Avatar was confronted by a Cyclops on the streets of Manhattan! The Hellenic hero cried, "I feel that I've a destiny to fulfill before the mantle is passed to another, Otom, though I know not what it may be. Until that time, it is MINE!" As he closed, John feigned with the spear's point and then swung the butt of the weapon around hard, striking Otom’s single eye! WHAMM!
Otom staggered back, holding his large eye with one hand. “Well played and well struck,” he smiled. Then he slowly stood straight and removed his massive hand from his temporarily blinded eye. “You have forgotten much, old friend. You have forgotten that Otom is not called Seer for nothing.”
His one big eye started to glow with red otherworldly light!
“My mystic vision tracked you across the world. It will help me find you now!”
The giant regripped his long spear and assumed a fighting stance. He looked directly as John through the scarlet magic energy. “I can see you, AVATAR!” he thundered!
Avatar was afraid that something like this might happen, though the blow had to be struck. "So, "old friend", why don't you enlighten me about the things that I have forgotten?" John asked as he lunged his spear at the giant Cyclops’s side! THUNK! Avatar’s aim was true!
Otom the Seer’s stentorian voice growled through the pain, “I thought you would enlighten me, Avatar! You have been missing for centuries… utterly removed! If the Avatar were dead, the power would have passed to the next incarnation. But an Avatar has not been reborn in centuries! … Until this year!
Where have you been all this time?! And why do you not recognize Otom?!”
The massive monster struck Avatar’s temple with the dull end of the spear! KRAK! (OOC: 16 points! 8 from power, 8 from hits!) The myrmidon of mythology flew backwards 20 feet into the street! A rain-soaked wall of steel and glass traffic was bearing down on him!
(Reply? Actions?)
Otom staggered back, holding his large eye with one hand. “Well played and well struck,” he smiled. Then he slowly stood straight and removed his massive hand from his temporarily blinded eye. “You have forgotten much, old friend. You have forgotten that Otom is not called Seer for nothing.”
His one big eye started to glow with red otherworldly light!
“My mystic vision tracked you across the world. It will help me find you now!”
The giant regripped his long spear and assumed a fighting stance. He looked directly as John through the scarlet magic energy. “I can see you, AVATAR!” he thundered!
Avatar was afraid that something like this might happen, though the blow had to be struck. "So, "old friend", why don't you enlighten me about the things that I have forgotten?" John asked as he lunged his spear at the giant Cyclops’s side! THUNK! Avatar’s aim was true!
Otom the Seer’s stentorian voice growled through the pain, “I thought you would enlighten me, Avatar! You have been missing for centuries… utterly removed! If the Avatar were dead, the power would have passed to the next incarnation. But an Avatar has not been reborn in centuries! … Until this year!
Where have you been all this time?! And why do you not recognize Otom?!”
The massive monster struck Avatar’s temple with the dull end of the spear! KRAK! (OOC: 16 points! 8 from power, 8 from hits!) The myrmidon of mythology flew backwards 20 feet into the street! A rain-soaked wall of steel and glass traffic was bearing down on him!
(Reply? Actions?)
Clone heard CHESS Director Grey say, “Through unofficial channels, the Soviets have contacted CHESS. They’ve proposed a trade. The USSR want one of your duplicates… in exchange for your family.”
Within 24 hours it was arranged. A live, simultaneous exchange would take place in two nights at the Berlin Wall! The emergence of extranormals in the early 1980s had provided the USSR with an affordable replacement to military power and an ever growing nuclear arsenal. Turning inward, the Kremlin maintained complete control of its citizenry. The Berlin Wall never fell.
Before the flight to West Berlin, Doc Rocket took one Clone into his offices and engaged him in small talk. He emerged refreshed, rested and with no memory of any mental preparation to prevent re-indoctrination into The Program.
Two nights later, Clone was 25 miles southeast of Checkpoint Charlie, at the Berlin Wall. Technically, it was an unauthorized crossing at a little used gate.
Clone stood at a West Berlin gate at midnight, flanked by two Clones disguised as soldier escorts. Behind him were Drake, Grey and four more disguised Clone Soldiers. “This is it,” said Grey.
Drake opened the gate, revealing a concrete path lined with barbed wire fence that cut perpendicular across the flat open ground between twin concrete walls to the gate on the East Berlin side. That flat ground was called a death strip because it offered no cover from the wall’s gun towers. Two towers were in sight on the Eastern side, each with movement in them. At the end of the path, framed by the East Berlin gate, could be seen under flood lamps, Clone’s family, four Soviet soldiers, and the Soviet Super Soldiers, Hammer and Sickle!
(Replies? Actions?)
Within 24 hours it was arranged. A live, simultaneous exchange would take place in two nights at the Berlin Wall! The emergence of extranormals in the early 1980s had provided the USSR with an affordable replacement to military power and an ever growing nuclear arsenal. Turning inward, the Kremlin maintained complete control of its citizenry. The Berlin Wall never fell.
Before the flight to West Berlin, Doc Rocket took one Clone into his offices and engaged him in small talk. He emerged refreshed, rested and with no memory of any mental preparation to prevent re-indoctrination into The Program.
Two nights later, Clone was 25 miles southeast of Checkpoint Charlie, at the Berlin Wall. Technically, it was an unauthorized crossing at a little used gate.
Clone stood at a West Berlin gate at midnight, flanked by two Clones disguised as soldier escorts. Behind him were Drake, Grey and four more disguised Clone Soldiers. “This is it,” said Grey.
Drake opened the gate, revealing a concrete path lined with barbed wire fence that cut perpendicular across the flat open ground between twin concrete walls to the gate on the East Berlin side. That flat ground was called a death strip because it offered no cover from the wall’s gun towers. Two towers were in sight on the Eastern side, each with movement in them. At the end of the path, framed by the East Berlin gate, could be seen under flood lamps, Clone’s family, four Soviet soldiers, and the Soviet Super Soldiers, Hammer and Sickle!
