing the blow than dealing serious damage... not that this wouldn't hurt if it hit, as proven when the thrust left a noticeable indention in the ground beside the soldier, who rolled out of the way in time.

Move Action: Nope, I'm dazed, the only reason I made it to Glimpse in the first place is due to interposing for her when I got dazed.

Standard Action: Maybe a 2 for 2 accurate attack on my unarmed strike will hit the Captain that Glimpse attacked earlier: [roll0]

Results of Standard Action: If attack hits the Captain must make a DC25 toughness save.

Notes: As this daze was afflicted via damage it will wear off at the end of my turn.

Reaction: Interpose for Shrike if he's not freed of the slime, otherwise I interpose for Azar.

[Zelphas]

The J.A.R.'s defense systems kick in in response to the thrown sticky grenade, jets of compressed air pushing the clunky robot smoothly to one side and out of the range of the entrapping foam. Think Tank's attention is focused elsewhere, watching as Glimpse stabs a man where he is going to be rather than where he actually was. Combative Precognition. I suppose her limited form of insight has some advantages to my more extended range--primarily in terms of combat, and perhaps rudimentary games of chance, He thinks to himself as he positions himself to catch as many of the remaining foes in his psionic blast as possible.

Move Action: Move to F11.

Standard Action: Keep on truckin' with Autonomic Overload. Will DC 18 vs. Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed for all enemies within a 60 ft. radius of Think Tank.

Status: 1 Bruise, Fatigued.

[Llyarden]

Round 5

Azar forces her way out of the foam with brute strength and continues to swipe at the same soldier that has been engaging her thus far, her electrified blade once again digging into him. David gives one of the soldiers a resounding blow to the back of the head and then smashes open the solidified foam that Shrike had been imprisoned in, and the other martial artist promptly follows the path David himself had taken a moment ago, giving two swift blows of his short staff to the stomach of each man. The two soldiers promptly fire at Shrike, though David is easily enough able to knock their guns upwards to fire harmlessly into the trees; Shrike gives him a nod, as if to suggest that he had expected David to defend him, before turning to look at Siren, who is once again floating in the water.

Ellen has somewhat less luck in engaging her target, though Glimpse takes advantage of the man's distraction to jab her blade into the soldier's shoulder. This second painful blow is apparently too much for him, and he drops to the ground, the distraction causing one of the other soldier's bullets to go wide.

Apex pulls out a handful of darts from himself and tries again to throw a punch, though his opponent is again able to dodge without much issue, while Landslide's animated patch of earth continues to crush whatever it is inside it.

As Think Tank continues to play havoc with the attacking forces, one of the soldiers fires at Landslide, though his bullets seem to do little more than the darts had done, glancing off the muddy coating that covers the man without apparent harm. The one that Emissary had been hacking into is joined by one of his companions, who attempt to team up on her to pummel her into the floor. However, it seems that their training never covered fighting 7ft-tall aliens, because their blows do little more than irritate her.

From the lake, a wave soars overhead, splitting into numerous tendrils and wrapping around attackers and heroes alike; one of the soldiers is yanked off his feet and goes flying to land in the deep water with a splash and a scream. Siren, meanwhile, seems to have disappeared.

Azar tries to cut her way out of the foam: [roll0], DC30 Toughness for the foam: [roll1] Destroyed.

Glimpse: Attack Captain 7 with her stilleto, Power Attacking for 5 again: [roll2], DC28 Toughness on hit: [roll3] Hit. Bruised & Staggered again, therefore incapacitated.
Apex: Unarmed strike on Captain 6, Accurate Attacking for 2: [roll4], DC23 Toughness on hit: [roll5]. Then tries to shake off his two Dazes (DC23): [roll6], [roll7] Miss. Shakes off one Daze.
Shrike: Move and Flurry at Captains 4 and 5, Multiattacking for 2 and All-out and Power Attacking for 2: [roll8], [roll9], DC25 Toughness on hit: [roll10], [roll11] Both hit. Captain 4 is Bruised and Dazed again, Captain 5 is just Bruised.
Landslide: Yet another Quagmire Fist on the invisible, DC18 Dodge: [roll12] and DC23/19 Toughness: [roll13] Full effect; another Bruise.

Invisible: Knockout Dart on David: [roll14], deflected at [roll15]. DC15 Toughness/Fort save on hit vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapactiated. Miss.
Captain 1: Fires at Landslide: [roll16], DC23 Toughness on hit: [roll17] Hit. Resist.
Captain 2: Charges Azar with Close Quarters Combat, Team Attacking with Captain 3: [roll18], [roll19], DC19 base Toughness on hit: [roll20] Hit by 1, 1 degree of success by the other. DC21 Toughness; resist.
Captain 2 tries to shake off Daze (DC18): [roll21] No longer Dazed.
Captain 3 tries to shake off Vulnerable (DC18): [roll22] Still Vulnerable.
Captains 4 & 5: Team Attack Shrike with pistols: [roll23], [roll24], deflected by David at [roll25], base DC23 Toughness on hit: [roll26] Deflected.
Captains 6 & 7: Team Attack Ellen with pistols: [roll27], [roll28], base DC23 Toughness on hit. Attack -2 because of Captain 7 being incapacitated, so miss.
Captain 7 tries to shake off Daze (DC18): [roll29] and Defenceless (DC20): [roll30]
Captain 8: Stunned, tries to shake off (DC18): [roll31] Still Stunned.
Siren: Moves backwards and uses Riptide, hitting Captains 2, 3, 4 and 5, Azar, Think Tank and Shrike. DC16 Dodge and then DC 16/13 Strength vs Move Object towards her, a distance rank equal to the amount you fail by, up to rank 6. Then she Conceals herself from Visual senses.
Captain 2: [roll32], [roll33] Half effect, up to 1800ft.
Captain 3: [roll34], [roll35] Forgot Vulnerable, but half effect, resist.
Captain 4: [roll36], [roll37] Half effect, resist.
Captain 5: [roll38], [roll39] Full effect, resist.
Azar: [roll40] (+4 if freed from the foam), [roll41] Half effect, resist.
Shrike: [roll42], [roll43] Half effect, resist.

Status:
David: Fatigued.
Ellen: 1 Bruise, Dazed (ends this turn).
Think Tank: 1 Bruise, fatigued (pending)
Emissary: Fine.

Glimpse: Fine.
Shrike: Fine.
Apex: Dazed.
Landslide: Fine.

Invisible dart-firer: Total Visual Concealment, 3 Bruises & Staggered.
Siren: 1 Bruise, Total Visual Concealment, Impaired & Vulnerable against David, and unaware of this.
Captain 1: Fine
Captain 2: Swimming.
Captain 3: 3 Bruises, Staggered & Vulnerable
Captain 4: 2 Bruises, Dazed twice (both end this turn)
Captain 5: 1 Bruise
Captain 6: Fine.
Captain 7: Incapacitated.
Captain 8: Stunned.
Assault 1-24: Incapacitated

[Quellian-dyrae]

And now Siren had vanished. That was less than ideal. The robot guy seemed be having a disruptive effect on folks, though. So it was possible that... "Yo robo-dude! You have anything that can disrupt their cloaks, you think?" he called over.

He flew in fast to knock the guns away from Shrike, and fell in back-to-back with him to face down the two captains. Good news was, whatever his failings of agility, the man was fast and furious on the offense. That's what they needed. David nudged Shrike's right shoulder with his left to signal his intent, and started moving in a quick counter-clockwise circle that Shrike could follow, his staff whirling fast around him in a complex series of attacks designed less to hit and harm and more to manipulate and disorient, throwing off attacks against him and allowing Shrike to come in for a finishing blow when he rotated in while David came around to strike at the next guy.

Of course, there was more to the tactic than just making openings for Shrike. The enemies had already seen that the masked swordssheathesman was the potentially more vulnerable target, and his attacks had proven somewhat more efficacious as well. Increased vulnerability plus increased threat equaled a superior target, especially when David was obviously focused on personal defense. But the quick circling maneuver would give David the opportunity to step in and nudge weapons aside while their wielders were focused on Shrike, to foil their attack and send their bullets flying at each other.

All Shrike needed to do was follow David's lead, but he was comfortable trusting him to. When two warriors of sufficient skill fought together, they could make it look like they had been brothers in arms for years.

ALL THE MANEUVERS!

Standard: Charge (-2 to hit) into E13 and Defensive Strike C4 and C5 as a Team Attack with Shrike, Multiattacking for 2, Defensive Attacking for 2 (applies to David's personal defense, not his Deflect, that would be mean :smallbiggrin:) and with a +5 for Teamwork, at [roll0], [roll1]. On a hit, Shrike gets +2 Damage. On a hit by three degrees, he gets +5. Shrike is the Deflect target at 1d10+27.

Move: Trick/Redirect/Set Up, Routine due to Skill Mastery. If Captain 5 attacks Shrike and misses, his attack is redirected at Captain 4, unless he beats a DC 25 Insight or Deception check.

As an aside, David's question for Think Tank isn't too off-base; Concealment is usually a Sustained power, so if TT were to stun one or both of the invisibles (since it won't help much against his Area attack), it'd probably reveal them.

Current Status: Fatigued, +2 Defense this turn.

EDIT: Holy smite did I have a lot of typos in that post...

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Normal

The stunt Siren did was worrying, even more so since she has disappeared from view. Did she simply dive underwater when she wasn't looking or was it some camouflage that she wasn't aware of? Gleam could think of a few ways to deal with this problem even if all of them were risky, something she wouldn't have a problem with if the urgency was great enough, but from the sounds of it the others were working on a plan; thus Gleam decided to wait on what Siren would do.

The small injury she received earlier having completely healed now, Gleam flew towards the distant soldier who had been shooting at Landslide, floated in front of him and attempted to hit him with an uppercut.

Move Action: Fly into melee range of Captain 1

Standard Action: Maybe... just maybe... a 2 for 2 accurate attack on my unarmed strike will actually connect: [roll0]

Results of Standard Action: In the, by now proven unlikely, event that the attack hits the Captain must make a DC25 toughness save.

Reaction: Interpose for Shrike, Glimpse, Apex, Emissary, or Badger in that order of priority; whomsoever gets hit by the attack with the highest DC.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank feels himself pulled into the air by a watery tentacle, but is too busy calculating angles and trajectories in response Badger's yell to care very much. I would prefer this form to be addressed as Think Tank, or the J.A.R. if you are speaking of my outer casing. "Robo-dude" is far too vague and informal.

In response to your question, I cannot disperse whatever phase power or technological array is allowing two of our enemies to remain concealed from even my awareness directly, he continues, landing in the water with a giant splash. Think Tank immediately rockets out of the deep water, landing unsteadily in the shallows. My Autonomic Overload may be able to do so indirectly, however, by disrupting their nervous systems and forcing them to drop their shields. Be ready. Another wave of mental force washes out from the brain in a J.A.R.

Move Action: Move to X8.

Standard Action: Autonomic Overload. If my calculations are correct, both ?? areas should be fully caught in the 60 ft radius blast. Will DC 18 vs Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed.

[Llyarden]

Round 6.

Think Tank's mental blast hits Siren with substantial force this time, and she seems to fade back into existence as the water stops bending light around her. The soldier she'd pulled into the water takes the opportunity to snarl "You -----!" and fire on her, but the water obviously has affected his gun badly because it does nothing more than click.

David and Shrike move in a neat sweep between their two opponents, one recieving a hit to the back of the head that drops him and the other a blow to the stomach. The standing soldier raises his gun and fires at Shrike for a second time, but once again David bats the firearm aside, the bullets going closer to hitting his fallen companion than either of the martial artists. Shrike takes the opportunity to pivot and land a kick on the man's knee.

Ellen soundly smacked her opponent on the chin and he stumbled back a pace or two, his attempted retaliation going wide. Apex likewise clubbed his opponent - a less effective blow than the paragon's, but nonetheless one that signified that he was regaining full control of his senses after the darts.

Landslide's muddy fist surged upwards around the invisible attacker once again, and this time there is a sound splintering noise; when the earth returns to normal this time around it leaves behind it the shattered remains of some technological construction.

The tide of battle is clearly turning against the attackers, but they seem to show no signs to wanting to retreat, even in the face of what is by now clearly overwhelming odds.

Think Tank suddenly gets a vision, of Landslide turning around, smirking - and being virtually obliterated by an explosion from the drone he has just destroyed.

((OOC note: I will use Precognition as an excuse to GM Fiat things without granting hero points. Landslide will be badly injured if not killed by the drone's explosion next turn.))

Glimpse: Uses Defensive Precognition and moves up to Captain 8.
Apex: Tries again to punch Captain 6, Accurate Attacking for 2 and All-out Attacking for 5: [roll0], DC23 Toughness on hit: [roll1]. Then tries to shake off his last Daze (DC23): [roll2] Hit. Bruised and Dazed. Apex still Dazed.
Shrike: Activates Counter Stance and Flurries at Captains 4 and 5, Multiattacking for 2 and All-out and Power Attacking for 2: [roll3], [roll4], DC27 Toughness on hit after David's Team Attack, Even on a miss, they need to make DC21 Toughness saves: [roll5], [roll6] Hits Captain 4, misses Captain 5. 4 is Incapacitated, 5 is Bruised and Staggered.
Landslide: Yet another Quagmire Fist on the invisible, DC18 Dodge: [roll7] and DC23/19 Toughness: [roll8] Full Effect; Incapacitated.

Dart-firer: Fires at Landslide at [roll9] for an effect he's immune to. Misses horrendously, as if it wasn't already destroyed.
Siren: Stunned, regenerates, and tries to shake off Stun (DC18): [roll10] Still Stunned.
Captain 1: Fires at Ellen: [roll11], DC23 Toughness on hit. Miss.
Captain 2: Splashes around a bit, and then fires at Siren at [roll12], DC18 Toughness/Fort on hit: [roll13], [roll14]. Another horrendous miss.
Captains 4 & 5: Move back if possible and Team Attack Shrike with pistols: [roll15], [roll16], deflected at [roll17], for a base DC23 Toughness save: [roll18]. If Captain 5 misses, he shoots Captain 4 by mistake at [roll19] and a DC23 Toughness save: [roll20]. If either of them are still in close range of Shrike when they fire, he gets an attack on them due to Counter Stance: [roll21] and [roll22], for DC16 Toughness saves: [roll23], [roll24] (possibly with some minuses for bruises.) 4 would be Deflected if he wasn't Incapacitated, 5 just plain misses. I'm assuming David doesn't bother to Redirect. 5 is Bruised again thanks to Counter Stance.
Captain 6: Fires at Apex with his pistol: [roll25], DC23 Toughness save on hit: [roll26] Miss.
Captain 8: Stunned, tries to shake off Stun: [roll27] Still Stunned.

David: Fatigued.
Ellen: Fine
Think Tank: 1 Bruise, fatigued.
Emissary: Fine.

Glimpse: Fine.
Shrike: Fine.
Apex: Dazed.
Landslide: Fine.

Invisible dart-firer: Incapacitated
Siren: Stunned, Impaired & Vulnerable against David, and unaware of this
Captain 1: 1 Bruise and Staggered
Captain 2: Swimming.
Captain 3: Incapactiated.
Captain 4: Incapactiated.
Captain 5: 3 Bruises and Staggered.
Captain 6: 1 Bruise and Dazed.
Captain 7: Incapacitated.
Captain 8: Stunned.
Assault 1-24: Incapacitated

[Quellian-dyrae]

David cracked a little smile at Think Tank's response, but deciding that A) Shrike probably had this guy covered, B) one good turn deserves another, and C) fighting fair was for corpses, he decided that now was the perfect time to follow Think Tank's previous suggestion and engage Siren.

So he flew in and started dispensing the biggest beat-down he could with his staff.

If she lost consciousness, he'd dip down a bit to catch her before she sank beneath the water, and then look to the soldier in the water with a raised brow. "You surrender, or you want to swim to shore yourself?"

Yeah, no sense redirecting at an already downed target. David doesn't kill.

Move: Into AC11.

Standard: Attack Siren with Defensive Strike, Power Attacking for 5, at [roll0]. On a hit, Toughness DC 26+Multiattack vs. Damage. I believe her Impaired condition should apply to her resistance check, and since she's Stunned, she hopefully won't be able to benefit from her Adhesive Skin or maybe her Enhanced Traits for being in the water (working on the assumption that Adhesive Skin is a Reaction and the Enhanced Traits might be Sustained rather than Permanent). Crit. DC becomes 31+Multiattack.

EDIT: When I specified the biggest beat-down he could, I apparently wasn't exaggerating in the slightest :smallcool:.

Current Status: Fatigued, Defending (1d10+27).

[Zelphas]

Landslide, remove yourself from the vicinity of the drone immediately. I repeat, all friendly units remove yourself from the vicinity of the drone at once. The drone will explosively self-destruct in 3.25 seconds. Think Tank ignores the continuing battle around him, furiously calculating.

His Phase powers ran exclusively towards mental manipulation. He could overwhelm living minds, sift through them for details, or confuse the signals the brain sent to the muscles and nerves, among other things. He had precisely no gift in the field of affecting physical objects with mental ability. In short, he was telepathic, not telekinetic.

Still, several theories regarding Phase powers lumped telekinetic and telepathic powers together, stating that the sections of the brain that were stimulated for each disparate efect were so close in proximity to be nearly indistinguishable--the two powers used the same muscle in different ways, to grossly oversimplify matters. Therefore, theoretically speaking, Think Tank's telepathic prowess should be possible to translate to telekinetic force--extraordinarily difficult, but possible. It is also possible that the strain upon Think Tank's mental abilities would effectively remove him as a factor for the remainder of the engagement.

Then again, if Think Tank did not act, people could quite possibly die. Think Tank was an unfeeling brain, but he still had an ethical code, and allowing allies to die through inaction was in direct violation of that code.

Greenish energy coalesced around the remains of the drone, thickening into an amorphous green mist. The mist slid under the various pieces of the shattered drone, carefully picking up each individual piece before suddenly rocketing into the air and out of sight.

Threat Neutralized, Think Tank sends to his allies. Instead of the lightning-quick dump of information that the rest of Think Tank's messages have been characterized by, this message seems sluggish in comparison, almost as quick as regular speech.

Move Action: Nah.

Extra Effort: Power Stunt off of the Mental Array for Move Object 10 (Perception Range).

Standard Action: Throw the Drone Parts four miles straight up.

Status: 1 Bruise, Exhausted.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Normal

"Wait, explode!?" Gleam barely even registered the soldier's shot that flew by her when Think Tank sent out his warning, prompting her to turn to face the now visible wreckage of a droid. Soon enough a force of energy sent the wreckage into the air, "That's going to rain debris you know!" she yelled, not really angry, but definitely concerned.

"Hold on I'll get back to you in a bit," Gleam told the soldier she was engaging in battle before flying above tree-level, keeping a careful eye on the debris sent flying even higher into the air.

Erm... well here's the thing, Gleam making sure no major chunks of debris will cause harm would be by far and away the thing she'd do in-character, just not sure what kind of actions you'd want me to take for this sort of thing.

So I guess for want of anything better to do I guess I'll just say I'm readying an action to intercept major debris and I'll roll whatever you want me to roll for it. *shrug*

If this doesn't work I'll gladly edit.

[Llyarden]

Round 7

No sooner has Think Tank flung the drone (quite literally) sky-high, it explodes - catastrophically; almost as if it had been designed to explode eventually. Shrapnel begins to rain down, though Ellen is quite easily able to intercept the vast majority of it. A couple of bits might land in the vegetation and some of the unconscious attackers might get scratches, but there will be no more severe injuries than that.

In the water, the soldier Siren had pulled towards her looks up at David as he smashes his staff into Siren in a dazzling display of martial prowess. The man pauses, apparently evaluating the situation, and fires a dart into Siren's shoulder, though whatever effect it may have had is clearly eclipsed by the lingering effects of Think Tank's earlier mental assault.

Azar and Shrike attack one of the remaining attackers with electrified blade and staff, both hitting their target, who is far from able to fend off all their blows. Apex has considerably less luck, putting a fairly substantial dent in a nearby tree.

Landslide, meanwhile, perhaps acutely aware of just how close to death he had just been, turns to the closest soldier and slams his hand into the ground again, causing spikes of hardened earth to erupt around the man, cutting him in a couple of places, though he's quick enough to avoid the majority of the spikes, which crumble back into mud and drop back to the ground.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit?usp=sharing)

Glimpse: Uses Offensive Precognition on Captain 8. Will save: [roll0]. Vulnerable against Glimpse.
Apex: Unarmed strike on Captain 6, Accurate Attacking for 2: [roll1], DC23 Toughness on hit: [roll2]. Then tries to shake off Daze (DC23): [roll3] Yet another horrific miss. Still Dazed.
Shrike: Maintains Counter Stance and Flurries at Captain 5, Power Attacking for 2: [roll4], DC23 Toughness + Multiattack on hit: [roll5] Hit with +5 from Multiattack. Toughness should have been one lower, but Bruised and Dazed again.
Landslide: Moves and uses Fissure to hit Captain 1. DC18 Dodge for half: [roll6] and then DC23/19 Toughness: [roll7] Half effect; Bruised. This is a lethal attack, incidentally, not that it matters mechanically speaking.

Siren: Stunned; tries to shake off Stun (DC18): [roll8], and Impaired+Vulnerable (DC20): [roll9] Still Stunned, but no longer Impaired and Vulnerable.
Captain 1: Fires at Landslide: [roll10], DC23 Toughness on hit: [roll11] My god these people can't shoot.
Captain 2: Splashes around and fires at Siren again: [roll12], DC18 Toughness/Fort on hit: [roll13], [roll14] Except against their 'allies,' apparently. Resist easily, though.
Captain 5: Fires at Azar: [roll15], DC23 Toughness on hit: [roll16] Miss.
Captain 6: Fires at Apex: [roll17], DC23 Toughness on hit: [roll18] Miss.
Captain 8: Stunned; tries to shake off Stun (DC18): [roll19] Still Stunned.

David: Fatigued.
Ellen: Fine
Think Tank: 1 Bruise, fatigued.
Emissary: Fine

Glimpse: Fine.
Shrike: Fine.
Apex: Dazed.
Landslide: Fine.

Invisible dart-firer: Incapacitated
Siren: 1 Bruise, Staggered, Stunned
Captain 1: 2 Bruises and Staggered
Captain 2: Swimming.
Captain 3: Incapactiated.
Captain 4: Incapactiated.
Captain 5: 5 Bruises, Vulnerable and Staggered
Captain 6: 1 Bruise and Dazed
Captain 7: Incapacitated.
Captain 8: Stunned, Vulnerable against Glimpse and unaware of this.
Assault 1-24: Incapacitated

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Wise choice," David said with a grin and a nod. He could feel the adhesive from Siren's skin trying to catch his staff, but his blows were too quick to give it time to bond. Still, he had a chance to take her out while she was disabled; no sense wasting it.

He lashed out at her again, his staff whirling in a complex, distracting pattern, but every blow coming in aimed at some part of her body that was not exposed skin.

If this meant repeated blows to the top of the head was the most efficient means of attack, well, all the better.

Move: Feint Siren. Kinda thinking she might have decent Insight and/or Deception, so I'll take a risk and roll this one at [roll0].

Standard: Attack with Defensive Strike, Defensive Attacking for 4, Power Attacking for 2, at [roll1], critting on 16+. On a hit, Toughness DC 23+Multiattack vs. Damage. With Dodge now at 19, he can't fail against the Adhesive Skin.

Current Status: Fatigued, +4 personal defense this turn, Deflecting (1d10+27).

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Normal

"Whew..." Gleam sighed with relief as she caught the last of the major shrapnel chunks from the droid, she set the piece down on the ground beneath her, reminding herself to find the big pieces later to see if something can be learned about it, and flew towards the lake where she'd noticed the soldier in there firing at Siren; could just be that he's mad about being pulled into the water, but if it was an accident he'd have little reason to shoot at her given his situation, and if it wasn't an accident... there's something fishy about this whole scenario.

Gleam swooped low above the surface of the water, reached a hand down, skimming it across the water, and attempted to scoop up the soldier and carry him off into the air!

Move Action: Fly to Captain 2.

Standard Action: Attempting to grab him. [roll0]

Results of Standard Action: If check succeeds target must make a resistance check with the better of his strength or dodge vs. DC22. Failure by one degree will leave him restrained (immobile & vulnerable), failure by two degrees will leave him bound (defenseless, immobile, & impaired).

Move-by Action: If my grab is successful I'll fly straight up into the air with my passenger about... 100ft. (he may roll strength against DC22 to stop this). If my grab is unsuccessful I'll fly next to Badger.

The soldier had the sense to dive just out of Gleam's reach, leaving her to hover next to turned to the hero on the board, "Would you like a hand?" she offered politely.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank is stunned. His mental ability is extraordinary. While he cannot lay claim to the title of the most intelligent sentient being in the universe, or even the most intelligent being with human DNA on this planet, his intellect puts most so-called geniuses to shame.

And he had forgotten that explosions cause shrapnel.

Think Tank mechanically encapsulates some of the incomprehension coursing through his form and sends it to attack Siren's mind, pairing his mental strike with Badger's physical ones. Shrapnel. How could he have forgotten shrapnel?

Move Action: Nah.

Standard Action: Hit Siren with Concentrated Psionic Barrage. DC 23 Will save vs. Damage.

Status: 1 Bruise, Exhausted.

[Llyarden]

Round 8

Glimpse jabs her stilleto knife once again into the shoulder of one of the attackers, the pain apparently being enough to finally help him to snap out of the paralysis that Think Tank had imposed upon him. Apex, too, manages to land a massive blow on his opponent, though Shrike's attempt to assist the shapeshifter with a flanking attack is foiled when the man steps out of the way, though the retaliatory attack goes far wide.

Landslide, apparently still angry about the exploding drone, slams both hands into the ground again and makes a ripping motion, causing a large crack to appear in the ground. Fortunately for the man standing on it, he is fast enough to limp backwards before falling into the thing.

In the water, the man who had just dodged Gleam's attempt to grab him looks across at her, frowns, and calmly reloads his pistol, letting a few red darts sink into the water, replacing it with another clip. Siren herself finally breaks free from Think Tank's hold and looks up at her two/three attackers, somewhat nervously.

Glimpse: Attack Captain 8 with her stilleto, Power Attacking for 5: [roll0], DC23 Toughness on hit: [roll1] Hit. Bruised and Staggered.
Apex: Continue swinging at Captain 6, Accurate Attacking for 2: [roll2], DC23 Toughness on hit: [roll3] Hit. Bruised and Staggered.
Shrike: Move and Flurry on Captain 6: [roll4], DC23 Toughness + Multiattack on hit: [roll5] Miss.
Landslide: Uses Chasm on Captain 1, DC18 Dodge vs Dazed/Prone for a round: [roll6] and DC23 Toughness +SE if Prone: [roll7] Dazed.

Siren: Stunned, regenerates, and tries to shake off Stun (DC18): [roll8] No longer Stunned.
Captain 1: If he's not in a hole, fires at Landslide: [roll9], DC23 Toughness on hit: [roll10] Miss.
Captain 2: Splashes around and changes ammunition.
Captain 6: Fires at Shrike, Defensive Attacking for 2: [roll11], DC23 Toughness on hit: [roll12] Miss.
Captain 8: Stunned, tries to shake off Stun (DC18): [roll13] and Vulnerable (DC20): [roll14] No longer Stunned or Vulnerable.

David: Fatigued.
Ellen: Fine
Think Tank: 1 Bruise, exhausted.
Emissary: Fine

Glimpse: Fine.
Shrike: Fine.
Apex: Dazed.
Landslide: Fine.

Dart Drone: Incapacitated
Siren: 1 Bruise and Staggered
Captain 1: 2 Bruises and Staggered, Dazed this round.
Captain 2: Swimming.
Captain 3: Incapactiated.
Captain 4: Incapactiated.
Captain 5: Incapacitated.
Captain 6: 2 Bruises and Staggered, +2 Dodge & Parry this round.
Captain 7: Incapacitated.
Captain 8: 1 Bruise and Staggered
Assault 1-24: Incapacitated

[Quellian-dyrae]

What? Just because I don't have powers you think I need the mighty paragon to come handle the scary old sea witch for me? Teenager!David complained into his head at Gleam's words.

Shut up, she's just trying to be polite, David shushed his egotistical inner child.

"Couldn't hurt," he then answered out loud with a friendly grin. "Just be careful about touching her skin, she's sticky."

Siren was proving fairly impressively resilient. David felt confident he could take her, but it'd go faster with the paragon's help. And David had a lot of experience working with paragons.

He immediately began a rapid flurry of swift strikes with his staff. Nothing flashy, nothing fancy, no wasted movement; just a quick, tightly focused barrage of blows that would keep Siren's attention on him and hopefully leave her both wide open to a finishing strike from Gleam, and unable to strike back at her past David's protective staff.

Move: Feint Siren, Routine it for 25, and use Set Up to pass the benefit off to Gleam. If Siren's Insight fails, she's Vulnerable against Gleam's next attack.

Standard: Use Defensive Strike to Aid Gleam's next attack, Defensive Attacking for 5 and targeting Gleam with the Deflect, at [roll0] (after -5 for DA and +5 for Teamwork). If it beats DC 10, Gleam gets +2 to her next attack. If it beats DC 20, she gets +5. Since Deflect is PL limited, I believe Gleam only receives a 1d10+22 Deflect (rank capped at 10 due to her Toughness, +2 for David's Improved Defense). Gleam gets +5 on her next attack roll

Current Status: Fatigued, +5 Defense this turn.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Normal

"Thank you, but sticky shouldn't be a problem," Gleam says with a smile as her eyes light up with a turquoise light. Gleam turns her gaze towards Siren and frowns, "You have a lot to answer for miss..." when the fighter's staff was next withdrawn Gleam opened her eyes wide and a bright blue beam of kinetic energy punched through the surface of the water and traveled downwards for a distance, creating a large crater in the surface of the water as the beams were emitted. When the "Gleam Vision" ended the displaced water rushed back in, creating a bubble of foamy water before the water slowly leveled out.

