Avatar battled the Cyclops, Otom the Seer, in midtown Manhattan in a cosmic challenge to determine who would wear the mantle of Avatar! Blinded, Otom, could only mystically perceive Avatar.
The crowds were fleeing the battle and the storm. Cars were abandoned and police were keeping people away from the area. A lightning strike hit a lamppost a block away! SHAKOOOM!
Avatar elected to climb higher, up into the storm! "Too many people here, Seer...time to make this a private discussion," the Olympian yelled as he nimbly leapt up to a fire escape and began climbing a ten story building in the downpour! The giant Cyclops lumbered up after him, feeling his way and blasting his hand into the brick wall when a handhold was needed!
John beat him to the roof and quickly to familiarized himself with his new battlefield. When Otom slowly pulled himself up, John was waiting for him. "Why is it that a seer cannot see his own future?"
“It is the present I can see, even across great distances” Otom growled defiantly. “My eye pierces all things: stone, steel, wood, flesh. But it doesn’t take sorcery to see that you are unworthy of this mantle!” The two warriors closed again on the rooftop, beneath the wind and the thunder and the lightning! KRAKOOM! Each felt as if this epic contest was being watched and judged by unseen eyes from above!
At last, Otom’s mundane vision returned! Desperate that this might turn the tide, John initiated a fight over the spear and then fell backward, letting go of the spear and letting Otom plunge from the building! (one Luck Point)
“RAAAAGH!” Otom the Seer roared as he plummeted down to earth, his limbs flailing as he fell. RUNDCH!
Avatar felt his Powers of Manifestation restored! The cosmic challenge was over and he was the victor! Gone was the sensation of being watched. John looked down and saw Otom on his back atop the cracked sidewalk. His arm was moving. He was still barely alive. But for how long?
(Replies? Actions?)
Clone was shot during a covert, live exchange at the Berlin Wall to get his family out. Sickle had said, “Little Alex, you are signing your family’s death warrant. Do you think we will ever stop?”
“Come on!” yelled Drake as he pulled Clone to the waiting CHESS Jeeps and his family. Grey slammed the gate shut and got in behind the wheel. They were racing through the night city to the airport. Grey and Clone and Clone’s parents in one Jeep. Drake and Clone’s siblings in the other.
Grey was furious at Clone, “That wasn’t the deal! You said you’d make the trade!” he yelled as he raced the car through the dark streets of West Berlin! Clone saw headlights in the Jeep’s rearview mirror!
Clone said, “Please to excuse me comrade Grey – I am sorry for changing of planes . . . err . . . plans.”
“Changing plans on the fly is how people get killed.” Grey snarled as he took another hard right. (imagine Jane-way in Marathon Man ;) )The headlights in the mirror were still coming. Two motorcycles. Hammer and Sickle?
Clone covertly activated he Tracking Transponder on his Wrist Communicator and said to Grey: “I am most sorry comrade, but it is perhaps you are to be calling in more additional C.H.E.S.S. units – nyet? The Soviets are coming at our backs much quickly now, perhaps it is best to be even going to other check point for . . . how is it that you say . . . additional backings up.”
Grey growled, “We’ve got it covered.” The two Jeeps flew past a large truck that was parked in a side alley. When the Jeeps were clear the truck ambled out, blocked the street and stopped. The cycle headlights were eclipsed in the rear view mirror. The Jeeps altered direction and sped up. As they raced through Berlin back to the airport, they could hear the cycle motors echoing through the streets.
They almost blew the gate at the US military base airport. Drake and Grey flashed credentials and everyone quickly boarded the transport out! Only when the craft was in the air, Alex’s family began crying, overcome with joy. Drake examined Clone’s wounds and Grey spoke softly into his cellphone. The suspicious Clone eavesdropped and heard: “Mission failure. I repeat, no go. We have no sleeper placed inside the Program. Over.”
(Replies? Actions?)
Lightning Strike stood over the badge of his uncle, NYPD Detective Hank Archer. He was in Archer’s apartment. The bed was disheveled, the sheets pulled off in the night. A week’s dishes were piled in the sink. Empty scotch bottles were piled in the garbage can. Old photos of Steven Archer (aka Lightning Strike!), his wife and his dad were laid out across a paper-strewn desk. Wedding photos among them, one with Hank dancing with the happy bride.
