Day of the Octopus

[DammitVictor]

Kaine crouches on the edge of the rooftop, sniffing the air. So, 'Richards'. Your business is your business, okay? And none of mine. You just let me know what to call you, and everything's straight between us." He closes his eyes and inhales deeply through his nose. "Hard to mistake Sytsevich. Ozone and gunsmoke. Not the best bloodhound in 'the community', but reckon I can track them from the ground."

Kaine continues scanning the crime scene. "I got some... uh... 'unpaid parking tickets' that I can't take care of right now. Someone wanna run interference while I catch the scent?"

[Kareeah_Indaga]

When the others arrived, Sleeper was on a nearby rooftop suspending a car out of the way of the emergency crews trying to arrive with his webbing – the wreckers hadn’t arrived yet, Sleeper assumed they were stuck in traffic.

Kaine crouches on the edge of the rooftop, sniffing the air. So, 'Richards'. Your business is your business, okay? And none of mine. You just let me know what to call you, and everything's straight between us."

Sleeper faded into view. There was absolutely no mistaking him for Sue now – eight feet tall or thereabouts, broad shouldered and not the least bit feminine in shape. Bright paint-like splashes of chartreuse emblazoned his head, shoulders and delicately clawed hands – a color that said ‘I am poisonous’ and less specifically, ‘I am dangerous and can afford to be flashy, mess with me and find out!’ The patterns swirled and shifted like they were alive – because of course they were. Sleeper’s attention was mostly on the placement of the car, but as he finished securing the web his feet swirled unnaturally to spin him until he was facing the other two, revealing ruby red eyes without iris, white, or pupil, framed in the same yellow-green, a matching pair of vents below them and no visible mouth.

“Hello Kaine,” he greeted. “I should introduce myself. My name is Sleeper. Seventh spawn of the Venom symbiote.”

"Hard to mistake Sytsevich. Ozone and gunsmoke. Not the best bloodhound in 'the community', but reckon I can track them from the ground."

Kaine continues scanning the crime scene. "I got some... uh... 'unpaid parking tickets' that I can't take care of right now. Someone wanna run interference while I catch the scent?"

“I can do that,” Sleeper replied with confidence, “but first: why are you helping me?”

Kaine had seemed so intent on leaving the scene at the bank. And then he showed up not once but twice now. Sleeper was curious, and edging towards suspicious.

[DammitVictor]

“Hello Kaine,” he greeted. “I should introduce myself. My name is Sleeper. Seventh spawn of the Venom symbiote.”

"Alright, Sleeper. You can just call me--" God, I cannot just tell people to call me 'Kaine'. Ben? Spider? "-- wait, what the Hell did you just call me? Who told you that name?"

Beck. Dammit.

"Sorry. Been jumpy. That is my name, but I'd take it as a kindness if you kept that under your hat for a spell. I'm, uh... I'm... look, I am a very bad man running from a lot of very very bad men, and innocent people will get hurt if any of them find me. Gotta wash the blood off these hands before I'm ready to shake clean ones."

Kaine thinks for a long moment.

"Why don't you just call me 'Miles', for now? Let the bastards try to figure that out."

“I can do that,” Sleeper replied with confidence, “but first: why are you helping me?”

Kaine had seemed so intent on leaving the scene at the bank. And then he showed up not once but twice now. Sleeper was curious, and edging towards suspicious.

"Who says I am? You were out there when I was trying to save those frails on my own. Johnny Storm ain't no better than you and he needed reminding, and Beck shouted out my Christian name in front of a roomful of civilians and news cameras, so I'm going to string him up from a stoplight and punch him until candy falls out."

Kaine smirks.

"We were both just trying to do the thing that needed doing, in the same place, at the same time. If I'd been helping you, I wouldn't have pooched it up and almost got everyone killed." Kaine frowns. "So, uh... thanks, for that."

Kaine pauses to give Sleeper time to respond... and then perks up.

"Wait, Venom? The alien monster-- no offense-- that spends, like, half its time teaming up with Spider-Man and the other half its time trying to eat him? That's your dad? Dude. Dude. What's its deal?"

