Heroes United (Mutants and Masterminds)

[Green Bean]

It's a fairly ordinary afternoon at Eastern Seaboard Bank in downtown New York. It's been a fairly crowded day, but it seems to have quieted down. Of course, that doesn't last long.

A group of armed men clad in head-to-toe body armor suddenly burst through the front doors of the building and into the lobby. They order the bank patrons to lie on the floor and clear the way for a man and a woman to enter behind them. The pair is in their early 20s, both are dressed in raver-style clothes. The woman’s hair is long and flowing and the man’s short and spiky. There’s a definite family resemblance. “Rant and Rave are in da house!” the man says with a smirk.

“Try anything and regret it.” A bank guard edging toward the alarm goes flying up against the wall and slumps to the floor, unconscious as a second man wearing a ski mask floats in. "We aren't playing around."

((And so it begins. Post where you are, and why you're at the bank.))

[The Rose Dragon]

Lunar, the Moon Lord

Adam Argentine, known by the public by his heroic identity, Lunar, the Moon Lord, was there to inactivate his credit card after a snatcher snatched his wallet - in broad daylight, no less. He could fly at several thousand miles an hour, but he didn't want to expose himself - much easier to just suffer through the procedures. He was sitting in one of the benches, waiting his turn, when the robbers busted in.

Dammit, Adam thought, and let out a small sigh. He could interfere, but he needed to change first. Good thing he had absorbed his daily dose of moonlight last night, just in case. He looked for a bathroom, or another place where he could hide during his change into the Moon Lord.

[ChronicLunacy]

Matt Warfield - Fracture

"Tch...can't even go to the bank anymore..." one of the men who'd remained standing grumbled as he stuffed the check he'd just been about to cash into his back pocket and turned to face the intruders. Despite the armed and armored thugs pouring in through the doors and the orders to lay down on the ground, he just seemed annoyed rather than frightened. He looked out of the corner of his eye and felt his brows knit together as the security guard was flattened against the wall by some unseen force.

The man was six feet even with a long-limbed, yet muscular build. He had short hair that was so blonde it was almost white and cut short and spiky and a tuft of hair on his chin of the same color. His eyes were pure white, no pupils or irises, as if he was blind. He was wearing a pair of dark, navy-blue jeans, a black "wife-beater" tank, and bracelets carved out of what looked to be stone or wood circling each wrist. His posture was relaxed, almost casual, even as he raised one hand to his other forearm.

"It's probably just coincidence that you've come here today, just bad luck that I was here." he said as he drew his hand along his arm, pulling at something from the inside of his wrist. "Doesn't matter. Let's just say that you've all just made a huge mistake." he continued as he removed a sword from his arm, three point five foot blade and a one point five foot hilt. It looked to be made of pale, white bone and was sharp, curved and deadly. He had pulled it straight from his arm as if his flesh was made of soft clay. It flowed back together seamlessly as soon as the blade parted from his arm and he held it with practiced ease. "Because I'm not in the mood to play, either."

"Now...run."

Can I take 10 on an Intimidate roll? Just to shake them a little? If so, I've got 20 on it.

[potatocubed]

Oscar Hernandez - The Revenant

The robbery is almost a relief to Oscar. Instead of explaining to the account manager - again - why he spends so much time in the red, here's a convenient problem that he can solve by hitting it.

He stands up from his seat in the waiting room, acutely aware that his mask, his costume, and all his equipment is hidden in his apartment rather than on his person. Just an average Hispanic guy in jeans and a t-shirt, he has nowhere near the presence of the other man.

"You'd better run," he says, nodding at the other man. "You see that? Imagine what he could do to you."

[TroyXavier]

Miss Fortune

Miss Fortune sighed. Though she made only a general effort to conceal her identity, she never liked when things happened. All she wanted to do was pick up a money order to pay her rent. But of course, these ravers had to ruin things. She remembered her times doing raves, but she was tired. Perhaps if she was subtle with her powers, she could get away with using them. Still it was a risk. Then again, if she got mixed up in this, it might reveal who she was. She looked around to see what if anyone else was doing, then decided she could risk a little use of her jinx power.

[Green Bean]

Fracture

The thugs who can see you look unsure and remarkably less confident. The one closest to you appears to have soiled himself. Unfortunately, your speech seems to have backfired against the three metahuman robbers; they now regard you as a threat. A sonic blast hits you square in the gut, and an invisible hand seems to be trying to force you off your feet and into a wall.

Revenant

The female metahuman looks at you. "Don't try to be a hero, kid. We'll take hostages if we have to, so SIT!"

((Fracture, roll a DC27 Toughness Save, and a grapple check))

[ChronicLunacy]

Fracture

Wonderful way to start off the game. A natural 1 on my should-be high enough Toughness roll... :smallconfused:

Toughness: 1d20+12=13 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1623356/)
Grapple: 1d20+17=31 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1623363/)

[Green Bean]

((Ouch! Do you want to use a Hero Point to reroll?))

[ChronicLunacy]

I better. Here's the new roll.
1d20+12=22 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1623367/)

[Green Bean]

Fracture

While you manage to wriggle free of the invisible force grabbing you, it leaves you wide open for Rant's sonic blast. You feel your bone armour crunch, and the impact is enough to drive you to your knees, but there doesn't seem to be any permanent harm. Rant looks suprised.

((You're Bruised, Stunned, and your Armour has lost some of its effectiveness. Can you hold off on your next action until Pox and jerichodrumm post? I don't want to get too far ahead.))

Lunar, the Moon Lord

You're too far away to use the bathroom, but you spy a desk a few feet away. It offers concealment from the robbers, and everyone else seem to be too busy keeping their heads down. It should be possible to sneak behind it; the robbers seem to be distracted by some blonde guy in a wife-beater making threats.

[The Rose Dragon]

Lunar

Adam sneaks behind the desk and concentrates on the transformation, bringing the latent energy stored in him to life. After a few seconds, he has changed into Lunar, the Moon Lord. Hoping no one saw him get behind the desk, he steps forward.

"Hello there. My name is Lunar, the Moon Lord, and apparently you have chosen a very bad day to rob this bank."

I used to be better at this stuff, he thinks.

[Pinnacle]

Pinnacle

For a few moments Pinnacle hesitated, surprised by the large number of people standing up to the dangerous robbers. The young man was taller than average, and looked athletic. His dark hair was tied back in a ponytail that hung down past his shoulders, and he was wearing ordinary street clothes--dark blue jeans, worn sneakers, and a white T-shirt with pink lettering that read "I Bash Back".