(Replies? Actions?)
Lightning Strike reviewed the case file of his own murder in a dark alley in Big City with Detective Archer who said, “It’s likely our suspicions are the same. In fact, I think I know who you really are.”
The big tired man exhaled wearily. “Or at least I thought I did.”
He indicated the case file with his bleary eyes. “You know the victims were my nephew and his wife… my only brother’s only son. Their killer was that Luddite freak, but we all know Silas Caine was pulling the strings. I read the classified CHESS reports at the end of the Five Bosses Massacre. Says Black Bat put you in front of Caine, with the perfect out. You could have killed that bastard Caine and gotten off scott free. But you didn’t.”
“It was then I figured maybe I didn’t know who you were. Anyway, you just said yer willing to bring the guilty parties to justice. Any way necessary. Beyond any official capacity. I’m interesting in hearing what that really means, mister. Because I know where Silas Caine is right now.”
Strike pauses after listening to what Detective Archer has to say. Then, "If you know where Caine is at the moment and you have suspicions that he is engaged in criminal activity, then I will go and see what I can find. I want to see him brought to justice but I will not be a vigilante. He will be brought before a jury of his peers and he will be exposed for the vermin that he is. If I can make that happen, then perhaps your nephew can rest in peace."
Detective Archer said, “You know that Caine’s wealth will make sure he never sees the inside of a court room.” The big man checked his wristwatch. “I know Caine’s whereabouts but he is not currently ‘engaged in criminal activity.’ So now I know where you stand. Sorry to have wasted your time, Lightning Strike.”
Detective Archer retrieved the case file on the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Steven Archer and left the alley.
(Reply? Actions?)
Menagerie, master of mysticism, suddenly walked among the firefighters and rangers who worked to re-direct a lightning-borne forest fire in a Canadian Provincial Park. The druidic defender tried to convince the Rangers to quarantine the area to provide the extranormal Pachyderm a safe place!
The senior ranger talked instead of listened. He said, “Who the hell’re you? …Pachyderm?!” Then to another ranger, “Get the police on the radio.” When that was done he into the radio, “Who’s this? …Carla Jean, this is Llewelyn. Some big sumbitch extranormal’s been sighted out here past marker 57. Better send some folks up. Might wanna get word to the military while yer at it. That’s right darlin’.”
Then the Ranger said to Menagerie, “Now why don’t you tell us what you’re doing up here?”
The shamanic shapeshifter said, eerily: “Protecting the people from the resource, and the resource from the people.” The senior ranger squinted at Menagerie and closed his mouth a moment.
Menagerie continued: “You have not heard of Pachyderm, so Menagerie will be meaningless to you as well. The name of Vanguard should be meaningful. While Vanguard was able to defeat Pachyderm, they were not able to capture him. How much of your military will it take to be stronger than Vanguard? Whose purpose will they serve? Will they protect the forests? All the military will accomplish is the destruction of the resource and the people.”
After a significant enough pause for this to have effect, Menagerie will say, “All I have witness of Pachyderm is his living at peace with the land but I am unsure he is able to live at peace with man. If this location is not a safe place for him to be alone then tell me where in the Great Wilds we can offer him seclusion. I will lead him there.”
After a while the senior ranger said, “Hmph. Well if that don’t beat all. Tell you what. You bring him northeast, over route 97 and up into Alberta, few hundred kilometers, to a place called Chinchaga Wildland, ain’t nobody up there that’ll find him.”
(Reply? Actions? How do you plan to do this? Thanks.)
Sentinel silently scanned the Odyssey Club’s ballroom with his Energy Sense! The beacon of liberty found four suspicious electronic devices. Each sat just behind the grate of an air vent in the four corners of the ballroom. There were no extranormals in the crowd.
The Mask of Red Death held a small electric device in her palm. Invisible energy coursed around her, of a type Sentinel did not recognize. And she was an extranormal.
Sentinel tried to hold her attention with conversation as O’Malley and Doyle quickly ushered more civilians from the ballroom! “What exactly is the New World Order you speak about? …If they are as entrenched as you say, is there enough support to be sure change will come as you promise?”
Meanwhile, from the bottom of his red spiraling energy staircase, four tendrils of solid energy flowed to the four devices hidden in the air vents around the room. Upon entering the air vents the flowing energy quickly gained mass, growing in form and encasing each of the devices in protective energy shields!
The Mask of Red Death said, “Fool! You wear their symbol upon your chest, visible to all who can see! Change will come when the people are awoken. All it will take is one bold act against their oppressors and the battle will be joined! All it will take is this!” she snarled as she pressed the detonator!
VA-BOOOMM!!! All the electronic devices detonated their bombs! The building should have been destroyed, along with everybody in it! Instead, Sentinel’s energy constructs absorbed all the terrible damage! (32 points of damage per bomb! 114 to constructs, the remaining 14, divided among the four bombs, does ~4 points of damage to each vent and wall.)
Sentinel’s constructs are completely destroyed and no one is harmed! His staircase disintegrated beneath him, Sentinel began to fall to the ground as the guests ran for the doors and the Mask of Red Death screamed in pure hatred!
(Reply? Actions?)
Slingshot had been ambushed by himself! Scott burst out of the top of his organic confinement to discover that it was the elastic epidermis of someone who looked and sounded just like him! The two entwined twins were stretching to a standing height of 50 stories high! The other Scott said, “What I meant was, I’ve sampled enough of your speech patterns, such as they are.”
