Zenith Watch #4: A Miracle of Science

[sun_tzu]

Previous chapter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42978)
OOC thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2400)

"...and so far, they haven't complained."
"Figure. I have to admit, that was clever."
"Thanks. But maybe we should go back to your story."
"With pleasure. We were just done with the Christmas thing, right?"
"Yeah. And they had five Apocalypse Bullets."
"Sure, but those came in handy much later. In fact, from the Zenith Watch's perspective, there was a lull at that point...but a few weeks later, they got involved in something big."
"How big?"
"Well, at the time, they only realized it was big. Much later on, it turned out to be way bigger than they even imagined, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Point is, you should listen carefully, because some important stuff happened at this point.
This time around, things started with a, shall we say, miracle..."




A few weeks have passed since Christmas. For the Zenith Watch, there has been relatively little to mention - while you have become lire famous for beating Madman's challenge, there hasn't been much activity for you. Stopping a few muggings, helping the police contain a low-level mutant villain with telekinesis...At one point, a tip from Checkerboard even allowed you to dismantle a drug dealing network owned by the M-Syndicate ((the biggest mob in Megalopolis, for those who don't remember)).
Worldwide, there haven't been too many noteworthy events. In New York, the heroes of the Liberty League were defeated by the New Predators - one of them, a villain called Brick, has apparently received some kind of power-up that baffles the FBSA. Several members of the Liberty League are hospitalized, but there have been no casualties among them. In international (sort of) news, the Cryosphere has officially given Augustus Niles, aka Maestro, a new position as its chief diplomat. Right now, the television at the HQ is showing something about that - apparently, Maestro is putting a lot of effort and resources into getting the Cryosphere recognized by the UN. Experts are speculating about the motives behind these efforts, but most of them seem to think that Cryo is mostly worried about potentially losing a Third Battle of the Cryosphere.
"In local news," the anchorwoman goes on: "A Megalopolis Miracle? An unexplained phenomenon has occurred today at the Megalopolis General Hospital, where all the patients have inexplicably recovered. Our reporter on the scene, Kim Sansom:"
"I'm speaking from the hospital" says Kim; "the witnesses seem to agree: Today at 5:30 PM, over the course of several minutes, all the patients in the hospital were cured of various ailments. AIDS, numerous forms of cancer, third degree burns, and more. A patient woke up after 11 years in a coma. Another one regrew both legs he had lost in Iraq. One of the doctors said he no longer needed his glasses."
"Amazing. Any theories on the cause?"
"None so far."


ZENITH WATCH #4: A MIRACLE OF SCIENCE

Granted, this would be more appropriate as Madman's theme song, but I guess "Weird Science" will have to do. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO8SJmcXl6E)

[sun_tzu]

((Little edit: Padded the intro somewhat.))

[fireinthedust]

EA wandered into the monitoring room, wiping off his brow from another gruelling day of transmuting Carbosteel for venture industries. Another day another $20,000,000. I don't care how brilliant its design, I'm sick of that stupid alloy! He siddles up to whoever is watching the big screen, leaning ont he back of their chair, and squints.

Huh. People getting better in a hospital... oooh, Kim Sansom! DT, you think we should investigate?

[mutecebu]

DT's voice comes over the intercom.

"Yep, I do. I'm up on the roof checking over the Zenicopter, it seems in order. Whether it's malicious or benign, we need to find out what's going on."

His voice echoes as he switches to the all channel.

