Having switched places with Vanguard Omega against their will, Vanguard flew east for the river across a New York City they did not recognize! Perhaps they could submerge and get out to sea until they could formulate a plan of action!
Soldier’s bionic telescopic eye gave him a visual of the helicopters that pursued them. The closest thing they resembled was the Apache AH64-D attack copter (see image). He recognized the four-blade main rotor and a four-blade tail rotor. It was likely the next model. Or the one after that. Soldier winced involuntarily.
He had flown the AH64-D in combat. The crew compartment and fuel tanks are armored such that the aircraft will remain flyable even after sustaining hits from 23-millimeter gunfire. The two-man crew sits in tandem, with the pilot sitting behind and above the copilot/gunner who had:
-M230 Chain Gun with 2,300 rounds.
-Hydra air-to-ground rockets.
-Hellfire missiles.
-Improved sensor suite including night vision and target acquisition.
-Integrated Helmet and Display Sighting System that slaved the Chain Gun to the crew’s helmets.
Maximum Speed of the craft was 200mph. Enough to easily overtake them before they reached the river.
Apaches were used to eliminate infantry, tanks and ground structures. These were coming for Vanguard.
They assumed attack formation, all four of them, with a dozen black CHESS Knights flying up from the streets to join them. Soldier’s visual on the Knights showed them to be bigger and uglier than those from home. Their strategy was clear. The CHESS Knights would defend the copters in the air. And the copters would fire on Vanguard from considerable range. (200”, 1000 feet, nearly a quarter mile!)
VWOOSSHH! VWOOSSHH! VWOOSSHH! VWOOSSHH! Hellfire missiles screamed toward Vanguard, trailing smoke behind them.
“Here it comes!” grimaced Zephyr.
BAROOOOM-BOOM-DOOOM!! Three direct hits! The fiery explosions of the tank-killing missiles rocked Vanguard’s shielded hover platform! (46 points of damage to the energy construct!) There was a gaping hole in the energy orb!
Zephyr was clearly thinking about getting out, getting airborne, getting some maneuverability.
The fourth missile flew past Vanguard and slammed into the ninth floor of an abandoned ten story building. KABOOM! The upper floor collapsed and fire broke out, illuminating the night. Luckily, the collapse did not endanger the crowds in the street below!
Soldier took the miss to mean that the copter targeting systems were not linked, which was an option with Apaches. The link would have enabled all four to fire on one target lock, even without line of sight! Perhaps their satellites were down as well.
Vanguard was over Lexington Avenue now. The copters’ speed and range would permit them to fire again on Vanguard again before they reached the East River. Perhaps twice! And that was assuming they didn’t attempt to intercept.
Three black CHESS Knights hovered near each copter in defensive positions. Three more were flying up from the street, jets firing from their boots!
Vanguard was beyond the range of the Knights’ energy blasters.
The military copters and the black Knights were beyond the range of Vanguard’s ranged attacks. (see map)
But Vanguard was well within the killing range of the attack copters’ deadly weapons!
Soldier yelled: "We need to get into the water NOW! As long as we're flying they've got the advantage. If we don't grab some cover they'll blow us out of the sky. If we're forced to surface, stay low to the ground and use the buildings as cover. It'll force them to come to us, and negate any speed advantage they have. Avatar, high winds and a storm cloud will play havoc with their ability to stay stable in the air."
Slingshot said: "Guys, we need to get out of the sky. Sentinel’s force field is too slow for these. We’ll get creamed.”
Sentinel said: "Matt, what are the odds of the copters having the ability to track and fire on us successfully, assuming we make it to the water and are fully submerged in it?
"Although I'm virtually certain we can take these forces, there would seem to be no benefit other than giving them reason to confirm we are Vanguard Omega in their eyes. The only long-term positive influence would be to beat them and save them and tell them individually we aren't Vanguard Omega and perhaps some of them would consider it and spread that message. However, more forces may gather against us beyond what we see already in that time we are engaging them. Escape still seems the best option here if it’s possible."
As Vanguard stared out at the night sky and frantically searched for a way to escape their heavily armed pursuers, Clone quickly looked down at the street below and then back at Sentinel and said, "Comrade, maybe it is best that we are to be leaving the air and going into there."
Clone then quickly pointed down to the subway entrance below the team’s feet, and continued, "They are not able to be flying down here and we will be able to go out of city without anyone seeing of us."
Symbiote agreed with the subway plan. He also suggested that Zephyr could probably build up a strong enough wind to keep the copters back to buy a few minutes breathing room.
Talon flew through the hole in the hover orb to create another target for the approaching threat! He banked to his right and arced quickly back toward the helicopters to try and pull some of the fire in his direction. As he bore down on the copters, he executed quick adjustments in his flight path to make it hard for them to target him. (Evades!)