He surveyed the situation, wary of the number of bystanders that could be harmed; he might've let the robbers do their thing, then chased them down and had a fight outside instead, but that didn't look possible now. Then he smirked.

He stuffed the his checks and deposit slip into his pocket as he moved casually forward. "It seems to me like either you guys just walked into a room full of some of the stupidest people on this hemisphere, or you're just having a really bad day today. Personally? My money's on both."

Suddenly he accelerates, moving far faster than an ordinary person should be able to do. While he moves, he lashes out at as many of the thugs as he can, as quickly as he can.

Pinnacle uses his rapid attack, trying to catch as many thugs in the 10-foot diameter area as he can. If he can hit Rant and Rave too he will, but he'll choose including thugs in the area over them as he wants to get them out of the way so they don't shoot any bystanders.

If they're minions, he takes 10 for an attack roll of 18. If not [roll0]. Either way the Toughness DC is 27.

[Pox]

As the red-headed woman emerges from the washroom, wiping her palms on her tight black jeans, she looks up and sees the the pair acosting the bank.

Rolling her eyes, she throws her arms up in the air and sighs.

Mishka had just come to the bank to deposit her butt-load of singles and change from work. Being a waitress often had the drawback of one's accumilation of change, so to turn quarters into twenties, a trip to the bank was needed.

Though, her attitude of exasperation quickly changed at the mention of hostages. Keeping both her palms up in the air, her sapphire eyes scanned the scene as she walked slowly towards the robbers. Her hands were open, and the impossibly tight jeans she was wearing bore no mark of a carried weapon. Her face was set and tight, her face even looked scared.

Her eyes glanced towards Matt and she bit her lower lip, then eye the other two.

"If you're taking hostages, you can take me if you want." She tried to feign a brave smile, but the facade of her upset and worry broke through. Mishka was a pretty young woman in her twenties, with wild red hair, blazing eyes and freckles. "I-I'm not afraid... I just don't want to see anyone get hurt." She stuttered.

[SuperMuldoon]

Jacob Hughes - Doctor Spectrum


Jacob Hughes was waiting on line to deposit his latest check from the DMA. Well, not as good as lab work...but beats working retail! He fiddles with the check in his hands and is lost in thought when the metahuman crooks bust in.

Damn...not what I wanted to do today... Jacob's eyes dart around the room, watching the scene play out as he tries to find somewhere to hide to change into his alternate identity. Bones eh? What an interesting ability... Jacob thinks when suddenly the bone-user was thrown back by some unseen force, most likely from the robbers. Soon Lunar the Moon Lord made his appearance, as well as another metahuman, who soon burst into action against the bank's assailants. Now's my chance! Jacob thinks as he tries to use the confusion caused by the sudden attack by the man moving lightening quick to move behind one of the desks to change. Haha, these criminals sure picked the wrong bank to hit...we've got a veritable super-team in here... Jacob muses to himself.

((OOC: Will try to move behind a desk without anyone noticing during the distraction caused by Pinnacle's attack, and then change into costume))

[Green Bean]

Doctor Spectrum

With the robbers distracted by half the customers turning out to be heroes, you manage to slip behind a nearby desk and get changed.

((I'm going to wait one more day for jerichodrumm to post, then we'll continue))

[jerichodrumm]

((I'm going to wait one more day for jerichodrumm to post, then we'll continue))


OOC: Gah! Sorry I missed the post that this had started!

FASTLANE

Freddie made his out of the Bathroom admiring the view of the sassy looking redhead who was in front of him. So engrossed in the view the former speed racer was for moments oblivious to what was transpiring.

"What the $#*T!" he exclaimed surprised by the scene unrolling before him.
"Man did you guys pick the wrong Bank to rob!"

OOC2: Trip attack (1d20+10=12) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1625925/) on closest bank robber.

[ChronicLunacy]

Fracture

"Hngh..." Fracture grunted momentarily as he righted himself. His shirt had been torn away by the blast of sound, revealing the thin, but sturdy bone plating covering his pectorals and abdomen. He shrugged a little, rolling his neck and producing several loud cracks as the armor began to grow and cover more of him. It spread outwards over his chest and spiked pauldrons sprouted from his shoulders while a haunting, bone mask formed over his face, leaving eye holes and a set of small vents for his voice. When he spoke it echoed faintly, giving him an aura of otherworldly menace. "Going to have to do better than that, buckwheat." he said, tilting his head towards Rant. The damage he'd sustained, the bruising, was already gone.

His head then turned sharply as he recognized the redhead coming from the bathroom. "Mishka? What are you doing here?" he wondered aloud as he twirled the bone sword he was holding a few times before putting it point down on the ground in front of him. "Oh right, yesterday was payday wasn't it?"

Spending the turn shaking off the Stun effects and repairing/adding to his bone armor. His regen check (DC 10) succeeds automatically due to his score for the roll.

[The Rose Dragon]

Lunar

"Man, I must have missed the weekly superheroes meeting! What are the odds of so many heroes deciding to visit the same bank two up-and-coming superpowered robbers and their thugs want to rob on the same day?" Lunar said jokingly. He stood out very easily amongst all the other customers. Standing almost six and a half feet with a well-built physique, he had pure white hair and piercing gray eyes. He was covered with a silvery aura, especially strong around his chest and arms. "So I assume you're not just going to run, right? Cause I would like to meet a super-thug that does that one day." He said this as he flew towards Rant and Rave, with the intent of punching one of them.

[roll0]

[Green Bean]

((Rose, I'm going to move your action to the next round; according to your sheet, it takes a fair bit of time for you to switch to hero mode. You had enough time to stand up and introduce yourself, and will be able to attack next turn))

((ChronicLunacy, unfortunately, you can’t take the actions necessary to regrow your armour while stunned; same with regenerating damage. You can act normally next round))

While none of you were expecting a bank robbery going in, you've at least had enough time to see what you're facing. The two metahumans calling themselves Rant and Rave have stopped approximately halfway across the lobby and are escorted by six of the thugs. The thugs themselves seem to be a cut above regular hired muscle. Each is wearing what appears to be advanced body armour, and wields what Doctor Spectrum recognizes as a modified Phase Cannon, a weapon used almost exclusively by the NYPD Metahuman Response Team. The floating telekinetic is covering the exit, along with two of the other thugs. Those of you with a view outside can see another thug behind the wheel of a getaway car. Oddly enough, it's only a four seater...