Trying to keep the fight clear of bystanders, Scott stretched his elastic epidermis to a nearby, empty 75 story steel girder construction site! The titanic twins unraveled from each other and squared off for a no holds barred brawl hundreds of feet about the city, within the cast iron grid!
Scott’s double was faster than him. “Perfect,” he said darkly. “What I have in mind requires some privacy.” Suddenly, the simulated Slingshot grew an anvil-sized fist out of his chest and launched it at Scott! SLAMM! (18 points! 8 from Invulnerability, 9 from Power and 1 from Hit Points!) The powerful strike didn’t budge Slingshot!
Scott smiled despite himself. “Who are you? Why are you doing this?” Scott swung at his malleable mirror image and missed! His fake foe warped his body out of the way and Slingshot hammered a crossbeam instead, bending it with his bare fist and sending vibrations through the girders! KRANG-g-g-g-g-g!
The deadly duplicate answered Scott: “Why to kill you of course. And when that’s done, I’ll be you.”
Then he stretched his limbs out to grab the iron matrix of the building’s skeleton, and then slungshot himself directly at Scott! KRA-POW!!! (21 points! 8 from Power and 13 from Hits!)
Scott flew backwards 40 feet and clear out of the building! Scott was in freefall, plummeting to earth 500 feet below!
(Replies? Actions?)
Trying to keep the fight clear of bystanders, Scott stretched his elastic epidermis to a nearby, empty 75 story steel girder construction site! The titanic twins unraveled from each other and squared off for a no holds barred brawl hundreds of feet about the city, within the cast iron grid!
Scott’s double was faster than him. “Perfect,” he said darkly. “What I have in mind requires some privacy.” Suddenly, the simulated Slingshot grew an anvil-sized fist out of his chest and launched it at Scott! SLAMM! (18 points! 8 from Invulnerability, 9 from Power and 1 from Hit Points!) The powerful strike didn’t budge Slingshot!
Scott smiled despite himself. “Who are you? Why are you doing this?” Scott swung at his malleable mirror image and missed! His fake foe warped his body out of the way and Slingshot hammered a crossbeam instead, bending it with his bare fist and sending vibrations through the girders! KRANG-g-g-g-g-g!
The deadly duplicate answered Scott: “Why to kill you of course. And when that’s done, I’ll be you.”
Then he stretched his limbs out to grab the iron matrix of the building’s skeleton, and then slungshot himself directly at Scott! KRA-POW!!! (21 points! 8 from Power and 13 from Hits!)
Scott flew backwards 40 feet and clear out of the building! Scott was in freefall, plummeting to earth 500 feet below!
(Replies? Actions?)
Soldier, CHESS Agent Manetti and Dr. Ashe were over Venezuelan airspace in what appeared to be an average cargo plane. Soldier noted that Manetti’s firearms were not his usual CHESS-issue energy blasters. Soldier’s assets were passports, ID, clothes, weapons, food, gear, the plane, Manetti and Ashe, both of whom could fly the plane. Soldier was a long way from home.
Soldier gave his orders and the team went to work. The night was as black as Death’s shroud when they were over the target area. With Ashe at the controls of the plane, Manetti and Soldier executed a low level parachute drop into a jungle clearing near the Patriot's last known location!
Plummeting, then chute opening, that quick jerk followed by rocking weightlessness. They skirted branches and came down in a clearing by a water hole.
Manetti started gathering up his chute from the mud and muttered, ‘Well that could’ve gone a lot worse.”
Then they heard the weapons reports. The cargo plane was taking fire. The sky over the canopy where the plane had gone was lighting up, irregular. Fire light. BOOM! The sound of an explosion in the distance and lots more fire light in the sky. The plane had been shot down. It was maybe 200 yards away through thick jungle, due south. The plane had been low from the drop when it came under fire.
Soldier’s sensors helped him estimate the gunfire’s origination at SSW of their location.
Manetti held the tracker for Patriot’s subcutaneous transponder. It was pointing due west.
(Replies? Actions?)
Symbiote had found Gadget Girl in the Vanguard Vault Electronics Lab! And she was wearing the Harper Harness! Hal grappled Gadget Girl and executed an emergency deactivation of the Harper Harness!
“Damn!” said Gadget Girl as she cleanly unholstered a Tesla-esque futuristic pistol and fired in one motion! ZARK! Hal was struck by an electric beam that ran through him and grounded out into the floor!
“Looks like I’ll have to take this back to the shop,” Gadget Girl smiled as her rocket pack fired up and she hurtled for the door! Shelley tried to grab her and missed and Gadget Girl flew into the Bio-Chem Lab!
ZARK! She blew open the door into the eastern hall! A few more seconds and she’d reach a window!
Hal eyed the escaping villainess. He had only a few seconds. He barks orders out loud to the Vault household computer. "Computer! Fugitive Capture Protocol! Authorization Harper-3609!" and waited for the Vault’s high tech security defenses to activate!
Nothing happened!
Gadget Girl giggled. “You expecting maybe those crazy metal tentacles to come out of the ceiling and scoop little ol’ me up? Sorry, bright boy. I deactivated that crap first. Who do you think you’re dealing with?”
“That night a few months back, when the whole city lost power? (during the attempted invasion of The Entity –Ye Expository Ed) Your entire base was wide open to me. No security. I got real busy that night. Cased the joint for what will be the biggest heist of my career,” she said, looking at the Harness.
(Reply? Actions?!
No Luck Point expenditure charged here. Also, neither your vocal commands to the computer or her verbal reply took an action. The above was just dialogue. You are both where you were at the end of last issue. She is a still few seconds from reaching the window! )
Soldier gave his orders and the team went to work. The night was as black as Death’s shroud when they were over the target area. With Ashe at the controls of the plane, Manetti and Soldier executed a low level parachute drop into a jungle clearing near the Patriot's last known location!