Soldier fired an explosive round at the nearest of the four copters! BLAMM! A direct hit to the cockpit! BOOM!! The Apache lurched down twenty feet before stabilizing. Then it fell back, out of attack formation, its flight path still staggered. Its escort of three CHESS Knights retreated with it!
Menagerie, in eagle form, flew out of the broken hover orb down to the Lexington Avenue subway entrance at 33rd street. He then used his mind-speech to notify the rest of Vanguard of its location. He assumed the shape of Cougar and descended the concrete steps down to find the subway entrance boarded up with a wooden barrier that was papered over with government warnings not to enter the subway system for the public’s own safety.
Zephyr nodded at Symbiote and flew from Sentinel’s hover orb. Holding her hands before her, she blasted a windstorm that rocked the three attack copters remaining and kept the pilots busy just staying airborne. They wouldn’t be able to advance!
Slingshot said, “Let me out. I'll provide some diversion. Go for the water or the tunnels. I'll follow." With that, the malleable man of might launched himself through the air at the Chess Knights! (Evades!)
Sentinel repaired the hover orb, forming arrow slits in its vertical walls at Avatar’s request. The heir of heroism lowered the orb down between the buildings to the subway entrance with Avatar, Clone, Lightning Strike, Soldier and Symbiote inside. They met Menagerie who was in the form of Cougar. Sentinel opened a doorway in the orb for Menagerie to join them.
Symbiote stepped out and splintered the wooden barrier with his super strength! KRA-POW!!
The tunnels beyond it were pitch black.
Menagerie telepathically told Slingshot, Talon and Zephyr that they were ready to escape!
Then the copters opened fire! VWOOSSHH! VWOOSSHH! VWOOSSHH! The gunners of the three remaining copters launched their Hellfire missiles at Talon, Slingshot and Zephyr!
Talon and Slingshot’s evasive maneuvers, and Zephyr’s mastery of air currents, resulted in every missile in this barrage missing and exploding harmlessly in mid air! BAROOOOM-BOOM-DOOOM!!
A trio of CHESS Knights fired on Talon with hand mounted energy weapons! He dodged every blast save one! ZARK! (11 points of damage! Talon rolls with 8, and takes 3 off Hits!)
Another triad of CHESS Knights opened up on Slingshot! Two blasts hit him! ZARK! ZARK! (21 points of damage! 8 from Invulnerability! 7 from Power! 6 from Hits!)
The final trio of Knights blasted at Zephyr! Two scored direct hits! ZARK! ZARK! (24 points of damage! She rolls with 6 of it and, miraculously, her body armor takes the remaining 18!) Zephyr exhaled and counted herself lucky!
(Next turn!)
Talon swooped past the defending Knights and raked the side of an attack copter -SKRASSHH!- damagining it enough to force it to withdraw!
Zephyr hit the remaining two copters with another gale force wind to prevent them from following!
Talon and Zephyr peeled off from the copters and Knights and hurtled back to Vanguard at the subway entrance!
Slingshot landed on a rooftop and slungshot himself back to Vanguard as well!
Vanguard was reunited and they all entered the subway, with only the glow of Sentinel’s energy construct to light their path! They soared north, over the train tracks through abandoned, derelict tunnels and stations, rats scurrying before them! They saw collapsed tunnels and camps of homeless refugees, lit by small fires, who could only watch in terror as Vanguard rocketed by.
Vanguard detected CHESS Knights, a hundred feet behind back, pursuing them through the ruined tunnels of this other New York City!
Vanguard suddenly spied a service stairwell and quickly descended its stone steps. Moments later they heard the power-armored soldiers roar past them, continuing north.
Vanguard was near 51st Street and Lexington.
They descended further and found a broken old chamber. (see image)
They didn’t hear the Knights, and the last group of refugees they spotted were ten blocks back.
They had a moment to catch their breath and think.
To be continued!
OOC: Now what? What’s the plan?
Best,
Jeff
Current Conditions:
Avatar: Hit Points: 58, Power Points: 82, Manifesting: none
Clone: Bodies: 1, Hit Points: 19, Power Points: 39, Hit Pool: 19
Lightning Strike: Hit Points: 47, Power Points: 67
Menagerie: Hit Points: 11, Power Points: 48, Form: Cougar
Sentinel, Hit Points: 30, Power Points: 48, Shields: 96, Creation Points: 96
Slingshot: Hit Points: 49, Power Points: 70, Invulnerability: 8
Soldier: Hit Points: 57, Power Points: 77, Invulnerability: 8
Symbiote: Hit Points: 152, Power Points: 121, Invulnerability: 8, Charges: 12, Copied: Russia
Talon: Hit Points: 53, Power Points: 76
Zephyr: Hit Points: 17, Power Points: 61, Charges: 12, Armor: 7
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Menagerie:
Awesome! as always.