[Plaids]

Zounds, who could conceive such Venom to be so Progenitus.
Proclaims Hercules loudly landing on the rooftop with resounding thud.
Miles and I have witnessed the enormity of thine actions. Such evident virtue comforts the righteous and rouses even the cynical to thine aid.
He flashes a marbled white smile to Sleeper as if on cue to the symbiote none more threatening than Loki when most twisted and unmoored.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

"Alright, Sleeper. You can just call me--" God, I cannot just tell people to call me 'Kaine'. Ben? Spider? "-- wait, what the Hell did you just call me? Who told you that name?"

Sleeper just arched an eye ridge, and started digging through his inherited memories to try and remember if Kaine had been like this when he’d fought Parker before the latter had bonded to his parent or if the random outbursts were new.

"Sorry. Been jumpy. That is my name, but I'd take it as a kindness if you kept that under your hat for a spell. I'm, uh... I'm... look, I am a very bad man running from a lot of very very bad men, and innocent people will get hurt if any of them find me. Gotta wash the blood off these hands before I'm ready to shake clean ones."

“Fine.” Sleeper considered mentioning his species’ racial memory, but as jumpy as Kaine was, telling him that half-a-dozen other symbiotes would know him on sight seemed like it would torpedo the immediate situation very fast. Anyway if Riot, Scream and the rest of his siblings cared about Kaine he would probably have run into them already.

"Why don't you just call me 'Miles', for now? Let the bastards try to figure that out."

“As you wish, ‘Miles.’”

"Who says I am? You were out there when I was trying to save those frails on my own. Johnny Storm ain't no better than you and he needed reminding, and Beck shouted out my Christian name in front of a roomful of civilians and news cameras, so I'm going to string him up from a stoplight and punch him until candy falls out."

(This description triggered a brief fantasy about a rain of chocolate coming out of Beck’s guts. The pair of unfortunate rats Sleeper had run across on the way here had taken the edge off his hunger, but not by much.)

"We were both just trying to do the thing that needed doing, in the same place, at the same time. If I'd been helping you, I wouldn't have pooched it up and almost got everyone killed." Kaine frowns. "So, uh... thanks, for that."

Sleeper decided not to point out the obvious logical fault – namely, that Kaine had to arrive at the brewery in order to speak up in the first place, and there hadn’t been a pair of supervillains attacking there. He suspected it was going to be more effort to pry a straight answer out of the man than it was worth, however. So he just gave him a skeptical look and replied, somewhat deadpan, “Don’t mention it.”

"Wait, Venom? The alien monster-- no offense-- that spends, like, half its time teaming up with Spider-Man and the other half its time trying to eat him? That's your dad? Dude. Dude. What's its deal?"

Sleeper’s head tilted as he considered the question. It was not, strictly speaking, any of Kaine’s business, but on the other hand his parent had not exactly been quiet about their conflict with Parker and he doubted it would hurt to give the other perspective. No one usually asked; most of the superhero community considered Spider-man a friend, and sided with him automatically.

“Imagine for a moment you have one person in the whole world that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt is trustworthy, moral, and good. You’ve been helping them for weeks, fighting side-by-side, trying to live up to their example, assisting them in smaller ways, and every time they tell you how helpful you are, how convenient you’ve made so many things.

Then one day they look at you and finally notice you. And immediately all of that is forgotten. They kick you out, strand you on an alien planet*, sever all ties with you, and leave you to be imprisoned and experimented on.” By the Fantastic Four, no less!** “Nothing you say or do makes any difference. You try and return to them, surely there was some mistake? A misunderstanding? This person is still a paragon of humanity! Caring and selfless and considerate of others! But he calls you a monster, and rejects you over, and over, and over again.” His parent had gone through the full spectrum – everything from deciding that Parker was wrong and therefore the monster instead, to deciding that Parker was right and they were a monster and embracing that identity. It was a large part – though not the only one – of why the Klyntar species’ reputation on Earth was so negative. “That is my parent’s ‘deal.’”

In a way it was a pity, because except for his rather irrational behavior where the Klyntar were concerned, objectively Parker was an all-around decent person – that was why being forcibly removed and abandoned like an unwanted dog had been such an unpleasant shock for Parent. Sleeper acknowledged that his parent’s subsequent obsession was unhealthy (his own feelings regarding Parker amounted to annoyance that the man was the root of what amounted to relationship issues between Parent and Father), but he couldn’t really blame his parent either, there had been no way to know that Parker would react so poorly until it happened.

