[M&M 3E] Earth-1337

[Belial_the_Leveler]

late night, September 5th 1996, Lexcorp tower, Metropolis

As we near the dawn of a new millennium, the world is becoming smaller. Telecommunications, the internet, satellites, supersonic aircraft, mass transit systems; they all contribute to the world becoming a well-connected neighborhood where even the most distant shore is less than a day's travel away. Electric lights illuminate every corner, electronic libraries and databases become fuller with all manner of secrets now accessible to the common people every day. The power of industry provides riches and possibilities to the average man undreamed of by even the wealthiest individuals a hundred years ago. But this smaller, more connected, brighter, richer world has one drawback.

"Writing your speech, I see." The crystal-clear voice chimed with both amusement and mockery. "Do you not trust your vaunted intellect and ability to improvise to distract tomorrow's audience so they don't notice your plan unfold?"

"One of these days my dear, that sharp tongue of yours will get you killed." A man's tired baritone retorted in long-suffering tones. "Now unless you wish to write this appeal to the brainless masses for me, would you please allow me to do it myself?"

"You truly are the best and worst of your species." The woman's voice said whimsically, words flowing like water sliding across glass. "Writing your lies for you will have undesirable consequences as you well know. But you never did listen to my advice."

"Perhaps I would if you made more sense." The man growled, then tried to focus on the ergonomic keyboard and holographic screen. "Or if you were less secretive. You told me of interesting arrivals but I have yet to see one - except for you."

"More lies. What you really wish is for me to be under your control." The woman laughed. "Oh Lex. Things would then be so very dreadfully boring... But you will see, in time." Light footsteps took her beyond the man's field of view and eventually out of the office. Trying to ignore the impact of the words, the man continued with his writing.

The world is not safe. Insurgents, terrorists, tyrannical regimes, enemies foreign and domestic. In a smaller, less concealed world they not only have a comparatively longer reach, but they know exactly where to strike to take from us our homes, our peaceful works, our freedom. As weapons become more and more destructive, and their use more indiscriminate, the man on the street needs to know he can rely on his nation, his government for protection. It is for those reasons that in this day, September the sixth, Lexcorp introduces the Lexosuit 2000, a miraculous new defensive system that will protect our nation from current and future threats...



early morning, September 6th 1996, the docks, Metropolis

Yeah... yeah... everyone's ready... what do you mean? I thought we had an agreement... no... no... yes, we'll hit the presentation today... Luthor's security won't be a problem... yes... got a man on the inside I'm telling you... yes... all's set...
The gruff-voiced man grunted and disconnected, then threw the burner phone into the water. Then something snared him from behind with the strength of a steel vise. A frantic but brief struggle followed; he was large and he liked to believe he was in good shape but his attacker was in another league entirely; they had him in an unbreakable hold in seconds.

"A man, am I?" A crystal-clear voice chimed softly in his ear and he relaxed.

"Gods, woman, you nearly gave me a heart attack." He took in some deep breaths as his lithe attacker let him go. "What was that for?"

"A small lesson in manners, propriety, and common sense." She said then laughed. The man's hair stood on end at the coldness, alienness of that sound.

"We're good to go, then?" he asked a bit uncertainly.

"Indeed." She sneered and easily shoved him aside despite being a third his size. "Luthor won't know what hit him."

[5ColouredWalker]

Pre-Dawn
Flying.
Few things matched flying under your own power, doing loop-de-loops, gliding with the wind, diving like a hawk... It was the one thing Cab allowed himself at the moment, his pre-dawn flights in the dark where none could find him in this world seemingly without the supernatural...
Beyond him that was...

Thinking back on the time since his arrival Cab smiled,
The sleepless nights absorbing everything from the computer, the hurried rituals to become anonymous and then set up his 'resting' identity... Abbie, net worth 2 million in 'lottery winnings' spread among so many untouchable accounts, each accumulating the interest which she could touch to live off, quite comfortably, at 180K a year... Last month's money was spent, now 'she' had 15K for this month.
But no, that wasn't what was smile worthy, smile worthy was Cab's current thoughts on testing his power. Getting in touch with his Inner Bacab, a nation covering rain dance... It sounded fun in theory, or like half a day sitting inside the largest part of metropolis while he arranged things with spirits before then exhausting himself magically...
"Hmmm... The things we do for godhood... If it weren't for how many people would need altering becoming a president would be easier..."
An alarm sounded in his pocket, it was time to dive... Looking to the ground Cab angled himself towards the edge of metropolis where he had parked his car, the next thing on his schedule was walking into the walls of Lexcorp tower and ascending them, then time for some magic.


Cab is currently in Take-10 Bee Form, morphed to look like a cross between a Human and a Sting-less Bee. Shortly after arriving at ground level Cab will use Morph to appear to be Abbie, which (I think) nullifies his ability to fly, sense boosts and extra limbs as those become hidden.

Thought Notes: Cab chalks up the battlesuit to a couple of scientific breakthroughs, he's not exactly good with the 'real tech' compared to 'magi tech'.

Activities: Cab plans on spending the next few hours using his ritualist advantage to create a spell, I'll have a rough draft up soon.
I've just determined that Cab can't cover that large an area. At best he could cover a 16mile radius.

[Tar Palantir]

Felicia Adair leans back in her chair, shifting slightly to one side as she thinks. The locals may be too inexperienced to tell super tech from the real thing, but there's no way someone from this world whipped up a battlesuit without outside help. From what I've been able to find, this Luthor guy is definitely good, but he's no Stark. No, this is something else. I figured it would be too much to hope for that I was the only superhuman to end up here, but I was kind of hoping for a bit more time to get settled in. She arches her back and cracks her fingers. Ah well. That's what I get for wanting things. I don't know for sure how it'll play out in this world, but back home, showing off a new piece of combat-oriented super tech at a public event is just asking for it to get stolen in a big, flashy, collateral-damagy way. Looks like Dusk is on overwatch.

She gets up and heads over to her closet. Popping open the trunk sitting on the floor of the closet, she lays out her costume on her bed and gives it a thorough once-over, doing the same with the dull metal rod she always keeps close at hand. Satisfied that her gear is ready for action, dons first the black suit, then a pair of loose jeans and a Metropolis University sweater over top of it. with the hood back and tucked inside the sweater along with the cape and the mask stashed inside the sweater's front pocket, it would be a fairly simple matter for her to duck out of sight and change should trouble arise. Her collapsed staff she shoved down the side of her boot, out of sight. Now she just had to make sure she was close by at the time of the presentation.

Things were about to get very interesting in Metropolis.

[souffle_girl]

It had been two weeks since the day Artisia was snatched away from her fight with Empress Ann, on Arret, and into the new world, and as much as she wanted to return home as soon as possible, it didn't take long fo her to figure out that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

At first, finding herself in that corn field, Artisia had thought she or Ann had accidentally activated the Heart of Arret, but she soon found out other people had been brought to that world against their will, from different realities, and that hinted at a far more complex explanation.

She had sensed the presence of two other ESPers right away, and after a bit of telepathic communication and persuasion, she managed to meet with them. Two teenage girls, cousins, that reminded her of two lost, frightened kittens. She had seen that look before, in the countless orphaned kids she met during the latest war, against the Greys. She just couldn't let two kids be out there on their own, so she settled down with them, while trying to figure out the situation.

She knew she was on Earth, in what used to be the United States of America, in 1996, old calendar. That was almost a century before she was born. And she had no particular way to tell if she had travelled back in time, or to another reality entirely, since the place looked like her world's past was supposed to look.
With mankind having barely ventured into space at all, the idea of travelling to an entirely different star system was impossible. Meaning that the Heart of Arret was out of reach, and she needed some alternate mean to return home.
She had almost lost hope to find any help when she heard the news about the presentation of a battlesuit.

Whoever can build a battlesuit will have access to cutting edge technology and vast funds. Maybe this Luthor guy can help me... But I have to be careful, one Empress of the Multiverse wannabe is already enough to handle.

The thought of not telling the kids where she was going crossed her mind, but she realized she wouldn't be able to hide it. Not from Kerri. That girl's telepathy was sharp, even for someone so young and untrained. She reached out to the girls with her mind.

<Kerri, Viessa, I'm going to check out that battlesuit presentation, those people might know something useful to us. You don't have to come if you don't want to, I know how these things are. It's most likely going to be a long, boring speech about the benefits of a glorified bunch of scrap.>

As she waited for the girls to reply she got dressed and took care to cover the circuitry on her face and hands with makeup.

[Koryander]

Vie yawned... what... what time was it? Which time was it? How many times HAS it? Stumbling out of bed, hair a mess, Vie entered the bathroom to look upon the mirror... though it was very hard to see with her eyes so blurry. Still, the poor girl set about getting the day going, before floundering through the corridor and making her way into the kitchen.

You would think someone so far from... 'real' home would be a bit more prompt. A bit more worried. A bit more concerned. But honestly? Some time away from fighting the vile tyranny of her mother was a much needed vacation, and instead of taking the burden so very much upon her shoulders, she felt... at least she hoped... that some of the big leaguers back at home was handling things a little while. 'Sides, getting sucked into another universe was like, a coming of age tale, yeah? EVERYONE got sucked into another dimension at least once in this business.

... Right?

She frowned, a little bit of unease hit her, but she quickly pushed it aside.