Menagerie will attempt to communicate with any feral felines, canines, or birds in the area. To find out where the CHESS Knights are, where the people are, and if there are any other dangers in the Subway.
He stays in Cougar form so he can use his night vision. He will act as point man in one direction, hiding in the shadows to make sure something nothing is attempting to sneak up on Vanguard.
Via the Alpha Team
Tom
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Sentinel:
OOC: Hi all. Whew!
Jeff - NYC is devastated. Got it.
We were all airborne. What about the surrounding areas around it - where did we see lights and power (and hopefully internet access). Across in NJ? The boroughs? LI? Upstate NY?
We certainly had a vantage point from the skylines. What directions indicated power and hopefully the quickest way to information?
My earliest thoughts are subway tunnels to powered area and information.
As we begin to speak Kirk keeps his energy sense on alert and encourages Hal, Shelly, and Strike to start viewing and sorting through the electronics we took with us to see if they can figure was is usable and if any of the components give them an idea of what Vanguard Omega did and if they can reverse engineer it to get us out of here.
Seth
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GM:
OOC: Thanks guys.
OOC replies:
Seth/Sentinel: When you were flying over Manhattan, the outer boroughs and New Jersey were dark.
There were a few scant points of light across them, but Vanguard couldn't tell whether they were fires or electric, given the rush circumstances with the copter battle.
Best,
Jeff
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Sentinel:
OOC: Wow! Things are even worse in this world than I'd anticipated.
Seth
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Soldier:
Soldier replied to Sentinel - "They can't track us in the water, they're not built for that. They're tank killers, not sub hunters, but they're built to take a beating from ground troops. And they can't stand up to extreme weather conditions; it'll force them to go to ground."
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Slingshot:
OOC: If there's anything that I can find from our hidey-hole that I can use to regenerate some HPs, I will try to do so.
IC: After listening to the pursuers passing by, Scott starts thinking about where they are and what they are doing. He holds the precious picture in his hands.. He knows that he needs to get back to Nanite. Who knows what this world's Slingshot will do. Pushing those thoughts aside, he tries to concentrate on the task at hand.
"Vanguard," Scott starts," I would like to be able to help this world, but our first priority is to get back to our world. How do we do that? Vanguard Omega used the gate to the Entity's world to get to us. We lost this world's gate and I'll assume that they will destroy our world's version as soon as they can." He paces a bit, "So how can we get back? Do any of you know of another interdimensional bridge? Should we try to contact the Mystic? Avatar, maybe you can help with your ties to the gods?"
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Avatar:
IC: "It's possible. It's a power that I haven't used before but I'm willing to give it a try."
OOC: Jeff, does Avatar's Cosmic Awareness function totally by the book?
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GM:
OOC:
Avatar/ Harold, yes, but Luck points can act like one-shot inventions to modify stuff, if it makes sense.
Best,
Jeff
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Slingshot:
OOC: My character was thinking that with your ties to the gods, you might be able to bring us to that Avatar place that we went last "issue" and use that to 'port to our universe, but Cosmic Awareness is cool too..
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Avatar:
OOC: Jeff, does Avatar have anything that could be taken in that light? Just going through the list, Cosmic Awareness is the best thing that I could use. Any chance of using Cosmic Awareness to make contact with someone or someTHING that could do what Stephane is suggesting? If not, perhaps we can put our heads together and formulate some yes/no questions that could lead us down the right path. With Cosmic Awareness, Avatar's regular Charisma score, and either some Power expenditure or Heightened Charisma to shore up that score, I'm pretty certain that we can get at least a few answers to such questions.
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GM:
OOC:
Harold / Avatar:
What Avatar needs is something like Dimensional Travel. He doesn't have it, and Cosmic Awareness isn't close enough.
You're right, you would have a strong chance of success using Cosmic Awareness to get some answers.
In terms of trying back to get to the Lost City of the Gods: Avatar has been there in his dreams. The Crimson Coven brought Vanguard there. The Mystic sent them home from there, as Slingshot mentioned.
In terms of trying to find someone or something with Dimensional Travel to help you: Cosmic Awareness might be able to help locate such a being if one exists in this world.
John's Archeology and Occult Studies skills tell him that the Greek Gods most closely associated with "dimensional travel" are Hermes, the patron of boundaries and those who cross them, and Hecate, the evil goddess of witchcraft and crossroads. A Hecate-like goddess was a patron of the Dark Avatar, and positioned in a place of prominence in the Temple of the Dark Pantheon, he recalls.
