Heroes of Millaine IC 2 - Coming Soon to a Theater Near You!

[Quellian-dyrae]

Nine days after the attack on the gala, the Millaine Memorial Park opened to the public. Built on the site of the Reclaimers' missile attack, what had been a charred, blasted crater had been, through the dedicated efforts of the Millaine Wilderness Service and a small legion of volunteers, transformed into a pleasant, grassy field with picnic tables, various sports-oriented nets, a small grove of apple trees, and a playground surrounding the crowning centerpiece - a statue/fountain depicting the city's Heroes. (Well, five of them anyway. One day, Sean. One day...)

The Heroes had of course been invited to its opening, given the chance to say a few words, and so on. It went fine. Not every public event turns into a desperate battle.

It was four days later that the Heroes were called to their base by an alert from the WATCHER satellite, which had detected four instances of a Master's Bind in the vicinity of the park.

(It is, of course, worth remembering that the Millaine Memorial Park was not even a block away from Mentallo Industries.)

[manwithaplan]

There was a slight blink as Copycat's form teleported into the base, and he immediately clapped his hands together.

"Right, let's get to work. I'll..." He realised he was the first to arrive.

"Ah."

He looked over to one of the many nearby displays for a moment, weighing up the options presented to him by this opportunity, before shaking his head and closing his eyes. He proceeded to sit right down on the floor with his legs crossed, and began to focus on bringing Magnus' Precognition to the surface and find out what he could about the situation. Anybody could check the report; this was something only he could invest his time in.

[Llyarden]

Wilson and Sean were the next two to arrive, though this was mostly coincidence since each had made their own way there.

It had not been a particularly delightful two weeks for either of them. Despite everything Wilson was still not an enormous fan of the public acclaim that they were all now receiving, and though Sean would have been more than happy to receive the attention he...wasn't exactly the interview target of choice. So both of them had spent most of the time out of the way; Wilson trying to close up the back doors that Gaertner had installed, without much success (which was perhaps understandable considering that he had no idea how they worked in the first place and his only real connection to them was more intuitive than anything else), while Sean had continued to visit Sameera. He, at least, was making some progress, but it was still very slow going.

Wilson (mostly out of habit) checked the Hero App to see if anything had been reported already. Maybe if they were lucky this would be like the spacewarping snipers and the oil slicks and they'd be able to get the drop on the summoners.

"Maestro, d'you...oh." Wilson looked slightly embarrassed, realising that the psychic wasn't there, before switching to the mental link. ~D'you know if there are any cameras that look out on the park?~

[Hyperbolic sine]

"Ah, I was wondering when Leopold's minions were going to show up again." Declan announced, entering the room.

He spent the last few days holed up in the training gym (well...even more than usual, anyway) while waiting for Avis Holtz to contact him, but still no words from him. It was nice to have something to distract himself with.

"Any intel?"

[Capt. Infinity]

With no greater fanfare than a brisk surge of wind, Maestro Mentallo was in the room, calibrating the teleporter. "On it, Wilson." The genius declares, as he also offhandedly reaches into the ambient technology around him to scan the local cameras of the park as well. Maestro knew that the Recruiter was bound to be desperate by now, and now was NOT the time for idle chatter. Today was shaping up to be a day and a half, and Maestro could only hope he and his team would be ready.

Spoiler: OOC

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Modulate in the full Comprehend (Machines) power, and Routine 30 an interface with the cameras in that area, as well as power up the teleporter.

[Zelphas]

The intervening days had been... surprisingly relaxing, despite the horrible half an hour when Waterworks had to go in front of a group of people and give a speech.

Slipping into the Hero Corps room now, she is all business. "About time the Recruiter showed his work again," she says in agreement with Declan, waiting for Maestro to finish gathering info. "We take down these summons and we might get closer to finding him and having a good climax for the sequel," she adds with a grin.

Well, she's mostly business, at least.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Various views of the park came up from a number of nearby cameras. There were maybe half a dozen people in the park, all huddled together in a terrified mass, being watched over by a stern-faced man with hair, beard, and eyes the color of iron, and a grim-looking woman with bright, curly red hair and a certain deranged excitement on her face.

Along with the two, scattered about the park, were four summons. A large, humanoid being composed of golden light. The very same Diamond Colossus that you had battled when you engaged the Recruiter personally. A grey-colored man who seemed to move in a sort of odd stop-motion. And an enormous elephant with glowing red eyes and crimson light seeping out from cracks in its hide.

Spoiler: Copycat only, Perception DC 20 with Magnus Bonus

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The cloud of probability is oddly blurry here. It suggests the Recruiter involved directly in this effort.

Spoiler: DC 25

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You can tell that if the summons are not engaged shortly, they will wage an attack on Mentallo Industries and the surrounding area directly. And the damage would be catastrophic.

Spoiler: DC 30

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The more you gaze into the cloud of potential futures, the more apparent it is - there is a far greater force in play than your team is aware of so far. And there seem to be an unnervingly small number of possible futures where you come out of this on top.

Spoiler: Declan only, Perception DC 30

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You...have a very bad feeling about this. Even Id did not cause the sort of sinking feeling in your gut that you are getting now.

Spoiler: Wilson only, Perception DC 20

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Although not wearing any identifying colors or uniform, you can't help but notice that the man and the woman carry themselves very similarly to the Dreamers you had battled two weeks ago. You Deduce that they are more members of the Haptaran Military...which can only mean that the Recruiter has allied himself with the Emperor.

[Quellian-dyrae]

The Heroes quickly plotted their move, and went to work. Arriving via the base's teleporter, the team's first move was to get the civilians out of harm's way. Drawing on Ami's powers, Copycat teleported the group the short distance to the park, Waterworks' tendrils snaking out to lay upon the civilians. The other four released contact from Copycat, and he quick-reversed his step through space, pulling Waterworks and the civilians back with him to Mentallo Industries.

To an observer, it would almost look like the civilians had simply vanished, replaced by Wilson, Declan, Maestro, and Sean.

The enemies reacted fast to their arrival, though. The Diamond Colossus leaped at Sean with rending claws, while the elephant bellowed and charged Declan, swinging its trunk in a powerful blow. The stop-motion summon suddenly appeared beside Wilson...in several places at once, attacking him with shockingly fast strikes before all but one of them vanishing. The luminous summon flew at Maestro, reaching out with a glowing hand.

And all four of their attacks were just kinda...off, slipping past by inches.

Of course, none of them could see the thin cloud of golden nanites that Wilson had dispersed into the air to shield the team.