"... Okay, okay. Breakfast."

She opened up the cabinet, eyes laying upon the most important meal of the day...

Coffee.

Allegedly, she was too young to be a caffeine addict. But really? In Vie's opinion, people were setting their bars too low. You're never to young to be a winner, and coffee was the drink of champions and term paper writers... which deep down was exactly what she was. Writer of homework, term papers, and needless bullshi-



<Kerri, Viessa, I'm going to check out that battlesuit presentation, those people might know something useful to us. You don't have to come if you don't want to, I know how these things are. It's most likely going to be a long, boring speech about the benefits of a glorified bunch of scrap.>

The sound that came out of Vie's tired mouth was a cross between 'Blep' and 'Meh.' She put the coffee K-Cup down and stumbled over to the fridge, pulling out a red bull.

It was going to be a Red Bull day, it seemed.

<Ahhhboooooring... Mmmmgh... but the important kind of Boring.> Vie responded mentally. <I guess that's the kind of boring I can get behind. I think Kerri is around, 'gonna get her.>


As her mind link subsided, she stumbled over to the corridor. This was the kind of retrieval that the nuance of mental powers could not do justice.

"... KERRRIIIIIIIIIIII. ARTI WANTS TO DO A THING TODAY." She screamed across the apartment.

'Yep! That should do the trick.'

[Recherché]

"... KERRRIIIIIIIIIIII. ARTI WANTS TO DO A THING TODAY." She screamed across the apartment.

'

<Vie, dearest, has it occurred to you that some of us enjoy sleeping in on weekends!>
Her cousin retorts back grumpily.

A few seconds later the still half asleep teenager groans in realization.

<Sorry Artisia, I forgot that someone other than Vie would be able to hear that.>

A few minutes later Kerri finishes getting dressed herself and stumbles into the kitchen to wince at the energy drink in Vie's hand. This was not gonna be a fun day.

So what was it that about?


It only takes a few minutes to get the younger telepath caught up on what's going on.

That machine . . . it sounds a lot like some things from my world. And very little like the average tech for wherever this is. I don't like it.

Her eyes slightly narrow in suspicion and worry.

But I'm guessing the press event is going to be a giant crowd so I can't go easily.

How many thousand excited people would that be screaming at my mind? No thank you.

It might be easier for me to check on people sometime other than the press event. If I can get close enough I can read the people involved without anyone being the wiser. I'm guessing that the security is too high tech for my sort of invisibility to get us inside unless you can hack that part to take it down. Otherwise might be easier to just go invisible fly up the building and start scanning people for info.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

A cursory examination of the announcements and "leaks" on the web reveals the testing would take place in Metropolis' older, now defunct airport. Left unused some three years ago when the new international airport was built to handle the increased traffic, the old airfield is being used as a testing area by both Lexcorp and S.T.A.R. Labs as well as the military. It is not really outside the city - not with the recent boom in construction and the city expanding like mad - but it is an open area some three miles long and two wide where tests can be performed without truly endangering civilian areas.

The location presents a few advantages and disadvantages. It is easy to find and even more easily accessible by anyone, but also easy to secure. Any intruders that are not the Press or potential buyers would be rather obvious if they approached in the open. Though since it is an otherwise open field, uninvited spectators could observe from afar with a pair of binoculars just fine.

[Thokk_Smash]

One mile straight up in the air, there floats a man invisible to any sense but touch. If one could see him, they would see a tall man dressed in a red overcoat with skintight black clothing underneath. His white hair is slicked back out of his eyes, and slate grey eyes stare down at those below as if he can see them perfectly despite the distance between them. His lips are curved into a frown as he watches the proceedings.

"This whole thing reeks of a setup," he thinks to himself. His arms are crossed and he seems to lounge in the air as he floats. For to him, he has dissociated himself from the world and taken root in his own world: the world of his soul, where he is king and castle both. Yet he has left enough of himself in this world to allow himself to properly spectate this incoming farce.

His time on this world has been equal parts frustrating and enjoyable. On the one hand, the perks of being a Counter Guardian are still around: he doesn't get hungry or thirsty, and he has not needed to sleep a wink since his impromptu arrival. Which has made his nightly excursions quite easy indeed: he prowled the skies, unseen and unheard, looking for those whose intentions were ill. It was quite easy to suss out several obviously nefarious personages. And with the patience of one who has existed outside of time, he scouted his targets until he was sure that they were deserving of his judgement.

And when he was assured of that, he would pick the suitable weapon from his armory: a sleek blade that morphs into a deadly arrow. He would stand at least a mile away, sequestered from the world as he takes aim at the target. The arrow would fly, invisible itself, through the air and then by power unknown pass through any wall or cover between itself and his target. Perfect headshots, every one--and the projectile would dissipate before the body was found, with no one knowing how or why their mafia boss was suddenly dead.

It was somewhat unlike his typical M.O., to be honest--normally he would come in as akin to a natural disaster and lay waste to all who Gaia commanded. Here, on an unknown world with unknown dangers, he cannot be nearly as obvious, and so he adopts assassination tactics. He is not unused to them, after all, and investigatory skills are a benefit that he sorely lacks.

This strange occurrence is the biggest lead he has gotten on his circumstances. Thus, his current reconnaissance of the presentation area. It is wide-open, and any cover is miles away from the show. Of course, if anyone has half the ability he has then the area is not nearly protected enough.

He surveys the area with eyes sharp as his blades. He sees every security guard, every person of note and assesses their combat ability. His sight pierces through the airport building itself, and he visually scours it as well. In his right hand is his favored sword: a short falchion that solely serves to enhance his defenses. In his left hand is a short sword: entirely of glass, he places it to his eye and focuses. Through this blade all secrets are laid bare--things unseeable by the naked eye are visible to him, unless hidden well-enough to escape his gaze.

Basically, Archer has been killing important criminal figures: mob bosses, escaped murderers he's seen on the news, etc. Granted, his ability to find baddies without help has limited him to people whose crimes he can see and trace back to them. And he can't wholesale kill off an entire crew, though he could with his arrows that pass through objects, because that'd draw unwanted attention.

Current UBW Array point-arrangement:
30 points in Beyond the Boundaries of Earth for Concealment (All) and Flight 5
32 points in Legacy of a Timeless Archer for 20-points of Variable:

10-point sword: Strength-based Damage 0, Senses 5 (Counters Concealment (All)), Quickness 10 (Limited to Perception checks)
10-point sword: Enhanced Parry 5, Enhanced Dodge 5

Archer will use Assessment to Assess those who look combat-ready that he can see to separate the sheep from the wolves. He'll take 10 on the Insight since he's in no rush for 32.

He'll make as many Perception checks as he has to to find everything of note. He has Rapid 2, so he takes in sight-based information at 100x the normal rate, and he takes a -1/1000ft thanks to Extended 2. Since there's no such thing as taking 20 in M&M I'll just roll a bunch:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]--Here's the winner!
[roll6]
[roll7]

Status: Fine, Active Defenses at +12 (DC 22 for both), Vision has Counters and Penetrates Concealment and Quickness 10 (Limited to Perception checks).
HP: 1
Luck: 6

[HopeHubris]

Barry Stuhl is sitting in his Chair Cave, reading about the latest trends in this world's chair industry, when he is interrupted by an alert by chAIr, Luthor had announced a battle-suit, highly advanced, and according to chAIr, far more so than anything in this reality had any right to be.

And this tech was in the hands of Luthor, who in his world was a renowned supervillian. This Luthor hadn't seemed to have done anything particularly villainous, at least not any more so than regular incredibly rich people. But, then again, supers, and supertech hadn't been a thing here either, so who's to say he won't start now.

Stuhl creates a chair, one with a hidden compartment underneath, large enough to house his suit, then drags it along to the demonstration, setting up as far away as he could, while still being able to see with binoculars (he didn't need to hear, without chAIr he wouldn't understand any of it anyway).

[Belial_the_Leveler]

A massive limo flanked by a quartet of guards on motorcycles and preceded by an armored military van with an automated machine gun turret ponderously makes its way to the old airport. The thirty-foot vehicle must be heavily if discreetly armored, and proudly bears a Lexcorp flag; Luthor has just arrived.

The procession stops before the visitors' entrance, and the limo's driver walks out. She is an athletic young woman, with short brown hair and a fair complexion, impeccably dressed in a form-fitting suit that clashes with the practical utility belt and combat boots she's wearing. Striding purposefully to the vehicle's rear, she opens Mr. Luthor's door for him. Luthor himself is a tall, broad-shouldered, fairly muscular man in his early thirties. His business suit is an old-fashioned, no-nonsense, neutral grey combination and his shoes are rather impractical leather loafers, both probably costing as much as the average car. He also happens to be entirely bald. Luthor's companion is... average and nondescript. Surprisingly, no, alarmingly so. You can barely tell they're there, let alone if they're tall or short, wide or thin, or recognize any of their features. You're pretty certain you'd forget all about them the moment you stopped looking directly at them, and you'd never be able to pick them out of a crown. They were so ordinary and forgettable, you didn't quite catch where they came from. You're sure they weren't one of the motorcycle-riding guards as those are all accounted for, and no other car door opened. Or did it?

Luthor and his escort enter the hangar prepared for the gathering, even as several cranes are moving large metal containers into the middle of the defunct runway. The presentation is about to begin.