"Come on upstairs, people. Something weird happened at the hospital, we get to play detective."

~~~

On the way there, Doublethink jokes with Eagle Owl.
"We're making a name for ourselves, aren't we? I don't suppose there's a way we could look around without drawing attention. Eagle, you might actually get less attention without that mask at this point.

[Blackbird]

At Doublethink's joke, Eagle Owl looks at him like he's out of his mind. "I'll consider you don't know what the hell you're talking about and leave it at that. This time." Reading his expression beneath the mask isn't easy, but he seems angry, maybe sad too.

He sits quiet for a while, staring out across the Megalopolis skyline. "You've got a point though. If you want to keep a low profile, I could search the are surrounding the hospital, search for anything out of the ordinary. Maybe there's been more of these 'miracles'." He sounds bitter when he says the last word.

[mutecebu]

Doublethink was saddened by Eagle Owl's reaction. DT knew the man was very sensitive about whatever was beneath the mask, but DT never gave up hope trying to coax him out of his shell. So far it had worked, Owl seemed much friendlier than earlier, but DT had overstepped. Still, DT always felt that people should take their handicaps with a good sense of humor.

Of course, that was somewhat hypocritical of him. DT had been very angry about his powers for a long time, it wasn't until he found an outlet that DT's outlook on life began to change.


"You've got a point though. If you want to keep a low profile, I could search the are surrounding the hospital, search for anything out of the ordinary. Maybe there's been more of these 'miracles'."
"Well, we're going to have to take a look around inside anyway. Someone will have to ask questions, and any of us will draw attention.

((Maybe not everyone.... would Jane be able to ask around? Could she take a portable projector? I may be willing to use a hero point if necessary. If you don't think it's an issue, we can just take the team in.))

[sun_tzu]

((Not really an issue, no. The fact that you're well-known doesn't mean people will be less likely to answer questions.))

[mutecebu]

((Eh, I thought more along the lines of causing an uproar, or at least changing the state of the hospital to something other than ideal for investigations, in case we do some Super Forensics as well as ask questions. Ah well, tally ho, then.))

"Your plan sounds good, Eagle. When we get there, we should probably split up and take whatever investigatory methods seem best. I'll ask around, work the scanning equipment and I'm already requesting access to non-personal records. Bravado, you can thumb-wrestle Nightbane to see who questions the female nurses.

[fireinthedust]

EA shrugs. Owl, mind if I tag along? I'll go Oxygen, make some fog if we need some cover.

he goes along with EagleOwl when the other hero leaves the ZenithCopter.

[Dorni]

"What? You mean I don't get a chance to question the nurses?" Seeming to step out of nowhere, Gerit falls in with the rest of the team. Even fully human, as he was now, he was still had a naturally quiet gait. "I could take Nightbane down. Besides, my human form hasn't been plastered all over the news and it might come in handy not to scream superhero." With that, Gerit joins the rest of the team in the Zenicopter. Ironicly, he also shifts to his hybrid shape as he belts himself in.

[sun_tzu]

"What? You mean I don't get a chance to question the nurses?" Seeming to step out of nowhere, Gerit falls in with the rest of the team. Even fully human, as he was now, he was still had a naturally quiet gait. "I could take Nightbane down. Besides, my human form hasn't been plastered all over the news and it might come in handy not to scream superhero." With that, Gerit joins the rest of the team in the Zenicopter. Ironicly, he also shifts to his hybrid shape as he belts himself in.

"Take me down? In your dreams, furball" says Nightbane as he enters the Zenicopter. He then adds: "It is weird, though. Not just the recoveries. I mean, if you had a way of curing so many people at once, why use it like this, anonymously? It's not like this was discreet, either."
"Maybe curing all those people wasn't actually something someone decided to do?" says Bravado tentatively. "I mean, what if it was more like a phenomenon...I don't know, some magical 'all ills will be cured here when the clock strikes three' mystic burst? Weirder things have happened. I think. Maybe. If Madman was involved."

[mutecebu]

"It is weird, though. Not just the recoveries. I mean, if you had a way of curing so many people at once, why use it like this, anonymously? It's not like this was discreet, either.""Exactly. If it was intentional, it's odd that it's used in this way, opening possibilities of less-than-stellar motives. If it was accidental or some phenomenon, it's a fairly powerful one, and should be investigated. Either way, we go."

[sun_tzu]

While the Zenicopter allows you to reach the hospital rather quickly, you can already see a large numbers of journalists at the reception. A man whom Jane identifies as the hospital's director is busy answering their questions.

[Blackbird]

Eagle Owl nods to EA, turning to the others as he's leaving. "If this is just some new mutant or something manifesting their powers they're likely to be scared. With the amount of sheer power we've seen, that could be a bad thing if they can do more than just heal people."

Looking in disgust at the throng of reporters at the hospital, Eagle Owl jumps out of the Zenicopter, taking flight in mid-air. He lands on a nearby rooftop, looking to EA expectantly. "We should split up, cover more ground."

[fireinthedust]

What, and waste precious quality time together? EA says, flying along with EO anyway.

[sun_tzu]

A hand suddenly catches EA's shoulder. "Come here." It's one of the nurses.

[fireinthedust]

EA looks over his shoulder, allowing EO to leave alone if he desires. The jolly green hero walks with the nurse, away from the crowd of reporters. He tries to get a good look at the nurse's features (having been a hero, he's naturally suspicious)

Yes, ma'am? you work here, huh? What seems to be the problem?

[sun_tzu]

EA looks over his shoulder, allowing EO to leave alone if he desires. The jolly green hero walks with the nurse, away from the crowd of reporters. He tries to get a good look at the nurse's features (having been a hero, he's naturally suspicious)

Yes, ma'am? you work here, huh? What seems to be the problem?

She looks somewhat exasperated. "I'm assuming you're here because of the spontaneous recoveries?
Now listen. We've got dozens of reporters, even more people who suddenly want to check on their friends and relatives, and our staff is busy as hell with this crap. What I'm saying is, we don't need any additional messes to deal with, so if you and your friends want to have a look, be quiet about it. Avoid bothering the patients and staff. That's all."

[Blackbird]

Eagle Owl nods to EA, letting him go talk with the nurse. Taking to the skies above the hospital instead, he slowly circles higher. Once he's high enough, he circles the area, trying to look for anyone or anything suspicious or out of the ordinary.

[mutecebu]

DT engages the equipment brought in the Zenicopter while he himself strides through the building with the sensors on his suit, looking for anything out of the ordinary as well as any ultra-meson tachyonic particles or plot radiation.

[fireinthedust]

EA frowns at the Nurse, rolls his eyes, and turns into mist. Lady, I'm the picture of inconspicuous. With that he disappears into the building's air vents, searching on his own through the hospital for anything out of the ordinary... well, not including him and his friends.

[sun_tzu]

DT engages the equipment brought in the Zenicopter while he himself strides through the building with the sensors on his suit, looking for anything out of the ordinary as well as any ultra-meson tachyonic particles or plot radiation.

Doublethink detects no special radiation.
In fact, Doublethink detects surprisingly little radiation.
In any given natural setting, atoms slowly break down, radiations are generated. The natural levels of radiation in the world are not very high, but there...still supposed to be higher than the level in the hospital. By roughly an order of magnitude.
"Interesting case, isn't it, Mr Rod?" says a man who casually approaches you. You recognize him - that's the "government agent" who turned out to be a member of Checkerboard at the end of the Megalopolis free-for-all.

[fireinthedust]

ooc: is EA or anyone else there, so we can post/interact also? or is there something else we can do during this part of the story? Do I notice the radiation thing also, having a natural/non-technological sense? Is there anything I find/come across?

[sun_tzu]

ooc: is EA or anyone else there, so we can post/interact also? or is there something else we can do during this part of the story? Do I notice the radiation thing also, having a natural/non-technological sense? Is there anything I find/come across?

((Nah, EA doesn't notice the lack of radiations - naturally, they're too weak to notice without precision tools.
I'm assuming the group has split up by this point.))


EA frowns at the Nurse, rolls his eyes, and turns into mist. Lady, I'm the picture of inconspicuous. With that he disappears into the building's air vents, searching on his own through the hospital for anything out of the ordinary... well, not including him and his friends.
As you navigate through the vents, you see various patients. They all seem...perfectly healthy, really.
Come to think about it...the ventilation system is remarkably well-maintained. You've explored the city a bit, and this system might just as well be brand-new.
((Had to roll to see if you noticed this, since it's not really that obvious...))


Eagle Owl nods to EA, letting him go talk with the nurse. Taking to the skies above the hospital instead, he slowly circles higher. Once he's high enough, he circles the area, trying to look for anyone or anything suspicious or out of the ordinary.
People coming and going. Someone in a cape flying several blocks away (Captain Quanta? Nah, color not bright enough). And...some guy trying to cut the chains on a lock protecting a bicycle, presumably with the intent to steal it.

[Blackbird]

Eagle Owl hesitates for only a moment. He tries to note the direction the caped super is going in, for all the good it'll do him, before swooping down to the guy trying to break the lock on the bike. Landing behind him, Eagle Owl stands there with his arms crossed infront of his chest. "Lost your keys?"

[sun_tzu]

Eagle Owl hesitates for only a moment. He tries to note the direction the caped super is going in, for all the good it'll do him, before swooping down to the guy trying to break the lock on the bike. Landing behind him, Eagle Owl stands there with his arms crossed infront of his chest. "Lost your keys?"

The guy's expression is rather amusing - you find yourself almost expecting his jaw to hit the floor.
"Um...yeah...It's totally my bike...I...Look behind you!" He points and begins to run.

[Blackbird]

Eagle Owl flies after the bike-thief, grabbing him and pinning him against the wall. "Now then, why don't you try the truth?"

[sun_tzu]

Eagle Owl flies after the bike-thief, grabbing him and pinning him against the wall. "Now then, why don't you try the truth?"

"I didn't do it! I blame society! It was my twin! Please don't kill me! I wasn't there! I..." the thug keeps screaming so fast you have trouble making out the words, obviously panicked.
From the corner of your eye, you see a cop running in your direction from a few blocks away.

[mutecebu]

((heh heh, go eagle!))


"Interesting case, isn't it, Mr Rod?"
"Why, hello! I don't believe I got your name last time. I must admit I didn't expect to run into you here. Everything seems very clean and new here, I wonder if the patients were the only ones who had a tune-up. Do you have any leads?

[sun_tzu]

((heh heh, go eagle!))


"Why, hello! I don't believe I got your name last time. I must admit I didn't expect to run into you here. Everything seems very clean and new here, I wonder if the patients were the only ones who had a tune-up. Do you have any leads?

"Refer to me as Arthur White, FBI agent for now if anyone asks" says the man. "I've been looking around, and our tech team is investigating...And, you're right, it's not just the patients. The staff itself was cured of many ailments, even very minor ones such as poor eyesight; some of the older individuals on the premise appear to be a few years younger; even non-biological things have been fixed: Cracks in the basement's ceilings have disappeared, damaged plastic plants are suddenly in perfect condition, and according to the tech team, the computers are in better shape than they have any business being. As far as we can tell, this isn't just a medical event - it's like something lowered entropy all over the place. I'm not a scientist, I'm afraid, but I know this is big."

((To get a better idea of how big this is...Well, with incredibly rare exceptions like the Avatar, there aren't people with the Healing power in the setting. Countering entropy isn't usually an option - even regenerators are just "rebuilding according to a plan".))

[fireinthedust]

EA floats along the duct system until he finds what could be the control area: is the environmental control system of this place new like the ducts themselves? Alien tech? Weird metals? How do these apparently new pipes work?

((heck, maybe they were regenerated along with the patients, so it's not just them but the materials in the building))

[sun_tzu]

EA floats along the duct system until he finds what could be the control area: is the environmental control system of this place new like the ducts themselves? Alien tech? Weird metals? How do these apparently new pipes work?
The system isn't actually all that modern, for a hospital anyway. Certain pieces of equipment have their construction year on them, and this system is relatively old. As for the tech involved, it is perfectly normal...Only the excellent preservation of the system is unusual.

Meanwhile, Gerit's exploration leads him to overhear a conversation between two of the doctors:
"No, I don't mean 'clinically dead for a few seconds', I mean dead as in, you know, heart stopped beating over an hour earlier, body grown cold in the meanwhile, lack of oxygen to brain should have killed every neuron there. And, ya know, now he's breathing even better than when he came here. Heart in a better condition than most people twenty years younger than him. For God's sake, even his alzheimer is gone; he remembers stuff more clearly than since the last decade, according to him."
"Jesus. Does he know he was dead?"
"Hell no. He doesn't seem to have a heart condition anymore, but I'm not chancing it."

[mutecebu]

"That's very interesting, Mr. White. Something with the ability to reverse the effects of Entropy, that's very intriguing. My analysis leads me to the same conclusion, I'm perplexed. If you have any theories as to who or what may be the cause I'd love to hear them, but I'm at a loss as to the next course of action, other than keeping one's eyes and ears open for more clues."

[sun_tzu]

"That's very interesting, Mr. White. Something with the ability to reverse the effects of Entropy, that's very intriguing. My analysis leads me to the same conclusion, I'm perplexed. If you have any theories as to who or what may be the cause I'd love to hear them, but I'm at a loss as to the next course of action, other than keeping one's eyes and ears open for more clues."

"According to Checkmate, this is very big" he whispers to Doublethink. "He claims entropy reversal is a radical enough capability to shift the equilibrium of power in the world. Undo damage caused by cataclysms, resurrect the dead, recover lost information...You can imagine why we want to find out what this is all about."

[Blackbird]

Noting the incoming cop, Eagle Owl thinks things over. Shaking his head, his looks annoyed as he eyes the thug. "Look, stupid, I didn't ask for a bunch of half-assed excuses, all I asked for was a simple 'Why?'. You don't have one and I'll hand you over to Megalopolis' finest. But if you do have a good one and promise to keep yourself out of trouble, I'll let you go."

At this point Eagle Owl tightens his grip on the thug for a second, to get his attention. "But you lie to me, and I promise I will know if you do, I'll hunt you down like the vermin you've shown yourself to be and make you wish you were never born. Understood?"

Sense Motive check to make sure he isn't lieing.

[fireinthedust]

ooc: did we get ear pieces rather than cards this time round? Or should EA use his checkmate card? Otherwise, he'll swing around to the others, still keeping eyes and ears out for what's going on.

EA will also check out the chemical composition of the stuff here: what's the decomposition in the iron? has it been healed too? Like, if iron were more fresh rather than broken down (as happens with rust, etc.)

IC (when he sees the others, or calls them): Guys, the vent system here is old, but something fixed it. My guess is whatever healed the people also did a number on the molecular structure of the materials in the building. I'm doing a check right now...

[Dorni]

Gerit

Gerit hated hospitals. He'd gone there for breaking an arm when he was still a kid that didn't realize that his human shape couldn't take the same fall as a cat, and he'd hated the place ever since. He could shapeshift his body, but he couldn't shapeshift his nose. He could pick up even the minute scents of the gory injuries rushed to emergency an hour earlier, the waste a place like this generated, even the foul-smelling concoction of medicines suffusing the air. In their war against germs to keep their patients safe from infection, a hospital would use the strongest cleaning agent they could find. That reassuring smell of cleaner that most humans could detect was a massive oder to gerit, and when combined with everything else in the air it had almost driven the shapeshifter mad as a child. He still hated hospitals.

HIs sense of smell was only slightly duller in human form, but it was enough that Gerit could stand the place, which is why Gerit stopped to listen in on a conversation about a dead man. The shapeshifter could tell just from listening that he was way out of his league. Gerit had plenty of power of the butt-kicking variety, but he was no scientist. He couldn't make heads or tails of the Why or How.

Gerit made his way back though the corridors, hunting for his team. It wasn't hard - even a hospital like this didn't have major super-groups visit every day. When he finally found Doublethink, he wasted no time. "DT, theres more going on here than just some injuries healed. It looks like theres an old man that had been dead for an hour, heart stopped and body cold. Now hes alive, heart in perfect condition, alzheimer's gone. Doctors havn't a clue what did it."

[mutecebu]

"Of course, I concur, it is essential we find out what's going on here.

As the team arrives, Doublethink nods. Yep, we're finding the same stuff, something big's going on here. However, we're still no closer to finding out what's wrong.

((Should I try a hero point for inspiration, or should I just wait for more clues?))

[sun_tzu]

Noting the incoming cop, Eagle Owl thinks things over. Shaking his head, his looks annoyed as he eyes the thug. "Look, stupid, I didn't ask for a bunch of half-assed excuses, all I asked for was a simple 'Why?'. You don't have one and I'll hand you over to Megalopolis' finest. But if you do have a good one and promise to keep yourself out of trouble, I'll let you go."

At this point Eagle Owl tightens his grip on the thug for a second, to get his attention. "But you lie to me, and I promise I will know if you do, I'll hunt you down like the vermin you've shown yourself to be and make you wish you were never born. Understood?"

"J...Just needed the money to pay my dealer," the thug looks dead frightened. You're fairly positive he isn't lying. Not in this state of utter terror.
"Eagle Owl, right?" you hear the cop ask as he arrives, gun in hand. "This punk making trouble?

((Yeah, you guys are starting to get notorious enough that a random cop recogniwes you on the spot. Saves time.
And, nice RPing there, with the "tell me you have a good reason and I'll let you go". As it stands, his main reason was "give Eagle Owl's player something to do while the rest of the team investigated the hospital", but, still appreciated.:smallwink: ))


((Should I try a hero point for inspiration, or should I just wait for more clues?))
((I'll get to your next clue tomorrow. I'm currently at an Internet cafe waiting for the train to take me back to my current residence, so forgive me if I don't do it today...))

[sun_tzu]

EA will also check out the chemical composition of the stuff here: what's the decomposition in the iron? has it been healed too? Like, if iron were more fresh rather than broken down (as happens with rust, etc.)
It would appear that this, too, has been affected. Everything might just as well have come out of the factory yesterday.


"DT, theres more going on here than just some injuries healed. It looks like theres an old man that had been dead for an hour, heart stopped and body cold. Now hes alive, heart in perfect condition, alzheimer's gone. Doctors havn't a clue what did it."
"It'll be one hell of a mess once the media get wind of that", muses the Checkerboard agent. "You know all those discussions about the Avatar's supposed immortality - and it's never actually been proven hes come back from the dead? Once the world finds out there's something that can actually bring people back to life..."
"Hey guys!" It's Bravado, accompanying Nightbane. With them is a middle-aged man with a thick mustache.
"The Zenith Watch, I believe" says the mustachioed man. "And you would be..."
"Agent White, FBI" says the agent, showing his badge (indistinguishable from a real one, as far as DT can tell. Jane has even found an entry for this guy on the FBI's roster - either he's actually an FBI agent, or these people can hack into FBI mainframes as easily as most people can edit Wikipedia). "And you would be?"
"Tony Gerden. Megalopolis Monitor." ((again, Jane finds his file on their staff.))
"You're a journalist?"
"That too, but, I was actually here as a patient."
"Oh. Healed, I hope?"
"The doctors say they might need more testing, but...I definitely wasn't this healthy a few hours ago" says Tony. "It was pretty ugly. AIDS. Me an' my wife both."
"Oh. I do hope she's recovered as well?"
Tony gives a sad smile. "Ain't life ironic? Her condition wasn't as bad as mine. She was home. Didn't get to jump on the miracle wagon. So let's just say...If you have any lead about this miracle crap, I want to hear it. Hell, I'll help you find out more any way I can."

About then, DT, you receive a file from Checkmate. Right before you open it, Jane informs you of something: Apparently, a Megalopolis doctor from a part of the city not too far from the hospital has recorded three days ago the unexplained recovery of one his patients - an eight-year-old boy named Tommy Ribnut whose asthma seemed to have disappeared completely.
Ironically enough, the file from Checkerboard refers to the exact same lead. ((Which only goes to show that both Checkerboard and Jane are pretty good at finding online data.))

((And, yeah, we can assume you guys have in-ear communicators. It would make no sense for DT not to have obtained them by this point.))

[mutecebu]

Thanks. Keep up the good work, if there's more than one instance, there'll probably be more than two.

"I've got another lead. There's been another incident similar to this, though on a smaller scale. I think we should check it out, right after we wrap up here."

DT leaves and thanks the administration for their help. He informs Eagle over the communicators of their intention to move again, and they're be ready to go as soon as he is.

(to whoever's near:)
"Oh, by the way, how do the communicators feel? Comfortable enough?" ((Were this a comic book, DT would add "I don't need one, as I get everything streamed through my Datalink," despite the fact that it is obvious to everyone else.))

((Does DT have access to what everyone can hear 24-7, or do they not transmit constantly?))

[sun_tzu]

"I've got another lead. There's been another incident similar to this, though on a smaller scale. I think we should check it out, right after we wrap up here."

((So where are you going? To the doctor who reported the recovery? To the family of the boy who recovered?))


((Does DT have access to what everyone can hear 24-7, or do they not transmit constantly?))

((Up to you to decide.))


"I've got another lead. There's been another incident similar to this, though on a smaller scale. I think we should check it out, right after we wrap up here."
"Hope you don't mind if I join?" asks Tony. "I...really need to get to the bottom of this."

[mutecebu]

"Hope you don't mind if I join?" asks Tony. "I...really need to get to the bottom of this." "I don't see why not. Any objections?"

DT transmits to Eagle Owl,
We've meta journalist that was healed in the fiasco, he's asked to join us in this investigation. What's your take on it?

Whether there are objections or not, on the Chopper, DT explains his lead to everyone, and asks whether they should hit the family or doctor first, or split up and question both of them. DT votes they split up.

[sun_tzu]

"I don't see why not. Any objections?"
"Fine with me." says Bravado. If the agent has any objections, he isn't voicing them - his face remains unreadable.


We've met one of Big C's co-workers, who has requested to join us in this investigation. What's your take on it?
((Er, "Arthur White" is a Checkerboard agent. Tony's never claimed to be more than a reporter with a very, very personal stake in the matter.))

[mutecebu]

((Oops, edited.

Hmm... I wouldn't immediately let a random journalist join us, but I'm not one to hamper GM storytelling.))

[sun_tzu]

((Oops, edited.

Hmm... I wouldn't immediately let a random journalist join us, but I'm not one to hamper GM storytelling.))

((Hey, totally up to you guys. But I know that in your position, I'd hesitate. I mean, imagine if you were in Tony's position (especially when you consider that, well, if that couple had AIDS, it's likely one infected the other, and, well...). Any wonder he's eager to discover the source of the thermodynamic miracle?))

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Nearly eight feet of ebony skinned, white haired, and burning eyes walks up quickly to the group assembling around DoubleThink. It is quite obviously Nightbane, as he has an armload of vending machine snacks. "Man... that took forever... But hey, at least these munchies are all fresh, right?"

With a grin, he looks to Gerit and offers some of his "winnings." "DT, what's the plan from here? We've got a ton of cures and barely any answers. Its time to do what we do best."

Hey all! Yes, I'm back, and ready to kick some butt!

[fireinthedust]

EA, reforming from the vents with the group, stares open-mouthed at Nightbane.

Wait... we've been investigating this whole time and you were getting snacks?!

He looks side to side before peeking at Hellfencer's armload, smacking his lips.

Wait, are those toasty-foo's? He wastes no time stuffing his face. Mtho var I'm wiking fhat fe to befft!

[Dorni]

Gerit

"But Nightbane," Gerit replies, serious tone perfectly counterpoint to the grin on his face. "Getting snacks while we handle the work is what you're best at."

The weretiger waves a hand to decline Nightbane's offer, but halfway though changes his mind and picks an energy bar out of the mess. Casually tearing it open, Gerit mulls over what little information they had. "Hmm... so we have a hospital full of healed patients, but also the machinery and everything has been fully restored. We also have a simmilar phenomenon on a smaller scale several days before. Based on the locations, I think we can rule out this being a random event. That leaves us with a person responsible. The obvious connection is that the incident three days ago was a test or a first time. Today's event was a display... If I had to guess, whomever did this didn't intend to fix the ducts and computers as well. It may be that our culprit doesn't have full control over his powers. The odds are good that he may have stuck around to see the effects of what he did. The media have been all over here, but our culprit hasn't proclaimed himself. I'd say he doesn't want attention openly. If he is here, its incognito.

Still... This new lead is worth checking out. I think we should divide the team. Make a show of leaving in the Zenicopter. Checking this new lead could help us uncover something, and a showy exit could relax our culprit if he is still hanging around. Only two of my faces are famous, so I can stay behind and keep tabs on things here. Even if our culprit has left, the doctors here might come up with something."

Welcome back!

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

"Furrball, you never let me down; Let's get right to business." The behemoth finishes his sentence with a row of six tiny donuts going in his mouth.

[fireinthedust]

That's right! Okay, DT and Jane, have you looked at hospital video surveillance? have either the doctor or the boy been in the area or the hospital at all? And did the cameras pick up any scenes of power-use on the grounds? Unless the boy was at the hospital, I think we should visit the doctor. More likely he's been here, rather than the boy. Also, my guess is his scientific opinion can give us a dispassionate view... or else DT and Jane can verify whether he's lying to us by googling his answers, or TigerClaw can smell the lies eking out of him. Either way, Doctors have lollipops, and Nightbane deserves one for the munchies. Eh, big guy?

[sun_tzu]

((The hospital's security cameras don't cover the entire building, just the entrance. Neither the doctor nor the kid were seen there at any time in the last few weeks.))

[fireinthedust]

That's okay. I vote we head to the doctor.

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

"Alright guys, just standing around here isn't getting us anywhere. Maybe we should split up to check out more at the same time?" Zach shrugs and pauses a moment to down a bag of barbecue chips. "My vote is to check in on that doc and the kid. Thoughts? Concerns? Snacks?"

[mutecebu]

((My vote's still to split up, and take the guy along. There's no real reason not to, if he's a threat (unlikely) it'll be easier to keep him close to us. Have the zenicopter drop off half the team and take the chopper to the destination that would be easiest to park a helicopter at. DT will get off at whatever that second destination is. I'll post eventually, but for now don't wait for me, my vote is in.)

[fireinthedust]

((I vote we do what mutecebu just suggested. Not because I fully understand what he's talking about, but rather I'm too fatigued to think up my own suggestion and follow through with it! :smalltongue: ))


EA nods. Okay, I'm with Nightbane and Doublethink! We'll go meet up with that doctor. Tigerclaw, Eagleowl, Bravado, you three go after that little kid. We'll meet back at the tower when we're done, or use communicators to change our plans. Zenith Watch Go!

[sun_tzu]

((All right, let's move this along. The agent and the journalist are with the group that went to the doctor's.))

After some travel arrangements (what with there being only one zenicopter), the two groups reach their queries.

At the doctor's:
Dr Parker - that's his name - doesn't try to hide his surprise at the recent developments.
"I'll admit, I wasn't exactly expecting to have a sit-down with superheroes today. But I'd like to venture a guess as to why you're here. When I heard on the news about the massive spontaneous recoveries at the hospital, I was immediately reminded of a certain patient of mine. I assume that's why you're here?"


At the kid's:
Little Tommy Ribnut is playing with toy cars in his house's backyard when you arrive. A woman you assume to be his mother is reading a newspaper right next to him, but puts it down when she sees you arrive. She seems surprised, understandably.

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Trying not to seen hulking, massive, and in the way, Zach attempts to stand to a side. When the doctor mentions the patient, his giant index finger waggles between EA and DT as he says, "Ya got that right, chief. What can you tell us about him, or anything else that's going on?"

[fireinthedust]

ooc: assuming the doctor is a good host here.

EA nods at Nightbane's question, and sips the tea offered him by the good doctor. His cup clinks against the expensive china as he puts it back on its saucer. Chinese green leaves in authentic American procelain; how delightfully absurd.
Indeed, anything you can offer up would really help us out. Unexplained scientific phenomena tend to attract the wrong sort these days. Whether the development is actually dangerous, or simply something dangerous people would mistakenly hurt others to get to, it's important that we figure out what's going on as quickly as possible. Please, tell us what you think is going on.

lifting his pinky once more, EA takes another sip.

[sun_tzu]

Dr Parker nods. "At the risk of disappointing you all, I don't really know much. The patient in question was a little boy I diagnosed with asthma over a year ago. Nothing too serious, but inconvenient. Days ago, his parents brought him here because they claimed his asthma had completely disappeared. I checked him, and, well, complete recovery. I asked him if he'd been around anything unusual. He said no...But I got the feeling he was hiding something. I couldn't press the issue too far, but I did explain the situation to the parents..."

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

"Hiding something, eh? Maybe somebody told him not to tell. Maybe he's just shy... You didn't find anything wrong on a level deeper than the skin? Some of us here can't see that close..." The last sentence, Zach gives EA and DT each a grin.

[Blackbird]

((earlier while everyone else was investigating))

"Get clean and stay out of trouble. If you need help, go to MPD or the Zenith Watch." Turning to the officer, Eagle Owl motions for him to holster his gun, positioning himself slightly between the cop and the crook. "No officer, he hasn't done anything." Yet. "Everything's fine." To the thug:"Get going. You caught a lucky break, now make the best of it."

((This encounter was much appreciated and fun to rp sun :smallsmile: ))

Hearing DT over the communicator he takes to the sky, calling DT back. Sounds suspicious, but he's probably just after a story. He could come along if he can stay out of the way if things get rough.

((at the kid's))

Eagle Owl stays slightly back as their group approaches the boy. It's obvious he's not used to stuff like this.

[fireinthedust]

I don't suppose you have any tissue samples or other things like that we could take back to the lab? bloodwork or anything like that might give us clues as to how we should proceed.

[sun_tzu]

I don't suppose you have any tissue samples or other things like that we could take back to the lab? bloodwork or anything like that might give us clues as to how we should proceed.

"I'm afraid all I have is some saliva. I mean, it's not like I could just take a blood sample on the spot or anything like that. But if what happened at the hospital is the same thing as what happened with that kid...I imagine they'd have all the meaningful samples.3

[Blackbird]

Letting scum like that go, I must be getting soft. Or EA slipped me something in the Christmas party. Have to remember to check the food at the HQ.

Seeing as neither of the others seemed ready to step forward, Eagle Owl makes his move. "We're investigating the recent incident at the hospital and believe something similar to have happened to your son. Anything you could tell us might be useful." A slight movement of his head betrays Eagle Owl's uncertainty as he looks from the boy to the woman and then his teammates.

[sun_tzu]

Letting scum like that go, I must be getting soft. Or EA slipped me something in the Christmas party. Have to remember to check the food at the HQ.

Seeing as neither of the others seemed ready to step forward, Eagle Owl makes his move. "We're investigating the recent incident at the hospital and believe something similar to have happened to your son. Anything you could tell us might be useful." A slight movement of his head betrays Eagle Owl's uncertainty as he looks from the boy to the woman and then his teammates.

"Er..." the woman seems taken aback by this rather blunt approach. ((What, not even a "hello, we're the Zenith Watch, could we have a talk?":smallamused: )) "I...Er, to whom do I have the honor...Are you the Zenith Watch?"

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Crossing his arms simply out of boredom, Zach takes in a deep breath, and lets it out with a slight sigh. "So, you're saying you know next to nothing about this, and we should just go ask the hospital for samples? Do they do that for heroes...?" he says, finally tapping a finger on his chin.

[sun_tzu]

Nightbane

Crossing his arms simply out of boredom, Zach takes in a deep breath, and lets it out with a slight sigh. "So, you're saying you know next to nothing about this, and we should just go ask the hospital for samples? Do they do that for heroes...?" he says, finally tapping a finger on his chin.

"Beats me. I've never been involved in anything like this. But I imagine both the FBI and FBSA are investigating the matter as we speak..."

((Of course, the FBI and FBSA don't have Jane or Checkerboard, so it might take them a few more hours before they make the connection to Dr Parker and the kid.))

[fireinthedust]

EA puts the tea cup down, then crosses his arms over his chest.

Fantastic. We come all the way out here and he doesn't shapeshift into a slime-monster or drug us to use in experiments or anything! Feh, Nightbane, DT, let's blow this pop stand (not literally) and find the others. Maybe this kid has something to hide.

He smiles warmly and shakes the doctor's hand. Thanks so much for the tea, doctor. It's been lovely, and you have a great home/office.We appreciate you taking the time to speak with us.

with that he (and the others?) storm off to the Zenith-mo-copter and fly dramatically away... to the next location!

[Blackbird]

Eagle Owl gives Bravado and Gerit a frustrated look. "Yes, we're the Zenith Watch. I'm Eagle Owl and these are Bravado and Tigerclaw. We're here to-" Eagle Owl trails of as the others arrive in the Zenicopter. "You know, just talk to Emerald Agent over there, he'll explain everything to you." The avian hero indicates the glowing green man to the two civilians.

[fireinthedust]

EA flies out of the copter on que, nodding to the other Zenith Watch members. He uses his Chem-o-vision on the child, trying to sense for any strange anomalous readings that could point to what the Zenith watch has been tracking this whole time.

ooc: any clues?

[sun_tzu]

EA flies out of the copter on que, nodding to the other Zenith Watch members. He uses his Chem-o-vision on the child, trying to sense for any strange anomalous readings that could point to what the Zenith watch has been tracking this whole time.

ooc: any clues?

((Nope. No unusual chemicals.))

The kid looks up with astonishment. You can guess he's probably never seen superheroes this up close.

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Stepping out of the Zenith Copter, Zach cracks his neck back and forth. A couple of loud snaps later, he walks up beside EA and crosses his arms. Looking down at the kid, Zach inquires, "Heya kid, I'm Nightbane. You been feeling different lately? Stronger? More energy?"

With a quick nudge to EA, Zach includes in a low tone, "You readin' anything?"

[fireinthedust]

EA whispers (audibly) back to Nightbane with all the secrecy of Homer Simpson No, nothing. But for all we know he could be rigged to explode at any moment, and, like, spray guts eeeverywhere. Just to be safe, maybe we should lock him in a fishtank somewhere for the rest of his life. Just to be safe.

He changes his frown to a smile for the young tyke, beaming Heya kiddo. Betcha never thought you'd get to meet lots of superheroes, eh? Wanna see the Zenith Tower, our top secret head-quarters? It's keen, and relatively impervious to explosions.

[sun_tzu]

Nightbane

Stepping out of the Zenith Copter, Zach cracks his neck back and forth. A couple of loud snaps later, he walks up beside EA and crosses his arms. Looking down at the kid, Zach inquires, "Heya kid, I'm Nightbane. You been feeling different lately? Stronger? More energy?"

With a quick nudge to EA, Zach includes in a low tone, "You readin' anything?"

"I...I can breath more easily..."


Heya kiddo. Betcha never thought you'd get to meet lots of superheroes, eh? Wanna see the Zenith Tower, our top secret head-quarters? It's keen, and relatively impervious to explosions.
His eyes light up (not literally). "Can I, mommy? Can I?"
His mother looks increasingly disoriented. Finally covering her face with her hand, she says "Tommy? Please go to your room for a moment while mommy talks to our guests."

((You guys have all the subtlety and tact of Godzilla.:smallamused: ))

[fireinthedust]

EA puts his hand on the mother's shoulder while she sobs. Man, we have reason to believe your son may have been involved in what we term an "exotic experience of the fourth kind". His healing is an unexplained phenomenon, and as such he could be at risk... or he could be completely fine, great even. What we're wondering is what the source of it is. If it's a beneficial thing it could help him get better and stay better, healthier, than he might naturally be. Just with the things we superheroes have to protect humanity from, we want to be sure he's not in any danger.

ooc: can we rolls some dice to get her help on this? ie: whatever exposition should be forthcoming? EA can whip up some truth serum particles for her to breath in, if it'll help the diplomacy check. :smallbiggrin:

[sun_tzu]

EA puts his hand on the mother's shoulder while she sobs. Man, we have reason to believe your son may have been involved in what we term an "exotic experience of the fourth kind". His healing is an unexplained phenomenon, and as such he could be at risk... or he could be completely fine, great even. What we're wondering is what the source of it is. If it's a beneficial thing it could help him get better and stay better, healthier, than he might naturally be. Just with the things we superheroes have to protect humanity from, we want to be sure he's not in any danger.

((Sobbing? Where the heck did I say she was sobbing? The "hands to face" thing was more of an exasperated "everybody slow down now" reaction.
I mean, try to see it from her perspective. A bunch of unusual strangers show up, immediately start talking about the possibility her little boy might be involved in something serious without even bothering to introduce themselves, offer her son to take him on a tour of their HQ...Just because you guys know what's going on and have several days between posts, that doesn't make it any less sudden from her perspective. :smallamused: ))


ooc: can we rolls some dice to get her help on this? ie: whatever exposition should be forthcoming? EA can whip up some truth serum particles for her to breath in, if it'll help the diplomacy check. :smallbiggrin:
((That is a joke, right?
And, no, no rolls. Interactions are to be entirely RPed.))


"Risk? Phenomenon? What the hell are you talking about?!"
"Ahem." Agent White intervenes. "Allow me to explain, Mrs Ribnut." He pulls out his badge. "Agent White, FBI. Now, as you might have heard, there has been a mysterious wave of spontaneous recoveries today at the nearby hospital. Hundreds of patients have been cured of...well, just about everything. Same as your son's unexplained recovery three days ago. We are simply trying to determine what the cause of these recoveries is. If you or your son can tell us about anything unusual that might have cured his asthma, then we might be on the track of the greatest medical discovery of all times."
"All...right...But, I can understand the FBI, but why are superheroes dealing with this? There was no crime involved."
"Perhaps not, but for something this important, you can't know what to expect."
"Fine...What do you need?" she asks, settling down a bit.
"Well, for starters, a few answers. Do you have any idea what might have caused your son's recovery?"
"No. I don't know anything about medicine."
"Has anything out of the ordinary occurred in recent days?"
"I don't think so..."
If White is getting exasperated, he isn't showing it. "Have you, at any point, had any contact with anyone involved in advanced scientific research, mutations, or the mystical?"
Mrs Ribnut hesitates for a moment. "My sister and her husband have been into New Age stuff for years. Crystals, mostly. You don't think...?"
"I would not dare to presume, Ma'm. May we ask your son a few questions now?"
"All right..."

[fireinthedust]

ooc: yeees... a joke.... heh...heh...

IC:

EA rubs his chin. Well, lad, can you tell me anything about your recovery? What did it feel like? do you remember how you knew it was going on?

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

"Yeah kid, what's the news? Anything you can remember about the day it happened would probably help. Plus, I'll buy you an ice cream later on, k?" Zach smiles and tries to be as unintimidating as possible, though that is a very hard task indeed.

[sun_tzu]

ooc: yeees... a joke.... heh...heh...

IC:

EA rubs his chin. Well, lad, can you tell me anything about your recovery? What did it feel like? do you remember how you knew it was going on?

"I..Um...Well..." the kid seems to struggle with his thoughts, unable to make up his mind.
Finally, Tony kneels in front of the kid and looks him in the eyes. "It's a secret, isn't it?" Timmy doesn't answer. "Maybe it's something you're afraid to talk about. Or maybe you promised someone you wouldn't tell."
Tony then points at your group. "Well, Timmy, see these guys? They're superheroes. You can tell them just about everything. They're good at keeping secrets, and it's important that they know what's going on."
It seems that Tony's words have had some effect. Timmy hesitates a bit, then says: "OK...But please don't tell anyone I told you..."

[fireinthedust]

EA listens intently. He really really really wants to know what this kid has to say.

[sun_tzu]

Timmy begins telling his tale:
"It was last Wednesday ((that's five days ago)). I was at the school's playground with some of my friends. Tom wanted to show Matt his collection, so they left, and I was alone with Katy for, like, five minutes. Then she looked at me, and said she had a secret. After I promised not to tell anybody, she told me she had superpowers. She said she could fix anything. So I said, "prove it". So she went to the dead rosebush, moved her hands, and it started becoming OK. So I said it was totally cool, which it was, then she said she wanted to see if she could fix my breathing, too. So I said, "sure", and she did the same thing, and suddenly it was all OK again."
He pauses for a moment. "I told mom and dad my breathing was all fixed, and they decided to take me to the doctor to check up. And, well, he said I was fine."

[fireinthedust]

EA nods, looking around the apartment (for, say, a class photo of everyone in the class, maybe with an eye for which one is Katy).

Can you tell us where Katy is now? We need to find her. She's not in trouble or anything, this is really good. We just want to make sure her powers are okay, see if there are any other people she'd like to help. Where does she live?

EA looks at the mother as well, perhaps she can use the mom-hotline that mothers have with the parents of their friends.

[sun_tzu]

EA nods, looking around the apartment (for, say, a class photo of everyone in the class, maybe with an eye for which one is Katy).

Can you tell us where Katy is now? We need to find her. She's not in trouble or anything, this is really good. We just want to make sure her powers are okay, see if there are any other people she'd like to help. Where does she live?

EA looks at the mother as well, perhaps she can use the mom-hotline that mothers have with the parents of their friends.

The mother looks surprised at Timmy's revelation. "Kathy? Kathy Adrian?"
"Yes."
She turns back to you. "She's a friend and classmate of his. Nice kid. I can give you her phone number and address."

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

"That would be very helpful, ma'am. So Timmy, what'd it feel like? And exactly what did she do? Just wave her arms around?" Nightbane questioned. By this point he had knelt down so as to be on nearly the same level as the boy.

[sun_tzu]

Nightbane

"That would be very helpful, ma'am. So Timmy, what'd it feel like? And exactly what did she do? Just wave her arms around?" Nightbane questioned. By this point he had knelt down so as to be on nearly the same level as the boy.

"Yeah. She was waving her arms, and I just started feeling...better. Like I had hurts I had forgotten were even there, and they just went away" says Timmy, as his mom writes down the address and phone number.

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Zach smiled. "Ya know, I sorta feel like that all the time. See, I heal really quick, so I'm always getting rid of pains and stuff." He looked over at the others, then to Timmy's mother. "Thanks; we appreciate the help. You guys about ready?"

[sun_tzu]

Along with address and phone number, Mrs Ribnut also hands you what looks like a class photo. "That's her", she points at an adorable little girl in the middle with blond hair and clothes that have probably seen better days.
"Then let's get going!" says the journalist, as he begins typing on his cell phone.

((Seriously though, where is everybody?))

[HellFencer]

OOC: Yeah, I agree with sun. What's with the disappearing? :P

[fireinthedust]

ooc: I blame everyone but me. It's never my fault. I'm good good good and oooooh, so smart!
I'm sick, though, so havn't been posting anywhere. My head feels like... well, like my sinuses are stuffed. Oh well. first time I've taken a day off work, though.

[Blackbird]

Eagle Owl nods to both mother and child as the others get up and make their exit. "Which part of the city is the address in?"

((Lack of time spent with the computer + general lazyness = much apologies due))

[sun_tzu]

Eagle Owl nods to both mother and child as the others get up and make their exit. "Which part of the city is the address in?"

((Lack of time spent with the computer + general lazyness = much apologies due))

"Can't be too far if they're in the same school district" says agent White as he checks the address. "Should be a matter of minutes to get there with the Zenicopter."

((Understood, but let's try to pick up the pace. My apologies if this chapter hasn't had much action so far, but let me assure you, that will change soon enough, now that you're getting so much closer to your query.))

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

"To the Zenicopter!" Zach shouted, running off to it like a child with a piece of candy.

[sun_tzu]

((So, do you all head toward the Adrian household?))

[Blackbird]

((Yep, tally ho!))

[sun_tzu]

((Tally ho then.))

On the way to the Adrian residence, Bravado muses out loud: "So...The entropy-reverser is actually a little girl? I never would have guessed. But it kind of makes sense, no?"
"What do you mean?" asks the journalist.
"Well, we were wondering about the hospital thing. If whoever was using this power wanted to keep it a secret, the hospital stunt was way too public. On the other hand, if they did want to act publicly, why the mystery? But if it's a kid...Well, maybe she just didn't know better?"
"A viable theory" says White.

Doublethink's research via datalink about the Adrian household yields some data. Kathy is the seven year-old daughter of Marty and Laura Adrian ((a no-prize to whoever gets the obscure reference)). Laura's a secretary at a small accounting firm - in fact, DT vaguely recognizes her as someone who used to go to the same church as him several years ago (apparently, until she got married to Marty and moved to another part of town). Marty was an elementary school teacher until his death from cancer, a few weeks prior to Kathy's birth. The family, while above the poverty line, seems to be struggling to make ends meet.
There isn't that much online data on Kathy herself. School records suggest a mostly normal seven year-old girl. Perhaps a bit smart and tomboyish.
Jane also informs DT that a missile has been launched at the Zenicopter from the ground and will hit in 0.093 seconds.

The explosion doesn't destroy the Zenicopter. In fact, it doesn't even breach the hull. But you're guessing it included some kind of EMP or electronic disruption, because your vehicle's systems shut down, and the Zenicopter crashes into the street on its side. "Thank God for seatbelts", mutters the journalist.

[mutecebu]

((Man, I leave you guys alone for a few months and what, you start tormenting mothers! Forsooth! No, sorry for up and disappearing like that. When I’m not in the habbit of posting, I have a moral objection against renewing time-wasting addictions like this :P .))


His eyes light up (not literally) ((lol!))


You guys have all the subtlety and tact of Godzilla.
((I am Zenith, hear me roar!))


DT vaguely recognizes her as someone who used to go to the same church as him several years ago((Yay, backstory!))