The Dreamers weren't idle either, the woman leaping at Declan and slamming a fist into his face, the blow causing a short but powerful explosion that even the Unbreakable couldn't-

...No? No, he was actually just as immune to that as he was to everything else? Okay then. Well, she tried anyway.

The bearded man gestured at Sean, and for a moment he seemed to slow down, but he quickly shrugged through whatever power he was using.

As Copycat and Waterworks reappeared on the field and DAMOCLES revved up, it was starting to look like just another day in the lives of the Heroes of Millaine. Wilson trapped the colossus in a nanite barrier - it wouldn't hold the thing for long, but would keep it occupied with breaking free and, more importantly, stop it from interfering with his team's attacks. Maestro, modulating the power for fine control in the crowded battlefield, slammed the enemy force with a bomb-like detonation of telekinetic force. Declan rained antimatter upon the elephant, disintegrating chunks of its physical structure, while Waterworks' tentacles crashed down on the woman with the exploding fists, injuring her and binding her. Sean leaped across the field, tearing into the bearded man and setting him up for Copycat to hammer him with a crushing finishing blow courtesy of Beth Cobbler, the tag-team strike knocking the Dreamer out at one go!

Bets were already being placed at Mentallo Industries. No one seemed willing to go higher than thirty seconds.

Everything was going great...until the portal opened.

Three more Haptaran Dreamers stepped onto the field. A dark-skinned man with eyes that glowed a molten red. A prim, white haired lady, thin as a whip and with impeccable posture, who was holding one hand towards the portal. And a pale, raven-haired woman whose tanktop and shorts allowed a clear view of the numerous scars riddling her arms and legs (and face, for that matter).

And with them came a menagerie of summoned champions.

A hulking elemental that seemed to be composed of molten lava. What looked like a panther with glowing purple eyes. A hooded, leather-clad woman with a barbed scourge. An Angel of Light. A Time Elemental. And an Ice Wraith.

"You should surrender," the old woman informed them. "Come with us quietly, and no one else need come to harm."

If anyone answered verbally, it was lost under the roar of DAMOCLES.

The Haptarans and their summons unleashed enough power to lay low a city. Blows that detonated like bombs, every impact generating an explosion - including a truly devastating blast when the stinking elephant leaped hundreds of feet into the air and came crashing down like a trumpeting comet. Rivers of magma flowed and volcanoes were summoned into being to expel pyroclastic meteors and clouds of choking ash, conflicting with the snowstorms and blasts of cold called upon by the insubstantial wraith. Time was warped and twisted, stopped and started around them, while space was severed and divided by tactical portals, while the panther leaped back and forth through portals of its own to strike from impossible angles. The scarred woman and scourge-wielder brought agony with touch or gesture, sent waves of pain rolling through the field. And through it all, the Diamond Colossus stood seemingly impervious to harm, while the Life Elemental turned the healing powers of Eskiro Asama to evil ends, wiping away injuries inflicted.

The memorial park was engulfed in a battle that was best described as apocalyptic, and the Heroes of Millaine were right in the center of it.

And flame-blast if they didn't fight back with their all.

Waterworks unleashed the Maelstrom, crushing and binding their foes, sending them flying with tsunamis, pouring potent healing into her allies. Never before had the Maelstrom displayed such fury as it tried to wash away its foes. Water swirled from fire hydrants, from covered manholes, from the clouds above, pouring into the APEX-empowered hydrokinetic to heal her injures almost as fast as her foes could inflict them. It was she that finally destroyed the Life Elemental, after first blasting it across the city only for it to be recovered via portal. She bound it helplessly in her tentacles and held it up too far above the fray for it to cure its allies, before tearing the creature apart.

There was not a single role in the battle that Copycat did not fulfill. One moment, he was slowing time to buy his friends an opportunity to avoid attacks, or raising potent shields to defend them. The next, he befuddled their foes with illusions. Seconds later, he extolled his allies, encouraging them to fight on despite their wounds. He fought fire with ice and ice with fire, destroying for the second time the Wraith that wore the form of his love. Where he could spare seconds, he peered into the future, warning his team of what was to come...including the disconcerting prediction that these Dreamers came not with orders to kill, but to take them back to their Emperor.

Maestro's default tactics, wearing away individual foes with repeated telekinetic blows, would accomplish little in this battle - so he didn't go with default tactics. The limits of his powers were Play-Do in his hands as he unleashed hyperkinetic blasts that sent multiple foes away from the field, sending them all in different directions so their teleporters could not so easily return them. He struck telekinetically and telepathically in synchrony, blasting his foes' bodies even as he tore at their minds. He focused the full force of his will into a hyperkinetic blade of force that cut through even the skin of the Diamond Colossus, before tearing its mind apart with a tremendous exertion of will.

Declan seemed everywhere, leaping in the way of attack after attack that managed to get through the various shields and protections the Heroes laid down, DAMOCLES spraying bullets everywhere. The panther. That blasted panther kept jumping into portals to avoid attacks, but Declan persevered by the virtue of putting enough bullets into the air that it couldn't avoid them all. But it was his defense that kept the Heroes going, that ensured that the enemy couldn't quite manage to land a finishing blow on one or another while they were injured, giving Waterworks or Wilson or Copycat a chance to heal them.

Up until now, the team had kinda only had a taste of what Wilson's new capabilities were, with most of it coming up against them during Gaertner's takeover. But here, Wilson's nanites bolstered and boosted them beyond anything even the august Heroes had accomplished before. Azure nanites augmented their blows, golden nanites shielded them from harm, yellow nanites healed their wounds...and green nanites augmented their powers to astonishing levels. DAMOCLES wreaked tremendous harm as its bullets were invested with antimatter "tendrils" that wormed their way throughout the targets' skin and armor, crippling its structure. The Maelstrom's healing powers were hastened, allowing her to cure her allies even as she struck their foes. Combining his augmentations with Maestro's modulations afforded the young genius a level of flexibility even he had never considered possible. And while Copycat changed powers too quickly for Wilson to be able to choose just one to augment, his boosts allowed the mimic to fight as his best without having to concern himself with using a power to provide a personal defense. And the former SIDE agent got his licks in too, dissolving the explosive elephant outright.

And then there was Sean. New to the Heroes of Millaine, he had proved his mettle before and now fought as hard and as fiercely as any of them. He cowed their foes with glares as he engaged, tearing into their enemies and leaving them open to his allies, leaping back and forth across the field to strike at foes or protect his friends. His pack tactics led to both the Angel of Light and the Time Elemental being destroyed as he left them helpless to defend themselves against the other Heroes.