[5ColouredWalker]

Far away from the presentation sits one Cab, legs swinging off the side of the skyscraper that is Lexcorp tower. One wouldn't recognize him however, as he bears the appearance of a random corporate suit, his masculine face knotted in concentration as he works without tools bar a phone with an internet connection and a multitool, calling on various spirits and dealing with them.

On the upside, their insanity and general weakness means he can mostly rush them in conversation, if he's occasionally calling on spirits that normally reside far from the USA.

[Koryander]

<Vie, dearest, has it occurred to you that some of us enjoy sleeping in on weekends!>
Her cousin retorts back grumpily.

A few seconds later the still half asleep teenager groans in realization.

<Sorry Artisia, I forgot that someone other than Vie would be able to hear that.>

A few minutes later Kerri finishes getting dressed herself and stumbles into the kitchen to wince at the energy drink in Vie's hand. This was not gonna be a fun day.

So what was it that about?


It only takes a few minutes to get the younger telepath caught up on what's going on.

That machine . . . it sounds a lot like some things from my world. And very little like the average tech for wherever this is. I don't like it.

Her eyes slightly narrow in suspicion and worry.

But I'm guessing the press event is going to be a giant crowd so I can't go easily.

How many thousand excited people would that be screaming at my mind? No thank you.

It might be easier for me to check on people sometime other than the press event. If I can get close enough I can read the people involved without anyone being the wiser. I'm guessing that the security is too high tech for my sort of invisibility to get us inside unless you can hack that part to take it down. Otherwise might be easier to just go invisible fly up the building and start scanning people for info.

Viessa frowns at her cousin, scratching the back of her head. This seemed...

Extreme?

"I... I mean yeah. We can sneak in." Vie said, opening the front door and holding it for Kerri, it was time to start the day. "But... if we're caught sneaking about, invisible, we could make a big commotion over nothing. Couldn't we... you know..."

She shrugged.

"Just go as is? I... I mean, unless you REALLY think we should do it like this."

She makes a frown. "Hey, you don't think its some sort of villian thing, do you? Nah... there's no super villians here, that'd be dumb."

Slowly, she shrugs. "Well, I guess we'd be able to see some more secret, cool stuff. That's worth it, yeah?"

[Tar Palantir]

Given the fairly remote locale, Dusk opts to show up in full costume and ready for trouble; a disguise won't get her any closer and the last thing she needs is a backfire from trying to apply any special pressure. Thus, she settles for a vantage point as close as she dares get and a pair of binoculars. Why couldn't I fly? Every third super can fly. Hell, there are mutants who can fly when that has nothing to do with any of their other powers. But nope, here I am in the nosebleeds, hoping like hell that criminals still run their mouths like Dostoevsky in this reality so I can get into the action if something goes wrong.

Her internal rant pauses briefly.

Heh. If.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Old airport, Metropolis suburbs

The presentation begins. Luthor makes a speech about national security and world peace, how many soldiers' lives it costs for America to keep forces in other countries and so on and so forth. His voice over the loudspeaker is quite pleasant and inviting but even Luthor can't make geopolitics and propaganda any less than totally boring. Then, the presentation reaches the reason everyone has gathered here today, from reporters to alien interlopers;

"It is for those reasons that in this day, September the sixth, Lexcorp introduces the Lexosuit 2000, a miraculous new defensive system that will protect our nation from current and future threats!"

A twenty-five-foot-tall bipedal robot walks out of the hangar. Thick-limbed and barrel-chested, it has a low center of mass so it can't be easily toppled. One thick robotic arm ends up in a large cannon, the other in an eight-barrelled minigun. Two three-foot-wide domes of unknown purpose are over its shoulders. As it quickly marches into the airfield, the metal containers open up to reveal a half-dozen tanks, as well as a hundred human-sized targets for target practice.

"The Lexosuit 2000 brings not only unprecedented firepower upon the battlefield but unparalleled accuracy. Observe as it takes out all the targets marked as 'terrorists' without harming those with 'hostage' markings."

The minigun roars as it sweeps through the simulated enemy formation from a range of nearly two thousand feet. In about twenty seconds, every one of the sixty red-marked human-shaped targets has holes the size of melons through its center of mass, while none of the forty blue-marked targets has been shot at all.

"Contrary to most modern military vehicles who are highly vulnerable to direct hits from opponents of the same weight class, the Lexosuit 2000 is not an opponent easily dealt with. Made of a patented alloy, it can take impressive amounts of punishment and thanks to the fruits of Lexcorp's weapons development division return it in equal measure."

The half-dozen tanks open fire, their 105mm cannons hurling 20-pound shells at their opponent at speeds nearing a mile per second. The robot weathered their fire without obvious damage beyond a couple of scratches... and then its cannon roared as well. One of the tanks was blasted to bits, then a second. The remaining four fired again, to little effect. The robot's heavy minigun focused fire for a few seconds upon two of the remaining tanks, riddling them with holes and turning them to so much scrap metal. The robot took the final two attacks easily, then destroyed its last two opponents without problems.

"Driving the suit is a single soldier, granted thanks to Lexcorp's achievement the firepower of an entire battalion. No more heavy casualties in missions of peace or campaigns against terrorists, no weapon the enemies of the free world stopping the Lexosuit 2000."




Lexcorp tower, downtown Metropolis

Heavy rain begins to fall all over the city. Unseen on top of one of its tallest buildings, its creator sighs with satisfaction. Then, he notices something unusual; a gap in the rain, about the size of a small ship, travelling at high speed through the air. It is as if something huge but stealthy and invisible is moving over the city, speeding towards its destination, its previously unseen bulk made visible by the falling rain.

[5ColouredWalker]

Lexcorp Tower, Downtown Metropolis

Cab smiles as he looks up to the rain, before looking around. Already he can tell that maintai-
'Is that a- That's a invisible plane... There could be others!.. It's slow moving, I'd only need to drop my disguise and it wouldn't- Yea, I'm high enough for it. It's not like I've only one life.'

On top of Lexcorp Tower, a average looking suit suddenly stops looking so average. With a current base form of a petite Latino woman, one might expect that to be the form Cab immediately takes, but no. Instead he appears as if someone meshed her with a human sized housefly, and that the monstrosity was in some sort of backless dress with a large hand bag over it's top-left arm.

There are few who would not classify this form as disturbing, Cab personally wondered what the pilot might be thinking should they spot him as he jumps from the roof to begin flying after the slow flying stealth aircraft.


I've got to maintain concentration on the rain, so a fly of 6 for me at the moment. Once Cab gets some height on the plane (If he can) he'll begin following it to try and catch up, giving up should the plane speed up to such speeds that he can't catch it.

[souffle_girl]

"Viessa is right, Kerri," Artisia adds, while she finishes putting on her makeup, "There's no need to reveal our real abilites, especially when we can just eavesdrop with our telepathy. Remember that psychic powers are a myth here, I checked."

The blonde then turns to look at the two teenagers, giving them a serious face.

"Now, I'm not telling you two not to come because I know you would go anyway, on your own. But, if trouble sparks up, I'm going in first. Rebember, I've been in a war, so I know how to handle such situations. Just follow my lead."

[Recherché]

"Now, I'm not telling you two not to come because I know you would go anyway, on your own. But, if trouble sparks up, I'm going in first. Rebember, I've been in a war, so I know how to handle such situations. Just follow my lead."

Besides you need me to make all of us invisible.

Kerri smiles slyly.

Man, whats the problem?

Her cousin meanwhile seems to not be getting how dangerous this really could be. Then again Vie has never seemed to understand how hazardous being a superhero is. She just assumes that everything will go her way and runs into danger.

Because we aren't the kind of people who are expected to go to things like this.

Kerri retorts. On one hand she may not be as enthused about heroing as Vie but Kerri will be damned before she lets the other girl run into danger half cocked and without backup.

We can't just site term paper mumbo jumbo BS? Vie pouts, but shrugs. Well! You know what? It'll stop weirdo's from buggin' us. That's a plus!

. . . I actually hadn't thought of that. Clearly I haven' t had enough coffee today

Kerri sends a picture of herself in a dunce cap to the other two as she starts assembling breakfast and coffee for herself.

Vie dodges a floating mug and claps her hand on Kerri's shoulder, Very well, my fine focused cousin! Lets take a gander in the veil of anatomy! She makes a face, Anonymity.

Make sure we grab our school stuff first. And we can probably drop invis once we're you know actually in. Remember if we have to lie let me do all the talking. Or Anne.

Vie nods and hikes up her school stuff, grateful it didn't burn her skin off like the unholy substances it is. Many a scholar believed that anything school related became unholy and evil once the weekend hit, only becoming wholesome and usable again once the weekdays arrived. All of these scholars were probably named Viessa, mind you, but... Alright, looking studious enough to penetrate the murky, dark recesses of Techno-Con. Or whatever this thing is called.

And I am worried that this is potential supervillain stuff. Kerri pauses for a second looking worried. This world, it has no defenses. It has no one who knows how bad things can get and very little idea of how to protect itself from anything resembling a supervillian. All it would take is one person with the tech and the wrong idea. And this tech is wrong for this world. Really wrong. Anne and we came through. Who's to say that something else didn't as well.