Free Action: Changing array from enhanced strength to kinetic vision

Move Action: Nah...

Standard Action: 5 for 5 power attacking with Kinetic Vision against Siren, including the +5 from aid in this roll (should be fine since I'm making this attack in melee combat): [roll0]

Result of Standard Action: If attack hits, Siren must make a DC30 toughness save.

Reaction: Interposing the next attack that soldier makes at Siren.
"... but even so," Gleam said as Siren floated back up to the surface, continuing where she left off, "I still want to hope you're willing to be more reasonable than that soldier over there," Gleam told Siren while turning to look at the soldier, watching him carefully for his next move, "So do you really want to continue?" she asked the water-based superhuman.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank observes the battlefield. Everything seems to be wrapping up; Landslide, Shrike, Glimpse, Apex, and Emissary has the remaining captains corralled and essentially neutralized, and Siren is effectively one solid strike from being incapacitated. Gleam and Badger were well paired to deliver that strike. Think Tank is, frankly, undecided concerning where to strike. His awareness that this indecisiveness only lasts longer than a milisecond due to his exhaustion only exacerbates his indecisive state.

In the end, Think Tank strikes one more at Siren, simply throwing his weariness towards her in a wave.

Move Action: Nah.

Standard Action: Concentrated Psionic Barrage. Will DC 23 vs damage.

[Llyarden]

Round 9

"Do you think I have a choice?" hisses Siren back to Ellen as first the paragon's eye-beams and then Think Tank's wave of exhaustion hit her, rising up out of the water and throwing a punch at the paragon, though David is easily enough able to deflect it with a sharp strike of his staff. The man in the water fires once again at Siren, though apparently his gun is still suffering from the water because it once again does nothing more than click. And then Siren vanishes again.

Back on dry land, Apex begins to change shape again, returning to the large bear-like form he'd taken at the beginning of the fight. "Oh, now I'm mad," he growls, looking to the two conscious soldiers - which quickly becomes one conscious soldier as Shrike delivers a swift hail of blows with his staff. The small canyon Landslide had opened slams shut as he steps around and opens another one under the remaining man's feet, though this time the soldier is quick enough to step aside without missing a beat, and his return fire blows some of Landslide's muddy coating off as the earth manipulator curses.

Glimpse: Uses Defensive Precognition.
Apex: Activates Predator Aspect (bear), and tries to shake off that daze (DC23): [roll0] Finally un-dazed.
Shrike: Moves and Flurries at Captain 8: [roll1], DC23 Toughness + Multiattack on hit (DC23): [roll2] Bruised and Staggered again, therefore Incapacitated.
Landslide: Conjures another Chasm on Captain 1; DC18 Dodge: [roll3] and DC23 Toughness + SE if Prone: [roll4] Resist.

Siren: Attacks Gleam with an unarmed strike: [roll5], DC24 Toughness + DC19 Strength or Dodge vs Fast Grab on hit, deflected at [roll6], and then Conceals herself. Hit. Deflected.
Captain 1: If not in a hole, fires at Landslide: [roll7], DC23 Toughness: [roll8] Hit. Bruised.
Captain 2: Fires at Siren with lethal ammunition: [roll9], DC23 Toughness (from Gleam due to Interpose) on a hit. Another terrible miss.
Captain 8: Changes ammo and fires at Glimpse: [roll10], DC23 Toughness on hit, deflected at [roll11] and redirected at Captain 1 (unless he's fallen into the Chasm) at [roll12] Already incapacitated.

David: Fatigued.
Ellen: Fine.
Think Tank: 1 Bruise, exhausted.
Emissary: Fine.

Glimpse: Fine.
Shrike: Fine.
Apex: Fine.
Landslide: 1 Bruise

Dart Drone: Incapacitated
Siren: 3 Bruises and Staggered, Total Visual Concealment.
Captain 1: 2 Bruises and Staggered.
Captain 2: Swimming.
Captain 3: Incapactiated.
Captain 4: Incapactiated.
Captain 5: Incapacitated.
Captain 6: Incapacitated.
Captain 7: Incapacitated.
Captain 8: Incapacitated.
Assault 1-24: Incapacitated

[Quellian-dyrae]

David would be honest, that wasn't quite the response he expected. Oh, it didn't mean he was going to stop attacking her. She was too dangerous to leave active. Buuuuut...

"Please! You expect us to believe such an obvious, transparent lie? The battle turning so far against you that you feel your only recourse is to try to trick the heroes into feeling sorry for you? As if a mind-controlling sea-witch like you wouldn't love to get her psychic tendrils into a bunch of partying kids!"

"Let's be real Siren, you're so powerful a parahuman, there's nothing anyone could possibly do to force you into something like this!"

Every word was punctuated with a strike of his staff, not so much with intent to harm, as to keep her rattled and, more importantly, help Gleam better discern her position.

Move: Attempt to...I dunno if this counts more as a Trick or a Bluff, but basically manipulate Siren into talking more about why she feels forced to do this, hopefully revealing something about whoever's forcing her or maybe a personal Complication David can exploit. Routine Deception for 25, but increase to 30 if Attractive applies.

Standard: Another Defensive Strike as an Aid action for Gleam, Defensive Attacking for 5, at [roll0] (after +5 for Teamwork, -5 for Defensive Attack, and -5 for Concealment). If it hits DC 10, Gleam gets +2 to her next attack. If it hits DC 20, Gleam gets +5. Gleam also gets another round of 1d10+22 Deflect. Gleam gets +2 on her next attack against Siren

I'll also note that I'll use David's Routine Deception of 30 for the DC of any Bluffs she might be making, either if her previous words were one, or if she tries one in response to his action.

Current Status: Fatigued, +5 Defense this turn.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Normal

"Hey wait!" Gleam called out as Siren disappeared from view, "Oooohhh... you're really only making this harder on yourself you know!" Gleam voiced her stern disapproval, Badger continued to strike at the spot Siren was previously floating while Gleam's eyes lit up once more. This time the beam she emitted from her eyes was less powerful, and she tried to sweep it along a path in hopes of hitting Siren, they nearly hit the soldier in the water when the "Gleam Vision's" trail ended right in front of the soldier and Gleam leered at the soldier, "And don't think we've forgotten about you! I've half a mind to knock you out cold right here and now with the way you've been persistently shooting at your own ally!" she scolded the soldier.

Move Action: Still not happening.

Standard Action: Going to use Kinetic Vision once more, no modifiers other than the aid bonus, and the circumstance penalty for trying to hit a concealed enemy. [roll0]

Reaction: Still planning on interposing on the off-chance the soldier lands a hit on Siren.

[Zelphas]

It takes a long moment to process what has just happened to Siren, but then Think Tank is in his allies' minds once more. Siren has moved beyond my range of detection. Switching to help pick up the spares. I havent made a bowling analogy since my time as a full-bodied human being... a side-effect of exhaustion, no doubt, he thinks privately to himself, throwing a blast of unmodified psionic energy at the captain currently dancing around Landslide's pits.

Move Action: What is this 'move' you speak of?

Standard Action: Concentrated Psionic Barrage on Captain 1. DC 23 Will Save vs. Damage.

[Llyarden]

Round 10

The logical thing for Siren to do would have been to retreat. To let the water heal her wounds, and come back fully refreshed and ready for more. That much was obvious to everyone there. It may, therefore, have come as something of a surprise when she erupted back out of the water with a wild, furious punch at David, accompanied by a yell. "You don't know anything about me!"

Even with her wild swing exposing her, however, she's still quick enough to dart aside from the bullets that the soldier in the water, who seemed to have finally got his gun working, unloads at her.

Back on dry land, the bear-form Apex starts running into the water, his fur beginning to retreat to be replaced by scales as he goes. He is followed at a somewhat slower pace by Shrike while Glimpse moves towards the last man standing on land, who manages to jump aside from both another chasm opening and an overhand chop from Azar as she bounds clear over the chasm to strike at him and fires back at the alien, though his bullets seem to do no more to her than his companion's punches had earlier.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit?usp=sharing)

Glimpse: Uses Defensive Precognition and moves towards Captain 1.
Apex: Sprints into the water.
Shrike: Moves towards the water.
Landslide: Moves and creates another Chasm under Captain 1: DC18 Dodge: [roll0] and DC23 Toughness if prone: [roll1] Dodged.

Siren: Regenerates and attacks David with an unarmed strike, all-out attacking for 5: [roll2], DC24 Toughness on hit (David can't fail against Fast Grab thanks to Defensive Attack). Hit.
Captain 1: If not in a hole, fires at Azar: [roll3], DC23 Toughness on hit: [roll4] Hit. Resist.
Captain 2: Keeps on splashing and fires at Siren again: [roll5], DC23 Toughness (from Ellen due to Interpose) on a hit. [b]Miss.

David: Fatigued (pending).
Ellen: Fine.
Think Tank: 1 Bruise, exhausted.
Emissary: Fine.

Glimpse: Fine.
Shrike: Fine.
Apex: Fine.
Landslide: 1 Bruise

Dart Drone: Incapacitated
Siren: 2 Bruises and Staggered, -5 Dodge & Parry this turn.
Captain 1: 3 Bruises and Staggered.
Captain 2: Swimming.
Captain 3: Incapactiated.
Captain 4: Incapactiated.
Captain 5: Incapacitated.
Captain 6: Incapacitated.
Captain 7: Incapacitated.
Captain 8: Incapacitated.
Assault 1-24: Incapacitated

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Normal

"Look out!" Gleam was too late to prevent Siren from striking the martial artist that'd been helping her, but Siren had to extricate herself from the water slightly to make the attack she did, Gleam took advantage of this and fired her "Gleam Vision" between the two that forced Siren to withdraw backwards slightly, but wide open to a counter-attack from the martial artist.

Move Action: Still not going to happen.

Standard Action: Aid to bolster Badger's attack check using Gleam Vision: Teamwork applies to this roll so the roll is thusly: [roll0]

Result of Standard Action: If result is 10 or higher, Badger gets a +2 circumstance bonus to his next attack check. If the result is 20 or higher, Badger gets a +5 circumstance bonus to his next attack check.

Reaction: Still planning on interposing for Siren against the Captain first, but if that doesn't activate I'll interpose for the next attack thrown at Badger.

[Quellian-dyrae]

For all his skill, David just couldn't match the sheer speed of that blow. He got his hoverboard up to take the brunt of it, although the force of the impact still jarred him even past the device. Down went David, right into the lake with a splash.

He clambered back onto his hoverboard, a flat look of annoyance on his face.

Right, then.

"Oh, yeah, I bet you're a real sympathetic villain. I'm sure you have a whole sob story and everything, for why you took those kids. Mommy never let you be yourself? Daddy didn't hug you enough as a child? I'm sure all you ever wanted was to be loved, right? Give me a break."

David held his staff ready as he worked to taunt her into a further rage, and hopefully the paragon's attack would rattle and distract her just enough that she didn't quite think about it when she came at him, offering David the perfect chance to turn her momentum against her and smash his staff into her face.

Free: Climb back aboard the hoverboard.

Move: Feint Siren. Insight DC 25 or she's Vulnerable against David's next attack.

Standard: Misdirection on Siren, Defensive Attack for 5, +5 for Aid: [roll0]. On a hit, Dodge DC 20 vs. an Impaired/Compelled/Controlled Affliction that only affects actions made with or using Phase or Tech powers and lasts for one round. If she is Compelled or Controlled, on her next turn, force her to attack herself with her unarmed strike (although it's fluffed as her furiously attacking David and him counter-attacking using her momentum against her), with full All Out Attack and Power Attack. I imagine her high Strength and Fast Grab are due to her Phase Powers. EDIT: Really hope that feint succeeds...

Current Status: 1 Bruise, Fatigued.

[Zelphas]

Noticing Siren's reemergence, Think Tank simply turns all of his focus on her, attempting to overwhelm her mind.

Concentrated Psionic Barrage on Siren. DC 23 Will vs. Damage.

[Llyarden]

Round 11

David's taunt certainly works, though Siren's blow comes with too much power and momentum for even him to manage to manipulate, forcing him to settle for getting out of the way. Perhaps surprisingly, the water manipulator proceeds to laugh, a laugh that seems both furious and sad at the same time, both emotions that one would not conventionally expect from laughter. "Of course you won't listen," she hisses back at him. "But that what's they're counting on, isn't it? They were right." She seems to be talking more to herself at this point.

While this is going on, the swimming soldier takes the opportunity to line up a shot on Siren - only to yell in pain as the sharp teeth of the now-shark-shaped Apex sink into his leg, forcing him to spend the time getting back above the surface instead.

Landslide apparently gives up on trying to drop the land-bound soldier in a chasm and instead forms a curved sword of earth at the end of his palm, swiping in a blow that is easily dodged by the man, just as Azar's electrified blade is, his return fire this time biting into the alien more effectively.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit?usp=sharing)

Glimpse: Maintains Defensive Precognition and moves towards Captain 1.
Apex: Changes Predator Aspect to Shark and charges Captain 2 with Shark Bite, all-out and power attacking for 5, crit 18-20: [roll0], DC33 Toughness on hit: [roll1] Hit. Bruised and Dazed.
Shrike: Moves into the water.
Landslide: Activates Earthen Weapons (blade) and charges Captain 1, crit 19-20: [roll2], DC25 Toughness (3 Bruises) on hit: [roll3] Miss.

Siren: Attacks David again, all-out attacking for 5: [roll4], DC24 Toughness and DC19 Strength or Dodge vs Fast Grab on hit. Miss.
Captain 1: Fires at Azar, all-out attacking for 2: [roll5], DC23 Toughness on hit: [roll6] Hit. Bruised.
Captain 2: Fires at Siren, all-out attacking for 2: [roll7], DC23 Toughness on hit (from Ellen due to Interpose). Too busy swimming!

David: 1 Bruise, Fatigued.
Ellen: Fine
Think Tank: 1 Bruise, exhausted.
Emissary: 1 Bruise.

Glimpse: Fine.
Shrike: Fine.
Apex: Fine.
Landslide: 1 Bruise

Dart Drone: Incapacitated
Siren: 3 Bruises and Staggered, -5 Dodge & Parry this round.
Captain 1: 3 Bruises and Staggered, -2 Dodge & Parry this round.
Captain 2: Swimming, 1 Bruise, Dazed this round, -2 Dodge & Parry this round.
Captain 3: Incapactiated.
Captain 4: Incapactiated.
Captain 5: Incapacitated.
Captain 6: Incapacitated.
Captain 7: Incapacitated.
Captain 8: Incapacitated.
Assault 1-24: Incapacitated

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Oh yeah, you've given us all the reason in the world to listen to you," David retorted as he deftly slipped aside her blow. "You're the one who attacked us, remember! You want to settle this peacefully, don't say it, show it! Cease fighting and leave the lake, then maybe we can talk."

He even held off his attacks a moment to give her the opportunity to do so, though he was ready to strike anew if she continued fighting.

Move: Attempt to convince Siren that if she leaves the water and ceases hostilities they'll stop fighting her and listen. Routine Deception for 25, although this happens to be true (although David can't really speak for anyone but himself).

Standard: Ready an action. If Siren continues hostilities (on anyone except the remaining captains), attack with Defensive Strike, Defensive Attacking for 4, at [roll0], critting on 16+. On a hit, Toughness DC 21+Multiattack vs. Damage. The Deflect will apply to whoever Siren attacks, or to David if he can't get a different applicable target. If she moves before attacking, resolve as a Charge, reducing attack roll by 2.

Current Status: Fatigued, 1 Bruise, +4 Defense this turn.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Normal

Gleam hovered close to the martial artist, ready to attack with him using a full-powered "Gleam Vision" if worse came to worse. "I think you need a bit to cool off..." Gleam hoped that Siren would listen to reason, whatever was going on was clearly weighing on Siren. While yes she deserved to face the consequences of kidnapping children, her pity for the woman's mental state was another matter entirely.

Move Action: Still don't feel like it.

Standard Action: Ready an action for if Siren continues hostility: The action will be a 5 for 5 power attack Team Attack alongside Badger with Kinetic Vision vs. Siren, +5 modifier due to teamwork: [roll0]

Result of Standard Action (if it happens): Siren must make a DC30 toughness save if it hits.

Reaction: Interposing for Siren if she backs down and gets attacked, if she acts hostile I'll instead interpose for Badger if he gets attacked.

[Zelphas]

'They' counted on our makeshift group not listening to Siren? Think Tank muses, before reaching out towards the water controller's mind once more. Instead of striking, he begins to read her mind. So be it, then; I am listening.

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Mind Reading on Siren. Will save vs DC: [roll0]

[Llyarden]

Round 12

Siren looks up at David. Just for a moment it looks like she is going to surrender, but then she sighs. "I can't. I'm sorry." Her next punch is aimed at Ellen and is much less wild than before, though the lack of speed of the blow also allows David to push it aside.

Apex gets a kick to his shark nose as he tries to come in for another bite on the legs of the soldier, though defending himself from the shapeshifter is at the least distracting him enough that his gunfire goes wide again. And Shrike crouches to flick a switch on his boots and then jumps out of the water, balancing on top of it (somewhat awkwardly) and running in to deliver a hail of blows to the soldier, who manages to get one arm up in time to take the brunt of the assault.

Azar manages to land a blow on the other soldier, though he is still quick enough to evade Landslide and fire back at Azar, not that any of his bullets get close to hitting her.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit?usp=sharing)

Azar: Attacks Captain 1 with her Shockblade: [roll0], DC25 Toughness (3 Bruises): [roll1] and DC18 Fort: [roll2] on hit. Hit. Bruised.

Glimpse: Uses Offensive Precognition on Captain 1 and moves up to him. Will save: [roll3] Defenceless against Glimpse.
Apex: Attacks Captain 2 with Shark Bite, all-out and power attacking for 5, crit 18-20: [roll]1d20+5[/roll 10, DC33 Toughness (1 Bruise) on hit: [roll4] Miss.
Shrike: Activates Hypertension Generator and charges Captain 2, power attacking for 2: [roll5], DC25 Toughness + Multiattack on hit (1 or 2 Bruises): [roll6] Hit, +5 Multiattack. Resist due to natural 20.
Landslide: Attacks Captain 1 with Earthen Weapons, crit 19-20: [roll7], DC25 Toughness (3 or 4 Bruises) on hit: [roll8] Miss.

Siren: Regenerates. If the two Captains are taken out, she'll Conceal herself and swim away. Otherwise she attacks David Ellen, with no modifiers this time: [roll9], DC24 Toughness and DC19 Strength/Dodge vs Fast Grab on hit. Both readied actions miss. Deflected by David.
Captain 1: Fires at Azar, all-out attacking for 2: [roll10], DC23 Toughness (1 Bruise) on hit: [roll11] Miss.
Captain 2: Fires at Siren, all-out attacking for 2: [roll12], DC23 Toughness (2 Bruises) on hit: [roll13] Miss.

David: 1 Bruise, Fatigued.
Ellen: Fine
Think Tank: 1 Bruise, exhausted.
Emissary: 1 Bruise

Glimpse: Fine.
Shrike: Fine.
Apex: Fine.
Landslide: 1 Bruise

Dart Drone: Incapacitated
Siren: 2 Bruises and Staggered
Captain 1: 4 Bruises and Staggered, -2 Dodge & Parry this round, Defenceless against Glimpse and unaware of this.
Captain 2: Swimming, 1 Bruise, -2 Dodge & Parry this round
Captain 3: Incapactiated.
Captain 4: Incapactiated.
Captain 5: Incapacitated.
Captain 6: Incapacitated.
Captain 7: Incapacitated.
Captain 8: Incapacitated.
Assault 1-24: Incapacitated

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Let's be realistic here. You have lost!" David retorted as Apex and Shrike arrived, although he honestly couldn't help but wonder why everyone was so flame-blasted eager to get at the guy who had switched sides. "Your fighting on is not going to accomplish anything, and either there is something you are trying to accomplish or prevent by winning here - in which case, your failure will achieve the same results as your surrender - or there is someone threatening something important to you in exchange for your actions. In which case, I doubt they're going to just say, 'Oh well, she tried her best.' Your best chance of getting what you want here is to convince us to help you, because you aren't going to do it yourself!"

David watched her carefully as he spoke, looking for any clue regarding her intentions, any sign of weakening in her resolve.

Move: Another Routine Feint for 25, using Set Up to pass the benefits to Gleam.

Standard: Analyze Enemy on Siren. Perception Range, Subtle 2, Insidious. Will DC [roll0] vs. Mind Reading, Limited to learning an enemy's powers or Complications. If she fails by enough that I can ask a question it will be: "What is forcing her to keep fighting us?" under the assumption that whatever it is counts as a Complication for her. In addition, if her Will save fails to beat DC 20, she suffers an Impaired+Vulnerable/Disabled+Defenseless Affliction against David. Both effects are Cumulative.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, Fatigued.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Normal

Gleam just gave a slow, silent, nod; attempting to affirm that the martial artist had the right of it. Here was hoping this was a convincing argument for the waterborne superhuman. She was tempted to turn around and see if the captain stuck in the water couldn't be dealt with to take some of the pressure off of Siren, but Gleam knew she had to be ready in case Siren still couldn't be reasoned with.

Move Action: Umpteenth verse, same as the first (READ: Nada)

Standard Action: Ready an action for if Siren continues hostility: The action will be a 5 for 5 power attack with Kinetic Vision vs. Siren: [roll0]

Result of Standard Action (if it happens): Siren must make a DC30 toughness save if it hits.

Reaction: Interposing for Siren if she backs down and gets attacked, if she acts hostile I'll instead interpose for Badger if he gets attacked. Same as last round.

[Zelphas]

Extracting information... Think Tank sends to his allies, forgoing attack in favor of sifting through Siren's memories.

No Actions this turn.

[Llyarden]

Round 13

Azar's electrified blade hews once more into the soldier she is fighting, and the electrical shock finally overcomes the man, who drops to the floor. She then turns to her fighting companions and declares "There is a strange noise coming from the forest, similar to that machine. We should investigate."

"Maybe not. But it's my only hope." Entirely unaware of Think Tank's rifling through her memories, Siren watches as both Shrike and Apex deliver a ferocious pummeling to the last soldier, a little blood turning the water red around them. And in amidst all the splashing and fighting as the soldier finally submits to unconsciousness, she is gone as suddenly as she first appeared.

Who is/are 'they'? She doesn't really know; she suspects they're some sort of government organisation from the power they've displayed.
What is allowing them to control your actions? They have her younger sister.

Everyone gets a Hero Point. You can of course try to chase after Siren if you want to continue it, but enough of the battle is concluded to warrant the Hero Point.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit?usp=sharing)

Glimpse, Landslide and Azar: Head off in the direction that the soldiers came from; Glimpse using Defensive Preecognition as she goes.
Shrike: Attacks Captain 2, Power Attacking for 2: [roll0], DC25 Toughness + Multiattack (1 Bruise): [roll1] Hit. No Multiattack. Bruised and Staggered again, therefore Incapacitated.
Apex: Attacks Captain 2 with Shark Bite, All-out and Power Attacking for 5, crit 18-20: [roll2], DC33 Toughness (1 or 2 Bruises): [roll3] on hit.

Siren: If Captain 2 is taken out, she Conceals herself and swims away. Otherwise she attacks Ellen again: [roll4], DC24 Toughness + DC19 Strength or Dodge vs Fast Grab on hit.
Captain 2: Fires at Siren again, still all-out attacking for 2: [roll5], DC23 Toughness (2 Bruises): [roll6]

Status:

David: 1 Bruise, Fatigued.
Ellen: Fine
Think Tank: 1 Bruise, exhausted.
Emissary: 1 Bruise

Glimpse: Fine.
Shrike: Fine.
Apex: Fine.
Landslide: 1 Bruise

Dart Drone: Incapacitated
Siren: 2 Bruises and Staggered, Visually Concealed.
Captain 1: Incapacitated.
Captain 2: Incapacitated.
Captain 3: Incapactiated.
Captain 4: Incapactiated.
Captain 5: Incapacitated.
Captain 6: Incapacitated.
Captain 7: Incapacitated.
Captain 8: Incapacitated.
Assault 1-24: Incapacitated

[Nintendogeek01]

"Wait!" and like that Siren was gone; Gleam could have gone swimming after her, if it weren't for the fact that Siren had concealed herself in the water. Gleam was pensive for a moment, until the soldier cried out in pain from being bitten, lurching Gleam back to reality, "Whoa whoa... you don't have to go THAT far," she told Apex and Shrike with a noticeable grimace, "We're all alive and walking... so to speak..." she notices the shark-formed Apex, "... but I should ask, everyone alright otherwise?"

At that point Emissary's shout reached her ears, "A machine eh? I wonder what kind?" as Gleam flew over towards Emissary and the location the latter mentioned, Gleam's thoughts briefly drifted back to Siren's parting words, what made her feel as though she had no choice? What made her feel so backed into a corner that she couldn't trust the superheroes gathered here? Okay granted they weren't the Sapphire Guard, but very few of the people here were unknowns. Regardless of Siren's reasons, Gleam thought, she had been complicit, probably vital, in the kidnapping of several kids; she'd have to face the consequences for that, but maybe, just maybe, Siren could still be saved from whatever injustice she feels trapped under.

Having reasoned that out Gleam focused back on the present and touched down on the ground close to Emissary and began walking with her towards the supposed machine, "Guess we'll take a look," Gleam said, mildly confident that this could lead somewhere.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David likewise wasn't a huge fan of letting the dangerous super escape, but there wasn't much he could do. Marco Polo was a lot harder when the opposing player didn't answer your calls. Also when they had water-adapted superpowers and an entire lake to hide in.

He didn't comment on Apex and Shrike's attacks on the last soldier. Based on what Siren had said, it was at least feasible that the soldiers were the real enemy and she was being coerced, rather than the other way around. He just grabbed the unconscious man by his collar and dragged him back to shore, laying him down once they reached dry land and flying over to the others.

David nodded in agreement to the plan of investigating, and slipped into the shadows of the forest.

Sorry for the delay, internet was down yesterday.

Stealth: [roll0].

[Zelphas]

The organization currently holding the Siren in thrall is unknown to her, Think Tank reports to his teammates. Only that the size and the scope of their power suggests a governmental branch. The reason that she cannot stop is simple; this shadowy organization has abducted the Siren's younger sister, and no doubt threatens torture or termination of the sibling if the Siren does not comply.

Think Tank begins flying into the forest, looking for the source of the sound.

Perception to home in on the noise: [roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

"Her sister!?" Gleam couldn't help but be horrified, sure she knew that kidnapping was a typical move for the unscrupulous, but Gleam also knew how she'd feel if it were her mother or Robert being held hostage. "But we could've helped her!" Gleam added with some frustration, mostly at Siren's decision to run. "We can help!" she added with determination, continuing to look for the mentioned machine.

In case it's needed, Perception: [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

David's face became...rather still at Think Tank's explanation. He had kinda expected it might be something of that nature, but that didn't make it any less infuriating when it was confirmed. Going after family was low, and despite everything he couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Siren.

Still and all, there are a lot more families suffering now because of her actions, he reminded himself. And Siren had likely put them and her own sister in greater danger by refusing to cooperate with them. He could only hope it wasn't her sister who would suffer for her folly.

She'd be back. There wasn't any question. David didn't believe she had chosen the most practical course for solving her problem, but having chosen it, he was certain she wouldn't back down until her sister was safe. They'd have to take her down hard and fast next time to keep her from becoming a persistent problem and try to get as much information as they could out of her. David felt for her plight and could appreciate her resolve, but there was too much at stake to treat her as anything other than an enemy.

[Llyarden]

Apex - who upon closer inspection is likely the source of the blood given his sharp shark teeth, which are indeed stained red - gives Ellen a look that seems to be a mixture of annoyance and amusement. "Aw, I'm sorry. Next time I'll be careful not to scratch the people who are trying to knock us out and drag us who knows where." His voice sounds rather peculiar coming from a shark's mouth, but is nonetheless understandable.

Finding the machine - or, as it turns out, machines - is not that difficult; they're about thirty seconds' walk away from the lakeside, a walk made easier by the fact that the forests have been trampled by the soldiers, who obviously came from this direction. Both look identical: a curious pylon-shaped object that stretched roughly up to shoulder height.

Both of you can see a faint bubble surrounding each pylon, stretching out about 30 feet.

[Nintendogeek01]

"Hmmmm..." Gleam stopped and looked at the device for a bit, "Hold on... something around it... kinda faint though..." Gleam warned the others as she inspected it for a bit. She couldn't help but wonder how they hadn't noticed these before, everyone here had arrived well before the fight broke out after all. She needed to get closer to those pylons to start observing them, but no telling if these were safe or not. Well, Gleam knew that if these weren't safe, she was the most likely to walk away from it due to her own resilience and recovery ability.

"Well, let's see what happens," she slowly reached her hand out to touch it, "You'll pull me out if I pass out or something right?" she asked the others, half-joking with them.
Going to slowly try and enter this "field," keeping a foot outside of it until it proves sort of safe.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David had kinda felt it after teaming up with her against Siren, but as Gleam took the risk of approaching the pylon, it became unmistakable. "You remind me of my sister, you know that?" she told her in a bemused tone. That was definitely a thing Laurel would do.

David took to the air, going about a hundred and fifty feet up, to get a wider range of vision over the area in case Gleam's actions caused some effect that wouldn't be immediately noticeable. Also to hopefully get out of the radius of any explosion it might have triggered.

Perception: [roll0].

[Llyarden]

Touching the field doesn't have any noticeable or immediate effect that anyone can notice. It feels a little tingly, but doesn't have any effect on Ellen beyond that.