But while it was a tremendous display of power, teamwork, and sheer, uncompromising grit...there was always another Champion, always a military-trained Haptaran Dreamer there to pick up the slack. For all the shields and healing, for all of Declan and Sean's best efforts, attack after barrage of repeated attacks could not help but take their toll. Debilitating powers - crippling pain, temporal pauses, concussively explosive impacts, and on and on - wore them down and could not be so easily healed.

But even in a final stand, the Heroes of Millaine would not concede a full victory to their foes.

It was Copycat who knew what had to be done. The cloud of possibilities he predicted, he saw the one that might yet deny victory to their foes. He was the one who gave the warning.

Wilson placed the augment on the Maelstrom, who caught the target in her coils, binding her tight with augmented force.

It was to be Sean, in the plan they concocted, that knocked the target out.

But Declan knew, he knew in his gut, that that wouldn't be enough, wouldn't buy enough time.

Declan Reynolds, the soldier, knew what had to be done to keep his people safe.

Before Sean could leap in, before she could use her portals to escape, he raised DAMOCLES and fired upon the old woman in Waterworks' coils, the last enemy on the field with the power to teleport...and the only one that was not a transient summon.

He didn't hold back. He didn't engage tactical shielding.

He filled her full of antimatter, and the portal controller was gone in a flash of light.

As the remaining forces fell upon them, Maestro focused his will.

And sent Sean flying across the city.

By the time the young Dreamer made his way back, the Heroes and their attackers were gone, nothing left behind but the desolated crater that had, if only for a short time, been the Millaine Memorial Park.

...Well, the desolation, and a lingering scent trail.

For Sean Hyers? That was enough.

* * * * *

It was three hours after his sister had tearfully told him about the abduction of his friends and former comrades that Magnus Mindrider walked into a certain room in the Mentallo Industries building. This meeting was being held here, rather than at the Hero Corps base, so that a particular participant would be able to attend.

He walked under a heavy burden. He knew, in his heart he knew, that his powers had to be used with caution. No matter how great one's powers of precognition, no Dreamer could ever know what would happen, only what might happen. Flashes of potential, visions of likely events, clouds of probabilities, unnervingly reliable hunches. The power to read the future, and to read the minds of others, ever had to be used with care. Even the most accurate vision was of necessity incomplete, lacking the context of history leading up to it. There was not a person alive who had not entertained evil thoughts, nor one that had zero potential to cause future harm. You had to pick your battles, had to use such powers to better fight your existing enemies, not to seek new enemies to fight. That way lay madness.

He believed it all, he lived his life by this strict personal code, used his powers only to achieve specific ends.

But the Dream knew that it was hard, when you got blindsided by something like this.

With a sigh, he pushed open the door, walking into the room. What was needed now was not Magnus Mindrider, not the former Hero laboring under the guilt of forsaken duties and unanticipated hazards. What was needed was Vigilguard, the brilliant tactician, the man who always had a plan, the Commander of a Thousand Eyes.

"OUT-SIDE is moving on the target site in thirty minutes. As far as our intelligence can tell, the targets have not left since we lost contact with Sean, and will be remaining there at least until tomorrow morning. We do not believe they are aware that their location has been determined. They will move in from-"

"Their movements don't matter," interrupted the quietly furious voice of Benjamin Eaton. "OUT-SIDE will be making a lot of noise, fighting their way through summons, and hopefully not killing our people in the crossfire. Well and good for them."

Prometheus looked over the others assembled in the room, before turning his gaze back upon Magnus. "What's our plan?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Everybody take a Hero Point for foregoing the battle, and a second one for the Complication of being captured.

As we've discussed, you can each choose an NPC for this adventure. Any NPC listed here is available for use. However, if the NPC is "tied" to another PC specifically in some way, you must get that player's permission to use them. Whichever NPCs you choose are here in the room at Mentallo Industries. Sean is also available for this purpose.

The short version of what happened after the Heroes were abducted is, Sean returned and tracked them. He tracked them to a fortified warehouse in the Millaine industrial district, which appeared heavily defended by automated defenses and robots, above and beyond the remaining Haptaran Dreamers and Summons. Recognizing it as obviously more than he'd be able to tackle alone, he sent out word of what had happened He alerted Wilhelm of what had happened and the location he had tracked them too, and then bravely charged in to try to rescue his comrades and got promptly captured himself because holy overpowered encounters Batman! OUT-SIDE has whelmed forces to stage a rescue, with Magnus flying in from Indelar to assist after Valerie had contacted him and told him what had happened.

Now, it is of course quite reasonable to assume that OUT-SIDE can probably handle things. But still...the people who know the Heroes of Millaine know what they're capable, and know better than to underestimate any force capable of taking them in combat. So too, a full siege from OUT-SIDE could, if it looked like it was going poorly, result in the hostiles killing the Heroes, rather than losing them.

So, certain friends, allies, and/or relatives of the Heroes have come together to try to assist - by slipping in under the cover of the siege so as to reach and rescue their Heroes while the enemy is battling OUT-SIDE.

Your chosen NPC is considered your PC for this mission, and may use your PC's Hero Points. Every two Relationship Building successes your PC has acquired with regards to the NPC in question will also grant them one additional Hero Point for the purposes of this mission (this uses your total number of successes, not only unspent ones, and does not itself spend successes). NPCs with a PL below 10 will be receiving certain special benefits to close the gap. NPCs with a PL above 10 may be selected, but will not be able to use your PC's Hero Points - they'll begin with 0, and will have to earn them during the mission to use them.

Now, it's not unreasonable for any given NPC to feel that this is a matter best left to OUT-SIDE. However, if you want, you can have other NPCs that have a connection to your PC get involved. You may play such NPCs during this initial "war room" scene. During the rescue itself, they will be unable to progress with the main party due to some contrivance ("We have to split up!", "Go! We'll hold them off!", etc). There's a tactical benefit and an opportunity for drama here - you may sacrifice one of these NPCs (resulting in them being killed during the fighting) to get an immediate Hero Point. Again, you may only do this with NPCs tied to your character specifically.

If everyone is willing to risk them (and no one selects them as primaries), the following NPCs can also be put at risk in this way. In these cases, any player may sacrifice them for a Hero Point: Valerie, Colt, Eskiro, and/or Lieutenant Wilhelm.

I will be playing Magnus and Promethus during the War Room scene unless someone else takes one or both of them as a "PC", in which case I'll cede control. Magnus will be part of the rescue attempt (but will be contrivanced out). He's special; if the entire party decides to do so, they can sacrifice Magnus to grant everyone a Hero Point.

If you have any questions, let me know. Otherwise, pick your primary (and any other connected NPCs you'd like to play in the War Room) and post away!

