[M&M3] A Little Trouble in the Big Pear - IC

[Johel]

A LITTLE TROUBLE IN THE BIG PEAR

Link to OOC Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?598936-M-amp-M3-A-Little-Trouble-in-the-Pig-Pear-OOC)

https://i.postimg.cc/RqrRtXHK/City-Background002.png

New Delphi is a modern city build on the shore of the river Buckhurst. It is the capital of the State of Sylvania and the 5th most populous city in the Federated States of America. It is at the core of a large urban network grouping all along the Buckhurst valley, where about 8 million people are living. A hub of education and science, New Delphi is in sharp contrast to its eldest sister, Delphi, alias “Old Delphi”, which never really healed following the cataclysm of 1988. Build out of the once sparsely populated hills that dominated Old Delphi from the opposite bank of the river, the shiny new town quickly grew and then outgrew its cradle, spreading over the ruins. It was decided in 1998 that it would be the new capital of Sylvania, a symbolic gesture meant to mark a new era of prosperity, progress, justice and peace.

If New Delphi certainly delivered on the two first counts, it often failed on the two others. Justice is slow and inefficient, struggling to keep pace with technology. The fact that New Delphi’s wealth attracted many criminals, including several world-known evil geniuses, didn’t help. Other problems known of all big cities cropped up too. The fast-paced growth offered many opportunities but also left aside many, with gangs recruiting in the poor neighborhoods of the valley, serving as foot soldiers for the shadow war that powerful Villain outfits wage for control of the Big Pear. And out of these same shadows, heroes emerged to defend the weak and the meek. Vigilantes, barely less outlaws that the criminals they are fighting but far more respected and even loved by the public.

Those are the “super citizens”, a trend that has been overwhelming the whole nation. Some are truly amazing individuals with unnatural powers while others are just concerned citizens who decided that someone had to do something for their hometown. While masked men taking justice in their own hand is ancient, the arrival of real supernatural heroes is a relatively new: barely 15 years if we count from the appearance of Hope, who flew through the skies of Kesteven, lending her hand to the local firefighters during a hurricane. The public debate over whether it is a good or a bad thing is still open, with more questions than even science can offer answer.

In New Delphi, this debate reached a heated point when The Defender, one of the most beloved local capes, unmasked himself out of guilt after accidentally killing a civilian while he was rescuing a cat. A stupid mistake that many would have pardoned him, considering the many lives he saved in the past. But one The Defender insisted he had to own up to. The judge ruled for a light prison sentence. The logic was clear: it would not do to let super citizens go out lightly after years of breaking the law, even if it was for the best.

After that, a lot of capes unmasked by solidarity.
Many more retired. For nearly eleven months, there has been no reported case of super citizen action in New Delphi.
Until now...

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

Saturday 26 September 2020, 19:10
New Delphi, Churchtown District

The walls are bathed in orange as flames devour an abandoned car, shedding dancing lights on the battle that rages here.
Taking cover behind dumpsters and vehicles, police officers are trying to assess the situation while a group of heavily armed men fire wildly at a building where the letters "Tyron Chemicals Ltd" are displayed on a wide sign at the entrance.
Concealed from the windows of that building, another group of thugs is besieged, answering with their own automatic weapons and grenade launchers, careless as to any collateral damage.
This is a war scene, not your average gang fight for turf or pride, with already a dozen of bodies littering the ground. Several cars have been abandoned in the middle of the street, a few more are laying ruined by explosions. A few bystanders are pinned down, not daring to move for fear of a stray bullet or even to be mistaken for an actual target.

For a second, a bright blood red light suddenly engulfs the whole street.
The fighting dies down while a man screams but quickly, the exchange of lead resumes.
The thugs aren't even noticing that several "super citizens" just arrived, each through their own means and for their own reasons.

Please describe your entrance on the scene.

[Zero Prime]

Carapace (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24167126&postcount=2)
Hero Points: 1 Luck: 2
Conditions: None.

Thankfully Agent T had provided the GPS co-ordinates for the rapidly escalating situation in Churchtown, however, given that Carapace's rpesence was required he had had to bail on his chem tutor, and that was going to draw some serious issues with Mr. Wilkinson, his High School V.P. He knew he had to prioritize, hell, Mr. Wilkinson told him he had to, thing is Wilkinson didn't realize that Quentin had to prioritize his ability to turn into a 10' behemoth of damn near bullet-proof chitinous plate, muscle and sinew. And judging from the sound of gun fire from the street above him, he was going to test that bullet proof theory before the night was through.

T's co-ordinates had been accurate, luckily, his Google Alert's had pulled up the live coverage, Catherine Ahmed, the face of New Delphi Nightly News was covering it live. Churchtown had some storm drains running underneath it, and it was one of those that he moved through, until his thermographic senses caught a famiy, trapped in their SUV, probably on their way back from soccer or something, looked like three kids in the back, all curled around each other on the floor boards, ducking crossfire between these two gangs. She he moved up, through the sub-strata seperating the storm drain from the street, it was about 15' thick, he made it in seconds, the SUV began to teeter into the hole, he shouldered the brunt of it, easily bearing the burden.

Mom was staring down at him, terror and panic writ large in her face, after all the ground had erupted and a monstrous alien, covered in thick chitinous armor was pulling her vehicle down into the dim lights of the sewers that ran beneath New Delphi. He cursed his form's lack of vocal cords, and could only gently hiss at her, the air in his chest expelling slowly as he eased the vehicle to the floor of the tunnel. He slapped the hood of the car, and then ambled up the tunnel back to the surface level. He looked to both left and right, seeing the well armed criminals behind cover on either side of the street, his massive head swiveled in their direction his jaw extended, and a massive roar (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT_GHXBdHhs) of rage and impending violence echoed from his deep, broad chest.

[Rhyvurg]

John flies a few hundred feet over the buildings of New Delphi, on his way home after a day of doing what he could to help people. ever since the Defender's trial, people's attitudes had been...strange. Some folks were slightly more aggressive, like they wanted to make a show of how unintimidated they were by someone with super powers, but most felt more comfortable after a super citizen had demonstrated they weren't above the law. Which...yeah, of course they're not. If anything their power meant they had to be held to a higher standard. He himself had been taken to court a couple of times, but it's pretty easy to argue self defense when the first thing a criminal does is shoot at you. John counted himself lucky it hadn't been anything more serious. Not yet at least. He'd always tried to be careful, don't just catch someone falling from a building, slow them down first. Don't fly too fast too low to the ground, people don't appreciate sonic booms shattering their windows just for the sake of catching a mugger.

He was half a mile from the small apartment he'd managed to get, when he hears gunfire and explosions. Turning, he sees the smoke. Well, looks like it was time for more public activity than he'd been up to for a while. Changing course, he flew as fast as he dared to the scene. Cars on fire, two gangs in a shootout, and some huge monster in the middle of the street. John flies lower, between the two groups of gunmen. If he could get them to stop, civilians could be evacuated. If they refused, he had to get the people out before he did anything else. He might even have to help the shooters escape the monster, or whatever it was. He holds out his hands, palms out. "Please, you have to stop this! Innocent people are going to get hurt!"

[bc56]

The hypercycle isn't silent, but it isn't loud either. V'Rak, clad in the ceremonial red of a Kiturinn surgeon, red so the blood doesn't show and leave the clothes unclean, pilots the alien vehicle. It's a sleek craft, with a bubble cockpit above its parallel pairs of thrusters. Immediately, he could see the situation. Mar'tha was right, there was alien tech at work here. The Û-mans were fighting each other, and an alien monster, the likes of which he hasn't seen. A Û-man super was trying to stop them from hurting each other. Commendable, hopefully it succeeds. He parks the cycle on a convenient roof, swinging to ground level off windowsills and flagpoles, using his hands and tail interchangeably. V'Rak creeps closer to the fighting, drawing a needle full of sedatives from the folds of his clothing. The monster must be stopped, then the fighting between the Û-mans can be addressed.

[Izzarra]

Joule

Kimiko Jinkawa is in her way to get groceries when she hears the sound of many police car sirens in the distance. However, the trouble is close enough that she can sense electromagnetic disturbances bouncing high in the sky.

She ducks into an ally between some tall buildings and pulls the hood of her jacket over her head before taking flight. After making a brief stop to grab her helmet she flies over to see what is happening.

Looks like at least one other super is on site. Kimi flies up next to the one in the cape trying to de-escalate the situation. "I am here to help."

Automatic weapons are bad enough but to see grenade launchers in use, this is too much. This needs to stop.

She switches her energy sense to perceive temperature and prepares to siphon heat out of the bodies of the gunmen.

If these are minions then routine checks (20 to hit) with takedown 2 to get as many as I can using:
Thermokinesis (Minor, Cold): Affliction 10 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Ranged, Cumulative, Subtle, +10 to hit

If these are not minions then here is a roll: [roll0] to hit.

Edit: If we are not supposed to attack just yet this can be disregarded.

[Johel]

Carapace :
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR !!!"

This, despite the explosions and shots, is heard.
And it gives a new pause to the violence as every gunman turns to watch the behemoth standing right in the middle of the street, each inch of its body promissing painful maiming and death to puny humans. A few even scream back in a slight-higher-pitched voice than what one would expect from hardened criminals. A wet farting noise is even heard, followed by a appropriate curse.
Since the monster cannot communicate anything else than primal animal rage, however, nobody dare to move, least even to surrender to the beast.

A voice, calm and confident, then falls from above.

John Doe :
"Please, you have to stop this! Innocent people are going to get hurt!"

The super citizen with blue skin hover slowly down, stopping a few meters high only, just enough to dominate the area but close enough for all to see him.
About half the gangsters are utterly confused and hesitate, not knowing if Saint just asked them to stop because THEY are hurting people or because the monster could hurt THEM.
The others are already taking aim... when another flying hero descend.

Joule :
"I am here to help."

And then the gentle autumnal evening becomes a true siberian winter for two of the criminals, red leaving their cheeks and cold biting at their very bones. They fall down, their weapons clattering on the ground while their hands grasped uselessly at their chest. This seems to break the informal truce : being threatened is one thing, being actually attacked is another. One of the criminals, the face blue and the teeth clattering, fires his R16 rifle in the general direction of Joule and John Doe but waste a full clip without hitting anything.

See the rolls here :
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24169156&postcount=1

Carapace basically made EVERYONE in hearing range **** their pants.
Sometimes even literally.


Using Startle, he can use that either as a feint for the battle that could follow.
Using Set Up, he could use it to help John Doe's attempt at negotiations.


John Doe was just barely convincing enough to warrant the thugs not firing at him out of principle.
Two or three of the criminals consider him friendly, though, what with him being able to protect them from the scary Otrani Warrior.

On a routine check of 20, Joule automatically hits each time, as her targets aren't nibble enough.
Her affliction has a rank of 10 and so a minion needs 20 or more to not be incapacitated.
They have a Fortitude of 4, meaning 16 or more is a successful check.
Since Joule has Take Down, she can attack as long as she manage to incapacitate.
The first and second criminals rolled below 16.
The third criminal rolled 18 and wasn't affected at all.

You can see there are at least 25 gangsters in the street, including the 2 that Joule just dispatched.
There are maybe a dozen others in the building but you cannot be sure, as all light inside is down.
Carapace could see with his Infravision but the fires are making it hard.

Carapace can decide how he want to use that intimidation.
Sawbone can decide if he attacks Carapace or one of the thugs.
Waiting for all the others.

[Zero Prime]

Carapace (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24167126&postcount=2)
Hero Points: 1 Luck: 2
Conditions: None.

As Carapace's massive head scanned the wreckage, he noted a pair of armed men crouching low behind a medium sized sedan, however, a quick look indicated that there were a couple of college kids crouched in the front seat, and what was worse, the other side of the street looked like they were taking aim at the gunmen, ignoring the fact that the couple were in their line of fire!

With a steady, thoom, Thoom, THOOM! Carapace surged forward, his massive footfalls cracking the pavement, driving himself forward, as he did so an observant spectator would note that his form seemed to flow and shift, the chitinous shell on his forearms seeming to thicken and harden, large bone-like knobs and protrusions creating something akin to a small shield. As he got to the sedan, he leapt to the opposite side, another massive roar tearing itself from his throat as he slammed into his foes.

"SKREEEEE-OOOOONK!"

His fists thundering down and rag dolling the two attackers and driving them in to the ground, then picking up their limp forms in his massive hands.



OOC: Intimidate Roar can be used to set up John Doe for Heroic Monologue! Free Action to switch Array from Burrowing to Speed 4. Activate Bio Organic Weaponry, Descriptor will be Blunt damage. Move action to move adjacent to the two Armed Ganger's using the occupied Sedan as cover. Accurate Attack 5, for +11 Attack, +7 Damage. [roll0]; if that hits the 1st Armed Ganger, DC 22 TOU, and it will Trigger Fast grab resulting in a DC 17 Dodge or STR check otherwise Grappled. If the 1st attacker is Incapacitated it will trigger Takedown Attack & 2nd Armed Ganger will take an attack with same modifiers; [roll1]; if it connects DC 22 TOU & DC 17 Dodge/STR check to avoid Grapple. Can't push the car this round, reminder, spend earned PP in Moveby Attack & Interpose.

[bc56]

The Û-man supers seem to be able to handle the Û-mans fighting, but none of them are acting against the monster. V'Rak carefully takes aim, tracking Carapace as it charges at a pair of the Û-mans. Wrapping the sedative dart in his tail, he flings it with practiced ease at the monster. It tumbles through the air on the way towards its target, and V'Rak mumbles a blessing for quick travels as it goes.

Using Sedative Dart on Carapace. [roll0] to hit dodge defense for the ranged attack, and on a hit, a DC 19 to resist with Fortitude, conditions are entranced/stunned/incapacitated.
This has Subtle 1, so a DC 20 perception check is needed to notice Sawbones as the source.

[Zero Prime]

Carapace (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24167126&postcount=2)
Hero Points: 1 Luck: 2
Conditions: None.


OOC: Sooo, assuming being attacked by fellow PC's triggers my Monstrous complication? I'll wait confirmation before taking my HP. Phone post, so I will add fluff afterwards. Rolling Fort Save, DC 19. [roll0]. Then Perception to determine source if Attack vs Subtle DC 20. [roll1]. Let's see how this goes.

Question, since we're in combat Entrance auto fails right?
I've got gunmen on either side if me, so it seems to trigger the obvious threat clause? If not, I'll blow a HP to auto-succeed.

[SquirrelWizard]

Pandora
Hero Points: 1
Condition: None


Lillian Wroth had been at the Big Pear Public Library doing research into mythologies and legends, it was funny how such tall tales could hold a kernel of truth within them. She was driving to her apartment when a small holographic image popped out of Virgil's, what she called her aging Ford F150, GPS showing map with a blinking indicator on some building, Tyron Chemicals Ltd. It could mean anything, but if magic was involved then it made it her business, she wished that business would keep better hours though.

"Virgil, take the wheel while I slip into something more appropriate." Lillian said as she motioned in the air, gathering what arcane energies she hadn't sealed away, whispering arcane incantations as magic manifested as a silver hoop etched with glowing symbols that flared briefly just as the hop shattered. The skin of Lillian's fingers began to melt and curl up her arm, revealing dull purple skin underneath. Lillian felt a cool chill as the magics flowed over her, revealing her "demonic" form before evaporating behind her, shifting in her seat to comfortably accommodate her tail. Her clothes shifted as well, jeans became dark, supple leather pants tucked into tall boots, her polo shirt turned into a close fitting vest of tooled leather embossed with runes. The transformation complete, Pandora pulled the hood of her cloak up over the horns of that curled back around her forehead, and stretched as she pressed play on her CD player.

"Is this real life, is this just fantasy..."

***

Virgil rolled up to the edge of the conflict and Pandora was greeted by a massive cluster**** between two gangs, the police, a giant freaking monster, flying beefsteak, and helmet girl. Pandora touched her forehead and whispered an incantation as her eyes flared crimson with power. The world became overlayed with glowing motes of energy flowing along filaments anchored in the landscape. She scanned the scene before her, looking to see if anything magical was involved with this fiasco. As she looked, she picked up her smartphone and said, "Google what is Tyon Chemicals" a niggling sensation in her gut telling her things were about to become so much worse.


See next post.

[SquirrelWizard]

OOC

Sorry, used to doing rolls outside of the IC thread.

Perception to notice magical mischief [roll0]
Investigation on what Tyron Chemicals is/makes [roll1]

[John Cribati]

It was a normal day in the train station. A few homeless guys, a dude selling candy, and most importantly, a guy playing an instrument in an obnoxiously loud fashion. Which Cyrus counted as a blessing, since he'd forgotten his headphones and needed something to drown out the sound of everyone's aura. So he let himself focus on the music- it was amateur, but the acoustics did something for it- until he felt it.
Panic. Louder than the music. Louder than the press of bodies around him.
He looked around- it had to be coming from underground, right? He moved through the crowd, emitting a slight aura of anger to make them more susceptible to getting out of his way, but after 2 minutes of searching, he didn't seem to be getting any closer to the source.
Until he passed the stairs, and the sound got noticwably louder.
Whatever was happening above him, it was bad enough that he could hear the emotional aftermath through however many layers of concrete and asphalt were between him and the surface.

He took the stairs three at a time as a raw wave of anger passed over him.

He came up to a scene that looked ripped out of a war film. Or, well, the end of one? Everyone with guns was kind of looking at the giant alien. Oh, he could let the two fliers get that one. He should just start evacuating people.

Cyrus is going to make himself useful looking for wherever has the biggest concentration of people outside of the firefight that just got stopped.

Perception (Aura Echo): [roll0]

[Johel]

Carapace suddenly charges at an SUV which two goons are using as cover, obvious to the terrified passengers. At close to 30 miles per hour and close to a ton, Carapace makes an impression. Him then jumping above the car is enough for the two gangsters to loose their nerves and try to leg it. The landing is hard, however, what with the small needle that just went through the armor, pumping a chemical cocktail into the sub-dermal bio-engines, which are getting sluggish. Quentin's head feels a bit dizzy but the terrified screams of both students inside the car help to focus. They are in fact being even louder than the minute before, when they were under heavy fire. So yeah : the bad guys are terrorized enough of Quentin that they DON'T want to get close, the victims he is trying to save are EVEN more terrified of him than they are of bad guys firing at them and he just got dozed by... some kind of man-sized gecko ?! And now that he isn't chasing after his opponents, others are firing at him. He doesn't even feel the bullets but that didn't mean he doesn't worry. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24170299&postcount=4)


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

The rifles roar and on either sides of the streets, about a dozen gangers are suddenly ducking for cover, either wounded or just pinned down.
One of the ganger, probably braver than others, fires at Carapace. The bullets don't even register on the HUD of Quentin, as the armor shrugs it off.
Four decide to fire at John Doe for some reason but none manage to hit their target.
No less than eight of the gangers target Joule. Three manage to hit her.

At the end of the street, a television van arrives and the crew start to timidly unpack.