Best,
Jeff
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Symbiote:
Hal looks up and down the subway tunnel. He listens to the conversations of the others.
"If the Gods...or whatever these beings are that have allied themselves with Avatar...can help us, so be it," he says. "But just in case it's not that simple...we'll need another plan. The Vault looked neglected, decrepit, like our counterparts had abandoned it years ago. I have to believe they had another headquarters, maybe several, elsewhere. Perhaps we only ended up there because whatever dimensional teleportation technology they used required us to be transported to an analogous point in space/time--they were yanking us out of the Vault in our world, so we had to be transported to the Vault in theirs."
He pauses, as if lost in thought, then continues. "Unless Avatar can get us out quickly, I recommend we hit up one of Lighting Strike's hidey-holes, as we originally planned. We'll have to be careful, as this universe's Strike may have booby trapped the place. And while I agree that getting back to our universe as fast as possible is the priority, I think it also may behoove us to find out more about this one. What went wrong? Why did our counterparts 'go Omega,' what drove them to it?"
He turns to Lightning Strike. "If you've got a place in mind, take us there. In the meantime, we may need disguises, in case some of us have to blend in." Symbiote looks up, to the streets above. "If the city has had power intermittently--or not at all, lately--people may have gone back to the old practice of hanging their wash out to dry. I hate to steal somebody else's clothes, but it may come to that if we have to blend in with the local populace for a while. Talon would be ideal for snatching up some clothes strung between even high buildings."
Lastly, he turns to Shelly. "When we get settled in let's look at that tech you stole, along with this old copy of the Harness. Maybe they'll have some clues as well."
Alpha rules!
Greg
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Avatar:
OOC: I kinda figured you'd say that, Jeff.
IC: In response to Greg/Symbiote and Stephane/Slingshot:
"Should we use one of Strike's safe houses? They ARE us and, while they may have a divergent history and development, they should still think largely like us. Perhaps the best thing to do is just go and hole up somewhere totally random so that we have that advantage, at least. Then those of us suited to scouting could go and have a look around and see what could be seen. I'm afraid that I have no power to get us out of here directly but I CAN reach out and ask simple yes or no questions of the gods, though it carries with it a little risk to me if done too much. Still, if we could formulate a few questions, I know that I can stand my mind touching those of the gods for just a little while. Before we did that, though, I think that we need to get to safety and do some scouting so that we have more knowledge of WHAT we need to know."
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Slingshot:
OOC: BTW, Stephane knows that you can't really do this, but Slingshot doesn't know anything of that sort. He's hoping to find a similar way of getting back and since the City of the Lost Gods was the closest in memory. So I (Stephane) am good with that answer.
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Talon:
OOC: I've never liked the idea of trying to use an established safe house. There's just no guarantee that they will be available in an alternate reality, and if we attempt to use them only to find them occupied, it's a wasted move on our part.
I like the idea of finding someplace random and will volunteer to go on a scouting mission to find such a place. Talon can fly stealthily through the night in search of a place to hide while the rest of the group works at other tasks.
Talon will also agree to steal other people's laundry to provide disguises for the group :)
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Slingshot:
OOC: My mind goes automatically to who's going to be stuck wearing grandma underwear..
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Symbiote:
OOC: Indeed. And even with the clothes, concealing Slingy is going to be a problem.
Perhaps we can convince people that he got his head caught in a Chinese automated rice picking machine, until some American missionaries found him....*
*A no prize to the person who can first identify the pop cultural reference.
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Menagerie:
OOC: City on the Edge of Tomorrow.
Sadly I had to google the title.
Less a Trekkie than I thought I was
I am good with the random place but we need something that has tech to get us the information or we need to find a library to read the history of what happened. Menagerie would be glad to patrol the tunnel in his cougar form to scout as best as possible but I am unsure how much we want to split up. I am not against splitting up but would know the best place to return to.
Jeff, am I to assume that Menagerie is not having any luck gathering info from any feral animals nearby? or would that be considered In-Game information not between turn info.
Tom
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Avatar:
OOC: Jeff, when I use the Speak with Plants ability, how much information can I get? I know that (most) plants don't read the paper or watch TV but how much information could be gained from speaking with a plant. Since it's a magical ability in a supers game, I am assuming that it's more than I would gain from a real-world plant. Could you give an example? Would it just be obvious information about something that happened within a local line-of-sight area of the plant?
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Lightning Strike:
Strike can hide himself in an electronic device for some time but not indefinitely. Assuming that the grid is still somewhat intact, Strike can go to the "safe" houses and somewhat scout them out given the limits of his abilities.