It was why Sleeper was taking his time finding a replacement for Tel-Kar’s lobotomized body. It was also why Kaine – and any other spider-people – were off Sleeper’s mental list of potential hosts. Even if they got along, as the humans put it, ‘like white on rice’, it would drag up unpleasant memories for Parent and Father. For Kaine specifically, being on the darker end of the metahuman spectrum, there was the added the possibility that Venom would draw the conclusion that Sleeper had been kidnapped or coerced somehow and would show up to ‘rescue’ him. ((🐟***))

Miles and I have witnessed the enormity of thine actions. Such evident virtue comforts the righteous and rouses even the cynical to thine aid.

Sleeper just hmphed. He was pleased that his disguise had survived so much scrutiny – it had taken the actual Fantastic Four to uncover his ruse! (Loki didn’t count. Sleeper had been reading too deeply into what he’d been saying, surely.)

But it was hard to be pleased when the supervillains had escaped almost immediately afterwards. “The righteous and the cynical can't be that happy with four supervillains running amok. Help me drag Beck and Dillon and the others back in to custody, then we can talk.”

Spoiler: *Notes

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*He means Earth, just in case that isn’t clear.
**Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1, #258 (The bit with the bell tower happened afterwards. The Venom symbiote got busted out, snuck over to Peter’s house and pretended to be one of Peter’s normal costumes so he’d put it back on.)
***Milestone: When you consider another character’s merits as a host. +1 XP, 2 total, unless the Watcher objects.

[DammitVictor]

Sleeper just arched an eye ridge, and started digging through his inherited memories to try and remember if Kaine had been like this when he’d fought Parker before the latter had bonded to his parent or if the random outbursts were new.

Peter and Kaine had only met on a handful of occasions, but they'd been burned deeply into Parker's memories. Each and every single time they'd met. Kaine had always seemed to be in a state of manic desperation, whether he was fighting with Peter or against him; he always laughed and cracked his horrible, horrible jokes at the worst possible moments.

Sleeper is left with Parker's impression of the last thing Kaine had said to him: "You gotta marry this one, Pete. She's a keeper." Mary Jane had just emptied a handgun, that Peter hadn't even known she owned, into Kaine's guts. Kaine's laughter as he disappeared into the night haunted Peter for years afterward.

He seems a little calmer now.

Sleeper’s head tilted as he considered the question. It was not, strictly speaking, any of Kaine’s business, but on the other hand his parent had not exactly been quiet about their conflict with Parker and he doubted it would hurt to give the other perspective. No one usually asked; most of the superhero community considered Spider-man a friend, and sided with him automatically.

“Imagine for a moment you have one person in the whole world that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt is trustworthy, moral, and good. You’ve been helping them for weeks, fighting side-by-side, trying to live up to their example, assisting them in smaller ways, and every time they tell you how helpful you are, how convenient you’ve made so many things.

Then one day they look at you and finally notice you. And immediately all of that is forgotten. They kick you out, strand you on an alien planet*, sever all ties with you, and leave you to be imprisoned and experimented on.” By the Fantastic Four, no less!** “Nothing you say or do makes any difference. You try and return to them, surely there was some mistake? A misunderstanding? This person is still a paragon of humanity! Caring and selfless and considerate of others! But he calls you a monster, and rejects you over, and over, and over again.”

"Classic Pete, man. I get it. Your dad's right about him."

Kaine turns his attention back to the clean-up crew. "All I need is to get close enough to pick up the trail. Don't care if they see me, just no questions and no pictures. Guys got a plan?"

[Kareeah_Indaga]

…on reflection, Kaine’s mental state had, if anything, improved since Parker had seen him last. Maybe Daredevil was right.

Kaine turns his attention back to the clean-up crew. "All I need is to get close enough to pick up the trail. Don't care if they see me, just no questions and no pictures. Guys got a plan?"

“Before you both arrived, I was just going to drop down and ask which way our escapees went. Would that be suitably distracting?”

[DammitVictor]

"I'm easy. Hercules?"