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

Cyrius's aura reveal five people injured behind a dumpster. There's also a big hole in the ground. It's about 8 to 10 feet deep and you can feel two persons, very panicked, inside it. There are A LOT of people in the building but making the difference between the gunmen and others is difficult right now, as emotions are rather chaotic. Those who are wounded are probably gunmen, though. Same for those who are moving near the windows. You count about 12 to 16 of such people. The rest are about 20 to 40 people, clumped in two groups in the first and fourth floors.


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

Normally, it would take time to find detailed information about a specific company.
Virgil isn't an fully sentient AI and, as such, it cannot cut down on that time.
Right now, it pulls out a commercial website : Tyron Chemicals Ltd is a chemical company that specialize in artificial creation of complex composite minerals.
It has a few research projects for both the government and some universities, each heavily advertised.
Virgil can probably dig out more information but it will take time to parcel what's relevant.

Pandora does notice a faint amount of magical disturbance... which suddenly flare up as a red light swallows the whole street again, followed soon after by a human scream.
The disturbance came from inside the building.

I need three toughness checks from Joule

[Zero Prime]

Carapace (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24167126&postcount=2)
Hero Points: 1 Luck: 2
Conditions: None.

The monstrous Carapace, reacted to the red cloaked figure in the sky who had attacked it, slamming it's fists into the already destroyed road surface it roared it's displeasure to the skies. Quentin however, rapidly jerked control of his form's more primal instincts, and redirected that rage and frustration towards the situation at hand. At a height of almost 11', his monstrous form had an enormous arm length, allowing him to easily heft the sedan, and the students cowering inside, to it's shoulder, where it proceeded to charge towards the barricade of Police moving at near break neck speeds. Just as it appeared to be barreling through their cruisers, it hopped the vehicles landing beside the news crew.

It tore off the door with ease, revealing the cowering, injured students within. Turned towards the camera, exhaled, in an almost calm manner, and then using the door as cover from the red-cloaked figure proceeded to return to the center of the street, looking, scanning, sniffing to find those trapped in the exchange of fire from the rival groups of gunmen.


OOC: Rolling Athletics to double my movement speed this round, [roll0], DC 10. If successful he can move at roughly 60 miles per hour, so 1000 feet this round, and with 12 strength can easily carry the car and the students inside to safety. He's keeping an eye on Sawbones though, that dart weren't nice Mister!

[Izzarra]

Joule

The guns were properly aimed and the bullets headed towards Kimiko would have probably killed a normal person but as they approached their target and entered the energy siphoning field that surrounds her they slow down to almost a complete stop and harmlessly bounce off of her and fall to the ground.

The appearance of a large monstrosity from out of the ground catches her by surprise. However before she has a chance to do anything to it, the ... thing carries a vehicle full of civilians out of the firefight. Kimi decides to keep an eye on it, but focus on the gunmen that are still shooting up the place.

To the Blue guy with the cape, not too loud: "I am going after the gunmen in the building."

She flies around the block and approaches the building with the gunmen from the the other side where they are hopefully not paying much attention.

2 miles of movement with Subtle Flight and Move-by Action.
Going to melt a hole in a window to get inside the building with the gunmen using Thermokinesis (Major, Heat): Weaken 10 (Toughness, Resisted by Toughness), Ranged, Affects Objects, Precise, +10 to hit.
Helmet protects against fumes and bright light.
Then get into position for another round of takedowns same as before.

Toughness Checks:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Rhyvurg]

Knowing he's not going to be able to do much sitting in the air, John lands on top of a car. The monster seemed...not to be interested in harming people, it was actually getting people away from the scene. The challenge here was stopping these gunmen without hurting them too badly. Turning to the four that fired at him, John inhales then blows at them, adding a jolt of antigravity to propel them away from their cover and into the nearest wall.

Move Object, 10 ranks only, dodge DC 20, toughness DC 25 assuming they hit something.

[Johel]

"-Nooooooooooooooooooooooo !!!"

That was the sound that the cops, the television crew and everyone hear from the car as the monster carries it on its shoulder, looking hungry as it charges the police barricade at the speed of a train. The screaming double down when the door is pulled out of its hinges with a creaking sound, nothing now separating the hapless civilians from the behemoth's maw.
Probably not in the mood for a snack, the beast then turned to the television crew, who had just started to get their camera filming. Just in time to see steam billowing out of the creature as it gazed at the reporter... before running back to the fight, the car's door in hand like some improvised medieval shield.

Closer to the center of the street, still hovering above the fight, the flying ice woman makes bullets stop in mid-air and then, as fast as she had appear, flies away.
Her partner, the big blue guy the cops would later identify for the news as "John Doe", lands and then, with an uncanny calm, blows a gust of wind at his opponents, making a couple of gangers fly briefly before they impact a wall, both visibly hurt but not critically so. A credit to John Doe's restrain : two other gunmen stand their ground against the wind (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24171237&postcount=5), jumping right out of the way and then running for it, each in a different direction.

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

On the other side of the offices of Tyron Chemicals, a wall crumbled under intense heat, the collapse attracting the attention of a lone sentry who stare at the steam and dust that cover the uneven hole. It fires at the humanoid shape that tries to go through. the bullets don't even come close to hitting (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24171247&postcount=6) as Joule appears and the man shouts in alert through his comm.

+2 Hero Point to Carapace from :
Disability: Mute
You made it work perfectly as intended and already reaped the consequences with a dart.
Monstrous
That intimidation roll and the overall attitude match the theme.

+1 Hero Point to John Doe from :
I'm just here to help
You tried diplomacy first, standing right in the middle of gunmen while they fired on you,.
You then remained there and used the non-lethal, ineffective option while you could have just go knocking heads.

[John Cribati]

Lamprey
HP: 1 | Condition: Normal.

Cyrus walks around the hole for now. 5 injured people take slight precedence over 2 scared ones. He comes to the side of the dumpster, out of sight but still able to be heard, and takes a moment to "put on" a calm demeanor, before knocking out a "Shave-and-a-haircut" rhythm against the side of the dumpster.

"Look, I'm not sure which side of this conflict you're affiliated with, if at all, but I don't particularly care. I'm here to help. I'd largely prefer if nobody else got shot at today, so if you promise not to shoot, I promise I won't. Is anyone capable of answering me?"

Persuasion Check (with Stand Out active) to improve the attitudes of whoever's behind the dumpster, DC 15:
[roll0]

[roll1] (Sorry. Accidentally put in 2 rolls somehow? It's early morning.)

[SquirrelWizard]

Pandora
Hero Points: 1
Condition: None

The flash of red light caught Pandora's attention as she watched the fight between the metahumans and the gangsters; this didn't bode well. Her eyes dimmed till they returned to their normal emerald hue as she checked her smartphone. The Google results were sparse indicating the creation of minerals, and her hope they were of the stable, non-toxic, kind and definitely not being stored in said headquarters as she didn't really have time to fully look into the company, she needed to find out what sorcery was afoot.

Stepping out of Virgil she focused her magics and whispered some incantations, her boots left the pavement as faint glyphs ignited on her vest. Ensuring the alarm on Virgil was active (and that its CB radio was set to hers) she silently flew up into the air in an an attempt to find some form of entry to the building that wasn't bristling with alert gunmen (or rather gunmen who are more focused on the metas on the ground below.)



Current Weal and Woe Array Power: Lampad's Torch
Deactivating Detect Magic as FA
Activating Icarus Flight and Glyph of Warding as FA. (-3 dodge + 250ft flight + 7 Impervious toughness vs physical attacks)
Perception to find innocuous landing spot (or pre-existing entrance) [roll0]
Stealth to try and fly avoid detection [roll1]

[NineOfSpades]

"Yeah if I could get that with extra sprinkles, that'd be great" Fox said, addressing the ice-cream truck owner. It was early in the day for ice cream, but she was hungry, and it was available. No reason to turn down moose tracks over the fact the clock says its closer to breakfast. She'd been settling in pretty well to this corner. Seemed nice enough. No major wars to worry about, that was always a plus. Just people going about there lives, same as most everywhere else. Except with ice cream in the morning.

At her belt, a small metallic box squaked to life, transmitting an intercepted police officer communication. Fox listened absently to it, making mental notes. Gunshots, chemical plant, red-light. Nothing to major. The man in the truck was scooping out her treat, and that was honestly more of an immediate priority. She worked instead on getting out her wallet. Money was one of those things that was surprisingly hard to work with across timelines. Bringing a dollar back to before it was printed usually wasn't all that major, but things changed often enough that getting conversions could be a headache. Few centuries back, everything was just printed in coins of precious metal. Made things simple for her. And don't even try running with some sort of plastic based transaction. Compound interest wasn't a toy, either for making money or running up debts. Nope, Cash was clean and simple.

Second blast of red light hit as she was paying, and the box had been going nonstop with a running update on the situation. Monsters from the sewer, hero's from the sky, a mess every which way you broke it down. Didn't much sound like her jurisdiction, but it was still probably worth checking out at the very least. She noticed that her ice cream had only the regular amount of sprinkles, and scowled at the ice-cream man. "You are lucky I've got more important things going on"

She didn't wait for a response.

With a thought, Fox brought the whole world to a standstill. Sound immediately died out, as the lives of the millions of citizens in the city immediately came to a halt. In basic training, working in non-time is one of the first things they train you for. Its a burden, mentally. The loneliness can drive you insane if you aren't prepared for it, spending years of your age walking through a world of statues. Fox didn't much mind it anymore, but nobody she'd ever spoken to had ever been able to get over the unfathomable stillness of it.

She started walking towards the chemical plant, enjoying her ice cream as she went, the only traveler in the world of her own.

Her ice cream was gone as she approached the scene. She let out a whistle, taking it all in. She snapped a quick picture of the scene, getting some basic documentation started. Mentally, she went about setting up her to-do list. This could take a while.

Firstly was getting the lay of the land. She surveyed the surroundings in detail, walking through the inside and outside of the plant, logging where everyone was at, getting faces, and figuring out who were combatants and civilians, making sure she had a good handle on the situation. She also left part way though to go find some gum and to take a shower. The chemical factory made her feel dirty, as did the creepy clown.

After that, there was the concern about civilians. This brawl seemed to be kind of dicey, and there was already a fair amount of mayhem and gunfire. Having folks caught in the crossfire was just to risky. One by one, she located all of the obvious non-combatants and brought them out of the immediate danger zone, carrying them to the park. It was delicate work, since she didn't want to hurt anyone. She also took the time to find some paper and a pen, writing out a personalized letter explaining that they had been relocated out of the danger area for their own protection, and that they should probably stay out of the way for the time being. Each message was then taped to its recipients face, so that once the clocks started ticking again, it'd be impossible to miss. That also did mean a quick stroll to an office supply store in order to find enough tape for everyone. She grabbed some friendly looking stickers while she was added, to give the messages a more positive tone.

She had gone through all of her gum by the time she'd finished dropping off the last civilian. One of the benefits of being outside of time like this was that you didn't change. She'd been going non-stop for subjective days, but didn't feel tired or hungry. Even the brief detours were more for mental stimulation rather than biological needs. Might be nice to head cross country, see the night sky again, use it as a chance to refresh. It was tempting consideration, but she decided against it. Maybe in a month or two, when she was really starting to get into the thick of things, she'd take a vacation trip.

Now came the hard part. Fox had looked over the battle, and was honestly having a tough time figuring out which side she should be helping. On the one hand, thugs with guns. On the other, giant monsters and scary clowns. Bit of a wash as far as the good guys and bad guys. Direct intervention in the fight didn't seem needed at this stage, so no shooting yet.

She climbed up to a nearby rooftop where she'd have an overview of the situation, as well as some cover, and prepared to rejoin the time stream. As before, there wasn't a flash of light or anything dramatic. She just willed it to happen, and the world started up again. Fox felt the frag hit, like the most intense blast of deja vu you could imagine as she briefly flickered between possiblity chains, letting the kickback of causality meddling wash over her.




Time Stands Still

Fox moves with speed 24 and quickness 24, giving her 8 months worth of actions in less than 1 second. Both speed and quickness are subtle 2 so they won't be noticed.

Searching through the scene of the battle, including inside the factory and surrounding buildings. Take 20 on Investigation to search the place and nearby enviroment. Lets also through some investigation checks for Well informed to recognize the major players (Other PCs plus the criminals). Idk if I just should make one check or a bunch, so I'll go with more than needed and let you sort out what info to give.


[roll0][roll1][roll2][roll3][roll4][roll5][roll6][roll7][roll8][roll9][roll10][roll11]


Next step, carrying the civilians and all bystanders within a few blocks of the battle to safety across town. I don't know if this technically falls under quickness or not, since they aren't really participants in the fight or anything. If needed I'll spend a HP to make it work.

Moving to a rooftop for cover and to survey the situation, taking no other actions at the moment.


And lastly will save against frag as she comes back out of the time-stop
Damage DC 25 Will
Roll 1:[roll12]
Roll 2:[roll13]

Edit: No Frag Damage

[bc56]

V'Rak watches the monster shake the drug off and carry a car away from the fighting. It seems to be acting erratically, or possibly even helping. Whatever the case, it doesn't seem as much of a threat as he thought. He moved to care for the Û-man civilians - Wait, where did they go? Fine. He settles for drawing a pair of knives and throwing them at a pair of nearby gangsters.

Use Knife throw on a gangster, and if it succeeds, do it on an adjacent one with Takedown 1.
19 to hit with routine attacks.
Damage 9, DC 24 toughness to save.

[Rhyvurg]

Running in opposite directions. Alone the cops can handle them, got to stay here and settle this, there's still that giant thing to worry about, but it seems...benevolent, or at least not actively harmful. Either way, not a priority.

Time to finish the remaining threats, and no half measures, if they get desperate they might start firing at people that aren't bulletproof. Selecting one of the remaining gunmen, John releases twin beams of energy from his eyes that superheats the metal of the gun on contact.

Ranged damage (perception), toughness DC 25 to destroy a thug's gun


With the danger outside the building currently settled, John turns and flies through a window into the chemical plant.

[Izzarra]

Joule

Running into a sentry was, unfortunate. So much for getting the drop on them.

Best to do as much as she can before they can attempt to mount an organized defense.

Energy sense has Penetrates Concealment and it tuned to temperature, should be able to make out gunmen from body heat, try to avoid running straight into unexpected opponents.
Another round of takedown 2 routine checks (20 to hit) with move by action to get as many as I can. End turn behind hard cover if possible.
Thermokinesis (Minor, Cold): Affliction 10 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Ranged, Cumulative, Subtle, +10 to hit

[Zero Prime]

Carapace (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24167126&postcount=2)
Hero Points: 3>2 Luck: 2
Conditions: None.

Carapace noted that the odd collection of super-citizens drawn to the conflict, had wrapped up the majority of the gunmen outside the building, however, there was still the odd, pulsing reddish energy emanating from the scene. It seemed to be coming from the building that two or three super's had already entered, with a low growl, sigh, he moved his massive bulk towards the lobby of the building, walking through it, and scanning the interior with his thermographics looking for the source of the energy fluctuations.


OOC: Likely just shattering the lobby, I am an old grognard, my first exposure to super hero games was Champions & the Hero System. It had an interesting concept called, Casual Strength was 1/2 your total strength. However, in M&M that'd be your STR-1 due to the exponential value of attributes. As such, if we go with 1/16th, of your STR that sounds kind of fair, with would be your STR-4, giving Carapace an 8 Strength, so I am assuming he could casually walk through a glass and steel security door as is common in most apartment buildings, however, he could also just use his burrowing and go through the vertical barrier at a speed of 30' a round. Whatever works. Either way, he gets through the lobby and scans the interior of the building with his infravision (which also penetrates concealment) looking for the source of the energy fluctuations. [roll0]. What the hell, I earned 'em, dropping a HP for a Re-roll (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24173142&postcount=7). With the additional 10 for rolling a 7, that gives us a 25!

[Zhentarim]

The evening begins in New Delphi.
It is 19:10 and Lapis laps happily her ice cream as she is getting out of the hospital with her dad.

Whatever adventures Ssila'meshnik's clumsy attempts at manipulation will lead her to in the future, she better find some convincing cover stories if she is to avoid making her parents worry about her missing school, missing the bus to home or even not being in her bed in the morning.
This time, illusions and memory modifications did the trick but she feels a bit guilty about doing it to her dad. Especially since the fake memories are probably full of inconsistencies. And even more since she has NO IDEA of the long-term effects that repeated memory alterations can have on somebody.

Anyway, all is good in the end. She saved people today. Did some good. And even got an ice cream.
Nothing to worry about.

Except that gigantic explosion that just happened right at the end of Broad Street, near Churchtown.

Lapis's dad told her to get in the truck, but Lapis knew people were hurting. She used her powers of illusion to create an illusory duplicate of herself who would do what her dad asked it to do, and then turned her real self into psionic energy and flew towards the action. Making it atop the factory, she watched from the roof in the corporeal form of a clown she saw in a scary movie the night before. Suddenly, a bunch of the people on the street disappeared.

Ssila'meshnik whispered into Lapis's mind: Now that those pets you care so much about are out of the way, probe that gunman's mind, see what he fears, and when he's scared stiff, take my form and eat him. Human liver is great when seasoned by fear.

Lapis scowled in disgust "Eating people is not nice. I will not eat people"

Lapis, did, however, transmute 200 pounds of air into an iron box to encase the man and simultaneously filled that box with illusions of him being in the box with Lapis. The illusion will ask the man to stop hurting people, and will turn into a horrible insect-like creature if he attacks it, and the box will have images of carnivorous insects displayed on the walls and he'll have illusory ants all over him and the box will smell and taste like rotten meat. If he doesn't attack, though, the illusion will just sit in there with him.

[zzzzzzzz414]

Missmash

HP: 0
Condition: Fine
Current composition: 40% concrete, 30% asphalt, 25% steel, 5% other

Current Dynamic Stats:
-TGH +10, FORT +7, STR +15
-DGE/PRY +8, CC (Unarmed) +4, ACR +4, "Flight" 4


Okay.

Oooooooookay.

Lot to take in here.

Missmash's eyes darted back and forth across the scene, trying to get some sense of what the hell was going on. She hadn't been entirely sure what to expect when Samuel told her about this shady corporate front for Azoth, but it, uh. Certainly wasn't this.

Guns, fire, screaming, flying people, red flashy light, some giant evil monster thing (uh, wait, was it evil, actually? It seemed to be carrying that car of people to safety and not, like, rending their flesh from their bone or other typically evil-ish activities), more thugs, more screaming-

She froze for a second as she caught sight of a mom and injured daughter crouching behind an overturned sedan. She sprinted towards them, hoping to get them to safety, but then she blinked and they were just...gone. Along with a few other straggling civilians, actually.

Uh. Alright then. She guessed that meant they were safe? All these colorful characters running around here, somebody probably had teleportation. Anyway, one less thing to worry about! She turned to the firefight; looked as though quite a few of them had been taken out already, but there were definitely several groups of thugs left. She shifted some of her brother's experimental rubber to her feet (always good to keep some around) and bounded towards one.

"C'mon guys, you can't do this out here, you're makin' a public nuisance. Didn't your parents teach you to use your words?" Missmash shouted to the thugs as she drew closer. She planted her feet and then focused. The greyish swirls of concrete and metal drained out of her, snaking and blooming across the pockmarked road as the ground below and around the gangsters was transformed - and then began to transform them, from the feet up.