Plummeting, then chute opening, that quick jerk followed by rocking weightlessness. They skirted branches and came down in a clearing by a water hole.
Manetti started gathering up his chute from the mud and muttered, ‘Well that could’ve gone a lot worse.”
Then they heard the weapons reports. The cargo plane was taking fire. The sky over the canopy where the plane had gone was lighting up, irregular. Fire light. BOOM! The sound of an explosion in the distance and lots more fire light in the sky. The plane had been shot down. It was maybe 200 yards away through thick jungle, due south. The plane had been low from the drop when it came under fire.
Soldier’s sensors helped him estimate the gunfire’s origination at SSW of their location.
Manetti held the tracker for Patriot’s subcutaneous transponder. It was pointing due west.
(Replies? Actions?)
Symbiote had found Gadget Girl in the Vanguard Vault Electronics Lab! And she was wearing the Harper Harness! Hal grappled Gadget Girl and executed an emergency deactivation of the Harper Harness!
“Damn!” said Gadget Girl as she cleanly unholstered a Tesla-esque futuristic pistol and fired in one motion! ZARK! Hal was struck by an electric beam that ran through him and grounded out into the floor!
“Looks like I’ll have to take this back to the shop,” Gadget Girl smiled as her rocket pack fired up and she hurtled for the door! Shelley tried to grab her and missed and Gadget Girl flew into the Bio-Chem Lab!
ZARK! She blew open the door into the eastern hall! A few more seconds and she’d reach a window!
Hal eyed the escaping villainess. He had only a few seconds. He barks orders out loud to the Vault household computer. "Computer! Fugitive Capture Protocol! Authorization Harper-3609!" and waited for the Vault’s high tech security defenses to activate!
Nothing happened!
Gadget Girl giggled. “You expecting maybe those crazy metal tentacles to come out of the ceiling and scoop little ol’ me up? Sorry, bright boy. I deactivated that crap first. Who do you think you’re dealing with?”
“That night a few months back, when the whole city lost power? (during the attempted invasion of The Entity –Ye Expository Ed) Your entire base was wide open to me. No security. I got real busy that night. Cased the joint for what will be the biggest heist of my career,” she said, looking at the Harness.
(Reply? Actions?!
No Luck Point expenditure charged here. Also, neither your vocal commands to the computer or her verbal reply took an action. The above was just dialogue. You are both where you were at the end of last issue. She is a still few seconds from reaching the window! )
Talon looks at Accelerator's hand on his drink as he closes the distance to the table where he sits talking to Mother Russia. With blood hammering in the veins of his temples and heat flushing across the surface of his face, he struggles to think of a reason not to pick a fight with the speedster.....But he can't.
"Well.....if it isn't the Kremlin's favorite coward! Let me guess.....you’re telling her some sort of sob story for the reason you ran out on your friends in a fight, and you needed a beer to cry in.....so you just...took...mine!"
Adam doesn't look at Mother Russia. He keeps his eyes on Accelerator. Knowing the speed he possesses, he wants to act first if he thinks he will put up a fight. "Give me one reason I shouldn't thrash you so you learn a little respect?”
“This guy?!” Accelerator said incredulously to Mother Russia. “You’re on a date with this guy?! What’s he got that I ain’t got?” The beer glass suddenly hurtled from Accelerator’s palm at incredible speeds right at Talon’s head! SKAASHH! (18 points of damage! 8 from Power, 10 from Hits!) Accelerator had the power to transfer velocity into objects or himself! Gasps ran through the bar. Blood flowed from Adam’s head.
Talon, his wings harnessed beneath his street clothes, leapt onto Accelerator, knocking over the table, CRASH! and slashing savagely with his namesake claws! ZRASH! The avian antihero tagged Accelerator!
Wounded, Accelerator got to his feet and suddenly hurtled like a meteor at Talon, fist first! …and missed, striking down two bystanders in the crowded bar! POW! SMASH!
The bar patrons yelled, screamed and stampeded! Mother Russia yelled, “Both of you, stop it right now!”
(Reply? Actions? You’ve made your Low Self Control saving throw)
----------------
OOC:
Have fun.
Viva Vanguard,
Jeff
Current Conditions:
Avatar: Hit Points: 42, Power Points: 72
Sentinel: Hit Points: 28, Power Points: 57 Constructs: 0 Shields: 0
Slingshot: Hit Points: 65, Power Points: 73, Inv: 0 til next issue
Symbiote: Hit Points: 18, Power Points: 64
Talon: Hit Points: 41, Power Points: 73
Everyone else is full or close to it.
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Avatar:
John will recover and dodge traffic to get on the opposite side of the street from Otom, attempting to keep the cyclops in sight as he does so.
"My name is John Poulos, as far as I know. I've always been lucky and gifted but these powers came onto me not long ago, after I decided to try my hand at the hero game. I've seen some amazing things since...why don't we halt this if we're supposed to be friends and speak of whatever it is that you seem to know...or think you know...and I don't?"
John is looking for Otom to attempt a crossing of the street and is wanting to try and catch him at a convenient time (spending a Luck Point, if necessary...picking the right moment, or "kairos" where not only a spear attack will do damage but will also result in Otom being hit by a car or truck either when struck by the spear or when (if) knocked back by the attack.
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Clone:
Thats awesome Jeff - great job! I can almost feel the iron sights of the Kord 12.7mm Heavy Machine Guns blaring down on me - man I hope this doesn't get too messy lol. Kord 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun firing at night on a pick-up - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ9OUS795fE&feature=related
OOC Questions:
1. What equipment / weaponry are the disguised Clone's equipped with?
2. Is the undisguised Clone restrained or bound in any way? I'm assuming no, but I figured I would ask.
3. The Russian soldiers - given Clone's origin and past - can he tell if they're Special Forces / Spetsnaz or just your run of the mill 'ground pounders'?