[Plaids]

“The righteous and the cynical can't be that happy with four supervillains running amok. Help me drag Beck and Dillon and the others back in to custody, then we can talk.”

Hercules smiles back to the mission focused Sleeper.
Hercules recognizes another solemn hero embracing humility and anonymity in this modern age. He had come to understand the change in the attitude towards heroism as lives became further complicated and people compartmentalized their own between the theaters they occupied. Even the Spiderman, the most jovial of heroes, cloaked himself in anonymity. Like the sweetest wines now being sipped in morose melancholies within this modern age.

I look forward to it Sleeper

Kaine turns his attention back to the clean-up crew. "All I need is to get close enough to pick up the trail. Don't care if they see me, just no questions and no pictures. Guys got a plan?"

“Before you both arrived, I was just going to drop down and ask which way our escapees went. Would that be suitably distracting?”

"I'm easy. Hercules?"

Hercules responds confidently to Kaine.
I agree with Sleeper. For before I slew the Nemean Lion I questioned the local huntsmen while in search of my quarry. So shall I do the same with the city constables while in search of Beck and Dillon. But in regard to the constables.

Miles, does thou have any senses beyond the capabilities of the city constables? Perhaps a wolverine's sense of smell or a snake's sensitivity to heat?

Sleeper, does thou have another guise in which to more advantageously approach the constables?

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Sleeper, does thou have another guise in which to more advantageously approach the constables?

“Yes, but the idea was to keep their attention away from ‘Miles,’” Sleeper replied, puzzled with where Hercules was going with his line of questioning. Showing up as himself was bound to attract more of it than disguising himself as a paramedic or a reporter…even if it did significantly raise the odds of someone shouting ’Symbiote! Open fire!’ There were no hostages this time, he didn’t have to stick around if the police started shooting.

[DammitVictor]

"Miles, does thou have any senses beyond the capabilities of the city constables? Perhaps a wolverine's sense of smell or a snake's sensitivity to heat?"

"Wolverine?" Kaine visibly cringes. "Nah, not that good. Like I was telling our buddy here, I'm only about as good as a police dog. Maybe a little smarter." He lowers his aviators to the tip of his nose and bats his eyelashes coyly at Hercules. "Ain't I just as adorable, though?"

[Plaids]

“Yes, but the idea was to keep their attention away from ‘Miles,’” Sleeper replied, puzzled with where Hercules was going with his line of questioning.

Refrain from placing Miles in public view? That I can be of aid. I can merely approach the investigators and ask of quarries' whereabouts.
Hercules responds and looks to Sleeper for any strong approval or disapproval. He tenses his legs preparing to leap towards grassy patch of soil patch of land near the crime scene.

"Wolverine?" Kaine visibly cringes. "Nah, not that good. Like I was telling our buddy here, I'm only about as good as a police dog. Maybe a little smarter." He lowers his aviators to the tip of his nose and bats his eyelashes coyly at Hercules. "Ain't I just as adorable, though?"

A cute police dog eh? If the investigators find any tainted rags from Dillon or Beck I will hold thee to account Miles.
Hercules quips back to Kaine with a dazzling smile.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Refrain from placing Miles in public view? That I can be of aid. I can merely approach the investigators and ask of quarries' whereabouts.
Hercules responds and looks to Sleeper for any strong approval or disapproval. He tenses his legs preparing to leap towards grassy patch of soil patch of land near the crime scene.

Sleeper considered this. That was less likely to end in gunfire. Probably a better option, over all. “I don’t mind. Do it,” Sleeper retracted most of his substance and reformed the rest into clothing suitable to a member of the press. “and I’ll follow less conspicuously.”

[Plaids]

Hercules nods back to Sleeper acknowledging his casual approval of the forthright plan and leaps down towards a green lawn.
..
..
..
The artificial turf quakes and black rubber grains fly into the air as heads turn towards the chiseled Olympian who fell from the sky. Dusting himself off he exuberantly greets the first responders.

Greetings fine men and women of public safety. I Hercules have need of you aid. I seek Electro and Mysterio, otherwise known as Dillon and Beck. Have thou uncovered any tracks or evidence of their whereabouts?