"Don't worry, it's nonlethal!" she shouted.

Move: move to the densest cluster of remaining thugs within her move range (500ft)

Move: Transform ground beneath all thugs within a 30ft radius using Material Girl. (transform probably goes less than 1/2 an inch into the ground, mixture of concrete and metal)

Extra Effort: Take 1 extra standard action. (spending a hero point to offset Fatigue).

Standard Action: Transformation Blast. All thugs make a DC20 Dodge save and DC20(DC15 if Dodge save is successful) Fort save vs (Vulnerable, Defenseless, Paralyzed)

Free Action: Density and Lightness Array Change


New composition: 95% asphalt, 5% other

Replacing steel+concrete with asphalt is a slight net density decrease (I believe), so, new dynamic stats:

-TGH +9, FORT +6, STR +14
-DGE/PRY +9, CC (Unarmed) +5, ACR +5, "Flight" 5

[Zhentarim]

Lapis waited and watched and listened to the box of iron to see what happened.

[SquirrelWizard]

OOC: crap, responded to the wrong thread.

[Johel]

Lamprey :
"Look, I'm not sure which side of this conflict you're affiliated with, if at all, but I don't particularly care. I'm here to help. I'd largely prefer if nobody else got shot at today, so if you promise not to shoot, I promise I won't. Is anyone capable of answering me?"

A head comes from behind the dumpster, fearful and not hostile. It opens its mouth and… and then Lamprey has a piece of paper stuck to its face. The noise of gunfire is replaced by the chirping of birds. And there is far less auras in range than there was a second ago.

When he takes the paper away, he can read:


“Dear Mister Mckenzie,

You have been transported to safety by me, SuperSpeedy©, your friendly incorporated hero!!

A few seconds ago, you were caught in the middle of a firefight. Your odds of getting injured were high. We super citizen are ever more mindful of avoiding collateral damage when we stop bad guys, what with the lawsuits of last year and so.
You are currently in Jefferson Park. It’s five blocks South of the fight currently being resolved near Broad Street. The nearest tube station is also named Jefferson Park. Should you wish to testify as a witness, a police station is located one block East from your position. As a super citizen arrest is in progress, please do NOT go back near the fight for this evening. Things could get dangerous.
Should you wish to show your appreciation for your timely rescue, please donate to the Panamerican Orphenage Support Foundation, whose bank coordinates can be found at the bottom of this page.”

The letter keeps going a bit further but without any relevant information.

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

Flying up to the office building, Pandora found a window without anyone in the room behind it. Hovering behind the glass, she can see that the door is opened. Breaking the window will likely make noise and might attract somebody. But with the explosions, the gunfire and all other sounds, she might be lucky and nobody will mind the noise of broken glass.

Of course, that's when the noise died down, replaced by a confused silence.

Then she hears noise again.

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

Joule's only opponent is the man who just shot her... so she incapacitate him with a flick of her wrist, pushing him well into hypothermia.
Lucky for her, the alert scream didn't give her exact location so she doesn't encounter any other gunmen for now. She manage to clear a few rooms.

She is on the third floor. From what she can see with her heat sense, there's WAS a large group of people clumped together in a large room right above her position, their heat signature still faint in the air but now dissipating slowly.
There are also two gunmen, which she identify as such as they are the only one near the door, and an enormous source of magnetic energy and well-contained heat.

There are two other gunmen on the second floor, guarding a door in a room with the same clump of heat from now-vanished people.

There's another guard on her floor and he seems alert but doesn't make a beeline for her.

The rest of the gunmen are in the lobby... where the monster seems to be following her.

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

V'Rak starts throwing scalpels and knifes like so many ninja stars, hitting his target each time and letting them screaming in pain on the ground. In total, four of the gunmen are neutralized. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24174692&postcount=8).

John Doe flies through a window on the second floor, casually brushing aside the glass and then walking through the first door. Nobody is there yet to oppose him.

Meanwhile, the monster, still with a car door in hand, shatter the lobby's door, enduring a hail of bullets without even flinching and then pause, looking around while the gunmen, all looking rather more professional than the gangsters outside, disperse away from him in a coordinated movement. They just saw the alien behemoth climb its way out of the ground after swallowing a car in it, roar like a demon spawn, then endure several seconds of automatic fire, then lift another car and run with it for half a block, then shatter through glass doors and then endure another salvo from the vanguard. And the beast was now just looking around as if their weapons weren't a concern. Which they weren't. This and the scream of Vladimir through the comm helped them make up their mind : they probably weren't paid enough for this. Retreat, in good order if possible. Better in jail than in that thing's stomach. They throw smoke grenades as they retreat for the door, keeping their distances from Carapace.

Beside the gunmen getting away from him, he can see five others upstairs, two per floor, except for the third floor where there's only one.
There is some residual heat from people on the second floor and also what's probably the big blue guy.
He also see a patch near empty of all heat on the third floor, with a single VERY hot spot walking.
Carapace also identifies what's probably the source of the light : a massive, near-blinding torus of light on the fourth floor.

On a routine check of 20, V'Rak automatically hits each time, as his targets aren't nibble enough.
His Damage has a rank of 9 and so a minion needs 24 or more to not be wounded.
They have a Toughness of 3, meaning only a natural 20 is a successful check.
Since V'Rak has Take Down, he can attack as long as he manages to incapacitate.
No criminal rolled a natural 20 and so everyone in the street falls on the ground, clutching their legs, arms or shoulders to slow the bleeding.

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

EDIT :

Missmash stomps the ground and it shudders, concrete creeping along the feet of a dozen of gangsters.
Eight are too surprised to react and end up transformed into screaming statues of stone.
Two manage to jump before theirs legs are taken but they lose their shoes in the process and then fall over right on the pavement before being instantly transformed like the rest. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24176334&postcount=10)

There are about 10 more thugs in the street.
From the building, the firing stopped.

[Zero Prime]

Carapace (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24167126&postcount=2)
Hero Points: 3>2 Luck: 2
Conditions: None.

Carapace, as if noting that he still carried the car door, dropped it in the lobby floor with an echoing Klang-thud! His eyes ignoring the smoke, and penetrating the very walls of the building until he seemed to find what he was looking for. He moved towards the stairwell, his hand lashing out almost casually to slam one of the trained mercenaries into the concrete wall, his thick fingers digging into the combat webbing to drag and carry the mercenary up the stairs as he wandered towards the epicenter of the brilliant light that was emanating from the building.

The concrete and steel groaned a little under his weight, but he advanced steadily, his shoulders and head ducked low in the cramped stairwell, as it was not designed with the intention of supporting Carapace's size or bulk.


OOC: Accurate Attack 5, giving me Attack +11, & requiring a TOU check DC 22 if successful. A 27! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24174720&postcount=9)[/B] However, Fast Grab would come into play, DC 17 Dodge or STR check to avoid being grabbed. With his reach he should be able to do that, and while I'd like to run up the stiars (ie. doubling movement with Athletics), I think I may punch through them at full speed, so he'll go up them carefully enough to not collapse them. I'm honestly not sure how much weight a residential apartment could take, floor or stairwise ... a wood and beam floor in a home, he'd be screwed I think. Either way heading to the 4th floor and the bright corona of light. Mmmmm Corona, guess Carapace is choosing his beach?

[John Cribati]

Lamprey
HP: 1 | Condition: Normal.

Cyrus wonders if he should be insulted. He wouldn't call himself a cape or a vigilante or whatever, but he had actually been there to offer aid. Maybe he should invest in some sort of "look."

In any case, he searches the notw with his senses to find the aura of whoever wrote it. At least he'd be able to recognize them if he came across them again. Assuming they weren't super-speeding aroundv he guesses.

Then, just to cover his bases, he gets out his phone and makes a call.

"Hey, Specs? You still keeping your ear to the ground? Something's going down by Tyron Chemicals and I just want to know if anyone you know heard anything about them doing any shady business lately."


First, a Perception Check with Postcognition on the note so Cyrus can get a read on mystery speedster's aura.
[roll0]

And after that, since he's going to be Sir Not-Participating-In-This-Fight, a one-minute Investigation check using Contacts, to see if he can find some dirt on Tyron Chemicals:
[roll1]

[Rhyvurg]

John moves deeper into the building, looking for the source of the red light as well as some sign of the woman who went in earlier. "Um...Heat-Girl, are you there? Any idea what this is yet?"

[Izzarra]

Joule

Seeing the fading heat signatures from all of the remaining staff having suddenly vanished form the building it becomes evident that there is another player on the field. At least with the civilians out of the building the gunmen are slightly less of a priority. The device upstairs and the monster coming in the front door are her top concern. Probably best to find out what is upstairs first.

Head up to see what the device is and try to avoid encounters with the gunmen for now. If there are any locked doors I will use Precise heat powers to cut locks open and try to minimize the property damage on the way.

[Zhentarim]

Hearing noise below and thinking more gunmen are afoot, Lapis creates an illusion transforming the entire building into an illusory spa and bathhouse, hoping to confuse whoever else is in the building.

[SquirrelWizard]

Pandora
Hero Points: 1
Condition: None

The momentary pause in noise caused Pandora to hesitate at the window. She wasn't sure what had happened, but just as she was about to break the window to enter, the entire facade of the building twisted and altered itself. She cursed under her breath at the fact that someone was either warping reality or using illusions. A swift incantation later and her eyes glowed red as she could perceive the mystical flows of power again and saw, as she thought, the office building being masked as some spa.

Not waiting for someone to think up something else kooky, Pandora tried to break the window as quietly, or at least while under the cover of any further gunfire, as possible. Sneaking into the building and carefully, quietly, trying sneak through the office hopefully towards whatever magical effect was causing the periodic burst of red light. Hopefully sooner than later.



Current Weal and Woe Array Power: Lampad's Torch
Activating Detect Magic as FA, pierces illusions. Pandora is Vulnerable
Deactivating Icarus Flight upon entering building.
Glyph of Warding (7 Impervious toughness vs physical attacks)
Stealth to break window sneakily [roll0]
Stealth to move sneakily through building [roll1]
Perception to hopefully notice any thugs before they notice her, preferably, [roll2]

[bc56]

V'Rak rushes towards the entrance to the building in the wake of the giant monster. There might be more civilians in there, or at least the source of the red light. If he can make it far enough, he'll search for computer terminals. If there's alien tech involved, there should be some electronic record of it. Even the Û-mans can't keep a secret from bureaucracy.

[Johel]

In the street

In the street, the thugs are firing at Missmash... who is the only super target still visible. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24176582&postcount=14)
Four of them take her as target... and miss miserably.

The others are firing at a bunch of mercenaries who, following the monster's entrance, are retreating through the only way they can. They maybe thought they would have better luck against assault rifles. They guessed wrong : four of them are scythed by heavy gunfire. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24176611&postcount=15)

Missmash has currently a Dodge of 9 so it's 19 or more to hit.
None of the four that fire at her even come close.

The mercenaries have Dodge 2 so 12 or more hit.
4 hits. DC 20 Toughness Resistance Check.
None succeed. As minions, they are incapacitated.


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

Lobby

With a wet noise, Carapace snatches one of the mercenaries in the lobby, holding him by the neck in his over-sized hand while he advances toward the stairs. The building is meant to be sturdy, what with the laboratory equipment being heavy and hundreds of people and their desks being supported daily. But still, the stairs are indeed narrow and the railing make a weak metallic protest as the frame of Carapace deform it. The gunman is also protesting but more in a desperate way, with mumbles of "not eat me" and a lot of "please" and "no" together with a fair amount of wiggling at first but eventually only sobbing.

Carapace ignores the first three floors and keep climbing to the fourth, which will take a few minutes.

Behind him though at a secure distance, V'Rak enters the building, seeing a dozen or so gunmen in military gear who are slowly backing away from the rampaging monster. When they see him, they hesitate only briefly : fire and potentially call the attention of the big one ? Or not fire and take a knife ? They know their weapons don't work on the big guy but some of them probably think they have a chance here : they fire. Two manage to hit V'Rak. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24176558&postcount=11) The others don't even wait to see the result : they keep retreating toward the street, where Missmash and an handful of demoralized opponents are the only obstacle they can see. They'll take those odds.

With 27 to hit, Carapace easily beat the parade of 2 (hence DC12) from his opponent. He then proceed to grab him and carry him wherever he wishes.

I need two Toughness checks from V'Rak vs DC 20


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

2nd Floor

The second floor is a pair of hallways with a few personalized offices and a large laboratory with a few basic chemical equipment but also a fair amount of high-tech electronics. As John Doe opens the door of one of the small offices, he calls :

"Um...Heat-Girl, are you there? Any idea what this is yet?"

The only answer to that was a hail of bullets, followed by a feminine voice with an heavy east european accent :

"-Who you call "heat girl", you pig ?!"

The bullets, of course, did nothing, as the gunwoman and her partner realized quickly. They assess the situation, looking at John Doe's cloth and skin before summing it up :

"-Aw Crap..."


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

3rd Floor

The whole floor is mostly laboratories in sealed rooms, with large nitrogen pressurized vats and a few small-scales centrifuges. Nobody here. Small offices were lined at the back of the building, each with a golden plate and name of various professors on it. One of the offices has now a hole into the wall and a half-frozen gunman on the floor. Another office has a broken window.

As Joule advances in the stairwell without much stealth, she is lucky enough to avoid the last gunman (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24176635&postcount=16), which is made easy since she can see his heat signature through walls using the Energy Senses. As she opens the door of the stairway, she can hear metal bending and breaking downstairs, along with the rasping breath of the creature as it is climbing the stairs.
The echoes of one of his victims are also rising :
"No, no, no, don't eat me, please, please, please, oh no !! Le'me go !!"
While the victim is sobbing heavily, there doesn't seem to be violence involve yet.
If she climb the stairs, she manage to sneak in the corridor of the 4th floor, as all guards are inside the main room with the machine.

She doesn't see that she is being trailed : a horned creature with purple skin, hair a mix of red and black, clothed in black leather, with a long tail dancing behind her.

Pandora, from her point of view, see the flying woman with the helmet that had frozen a pair of thugs earlier in the street.


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

Jefferson Park, somewhere in Churchtown District

For one moment, Lamprey goes still as he focus specifically on the lingering psychic track of the mysterious SuperSpeedy. The aura's lasting remnants appear in long, stretched lines of glittering purple and blue. This is strange as, while most people do let a rope to follow, it usually isn't very long, as Lamprey can only track them back so long after the fact. But here, it looks as if the speedster was everywhere at the same time, each foot of aura track being as vividly bright as the previous one. This creates both an opportunity and a problem :

An opportunity, as Lamprey can visualize perfectly where his quarry went and what he did, the humanoid shape being sometimes still visible when the speedster remained still long enough. The aura is so easy to read that Lamprey has a very clear signature to remember, should he encounter it in the future.

A problem because, normally, the fading of the aura allows Lamprey to pick the chronology of it, which allows him to track either the point of origin or the current location. Now, it is hard to pinpoint an beginning and an end to this kind of track.

Meanwhile, the phone rings back
(See MP)

[bc56]

Rolling these now, will write post in a sec
[roll0]
[roll1]

Sawbones
HP: 1
-1 to resist damage

V'Rak hisses as the bullets slam into him, but he knows they're just flesh wounds. He rushes forward, closing the distance between himself and the gunmen before drawing more knives, twirling them in his hands before using them against the gangsters.
Run 30ft towards the gunmen. Use a mixture of Knifework and Knife Throw to takedown as many adjacent gunmen as I can. Both are damage 9, 24 to resist, 19 to hit.

[NineOfSpades]

Agent Fox
Condition: Unharmed
Frag: 0
HP: 1 + 4

Taking stock of the situation and what she knew, Fox wasn't exactly worried, but definitely rising to the level of concerned. Perhaps even bordering on anxious.

There was a lot of very chaotic events unfolding very quickly, with more of these superpowered citizens popping up by the second. From news reports, web-searches and some casefiles she'd browsed over, she had ID's on most of the bunch, at least enough to know she could probably avoid adding them to the list of targets that needed to be subdued.

The timeline of events was also becoming clearer. Professor Stanilzlas's briefing memo had cleared up the main situation, and definately fell within the category of potentially anomalous tech, which was a big red flag. When there wasn't an active battle going on, she'd have to backlog the research to make sure it followed a natural chain of discovery suggesting that this was the result of normal (if exceptionally gifted) research. But if she saw sudden leaps in progress, that'd be a clue that someone from Up the timeline had been helping things along.

Fox herself wasn't a great tech person. Actually that was a complete lie, or not, depending on where you were standing. By her own metric, she was functionally knowledgeable, but by no means an expert. By the standards of this corner, where portable computers were still the biggest trend in the market, she was a genius. She still didn't have a great grasp on what the lab was up to, and that almost-concerned her. Because she was starting to think that if the bio-armor guy and the cape-guy and the fire-chick and the sidewalk-chick didn't knock it off, the building might collapse. And that would be sub-optimal.

Direct intervention to fix up the building would be possible, though she was stuck as to how to do it without drawing attention to herself. There weren't really any rules about going public. It could be a pain to deal with from a paperwork standpoint, and sometimes you got messages saying to go clean up any witnesses. So stepping in prominently was on the table, if needed.

Fox really wanted to stay out of things. She also really wanted to get into the machine she had seen and figure out what was going on from that end. She wanted to shoot some of these thugs, because they were causing her this headache. She wanted to take a nap, because she felt like she deserved one.

If the building collapsed, the machine that she didn't fully understand could do a lot of bad things, probably related to those blasts of red light. Working out the machine still ran the risk of the building causing problems, so stopping the demolition derby was first and foremost in her mind. None of which could be done from her current position.

Fox notted a potted plant near her and casually kicked it over to find a grappling hook, along with a note in her handwriting reminding her to pick up dinner later. The note was on the back of a recipt, letting Fox know where in her Yet she'd need to pick up the grappling hook and then go Down from now to hide it. Letting out a small sigh, she ran a hand through her hair as the steps of her rapidly-being-made-up-as-she went plan ran through her mind.

On her belt she fired up her Tech-box and transmitted to the police cars, accessing their loudspeaker so that everyone would get the message. "For the safety of everyone in the area, stop trying to knock the building down! There is potentially dangerous technology on-hand" She avoided adding 'idiots' to that, but only just.

Grappling line in hand, she took a running leap off the rooftop, and used the handheld cable to swing across the battlezone, aiming for the 4th floor window. As she crashed through, she ducked into a roll and moved for cover, one hand drawing her firearm. It was weeks ago now, but she recalled leaving two armed individuals here, and didn't want to get caught in their crossfire.

With her otherhand, She touched the building, and mentally adjusted its alignment along the timeline, running the clock back to undo as much of the damage it had suffered. Fox had a lot of things she wanted to do today, but being inside a collapsing building was not one of them. She noticed her nose was bleeding, and tried to ignore it. Just meant she was pushing to hard on the timeline.



Communicate as a free action to relay the message.

Spending a HP for scene edit via slipshanking to give myself a grappling hook (minor equipment to enable swinging movement)

Using the grappling hook to swing across the building and access 4th floor.

Using Rewind on the building to fix up the damage caused to the building so it doesn't collapse.