The blonde switches to mindspeech for a few seconds as she starts drinking her coffee

<The only reason we caught Anne is that she's another psychic. For all we know there could be 50 mutants I missed. Or any of the non-psychic heavy hitters.>

Well... Vie eyes Kerri... she knew where she was going with this. Kerri. We're not known about yet." She frowns deeply. This was one of those 'We ruined the world with our heroness!' things, Vie could -feel- it coming.

I can understand if, you know, the reveal of superheroes pulled all the villains out of hiding, and THEN it would be our fault, yeah?

Or maybe Vie just knew all the tropes to well.. But... this is kinda out of nowhere. This is unprovoked. No... no 'hero' drew this 'villain', if there even IS a villain, out of the woodworks.

I'm not saying it would be our fault. But it might be our responsibility if you get my drift.

Kerri peers into her drink not quite wanting to meet anyone's eyes.

Vie frowns, That's okay though, right? I mean... that's kinda what we do..

Its what you want to do. It's what I don't want to do but will do if it comes up. The blonde girl suddenly looks scared. I really don't want to be right, Vie. I don't.

Vie frowns deeply, then gives Kerri a big hug. With all due respect, you're probably NOT right. She gives her a big smirk. Just sayin'.

Hey we each get to be stupid in our own way.

Me more than you! I call dibs. She grins handily." For a moment though, Vie stops. So where the heck is this place again?

This cooperative post by Kory and Cher is brought to you by the wonders of Skype. Written by Cher and Kory, edited by Kory and Cher and posted by Cher

[Tar Palantir]

Dusk lets out a low, soft whistle. That is actually pretty good. Not Stark good, but better than Hammertech, for sure. I could probably take it, with a bit of 'luck', but this thing's like an assault rifle in the hands of Babylonians here. What are the odds Luthor can actually reproduce it? There has to have been outside help in its design, but a tech villain going to great pains to dumb down their work could make something reproducible by ordinary minds. Or hero, but they don't really go for the arms dealers, usually. More immediately relevant, though, how long before someone makes a grab for the prototype? Probably about five minutes, depending on whether it's one of the guests or a third party who takes the first crack at it. Hey, maybe I'm wrong, and this will all have been one big waste of time. I could live with that.

Don't think I'll have to.

[Thokk_Smash]

The interference prompts an amused smile from the stoic Archer. A raised brow is the only outward appearance of frustration at the sudden appearance of "Censored's" popping up every second after that. "Well, this got more interesting, for sure," he thinks to himself. Looking away from Luthor's side for a moment, he feels as though he is forgetting something. In his travels he's faced many enemies with memory-targeted techniques, and of course, he has a blade for that. Dispelling the glass sword, he summons a tiny dagger instead--it is laced with gold and emblazoned with the image of a book on its blade. Slipping it into his boot for safekeeping, he can feel the dagger's work begin: it is the accumulation of all of the knowledge Gaia has bestowed upon him, crystallized into a blade. As long as it is on his person, his mental recall is second to few.

"Well, Luthor sure didn't need to bluff," he thinks as the mech does its job. It's obviously not of this world, as are his clothes and the "gun" in his pocket. But there is still no clue as to who or what is his extraplanar benefactor. He keeps his eyes peeled and sharp for any reaction to the display, and for anything that may be on the approach.

Free action: Dismiss Counters Concealment blade from before.
Free action: 5-point Variable for Enhanced Trait (Eidetic Memory), Enhanced Intellect 4 (Limited to recalling information, not putting knowledge to practical action).

Perception: [roll0]

[souffle_girl]

"OK, girls, that's a plan. School paper. Let's stick close, ask simple questions, discreetly probe minds only if someone smells fishy. Oh, one more thing. Please call me Artisia while we're not in public. And if you want to call me the other name, it's 'Ann' with no 'e'."
Artisia then grabs her bag and stuffs a change of clothes in it, just in case she needs to transform and her current outfit gets torn up.
"Let's hope I won't need them."

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

Later on, the trio approached the airfield area realizing they're a bit late, but still in time to watch the battlesuit take down a tank.

<Kerri, tell me if I'm wrong, but that thing is utterly anachronistic. My father used to pilot that kind of suit... And he lived a century in the future from now. Something is wrong, be on guard.>

Noticing how oddly... unremarkable... people around Luthor are, she decided to do a quick telepathic scan of their minds.

[HopeHubris]

Not noticing anything amiss, and having seen far more advanced battlesuits on his earth (Some of them even made by Luthor), Chairman takes out a sandwich he had prepared earlier, and continues to watch the demonstration.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Mind's Eye

Artisia's mental senses show her that most people in the area feel either awe and excitement, or envy and worry at the demonstration, depending on whether they are prospective buyers and reporters or scouts from rival companies or politicians and military men concerned about the balance of power. Luthor himself feels both smug and expectant, though Artisia's senses are not accurate enough to tell why without directly reading his mind. Far more alarming than Luthor's potential plotting is the mind of his driver, a mind that seems to run on two speeds; one vibrant and fairly normal, if utterly focused on the job, the other dull and lacking depth but running immensely fast... as fast as a computer. Artisia has felt such minds before, many, many times. And all of them had been the unions of human and machine to a considerable extent.

Keri's mental senses are far more detailed and advanced. To her, every thought and nuance of everyone nearby is like an open book, revealing both the glorious heights and the depraved depths of human thought... with a few exceptions. Luthor and his driver/bodyguard seem to be in some sort of bubble, a gap her senses reel from like a hand accidentally touching hot iron. General awareness can pass through just fine, but more focused scrutiny meets what feels like a barbed wire of thoughts... thoughts making up words... words spelling notyourbusinessnotyourbusinessnotyourbusinessnotyo urbusinessnotyourbusinessnotyourbusinessnotyourbus iness.

But that strangeness pales to the far more interesting things Keri notices beyond. There are other people interested in the demonstration nearby... their minds echoing at the edges of her extended senses. Several seem to be like Artisia or Keri herself; more than human, not belonging here and yet thinking that this demonstration belongs to where they themselves belong... or at least feels familiar.
The others though... a group of normals hovering at the edge of her range... intent solely upon theft! And then her danger sense goes off!



Real world

Over the din of the demonstration and Lexcorp's enthusiastic announcements, you can all hear a strange, muted roar. Then a sheet of rain suddenly drops over the area, as if someone cut off a piece of some tropical storm and swept it over the city and its airfield until its edge reached you. Visibility drops even as the ground turns slippery and the weight of the falling water makes all movement that much harder. But that is not all the rain does.

It also outlines invisible things in a mantle of breaking water drops, messing with their concealment. Normally, that would hardly be an issue outside some fantasy novel - or a high tech world where true stealth generators are real. But normal is not the order of the day, and it seems this place has become part of such a fantasy or sci-fi world, for there's a massive shape hanging over the airfield, invisible and outlined by the rain. It is the size of an average passenger jet but stubbier, with hardly any wings at all extending beyond its thick, wedge-shaped body.

And then the large not-invisible shape gives birth to multiple smaller, definitely visible children. Curiously, those children are only about the size of a large adult human, fixed wings extending outwards from their bodies as they fly closer, multiple weapons gleaming even in the little sunlight left.

Reaper Drones.

[5ColouredWalker]

Cab's eyes would narrow at the smaller aircraft if they could, but they currently lack that function. Instead, he simply keeps beating his wings on approach of the airfield, wondering what the invisible craft is planning.

[souffle_girl]

Artisia's mind shot to full action seeing the stealth aircraft about to attack, and she didn't waste any time. Her veteran instincts take over as she qickly grabbed the girls and dove to the ground.

"Take cover, everyone!" she shouted, followed by a brief telepathic communication to Kerri.
<Don't move, don't shout, don't attract attention. It's not our business. We're just a random family here for a paper. We don't want to reveal who we are.>

She then focused her telepathic scan to the aircraft, hoping to detect any presence inside.

[Tar Palantir]

Dusk swears slightly as her fears prove well-founded. She breaks into a dash towards the still-more-invisible-than-usual aircraft and its unfriendly coterie, slowed by the sudden torrential downpour. Wasn't anything about rain on the news today, but I'm about due for something, so I guess it's monsoon season in Metropolis. With a grimace hidden by concealing mask, Dusk pushes a wave of ill intentions towards the closest drone, hoping that this new reality was a bit more cooperative than the last when it came to these sorts of 'negotiations'.

Dusk takes a reaction to activate Luck's Favor, a move action to approach the suit and drone swarm (doing absolutely nothing to hide in the hopes that they help close the distance for her), and gives Catastrophe a chance to slap one out of the sky. DC 25 Toughness save against some random harmful coincidence, if it passes with no effect then Dusk gets to test her luck as well. Four uses left.

[Recherché]

"Take cover, everyone!" she shouted, followed by a brief telepathic communication to Kerri.
<Don't move, don't shout, don't attract attention. It's not our business. We're just a random family here for a paper. We don't want to reveal who we are.>

She then focused her telepathic scan to the aircraft, hoping to detect any presence inside.

<Understood I'm not going to go flying off at highway speeds unless this gets much worse. However I don't think I'm the one you should be worried about.>

Kerri casts a significant look at Vie as though almost challenging her and relays Artisia's message

<There's also a group here intending on stealing something. Lets see if I can't scare them witless.>

The teenager feels briefly for the minds of the would be thieves and projects the same message to each of them in turn.