~~~


the Zenicopter crashes into the street on its side. "Thank God for seatbelts", mutters the journalist.DT is shaken, but acts quickly. He unbuckles his belt and gets on his feet. He checks his own systems to see if he's ready for combat, if so, he tries to get a door open to surround the fallen chopper with a shield.

((If the door doesn't open, DT forms the barrier inside to guard the passengers then points to the door above him and shouts:
"Nightbane! Knock out the door!))

[sun_tzu]

((Yay, backstory!))
((I figured, hey, why the heck not?))


DT is shaken, but acts quickly. He unbuckles his belt and gets on his feet. He checks his own systems to see if he's ready for combat, if so, he tries to get a door open to surround the fallen chopper with a shield.

((If the door doesn't open, DT forms the barrier inside to guard the passengers then points to the door above him and shouts:
"Nightbane! Knock out the door!))
As soon as DT emerges from the Zenicopter, a bullet impacts against the shield he's erected. It almost breaks through - not a regular weapon, obviously enough.
You think the shot came from a nearby tree. You're only a ten-minute walk away from the Adrian household...

[fireinthedust]

EA becomes vapour and pours out from the wreckage next to DT's shield. Huh. Hey, how'd you get... are we being shot at? The nerve! I guess we should go get him, huh? Although, the house is only ten minutes... one sec.

Incorporeal, clour-EA sours towards the source of the shots. He's considering options for Alternate Forms, but is hoping whatever form he takes will include stomping on a sniper.

[mutecebu]

DT shouts at the Zenith and their guests inside the chopper:

“EMP-missiles and high-powered riffles. They’re well-equipped.”

DT activates his sensor array and tries to find the enemies.

“Guys, I’m worried about the Adrians. EA, I think you and Owl should fly ahead while we cover you. Nightbane, Gerit, we’ll need an angry volcano and a beast pretty soon. Bravado, I’m not sure what you can do until you can close into melee.”

Jane, be a dear and find out who else might be interested in either hanging near the Adrians or shooting at us. Also, I’ll need to borrow some of your processing power soon.

((When/if I get the enemy locations I’ll try out the Master Plan technique!))

[sun_tzu]

"Wait!" Tony speaks up. "Emerald Agent, before you go, take this." The journalist throws his cell phone to the green hero.

DT's sensor array can't really detect the attackers...But it can detect some wireless communication. It's hard to tell apart hostile communications from those of harmless citizens, but there's definitely something up the three you think the shot came from. A bit like a walky-talky.

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

The sudden shock of the missile hitting the Zenicopter wasn't so bad. Plummeting out of the sky like an armor-plated rock full of juicy treats inside, however, was a little more jarring. Zach leapt from the open door, and landed in front of DT with little effort. His eyes scanned the area, looking for sniper positions. "Come on out and fight in the open, scumbag!" Zach shouted.

[fireinthedust]

EA catches the phone (barely fumbling at all... hey, he's a doctor (of chemistry) not an outfielder!) and hefts it, getting a feel for it. Ah, good. A cell phone!

with that he soars at top speed to the Adrians' house, in his mist form. In the back of his mind, he thinks I really hope I'm not leaving my friends for nothing!

When he gets tot he house, without stopping, the cloud of fast-flying mist surveys the scene before simply bursting through a window. Adrians! Zenith Watch here to help you, now get down!

ea is on high alert, with no worries about embarassment. He's hoping to draw the fire of any super-baddies int he house.

[sun_tzu]

EA catches the phone (barely fumbling at all... hey, he's a doctor (of chemistry) not an outfielder!) and hefts it, getting a feel for it. Ah, good. A cell phone!
********************************************
with that he soars at top speed to the Adrians' house, in his mist form. In the back of his mind, he thinks I really hope I'm not leaving my friends for nothing!

When he gets tot he house, without stopping, the cloud of fast-flying mist surveys the scene before simply bursting through a window. Adrians! Zenith Watch here to help you, now get down!

ea is on high alert, with no worries about embarassment. He's hoping to draw the fire of any super-baddies int he house.

((The stuff before the red asterisks happened. The rest? Not so much. You can't carry a cell phone with you in mist form, remember? Can still fly, though...))

Suddenly, things happen very, very quickly.
Tony's cell phone emits a powerful electric surge through EA's hand, knocking him to the ground ((Stunned and Staggered)). In a split second, Tony pulls out a gun and shoots an omni-metal tipped bullet at Eagle Owl - it is only by the slimmest of margins that Eagle Owl's quick reactions prevent the bullet from reaching his heart ((Stunned, Bruised, Injured)). In the second that follows, agent White's arms elongate; his hands, moving forward like missiles, catch Tony's hands, slamming them against the Zenicopter's wall (well, it's normally its floor, but right now...) above his head.
"Ah, I see." Tony doesn't sound worried at all. For that matter, his voice sounds completely different from before. Not a weird voice, just...not the same one as before. "You're not FBI any more than I'm a journalist. Small world, commie."
"Small world, son of a bitch." While White's expression remains cold, you get the distinct impression there's no lost love between the two, to say the least.
"Never met her, so I'll take your word for it." 'Tony' smirks. The next instant, he suddenly turns translucent, then slips through White's elongated arms...then through the Zenicopter's hull...he's fully invisible by the time he passes through.

((Intangibility's a bitch, and so are certain plot twists.))

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Zach spun around in bewilderment, losing the full effect of his growling and generally looking scary. He stared, dumbfounded, at the translucent double-crosser as he seeped away into nothingness. Zach's eyes narrowed and he darted toward the smoking EA.