Healing Check DC10, 1 degree of healing per success. Affects objects. Visually the building rewinds backwards till its repaired.

[roll0]

I couldn't find any rules Re: healing objects or buildings. I checked under installations and damaging objects but it wasn't clear. If there is a reason the building doesn't count for healing purposes, let me know I'll edit this part of my action.

Frag check (Will DC 25)
[roll1]
[roll2]

Edit:One degree of failure, -1 Toughness due to frag. Regeneration on standbye.

[Rhyvurg]

John really did not appreciate getting shot at this much in one day, but these people were still not a threat, so his response was measured. No need to hurt anyone, just stop them. Mixing molecular energy in his lungs, he exhales a wave of what is effectively intense cold at the shooters and whomever that was that spoke.

Affliction 10, cone area, DC 20 Str to break the effect. Impaired/Immobile/Paralyzed, Cold descriptor.

[Izzarra]

Joule

While the device upstairs needs to be investigated, the pleading of the man down with the monster is too much to be ignored.

Joule flies down, not too quickly, to confront the behemoth.

"It looked like you were saving the civilians in that car so I am going to assume you have some intelligence. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Will cycle through different types of energy sense to try to figure out what she is dealing with. Electromagnetic, x-ray, etc. It will not be as effective as an actual x-ray machine or a MRI as she is relying on the naturally occurring background radiation but perhaps she can gain some idea of what is in front of her.
She is going to be ready to try to cool it off with more Thermokinesis (Minor) if it tries to attack her.

[Zero Prime]

Carapace (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24167126&postcount=2)
Hero Points: 2 Luck: 2
Conditions: None.

The massive form stopped as the young woman in what appeared to be a flight suit, complete with utility jacket and some sort of flight mask hovered before him, energy crackling around her eyes as they shifted through the energy spectrum. Her cursory scan revealed a massive form, a living creature, however, it's underlaying muscle structure was significantly denser than any terrestrial life form. Covered in a chitinous carapace that defied simple composition scans, and augmented with alloys and metals that hadn't yet appeared on the periodic table. However, something deep inside the creature's form was familiar, a spine, a rib cage, human in form, albeit indelibly connected to the surround tissue and muscle, and her vision was unable to tell where one ended and the other began.

The creature, shrugged it's massive shoulder's in a human-like gesture, eliciting another whimpering pleas from the lobby gunman it held so casually in it's grasp. It exhaled, a warm, damp stream of air filled the lobby, an odd scent, organic, like wet loam surrounded the two before dissipating. It looked up to the 4th floor, and beckoned the young girl to follow, considering the energy crackling around her hands, she likely was in little danger if there were more men like the one he dragged behind him.


OOC: Continue moving to the device that is the epicenter of the energy fluctuations, Speed 4, so hopefully should get there this round. Joule can follow. Not releasing my grip on the Gunman, but I am not using him as a human shield either, I kind of want him alive for questioning (by police) when we're done all this.

[Izzarra]

Joule
No conditions

As there appears to be a humanoid skeleton and nervous system deep inside this monstrous form it is possible that this is another super that is also here to deal with the situation. However it is not very talkative, if it can even speak at all right now.

"If it is your intention to investigate that device then you should leave the gunman here. We could tie him up with a banister railing or something so he does not escape. Whatever is up there might not be able to do much harm to you, but I cannot say the same about the guy you are carrying."

[SquirrelWizard]

Pandora
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Vulnerable

Pandora followed Helmet Girl quietly. Specifically she wanted to observe her to get a feel for who she was, and why she was here, after all it wasn't unthinkable that a superpowered villain might interject themselves in another's business. To judge by her interactions with the monster downstairs she seemed at least lodged along the positive end of the alignment spectrum.

She softly padded up behind the girl, her eyes glowing red as she looked for any magics afoot, and softly said, "I dont know who you are, or if you can even control that thing," her eyes glanced over to Carapace, "but the last thing we need is a chemical spill in this building because someone got too stompy."



Current Weal and Woe Array Power: Lampad's Torch
Detect Magic: See magic, pierces illusions. Pandora is Vulnerable
Deactivating Icarus Flight upon entering building.
Glyph of Warding (7 Impervious toughness vs physical attacks)

[Zero Prime]

Carapace (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24167126&postcount=2)
Hero Points: 2 Luck: 2
Conditions: None.

With a casual shrug it tossed it's hostage over it's shoulder with enough force that he cracked the wall and slumped to the landing of the stairwell. It huffed a stream of that same damp, organic breath at the second heroine, and continued up the stairs towards the strange source of energy emissions.

[Izzarra]

Joule
No conditions

Takes a quick look at the discarded person with energy sense attuned to x-rays to try to see if there are any broken bones that would require immediate medical attention before responding to the new arrival.

No ranks in treatment but a crack in the skull is usually serious.
Is the person that Carapace was carrying still alive?
If he is, it there something on or near the stairwell that can can be used to tie him up with Precise Move Object 10?
Perception roll if required [roll0]

[Johel]

In the street

The retreating gunmen from inside the building come better into sight. While the ones Missmash has been fighting so far have been dressed in various civilian cloths, these guys are in military gears, though still lightly equipped. They fire at the gangsters (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24180368&postcount=19) but at the cops, trying to pin them down so they could get away probably. The gangsters fire back, one targeting Missmash. When the smoke cleared, three more mercenaries and two gangsters lay on the ground. Missmash is unscathed. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24180381&postcount=20)
Under fire, the material girl repeated her previous tactic, charging at a nearby group of gangsters and then stomping the ground, causing it to briefly shift and then overwhelm her opponents. Three new statues materialized in the street.

The cops, having received enough reinforcements and encouraged by the repeated blows that the super citizens dealt to the criminals, decide to act : a SWAT team sweep through the street, firing at the remaining five gangsters and the three last mercenaries. Seeing this, those duck for cover and then surrender : there's no getting away from this situation.

Above the street, yet another mysterious figure zipline between buildings, crashing into the last floor...

Missmash has currently a Dodge of 9 so it's 19 or more to hit.
None of the four that fire at her even come close.

The mercenaries have Dodge 2 so 12 or more hit.
4 hits. DC 20 Toughness Resistance Check.
None succeed. As minions, they are incapacitated.


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

Lobby

"Do not provoke the angry knife-wielding bipedal gecko" should be an universal good piece of advice, even though one doesn't hear it often.
As it stands, the five mercenaries that thought it a good idea to stand their ground inside the lobby and to fire at V'Rak received the lesson through pain.
The giant lizard moves fluidly from one limb to the next, dispatching with bored ease the five of them. Barely five seconds pass before five bodies hit the floor while Sawbone's tail pick up and clean the blades before sheathing them back in a single swift motion

Routine check against minion.
The mercenaries have +2 to Dodge and Parry so 12 would be enough to hit
V'Rak has +9 to hit and rolls an average of 19.


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

2nd Floor

And two more bodies on the floor, a thin layer of icicles having formed on them. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24180422&postcount=22)
John Doe doesn't find anyone else on this floor.
He does hear people climbing the stairway, though. They aren't really discreet.


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

3rd Floor

Since everyone went down to meet Carapace, there's only one lone guard left there.


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

4th Floor

In a shower of glass, Agent Fox lands inside the building.
The noise of her falling through the window is loud but not enough to go over the sound of the machine.

As she is busy mending the building by trying to shift it whole back through time by a few hours, noise is rising from the stairway.


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

Stairway

The mercenary is wounded, sure, but not critically so. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24180363&postcount=17)
He even regains consciousness already, though he doesn't look able or even willing to struggle.
Being surrounded by two super citizens and a monstrous bruiser tend to have that effect if you ain't got a clear conscience.

Speaking of monstrous bruiser, Carapace just went to the four floor, literally getting through the railing of the stairs as he climbed the steps 10 by 10.
The pieces of railing could make for very sturdy ropes...

[Rhyvurg]

Leaving the disabled criminals, John moves to the stairwell. He was still concerned for that woman who'd come in here first, he had no idea what she could do and how much danger she might be in. Seeing the collection of super citizens was a surprise, as was the fact none of them seemed to be fighting the giant monster. It didn't seem hostile towards innocents, but he'd partly expected someone to provoke it by now. "Who are all of you?"

[bc56]

Sawbones
HP: 1
-1 to resist damage

V'Rak rushes towards the stairwell. He ignores the stairs and climbs upwards using the damaged railings. He'd better follow that monster and the flying Û-man. They seem to know where they're going.

[Izzarra]

Joule
No conditions

Joule reaches out with her mind grabbing the railing pieces and uses them to tie up the mercenary, bending the metal as if it were a wet noodle.

To the purple skinned being "Unfortunately I have no control over the big thing. It appears to understand English and can be reasoned with. You are right, we should work to prevent a disaster."

She flies up the stairs to the device and all of the converging supers.

Answering the one in the cape "I have chosen Joule as my alias."

[Johel]

In the street

Paramedics are taking care of the wounded, both criminals and victims.
Missmash is standing there while the SWAT team sweep through the bad guys.
None of the cops yet dare to approach her or issue her any instruction.


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

Lobby

Bad guys on the floor, in pain.
The SWAT team isn't there yet.


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

2nd Floor

Bad guys on the floor, half-frozen and unconscious.


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

3rd Floor

One lone bad guy left there.
Probably panicking as he can see what is happening in the street.


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

4th Floor

Agent Fox... and a door with the source of the red light behind.
Also, another door... which Carapace just busted open.


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

Stairway

John Doe, Joule and Pandora.
With V'Rak not far behind.

I'll let you discuss in detail where your characters will go from there.

They can go to the 4th floor to meet Fox and maybe go to the last room. Most of you already know that there are a lot of heat, electromagnetic energy or magic at work up there.
They can go into another floor to investigate while the cops aren't here yet. Time is short, though.
They can go home and call it a day, since the authorities have everything under control, Batman-style. They may or may not bag the prisoner.
They can try to cooperate with the police which, while in a friendly mindset, is still under heavy political pressure to treat super citizens as unlawful vigilantes.




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

Jefferson Park, somewhere in Churchtown District

The phone calls of Lamprey end (see PM)
Around him, dozens of civilians are coming back from the confusion of being far away from where they were a few minutes ago.
The letters helped probably. None of these potential witnesses seem injured.
Some are already looking like they are about to leave.
Others are chatting with their work colleagues and fellow victims, no doubt working out their fears.


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

Top of a building, somewhere in Churchtown District

The Pink Trickster observes the scene that unfolds in the street below.
Police vans and ambulances are coming.
A crowd of bystanders is being kept at bay by a lot of cops.
Nobody seemed to have notice her. Yet a voice rang behind her.

"-Normally, brooding on rooftops next to one of the biggest gang fights of this year isn't done while wearing pink.
There are standards, unspoken rules about mysterious strangers helping law enforcement from the shadows."

A thin woman wearing sunglasses even though the sun is down walks next to the Pink Trickster.
She is wearing jeans and a rather relaxed shirt but the pistol and badge hung at her hip make it clear she isn't a civilian.

https://i.postimg.cc/28CyPwZL/AgentTa.png

"-If I asked you to put your hands over your heads and to fall on your knees, would you obey ?
Or do I need to call a SWAT team first ?"

[zzzzzzzz414]

Missmash

HP: 0
Condition: Fine
Current composition: 95% Asphalt, 5% other

Current Dynamic Stats:
-TGH +9, FORT +6, STR +14
-DGE/PRY +9, CC (Unarmed) +5, ACR +5, "Flight" 5


"Allllll yours, guys!" Missmash called as the police swept in. Man, not a bad warmup. And not a scratch on her, either! I mean it had hardly been a fair fight, what with the bad dudes being both non-superpowerful and getting shot at by other bad dudes, but still.

As soon as it was clear that the rest of the thugs out here weren't going to put up a fight, she turned to the building. That weird red lightshow thing was still going on which, together with this being some sort of front for Azoth, seemed to her like a recipe for some Pretty Bad Stuff. Luckily it seemed like a few other super-types had gone in already, but hey, one more couldn't hurt, right? You know the old saying, "too many cooks makes for some really interesting broth". Uh. Something like that, anyway.

She sprinted across the road and towards the lab (Which seemed to be, uh, rebuilding itself? Ok then?). No need to take the slow way, though; she took a massive running leap and, shifting some adhesive to her hands and feet, began to scale the side of the building at an alarming pace. (Weird experimental adhesive stuff+super enhanced magic asphalt tendons+messing around with her body's own friction/aerodynamics = really really good climbing skills). Within a few moments she'd made it to the fourth floor, breaking her way in through one of the windows to find a woman with a grappling hook, a door with a bunch of crazy red lights coming from it, and...the giant monster thing from before.

"Oh, uh, ok then. Hiya!" She took a cautious step towards the massive behemoth, falling into a defensive stance. "So, before we get started here: are you, uh, evil? I mean I saw whatcha did with the car but, no offense here, ya do look just a little evil. Wait, damn, do you understand english, actually?"


Using both Move actions to move towards the fourth floor. At Flight 5 that's 1800 ft. of movement total, which I think is more than enough to get her there?

Also I assume that Carapace and Agent Fox are both here and in the same room at this point; if incorrect, I'll edit the post.

[Izzarra]

Joule
No conditions

Joule heads up to see what is going on with the thing on the 4th floor. Want to make sure that it is not something that is threatening to destroy some or all of the city.

[Rhyvurg]

John shakes his head. "No time for this, anyone who's interested in stopping whatever is going on, that light is coming from upstairs. If not, it might be best to withdraw from the building in case whatever this is explodes." He flies to the fourth floor.

[bc56]

Sawbones
HP: 1
-1 to resist damage.

V'Rak continues upwards to the fourth floor. Whatever that light is, it's up there, and if there's any alien tech here, it's going to be the light.

[Zero Prime]

Carapace (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24167126&postcount=2)
Hero Points: 2 Luck: 2
Conditions: Dazed, Immobile, Vulnerable.

Carapace again huffed, it's wet, earthy breath forming a vapor in the confined area of the stairwell, as Joule directly asked the creature if it had helped the citizens, it's massive head nodded an affirmative. Then it looked at the hallway towards the room where the energy fluctuations were occuring and moved ahead. As it encountered the door, it raised it's hand, it's dull, black carapace, glistened as the large protective shield like growths on the outside of it's forearms flowed, shifted, moved, until once again they soldified, into almost blade like protrusions extending a good 18 inches beyoung it's massive, knobbed fists. It then began to drive those protrusions into the wall surrounding the door, once complete it shouldered it's way through the remains of the wall, leaving a massive hole where the door had been.

It stepped into the room, prepared to confront anyone within.


OOC: Using Tunneling to get through the upright wall. Carapace don't %^$* around with locked doors, lol! I will then use a free action to switch my array into my sustained Immunity to forced movement, knockback, knockdown & trip. Thereby activating the side effect, causing him to become both Vulnerable & Immobile. While also making a Perception check to scan the room; rolling Perception +8, [roll0] Infravision, Penetrates Concealment & Tracking 2.

Those observant enough would notice that the act of shifting his form to effectively drive through the wall seemed to slow Carapace down, not so much the material of the wall, but the shift to do so. Once in the middle of the room, the concrete beneath his massive feet cracked, as his knees flexed and he braced himself against any expected retaliation. A shower of bullets withered the wall and electrical equipment behind him. He roared his displeasure at one of the gunmen positioned close to a master console. Carapace reached for the security door he knocked loose as he charged through the wall and hurled it like a discus towards one of the gunmen.


OOC: Based on info provided in a PM, Carapace will use Accurate Attack, increasing his Attack by 2, and lowering his Damage by 2, as the Gunman is a Minon, I will take a 10 on the attack. Ranged Attack 6 with +2 from Accurate attack, for a total of 18, and a Toughness check of 25.

[NineOfSpades]

Agent Fox
Condition: -1 Toughnes (Frag)
HP: 1 + 3 (Scene Edit)

Is it so hard to follow basic instructions? Fox didn't think so. She didn't ask anyone to go all that far out of their way. This wasn't like putting together furnature, or disarming a bomb, or even going to some fast food place to make an order for the group. She had been very straightforward: Please don't destroy the building. Its a request so simple it usually doesn't even need to be said. She'd even gone so far as to muddle up causality and sheered herself across split timelines in order to fix up the damage that had been done and keep the structure stable.

And the response she had gotten? From the sound alone, seemed like someone just tore through the entire building from the ground floor up. And that someone was a 10ft tall monster armor guy, who then ripped a reinforced steel door off its hinges.

In the agency, it was pretty common to hear field agents refereed to as spanners. It was a slang term that, as Fox had understood it, came from the phrase 'spanner in the works', referring to a wrench inside an operating machine. Usually seen as a bad thing, but it fit, as their jobs were to fix problems inside the largest and most complex piece of clockwork that could be imagined, while it was always running. In short, field agents fix things.

At the moment, Fox didn't feel much like a field agent. She felt more like a nanny who had just finished cleaning up a mess, only for a toddler the size of a mini-van to come metaphorically and also literally tracking mud and debris through the just-metaphorical living room. Gritting teeth in frusteration, Fox commented to herself "Ok, guess we are just going to do it this way then. Thats fine. This is fine". Field agents also had a tendency to talk to themselves. It was probably due to spending long periods of their age alone.

Fox poked out from behind cover to take a quick visual. Two hostiles, plus the guy in the machine. That was probably a bad thing, but it was the kind of bad thing that was screaming 'don't mess with this'. Anything that had arcs of lightning shooting around usually fell into that category. Line of far was crowded with tech, so gunfire would be discouraged. She could push herself and go for another blitz out of time, but she hadn't finished shaking off the frag yet, so that'd be dicey.

Oh, and the monster guy was roaring, and had thrown the door to take out one of the gunners and possibly the big obvious control lever. That's right, we're not being careful today. Today is 'smash everything and hope it doesn't irradiate the city' day. Guess being a time travler and all, Fox had missed that one. So forgetful.

Fox stepped out, keeping her gun trained on the sole perp, shouting "Hey, Dumbass" refering to the big guy "Knock it off with the creature-feature for a second" She then turned towards the only remaining criminal in the room. "And you, drop your weapons and stand down" She paused a moment and then added "You have no hostages and this guy literally just rampaged through an entire building and punched through a steel blast door just to get to you. And he has more super-friends on the way. Do the smart thing and just call it a day, alright"



Going to try to talk the guy down rather than start a firefight next to OBVIOUSLY BAD NEWS MACHINE.

Fox is standing in the doorway, using Carapace as cover between her and the gunman closer to the door, keeping her weapon trained on him.

Persuasion check: [roll0]. Modify that if you want based on circumstances since it was mostly just listing out facts.

Using Psych profiling on the guy to try and get a read on their head-space and hopefully the larger plan.

Insight: [roll1] DC 21

Edit: Succeeded by 5. So DC 15 Will for the thug vs mind reading.

Regeneration of frag triggers start of next turn.

[Johel]

4th Floor


MAP
https://i.postimg.cc/WNwk9WfZ/mipui-1.png
Scale : 1 square is 5 ft x 5ft

The stairway, from where Joule, John Doe, Pandora and V'Rak emerge, exit to a small lobby. From there, several ways :

- Two doors are clearly marked "WC", indictating toilets. The doors are opened and there's no reason to believe someone might be hidding there.