4. What ( if anything ) does Clone know about Hammer and Sickle?
5. How are Grey and Drake equipped / armed?
6. Does Clone have any idea of how long ( approximately ) he was with Doc during their 'conversation'?
7. How many flood lamps are there? One per tower ( 2 total )?
8. Is Clone's family restrained or bound in any way?
9. What kind of vehicle(s) did we use to get to the 'meet spot' or did we arrive on foot?
10. Can Clone make out any more of whats going on in the towers? How many men in each, weaponry, etc . . .? Or is it all just a shadowy mess because of the flood lamps?
-Kev
P.S. Still working on that memory stuff for Clone - sorry for the delay - haven't had as much time as I thought I was going to have to devote to working on it this weekend. God willing - I should have my ideas on it posted up sometime soon.
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GM:
Hi
OOC GM Replies to Clone:
1. The disguised Clones each have an autorifle, pistol, knife, helmet, ammo and protective vest. Clone is unfamiliar with makes and models, but received an explanation of their use on the flight over.
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GM:
Hi
OOC GM Replies to Clone:
1. The disguised Clones each have an autorifle, pistol, knife, helmet, ammo and protective vest. Clone is unfamiliar with makes and models, but received an explanation of their use on the flight over.
2. The undisguised Clone is not bound.
3. The Russian solders are Special Forces.
4. Hammer and Sickle have been with the Soviet Super Soldiers for over 20 years! Long ago, they battled the American superteam, the Freedom Force, alongside Mother Russia and the Siberian, in an attempt to return the defecting Polar Bear to the USSR.
They are Russian-born twins named Sergei and Svetlana whose nervous systems are enhanced. They are fast and deadly. Clone believes they were not born this way, perhaps they were created by The Program.
They were highly trained, smart, easily bored, reclusive from the other SSS members, and loyal to the USSR, but even more so to each other.
With Mother Russia and Siberian gone, they would likely be the new leaders of any new Super Soldier team.
5. Grey and Drake are dressed and armed like the disguised Clones.
6. You spoke to Doc Rocket for maybe 30 minutes. It felt like only 5.
7. One flood lamp per tower, and one over each gate for a total of 4.
8. Clone's family doesn't appear to be restrained, but can't be positive given the distance and their coats/clothing. They are carrying luggage, like refugees.
9. You came from the airport in unmarked cars which are now parked 20 feet from your group. The disguised Clones armed themselves out of the car trunks only moments ago. Again, this shadowy, cold war trade doesn't feel official, sanctioned or authorized.
10. The tower inhabitants are hard to read from the flood lights.
Best,
Jeff
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Menagerie:
[occ] Would Menagerie has seen anything (worldly or vision) that would have told him what Pachy likes to eat?
Thanks
Tom
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Clone:
OOC: I've been working my brain OT on finding a solution for the sticky little situation Clone has found himself in and I think I may have come up with something, but it all teeter-totters on the razor edge of 'might work' and 'won't work' depending on how you answer this question Jeff - - Since Clone's duplicates can be absorbed without spending an action, movement or anything else that I can recall - does an absorbed duplicate simply vanish / wink out of existence or is there an actual, physical, and visible absorption process?
3. The Russian solders are Special Forces.
4. Hammer and Sickle have been with the Soviet Super Soldiers for over 20 years! Long ago, they battled the American superteam, the Freedom Force, alongside Mother Russia and the Siberian, in an attempt to return the defecting Polar Bear to the USSR.
They are Russian-born twins named Sergei and Svetlana whose nervous systems are enhanced. They are fast and deadly. Clone believes they were not born this way, perhaps they were created by The Program.
They were highly trained, smart, easily bored, reclusive from the other SSS members, and loyal to the USSR, but even more so to each other.
With Mother Russia and Siberian gone, they would likely be the new leaders of any new Super Soldier team.
5. Grey and Drake are dressed and armed like the disguised Clones.
6. You spoke to Doc Rocket for maybe 30 minutes. It felt like only 5.
7. One flood lamp per tower, and one over each gate for a total of 4.
8. Clone's family doesn't appear to be restrained, but can't be positive given the distance and their coats/clothing. They are carrying luggage, like refugees.
9. You came from the airport in unmarked cars which are now parked 20 feet from your group. The disguised Clones armed themselves out of the car trunks only moments ago. Again, this shadowy, cold war trade doesn't feel official, sanctioned or authorized.
10. The tower inhabitants are hard to read from the flood lights.
Best,
Jeff
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Menagerie:
[occ] Would Menagerie has seen anything (worldly or vision) that would have told him what Pachy likes to eat?
Thanks
Tom
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Clone:
OOC: I've been working my brain OT on finding a solution for the sticky little situation Clone has found himself in and I think I may have come up with something, but it all teeter-totters on the razor edge of 'might work' and 'won't work' depending on how you answer this question Jeff - - Since Clone's duplicates can be absorbed without spending an action, movement or anything else that I can recall - does an absorbed duplicate simply vanish / wink out of existence or is there an actual, physical, and visible absorption process?
Enjoy the vacation Jeff! =)
-Kev
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OOC GM Replies:
Menagerie/Tom: The wizard of wildlife can mystically tell (nature sense/psychometry) that Pachyderm is an omnivore and could survive in the wild.
Clone/Kev: I assumed absorbed duplicates wink out of existence, like Madrox's do in the X-Men movie.
More, related info, quoted from your sheet:
"There is no cost to re-absorb a duplicate back into the "original" Clone, but it does require physical contact. When duplicates are reabsorbed, their Hit Points are equally redistributed among the rest of the existing Clones. The absorption process also integrates the memories, experiences, and skills of the duplicate into Clone’s own personal memories, experiences, and skills."