<I know who you are and what you plan on stealing. I can read your thoughts and I am not happy about it. I've got bigger fish to fry right now though and if you walk away then I'll let you be. If you persist in your plan I will fry your freaking brains with a thought. You may wish to take a second to talk to your co-conspirators now and consider your next moves very wisely. When you've made a decision just think it and I'll hear you.>

[HopeHubris]

Barry is almost finished eating his sandwich when the rain starts to pour, revealing all of the drones. He quickly scoffs down the last of it before it gets soggy.
This is an interesting part of the demonstration, I wonder what Luthor'd have done if it didn't start raining. I guess if they can be invisible, they can be not-invisible as well., he thinks to himself.
Then his Chair Sense starts to tingle, in a rather unpleasant manner.
Or, this could be bad, he then concludes, as he opens up the compartment under his chair, and draws forth his super-suit, in all its cushioned glory.

With time potentially of the essence, he quickly throws it on over his regular clothes, and creates a miniature sofa, riding it like a skateboard as he takes to the sky, fully aware of how ridiculous he looks, but not caring, as their were civilians, potentially in danger if the tingling was to be believed.

[Koryander]

<We're... just going to not get involved?! Thats... we can't do that! We need to help! We're the only ones who CAN help in a situation like this!>

Her moral compass spinning out of control, Vie ducked into the crowd and frowns deeply. Robots... her psyonic blades would be no good here anyway. But... the Katana in her backpack? One of the few things that traveled worlds with her? THAT would help even the score. Still... she didnt want to go against Artisia's wishes... she seemed to know how to handle herself. Possibly more than the two girls already did.

<I... I have a weapon, I'm fast and I can fight, WE can fight. We want to just... stay and not do anything? Are you -sure-?>

[Thokk_Smash]

"Well, this certainly got more interesting," Archer muses to himself with an amused grin. So there are others like him, who are not of this world. No way in Hell this world has something this advanced naturally.

He flies closer to the ground, but he does not make a single move to intercept the visible Drones. They wanna attack Luthor, fine by him--the bald a**hole's probably got it coming. But the people on the ground don't deserve to be caught in the crossfire.

He reaches out his hand, and brings his will to bear once more on this world. He can feel the invisible swords emerge around him, ephemeral portals allowing them to come from his world into this. He directs them to point at the innocent bystanders--if the Drones fire bullets at them, the swords will fly to intercept them.

He then looks to the craft outlined by the rain, and sees if he can now look past its exterior to see the crew inside.

Move action: Move 4 distance ranks closer to the ground.
Free action: Switch to 1 rank of Flight, which gives me 6 Variable ranks to play with. Configure Variable points into the following:
Memory Dagger: As before: Eidetic Memory, Enhanced Intellect 4 (Limited to recalling information)
Mind Blades: Nullify 10 (Bullets, Reaction (If bystanders are attacked), Distracting, Side Effect 1 (DC 25 Damage on failure), Extended range 3 (2000/4000/8000ft), Subtle 2))

He still has Total Concealment and Flight 1 up.

Free action to use Perception on the unidentified ship: [roll0]

Reaction: If bullets are aimed at the bystanders, they are Nullified as an opposed check of +10 vs effect rank.

Status: Fine, Distracted (DC 13 defenses)
HP: 1
Luck: 6

[souffle_girl]

Artisia shot a killer look at Chairman first, and Viessa next.

"We're going to help bystanders evacuate. Protect them if needed... discreetly," she whispers in Vie's ear.
"We have no idea who these guys are. As far as we know, Luthor might be the one in the wrong here. Heck, he might have even stolen his tech from Stealth Guys, it makes more sense than having two factions develop ultra-advanced technology at the same time.
As I said, this doesn't concern us. If you want to help people, and stay alive, you need to learn to pick your fights Vie."

[Belial_the_Leveler]

One of the drones suddenly staggers in mid-air, its mini-turbofan engine spitting out massive amounts of smoke. The apparently inexplicable malfunction is only baffling to those without enhanced senses; anyone who does have them clearly sees the low-flying pigeon somehow finding its way amid the drones, being sucked in by the turbofan, and causing the accident. The Reaper Drone falls out of the sky, impacts with the runway, and explodes. The multiple Hellfire II missiles it was carrying, each capable of taking out a tank in one hit, blow a sizable crater into the concrete.

The attack seems to push the invisible mothership into retreat, its rain-outlined bulk soaring upwards at a high enough speed to negate its stealth as far as sound is concerned. Maybe it was losing a drone, maybe it was the mental threat its numerous crew just received, the terrorists inside decide to launch another batch of half-dozen drones from their ship's internal storage. Those with supersenses can see the ship is more carrier than passenger jet, with a crew of several dozen heavily armed commandos and internally stored drones in six chambers of twenty drones each.

The eleven drones in the air above the demonstration counterattack at the terrorists' orders. Two of them launch Hellfire-II missiles with high explosive warheads at the hangar. The impact and subsequent explosion demolishes half the building and puts the rest of it on fire. Luckily, the building was mostly evacuated thanks to the early warning from a young woman inside, a visitor that was neither affiliated with the military, nor a reporter.
The other nine drones launch Hellfire-II missiles with fragmentation warheads and configured for automatic target acquisition. Two of them make for the man on the flying sofa, a nice, obvious, and apparently easy target. No less than four make for the lone woman in the ground that was running towards Luthor's battlesuit. The last three find something curious; another two gaps in the rain, both flying towards the battle at more than human but less than aircraft speeds. The closest seems to have very advanced stealth systems, the only signal return from the gap it makes in the rain rather than direct detection. Target acquisition algorithms and human guidance agree; the closest, stealthiest tiny aircraft is the most dangerous. The last three missiles veer towards it.

No attack against Luthor's Battlesuit is made, even as it stands there, immobile and silent.

[5ColouredWalker]

If they could, Cab's eyes would widen.

A full month without any Divine or Self-Pollished interaction, and now this? A full powered brawl just after he had completed his ritual?
Cab's wings buzzed furiously as he continued to close the gap, part of him hoping that he'd remain high enough that his going straight might allow him to catch the craft, mentally cursing his inability to fly and see the craft in his current form, while resolving to try more mechanical transformations since his reading has given him some knowledge about machines.

Worst to worse, Cab resolved to get close enough to help civilians after the event, and perhaps catch some of the other empowered to get in contact with them later... That said, if one took the opportunity presented by his rain to take out the aircraft, he wouldn't be displeased... If nothing else, he'd get there faster after dropping the ritual.


Cab is currently confused and angry, with his anger mostly directed towards the aircraft.

[souffle_girl]

Artisia's eyes fell on the woman being pursued by the drones. For a moment, common sense battled with the urge to do something, and finally the latter took over.

Hope I don't regret this.

With a thought, her nanoids unleashed their full power. Turning into a matt-white, sci-fi avenging angel, Artisia takes flight and plunged to the woman, trying to tackle her out of the drones' way and shield her with her body.

This is gonna hurt, she thought, waiting for the inevitable barrage to hit.

[HopeHubris]

As soon as he was in the air, the tingling intensified, two rockets were coming right for him, and before he could even think, he'd conjured up a very solid, very metal, chair between him and each of the missiles.

2 of these, 1 at each missile
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Ron_Arad_-_The_Big_Easy_chair_in_chrome_steel.jpg/712px-Ron_Arad_-_The_Big_Easy_chair_in_chrome_steel.jpg
That definitely won't be making it into the regular ChairHouse catalogue, but it does the job he thinks to himself as they block the brunt of the explosion, one of them is blown to smithereens, the other held up surprisingly well.

The remaining chair then flies towards one of the drones.



Reaction, Twice: Create a chair between Chairman and a boom. Need them to be sturdy, so Toughness 7, size 3.
Array still on Chaireaction.
Standard Action: Throw the remaining chair at a drone [roll0], Damage DC 27, Multiattack.

[Thokk_Smash]

Archer's scowl deepens as the Drones send their payloads after him. He dodges the worst of the shrapnel and shrugs off the majority of the blast, but he flinches as some of the fire singes his hands. The fire continues to burn on his clothes, but he pays it no mind as he turns to face the ship. "Yeah, no--you're not going anywhere," he thinks. He reaches deep within his soul once more: the dagger in his belt remains, but a sword with a winged hilt appears, that would have shone brilliantly were it not concealed by Unlimited Blade Words. Beneath his feet, a second sword appears: wide enough for him to stand on comfortably, he remembers a man named Rakan and thanks him for the inspiration.

With a thought the sword-board zooms off, making its way around the Drones on its way to the fleeing ship. The winged sword swings a single stroke at each Drone, its wielder paying them as much mind as a master swordsman would a novice. As he reaches the ship, Archer holds the blade in two hands and swings mightily, and puts some space between them. He readies himself for a counter-attack as he considers the strange inability to gauge the thing--could it be related to that girl from earlier?

Free action: Reconfigure Variable (30 points) into the following:
Memory Dagger: Eidetic Memory, Enhanced Intellect 4 (Limited to recalling knowledge) (5PP)
Winged Blade, Taken Flight: Strength-based Damage 0 (Accurate 7 (+13 due to PL caps), All-Out Attack, Power Attack, Takedown 2, Precise Attack (Both Close), Move-By Action, Enhanced Dodge 4), Flight 7 (Platform--sword surfboard) (25PP)--30PP total

Move-By Action: Routinely Attack the Drones, All-Out and Power Attacking for -4/+4: total attack of 23, DC 32 Toughness vs Damage.