- A hallway, running along the window, about 15 feet wide by 70 feet long. One of the windows is now broken, with an asphalt-covered creature with roughly feminine shapes standing in the entrance. A moment sooner, another woman, clad in a strange form-fitting uniform, was there. She is now right behind the 10-feet monster.

- A gigantic entrance, about 10 to 15 feet wide, freshly torn apart by the monster and now blocked by its massive muscular frame, with the uniformed woman right behind it. This entrance probably had a door but you cannot see it right away. It gives to a very wide room.

- Judging by what's left of the masonry, the walls of the main room are 5-feet thick of reinforced steel covered with a heat ablative material and several layers of conductive materials. Seeing through this is impossible with energy vision or infravision. Even the aura sensing and magical sight have some problems.

- This a very large room where a monstrous machine stands at the very center, connected to several generators with dozens of cables each as thick as a human legs. The machine looks like a transparent torus, the shell half-solid, half-liquid as a blinding red light courses through its center, with a few arks of crimson lightning licking the shell itself. At regular interval, pillars which are faintly glowing red are disposed. Gigantic vats with "NITROGEN" written all over it were covered it condensate water drops.

- The temperature of the room is very high. It must easily be 50°C, which while breathable is not comfortable for humans. Carapace's armor let him bear it without problem, though.

- A gunman is standing next to the monster. He is holding a weird gun.

- Those close enough to the machine can see beyond the crackling electric arcs and the red glowing pillars. There, chained at the center, is a man, half-naked, blind folded and gagged. He is wiggling weakly against his bonds.

- There's a lever. It's alone.

- And finally, there's the door !! It's a double door, probably armored, a good 3 feet thick, made of a solid 15 feet large steel frame to which some masonry is still attached. It is currently embedded into the wall to the left of the machine. A pair of boots hangs weakly at its bottom.

The gunman, having heard Agent Fox, hesitate only briefly.

Mercenary :
Screw this, I'm not paid enough for this !! Get that thing away !! Then I'll drop my weapon and surrender !!

Mind reading : see MP

[John Cribati]

Lamprey
HP: 1 | Condition: Normal.

Cyrus had figured something was up. Call it psychic intuition.

But now he knew that that something was probably way above both his skill and pay grades.

(Technically most things were above his pay grade because he didn't get paid outside of bounty hunting or providing "information that leads to an arrest")

And he knew that he would stick his nose in it anyway.

After a search on his phone, he heads to the location of R,R&R.

[SquirrelWizard]

Pandora
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Vulnerable

Pandora cursed as Carapace crashed through the door; what part of "no chemical messes" did it not understand!?

As she chased after them, she came to see the setup in the room, the strange machine surrounded by occult pillars. The room was awash with colors and energies, at least to Pandora, that she almost didn't notice the mercenary standing near the lever. With Carapace having apparently subdued the man with his/her/its? presence Pandora turn her attention turned back to the machine, saying, "Dont touch it till I get a look at it."

She approached, scanning the machine with her vision to try and determine its purpose, how it functioned, and how, if possible, to disable it without causing to do something hideous to the man, the people in the room, or the entire city block. As she analyzed it, she prepared her magic to try and counter any magical effect that might get thrown at her or those near her, it was the sensible thing to do.



Free Action to change Current Weal and Woe Array Power: Prometheus's Flame
Ready Prometheus' Flame to counter any magical effect directed outside of the machine.
Expertise Magic to examine the machine. discover purpose, effects if shut down, and maybe effects on the guy in the center if shut down? [roll0]
Detect Magic: See magic, pierces illusions. Pandora is Vulnerable
Glyph of Warding (7 Impervious toughness vs physical attacks)

[Rhyvurg]

John walks into the room, glancing at the gunman. He was no threat, but that machine... He considered his options. He could destroy or disconnect the generators, but there was no telling what that might do. He could fly the machine away from the city, but without knowing why the man was inside that could be a terrible mistake. And at the back of his mind, was the accident, the day he gained his powers and hundreds died because fools tampered with things they did not understand. He'd never been very technically minded, perhaps one of the others would be more familiar with this kind of technology than he was and would have an idea for what to do.

[bc56]

Sawbones
HP: 1
-1 to resist damage

V'Rak sizes up the situation. He pulls a narrow scalpel from his pocket and takes careful aim at the bound man within the machine. Drawing back his arm, he throws the blade with surgical precision, aiming to sever the bonds without harming the prisoner.
Using knife throw. Precise modifier means I should be able to perform delicate tasks (such as freeing a prisoner) with it

[Izzarra]

Joule
No conditions

Joule enters the room and looks around. "This might be liquid nitrogen for cooling, we should be careful with the shutdown procedure."

To the remaining gunman "What is your intention here?"

Using Telekinesis (Move Object, Precise) to remove the gag from the person in the center of the device.
Also will look around for a computer interface.

[Johel]

Top of a building, somewhere in Churchtown District

"-Not up for a chat, are you ?
Well, we can discuss this at the station, I guess. Witness or suspect, it's up to you, really.

She taps her ear with one hand while reaching her belt with the other.

"-Unit 78. I got one. Possible backup needed. Activate live feed and be ready.

She then proceed to advance, showing a pair of handcuffs.

"-Still not feeling talkative ?


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

Jefferson Park, somewhere in Churchtown District

R, R & R's main offices are located near the Docks. A tube line goes there, going through a few stations near Downtown, Whitman and Stadium.
ferrying workers shifts but not being used for much else. It's not a 5 miles trip so that's not long : maybe 15 minutes.

I wasn't planning on having a scene there but no problem.
Should you wish to do something else now, at the present location of Lamprey or in any other location you can reach in under 1 hour, I'll let you roleplay it freely.
If you need more information, I'll provide by PM. You just have to ask questions.
Sorry for you being out of the action : I really didn't consider the impact of Time Stand Still.


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

TyronChem, 4th Floor

As everyone enters the room, they can feel an heat wave washes upon them, much like if they had stepped outside a cool, air-conditioned office and directly into a scorching desert. Joule, being familiar with energy estimations, can tell that thermals are probably around 50°C (122°F). It's not comfortable, you feel your lips being parched and your skin tickles as moisture dries out. But it isn't life-threatening for a few minutes. You could probably stand there all day if you had a steady supply of water. Mind you, it's only the average ambient temperature and those cooling tanks Joule mentioned are probably for something about you not being roasted alive right now. Carapace doesn't seem affected at all. V'Rak probably feels very active, what with being cold-blooded and all. Joule can adjust her resistance level. John Doe and Pandora feel the full furnace but they both have ways to cope.

The bindings of the victim are loosen with precise strikes from the giant gecko while the masked girl with the weird accent removed the gag.
As soon as he is freed, he screams "Thank you", right before an electric arc zap near him, eliciting a startled shriek out of him. The mental struggle between fleeing away from the machine or standing still to avoid being electrocuted is physically visible on him.

Pandora sees that the machine is a weird blend of technology and magic indeed.
While she cannot say much about the technological side, she can see the people who made the array probably didn't understood ANYTHING about what they were doing. Sure, they got a few things right but it looks more like a mock-up imitation of someone's inaccurate schematics than the work of an actual practitioner of the Art. The way it is set, magic only runs wild around the torus before mostly disappearing in the Nether, with only a small, inefficient build up in the pillars. Some of the marks and psychical glyph seem to suggest their is a release trigger or something but no artifact which could possibly do it is visible. Should it be done, however, the most likely result would be a wildly uncontrolled catalyst of magic at the very center of the torus, followed by a wide dispersal of whatever essence wasn't consumed by whatever ritual or spell was intended here. Since the array is faulty, this means basically all of the essence would disperse. How wide it would do so is hard to estimate without a closer look at the pillars themselves, as they are the pieces of this puzzle that would define the upper limit of how much magical essence could be gathered. But for what Pandora can currently see it, there is right now enough essence for the effect to reach a mile radius, maybe a bit more.

Whatever would the effect be is a mystery but it wouldn't just slowly dissipate the further away it got like an explosion.
It would be uniform over the whole area for whatever duration it lasts. This is both a blessing and a curse.
A blessing because to maintain a spell's uniformity over such a wide area, you need to lower the actual intensity of the potential of the spell.
A curse because if the spell's effect is nefarious AND powerful enough, the casualties would be in the tens of thousands.

The way the array is set, whoever or whatever would be at the center of the torus wouldn't be affected by the spell itself.
This is NOT a good news : given the resonance between the various catalyst-pillars, the area at the center of the torus would most likely be erased from Creation.
It doesn't look like it is a desired feature of the design so the people who built this probably aren't even aware of that.

Prometheus's Flame could probably counter the whole thing but it would be all about timing.

Joule sees computers near the big lever.
They are (miraculously) undamaged.

Mercenary :
Look, I can see I'm outgunned here. It's just a job for me : I ain't living, I ain't using the paycheck ever.
So let's calm down. I'll go my way, you do whatever you and your friends are here for. Nobody needs to die.
Well, nobody else but you got me, right ?"

He is not letting go of his weapon.

[Zero Prime]

Carapace (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24167126&postcount=2)
Hero Points: 2 Luck: 2
Conditions: None.

While the others were concerned with the man restrained within the high tech apparatus, Carapace, slowly wandered to the imbedded door, he looked at the carnage, and emitted an odd, keening sound. Sorrow? Regret? Remorse? The young man within the monster, railed against the breast's programmed agression, whose screams of no! No! NO! went unheeded by the massive body his consciousness inhabited when the transformation occured. While outside he'd been able to extert some semblence of control, maintain the concentration necessary to override the Carapace's natural instinct to revel in the carnage. However, on seeing the innocent man trapped within the machinery had brought back memories of his own capture, the testing, the procedures, the pain, lord, the PAIN! And in that moment of weakness, the creature's aggresion had slipped out, slipped through, and had, casually, ended a man's life. So Quentin mourned the man's death, mourned his part in it ...


"Look, I can see I'm outgunned here. It's just a job for me : I ain't living, I ain't using the paycheck ever. So let's calm down. I'll go my way, you do whatever you and your friends are here for. Nobody needs to die. Well, nobody else but you got me, right ?"

The babbling brought him back, he swiveled his massive head, and took three lumbering steps towards the man, his monstrously large shoulders brushing the ceiling as he hunched down to not destroy the room while the other's began to investigate the apparatus that held the man. The stooping form of the monster brought it's massive head closer to the mercenary's face as it closed on him, and it swung it side to side in an obvious 'No,' all the while exhaling a thick, bitter steam of breath through it's nostrils. And then it placed a giant hand on the mercenary's back, the sheer weight of it driving him to his knees, as it lifted a finger to it's lips, in a gesture even the youngest of children would recognize as a parent telling a whimpering child to be silent.


OOC: Free action to switch my array to my Speed, thereby ending the Immobile & Vulnerable condition, moving to the mercenary, and taking a 10 on a Grab check, giving me a 16 to hit. DC 22 Dodge or Strength Check to escape. I am *not* doing any damage, but I am positioning myself so that if he wants to take a shot at anyone he more or less doesn't have a field of fire other than myself.

[Zhentarim]

The Pink Trickster became incorporeal and fled inside the building, and seeing the other heroes, shrunk down as small as she could before becoming corporeal again.She didn’t know if these were good guys or bad guys, so she moved silently behind the group (as silent as she could), and attempted to read the mind of the person closest to her, trying to be careful to not be noticed.

[Johel]

The gunman shut up, with an audible **GLUPS** coming from his throat.

Not rolling for the gunman : Carapace grab him automatically and he doesn't want to try to resist, given the monster had a very humane gesture instead of chewing his head off.

Everyone can make a perception check, please.

If Joule or somebody else wants to use the computer, you can make a technology check.
20 or more leads to the latest commands being displayed. It also let you play with the user interface of the machine.
25 or more leads to the whole project's logs being displayed. It also show the latest commands and let you play with the user interface of the machine.
A natural 1 makes the cooling system fail critically.
A natural 20 makes the machine shut down properly without any incident.

[Rhyvurg]

So, something had to be done to get the man out of the machine, but it seemed moving too much was dangerous for him. It was already stiflingly hot, so tampering with coolant seemed ill advised. "I can pull the power, that should shut it down right?"

[roll0]

[Izzarra]

Joule
No conditions

Roll that was requested.
[roll0]

Joule will be using Environment Control to drop the temperature around just herself to a more comfortable level as she does not want to recklessly interfere with an unfamiliar system.

Looks like John Doe made it to the computer while Joule was busy examining the system. Will wait to see what happens with that nat 1 before making a longer post.

[SquirrelWizard]

Waiting for some information on if I can do something with extra effort + maybe a hero point.

Requested Perception Roll [roll0] for the time being.

[SquirrelWizard]

Pandora
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Vulnerable

The magic contained in this machine could not be allowed to just "release." It was exactly stuff like this that mages like Devan, her mentor, policed the mundane world for, what she got roped into so many years ago.

In the sweltering heat, Pandora threw her cloak back over her shoulders. Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead as she hazard a quick glance to those around the room before yelling, "I'm going to try and dispel it!" Seething green flames flared to life in her hands as she mentally started to form the spell in her mind. "Hold onto your butts!"

Magical energy swelled around Pandora, as her body lifted into the air. On the ground below her, runes and sigils began to etch in glowing concentric circles as if inscribed by a steady and precise hand. As Pandora spoke, her voice resonated with eldritch power as she weaved her magics into the toroid before her. Sweat poured down her face and magic fire seared through her being, as she mentally wrestled with the magics, attempting to steal them away from their current form and draw them to herself. Under normal circumstances she could dispel individual parts of the toroid one at at a time, but the timing, the precision needed to pull this off without slagging the city with unleashed magics, required her to take it all on, not just target things piecemeal. She'd have to push herself to accomplish this. It was a risky, but Pandora was certain she could handle it.

Mostly Certain.

"THROW... THE LEVER! KRONK!" Pandora yelled as she felt her spell take hold.



Free Action to change Current Weal and Woe Array Power: Prometheus's Flame
Using Extra Effort on Prometheus' Flame for Alternate Effect Power Stunt

Rank 9 Prometheus' Flame (Area) (2/rank) (19pp)
1/rank base
+1/rank Area (burst) (+1 Area Range to cover the circle) (60ft burst)
+1/rank Simultaneous
-1 Side Effect (Self Magic Damage = to rank of effect nullified)

Spending Hero Point on Nullification Roll (roll 2, take better, +10 on second roll if 1-10)
Prometheus' Flame AOE edition nullification check vs the Toroid [roll0], [roll1]
Stamina Check to resist incoming damage [roll2] (Glyph of warding is physical only, this is going to suck)
Detect Magic: See magic, pierces illusions. Pandora is Vulnerable
Glyph of Warding (7 Impervious toughness vs physical attacks)

[bc56]

Sawbones
HP: 1
-1 to resist damage.

Having successfully freed the prisoner, V'Rak stands back as the Û-mans attempt to disable the machine. He busies himself by looking at the device and trying to ascertain its function.

It looks like the other supers have things in hand (or can't be prevented from screwing this up, if for whatever reason the device is a good thing.
I'll just try to figure out what this doodad is, or at least what the high tech parts are. Assuming a Technology check (correct me if that's wrong).
[roll0]

[Johel]

Pandora :
"I'm going to try and dispel it!"

Green flames licked Pandora's arms as she walked to the machine.

Pandora :
"Hold onto your butts!"

As she starts threading magic around the machine, Pandora feels a slight resistance but her skillful touch manages to overcome it.

Pandora :
"THROW... THE LEVER! KRONK!"

She pulls the lever and the intensity of the Prometheus' Flame grows stronger and stronger as she invests more of herself in it, until it blossoms into a silent pulse, dead at the center of the arcane circle, making the air shimmers as it does and temporarily muting all sounds as reality is bent sideway.
Everything, including the heroes thoughts, slows down as the pillars glow bright crimson. A mere second or several hours, none couldn't tell. But when it all came back, the noise of the machine working was back, a low constant roar as the cooling system worked its routine.
Then a few dreadful words :

John Doe :
"I can pull the power, that should shut it down right?"

A distinctive, panicked swearing can be heared :

Oh shiiiii...uut

Not a voice anyone heard yet. But everyone did hear it.
In fact, some heroes did a bit more than that : (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24188816&postcount=29)
Carapace, though he could see nothing, manage to smell the concealed human.
Missmash, in a moment of rare awareness, managed to feel him through the very vibrations of the ground.

Only John Doe is clueless as a blue electric arc hits straight above him (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24188830&postcount=31).

...Well I guess that's it then.
I should thank the purple freak for making it easier for me : with the eggheads disappearing like that, I really had no clue how I was going to destroy that thing without causing something really bad.
Anyway, I SHOULD but I won't, what with the "leave no witnesses" order and all, that would feel a bit hypocritical, don't you think ?
Although I saw you going through my boys down there and I really don't want to fight you all on my lonesome...

The air shimmers again in five different places, each of you feeling sluggish for a second... or maybe more.
Then it comes back, with a feint ringing in your ears.

...So let's even the odds, shall we ?

In the back, the machine keeps buzzing, though the pillars and the torus are now inactive, with no more red electric arcs visible.

The very good perception rolls and the monologue gave each of you 1 full round of action.
Your opponents are completely invisible through sight but you can pin-point them through other means.
As long as you don't see them but can guess their position (Perception roll higher than 14 during the round), you can attack but with -5 to hit.

Through Continuum Monitoring, Agent Fox is aware that some space-time manipulations are at play.

Hero Points :
Pandora : +1 because Curiosity Kills was played through. Had you failed that check, the whole district would have been hit.
Carapace : +1 because Disability was worked around and kept in character.
I check the other characters for complications but didn't find something specific.
If you think you deserve a hero point, please make explain in the OOC and I'll see what is to be done.

[John Cribati]

Lamprey
HP: 1 | Condition: Normal.

News of the violence near TyronChem has spread, and while one or two people were actively discussing it, the rest of the passengers offer it the level-headed analysis that New Delphines are famous for. Which is to say, mild confusion from one or two and a fierce, burning indifference from the rest of them. It's like an orchestra, if all the musicians are playing lullabies to themselves. He has the attention of a few of the more perceptive folks around him, and realizes that he's still broadcasting pretty strongly.

And he was a little bit nervous, to be completely honest.

This isn't the most ridiculous thing he'd ever done. Not really. He'd done some weird mental gymnastics because of his intuition before to work through a case.

But here he was, in a train, headed to the docks to scope out and potentially infiltrate an office building on what amounted to circumstantial evidence at best. Most of the stuff he did toed the line of being illegal, but this might actually be over it.

Still, it wouldn't be good to draw so much attention to himself. He takes a few meditative breaths to settle his nerves, and centers himself among the cacophany of the other passengers on the train as he settles his own aura down, and then takes it a step further.

All humans show a base level of empathic ability, a certain consciousness of the emotions of others around them. And like adjusting the volume and frequency of his own aura like a radio, he could tap into that consciousness and adjust how he was perceived. Or, in this case, not perceived. After turning down his "volume," he finds a "frequency" that most people ignore parse and just sort of... leaves it there. Whatever he's truly feeling is muffled by the shifting static, and sure enough, the few eyes that were on him find something or someone else to look at.