Menagerie/Tom: The wizard of wildlife can mystically tell (nature sense/psychometry) that Pachyderm is an omnivore and could survive in the wild.
Clone/Kev: I assumed absorbed duplicates wink out of existence, like Madrox's do in the X-Men movie.
More, related info, quoted from your sheet:
"There is no cost to re-absorb a duplicate back into the "original" Clone, but it does require physical contact. When duplicates are reabsorbed, their Hit Points are equally redistributed among the rest of the existing Clones. The absorption process also integrates the memories, experiences, and skills of the duplicate into Clone’s own personal memories, experiences, and skills."
Best,
Jeff
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Symbiote:
At this point I suppose there's nothing left to do but hammer it out with her, Old School. While she's monologuing Hal will charge her. His intention is to tackle her, hanging on for dear life, so even if she does go jetting off he'll have a grip. He'll also hang onto the tool he used to deactivate the Harness, ready to jam it into any gadgets she pulls out if possible. If Shelly helps with this, so much the better.
Training is over at the end of this week. I promise after I recover I'll be much more clever.
Viva Vanguard,
Greg
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie:
Menagerie slowly smiles, "Please keep everyone out of the area that I told you Pachyderm is in. I will inform you when the area is safe to return to". Menagerie turns into an eagle and flies off to the new location given to him by the Ranger.
[ooc] Menagerie will scout the area out, looking for a food source. He is hoping for a lake or a large group of berry bearing bushes. His goal is to find 2 small animals or branches of fruits.
His plan is to catch two of the best fish he can. If that is not available he will grab two limbs of branches with berries. If these are not available he will search for rabbits, squirrels, or pigs. The priority list is food which can’t flee the area when Pachy arrives. Fish and fruits are the two best I can think of.
When he has secured two of these food stuffs, he will carry them with him as he returns to Pachyderm. Menagerie will approach Pachy from high above and drop one of the food items to him. Menagerie will circle above watching to see if bestial behemoth eats it. If he doesn’t then Menagerie will keep trying different food items until he does.
When he starts eating, Menagerie will land at a safe distance from the man-mammoth. He will show Pachyderm the other one in his hand. Menagerie will tell Pachy “There is more of this from where I came from, just follow me and I will take you there”.
Menagerie will change into a wolf, with the food item in his month and start to lead Pachy to the new area. If Menagerie finds out that Pachyderm can super leap (either from mystic sense or seeing Pachy performing the leap) then Menagerie will turn into an Eagle. He will lead Pachy to there.
If Pachy in any way demands the second food item, Menagerie will gladly give it to him. Menagerie will state “There is plenty more where that comes from, just follow me.”
Once Pachy is in the area that the Ranger has told us to go to, Menagerie will take him to the spot where Menagerie found the food he brought to Pachy. Once he sees Pachyderm in focused on his new home, he will fly off to let the Ranger know the mission is complete.
The resource and the people are again protected.
Thanks
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
Soldier:
IC: Upon hearing the weapons fire, Soldier thought “Damn, not now.” As desperately as he wanted to go after Dr. Ashe, he knew doing so would compromise his mission. He turned toward Manetti. “lets get moving, this place will be swarming with troops in soon. Is there any way we can get word to CHESS, and let them know what happened to the plane?" OOC: If Manetti can get a message off, Soldier will ask him to give the last know location of the aircraft, and brief description of what's happened. If he can't. He'll just have to suck it up for the time being, and hope he can find the Dr. later.
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
For a second in time it seemed as if Kirk was about to plummet to the floor as the totality of his constructs vanished, consumed by the fury of the explosive attack... for a second.
Kirk's will then reasserted itself and he steadied himself midair as his energies reappeared coalescing and forming to his thoughts. Gravity was not his master.
The time to try to pacify the personality of his foe had passed. She had made her grand play and Kirk had thwarted it; he had no desire to give her the opportunity to a fallback plan, if she had one.
Kirk's mind raced trying to figure just how she managed to get those devices planted here? Almost as if beneath her guise she would have to have been someone that could have had access to the building ... a member of the club ... or like himself, someone closely associated with a member. 'Damn' he thought to himself. That thought disturbed him and he decided to dismiss that mystery for now.
Kirk had seriously thought about employing the tactic Avatar had suggested to him of encircling his foe with his energy ... but the fact that he could perceive her aura of energy and knew it to be one he had never encountered before, an unknown, made him cross that tactic off his list. Better to arm himself to be ready then to have that unknown energy element surprise him and leave him defenseless. And there had to be something more to her and that energy ... she seemed too high-minded to go down as a martyr for the cause this early in the game - she had to have had some plan to survive the explosion had she been successful in her efforts and that was likely linked to that unknown energy and her power.
Kirk replied, "Funny, this symbol," he said pointing at the icon of the Sentinel on his chest, "to me, embodies a much more noble pursuit, one it seems you cannot begin to comprehend. And if it is to become an emblem of change in the minds of people, something to rally them, something to inspire them, it will not be sullied or associated with an act of destruction and terrorism."
Kirk's energies reformed his protective shield and then with his summoning, he formed them in a shape emanating from himself and cutting off the rest of the room and the rest of people from her possible attack.
"And it seems to me that if people are awakened by your 'bold act', they will remember who defined the meaning of this symbol here today," and Kirk paused for effect and pointed at himself, "me. What, were you expecting a bigger light show? Some fireworks perhaps? Disappointed?"
And Kirk steeled himself prepared for the Mask to unleash the full fury of whatever power she possessed upon him as he had deliberately bated his insane foe to focus fully on him allowing the guests further time to escape.