Once inside, you notice something a little peculiar. Even though you can see the others moving around a bit, you can't hear anything coming from outside the field.

[Nintendogeek01]

Though at first a little surprised at how... silent the whole world went, eventually her scientific curiosity got the better of her, "Hmmmm..." Gleam, still inside the pylon's "bubble" turned to the rest of the heroes, "Hey! Can you hear me out there!?" she shouted. Shortly after Gleam stepped out the bubble and looked towards the rest of the heroes "It doesn't seem like anything harmful happened, but I can't hear anything outside of the field," Gleam explained, "So... did you hear me while I was in that field?" she asked the others.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David flew back down once Ellen entered the field to no effect, although he was still in the air when she tried speaking, so he stayed quiet on the matter, since he wouldn't have heard her one way or another.

[Zelphas]

Intriguing. Think Tank immediately begins to examine the pylons as they come into view, staying well clear of the bubbles they exude. He remains silent as Gleam inters the field, watching closely to see if there is any reaction.

The field seems to be more than a simple soundproofing device; I was unable to hear you, Think Tank replies in answer to Gleam's question. Did you notice any other effects of the field? Think Tank hardly waits for a reply, simply marching forward into the field to observe the pylons in greater detail.

Technology Check on the pylons, to see if Think Tank can decipher their purpose: [roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

"Other than a minor tingling sensation..." Gleam pauses her answer as Think Tank enters the field, knowing that the robot wouldn't hear her while they were on different sides of the field, a problem she quickly fixed by following after it, "... no effects I've noticed," she finished as she stooped down to begin looking at the Pylon in more detail, maybe trying to spot something that the robot could better disseminate.
With teamwork + technology I'm going to help Think Tank examine the pylon... though from his above roll he may not really need the aid... oh well. on a result of 10 or higher Think Tank will have a +2 circumstance bonus to his result, while with a result of 20 or higher he will have a +5 circumstance bonus.

Technology + Teamwork: [roll0]

[Llyarden]

As it turns out, no-one can hear you if you're in the field, not even someone else who's there, which makes communication a little difficult. Azar maintains that she can hear a faint high-pitched sound, though.

Understanding the purpose of the device isn't difficult; very little effort has been made to obfuscate its purpose. It seems to be a rather - or more accurately, extremely - advanced sound muffler, although Think Tank can quite easily think of some improvements - making it block a wider range of frequencies, for one, or not block communication within the field.

Think Tank would deduce that this was designed by someone who might even rival his intellect, but somewhat cobbled together in a matter of an hour or so - albeit cobbled together from rather advanced tools.

The last thing that Think Tank would conclude from this is that there's probably about two hours of battery life left in this thing, after which it would likely be very difficult if not impossible to garner any clues as to the inventor's identity.

Thanks to not being in the sound-muffling field, David can hear the faint sounds of police sirens approaching. Apparently the police officers woke up to see the battlefield that was left behind.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam was a bit frustrated at how this field was silencing her even within it, she hoped that, literally, pointing a few things out to Think Tank enabled him to learn a bit more about the device. She remembered that the robot had been talking to them mentally for a while... maybe if she thinks hard enough about what to say to him he could read it? "Think Tank was it? Did you find anything?" Gleam decided to head out of the field so as to talk with the rest, though her train of thought was interrupted when the sirens hit her no longer blocked ears.

"Oh... better round up all the soldiers," with that Gleam began zipping around the area, gathering all of the soldiers in one location to make handing them over easier, "Hey Think Tank, if you are listening the Police are coming, they'll want to ask you questions too I'm sure," Gleam thought as she patiently waited close to the gathered soldiers.

While waiting she turned to the martial artist, "You know... now that we're not immediately dealing with something, I just realized I hadn't gotten your name," Gleam said with a small bit of embarrassment, "I'm sorry about that, I'm Gleam," she introduced, "So who do I have the pleasure of working with here?"

[Zelphas]

Think Tank steps out of the field as well, ignoring the distant sounds for the time being. The two pylons were built for the express purpose of dampening all sound within them, from a variety of wavelengths. The construction of the devices suggests a supergenius-level intellect possibly rivalling my own, though if they are so gifted they were either working in haste or under some other unknown influence, since they could have created the same device in a way that uses a tenth of the energy through a simple process of...I digress.

The robot turns back towards the field. One or more of you should distract the constabulary. I need free access to these pylons for the next two hours, so that I may trace down their creator and perhaps discover their ulterior purpose. Simple noise dampening seems a bit, simplistic. Gleam, your assistance would make my dissemination much more efficient. With that, the brain in a J.A.R. steps back into the field.

If possible, I would take 20 on a Technology check, looking specifically for distinctive markings of the inventor and builder of the pylons. If not, Technology: [roll0]

Cross-referencing with Well-Informed: [roll1]

Are there any more rolls I need to make?

[Quellian-dyrae]

"David," he responded, extending his hand...actually kinda unnecessarily hastily (David had had fingers broken more than once after a paragon had traded grips with his siblings and not realized they had to use less force with him, and had made it a point to be the first one to offer a handshake to those with that powerset). "Or Badger, if you prefer going by codename," he added offhand. It didn't really matter to him; only people he'd want to keep this little escapade secret from would have known him by either name anyway.

"I'll talk to the police," he agreed, heading back that way. Would also give him a chance to try to get some information out of them.

[Llyarden]

The reaction from the other heroes is mixed. Apex and Landslide apparently don't want to talk to the police and depart, Landslide literally disappearing into the ground. Shrike and Glimpse remain, as does Azar.

As it turns out, the backup that the policemen had called for came in the form of three cars, with three officers in each car. It is, perhaps, fortunate for them that the aggressors had already been dealt with.

As Gleam and David (and Shrike, Glimpse and Azar) re-emerge, they find a selection of firearms pointed at them, mostly rather nervously. "Er...stop!" calls one of them, presumably the one that has the misfortune of being the most senior officer present.

A cursory glance over them reveals that the thing has been constructed more or less from scratch; whoever built it did so with the smallest, most individual components they could, presumably because such tiny components would be bought more frequently and therefore would be harder to track down. That said, such a construction method is, in and of itself, somewhat distinguishing, and Think Tank is able to find a few chips and other assorted bits of electronics that have such eclectic purposes that very few stores sell them, and those that do probably only sell a few per month.

Interestingly, this does not correlate, as far as Think Tank is aware, with Siren's belief that the people holding her sister are a government organisation. Governments don't construct things from scratch in this way.

If anything, this is closer to the kind of tech Think Tank remembers from his dealings with Higher Phase.

[Nintendogeek01]

"Nice to meet you David," it was refreshing to meet someone who wasn't afraid to give their real name, and it was a common enough name anyways. The friendly greetings were interrupted when nervous officers pulled their guns out on arrival at the scene.

"Easy officers," Gleam slowly put her hands up where the police could see them, careful not to make sudden movements so as to avoid startling them, "The other heroes and I gathered here only came here out of concern for recent kidnappings, we'd love to tell you what happened and what we know. I'm sure there's no need for guns," Gleam told the officers, attempting to be as reassuring at possible.

Come on dice don't get the police to hate us. (adding +2 from attractive since I'm sure that would apply here): [roll0]

EDIT: Sweet, by the persuasion chart that should be 1 success.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David set his staff onto his hoverboard (actually onto his foot, so he could kick it up to hand in an instant if need be) and likewise raised his hands. It was the polite thing to do when police had their guns pointed at you. Gleam had pretty much summed it up though, so he just stood silent.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank is incapable of fear. He theorized that his amygdala was damaged in the extensive tests done to his brain over fifty years, rendering him incapable of any and all emotions. Another theory of his suggested that without any muscles to tense or adrenaline to pump through the body, his emotions lacked physical stimulus, rendering them moot. In any case, the brain piloting a mechanical body could not be made fearful, or react to anything with anything like panic.

Therefore, the fact that Think Tank immediately considers the most expedient and stealthy means of leaving the state the moment his tinkering with the pylons points to Higher Phase is simple, rational thought, or at worst a force of habit; it could not be fear. He is incapable of fear. He sets to work dismantling the pylons entirely, removing their cones of sound as quickly as possible. Who knows what they could do, if his suspicions are anything could go on. It is only sensible to demolish them immediately. Only sensible.

Technology to dismantle the pylons: [roll0]

[Llyarden]

"Erm..." The policeman gives a bemused look around to the numerous unconscious bodies on the ground before speaking into a shoulder mike. "Control, this is 5-9. The situation seems to be...resolved, over." Apparently whoever's on the other end of the microphone says something to him, because he listens for a few moments before giving a slight gulp. "Er...confirmed, Control, out."

Looking up at the assembled heroes, he says "Er...you should probably come down to the precinct so we can take statements and...work out what went on here."

Dismantling the pylons is not hard, although a couple of times some tricksy little bits of wiring mean that Think Tank finds that he's accidentally destroyed a couple of chips before he realises what's happened and corrects it. It seems that the pylons are to some degree designed to destroy their own inner workings should anyone try to disassemble them without knowing what they're doing.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David considered. On the one hand, Siren would almost certainly report to the people behind this; they may not have time for that. On the other hand, without any solid leads, flying around randomly wasn't going to do much good. They could still check the slope, but the targets were unlikely to actually be there. There might be clues though.

Still, the better lead would come from the people involve, and the police were better set up to process an interrogation.

"Of course," David agreed. "There are some things you need to know immediately. One of the attackers, a superhuman called Siren, escaped the battle. You should put an APB out on her. I can sit down with a sketch artist if you don't have a picture. She's powerful though; non-supers shouldn't engage her at all, and even supers should only risk doing so if there's no water nearby."

"We're pretty sure the abductees were taken by boat. Glimpse here had a vision. You should get a team of investigators to the Lakeshore; there might be evidence there. Checking out the boathouse might be a good idea too."

"Also, I've got experience in interrogation tactics, so I'd like to sit in on at least a couple of the interviews with these soldiers."

He looked to the supers. "I've got a pretty good memory, so I can probably tell them what they need to know if you guys want to run down some other leads. That said, we were all in different places and doing different things back there, and it's always good to have more than one account, so it probably wouldn't hurt if some of you came along too. That, uh, Think Tank guy in particular, once he's done with those pylons. He seemed smart, would probably be an asset in an interrogation."

Where by "seemed smart" David in fact meant "said he read Siren's mind". But that probably wasn't the sort of thing you mentioned in front of the police. David respected the law and did his best to work with and within it, but no system was perfect, and extreme crimes called for extreme measures. When a bunch of kids' lives were on the line - including that of one of David's students - a few soldiers' rights to privacy wasn't exactly his concern.

Kinda figured that slope place would have some sort of name, so just used the Lakeshore as a sort of placeholder. :smallamused:

I'm also assuming, given the number of powered people in the world, that superhuman laws are pretty well developed and that rampant mind reading as part of a criminal investigation is probably at least some shade of "no no" (although it wouldn't surprise me if it were approved in situations like this). If I'm wrong, well, ignore that last bit. In fact, if it is allowed in these sorts of situations, do in fact replace David's "seemed smart" with "can read minds".

[Zelphas]

Think Tank discards the burned out chips, spreading the rest out neatly for later study. The fact that the pylons were rigged to destroy themselves upon tampering is more proof that they served some purpose other than simple sound dampening, which is more proof that Higher Phase is involved.

gathering up a few components, Think Tank flies unsteadily back towards the police, landing with a heavy thump. He says nothing, allowing the others to speak and scouring the minds of everyone around him for more information.

Flying back to the group.

Mind Reading on everyone within 30 feet of Think Tank (trying to catch all of the police officers if possible). Will Save vs DC [roll0]

Questions:
1. What corporations or businesses, if any, is Technicolour in a business relationship with?
2. What new corporations or businesses have begun developing land around Azure Bay?
3. What corporations or businesses own property or have interests around Lake Carnigan?
4. Does the name 'Higher Phase' mean anything to you?

[Nintendogeek01]

"Of course officer, I'm happy to help how I can," Gleam answered the officer, "For that matter officer, besides my statement I'd like to continue assisting with this case, I can't truly speak for everyone here, but this kidnapping needs to be solved and I for one can't sit by and let this continue. Siren, and whoever these men work for, need to answer for this crime and the victims need to be saved," Gleam's determination as she said this left no room for any irony in that statement, she meant every word.

[Llyarden]

Some of the police officers jump and raise their guns as Think Tank lands in front of them, though they relax a little again when he does not immediately attack them. One of the more junior-looking police officers busily writes down everything David and Ellen say while the more senior one looks across the six heroes, and then to the innumerable unconscious bodies strewn around the lakeside. "Most of that's above my pay grade, sir," he says. "Just you all come down to the precinct and you can speak to the officer in charge of the case. Matthews!" he turns and barks at the note-taking policewoman, who jumps slightly. "You and Johannson take any of these men and women that don't have their own transportation down to the precinct. I'll phone Detective Thompson and let him know you're on your way"

There is a noticeable pause that hangs in the air a moment before the woman says "Yes, sir," and gets back into her car, as does one of the other officers.

Unless anyone else has anything else to do, I think we should be good to skip down to the police station, post-interviews, statements, sketch artists etc, and on to the 'meat' of the investigation. If you're leaving anything out of your stories, please remember to note that and roll a Deception check (just one Deception check in general, not one per piece of omitted information.)

As you aren't suspects in the investigation (far from it!) you won't have your powers recorded into the police database. So no need to worry about that.

Also, if everyone could include a Perception check with their post, that'd be grand.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David nodded and followed the police on his hoverboard. Once they were there, he tried to be as helpful as possible, detailing the attack and what they had found. He mentioned the pylons, but didn't speculate much about their function, telling the police that he really didn't know what they might have been for. He also made sure to repeat his previous requests and suggestions to the person in charge.

Perception: [roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam followed the police by flying through the air, running through everything she knew through her head as she traveled. Gleam fully believed that the Police had something to contribute to this and wasn't their enemy, so she felt no reason to hide anything directly pertaining to this case.

On seeing the broadcast from the Mayor Gleam arrived at the lake to find the other heroes, Badger, Think Tank, Glimpse, Apex, and Mudslide already there and investigating; Glimpse had a vision that she didn't fully recall the details of when the group was ambushed by Siren from the water, and the soldiers from the woods, aided by an invisible robot (whose pieces should still be in the park if the police haven't already looked at it). Gleam even explained how Siren's behavior and Think Tank's own investigation led the heroes to believe that Siren is being blackmailed into complicity due to her, still unknown, sister being held hostage, though Gleam had to admit they had no solid proof of this. Gleam ended her testimony with what little she knew on the mysterious pylons that seemed to nullify all sound that she looked at with Think Tank, though the heroes didn't get much of a chance to discuss the details on these Pylons, beyond an apparently hasty construction, before the Police arrived.

Whenever Gleam had a moment with the other heroes she felt the need to talk, "I hope the police can find something we didn't," thus opening up conversation.

[roll0]

:smallannoyed: Stupid Dice-roller

[Zelphas]

Think Tank considers every option he can think of to leave with the pylon components without drawing police attention to himself, and comes up empty. Perhaps he had overtired himself in the fight against Siren and her lackeys. Instead, he gives the officers on the scene terse instructions regarding the gathering and storage of said components, requesting that he be given access to them as soon as possible and strongly implying that anyone else touching the components would lack the intelligence to understand what they were and would likely destroy vital information in their ignorance.

Think Tank's account of the situation is completely bare-bones and factual, stating the number of enemies, their observed equipment and methods, and the course the battle took. He sketches roughly over the pylons, stating that they were brilliantly constructed (someone with somewhere near his intelligence made them, after all) and that they likely did more than dampen sound, though he was unable to ascertain what else they might do before dismantling them. He does not mention Higher Phase.

Perception: [roll0]

And, in case I need it, Deception for the lie of omission regarding Higher Phase: [roll1]

[Quellian-dyrae]

David nodded in response to Gleam. "Hopefully we'll get a chance to talk with those soldiers. Siren held off fleeing until they were all down, but pretty much the second they were she was out of there. Hopefully that means the soldiers know enough to have some degree of tactical command. Actually..." he looks to Think Tank. "If they were keeping her on their side under threat to her sister, she might have waited because she was afraid that they'd report to their superiors if she abandoned the fight. And just in general, being in touch with your soldiers is a good thing. If they have some sort of communication tech on them, any chance you could trace it back to the source?"

[Zelphas]

It takes a noticeable moment for Think Tank to respond to Badger's query. Provided that the devices they use are technological in nature, rather than telepathic, magical, biomechanical, or otherwise, and they were not created by one of the few individuals on the planet with a higher intelligence than myself or a corresponding savant with technology, it is feasible that I could trace a transmitting device back to its source, given time to regain my faculties from this morning's altercation. The resulting source would almost invariably not be the nerve center of the operation, but it could provide further leads.

[Llyarden]

There is some confusion at the mention of Apex and Landslide, given that those two disappeared off into the forest, and a couple of additional questions are asked about them, but Think Tank's omission of the addition of Higher Phase goes unnoticed.

Once the interviews are over, the three Heroes are ushered into a meeting room and asked to wait for the officer in charge of the investigation. The waiting doesn't take very long, as Detective Thompson (who Ellen and Think Tank would recognise) enters the door with a "Damn it!" and slams his folder onto the table in frustration. Then he notices that the meeting room is already occupied and pauses. "Ah. Sorry about that. Detective John Thompson," he introduces himself, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the department isn't accepting outside help for this case."

Before Thompson comes in, there's something of a muttered argument outside.

"Sarah, these people have found more evidence in an hour than we have in ten times that."

"They were ambushed and were lucky enough to get away. That's not investigating. That's just stupidity. They put our officers in danger."

"With respect, our tactical officers have reason to believe that the attackers were deliberately positioned to avoid the two officers."

"That doesn't matter, John. Look, if it were up to me, I might consider letting the hoverboard guy and the paragon help, but...a robot and an alien? Are they really the sort of people we want to be seen by the public to be putting our trust in?"

"Sarah, isn't this a bit bigger than your husband?"

"...like I said, if it were up to me. It's not. We have our orders and you're going to follow them. I'm not sticking my neck out for you on this."

"This is our best chance of finding the kids! How can you say no to this?"

"This is not up for discussion, Detective. No heroes! Do you understand?"

"...yes, ma'am. I understand."

[Quellian-dyrae]

David listened to the conversation outside with his face growing progressively more grim. When Detective Thompson entered, though, he painted a perfectly calm, pleasant smile on his face. When the man spoke...it would be hard to see it, the emotion masked almost instinctively, but there was a flicker of deep anger in his eyes. Being told he couldn't help was kinda...triggering, for David.

Nonetheless, his response was polite, but firm, his voice ringing with subtle authority and not a hint of doubt, "David Green, Codename Badger," he said, offering a handshake. "Detective, let's cut the nonsense and be real here. I've been registered with the Department for seven years now, and in all that time, I've never once been told the department isn't accepting help. Been told a couple times that there were political considerations and the police want a chance to conduct a full investigation first, or that there's a different case they'd rather I work on, but never once that they're just outright not accepting heroic assistance. Especially when the stakes are this high."

"You and I both know that there's no political maneuvering or interdepartmental conflict that would stop this Department from grabbing any and every resource available to help save the lives of a bunch of kids. We both know that two of the people offering aid being an alien and a robot is not just an excuse, but a weak excuse. The only way you get an order to not accept help on this case is if the people responsible got to your superiors. I'd bet if you checked a few files, you'd see at least one person high up on the food chain had a kid at that party. With any luck, that's all it is, not some ingrained systemic corruption."

"However, we also know that this isn't the movies. That the crimes aren't solved by one vengeance-driven parent ignoring the system and going on a personal warpath. The system doesn't stop working just because the people at the head stop trusting it. As of right now, you're the highest-ranking officer that we can trust the kidnappers to not have leverage on - although I'll be honest, that 'alien and robot' excuse your superior gave you was so weak that I wouldn't be surprised if it was supposed to be a coded message that she knows what's going on too. In any event, you have a choice to make. You can read us in and let us help so we can find those kids, or you can follow orders that you know are coming from the kidnappers themselves. Are you with us, John?"

Deception to convince John that the orders he received are compromised and need to be ignored: [roll0]. +5 if Attractive applies.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam was quite stunned when the detective said that the department wasn't accepting help, "I beg your pardon detective, but why-" before Gleam could finish her question David had begun; it was certainly an impressive rant, one that covered partly how Gleam felt about this situation, though the martial artist seemed to be getting more tense and accusatory as it went on. David must have heard something she didn't to set him off like this but getting upset wasn't going to help the situation.

By the time David was finished his rant had morphed into more of a plea, and Gleam turned to the detective, "Detective, he has a point," the paragon endeavored to maintain a calm tone of voice, "I saw the mayor during that broadcast. He wants this mystery solved, and we can help."

I'll try this from a different angle and attempt to persuade the detective, adding in +2 from attractive: [roll0]

[Zelphas]

Think Tank listens silently through David's impassioned plea, weighing the reasoning and motives for the police force actively denying heroic help. Bigotry came to mind first, but was quickly dismissed by the fact that a Phase team had operated within Azure Bay, almost assuredly in full cooperation with the police, until recently. Corruption came next, followed by heavy political pressure. Corruption within the police force which caused them to stonewall new heroes so soon after their old heroes had vanished is...intriguing to Think Tank; anyone else would call it disturbing. It could be mere coincidence, but if more evidence for corruption could be found it might lead to the whereabouts of the missing Sapphire Guard. This 'Sarah' that Detetive Thompson had argued with is the first step in this course of action.

Political pressure would be immediately quashed by the Mayor out of concern for his daughter, unless one of three scenarios is taking place. First, the mayor could be simply unaware that someone under him is forcing the police force to deny heroic help. Second, the Mayor could be behind the abduction and the subsequent pressure; his tears and emotional speechifying could be a masterful act. Thirdly, someone with greater political position than the Mayor could be behind the disappearances, holding the Mayor's daughter hostage. This last scenario required the Mayor to know that his daughter was being held hostage and therefore feel forced to comply. Talking to the Mayor, or at least extracting information from him, was therefore the next logical step.

Therefore, while David lays out a fairly decent argument for the Detective's help with far greater eloquence than Think Tank could ever muster, the brain in a J.A.R. simply thinks. Who to interrogate first: Sarah or the Mayor?

Well-Informed on a Sarah in the police force who outranks Detective Thompson, especially her past career and family life: [roll0]

Well-Informed on the Mayor, his routine, and any government officials under him that have seemed dissatisfied with his decisions in the past: [roll1]

[Llyarden]

Thompson says nothing as David and then Ellen make their cases. When he finally does speak, he doesn't actually look at the three heroes, instead apparently typing on his phone. "Mr Green, I can tell you that anyone with a connection to someone who went missing at this party has been put on indefinite leave. The department will not allow interference of that nature." His voice is clipped, almost like he's reciting from some unseen script. "And as I mentioned, the department is not accepting the aid of heroes. Of course, I could disobey orders, but the moment I was found out I'd be out of a job and you'd still have no help. So I'm afraid I can't help you. However, your insight will be of use in the interviews with some of your attackers, I'm sure, if you are willing to stay around as a witness."

At this point his phone goes. "Yeah, Thompson. Yeah. On my way." He snaps his phone shut and looks back across the table. "This should only take about quarter of an hour. If you want to help us - as a witness - go to the observation rooms. I'm sure you know the way, if you've been here before. Excuse me."

So saying, he stands up and heads out, leaving his folder behind.

He said he couldn't help. But he gave the distinct impression of being just as frustrated by this as the three of you are. And there are a number of ways he could help without being found out. Such as leaving his folder full of juicy information on the table in front of you, letting you know that at least some of your attackers are ready to be interviewed, and giving you a defined time you need to be back in your role as 'witnesses.'

Lieutenant Sarah Whittaker is a rather successful police lieutenant, who could have quite easily been a higher rank if not for two things: her habit of publicly backing Thompson, even when he goes outside the bounds of his jurisdiction, and her prejudice against non-humans, stemming from an incident some twenty years ago where her husband was killed.

The Mayor is currently coming up to the end of the possible time he could be in office, having already successfully stood for reelection once. Politically, this is, of course, an utter disaster for both him and one of the three possible politicians expected to succeed him (one Alison Granger), both of whom have gone on public record on numerous occasions to state that despite the disappearance of the Sapphire Guard, everything is still just as safe as ever. Just as it's a disaster for them, it's a major success for one of the Mayor's political opponents, Angelo Marraine, who has been proposing massive police reforms, increases in police power, and so on, ever since the disappearance of the Sapphire Guard.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David looked extremely disappointed at the Detective's response, visibly biting back a angry retort. "Very well. I suppose if that's how it is, then that's how it is. If being a witness is the best I can do, then that's what I'll do." he said with grim professionalism. "I just hope it's not those kids who will suffer as a result," he added pointedly.

Once the Detective had left, he eyed the file. This was a bit risky. He actually didn't have a good gut instinct of the Detective's intentions here. He thought he understood what he was trying to say, but he could very well have been reading the situation all wrong and basing his assessment on seeing similar scenes in movies and cop shows. He could be putting his status as an Investigating Hero and Detective Thompson's job on the line if he was wrong here.

But you know what, if that was the cost of saving those kids?

So. Freaking. Be it.

David went over and closed any blinds that may have been on the windows, and then beckoned the others over to the desk, quickly skimming through the contents of the folder. He spoke quietly as he did so. "Fifteen minutes isn't a ton of time. We might be able to interrogate two, maybe three of these guys. More if we divide them up. Any of you trained in interrogation tactics? Think Tank, how does your telepathy work? Can you read multiple minds at once? Do you need to see the targets?"

What might David know about the interrogation room setup and how it connects to the observation room? Are there several interrogation rooms with false mirrors, or do they use cameras and video, or is there only one or a couple observation rooms, etc? Routine Expertise (Law Enforcement) for 15 after Eidetic Memory, plus anything I might get for being an Investigating Hero, if applicable.

[Nintendogeek01]

Sly of the detective, Gleam thought to herself as the detective left the folder on the table before leaving the room. Once Badger had closed the blinds, Gleam got up and began carefully reading the documents in the folder - which from the perspective of others it looked as though she were just flipping through the pages in the folder, super-speed had its advantages.

"Done," Gleam said as she placed the folder back in front of the other heroes. After a beat and David asked about interrogation tactics, "Can't say as I know any myself, but believe me, I know how to help," she answered.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank is the last to pick up the folder with his robotic graspers, flipping through the pages even faster than Gleam. I can read the minds of all within thirty feet of myself, he answers David, setting down the folder. Should you not wish to be read as well, I suggest you remain out of range. The process is indiscriminate. Interrogation tactics are obviated by the use of Psionic Reading, but coercing the subject to think about what information we seek posits the greatest chance of success.

Unless our subsequent interrogation provides a more substantial lead, the next step in this investigation is threefold. First, I must get within Psionic Reading range of Lieutenant Sarah Whittaker, or another means must be used to discover whether denying us from the investigation is a simple case of emotion-induced bigotry or something more substantial. Second, the actions of the Mayor's political rivals, especially one Angelo Marraine, must be looked into. Marraine has agitated for an increase in police power since the Sapphire Guard's disappearance, and a large crime such as the one perpetrated last night validates his claims while damaging the Mayor and his most favored successor. Third, we must investigate Purview, Inc. They are likely a front. Think Tank doesn't elaborate, but the dots are all connected in his mind. A shady organization, capturing live Phase users, political intrigue... the signs all pointed to Higher Phase.

A Psionic reading of the single non-captured victim of Lake Carnigan and a description of his Phase abilities might be useful at some point in the future, but these can be done at any time.

You all know what this is.

Well-Informed on Purview, Inc.: [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

David just blinked at Think Tank's planning. Clearly, the robot was a little bit further ahead on this whole thing than he was. Guess he didn't get his name off a random codename generator website, David thought.

"Okay then. Sounds like a plan. The interview rooms are proofed against Phase powers, supposedly. We should be able to disable it from observation, though. If we're lucky, the observation rooms will be empty, but I doubt it. I'll see if I can get any technicians out though, or distract them. I'm not certain exactly how to disable the suppressor, but I'm...guessing it probably won't be too hard for you to figure out?"

"My theory is, if we can get into both rooms, probably best if you take one and just use your mind reading. Gleam, we can see what we can get from the other using mundane methods. You want to play good cop? You strike me as a good cop," he said with a little grin.

"If we can only access one room easily, then just like you said, we'll coax them, you read them. That all sound good to you guys?"

[Zelphas]

That plan is simple, but functional. It will suffice. Lead on.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam paused to think for a bit, then shrugged and nodded her head, "Yeah I can be the good cop," she nodded in agreement, "Let's go."

[Quellian-dyrae]

David nodded and led the way to the interview rooms, taking a peek into the two observation rooms to see if either or both were empty.

[Llyarden]

Both of the observation rooms are, indeed, empty, and also unlocked, the latter being strictly against protocol (although David probably knows the combination anyway.) There doesn't seem to be anyone in the adjoining interview rooms as of yet, but David would know that the observation rooms have a phone line down to the cells so suspects can be 'ordered up,' so to speak.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Nice, David thought, heading into one of the observation rooms. "Think Tank, see if you can figure out the power suppressor. And maybe make sure the recordings are off. Actually, if you can do one of those empty room loop things you see on TV, that'd be even better," David said, before picking up one of the phones. "Hey, can we get one of the suspects for the events at the lake up in Interview Room 1? And send four of them to Room 2. I know it's not standard procedure, but we're trying an idea. Thanks." He hung up before whoever was on the other end could respond to ask for, you know, credentials or something.

Routine Deception for 30 if necessary to just Bavarian Fire Drill my way through it :smallamused:.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank neglects to answer Badger, having already moved to the nearest control outlet and begun disassembling it.