Activating Blend In on the train.

[bc56]

Sawbones
HP: 1

V'Rak shouts, "Who there? Show you self!" at the invisible adversaries. At the same time, he withdraws needle and thread from his coat and stitches his bullet wounds shut.

Switching array to Field Surgery and healing myself. [roll0]. That should be good enough to remove the -1 damage resist.

[Zero Prime]

Carapace (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24167126&postcount=2)
Hero Points: 3 Luck: 2
Conditions: None.

Carapace released his grip on the gunman, feeling the man was sufficiently cowed, and unlikely to flee for fear of life and limb. He did however, turn his attention to the disembodied voices coming from above them in the room. He looked around, unable to see them, or even their heat signatures, his monstrous face contorting into a confused look. However, even as he did so, Quentin noted that his combat form changed, adapted to the environment, to the threat arrayed against him, and suddenly, the clarity of the room flooded him, the scent of the gunman's fear, the sound of his heart beat, the ionization of the atmosphere coming off of the blue skinned hero, the odd, almost medicinal scent emanating from the tall, reptillian alien, and something ... else. THERE!

He looked directly at it, the apertures on his face flexing open and close as it tracked his scent, before it's mouth opened revealing purple-blue gums, and a wicked array of jagged, razor sharp teeth the size of a man's palm. As it bellowed it's displeasure towards the concealed speaker, thick, ropey strands of mucus and phleghm spattered the ceiling of the room the group was assembled in.

SKREEEE-ONGK!!!

It's massive arm shot out, right where his new found senses told him their assailant was, in an attempt to savagely grab the form, drive it into the ground, and pin it their with his praeternatural strength.


OOC: Going to use Extra Effort, with Extraordinary Effort for two effects. The 1st is a Power Stunt an Alternate Effect off of my Senses, 7, which is as follows: Senses 6 ([Olfactory [Accurate, Acute, Ranged], Hearing [Accurate]). As Olfactory is Radius base, and Hearing is Radius, Range as base, this gives Carapace TWO accurate senses with which to target the Invisible foes. I will use my Standard Action to Startle the one who is speaking; rolling my Intimidation of +16, [roll0], opposed by Target's Insight or Will. If successful the Target is Vulnerable against my next attack. I will then use the 2nd effect of my Extraordinary Effort, to make a base Attack against the target, +6 Attack, DC 27 Toughness if successful. [roll1], due to Fast Grab if the attack hit's target is Grabbed, DC 22 Dodge or Strength check to escape.

However, due to using 2 aspects of Extra Effort, Carapace will be Exhausted at the start of his next round, with the option of spending a HP to ignore 1 level of Fatigue and drop it to Fatigued.

[Zhentarim]

Using a smaller but more concentrated version of her powers, Lapis created the illusion of a giant flying vulture-like zombie who began mercilessly attacking one of the gunman. The illusion smelled, looked, sounded, and felt real, and would even taste real to the gunman, and even physically hurt him when the attacks landed, but was only in the mind of the gunman, so only the gunman could see it or interact with it in anyway.

[zzzzzzzz414]

Missmash

HP: 0
Condition: Fine
Current composition: 95% Asphalt, 5% other

Current Dynamic Stats:
-TGH +9, FORT +6, STR +14
-DGE/PRY +9, CC (Unarmed) +5, ACR +5, "Flight" 5


So...probably not evil, then?

He certainly wasn't like, thrashing around and trying to eat them or anything, so Missmash mentally noted down a solid "probably not evil" for the big monster dude.

She was a little surprised to find so few guards when she rushed into the room with the others. The majority of them must have gone downstairs to deal with that other faction of thugs (and, subsequently, get dealt with themselves). Didn't make for very exciting action though, monster guy and grappling hook woman had dealt with one and gotten the other to surrender before she even got through the door!

That big magic-machine-looking-thing was obviously real bad news (and, maybe, the sort of thing her brother might find informative?), but then purple demon chick did some kinda magicky thing, the machine did...something, and then...

There. It was just the slightest tremor, but she'd felt it, right as that voice started coming out of nowhere. And then a moment later, there were more. Clones? Lackeys? She allowed herself a small grin. Now this might get exciting.

"Invisibility, huh?" she said as her hidden enemy finally finished yakking. "Sorry, bud, but I got a little trick for that."

She gave her heel a little twist, and the shifting asphalt texture making up her form began to drain into the floor, rapidly spreading towards her invisible adversaries in tendrils and blooms (that parted around the other supers, of course) as the floor was transformed, the concrete texture of the floor rushing up into her to fill the space left behind.

Move: Transform the floor in a 30ft radius around her using Material Girl, excluding the space under the other supers she can see. (I'll say she's standing roughly 10ft from the door, if that's alright...?)

Standard: Transformation Blast. DC20 Dodge save + DC20 (DC15 on Dodge success) Fort save vs. (Vulnerable, Defenseless, Paralyzed) for all enemies in the area.

---

New Composition: 95% Concrete, 5% Other

Asphalt to Concrete seems like a negligible hardness/density change, so I'll say her stats stay the same.

[Izzarra]

Joule
No conditions

The gunmen were just hired help that could not really do much to the supers that arrived on site so Joule was careful to use non-lethal means to disable them.
Now that something with power is threatening to leave no witnesses it is time to get serious.

"Show yourselves."

Going to try electricity sense first on the shimmers.
Telekinesis: Move Object 10, Subtle, Precise, Accurate 5, Throwing Mastery 2
To try to pick up the large double door (or part of it) that was thrown across the room earlier and sweep it through the shimmers.
Trying for an area effect similar to the mechanics for dropping objects listed under the Create power.
Using the Subtle to try to keep them guessing as to who is doing what.
I would like to maintain the hold on the doors and not let them go crashing into some other part of the building or piece of equipment doing even more damage.

[Rhyvurg]

John lifts off the floor, hovering a few feet in the air. He has no idea where the speaker is, yet, but he wasn't the priority. "Okay, someone give me a reason not to knock out a wall and carry this machine into space!"

[Johel]

The Machine Room

"Who there? Show you self!"

V'Rak shouts at the empty space while bandaging his wound, effectively stopping any residual bleeding and getting back into the fight.

SKREEEE-ONGK!!!

"-What the... ?!!"

There !! The sound is just what Carapace was missing to pinpoint where to reach for. His hand finds a human arm where only empty space should be.
The man is pulled up, then down, then up again, moved around like a doll in the maw of an overexcited puppy, before finally colliding against the ground in a surprisingly gentle manner...which is still far too brutal for most human to endure. Yet endure, the mercenary does, even though something breaks in a shower of sparks. For a brief moment, a blue and purple translucent egg the size of a man shines brightly where Carapace's hand is... then the egg explodes like a soap bubble. The hand of Carapace is fine, safe for a light tickling. Even if he cannot see his captive, the monster can feel a limp form hanging weakly. Through the improved hearing, Quentin can hear a low curse.

"-Bullsh** mutant frog-thing..."

Soon after, his form starts to appear as concrete is slowly eating at his legs and torso.

"-Oh come on…»

"Show yourselves."

With a sickening suction sound, the damaged door rises in the air, revealing in all its gory glory what remains of Carapace’s first victim. The stain on the wall briefly stick to the steel panel, two shoes hanging there being the only clue that it used to be a human being.
The door swings across the room where Missmash’s transmutation hasn’t taken effect… and three loud impact sounds can be heard. They are followed by the voice of John Doe :

"Okay, someone give me a reason not to knock out a wall and carry this machine into space!"

Nooooooooo !!!
The screams came from both previously-bound victim, who is still busy trying to get out of the machine, and the mercenary whom Carapace had ordered to stay silent.
The later reaches to his mouth with both hand, throwing a worried look at the monster who is "playing" with his boss.

"-Someone shot that oversize smurf before he..."

Out of nowhere, five blue electric arcs crack to life, aimed in the general direction of John Doe, who lazily flies out of the way of the first two, only to be hit by the next three.
And then the light went out for the mercenary boss.
Meanwhile, somebody screams something about an undead bird eating his eyes…

The rolls for you all to see (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24190958&postcount=32)

John Doe :
3 Fortitude checks against DC20, please.
Fortitude Check DC 20
If failed, you loses the difference in Dexterity.

Since you only used a move action, you still have a move action or a standard action if you want to.

Carapace :
You have now your hand around an arm attached to a mass of concrete bound to the ground, with the face still visible, as Missmash had to let him breath.
You feel exhausted as the biomecanics of your suit are taxed to their limit.

Pandora :
You are staggered and -3 in Toughness from the effort.

Joule :
The door hits three mercenaries while going through the motion.
You have however no idea if they are lying on the ground or still fighting

V'Rak :
Since you only used a standard action, you still have a move action if you want to.

[Rhyvurg]

All Praise to Nuffle, if it be your will, let me pass these rolls.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

John throws off two of the beams, but feels himself growing sluggish after the third. What...what was this? Gritting his teeth, the matter-manipulating gateways in his cells surge and fight off whatever it was that struck him. There was still someone in that machine, he couldn't see whom was trying to stop him, but he could see what needed to be done. John flies into the center of the device, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "I'm going to get you out of this thing, try to stay calm!"

[Johel]

As he flies, John finds it hard to keep his balance. Keeping his focus on its intended destination is harder. He does manage to reach the center of the machine without problem, though.

"I'm going to get you out of this thing, try to stay calm!"

John Doe :
12 against 20 means 8 PP lost in Dexterity.
You are at -4 in Dexterity.
Please be advised that, should you fall to -5, you'll be defenseless, immobilized and stunned.
You will recover +1 Dexterity every two rounds.

[Zhentarim]

Lapis keeps the illusion going, continuing to deal damage to that particular baddy.

[bc56]

Sawbones
HP: 1
V'Rak still has no targets, so he turns back towards the assembled heroes. He notices that the purple Û-man is injured. He's not sure how, they were fine a moment ago. He walks over to them. "You injured. I can heal?" Without waiting for a reply, he draws his tools and gets to work.


Moving to Pandora and using field surgery
[roll0]
That's 2 degrees of success, so the two worst conditions are removed.

[SquirrelWizard]

Pandora
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Vulnerable, -1, fatigued (stagger + daze removed by Sawbones?)"

Nailed it! **** that hurts! the triumphant thought passed through Pandora's head as she groaned, every fiber of her being sang out in pain from containing the magical backlash. She had slumped to the floor after the spell and was propping herself up on one arm as she whispered another spell. She felt weak as the sigil appeared on her forehead floating between her horns, that was a good sign, it meant she was recovering. Hazarding a glance up she tried to make sense of who had been talking if she could, while trying to appear like the least likely threat in the room, holding off on any action as she mentally added Ow... Let the other guys do the heavy lifting for a bit



Free Action to activate Glyph of Mending (-1 in 5 rounds), -2 strength
Free Action to change Weal and Woe Array Power: Lampad's Torch
Perception to maybe see invisible people with magic/illusion concealment? [roll0]
Deception to "leave her, we've got bigger fish to fry." [roll1]
Detect Magic: See magic, pierces illusions. Pandora is Vulnerable
Glyph of Warding (7 Impervious toughness vs physical attacks)

[NineOfSpades]

Agent Fox
Condition: Undamaged
HP: 1 + 3 (Scene Edit)

So, this wasn't just a normal super-science lab raid, this was a lab raid where the bandits had time-bending tech. It looked pretty primitive from this side of it, small scale directional dilation, basically a tunnel used for getting from A-to-B faster, rather than full directional time modulation. Primitive or no, that kind of tech didn't belong in the hands of any leveler in this current age, and so she had to shift mentally from 'this is just a weird batch of bad guys' into 'this is a weird batch of possible narcissists'.

The difference was really one of degree. Up until this point, Fox would admit, she was only going at maybe 50%. Playing softball because she didn't want to push herself to far with time bending just to clean up a robbery. Sure, it was nice to get involved, lend a hand, and be a contributing member of the community, but none of that was worth much on the big-picture. But with the proof of paradox inducing events and anomolous tech, she could take the kid gloves off.

Stepping forward towards the center of the room, Fox had to speak loudly to be heard over the ongoing super-brawl taking place in the room, but she had no real issue speaking authoritatively. "This is Agent Fox of the TSA. You are all under arrest". It was a pretty clear blanket statement, and if these crooks had any understanding of just how out of their depth they were, should be enough to end the fight here and now.



Readying an action to use Temporal Adjustment during the next volly of shots from the bad guys. When that happens, Fox will stop time and then use the beams to locate the shooters, and then while time is stopped, move them in the path of their own shots so they hit themselves.

Move action to Trick to try to get the bad guys to target me.

Deception: [roll0]

Frag is removed at present.

[Zhentarim]

To decide if the person currently closest to her was friend or foe, Lapis entered Agent Fox's mindscape.

[Johel]

Pandora :
Nailed it! **** that hurts!

Pandora slumps on the floor, whispering a few unintelligible syllabs while a sigil appears on her forehead floating between her horns.
She looks around and manage to catch a very light shimmer in the air. It lasts but a moment before disappearing but whoever did so doesn't look interested by her.
The old "Damsel in Distress" trick worked fine (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24197147&postcount=33).

V'Rak :
"You injured. I can heal?"

A bit too well even, as a giant gecko just hopped near her and started to prode with scaly hands, sharp blades, needles and strange vials.

Meanwhile, the mysterious woman with pale hair advanced in the open, striking a pose as she spoke :

"This is Agent Fox of the TSA. You are all under arrest"

"-Lady, we ain't in no plane !! Out of your jurisdiction much, ain't ya ?"

This prompted a laugh (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24197147&postcount=33), which was roughly in the area Pandora had seen the shimmer.
Four beams erupt from their guns, just as a brief, small headache hits Fox's right temple. A fifth one erupts in the direction of Carapace... and hit him dead center, electricity coursing through the massive body. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24197152&postcount=34).

Meanwhile, the heavy metal door flies toward John Doe, placing itself right behind him as some kind of improvised shield.
It follows John around while he is catching the man at the center of the machine and bringing him back to safety behind the group.

Fox : Will resistance check DC13, please
Carapace : Fortitude resistance check DC20, please


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


Fox's Mindscape

Lapsis had shifted.

It was something she used to do for fun, at the beginning, until she understood the impact of doing so: the damage she does here will echo through the memories and personalities of the person she is visiting the mind of. She can also be in real danger sometimes, as each mindscape was unique and some were really ugly, dark places, full of dwellers not unlike Ssila'meshnik in their hunger and mindset.

This mind, luckily, does not look like a mental hell.

It is a large city, with impeccable streets stretching for miles upon miles, without end. Each is clean, almost sterile, without a single speck of dust on the ground. At each step that Lapsis takes, a loud echo propagates itself in weird ways, an oppressive, heavy feeling of intrusion dawning upon the young girl. Ghostly shapes travel silently, acting out what must be memories. Whenever Lapsis pass through the ghosts, the sound is heard. Then, as soon as the holographic image travels away, the sound stops, much like a television with the volume suddenly switch on then off.
There are a lot of memories, a city worth of them, dancing in the streets, each obvious to each other. Some suddenly vanish while other appear out of nowhere, hovering aimlessly… or is there a rhythm Lapsis cannot yet grasp?

The Pink Trickster then encounter a blurry ghost, one made of grainy images. When it passes through her, the sound is but a long, high pitched noise with little variation in tune, except for the droning of "...TION IS NOT AVAILABLE HERE. FURTHER INFORMATION IS...". It is awfully uncomfortable but it stops as fast as she exists the memory. She enters a building and end up in an infinite corridor…which she reach the end of in mere seconds, only to be faced with four similar corridors, each going a different way but ending on the same, open door, beyond which the exact same street can be seen.


And that’s one round of mindscape for you.
Please make an investigation check if you are looking for something specific.
Please make a perception check and insight check if you are observing at random.
Please make a will resistance check to avoid a surprise.

https://i.postimg.cc/VvNLRPVH/Engelwood-I.jpg


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


Slowed Time

Fox sees the beam's light, the blue cracks of electricity that are flowing at full speed to her. Light has always been a problem in time dilatation. Too much dilatation and it stops traveling, becomes a physical barrier and doesn't reach the eyes, which means the brain is effectively blind. Too little and some other physical effects can still be a pain to deal with. At the setting the average TSA Chrono-Badges are operating, objective time slows down by a factor of 30000. This means a single light particle is still traveling at 10000 meters every second. It's the same for electric arcs. Fox can only duck low as the beams hit the wall behind her, the visible effect only reaching her retina a small fraction of a second slower than normal while the ozone smell that follows is much delayed.

Everything else is standing still : the monster's surprise roar as one of the electric arc hit him on the torso, the masked girl standing still right behind, the blue hunk still hovering slightly over the ground as the civilian is touching the ground, an afraid yet grateful look on his face, the horned demon knelled on the ground, the gecko manipulating a strange torture implement while pulling his tongue out in concentration,... and the five Narcissists, or rather the shape of them. She can see the hot air trying to adjust as they pass through it. They are obviously wearing a cloaking device of some sort but she saw when the beam came from : the air currents are still visible where the shots ionized the oxygen.

Moving them (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24197164&postcount=36) was harder. The first one was a real beast and even though time was slowed, he resisted a bit, unconsciously... and that made it hard enough that Fox gave up. The second, third and fourth went easily enough. The last one, the one that had fired at the monster... he was just too hard to move too.

Since you want to move people, let's use Temporal-Adjustment rather than Time Stand Still.
Basically the same result, since it's an area effect.

You can move one of them over a distance of up to 1 mile because he failed both the Dodge and Opposed Strength checks.
You can move two others over a distance of up to 500 feet because they succeeded the Dodge but failed the Opposed Strength checks.
The two others failed the Dodge but succeeded the Opposed Strength checks so they do not move at all.

Also +1 Hero Point for “It’s not THAT TSA”

[Zero Prime]

Carapace (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24167126&postcount=2)
Hero Points: 3>2 Luck: 2>1
Conditions: Fatigued.

Energy surged through the massive form of Carapace, grounding out in the floor, the creature seemed to slump for a brief second, before it seemed to tap into some reserve of strength and a monstrous hand lashed out, grabbing his assailant and forcefully introducing the near invisible threat to the floor.


OOC: As requested, Fortitude Save, at +12, [roll0]. Luck Re-roll. 32! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24197203&postcount=37) On his action Carapace will spend a HP to negate 1 level of Fatigue, bringing him from Exhausted, to Fatigued. Then move to the one who attacked me, and grab him by an ankle bashing him into the one I have pinned to the suddenly malleable floor. Accurate Attack 2, giving me +8 Attack, Rank 10 Damage (DC 25 Toughness), [roll1], however, with Fast Grab, if he is hit, he must make a Dodge or Strength Check DC 20, or be grappled with my other hand.

[Johel]

The day had started so well for Jenkins.

First a quick shower with the lovely creature he had hired last night, then a nice breakfast with eggs and bacon perfectly cooked, then meeting with the boys for the morning run. He had to keep in shape, even if current jobs weren't that demanding. He got paid to be ready after all. Then another shower before he was off seeing the customer. The briefing had been fast: they had already hammered the detail yesterday and not much had changed. It should have been a classical post-heist clean-up. Black protocol was in action and all that, with the added twist of bringing civilian operatives with him.