[Capt. Infinity]

"Our plan, Benjamin, is that I'm going out there to get my son back." Mercy Mentallo was not one to show powerful emotion, years of IN-SIDE training had taught her rigorous self control. This training, however, did nothing to abate the raw, concentrated fury and determination that was all but bleeding from her emerald green eyes as she spoke, her open palm slamming into the table of the war room in such a manner that an almost perfectly straight seam splits outward between her fingers from the strike. "I'll lead an adjacent squad to enter the compound under the cover of the siege. Whilst support is filled in by the others, I can stealth into the further reaches of the compound on my own and-" "Now wait just a darn second!" Maddox Mentallo politely nudges his way up to the table in order to make eye contact with his wife. "Mercy, you can't be serious. You can't just go back out there! These three months have been the longest period where you haven't been at high risk of dying since our honeymoon. I'm not letting you go out into that soon-to-be warzone all by yourself." Moddox was not a fighting man, he didn't have the tongue or the soul for it, but he spoke with an active concern that felt almost universal in its grandeur, and yet somehow felt particularly poignant as he spoke to his wife of 20 years.

Maddox, you can't honestly be suggesting that you come along with the taskforce, are you?" The Dreamer agent asks, incredulously. "Well why not? I've been to active warzones before, dear. I know how to keep my head down." "There is a large difference between straying close to the front lines and stepping into the nest of the Emporer's finest." There was an aggression in Mercy's voice. The pure, refined aggression that is brought on by a need to protect those one holds dear to them. "And I'm not about to see you do it either! He's my son too, Mercy! Let me help!" "This is my job, Maddox. Let me do what I've trained to do!" "And let me do what I've spent my whole life doing!" "Damnit Maddox, I'm already risking losing a child today. I am NOT risking the life of my partner too!"

"Enough!"

The Mentallos are forced out of their argument by the piercing ultimatum of Luisa Nym, who'd up till now been calmly seated further away from the table, content to provide advice as needed. Evidently, what was needed was far more powerful than advice.

"Both of you possess high Threat Level Dreamer Powers. You should both step up to the mission, since you both possess abilities with very useful and optimally efficient tactical capabilities." Luisa paused for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, as if working through something in her head, before continuing. "But as for the advance force. I will be leading the charge." Despite the finality with which Luisa spoke, Mercy, through both tactical training and motherly instinct, was forced to stand her ground. "Luisa, dear, with all due respect, where is this coming from? I have years of experience in this. And while I don't doubt your skills, this is what I'm best at. Why would you want to step up to bat?" "Yes, isn't something like that rather... Illogical?" Maestro's parents were still working through the whole "our son has a robot girlfriend" thing, and were evidently still testing the waters for where Luisa's emotions and logic clash. Still, their voices were coloured with genuine concern as they asked the gynoid for her reasoning. Luisa seemed to take another pause before speaking further. "It's... Hard to accurately describe what I'm feeling right now. To describe it as a 'logic' would be disingenuous, calling it a 'reasoning' just as so. I believe the closest modern colloquialism for the feeling is it being 'a matter of principle'?" The Ninja and the Healer were at a loss for words. The former kill-droid repeatedly stumped them with her existence, but this statement of non-logic, of running on feeling alone, was perhaps the most... humanizing moment they'd ever seen her have.

"Maestro is the man who gave me a second chance. He is my saviour, employer, and my boyf-" She cuts off and blushes at her own words, the only reason she could determine why is that somehow the sheer volume of people in the room created something akin to selective mutism. Strange. "Someone very important and dear to me. I owe him everything. And now, I owe him to give everything I have in saving him." Luisa's hands unconsciously clenched into fists as she spoke, and her eyes as she spoke to the Mentallos were filled with a fire that the two of them knew all too well. "This is not me asking for permission. This is not me asking for your blessing. This is a stand being taken. And I trust that you will be so kind as to step out of my way and let me save Maestro." The androids eyes began to moisten as she forced out the last word of her sentence. "Please."

Looking to one another, Maddox and Mercy had a conversation through looks, the type of conversation one can only have with another person after giving their heart and soul to one another for the whole of the two decades previous. Finally, the Dreamer couple turned to the robotic assault droid-turned secretary and confidant, and nodded. "We're still getting involved in this battle. We couldn't live with ourselves if we didn't do something." "But spearheading the assault is yours to do. If this is what you want, we can't in good conscience deny you." Mercy Mentallo broke from her husband's side to stand before Luisa, bearing a ferocity in her motion that only a concerned mother can truly have. She placed a hand firmly on Luisa's shoulder, and looked directly into her eyes. "Bring my son back to me." Luisa met the IN-SIDE agents gaze as she nodded resolutely. "I promise. After all..." A slight smile creeps across the android's face, as she echoes some of the most formative words in her short but highly eventful new chance at life.

"I am a woman of my word."

[Zelphas]

Lucas Fairbourne was well-known for being utterly impossible to bother. His relationship with Waterworks had proven again and again that, be it crazy former lighting techs, massive angels of light and fury, or even the raw power of the APEX itself, he would face it with a calm smile and quick, reasoned thinking.

Sitting at the table in Mentallo Industries, one could be forgiven for thinking that Lucas is still somehow completely unruffled by the chaotic events of his life. Until they look closer. There is, in fact, one artificial consciousness at the table, a robot who technically had neither the need for breath nor the myriad minor imperfections and quirks of the human body that require near-constant slight motion to ensure comfort and stability. Lucas Fairbourne, at the meeting at Mentallo Industries, is sitting with such utter stillness, such all-encompassing quiet that Luisa Nym at her most robotic would look positively lively.

"I'll be joining you, Miss Nym," Lucas states evenly, as soon as the conversation dies down. "To provide quick communication between all parties on the mission, and whatever tactical, intellectual, and combative support I can."

[Llyarden]

Unlike Lucas (and, come to think of it, the Mentallos and Luisa), Emily was not still, or outwardly calm. Her face was still red from crying, and her eyes still glimmered with tears - particularly when Mercy and Maddox began discussing the possibility that the Heroes might actually never come back from this. But when she spoke, it was without the slightest trace of hestitation, and fiercely enough that it was made eminently clear that she had no intention of backing down.

"I'm coming too."

Across the room, Sean's parents were busy making themselves obvious in amongst the discussion as to how they would coordinate with OUT-SIDE. After all, the OUT-SIDE assault was obviously the more dangerous of the two situations and therefore the logical place for heroes (or rather, Heroes), of their calibre. (And yes, Sean's parents were using the fact that their son had just been kidnapped to continue their showboating. Would they have stepped up to rescue him if there hadn't been a mass of other people willing to try? Who knows.)