OOC: given that Strike has knowledge of what he can and can't do in electric form, he would have enabled his safe houses so that he could check them electronically without reforming in the specific location. I will defer to the GM on whether that violates the rules.
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Soldier:
OOC: Can Soldier pick up any type of satellite signals at all? What about radio traffic on military restricted channels, or CHESS frequencies?
Is Soldier able to get any type of satellite feed, or Wi-Fi signal? If so, he'll try to do an info download. If it looks like some sort of security features are enabled, he'll shutdown his port, as he doesn't want our new "friends" to be able to use it to track us.
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GM:
OOC: Hi guys.
OOC answers to questions:
Spock is wearing a knit cap to cover his pointy ears in Great Depression era America and gets found out.
Tom / Menagerie: Right. That will happen next issue. The rule of thumb is that I’ll give clarifications of things your characters see, hear and know right now. This includes questions about how their powers work.
But questions that require an action, the performance of a task, power use, device use, dice rolling, etc. will be answered next issue. :)
Harold / Kairos: Speaking with plants give you a micro and a macro view.
Macro: An insight into the natural world. Things that don't concern the natural world will largely be ignored by them. Imagine the Ents of LOTR, or "the green" in Alan Moore's Swamp Thing.
Micro: Things that they, as individuals, might be aware of. This would be a more local view.
Tony / Lightning Strike: By "checking them electronically" do you mean observing via security cameras inside the safe house? If yes, then yes you can do that.
Or did you mean something else? Thanks.
Best,
Jeff
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Lightning Strike:
OOC: Yes, that is exactly what I mean. Observe via the cameras to make sure the coast is clear.
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Sentinel:
OOC: Hi everyone. Below are Kirk's current comments and thoughts as the conversation flows - if I missed anything that needs a Kirk comment, let me know. Thanks.
IC: Kirk surveyed their situation looking for the endgame with very few pieces to determine it and then focused back on their current situation.
“We’ve only got a breather here. They know we are in the tunnels. I’m not so much worried about these Knights, but likely the copters have relayed the information of our presence to whoever actually is behind things here.
The forces we’ve encountered could not have contained and certainly not have conquered Vanguard Omega. Had we determined to take them out instead of fleeing, together we could have vanquished them in a less than a minute, and as we know Vanguard Omega isn’t even working under our moral imperatives. The level of these forces was no threat to them.
Assuming they transmitted information it is possible that forces are coming to enter the tunnels and even more likely they will cover exits. For leaving here, I’d suggest we do it quickly. We can follow the tunnels to an area near the water and then drill out into the water and use it as a cover to resurface wherever we want. At that point, we should be free to move about as they continue to look for us in the subways. If we can disguise ourselves to blend in, perhaps some of us can scope out what forces are covering the tunnel exits.”
“It appears that the power blackout is covering more than just Manhattan. From the skyline there was no light and apparently no sources of power at least into the outer boroughs and Connecticut and New Jersey. Energy shows no Wi-Fi or similar communications for the masses or what constitutes them here at least at this point, for the local area. Our investigation is going to have to be old school, no quick tech solutions apparently.
I loathe the idea of us splitting up, but it seems likely that all of us together likely won’t blend in and will be too conspicuous. We need to choose an agreed place and specific time to meet at intervals so that if we are separated we have a means of regrouping. I’m figuring daily, sometime in the early morning. We need to choose a location. And we do need to be sure if we separate to do so in groups and not individually (Kirk glanced at Strike briefly trying to catch his eye with that thought without making it obvious to the others).
If we are staying in Manhattan, library might work for info and is a good idea but for my money I’m thinking there is still someplace where news will continue to flow and the New York Times building and their archives might be a good bet to check for recent history and perhaps even current history. “
“My thoughts on possibly using one of Strike’s safe houses as a base of operations and it being ‘safe’ are that I don’t see this world’s current situation making their Strike less of a loner. I’d think he’d have had even more reason to have safety contingencies in place and be less likely to share them. Until this moment none of us even knew our Strike had them… I’d just assumed. If Strike Omega had them in place and they aren’t a trap then it’s likely they would be our best source of safety for a group operation and our best likelihood of finding some tech in this area than a ‘random’ place. If not that, what random place does anyone have in mind anyway?