On a pad of paper near the phone was the faint etching of what had been written on the page over this one: “Caine - 11pm-3am - Ritz Carlton”. Strike recognized his uncle’s handwriting. It was 2am.
Lightning Strike quickly transformed back into electrical form and headed to the Ritz Carlton! From cyberspace, he saw a political fundraiser was the only event in the hotel. The ballroom was booked from 9pm to 3am.
SHAKOW! The high voltage vigilante materialized in the ballroom in a hail of sparks and raw electricity! It was a black tie event. A hundred guests, among beautiful dinner tables, a large dance floor and a live band were listening to a speech from the guest of honor, Silas Caine.
Caine was at the podium on stage and had just said, “about the extranormal menace” when Lightning Strike’s sudden arrival silenced the ballroom! Every eye, including Caine’s, looked at Strike!
Strike could see that behind the curtain and to Caine’s left stood his uncle, as weary and exhausted as ever. Archer had his gun in his hand and was carefully taking aim at Silas Caine! Strike’s arrival created the perfect distraction. No one saw Archer because everyone was focused on the electric avenger!
Caine looked at Strike from up on the stage and smiled, “Well, well. Speak of the devil.”
The richest man in the world had no idea that he had but seconds left to live.
(Reply?! Actions?!)
Menagerie was attacked by the feline extranormal that had tracked him and Pachyderm across the Canadian wilderness! SLASH! She hissed, “I’ll ask the questions. Who are you, what are you doing here, and what do you know about him?” She nodded her head, indicating Pachyderm, but her eyes never left Menagerie. She held her claws out, ready to strike again if an answer wasn’t forthcoming.
Menagerie sensed that the disturbance in the natural order, that had led the shaman-sorcerer to Pachyderm, echoed faintly within this savage woman!
Menagerie answered: “He is the beast behemoth called Pachyderm. He has been the harbinger of the destruction of the Natural Order. He has been the death knell which signaled the start of the Animal Revolution. But now and forever more he will be the friend of Menagerie! Roar!!”
Menagerie charged the half cat/half woman creature turning into a Grizzly Bear!
The sudden transformation surprised his grey-furred foe but she quickly recovered. SLASH! (OOC: 13 points! 4 from Power, 9 from Hits!)
The 800lb. ursine responded in kind! “ROAR!” RIIPPP! The Bear spirit hit hard and drew blood!
The woman flew back 20 feet and landed in a crouch on all fours. “Then it is real!” she said, keeping low. “I have dreamt of this Animal Revolution. If he is your friend, shapeshifter, why do you see him as a death knell? A harbinger of destruction? You are of animal kind. You cannot fail to see the danger Man represents to us. I am Snow Leopard. And we should not be fighting.”
Pachyderm watched from afar. The sudden, fierce combat did not faze him in the least. But distant recognition of the woman was slowly dawning on him.
(Reply?! Actions?!)
Sentinel had stopped the bombing of the Odyssey Club, but at a grave cost! His shields were damaged, his energy waning. The beacon of liberty used his constructs to throw the Mask of Red Death westward to the closest body of water, the Central Park reservoir! Giving chase, Sentinel fired upon her as she desperately swam to shore. Her forcefield almost gave out as she scrambled desperately onto dry land, over the fence and under the cover of trees, out of Sentinel’s eyesight. She had lost her cape and moved like someone injured.
Kirk had been beyond the range of his energy sense. If he wanted to continue the battle the trees would force him to closer quarters, certainly within range of her blasts. He was wounded, but now so was she.
Kirk descended until she was within range of his energy sense, modulating the color and shape of his energy shield to best approximate leafy foliage. The Mask was easily located. She was motionless, waiting.
The heir or heroism scanned her surface thoughts without her knowing. “Where is he? Wait. Wait for him. Stay still. Once he follows, ambush and kill him. He will be the prize, not the illuminati at the Odyssey Club. We can still recover the mission. Wait. Wait.”