After her third attempt to suggest that they join the infiltration force was snidely turned away as if it had never been suggested, Mary (who had left Sarah keeping Moro company) turned her back on them in disgust and made her way back towards Emily.

[manwithaplan]

"And don't forget about me!"

Suzanne stood alone in her own area at the back of the room, emanating a viscous chill strong enough to turn away anybody that would have been nearby. After whatever Tom did with the Recruiter, and how he changed after that, she'd never thought they could be close enough that she would be here, preparing to save him. And after that, with how strong he became, she'd never expected that the situation would occur this way at all, and not the other way around. She'd been quite anxiously waiting for her damsel in distress moment for months now, and she was both pleased and confused by this rather unusual subversion of the trope. It had been, on all accounts, a very unusual day. But she'd gotten quite used to that now.

"I'm going to save Copycat."

[Hyperbolic sine]

"Me too!" Beth spoke up. "And I want to be useful this time..."

Despite the situation, Martin Reynolds was looking at Mercy and Maddox Mentallo with a mix of reverence and bemusement: they were already quite famous when still he was IN-SIDE, and seeing Luisa not only step up to them, but actually winning the argument, was quite something. "Don't worry, you'll do great." he replied to Beth, giving her a pat on the shoulder in a way that reminded her of Declan (well, Martin was his father, after all), before speaking up himself. "I'm a bit rusty on fieldwork, but I still have a trick or two. I'll help in any way I can."

Spoiler: OOC

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My "PC" will be Beth, though there's no reason Martin wouldn't go too. Guess he'll be using his tricks to "hold 'em off".

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Alright then. That should easily be enough raw fighting power to punch through whatever defenses they don't have committed to fighting OUT-SIDE. We'll want to-"

"Prometheus. A word, please?" Magnus requested.

"Hm?" the inventor asked, Magnus leading him over to a different corner of the room where they conversed quietly.

Valerie, Colt, and Eskiro looked to Beth and Emily. Valerie showed as much evidence of crying as Emily did, and Colt and Eskiro both looked absolutely miserable - particularly as people stepped up to help and they remained conspicuously silent. This entire plan seemed insane to them, this was OUT-SIDE's job, there was every bit as much chance that a team of mostly-inexperienced fighters would just cause problems and get in the way as there was that they would be able to meaningfully help.

And none of that logic made them feel any less like cowards, or like terrible friends, for not stepping forward when their Heroes needed them.

"Are you two sure about this?" Valerie asked them quietly. "I know that you, that Declan and Sean are...I mean, their friends to all of us but, this isn't..." the normally-eloquent Dreamweaver couldn't seem to get her point out coherently.

"We just don't want you to be hurt," Eskiro said quietly.

Luis and Lois set soothing hands on their sister's back and shoulder. "We should accompany you, yes?" Lois asked.

"Our combat protocols are every bit as advanced as your own, and optimized for working with allies," Louis pointed out.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M STAYING HERE!?" Prometheus shouted, putting a decisive end to the privacy of his conversation with Magnus.

Magnus glanced about the room with a sigh. "You are, last I heard, still confined to the building. The situation does not change-"

"Wrong!" Prometheus retorted, with a level of venom that elevated the single word to a Deionic curse. "And I'll list out the reasons you're wrong, in ascending order of relevance. First, this is the Recruiter we're talking about. He manipulated me, humiliated me, messed with my memories, and I have been dreaming about setting him, his plans, and his summons on fire ever since! Second, the only reason I'm not in jail is because of Maestro. I owe him. Third, Maestro's been my best friend for years, and there's no gods-forsaken way I'm going to just sit around while he's in trouble. And finally, not to put too fine a point on it, but I'm the smartest person and probably the most powerful Dreamer in this room! You need me, Magnus!"

"Prometheus...Maestro has been doing better than he was last time I was back home. He is in trouble, yes, and I am going to do everything in my power to get him and the other Heroes back. But I am not going to tell Maestro that he was rescued at the cost of his best friend. Everybody here is taking a risk going on this mission. You are the only one who would be making a guaranteed sacrifice. And that's not something I will ever ask any soldier under my command. You're staying here."

"Not a chance! I'm not one of your troopers, Magnus. This is my call!"

[Capt. Infinity]

"Actually, technically, the call is mine." Luisa Nym steps forward, giving Prometheus a cold stare. "Under the stipulations given by the living will of Maestro Mentallo, in the event of capture, detainment, or otherwise circumstances that would leave Maestro incapable of actively running the company, all projects, business transactions, and accountabilities bequeathed to him shall have their responsibility deferred to his second-in-command, me. And that includes the parole management responsibilities for you, Mr. Eaton." She crosses her arms, the android taking on a distinctive air of command. "I hereby bar you from any attempts to aid the OUT-SIDE assault, infiltration mission, or otherwise aid the endeavour in a way that would require you exiting or affecting the premises outside of Mentallo Tower and the immediate surrounding property."

Luisa cuts off Prometheus's immediate retort with a single finger. Evidently she was not done talking. "The primary reason for this order is not based on the legality of doing otherwise. Rather, it is in both assuring my duty of protecting Maestro's company, and in protecting his friends." The robot's eyes harden, but her tone grows more kindly. "Ben, Maestro's will has a hierarchy of individuals slated to take control of the company should he be unable to. After me, you would be second in line to become acting CEO of the company, should anything happen to me. The fact I would like you to consider is that there is no third option. Maestro honestly, truly believes that, after he and I are gone, you would be the last person on Aranth capable of maintaining his vision for the company, and for the future. He trusts you, Mr. Eaton. He trusts you above everyone else on the planet to keep his dreams alive after he's gone, and I can't in good conscience risk the death of Maestro's legacy on top of everything else." She sighs deeply, before turning to look at Louis and Lois. "And it is for similar, if more personal reasonings that I must ask the two of you to remain here at the Tower, where it will be safe." Luisa's look grows sad, but remains ever determined. "Maestro sees the three of us as one of his most crowning achievements. He sees the act of giving us life as one of the few things that let him hold on to his own humanity and mental faculties during one of the most difficult times in his life. I already know for a fact that Maestro would have never advised me going on this mission in the first place, but I can be afforded some liberties due to my level of intimacy towards him." Luisa found herself unconditionally blushing at what seemed to be the mere stating of facts, her bodily responses continuing to confuse her. "But you two? Maestro would never allow you to attempt such an obviously dangerous situation in order to save him. He would see it as you blatantly risking the lives he worked so hard to give you for his own, something he would see as nowhere near worth it. Maestro wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything happened to you." A thin stream of tears begins to roll down the android's face. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to you." Whilst Luisa frequently questioned her own emotional responses, and found herself always working to figure out these irrational feelings that she often felt, she needed no rationalization for when she ran over to her siblings, enrapturing them in a deep and loving hug. A hug she quickly determined to be the kind you give when it might be your last. "Please. Please promise me that you'll stay safe. For both our sakes..."