"Wait, wait, wait... We're getting attacked from the inside now?" he asked to no one in particular. Before anyone could answer, however, he attempted to grab the "FBI" agent and hold him still. Quietly, he whispered into the agent's ear, "FBI eh, comrade?"

[fireinthedust]

EA struggles to throw the cellphone away from himself. Uuungh!

[mutecebu]

Doublethink

“Hold on, Nightbane; White’s an ally. I’m really worried about the Adrians now, lets get going. Eagle, are you OK? Gerit, you’re fast on your feet; can you try to reach the Adrians? We’ll back you up as soon as we can.”

Jane says into Nightbane’s communicator:
See that tree? Check it out. Something’s there, but DT doesn’t want to risk shooting blindly in case it’s not the other assailant. Jane uses the holograms to conjure a dot that, from Nightbane’s perspective, singles out the source of the transmissions.

When DT wanted to silently send messages through the communicators Jane usually used her voice; her voice synthesizing software could make one from scratch but it always sounded a bit off when it imitated someone else’s.

DT acts like his attention is elsewhere, but prepares to spin around and shoot a torrent of shots at Nightbane’s supposed prey.

((EDIT: prepare action, attack on full-auto if he decides it's hostile, in case it wasn't obvious))

[Dorni]

Gerit

Unlike the others, Gerit hadn't been strapped in when the Zenicopter crashed. Only a timely shift to his sturdier Tiger form had saved him a serious injury. He'd been picking himself up off the ground when Tony struck, and he knew it that only White's quick response had spared the rest of the team. He'd let the team down.

Gerit shoved himself too his feet, ready to hunt down Tony when DT's command stopped him. The barred fangs and piercing eyes he threw DT were the Tiger's equivalent of a glare. It only took Gerit a moment to realize that as much as he wanted to avenge himself on Tony, DT was right. Whoever was out there had been waiting in ambush. DT hadn't even bothered to evade the missle, so it had to have been launched from almost directly beneath them. To have a riflemen trained on them already suggested the same. To be in a position like that meant that whomever was out there had been tracking their movements, and more importantly, knew their destination. If they knew that, they had to know why the Zenith Watch had been headed there as well. It would take time for the rest of the team to neutralize their ambushers, time that may just determine the fate of the Adrians. After taking a point-blank bullet like that, Eagle Owl wouldn't be going anywhere for awhile. No one else could reach the Adrians as fast as Gerit could.

Gerit rose up into his hybrid form and nodded to DT. "I'll run ahead and meet you guys at the Adrians. I'll be careful and scout first. EA, can you create some mist or something to block the sniper's view? I have a feeling I'll need the cover." His serious look fades to a grin as he turns to nightbane. "Looks like you'll finally have to do some work, rockhead."

With that, the hybrid jumped and grabbed the lip of the doorway and swung himself upwards, flying out feet first and curling around in mid-air, coming to a landing with the Zenicopter between himself and the clump of trees the snipers were posted in. Gerit wasted no time returning to his Tiger shape and darting across the nearest lawn and between two houses, escaping the line of fire. After coming out on the next street, Gerit turned and raced down the sidewalk towards the Adrian house. He didn't know exactly where the house was, but it wouldn't take him long to find.

[Blackbird]

Stupid, stupid, stupid... Blind trust almost got me killed. Barely had time to see the gun coming out. Eagle Owl waves away Doubletalk's question, grimacing. "I'll live, just need to catch my breath. New rule: no reporters on the Zenicopter, okay?" He grimaces as he feels his side where the bullet hit him. Better side than heart.

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Letting go of his suspicion for the moment, Zach turned toward the tree. He listened carefully to the message Jane told him, and gave not so much as a nod. Leaping into the air suddenly, Zach hoped to catch an unknown assailant off guard.

OOC: If I find someone that looks suspicious by the tree, I'll attempt to hold them down.

[sun_tzu]

As Tiger Claw races across the street, a bullet is shot. In tiger form, Gerit moves far faster than a car would; his agility makes him that much harder to hit. Even so, the bullet only narrowly misses his head and goes to obliterate a nearby fire hydrant. Definitely not a normal gun.
Fortunately, this time Doublethink was able to see where the bullet came from. It is the tree the wireless communication was coming from. In the following couple of seconds, a hail of bullets are fired by the fast thinker - and Doublethink's weapon is hardly a normal gun, either. Soon afterwards, a man with camo clothing, a high-tech sniper gun, and multiple holes in his body falls from the tree (along with some branches).
The next second, something flies from behind a nearby house: Another man, this time armed with a bazooka and using a jet-pack. Right before he shoots, White's right hand takes a thin, pointy shape, and his arm elongates over 60 feet in less than half a second. The good news are that his hand impales the flying attacker; the bad news is that he still has enough time to shoot, for lack of time to aim: The missile, instead of hitting your group, explodes in a nearby backyard. The two-storied house the backyard belonged to is badly damaged, a large chunk of it blown away, the rest on fire. A nearby tree has been broken in half by the shockwave.

DT: From where you're standing, you can't tell if there's anyone inside...But from all the fire, you suspect the part that was blown up included the kitchen, with its gas reserve. Also...You don't have the data to run precise calculations at the moment, but you think the house's entire structure is going to collapse any second now. Unless something can hold it up for a little bit longer.

[mutecebu]

New rule: no reporters on the Zenicopter, okay?
"Agreed. Sorry, my fault."

DT is tense. He can't see anyone, but *someone* knocked the chopper down and shot at him. The tony guy could still be around, too.

((Still scanning and getting ready to spin around and start shooting. Can I spend a hero point to boost my detection abilities? Boost Spot check, add detection feats, etc? I can't remember, doesn't DT have see invisibility? Not sure of the new character sheet.))

[sun_tzu]

"Agreed. Sorry, my fault."

DT was tense. He couldn't see anyone, but *someone* shot the chopper down and sniped eagle. The tony guy could still be around, too.

((Still scanning and getting ready to spin around and start shooting. Can I spend a hero point to boost my detection abilities? Boost Spot check, add detection feats, etc? I can't remember, doesn't DT have see invisibility? Not sure of the new character sheet.))

((Eagle got shot by "Tony". As for the rest...Did you post before reading my own post?))

[mutecebu]

((Right. Fixed.))

((Oops, my previous post was before I read yours.))

Doublethink stresses out, but panic rarely hinders his actions. He jumps into action, extending his shield as fast as possible to provide what support he can to the collapsing house. With his other arm he swings around and sends more bullets back at the jet-pack-bazooka-man. Man, what would he do without 360 degree vision!

"Nightbane! Get in there and help them get out!

As much as he hated asking that of his friend, he knew the giant could probably stand a building collapsing on him if it came to that.

"EA, see what you can do about the house. Either reinforce it or turn the roof to water or SOMETHING!"

DT was already planning, running ballistics calculations, aiming, manipulating a forcefield, bossing around his teammates, worrying about Gerit and *two* innocent families; he didn't have time to be nice.

"White, how good is your damage sink? Can you take bullets? Bravado, we three are going to make a run for it."

EA and Owl looked in bad shape. DT figured, once the house was OK, he would get Nightbane to carry them to the Adrians' house. That was a weakness in the group; they had no good method of field-medication. Maybe DT could acquire some experimental medical nannites? Hey, maybe Ms. Adrian would have some tips for them. DT wondered if her powers would work on bullet wounds.

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Zach had about a full second to himself once he landed near the tree. The goon lying before him would have to wait, however, as an explosion and DT's commanding voice filled the air. Zach whipped his head around and charged straight for the collapsing house. "Gotta make sure nobody is in there! C'mon Zach, move faster!!" he screamed in his head.

"Get goin'! I'll take care of this!" he yelled to those of the group that were able to move.

[mutecebu]

"Alright, lets move! Bravado, grab the med kit and help Eagle!"

DT wished he could guard Eagle and EA, but he was devoting his shield's full capabilities to keeping the building together.

"Hang in there, Eagle. Sorry for stealing your target, Nightbane."

[Dorni]

Gerit

Gerit knew he could have turned around at the sound of the explosion, but didn't. After hearing the hurried orders over his comlink, he could follow everything. DT had sent Gerit ahead while they fought their way clear. He wouldn't insult the man by turning around now.

After racing another block away from the battle, Gerit ducked between two houses and slid to a stop. He had a general idea where the girl lived, but he wasn't fond of the idea of racing up and down the street comparing addresses when the same group that had ambushed them already might be lying in wait. Gerrit hurriedly shifted to his hybrid form and growled into the comlink DT had replaced their checkerboard cards with. "DT, I'm clear of the ambush site. I've never been to this subdivision before, I need a route and location on the house. I'm a block and a half north of you. There's gotta be a satalite photo of the area online."

[fireinthedust]

EA, getting over the shock, shifts to radiation form. He soars into the house that was struck by the missile, looking for survivors. Before the house caves in, he extends his radiation to affect the air. It congeals, the vapour and air molecules bonding and changing to become a thick foam (almost styro, not quite funny), a design he'd been considering to replace airbags in car crashes, after watching "Demolition Man".

Someone get to the Adrians! These guys will keep distracting us until we get there!

ooc: EA uses a Hero point to shrug off the staggered effect. Then zips over to the house, hoping to "notice/spot/search" for survivors. Then Transform the air into demolition man foam (good movie, if ridiculous).
I'm thinking these guys are going to keep shooting at us or civilians while someone else gets to the Adrians' house.

[sun_tzu]

"White, how good is your damage sink?"
"Pretty good. I'll take a look at the surrounding area." His legs and neck then extend several dozens of feet, and, like a human spring, White jumps from street to street, surveying the area. Despite the speed at which he's operating, you're getting the feeling that he's being rather methodical.


ooc: EA uses a Hero point to shrug off the staggered effect. Then zips over to the house, hoping to "notice/spot/search" for survivors. Then Transform the air into demolition man foam (good movie, if ridiculous).
I'm thinking these guys are going to keep shooting at us or civilians while someone else gets to the Adrians' house.
((You can't turn the air into something non-gaseous, but let's say you used remains of the roof...))
The heat is quite painful, but EA manages to get close enough to see someone on the upper floor: Some boy who looks about ten, and seems to be desperately looking for something. He's shouting, but you can't hear clearly over the sound of the flames.


Zach had about a full second to himself once he landed near the tree. The goon lying before him would have to wait, however, as an explosion and DT's commanding voice filled the air. Zach whipped his head around and charged straight for the collapsing house. "Gotta make sure nobody is in there! C'mon Zach, move faster!!" he screamed in his head.

"Get goin'! I'll take care of this!" he yelled to those of the group that were able to move.
The flames can't hurt Nightbane as he rushes through the burning house. As you enter the living room, you see someone lying on the floor. A young woman, probably in her late thirties. Some bruises, unconscious (probably from the explosion), but still breathing.


Gerit knew he could have turned around at the sound of the explosion, but didn't. After hearing the hurried orders over his comlink, he could follow everything. DT had sent Gerit ahead while they fought their way clear. He wouldn't insult the man by turning around now.

After racing another block away from the battle, Gerit ducked between two houses and slid to a stop. He had a general idea where the girl lived, but he wasn't fond of the idea of racing up and down the street comparing addresses when the same group that had ambushed them already might be lying in wait. Gerrit hurriedly shifted to his hybrid form and growled into the comlink DT had replaced their checkerboard cards with. "DT, I'm clear of the ambush site. I've never been to this subdivision before, I need a route and location on the house. I'm a block and a half north of you. There's gotta be a satalite photo of the area online."

((Assuming DT and Jane sent the directions))
As Tiger Claw rushes toward the Adrian household, he sees some vehicle - a bit like a silent helicopter or something - hovering next to it. Black-clad commandos are loading into it an unconscious little girl you recognize as the one from the picture. Two others are posted as sentries in front of the house, and you manage to notice one in camo hidden in a nearby tree.
Their equipment looks familiar. Really, they look a lot like the Shadow agents you fought during the Megalopolis free-for-all.

Meanwhile, Bravado is tending to Eagle Owl's wounds. There's some pretty neat stuff in the Zenicopter's first-aid kit - enough to stop the bleeding, at least.

[fireinthedust]

((You can't turn the air into something non-gaseous, but let's say you used remains of the roof...))
The heat is quite painful, but EA manages to get close enough to see someone on the upper floor: Some boy who looks about ten, and seems to be desperately looking for something. He's shouting, but you can't hear clearly over the sound of the flames.


EA flies over and grabs the boy, becoming rubber at the same time, gives a quick look around the room for fallen relatives, puppies, etc. While the heat is intense, his immunity to poisons renders him safe from the smoke; not so any others in the house.
If he doesn't spot anyone, he extends one fist to elasti-smash the nearest window, and the other arm to plant the boy down on the ground safely. He then risks a moment to transform the air in the room into something inert (helium or nitrogen? something other than poison gas) to put out some of the flames and buy him some time, then back into breathable air without the smoke; after that he gives another look for whoever the boy was looking for, becoming radiation again and moving through items.
If he does spot someone else, he yells Hold your breath, kid! before making the air inert and then breathable again; he takes a second to gather them both up, then elasti-kicks the window out, and moves out himself.


After that: Kid, get somewhere safe! and hasten to the Adrians'.

[sun_tzu]

EA flies over and grabs the boy, becoming rubber at the same time, gives a quick look around the room for fallen relatives, puppies, etc. While the heat is intense, his immunity to poisons renders him safe from the smoke; not so any others in the house.
If he doesn't spot anyone, he extends one fist to elasti-smash the nearest window, and the other arm to plant the boy down on the ground safely. He then risks a moment to transform the air in the room into something inert (helium or nitrogen? something other than poison gas) to put out some of the flames and buy him some time, then back into breathable air without the smoke; after that he gives another look for whoever the boy was looking for, becoming radiation again and moving through items.
If he does spot someone else, he yells Hold your breath, kid! before making the air inert and then breathable again; he takes a second to gather them both up, then elasti-kicks the window out, and moves out himself.


After that: Kid, get somewhere safe! and hasten to the Adrians'.

((Getting a bit ahead of ourselves, aren't we?:smallwink: ))

Emerald Agent doesn't see anyone else in the room, but manages to carry the kid to safety. Right before you drop him on the ground, the kid screams "Felix! Felix is still somewhere inside!"

((There was...one more room upstairs, not counting what was destroyed in the explosion.))

[fireinthedust]

EA zips up in radiation form, fully expecting Felix to be a cat, dog, fish or imaginary friend.

ooc: well, it's a round-by-round description. Buh, I wonder if we shouldn't skip saving people for the greater good. villains keep using it against us!

[sun_tzu]

EA zips up in radiation form, fully expecting Felix to be a cat, dog, fish or imaginary friend.

ooc: well, it's a round-by-round description. Buh, I wonder if we shouldn't skip saving people for the greater good. villains keep using it against us!

((Well, in this case at least, it was unintentional. Jetpack-guy just had trouble aiming for you, what with there being a large hole in his body where White's arm was.))

As EA flies back up, he has some difficulty entering the remaining room due to the flames. However, a quick chemical conversion turns some remaining clutter into the same anti-combustion foam as before; with it, he can weaken the flame enough to go forward. Once inside the room, you find a terrified little black-and-white kitten meowing in a corner.

[fireinthedust]

Images of EA kicking the kitten out the window flit through his imagination

((ooc: I say as I remove one of three cats from my lap for the millionth time while typing))

but the hero pushes those thoughts away as he uses his radiation blast to open a hole in the roof big enough for the two of them to fly through. He picks up the kitten, nuzzles it briefly, and soars in solid form through the hole.

His flight path is sure: drop Felix with the kid, then zip at mach five (or best possible sprint while flying) to the Adrians' house.

[mutecebu]

"DT, I'm clear of the ambush site. I've never been to this subdivision before, I need a route and location on the house. I'm a block and a half north of you. There's gotta be a satalite photo of the area online."

DT complies without answering, and displays a map of the surrounding area with a suggested route and possible sniper locations highlighted. It wasn’t perfect; DT could only get a driving-directions quality satellite photo in short notice, but he inferred what he could from the green and white pixels.

((Assuming he sees Zach exit safely with victim in tow))
“Anyone else in there?”

((Assuming Zach gives a negative and DT doesn’t see anyone himself with penetrating vision))
The force-field supports broaden and stretch to surround the house. As soon as they seal it air-tight DT stumbles as the force-field buckles; he had forgot the vacuum effect that would result. He allows the shield to contract, and then dismisses it when the fires subside.

“Time’s up, Eagle. Take some adrenaline if you need to, but we’re moving!

Time was of essence here. Eagle was a soldier; of the whole team DT knew Eagle was the least likely to let an injury get in the way of action. That man had some inner fire that DT admired.

((For the physics behind that fire watch this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=V4uohzKHhOg ))

[fireinthedust]

((you realize you've just given EA a toolbox of ideas for what to do with a hero point and transform, eh?))

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Zach rushed into the house uncaring of the flames, and picked up the unconscious woman. Holding her in his arms, he hoped to shield her from the heat. Knowing there could be more people inside, Zach ran through the lower level, until satisfied no one else is around.

[sun_tzu]

The kid is soon reunited with his kitten and the unconscious woman (his mother, according to Jane); the latter is hurt, but you think she'll pull through. None of you can find anyone else in the burning house, and soon afterwards, DT's force-field cuts off the fire's oxygen, putting it out.

((Leaving Dorni and Blackbird time to post too. Assuming DT or Jane have already called the firefighters and an ambulance.))

[mutecebu]

Jane did, and gave DT grief for not remembering to do it himself.

You know, some people get *paid* to handle these things. :smalltongue:

[Blackbird]

Eagle Owl shakes his head to try and clear it as Bravado stops his bleeding with the 'copters first-aid kit. Hearing DT's words, he pushes himself to his feet, feeling ashamed at slowing the team down. EA's right, every moment we spend here gives our opponents more time to work at the Adrians' house.

With a few beats of his wings he rises up into the air, slightly wobbly at first but steadying himself quickly. "I'm alright, lets go." Eagle Owl flies after Gerit, keeping low and close to any cover.