Visuals flashed in her mind. She was injured. Bad. Wanting to get home which appeared as a run down city apartment with walls covered with news articles. Her computer was one of her few possessions and thoughts of it turned to information about the secret, invisible slave masters who ruled this world. Those who must be opposed and overthrown for liberty to be restored.
The beacon of liberty opened fire! ZARK! A direct hit on her forcefield which flickered and then died!
Defenseless, the Mask of Red Death blasted crimson energy from her hands at Sentinel, illuminating the trees wit the color of fresh blood! ZZAXX! (20 points! Your shields absorb it all. If they didn’t, you would have been out of Hit Points and unconscious!) She turned and ran!
ZARK! Sentinel fired again, striking her directly! The Mask of Red Death collapsed to the ground. The mind scan was broken, confirming that she was truly unconscious. The park fell silent.
(Reply?! Actions?!)
Slingshot grabbed the car and hurled it at the diesel drums! KRASH! Vwa-BOOOM!!! He hit the dirt as the car and the drums went up in an orange fireball that consumed the deadly doppelganger! Black smoke roiled up and the fire burned so bright, Scott couldn’t see into it! Suddenly out of the flames flew a misshapen ruin. Pink and black, its form was melted and miasmic and yet ambulatory. It looked like Slingshot fused with a woman that wasn’t Maria Girucci …and it was on fire.
SPLAT! It landed screaming on Slingshot’s head and upper body! From the waist up, Scott was stuck in the sticky, flaming horror! Slingshot was blinded, suffocating and on fire!
The ghastly thing shrieked its pain and hatred as it continued to burn! (OOC: 16 more points of fire damage to Slingshot! Roll with 6. 10 off Hits.)
Slingshot pulled the immolated mess off and threw her back into the raging inferno of the oil drums!
Then Scott quickly spoke into his communicator: "Slingshot to HQ! I'm under attack from Skin Deep and she's trying to subsume my identity. Be careful. She looks and sounds just like me. She has all my powers as well as my weaknesses. I've firebombed her. The intense pain will reveal her identity!"
The elastic extranormal threw himself onto a sand pit and rolled until the flames were out!
Slingshot picked up a pylon and waited for her to turn up. She didn’t. Neither did the cop. The gas burned off quickly and Scott found no traces of a body. Ajay requested that he return to base.
At the first security door he was met by CHESS Knight Nathan Lamb, Doc Rocket, Sgt. Stone and Symbiote, the usual homebodies of Vanguard.
“So, kid,” grumbled Sarge, sniffing at the smell of burnt rubber. “Howda we know yer good ol’ Slingy and not Skin Deep?”
(Replies?! Actions?!)
Soldier had found the Patriot. In the large torchlit chamber, a sacristy in ancient times, were CHESS issue weapons and equipment, food and gear for a small army, and a table with maps and walkie talkies on it.
Soldier said, “I’m not sure what’s happened to you, or why you’re doing this, but I can’t let you do this. You’re a soldier, and from what I’ve seen of your records, and outstanding one at that. You took an oath to follow the orders of those appointed over us, and you know that sometimes you’ll get orders that you disagree with, but you don’t have the option of picking and choosing which of those orders you intend to follow. The simple fact is I’ve been sent here to stop you, and I intend to do it, one way or the other. You can come with me, of your own accord, or I take you back in shackles. It’s not too late. End this before it gets completely out of hand.”
The star spangled superhero activated his sensor systems and found they were the only ones present.
The Patriot was unfazed by the Soldier’s words. “You sound like me when I started.” It wasn’t an insult, or condescension. He was just surprised, like he had forgotten. “What is the mission, Soldier?” he said in a calm echo of every drill sergeant. “To protect America. Keep her safe. How does leaving Chavez in place serve the mission?
“I took an oath to protect America. That’s what I’m doing here. How does stopping me help America? I can imagine that General Steele wants his weapon systems back, but is your allegiance to him greater than your allegiance to your country?”
After hearing Soldier’s reply, the Patriot said, “I’ll go with you, on one condition.” He walked slowly and calmly down the tunnel with Soldier. Soon they were back at the mouth of the ruin.