The amount of rampant emotion Luisa had begun to display in the aftermath of Maestro's capture left her wondering if something had actually broken within her.

It was a staggering surprise to her most of all when she found she couldn't bring herself to care.

[Llyarden]

Emily edged just a little away from Prometheus as the pryomaniac kinetic started shouting, even though he was on the other side of the room. Fire manipulators came with bad memories, and the fact that most of what she knew of Prometheus was from Sean, whose own perceptions had been coloured by the Reclaimers, did not help matters.

Partly in an attempt to distract herself from the argument, she looked back to the other members of the ACC with a smile. "Hey, it's okay," she said to Colt and Eskiro gently. She didn't feel angry or disappointed that they weren't stepping up. They'd joined the ACC to avoid fights. She knew enough about their powers to know that they would have been just as useful as she would be, but she had no intention of trying to force them to come along when they obviously didn't want to. "We'll be fine," she assured them, belatedly realising, with a slightly embarrassed look to Beth, that she was rather speaking on the powerhouse's behalf.

[Hyperbolic sine]

"Yeah, don't worry. They won't even know what hit them." Beth replied to Valiere and Eskiro with a smile. "Can't let motnhs of training go to waste, right?" she added, jokingly. Of course, she was just putting a front for her friend's sake, but the reason she asked Declan to teach her how to fight was exactly to protect those he cared about: how could she do nothing in a situation like this?

Meanwhile, Martin was eyeing Magnus and Prometheus. "You know, I could keep an eye on h-" he started saying when the problem seemed to be only Prometheus' confinement, but quickly chocked the rest of the phrase in a fake cough when Magnus and especially Luisa made it exeedingly clear that wasn't the case. "...nevermind..."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"But I can- He isn't- The optimal solution-" Prometheus started up a few times, trying to come up with some answer that would sway the android.

"Arrrrgggghhh!" he went with instead, as he failed to do so, before turning and striding off out of the room. He wasn't three steps down the hall with sounds of tinkering and flashes of fire could be discerned through the doorway.

Magnus nodded to Luisa, before looking over the others that had volunteered. Mercy's reputation was well-earned, and he had met Maddox a time or two in Indelar. The man's curative powers were strong enough that even given his lack of personal combat experience, he'd be a fool to gainsay him and he knew it. Luisa was designed for combat. Martin Reynolds...was TOP-SIDE, and retired at that. Magnus had nothing but respect for TOP-SIDE agents, but field agents they weren't, so he could admit to some skepticism there. Still, TOP-SIDE agents were extremely devoted to their procedures. If Reynolds was willing to put himself at risk, Magnus knew he had calculated the risk to be worth it.

But the others...

Magnus could admit it, he wasn't all that fond of putting an actress, two members of the ACC, and a director into a battle of this scale. Lucas in particular, if he was honest; the man's Dreamer power was not, as he understood it, optimal for combat. Still, they wanted to help, and Magnus knew he could use as much help as he could get.

He...was not looking forward to the tongue-lashing he was going to receive from the Heroes for allowing their loved ones to go into danger on their behalf.

Luisa's siblings hugged her back tightly. "You will come back safe," Louis told her, as they each kissed one of her cheeks. It was not a request. It was not a prediction. It was an order.

"Just don't get hurt," Valerie said softly, almost pleadingly, as the three hugged their fellow Crewmembers. But more steel and fire came to her voice as she added, "And get our Heroes back."

"I don't expect it to matter," Magnus said, speaking to the group at large, but yes, his eyes did linger on Lucas longer than any of the others. "But I would be remiss if I didn't say, none of you are obligated to do this. You are not fighters. You are not Heroes. I know that all of you have faced peril beside the Heroes on at least one occasion. More, for some of you," he said with a nod to Suzanne. "But I want to make sure you are absolutely clear on the risk. We are going after an entrenched enemy group that was strong enough to overpower and capture the Heroes of Millaine."

"Darla will not be there to hold our enemies back from you. Tom will not be there with the perfect power for the situation. We won't have one of Maestro's tricks to give us the advantage. James will not be there to shield and support us. And we will not have Declan there to leap in the way of danger on our behalf." One day, Sean. One day. Live the dream.

"I will not exclude any of you. I will do my utmost to protect you. But you need to be absolutely certain you are willing to risk your lives for this. Do not ask yourself whether a risk to your own life is worth it to save the Heroes. Ask yourself whether you feel that your contribution to this rescue is worth the possibility of death. And if that thought does not concern you, consider the possibility that we might save the Heroes, only for them to learn that you died to do it."

"There is no shame in staying behind."

"But if you aren't going to, we leave in fifteen minutes."

[Capt. Infinity]

Luisa simply solemnly nodded at her sibling's request of her. "Yes." She affirmed, before disengaging the hug and facing Magnus as he made his speech. "I know what it feels like to have no say in a matter. To be forced into action without an opinion or choice. So rest assured when I tell you that this course of action is my absolute personal choice. This is what I want to do. What I have to do." She stood resolutely, as she looked amongst the crowd that had stepped forward. "And we all fully intend to see it through."

[Zelphas]

Ah, there it is. Lucas had been waiting for someone to question his inclusion on this mission. From an objective standpoint, it makes sense; he is by far the least combat-capable of those currently in the room. He may have faced down Koloman, the Recruiter, and a Haptaran kill squad, but that was pretty much all he had done--faced them. He has very few illusions about his ability in a combat situation.

And none of that changes the fact that he would never be able to face Darla again if he doesn't do everything to help her now.

"Understood. I'm ready," he replies calmly. Panning shot to capture everyone's response, then back to Magnus for any final words. Swell the music; cut to establishing shot of the warehouses. Lucas shakes his head. Fairbourne, you can table storyboarding the sequel until after Darla is safe, he admonishes himself.

[Llyarden]

"No-one is gonna die," Emily said simply, after Lucas and Luisa had spoken. And she said it in that same fierce tone, sounding nearly confident enough that the assembled observers might not have noticed the slight quaver in her voice.

Nearly.

[Hyperbolic sine]

Martin glanced at Magnus with a raised eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that, I'm only 58! And I'll have you know that I was IN-SIDE once!" he said, with obviously faked resentment, in the same fatherly and slightly joking tone he had kept since the beginning. "I won't sit idly when my son is held by Archdamn Haptarans." he added, coldly, his smile briefly vanishing from his face before being back already by the time he got up from the chair he was sitting on.