[DammitVictor]

Kaine gives his erstwhile allies a bit of a headstart, a little bit of time to engage with the first responders, before casually walking down to the scene. He slips under the yellow crime scene tape and follows his nose.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Sleeper faded out of sight briefly before climbing down the building. He chose a different approach from Hercules, found an out-of-sight place to reappear, then looked for the least busy first responder available to approach.

“Excuse me! Excuse me! You, sir! Can you tell me what happened here?”

[Thane of Fife]

Hercules nods back to Sleeper acknowledging his casual approval of the forthright plan and leaps down towards a green lawn.
..
..
..
The artificial turf quakes and black rubber grains fly into the air as heads turn towards the chiseled Olympian who fell from the sky. Dusting himself off he exuberantly greets the first responders.

Greetings fine men and women of public safety. I Hercules have need of you aid. I seek Electro and Mysterio, otherwise known as Dillon and Beck. Have thou uncovered any tracks or evidence of their whereabouts?

Most of the police personnel jump as Hercules appears from the sky. After a minute, one of them speaks up, "Wish we could help you, Hercules, but we got nothin'. A bunch of witnesses saw them get broken out, and then it's like they vanished. Beats me how a guy like the Rhino can disappear like that."

Sleeper faded out of sight briefly before climbing down the building. He chose a different approach from Hercules, found an out-of-sight place to reappear, then looked for the least busy first responder available to approach.

“Excuse me! Excuse me! You, sir! Can you tell me what happened here?”

"Oh!" gasps the man that Sleeper approaches. "I'm supposed to direct any reporters to the Public Affairs Office. All I can do is give you their number, sorry."

Kaine gives his erstwhile allies a bit of a headstart, a little bit of time to engage with the first responders, before casually walking down to the scene. He slips under the yellow crime scene tape and follows his nose.

With Hercules and Sleeper running interference, Kaine is able to slip in and investigate a bit. He manages to catch the trail and slip away from the scene. Once Hercules and Sleeper rejoin him (I think that's the plan?), the three begin moving across town. From the busier, commercial areas, they travel to a more rundown industrial area on the waterfront.

Eventually, the trail leads into a large construction site. Although about two stories of steel girders poke up from the site, the fences, hills of dirt, and construction vehicles make it impossible to get a good view inside from the ground level.

[Plaids]

Hercules quickly surveys the construction site, failing to find any clues about its new residents or any traps laid by them within the darkness.
Exemplary work Miles. Thou hast purchased mine respect of hounds by bringing us to the lair of the Rhino, Electro, and Mysterio and the eve of their defeat to them.

Hercules praises Kaine, his gaze now eagerly focused on the construction site promising such advantageous volatility for a hero with god like strength.

[DammitVictor]

Kaine grunts. "Going to need some recon before we go in and start busting skulls. Beck's had enough time to wire this place up and they might have hostages. You want to do the honors, Sleeper?" He squats down and scoops up a handful of soil. "Reckon you can get in closer than I can, see what's what. I want to see if I can find a way to kill the power and a water supply to neutralize Dillon. Marko, too, if they've got him hiding in there. I, uh, I know most of these Six losers, but I can't tell who's here and who ain't. None of them should be much of a problem for us without the brains of their operation."

[Kareeah_Indaga]

((At the scene of the escape: ))

Sleeper didn’t have any immediate use for the Public Affairs Office, but he took the number anyway. It was the sort of thing Father would hang on to for later.

He spent a reasonable period of time questioning potential witnesses (most of whom, it transpired, had sensibly taken cover or only saw the initial attack, and thus had no idea where his prey had gone) while surreptitiously helping some of the crews move cars and clear the streets.

Then he slipped away to meet up with Kaine.

((At the construction site: ))

Sleeper also made note of the various opportunities for super strength - and climbing up walls, and swinging from various obstacles on a webline - but rather than being pleased, he was torn between suspicion and contempt. All four escaping villains (possibly six, if the supposition that the Sinister Six had reformed was correct) regularly traded blows with Parker. Surely they could have seen the many advantages this setup would have afforded him if he had shown up first???

Kaine grunts. "Going to need some recon before we go in and start busting skulls. Beck's had enough time to wire this place up and they might have hostages. You want to do the honors, Sleeper?"