Routine Technology for 30 to scramble the video feed and negate the power suppressor.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam had to admit to herself she wasn't completely comfortable with trying to bluff the police, but the detective had insinuated the necessity; heck even if he hadn't insinuated it, the spirit of the law is to protect others and right now those kids needed all the help they could get, and this time procedure was not helping them.

Though Gleam did still wind up being a bit put out with Think Tank simply jumping to task rather than actually engaging Badger, simple acknowledgement and communication goes a long way after all, especially if they're going to be working together on this case. "Glad you're willing to assist Think Tank, but don't be shy about speaking up," Gleam urged the robot as gently as she could think to.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank does not pause in his work. Our current strategy was discussed and confirmed already. Any further discussion seemed superfluous, he sends to Gleam. Was this assumption incorrect?

[Nintendogeek01]

"A simple acknowledgement of your partner is never superfluous," Gleam responded with a smile.

[Llyarden]

Think Tank disassembles the control panel without much difficulty, and possibly reflects that it might have been easier to just turn the things off with the switches he manages to locate mid-dissassemble.

Meanwhile, on the phone, David gets a response from someone who obviously hadn't considered in the slightest the possibility that it might not be a police officer calling. "Four of 'em? Heh, rather you than me, sir. These guys are creepy. Still, whatever you say, sir."

And sure enough, five minutes later, the first four are brought into one of the interview rooms. The police are obviously taking no chances; all six are cuffed, and six officers accompany them up, with one more carrying a couple of bags, presumably of the possessions of the men and women. Once those four are situated in one room, a couple of officers go back to retrieve the single prisoner and put her in the other room.

With the information from the folder, it isn't hard to identify the five of them. From the four prisoners, one of them (Ru Holme) was one of the beret-wearers (specifically the one, judging from his injuries, that Glimpse took out), while the other three (Diarmait Bowen, Edna Rademaker and Harmonie Bicchieri) were all the mooks that David obliterated. The solitary prisoner (Jane Meisner), also a beret-wearer, was the one who spent most of her time paralysed by Think Tank before being taken down by Glimpse and Shrike.

The minute the door closes on the four suspects, Holme turns to the other three and says "You know what we were told. I'll speak to them. The rest of you stay quiet and we'll be out of here and rich by tomorrow."

One of the others (Bowen), who obviously has more experience with police investigations, sighs and says "Dude, you know they can hear you, right?"

These were semi-randomly rolled, so specifically, you have Assault Troops 7, 24 and 5 and Captain 7 in one room, and Captain 8 in the other.

[Nintendogeek01]

"So... we take Meisner and leave the others to Think Tank?" Gleam asked/suggested to Badger, flipping through the files at her super-reading speed.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Yeah, exactly," David said, eyeing the results of Think Tank's work with...some trepidation. I'm...sure he'll be able to fix it when we're done, he thought. Then he wondered if Think Tank had "heard" that. Hrm.

Dismissing the matter as immaterial, he took a more thorough but still quick readthrough of Meisner's file (once Gleam was finished with it) before heading for the interview room.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank quietly flips the switches to the off position and puts the panel back into working order. Observe first, then plan. My mental faculties are more strained than I first believed.

Think Tank begins walking to the other room, then pauses. I am going to interrogate the four prisoners, as we discussed before. I assume you are going to interrogate your single prisoner. With that, he is on his way.

When think Tank enters the room, he immediately gets down to business. Technicolor. Siren. Purview, Inc., appears in the four prisoners' heads, as Think Tank prompts them to think of what he wants to know before slipping into their minds.

Psionic Reading on the four prisoners. Will vs. [roll0]

[Llyarden]

"Wait, what?" asks Holme, as soon as Think Tank makes an appearance. "You were at the lake! What are-oof!" He is unceremoniously silenced by an elbow to the stomach from Bowen.

"Shuddup, idiot!"

Rademaker works for a PMC called Albity. He doesn't know who he works for specifically for this job; his only point of contact with his ultimate employers was someone who he knows works for a different PMC. Their employers obviously did their best to obfuscate their trail, understandably considering what their task ended up being. Holme is, of course, confident that he won't let any information slip to the police, and is blissfully unaware that he has, in fact, done so already (well, not to the police, admittedly.)

From the other two, you get a kind of unexpected confidence (and from Bowen, a feeling of 'what is this idiot (meaning Holme) playing at?' Both of them (and Rademaker, in point of fact) believe with certainty that they'll be out of here by this time tomorrow.

None of them have any particular idea about Purview Inc or Technicolour, beyond the fact that he was, in fact, a target as well. He wasn't supposed to get away. They have a little more idea about Siren, in that they were told that she would be assisting them. They were under instructions to wait for her to distract the heroes and then move in while they were entranced.
Holme, while knowing nothing more about Technicolour or Purview than the others, was under instructions to execute Siren if she were to switch sides and he had the opportunity. Obviously she knows more about the entire thing than the three of them and his employer didn't want whatever information she possesses getting out.

David gets much the same response from Meisner, though she doesn't have the benefits of a police-savvy subordinate to shut her up. "Huh? What are you doing here? They said it would just be the police!" She is obviously rather worried by David's presence.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"What, you never heard of Investigating Heroes?" David asked with an amused smile and a "tsk tsk"ing click of his tongue. He walked over to the chair, slid it out about an inch, but then apparently decided he wasn't going to be here long enough to warrant sitting down. "So, boy, we sure did capture a lot of you guys. The police have been literally laughing since we brought you in. I think I caught one of them dancing a little jig, even. There's like, what two, three dozen of you, or something? And all we need is one to spill the beans for a nice cushy deal for concurrent sentencing. We get the information we want and we still get to give all the rest of you consecutive prison sentences! Now, myself, I'm actually holding out hope that the guy who was in the water with us gets the deal. I liked him. He was shooting at Siren and stuff. You ask me, he's the one who actually deserves a chance to get out of prison in less than...let's see...a hundred-odd kidnappings, times figure 10-15 a pop, plus the assault charges..." he starts making little ticking motions with his fingers as if calculating the number. "Meh, whatever. Anyway, you got the lucky draw to go first, so I guess I have to listen if you want to give me the information. But, keep in mind, you totally have the right to remain silent and anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You're also completely entitled to have an attorney present. We'll even provide you with one if you can't afford it. I mean, just say the word, and you can be sent right back to your cell to await the fastest trial in Azure City history and I can give the offer to the guy who deserves it." He beamed a big ol' grin at her as he said so.

Deception: [roll0], +5 if Attractive applies. Mainly just trying to trick her into believing this is her one and only chance to make a deal and David has plenty more options available if she doesn't spill.

[Nintendogeek01]

Boy, Badger could reeeeally lay it on thick couldn't he? She thought to herself, nonetheless as discussed earlier it was time to be the "good cop," "That's enough Badger," Gleam told him to go along with the act, "She's got her options laid out, no need to torment her about it," she pretended to scold.

DC10 to team check deception, Teamwork applies (good thing too since I don't have any ranks in deception) [roll0] +2 to this result if attractive applies.

If result equals 10 to 19, Badger gets a +2 circumstance bonus

If result equals 20 or higher Badger gets a +5 circumstance bonus

at +5 I can't possible fail this by 2 degrees so this is kinda moot.

[Zelphas]

Albity, Think Tank muses to himself, filing the name away on his list of "things to research next. Talk or do not. It makes no difference to me. If you are so certain that you will be free, why would you worry about speaking? He sends into the minds of the prisoners, once again slipping into their heads.

Well-Informed on Albity: [roll0]

Since none of them resisted Psionic Reading by 2 or more degrees, Psionic Reading again. Will vs. [roll1] to resist.

My question this time: what makes you so sure that you will walk free tomorrow?

[Llyarden]

"Wait, what?" asks Holme, who clearly hasn't heard of the expression 'digging yourself a deeper hole.' "Why would it make no difference. Wait! You're a psychic, aren't you! You're trying to read our minds! Well, that's inadmissible in court, sir, so hah to you!" He seems rather pleased by his deduction.

Bowen, meanwhile (who by this point Think Tank would deduce to be considerably more with it than his supposed superior), looks legitimately concerned when Holme brings up this possibility.

Albity is just one of a number of PMCs that have apparently been ensnared in this. Think Tank would suspect, from what he knows of them and the other PMCs he's noted from the files, plus the brief investigation the police themselves have done into the companies, that they will have little to no information of any relevance concerning the investigation.

Rademaker is confident that they'll walk free tomorrow because that was part of the contract that they agreed to. They didn't need to worry about being captured by the police because it'd be arranged for them to escape, and they'd be provided passage to any country of their choice where extradition is impossible - plus a substantial sum of money, of course. This was something of a retirement plan for all of them.

Meisner, meanwhile, just looks bemused at first. "But...the police aren't accepting heroes. We were told that!" But as David continues, she...starts to smile, surprisingly enough. "Oh, the threat of the big, bad, prison? Cute. You're not going to get anything from any of us. You know why? Because come tomorrow, I'll be sipping a beer and lounging on a deckchair somewhere nice and sunny, and you'll still be here in this gloomy old city eating our dust."

"Oh, and did the guy who shot Siren kill her?" She attempts to make the question sound casual, and, to be fair, it's a reasonably passable attempt. But it's also quite obvious that the question is important. As if the fact that she jumped straight to the conclusion that the guy in the water was shooting to kill, even though everyone else was using rubber bullets, wasn't evidence enough of that.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David's smile only got bigger. "Rallins owes me twenty bucks," he said as an aside to Gleam. "He thought for sure it would take me at least three interviews to get one of them to admit to the existence of their mole. And on camera too. That's definitely one to play back for the others when we interview them," he said with a kinda nasty chuckle.

"Ah, man, I know I shouldn't be laughing. Missing kids and all. Still, it's just hilarious, isn't it? Fifth grade social studies, Miss Meisner. Checks and balances. Fun trivia fact, it's not just there for the three branches of government. I know Hollywood makes everyone think that every two-bit crime lord has a guy in the local police or government that can just make everything from jaywalking to murder go away in a matter of hours. But here in the real world, the police don't exist just to be an obstructive bureaucracy to add drama to the first two acts by getting in the hero's way. They actually fight crime for a living, and crazy as this may sound, they're actually kinda good at it."

"So yeah, we pretty much caught onto your little insurance policy the moment the order came down the line. I mean, it wasn't even difficult. 'Oh, I know there's like a hundred kids missing, but we're not going to accept any help. For pretty much the first time ever. For absolutely no reason.' You probably should have figured that out when, you know, we walked in."

This one's less a Bluff attempt, more a Trick attempt, to basically try to get her to keep arguing the point - and hopefully reveal more about the mole in doing so. Routine Deception for 30, 35 if Attractive applies.

[Zelphas]

Court? Think Tank replies. Why do you believe that any of you will ever make it to court?

One last Psionic Reading: [roll0]

Question 1: Who or what contracted you for this mission?
Question 2 (if they don't know): Who would know who contracted you for this mission?

Just to be clear: Think Tank has abysmal Intimidate, so I'm not even going to roll. He's just asking a question.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam doesn't say anything and instead tries to play-up Badger's act by slowly moving to a position she could visibly step between Badger and the subject of their interrogation if things went south, hopefully this soldier would notice this.

Teamwork bonus to team check deception: [roll0]

Eleven again? :smallconfused:

[Llyarden]

Meisner gives a snarky grin back at David, seeming to settle down a little. "You caught onto it? Oh, no, I'm terrified. But you didn't convince anyone to let you in here, didya? Cos otherwise you'd be bragging about that to the roof instead of your silly little victory with the 'cameras.' So you're breaking a half-dozen laws just by being here. You know, that actually helps us. We won't even have to lean on anyone to shut your little investigation down. Just let the police do their thing. They ain't gonna be pleased when they find you in here, are they? You're going to be stuck in prison longer than me and by the time you're out we'll be nothing more than a bad memory." She leans (albeit slightly awkwardly) back on her chair and rests her legs on the table before looking across to Ellen. "Y'know, you seem like an alright sort, so lemme give you some advice, doll. Figure out who the winning side is here. And get on it before you get trampled like the Stenson -----."

Over in the other interrogation room, the four soldiers look to each other, rather confused. "What do you mean, we won't make it to court? Are you going to kill us?" Holme scoffs. "In a police station, where you're being recorded right this moment, and in a room where your fancy Phase powers don't work?"

Bowen, however, looks rather more pensive, as if considering something.

Yeah, Rademaker has no idea. She (I forgot she was a woman last time, derp!) was never in contact directly with the person who hired them, because Albity handles and screens her potential jobs, and while whatever dialog they had with her employer would be stored on their servers, she suspects that by the time anyone gets around to properly investigating whatever trail they may have left it'll be long cut off.

That said, she does know the address of Albity, which happens (for plot convenience!) to be one of the few PMCs involved in this entire affair that's actually based in Azure Coast.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank has gotten the information he can from these people. He turns to leave, but not without a final statement. It would not be useful to kill you now, or here. I cannot currently say whether I will do so later and elsewhere.

Once out of the interrogation room, Think Tank moves to the Observation deck and prepares to deactivate the loop on the cameras and set everything back to how it was. I have gathered the next location to investigate from the four I interrogated, he sends across to Badger and Ellen. If you are finished with your interrogation, we should depart before our presence taints the already-questionable police investigation.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David didn't even bat an eye, he just laughed. "Wow. You really don't get it, do you? Let me explain it to you, nice and slow, so it maybe gets through this little fantasy you've concocted." And then all the good humor just drained from his face, and he leaned in real close, his voice gone utterly cold. "When I say 'we', I don't just mean the two of us. I mean the Azure City Police Department and its Investigating Heroes. We, collectively, caught on to your little play. The orders not to accept help? They were countermanded by virtue of the fact that they were coming from the kidnappers. I didn't brag about talking someone into letting me in here because I didn't need to. I'm in here in my normal capacity as an Investigating Hero with the full backing of the police. This call you're expecting that's going to let you out of here free and clear? It's not happening."

"And the thing is, your employers, I'm betting they knew this would happen. Like I said, it was hilariously obvious. I mean, I suppose it's just barely possible that they, like you, were dumb enough to think that if they could just get the right guy to say the right thing they could sweep a crime this huge under the rug, but I doubt it. More likely, they just knew that you'd be more willing to keep quiet if you thought you weren't at risk. After all, it doesn't cost them anything to see you guys go to prison thinking you're going to be set free at any moment."

"Ninety-odd percent of your team is going away for life. One lucky mercenary is going to be smart enough to give us the information we want, and they will actually get a chance to see the light of day again. The only question now is, will that be you, or one of your buddies? Choose."

Gonna actually roll Deception this time, since I realize I might be making these checks not against some standard-issue mercenary, but against a boss with an actually serious opposing Deception/Intimidation roll. [roll0], additional +5 if Attractive applies.

If the natural result is 10 or less, I'll Luck Reroll at [roll1].

[Nintendogeek01]

"Whoa easy..." Gleam presses her arm against Badger's chest, small enough area for him to still lean in, but hopefully enough to keep this from escalating... or so it should appear to their victim. Gleam had to admit, this ruse may well have hit a roadblock now, was this the wrong train of thought to bluff the prisoner? And why was she so confident that she could claim to be out of prison while right inside of the interrogation room; still it wasn't time to get David out of the room yet...

"Look, the kidnapping has him, all of us, on edge Meisner; for your sake and the kid's sake, please help us out," she appealed while keeping an arm between Meisner and Badger, hopefully this was a good "good cop."

third verse same as the second and first: [roll0]

I'm gonna go find a table to flip if I get eleven again...

Well it wasn't eleven, and Badger's deception isn't hurt by this, but it's not getting a bonus, sorry Quellian.

[Llyarden]

Meisner is silent for a few moments, and then she...seems to shrink back in her chair, almost. "But...she said they'd spring us tonight! She said that she had the police around her little finger! How...how did it go wrong?"

"..."

"..."

"...we were hired from all over the world. They knew our backgrounds, our private histories, everything. We were taken to a training camp and put into small squads to train to work together. We were told that we'd be paid for the time we spent training as well as the job itself, but we wouldn't get anything until the job was done. It wasn't until a couple of days before the job that they told us what we were going to do."

"You probably think we're vile, evil people. But Spider's research is groundbreaking. I've seen what she can do. So have you. You saw Stenson. Er, Siren, as you called her. Her power that makes her skin sticky? She couldn't turn that off until Spider helped her. A little thing that attaches to her back lets her turn it off and on at will. She can have something like a normal life with that. Not that she's in the least grateful," Meisner adds after a moment with a snort of derision.

"And that's just the start. I've seen Spider's theories. Didn't understand the technical bits, but if she has what she needs she can give people Phase powers. Imagine that! You don't know what it's like to be just a human in a world where everyone else can fly, or lift cars up in one hand, or turn into light."

"The only thing she was lacking was subjects. She had a voluntary registration scheme, but it wasn't getting anywhere. So yes, we took the kids. None of them will be hurt. Spider assured us of that. None of us would have done this if we thought she was going to hurt them. And yes, Spider has taken people to ensure that no-one interferes in her work. But she hasn't hurt anyone. I don't think she ever would. She's a good person."

After all this, Meisner sighs, looking honestly sad after having revealed the truth about her ultimate employer, despite David's 'revelation' that she'd been abandoned. In a very small voice, she says "Can I go now?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

She can give them Phase powers.

And here, David had thought he had grown past this.

Oh, sure, back when he was a kid, and especially after all of his siblings had developed their abilities, there was a time when he wanted powers more than anything. Expected them, too. After all, Ben and Claire and Laurel had all developed powers. Both his parents had them. It just made sense that David would get them too. The Phase Gene was prominent in his family; his siblings had manifested in their sixth years.

By eight, David had been wondering every day why he couldn't fly yet.

By thirteen, he began to consider the possibility that he might not ever get powers.

By twenty, he had been sure he had put all such yearnings long behind him. He was perfectly capable of holding his own in a superpowered world without any Phase abilities. He was proud of his ability to do so. He probably could have supplemented his skills with technology had he really wanted to, but aside from his Hoverboard (because pride or no pride flight was the coolest thing ever) he had never bothered trying. He didn't feel he needed it, and part of him worried he'd get dependent on it and lose his edge.

And then six words took David's entire self-concept, and shattered it to bits.

David was a past master of deception. He had to be, to get away with some of the things he had done as a kid. Getting even the most trivial of lies past his supergenius father required both incredible cunning and perfect control. The barest hint of manipulation would be unerringly detected and analyzed before the last word left his mouth. I bring this up, to make clear that it's a kinda big deal when David actually drops the mask he dons.

And drop it did. David couldn't have looked for stunned and, for a flickering second, hopeful if he had just been told he had won the lotteries. All of the lotteries. It wasn't a calculated play, it wasn't an effort to display sympathy and encourage the mercenary to keep talking. For just a moment, David completely forgot he was supposed to be presenting himself as an unshakably confident, completely aloof, coldly amused Investigating Hero and let his actual feelings show on his face.

You don't know what it's like to be just a human in a world where everyone else can fly, or lift cars up in one hand, or turn into light.

"You want to bet?" David retorted before he could stop himself, nearly three decades of anger, of resentment, of self-doubt twisting the words into a hateful, slightly shuddery whisper.

The emotion in his own voice caught him by surprise, and made him realize just how off-balance the words had thrown him. Fortunately, Meisner's information...sounded reasonably complete. He thought. He may have...actually missed a few words in there. It was probably all they needed to know. Maybe. "I'll tell them to send someone up to escort you back to your cell. In the meantime, my associate may want you to clarify a few things. I will expect you to answer her truthfully," David said, the words coming a bit too fast and sounding half on auto-pilot. He didn't even await a response before heading quickly out of the room. He saw Think Tank in one of the observation rooms, so he went into the other and closed the door.

Then he took several long, deep breaths as a small orange cylinder suddenly appeared in his hands. He tossed back two of the high-strength pain-killers without even thinking about it.

Of course, they had never before had any effect on this particular pain either.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam did end up gently pushing back against Badger when he... well it was like something inside of him broke for a moment, her head followed the martial artist as he walked out of the door. She turned back to Meisner with a frown, "I've heard enough," she shook her head, referring to Badger's suggestion that Gleam might want clarification; no the moment that Meisner mentioned inducing Phase Powers she had Gleam's full undivided attention, not just as a researcher of Phase powers either...

...she had the attention of a little girl who'd been missing her father.

Could this be related? His research, supposedly, gave Gleam her impressive suite of powers, but... no there were too many unknowns to be sure; even still Gleam couldn't help but feel a little excited at the prospect. Still this was pertaining to things that were yet to be, and right now her partner just left the room feeling dejected, leaving Meisner with feelings of inferiority and Gleam right next to her.

"As he said someone will be in here for you shortly, but you should know Meisner," Gleam leaned on the table in the room a bit, doing her best to even out the eye-level between her and the mercenary, "You can always be better than you think you are, remember that when we find those kids and bring them home to their families, because you helped bring them back," Gleam knew that Meisner could take that as cheap words coming from a paragon, or possibly even mockery, but Gleam still held out some small hope that Meisner could find some small hope in there somewhere.

After Gleam left the room she went to immediately find something to write with and write on to jot down everything Meisner revealed, maybe at super-speed she could "drop" a copy somewhere near the detective. Nonetheless once a few copies were scribbled down at super-speed she went to find David, soon enough finding him in one of the observation rooms.

"Everything okay?" she asked him.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"A process that could not only grant Phase powers, but also help make sure people can control them would be..." he just trailed off. Calling it a mere game changer didn't do it justice. "This could be the biggest scientific achievement the world has ever seen. Period. And now we have to stop it because this Spider person had to get impatient and abduct a bunch of kids. No. Everything is not okay. But I'll keep," David said, voice low.

~Yeah, sounds good. We're done here, got a couple leads of our own. We can compare notes when we're out of here.~ David sent back belatedly to Think Tank's previous message. He picked up the phone and called down to have someone escort the prisoners back to their cells, before making his way out of the police station, fuming both at the task he now had to complete, and at the part of him that nonetheless didn't want to.

[Nintendogeek01]

"Believe me... I know, as something of a scientist myself this is frustrating for so many reasons," she tells David, following him out of the station, "But let's try and not focus on that, the important thing is those kids and their families need us right now," she tries to remind the martial artist, "we can do this for their sake right?" she asks rhetorically, in a way not dissimilar to a pep talk.

"In any case, we have some new info, and whatever Think Tank has for us will only help; once he's ready it's time for the next step!" Gleam excitedly punches the palm of her hand with a super-powered punch, causing a popping/clapping sound not too different from how a car sounds when it backfires, giving any passers-by a bit of a jump, "Oops... sorry..." she says with a very embarrassed smile.

[Llyarden]

Whatever Meisner was about to say in response to David, the fighter is gone before she has a chance. To Ellen, she gives a hollow look. "They would have been returned in time. Spider isn't evil."

The prisoners are retrieved, still without any apparent suspicion on the part of the people doing the retrieving. Meisner is almost in tears when she leaves, perhaps surprisingly. It seems that she truly believed in Spider's cause.

Regardless, as Ellen and David meet back up with Think Tank, it seems like their little incursion into the police investigation has gone unnoticed...or perhaps not, given the extremely angry-looking woman stalking towards them, with a hapless constable following along behind and presumably trying to explain himself. "What the hell are you doing to my investigation?" she hisses.

This angry woman would be Whittaker.

Also, Think Tank's ever-active mind notices something a little...odd...about one of the janitors who happens to be passing by at the other end of the room (about 120ft away) at this particular moment. Her clothes don't quite...fit, nor obey the laws of physics as they ought to. They don't move around in the faint breeze coming from outside, nor when the janitor brushes against people as she pushes her trolley of cleaning equipment down the busy corridor.

Obviously, Think Tank could ignore Whittaker and pursue the false janitor. This would, of course, have consequences for both him - while Think Tank has never had his Phase Powers nullified, he suspects it would be unpleasant for him if they were - and the other two, and indeed their investigation.

Also, because Whittaker didn't actually pass both the checks she needed to figure out what was going on and her convenient arrival just as the not-janitor is leaving amounts to GM Fiat, have a Hero Point.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam was at first taken aback before her face contorted to a look of annoyance, after all you would be too if some stranger came yelling at you for any reason; claiming this is her investigation though... this could be trouble.

Gleam regained her composure and shifted back to a more neutral neutral expression to face the woman, "I beg your pardon? Who are you?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

David gave Gleam a slight smile. "Yeah. No question. Just a blasted shame, is all," he said.

When the woman approached and questioned them, David gathered his composure around him like a cloak as he turned to face her. For a moment, he considered playing innocent, lying his way through it, but he almost immediately rejected it. If she knew to approach them, she knew enough.

And frankly, David was rather angry at this whole day, and this seemed a perfect opportunity to vent.

"Running it, apparently," he retorted sharply. All authoritative confidence, any hints of the doubt or despair from a moment ago entirely, utterly gone. His voice was just as heated as hers'. "So, guess what it took us all of five minutes to confirm? These kidnappers? Totally have someone on the Force in their pocket. Someone pretty high up. Of course, that was glaringly obvious to anyone with a brain, but now we're sure of it. So, given that fact, I assume you're here to thank us for our help and taking the initiative despite the rather transparent play of the kidnappers, right? Because of course, the only members of law enforcement who, knowing that, would actually be upset with us for helping would be the ones working for the kidnappers." David's body language was entirely confrontational, non-verbally screaming, Go ahead. Try me.

Deception to convince her that interfering with them would be an obvious indication of guilt: [roll0], additional +5 if Attractive applies.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank scans the room and immediately begins to calculate. THe woman before us is Leiutenant Sarah Whittaker. She carries an illogical grudge against heroes due to an incident involving her deceased husband twenty years ago, appears in Gleam and Badger's minds. She is also in charge of the investigation. I calculate that Badger's statements made moments ago have a greater than 50 percent chance of landing us in a cell for several hours. However, that is not our priority at the moment.

Badger, there is a female janitor approximately 117 feet away. Think Tank quickly sends Badger an image of the hallway with the janitor outlined in green, with notations to either side describing the strange immovability of her clothing. Disengage with Sarah Whittaker immediately and tail that janitor. I believe that she may be the 'springing' that was promised to the operatives we just interrogated. If you find yourself in an altercation, pull a fire alarm and make as much noise as possible, Gleam and I will find you.

Gleam, you and I must hold Whittaker's attention to allow Badger time to tail the janitor. I seem to draw more of her ire as a non-humanoid Hero, so I may be able to draw all of her attention to myself. if so, be prepared to slip away and assist Badger. Nullification of my Phase powers may...remove me as a factor.

With that said, Think Tank projects directly into Whittaker's mind. Pardon me, Leiutenant. Despite past prejudices concerning your husband, we are attempting to assist in this case.

If possible, I'll spend my Hero Point to force all of Whittaker's attention to Think Tank with that last statement. If impossible/unnecessary, I'll just hope for the best.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Okay, David could admit it, he kinda felt bad going off on her like that if her attitude was because she lost her husband.

Kinda. There were vicinity a hundred kids still missing, and if she was really going to let her personal prejudice interfere with an investigation this important, she needed a strong dose of reality or to recuse herself from the investigation. Still, David was at least somewhat less inclined to believe she was directly connected to the kidnappers, although he'd put fair odds on the possibility that they manipulated matters to get her the lead because of just that prejudice.

Regardless, there were more important things to deal with.

~On it,~ he responded, and evidently dismissed Lieutenant Whittaker from his personal reality to head after the janitor (fact was, there was nothing he could say that was going to end the encounter effectively; he'd just have to move and trust his companions for that part). He moved quietly but casually, not actively darting between cover, but certainly not avoiding it where he could take it.

Stealth to avoid notice from the janitor: [roll0].

Deception to appear casual if detected, if that's a valid option?: [roll1].

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam's eyes couldn't help but pop open at David's... confrontational reply, "Badger!" she called out in a scolding tone, "Miss, whoever you are I sincerely am sorry I am sure that was entirely unfounded," that was when Think Tank chimed in... oh great yeah this is going to go over well...

Okay Gleam, she tried to reassure herself, the other two were a bit tactless for different reasons but this might still be smoothed over, be just as you are, "Look Lieutenant Whittaker, may we try and start this over? If you didn't already know, I'm Gleam, is there anything I can help you with?"

Going to try and smooth things over with the detective by persuading her that I mean well in starting this conversation. Add +2 to this roll if attractive applies: [roll0]

[Llyarden]

Think Tank & Ellen

"My name is Lieutenant Sarah Whittaker..." Whittaker begins...and then David is gone. Seeming remarkably unfazed by the fighter's disappearance, she gives a glance to Think Tank, and then turns to Ellen instead, obviously preferring to talk to her over the 'robot.'

"As I was saying. I can see why John decided to help you. The gruff, gritty professionalism. It's just the sort of thing an old soldier like him respects." She rolls her eyes. "However, whatever your friend might believe, you and he are not 'running' the investigation. In point of fact, you've just ruined it. Do you know why? Because now, thanks to you, every single one of those witnesses in there is compromised. Anything we get from them - hell, even a signed confession - could be thrown out of court on the basis of coercion by any lawyer who knows what he's doing, and judging from the amount of money thrown at this enterprise by whoever is behind it they will have more than one of those. And do you know what that means? It means that we can't get a plea agreement from any of them, because they'll all know that they can just refuse and have the company lawyers throw out the case if it ever made it to a trial. So do you know what we have now? Nothing."

She takes a moment to calm herself before continuing. "What this means, Miss 'Gleam' -" she actually sketches air-quotes at the codename "- is that the Azure City Police Department is now reduced to hoping that a bunch of masked 'heroes' who think that a few months beating down lowlifes is a substitute for investigative training manage to stumble across evidence we can actually use, since you were kind enough to contaminate our crime scene in the process."