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Zach double checked the woman to make sure she was alive. Satisfied, he runs off after the team in the direction of the Adrian's house. I hope we aren't too late...

[mutecebu]

DT nods to Bravado, and takes off at a sprint. “That was a good patch job. Let’s go.”
It was kind of funny; DT had never run like this since high school track. He was big into track then, but that was an eternity ago. DT jogged regularly as part of his fitness routine, but he’d rarely run like this in a combat situation. DT keeps his shield up and his sensors hot, on the lookout for snipers.

[Dorni]

Gerit

Hidden behind a hedge row several houses down, Gerit considered his options.

There were no options.

Gerit exploded from the hedges and raced towards the commando's loading the girl into the strange hovercraft. He didn't have time to deal with the sentries; he simply had to trust that his speed would foil the sentries aim as he charged. Once he got in close he had to hope the snipers wouldn't risk hitting the girl.

At the last instant before Gerit's Tiger form smashing into the commandos, Gerit lashed out with a paw that morphed into a humanoid fist.


Gerit is going to charge at the commandos carrying the girl, using his Power Attack feat to add +2 to the damage (effectively moving the charge attack bonus to the damage save)

Spending a Hero Point to gain temporary access to the Takedown Attack feat.

Assuming the first attack disables a commando, Gerit will use his second attack to Improved Grapple the next nearest commando. On success Gerit will pin him, twisting his arm behind his back then grabbing both arm and tunic with one hand, hoisting him into the air like a shield.

If these commandos count as minions, I'll use any extra attacks from Takedown Attack to attack more commandos with Gerit's free hand.

[sun_tzu]

As the main group leaves the smoldering house and heads in the Adrians' direction, White begins striding there with his legs elongated to a length of 40 feet.

Gerit manages to rush past the sentries before they can react. As he approaches the commandos with the little girl, he goes into hybrid form. You are only ten feet away from them when someone appears in front of you, as if out of thin air (or rather, as if he dropped the intangibility and became visible). The face looks all different, even the mustache is gone, but the scent is unmistakably Tony's. The kick to the face is chángquán kung-fu. ((Bruised)) It stops you in your attack and sends you back for a second...which is enough time for the two sentries to shoot at you. One of them hits. The good news are, you're still in one piece - it was some kind of tranq gun (perhaps they didn't want to use lethal weapons in proximity to their query). The bad news are, whatever they put in it, it's quite strong; as you collapse, you can vaguely make out "Tony" saying "Come on, let's move!" "Yes sir!"

Eagle Owl, Emerald Agent and White arrive on the scene to find Tiger Claw sprawled on the ground, and the strange vehicle taking off silently and turning invisible mid-air.
"Dammit!" White rushes forward, flailing his elongated arms in an attempt to catch the vehicle. No such luck.

((Eagle Owl, take a hero point for getting sucker-shot by Tony. Tiger Claw, take one for getting sucker-kicked in front of the sentries' line of fire. DT, EA and Nightbane, take one for rescuing the family from the house. Everyone, take one for the setback of the bad guys escaping with the girl.))

[fireinthedust]

EA shoots in the direction of the copter, arms out and glowing. In a moment he transforms as much of the air around the flying machine into paint-mist. The idea is the same as during the mirror-challenge with Madman: cover invisible stuff with something so they can track them, then try to hit the shield as best they can.

I transform the air, and follow along with the copter

[sun_tzu]

EA shoots in the direction of the copter, arms out and glowing. In a moment he transforms as much of the air around the flying machine into paint-mist. The idea is the same as during the mirror-challenge with Madman: cover invisible stuff with something so they can track them, then try to hit the shield as best they can.

I transform the air, and follow along with the copter

Good idea...But by the time you get there, the vehicle is already too far away.

[mutecebu]

DT curses inwardly as he sees the top of the vehicle peek over the trees and houses, then disappears. He shoots madly and stretches his shield out as far as it would go, trying to hinder it in some way. When his efforts appear fruitless, DT visibly quakes with frustration. They were SO CLOSE, realizing the danger much earlier than anyone else could have, and they failed. And in all likelihood it was DT's fault, for compromising the team by letting the reporter on.

Blinking aside tears DT barrels through the door into the Adrians' house, barely bothering to scan for booby traps, and shouts,
"Mr. and Mrs. Adrian, are you alright? We're the Zenith Watch, we're here to help."

[sun_tzu]

DT curses inwardly as he sees the top of the vehicle peek over the trees and houses, then disappears. He shoots madly and stretches his shield out as far as it would go, trying to hinder it in some way. When his efforts appear fruitless, DT visibly quakes with frustration. They were SO CLOSE, realizing the danger much earlier than anyone else could have, and they failed. And in all likelihood it was DT's fault, for compromising the team by letting the reporter on.

Blinking aside tears DT barrels through the door into the Adrians' house, barely bothering to scan for booby traps, and shouts,
"Mr. and Mrs. Adrian, are you alright? We're the Zenith Watch, we're here to help."

((Wow. DT must really be upset if he's forgetting stuff like Mr Adrian being deceased for years.))

When Doublethink barges inside the house, one the first things he sees is Miss Adrian.
Sobbing.
With what looks a lot like a Shadow Beta agent holding her from behind, his left hand holding an army knife against her throat, and his right hand holding an automatic weapon in your direction.
"Zenith Watch." his voice is none too friendly, but nevertheless calm and collected as he maintains his hostage between the two of you, with his back to one of the inner walls. "I do believe we still owe you for December. But Shadow always wins in the end - it just takes a bit longer some of the times.
Apparently, the team left before I could hop in. Understandable...The girl is too valuable to risk a confrontation. We were warned that this could happen.
So. Doublethink. This looks to me like a Mexican standoff...but I have the human shield. Miss Adrian here is of no consequence to us. But it would reflect rather poorly on your record if I were to slit her throat, no?"

[fireinthedust]

Blast! Now what the heck do we do? EA flaots down to stand next to DT, only at the last second realizing what's happening.

[mutecebu]

((Wow. DT must really be upset if he's forgetting stuff like Mr Adrian being deceased for years.))((oops! :smallredface: ))

((Man, I should have scanned the inside before barging in. We might have sniped him.))

There it was, DT's gun on the agent and the agent's knife at Ms. Adrian's throat. Jane informs the rest of the party of the sticky situation, and politely asks Bravado to play medic again. DT considered the possibilities. If it came down to violence, the fastest team member for the situation was, well, DT himself. It was possible with the high muscle velocity of DT's gun he might be able to vanquish the officer before the Beta agent could harm the lady. However, he was dealing with a highly trained Beta officer and he probably shouldn't risk it.

The Beta officer really has no reason to murder Miss Adrian. They have their own moral code, and killing non-supers isn't high on the priorities list.
((Sun, correct me if this is way off the mark))

Talking seemed the most prudent course for the moment.

"Well, you should guard your bases better. It'd be a shame if we ended up finding and trashing another hideout, eh? But come now. You don't need her for your plans, and I can tell you're a Beta, but *you're* obviously not the highest priority here, either. So, you using the poor woman as a shield is not a necessary sacrifice for the greater good, but a cowardly ploy to save your own miserable hide. If she dies, it will be for your futile attempts at self-preservation, not for the glorious cause. Face it, no backup is coming, and we're not going to let you out of here unescorted. However, if Miss Adrian is harmed, I guarantee things will not go well for you."

While DT talks, Jane tells EA:
"EA, how fast do your transmutations work? Could you ruin the knife before he'd be able to stab her?

((Needless to say, preparing an action to shoot the Beta if the Beta attacks anyone, EA melts the knife, or any other opening presents itself. Using nonlethal setting. Hero point to re roll accuracy (don't want to hit Ms. Adrian.))

[sun_tzu]

The Beta officer really has no reason to murder Miss Adrian. They have their own moral code, and killing non-supers isn't high on the priorities list.
((Sun, correct me if this is way off the mark))
((Not high on their priority list? Sure. Not a big issue either, though.))


While DT talks, Jane tells EA:
"EA, how fast do your transmutations work? Could you ruin the knife before he'd be able to stab her?
((Considering it has a Touch range? I got my doubts.))


Talking seemed the most prudent course for the moment.

"Well, you should guard your bases better. It'd be a shame if we ended up finding and trashing another hideout, eh? But come now. You don't need her for your plans, and I can tell you're a Beta, but *you're* obviously not the highest priority here, either. So, you using the poor woman as a shield is not a necessary sacrifice for the greater good, but a cowardly ploy to save your own miserable hide. If she dies, it will be for your futile attempts at self-preservation, not for the glorious cause. Face it, no backup is coming, and we're not going to let you out of here unescorted. However, if Miss Adrian is harmed, I guarantee things will not go well for you."

He grins. "My continued existence as a Beta agent serves the cause well enough. Good agents don't grow on trees, you know.
And if you think I'm not willing to throw down with your lot if it comes down to it...You're dead wrong." His knife presses a bit into Miss Adrian's neck. Just a millimeter, not enough to endanger her life...but enough for a little blood to trickle down.
White is at the entrance, but stops when he sees the Mexican standoff.
"Ah. You." the Shadow agent remains impassible. "We've been wondering who you were working with these days."
"If you harm her," White somehow manages to sound menacing and calm at the same time, "I will remove all the bones in your hands one by one, then force them down your throat. Then I'll start getting unpleasant."

[fireinthedust]

While DT talks, Jane tells EA:
"EA, how fast do your transmutations work? Could you ruin the knife before he'd be able to stab her?


EA races through the possibilities, immediately throwing out an attempt to wrestle from across the room or fire a blast to snipe the agent. One possibility stands out: use his power to transmute the air into sleeping gas! The agent might notice before the gas takes effect, stabbing the mother and leaving the captive girl an orphan.
He would have to risk it, hoping that the agent would a) be slowed enough to not stab, allowing DT to shoot, and b) that so much sleeping gas wouldn't kill the mother. A nervous laugh passes through EA, calming him slightly at the thought of c) rushing off to get the girl back to bring her mother back before it's too late.

Without saying a word, letting the other heroes distract the beta, EA starts transforming the air in the room to sleeping gas.

[sun_tzu]

((Holy crap.:smalleek:
Er...Check the OOC thread.))

Suddenly, events start going so fast even Doublethink finds himself pressed for time.
As an initial wave of dizziness assaults everyone in the room, DT realizes that this is the effect of some kind of narcotic agent, probably in the air.
The Shadow officer has apparently realized something is off too, as his left hand begins pressing the knife into Miss Adrian's neck, while his right hand presses the trigger. Bullets begin flying in Doublethink's direction. They're so fast that even from your perspective, they hit almost as soon as they are shot; one after the other, they hit your force-field, until one of them finally breaks through with enough velocity to penetrate your chest by about an inch ((injured and bruised)).

((Bottom line...this is all happening extremely fast, so this one's mostly gonna be up to DT. I repeat: :smalleek: ))

((EDIT: On second thought, since mucetebu did say he was readying an action in case anything happened...))

The next instant, another shot resonates as a stun bullet leaves Doublethink's wristgun. Going at hypersonic speed, it goes past the agent and his hostage...then hits a small force-field construct generated right behind them, ricochets, and nails the agent on the back of his neck, releasing a powerful electric blast.
The next instant, the agent falls to the ground, unconscious; Miss Adrian follows, with a large, profusely-bleeding gash in her neck.

[mutecebu]

DT had wallowed in self-loathing enough, and frankly didn't have time for it anymore. He shouts for the med kit and examines Ms. Adrian. It was bad, but she might live.

"Get the Med kit here, STAT! Nightbane, I need you to move these people."

DT eyes the Beta and keeps his gun trained on him.
"Come on, man. What did you think would happen?" If the Beta is still dangerous, DT uses his weapon several more times and stops him with little regard to personal comfort.

"So, what do you think... should we interrogate him, or leave him for the cops?"

[sun_tzu]

((For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to assume you're all inside the house, except for Gerit.))

White looks down at the situation. "Dammit!" He then rushes to Miss Adrian's side, and tries to use his elastic hand to stop the bleeding, while his other hand pulls out what looks like a Checkerboard card. "Checkmate, she's in critical condition! She needs med, now!"
"On it." comes the digitalized voice from the card. "Bravado, go outside and bring Tiger Claw inside the room."
A second after Bravado ruses out, there's some kind of flash or something. Doublethink's systems barely have the time to realize you're being teleported.
You find yourself inside some high-tech compound. Checkmate is standing a few feet from you, grim-faced. What you guess is the medic team is rushing to help Miss Adrian, tending to her wound and applying some semi-liquid gel to her.

Doublethink: You're getting some wireless communication from the gel, so, almost certainly nanotech. Also, your GPS is showing...interesting coordinates. As in, thirty feet beneath the ground...of the Cryosphere.
This raises some interesting questions. In particular because, according to all reports, the force-fields surrounding the Cryosphere prevent teleportation.

A few seconds later, Bravado, carrying Gerit, is also teleported in.

White, visibly upset, talks to the mastermind: "Dammit all to Hell, Checkmate - Tony Gerden was Agent Zero! Bad enough that he fooled me, but how could it escape your attention?! Didn't the cards scan the nanomorphic gel on his face?! Didn't you find any holes in his background?! Weren't you supposed to be watching Shadow more closely than ever?!"
Checkmate's expression becomes even more unreadable, and not just because his glasses hide his eyes. "For your information, old friend, I couldn't warrant your operation as much attention as I would have liked to, for the simple reason that there was urgent need for me to investigate other possibilities."
"Other possibilities?"
"I do not believe you fully realize the scale of what we are dealing with. The ability to reverse entropy like Katherine Adrian does requires cosmic capabilities, possibly even control over the arrow of time. I had to give a certain amount of thought to the eventuality that this was a precursor sign to events of a greater magnitude - on the scale of the Man of Might, to the very least. To give but one of the numerous examples...what good would it have done if I had helped you figure out Shadow's infiltration, if the next moment, villains from the 25th century had attacked the Earth, using as a conduit the temporal powers they had retroactively given the Adrian girl?"
White seems taken aback. "That...is possible?"
"I'm not saying it is the case. That was simply an example to give you an idea of what I have been investigating while you were looking for the source of the thermodynamic miracles. This entire matter presented me with entirely new variables, and I needed to think them through."

[mutecebu]

DT's eyes widened at... everything. DT recognized the man from his visions.

As soon as DT's GPS coordinates register the location, without even an apology to Jane he immediately shuts off all connection to the outside, and checks to see if the base has a wireless network he could use. He sets his firewalls to the "Paranoid Schizophrenia" level (it's a scale from Virus Breeding Ground to Brick Wall).

Wow! Checkmate! This is... surprising. I knew the girl's abilities might have enormous ramifications, but those ideas never occurred to me. If there's any raw computation you need help with, Jane and I are at your service. Speaking of which, may I use my satellite connections? Would you prefer I use the local connection?

((I know there are a lot of questions to ask, but keeping his internet running is very important to him. :smallamused: ))

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

In the moments Zach had before being teleported, he made sure to secure the Beta in a deathgrip. He was not above pounding the agent back into submission should he begin to stir at all. He stood in the back of the group after the teleportation happened, though his eyes burned with white fire in the confusion. He could see it was friendly territory, and so let his eyes return to normal.

"Uh, guys... where are we?" Zach asked, finally seeing Checkmate. "Oh, nevermind. Look, is Ms. Adrian going to be ok? And do we have any way of tracking down that chopper? I've a feeling this goon isn't going to do much talking without some less-than-kosher tactics." He looked over at Eagle Owl and Agent White, knowing they were thinking the same thing.

[Blackbird]

Eagle Owl tenses at the sudden shift in surroundings, relaxing only a fraction as he recognises Checkmate. He'd already seen the results of misplaced trust. He tunes out the techno-babble, focusing instead on the med-team treating Ms. Adrian and the Beta gripped by Nightbane. "The faster we get the girl away from Shadows hands the better, so unless someone has other suggestions..." Eagle Owl turns to the Shadow agent. "...I think things are about to get unpleasant for our guest here." He takes a step towards the Beta, his talons raised as he feels the bloodlust creep over him.

[mutecebu]

DT raises his hand to stop Eagle Owl.

"Hold on. You'll get your chance. However, lets get him away from the bleeding mother before any other mortal wounds happen. If we need information Checkmate doesn't have we'll do this right, Sodium Pentothal, the whole nine yards."

((I was looking up truth drugs and the like, and apparently the placebo effect is one of the more potent aspects; I thought that was interesting.))

EDIT: changed "EA" to "Eagle Owl" :smallredface:

[sun_tzu]

"When it comes to Internet connection, Mr Rod, I suggest going through the local network. We've got one of the rare accesses in the area not monitored by Overseer." ((The infamous AI that works as "Big Brother" for Professor Cryo. Doublethink's definitely heard of it; the rest of you might or might not have, reasonably.)) "As for Miss Adrian. Verdict?"
"Not good" says one of the medics. "The nanos are on it, and we can probably save her from the Hemorrhage, but there's nerve damage, and the vocal cords are shot."
"More reason to recover her daughter ASAP, then."
Checkmate then turns to face your group. "Apparently, Shadow was quick to understand the value of the girl's powers. I am familiar with their way of thinking - they have, in likelihood, concluded that with her, they could offer perfect health and even immortality to any politician, businessman or power broker willing to throw in with their lot. Their dream of world conquest could become reality within two or three years. For this operation, they sent the best they had - intangibility devices, and the infamous Agent Zero. The latter is nothing short of a legend in the intelligence community." ((yeah, he's basically an evil James Bond.:smallbiggrin: ))

[mutecebu]

We've got one of the rare accesses in the area not monitored by Overseer.
DT whistled. He indeed used the system, as well as taking the opportunity to peek around the network to gather what he could. He reestablished contact with Jane, who was very interested, and attempted to learn any tips on non-detection she could.

"I agree. In light of the mother's state, I propose, if we are to take action, we do so immediately. As much as I regret not being present for the agent's awakening."

((EDIT: By "peek around" DT isn't trying to break into anything; he's just looking where he's allowed, following proper etiquette.))

[fireinthedust]

Sodium Penthothal... check. I'll get right to work. When I'm done, he'll talk faster than a toddler on espresso. Not that I've ever fed a tod... ahem.