… And Kirk continued speaking matter of factly …
And frankly I have absolutely no doubt that Strike is going to check them out despite whatever we decide here. It’s what I would do if I have such a potential resource at my possible disposal at this time. If he does and if it is a trap, I’d prefer he doesn’t face it alone. “
Kirk thought about his own potential resources here, and in his mind, once they had a clue of what happened, he needed to find out what happened to this world’s Lancaster. Whatever had corrupted this world’s Kirk, if Gramps was still alive he wouldn’t be on the wrong side of things. That simply wasn’t possible. Although perhaps his loss was what pushed this Kirk over the edge…
Best,
Seth
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Avatar:
"But we don't know anything about this world other than what we've seen. We can't make assumptions here. Perhaps Strike Omega is a gregarious extrovert who entertains? We just don't know. Singular events can totally change the direction a person's life can take. We have no idea what sort of Black Swan events may have occurred here or the magnitude of their effect, not only on the world but on Vanguard Omega. I would suggest that we treat the Omegas as complete unknowns until proven otherwise. Even the direction of their training and development as individuals and as a team might be different. I'm for seeking something totally random. Open a phone book and point and go or something like that."
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Sentinel:
"I agree it is making an assumption but an assumption based on the little we already do know. From the billboard image they appear to be like us. Our Clone heard them referring to his old costume. The tech we saw resembles our own. We have good reason to believe that other things could be similar, even if diverging at some point. I'm not saying to count on it, but it would seem one of the reasonable places to start our investigation and perhaps a way to jumpstart assets working in our favor if it pays off. I think it would be unwise to deliberately overlook it. But it does seem that breaking into several investigative teams may be the way to go assuming we can get out of the subways undetected."
And as Kirk said his piece on it, he gave his first quick half-smile as he glanced at Strike and thought, "The safe houses won't go unchecked whatever we decide here as a team; I may not be sure of things in this world, but I am sure about members of this team."
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Lightning Strike:
OOC: Why don't you just double-dare me to go to the safe houses myself!!!
IC: Strike comments to the rest of the group, "I can verify if the closest safe house is indeed safe and if so we should go to it as soon as possible. There may be information in it that will give us a hint as to what kind of people this Vanguard is. I can get there and back before any of you and it gives us a plan of action. Standing around in this tunnel simply makes us easier targets."
Unless anyone voices strong reasonable opposition or physically moves to stop me, I will utilize the 3rd rail and the electrical grid (assuming it is at least connected even though no power is flowing) and head to the nearest safe house and observe it. If the coast is clear at the house, then I will report back to the rest of the group and give everyone directions.
Thanks,
Tony
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Sentinel:
Kirk replied, "You should tell at least one of us the location in case you don't make it back to us and it is a trap so we can assist. I knew you'd check them out and if something happened want to be sure you have backup."
OOC: Does the double-dare transcend into gaming characters? I must remember that!
And if I had to guess:
Tony's next posting:
"Without a reply or acknowledgement to Sentinel , Strike vanishes into the third rail."
Hey, you've already given me less lone wolf than I expected here :) Kirk must be rubbing off on you.
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Lightning Strike:
OOC: "Without a reply or acknowledgement to Sentinel , Strike vanishes into the third rail."
I couldn't have said it better myself!!
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Sentinel:
OOC: Said I knew my teammates ... :)
Kirk will at least try to track Strike's energy signature until it passes his range.
Seth
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Soldier:
OOC: Once Soldier figures out he can't pick up a satellite signal, he'll check out the area immediately surround them.
IC: "Guys, until we can figure out exactly what we're going to do, we need to get some sort of security set up, and figure out a contingency plan in case they start checking out these tunnels. I'd suggest we head a little father into the tunnels, and see if there's a place we can lay low, until we if its safe to move to the safehouse."
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Talon:
Hello,
Talon will take a position and stand guard to prevent being surprised by anyone searching for the group.
Best,
Denny
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Slingshot:
OOC: Depending on how much time we have at this particular location or any hidey-hole we find, Slingshot will help with the electronics research. Once he's either exhausted his healing potential or combat occurs.
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GM:
OOC: Hi guys.
So, to sum up, here are your actions, with my questions.…
Avatar will use Cosmic Awareness after a safe hiding place is secured, and some scouting has delivered more information about this world. Is he doing the info scouting? Is he searching for a new hiding place?
Clone’s actions are still tbd.
Lightning Strike will travel to his safe houses and observe them electronically and report his findings to Vanguard before entering. If a safehouse is deemed safe, does Vanguard go to it? There is a lack of consensus on this topic. Does part of the team go there?
Menagerie will attempt to communicate with any feral felines, canines, or birds in the area. He stays in Cougar form so he can use his night vision to stand guard and scout the subway tunnels.
Sentinel proposes the team divide and infiltrate New York City to gather intelligence, then regroup in the early morning. What is the rendezvous point, and what does Sentinel himself do until then?
Slingshot will regenerate if and when he encounters the required raw materials. Then he’ll help with electronics research. See below.
Soldier will scout the subway tunnels to confirm the team’s safety and try to pick up any communications he can.