((Surprise Round))

Pinnacle rushes the nearest thug, dealing a mighty blow that bypasses his body armour like it isn't even there. The man goes flying backwards...then disappears without a trace, weapon and all! Your attack seems to have happened too fast for any of the other robbers to react; except for, that is, the telekinetic. You are struck by a hammer blow of pure force, but manage to roll with it, and end up completely unharmed.

Fastlane's attack just barely misses its target, the thug moving out of the way just in time, despite his unpreparedness. Swivelling around, he fires a sizzling bolt of energy directly at Lunar. The blast, able to melt through solid steel, is absorbed harmlessly by the glowing hero.

The expression on Rant's face turns from shock to pure rage. "You want a fight? You got it!"

((Roll initiative, folks.))

[ChronicLunacy]

Fracture

Initiative: [roll0]

Bugger...I hate Stun. He'll do what I posted he did last time THIS round then. Guess I'll have to let the others have all the fun for now.

[The Rose Dragon]

[roll0]

((OOC: h_v, find my PM in your inbox.))

[Pox]

Mishka Hodge - Songbird

The redhead arches an eyebrow in Fracture's direction, her face hinting at slight annoyance.

"Well yeah, I get paid whenever you issue the check, boss." She replies. Turning her head back towards Rant and Rave, she crouches herself slightly, as if bracing her body against some oncoming blow. Whatever the neon-duo had in store, it wasn't good...


Initiative: 1d20+4 → [19,4] = (23)

[jerichodrumm]

"Hmmm maybe this bank has low interest rates for superheroes." Fastlane quipped as he noted the many heroes starting to come out of the woodwork. "Shame no one told the guys with guns there are penalties for early withdraws!" He then went into a series of dizzying cartwheels, during the tumble he let loose a volley of loose change from his pocket. The coins launched themselves at bullet speeds.[roll0] Acrobatic Feint as a Move. Take Ten for 17. Attack the Phase Cannon the thug is shooting. [roll1] I hope I did these tags right. :smalleek:

[TroyXavier]

Miss Fortune

Miss Fortune decided that it might be best to hang back a bit, knowing that if someone looked in trouble she could use her jinx powers to perhaps swing things towards the good guys. Well at least she thinks they're good guys.

Action: Miss Fortune will hold her action assuming a good enough initiative roll. If everyone seems to go before her, she will instead duck off somewhere so that she can switch identiities.


Initiatvie [roll0]

[Pinnacle]

Pinnacle

[roll0]

[Green Bean]

((Oh, sorry I wasn't more clear. You can roll initiative and post your next actions.))

[The Rose Dragon]

((OOC: Lunar punches the closest of Rave or Rant with the attack roll above, for save DC 27.))

[SuperMuldoon]

Jacob Hughes - Doctor Spectrum

Jacob dives behind a desk for cover, and quickly changes into his costume. Pulling the mask over his face, he touches his hand to his chest and colors it in, all black with a sunburst on the chest, with each point tipped with a different color. Alright, lets see what we are up against here...

Jacob, now Doctor Spectrum, pokes his head out from behind the desk and sizes up the situation. Alright, two metahumans in front, and a floating guy in the back. Those guys look like their carrying NYPD phase cannons...but how did they get their hands on those? No sooner then he thinks this that one of the thugs fires a blast at Lunar, the Moon Lord, which does nothing to the hero. Wow...glad he's on our team...those things are designed to cut through anything...


"You want a fight? You got it!"

Time to make a move... Doctor Spectrum flies up to the ceiling to get a better view of the area, and fires a blast of light energy at the floaty gentleman by the door.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Pinnacle]

Pinnacle

Pinnacle stares after the disappearing thug, but decides to worry about it later--keeping them from hurting people is more immediately important.

"You're next, buddy," he shouts at the ineffectual telekinetic, before moving as quickly as he can to take out more of the thugs. He throws powerful blows at the one closest to Rave. If possible, he uses the momentum from knocking him down to throw a spinning kick at the metahuman herself.

Pinnacle moves up to the thug nearest Rave and attacks him. If the thug drops, he uses his takedown attack to attack her too.
He takes 10 against the thugs for an 18 and [roll0] against Rave; Toughness DC is 27.

[Green Bean]

((potatocubed has unfortunately dropped out of the game, so all I need now is an action from Pox/Songbird))

[Pox]

Sorry 'bout that. Been super busy.

Mishka Hodge - Songbird

She raised an eyebrow, watching the events transpire. She was hanging languidly back, looking about and summing up Rant and Rave before running in and starting to attack like a crazy woman.

Using Gather Information feat.

"Look," She mused out loud, leaning on a counter and looking down at her nails. She didn't seem none too bothered by the attacks or the punks trying to rob the bank. Brushing some of her long, red hair from her eyes, she smiles attractively at the people running the show. "Do we really need to fight? I mean, really... is it unnecessary?"

And with that, she began to hum under her breath.

Using Fascinate feat on Perform. 1d20+16 → [18,16] = (34). Hope I'm doing this right... I really need to get the M&M manual.

[Green Bean]

Sorry 'bout that. Been super busy.

Mishka Hodge - Songbird

She raised an eyebrow, watching the events transpire. She was hanging languidly back, looking about and summing up Rant and Rave before running in and starting to attack like a crazy woman.

Using Gather Information feat.

You’ve heard of the three metahuman robbers before; some small-time crook trying to impress you with how well-connected he was. The telekinetic goes by Id, but like many meta-crooks, the robbers' real identities are unknown. The three, while fairly powerful, aren’t very bright, and are rather low on the criminal totem pole, though. Planning and staging a bank robbery independently seems a little unlike them.

You can't see enough of the thugs to make a positive ID.

((That was a Natural 20, by the way. You might want to consider putting some points into Gather Information at some point if you want to use Well Informed reliably))


"Look," She mused out loud, leaning on a counter and looking down at her nails. She didn't seem none too bothered by the attacks or the punks trying to rob the bank. Brushing some of her long, red hair from her eyes, she smiles attractively at the people running the show. "Do we really need to fight? I mean, really... is it unnecessary?"

And with that, she began to hum under her breath.

Using Fascinate feat on Perform. 1d20+16 → [18,16] = (34). Hope I'm doing this right... I really need to get the M&M manual.

((Unfortunately, Facinate doesn't work when during combat, or if there's a threat nearby. You'll need to purchase a superpower to do that.))