The women and children of the camp, the indigenous natives that hid here from a tyrant’s reach, gathered around in obvious love and devotion to the Patriot. They reached out to touch his hand, his arm, his foot.
“The women and children, and the men of this camp. They are ready to give their lives for the cause. Take me back to America in chains, and these people won’t have a chance. You’ll be signing their death warrant.”
He picked up a toddler from the crowd and faced him toward Soldier. “Look him in the eye and tell him his only future is in the political prisons of Hugo Chavez. Tell him he deserves to die.”
“…Or leave us to our work. Go home and tell them you couldn’t find me. Take your men. There’s a helicopter due north of our camp. It’s yours. Tell them I’m dead. This work is important, soldier. Someone needs to do it.”
(Replies? Actions?)
Symbiote crashed his right hand down on Gadget Girl’s skull, just behind her right ear! KRAK! She was out cold! VOOM..Vom..SPUT.. SPT spaaaa… The jetpack sputtered out! It must have been under cybernetic control! Symbiote and Gadget Girl were plummeting from a height of 700 feet!
Hal removed Gadget Girl's mask, revealing her beautiful face, and quickly slipped the mask over his head, feeling cybernetic contacts interface with his own scalp. He hung on tight and attempted to fire up the jet pack and… Nothing happened! The cybernetic controls must only work for Gadget Girl! Symbiote and Gadget Girl were plummeting from a height of 450 feet!
With one arm, Hal flared out the back of his labcoat to snag it on a flag pole or building outcropping, slowing their fall so that they can hit a covered awning or something… anything!
(OOC: Hal is falling 200 inches this turn. This means he’ll take 200 points of damage when he hits. The flagHHh
Hal is falling at 200 inches per turn. That means he’ll take 200 points of damage when he hits the sidewalk. A flagpole would absorb 50 points max, KRAK! And an awning might absorb half of what damage remained, resulting in Hal taking the rest: 75 points of damage! This would just kill Hal. You were close, though)
The scientific superhero was grimly calculating his shrinking odds of survival when suddenly the wind rushing in his ears started to roar! Two hands grabbed his shoulders and he looked up to see Shelley! She was wearing a superhero costume! (see image!) And flying!!
“Um, big brother,” she said sheepishly. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
Hal saw that Shelley (a.k.a. Zephyr!) was struggling. She wasn’t strong enough to carry Hal and Gadget Girl! The three extranormals were still falling! 30 stories! 29! 28!...
(Replies?! Actions?!)
Talon’s date with Mother Russia was interrupted by her jealous former teammate, Accelerator!
Talon's wings beat furiously as the two foes quickly ascended skyward. He extended his claws, digging them into Accelerator's chest and increasing the grip on his enemy.
Talon rolled and dropped quickly, spinning through the air to let his claws tear at Accelerator as the velocity pulls them through the acrobatic aerial movements. "If you keep fighting I'm gonna drop you so I can hack at you all the way to the ground."
Accelerator yelped from the pain and threw another awkward punch! BOP! (9 points! Talon rolls with 5 and takes 4 off hits!)
True to his word, Talon released the villain of velocity into mid air and prepared to fly close to him to slash him while he fell!
But before he could, Accelerator smiled his smarmy grin, said, “So long, sucker!” and increased his falling speed! When Talon had been carrying him, rolling and dropping him, Accelerator had been absorbing the speed!
He hurtled down to the ground faster than Talon could follow! Just before hitting, he reversed the direction of the velocity and came to a full stop a foot from the street. Then he casually stepped down to the ground, looked up at Talon, waved, and sped off into the concrete canyons of Manhattan at super speeds, laughing to himself!
The eagle-eyed extranormal though he might be able to match Accelerator’s speed, now that gravity wasn’t helping him.
(Reply? Actions?)
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OOC: Have fun.