"And even if by some miracle you find the people responsible, what then? I don't suppose you'll be good enough to gather any evidence that would be admissible in court, so in a couple of months, if we can get them convicted at all, they'll be back on the streets, smarter, meaner, and hurting for revenge."

"So you asked if you could help me, Miss Gleam? The most help you can be right now is to let me and my partners try to salvage this mess and do our jobs." She pulls a phone from a pocket and dials what is obviously a speed-dial number. "Yeah, it's Whittaker. Put out an alert for the vigilante codenamed 'Badger.' He is wanted for obstruction of justice and trespass." Snapping the phone shut, she looks back at Ellen. "Since you were polite enough to stick around, and I get the feeling that 'Badger' is the ringleader in all this, I'll give you this one chance. If I see you around here again, poking your nose into police business without permission, I'll have the two of you arrested as well."

"Oh, and you might want to point out to your friend that he's done more damage to our investigation than any mole in the police force - if there is one, which I personally doubt - could ever have managed. So if you're looking for someone 'on the inside,' I'd suggesting looking at him first."

David

It takes...a couple of corners, at most...before David realises two things. First, that the 'janitor' has noticed him. Second, that she hasn't quite twigged that she's actively following her, though she obviously has her suspicions. And third, that she's doing her best to act like she hasn't noticed him, presumably just in case he really is following her.

She takes something of a circuitous route before arriving at a cargo lift, which she pushes her cart into. It seems like she's going down.

And with almost perfect timing, David hears a voice over one of the radios of a nearby policeman. "All units, be advised: the hero codenamed 'Badger' is wanted for questioning in connection with the Lake Carnigan case. Suspect is to be considered extremely dangerous."

Think Tank's Hero Point kept Whittaker's attention on Ellen and Think Tank as required (well, close enough, anyway.)

David can't possibly fail the Deception/Insight check to notice that the janitor's noticed him, and she can't possibly pass the Deception/Insight check to realise that he's following her. However, if he gets into an apparently-virtually-unused lift with her, that would probably be suspicious enough that it would take some crazy acting to allay her suspicions.

David's Stealth check, meanwhile, was good enough that he can duck out of immediate sight of the policemen that happen to be around. Of course, the best place to hide from the police would be in the lift.

I'm also assuming that neither Think Tank nor Ellen are going to try to intervene against Whittaker. If you are, obviously, we can retcon things.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Seriously, David thought sarcastically as the message went out over the radios.

That complicated matters. And when a complication came up, there was only one thing to do: turn it to your advantage.

David walked straight into the lift and hit the button to close the doors.

"They're onto us, we don't have much time," he said to the janitor, his voice low and a little intense, but controlled, with an undertone more of annoyance than fear; a professional whose job had just become harder, but by no means impossible. "I was sent to make sure you were able to get our guys out, but somebody spilled. They're onto you, and apparently me now too. If we're making this break, it has to be now, before the police get organized. Even I'm not going to be able to fight them all."

Crazy acting coming up! Deception: [roll0], additional +5 if Attractive applies.

[Zelphas]

Fruit of the poisoned tree. Think Tank had known going in that they were contaminating an investigation--if they could have come and gone without being tied to the location, it was possible that the evidence could still have stood in court, but as it was these criminals had a good chance of being acquitted on a technicality.

It was just as well. With corporations such as Higher Phase in opposition, the criminals were never going to be apprehended by the "proper" legal authorities. More permanent methods would need to be used to keep the exact situation Lieutenant Whittaker described from playing out, and as a technically-dead not-quite-human, Think Tank was uniquely qualified to carry out such methods with a minimum of repercussions. He remains silent, watching his current ally to gauge her reaction to the news.

[Nintendogeek01]

Even Gleam couldn't manage even a polite smile in the face of Whittaker's rant, justified or not. All Gleam could manage was to maintain a neutral expression and pay attention; she was tempted to argue that what little they knew about the mercenaries' backers suggested that the proper procedure wouldn't have worked any better, but by the time Gleam had opened her mouth to say as such it occurred to her that saying such a thing would just be belittling to and antagonizing the police department. Gleam felt that, besides running the risk of landing them in hotter water than they were already in, this was rude and beneath her.

"Lieutenant, your department doesn't have to hope for someone else to get a lucky break, we can work together on this case, we are not enemies," Gleam did however feel that a counter-point may be necessary, "If our help is official then court shouldn't pose a problem, and we can both put our strengths where they're needed most, giving our best for those missing kids."

Not that I expect this to work honestly... authorities in the comics tend to be pretty set on how helpful/hindering they are to the main characters but what the hell; it seems like the thing Gleam would try for.

+2 to this roll if attractive applies: [roll0]

Re-roll result equaled 21 in the OOC.

[Llyarden]

Ellen & Think Tank

"Not my decision to make, Miss Gleam," Whittaker replies crisply. "If you want to argue the toss, go see Commander Kalb. Have a nice day." She brushes past the two of them and heads for the interview rooms, still with the hapless constable trying to apologise and explain himself.

David

The janitor looked up at David, took in what he was saying, and cursed. "Well, we shall have to accelerate our timetable. Also, do kindly remind your bosses that I am more than capable of handling myself. I don't need my hand held."

As she speaks, David feels...something quite unnerving. He starts to feel like he should tell the janitor that he isn't on her side; even that he should actually help her for real. It's only a momentary feeling that he manages to quickly banish, but nonetheless quite worrying.

Then the lift arrives with a faint 'bing' on the floor that contains the cell block and the janitor, humming as she goes, pushes her trolley out and starts wheeling it along the corridor.

Just for a moment, as he almost falls under the woman's spell, he feels dozens, if not hundreds, of other minds connected in the same way to this woman. And more concerningly, before he manages to tear himself away from this web of minds, he feels the woman...twitch...a couple of the minds (four of them, to be exact). A mental summons, perhaps.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David could be honest, he had kinda been hoping she was just a janitor. "Duly noted," he said with a slight nod, his voice and the gesture conveying a measure of respect for another professional.

Then he felt the psychic power at work.

He fended it off, but had a split second to decide how to respond. He didn't know where the attack was coming from and it gave no indication of its presence; David could interfere with mental attacks if he knew they were coming, but not something like this. And even if he could, randomly dodging every few seconds was likely to attract attention.

He did know certain meditative techniques that should be sufficient to shut out such mental influence entirely. It'd take a lot of his concentration, though. He wouldn't be able to fight effectively while doing it, but it would at least hold him until he had a chance to catch the "janitor" red-handed. However, if the attacker was telepathic, they might be able to alert the janitor to his resistance. Less than ideal.

Or there was option three...

David swayed for a moment, blinking. His body relaxed some, and his face - for just a moment - got a slack, glazed expression before he schooled it back to normal, although his movements did seem ever so slightly more mechanical than they had been before.

Okay, not sure if this is doable, but I'd like to make it seem like David has been Controlled into being forced to help the janitor for real.

Deception check for it is [roll0], +5 if Attractive applies.

I kinda feel like knowing if targets succeeded their saves against a power is the default, but I'm willing to spend a Hero Point to make this possible if necessary. Can Power Stunt a Feature of some kind for it, if nothing else.

If it's not doable even with a Hero Point, then I'll edit the post to stunt the afore-mentioned meditative technique thing.

[Nintendogeek01]

"Hmmmm..." Gleam couldn't help but ponder out loud under the circumstances. Once Whittaker had dragged that hapless officer away Gleam turned to look at Think Tank, then gestured at him to indicate "follow me," before floating up into the air until she had a descent aerial perspective of the station.

If Think Tank followed Gleam up into the air she would face him, and begin to speak, "Alright, there are lots of ways this case could go from here and we should stop to figure out which way to go, especially since we should wait and see if David's going to come back out of that building..." she sighed, concerned that David sneaking off alone might have been a bit too impulsive.

"First of all, what's your opinion on trying to make our help official?" she asked Think Tank.

[Zelphas]

At the moment, there is no reason not to make the attempt, Think Tank responds, his jet engines thrumming. It establishes our small group as at least attempting to go 'by the book', and though I calculate we have a somewhat less than thirty percent chance of actually being admitted into the investigation, going to see the Commander has twofold benefits. First, his reaction to our presence allows us to see whether he is corrupt, pressured into denying our help, or both. Secondly, It puts us in a closer proximity to Badger, allowing us to lower our response time dramatically.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam nodded in agreement to what Think Tank said, and when he mentioned she replied, "Good idea," she turned her gaze to the ground and slowly floated downward to touch ground at the station doors, hopefully with Think Tank behind her, "Just..." Gleam paused to think about how to put this tactfully, "If you really have to read minds, try not to say it out loud, people feel... offended by that," guess the only way to be tactful on that was not to give details unless asked.

As she made her way into the station doors for the second time today Gleam silently admitted to herself how surprised she was that Think Tank's opinion on the matter lined up neatly with hers. Sure doing their best to be cooperative was one thing Gleam was always happy to try for, but there was still the lingering doubt that perhaps someone in the department really was corrupt, but the psychic robot (Gleam reminded herself to ask about that later) did point out an angle she hadn't considered, verifying whether the Commander himself would be corrupt or not.

"Excuse me," she addressed the receptionist, "I'm looking for Commander Kalb."

[Llyarden]

Ellen & Think Tank

"Sure," the receptionist replies when asked about Kalb. "Up the stairs, first door on the left. It's got his name on it." Sure enough, the door in question says 'Commander S. Kalb' on the frosted window. Judging from the lack of conversation coming from the other side, it doesn't seem like Kalb has any visitors currently.

David

The janitor keeps cheerfully moving along, still humming, past a few empty cells, before coming to the desk where two police officers are ostensibly standing guard, although considering the number of prisoners that are in the cells at the moments they wouldn't exactly be able to do much if the prisoners did break out somehow.

When the two men see David, however, they exchange a look and both draw their pistols, aiming them (somewhat shakily, admittedly) at the hero. One of them reaches for a radio, and David feels a mental twitch from the janitor as she orders him into combat. For her part, she cries out "Oh, lawks!" and dives behind her cart.

Initiative:
David: [roll0]
Janitor: [roll1]
Officer 1: [roll2]
Officer 2: [roll3]

David is 'Controlled' into attacking the police officers non-lethally. And yes, the nonlethal part is specified.

David would also know that there are, of course, security cameras around the cells, for fairly obvious reasons. Beating up a couple of police officers might not be...ideal...for his reputation, at least until it can be explained.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David started forward immediately, a wry smirk on his face. "Seriously, fellas, I think we all know you don't want to fight me," he taunted them in cold tones of supreme confidence...but at the end of his statement, his smirk became a more mischievous smile, and he tossed them a quick wink.

He engaged with swift moves of his staff. The blows were ferocious but still made sure to cover both his defense and that of the janitor, giving her the opportunity to go for the guards' keys or the button that would unlock the cells or whatever. Unfortunately, they were also rather ambitious, giving the officers just enough opportunity to dodge by a hair.

All he needed was for her to make her move on camera and he'd have her. As soon as she did, he'd move to intercept.

Guessing that diving behind her cart was her turn?

Move: Yay for functional Innuendo rules! Sending the guards a secret message that the janitor is the enemy. Routine Deception at -5 for 25 total, +5 if Attractive applies.

Standard: Attempt to Trick the janitor into taking advantage of David holding the guards to go for opening the cells. It appears that he is attacking the guards with Defensive Strike, Defensive Attacking for 5, Power Attacking for 5, and Multiattacking for 2, with the Deflect going to the janitor, and just missing both because he's taking a -12 to hit. (He doesn't actually take that action; the janitor receives no Deflect). Routine Deception for 30.

Extra Effort - Additional Standard Action: Ready an action. If the janitor does go for a button etc, as soon as she gets close enough that her intentions are clear, attack her with Defensive Strike (charging if necessary), Power Attacking for 4, at [roll0] (-2 if charge is required), critting on 16+. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 30+Multiattack vs. Damage. In addition, the button or whatever will receive the Deflect, requiring her to make an attack against David's [roll1] Deflect to press it. Crit if it happens

Current Status: Fatigued as of next turn.

[Nintendogeek01]

This required a few minor assumptions on my part, but I'll gladly edit if I'm wrong.

Gleam knocked on the door to the Commander's office, "Commander Kalb? I'd like to talk," she requested.

On entering the office she smiled and stood by the door, "Thank you for your time and I hope to not take much of it," she said, "I'm Gleam, and I wish to help in the missing person's case."

"I have already been told that the department doesn't require our help, and I believe it, but this isn't about whether the department needs it, but those kids and their families. The department may not need or want our aid, but the victims deserve the best from us and we can give it to them better by working together. So please reconsider and let's work together," Gleam gave her sincerest and most earnest plea.

Come on dice-roller... [roll0] +2 if attractive applies.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank follows gleam in to the commander's office, letting her do the talking for now. If Commander Kalb simply ordered them out or gave an unconvincing excuse for why they were banned from the case, he would read the man's mind; otherwise, he is content to allow Gleam to convince the Commander by more conventional methods.

[Llyarden]

David

Amidst David's flurry of blows, one of the policemen grabs his radio and speaks into it. "We need backup down at the cells! The...er...hero Badger is attacking us!" He is...not the most convicing fellow.

The other one opts for a more confrontational approach and yells "Freeze!" aiming his gun at the woman. She has other ideas, though, and grabs for a phone in her pocket, only to be pummeled not just by David's strikes but by some well-aimed shots from the police officer, who obviously wants none of that nonsense...and she crumples like a sack of potatoes.

She should be down. There's no mistaking that. Blood leaks from her shoulder where the bullets hit and her forearm seems to have been broken. But despite all that, covering it as best she can with her body, she somehow still manages to press a button on her phone...or at least tries to before David brings his staff sharply down on her hand.

Officer 1: Draws a pistol and readies an attack on the janitor should she do anything at [roll0] (-2 for cover), DC18 23 Toughness on hit: [roll1] Crit. Bruised & Staggered.
Officer 2: Draws a pistol and radios for backup (yes, that's a standard action.)
Janitor: Pulls out a phone, triggering David's and the police officer's readied actions. Even with -2 for cover, David's blow still hits with full Multiattack and incapacitates her.

Despite being 'incapacitated' she still tries to press a button on her phone. The cover penalty will apply to David's attempted Deflect, so DC32 attack. She all-out attacks for 5. [roll2] Deflected.

The janitor's real status: 1 Bruise.

Status:
Janitor: 1 Bruise, Incapacitated.
Officer 1: Fine
Officer 2: Fine
David: Fine

Police Backup: 3/3 rounds.

Ellen & Think Tank

The Commander is reading through a folder when Ellen and Think Tank walk in. He doesn't bother to stand up as they enter, though he does at least gesture to a chair. "Oh, I've heard about how much 'help' you've been so far. Deceiving and manipulating a number of police officers, including one of our most decorated detectives. We had a feeling the person responsible for this is capable of mind control. You care to explain how you managed to twist Thompson into working for you in a matter of two minutes? Because he doesn't play by the book, I know that, but to disobey a direct order is out of character even for him."

"Still, I suppose you deserve an explanation at the least. Bluntly, we don't have many people we can trust. We have gone through our force and stopped anyone who lost people in this...catastrophe...from intervening in the case. With you masked vigilantes, we don't have that luxury. If I was gonna put a plant in the investigation, it'd be some well-meaning hero type trying to play nice with the police."

[Quellian-dyrae]

David cast the two officers a slender grin. "Nicely done, guys," he said, before handing over his staff and holding his hands up passively. "Make sure to take care with that one. She tried to put the mental whammy on me earlier. Once the backup arrives you or they can take me to Lieutenant Whittaker, I think we're clear now."

[Zelphas]

Think Tank takes a moment to process the Commander's statement. The fact that Commander Kalb is seeking to avoid corruption made the entire process somewhat more dangerous for the heroes. If he is lying, any suspicious activity by the heroes (for instance, mind reading or sneaking around the police station) would give him cause to cite them as possible suspects and actively hamper any independent investigation. If he is telling the truth, he could still do the same thing out of paranoia. Still, if Commander Kalb truly took the heroes out of the investigation out of fear for their corruption, it was possible that they could talk their way back into his good graces. Not likely, but possible.

Your reasoning is sound, Commander, save for one key detail, Think Tank begins. Public response. With such a large and well-publicized kidnapping, the public expects the police force to respond with everything they have; traditionally, this includes whatever Phase powered individuals are willing to participate. The fact that the police force is denying powerful help at this time could easily be seen as suspicious, even negligent, and public resistance to the police is the last thing that is needed at this time.

This may not end well... Think Tank is attempting to Aid Gleam's next Persuasion check. since he has a -1 to the check, there is a slight chance that he might hamper her instead, especially with the way the dice roller and I get along.

Here goes: [roll0]

EDIT: All of my good rolls on this character have been for social skills, which he (supposedly) lacks. I guess Think Tank is a socialite at heart.

[Nintendogeek01]

"There's little I can do to ease your concerns Commander I'll admit," Gleam decided that a touch of diplomacy was needed to... humanize the logic presented by Think Tank, "I can and will gladly submit to the procedures for making my assistance official but the only other thing I can give you is my word that I'll do my best to bring this case to a close. So please, reconsider for the victim's sake?"

To be honest, my reading comprehension got wonky with the Commander's response earlier, so if this seems somehow totally off-base please point it out, but once more persuasion to try and convince him to let us help out.

Given how aid DC's work I'll go ahead and add in the +2 bonus Think Tank's aid delivered: [roll0] additional +2 if attractive applies.

[Llyarden]

Kalb sighs. "You're not telling me anything I haven't told myself before. But I'll stand by Sarah on this one, and public response be damned. When we get these kids back, any concern the public might have had will be gone."

It seems like he is about to say something more, when unexpectedly a radio on his desk starts crackling. "We need backup down at the cells! The...er...hero Badger is attacking us!"

Kalb blinks. "What in the..?"

And then a moment later, the radio crackles again, as a different voice speaks. "We have a potential hostile at the front of the building. Er, make that two potential hostiles. Requesting backup."

Think Tank suddenly gets another vision. Fire rushes through the police station. He sees Lieutenant Whittaker and David, along with a few other officers, burned and unmoving on the floor while four strange figures move through the wreckage of the police station, picking through the rubble to find the mercenaries - and systematically executing each one they find.

Bomb: 3/3 rounds.

David

"Er...yeah. Thanks." The two policemen seem rather bemused by this entire turn of events. One of them takes the offered staff and leans it against a wall while the other one goes to handcuff the unconscious janitor.

We're going to remain in an approximation of initiative in case anyone wants to get anywhere in a hurry, since a few bits and pieces are dependent on turns.

While both Think Tank and Ellen have enough Flight speed to get to the cells in one round, there is the small matter of there being gates and security checkpoints and that sort of thing in the way, so it will take you two rounds to get there. Getting outside to go out and investigate the potential hostiles will only take one round.

Police backup at the cells: 2/3 rounds.

[Quellian-dyrae]

While he waited for the backup to arrive, David tried to catch a look at the "janitor's" phone's screen, to see what she had been doing or who she had been calling. He didn't touch the phone though, since he didn't have gloves.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank broke in on Commander Kalb's denial. A new problem has just arisen. Commander Kalb, one of my Phase powers includes limited prescience. There is an explosive set to explode in this building in less than thirty seconds, the two "potential hostiles" at the front of the building will become four, and they will begin systematically executing your prisoners.

Regardless of your stance concerning the investigation, I request that Gleam, Badger, and I be utilized to combat this threat. I am already calculating the most optimal location of the bomb based upon my vision, but you have a greater firsthand knowledge of the police station. Where would such a bomb be located.

Without pausing, Think Tank turns to Gleam. With your permission, Commander--Gleam, the hostiles at the front of the building are likely there to ensure no evacuation takes place before the bomb hits. Neutralize them.

A few seconds later, Think Tank spoke again. The explosive is in the cells, and it is beyond your bomb squad's expertise. With your permission, Commander, I will disarm it.

Well-Informed to guess the location of the bomb based on the layout of the Police station and the fire pattern seen in Think Tank's vision: [roll0] +5 if Eidetic Memory Applies.

In addition, Technology to make an informed guess as to the type of bomb being used, based upon the vision: [roll1]

[Nintendogeek01]

...It seems like he is about to say something more, when unexpectedly a radio on his desk starts crackling. "We need backup down at the cells! The...er...hero Badger is attacking us!"

Kalb blinks. "What in the..?"

Gleam's face was clearly surprised, she blinked a few times as though that was the most effort she could manage to shake off the surprise, "Did they just say...?"


And then a moment later, the radio crackles again, as a different voice speaks. "We have a potential hostile at the front of the building. Er, make that two potential hostiles. Requesting backup."

Okay wow, that's a coincidence, Badger attacking officers, if true, is a problem but if it's really in the cells then getting there would be problematic thanks to the security on the way there, "I... can go and see what's going on outside if nothing else," she offered.


Think Tank broke in on Commander Kalb's denial. A new problem has just arisen. Commander Kalb, one of my Phase powers includes limited prescience. There is an explosive set to explode in this building in less than thirty seconds,

"A bomb!?" okay there was no way all of this was a coincidence, but this is all really serious, was there time to evacuate everyone?


Regardless of your stance concerning the investigation, I request that Gleam, Badger, and I be utilized to combat this threat. I am already calculating the most optimal location of the bomb based upon my vision, but you have a greater firsthand knowledge of the police station. Where would such a bomb be located.

Without pausing, Think Tank turns to Gleam. With your permission, Commander--Gleam, the hostiles at the front of the building are likely there to ensure no evacuation takes place before the bomb hits. Neutralize them.

A few seconds later, Think Tank spoke again. The explosive is in the cells, and it is beyond your bomb squad's expertise. With your permission, Commander, I will disarm it.

"I..." she wanted to help but quickly realized that if anyone here could disable that bomb, it'd be Think Tank, "Let's not waste any time then!" she affirmed resolutely before running outside, she skid to a halt outside to survey the area.

Running outside, going to roll perception to see what I can see: [roll0]

Also, if any officers are indeed in any danger of being attacked Gleam will interpose for them.

[Llyarden]

David

It seems the janitor was calling a speed-dial number. Rather unnervingly, if he listens closely, he can hear a faint ringing coming from within the cart that the janitor had been cheerfully rolling along until being stopped. Something seems...not quite right here.

And with rather inconvenient timing, Lieutenant Whittaker comes around the corner and stops dead on seeing David. "You have got to be kidding."

Your Danger Sense triggers at this point.

Ellen

As Ellen gets to the front of the police station, the two 'potential hostiles' become immediately obvious. The first of them is a slim, young woman with short, brown hair, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, and with a bow and quiver on her back. The second appears at first to be a blaze of blue light, but the light fades after a few moments to reveal a shorter boy dressed in goth-esque clothes. The common factor, though, is a kind of harness that both of them are wearing.

Neither of them seem to be immediately hostile, though the crowds outside are hurriedly backing off, and they are paying no attention whatsoever to the three police officers that are ordering them to leave.

Both of these two were among the ones who went missing. The girl is Isabelle McCane, and the boy is Page Malloy. Isabelle has some speedster powers much like the ones Ellen publically admits to possessing, though less powerful, and Page has a little bit of light manipulation. Neither of them are exactly the type Ellen would expect to be facing three trained officers, let alone a powerful paragon, without any apparent concern.

Think Tank

"You...I...wha?" Kalb seems rather flabbergasted by this sudden string of events before finally managing to find his voice. "Yes, go!"

Whittaker was not the police backup; she was just coming this way anyway.

Status:
David: Fine
Ellen: Fine
Think Tank: Fine

Cell Police Officers 1/2: Fine
Main Entrance Police Officers 1-3: Fine

Janitor: 1 Bruise, Incapacitated.
Bow-girl: Fine.
Goth: Fine.

Police backup at the cells: 1/3 rounds.
Bomb: 2/3 rounds.

[Nintendogeek01]

Okay two teenagers, one a superhuman the other armed, would definitely be enough to put the police on edge, still... why even approach the station so nonchalantly like that? And what's with those harnesses? Hopefully Think Tank's working on that bomb.

"Hold on! Nothing has to happen here, just put down your weapons and we can all walk away from this," Gleam tries to settle the situation, while very slowly approaching and trying to look at those harnesses.

Because I don't actually expect persuasion to pay off here, I'm instead rolling technology to try and see if there's anything odd about those harnesses (which admittedly I don't expect a payoff from either given that I probably can't crack them open right now).

[roll0]

Also still interposing for anyone about to get hurt here.

[Quellian-dyrae]

There were, David reflected, times when having Phase Powers would have been awfully pleasant.

Lieutenant Whittaker continued to be the single least relevant problem in David's life. He didn't have much in the way of technical know-how, but he watched television. He looked cautiously inside the cart, and if there was anything like a towel or blanket covering the contents, he would gingerly move it aside.

Assuming there was, you know, a bomb in there, he'd immediately set his commlink to the police radio frequency. "This is Badger. I'm outside the cells. I'm not a threat, the hostile has been neutralized, but they were carting a bomb with them. We need someone down here to disarm it. Now."

He looked to Whittaker. "I know we can't leave the cells unguarded. You don't trust me or like me, I get that, I'm not a huge fan of you frankly. But there's no point in all of us risking our lives if they can't disarm it in time and I'm both more likely to survive if the bomb goes off and better able to defend the cells than the three of you. Get out of here."

Of course, the first claim was a bald-faced lie. David was good, but he wasn't powered. If that bomb went off in close quarters like this, he had precious little greater chance to survive than the other three normal humans.

Well, that's the risk you take when you don the mantle of Hero.

Routine Deception for 30 to try to convince them they can trust David to guard the cells.

If there isn't actually a bomb in the cart, or at least not one that David can find, then ignore the second portion of the post entirely.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank blasts towards the sells before the Commander finishes saying "Yes." On the way to the area, he considers whether or not doing so would be considered rude, but dismisses it as irrelevant.

Badger. There is an explosive in the cells, set ot go off in less than ten seconds, Think Tank says to his ally. Keep distractions away while I disarm it, and then we shall reinforce Gleam with the hostiles at the front of the station.

Move Action: Fly to the cells. Think Tank is Vulnerable during this action.

If Think Tank makes it to the cells in a single move action:

Perception to figure out that the bomb is in the janitor's cart where the bomb is: 1d20+20[/roll[

Technology to disarm the bomb: [roll[1d20+20

If not:

Standard Action: Fly to the cells.

[Llyarden]

Ellen

The harnesses seem to be relatively simplistic, at least from the front. Whatever they're attaching is apparently on the back of the two aggressors. "We don't have any quarrel with you, or them," the girl calls out, gesturing to the police officers. "Just get out of our way and no-one has to get hurt more than necessary."

Think Tank

Think Tank hears, behind him, Kalb yelling orders into a phone. For someone with such an apparent distrust of heroes, he certainly seems to have believed Think Tank quite readily. Various security gates are whisked open as Think Tank jets through the building, arriving to see David peering inside a janitor's cart besides a beaten-up-looking and unconscious janitor and an assortment of police officers hurriedly backing away.

Getting closer, Think Tank immmediately notices something odd about the bomb. It seems relatively simple in construction, and on the whole thoroughly ineffective, a far cry from the devastation he'd seen in his vision. But looking down on it, Think Tank is equally certain that this is the device responsible.

The janitor...doesn't seem to be quite so unconscious as she first appears. It's certainly very convincing, but the way she's breathing isn't slow enough for unconsciousness.

The janitor's real status: Fine.

David

The janitorial cart is, as you might expect, full of janitorial supplies. It also has a bomb in it, which is cheerfully ticking down with about ten seconds left on the timer. Whittaker...pauses, deliberating for just a moment, and gives a small nod to David, turning on her heel to yell at the police officers who had just arrived. "Out!"

And, by all the laws of dramatic narrative, Think Tank arrives on the scene just as the bomb ticks down to 5 seconds.

Status:
David: Fine
Ellen: Fine
Think Tank: Fine

Kalb: Fine
Whittaker: Fine
Cell Police Officers 1-8: Fine
Main Entrance Police Officers 1-3: Fine

Janitor: 1 Bruise, Incapacitated.
Bow-girl: Fine.
Goth: Fine.

Police backup at the cells: Arrived.
Bomb: Explodes next round.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Five seconds, and David took half of one to consider. By all logic, he should get out of here too. The chance of anyone coming to interfere in five seconds was miniscule. Or if he was going to stay, he should at least take cover. Getting on the other side of the wall might be the difference between being merely badly hurt and being crippled or killed if Think Tank couldn't disarm the bomb. He didn't have the technical expertise to make even an educated guess as to how to disarm the thing.

But he did have a pair of hands.

He stood by, ready to do anything Think Tank requested to assist.

Aiding Think Tank's check to disarm the bomb: [roll0] after Teamwork. +5

[Zelphas]

Think Tank glances around the room before immediately turning towards the bomb, getting to work disarming it despite its oddly simplistic construction. Incapacitate the janitor, he says to Badger as he sees the other Hero move in to help. She is unharmed and only feigning unconsciousness, likely to prevent this exact scenario.

Technology to disarm the bomb: [roll0]

[Quellian-dyrae]

David got a wan look on his face, and exploded into violent motion. His staff was leaning against the wall, and he darted for it - before suddenly reversing and coming in to give the janitor a hard kick to the head. Several times. In rapid succession.

Move: Feint the janitor. Routine Deception for 25.

Revised Standard Action: Attack the janitor with Defensive Strike, Power Attacking for 5. Attack includes +5 for Prone; remove this if she has Prone Fighting or similar. [roll0], critting on 16+. On a hit, Toughness DC 26+Multiattack vs. Damage. Think Tank receives a Defend action at 1d10+24 (after PL limit for Think Tank's Toughness of +8 and +2 for Improved Defense).

Current Status: Fatigued.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank, busy disassembling and disarming the bomb, comments to Badger, Feigning unconsciousness seems to be a favorite strategy of this janitor. She is far less damaged than she appears, and her wounds seem to be healing.