[Green Bean]

((Sorry Pox, but in the interest of keeping this game moving, I can't wait any longer for a reply))

((Initiative:
Pinnacle
Songbird
Doctor Spectrum
Moon Lord
Fracture
Miss Fortune
TK
Fastlane
Rant
Thugs (7)
Rave))


With inhuman speed, Pinnacle deals a tremendous blow to one of the remaining thugs, and it disappears just like his previous target. The mutant's attempt at a follow-up attack against Rave falters, and she casually steps out of the way.

Songbird directs a sonic blast right at Rant, but it goes wide, cracking a wall behind him.

Doctor Spectrum's blast of light clips the telekinetic in the shoulder, spinning him around and slamming him through the glass door of the bank. You can see him trying to get to his feet, though, so it looks like there's still some fight left in him. ((Bruised, Stunned, and Prone via Knockback))

Lunar rushes Rant at incredible speed, taking a mighty swing at the criminal meta. Unfortunately, Rant moved faster than mighty mutant anticipated, and the attack went wild.

Fracture feels his bone armour regenerating, and in moments, his exoskeleton feels good as new.

Miss Fortune watches the combat carefully, prepared to intervene should the opportunity present itself.

Fastlane's impromptu projectiles hit home, knocking the thug across the room. Like the thugs Pinnacle attacked, this one vanishes into thin air.

Rant quickly turns toward Lunar while the mutant is still off balance from his failed attack. As he draws his breath in to ready another sonic attack, he "happens" to step on a loose tile, tripping him up slightly and causing the blast to go wide. ((On a side note; TroyXavier, Jinxing requires an attack roll, so feel free to post that too))

Oddly enough, despite three of them being surrounded by more immediate threats, all five of the thugs open fire on Doctor Spectrum. Though the good doctor evades the first few shots, and his protective barrier of light absorbs still more, the sheer weight of phase cannon fire threatens to overwhelm his defences. ((SuperMuldoon, roll a Toughness Save, DC 27))

Just as the worst seems to be over, Rave begins to hum, and the world goes topsy-turvy. The villains and scenery seem to blur around you, and you suddenly realize you can't even hear. ((The bank is now under the effects of a Visual and Auditory Obscure))

((Post your actions, folks))

[ChronicLunacy]

Fracture

When the world turns upside down, Fracture staggered a moment trying to regain his balance. These guys were getting more annoying by the moment! He didn't trust himself to move too much so he tried to spot the nearest group of thugs through the warping haze...or at least where he thought they were. There was a black spot that looked like a few thugs, and since he didn't remember a lot of people in the bank wearing black he figured it was a good chance. Best not use lethal force just in case, though... So, he turned his bone sword so that he was using the flat of the blade and charged them, aiming a slap at the first one's head...uh...area, he thought. Then, following up if any more were in range.

Taking ten because they're minions. So, that's a 20 to hit. Damage is 10. Concealment rolls:
Concealment (1d100=46, 1d100=95, 1d100=9) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1634419/)
I guess I hit one, depending on how many I actually found...and supposing they aren't innocent bystanders. :smalleek: Oh, and I sent Pox the M&M2e book so she should be back on the ball soon.

[The Rose Dragon]

Lunar

Lunar focused for a moment, trying to figure out a way to reduce the drawbacks of the situation. He couldn't hear or see, so he went for a blind shot. Take out the source, take out the power. Hoping he can act faster than the metapowered girl, he rushed towards her, with a singular intent - beat her up hard. Meanwhile, he did his best not to allow the girl's powers annoy him.

((OOC: I use a Hero Point to get Blind Fight for the round.

EDIT: Ahem. Two of the rolls I made decided not to work, so I deleted them all. Should I re-roll in another post or should you do it yourself?))

[The Rose Dragon]

((OOC: Just in case...

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]))

[Pinnacle]

Pinnacle

As everything is his field of vision begins to blur, Pinnacle smirks and closes his eyes. "If you think you can beat me that way," he begins confidently, before realizing that his hearing is similarly affected, "you may actually be right.."

Trying to remember exactly where Rave was, he throws a powerful punch in her direction, hoping to hit her hard enough to end the effect.

Using Power Attack for an attack roll of [roll0] and a Toughness DC of 30.
[roll1] for Concealment.

[jerichodrumm]

FASTLANE

Like a bad 70s cut scene Fastlane's vision began to swirl. "Whoa trippy! It would be kinda cool if this wasn't the middle of a fight..." Ah crud I can't even hear my own witty quips! Okay think Freddie...Too many friendlies around to throw stuff willy-nilly and hope you hit. Maybe if I concentrate hard enough I can just effect everyone woth something non-lethal. It's a gamble but... The former streetracer concentrated attempting to siphon the kinetic energy from the surrounding area.

OOC: Extra Effort for a Power Stunt:
Alternate Power: Paralyze 10 [Extras: Area-Burst, Flaws: Full Round Action]

[TroyXavier]

Miss Fortune shook her head trying not to fall under the influence of these weird vibrations. "May need a little luck here" she muttered under her breath.
She prepares for any attack he might pull off.

She'll try and Jinx Rant if she is able to do so. Ranged Touch Attack. And of course for some reason I can't get the forum to roll a die for me. It's +6 to whatever.

[Green Bean]

((To save time, could you guys roll a Reflex and Will save?))

[The Rose Dragon]

((OOC: [roll0]
[roll1]

Please be good...))

[ChronicLunacy]

Reflex: 1d20+13=25 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1635452/)
Will: 1d20+7=15 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1635454/)

[SuperMuldoon]

Ha! Got him! Doctor Spectrum thinks as he watches the telekenetic go through the glass door of the bank. Now to deal with- He looks down and sees 5 pulse rifles all pointed up at him. "Oh shi-" His light barrier glows under the barrage and threatens to cave.


[roll0]

I'll post my action after we find out if I get smoked by these thugs :smalltongue:
also, I'll change my color to green since everyone seems to like blue :smallwink:

[Pinnacle]

[roll0] Reflex
[roll1] Will

[TroyXavier]

[roll0] reflex [roll1] will

[Green Bean]

((Still waiting on SuperMuldoon and Pox))

[SuperMuldoon]

Dr. Spectrum

"That was too close...now for a little return fire!" Dr. Spectrum prepares to fire a blast at one of the thugs when suddenly everything gets all spinny. "Ahhhhghh! What the heck is going on?!" Dr. Spectrum lines up his blast as best as he can and fires it at one of the thugs.


[roll0]
I'm not really sure how obscure works and I'm at work and not near my books...I can check it when I get home or if you want h_v you can roll or attach the appropriate modifiers to my rolls just to get everything moving along :smallsmile:

[roll1]
[roll2]

[Pox]

Mishka Hodge - Songbird

Songbird furrowed her brow as the plaster and the paint crumbled from the wall. Damnit! She thought, gripping her hands into fists. She still needed more practice. When mustering up the breath in her lungs, she closed her eyes for a moment to prepare her next attack. Unfortunately, the world wasn't the same when she opened them.