Viva Vanguard,
Jeff
Current Conditions:
Avatar: Hit Points: 28, Power Points: 55
Clone: Bodies: 1, Hit Points: 9, Power Points: 35, Hit Point Pool: 9
Lightning Strike: Hit Points: 43, Power Points: 38
Menagerie: Bear form: Hit Points: 11, Power Points: 35
Sentinel: Hit Points: 3, Power Points: 36, Creation Points: 72, Shields: 52
Slingshot: Hit Points: 45, Power Points: 50, Inv: 8
Soldier: Hit Points: 55, Power Points: 70, Inv: 8
Symbiote: Hit Points: 16, Power Points: 55 Talon: Hit Points: 28, Power Points: 46
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Avatar:
Not sure exactly how big Otom is, but John will manifest Healing skill and summon a pegasus to get to the cyclops and stabilize him. If possible, John will fly him back to hq.
"Now that we've settled this, perhaps your dedication to wanting to use the powers for some cause will let you reveal to me some of this knowledge that you claim."
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Clone:
OOC: When I read this . . . The suspicious Clone eavesdropped and heard: “Mission failure. I repeat, no go. We have no sleeper placed inside the Program. Over.” . . . my first gut reaction was, "Why you son of a . . ." followed up with a burning desire to throw the business end of my fist squarely across the side of Grey's head. But then it hit me - thats what I would do lol - when I finally figure out what it is that Clone will do I'll post it up. Great job with this issue Jeff - I definitely didn't see that coming. Have a safe trip to where ever it is you're going this week Jeff - hopefully its for pleasure and not for business.
Talk to everyone soon,
-Kev
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Menagerie:
OOC: Wonderful job again! I wanted to check that the plan is to write my actions with several if then statements since there is no time for OOC questions.
Have a good trip, while I attempt to figure out how to keep Menagerie from joining the "Hail the Glorious Dead" section of the Vanguard Vault.
Good Times!
Tom
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Slingshot:
OOC: That was too easy.I guess I'll have to go under torture. As long as they have plenty of regenerative materials, I'll subject myself to getting firebombed and show them that I won't come out half woman.
…Now I'm paying for getting out easy.I don't want to have to do this every time.I will come up with a 3 nonsensical code phrases that I will give to the team in case she tries to insert herself."The pumpernickel sandwich is purple.""There's a bun in the clock""The big toe drilled my tooth."
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Sentinel:
Kirk was ecstatic that things went his way, but even though he was sure that the Mask of the Red Death was unconscious, given his current physical state he was remaining cautious and taking nothing for granted.
Kirk used his energies to pick her up and maintaining a reasonable distance took to flight carrying her as quickly as he could towards Vanguard headquarters. He figured if she did regain consciousness she’d think twice about a sneak attack with nothing to prevent her from falling to her death… also if she’d managed to send a message to others hopefully his being in the air and on the move would prevent an interception.
"Ajay, Sentinel here. The Mask is ‘out’ and I’m heading towards headquarters now. Prepare medical to receive both of us and containment protocols for the Mask… she’s dangerous and apparently mentally unstable and we don’t want to take any chances here.”
Unless Ajay indicates that a task force is already enroute to meet him with proper containments much closer, he is going straight for headquarters with his prisoner.
OOC I’m not sure about the time and distance to get to headquarters. Kirk’s wants to be sure to remove her Mask from a distance. First he wants to see if he can identify her (if he knows her identity) and if not, he wants to get her photo to Ajay to start a database search. However, he won’t risk some kind of booby trap to the mask without taking precaution, and if he is close to headquarters he can wait until there, but he isn’t letting her out of sight until the Mask is off.
Again, not knowing if you’ve got more planned on your end or if we are falling out of combat type time, Kirk wants to interrogate her for answers before releasing her out of CHESS custody to the police or the Castle. He’ll want to get a location of her apartment to investigate. He’ll want to check with the Odyssey Club security for security tapes, logs of visitors, etc to see if that helps identify the Mask or her cohorts further and how the bombs were planted.
Viva Vanguard
Seth
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Soldier:
OOC: I've have mine in by tomorrow morning, I know what he's going to do, but I'm still trying to figure out exactly what Soldier's going to say. You and your moral dilemmas.
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Menagerie:
[OOC]
I don’t know if I can talk as an animal. If I can then I will stay in Bear form. If I can’t I will move to a safe distance and change back to human form. I will save an action to either evade or turn into an eagle, whichever benefits Menagerie the most. I will use a luck point to have what Snow Leopard is seeking is a place in this world with meaning and fulfillment instead of destruction. C’mon Charisma doesn’t fail me now!!!