Rolled attack for the ship: [roll0] vs DC 32 Damage

Expertise (Relevant) to try and see if the ship's mental cloak and the girl's mental cloak are at all similar: [roll1]

Status: Bruised 1, Active Defenses -4 (Parry 13, Dodge 17), Total Concealment (All)
HP: 1
Luck: 5

[Tar Palantir]

Dusk is wholly unfazed by the barrage of missile fire. I'm almost flattered they're taking me this seriously. Let's see how seriously they take me now. Her peripheral vision registers a figure barreling in from the side, clearly superhuman. Probably not connected to the attackers; no one with capes would waste money on model airplanes with guns. Most likely a hero, then, and I'm her designated damsel today. Heh.

In the time it takes her conscious mind to run through that thought process, her feet slow just slightly in their continued dash for the Lexosuit, letting what she can only comprehend as a flying, silver tentacle monster blow past her by inches. As she does, Dusk uses her as a stepping-stone to launch herself airborne, avoiding the burst of the first missile as it fails to correct in time. She whips her staff out into a whirlwind in front of her, shredding most of the shrapnel from the second and third explosions, and as she powers through the blast front, a rock she kicks soars through the air into the fourth missile, triggering its proximity sensor a useless distance from its true target.

For her part, Dusk puts her head down and keeps heading for the suit, so focused on the priority target that she hardly notices the severity of the assault she just skipped through all but unharmed.

Dusk ninjas her way through some missiles and keeps running for the suit, double-moving this time, since the drones proved so laughably nonthreatening (from her perspective, at least) and she'd rather not risk her own rebounded wrath (not that there's a chance of backlash from popping minions with Catastrophe, but she'd rather play it safe, and she's more scared of her power than the ten-million-dollar war machines trying to ventilate and incinerate her).

[Recherché]

Something about Artisia's words strikes a nerve and Kerri is about to yell at her when suddenly the drones launch.

Did those people get injured because of me? Because I forgot to check where people were physically and spooked the plane. And did Artisia's caution just save my life?

Kerri shakes her head as if to clear out these disturbing thoughts.

Time to get to doing something

The telepath's mental voice in the heads of the other heroes feels green and untried but there's also a feel of great strength wielded with incredible precision.

<Hello various people. I'm your local telepath for this eveningand if you're hearing this in your head then you're one of the beings trying to help with what's going on with the disaster at the airfield. I figure it can't hurt for us to share info and strategy. If you want to talk to me or the rest of the group just send towards me like this>

Kerri quickly sends each of them a short tutorial on how to form their thoughts into a deliberate communication.

<This is an open channel; anything you say to me will also be heard by everyone else helping out here. First things first, the person piloting Luthor's battle suit isn't a normal human. I'm not quite sure what it is, possibly something part human and part technology, but it's like nothing I've felt before. The people in the plane are human from what I can tell and their initial aim was to steal something from here . . . I'm afraid I may have spooked them a bit though and they're probably looking for me with those missiles. Well maybe.

I can read minds, fly, use some minor but precise telekinesis and I have a few other mental talents. I'm going to see if I can't force the plane down but I don't have high hopes of success. I wish that I had more time to get a good read on the battle suit pilot and the people in the plane but stopping the missiles comes first I think. Also if anyone needs it I can let anyone else fly if you need to. It's not that fast most of the time though. What can the rest of you do and what are you planning?>

Message sent to everyone including Vie and Artisia, she turns her mind instead to the inside of the plane and locating the pilot. Most humans have an innate fear of heights somewhere in their psyche no matter how well buried and its that which Kerri starts to work on. Magnifying his fear of being in the air beyond any reasonable measure, Pushing hard on the flight part of the fight or flight response, soothing over any logical thoughts he might have and tendencies of obedience towards his superiors. And then to finish it off a simple command inserted into his subconscious. "Land the plane and then get out of the plane as fast as you can."

Attempting to mind control the pilot. Emotion/Mind Control (10): Affliction: First degree Impaired to second degree Compelled to third degree Controlled, Cumulative, Insidious and Subtle (2) DC20 Will

[Tar Palantir]

A telepathic message in her head does get a reaction out of Dusk. She quickly clamps down on her idle musings, letting instinct guide her body more than conscious thought. once she feels her mind is in order, she sends a precise, focused mental reply; even without attempting any real mental probe, Kerri can sense the raised defenses. <You can call me Dusk. I trained under the best combat instructor in my world, and if this tin man impresses the natives this much, he's way off the scale here. I'm really best at hand-to-hand, so if you can get me airborne I can smash my way into the stealth jet and try a little more 'personal' persuasion on them. Otherwise, I'll keep trying to get to the suit and secure it.>

[5ColouredWalker]

Cab's wings stop beating for several heartbeats at the intrusion of his mind, before he growls, wings going back into motion as he mentally broadcasts to the telepath/s.


<"It's feminine, try disgust... I am Cab of the Bacab and shall meet you on the ground. However you shall withdraw yourself from my mind. If I find you in trespass again you shall find yourself in the deepest pits of the hells this world has on offer.">

Then, immediately after, Cab begins mentally reciting a rather brutal story of Zeus from his world, one involving the rape and murder of a women by him in the form of a unicorn (Which, by description, you get is actually a Rhino.).

[Recherché]

<You can call me Dusk. I trained under the best combat instructor in my world, and if this tin man impresses the natives this much, he's way off the scale here. I'm really best at hand-to-hand, so if you can get me airborne I can smash my way into the stealth jet and try a little more 'personal' persuasion on them. Otherwise, I'll keep trying to get to the suit and secure it.>

<Rodger. I'm not sure I can get you fast enough to keep up with the ship at full blast but if you're still interested a young woman with blond hair and a nose ring is going to come by you in a few seconds. Let her touch you to start the effect.>



<"It's feminine, try disgust... I am Cab of the Bacab and shall meet you on the ground. However you shall withdraw yourself from my mind. If I find you in trespass again you shall find yourself in the deepest pits of the hells this world has on offer.">

<Well screw you too. If you don't want to talk then I will gladly leave you to your own special brand of crazy.>

With the last statement the connection drops and Kerri completely withdraws from communication with the jackass even as she relays the communications to the rest of the group

Kerri was never actually trying to read Cab's mind so she assumes that he meant to stop communicating when he said to get out of his mind. And really threatening to drag someone to hell for talking to you is seriously messed up. Still she's polite enough to go along with his wishes.

[HopeHubris]

<Um... Hello? Can you hear me? I'm Chairman, I... make chairs and stuff, and can move them around. I didn't know there were any other heroes here, that's a relief, maybe we can save these people after all>

[Thokk_Smash]

Archer is giving the ole "invisible staredown" to the also-invisible ship when he feels the brush against his mind. Psychic powers, huh? Maybe they can help with the "censor" girl. <"Call me Archer,"> he replies, and in his words is the ringing of a drawn sword. <"I'm going after the ship. If you can't get the pilot, I'll try to take control of the ship. I'm having trouble looking at it--there was a girl next to Luthor who had the same aura. It is possible she may be helping them, so someone should see what Luthor is doing. This whole thing could have been a setup to draw people like us out.">

[souffle_girl]

Artisia's tentacles whipped the air as she zoomed past Dusk, then she caught herself, turning around in time to see the woman standing perfectly unharmed. At that same moment, she realized she was one of the "enhanced" people she had sensed, and cursed herself. She had pointlessly revealed her alternate form and powers, done the exact opposite of what she'd told the girls, and ruined another outfit. She'd liked that one.

<Call me Artisia. I'm a telepath and telekinet too, and I'm the blonde haired woman who just made a show of herself by trying to tackle one of you. Also, I'm half-machine, to put it bluntly. I can confirm that the mysterious pilot of the suit isn't fully human, her mind reads part cybernetic. This whole accident is fishy, if this world is anything like mine, tech like this shouldn't be available for at least another century. Archer, you're right, this might be a setup, and that idea is worrying. Mister Luthor will have lots of questions to answer to when we're done.
And now, let me stop those drones.>

With the message sent, Artisia turned around and focused. Power surged around her, manifesting in trails of faint light and crackles, until she released it into a telekinetic wave on the closest drone.

[Koryander]

Vie pulls Kerri down, frowning as she rips open her backpack, revealing the Katana within. She nods to Kerri,

"Things are getting blown up, I'm going to get involved, I think."

She looks determined.

"Please say yes, cause I don't want to dive in without you giving me 'the nod', but I can help FIGHT, you know I can."

<I'm Vie... A bit of a Psychic as well, but much more of the stab-them-in-the-face type. I think I can help you all as well... are we coordinating on anything?>

[Recherché]

<Um... Hello? Can you hear me? I'm Chairman, I... make chairs and stuff, and can move them around. I didn't know there were any other heroes here, that's a relief, maybe we can save these people after all>

<You're coming through fine Chairman. That trick with the missiles was nice!>

The voice in everyone's heads is briefly supplemented with the image of a missile colliding with an imposing looking chair followed by a high five.