Symbiote will begin electronics research once a new hiding place is secured. So the hiding place needs an electronics workshop? What does he do until this place is found?
Talon will search for a new hiding place from the air, and will also steal clothes for the group. After that he will take on guard duty.
Zephyr agrees she’ll best contribute to the electronics research. But this can’t begin until a new safehouse is found?
Everyone: Any ideas for a safehouse where electronic research can be conducted? It seems probable that one of Strike’s safehouses will be an electronics lab, given his skills and abilities.
Also, the Tesla estate that Kevin mentioned seems a possible, if antiquated, candidate even if it isn’t a Strike safehouse. Hal, given his geeky nature and profession, could know of it.
Please confirm and finalize your personal actions. Thanks.
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Menagerie:
OOC: I confirm this is Menagerie's action and intent. I did not see any questions that required an answer from me that was specific to Menagerie. Menagerie is allowing the other decide the course of direction because he is the rookie of the group and the world has not presented any information that is specific to his abilities that he can leverage, yet.
Tom
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Slingshot:
OOC: Confirmed. Sentinel's suggestion of infiltrating the common people will not work for me as I'm quite distinctive looking. So I'll relegate myself to help find a safe house and do research.
I kind of like the idea of the Tesla location personally. We could all "meet" there after the recon job from the others.
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Soldier:
OOC: I'm good with Soldier's summary, with one addition, he'll also look for at least one quick exit, other than the way they came in, and let the others know about it.
IC: "Hey guys, I know we've got a lot to think about, but we need to figure out how we're going to get out of here without being seen."
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Sentinel:
OOC: He wasn't suggesting they stay in New York City, merely that is was a possibility. Perhaps if they got further away it may just be the metropolitan area as a possible point of recent battle that is powerless, etc and that getting away further we may have internet access, etc. At this point we don't know. If staying local, then mixing with the crowds was a possibility. No one offered whether they felt we should try to relocate to another area to investigate first.
The Tesla estate would be outside the city and outside where we have seen. If we agreed to vacate NYC we could go together.
If we did split up (if) Kirk wanted to schedule a place and time to meet up so that we could make contact with each other again. No one commented or offered suggestions on that.
As a means of leaving, Kirk did suggest that we take the tunnels to an area near the water and that we could then burrow out into the water undetected and resurface anywhere we wanted. If we did want to leave NY and head to the Tesla estate we simply have to navigate the tunnels to that point and burrow out (like they did when they were below ground at the end of the battle with Black Bat) in one of his creations.
These were his various suggestions and he was open to others.
If the team is staying in NYC and we are dividing into different investigative areas, Kirk would likely go with the NY Times building per prior post to try to figure out what is going on. If the situation allowed further investigation beyond the general world situation and what happened, he would want to find out what happened to Lancaster and if he was still alive and his known activities and whereabouts (if possible).
If you need more specific let me know.
Assuming Strike did leave the group to investigate, if he felt one of his safehouses was safe, Kirk would go there to investigate the area with the team and then go forward into the other possibilities from there ... although if the team wanted to leave NYC, he's fine with that too.
Seth
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Symbiote:
OOC: Symbiote wants to get started on the research (and he'd love to go to the Tesla estates....he's such a nerd I suppose it's possible that he visited the version in "his" world in his civilian identity many times). He'll put his head together with Zephyr and Slingy and start using the tools on his tool belt if necessary, along with the old version of The Harness he grabbed and the technology Zephyr snatched up. Goals are...
1) To find out what, if anything, the Omega team was trying to accomplish with their technology.
2) To find out how the general "path of technology" has differed on this world, and...
3) To get a radio/wifi signal in this world if possible.
Viva Vanguard,
Greg
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Clone:
( If Talon mentions that he wants to go back 'topside' ) A look of surprise jumps across Clone's face as he asks,"Are you sure you are wanting to go outside comrade Talon? The helicopters may still be there looking for us in area."
( Upon someone suggesting that the team travel 'topside' in disguise ) Clone nods his head in agreement with Slingshot and says,"Da, I am not thinking that I am to be 'fitting in' also." With that said he removes his mask in order to remind the group of his rather usual appearance.
Should someone suggest Tesla's Long Island workshop ) Clone's face lights up with excitement upon hearing this suggestion, and he voices his opinion on the subject in a joyful tone,"OOoohh! That is sounding most excellent of idea's comrades! I am hearing much about comrade Tesla's work and experiments since I am coming to the U.S. States of America. I have done the Google surfing of him many times on comrade Slingshots personal computer since I am hearing of his name spoken of on Oprah recently . . . she is most interesting of day time talk showing hosts by the way. I would very much like to be going to this place comrades . . . can we go comrade Sentinel?"