Jeff: Clarifications and Questions:
(1) I checked my character sheet and noticed that my power of flight is not listed or defined anywhere. I know the speed and movement is linked to my creation points, but does that mean that I have no flight with no creation points? Can Kirk still defy gravity on his own with some limited mobility or is it only when he has energy present?
(2) If I understand things correctly about the rules, I believe that Kirk's 'action' would be to get back his energy is the equivalent of his attack, so he cannot directly initiate an attack on the Mask this time around, but as always, I'm trying to work the situation to my benefit. Although Kirk cannot encircle or attack Mask here directly, if I understand things, he should have the movement to move his creation around and could use that to cut her off from the rest of the room and people which is what he is trying. Even if he cannot move the creation at this point, he could create it in a shape cutting her off.
(3) If somehow it was allowed here, Kirk would love to form his creation in such a way so as to take up the physical space being occupied between Kirk and the Mask and just force/push her through the wall or the windows (whatever she is in front of) and totally outside the building. But I'm assuming that would be going to far at this point and really be an attack that wouldn't be allowed until next turn.
Hope you had a good vacation.
Viva Vanguard!
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
Talon:
"You got one lucky shot, Speedy. You won't get another one!"
Talon will ignore Mother Russia's command to stop and continue to attack Accelerator.
--------------------------------------------------
Clone:
>CLONE’S IC RESPONSE<>
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Symbiote:
At this point I suppose there's nothing left to do but hammer it out with her, Old School. While she's monologuing Hal will charge her. His intention is to tackle her, hanging on for dear life, so even if she does go jetting off he'll have a grip. He'll also hang onto the tool he used to deactivate the Harness, ready to jam it into any gadgets she pulls out if possible. If Shelly helps with this, so much the better.
Training is over at the end of this week. I promise after I recover I'll be much more clever.
Viva Vanguard,
Greg
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie:
Menagerie slowly smiles, "Please keep everyone out of the area that I told you Pachyderm is in. I will inform you when the area is safe to return to". Menagerie turns into an eagle and flies off to the new location given to him by the Ranger.
[ooc] Menagerie will scout the area out, looking for a food source. He is hoping for a lake or a large group of berry bearing bushes. His goal is to find 2 small animals or branches of fruits.
His plan is to catch two of the best fish he can. If that is not available he will grab two limbs of branches with berries. If these are not available he will search for rabbits, squirrels, or pigs. The priority list is food which can’t flee the area when Pachy arrives. Fish and fruits are the two best I can think of.
When he has secured two of these food stuffs, he will carry them with him as he returns to Pachyderm. Menagerie will approach Pachy from high above and drop one of the food items to him. Menagerie will circle above watching to see if bestial behemoth eats it. If he doesn’t then Menagerie will keep trying different food items until he does.
When he starts eating, Menagerie will land at a safe distance from the man-mammoth. He will show Pachyderm the other one in his hand. Menagerie will tell Pachy “There is more of this from where I came from, just follow me and I will take you there”.
Menagerie will change into a wolf, with the food item in his month and start to lead Pachy to the new area. If Menagerie finds out that Pachyderm can super leap (either from mystic sense or seeing Pachy performing the leap) then Menagerie will turn into an Eagle. He will lead Pachy to there.
If Pachy in any way demands the second food item, Menagerie will gladly give it to him. Menagerie will state “There is plenty more where that comes from, just follow me.”
Once Pachy is in the area that the Ranger has told us to go to, Menagerie will take him to the spot where Menagerie found the food he brought to Pachy. Once he sees Pachyderm in focused on his new home, he will fly off to let the Ranger know the mission is complete.
The resource and the people are again protected.
Thanks
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
Soldier:
IC: Upon hearing the weapons fire, Soldier thought “Damn, not now.” As desperately as he wanted to go after Dr. Ashe, he knew doing so would compromise his mission. He turned toward Manetti. “lets get moving, this place will be swarming with troops in soon. Is there any way we can get word to CHESS, and let them know what happened to the plane?" OOC: If Manetti can get a message off, Soldier will ask him to give the last know location of the aircraft, and brief description of what's happened. If he can't. He'll just have to suck it up for the time being, and hope he can find the Dr. later.
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
For a second in time it seemed as if Kirk was about to plummet to the floor as the totality of his constructs vanished, consumed by the fury of the explosive attack... for a second.
Kirk's will then reasserted itself and he steadied himself midair as his energies reappeared coalescing and forming to his thoughts. Gravity was not his master.
The time to try to pacify the personality of his foe had passed. She had made her grand play and Kirk had thwarted it; he had no desire to give her the opportunity to a fallback plan, if she had one.
Kirk's mind raced trying to figure just how she managed to get those devices planted here? Almost as if beneath her guise she would have to have been someone that could have had access to the building ... a member of the club ... or like himself, someone closely associated with a member. 'Damn' he thought to himself. That thought disturbed him and he decided to dismiss that mystery for now.
Kirk had seriously thought about employing the tactic Avatar had suggested to him of encircling his foe with his energy ... but the fact that he could perceive her aura of energy and knew it to be one he had never encountered before, an unknown, made him cross that tactic off his list. Better to arm himself to be ready then to have that unknown energy element surprise him and leave him defenseless. And there had to be something more to her and that energy ... she seemed too high-minded to go down as a martyr for the cause this early in the game - she had to have had some plan to survive the explosion had she been successful in her efforts and that was likely linked to that unknown energy and her power.
Kirk replied, "Funny, this symbol," he said pointing at the icon of the Sentinel on his chest, "to me, embodies a much more noble pursuit, one it seems you cannot begin to comprehend. And if it is to become an emblem of change in the minds of people, something to rally them, something to inspire them, it will not be sullied or associated with an act of destruction and terrorism."
Kirk's energies reformed his protective shield and then with his summoning, he formed them in a shape emanating from himself and cutting off the rest of the room and the rest of people from her possible attack.