<The only others I knew more than a few seconds ago were Artisia and Vie so its a relief to me as well.>


<"Call me Archer,"> he replies, and in his words is the ringing of a drawn sword. <"I'm going after the ship. If you can't get the pilot, I'll try to take control of the ship. I'm having trouble looking at it--there was a girl next to Luthor who had the same aura. It is possible she may be helping them, so someone should see what Luthor is doing. This whole thing could have been a setup to draw people like us out.">

How'd he know I was going for the pilot? I never said I could mind control people. Does he know somehow and is somehow alright with it? Was it a lucky break or just logic? And more importantly by denying it or lying will I call more attention to myself?

A note of stress enters into the girl's mental voice but she tries to brush it away.

<I don't think the person who's stopping me from reading Luthor is the same one as behind the plane. I can feel the minds of the people in the plane just fine; its just mundane senses that are tricked. The thing around Luthor and his bodyguard . . . it feels like barbed wire in my mind. Still I get where you're coming from I'm kinda suspicious of this whole thing as well and something about Luthor and that battlesuit just ain't right.>



Artisia's tentacles whipped the air as she zoomed past Dusk, then she caught herself, turning around in time to see the woman standing perfectly unharmed. At that same moment, she realized she was one of the "enhanced" people she had sensed, and cursed herself. She had pointlessly revealed her alternate form and powers, done the exact opposite of what she'd told the girls, and ruined another outfit. She'd liked that one.

<Call me Artisia. I'm a telepath and telekinet too, and I'm the blonde haired woman who just made a show of herself by trying to tackle one of you. Also, I'm half-machine, to put it bluntly. I can confirm that the mysterious pilot of the suit isn't fully human, her mind reads part cybernetic. This whole accident is fishy, if this world is anything like mine, tech like this shouldn't be available for at least another century. Archer, you're right, this might be a setup, and that idea is worrying. Mister Luthor will have lots of questions to answer to when we're done.
And now, let me stop those drones.>

With the message sent, Artisia turned around and focused. Power surged around her, manifesting in trails of faint light and crackles, until she released it into a telekinetic wave on the closest drone.

<Just going to note that she's a different blonde woman than the one who will be swinging by Dusk in a few.>


Vie pulls Kerri down, frowning as she rips open her backpack, revealing the Katana within. She nods to Kerri,

"Things are getting blown up, I'm going to get involved, I think."

She looks determined.

"Please say yes, cause I don't want to dive in without you giving me 'the nod', but I can help FIGHT, you know I can."

<I'm Vie... A bit of a Psychic as well, but much more of the stab-them-in-the-face type. I think I can help you all as well... are we coordinating on anything?>

Kerri opens up a private channel to her cousin to flash her and only her a quick wince.

<You do realize you just gave them your real name? We don't for sure that these people are safe. I think they mostly are aside from the ass I mic dropped, but still . . . There are people getting hurt here. I'm not gonna try to tell you not to act. Hell, I'm willing to violate someone's free will at this point. But I will remind you that you don't have a mask on right now and we don't want our identities showing up in the papers here. Do you think if you go fast enough you'll be too blurry to get a good read on?>

On one hand Kerri's thankful that none of the other new people know her name or face yet. On the other hand she can't keep being the mysterious voice in her head or pretending to be a civilian forever.

<I never thought I'd say this Vie but I think I need a codename and mask soon.>

[Koryander]

Vie brandishes her blade and smirks, feeling the weight.

<Ah c'mon Kerri, we're the good guys! Like, we've got real heroes here! They're not gonna be bad with my name, its not in the job discription. Sides, all they got out of me was 'Vie', I think we'll be okay.>

Vie looks to the sky, trying to identify the next incoming drone.

"Gonna cream one the next opportunity I get. You ready?"

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Sirens begin to sound over the defunct airport as the demonstration devolves into chaotic battle. As most of the observers run from the explosions, you can see several of the reporters and their cameramen taking pictures now, and the military brass talking to their bulky satellite phones. Luthor and the other businessmen are fleeing, even as this demonstration promises to become very interesting.

Of the drones flying overhead, one is taken out by a chair, another falls down for no apparent reason, and the remaining ones are blown out of the sky due to some sort of high-speed impact with something really sharp... though most people can't see their attacker. That same very sharp weapon impacts the still-invisible mothership, denting its hull in the point of impact. Suddenly, the ship's crew is scrambling, taking up positions in several consoles in the bridge, pushing buttons at a frenetic pace. With a very loud BOOM the ship's primary engine goes into full power, propelling the large aircraft at speeds exceeding those of most missiles. At the same time, a dozen two-cubic-yard bulges appear on the ship's hull and a split second later, its multiple HELLADS batteries activate. Developed to track down and hit less than man-sized targets in mid-flight from dozens of miles away, the counter-RAM batteries spew ultraviolet beams of death. Flaring against the rain, the laser beams hit their targets with pinpoint accuracy. The near-invisible attacker becomes the target of no less than five beams, Chairman is the focus of another four, and Artisia is unlucky enough to be hit by three.

Down on the ground, Dusk hears a scream in the momentary lull of explosive mayhem. A split second later, Luthor's pride and joy (the giant robot, that is) starts moving with a purpose towards the far end of the runway, and the ocean beyond...

In the clouded skies over the city, Cab suddenly sees the near-invisible aircraft jump with tremendous speed back towards him, its engines flaring. At the same time it seems to be shooting at several other airborne targets too small for Cab to see in the distance. His joining the fight went from "better late than never" to "just about imminent" as he realizes he is in the aircraft's path and about to fall upon it unless he changes directions.

[5ColouredWalker]

Cab's eyes would widen, but it's not physiologically possible.

Instead, he merely changes direction slightly while one of his hands reach into his handbag, withdrawing a combat knife from it's seathe with a tug. A moment after Cab shifts his position and the rain stops suddenly as Cab readies to latch onto the plane while hoping not to do an impression of a fly on a windshield, while being fine in knowing that he'd survive it.

[Tar Palantir]

Dusk's telepathic message feels urgent, but not panicked, like she's used to adjusting to disasters on the fly. <Get me that boost on the double, and give me all you've got. Someone's jacking the suit, but I can probably disable it if I can get there in time.> She extends her staff in her right hand, holding her left out and behind her, and braces her legs, like a relay runner waiting for the hand-off.

No actions yet (besides previewing my planned Quick Draw); probable move-and-attack or move-and-charge pending Kerri's buff.

[HopeHubris]

Chairman didn't even have a chance to celebrate his successful drone takedown, before his Chair Sense started to tingle something fierce.
Unsure of what the exact threat, Chairman creates four egg chairs
http://s7.thisnext.com/media/largest_dimension/CCEC7990.jpg
Two of which fit snugly together around him, while the second two are massive, and fit snugly around the inner shell.

Then the attack hits, four of them by the sound of it.
"Wow, those missiles were fast, but I didn't even see what did that" he exclaims, looking at the falling remains of two of his egg chairs

He throws the smaller of the two remaining chairs at another drone, hoping to take it down as easily as the last one.


Reaction x4, Make egg-chairs.
Standard: Routine chair attack at a drone, 24 to hit, DC27 damage

[souffle_girl]

Realizing the aircraft was about to fire, Artisia quickly zoomed forward in a cress-cross pattern, successfully avoiding the lasers.


<Get me that boost on the double, and give me all you've got. Someone's jacking the suit, but I can probably disable it if I can get there in time.>

<You're right. I can't feel the pilot anymore, so she's either unconscious or worse. Get ready, I'm going to snatch you and fly after the suit. If I can get into the cockpit I think I can take control of it. Just... I hope you don't mind the tentacles.>

A moment after sending the message, Artisia grabbed Dusk with her probes while flying over her, dragging her close enough to hold in a hug, then made a beeline for the suit.

[Tar Palantir]

Dusk smirks as Artisia grabs her. She mentally quips back, <Mind the tentacles? Clearly you aren't reading my mind right now,> followed by a mental projection of a winking smiley with its tongue sticking out. Before she really has a chance to reply, Dusk is dropping to the ground, rolling forward and coming out swinging her deadly staff. She slashes across the legs of the Lexosuit, twirling into a cross-pattern cutting at each shoulder, trying to keep the depth of the attacks shallow enough to avoid injuring the occupant (presuming they were still alive in there), but deep enough to inflict crippling damage to the battlesuit's systems.

Actions mostly covered in OOC, but to summarize: Quick Draw staff, Smash attack on the suit, Power Attacking for 5, Extra Effort for a second Smash if it survives the first.

[Thokk_Smash]

Archer doesn't flinch as the lasers unerringly zoom in on his location. They hit, of course--the man simply refuses to acknowledge the existence of such paltry weapons, and so the energy fizzles out on his clothing ineffectually. The fact that the ship is now much farther away is more of an annoyance to him.

He spares a glance down at the ground and the joined battle with the battlesuit. ~"If you need help, shout,"~ he says simply.

The Winged Sword vanishes from his hand, although the surf-blade remains. Another sword materializes--neon lines run up and down its length, and it vaguely crackles with electricity. The long sword beneath him hums with greater force as the dagger at his belt vanishes. With a small "whumpf" of displaced air, he shoots off after the ship.

Reappearing (invisibly) next to the ship, he swings the sword. Amazing, what damage such a small sword can do compared to the size of the craft it is assaulting. And despite the hefty blow he deals it, the effect is not immediately noticeable. What's more, the neon-green lines on the sword flash on contact, the energy flowing through the ship in order to stop its movement.