[Nintendogeek01]

Ellen

The harnesses seem to be relatively simplistic, at least from the front. Whatever they're attaching is apparently on the back of the two aggressors. "We don't have any quarrel with you, or them," the girl calls out, gesturing to the police officers. "Just get out of our way and no-one has to get hurt more than necessary."

"If you don't have a quarrel here then no one needs to get hurt at all..." Gleam responded gently, it took no small amount of effort to maintain that ease in her voice, her heart was racing at the thought that a bomb might go off if... no, Think Tank can do it, she's sure he can!

"Now come on... I'm Gleam, mind telling me about yourselves?" she asks, trying to be as inviting as possible.

So many persuasion rolls: [roll0] +2 if attractive applies.

[Llyarden]

David & Think Tank

Disabling a bomb is simple. Disabling a bomb when the bomb itself is actively working to prevent that is, as it turns out, considerably more difficult. No sooner has Think Tank removed one wire than it snakes around and reattaches itself somewhere else. No matter how quickly or skillfully he works, the bomb doesn't exactly seem to be obeying the laws of science; Think Tank isn't entirely certain he could disarm it. On the plus side, the timer actually goes back up to 10 seconds, and for all the time he delays it the police station is being evacuated.

David, meanwhile, delivers a brutal beating to the seemingly-unconscious janitor, who remains...well, seemingly unconscious. A little blood trickles from her mouth. If it weren't for Think Tank's information, David would never have known that she was unconscious.

Ellen

"The plan was for no-one to get hurt except the people who needed to. This is your fault." It's the boy that speaks this time, blue light appearing around his hands as he obviously readies himself to fight. The girl, too, seems to get ready...and then they give a confused look to each other, and the boy sighs. "Guess we're doing this the hard way."

And then the girl is gone in a blur, just about visible darting between the three officers before returning to her original position as the three policemen slump down to the ground. She gives a slight grin and cracks her fingers before turning to Ellen.

Think Tank manages to delay the bomb for 2 rounds.

Bow-girl: Attacks the three policemen with Whirlwind Attack, Multiattacking for 3, Power Attacking for 2 and Routining for 17. DC25 Toughness save from all three. [roll0], [roll1], [roll2] All out.

Status:
David: Fine
Ellen: Fine
Think Tank: Fine

Kalb: Fine
Whittaker: Fine
Cell Police Officers 1-8: Fine
Main Entrance Police Officers 1-3: Incapacitated.

Janitor: 1 Bruise, Incapacitated x2.
Bow-girl: Fine.
Goth: Fine.

Bomb: Explodes in 2 rounds.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Nah, she's down," David said dismissively, turning his attention to the self-repairing bomb. "Could you pluck the method for disabling it from her mind?" he asked, in a voice far calmer than the situation strictly warranted, although there was moisture clear on his brow.

Then he suddenly kicked the janitor in the head. Again. Rattle someone's brain around enough, and it didn't matter how much they could heal, they wouldn't be getting back up for a few minutes.

Move: Feint the janitor by acting like he thinks she's unconscious despite Think Tank's warning. Routine Deception for 25.

Extra Effort + Hero Point: Power Stunt off of Tactical Combatant - Knock Senseless: Affliction 10 (Impaired+Dazed/Disabled+Stunned/Transformed [All positive Traits set to 0] + Incapacitated; Fortitude; Extra Condition, Accurate 5, Feature 5 [Third degree condition lasts for 30 minutes rather than 1 minute; +1 Time Rank per rank of Feature]).

Standard: Attack the janitor with Knock Senseless, All Out Attack for 5, Power Attack for 5, at [roll0], including +5 from Prone. On a hit, Fortitude DC 25 vs. Impaired+Dazed/Disabled+Stunned/Transformed+Incapacitated Affliction. If she is technically unconscious at the moment, just regenerating, the DC becomes 30 due to auto-crit.

Current Status: Fatigued, -5 Defense this turn.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank stared at the self-repairing bomb for a full second, unmoving. Ah.

It is worth the effort, he responds to Badger, immediately assaulting the mind of the janitor (and, coincidentally, the minds of anyone else within 60 feet). While he does this, his graspers are never still, continuously disassembling the bomb as it reassembles.

Move Action: None yet.

Standard Action: Psionic Reading on the janitor and everyone else around. Will Save: [roll0]
Question: How do you disable the explosive in the janitor's cart without causing it to detonate?

Technology to keep disabling the bomb: [roll1]

[Nintendogeek01]

Ellen

"The plan was for no-one to get hurt except the people who needed to. This is your fault." It's the boy that speaks this time, blue light appearing around his hands as he obviously readies himself to fight. The girl, too, seems to get ready...and then they give a confused look to each other, and the boy sighs. "Guess we're doing this the hard way."

And then the girl is gone in a blur, just about visible darting between the three officers before returning to her original position as the three policemen slump down to the ground. She gives a slight grin and cracks her fingers before turning to Ellen.

Think Tank manages to delay the bomb for 2 rounds.

Bow-girl: Attacks the three policemen with Whirlwind Attack, Multiattacking for 3, Power Attacking for 2 and Routining for 17. DC25 Toughness save from all three. [roll0], [roll1], [roll2] All out.

Status:
David: Fine
Ellen: Fine
Think Tank: Fine

Kalb: Fine
Whittaker: Fine
Cell Police Officers 1-8: Fine
Main Entrance Police Officers 1-3: Incapacitated.

Janitor: 1 Bruise, Incapacitated x2.
Bow-girl: Fine.
Goth: Fine.

Bomb: Explodes in 2 rounds.

"Our fault? You're looking at the wrong people if you want to talk about who started this fight," Gleam sighed, based on the pause and confused look they gave they were probably expecting the bomb to have gone off by now, good, that must mean Think Tank's done it!

Unfortunately this did nothing to dissuade the kids from assaulting police officers... oh this won't end well for them, and it looks like a fight will have to happen now, using her own super-speed Gleam dashed around and behind the girl, making it so she was between Gleam and the boy, and attempted to grab her, "It didn't have to be like this but now you're coming with me," whether or not Gleam was able to grab her this suited her real purpose just fine, a closer look at the harness on the girl.

Move Action: Move behind the bow-girl.

Standard Action: attack check against the bow-girl to initiate a grab, [roll0]

Results of Standard Action: On successful hit, Bow-girl must make a DC22 resistance check with the better of her strength or dodge. Failure by 1 degree results in her being vulnerable and immobile, while failure by 2 degrees results in her being defensless, immobile, and impaired.

[Llyarden]

David & Think Tank

The bomb seems to have the measure of Think Tank now. He might slow it down a little, but he certainly doesn't have any massive impact on it.

David continues to hammer down upon the body of the woman, and she continues to lie there and take it. A little blood leaks from her mouth.

And then almost faster than anyone can see, she springs to her feet with a shrug. "Well, this ain't going anywhere fast," she remarks. And then the cell block is covered in half-there strands of ghostly webs.

Ellen

On the back of the girl, the harness seems to be holding a strange spider-like object to her back. And as Ellen gets close, it glows with energy. And the girl winces in apparent pain before retaliating at Ellen with a flurry of blows; blows that suddenly seem to be a lot more powerful than they were before.

The boy, meanwhile, seems to stagger slightly before moving to flank Ellen, poisonous spores issuing from his hand...and doing utterly nothing to the paragon.

Janitor:
Free: Instant Up
Free: Talking. Think Tank needs to make a DC20 Will save vs Entranced/Compelled/Controlled.
Move: None.
Standard: Phantom Web. Perception-range Area attacks, as it turns out, are a lot more powerful than I thought they were when I made this character. No dodge save, no attack roll, just a DC20 Will save vs Hindered + Vulnerable / Immobilised + Defenceless.

Bow-girl:
Free: Activates Leeched Powerhouse Strength and resists the Affliction that comes with it.
Standard: Attacks Ellen with Whirlwind Attack. [roll0], DC23 Toughness + Multiattack.

Goth:
Free: Activates Leeched Plant Control and is Dazed for a round.
Move: Dazed.
Standard: Charges Ellen with Phytotoxin. Which, as the name might suggest, is a poison, so she's immune to it.

Status:
David: Fine (pending)
Ellen: Fine (pending)
Think Tank: Fine (pending)

Kalb: Fine
Whittaker: Fine
Cell Police Officers 1-8: Fine
Main Entrance Police Officers 1-3: Incapacitated.

Janitor: '1 Bruise, Incapacitated x3, Transformed' (actually fine.)
Bow-girl: Fine.
Goth: Dazed this round.

Bomb: Explodes next round.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Okay, time to try something a little bit crazy. I'm about, ehh, 75% sure this works mechanically and a solid 40% sure I can get it past my It's Gotta Make Sense Complication. GOOD ODDS! :smallbiggrin:

David eyed the transparent webs with a disdainful smirk. What were they, some sort of phantasm or something? He ignored them, and they did less to restrict his movements than a stiff breeze.

Nonetheless, this wasn't going particularly well. David couldn't seem to hurt the janitor (which, he was now fairly sure, was actually a robot), and Think Tank seemed to be having minimal luck on the bomb. Time to change tactics.

David went to work on the bomb, clearly accepting the fact that he was a non-threat to the janitor. He didn't have any technical skill himself, but he had seen what wires Think Tank had been cutting and such, and he was willing to bet he had faster reflexes than the robot. He went at the bomb, ripping out those same wires, and as they tried to reconnect, blocked them, twisted them, tried to get them entangled with each other so they couldn't return to their proper positions.

Free: Swapping to Misdirection and activating the Concealment and Immunity portions. David gains Total Concealment from all senses but touch to the janitor, unless she makes a Will, Perception, or Insight check DC 30 (Routine Deception). That would normally prohibit Perception Range attacks outright, but I honestly have no idea if Perception Range Area attacks required you to be able to see each target, or just to see the area you affect.

Move: Pretty sure everyone's all in Close range, so not unless I have to to reach the bomb.

Standard: Use the Misdirection Affliction on the bomb at [roll0]. On a hit, Dodge DC 20 vs. Impaired/Compelled/Controlled (for purposes of Phase or Tech powers only) for 1 round. If it counts as an inanimate object, I'll Routine the attack check and I believe it will automatically take the worst possible result on the Dodge save. If it's Compelled or Controlled, at a minimum, I am forcing it to not detonate this round. If possible, I'm forcing it to deactivate its ability to detonate entirely.

Current Status: Fatigued.

[Zelphas]

Ah, Think Tank says again, warding off the mental compulsion and instinctively firing a string of irrational numbers back at the attacker.

For a moment, he turns away from the bomb, phantasmal threads catching and pulling against his armored form as he does so. You are correct; we seem to be at an impasse, Spider, he states coldly to the janitor in front of him. You have extraordinary mental and physical resilience, likely due to your experiments with Dreamers. I am unsure whether Badger and I can successfully incapacitate you without allowing this ingeniously-made explosive to detonate.

However, we are more than capable of being an irritant, and a publicizing agent, and your present actions suggest that you would prefer to work in the shadows. In addition, it would seem that your compulsive Phase or Phase-replica powers have little effect on myself and none on Badger. The current situation benefits no one. Perhaps it should be changed.

Move Action: Nothing yet.

Standard Action: Concentrated Psionic Barrage. Will DC 23 vs. Damage.

Free Action: Talk. I'd prefer to roll to provide a bonus to Persuasion, but since Think Tank's the only one talking, here goes nothing: [roll0]

Will to throw of the Affliction: [roll1]

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam was quick enough on her feet, and unperturbed by the poison, to avoid the blows of the whirlwind attack; the harness did something to the girl, and from how the boy's moving oddly it may have done something to him too. Time to get them off of them.

Gleam zipped back from both of the superhumans and behind the girl, looking to her with glowing turquoise eyes, "Let's have a look at those shall we?" Gleam fired her "Gleam Vision" at the harness, doing her best to be as surgical as possible so that the device may be studied later.

Move Action: Move a few feet away from the superhumans.

Standard Action: Smash using Kinetic Vision against the harness worn by the girl. As it isn't a held object my attack check against her dodge should remain unaffected: [roll0]

Results of Standard Action: If attack check succeeds the harness must make a toughness save against DC25. If this is a device it's toughness should be its affect rank divided by 5. 2 degrees of failure on the toughness save result in a break, while 3 degrees of failure will result in the object's complete destruction. Gleam does have precise on this attack, hoping this means I can limit it's complete destruction.

[Llyarden]

David & Think Tank

"Then leave," Spider says calmly, ignoring David and Think Tank and starting to wheel the cart containing the bomb along the corridor. "You don't need to die. Nor do any of the police upstairs. If you hadn't intervened the only people to die would be the ones that failed me." As she speaks, the phantasmal webs around David and Think Tank begin to thicken.

Ellen

The girl is quick enough to dart aside from the beam of kinetic energy and spins on her heel. "Trust me, you don't wanna do that," she warns, before charging forwards again, this time attempting to grab Gleam in a bear hug, while the boy takes a couple of steps back and makes a sweeping motion with his hand, causing a line of blinding blue light to manifest itself from his hands and snake past Gleam.

Spider:
Move: Drags the cart away.
Standard: Phantom Web. This is targeted at Think Tank (since he's the only threat now that she is aware of), but David gets hit too. DC20 Will save; this is Cumulative.

Bow-girl:
Move: Back to Ellen.
Standard: Attempts to grab Ellen. [roll0], DC23 Strength or Dodge on hit, and if you fail, DC23 Toughness due to Crushing Grip. Crit. DC28 Strength or Dodge and DC28 Toughness.

Goth:
Move: None.
Standard: Neon Stream; shaping it to hit Ellen and not the girl. DC15 Dodge and then DC15/12 Will vs Visually Impaired / Visually Disabled / Visually Unaware.

Status:
David: Fine (pending)
Ellen: Fine (pending)
Think Tank: Hindered & Vulnerable (pending)

Kalb: Fine
Whittaker: Fine
Cell Police Officers 1-8: Fine
Main Entrance Police Officers 1-3: Incapacitated.

Spider: 1 Bruise (regenerates this round)
Bow-girl: Fine.
Goth: Fine.

Bomb: Explodes next round.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The webs were getting harder to ignore, but David forced himself through them nonetheless, getting on the opposite side of the cart. "You're not blowing up anyone," he said firmly. He had gotten a feel for the bomb now. Hadn't been able to quite make it stop, but he knew what it was going to take, which wires would move in which ways - and what he had to do to them to get them too entangled to do it. He went at it again, this time going faster to keep ahead of the regenerating wires.

Extra Effort - Power Stunt off of Tactical Combatant. Basically the same as Misdirection, but only the Affliction portion and without the Limit or the Instant Recovery. The remaining points will go to getting enough Speed to get back in range despite being Hindered, if necessary.

Move: Get on the other side of the cart.

Standard: Same as before, but with the stunted Affliction. Without the Limit, should be able to disable it, and even if not, without the Instant Recovery, it won't be able to take its actions to count down. I'll Routine the attack roll and Defensive Attack for 5, for a total of 15.

Will to throw off Affliction (DC 20): [roll0]. Recovers

Current Status: Fatigued, Exhausted as of next turn, +5 Defense this turn.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleame
Hero Points: 1
Condition: 1 bruise (1/2 regen), vulnerable & immobile, vision impaired

"Gck..." Gleam winced uncomfortably from the combination of the tight grip and the glint in her eyes, but it wasn't near enough to stop this paragon! "And why not!?" Gleam asked the bow-girl, using what leverage she had to strike the girl with her returned strength.

In short order Gleam flexed her mighty strength and pushed the girl back and away from her, standing resolutely in front of the two superhumans "Believe it or not I don't want to hurt you! But you'll leave me no choice if you keep trying to hurt people and not talk to me!"

Standard Action: Since the girl is touching me I'm going to avoid the whole problem of being visually impaired by performing an attack check while tactile senses can pick her up, fingers crossed she lacks the improved grab advantage so that she's vulnerable but I doubt I'm that lucky: [roll0]

Result of Standard Action: If successful girl must make a DC27 toughness save.

Move Action: After my attack check I'll be using the roll from the OOC 27 to escape the grab.

End of round recovery from affliction: [roll1]

Lastly, I didn't see persuasion listing what action persuading people took, so I'll roll persuasion just in case: [roll2]

[Zelphas]

Think Tank finds himself completely covered in the phantasmal webs, but this does little to hinder his continued assault on Spider's mind. Perhaps you do not understand what I meant by 'irritant'. Or perhaps 'impasse' was beyond your understanding?

Move Action: Immobile.

Standard Action: Concentrated Psionic Barrage. Will DC 23 vs. Damage.

Will Save for Affliction: [roll0]

[Llyarden]

David & Think Tank

Spider watches impassively as David gets the better of the bomb, leaving its wires in a tangled mess. It's still a virtually inanimate object, but it manages to look a little pitiful. "Obviously not. Well, I suppose we'll have to do this the hard way," she remarks, before turning on her heel and heading towards the door at the other end of the cellblock, which had been locked by Whittaker when she left.

The door in question was designed to hold back escaping prisoners. It was six inches thick and made of metal. None of these features prevent it from being first slashed through and then torn entirely off its hinges, revealing a creature that looked like a stereotypical demon on the other side, along with a teenage girl in a wetsuit, the latter of whom moves forwards past Spider, globes of water hovering around her hand.

A moment later, there is a rush of air and suddenly a slim, young woman with short, brown hair, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, and with a bow and quiver on her back, is standing behind Think Tank. She is followed by a blaze of blue light that resolves itself into a boy dressed in typical goth-like attire.

All four of the new arrivals are wearing identical harnesses that attach something to their back, and all four are almost paying no attention to David or the wrapped-up Think Tank, instead looking around at the assortment of captured mercenaries.

The girl is immediately recognisable to you; this is Isabelle McCane, your student. She...was never that fast before.

Three of the four new arrivals were in the list of people who went missing from the concert. The bow-wielding girl is Isabelle McCane, with minor speedster powers. The goth boy is Page Malloy, with light manipulation, and the demon-looking one is Adino Alvey, whose powers extend to having slightly tougher-than-normal skin and clumsy flight. They did not previously extend to being able to tear through steel doors.

The wetsuit girl looks...surprisingly similar to Siren.

Ellen

Hitting the speedster, as it turns out...probably shouldn't be compared to hitting a brick wall, because very few brick walls would be able to withstand a punch from Ellen. A better comparison would be that hitting her feels very much like how a human might feel punching a brick wall. It hurts. Regardless, the girl staggers back from Ellen's blow with a wince and seems about to retaliate when she tilts her head as if listening to something. Then she gives a wink to Ellen. "See ya!" And then she vanishes in a blur into the police station.

The goth guy, for his part, clicks his fingers, and the soft blue light that he'd previously conjured flares up brightly enough to physically burn Ellen. And then he, too, disappears into the police station.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit#gid=2007540267) I placed Ellen where she'll end up after one move action.

Spider:
Move: Moves.
Standard: Moves again.

Bow-girl ('1'):
Reaction: Stonewall. DC18 Toughness vs damage.
Move: Dazed.
Standard: Moves down into the cellblock.

Demon ('2'):
Standard: Smashes down the door.
Move: Moves into the cellblock.

Wetsuit girl ('3')
Move: Arrives in the cellblock.
Standard: Moves further in.

Goth ('4'):
Standard: Searing Strobe on Ellen. DC20 Dodge for half, then DC20/15 Will vs Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated and DC25/20 Toughness vs Damage.
Move: Neon Warps into the cellblock.

Status:
David: Fatigued, Exhausted next round.
Ellen: Fine (pending)
Think Tank: Immobilised & Defenceless

Kalb: Fine
Whittaker: Fine
Cell Police Officers 1-8: Fine
Main Entrance Police Officers 1-3: Incapacitated.

Spider: Fine.
Bow-girl: 1 Bruise (regenerates next round), Dazed this round.
Demon: Fine.
Wetsuit girl: Fine.
Goth: Fine.

Bomb: Disarmed (effectively).

[Quellian-dyrae]

David lost a heartbeat or two when he saw his student fighting for the enemy. He suddenly got a very flat, very cold look on his face.

Spider was either mind controlling her or manipulating her. Either way, she hadn't just captured and experimented on her. She was putting her life and her freedom at risk by involving her in this escapade.

David cursed and spoke into his commlink. "We have five Phase-powered hostiles trying to breach the cells. The bomb has been disabled. Backup that can withstand a high-powered Phase battle requested." Then he grabbed his staff from its position by the wall, taking the little oblong device that was his hoverboard in waiting mode out of his pocket and tossing it to the ground, hopping on as it extended and flying to try to get between the five and the cells. Or if he couldn't get past, he'd just fly in close and rap his staff forcibly on the ground. His body language conveyed a simple fact - they would not get past him.

"Isaballe! What in the world do you think you're doing?" he demanded of the speedster in his Disapproving Teacher Voice.

Gonna spend that Hero Point to buy off the Exhaustion.

Free: Activate Hoverboard.

Move: Fly after the bad guys. Try to get ahead of them. In any case, position in Close range of Spider.

Standard: Use Perfect Defense. David receives a Defend action at 1d10+27. Any attacks that miss David, or Perception-range attacks that he avoids with Dodge Anything, will be Redirected at Spider with an attack bonus of +10. If Spider becomes an invalid target, they'll be redirected at a valid target, but not at Isabelle. David can move up to 15' as a Reaction to attacks to get a target in range.

In addition, all enemies are aware that attacking anyone other than David this round may prompt an especially brutal response.

Current Status: Fatigued, Defended (1d10+27).

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: dazed, vision impaired

The girl was surprisingly tough, nothing that Gleam couldn't take but that wasn't as soft as she was expecting, wait what did that girl mean by "see ya?" "Wait get back he-" before Gleam could finish the gothic boy released another light, one that Gleam shielded her eyes from and ran back out of, reducing the burns to being negligible and already healing. The problem was that the flash was disorienting enough that it gave the two superhumans time to run away.

"The cells!" besides it being a probable destination for the two this was an opportune time to see how Badger and Think Tank were doing, and fast! Gleam managed to get to the cell blocks fast enough in time to see the variety of figures stretching down the hallway, and harnesses on their backs as well.

"Think Tank!" she called out, tapping a finger to her head, hopefully that'd be a sign to him to read her mind, "The harnesses on their backs, the girl outside was insistent I not remove them, see what they know about those harnesses," she thought, hoping Think Tank read those thoughts.

"Okay... now before this gets really ugly... stand down!" Gleam was taking the authoritative professor stance on this one, made easier by willing herself past the effects the gothic kid afflicted her with. These kids had enough warning... wait... that one girl looks like Siren... could it be?

Not really much in the way of an actions break down this time seeing as how the only thing I could do in a move action is get to the cell block, so I'm just awaiting what I know about Spider.

Oh and the will rolls to overcome my afflictions.

vision affliction (DC15): [roll0]

daze affliction (DC15): [roll1]

[Zelphas]

Think Tank watches as the scene unfolds, deciding that reconnaissance should be his mission at the moment. After all, saving the soldiers would be the Heroic thing to do, but their lives became superfluous to the investigation after new leads appeared. In fact...if any of them had any more information, they would be far more likely to spill it if they knew their former employers were planning to murder them.

Think Tank tabled that thought for a later time, focusing on the identities of the people before him. Two options presented themselves immediately. First, mind control: not impossible, given the powers shown by Spider at this point and the devices on their backs. Second: collusion, which painted the disappearance at the lake in a much more sinister light. Think Tank once again put these ideas by the wayside, focusing on the immediate while musing over them for a later date. He dove into the minds of all those around him, basing his search on what was found in Gleam's head.

Think Tank did speak once, however, addressing the girl in the wetsuit. Siren is worried about you.

Free Action: Switch to Psionic Reading.

Move Action: Immobilized.

Standard Action: Psionic Reading. Will Save is: [roll0]

Will vs. Phantasmal Webs: [roll1] Success!

[Llyarden]

Round 2

Leaving her...assistants/victims/whatever they are...to deal with the heroes, Spider ducks out of the newly-destroyed door and is gone from sight. A moment later, Det Johnson's voice crackles over the radio. "Acknowledged. We're on our way."

The police don't have any specific units trained to fight Phase users. Everyone gets basic training in handling the basic Phase-powered stereotypes but beyond that there's no particular training. There's a national force that does so, but they would take so long to call in as to be virtually useless in this sort of situation; they're better for sieges and the like. There are usually a fair few Investigating Heroes that the police can call who could arrive within a matter of seconds, but...well, the police are refusing to accept the help of heroes, so there will probably be a fairly substantial delay.

Isabelle, meanwhile, laughs. "Haven't you noticed? I don't need you anymore!" To prove her point, she charges headlong at David into a blur of motion...only to crash into a watery shield as David steps out of the way and she almost flattens the wetsuit-wearing girl instead. She growls in annoyance and turns around, obviously intending to try again.

The wetsuit-wearing girl herself, meanwhile, glares at Think Tank. "Oh, I'm sure she does," she remarks snarkily, before gesturing at David. A tendril of water extends from her hand and starts trying to wrap around David's mouth and nose.

At first they seem to be genuine, but there's something...a little off about what they're saying. Their intonations are virtually identical. There's a very good chance that they truly believe to be doing this of their own will, but in reality they are entirely under someone's sway - presumably Spider's.

The other two, meanwhile, seem to stick to their original plan. Adino steps up to one of the cell doors and wrenches it off its hinges in much the same way as he'd demolished the previous door. The two men inside stand up, looking to each other a little nervously, obviously unsure whether to edge towards the promise of freedom or away from the demon-lookalike. And Page sends out another stream of light that settles around two of the cell doors without doing anything, but also interferes with Think Tank's vision.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit#gid=2007540267)

Spider:
Move: Moves away.
Standard: ???

Bow-girl Isabelle:
Move: Closes with David.
Standard: Whirlwind Attack on David, All-out and Accurate attacking for 2. [roll0], deflected at [roll1]. On a hit, DC21 Toughness + Multiattack vs damage. On a miss, redirected at the wetsuit girl (the only valid target, even after Reaction Teleport) at [roll2]. Wetsuit's Toughness: [roll3] Deflected. Redirect hits. DC23 Toughness after Multiattack. Resist.

Demon Adino:
Move: Moves towards one of the cell doors.
Standard: Attacks the door with Demon's Claws, All-out and Power Attacking for 2. [roll4], DC31 Toughness after the auto-crit from the door on a hit: [roll5] Hit. Destroyed.

Wetsuit:
Move: None.
Standard: Drown on David. Deflect doesn't apply to Dodge Anything, so DC22 Dodge save. If you fail, DC17 Fort vs Fatigued/Exhausted/Incapacitated. Even if you succeed, the only valid Redirect target is Isabelle so presumably nothing happens.

Goth Page:
Move: Moves forwards.
Standard: Neon Stream. This hits Think Tank, so a DC15 Dodge save and then DC15/12 Will vs Visually Impaired/Visually Disabled/Visually Unaware.
Also, the Neon Stream hangs around, so anyone passing through it (aside from Page himself) needs to make the same save against it.

Status:
David: Fatigued.
Ellen: Fine
Think Tank: Fine (pending)

Spider: Out of sight.
Isabelle: 1 Bruise (regenerates this round), -2 to active defences.
Adino: -2 to active defences.
Wetsuit: Fine.
Page: Fine.

Backup: 2/2 rounds.

[Quellian-dyrae]

With speedsters, it was all about anticipation. Anticipation, and moving in the opposite direction of your dodge just a tiny bit first.

David was good. He was quick, especially on his hoverboard. But the fact was, he could no more dodge a speedster's punch than he could dodge a bullet. He could very well dodge the arm of the guy pointing the gun though, and he could just as easily dodge the intent of the speedster.

A lot of speedsters, they reported that when they were going fast (or, for some unlucky souls, just constantly), the world seemed to slow down for them. It felt like they were going at normal speed and everyone else was going ponderously slowly. David didn't doubt that it was to some degree true, but he'd seen way too many speedsters run straight into a punch, or missing a non-superhumanly-fast target, for it to be a reliable thing.

He was pretty sure he knew what the issue was, too. He had read it on the internet one day, one of those articles about all the weird stuff the human body does, and it turns out that the eye doesn't process information constantly. You're technically effectively blind when your eyes move; you just don't realize it because your brain knows nothing's really changing during that brief period of time, so it just outputs things the way they were, or maybe with slight changes based on how things were moving. Brains are lazy.

And a speedster's brain, he figured, was already overworked as it was. They weren't really built to process that much visual data that quickly. They did a fair job at it, but he didn't doubt they cheated extensively. When you move as fast as a speedster, your brain knows that stuff moving below a certain threshold of speed - normal humans, for example - just aren't moving fast enough to require frequent updates. It sets their position largely static and moves on.

So, when you know the speedster is coming - well before it actually throws the punch - you make a little flinch in one direction to get its eyes moving that way. That movement of the eyes gives the brain its excuse to be lazy, and it just plots out some ego-enhancingly slow course for you in that direction. Meanwhile, you've already initiated the actual dodge in the other direction. The speedster's functionally blind to it.

And as a result, they go crashing into their buddies.

Whenever David got a student with Phase powers, especially the more physically oriented ones, one of the first things he did was ask them to stay after class (so as not to humiliate them in front of their fellow students), and have them come at him with everything they had. And he'd dodge them, misdirect them, casually bonk them on the head with his staff. And every time, every single time, until they got it through their heads and gave up, he'd repeat the same simple four-word lesson to them.

"Your powers mean nothing."

Siren's sister was coming at him then, with a tendril that homed right in on his face, following his every move. Phase-powered and their "undodgeable" attacks. It got amusing after a while. He slipped around behind the leading part of the tendril and stuck his hand through it, cutting it off from its connection with its creator and leaving it to collapse into a spray of harmless water.