EA flies over to the agent, rubbing his hads together, and checks to see if he's conscious.

[sun_tzu]

"White" gives you a dubious look. "You want to use sodium penthoal? On a Shadow Beta agent? That's like using aspirin as painkiller for second degree burns."
"The assessment is, unfortunately, accurate" says Checkmate. "I truth, I didn't want you to bring him here for interrogation so much as for plausible deniability. As we speak, holograms in your image (I have taken the liberty of copying your drones' design, Mr Rod) and those of the agent and a healthy Miss Adrian are seen leaving the Adrian household, fixing the zenicopter, and departing in it to go on with your mission. When you attack whichever base Shadow is holding the girl at, you will publicly claim to have obtained its whereabouts from the agent's interrogation. Shadow will know better...but I believe I can lead them to believe this is the Faction's doing.
That said, I will need some time to discover a decent lead. Feel free to look around - you've earned enough of Checkerboard's trust for that."
"Joy. Should I take the tour guide role?" says a voice behind you ((yes, there's scent detection and 360 vision for some of you. Not important right now)). It belongs to a young woman. Average height and build, clothes that strike a compromise between "casual" and "business-like", green eyes, blue hair.
"Ah, I don't believe you've been formally introduced." says Checkmate. "Serena, I do believe you know most of what there is to know about the Zenith Watch. Zenith Watch, meet Serena...My second-in-command."

EDIT: As for DT's peeking around the system...Well, it is extremely advanced. You wouldn't expect to find better hardware or software on Venture City. Of course, most files are not accessible as is...and you find yourself reminded of Checkmate's thesis on quantum encryption, looking at the security on this stuff.

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Zach, still holding onto the Shadow agent, looked around at everyone and said, "Ok, a tour sounds great, but what am I supposed to do with this guy?"

[sun_tzu]

Nightbane

Zach, still holding onto the Shadow agent, looked around at everyone and said, "Ok, a tour sounds great, but what am I supposed to do with this guy?"

"Let me handle him," says Checkmate. "he's not the first Shadow agent we got our hands on."

[sun_tzu]

"I suggest we leave them," Serena tells you. "Checkmate and White interrogating a Shadow agent is...not a pleasant sight. Come, I'll show you around..."

Doublethink: It's a bit of a hassle for Jane to communicate with you through Checkerboard's link...but, better that than risk a confrontation with Overseer. Interestingly, she's found data on the young woman:
Serena Cross. In her late 20s. Born in Atlanta to a struggling single mother. Grew up in a bad part of town. Some discipline problems according to her high school records, though they also indicate a keen intellect and a willingness to work hard. Entered Princeton on a scholarship, studying management and political science. Was a Mensa member for three months. Brilliant student...Interestingly, it seems she was part of a political discussion club the campus had...at around the same time as a certain Warren who went on to become Checkmate.
Mother's house burns down during third year at college. Her mother survived, but she had to take her in for a while. Graduated with honors, became a manager at a local company...Then, after a few years of a reasonably successful career, gives her one-week notice and disappears. That was years ago, and only a few months after Checkmate left Omnicorp and went scarce himself.

[Blackbird]

Eagle Owl gives Serena an odd look, though he follows her none the less. "'Pleasant' isn't the point, the point is getting the information we need as reliably and as fast as possible. Many lives are at stake here."

[sun_tzu]

Eagle Owl gives Serena an odd look, though he follows her none the less. "'Pleasant' isn't the point, the point is getting the information we need as reliably and as fast as possible. Many lives are at stake here."

"You don't need to tell me. I help run Checkerboard. I deal with this crap most of my waking time.
As for the information, don't worry. If that agent knows anything...White has been dealing with Shadow for longer than any of us was born, and Checkmate can "Hannibal Lecture" people faster than a telepath. And even if that agent knows nothing, we have other sources...like the nanos you allowed us to spread into some of Shadow's bases."

[fireinthedust]

EA leaves the Beta with the Checkerboard agents, and follows the rest of the team. He looks at the base, then thinks of the hundreds of villains over their heads. The Cryosphere.

So we're stuck waiting to find out where this little girl's being taken? How long do you think we have?

EA looks up at the ceiling. No, looking into his eyes you can see he's looking *past* the ceiling, to the streets of the Crysosphere.

Y'know... I'm sure there's nothing to be gained from wasted time. We could sit here waiting for a beta agent to crack *or* we could find something useful to do with ourselves. I mean, for all we know that girl could be in the local Shadow cell for the Cryosphere. Wouldn't it be worth our hile to check it out? Zeniths, you boys thinking what I'm thinking?

[sun_tzu]

EA leaves the Beta with the Checkerboard agents, and follows the rest of the team. He looks at the base, then thinks of the hundreds of villains over their heads. The Cryosphere.

So we're stuck waiting to find out where this little girl's being taken? How long do you think we have?

EA looks up at the ceiling. No, looking into his eyes you can see he's looking *past* the ceiling, to the streets of the Crysosphere.

Y'know... I'm sure there's nothing to be gained from wasted time. We could sit here waiting for a beta agent to crack *or* we could find something useful to do with ourselves. I mean, for all we know that girl could be in the local Shadow cell for the Cryosphere. Wouldn't it be worth our hile to check it out? Zeniths, you boys thinking what I'm thinking?

"Wouldn't do that if I were you, green-o" says a voice behind you. It's a man about your age; leather jacket, self-confident posture, and just about oozes "bad boy" from his pores. EA, you can feel that his chemical composition is...wrong. Like a tenth of his body mass was nanotech. "Up there, villains run the show. You wouldn't last ten minutes. And if the Big Bad Prof learned Checkmate let some heroes into his city, you can bet he's going to charge us a bigger rent or something, and Checkmate ain't gonna like that."
"Who the hell are you?" asks Bravado.
"Casey Claw. Professional Checkerboard ass-kicker. And you," he surveys your group, "would be the brainiac's new pet superhero team, hm?"
Serena seems slightly annoyed. "Casey...Don't you have anything better to do?"
"At the moment, no, not really."

[fireinthedust]

ooc: okay, I like this guy! more tonight!

[fireinthedust]

EA's nose is suddenly out of joint when looking at the brash newcomer. His mouth starts moving before his judgment can reign it in, and more than a hint of his Brooklyn accent kicks back in mid-sentence.

New? Pet Superhero team?! Whoa whoa, hold on there greased lightning, the Zenith Watch are independent contractors. That means we rate higher than some company stooge.

[sun_tzu]

EA's nose is suddenly out of joint when looking at the brash newcomer. His mouth starts moving before his judgment can reign it in, and more than a hint of his Brooklyn accent kicks back in mid-sentence.

New? Pet Superhero team?! Whoa whoa, hold on there greased lightning, the Zenith Watch are independent contractors. That means we rate higher than some company stooge.

Casey Claw laughs. "Well, I'll admit I'll take you over the Omni-Force's corporate lackeys any day."

Jane can't find Casey's identity...but his picture does come up in one police file: Apparently, the Mexico City cops want him for questioning after he killed a local supervillain nine months ago. This in itself sparked a gang war between local supervillain groups.

[Blackbird]

"So what exactly do you, besides shooting your mouth?" Eagle Owl turns his full attention on the newcomer, all thoughts of the tour slipping his mind.

[sun_tzu]

"So what exactly do you, besides shooting your mouth?" Eagle Owl turns his full attention on the newcomer, all thoughts of the tour slipping his mind.

"I rip people appart for a living." Casey clearly seems to enjoy the conversation. "I'm the guy Chess sends when a regular agent with a sci-fi gun just won't cut it. Sometimes I do stealth jobs too, but they've got better people for that. Like, you know...White." He makes 'quotation marks' with his fingers as he says the name.
"Rip people appart for a living." Bravado doesn't seem amused. "You mean, you're an assassin."
"He's more of an enforcer, really." says Serena. "This base is located in the Cryosphere, after all. We often need superpowered muscle to operate."

[Dorni]

Gerit

"Since you've danced around the point often enough, I might as well ask." The words came out slightly sluured. Even though Bravado's medpack had gotten Gerit on his feet, he hadn't completely shook of the tranquilizer. "Why exactly did you set up shop in the Cryosphere? Real estate hasn't gone up that much."

[sun_tzu]

Gerit

"Since you've danced around the point often enough, I might as well ask." The words came out slightly sluured. Even though Bravado's medpack had gotten Gerit on his feet, he hadn't completely shook of the tranquilizer. "Why exactly did you set up shop in the Cryosphere? Real estate hasn't gone up that much."

"This location has several advantages" Serena explains. "The Cryosphere is the nevralgic center of supervillainy across the world. The better we keep tabs on it, the better we are informed about the ongoing schemes of various villains. For instance, the reason we knew about Sismus's planned attack on Megalopolis was that he was head-hunting for allies in the Cryosphere, and our surveillance caught his meeting with the Ele...the Midas Gang.
Second, this is a good recruitment spot. Celerity is hardly the only Cryospheran who wants to bring down villains across the world; a substantial fraction of our agents were recruited here."
"Including me" says Casey, "but that had more to do with wanting to win."
"Finally," Serena ignores the enforcer, "there are certain...advantages...to operating in such a lawless place. Anywhere else, Checkerboard's activities would draw attention to it rather quickly. Here, we can almost go unnoticed."

[fireinthedust]

But not entirely. Which is why we can't just dial up a pizza to stuff in this Claw's craw.
Which brings us to the next question: why are we here? Obviously we need to get to that little girl, and fast, if we want to heal Mrs. Adrian. If that Beta doesn't talk, we might as well do some questioning of our own. I'm guessing that even a seedy underbelly like this has a seedy underbelly; one that's good for a few drinks and taking in a good cage match.
You think a Shadowy intellegence agency like Checkerboard can spare some Cryosphere disguises? If no-neck here can find leather duds like he's got, I'm guessing we'll be fine if we visit a dollar store. Then Checkmate can call us when he's got something.

EA does his best to charm the young lady.

((diplomacy/bluff/charisma/sex appeal check?
I just wanna tour the Cryosphere! Very Empire Strikes Back meets **** Tracey, I guess))

[Dorni]

Gerit

"Down boy." The weretiger shakes his head at EA. "Stirring up the Cryosphere on a cape-hunt would be a poor way to repay Checkerboard for their help. 'Sides, the Cryosphere isn't going anywhere, and we've got a little girl to worry about. Although," Gerit flicks a glance at Serena as he continues, "Whats the deal with the Adrian girl? I can see how being able to fix machines or heal people would be tremendously useful, but some of us don't have PHDs in physics. Why is manipulating entropy important enough to get this much attention?"

[sun_tzu]

But not entirely. Which is why we can't just dial up a pizza to stuff in this Claw's craw.
Which brings us to the next question: why are we here? Obviously we need to get to that little girl, and fast, if we want to heal Mrs. Adrian. If that Beta doesn't talk, we might as well do some questioning of our own. I'm guessing that even a seedy underbelly like this has a seedy underbelly; one that's good for a few drinks and taking in a good cage match.
You think a Shadowy intellegence agency like Checkerboard can spare some Cryosphere disguises? If no-neck here can find leather duds like he's got, I'm guessing we'll be fine if we visit a dollar store. Then Checkmate can call us when he's got something.

EA does his best to charm the young lady.

((diplomacy/bluff/charisma/sex appeal check?
I just wanna tour the Cryosphere! Very Empire Strikes Back meets **** Tracey, I guess))

You think "the young lady" might have blushed a little...but her tone and facil expression have remained exactly the same.
"Mister O'Hart, there isn't anyone in town for you to question.
When Professor Cryo took over, Shadow almost immediately moved in to infiltrate the Cryosphere. They found various opportunities, hiding spots, connections they could make. They built a local branch.
Then it turned out that most of the openings they had found were actually traps set for them by Cryo. Their local branch was little more than a tool for him to gather information on Shadow, rather than the other way around. He destroyed it, and to this day, Shadow is uncertain how much Cryo knows about them. To the best of our knowledge, the Cryosphere is one of the few metropolises in the world without its own Shadow cell.
Going outside is risky. Usage of superpowers will get you noticed, and if Cryo learns we let bona-fide superheroes into his city...well, it's not going to be pretty.
The only place I'd feel even remotely safe letting you hang out at would be within the few blocks surrounding this base - the area under Checkerboard's control. We try to maintain some amount of peace here...but, short of getting a hypothermia and getting to see up close how much the Cryosphere sucks, there isn't much for you to do there."


"Down boy." The weretiger shakes his head at EA. "Stirring up the Cryosphere on a cape-hunt would be a poor way to repay Checkerboard for their help. 'Sides, the Cryosphere isn't going anywhere, and we've got a little girl to worry about. Although," Gerit flicks a glance at Serena as he continues, "Whats the deal with the Adrian girl? I can see how being able to fix machines or heal people would be tremendously useful, but some of us don't have PHDs in physics. Why is manipulating entropy important enough to get this much attention?"
"Because it's immortality and perfect health in a can. Suppose you were the president of a powerful nation, and your wife had cancer, or your father was suffering from Alzheimer's...and Shadow could cure them, even take a decade off. All you'd need to do would be this little favor Shadow was asking.
Now, imagine that principle being applied on a large scale. How many of the rich and powerful wouldn't sell out to Shadow in exchange for something like this? For that matter, what's to stop them from resurrecting dead agents of theirs? Hell, they could start resurrecting old supervillains. Who wouldn't work for the organization whose health plan includes immortality?"
"Not a lot of people, I'll admit" says Casey. "Hm. Any chance we can recruit the girl once we get her away from Shadow?"
"I'll be certain to think about it."

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Zach stopped dead in his tracks. His white, pupil devoid eyes turned toward the conversation of immortality. "You can't be serious? Immortality at a whim? That's like being the right hand of a god. People can't just toy with that kind of thing! Consequence will be lost and chaos will ensue..." Zach's usual comedic and lighthearted demeanor was obviously now one of seriousness and worry. He looked at the rest of the Zenith Watch with a hard, far away look. "We can't let this happen guys. We just can't," he said, pounding a fist into the other hand.

[sun_tzu]

Nightbane

Zach stopped dead in his tracks. His white, pupil devoid eyes turned toward the conversation of immortality. "You can't be serious? Immortality at a whim? That's like being the right hand of a god. People can't just toy with that kind of thing! Consequence will be lost and chaos will ensue..." Zach's usual comedic and lighthearted demeanor was obviously now one of seriousness and worry. He looked at the rest of the Zenith Watch with a hard, far away look. "We can't let this happen guys. We just can't," he said, pounding a fist into the other hand.

"Yes, Mr Neely...It's a very serious risk.
We believe Cryo and Gatemaster got their hands on something that stopped their aging back in the early days of their partnership, but whatever it is, it apparently isn't mass-producible, as they they haven't been selling it to the 'aristocracy' of the Cryosphere. The Avatar hasn't aged a day since the 1920s, and Nollius, supposedly, has been around since the middle ages...but the Adrian kid is on a whole 'nother lover. In Shadow's hands, well..."

[fireinthedust]

((snip))"The Avatar hasn't aged a day since the 1920s, and Nollius, supposedly, has been around since the middle ages...but the Adrian kid is on a whole 'nother lover. In Shadow's hands, well..."

EA's eyes go wide, then squint. a whole 'nother lover? Please, tell me that was just a Freudian slip; otherwise, we should really spring into action, heh.

EA rubs his chin, thinking. Well, agent, I wonder if you've got something we *can* do while we wait for Checkmate's intel. I don't have to tell you I don't like sitting on my hands.

[sun_tzu]

As you keep walking, you pass by a hangar. There are six robots inside. Three of them are quadrupedal machines, approximately the size of a German shepherd, with what looks like a raygun turret on their back. Two of them are floating spheres the size of a soccer ball, surrounded by a barely-visible force-field. The sixth one is an enormous humanoid robot with an arm cannon, whose design reminds you a little bit of the Omnicorp Mecha-Tank (though they are not similar. This robot's design is sleeker and thinner). All of them are painted in black and white motifs.
EA: You can detect some interesting materials in the robots' hulls. Pure omni-metal, carbosteel, and various molecules you'd never even imagined (and can't possibly have been created without extensive usage of nanotechnology). Oddly, each one of them appears to have a sphere of complete vacuum somewhere inside them.


EA's eyes go wide, then squint. a whole 'nother lover? Please, tell me that was just a Freudian slip; otherwise, we should really spring into action, heh.
Serena chuckles. "Sorry, meant 'level' and got caught in Checkerboard slang. See, a 'lover' is something that can potentially screw you over...You see what I mean."


EA rubs his chin, thinking. Well, agent, I wonder if you've got something we *can* do while we wait for Checkmate's intel. I don't have to tell you I don't like sitting on my hands.
"Well, actually...I was hoping to get help from one of our other intel sources."
As she says that, she pushes the door marked "hydroponics". Inside, you find what could be described as a greenhouse if you weren't underground. Most of the stuff grown there seems to be there for practical use...but further down the room, you find a corner full of beautiful exotic plants. A mousy-looking (though kinda cute) woman with a big hat and long scarf appears to be tending to them, with a blond young man assisting her.
"Ahem. I hope I'm not bothering?" asks Serena, causing the two to jump and face you.
"N-no ma'm!" exclaims the young man. Those of you with good eyes can notice a "WWJD?" bracelet on his arm. "I was just helping Rose with the garden..."
"Well, I've certainly heard of worse ways to explain to her about the birds and the bees" says Casey, causing both of them to blush. Before they can protest, Serena cuts them short: "Enough. Nicholas Uderwood, meet our allies from the Zenith Watch. Zenith Watch, I present Nicholas Underwood, our magic expert."

DT: Jane can find a few scraps of information on Nicholas Underwood. Not much to tell, really - grew up in a small town not too far from Megalopolis, appears to have led an uneventful life until leaving the family home a few years ago...then nothing.
She finds more information on Rose, actually. Her name is Rose Tucker. Grew up in Megalopolis. Daughter of a florist. Her house was destroyed and her family killed when she was eight - collateral damage in a super-powered fight. Was subsequently raised by her aunt. Took to running the flower shop after high-school...then, a couple of years later, was arrested for using "mutant control over light and darkness" to unleash chaos downtown. Promptly arrested, convicted, and jailed. Escaped from jail within weeks, still on FBI's and FBSA's Wanted list.
...She certainly doesn't look like a deranged terrorist right now.:smalleek:

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

The mighty black behemoth raised a single hand and let it rock from side to side. "Yo," Zach said, more intent on the strange looking plants than anything else. However, some spark deep down inside him reminded him of some cosmic connection to this man. "So, magic huh? You mind if I ask what kind?" he asked, trying not to sound invasive.