She couldn't see anything properly at all, so instead she hovered slightly on the spot before slowly rising. Perhaps she could get a better overview of the situation from above?


Reflex: 1d20+15 → [19,15] = (34) - On successful reflex, can I use my Evasion?
Will: 1d20+12 → [15,12] = (27)

[Green Bean]

This time, Pinnacle's attack is much less effective; the shape of Rave wavers and wobbles, and the punch misses by a mile.

Songbird rises on a cushion of sound waves. Unfortunately, the sound of Rave's humming doesn't diminish, and she still has trouble seeing and hearing.

Dr. Spectrum takes aim as best he can, and aims a blast of light at one of the thugs. Despite the difficulty seeing, you swear you see another of the black shapes vanish.

((Rose, since you made your concealment roll first try, I'm going to go ahead and refund your wasted Hero Point))
Despite the chaos, Lunar manages to get a lock on Rave's position for a moment. He tries to attack, but Rave easily sidesteps.

Fracture's attack seems to be on target, but he merely hits an afterimage.

Miss Fortune tries to jinx Rant, but it doesn't seem to be working this time. ((Miss because of concealment))

Fastlane manages to absorb the momentum of everything around him. Lunar and Miss Fortune feel like they're moving through molasses instead of air ((slowed)), but the other heroes manage to evade the effects. The humming doesn't seem to have stopped, but the blurry figures of Rant and the thugs seemed to have stopped moving.

The heroes can't quite see what Rave is doing, but she seems to be moving quite quickly.

[Pinnacle]

[b]Pinnacle[b]

Pinnacle feels intense frustration as he misses Rave and the world continues to swim around him.

Are people getting out of here or are they just as stuck as I am? C'mon boy, you can't see or hear her, so focus on your other senses..

For the briefest moment, he leans back and sniffs the air, trying to remember something about Rave, maybe a perfume or lotion, anything, that he could use to find her.

"Gotcha! Can't beat me, can ya?" he says triumphantly (for nobody to hear), as he manages to form a mental picture of the scene and charges at her.

Using extra effort to do a power stunt on Pinnacle's Super-Senses--Alternate Power (Super-Senses: Accurate scent).
That should help him aim a charge.
[roll0], Toughness DC 27, Defense drops to 16 for the round.

[TroyXavier]

Miss Fortune

Ironic Miss Fortune mused, I'm having bad luck. Slowly muttering, she tried to shake off the vertigo she seemed to be suffering. "Just let me get close enough and the closest person won't like what will happen."

[SuperMuldoon]

Doctor Spectrum

Alright...this crazy spinning noise thing has to stop now. Doctor Spectrum thinks to himself as he tries to pick out the source of the distortion (Rave, I believe). Upon seeing (sorta?) the person creating it, he tries to form a cube of "hard light" around them, sealing the distortion inside and hopefully bringing everything back to normal.


Create object around Rave, going to attempt to seal her up and keep her "humming" inside if possible. She gets to make a reflex save, I think DC 22. Would I need to roll for the obscure to see if I can perceive her in order to attempt this?

[Green Bean]

Create object around Rave, going to attempt to seal her up and keep her "humming" inside if possible. She gets to make a reflex save, I think DC 22. Would I need to roll for the obscure to see if I can perceive her in order to attempt this?


((Yes you will. Also, since Create Object is Ranged, you'll need to make an attack roll. ))

[Pox]

Mishka Hodge - Songbird

Squinting around, she tries to find a blurr of colour that would indicate where Rave was standing. Again, she closes her eyes to remember where everyone in the bank was standing. If she shuffled back to face where the front doors are/were, she may even be able to hit the robbers - all of them - with one good scream.

Positioning herself properly (she hopes!), Songbird lets out an unearthly scream.

Ranged Attack Roll for Sonic Blast: 1d20+10 → [9,10] = (19)

[The Rose Dragon]

Lunar

Assuming everyone will blast away at Rave, Lunar goes for a different direction - getting everyone the hell out. Anyone that isn't involved in the fight is probably a civilian, and should be gotten out before they are harmed. He hopes he can act fast enough before the thugs fire at the reinforcing parts of the structure.

[jerichodrumm]

FASTLANE

Unfortunately is still looked through Freddie's eyes that he had dropped some acid and stared at a disco ball in a noisy club for 4 hours...Ahhh memories!
From what he could tell though there was still plenty of action going on and the fight was not over. Still not wanting to hurt anyone he wasn't supposed to he thought it may be a great time to talk a baddie down.

"The Party is over Rave! From now on you and your Club-kids are gonna be dancing in jail."

OOC Taunt to demoralize as a standard action [roll0]

[SuperMuldoon]

Sorry about that h_v, here's the rolls!

[roll0]
[roll1]

I think this is right?

[ChronicLunacy]

Fracture

"Damn, these jokers are really starting to piss me off." Fracture hissed through his teeth.

He didn't even know where the hell the goons were! If he attacked one of them and missed he might disembowel a civilian, which would mean a lot less time at his bar for sure. He never regretted having his mutant powers, not once in his life, but sometimes he wished that his powers had manifested in such a way that he could use them in a nonlethal capacity. The only thing he could do to limit the damage was make his bone weapons blunt rather than sharp...and even then it was a problem. It didn't have to be sharp for a bone spike to crack someone's skull.

He racked his brain for a solution and, to his surprise, one came to him nearly immediately. He wished it hadn't as his mind had went straight to the comic books he'd read as a kid. There was a superhero, one of those star-spangled boyscout types, that had a shield he could throw like a discus. It was heavy enough to knock the bad guy out of the fight but at the same time not do any lasting damage. He was almost embarrassed to actually be imitating the guy so obviously, but he couldn't think of anything else and he didn't have much time to spare.

So, Matt transferred his sword to his off-hand and reached behind him to a wide, flat bone, his scapula (shoulder-blade). He reached through his armor and flesh, fingers parting the surface like water again, and actually pulled out a larger piece of bone than should have been there. Holding it in his hand, he let the material grow and shape into a concave, round shape until it was about maybe two or two and a half feet in diameter.

"Well, here's for pulling something out of your ass, Matt..." he grumbled, hoping someone would knock that chick out so he could be of more use.