[IC]
“Yes, I said Death Knell and I meant it. The Animal Revolution would not create a better world. The Natural Order created Man and it created us. We are not animals; we are hybrids; animal and man.
Just as the leaf cannot say the world would be better without the leaf-eater; and the prey cannot say the world would better without the predator; so we cannot say the world would be better without Man.
The Natural Order created Man to control what animals could not control, the elementals. Fire, Flood, and all other kinds of storms can be defended by Man. You yourself had to see the recent fire that Man brought to heel.
When Man became too reckless and prideful, the Natural Order created a higher being to be its predator. The creation is us.
We will be judged on what we do next. It is never right for the predator to drive the prey into extinction. When this is done both will perish. The destruction of the Circle of Life should never be the goal.
Snow Leopard, you and Pachyderm can be great in the next cycle of change. Stay here with him, protect the land and prosper. There will be times when Nature will call us to prey on the destroyers and we will!
Whether the threat is man or some other great evil, we will meet that evil tooth and claw and we will be victorious!
That is what your dreams are about! Not destroying man! Protecting all that is nature, including man; even protecting man from himself!
OOC: Thanks
Here is Menagerie's entry, hopefully it won't be his last.
Great game Jeff I am loving this!
Tom
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Clone:
CLONE’S IC RESPONSE T
hey almost blew the gate at the US military base airport. Drake and Grey flashed credentials and everyone quickly boarded the transport out! Only when the craft was in the air, Alex’s family began crying, overcome with joy. Drake examined Clone’s wounds and Grey spoke softly into his cellphone. The suspicious Clone eavesdropped and heard: “Mission failure. I repeat, no go. We have no sleeper placed inside the Program. Over.”
That was all Clone needed to hear. His blood began to boil as the once empty wells of anger hidden deep within his soul slowly started to refill themselves. The resounding sounds of joy and happiness that filled the aircraft were quickly filtered from Clone’s ears by a growing sense of betrayal. “You are so stupid Alexander!” Clone thought himself. Despite his best efforts to avoid looking at him, Clone could help but himself – he turned and looked at Grey. The quick glance he gave Grey lasted less then a moment, and he kept his face expressionless so as not to tip off the C.H.E.S.S. Director that he had just overheard his telephone conversation. As he turned his attention back to Drake a thin wisp of an appreciative smile slipped over Clone’s face. ”Spasibo comrade Drake,” he said to his would be physician.
“How could you have been so blind? How could you have thought that the Americans would see you as anything more then a pawn? A pawn to be sacrificed on a whim . . . how could you have thought it was going to be different with them?” he thought to himself in a scolding manner. His mind began to look for a way out of the ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire’ type situation he felt he was now in,” I will simply do as I have always done . . . I will smile and be polite. I will keep what I now to myself and when the time is right I will gather up my family and find a safe place for us to live.” Clone looked over at the happy faces of his family and smiled. The smile was unfortunately bathed in an unseen film of sadness, a sadness generated from the belief that he had simply removed his family from one bad situation and unknowingly replaced it with another. “When will it be over?” he asked himself; “. . . when will we be able to stop running?”
His thoughts then turned to the other members of Vanguard, “I will miss them . . . in the short time that I’ve known them they have proven themselves true friends and allies.” His thoughts of regret are instantly replaced by ones of concern, “As much as I would like to tell them about what has happen and to offer them all a heartfelt goodbye I must remain silent . . . they may try to help me and my family . . . and if they try to help me, the American government might try to stop me and place us all in prison before we have a chance to get to safety . . . I must remain silent . . . for now.” Clone then looks over at Grey and says through a smile, “Spasibo Director Grey.”
CLONE’S OOC RESPONSE
Clone will of course turn off the Tracking Transponder on his Wrist Communicator once he realizes that they’re ‘safe’. While I was writing up my response I tried to imagine how a young Soviet with extremely limited exposure to the outside world, who has also recently defected, might see the situation at hand. I felt he would probably see Grey as trying to use him in much the same way that the Soviets did – as a pawn – and that would scare him terribly. He would probably just see the governments of the world as all operating in much the same fashion as the one he just defected from – a frightening and discouraging thought indeed. Where this all will go I have no idea.