Two hours before, he had driven to the underground parking lot they had chosen as a meeting point. Him and five veterans in full kit : cloaking bracelet, force field generator, paralyzing guns, sliding keyhole… The best for the best, as the customer said. He had greeted the new blood: fifteen new hot heads, selected among rejects from various military across the world. For them, it was a quick job, an easy payday and an even easier recruitment test.

The day was ending and night was falling slowly when they left in three vans. He had enjoyed a fresh coffee with a good measure of whisky. Drinking on the job wasn’t something he did usually but what the hell: he had a small army at his back and they were going against scientists.

So what could possibly go wrong? (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong)

That’s this kind of little thought that tend to tempt fate just enough.
This explained why, instead of being home with a fat stack of cash, sniffing cocaine between a pair of tits while another one was busy with his neither region, he was slowing coming back to his senses, ninety percent of his body encased in concrete, the remaining ten percents hurting like a truck had passed over him several times. the first image he had was a ten feet-tall mutant frog towering above him... and hurling a massive fist at his unprotected face. Next thing he knew, he was hit by one of his own man's broken body. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24197240&postcount=38) He barely had the strength to weakly comment.

"-But why..."

Which was of course covered by the victorious roaring of the beast.
Which OF COURSE was insensible to the paralyzing rays his veterans were equipped with...
Because it would be too easy if the hulking mutant frog wasn't invincible on top of being murderously brutal.

"-Hhhhhung... Hey, sarge ? It's FUBAR. Maybe we should abort ?"

"-I'm considering it, private"

Attack is made at -5 because not used to fight blind.
But 26 - 5 = 21, which is higher than the Parry of 16.
So Carapace hit, which both injures and dazes the man.
And then grab him before smashing him into the ground, next to his half-petrified boss
I'll rule it's one of the guys that Fox did not move.

[NineOfSpades]

Agent Fox
Condition: Unharmed
HP: 2 + 3 (Scene Edit)

"Alright, lets see how I can ruin your day" Fox mused as time came to a standstill, the air shimmering with the heat of the dodged energy blasts. These Narcissists wanted a fight, and that was fine, since they seemed pretty underwhelming. Had they spanned out at the first sign of trouble that'd be far more concerning since it indicated a willingness to meddle in 4-D combat, which was more dangerous. Changing local time-flows was still breaking rules, but it gave her a sense of where they were standing.

A few of them were stuck pretty good in place, which was annoying. If she'd been able to grab the whole set, the fight would pretty much be over then and there. Just find a speeding car nearby to drop them in front of and let newton go to work. But since she couldn't shuffle everyone, it meant she'd be better off keeping the situation contained here. No need to try and split focus between two separate battlefields.

But even with only a few of the thugs to work with, that was more than enough.

Picking up the goons, they were heavy, but no so much that it was unmanageable, just needed to take a quick breather in between each lift. She carried them over towards the ones she couldn't move, and suspended them upsidedown over the target, such that once time restarted, they'd all fall into a tangled pile ontop of one another.

It was a good start.

As the flow of time resumed, she pointed her gun at the location of the thugs and announced "They are all right there" to the assembled crime fighters, trusting that the meta-humans could do enough damage to end the battle.



Failed save against frag by 1, so -1 toughness and 1 point of frag.

Dropping the soldiers ontop of eachother in a big, confusing and chaotic pile

I have selective and precise, so if you will allow it, I'd also like to disarm them of their weapons and hide the guns across the street (I'm guessing thats in 500ft) near where Fox started the battle. And heck, disarm them of everything else they have too, again if you will allow that.

[Rhyvurg]

John pats the scared-looking man on the shoulder, inwardly hoping he's not also one of the criminals, then turns just as a woman who looks like she's off the cover of a fetish/fashion magazine says "They're all right there." Well, it was worth a shot, and the machine wasn't in the line of fire. "If you say so ma'am." Opening his eyes wide, John lifts off the ground to fire at a more downward angle to avoid collateral damage, and lets loose with a wide-angle beam, azure energy pouring out of his eyes.

John's line blast sounds like Fulgore's Devastation Beam (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7HqDxtPAlU), and has a dodge DC of 20, toughness DC 25. Some of them might not be in the area of effect, depending on how wide the pile is.

[SquirrelWizard]

Pandora
Hero Points: 1
Condition: Vulnerable, -1 stamina, fatigued, Regen 2/5

"Ow!" Pandora cursed as Sawbones unceremoniously stabbed her with a needle. I dont now who is worse, the thugs or the help... To Sawbone's credit, after the initial shock of the needle the pain of internalizing a slightly overly-excessive amount of magical backlash into her body started to fade. The glow of her magical vision faded as she turned to see exactly who had jabbed her and she found herself looking at an alien lizard man. "Oh, its a lizard." Pandora said mildly confused, meanwhile in the back of her head was a voice pointing out, there is a flying girl with a helmet, a giant blue man, a monsterous "thing" and she looked like some demon; all together not the most strange thing she had seen all day.

Then the room lit up from the brilliant blast from John's beam. "Right." Pandora snapped as she pulled unclipped a radio from her hip. "I doubt this building is going to last. Virgil, this is Lil' Devil, bring the handbasket to the fourth floor of the building."

Outside of the building and down the street, there was the sound of a truck's engine rumbling to life, as Virgil started to drive on its own.



Free Action to activate Glyph of Mending (-1 in 5 rounds), -2 strength
Free Action to change Weal and Woe Array Power: Lampad's Torch
Turning off Detect Magic
Glyph of Warding (7 Impervious toughness vs physical attacks)

[Izzarra]

Joule
No conditions

Now that the person has been extracted from the device it it time to deal with the remaining adversaries. With the woman saying where they are and the blue man blasting the area with energy beams, from his eyes? Might as well follow up with the door.

Sweep attack with the door same as before. Try to catch some of the indicated spot that John might have not been able to cover with the line area. Bring it up next to a wall and stop it to try to trap but not kill any opponents that might get scooped up by it.

[Zhentarim]

Pandora :
Nailed it! **** that hurts!

Pandora slumps on the floor, whispering a few unintelligible syllabs while a sigil appears on her forehead floating between her horns.
She looks around and manage to catch a very light shimmer in the air. It lasts but a moment before disappearing but whoever did so doesn't look interested by her.
The old "Damsel in Distress" trick worked fine (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24197147&postcount=33).

V'Rak :
"You injured. I can heal?"

A bit too well even, as a giant gecko just hopped near her and started to prode with scaly hands, sharp blades, needles and strange vials.

Meanwhile, the mysterious woman with pale hair advanced in the open, striking a pose as she spoke :

"This is Agent Fox of the TSA. You are all under arrest"

"-Lady, we ain't in no plane !! Out of your jurisdiction much, ain't ya ?"

This prompted a laugh (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24197147&postcount=33), which was roughly in the area Pandora had seen the shimmer.
Four beams erupt from their guns, just as a brief, small headache hits Fox's right temple. A fifth one erupts in the direction of Carapace... and hit him dead center, electricity coursing through the massive body. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24197152&postcount=34).

Meanwhile, the heavy metal door flies toward John Doe, placing itself right behind him as some kind of improvised shield.
It follows John around while he is catching the man at the center of the machine and bringing him back to safety behind the group.

Fox : Will resistance check DC13, please
Carapace : Fortitude resistance check DC20, please


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


Fox's Mindscape

Lapsis had shifted.

It was something she used to do for fun, at the beginning, until she understood the impact of doing so: the damage she does here will echo through the memories and personalities of the person she is visiting the mind of. She can also be in real danger sometimes, as each mindscape was unique and some were really ugly, dark places, full of dwellers not unlike Ssila'meshnik in their hunger and mindset.

This mind, luckily, does not look like a mental hell.

It is a large city, with impeccable streets stretching for miles upon miles, without end. Each is clean, almost sterile, without a single speck of dust on the ground. At each step that Lapsis takes, a loud echo propagates itself in weird ways, an oppressive, heavy feeling of intrusion dawning upon the young girl. Ghostly shapes travel silently, acting out what must be memories. Whenever Lapsis pass through the ghosts, the sound is heard. Then, as soon as the holographic image travels away, the sound stops, much like a television with the volume suddenly switch on then off.
There are a lot of memories, a city worth of them, dancing in the streets, each obvious to each other. Some suddenly vanish while other appear out of nowhere, hovering aimlessly… or is there a rhythm Lapsis cannot yet grasp?

The Pink Trickster then encounter a blurry ghost, one made of grainy images. When it passes through her, the sound is but a long, high pitched noise with little variation in tune, except for the droning of "...TION IS NOT AVAILABLE HERE. FURTHER INFORMATION IS...". It is awfully uncomfortable but it stops as fast as she exists the memory. She enters a building and end up in an infinite corridor…which she reach the end of in mere seconds, only to be faced with four similar corridors, each going a different way but ending on the same, open door, beyond which the exact same street can be seen.


And that’s one round of mindscape for you.
Please make an investigation check if you are looking for something specific.
Please make a perception check and insight check if you are observing at random.
Please make a will resistance check to avoid a surprise.

https://i.postimg.cc/VvNLRPVH/Engelwood-I.jpg


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


Slowed Time

Fox sees the beam's light, the blue cracks of electricity that are flowing at full speed to her. Light has always been a problem in time dilatation. Too much dilatation and it stops traveling, becomes a physical barrier and doesn't reach the eyes, which means the brain is effectively blind. Too little and some other physical effects can still be a pain to deal with. At the setting the average TSA Chrono-Badges are operating, objective time slows down by a factor of 30000. This means a single light particle is still traveling at 10000 meters every second. It's the same for electric arcs. Fox can only duck low as the beams hit the wall behind her, the visible effect only reaching her retina a small fraction of a second slower than normal while the ozone smell that follows is much delayed.

Everything else is standing still : the monster's surprise roar as one of the electric arc hit him on the torso, the masked girl standing still right behind, the blue hunk still hovering slightly over the ground as the civilian is touching the ground, an afraid yet grateful look on his face, the horned demon knelled on the ground, the gecko manipulating a strange torture implement while pulling his tongue out in concentration,... and the five Narcissists, or rather the shape of them. She can see the hot air trying to adjust as they pass through it. They are obviously wearing a cloaking device of some sort but she saw when the beam came from : the air currents are still visible where the shots ionized the oxygen.

Moving them (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24197164&postcount=36) was harder. The first one was a real beast and even though time was slowed, he resisted a bit, unconsciously... and that made it hard enough that Fox gave up. The second, third and fourth went easily enough. The last one, the one that had fired at the monster... he was just too hard to move too.

Since you want to move people, let's use Temporal-Adjustment rather than Time Stand Still.
Basically the same result, since it's an area effect.

You can move one of them over a distance of up to 1 mile because he failed both the Dodge and Opposed Strength checks.
You can move two others over a distance of up to 500 feet because they succeeded the Dodge but failed the Opposed Strength checks.
The two others failed the Dodge but succeeded the Opposed Strength checks so they do not move at all.

Also +1 Hero Point for “It’s not THAT TSA”



Lapis continues to browse the mindscape, not looking for anything in particular. She was starting to get the sense this was the bad guy she was trying to fight.

If I did it right, I’ll accept the 10 perception and 22 will I did in the OOC thread.

[Zero Prime]

Carapace (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24167126&postcount=2)
Hero Points: 2 Luck: 1
Conditions: Fatigued.

Quentin watched through the bio-armor's eyes as the assemblage of meta-humans rolled through the very well equipped mercenaries. He still had no idea about the machine itself, or the other heroes, the blue-skinned powerhouse had already asked if he could through the entire thing into orbit. Not the most subtle of tactics, but he looked around ashamedly, neither were his own. So with a low timbered roar, "Hurrr-GRONK?!?" almost like a whispered good bye. It clutched the two barely struggling mercenaries to it's chest, dwarfing their size so much it appeared as if a small shy girl hugging her two favorite dolls. It walked towards the window, looked back and fell to the street it's massive body protecting the unconscious mercenaries in it's grasp, and stepped backwards through the window. It's massive body plummeted to the pavement below, which, thanks to the armor's currently heightened sensory input, was clear of any traffic or pedestrians.

GRA-KA-THOOM!!! **KRU-UUNCH!**

It gracelessly rolled from the crater, struggled to it's feet, careful not to use it's hands, as Quentin feared that the armor's weight would crush the mercenaries body if he used his arms to regain his stance. After extracting himself from the impact crater, he wandered towards the police barricade. He dropped the two near unconscious forms at their feet, looking at them with a low menacing growl, before nudging them closer to the police who still had their weapons drawn on the hulking black chitinous monster before them.


OOC: Fall Damage equals[ 4 + (2*Height Rank)] assuming the 4th floor is about 60' above street level, that would be [4+(2*1)], or 6, which is equal to Carapace's Impervious rank meaning he shouldn't even have to roll. If I am miscalculating let me know and I will make any appropriate check.

Team work! Took out the window/wall for you John Doe, throw the machine into ORBIT!

[Johel]

The Room

Everyone hear the sound of people yelping and tripping, even though nobody is visible.

"They are all right there"

"If you say so ma'am."

The Transportation Security Administration agent points an index at empty space, which the blue hunk blasts with a sinister-sounding beam of azure light. One moment, there’s nothing and the next, there are screams.
The first to be hit was the slowest (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24201832&postcount=39), obviously, incapable of getting out of the way. He endures it like a champion for a second, letting the blue wave stops in mid-air before John Doe move the beam a few feet further to the next target, who just crumple down, his face briefly visible in a flicker of his cloaking device. The next one nearly jumps out of the way but is still hit in the legs, his reflexes only letting the beam hit his last comrade with full force. Already wounded previously by the flying door, both men fall to the ground. Their forms are invisible.

“-You bitch !!”

The last invisible man aims an electrical ray at Agent Fox, with little to no effect. Right on clue, he is rewarded for his troubles by the ground growing muddy and concrete climbing his legs… which let two sculpted stumps he extracts himself from, cursing as he walks away. Then the flying door again. One loud “thump” sound signals that the improvised projectile found its target. A second “thump” confirms the man is out of commission. In the back, the helmet flying lady isn’t saying a word. The purple horned she-demon speaks in a portable radio.

"Right. I doubt this building is going to last. Virgil, this is Lil' Devil, bring the handbasket to the fourth floor of the building."

A light starts to glow from her hand as arcane script flows on the ground, the runes dissipating as quickly as they appeared, letting only an after-image. As if in reaction to that, the monster makes a series of growl and roar before walking away, carrying his two preys with him, one of them is being pulled from his concrete coffin with a sickening “pop” at his hip. Carapace then simply jumps through the windows. The last intact one. Because using the ones which were already broken would not have had the same style. Of course, any window would have been too small for the frame of Carapace and so, for good measure, he took a piece of masonry with him. Insurance companies do love their super citizens…


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

The Street

In the street, the ground shakes as a ton and a half of meat crash on the pavement before walking to the nearest policeman, hauling two half-unconscious people whose cloaking device stopped working after so many traumas. Dropped at the feet of the law officers, they simply put their hands on their heads, resigned.

Above them all, an old Ford F150 is flying to the 4th floor...


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

Fox's Mindscape

Lapsis get out of the non-Euclidean building and wander the street, throwing an eye at the various illusions but not learning much from them, as the context is either absent or impossible for her to grasp. She does see a few cases where the TSA agent was less than a paragon of morality. There’s a fight inside what looks like a speak-easy straight out of an Al Capone movie, where she is just gunning down everyone. Several of the collapsed forms are blurred out but many aren’t. Most were unarmed.

Another memory is too graphic and Lapsis, despite her teenage curiosity, quickly avert her eyes, wishing that some of THAT had been blurred out while also wondering exactly what the agent was doing with all these girls. With embarrassment, the Pink Trickster sees a lot of such memories heading her way. She dodges inside another building and follows the staircase for hours, without stops. Before ending up where she started, except the door doesn’t open on the same street.

In front of her, a movie theater lay across the street with the sign:


“Playing Tonight: The Fabulous Life of Jenny Fox”

Of course, when she tries to enter the theater, an invisible panel blocks her and the image immediately blurs while the now familiar sound of “FURTHER INFORMATION IS NOT AVAILABLE HERE” rings through her head, louder than before. A shame but maybe it was for the best, as such a place seemed a bit TOO convenient. Many more memories are seen; most of them stretching like a fragmented history course of the early 20th centuries.

[bc56]

Sawbones
HP: 1

V'Rak taps a few commands into his wrist computer, and on the top of a building a short distance away, his alien vehicle's engine thrum to life, and it takes to the air towards the broken window. It looks like he's done all he can here.

[Zhentarim]

Deciding she had had enough, Lapis leaves the mindscape. Her exit places her square in front of the other metahumans. In her default form, she confronts them, ready to fight them. She is not sure who the good and bad guys are, but she’s pretty sure what she saw in the mindscape was a villain’s mind.

”Halt evildoers, I am a hero!”

[Izzarra]

Joule
No conditions

Kimi flies over to the window to see what the big thing was going off to do.

[John Cribati]

Lamprey
HP: 1 | Condition: Blending In

So. He's here. Now what?

I really should have thought more about this, huh?

Well, he's got to start somewhere, doesnt he? He takes a look at the outside of the building first. Maybe he can find a way in normally.

Whether or not other PCs get directed here, there's some time to kill. Take 10 on Perception, looking for anything he can use to get into the building without arousing suspicion.

[Rhyvurg]

John turns to the man he'd pulled out of the machine. "Sir, can you tell me anything about what happened to you?"

[Johel]

Rupper, Rupper & Rupper Inc

The building is old, set not that far away from the docks themselves. Red stains from overflow where rust has bitten into the metal can be seen here and there. This an industrial workplace, meant for practicality rather than esthetics. There is a large parking lot for loading trucks, with a few being currently worked on by a handful of people despite the late hour: shipping isn’t something that stands still in the bustling hub that is New Delphi. There’s light in the office too.
Outside, a few youths are walking and chatting loudly, passing a bottle. A short instinctive probe of their aura smells a mischievous intent but nothing overtly malicious or aggressive. Indeed, they pay no mind to Lamprey but his powers might be for something in that.

At the entrance of the company, security is relaxed: no guardian, only an automated security barrier for vehicles. Stealing something without one would be hard, as RR&R deals mainly in bulky items.
As Lamprey starts looking around, nobody pays him any mind, the psychic white noise surrounding his very presence blunting the perception of all around him. For some, he is the anonymous face of another company’s trucker. For others, he is a face they think they know but cannot place a name on and don’t want to look foolish asking around. For most, he isn’t even there.

Cyrus makes his way to the building itself. Here too, nobody gives him a second look. Nothing stands too much out of place: a small, open local with large board on the wall with schedules, names in columns with delivery notes stuck on them, a few lockers decorated with calendars, a large coffee machine and a table. Right next is a mechanic workshop, rather bareboned, currently deserted. Then the warehouse, with a large door open and a truck currently in it, being loaded with various packages wrapped in so much plastic one doesn’t have to worry for the goods inside being damaged. The workers are either too busy or too affected by the psychic white noise to pay any mind to Lamprey as he goes for a walk inside, having a look.