[Green Bean]

((That's a neat idea, but what's your action, exactly? :smallconfused:))

[ChronicLunacy]

No other action. He has to use Create Object to make it, which takes his standard action this turn. It's the downside to his particular power.

[Green Bean]

As Pinnacle ignores his eyes and ears, and starts using his nose, he manages to pin down Rave's location. However, this does not avail him, as the sonic villainess once again sees him coming and dodges.

Songbird watches carefully as the images of the fight whirl past her. She catches a glimpse of long red hair and "sings", sending a powerful sonic wave at the target. The blast hits the blur dead centre.

Dr. Spectrum's cube seals tight around the red-headed blur, but the maddening humming continues unabated.

Moon Lord:
As you prepare yourself to evacuate the civilians, a powerful sonic blast crashes into you. You aren't hurt, but it knocks you off balance, enough that you can't escape as a shell of hard light closes in around you. Summoning your strength, you manage to smash a hole in the side and escape.

((Sorry to take over your character for the round, but there weren't many options to take, and I wanted to keep this moving.))

Once again, Miss Fortune's jinx cannot seem to penetrate Rave's haze.

Suddenly, Songbird feels a crushing iron grip wrapping around her waist; the telekinetic seems to be back in action. ((Pox, could you roll a grapple check?))

Between the visual distortion, and the silence, Fastlane has a hard time telling if Rave even heard the threat, let alone reacted to it.

There still does not seem to be any movement coming from the thugs or Rant.

[Pox]

Sorry, IC wasn't working to roll for me. Grapple:[roll0]

[The Rose Dragon]

Lunar

After breaking free of the shell, Lunar immediately returns to his decided task - evacuating civilians. Those people shouldn't have to be hurt just because of some fools that got their hands on some power and thinking they rule the world. He is glad he didn't bring Jonathan along - he would have to worry extra.

[Pinnacle]

Pinnacle
Still a bit off-balance for trying to navigate without using his normal senses, Pinnacle skirts around the figure escaping from the box and goes after Rave again.
Frustrated that he keeps missing the agile villain, he takes the briefest pause, and then leans farther into his powerful punch then he normally would, giving her less space to dodge. He knows he opens himself up for counter-attack, but doubts that she can hurt him anyway. Hopefully

"Look lady, I'll hit you eventually, and when I do, it's gonna hurt. Just surrender and make it easier on everyone." He realizes that his words probably sound off since he can't really hear himself, but hopes she can make out the offer.

I'll spend his hero point to shake off the fatigue from extra effort.
Against Rave Pinnacle uses All-Out attack for three points, dropping his defense to 15 and raising his attack roll by three.
Attack is [roll0] (so 29) and Toughness DC is 27.
Notice is [roll1] if it helps.

[Green Bean]

Pinnacle
(My actions depend on whether your rule that Pinn can detect Dr. Spectrum's cage. If not, he has no reason not to attack her again: )

((Since your Extra Effort AP lasts until you switch it, you have a clear picture of the last round.))

Rave seems to be messing with everyone's visual perceptions; your eyes are telling you that Rave was sealed in a cage of hard light, but it doesn't smell like her. You think you recognize the scent as the one coming from the glowing meta from earlier. The discrepancies continue to add up as Rave apparently smashes her way out of the box with her bare hands.

If you search with your senses, you can smell Rave's scent coming from what looks like the glowing meta.

((Let me know if this changes your action.))

[Pinnacle]

Ah, that makes sense.
I edited my post down to just the one that matters, then.

[SuperMuldoon]

Doctor Spectrum

Well, if that's not going to work... Doctor Spectrum tries to line up a shot at the person he had imprisoned. "If anyone can hear me, focus on the cause of the distortion!"


[roll0]
[roll1]

Since the distortion didn't stop once I trapped Rave (i think that was her name?) I'll just take a shot at her best I can.

[Green Bean]

((Still waiting on jerichodrumm, ChronicLunacy, and TroyXavier))

[jerichodrumm]

Fastlane

Desperate to not accidentilly injure anyone but still wanting to prevent the robbery Freddie continues to siphon the ambient kinetic energy from the area until he senses no more movemnt around him.

[TroyXavier]

(With my great luck of managing to do absolutely nothign useful so far...chuckles)

Miss Fortune

Sighing as she felt completely useless here, Miss Fortune decided to get out of dodge. Maybe if she was outside, she could get her bearings and actually be useful. *For now, trying to get outside and see if I can actually pull off somethign useful out there without hurting anyone*

[ChronicLunacy]

Fracture

Matt narrowed his eyes in the vain attempt to pierce the obscure effect, looking for a flash of anything that might be Rave while he readied his strange, bone shield/frisbee for throwing. He was kind of glad that there was no one there able to see what he was about to try. If he failed and smacked a hostage in the head there would be hell to pay. They'd probably try to sue or something and his business couldn't take something like that, even with Mishka and her incredible voice raking in the cash on the nights she was on stage.

He shook his head free of the consequences and put his best effort into trying to end things as fast and effectively as possible. Catching a warped figure out of the corner of his eye he turned and whirled the bone discus with a pump of his arm, sending it curving out of sight towards its target. Matt waited for the crack of bone hitting bone and hoped he'd found the right target. If it was Rave, he'd know pretty quick when all the bad acid trip effects suddenly stopped.

Attack:1d20+10=30 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1647933/) NAT 20!!
Confirm Crit:1d20+10=22 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1647936/)
Damage: Rank 10 Attack, so whatever toughness save that calls for. Not really sure how the crits work since I don't have access to my book at the moment.
Miss Chance (50%): 1d100=60 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1647934/) Made it!

[Green Bean]

By focusing on his sense of smell, Pinnacle is able to cut through the illusion and land a desperate attack against Rave. She flies back, and her humming wavers for a moment, but she manages to hold on. ((Bruised, Prone, and Stunned (but made a successful Concentration check)))

Songbird struggles valiantly against the invisible forces restraining her, but is slammed violently against the wall ((roll a Toughness Save, DC 25))

Doctor Spectrum's burst of light cuts through the disruptive haze, and would have been a direct hit had Rave not been knocked to the ground.

There are five remaining civilians in the bank; two tellers, the two security guards (one unconscious), and a customer. Any remaining bank staff seem to have vanished out of fire exits, and it seems that most of the customers were metahumans in civilian dress. With Lunar's great strength, he is able to grab all five in one trip and deposit them outside.

Fracture unleashes the bone discus, unsure of how he's going to tell whether or not it hit. Your question is quickly answered; the first thing you hear before sound and sight flow back into the world is a mighty *crack*.