"And it seems to me that if people are awakened by your 'bold act', they will remember who defined the meaning of this symbol here today," and Kirk paused for effect and pointed at himself, "me. What, were you expecting a bigger light show? Some fireworks perhaps? Disappointed?"
And Kirk steeled himself prepared for the Mask to unleash the full fury of whatever power she possessed upon him as he had deliberately bated his insane foe to focus fully on him allowing the guests further time to escape.
Jeff: Clarifications and Questions:
(1) I checked my character sheet and noticed that my power of flight is not listed or defined anywhere. I know the speed and movement is linked to my creation points, but does that mean that I have no flight with no creation points? Can Kirk still defy gravity on his own with some limited mobility or is it only when he has energy present?
(2) If I understand things correctly about the rules, I believe that Kirk's 'action' would be to get back his energy is the equivalent of his attack, so he cannot directly initiate an attack on the Mask this time around, but as always, I'm trying to work the situation to my benefit. Although Kirk cannot encircle or attack Mask here directly, if I understand things, he should have the movement to move his creation around and could use that to cut her off from the rest of the room and people which is what he is trying. Even if he cannot move the creation at this point, he could create it in a shape cutting her off.
(3) If somehow it was allowed here, Kirk would love to form his creation in such a way so as to take up the physical space being occupied between Kirk and the Mask and just force/push her through the wall or the windows (whatever she is in front of) and totally outside the building. But I'm assuming that would be going to far at this point and really be an attack that wouldn't be allowed until next turn.
Hope you had a good vacation.
Viva Vanguard!
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
Talon:
"You got one lucky shot, Speedy. You won't get another one!"
Talon will ignore Mother Russia's command to stop and continue to attack Accelerator.
--------------------------------------------------
Clone:
>CLONE’S IC RESPONSE<>
The two disguised Clone’s standing guard over the undisguised Clone snap into a solid military posture and assume their positions behind and to either side of the undisguised Clone. Fighting the urge to throw his shoulders back and to stick his chin firmly into the air in defiance of the Soviets attempt at intimidation, Clone assumes a more defeated posture in hopes of filling the hearts of his would be oppressors with over confidence. The remaining four disguised Clones take up a ‘rear guard’ position around Drake and Grey.
Like a death row inmate being walked down his cell block for the last time, the undisguised Clones slowly starts his walk down the ‘death strip’. Careful not to appear to anxious, he purposely keeps from looking at his family and keeps his gazed fixed firmly before him. There are no words, no fancy speeches, no last minute signs of heroics – there is only the echoing sound of shoes walking across a court yard. The undisguised Clone then stops a few feet away from where he started his walk and calls over to the other side of the death strip and says to Hammer and Sickle in an almost pleading tone ( in Russian ), ”You have the upper hand comrades, and I have nothing to insure that you’ll keep your word . . . please . . . let my family go . . . let them cross over to this side first and I will come to you willingly.”
>CLONE’S OOC RESPONSE<
Despite what it may look like, Clone actually does have a plan. Still unsure of who he can and can’t trust, he’s decided to keep the details of it to himself. His plan is a little complicated and I’m pretty sure it will require the use of a Luck Point. His plan is to slowly and inconspicuously start to stagger his duplicates; about two or three feet apart from one another, along the length of the death strip – with one remaining at the far end of it ( back by the gate ).
Once he has a solid feeling that his family will be able to make it safely to the other side without falling victim to the guns of the Soviets – he’ll make his move. In unison – each of the Clones will then create duplicates of themselves ( one each ) in order to bridge the gap between each other and then grab hands and quickly reabsorb the one in front of them. Hopefully the disguises worn by the ‘Clone soldiers’ will allow Clone to get ‘the drop’ on the Soviets and he’ll be able to create the additional duplicates before the Soviets can react ( surprise? ). Since reabsorbing doesn’t cost an action I’m hoping I can chain/domino the absorption all the way back to the front gate – leaving just one Clone standing ( hopefully next to his family ) and ready to jump into the waiting C.H.E.S.S. vehicles.
Like I said – I completely understand that this might cost a Luck Point and I’m completely OK with that. If it does work, but the Soviets get a chance to start to firing on Clone’s family, he will do everything in his power to protect them – even if it means his own death. Spitting out duplicates to act as human shields is not out of the question ( he’ll of course reabsorb any Clone that might fall unconscious – he’s not leaving any copies of himself behind for the Russians if he can help it ).
The disguised Clone’s will also be on the look out for signs that the Soviets may have tried to pull a fast one on them and actually swapped out the members of his family and replaced them with imposters. Clone ( and his duplicates ) completely understand that this may get ugly and they’re fully prepared to do whatever is necessary to get their family to safety.
Clone and all of his duplicates have said their prayers and made their peace with God on the plane ride across the Atlantic – their souls are fully prepared for death. . . . although they’d really, really like to avoid that if possible lol ;-) I think I covered all the bases – if I missed anything just let me know Jeff.
Talk to you all soon,
-Kev
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Lightning Strike:
Strike pursues Archer out of the alley. "I will investigate and follow-up on what you have told me. Although it is against my better judgement, I will see what Caine is up to. I will investigate but do no more. I will not fabricate evidence. We should not stoop to their level."
With that Lightning Strike will take the location from Detective Archer and head to where Caine is. LS is hopeful that something meaningful will be turned up but he won't compromise his principals. Knowing how Caine is technology averse, he doesn't know exactly how he will get into the location but he will make that up as he goes along. His plan is to get into the location, snoop around and then get out as fast as possible. He doesn't have probable cause for entering Caine's residence so he could be held for committing a crime. He does not want to confront anyone when he is there. OK, that's it for now.
Take care,
Tony