Dismiss Memory Blade and reconfigure Variable into the following:
Tron Sword: Strength-based Damage 0 (Accurate 7, Insidious, Power Attack) Linked Affliction 10 (DC 20 Fort Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed, Affects Objects Only, Insidious), Flight 10 (Platform-Sword-board)

Move action: Get into close range with the aircraft (assuming rank 10 Flight gets me in range).
Standard action: Attack with Tron Sword, All-Out Attack for -2/+2 and Power Attack for -4/+4: [roll0] vs Insidious Damage DC 32 and Affliction DC 24 (Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed, Affects Objects Only, Insidious)

Status: Fine (Defenses at DC 15 this round)
HP: 1
Luck: 5/6

[Recherché]

For second Kerri contemplates the idea of just mind controlling someone on the plane to go and punch whoever's in charge up there. Might be able to start a fight on the plane. With a few well placed words she might even be able to convince them that she's on the plane.

Or she could try to get someone to start sabotaging the plane's weapon's systems. It might take a while but it could definitely create some chaos up there and give everyone else room to breathe.

Only thing is that everyone would figure out that there's a mind controller around . . . How soon would the rest of them start hunting me then?

<Sorry, Archer I can't get a clear enough read to start pushing buttons.>

<Something's very strange with the pilot of that suit. Any trace of a mind just vanished. I didn't feel them die and it doesn't feel the way it usually does when people try to block me.>

Since Dusk is taken care of already the only useful thing she can really do at this point is get other people up in the air. It only takes Kerri a second to touch her cousin to get a better linkup to her muscular-nervous system and start building the thought construct in her mind. Nothing too complicated just a program running in her subconcious that reads how Vie is trying to move and then telekinetically moves her in the same way. Well okay it is kinda complicated; it's taken her years to get good at building even simple programs. But once it's done she can let the tulpa run in the depths of her mind and work on other things herself.

<You've got flight Vie, now go get em!

Meanwhile the girl herself starts moving to try to find somewhere sheltered to hide.

They're gonna start noticing when I'm the only "civilian" left on the field not trying to run away.

Giving Vie 5 ranks of Flight for 20 points and then Kerri's going try to find someplace to hunker down.

[Belial_the_Leveler]

Defunct airport, Metropolis suburbs

With all the drones destroyed and no more explosions blinding and deafening everyone, the panic starts to subside. Suddenly, the rain cuts off as if a god's invisible knife cut the clouds out of the skies; everyone can clearly see the demolished hangar, the still-steaming craters and wreckage, and Luthor's battlesuit standing in the middle of the runway a good distance away.

Oh, and the woman that jumps on the battlesuit, a... stick raised to strike. The blow is deflected by unseen force, the battlesuit's exoskeleton spitting arcs of lightning out of dozens of hard-points that arc through the woman's weapon and into her body. Enough voltage and light show is evident that onlookers don't doubt she has just been burned to a crisp. Except she hasn't; the unseen force and bolts of lightning might have pushed her off-balance momentarily, but she is still standing, apparently unhurt.

She's also seemingly assisted by another woman, this one with mechanical tentacles.

The battlesuit's pilot is apparently annoyed at the sudden attack. Even as the giant robotic soldier moves ahead, the cannon-bearing arm swivels around and fires. The round is not only massive and supersonic; it is so fast it literally makes the air burn silver-blue as it moves at its target at an enormous velocity, only to explode as it hits, kinetic energy transformed into shockwave and heat.

Then the battlesuit makes a mighty leap, thrusters in its feet assisting it to move much further and faster than its legs could have launched it. It is obviously attempting to leave the airport and it has already made a credible job of it, its leap moving it a third of a mile.



Metropolis airspace

The rain cuts off, all the clouds unnaturally disappearing. A split-second later, something fly-shaped but a lot larger slams into an unseen obstacle at several times the speed of sound. The unseen obstacle becomes visible for a split second, a massive shape the size of a warship. Cab feels as if he's splatted over a titanic wall of smooth, unseen glass. It doesn't feel like a ship. In fact, he's stopped a couple of inches above the ship's surface.

Moments later, something small but incredibly dangerous slams into said invisible vessel's rear with the righteous ring of a thousand crusaders' swords. The floating vessel flickers in and out of visibility some more... but takes no visible damage. Archer notes that his blade was blocked a split second before impacting its target, his weapon's power discharging against some sort of forcefield.

The people inside the ship look more angry than panicked. Still, they decide on the better path of valour; the ship's engines roar, shattering its stealth as it launches itself ahead at over a mile per second - an incredible speed for something so massive. Cab is still hanging on for dear life.

[5ColouredWalker]

Cab scowls as the shock of hitting the plane reaches him, but as soon as he finds himself as having purchase he screams joyously, fortunately the force field means there's no bugs to swallow.
However, per his plan he immediately begins growing even as he screams, his hands becoming huge meaty lumps of flesh that curl around the plane as his legs try to straddle it, his weight increasing tremendously as he swells into immensity, additionally a healing light suffices him.



Transform into Bacab Form, gaining Growth 10 and +5 Protection. Cab now has a Toughness of 20 and Strength of 15 which will really help for any rolls to hold on. He also weighs 30 tons, in case that's enough to bring the plane down. He becomes fatigued.

Move action to then heal, my healing is energizing. DC 10 to remove my fatigue: [roll0]
Edit: And a fail there, Cab remains fatigued.

[HopeHubris]

"The drones ar-" Chairman begins, <-e all dealt with, sorry, hard to get used to this mental talking stuff. I kind of missed what you were saying before, sorry again, we're trying to stop the suit now, right?>
And with that, Chairman attempts to stop a super-tech suit with a few metal stools.

He focuses on crafting three layers of thick, metal-barred stools

http://www.tucasainteriors.com/images/uploaded/bo_stool_-_metal_-_black43493288_medium.jpg

around the suit, the smallest layer still leaving room for it to take a few steps in any direction, and the largest enveloping the prior two, and the mech itself.

He hadn't done anything on this scale before, and definitely not around a moving target, so he wasn't quite sure how well it would work out.


Swapping array to Chair's Ahoy

Move: Catch up to suit
Standard: Create 10 around the mech suit, Perception range, unsure if I need to roll.

[Thokk_Smash]

Archer's frown has deepened quite noticeably. This ship is starting to get on his nerves. The sword-board vibrates with the speed at which he follows the aircraft. He easily keeps his balance on his steed as he closes in on the desperately fleeing, cowardly ship. He sees a sudden growth appear on its front, the presence of which probably helped to slow it down for him to catch.

The sword that was in his hand vanishes, to be replaced by a two-handed broadsword coated in a deadly, dark film. The razor-sharp blade practically sings in his hands as he brings it above his head, and with a shout of exertion he brings it back down onto the side of the ship. The film spreads at the point of contact, promising further pain in the future.

Double-Move with Flight 10 to catch up to the fleeing ship.

Free action: Reconfigure Variable into the following:
Acid-Covered Sword: Strength-based Damage 0 (Secondary Effect, Accurate 7, Incurable, Precise), Enhanced Advantages (Power Attack, All-Out Attack, Precise Attack (Close: Cover, Concealment), Improved Critical 4)

Extra Effort: Standard action to attack the ship, All-Out and Power Attacking for -4/+4 at [roll0] vs DC 32 Crit! If vulnerable to crits, roll Toughness vs DC 37 Damage Toughness Damage w/Secondary Effect

Status: Fatigued next round
HP: 1
Luck: 5/6

[Tar Palantir]

Dusk scowls as her staff bounces off some form of force field around the suit, the randomly arcing bolts of lightning far less concerning than its continued functionality. Apparently whoever's piloting it is equally miffed, as they direct an anti-materiel weapon at her. She lurches to the side, her staff folding away as spins away from the explosive force. It send her sailing a short distance through the air, but all her limbs remain attached to all her other limbs, and she even manages to land on her feet somehow. You know, if I was really lucky, I wouldn't need to be this explosion-resistant. Just saying, power.

She sends a mental missive to her apparent allies, <The suit's getting away, and I still can't fly, so unless it gets taken out of the sky by a bolt from the blue, one of y'all needs to take it down. Keep in mind, it seems to...object to hand-to-hand combat, so if a little deadly lightning is a thing that you find unpleasant, don't touch it.> That 'said', she focuses her will and desperately tries to bring about the aforementioned bolt from the blue.

Actual actions: using Instant Up if fallen prone (fluffing as landing on feet since it doesn't really matter in this context), and a standard to try and Catastrophe the suit. Unlikely a DC 25 Toughness save will slow it down, but Dusk is all about unlikely. And also, you know, unable to otherwise engage an enemy right now.

[souffle_girl]

Giant robots with feet thrusters, invulnerable girls, and a guy who summoned chairs. Artisia wondered when her life had turned into a C-rated holomovie; a few years ago at least, the whole "evil twin" thing was a dead giveaway. Still, she refused to let the imaginary screenplayer have their way with her more than they already had.
Leaping in the air, with a quick thrust of wings she close in on the the armor and unleashed a telekinetic strike at it.
Flying in pursuit of the battlesuit, then attacking with my Move Object with a -5/+5 Power Attack.
To hit:[roll0]