((Moon Lord and Miss Fortune:))

The outdoors is mercifully clear of sensory disruption, so you spot the final thug sitting behind the wheel of a bright red sports car.

"Screw this! I didn't sign on to fight the freakin' Alpha Legion!" The telekinetic drops to the ground, and starts running for the car, travelling right by Lunar and Miss Fortune.

Fastlane is about to repeat his momentum draining strategy when Rave is knocked unconscious and the battlefield is revealed. The telekinetic has already fled out of range, while Rant and the thugs are still frozen in place. Doing it now would only affect heroes.

Naturally, Rant uses this opportunity to break free of his momentum-leeched prision, and runs over to check on Rave. "That's my sister, you bastards!" He fires a powerful blast of sonic energy at Fracture, hitting him dead centre. ((ChronicLunacy, make a Fort Save and a Toughness Save against a Disintegrate attack, DC 22 and DC 27 respectively.))

[ChronicLunacy]

Fracture

The mutant armored in ghostly-white bone turned to face Rant as the guy attempted to avenge his sister's unconsciousness on her most recent attacker. His powerful sonic attack roared in at Fracture, but he met it with a charge, rushing straight into it as it hit him dead center. He gave a small grunt but let the energy wash over him as he closed with Rant, letting his bone sword trail the ground as he ran. He watched for the widening in Rant's eyes as he brought the sword upwards in a rising slash vertical over the supervillain's right pectoral and shoulder, hopefully trailing blood in its wake. He didn't necessarily want to kill Rant, but a wound like that would take the fight out of most people. The blood loss alone would probably cause him to pass out after a moment if the blade bit as deep as Matt intended.

Fort: 1d20+15=24 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1647989/)
Toughness: 1d20+12=31 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1647991/)
Attack: 1d20+10=25 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1647996/)
Damage: Rank 10

[Pinnacle]

Pinnacle

"What!? How dare you thugs start a fight and then get mad when somebody tries to finish it? And she was offered how many chances to surrender?"
I don't actually know the answer to that, but it is her fault that I don't...

The girl had made it difficult to fight, but seeing the way the guy hit the bone-covered superhero Pinnacle realized that he was still very dangerous. He also realized that he didn't have to take him down himself, seeing how many others were here to do it. Stopping him from attacking seemed like the best idea.
Pinnacle moved forward and grabbed at Rant, trying to pin his arms behind him so he couldn't attack.

Grappling him in an attempt to pin.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[SuperMuldoon]

Doctor Spectrum

Spectrum shakes his head to clear out the cobwebs when the distortion subsides. Glad that's over... he thinks when he notices the metahuman he blasted through the bank doors trying to escape. "I don't think so!" Spectrum says as he flies down toward the bank doors and uses his light powers to try and trap the fleeing kenetic in a light cage. At this point he notices one of the other heroes from the bank and someone standing next to him outside as well. "Hey! Give me a hand here, we can't let him get away!"


[roll0]

[The Rose Dragon]

Lunar

Lunar is feeling safer now there aren't any civilians inside the building. He would join the fray, but the others are doing a pretty good job containing the threat. He flies to catch the telekinetic and hold him until he gives up. If he doesn't, well... he'll just have to be knocked out.

((OOC:[roll0]))

[Green Bean]

Lunar

Lunar is feeling safer now there aren't any civilians inside the building. He would join the fray, but the others are doing a pretty good job containing the threat. He flies to catch the telekinetic and hold him until he gives up. If he doesn't, well... he'll just have to be knocked out.

((Wait, so are you attacking, or grappling?))

[The Rose Dragon]

((OOC: Sorry, I'm grappling.))

[Green Bean]

((OOC: Sorry, I'm grappling.))

((You'll need to include a grapple check (1d20 + Attack Bonus + Strength Bonus + Super-Strength rank)))

[The Rose Dragon]

((OOC: OK.

[roll0]

No Super-Strength for this one, since I'm flying as fast as I can to catch the crook.))

[jerichodrumm]

Fastlane started to disarm the frozen gunmen before the velocity siphoning effect wore off. "You won't be needing these where you guys are going."

[Green Bean]

With incredible speed and strength, Pinnacle grabs Rant's arms and easily forces them behind the villain's back.

Songbird, released from the bonds of her foe's telekinetic grip, quickly closes with Rant. With Pinnacle holding the villain in place, she sidles up next to his ear and lets out a low pitched hum. Rant looks unsteady on his feet, but no one else is affected ((Stunned))

Outside, the telekinetic tries to dodge to one side as Doctor Spectrum deploys his hard-light cage, but can't move quite fast enough. He sees Lunar and Miss Fortune closing in, and Doctor Spectrum coming in from behind, and meekly raises his hands. "I'd like to come quietly now."

Held by Pinnacle and stunned by Songbird, Rant is in no position to dodge Fracture's attack. The bone blade slices into Rant with surgical precision, and the sonic controller quickly passes out from shock.

Fastlane disarms one of the thugs, but the moment the weapon moves out of contact with him, it vanishes.

The final active thug, the one behind the wheel of the getaway car, gives the heroes a jaunty wave before vanishing along with the remaining paralysed thugs indoors.


By the time the police Metahuman Response Team arrives, you have the villainous trio lined up out front, ready to be slapped into power-nullifying restraints. After taking witness statements, the sergeant comes over to congratulate you personally.

"I just want to thank you folks for what you did today. It could've been real messy if you weren't here."

[SuperMuldoon]

Spectrum

Spectrum watches as the driver thug waves and vanishes, followed by the rest of the thugs. I knew there was something odd about those guns...does it allow them to teleport away? Or are they just very-real illusions? I'll have to look into this...


"I just want to thank you folks for what you did today. It could've been real messy if you weren't here."

Spectrum turns to face the sergeant. "No problem sir, did what anybody in my position would have done. It was good luck on our part that lots of metahumans needed to do their banking today! We practically had a whole super team assembled in there!"


OOC: Think I'll just go with Spectrum for now, and drop the doctor. (try to put a little more distance between the real character and my guy) Maybe I'll pick it up later again :smallsmile: good to be back!

[jerichodrumm]

"I wish I could say that was fun, but it was a real pain in the @$$! I am gonna have to rethink my tactics just in case I get blinded like that again. Anyway at least we managed to muck up their plans." Fastlane smiled and patted Spectrum on the shoulder. "I am Fastlane by the way."

[Green Bean]

Spectrum turns to face the sergeant. "No problem sir, did what anybody in my position would have done. It was good luck on our part that lots of metahumans needed to do their banking today! We practically had a whole super team assembled in there!"