Oh – and before any misunderstandings arise from my IC Response let me just say this – no – I have no desire to leave the group, nor am I planning to =)
Talk to you all soon,
-Kev
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Symbiote:
Hal looked up, shocked to see his sister flying. And in such an outrageous costume. He would've shaken his head if he had the time, and he would have questions later, but for now...
"Updraft, Shel! As hard as you can go! And get us over the river!" Symbiote yells against the roaring winds.
As she maneuvers the three of them over the Hudson, Hal will begin ripping Gadget Girl's gear off--her weapon, her jet boots, anything short of the Harper Harness itself--anything to lighten the load and hopefully slow our descent. Once we're near the river....Hal will drop Gadget Girl. It's not a decision he's happy about, but it's either her or Hal and Shelly, and that's no choice at all. With the lost ballast of GG's equipment Shelly, hopefully, will have slowed her fall enough that damage to her body will be minimal. And once she's been dropped the Harpers will hopefully be able to get some lift, or at least hover in place. And then, once their downward momentum has stopped, Hal himself will dive in after Gadget Girl's unconscious form, grab ahold and drag her to shore.
After that, the plan is the same as last issue: Get some medical attention, get her to the Vault for questioning, and get my Harness back!!!
Viva Vanguard,
Greg
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Soldier:
OOC: First off, an apology for running late with my reply. It actually took me a while to figure out how I thought Soldier would respond, as this whole situation would be very diffuclt for him to ignore. He'd be torn between performing his duty, and helping someone clearly in need.
IC: Soldier studies Patriot’s every move, looking for any sign of aggression, and listens to his voice, for even the faintest hint that his words have influenced him, but detects nothing. He wonders, what’s happened to this once proud soldier. What’s caused him to become so jaded?
As he listens to the Patriot’s impassioned speech, and scans the camp’s interior, he too wonders if their presence wouldn’t help alleviate the suffering of these people, but stops himself, as he doesn’t make those decisions. It’s not his job to act as a one man army, intervening in the affairs of others. It’s one thing to respond to open acts of aggression, or a plea for help. He can’t allow himself to be swayed by a man who in another situation, he would probably grow to admire.
IC: As much as I would like to help these people, that’s not our decision. Our presence here will only serve to fan the flames of war. A good man, a man I trust, may have sacrificed himself to allow me to accomplish my mission, and I won’t see his sacrifice be in vein. I’m taking you back home. But know this, if the time comes to rid this country of its “President”, I will be here. I’ll stand by the side of the anyone brave enough to stand against him.”
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Lightning Strike:
Here is Strike's action, late as usual!!!
Strike realizes that his sudden entrance has provided his uncle with the exact distraction he was looking for. He had to move fast if he was to prevent his uncle from making a terrible mistake. Although Caine deserved his fate, Strike did not want his uncle facing life in prison, especially with the number of enemies he has.
Strike quickly set up a magnetic field around Caine which hopefully would prevent the bullet from reaching him. OOC: I believe I did this once before in an earlier issue but don't quote me on what issue it was. I think it was right before we battled the undead crime lords and Black Bat.
Once Caine is safe, Strike will move to subdue his uncle as gently as possible. The man obviously needs help.
That's it for now.
Take care all,
Tony
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Talon:
Hello All,
Talon will try and catch Accelerator. He will try to use flight to his advantage when he attacks him, making a sweeping attack instead of stopping to strike.
If Accelerator stops to brace himself to strike Talon when he flies in, Talon will pick up a heavy object(whatever he can find) to hurl it at him in an attempt to force him to spend some of his stored energy trying to keep the object from impacting him directly.
After Talon throws the object he will move quickly to avoid taking a hit in case Accelerator is able to redirect it toward him. He will keep up this tactic to try and wear him down enough to move in and attack him with his claws.
Thanks for your patience, Jeff.
Viva Vanguard,
Denny