Sleeper (having dropped the disguise after leaving the scene of the escape) replied, “Yes. I’ll do that.”

"Reckon you can get in closer than I can, see what's what. I want to see if I can find a way to kill the power and a water supply to neutralize Dillon. Marko, too, if they've got him hiding in there. I, uh, I know most of these Six losers, but I can't tell who's here and who ain't. None of them should be much of a problem for us without the brains of their operation."

“Power, water, any hostages, and a head count of supervillains,” Sleeper summarized. “Stay out of the dirt.” Kaine hadn’t actually said to do that but if Sandman was hiding in it no level of invisibility would keep him from noticing he’d been stepped on, and of course there would be mysteriously-appearing tracks regardless. “Keep an eye out for traps and alarms. Anything else? How good is your night vision?” It occurred to Sleeper he might need to signal his current associates from afar, or failing that help compensate for lack of same when the inevitable fight broke out.

[DammitVictor]

Kaine grunts a curse, the kind spelled with at least three skulls and an eggplant, and claps the dirt off of his hands. "Didn't think of that. Never seen him pull that one."

"I can see well enough. Hear better." Kaine makes a subvocal clicking sound, barely audible... to human ears, at least. "Good enough to tell me where to look. You go high and left, I'll go high and right, meet you in the middle?"

[Plaids]

Hercules stops abruptly midstride and eyes and warily inspects the bottoms of his sandals. Finding no sign of the Sandman he replies to Kaine and Sleeper.
Treacherous enemy ground, hostages, and the power of the sites illumination. Truly, I have been blessed with the scouts possessing keen foresight. Call for me to descent from the rooftops once our quarry has been found.
Hercules replies acquiesce to Kaine and Sleepers more covert plan.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

"Good enough to tell me where to look. You go high and left, I'll go high and right, meet you in the middle?"

Sleeper considered this course of action, then nodded.

[Thane of Fife]

It proves difficult for Kaine and Sleeper to really get a good line of sight into the construction area. The buildings on either side aren't really that high, and there's quite a bit of open air between them and the beginnings of the structure being raised on-site. Getting over there would surely mean risking detection.

Kaine can hear someone speaking - it sounds like Doctor Octopus - but he can't quite make out the words from here. Likewise, he can see roughly where the villains appear to be clustered, but between the darkness, the distance, and the clutter of the construction site, he can't count them, or make out exactly who they are.

Spoiler: OOC

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I can answer a little bit more, but otherwise, I'm reluctant to go into much more detail until you commit to an approach enough to define your asset.

[Thane of Fife]

Kaine slips in closer to better catch what Doctor Octopus is saying.

"You were supposed to get the battery and escape, not start fights. Now we have had to tip our hand before we were ready."

"We were this close to making it out of there with enough money to-" Electro's voice speaks up, but he is quickly cut off by Otto:

"Pocket change! When we bring the city to it's knees, then there will be real money! Money and revenge! Every one of you has cause for revenge on this city, on its people, and on Spider-Man, and if you follow the plan, then my genius ensures they will be ours." There is a brief pause. "Indeed, I wondered if we might have had the pleasure of getting started on that last here tonight - you certainly attracted enough attention earlier - but perhaps that pest was more injured from his fight with the Lizard* than I thought. Too bad, I would have liked to see him crushed by my robot. But perhaps it's time for us to make our departure."

As the group begin moving, Kaine feels that he either needs to make his move now, or duck back into cover and give up on the opportunity.

*See Astounding Spider-Man #27

[DammitVictor]

Kaine is momentarily taken aback by the speaker; the last time he'd seen Octavious, he'd been quite dead, neck snapped by a silk noose and face burned by the Mark of Kaine. His mark.

A lifetime ago.

An evil grin spreads across Kaine's face as he loops the silk around itself. He eases himself to a spot where Octavious would shield him from the others, drops the noose around his neck, and...

(Effort: 14 Effect: Snared complication d12, Emotional Stress d8)

... yanks Doctor Octopus up to the high ground and lays his hand gently on his cheek. "Been awhile, Doc. How's it hanging?"

(Of course, if Ock beats the roll, I'll edit this to reflect failure.)