[sun_tzu]

Nightbane

The mighty black behemoth raised a single hand and let it rock from side to side. "Yo," Zach said, more intent on the strange looking plants than anything else. However, some spark deep down inside him reminded him of some cosmic connection to this man. "So, magic huh? You mind if I ask what kind?" he asked, trying not to sound invasive.

"Oh...a bit of a generalist..." Nicholas appears a bit embarrassed by the question for some reason. "I wouldn't really call myself an expert..."
"Don't say that," Rose puts her hand on his shoulder. "You can do amazing things, Nick. Remember the scrying spell that saved an entire squad last month?"
Casey chuckles. "Nikki here somehow ended up with a cursed mystical artifact a few years ago, got possessed by an evil spirit thing, and almost destroyed his hometown before Chess showed up and kicked the spirit's ghostly ass. He's been with us ever since, and it turns out he remembers enough of his possession to cast spells the way the spirit did.
The funny part? His hobby is stage magic. Stage magic."

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

"Stage magic? Like a magician? Well, I bet the real thing has a lot more oomph, huh? Care to show us something?" Zach asked, his hands in front of himself for emphasis. Quickly, his eyes tried to catch those of Rose, accompanied by a quick smile.

[sun_tzu]

Nightbane

"Stage magic? Like a magician? Well, I bet the real thing has a lot more oomph, huh? Care to show us something?" Zach asked, his hands in front of himself for emphasis. Quickly, his eyes tried to catch those of Rose, accompanied by a quick smile.

Rose seems to flinch back. You can't tell if it's because she's terrified of your appearance, or because she's very shy. Possibly both.
"Well, I guess you could say magic is my hobby, and" Nicholas seems to struggle a bit here, "acausal effect generation is what I do for a living."
"Big, fancy words there. Really unlike you" says Casey. "You really hate calling it magic, hm?"
"Well, it's not the same thing!" Nicholas seems a little upset here, though you get the clear impression Casey intimidates him. "Magic is...well, it's all about distractions and clever tricks designed to create illusions. It's an art. The spell-casting thing...is just an unusual form of physics."
"This from a guy who knows as much about science as...well, me" Casey still seems amused. "You're parroting the boss's lecture about magic, aren't you?"
"I'm telling you, it's not..."
"Not magic. Yeah, yeah." Casey faces your group. "Touchy issue with the choir boy here. What he's desperately trying to say is that, even though he got these powers by getting possessed by something nasty, he hasn't actually made a deal with the Devil or any crap like his preacher used to talk about. Which everyone actually gets, but he still feels the need to repeat it whenever the subject comes up."

[sun_tzu]

"Yes, very interesting, but I'd still like to see a demonstration" says Bravado.
"Oh, right." Nicholas seems to focus a little, and, with a weak "bamf", a top hat appears in his hand. "That was a little object creation spell." He then aims his hand in a direction away from the group, and a blast of flames suddenly erupt - you can feel the heat from where you're standing. "Fire spell. I can do ESP, some telepathy, teleportation...Like I said, I'm a generalist."

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Zach grinned as the top hot appeared, able to appreciate some magical humor like anyone else. However, the flames caught him a little off guard, as he wasn't expecting anything near as showy. "Nicely done. Generalists are toolboxes; perfect for any situation. As a matter of fact, we have one of those ourselves. Isn't that right, Greenthumb? Oh wait, you're just a tool," he said, jokingly to EA. "I kid... This green dude is invaluable whether you need a gag prop or not. Oh yeah!" he adds, trying to sound like Koolaid.

[sun_tzu]

Nightbane

Zach grinned as the top hot appeared, able to appreciate some magical humor like anyone else. However, the flames caught him a little off guard, as he wasn't expecting anything near as showy. "Nicely done. Generalists are toolboxes; perfect for any situation. As a matter of fact, we have one of those ourselves. Isn't that right, Greenthumb? Oh wait, you're just a tool," he said, jokingly to EA. "I kid... This green dude is invaluable whether you need a gag prop or not. Oh yeah!" he adds, trying to sound like Koolaid.

Nicholas looks over the green hero. "You're Emerald Agent, right? Checkmate seemed very interested in your powers. He said they were unique..."

[fireinthedust]

EA watches the magic display with a certain approval.



Nightbane

Zach grinned as the top hot appeared, able to appreciate some magical humor like anyone else. However, the flames caught him a little off guard, as he wasn't expecting anything near as showy. "Nicely done. Generalists are toolboxes; perfect for any situation. As a matter of fact, we have one of those ourselves. Isn't that right, Greenthumb? Oh wait, you're just a tool," he said, jokingly to EA. "I kid... This green dude is invaluable whether you need a gag prop or not. Oh yeah!" he adds, trying to sound like Koolaid.

EA's expression shifts to that of an upset Kermit the frog, then he smirks. Turning back to Nicholas, y'know, kid, science is magic. Sort of. Chemistry's name comes from the word alchemy. Scientists were basically magicians, who may have used what they know to perform tricks. We got electricity what, two hundred years ago? That's amazing stuff. Anyway... a demonstration, eh?

EA reaches forward, stretching his arm by becoming rubber if he has to, and takes the recently created hat. He looks intently at the materials making it, attempting to nail down exactly what the chemical composition of it is. He then states it, fairly precisely, turning it over in his hands.

By all accounts, a typical piece of headgear. Y'know. But, well, they don't make 'em like they used to.

EA's gem flashes slightly, he taps it with his finger, and the hat bursts into brilliant white flames. ((for those of you at home, he transforms it into a magnesium-based compound that ignites almost immediately))

You weren't going to wear this out, were you? huh. Heh, I better give it back. A moment later his gem flashes, and the hat re-forms into what it was, albeit somewhat singed; what would have burned off did, and a smoke comes off the hat.

yeah, I gotta work on the prestige, y'know? How'd I do otherwise?

[sun_tzu]

Nicholas looks wide-eyed at the hat. "Wow. That...was..."
"FOCUS!" Serena appears to have finally lost patience with the banter. "Nicholas, there is work to do. We're going to need your magic for data-gathering. Follow us." She then notices that Rose is lifting her finger as if to speak, but gets the words stuck in her mouth. "...You can come."
On the way out, Bravado whispers to Doublethink: "Chief, since you're the guy who knows everything and can have his AI pal find out everything else...any info on thee people?"

[fireinthedust]

Information? What kind? Does he do illusions?

[sun_tzu]

Information? What kind? Does he do illusions?

"Nah. He does the crystal ball routine, only without the crystal ball." says Casey.

[sun_tzu]

After a while, Serena leads your group to some form of control room, where you meet back with Checkmate and White.
"We have obtained some information, and it requires confirming" says Checkmate, who then addresses Nicholas: "Underwood, I need you to observe the following coordinates."
Wordlessly, Nicholas makes a few small gestures, seems to concentrate...then an image appears in the air. It...reminds you a lot of the Shadow base you fought in not so long ago, complete with the black-ops agents. At Checkmate's direction, Nicholas moves the picture around, finally hitting a room where the Adrian girl is apparently being interrogated by a Shadow Agent:
"...then why?"
"Because...mommy said people shouldn't mess with what happens after death. She said we would meet daddy in Heaven when the time was right, but not before."
"I see." From your angle, you can see him typing "Religious hang-ups against resurrection" on his computer.

((Bravado's question for DT still stands, by the way.))

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Zach stared in astonishment at Nicholas' image. The ability to see inside such a secret facility was surely a well kept, and defended, prize. "Wow... Nice touch," he said quietly. The agent questioning the little girl, however, was enough to remind him how much these guys suck. His massive knuckles cracked as he made fists, and his eyes burned quietly with flames. "Do we know where that is? What can we do?" he asked, sounding a little at the mercy of someone unknown.

[fireinthedust]

What can we do? Move fast and hit hard. Give us a where and send us in!

((I'm so ready to move forward on this one. :) ))

[sun_tzu]

"This is Shadow's Toronto base" says Checkmate. "However, you cannot attack it directly. The agent we've been interrogating didn't know what base the girl would be taken to; that information was obtained thanks to the nanomachines we've spread through their facilities with your help. If you go there, they will realize that the Zenith Watch - or whoever they suspect is directing the Zenith Watch - has insider information on Shadow. That could jeopardize all of our efforts to take them down. Before you charge to the rescue, you must obtain an alternate way of knowing the girl's location.
Thankfully, there is one way to obtain that information. Since shortly after your departure, a team of Shadow operatives have been investigating the Adrian household from a safe distance, presumably hoping to obtain scientific data relating to the entropy control. Their measurements are being transmitted live to the base where the girl is being held, via a Shadow satellite." Checkmate grins and readjusts his glasses. "A satellite the Faction built and placed in orbit for Shadow in exchange for certain services. A satellite whose electronic defenses will, conveniently enough, be gravely damaged within a few minutes, while you shadow Shadow's operatives and try to use their line to the satellite to detect which communications are being sent to which locations. The ones pertaining to their research will be the ones being sent to the Toronto base - and once Doublethink has ascertained that, it will be simpler for Shadow to believe you obtained the information that way with the Faction's covert assistance."

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

"That would be brilliant, if I knew anything about satellites and tracking people quietly," Zach said, grinning in general. "Ok, so I take it you guys are taking care of the satellite damaging?"

[sun_tzu]

Nightbane

"That would be brilliant, if I knew anything about satellites and tracking people quietly," Zach said, grinning in general. "Ok, so I take it you guys are taking care of the satellite damaging?"

"Increasing the satellite's vulnerability is my job. Doublethink can handle the hacking. The rest of you...will have to distract the Shadow agents so that they don't realize what Doublethink is doing. Be creative."

[sun_tzu]

A short moment later, your entire group is teleported a few blocks away from the Adrian household. Doublethink, you can detect the satellite communication...but for this to work, you believe you'll need to get a lot closer. Not to mention, the Shadow agents will still need to be distracted somehow...

((OK, long scene at Checkerboard's HQ is now complete. Hopefully that'll mean people will start posting again...))

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Zach looked around and said, "Alright guys, thoughts on plans?"

[Dorni]

Gerit

Gerit looked around, trying to get his bearings again. "I'm not sure how close we're going to have to get, but we're probably going to have to do this quick before they snap whatever connection they're using." The weretiger paused to take a deep breath -all this teleporting was not sitting well with his stomach. "Give me a minute to sneak around and I can find where the agents are. With luck we can ambush them before we knew what hit them."

[fireinthedust]

Huh. So we're looking to run in there, get the Shadow agents, and get out with the girl? Sounds like a general theme to work around. I'm guessing I can't just run in there and explode. What are we picking up in terms of communication arrays? Sensors? Last time we attacked these guys, we just kinda ran in there and smashed stuff. I vote we do that! The direct approach.

[sun_tzu]

Huh. So we're looking to run in there, get the Shadow agents, and get out with the girl? Sounds like a general theme to work around. I'm guessing I can't just run in there and explode. What are we picking up in terms of communication arrays? Sensors? Last time we attacked these guys, we just kinda ran in there and smashed stuff. I vote we do that! The direct approach.

((Er, you realize you're not attacking the Shadow base yet, right? You're sneaking up on a group of Shadow agents who are trying to get readings around the Adrian household; the idea is for you to distract them while Doublethink hijacks their link to Shadow's satellite.))

[Blackbird]

"We should try and get as close as possible before attacking. Pick a target. Hit them hard and fast. Don't give them a chance to cut the transmission."

[fireinthedust]

I think I'm ready for some fisticuffs. Let's go; my fists are getting itchy!
With that, EA becomes smoke and "whooshes" low to the ground at one of the Shadow agents. He sneaks up behind him, changes into rubber, and covers his mouth while grappling him to the ground.

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

As the green hero begins to tangle with an agent, Zach waits to see if the other agents notice before charing in.

I'm holding my initiative, or whatever, and just going to strike when I see the other agents freak out, or a non-subtle attack on them from our side.

[Blackbird]

Seeing EA engage the enemy, Eagle Owl takes to the skies, swooping down into the midst of the agents.

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

In seeing EagleOwl nosedive into the agents, Zach leapt into the fray, fists swinging if close enough, eye beams if not. He tried hard not to scream out a nifty war cry.

[fireinthedust]

((Heh, I believe you mean EagleOwl. I see my script for the comic is having serious consequences on this world's continuity!!! :smalltongue:

Which reminds me, I really need to illustrate that... or get someone to do it for me. I've got a hankering to write the second issue!

[mutecebu]

((Back from the grave!))


"Chief, since you're the guy who knows everything and can have his AI pal find out everything else...any info on thee people?""Sure, I'll tell you all later. They're all fine people, so we'll be good guests for now." It would be extremely rude to discuss online files of these people right in front of them, and there wasn't any essential information that his teammates wouldn't derrive from their character. If necesary DT could use the communicators, but he planned on telling the team after they left.


With luck we can ambush them before we knew what hit them."Before we know? Now that's fast.


Last time we attacked these guys, we just kinda ran in there and smashed stuff. I vote we do that! The direct approach.Sounds good to me! Lets smash the people though, lets keep the equipment and the house intact. Doublethink adds, "That means *no* Kool-Aid incidents if possible" looking between Nightbane and EA.

((I assume the team waits for Gerit to circle arround before attacking))

As Doublethink approaches, he uses his penetrating vision to find where the agents and the equipment are, and communicates the locations over the comlinks. If there are agents near the equipment, once his teammates attack DT bends his own rule and shoots through the wall at any Shadow who don't leave the equipment.

((If the equipment is inside, if possible, DT attempts to remain outside and hack the equipment from the other side of the wall. If this doesn't work, he charges through the door. If the equipment is outside, DT attempts to take cover in the surrounding suburban landscape. Either way, he stays as far away from the equipment as possible yet just within hacking range.))

[sun_tzu]

As Doublethink can see, there are five agents inside the house. Three seem busy taking measurements, while the other two are standing guard. He can access their communication - it's heavily encrypted, but it nevertheless leads him to the satellite.
Then the attack begins with Emerald Agent grappling him from behind. It almost works, but, despite the surprise, the agent manages to roll away, sending a blast of high-power bullets at the green hero. Your elastic form prevents any bleeding or internal damage, but it still hurts like hell ((one stun hit)).
The other sentry is about to shoot when he notices Eagle Owl lunging at him through an open window. He tries to dodge by letting himself fall to the ground, but the avian is too fast, too close; his talons cut through the agent's body armor. The latter attempts to shoot, but all his bullets are dodged.
Meanwhile, Nightbane enters through the front door, while Gerit can see everything from another window.

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

As the ebony behemoth entered the house, he looked for the first agent he could see, and began to run. In mid stride, he curled his arm back into a punch, ready to spring.

[fireinthedust]

EA growls. Hey, careful with those things! Don't you know you could shoot your eye out?! With that EA lunges at the Shadow agent, grappling him to tear the gun out of his hands before elasti-smacking him with it in, yes, the eye.

((I'm not sure how that should work in-game, as grappling is a standard/attack action (as is disarm, I think), and so it attacking. However, EA is crazy-stretchy right now. Without checking the book (as I know Sun will anyway) could we say he's grappling the agent, and if the grapple works and he can do damage, EA's grapple-smack works? It just sounds cool. Otherwise, EA's just going to Elasti-smack him in the face to take him out, then become gaseous and go after the next one standing))

[sun_tzu]

((Guys, I'm still waiting for actions here...))

[HellFencer]

((I'm attacking, if that wasn't obvious. And no offense, but maybe its time for some new blood? Seems like we've had some players wander off.))

[fireinthedust]

((I'm attacking, also))

[sun_tzu]

((I'm not in favor of the "new blood" option. The Zenith Watch is Doublethink, Nightbane, Eagle Owl, Tiger Claw, and Emerald Agent (and a few sidekicks); changing that just wouldn't be right.
But, yeah, kinda waiting for posts from the rest of the team here.))

[fireinthedust]

((y'know, Hellfencer, if you or any of the others would like, I could always use a Zenith or two in the new Freedom League. This wouldn't end Zenith Watch (who in my mind also includes Kroton, Mr. Justice, She-patriot and Celerity), but could speed up your post frequency))

[Blackbird]

Without flinching at the close-range gun-fire, Eagle Owl lunges at the agent infront of him. Without turning to see if his opponent went down, he moved further into the house to engage the other agents.

((Really sorry 'bout all this, been really busy with exam week. More like a week and a half really, and I'm still not quite done. I'll try to get online to post more, though.

All-Out Attack -5 defense/+5 attack and Power Attack -3 attack/+3 damage. If I get close enough to other enemies I'll surge for another attack.))

[sun_tzu]

((Tiger Claw? Doublethink?))

[mutecebu]

((Oops! I posted this a *long* time ago, looks like it didn't go through.))

((Hmm... is Heroic Surge in 2e? I know when you successfully grapple someone you can melee them, but I'm not sure if you can melee in the first turn without some feat or not.))

Doublethink and Jane start working on the encryption, utilizing the Zenith Watch computer, the Rodtech systems, and Jane's expansive neural network.

Doublethink lets Jane do most of the work, he's still working on re-writing his ballistics calculations when the bullets are sent through the side of a wall. He scans through the wall (noting locations of support beams), picks targets far from any of his teammates (second floor if applicable), and fires.

I become a sentient being and you still use me as a networking program!? Doublethink responds with a whip-crack sound effect.

Right, in this version full-auto still only lets you shoot at one person, or do a sweep at a lot of people I think. I'll stick with a single higher-velocity bullet for this attack, no sense in bringing the house down. (not automatic)

[sun_tzu]

((All right...Not sure what's up with Tiger Claw, but it's way, way more than time to progress!))