OOC:
If we split up at all, Clone will definitely form enough duplicates of himself so that he can have one Clone per group. He'll do this mainly to keep the team linked up via the telepathic link that exists between the duplicates.
Clone is totally comfortable with Sentinel as the teams leader and will follow his lead without question.
If lighting becomes an issue there are a tone of ways to start a fire - we could probably work up a few torches with a minimal amount of effort with some of the discarded junk down in the tunnels. For example - something as simple as a 9 volt battery and some steel wool would create a small fire ( be VERY careful trying this at home - the steel wool will 'go up' quickly ), if we could find a functional electrical line; we could use a small piece of metal wire ( with some old cloth wrapped around it ) to 'ground out' the electrical line and create a small electrical 'flash' ( thus igniting the cloth ), etc . . .
As for 'bursting up' through one of the tunnels into the East River and then out into the night sky above - I would seriously not recommend doing that. As a SCUBA diver that's logged in more then his fair share of dives ( most of which have been in NYC's water ways ), in the real world that kind of stunt could send you straight to the hospital, but most likely the morgue. The river is about 100' deep from surface to sand and the tunnels are deep below that - 'bursting up' from depth like that would ( in the real world ) almost certainly result in a savage case of 'the bends', a massive brain embolism and ruptured lungs - death would probably be 'in the cards' as well.
Talk to you all soon,
-Kev
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Sentinel:
OOC: Hey, if Clone can go with each group and still communicate with his dups (even if its knowing where they are) that solves a huge problem in splitting up without other communication present. Do we know his range?
On the 'bends' concerns. If we went that route, I figured we'd take the tunnels as close to the water as we could get. I'd guess there a likely service tunnels off the main tunnels that could get us even closer or at least keep us from flooding the main tunnel (even if they aren't currently in use apparently). Kirk puts the team into a 'tunneler creation' like he did for himself and at the finale of the Black Bat adventure to escape the cave in, as they hit the water he changes to more of a submarine type construct and they can continue in that underwater for as long as they want. He could convert to a normal boat or aerial construct as needed. I believe that in the construct, we would be protected from the bends, but if it is an issue he could control the ascent to prevent it.
I've no problem leaving the NY and trying the Tesla area as a base. It would also give us some distance from NYC as we might be able to determine if power is available outside this main area. Kirk could do much better hacking into computer systems to determine what has happened than infiltrating the NY Times archive level physically.
If the team agrees on the Tesla area we could make it a go together and Strike could check his safe houses at a later point in time or if he went now at least we'd have an area where he could regroup, assuming he doesn't just pop back quickly. Perhaps he could indicate how long he intends to be away assuming things go well for him before he pops away on the electric line to check things.
Seth
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GM:
OOC:
Sentinel/ Seth: The drill construct would have power and an atmosphere, but drilling into the river could flood these tunnels, endangering the refugees living in them.
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Lightning Strike:
OOC: I am not sure how it translates in game terms but I assume that I could reach the safe house in seconds or less, activate the surveillance to check if it is safe and then go back to regroup. I would think it would take a minute or less.
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Sentinel:
OOC: I was hoping by going into the service tunnels we might be able to find an area with less access to the main tunnels and also perhaps as we started the initial movement we could try to replace the soil behind us. I'd think if we do our best to 'reseal' the area we enter into soil area outside of the tunnels that if we do some angling and get enough soil behind us the danger for water to flood the tunnels would be minimal. Of course neither Kirk nor Seth has an engineering degree... but I figured we'd have some space between breaching the manmade tunnels and before hitting the ocean and that as we went along the soil and rock would be displaced, but then fall back into place behind us (really nowhere else for it to go) resealing the area.
As a less preferred alternative, we could perhaps enter a drainage system if large enough that let's out to the ocean or resurface through manhole or vents of some sort close to the water and hopefully be inconspicuous and make it to the water undetected and submerge - we might get discovered, but it would seem in the few moments involved it would be difficult for them to have the manpower and organization to cover all such routes. I suppose we could even try 'surfacing' inside a building or structure near the water ... does the subway run by the loading docks by the piers, etc ... that might work.
Just some thoughts if the team wants to go that way and you don't think tunneling direct will work. FYI, I'm off to work at the office now having finished my morning processing from my 'home' office and likely won't be able to check personal email or reply again until late this evening if you do need anything further on my end.
Best,
Seth
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GM:
OOC: Thanks Seth. You'll have to drill through more than soil. The concrete walls at the river won't fall into place behind you with the same structural integrity to hold back the water.
But I understand your intent.
Best,
Jeff
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Avatar:
Avatar will hold off on using Cosmic Awareness until we have some more information and direction.
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