"It was quite a coincidence, wasn't it... Well, it's probably nothing."

Behind the sergeant, a red haired woman, one of the people who stayed to fight the would-be bank robbers looks slightly embarrassed.

The sergeant turns serious, lowering his voice and motioning the assembled heroes in closer. "Look, the statements we took from the bystanders were pretty confused; understandable, what with Rave tagging along. But they all agreed that most of the robbers vanished before we got here. You folks got a better look at them than anyone else. What can you tell me about them?"

[The Rose Dragon]

Lunar

Lunar is a bit worried about being around an MR team, seeing how he never actually came around to registering - something else always came up. Besides, he likes his autonomy. He looks around for some place to change into his civilian form so he can save himself the trouble yet another day.

[Pinnacle]

Pinnacle

Pinnacle grins and crosses his arms over his chest. "Hey, 'swhat I do. Guess that goes for lotsa people who were in there, too."

When the sergeant asks about the thugs, Pinn thinks for a moment and replies slowly.
"Well, I have very good senses. Once I got used to focusing away from my sight and hearing, Rave--Rave was the girl, right?--didn't bother me too much.

"And the bystanders were right. Every time one of us tried to hit them, they did just vanish. I don't know where they went, or what they were, exactly. Normal humans don't usually do that.

"Other than that... Uh.. they had fancy armor and guns? That was odd."

[jerichodrumm]

Fastlane nodded in agreement. "Yeah. They were real weird. I'm thinkin' the amount it would cost for their gear and personal teleporters is probably more cash then is in the vault. So I am thinking we were played and those Goons were some kinda Illusions."

[Green Bean]

"I see, so they were equipped with some high-level stuff." The sergeant looks grim, and not entirely surprised, but doesn't elaborate any further. He straightens, and signals his team to prepare to leave. "Right, the perps are in custody, and we've taken your statements. Is there anything else?"

[Green Bean]

"Well, thanks for your time. Wish we had more folks like you out here." With that, the MRTs pack up and head back to their station. Unfortunately, those of you who still have business with the bank will remain unserved; the bank will be closed for repair for a day or two.

After warm congratulations from the bank's customers and tellers, you take the rest of your day as you see fit, whether it's going about your normal business, partying with friends, or calling unliked family to passive-aggressively talk about how heroic you are. However, your evening is interrupted by a phone call from a Ms. Stevens, the Assistant to the Head of the DMA. Jonathon McCloud, the current head of the New York DMA branch, has apparently heard of your exploits at the Eastern Seaboard Bank, and wishes to discuss with you a "matter of considerable importance to the safety of the city". Ms. Stevens is polite, but insistent, and one way or another, you agree to stop in at 11 am tomorrow.

The next day, upon arriving at the DMA offices in central New York, you are quickly escorted past security and through the building until you reach a modestly appointed waiting room. There, you meet Ms. Stevens. "Good morning, sir. Thank you for dropping by on such short notice. Unfortunately, we're running a bit behind schedule. If you have a seat, Mr. McCloud will be here in a few minutes."

Other people filter in, ones you recognize from yesterday's heroics. Conspicuously missing are the red-haired woman and the sonic controller.

((Alright, folks, you're stuck in a waiting room for a few minutes; feel free to develop your characters.))

[SuperMuldoon]

Spectrum

After the ordeal and hurried introductions to the other metahumans ("Pleasure working with you Fastlane, and the rest of you, hi there!" *wave, shake hands*) involved at the bank, Spectrum went to file his report of the incident with the DMA, as he was in their employ. They tell him to come back tomorrow at 11AM for some matter of importance or another, probably just some routine assignment or training (you know how the DMA gets wordy with their assignments!). When that was taken care of, Spectrum heads home to relax for the rest of the day and unwind. Removing his costume, Jacob plops down on the couch and turns on the T.V. catching a little bit of the news report on the earlier bank incident before falling asleep.

Startled awake by the alarm, Jacob reaches for the clock only to realize he's still on the couch and the alarm is in his room, by his bed. Dragging himself off the couch, he reaches the alarm clock and goes to turn it off when he realizes its 10:50!!! "Oh...damn..."

Hurridly donning his costume and grabbing a powerbar from his kitchen he does his normal routine of sneaking out of his apartment and flies as fast as he can to the DMA offices while munching on his powerbar. Bursting into the lobby of the DMA, and cramming the rest of the powerbar into his mouth, Spectrum is on the scene!

"I'm hea fo da meetinf" he tells the receptionist, though a mouth full of powerbar. Security comes and escorts him to the waiting room where he is greeted by Ms. Stevens. Spectrum moves over to an empty seat, and addresses the others already waiting. "Nice to see some familiar faces! I don't suppose any of you know why we are all here?"

[Green Bean]

After a few minutes of awkward silence, McCloud rushes in, dictating a message to another secretary as he goes. He quickly ushers you in.

McCloud's office is modestly appointed for such an important official. The only ostentatious bit of decoration is the window; two walls of the office are made of glass, giving you an excellent view of both City Hall and the Champions' headquarters. Someone appears to already have brought in seating for the five of you. As you sit, McCloud begins.

"First of all, I want to thank you all for coming. You're doing us a favour here, and don't think we won't remember it. Now, on to business." He dims the lights and switches on a projector, which displays an image of the thugs you fought yesterday. "As you all know, these men attempted to rob a bank yesterday. What you don't know, however, is that this is the latest in a series of bank robberies over the past couple weeks. These robberies all had the same MO; a metahuman presence combined with well armed and armoured backup. We believe the backup is coming from this man." The picture changes to a mug shot of a young man. The placard he's holding identifies him as Jeff Krane. "Jeff Krane here is a mutant with the ability to make hundreds, if not thousands of copies of himself. Our intel indicates that he's begun hiring himself out as a one man army." The picture changes to a map showing the locations of the bank robberies . "As you can see, all of the robberies were in the same general area, close to City Hall and the DMA. They seem to be deliberately attempting to provoke a response. Because of this, we believe that the crime families are trying to confirm something we already know."

"The Champions are missing."

"We lost contact with them a few weeks ago. We don't know why or how, but they've completely dropped off the radar. McCloud looks tired all of a sudden. The Champions are more than just another team. They're a symbol. We need you to find them before the situation gets any worse. I recommend you start at their headquarters."

((Lunar and Fracture, you both get the impression that McCloud has some further information about the Champions' disappearance that he's a bit leery about giving out, even to you.))