The shelves are packed with a great deal of material but either too varied or too mundane for Lamprey to pay more than a passing attention to them. There’s a vault at the end of the warehouse where he feels remnants of emotions linked to secrecy, paranoia and greed… but the armored door is locked. A numerical panel stands. Cyrus let his fingers linger on each number and picks up remnants of emotion for each of them, without a clear feel about the order they were pressed, assuming the combination doesn’t have twice the same. Cracking the code should be doable by brute force but it would take a few minutes and Cyrus is familiar enough with the device to know that it might block after too much failed attempts. He could hack it, given the correct tools. Or he could find somebody with the information, though there’s always a risk in doing this.

Filing it as “interesting but not urgent”, he goes to the offices. The main one is something of a waiting lobby, where truckers wait for paperwork and employees are busy behind computers, headsets on their heads buzzing as they stream through phone calls. Maybe a dozen people here at most, also too busy with the daily routine to pay attention to the guy passing through. The doors of the other offices are closed. They are labeled :

“Rupper A. - Accounting”
“Rupper C. - Management”
“Rupper T. - Human Ressources”

Maybe locked, maybe not but trying to open them if they are indeed locked might attract just too much attention from the office workers and for too long for Lamprey’s power to keep being reliable here. Attempting it is doable though, just not easy.

A short pause and he makes the point of what his empathy senses have picked on: the workers are busy and either tired or stressed, sometimes both. Some are unhappy but most are doing alright. Lamprey didn’t pick up on anything strictly nefarious as far as emotional vibes are concerned. One or two guys might be picking in the inventory as they are both a bit too guarded and too smug about themselves. No aggression or suspicion above the usual office gossip and human pettiness. No real distress or other very strong emotions he could link to a violent crime.

Non-exhaustive list of options:

You can try investigating by talking to people. You’ll have to avoid them being suspicious of you not having anything to do here and then take 1 hour to gather the information. You’ll have to narrate your cover story here or your arguments.
You can try investigating by going through the papers lying around. You’ll have to be sneaky enough to avoid people asking what you are doing and who the hell are you. If you fail, you’ll have to tell a cover story or at least persuade them to cooperate as you search the rooms. This should take about 1 hour at most to search alone the whole open areas.
You can try hacking the vault. This takes 1 hour but you can rush the job, taking only 5 minutes but making it easier to fail. You can also make it very discretely but also increasing the chances of failure. Failure can either block the vault or trigger an alarm, depending how much you botch it.
You can try to find somebody who interacted with the vault before and pry the information from him through social skills. Here too, you’ll have to avoid people being suspicious of you, then take time to find the correct person and then convince her/him to help you. About 1 hour at most but maybe less risky than blocking the vault, which would let people know somebody tried to access it.
You can try your luck at the vault with randomly typing combinations. You just roll 20d20. If you get a natural 1, the vault blocks itself. If you get a natural 20 before getting a natural 1, the vault opens. If you get no natural 20 at all, the vault finally blocks itself but you are confident it will not set an alarm. This takes barely 2 minutes but can be very risky.
You can try to access the closed offices. You’ll have to be either sneaky or have a very good excuse to try.

If there’s somebody in there, you’ll have to be VERY convincing, as you opening the door of an individual office will NOT be overlooked by whoever is sitting in it. But it can be a serious shortcut in your investigation. Or a complete disaster. A conversation will take about 15 minutes at most.
If there’s nobody, you can try to hack their computer. Then you can either copy everything and search later OR you can search for something specific immediately. Both options take time, as download isn't instantaneous and searching does take time. 15 minutes at most per computer. From what you observed, there’s probably no alarm to be worried about here, only the human element.

There is no guarantee that you’ll find something interesting.
You are also free to do something else if you want : I won't curtain your creativity in this.
Whatever happens, please make me the following rolls so we have something to go by if needed :

2 Stealth rolls
2 Persuasion rolls
2 Deception rolls
2 Intimidation rolls
2 Insight rolls
2 Technology rolls
4 Investigation rolls



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


The Room

"Sir, can you tell me anything about what happened to you?"

“-Hu. Oh!! Oh sure thing!! First, thank you: I really thought it was it here. They… My colleagues… My friends!! Gone… No, murdered!! THEY did that!!”

He pointed at the forms on the ground, which flickered in sight for a brief instant every five or six seconds. The azure beam, door beating and concrete morphing must have damaged the cloaking devices at some point.

“-They came suddenly, spread through the building and rounded up everyone. We barely protested to begin with and after they hit James, we just obeyed. What else could we do ? They had guns and they were strong and there were so many of them and… We… I should have been braver. Maybe if we hadn’t submitted, maybe that would have been avoided. Maybe some of us would still live.
They… They attached people to this machine. And then they turned it on and… There was a red flash and then nothing. The people… they were gone. They kept going for nearly an hour, one person every two or three minutes.
Then I… It was my turn. I’m not sure. They put me there, the scientists… I mean not my colleagues, the other three. The ones who came with the bad men. They kept talking about how the data were “impressive but far from the goal” and they just kept going through the motion. They didn’t care that they were SLAUGHTERING us!!”

Tears and sobbing, bursting with sadness and hate.

“-They started the machine and I screamed. I begged them to stop. And they didn’t even look at me. Then… Then they were gone. Everyone. It was only me and the two bad men that guarded us the second before. And then the monster came in and crushed one of the bad men with the door. And then… well, you know what happened then.”

Suddenly, a small, pink wearing vigilante appears !!

”Halt evildoers, I am a hero!”

It is followed by two flying vehicules appearing in front of the hole made by Carapace :
One is a Ford F150, the other is some kind of... motorbike with huge, glowing lights ?

I let you discuss in OOC what happens between Joule and Pink Trickster.
If Pink Trickster wants to stop her from flying, explain how Pink Trickster tries to do that. If it’s an attack, roll the attack. If it’s something else, be precise.
If you say nothing by Friday, 18:00 GMT+1, I’ll assume the Pink Trickster is just being loud but is ignored by Joule.

Everyone in the room :
Roll initiative if you haven't yet

[roll0]
[ roll]1d20[ /roll]
1 Persuasion roll
1 Deception roll
1 Intimidation roll
1 Insight roll

[bc56]

Sawbones
Hp

Now that he can see the defeated villains, if only intermittently, V'Rak walks over and inspects them. His first goal is to check if they're still alive and provide medical care to any whose lives he can save. His second is to relieve them of their high-tech equipment. He suspects it's alien tech, and would like to investigate it further later.

Just going to head over and look at them.
If a treatment check is necessary to check their status: [roll0]

Other, required rolls.
Initiative: [roll1]
Persuasion: [roll2]
Deception: [roll3]
Intimidation: [roll4]
Insight: [roll5]

[Zhentarim]

The pink trickster creates the illusion of a box involving all 5 senses around Joule, but only in the mind of Joule. She will think she is trapped unless she figures out what is going on.

Illusion, rank 8, all five senses, resistible by will and can select who experiences it.

[Rhyvurg]

John listens as the man talks, nodding occasionally. So, they broke in for some kind of test that killed people, then ran for it. But for some reason this last one didn't die immediately. As John mulls over what the man said, he shakes his head. "I'm sorry for what happened to your friends. Do you need medical attention? Because I'm not sure what happened here is over yet..." Then the pink girl and the flying truck & bike show up. "Oh...kay..." He straightens up, standing in front of the civilian. "Sir I think it might be best if you go somewhere a little safer than this."

Insight roll to see if he's hiding anything, or just a straight up pants-on-fire liar.
[roll0]

[John Cribati]

Lamprey
HP: 1-> 0 | Condition: Blending In

1 HP- Scene Edit: during his sweep of the building, Cyrus comes across the Janitor's closet, and among the cleaning supplies he finds a janitor's uniform that fits him (with no name embroidered on it, thankfully). How Convenient!

Cyrus the "Janitor" brings a broom and dustpan with him, rolling a trashcan along until he gets to the front doors of the three offices. He knocks lightly on the first door and tries the knob.

[Johel]

The Room

As Joule is about to depart, passing by the newly pink arrival without giving her even a look, she stops for a second there, probing forward with her hand before resuming her advance and flying outside the building, not uttering a word and letting a rather confused crowd.

John Doe, in contrast, is on alert, despite having to conduct the interview with the victim/suspect/witness. His guts are telling him the man is rather honest if very much confused, scared and probably a little bit awed. Super citizens tend to have that effect on people.

Meanwhile, the giant gecko is half-looting the corpses, half-treating patients.
The pile of criminals isn't moving much, probably unconscious. Most injuries aren't serious and none seems life-threatening.
On them, V'Rak finds :

Û-man chemically-operated hand-held projectile throwers, more commonly known as handguns, unused as far as you can tell.
Backpack-held large boxes that, aside from the occasional spark, don't seem to be working anymore.
Small glowing bracelets which, upon being removed from the wearer, make the invisibility drop.
Something resembling the electro-projectors used by Sadach Slavers. But more unstable.
And at their belts... thumb-sized seventeen-faces Rubix Cubes ? With pulsing power sources inside.

The intentions of the pink kid aren't really clear.


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

The Street

The bad guys are being rounded up and a trio of rookie police officers are designated to keep an eye on Carapace, just in case.


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

Rupper, Rupper & Rupper Inc
Rupper A. - Accounting

"-Enter !!"

As "the Janitor" pushes the door, he receives a stern look from a man with heavy glasses and a cheap suit sitting being a computer, surrounded by enough paper to build a small castle out of it.

"-Oh, it's... you. I already told you to wait until the end of the month. Now is not a good time : I got those customs and duties reports to file, my paperwork is lying around and... Anyway, it's late, I know. And you are here so better be done with it. I'll pack up for tonight. Do NOT touch at this pile, this pile and this pile. And mind the computer : Chris hasn't yet seen about that Cloud Backup I've been asking for a while. I go for a coffee and then I'm off. You have the keys ? Or shall I come back to close ?"

[Rhyvurg]

John nods and picks the map up. "I'll get you to someone outside who can help you." He looks at the pink girl. "Um, hello... Whatever was happening here might not be over, so keep your eyes open."

[Zhentarim]

”Are you the bad guy? My dad reads me lots of comics. I don’t know how to read.”

[Izzarra]

Joule
No conditions

Kimi heads out the window and is confronted by a flying pickup and some kind of vehicle that looks like it came right out of a movie, the day just keeps getting weirder and weirder.

She sees that the big thing is still on site and has not apparently done anything with the men it carried out.

Holding this position while watching Carapace and the room to see what happens.

[SquirrelWizard]

Pandora
Hero Points: 1
Condition: -1 stamina, fatigued, Regen 3/5

"What was the purpose of this device?" Pandora asked the scared man as she motioned with an incantation lift her airborne. Not waiting for him to reply she floated over the inert machine and pulled out her smartphone, using it she tried to take some pictures of what remained from after the blast. Floating down she continued to take pictures of the pillars and other electronic components as she added, "Was this a project of Tyron Chemicals?"

Her investigation lead her to the other men who had been invisible earlier. She looked them over for tattoos, markings, anything that might prove to identify who they worked with, but at the same time she deftly took one of the objects off their belt as well as one of the bracelets, hiding them in a pocket on her belt as she glanced over to the pink clad vigilante who had appeared on the scene. "This isn't a comic, girl. You could get yourself killed, or worse." Her attention shifted to the group as a whole, "I dont know about you guys, but the cops are probably going to be storming the place soon, I suggest we be scarce when they arrive."



Glyph of Mending (-1 in 5 rounds), -2 strength
Weal and Woe Array Power: Lampad's Torch
Activate/Deactivate Icarrus' Flight for photowork
Glyph of Warding (7 Impervious toughness vs physical attacks)
Rolls if necessery
Initiative: [roll0]
Deception: [roll1]
Persuasion: [roll2]
Insight: [roll3]
Intimidation: [roll4]

[Rhyvurg]

”Are you the bad guy? My dad reads me lots of comics. I don’t know how to read.”

Inwardly, that stings a little. John knows that deep down, he is. "No, I'm just trying to help. This man was attacked and might need medical attention."

[bc56]

Sawbones
HP: 1

V'Rak mutters a quick incantation of thanks that the criminals are still alive. He then signals his cycle to hover over to his position and begins loading the high-tech gadgets into its storage compartments. He leaves the Û-man weapons out, merely tossing them through the convenient hole in the wall to keep them out of the hands of their owners. He then turns to the other assembled heroes, speaking in broken English. "Them live yet. We call pol'lees for them?"

[Zhentarim]

Inwardly, that stings a little. John knows that deep down, he is. "No, I'm just trying to help. This man was attacked and might need medical attention."

”I can help. I watch a lot of TV.”

The attacked man was then the target of a 5 senses mental illusion linked with a healing effect that had him surrounded by doctors she saw on a medical drama a few nights ago.

[John Cribati]

Lamprey
HP: 0 | Condition: Blending In, Pretending to be The Help (complete with uniform)

Cyrus makes a show of patting down his pockets

Damn, rrally is one of those nights. Musta left the keys in my other uniform. Look, you're a busy man, and I'd hate to have you come back for my mistake. Just lemme borrow your keys, then I can lock up for you.

Deception: [roll0]
Persuasion: [roll1]

[Johel]

The Room

"I'll get you to someone outside who can help you."

Said the blue super citizen while picking up the man and hovering toward the exit. As he does, he looks down at the pink girl.

"Um, hello... Whatever was happening here might not be over, so keep your eyes open."

”Are you the bad guy? My dad reads me lots of comics. I don’t know how to read.”

"No, I'm just trying to help. This man was attacked and might need medical attention."

”I can help. I watch a lot of TV.”

And as she said that, the man carried by John Doe seems to tense, looking nervously left and right and then at John Doe before saying

Who... who are they ? What are they doing with that ? No... no, it was a trick !! You are with them, in the end ?!

The panic of the man is interrupted by the purple demon's seductive yet authoritative voice, addressing him :

"What was the purpose of this device?"

I... what ? Please make him remove the saw, no, I... I do not need this. I'm fine. What ? A+, why ? But... Why would you call for a defibrillator, I'm conscious and... Goddamn it, you mad man !! I'm a doctor too and you do not inject that unless there... why are you doing this !!

Obviously delirious, the doctor is not answering Pandora, who is too busy taking pictures to wait for answers.

"Was this a project of Tyron Chemicals?"

The... will they stop if I talk ? Pleeeeeease !! Yes, it was one of the big project we were working on. Metahuman catalyst, very early concept stage study.

"This isn't a comic, girl. You could get yourself killed, or worse.
I don't know about you guys, but the cops are probably going to be storming the place soon, I suggest we be scarce when they arrive."

She says that right as she join the giant gecko in looting the gunmen.

"Them live yet. We call pol'lees for them?"


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

The Street

Carapace is still there.


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

Rupper, Rupper & Rupper Inc
Rupper A. - Accounting

The accountant looks suspiciously at Cyrius for a second, as if something had ticked him... but then he just pull out the keys, probably deciding it was nothing, having weighted the risk of key theft versus the satisfaction of going home and decided the janitor was harmless : after all, wasn't he about to let him close behind him anyway ?

"-I repeat, do NOT touch at these piles : it took me the whole day to make sense out of it."

And this being said, he leaves, handing the keys to Lamprey.

[Rhyvurg]

John carries the man down to the street before returning to the group. "I agree, it might be best if we're not here when the cops arrive."

[Zhentarim]

Cocking her head, Lapis turned to Agent Fox.

”You must have hurt people some time.You have a scary mind.”

[SquirrelWizard]

Pandora
Hero Points: 1
Condition: -1 stamina, fatigued, Regen 4/5

Virgil pulled up to the entrance that John had left through as Pandora finished poking around the room. Satisfied at least that she had got the information that the time afforded her. "We should clear out of here. I dont know why y'all here, but if you're going to follow up on this, we'll probably be crossing paths again. I need to do some research on.." she motioned to the arcane machine, "All of this; later."

She glances at the assembled people her gaze lingering on Sawbones briefly; unless the giant Gecko had some form of invisibility he'd stick out like a sore thumb. There was one place she knew of; it was a bit more open that she'd like, but nobody would look at him twice. "Look, in couple of days from now Roll-Con is kicking off. There is a pub called O'Malleys. They'll be serving con-goers. Just get yourself a suitably tacky fantasy costume and you'll fit right in."



Glyph of Mending (-1 in 5 rounds), -2 strength
Weal and Woe Array Power: Lampad's Torch
Glyph of Warding (7 Impervious toughness vs physical attacks)

[Zero Prime]

Carapace (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=24167126&postcount=2)
Hero Points: 2 Luck: 1
Conditions: Fatigued.

After a moment of staring at the nervous police force, Carapace shrugged his shoulders and turned, slowly plodding back towards the hole that he'd made in the street surface, which gave him access to the sewer lines and storm drains that ran beneath. He wandered down into the dark, as his mind raced, Quentin had done it, had managed to control the unit, subvert it's programming and had saved innocents who had been trapped in the mercenaries attack on the building.

He let out a low, long, Hrrrrrummph, as he wandered into the darkness, he hadn't been able to control it entirely, his mind snapped back to the moment when he first entered the laboratory, the emergency door in his hand, how he had effortlessly driven it into the wall, ending a man's life. Another sigh, he shook his head, a massive hand reaching forward to support it for a moment.

He continued wandering for twenty or thirty minutes, his senses still preternaturally sharp, once he came to the intersection he pulled some loose masonry from the wall revealing a small, well used, athletic bag. He concentrated a moment, and then his great bulk shifted, it seemed to flow, like wax, segements of carapace flying from his skin, attached to the base of his neck by tendrils of muscle, tissue, and then retracting, the armor impossibly transforming into formless biomass which was then absorbed back into his body. A naked, Quentin stood there, glistening with a thick, viscous slime covering his body, before reaching into his athletic bag and drawing out a towel, wiping himself down before getting dressed in his street clothes.

He walked through the maintenance access door, before surfacing once again, blocks from the confrontation. Dejectedly he picked up his phone, sent a text to Agent T. "Perps detained, Q out."

[John Cribati]

Lamprey
HP: 0 | Condition: Blending In, Pretending to be The Help (complete with uniform)

Cyrus nods to the accountant as he walks out, making a show of sweeping out the room.

While the man is getting his coffee, Cyrus moves to Office C- Management and opens the door.

[Zhentarim]

Lapis turns into a swarm of tiny venomous spiders and follows the group.

[Izzarra]

Joule
No conditions

Seeing the monster leave without causing any more problems Kimi follows some of the other supers as they leave.

[bc56]

Sawbones
HP: 1

V'Rak hops onto the hypercycle and flies away. He's headed back to base (or what approximates a base on this backwater world) to investigate the technology he confiscated. Maybe it will shed some light on this whole confusing situation.

[Rhyvurg]

Now well away from police, John turns to the group. Those that hadn't left on their own at least. "I suppose introductions are in order. My name is John."

[Zhentarim]

The spider swarm says ”I am Lapis.”

[Izzarra]

Joule
No conditions

"Kimiko, nice to meet you."

[Rhyvurg]

The blue man nods. "It's good to see some super citizens haven't given up yet. I wish the others had come along too... Do any of you have any idea who they are?"