"We will." Beth replied to Valerie, returning her friends' hugs. Then, she turned to Magnus and took a deep breath, readying herself for whatever would come once the mission started. "Ready."

[manwithaplan]

"Yep, let's go."

They didn't have a code for this level of danger yet, but with what seemed like every combat-capable person she'd ever met in the room and ready to fight, she didn't feel very endangered.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Wait wait wait!" Prometheus shouted as he came running back into the room dragging a cart full of...toys. Not like, what kids mean when they say toys. What veteran soldiers mean when they say toys.

"I might have to wait around here, but Fate smite me if I'm going to be waiting around here uselessly. Now, I only had a few minutes to work on these things mind, so they're not going to be game-changers, but they should be able to help at least. Here." He shoved what appeared to be some sort of fancy visor and a belt with some sort of active crystal buckle into Lucas' hands. "This is a VR visor Maestro and I use when we're gaming sometimes. It uses predictive algorithms to assist in making high-speed reactions, while also filtering out distractions. I tinkered with it so its movement impulses are sent to a kinetic assist belt. Your power isn't on the same level as mine of Maestro's, but your cognitive enhancement should be sufficient that you can use it effectively on its lowest setting."

To Suzanne, he handed a pair of silver bracelets. "Basic personal deflectors. They'll generate kinetic force barriers to turn attacks aside. You basically just have to put your arms in the way, so they're good for someone who doesn't have much real combat training since they operate fine off of your average person's panic instinct."

He handed Emily a vial of golden liquid that appeared to be gently glowing. "Little recipe Maestro cooked up for his dad when he was like twelve or something. It reactively activates the curative powers of Dreamers that possess them when they're injured, to speed recovery. From what I hear you're probably going to get yourself hurt a lot, so this should help with that."

To Beth he...well, he didn't hand her anything, but he gestured for her to take a big ol' black-and-red metal breastplate, with four mechanical arms sprouting from it. Although the Haptaran flag emblem had been removed, it was unmistakably from one of the suits of powered armor that had attacked the gala. "Most of the servos and weapons and stuff are, uh, being used in other projects. But I put a neural link and a power cell in the thing, so the arms should work well enough, and it's an extra layer of defense. Not going to outdo that forcefield belt, but if something gets through that, at least you won't be the squishiest powerhouse on the planet."

Finally, he handed Luisa a simple commlink-like device. "Old prototype for Maestro's telepathic earpiece. I recalibrated it, it should pick up the telepathy that Magnus and Lucas use just fine, and let you contribute to mental conversations. Also added a small power chip that will interface with your existing programming. I've already hard-coded it to run your active defense algorithms in the background when combat functions have been detected. And no, I'm not going to unlock it. The defense programming is non-negotiable for reasons that I'm sure are obvious."

He handed Mercy, Maddox, and Martin each some device and brief explanation of its effects as well. Magnus just watched with an expectant smile on his face until Prometheus had emptied his cart and looked his way. The OUT-SIDE commander's smile began to droop.

"Look, I only had a few minutes here."

*Sigh*

"I mean...you want the wagon? You can have the-"

"I shall not require the wagon, thank you."

"I'm just saying, it's among our assets. You can totally take the wagon..."

Spoiler

Show

You all receive the following devices from Prometheus' Inventor Advantage and Fires of Invention power:

Lucas - Tactical Visor and Kinetic Assist Belt: Enhanced Dodge and Parry 3, Enhanced Will 2.

Suzanne - Combat Deflector: Enhanced Dodge and Parry 5.

Emily - Regenerative Serum: Regeneration 5.

Beth - Haptaran Breastplate: Extra Limbs 4, Immunity 2 (Critical Hits; Unreliable).

Luisa - Technopathic Earpiece: Feature 1 (Can Receive Mental Communication), Deflect 10 (Reduced Range [Close], Limited [Self Only], Linked to Unarmed Strikes).

* * * * *

Half an hour later, a couple blocks away from the complex, the group awaited their "signal". The plan, as Magnus had described it, was for the group to move as soon as they heard the gunfire that would indicate OUT-SIDE had engaged. Magnus' psychic powers had discerned the existence of an escape tunnel that wasn't on the building's blueprints. With OUT-SIDE attacking from the front, that would be the group's way in.

"Defenses should be light from this route, but not entirely nonexistent. I foresee some combat robots holding in the escape tunnel to cover a retreat or fend off an attack from people who manage to learn about it."

"Eleven of them," Mercy reported. "Well, twelve, but one of them had been positioned outside of clear sightlines to the others. Silly. They're pretty big, but that's the norm for Haptarus. Too many in proximity to neutralize the whole group undetected, but shouldn't be anything we can't handle in force."

At what point, exactly, Mercy had separated from the group was probably a question best saved for another day.

The group made their way fast to the smaller building where the escape tunnel came out of. There was, in theory, a door in their way. It was, in theory, locked.

...

Inside, twelve eleven hulking, Haptaran-model combat robots (they could be best described as resembling crude metallic gorillas with artillery guns mounted on their backs) stood ready to engage.

Spoiler

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Honestly my default assumption is that Beth kicks the door down, but you guys are free to figure out another means of entry. If it's sneaky enough, you might even get a surprise round for it! Or even bypass this encounter altogether (I mean, if you don't want a "training fight" with your (N)PCs ). But barring that:

Initiative:
Beth: (1d20)[9].
Emily: (1d20+4)[16].
Lucas: (1d20+8)[18].
Luisa: (1d20+20)[38].
Suzanne: (1d20)[17].

Robots: (1d20+4)[22].

Map

I've only got six of the eleven robots on the map. For simplicity, I'm going to just assume Magnus, Mercy, Maddox, and Martin (WOW that's a lot of M's) can handle the other five "in the background". Even though these robots are actually kinda immune to Magnus, but whatever, he's crafty.

Barring something that earns you a surprise round, Luisa is on turn.

[Capt. Infinity]

Luisa enters the building and immediately enters a combat stance. For all her reforming, and her work as a civilized member of society, the truth of the matter was that old habits die hard, and like it or not, Luisa Nym was built to fight. "I will engage the one on the right. Feel free to aid as you deem appropriate." The android acknowledges, before rushing at the Haptaran robot, assaulting it with a flurry of blows, and trusting the defensive algorithms of her earpiece to provide her aid.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Move: Move to J4
Assault Robot 6 with Hasted Strikes, Power Attacking for 3. On a hit, DC 28 Toughness save against Damage. Either way, Deflect 10 is now up as well: (1d20+7)[18]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Round 1

The combat robots were fast to react to Beth smashing the door open...but Luisa was faster. She moved in and landed a hard punch with her full strength behind it right in the face of her targeted robot.