"You are throwing your life away here, Isabelle. No one's been killed yet. As soon as someone is, I won't be able to help you. Your powers mean nothing. It's how and why you use them that matters. And I refuse to believe that you are the type of person who wants to use her powers to kill."

"But I can't make the choice for you. It has to be yours." he said, flying past the two woman with a hard rush for the demon-like brute while he was busy shaking door from his claws.

Some heroes would have said something, some witty one-liner or provoking word before striking. Not David. He came in fast, silent, and hard with a devastating blow to the back of the demon's head.

Reaction: I can still Reflect the tendril at Wetsuit herself, right? She was in Close range? If so, [roll0]. No, you're right, nothing happens :smallamused: :smallsigh:

Move: Gonna try to convince Isabelle that this is a bad idea. Deception: [roll1].

Standard: Charge the demon, using Stealth on the move with Hide in Plain Sight at [roll2], minus any penalty deemed appropriate for doing it as part of a charge (although I am moving significantly less than half my speed, so that might help). Charge attack is made with Exploit Inattention at [roll3] (after -2 for Charge). On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Damage, and Highest Active Defense DC 20 vs. Weaken Toughness. The Damage portion also has a Secondary Effect. David receives a Deflect action at 1d10+27, and all enemies are aware that if they attack someone other than him, he can respond with this attack again.

Current Status: Fatigued, Defended (1d10+27).

EDIT: WOW what a sad sack of rolls.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Normal >>> Fatigued

Uh-oh... the demonic looking superhuman was already making for the cells, and the mercenaries within... that couldn't be good! Gleam flew up and over the gothic kid's effect and made to the side of the demonic superhuman; honestly she still felt that those harnesses were the key to this whole debacle, but this guy was going to hurt the mercenaries more than they deserved if something wasn't done right now!

"I tried to warn you..." she felt slightly sick saying that as she wound up her punch for this attack; she could tell by the matching tones and inflections of everyone present that something was off about them, possibly mind-controlling them, one more reason she kept puzzling the harnesses over in her head, but again time was of the essence here. Having wound up her punch she cut loose and attempted to send the demonic-esque superhuman flying with this blow!

Move Action: Fly up to Adino (who I know Ellen doesn't know by name but this is the action's breakdown, and we know who I'm talking about). Flying over the effect of whoever the gothic kid was supposed to be.

Standard Action: Extra Effort to Power Stunt on enhanced strength array: Mighty Blow: close move object 12 (limited direction: away from user), linked to damage 12 = 18pts Okay so here goes the roll: [roll0]

Result of Standard Action: If attack hits target must make a DC27 toughness save, and a DC22 resistance check (better of strength or dodge I believe is how it goes for move object effects) or be sent flying a distance equal to (Distance rank 12 - target's mass rank), collision with objects can cause damage.

Move-by Action: Place self in the doorway into the prisoner's cell so that I occupy the space available for getting in.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank effortlessly ignores the blinding flash of light, seeing past it to reality. Calculating the optimal point of attack, he activates his jets, flying away from Page and landing almost immediately next to the bomb before unleashing a wave of mental stress meant to lock up the movements of his opponents.

The police are likely to have a delayed response at this time; one of our number must stall Spider until they come, he states neutrally. I would recommend Badger; his personal connection to one of our opponents may hamper his fighting ability here, and he has shown the most resilience to Spider's compulsion thus far.

Collusion seems less likely due to this new information, though this suggests that Spider has an impressive mental compulsion ability. Gaining access to her thoughts would likely be...worthwhile, Think Tank muses to himself.

Move Action: fly to X8.

Free Action: Switch to Instantaneous Autonomic Overload.

Standard Action: Instantaneous Autonomic Overload, catching all four of the enemies in the blast. Dodge DC 18 followed by Will DC 18/14 vs. Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed.

[Llyarden]

Round 3

Adino obviously is too busy with the cell door to notice David approaching, but more by luck than judgement manages to turn enough that the blow aimed for his head instead hit him in the shoulder without doing any apparent damage beyond irritating him. Ellen's superpowered punch, on the other hand, leaves him coughing for breath for a moment, but he digs his heels into the ground and manages to stop himself being hurled out of the cellblock, leaving a furrow of broken concrete in his wake. He looks across to the wetsuit-wearing girl and yells out "Alice! Move!"

Then he breathes out a cone of fire, covering not just Ellen and David, but soaring towards the imprisoned mercenaries as well.

Isabelle, meanwhile, looks across to David and calls after him, catching up to him in a blur. "Hey! I'm not done with you!" And this time her hail of blows is both faster and considerably better-aimed.

Alice, having stepped aside a moment before the fire washed through the corridor, grits her teeth as her own harness glows, and raises her hands. A swirling windstorm begins to build in the cellblock, hindering the three heroes somewhat.

And back at the other end of the cellblock, Page clicks his fingers again, causing his floating puddle of light to detonate just as he had outside. Unfortunately for him, it seems like the doors are made of stern stuff, and while he melts a small hole in one of the doors, the other remains intact, and he sighs.

Ellen would judge that, even though they're not aware of it, the harnesses are reinforcing (presumably) Spider's control over them. Even if they were to be removed, breaking her hold on them would be difficult, but if done, the harnesses wouldn't be able to reestablish control over the kids on their own. Ellen also realises that the harnesses vaguely resemble something that Spider theorised: an experiment she titled 'Chimera,' the aim of which was to give existing Phase users new powers. The two main difficulties that Spider herself noted in the paper were a) the acquisition of the Phase powers to give to the subjects of the experiment and b) the possibility that overstimulation of the Phase gene could be detrimental to the health of the subjects unless the powers were restrained somehow.

Since it is now becoming important: The captains and assault troops in this scene are subject to lethal damage by default. The captains are still not minions, but any Incapacitated result they suffer instead becomes Dead. The assault troops are still minions, so any failed Toughness save kills them.

Spider: ???

Isabelle:
Non-action: Regenerates.
Move: Closes with David.
Standard: Attacks David with Whirlwind Attack, All-out and Accurate Attacking for 2: [roll0], deflected at [roll1], redirected at Adino at [roll2], DC21 Toughness + Multiattack on hit either way: [roll3] Hit. Crit negated. DC23 Toughness.

Adino:
Move: Dazed.
Standard: Waits until Alice is out of the way and then uses Fire Breath. This hits David, Ellen and potentially Assault Troops 7, 13, 12 & 20 and Captain 8 - Captain 8, incidentally, is the one who gave you all the information about Spider. DC20 Dodge and then DC25/20 Toughness vs damage.
There is, of course, a chance that the Phase Nullifier in the cellblocks will protect the mercenaries, but either Ellen or David may choose to (literally) get in Adino's face, voluntarily failing the Dodge save (David, if you choose to do this, your Side Effect will not apply). This will grant the mercenaries, if they are hit, some degree of protection and convert any damage they do take to nonlethal; it won't help protect the other PC. If you choose to do this, you get a Hero Point. David, you may choose to put your hoverboard in the way instead or as well; its Toughness bonus is +1.
Will to shake off Dazed: [roll4] No Longer Dazed.

Wetsuit Alice:
Free: Activates Leeched Air Powers.
Move: Moves out of the way at Adino's request (this is technically when his Readied action happens.)
Standard: Deflecting Winds on the four of them.

Page:
Standard: Searing Strobe. As inanimate objects, the doors fail their Dodge saves automatically. Top cell door Toughness (DC25): [roll5]. Bottom cell door Toughness (DC25): [roll6] Top door resists, bottom door breached.
Move: None.

Status:
David: Fatigued (pending).
Ellen: Fatiged (pending)
Think Tank: Fine.

Spider: Out of sight.
Isabelle: -2 to active defences.
Adino: 1 Bruise.
Wetsuit: Fine.
Page: Fine.

Backup: 1/2 rounds.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: 2 bruised (1/2 regen), fatigued

Not a bad reaction on the demonic guy's part, Gleam thought to herself as the superhuman dug in his heels to avoid being sent flying. When he shouted for Isabelle to move Gleam's first instinct was to prepare herself to dodge as well, but when she saw the flames leak from the demonic one's mouth it occurred to her, prison bars wouldn't stop that, moreover a quick glance over her shoulder caught the merc they had interrogated previously... they really were trying to kill these guys!

"No!" Gleam flew forth and literally got in the demonic man's face, arms crossed in front of her face in an attempt to brace herself against the torrent of searing flame that washed over her, searing away small patches of her costume and leaving visible burns on the exposed skin. As the flames burned away Gleam was desperately trying to figure these guys out. Mind-control, the eclectic range of powers that is so rarely possessed being possessed by all of these guys, what is Spider trying to prove by doing all of this? Wait... Spider... prove...

Right when the flames died that's when something in her memory clicked, "Chimera..." Gleam uttered out, almost like in a trance, "That's it!" the scientist's elation broke through for a moment despite the burns, but she was quickly brought down to earth when she saw Badger about to get hit and thus flew in between them, the attack was unexpectedly heavy and caused her to stumble on the ground for a bit. "The harnesses..." she coughed out before she caught her breath.

"I finally remembered, a hypothesis I saw posited on a science forum for Phase Studies on giving more powers to those already with the Phase gene," she explained as she turned to the goth who had been left to his own devices and was about to enter the cells with impunity, "These harnesses probably reinforce whatever she's doing to try and turn these kids into murderers too!" Gleam shouted to her partners in crime-fighting as she ran over to the gothic kid and attempted to backhand the harness he's wearing.

Reaction: Interposed for David, ouch that smart, don't say I never gave up hero points for you Quellian. :smalltongue:

Move Action: move behind Page.

Standard Action: smash action on the harness: [roll0]

Results of Standard Action: If attack check succeeds the harness must make a toughness save against DC27. If this is a device it's toughness should be its affect rank divided by 5. 2 degrees of failure on the toughness save result in a break, while 3 degrees of failure will result in the object's complete destruction.

Move-by Action: Taking a few risks here, going to have Gleam place herself in front of the cell door to keep Page from entering.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Evidently Isabelle hadn't forgotten everything David had taught her, and his taunts hadn't exactly served to put her into a blind rage. That was bad. A speedster who was thinking while they thought was a deadly, deadly threat to someone like him, as Isabelle proved quite eloquently by immediately cracking one of his ribs with her first punch.

It might have gone even worse for him, had Gleam not swooped in to take the rest of her flurry of blows onto her own nearly-invulnerable skin.

"Thanks Laurel!" David called to her with a breath of relief in his voice, a combination of habit, having too much to think about, and Gleam seriously reminding him of her anyway causing him to use the wrong name and not even notice.

With the self-sacrificing hero hurling herself into the teeth of the flame, there was little more than the thermal bloom for David to have to deal with. He flew back to get closer to the cell's doorway as he moved to avoid it. The burns were relatively minor, but a wave of dizzying pain and nausea hit him as his broken rib responded unhappily to his attempt to twist and cover up to minimize the damage. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to tough through it as best he could.

He rapidly considered what he allies were shouting. His hoverboard...may or may not have been fast enough to go after spider in his present condition, but frankly, he wasn't much interested in doing it anyway. He didn't want her to get away, but the absolutely most important thing right now was keeping Isabelle from throwing her life away. If any of these mercenaries died...even if they could get her exonerated on account of mind control, it was something she'd have to bear for the rest of her life. David wasn't going to allow that if he could help it, and if that meant Spider got away to fight another day, well, they'd have to deal with that later.

Which left the tactical decision of going after the harnesses rather than the wearers. That seemed...plausible. From what he knew about Isabelle and what he had heard about Adino, neither had much in the way of raw power normally. Presumably it was the same for the other two. And if the harnesses both augmented their powers and helped control them, then attacking them might be the most viable tactic.

It also let him try to get Isabelle out of the fight without hurting her, which was another plus.

With a little mental nod, David lashed out with his staff. Quick, targeted strikes on any latches or fasteners he could see on either of his opponents' harnesses, the rapid series of blows hopefully forcing them to focus on him.

It didn't matter, but just for future reference, there wouldn't have been a Reflect if Isabelle had missed David last round. He only Reflects when using Perfect Defense.

Reaction: When he makes his Dodge check against Adino's attack, Defensive Maneuver into AE4. Since I'm Fatigued, I can actually only move 7.5 feet (going down to 5 after the winds pick up), so I can't get all the way into AF3, but I'm closer at least. Can't do it again in response to Isabelle's attack since she hit and the Parry save I made was against my Side Effect, not her attack (I got that interaction right at least :smalltongue:).

Move: Dazed.

Standard: Attack Adino's and Isabelle's harnesses as a Smash with Defensive Strike, Multiattacking for 2. On the attack against Adino's harness, I'll also Power Attack for 4. David is Defended at 1d10+27, and enemies are aware that attacking someone other than him may provoke a more powerful attack.
Isabelle: [roll0], Harness Toughness DC 21.
Adino: [roll1], Harness Toughness DC 25.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, -1 Stamina, Fatigued, (Dazed Ends).

[Zelphas]

The harnesses are what needed to be destroyed. This is a situation where Think Tank is...uniquely both overqualified and under-qualified to handle. It was likely that he would be able to figure out the technology of the harnesses, but he had no way of gaining control of one. His powers run to mental manipulation of minds, not of matter.

Except... he had already proven to himself that he could manipulate his own abilities from telepathy to telekinesis that morning. It should be simple to do so again.

And it is. Think Tank finds himself only slightly strained as he forces his powers to work beyond their capacity, flipping them into manipulation of the physical world.

The youth with demonic-manifestation type powers is designated as the greatest threat at the moment. The boy may notice green fog coalescing around his back before something tugs sharply against his harness, squeezing and smashing it as it does so.

Move Action: None.

Extra Effort: Power Stunt off of Psionic Array: Psiokinetic Torsion (Perception Damagin Move Object 10, Limited (Only Pulling towards Think Tank)).

Standard Action: Psiokinetic Torsion on Adino's Harness. Damage DC 25, and the harness is pulled straight towards Think Tank. If Badger's attack is successful, Think Tank will target Wetsuit Girl instead.

Status: Fatigued.

[Llyarden]

Round 4

Alice's conjured windstorm doesn't do much in the way of defending its subjects from the heroes' attacks, although it does almost catapult one of David's attacks into his own hoverboard before he is able to move out of the way. Isabelle's harness takes the beating without seeming much the worse for wear beyond a slight scuff of the paint, but Ellen's blows on Page's harness are a little more effective, leaving a bit of a dent in it. This has a rather unexpected side effect as the light manipulator screams, staggering back a little. His harness glows again and a bubble of blue energy flies from his hand, but soars far, far wide, coming closer to hitting the deactivated bomb than Ellen.

Think Tank's telekinetic grasp literally tears Adino's harness from the demon boy's back, revealing, rather unnervingly, that the main body of the harness had a half-dozen little legs that had presumably been stuck in Adino's back until this point. They wriggle around for a few seconds before becoming still. Adino himself howls in pain, almost dropping to one knee and leaning against the cell wall for support. Isabelle, obviously alarmed, moves to put herself between Adino and David, her own harness glowing as a swirling blizzard forms up around Adino, her skin seemingly turning to snow as well.

The police backup, as it turns out, consists of Detective Thompson, who has a coffee stain down his jacket, and two policemen dressed in body armour. The two policemen take in the blizzard, the half-conscious demon, and David, and decide to fire at the weakest-looking target. Isabelle's blizzard promptly hurls their bullets straight back at them, although fortunately their armour seems sufficient to protect them. Thompson, seeing this, puts two and two together and fires at Isabelle instead, though her speed seems to be by no means diminished and she ducks aside from the bullets.

In the centre of the cellblock, Alice watches as Adino's harness flies towards Think Tank, and looks at the J.A.R. with what can only be described as a murderous look in her eyes, spheres of water forming in her hands that she hurls at him.

And then, for no apparent reason, the Phase nullifiers in the cellblock flicker momentarily, as if something had disrupted their power for a couple of seconds.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit#gid=2007540267)

Spider:
Something that involves dice rolls! [roll0], [roll1] Hit, bruised.

Isabelle:
Free: Switches to Leeched Cold Control; DC25 Fort. [roll2] Dazed.
Free: Activates Snow Form.
Standard: Deflects for Adino with Blizzard Guard.
Move: Permeates through the cell bars. Dazed.

Adino:
Move: Dazed.
Standard: Used as a move, tries to activate Leeched Temporal Powers. DC20 Fort: [roll3] Succeeds.
Fort to shake off Daze (DC25): [roll4] Still Dazed.

Alice:
Move: None.
Standard: Attacks Think Tank with Water Spirits. [roll5], DC23 Toughness + Multiattack. Hit. DC25.

Page:
Move: Dazed.
Free: Switches to Leeched Kinetic Powers; DC25 Fort: [roll6] Dazed.
Standard: Force Cage on Ellen: [roll7], DC20 Dodge or be trapped in...well, a force cage. Miss.

Thompson:
Move: Arrives.
Standard: Attacks Isabelle with Combat Training, -2 for cover: [roll8], DC19 + Multiattack Toughness on hit: [roll9] No cover penalty, but misses anyway.

Policeman 1:
Move: Arrives.
Standard: Attacks Adino with Combat Training: [roll10], deflected at [roll11], reflected at [roll12], DC 19 Toughness on hit for Adino: [roll13] or the policeman: [roll14] Deflected. Reflect hits. Resist.

Policeman 2:
Move: Arrives.
Standard: Attacks Adino with Combat Training: [roll15], deflected at [roll16], reflected at [roll17], DC 19 Toughness on hit for Adino: [roll18] or the policeman: [roll19] Deflected. Reflect hits. Resist.

It should be noted that the police are attacking lethally. Unlike the mercs, the Chimerae are not innately subject to lethal damage, but any Incapacitated result they get becomes Dying.

Status:
David: 1 Bruise, -1 Stamina, Fatigued.
Ellen: 2 Bruises (regenerates next round), Fatiged
Think Tank: Fine (pending)

Thompson: Fine.
Policeman 1: Fine.
Policeman 2: Fine.

Spider: Out of sight.
Isabelle: Fine
Adino: 1 Bruise (regenerates this round), Harness Destroyed, Dazed
Wetsuit: Fine.
Page: Harness Bruised.

Precinct Phase Nullifier: 1 Bruise.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Without his harness, David hoped that the demon kid's contribution to the attack would be minimized. He grimaced as the Phase nullifiers flickered; the reason was obvious, but there was too much at stake here to go for it, and Spider was too dangerous to hope the police take her.

Just have to win this as quickly as possible, then.

He turned his attention to Isabelle. She was focused on protecting the demon kid. He could disable her harness and-

The screams that Page and Adino gave as their harnesses were damaged echoed in his ears. It hurt them.

David new that harness had to come off. He knew going after it was the right call.

He just couldn't bring himself to hurt his student like that.

David spat a curse.

Flip side, the police were there, and if went to them to bring these kids down, they'd kill them. Police didn't use fake bullets and they weren't trained to shoot to wound. And it was a good thing, because if they didn't kill Isabelle, she'd kill them.

He cursed again.

Somehow, what David needed was to keep everyone alive while still pushing the battle in the direction it needed to go.

"I'm on Spider!" David called, flying as if to leave the battle, hopefully engendering a brief moment of confusion in his enemies, keeping them from interfering with his next move as they focused on the more dangerous targets on the field.

But as he flew past Alice, he grabbed for her harness, trying to twist and wrench it, not so much to damage, but to disrupt it some and disorient her with the sudden spinning motion and flash of pain, to get her focused on defense before grabbing her hands and manipulating them to direct the energy where he wanted it to go.

Free: Swap to Misdirection. David gets Total Concealment from all non-tactile senses unless opponents make a DC 30 Insight, Perception, or Will check.

Move: Close with Alice, using Stealth with Hide in Plain Sight on the move at [roll0].

Standard: Attack Alice with Misdirection, Power Attacking for 2, at [roll1] 24 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19687331&postcount=323). On a hit, Highest Active Defense DC 22 vs. Phase and Tech powers being Impaired/Compelled/Controlled next round. If she's Compelled or Controlled, use Deflecting Winds on all PCs, all police, and all prisoners in her range, as well as Isabelle. Attacks will be Redirected at the most damaged active enemy other than Isabelle.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, -1 Stamina, Fatigued, Concealed, Stealthy.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank, absorbed in studying the harness that flew to his waiting graspers, simply ignores the spheres of water flying towards him. The J.A.R.'s defensive subroutines kick in, maneuvering hims so that his true body is undamaged by the blasts.

Invasive surgery, likely on the central nervous system, He coldly deduces, poring over the complicated mess of machinery in his grip. Not only does it increase the Phase power of the wearer, but it also allows them to use other powers as well. Or perhaps it simply allows access to powers, and Phase powers similar to the original user are less likely to be rejected by the body.

The policemen's arrival is summarily dismissed by Think tank as well. At best, they may provide an alternate unit for the enemy to attack. The flickering of the Phase nullifier is more noticeable; If they are cut altogether, the ensuing riot may end up killing the soldiers in the cell block. It looks like Badger has finally listened to Think Tank's strategic assessment and began looking for Spider, however, so Think Tank dismisses the nullifier as well to deal with more pressing concerns.

With an almost off-handed flick of thought, green light once again forms around Page's harness, followed by a powerful, crushing pull.

Move Action: Mental users in J.A.R.s really don't move much.

Standard Action: Psiokinetic Torsion on Page's harness this time. Toughness DC 25.

Technology to find out more about Adino's harness: [roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: 1 bruise (regen 0/2), fatigued

"Badger... who is Laurel?" Gleam asks with rather casual curiosity, indicative of the effort it took to avoid Page's retaliatory attack. Well regardless when Think Tank begins pulling at the damaged harness on Page's back, Gleam decided to see if she couldn't make it... less resistant to the pull, and less likely to harm Page significantly as a result.

"Good work on that guy's harness," Gleam mentioned to Think Tank before getting into position to get a better look at Page's harness, "Let's see if I can't help keep one intact for better study," Gleam had to admit pouring this much power into her "Gleam Vision" with such pinpoint concentration took some effort on her part, here's hoping she could pull it off.

Move Action: Where I need to move to have a clear shot at that harness.

Standard Action: 5 for 5 power attack with kinetic vision on Page's harness as a team attack with Think Tank's power (still the same defense rating and exactly within the 5 effect rank limit so it should work). Accuracy and teamwork modifiers taken into account for this roll: [roll0]

Result of Standard Action: If attack check is successful the Harness must make a DC32 save against damage (DC30 from Kinetic vision, +2 from perception range's automatic 1 degree of success). I'm hoping that with precise on Kinetic Vision Gleam can make it easier for Think Tank to yank off the harness while still leaving it intact enough for study.

Move-by Action: Get back into position by the cell door.

[Zelphas]

Be advised: the harnesses are power regulators, not suppliers. Though deprivation causes considerable physical distress, it is unlikely to incapacitate foes entirely, Think Tank mentions offhandedly, still poring over the harness.

He quietly quashes any thoughts of capturing and dissecting one of their current foes. As enlightening as said dissection would be in terms of discovering the method used to inject new Phase abilities into humans, the police tend to disapprove such drastic measures. Besides, though his emotional core had been destroyed at some point during his 'death', there shouldn't be anything defective about his ethics. At least, he doesn't believe so.

[Llyarden]

Round 5

Startled by David's sudden grab, Alice instinctively calls up another whirlwind that swirls through the cells. She is mimicked, albeit on a smaller scale, by Isabelle, who maintains her blizzard around Adino. Adino himself, seemingly starting to recover from the blast of pain the loss of his harness had inflicted, focuses his attention on Think Tank, who finds (from his perspective, at least) everything to be speeding up around him.

Despite the best efforts of Think Tank's telekinesis and Ellen's vision burning off some of the extraneous sections of the harness, it's obviously made of stern stuff, as it remains resolutely attached to his back. He, too, seems to be recovering from the pain, and hurls another sphere of blue energy at Ellen. Flying through the whirlwind unhindered, it suddenly expands into a glistening sphere of energy that risks trapping Ellen within it.

As the winds pick up, Thompson yells "On me!" and trains his pistol on Isabelle. The vast majority of his shots, and those of the officers supporting him, are whipped wide by the swirling windstorm, but a couple of them make it through...and glance harmlessly off Adino's tough skin as he lunges from his leaning position to shield the speedster.

Spider's work obviously continues, meanwhile, as the Phase nullifier flickers again.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit#gid=2007540267)

Spider: Attacks the nullifier again: [roll0], [roll1] Hit. Another Bruise. Spider, you continue to be remarkably useless.

Isabelle:
Standard: Deflects for Adino again with Shielding Blizzard.
Move: None.

Adino:
Move: Dazed.
Standard: Time Freeze on Think Tank. Unreliable roll: [roll2]. If it works, DC20 Dodge vs Dazed & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenceless. Succeeds.
Fort to shake off Dazed (DC25): [roll3] No longer Dazed.

Alice:
Controlled.
Standard: Deflecting Winds on...pretty much everybody.

Page:
Move: Dazed.
Standard: Force Cage on Ellen again: [roll4]. Deflecting Winds only functions against physical attacks, which this is not. DC20 Dodge on hit. Hit.
Fort to shake off Dazed (DC15): [roll5] No longer Dazed.

Thompson:
Move: None.
Standard: Fires at Isabelle, Team Attacking with the police officers, +5 for Teamwork: [roll6], deflected at [roll7], redirected at Page's harness, -2 for cover: [roll8]. Base DC 19 + Multiattack. Deflected. Redirect misses.

Policeman 1:
Move: None.
Standard: Fires at Isabelle, Team Attacking, +5 for Teamwork: [roll9], deflected at [roll10], redirected at Page, -2 for cover: [roll11]. Base DC 19. Hits.

Policeman 2:
Move: None.
Standard: Fires at Isabelle, Team Attacking, +5 for Teamwork: [roll12], deflected at [roll13], redirected at Page, -2 for cover: [roll14]. Base DC 19. Deflected. Redirect misses.

Harness Toughness: [roll15] (Derp, I forgot this was at Page and not the harness. No matter.)
Page's Fort: [roll16]
Adino will Interpose for Isabelle on any hits: [roll17] Resist.

Status:
David: 1 Bruise, -1 Stamina, Fatigued, Concealed.
Ellen: 2 Bruises (regenerates this round), Fatiged (pending)
Think Tank: Fine (pending).

Thompson: Fine.
Policeman 1: Fine.
Policeman 2: Fine.

Spider: Out of sight.
Isabelle: Fine.
Adino: Harness Destroyed.
Alice: Fine.
Page: Harness Bruised x2.

Precinct Phase Nullifier: 2 Bruises.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Alice's whirlwind wasn't getting him very far. Sometimes, clever tactics and plays on the opponent's strengths were the only effective way to win a battle.

And sometimes, you just grit your teeth, steel your will, and hit the bad guy as hard as you can as fast as you can until they stop moving around so much.

David feinted for the harness again, only to bring his staff up and around in a hard swing at the water controller's chin, following up with a flurry of blows while she was hopefully disoriented.

Move: Feint Alice, Routine Deception for 25.

Standard: Attack Alice with Defensive Strike, Power Attacking for 5, at [roll0], critting on 16+. On a hit, Toughness DC 26+Multiattack vs. Damage. David receives a Deflect at 1d10+27, and all enemies are aware that attacking someone other than him may result in a more powerful attack.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, -1 Stamina, Fatigued, Defended (1d10+27).

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: 1 bruise (1/2 regen), fatigued

"If I might add Think Tank, it's possible tha-" before she could finish Page's light bubble encased her, separating her from the rest of the chaos going on outside, "Oh boy..." she sighed, mildly annoyed.

Mildly being the key word.

Gleam approached the wall of this makeshift prison and reared back to break through this thing with a mighty blow!

...

Unfortunately the paragon's blow was not as direct as she hoped and in an attempt to step forward and extend her reach she overstepped and the top of her knuckles only scrapped the bubble, doing absolutely nothing.

Standard Action: punch it with my enhances strength, as this is a stationary object I can literally only miss on a one: [roll0]

Result of standard Action: If successful object must make a DC32 toughness check (due to automatically criting on a stationary object since I rolled for it), since we've been doing it the whole fight I don't think I need to say how damage objects goes.

Move Action: This will only happen if the object fails by two degrees but not three degrees (since three degrees completely destroys it and thus would render this unnecessary.) fly out through whatever opening I made and land right in front of Page.

[Zelphas]

With a mental flicker, Think Tank removes himself from the influence of Adino's temporal power, his enhanced cognition allowing him to ignore its minor effects. I repeat, Spider is attempting to disable the Phase nullifier on the cell blocks. The resultant possible jailbreak could potentiually facilitate the deaths of the captured soldiers. He rips once again at Page's harness with telekinesis, then inundates the room with nerve-seeking mental energy, in an attempt to hamper all opponents. It would be advantageous for someone to disrupt her actions before they came to fruition.

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Psiokinetic Torsion on Page's Harness. Damage DC 25.

Free Action: Switch to Instantaneous Autonomic Overload.

Extra Effort + Hero Point: Advanced Autonomic Overload on the room. Dodge DC 18 for half, Will DC 18/14 vs. Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed.

Status: Fatigued.

[Llyarden]

David, Think Tank & Ellen
Round 6

There is a crackling of energy as the Phase nullifier flickers again. And again. And then the little pale lights in every cell showing that it's up and running turn off.

Instead of taking advantage of this to continue with their apparent mission, though, Isabelle and Adino link hands and their forms flicker for a few moments. Then suddenly the two of them are standing besides Alice, Think Tank and David, Adino reaching out with his other hand to catch hold of Alice's arm. Alice herself, meanwhile, hurls more spheres of water at David, though he is easily able to step aside.

Evidently dismissing Ellen as irrelevant for the time being, Page looks to David, who starts to feel a thoroughly unnerving feeling of his bloodflow beginning to stop.