[Kareeah_Indaga]

Spoiler: OoC

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Sleeper is invisible until further notice.

Sleeper, after hopscotching over on pieces of construction equipment to the shell of building in a superhuman game of ‘the floor is lava,’ slipped in invisibly from a different angle from Kaine, the better to locate and surround their prey.

He peered in from a hole in the unfinished ceiling; he couldn’t see much from this angle - X-ray vision was not one of his powers - but he could hear Otto and see Max Dillon right below him.

The latter supervillain still looked battered from their earlier fight. Easy prey. Now to wait for the others to get into place and -

- and that sounded like Kaine. Excellent.

Sleeper dumped a cloud of sleep gas right on top of Electro.

Spoiler: OoC

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12/d10 Physical, two Hitches for the Watcher.

[Thane of Fife]

Spoiler: OOC

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Doc Ock has a reaction total of 14, which is only equal to and not better than Kaine's roll, so Kaine will succeed. There are also two opportunities there. Electro has a reaction total of 11 with an effect die of D10. That will also fail, so he will go to D10 physical stress.

Also, plot point each to Kaine and Sleeper, and add 2D8 to the doom pool, bringing it to 4D6, 3D8.

(Note also: I'm assuming that Kaine's noose is supposed to be tight enough to prevent Doctor Octopus from speaking, hence why he's silent below.

Kaine hoists Doctor Octopus into the air, the good doctor's arms thrashing wildly and nearly buckling the girders Kaine is resting on. He snarls at Kaine - not quite the reaction of horror Kaine may have been hoping for - and his tentacles come lashing in from every angle.

Meanwhile, Sleeper springs into action as well. Electro shudders under the effects of Sleeper's gas attack, but before it can put the voltaic villain to bed, Mysterio springs into action.

"You can't hide from me!" he gloats, and jets of flame burst forth from his hands directly toward Sleeper, guided by the same radar system he uses to see through his smoke. This seems to shock Electro and Shocker into action. Electro flies into the air and begins hurling lightning bolts, sort of guided by what he sees Mysterio doing, but maybe sort of wildly as well.

The Shocker takes aim at Kaine - "Outta the way, Doc!" - and the air seems to warp and grow silent for an instant before the shockwave blasts towards Kaine.

Rhino seems momentarily confused and takes no action.

Spoiler: OOC

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Doc Ock is attacking Kaine at 13/D4. Shocker is attacking Kaine at 7/D4. Mysterio is attacking Sleeper for emotional stress at 16/D8. Electro is throwing lightning in Sleeper's direction at 13/D10.

Man, the die-roller really doesn't seem to like these guys. There are a lot of 1's in there - 2 from Doctor Octopus, 2 from Shocker, 1 from Mysterio.

Doom: 4D6, 3D8

[DammitVictor]

Kaine clings to the "blind spot" on Doc Ock's back, where the arms can't reach. "Nah, Doc. We both know this ends however I want it to end-- I gave your boys a chance to walk away smelling like roses, and they spit in my face. I'm going to get my pound of flesh. You tell them to stand down and take it, I'll draw the line at an asswhooping this time. You **** with me... judge and jury already tried me for your murder last time. I can kill you as many times as I ****ing want now, that's the law. Nod if you want to live."

Kaine turned his body... just a little, putting Otto's body between him and the Shocker and letting the flailing vibranium arms absorb the blast, and raised his voice. "Adults are talking, Schultz. You want to sit at the grownups' table, you gotta learn to stop interrupting."

[Plaids]

By Zeus, the scouts have found our quarry. Delight in me father as these villains once again contend with the might of Hercules. Hercules cries with ample fanfare and bravado.

With one swift motion the Olympian grasps a concrete pipe and exits his crouch with immaculate technique; lifting with legs and keeping his back straight and taut. With the pipe hoisted over his head he leaps toward the fray to aid his wiry companions.
Worry not my arachnid allies. Aid is at hand. Hercules thinks as his anticipation rises.

Crunch!
The loose gravel ground of construction site heralds the arrival of Hercules to everyone in the brawl. The pipe rolls forward towards Rhino, Mysterio, and the Shocker who still remain on the ground. Hercule's battle cry emanates from the hollowed concrete as he fights the vertigo encroaching upon him.