CLANG!

As was the norm for Haptaran military technology, what it lacked in grace and speed, it made up for with sheer durability. The robot wasn't even dented.

It struck back, lashing out with a heavy blow aiming to knock Luisa to the ground, while jet thrusters sent another one launching her way, slashing at her with rending claws engaged. Two of the robots aimed and fired, sending artillery shells flying at Suzanne and Emily, while the last two rushed to engage Beth, trying to grab and crush her.

Magnus sent a flurry of telepathic orders, while Mary and Martin both rushed into the fray, while Maddox held back, ready to provide healing to whoever needed it.

Spoiler

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Robot 1:
Move: Into I3.
Standard: Attack Luisa with Servo Strength at (1d20+6)[26], Deflected at (1d10+22)[28]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Damage, Strength+Power Lifting or Mobility DC (1d20+10)[23] vs. Trip. That actually hits anyway thanks to natural 20, but due to Deflect, it is NOT a crit.

Robot 2:
Move: Nah.
Standard: Attack Emily with Blaster at (1d20+6)[22]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Damage. Hit

Robot 3:
Move: Into M7.
Standard: Attack Beth with Servo Strength at (1d20+6)[26]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Damage, Strength or Dodge DC 20 vs. Grab. Crit, UNLESS the Unreliable check succeeds for her Haptaran Breastplate.

Robot 4:
Move: Nah.
Standard: Attack Suzanne with Blaster at (1d20+6)[18]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Damage. Miss, yay for deflector bracelets

Robot 5:
Move: Into M8.
Standard: Attack Beth with Servo Strength at (1d20+6)[16]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Damage, Strength or Dodge DC 20 vs. Grab. Hit

Robot 6:
Move: Nah.
Standard: Attack Luisa with Rend at (1d20+6)[9], Deflect at (1d10+22)[29]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Secondary Effect Damage. Haha no

Current Status

Map

All PCs are on turn.

[manwithaplan]

In the flurry of attacks, Suzanne didn't even stop to defend herself; she reloaded her icicles and spun around to restart her combo, shaking one of her wrists until the deflector came free. It was just a hunch, but sure enough she turned to find one of the bots firing its weapon at her. With a yell she flung her deflector at it, twisting away and continuing to throw icicles in every direction. She heard an unusual explosion behind her as the confused deflector created a spherical shield around itself which the sonic attack bounced off of, forming a shockwave that sent the bracelet flying back to her. By the time it reached the actor, though, she had already twisted around again to keep throwing at the enemies on that side of the room, and carelessly stuck out a hand to catch the flying device and slide it back onto her arm.

"Yes! Did everyone see that?"

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Having one power is weird.

Move Action: No thanks!
Standard Action: Icicle Barrage, using Multiattack to target all six of them.
HR 1 Attack [roll]1d20+4[/roll] for DC 25 Damage.
HR 2 Attack [roll]1d20+4[/roll] for DC 25 Damage.
HR 3 Attack [roll]1d20+4[/roll] for DC 25 Damage.
HR 4 Attack [roll]1d20+4[/roll] for DC 25 Damage.
HR 5 Attack [roll]1d20+4[/roll] for DC 25 Damage.
HR 6 Attack [roll]1d20+4[/roll] for DC 25 Damage.

Status: Fatigued.

---

* post roll count doesn't match database

[Llyarden]

"Ow!" Emily yelped as the artillery shell slammed into her shoulder, splintering off some of her bark armour. It didn't do any significant damage - Prometheus' potion was already beginning to take effect, the bark knitting itself back together, but it still hurt. "Hey!"

She glared at the robot, which probably didn't care, and squeezed past the two that had occupied the door, following Suzanne in, at the last moment changing direction as she realised that taking cover was probably prudent. She thrust both hands out, a vine uncoiling from amidst the many that were wrapped around her body, spiralling down her arms and lashing out at the robot that had shot her, snapping off from Emily and immediately beginning to root itself into the ground, constricting with (she hoped) crushing force.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Move: Move around the door robots and into J8.
Standard: Vine Snare on Robot 2, accurate attacking for 1: (1d20+5)[14]. On a hit, DC15 Prowess vs Dazed & Vulnerable / Stunned & Defenceless, and if that fails, DC20 Toughness vs damage.

Status: 1 Bruise (regenerates next round).

[Capt. Infinity]

Haptaran efficiency may make its fair share of destructive robots, but no amount of practicality can match the sheer effectiveness of some good, old-fashioned custom machinery. The Haptaran robot discovered this firsthand when its mighty swing downwards at Luisa Nym was stopped dead by a one-armed block from the former kill-bot. She gives the robot a cold glare. "Your design seems to prioritize power over grace. How unfortunate for you that I was built with an ample surplus of both." Said skills were put on full display when, in response to the forward surge from the other Haptaran robot, Luisa used her free hand to grab hold of the first droid's stopped fist, and used it as a point of leverage to front-flip over its arm, and out of the way of its ally's rending blades.

The android positions herself such that one of the robots is between her and the other. "Then again, perhaps there are apropriate times and places for a more... direct approach." The reformed robot smirks, as she spins on her heel, aiming a full roundhouse kick into one of the attack bots, hoping to send it flying into the other behind it.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Move Action: Move to I5
Standard Action: Perform a push action on HR6, attempting to shove it into HR1. I believe on a successful strike, the first one takes DC 25 Toughness against damage, and I may or may not require a second roll to hit the other. Please let me know: (1d20+10)[28]

[Hyperbolic sine]

The forcefield belt sparkled and sizzled as its generator was overloaded by the two almost simultaneous strikes: unfortunately, even state-of-the-art technology needs to undergo a breaking in period before functioning at its best, and the belt didn't - Declan's training had focused mostly on how to actually dodge blows, and in any case there was no killing power behind his strikes.

In any case, that was something hardly under her control. Punching aside the robotic fists before they gtìrabbed her was, though, and she managed that easily. A fierce glare in her eyes, she then proceeded to launch a flurry of attacks at the two machines in front of her, taking advantage of her extra arms to try and pin them down both.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Move: Startle HR3&5 (@-5 for identical non-minions) at (1d20+12)[24] (Ok, they're probably immune, but meh.)
Standard: Flurry of Blows Multiattack, on hit Toughness DC 23 vs Damage and Strength DC 22 vs Grab (Escape @ -5)
HR3: (1d20+6)[14]
HR5: (1d20+6)[8]

I think I can only benefit from 4 ranks of Deflect, so Deflected at 1d10+14.