Thompson and the two police officers follow the retreating Adino and open fire on him again, now that he isn't surrounded with a blizzard. And this time, maybe because he continues to position himself between the guns and his allies, the bullets find a bit more purchase against his skin and he winces in pain.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit#gid=2007540267)

Spider: Keeps beating on the nullifier: [roll0], [roll1] Destroyed.

Isabelle:
Move: Dazed.
Standard: Grabs Adino, who doesn't resist. I figure this probably makes them both Vulnerable for this round.
Will to shake off Daze (DC14): [roll2] No longer Dazed.

Adino:
Move: Temporal Shifts himself and Isabelle to over to Alice, if it works: [roll3] Fails.
Standard: If the previous one failed, Temporal Shifts himself and Isabelle to Alice. If it worked, Temporal Warps himself, Isabelle and Alice to Page. [roll4] Succeeds.

Alice:
Move: Dazed.
Standard: Water Spirits on David: [roll5], deflected at [roll6], DC23 Toughness on hit. Deflected.
Will to shake off Daze (DC18): [roll7] Still Dazed.

Page:
Move: None.
Standard: Internal Attack on David. DC22 Dodge, and if it fails, DC22 Fort vs Damage.

Thompson:
Move: Moves up if necessary.
Standard: Attacks Adino, Team Attacking with the policemen, +5 for Teamwork: [roll8], base DC19+Multiattack. Misses with a natural 1.

Policeman 1:
Move: Moves up if necessary.
Standard: Attacks Adino, Team Attacking, +5 for Teamwork: [roll9], base DC19 Hit.

Policeman 2:
Move: Moves up if necessary.
Standard: Attacks Adino, Team Attacking, +5 for Teamwork: [roll10], base DC19 Hit.

Adino's Toughness: [roll11] DC24. Bruised and Dazed.

Status:
David: 1 Bruise, -1 Stamina, Fatigued (pending).
Ellen: 1 Bruise (regenerates next round), Fatigued, Force-caged
Think Tank: Fatigued.

Thompson: Fine.
Policeman 1: Fine.
Policeman 2: Fine.

Spider: Out of sight.
Isabelle: Vulnerable
Adino: Harness Destroyed, Vulnerable, 1 Bruise, Dazed this round.
Alice: 1 Bruise (regenerates this round), Dazed.
Page: Harness Bruised x2.

Precinct Phase Nullifier: Destroyed.

Shane & Diana

Since the announcement of the disappearance of almost 100 young men and women, the city has been in a mild state of chaos. As word got out that the police were not accepting outside help, innumerable minor Phase users, often those who have lost loved ones to the catasrophe, have been hunting down old nemeses on their own, obviously believing them to be responsible. So far, for the most part, cooler heads have prevailed, but as the hours tick by with little apparent progress, a few fights have broken out around the city. Usually they've ended quickly, but it's only a matter of time before one doesn't.

Where are you, and what are you doing?

[manwithaplan]

Nobody without a very particular set of skills and equipment would detect the IGX-78 as it stalked the city skies. It wasn't particularly fast; it outpaced the cars slogging along on the roads below, but that was largely due to their being forced to struggle with the likes of traffic and the legal system. No, its back-mounted jet pack could hardly be praised for how fast it propelled its user given the space it took up. However, it was in all other ways a technological marvel. Whatever customised propellant was blasting from its thrusters was different enough from standard jet fuel that it made almost no sound on exit. One would have to be within thirty feet of the pack to even hear it. Of course, the entire suit was also emitting a selective personal sound dampener. Nobody save for one man in a foreign country somewhere actually knows how this works, but it dropped the suit's detectability range from feet to inches. Also, the whole thing was invisible. Just completely invisible - it bent the light around it to become completely unseen. In short, the only way for the custom-made stealth-optimised battlesuit to become harder to detect than it already was would be to stop existing, which was currently not within its list of capabilities. It was like a ghost.

And so was the young engineer who had stolen it from its original owner. Shane swooped low between buildings and over streets, scanning dark alleyways and shadowy backstreets for trouble. He'd been wearing this suit for a week now. Not contiguously - well, come to think of it, almost contiguously. Its life support system was the only thing stopping him from starving to death now that his house had been burned down and he had no friends, so really, just taking it off was a pretty risky part of his day. Nevertheless, it had been a week since he first put it on, after stealing it from Agent Black. He'd been using it ever since to thwart crimes like his parents had, and this night was likely going to be about as rife with crime as they came. His flight (but not his array of stealth systems) came to a stop on top of a smaller building in the midst of the residential district. This little packet of streets often brewed a little trouble, so he liked to keep an eye out.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David cursed as the Nullifier went down, but he had known that was a risk. He just hoped that the prison itself wasn't attached to the same one. Even if it wasn't, that had just made it a lot easier for these guys to target the mercenaries.

Unless they were trying to escape, which seemed plausible given the "gather up" move. No. David was not letting Isabelle (or the rest of these kids, for that matter) fall back into Spider's hands. Not if he could help it.

"Trying to run away?" David taunted Adino, coming at him hard with his staff. His voice twisted into a nasty, swaggering bellow. "You think I'm gonna let you out of here, ugly? Freak!? Huh? Come on!" Every word was punctuated by another stinging blow of his staff. It was a sad fact about the world that some pretty ugly prejudices existed. Someone with a physical mutation like Adino had probably encountered them before. Being faced with them might just unbalance him enough to leave an opening. It didn't feel good, but right now he needed any advantage he could get. "I'm gonna send you back to whatever Hell you came from!"

And even as he spouted those words, he timed his strikes, trying to get them to coincide with any appearance of the demon-like kid focusing on his powers. Without the harness to regulate them, he imagined that that might prove...painful.

He also feinted some swings at Alice, just to keep her on her toes (and looking away from the police).

Standard: Attack Adino with Exploit Weakness. I'm hoping that he has some sort of Prejudice or Temper Complication I can exploit, or failing that, that I can take advantage of that Weakness Complication previously mentioned since he doesn't have his harness. If that doesn't fly, the attempt fails automatically. If it does, attack at [roll0]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Damage, Will DC 20 vs. Cumulative Impaired/Disabled/Incapacitated Affliction, and Fortitude DC 20 vs. Weaken Toughness. The Damage has a Secondary Effect. EDIT: Okay dice, I see how it is, use up all the good luck crushing the saves that I really just needed one average roll to not have to deal with, and then go useless on the attack. Sure. Whatever. Hope you feel good about yourselves. Punks.

Move: Feint Alice at 25. Using Set Up to pass the benefit to Thompson, of all people (since Gleam looks occupied with Page and Think Tank doesn't really do attack rolls).

Current Status: 1 Bruise, -1 Stamina, Fatigued.

[Zelphas]

As the Phase nullifier flickers out, Think Tank revises his priorities. Green light once again forms around Page's harness, followed by a heavy, wrenching jerk. At the same time, Think Tank launches into the air, following the path that Spider left from. I shall attempt to restore the nullifier to working condition, he says shortly as he flies away.

Free Action: Switch to Psiokinetic Torsion.

Standard Action: Psiokinetic Torsion on Page's harness. Damage DC 25.

Move Action: Fly towards the power nullifier.

Well-Informed to figure out where the nullifier actually is: [roll0]

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Fatigued

"Think Tank wait!" too little too late, Think Tank had already flown off, sure the Phase Nullifier was important but the kids here were the priority, and they already outnumbered the heroes as is, Think Tank leaving would not help matters much especially since he had the best chance of doing something about Spider's mind-domination over the kids.

Well, all the more reason to get smashing through the bubble right this time! Thus Gleam winds up and tries again to strike the bubble!

Standard Action: punch it with my enhanced strength: [roll0]

Result of standard Action: If successful object must make a DC32 toughness check (due to automatically criting on a stationary object since I rolled for it), since we've been doing it the whole fight I don't think I need to say how damage objects goes.

Move Action: This will only happen if the object fails by two degrees but not three degrees (since three degrees completely destroys it and thus would render this unnecessary.) fly out through whatever opening I made and land right in front of Page.

[Mando Knight]

Diane gets weekends off, so instead of working in the lab this morning, she took to the skies, keeping an eye out for any trouble. She figured she could start her own investigation into the recent disappearances later... right now, she felt more like patrolling the air. It had taken Diana a few days to understand how to tap into the instincts of her animal forms, but now that she had it down, feeling the wind in her feathers while gliding over Azure Bay had rapidly become one of her favorite little pleasures in life.

[Llyarden]

Think Tank

Leaving the holding cells, there is one immediately obvious thing that might be a little disturbing (to those capable of feeling disturbed, anyway.) The body of the janitor lies just outside the door, split open. Well...husk might be more accurate; it's deflated somewhat, but nonetheless still just about recognisable in its dried-out state.

Upon a momentary closer inspection, it seems that the husk's skin, clothes, and all...are made of silk?

Finding the Phase Nullifier isn't hard, mostly because there are an assortment of other policemen rushing there as well, often giving suspicious looks to Think Tank as it becomes apparent that he's heading in the same direction. Arriving, though, it becomes apparent that Spider's been and gone already. There's no sign of her, and the Phase Nullifier is...demolished would be putting it mildly. It has been ripped, shredded and systematically taken to pieces, obviously done by someone with a keen knowledge of how such things work and a truly phenomenally powerful attack.

And obviously Spider expected people to come to try to fix it, because she seems to have taken a large chunk of key components with her. The policemen are looking at the devastation in a mixture of amazement and horror.

David & Ellen
Round 7

Adino flinches a little at David's words, raising his hands to defend himself instinctively rather than turning into the blows as he had been doing thus far, and the staff slams into him time and again. He doesn't, however, seem to get particularly angry.

Isabelle does, though. "Shut up!" she shouts at David, lunging forwards with a spear of ice that materialises in her hand. It's an easily-telegraphed attack that she would probably have been ashamed of had she been in her right frame of mind, and comes closer to hitting the cell bars than David.

Alice, meanwhile, narrows her eyes, and David is just about able to duck as the spheres of water she'd hurled at him come soaring back, instead becoming reabsorbed into her watery shield. She spreads her hands wide and hurls more spheres at Thompson and his men, forcing all three of them back a pace or two. And then she, Isabelle and Adino are all gone, moving in a blur to land behind Page, who backs up and throws another ball of energy at Ellen, this one red. And when it hits her, Ellen starts to feel...hot, first, and then pained and restrained, as if she's moving in honey. To a scientist like her, it only takes a moment to figure out that Page has massively increased the friction of the air around her.

Recovering to some degree from their watery assault, Thompson takes advantage of Alice's distraction to fire on her, though his bullets splash harmlessly into her shield. The other two take advantage of Adino's weakness and continue to fire on him, scoring more hits and causing him to yelp in pain again.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit#gid=2007540267)

Isabelle:
Free: Lets go of Adino.
Move: None.
Standard: Ice Spike on David: [roll0], DC27 Toughness on hit. Miss.

Adino:
Move: Dazed.
Standard: Delays to after Alice, and then tries to Temporal Warp across to Page: [roll1] Succeeds.
Will to shake off Daze (DC20): [roll2] Still Dazed.
Regenerates one Bruise.
Recovers one Toughness.

Alice:
Free: Water Spirits Homing on David: [roll3], DC23 Toughness + Multiattack. Miss (just.)
Move: Dazed.
Standard: Water Spirits on Thompson and the policemen, Multiattacking for 3: [roll4], [roll5], [roll6], DC23 Toughness: [roll7], [roll8], [roll9] Hits all three. All three Bruised & Dazed.
Will to shake off Daze (DC18): [roll10] Still Dazed.

Page:
Move: Backs away from Ellen.
Standard: Heighten Friction on Ellen: [roll11]. DC22 Toughness vs Damage and DC17 Fort/Str vs Hindered/Immobilised/Paralysed Affliction. Hit.

Thompson:
Move: Move if necessary. Dazed.
Standard: Fires at Alice: [roll12], DC19 Toughness + Multiattack on hit: [roll13] -2 for cover. Still hits. Resist.

Policeman 1:
Move: Move if necessary. Dazed.
Standard: Fires at Adino, Team Attacking with Policeman 2, +5 for Teamwork: [roll14]

Policeman 2:
Move: Move if necessary. Dazed.
Standard: Fires at Adino, Team Attacking with Policeman 1, +5 for Teamwork: [roll15]

Adino Toughness: [roll16] -2 to each attack for cover. Both hit anyway. DC24. Bruised and Dazed.

EDIT: Wait no that's not right. Should be a further -2 on that. Bruised and Staggered.

Status:
David: 1 Bruise, -1 Stamina, Fatigued.
Ellen: 1 Bruise (regenerates this round), Fatigued (pending)
Think Tank: Fatigued.

Thompson: 1 Bruise, Dazed this round.
Policeman 1: 1 Bruise, Dazed this round.
Policeman 2: 1 Bruise, Dazed this round.

Spider: Out of sight.
Isabelle: Fine.
Adino: Harness Destroyed, 3 Bruises (regenerates this round), -4 Toughness (recovers one), Dazed, Staggered
Alice: 1 Bruise, Dazed.
Page: Harness Bruised x2.

Precinct Phase Nullifier: Destroyed.

Shane & Diana

On your aerial patrol routes as you are, you both notice something of a crowd gathering around a run-down-looking tenement block. About twenty people are facing off against a man in a cheap suit and two brutish-looking fellows. There's quite a lot of shouting going on, so it's difficult to tell exactly what's happening, but whatever it is it looks like it might get ugly in the near future.

First, an OOC note with regards to Detect Phase. Given that 25% of the world have Phase powers, there will usually be a few people at any given time with generic Phase powers, an Enhanced Ability here or there and the like. I won't usually call them out, but in case it matters they are there. They'll be mechanically identical to other people, though. So these civilians, even though some of them may have minor Phase powers, will all be the same. Back to the IC!

Aside from the usual assortment of minor Phase powers that you would expect, the suit-wearer has a power that comes up as 'weak matter manipulation.' Which is both alliterative and rather annoyingly vague. In the middle of the crowd, however, there's someone who comes up as 'strong rage inducement.'

(Another OOC note; in terms of strength, powers go from minor -> weak -> medium -> strong -> exceptional. Strong is PL10-ish.)

The suit-wearer is a man named Erasmus Coin, also known as 'Mister Coin.' He's...pretty much the very definition of a two-bit criminal, serving more as an annoyance than any real threat to the police and the Sapphire Guard, when they were still around. He mostly deals in smuggling, fencing and the like.

Something of relevance here, though, is that he doesn't have the luxury of fighting flamboyantly like other villains might. If he fights, he puts his opponents down and makes sure they don't get up. If this apparent mob start a fight with him, it will be...messy, to say the least.

[manwithaplan]

Shane rolled his eyes at the sight of the conflict, though it couldn't be seen through the ominous red glow of his suit's visor. Especially due to, you know, the whole 'completely invisible' thing. He powerfully leapt off the building, letting his jet pack carry him through the air and gently lower him down into the street. After a quick and calculated glide he managed to land right between the two groups. As soon as he was on the ground he deactivated his stealth systems, the suit appearing in its full glory to everyone around him; its black-and-silver death-spiked glowing-red glory. He spoke without bothering to introduce himself, and his voice was automatically magnified to easily reach everyone on the road.

"Both sides, stand down at once."

He looked first to the angry mob of twenty.

"You know that's Mister Coin, right? How many of you do you reckon will have quarters wedged in your eyes by the time you manage to take him down? At least a few, I'd wager. Is that really worth it?"

Then he looked over to the suited man and his guards.

"Right, Erasmus, I don't know what's going on here...but I can tell you there's a Phase user in the other crowd." He lowered his voice amplifier, making sure the next few words only reached the three men he was looking at.

"And between us, their guy is way stronger than you. No offence, I'm just reading the numbers to you here. You don't want to get caught up with him. You can let me take you to prison or you can let them kill you. What's the go?

[Mando Knight]

Diana was about to intervene, when a massive suit of power armor appeared where she was thinking of landing. Given that the new arrival seemed to be trying to de-escalate the situation in spite of his appearance, Diana decided to stick to a holding pattern instead.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The words weren't fun to say, and he could be honest, seeing that look of anger on his student's face - and knowing that, unlike everything else that had happened here, it was probably real - stung. But if that was the price to pay, then so be it.

David flew after them, squaring off against Adino and swinging hard with his staff, a rapid flurry of blows to hopefully bring him down while he was weak while keeping his own guard up against the other three.

Move: Fly into G8.

Standard: Attack Adino with Defensive Strike, Power Attacking for 5, at [roll0], critting on 16+. On a hit, Toughness DC 26+Multiattack vs. Damage. David is Defended at 1d10+27, enemies aware that blah blah blah.

Adino must also save again against the DC 25 Secondary Effect (although if possible I'll forgo that if the attack itself incapacitates him).

Current Status: 1 Bruise, -1 Stamina, Fatigued, Defended (1d10+27).

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: 1 bruise (1/2), fatigued, daze

One of the main reasons Gleam had been so focused on the harnesses rather than the kids utilizing them was a desire to avoid hurting the kids; she had held out some hope that Think Tank's own psychic powers might have been able to undo Spider's domination once the harnesses were gone, but since Think Tank's flown off that might not be an option, and with the police now open firing on them not hurting them wasn't an option anymore.

So at the very least Gleam resolved herself to control the amount of damage done to the kids, first by helping Badger take one of them down. Though Page's little heat trick burned and disoriented her slightly she summoned up her incredible strength to keep moving in spite of it before flying straight at the demonic-looking one, doing her best to be mindful of her guard since she was now hovering right above a collection of superhumans.

Move Action: Just kidding! I'm dazed for the round!

Standard Action: Charge action team attack defensive attack on Adino! Charge modifier -2, defensive attack modifier -2, teamwork bonus +5: [roll0] The charge will end with me flying just above Adino's head.

Result of Standard Action: Gleam's dodge and parry are at +2 this round. If attack check is successful then Adino must make a toughness save equal to 15 + highest damage rank between Gleam and Badger + teamwork circumstance bonus.

[Zelphas]

Think Tank takes not of the silk suit dispassionately, mentally crossing out the physical description of spider and placing Unknown: Subject capable of sophisticated disguise in its place.

He glances over the remains of the Phase nullifier, and says to the group of cops, The nullifier is beyond repair. Send for new components immediately, before flying out again.

There is a non-zero chance that Spider was among those police officers, lying in wait to foil any attempts at repair, he thought to himself as he flew back to the battle. This hypothesis will likely be verified once one of the officers telephones or signals for help.

Returning to the scene of the fight, Think Tank once again mentally rips at Page's harness. The nullifier is beyond repair without key components, he intones.

Move Action: Fly back to where Think Tank was last turn, if possible.

Standard Action: If Think Tank is back in the battle, Psiokinetic Torsion on Page's harness. Damage DC 25.

[Llyarden]

David, Think Tank & Ellen

Ellen's slam is as powerful as ever, but it is the multiple blows from David's staff that are truly devastating. Adino raises his hands to shield himself again, but David simply batters past his guard and lands blow after blow on the demon-like kid's head. Blow after blow after blow. And without any apparent warning, Adino suddenly...drops, like a puppet with cut strings. A little blood leaks from his head.

Alice drops, too. Not so much out of being unconscious, though the crackling of her harness suggests that something peculiar is happening with that, but she drops to her knees to examine her ally's wounds. So does Isabelle, though she looks up at David as she does, and the look in her eyes as she looks between Adino's wounds and her former teacher is one of horror. And fear. Almost as if she expects David to execute all three of them.

Page, meanwhile, seems singularly unbothered by the entire affair. "What are you doing?" he shouts at his remaining allies, lunging forwards to strike David with a hand that bubbles with pink mold, his own harness clearly still intact and glowing. He promptly recieves a volley of bullets from Thompson and his men that cause him to stagger backwards.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit#gid=2007540267)

Isabelle and Alice are both functionally Physically Incapacitated (though they're still conscious and able to be suitably dramatic.)

David is Stunned for a round. Take a Hero Point for your I Don't Need To Kill complication. (Obviously, you can immediately use said Hero Point to remove the Stun if you feel David wouldn't be too bothered by this.)

Page:
Free: Switches to Leeched Plant Powers: [roll0] Resist.
Standard: Phytotoxin on David, All-out and Accurate Attacking for 2: [roll1], DC16 Fort vs Affliction. The conditions this round will be Vulnerable/Defenceless/Paralysed. This has a Secondary Effect. Hit.

Thompson:
Move: None.
Standard: Fires at Page, Team Attacking with the policemen, +5 for Teamwork: [roll2], base DC19 + Multiattack

Policeman 1:
Move: None.
Standard: Fires at Page, Team Attacking, +5 for Teamwork: [roll3], base DC19.

Policeman 2:
Move: None.
Standard: Fires at Page, Team Attacking, +5 for Teamwork: [roll4], base DC19.

Page Toughness: [roll5] DC26. Bruised & Dazed.

Status:
David: 1 Bruise, -1 Stamina, Fatigued (pending).
Ellen: Fatigued
Think Tank: Fatigued.

Thompson: 1 Bruise
Policeman 1: 1 Bruise
Policeman 2: 1 Bruise

Spider: Out of sight.
Isabelle: Physically Incapacitated.
Adino: Harness Destroyed, 3 Bruises (regenerates this round), -3 Toughness (recovers one), Incapacitated
Alice: 1 Bruise, Dazed, Physically Incapacitated.
Page: Harness Bruised x3, 1 Bruise, Dazed.

Precinct Phase Nullifier: Destroyed.

Diana & Shane

"There are more of us than there are of you!" shouts out one man, distinctive mostly because of his fabulous handlebar mustache. "Coin's gonna tell us what he did with the kids or he's gonna pay!" This...rousing...statement is echoed by cheers and mutterings along the same line. If anything, Shane's attempted interference only seems to have riled up the crowd more, oddly enough.

"Now, fellas," Coin says, "I fought I made this clear enough, yeah? I din't 'ave anythin' to do with your kiddies vanishin'. That ain't my business." Then he turns to Shane. "Now who's that in there? Boomer, that you? Or Glacier, maybe? You turncoatin' on me? Well, I ain't going to prison and I ain't gonna let these dimwits take me down. If you're with 'em, then you can go down to." And as he speaks, Shane feels a seething anger rising within him, frustration at Coin's stubborness and arrogance, and at the mob as well for their stupidity. He should show them all.

Up in the sky, Diana feels none of this, though she can see the crowd are starting to get edgier. All it would take is one false move...

Technically Shane needs to make a DC12 Will Save vs Undercurrent of Rage, but he's not going to accumulate three failures before anything else happens. Make it anyway, though, just to see how you do. Also this is Insidious and Subtle, but Detect Phase trumps that.

[Quellian-dyrae]

David frowned just slightly as the kid suddenly dropped. He knew you had to push hard when fighting Phase-powered, especially those with augmented resilience, but that might have been overdoing it just a bit. He knelt down quickly along with the girls to make sure the kid was still breathing, and nodded seeing that he was apparently stable.

"Oh, don't give me that look," David griped at Isabelle, when Page went for him - and caught Gleam instead. He had to admit, watching her first block his attack and then whack him in the face as, best he could tell, an afterthought or accident was kinda hilarious.

"He'll be fine," he assured the paragon, just nodding at her suggestion to go light on the others; it looked like dropping Adino had taken the fight out of Alice and Isabelle, at any rate. Then he stood and turned to face Page squarely, side by side with Gleam, as the police put some more bullets into him.

Stunned this turn.

Current Status: 1 Bruise, -1 Stamina, Fatigued.

[Nintendogeek01]

Gleam
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Fatigued

Gleam was pleased that her blow gave Badger the opening he needed to start his onslaught, though she was quite surprised to find that the girls were affected by what they did to the demonic-looking one, a surprise that was pushed to the back of her head to be replaced by a moment of horror when it looked as though Badger were completely lost in the momentum of his attack, continuing to wail on the demonic-looking one again and again!

"Badger!" Gleam set herself down beside Badger, who had by this point stopped hitting him, putting her hands to his shoulder and not even flinching when Page ended up hitting her in the back, as though she completely forgot about the superhuman's existence. "Badger take it easy on the others they've had enough," she tried to advice gently.

After a brief moment of silence interrupted by Page's screams, Gleam just off-handedly backhanded him, not taking her attention off of Badger.

[Mando Knight]

Diana keeps circling, feeling a bit uneasy about the crowd... if a guy in power armor telling them to stand down makes them get more riled up, she doesn't really have much of a chance of talking them down, either... a massive bear-woman likely wouldn't garner much more respect than a hulking suit of armor. So instead, she kept a close eye on their actions, preparing to swoop down and snatch away the first one to actually commit to a fight.

[manwithaplan]

Shane held his anger in right as it hit him, refusing to be controlled by his emotions. Or a Phase user. It was pretty easy to keep an eye on your frustration level when you could see on your heads-up display there was an anger controller behind you.

"Okay, I can see that none of you are very logical men. That's fine, I'll handle this myself."

The sound of servos moving and metal clanking against concrete filled the street as he walked casually over to Mister Coin.

"I really don't feel like this tonight. You can call me The Engineer."

Finished talking, he lunged forward to grab the criminal himself.

I'm going to try and Grab him. Should I roll Initiative first?

[Zelphas]

Think Tank continues doggedly pulling at Page's harness, determined to have another one to study. The Spider has shed its skin, he informs the others. It seems that among its Phase powers or technological gadgets lies the ability to create extremely lifelike costuming with silk. Its current appearance and whereabouts are unknown.

Move Action: None.

Standard Action: Psiokinetic Torsion on Page's Harness. Damage DC 25.

Status: Fatigued.

[Llyarden]

David, Think Tank & Ellen

When David crouches down besides her and Alice, Isabelle simultaneously flinches away from him and tries to put herself between David and Adino, eventually compromising on trying to drag the unconscious boy backwards, with little to no success given his size and weight and her own relative lack of strength.

Page, meanwhile, staggers a little from Ellen's offhanded blow, but his shield of light takes the majority of the punishment, and he sends another beam of light arcing across the group, his former companions and all. Even as he does so, the light begins to crackle and spark as he readies himself to detonate it.

Thompson and the two police officers continue to unload on the light manipulator, but his shield withstands the bullets without even cracking; Page himself doesn't seem to even notice their attacks.

Map. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GlUL0fYvlq6v9SAxhjzGleZrKQtM4TRs-DsXQHfLxdQ/edit#gid=2007540267)

Page:
Move: Dazed.
Standard: Neon Stream on David, Ellen, Adino, Alice and Isabelle. The three students are already technically Unaware, so this does nothing to them. However, you would all know that he can use Searing Strobe next round. DC15 Dodge and DC15/12 Will vs Visually Impaired / Visually Disabled / Visually Unaware Affliction.

Thompson:
Move: A touch closer.
Standard: Fires at Page, Team Attacking, +5 for Teamwork: [roll0], base DC19 + Multiattack. Hit.

Policeman 1:
Move: Closer.
Standard: Fires at Page, Team Attacking, +5 for Teamwork: [roll1], base DC19. Miss.

Policeman 2:
Move: Closer.
Standard: Fires at Page, Team Attacking, +5 for Teamwork: [roll2], base DC19. Hit.

Page Toughness: [roll3] DC21. Impervious.

Status:
David: 1 Bruise, -1 Stamina, Fatigued (pending).
Ellen: Fatigued (pending)
Think Tank: Fatigued.

Thompson: 1 Bruise
Policeman 1: 1 Bruise
Policeman 2: 1 Bruise

Spider: Out of sight.
Isabelle: Physically Incapacitated.
Adino: Harness Destroyed, 2 Bruises (regenerates this round), -2 Toughness (recovers one), Incapacitated
Alice: 1 Bruise, Dazed, Physically Incapacitated.
Page: Harness Bruised x4, 2 Bruises, Dazed this round.

Precinct Phase Nullifier: Destroyed.

Shane & Diana

As the Engineer moves forwards and lunges, Coin manages to wriggle free of his grip, leaving his cheap jacket behind in the power suit's grasp. A small bundle of dollar bills find their way into Coin's hand, while the crowd as a whole tense and begin to move forwards. But of everyone, the avian reflexes of Menagerie allow her to react fastest to the deteriorating situation.

Status:
Shane: Fine.
Diana: Fine.

Coin: Fine.
Bruiser 1: Fine.
Bruiser 2: Fine.
Civilians: 20/20

Diana to act.

[Quellian-dyrae]

I auto-pass the Dodge save, which means I auto-pass the Will save.

These people and trying to kill their own teammates, David thought with disgust.

He didn't have time to reassure Isabelle; it wouldn't do much good if she was dead, and whatever had happened when Adino went down, she didn't look to be in much a state to defend herself. Letting your guard down in a superpowered battlefield could be deadly, even for the Phase-powered - and especially for a speedster like her.

David might be able to get her away from the blast, but not all three of them. She was his student and his top priority, but that didn't mean the others' lives didn't matter.

David, in short, would rather save them all.

David raised his staff as if to strike the kid, but then suddenly lunged for the hand projecting the beam of light to try to catch it and point it back at his own face while stepping hard on his foot. Sometimes sudden and surprising pain could trigger a reflexive power use.

Move: Feint Page at 25.

Standard: Attack Page with Misdirection. Not even gonna activate the Concealment, I literally have no idea how to fluff it here. Power Attack for 2. [roll0]. On a hit, Dodge DC 22 or Phase and Tech powers Impaired/Compelled/Controlled next round. If he's at least Compelled, his action next round is to attack himself with his most damaging available power that won't affect anyone else (this may just mean retargeting Neon Strobe at his own space, especially if only Compelled). If it's a targeted attack, he's also forced to All Out and Power Attack for the maximum he his capable of.

If he is not at least Compelled, use Extra Effort to do it again, at [roll1].

Current Status: Fatigued, 1 Bruise, -1 Stamina, possibly Exhausted next round.