Doublethink shoots at the agent Eagle Owl has wounded, but, slowed down as it is by the wall, the bullet doesn't fully penetrate the agent's armor. It does, however, unbalance him, and his own shot misses Eagle Owl, who, using his wings to do a backward flip just below the ceiling, lunges at another agent, sinking his talons in and taking him out.
Another agent painfully shoots Nightbane in the chest (though the bullet doesn't penetrate). That's when Tiger Claw jumps him through the window, knocking him out.
The agent EA was fighting gets several more shots in, all quite painful (another stun hit), but EA's hand elongates and hits like a missile from an unexpected angle, hitting him in the face with his own gun. He crumbles down.
The fifth agent does something with his gun - some bullet replacement, you think. Whatever it was, he tries to shoot Nightbane with it. The bullet whistles right next to your ear.
Meanwhile, Doublethink and Jane are making progress in hacking the damaged satellite. You still need to identify the data packets they're sending back to their base.

[fireinthedust]

EA is going to go after the Agent shooting at Nightbane. Still using the elastic form to strike him BUT I'd like to describe it as EA elasti-biting him, almost elasti-swallowing him (though I don't have Engulf, so I suppose we'llhave to settle for gnawing on him a little; still, this could count as a grapple attempt, which I'd get a huge bonus on because of elongation).

(ahem)

IC:

EA zips through the space between himself and the agent attacking Nightbane. With a mighty roar, like unto a tyranosaurus rex chomping down on a lawyer, the manly masticator stretches his mouth to the size of a cave. getting close enough to bite down, he tries to chew the agent mightily, before he can shoot Nightbane full of super-lead.

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Not even flinching as the bullet pounds against his chest, instead Zach lightly brushed it away and launched into a full out attack on the nearest agent. He would even step on the agent's feet to keep him from being knocked away, simply to finish his assault.

Quickly, he looked around for another target, hoping to pound his lights out as well.

Ok, the feet stepping is just for flavor. If he goes flying, I'd like to make sure I'm done with him first :P

I'll heroic surge -> attack the next nearest agent if I can.

[Blackbird]

Eagle Owl pounces on the nearest agent, feeling the adrenalin rush through his body as he stabs the Shadow operative. Before his first opponent is even down, he's already eagerly looking for fresh prey.

((Full All-Out Power Attack, surge for the next enemy if the first guy goes down.))

[sun_tzu]

((sorry for the on-off schedule...on a trip to see some family out of the country.))

One luckless agent gets tag-teamed by Nightbane and Eagle Owl. Between the slash and the punch, it's a wonder he's still alive.
The last agent lets several more shots at Nightbane, dodges EA's swallow attempt, and dodges an attack by Eagle Owl before finally getting a kick to the face from Tiger Claw - but not before one bullet hits Nightbane. Some kind of toxin is somehow injected through your skin, and makes you feel like your entire body is on fire. The pain is excruciating...for a few seconds, then it fades.

Doublethink, you're pretty confident you and Jane have identified the destination of the data packets...though it was probably the most complex system you've ever hacked, especially in such a short time.

[Blackbird]

Eagle Owl checks the Shadow agents to make sure they're all incapacitated while he talks to Doublethink. "Did we get what we came here for, Doublethink?"

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

After he made sure all agents were out of commission, Zach turned to Doublethink and nodded with Eagle Owl's statement. "Yeah boss, we got what we need?"

[mutecebu]

"Not yet, hold your horses. How ya hanging in there, Nightbane? Oops, I'm done. We're good to go."

As the Zenicopter comes in for the rendezvous, DT gives the clearing a once-over hunting for traps. Then, he prepares to provide covering fire for his retreating comrades if necessary, paying special attention to the agent with the special ammo, and anyone near Eagle Owl. ((is Bravado with us?))

DT stays where he is. He had only found where the packets were going, and he felt reluctant to leave. He kept copying and storing as much information as possible, to later decrypt fully at his leisure. Always the multitasker, he analyzed the area, studying whatever the agents were measuring, trying to see what they saw. He had what he came for, now he was trying to find what *they* were looking for.

((I totally cracked up reading FitD's post, by the way.))
Preparing an action to shoot whomever necessary. Downloading is being done automatically. DT's spending the rest of his turn analyzing the area

[fireinthedust]

Alright, but let's get going. I don't mind saying I'm feeling a bit hungry! Heh, just kidding, just staying original and don'ttrythisathome! EA un-morphs into his gaseous form and flies around the windows of the house. He looks into them, checking whether there's anyone inside or not.

[sun_tzu]

((Really sorry for the delays. Between my trip, the forum outage, and various things distracting me, well...
Anyway. Onward with this!))

DT's scanning of the area gets some weird-to-interpret readings. The equipment Shadow was using gives the same, but with more detail. There appear to be some similarities between those readings and those obtained at some of Venture Industries' inter-dimensional research, but...

At this point, the Zenicopter lands in front of the house. Doublethink, you can tell it's being piloted remotely...and it's not too hard to guess by whom.
"Good job, Zenith Watch" says Checkmate through the cards. "Now we not only have their location, but also a reasonable explanation for how we could have their location.
I have taken the liberty of installing a teleporter of sorts into the Zenicopter. It is designed to hack into the teleportation system of the Shadow base, and send you there. If anyone asks, Mr Rod, it's a design you've been working on since your previous scuffle with Shadow.
You will have to act fast. The little girl is extremely valuable, and Shadow knows something's up, so they will want to evacuate her to another base just to be on the safe side. That means that the first thing you'll need to do once you get there will be to destroy their base's teleporter. Second thing will be to find the girl. Once you have her, just try to survive long enough - I'll be sending the cavalry to get you out safely as soon as possible.
Any questions?"

[mutecebu]

"Destroy the teleporter and lock ourselves in? Sounds like a great plan to me! Before we go about sealing ourselves in enemy territory, could you give us a hint as to what form the cavalry would take, or would that ruin the surprise?"

Y'know, if Checkmate wanted to get rid of us, this would be the time to do it.
Agreed. We managed to clear out an entire base on our lonesome before, though, and I'm feeling a little reckless today, though.
What if you guard the teleporter, hack it, or rig it with explosives? Can we create some way to prevent them from escaping without cutting off our main escape route?
Good question.

"Do we need to destroy it? Can we somehow ensure they don't slip by us to the teleporter? Can we rig it to blow up or break down if anyone enters before we're ready to make our getaway?"

((How do the teleporters work? Are they machines that can warp stuff from one room to the other, or do they only go from one teleporter room to another? I.e. would they have to bring the girl past us to the teleporter room?))

[sun_tzu]

Y'know, if Checkmate wanted to get rid of us, this would be the time to do it.

((:smallbiggrin:))


((How do the teleporters work? Are they machines that can warp stuff from one room to the other, or do they only go from one teleporter room to another? I.e. would they have to bring the girl past us to the teleporter room?))

((Assuming it's like the teleporter in the Shadow Base from chapter 2? That one seemed capable of teleporting stuff into and away from the teleporter room - but it needed a lot of very careful and time-costly calculations to select the are to teleport to/from. Anyway, it wasn't able to teleport something from one place to another unless one of those two places was the teleporter room...but it could, presumably, teleport something from/to another spot in the base, if it had been previously programmed to do that.))


"Destroy the teleporter and lock ourselves in? Sounds like a great plan to me! Before we go about sealing ourselves in enemy territory, could you give us a hint as to what form the cavalry would take, or would that ruin the surprise?"
"The details of that will be changed accordingly, depending on how exactly things go once you get there...but the general idea is to create a situation where Shadow can no longer afford to go after this target."


"Do we need to destroy it? Can we somehow ensure they don't slip by us to the teleporter? Can we rig it to blow up or break down if anyone enters before we're ready to make our getaway?"
"Preventing Shadow agents from slipping past you in their own base is going to be, to say the least, dicey. Rigging it to blow up risks hurting the Adrian girl if they take her there. Rigging it to break down means pitting your improvisation skills against Shadow agents experienced with their own tech, and I'd rather minimize risks here. If they teleport her to another base, this is going to be Bad, with capital B."

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

"Don't worry about the teleporter. Once we get on the other side, I'll make sure nobody can use it for a long time." Zach cracked his fingers as he stretched his arms out. "And once we get the girl, no one will be able to get her from us. Afterall, who else has guns like these?" At this point Zach's rare seriousness shifted to jovial as he held up his arms and flexed.

[fireinthedust]

Wait, what if the whole place is Omnimetal? Geez, this is all happening so fast! Okay, let's do this thing.

ooc: EA is prepped and ready to go.

[Blackbird]

"We'll work it out when we get there. Right now we need to hurry."

((Locked and loaded, ready to roll! :smallsmile:))

[fireinthedust]

Are you sure? Like, really sure? I mean, the girl can turn back time! Unless Shadow figures out how to mimic or steal her powers... and I doubt they'd turn back time on themselves! Okay, sorry, but the last time we went into a Shadow base I nearly died. Or was that the time of the death of a thousand unborn sons... Nope, definitely the almost dying part. worst-case is they've got another Omni-metal tank in there, right? Awww... I'm gonna get shot again!

EA goes fleshy again, shaking himself back into the game. Okay, gotta do this, gotta get in there. I'm a hero, I'm a good hero, I'm smart and pretty and a *green* hero! Nightbane, ol' buddy, you with me? Big Bird? Eight-ball, er, Doublethink? Tony the Tiger? Yeah, I thought so. Ok, guys and computer-generated-ai-program-Dolls, let's go!

((so ready for that description, Sunny. Let's do this!

Also: I'm trying to figure out how to make crepes. It's not so easy... totally off-topic, tho.))

[sun_tzu]

((All right, looks like I'll be NPCing Tiger Claw until we hear from Dorni again.))

"Ready as I'll ever, I guess" says Bravado, "though I really hope I won't get shot in the knees this time..."
"Oh, and, four agents in the room you're going into" Checkmate cuts in. "Prepare to attack."

worst-case is they've got another Omni-metal tank in there, right?
You think a note of amusement actually creeps into Checkmate's voice at this point. "Funny you should say that..."
The next instant, there is a flash, and you find yourself inside the Shadow base. The teleporter room, to be exact. Three Shadow technicians and a Gamma Agent appear surprised to see you.

[fireinthedust]

EA lashes out with two rubbery limbs, attempting to knock out the two beta agents. Oh no! I just thought of something else: what if the girl's changed back time so we're all back in that *other* shadow base? What if we meet ourselves and annihilate all continuity? ...that would suck!

((hero point to make a second punch: extra effort to give my punch Autofire, the attack as many as I can. It's strike with autofire, but including my range for elongation; effectively the same as blast!))

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

As the flash of light faded away, Zach was faced with a group of agents. He loved pounding on these guys and this was going to be no exception. Reaching back, Zach curled his hand into a mighty fist and unleashed his fury upon the Gamma agent. "Greenthumb, now's not the time for that!! EEEYAAHHH!" he growled.

Heroic surge to smack him a second time. I'll follow him if I manage to knock him through the air.

[Blackbird]

Blinking his eyes to clear his vision, Eagle Owl leaps forward to engage the agent nearest to the comm-unit. Contrary to the battlecries of his comrades, Eagle Owl is silent as he stabs his talons at the abdomen of the Shadow operative.

Surge to attack again if he doesn't go down from the first shot.

[mutecebu]

"Preventing Shadow agents from slipping past you in their own base is going to be, to say the least, dicey. Rigging it to blow up risks hurting the Adrian girl if they take her there. Rigging it to break down means pitting your improvisation skills against Shadow agents experienced with their own tech, and I'd rather minimize risks here. If they teleport her to another base, this is going to be Bad, with capital B." For the umpteenth time Doublethink felt his leadership undermined by Checkmate, and when he tried to assist with the planning he was brick walled with irrefutable logic. He wasn't a sore looser and would follow along with Checkmate's plan as long as it seemed the best way to rescue the girl. Doublethink knew many colleagues in both scientific and religious circles who wouldn't give up when they were proven wrong. Doublethink liked to consider himself above them, but realized he didn't like it any more than them; it was just so rarely that he found himself so throughly out-planned in the field in combat.

It was funny, Chekcmate's letting the Zenith Watch into his base actually rekindled some of Doublethink's suspicions. Checkmate has proven himself so devious and so able to plan ahead that there really was no way to tell whose side he was on. DT knows Professor Cryo is no fool, and keeping such a dangerous individual in the Cryodome seems very risky. Doublethink also realizes he is probably just a tad jealous. However, there is nothing wrong with being suspicious before you lock yourself in enemy territory.

All of this resolves into "Alright, lets go" with a tad of annoyance.

When Doublethink materializes he already has his game face on, and greets the opponents with a "Surprise!" and a spray of bullets.

Autofire for good measure.
((I'd advise against using extra effort without canceling it with a Hero Point so early, we can take these agents without breaking a sweat. I wouldn't worry about hitting an alarm, the shadow base probably knows we're here already.))

[fireinthedust]

((yeah, but I don't think I've used a hero point in the last year. I likely have hundreds saved up!))

[mutecebu]

((Oh, I thought you were using a hero point for an extra punch AND and extra effort for autofire, as opposed to extra effort with a hero point to cancel the fatigue. I got it. Carry on!))

[sun_tzu]

((Guys, I don't think Surge exists in second edition...
...That said, forgot to mention that you all got a Hero Point for the previous scene.))

Doublethink's bullets take out the agent and one of the technicians. The other two draw out their guns, but get skewered by Eagle Owl and Tiger Claw before they can shoot.
Precisely 6208 milliseconds after you have teleported in the room, the alarm rings.

Doublethink:
You have received a message from Checkmate on your datalink: "So far so good. Ending communications now to avoid risk of it being traced. Destroy their teleporter. Here's a tactical map."
There is an attached document - a map of the base. One room is marked as the location of Catherine Adrian. The way there from the teleporter room isn't particularly short - that room is at the lowest floor, while you're three above - but Checkmate has marked an alternate route that involves going down an elevator shaft not far from where you are.
Another room is marked as the location of an Omnicorp Mecha-Tank.

[fireinthedust]

Hah! Well, uh, let's go! Y'know, this may be easier the second time around, all things considered. Let's see what the walls are made of, though.

((Detecting/Notice for the walls and floors, what they're made of; then going along witht he group.))

[mutecebu]

as the alarm goes off:
That didn't take long. Okeydoke, here we go! Black Beauty and Jolly Green Chemist: you two take point, hang a left out the door. This base is bigger, and I'd psych yourself to fight another Megatank if I were you. Now, we have two options: take the long way, or take the fun way. The fun way involves an elevator shaft. I vote the death-trap fun way.

Preparing action to shoot enemy with ricochet.

((What are our options with the elevator? Is the shaft thin enough for Zach to brace himself on the sides? Would we be able to access the counterweight's cable? I have an idea of us severing the weight while Zach holds the cable and controls the descent. Would DT's forcefield allow him to make stairs inside the shaft?

as they leave the room:
"I wonder how they can afford so much Omnimetal. I think we should pay our old friend the pres. a visit after this."

[sun_tzu]

((You can probably arrange a meeting with George Li afterward, but for now, I'd suggest remembering to smash the teleporter.:smallwink: ))

[mutecebu]

((Right!))

DT, already halfway out the door, does a double-take. "Wait, hold on! Right! The teleporter. Smash teleporter, THEN smash puny agents. C'mon boys.

DT gives the equipment a quick once-over, and then takes his gun to the power cable and any other interesting points before letting others take over.

DT also scans the room, alert for any danger, etc. He decides to leave the security cameras intact; shadow will quickly realize their teleporters don't work, and if the team needs to hunker down it might be worthwhile to access the security cameras in this area if possible.

[Blackbird]

Eagle Owl nods at DT's orders, leaving taking out the teleporter to Nightbane. EO gives the room a once over before positioning himself beside the door, ready to strike at any Shadow agents entering the room. Ready action.

[fireinthedust]

EA grins, then puts his hands on the teleporter. An emerald glow covers it, and his chest-gem flares with light as he attempts to transform the teleporter.

What would really bother SHADOW? Bubble-gum? Is that suitably taunting?

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Seeing EA's intent to transform the teleporter into something, Zach took the opportunity to begin thrashing the equipment. He let himself go, breaking everything into pieces smaller than a square foot. "How about legos!!" he bellowed at Ea as metal began to fly into the air.

Ok, soooo... apparently I didn't get the chance to attack someone last round, so consider that I instead beat the hell from the equipment, k?

[sun_tzu]

The teleporter is sturdy...But it was most definitely not designed to resist someone like Nightbane. The ebony hero's fists shatter the device like it was made of cardboard.
(OK, so cardboard doesn't exactly shatter. Whatever.)

Right at the moment Nightbane hits the telporter, a Gamma agent charges into the room, rolling on the floor before taking position to shoot. Eagle Owl follows his movements, though, and plunges his talons in the agent's belly before he can fire a single shot.

EA: The walls are mostly omni-metal, but your chemical sense also picks up some vague disturbance...Nothing specific, but like there was a variety of unusual materials at some of the base's area. You've felt that way in chemistry labs.

[fireinthedust]

EA points in the direction of the chemical sensation and tells the others. Okay, guys, my chemical sense is tingling and I think there's a meddly of chemicals really near by, past the Omni-metal walls. It's either a chemical lab or... ew, whatever that guy had for lunch. EO, you gonna clean that up later? Hey, how do you pick your nose with those things?

EA carefully moves towards the door, now in Titanium form.

[mutecebu]

"Oooh, bubble gum is good. I actually can't think of anything better.

Satisfied with his work, DT readies to venture out, scanning ahead with his sensor equipment.

[HellFencer]

Nightbane

Satisfied with his work, Zack brushed himself off and looked in the direction EA pointed. "Chemical sense? Does that mean we should head that way or are you just being observant?" He winked a flaming eye and nudged the green hero with a massive elbow.

"I'm ready, so let's not waste any time. Knowing our luck, every second literally matters," Zach said turning his attention forward and walking toward the exit. "And man, I really didn't want to take on another one of those tanks, but if we gotta, we gotta!" he added.

[Blackbird]

Eagle Owl lets go of the agent, letting him slump to the ground. He observes EA over his bloodied talons. "Want to give it a try?" Crouching down, he cleans them on the body. "We should focus on finding the girl as fast as possible before Shadow has a chance to move her."