Briefing Room, CHESS Castle, 7:15pm
“Cockroach, Crab Man, Gator, Hyena, Inhuman, Jellyfish, Ratman, Slugg and presumably The Primate and Pachyderm were taken onboard the unidentified craft at 6:06pm,” continued Agent Drake in the CHESS Castle briefing room. Prisoner images, records and CHESS files cross-references appeared on the wall-sized digital screen behind him. In front of him were Vanguard (save Inhuman), CHESS Director Grey, CHESS Castle Warden Jane Farquhar, Ajay, Doc Rocket, Sgt. Stone and several CHESS Rooks. “Its departure path was not detected by radar or satellite.” (No fans! You haven’t come in on the middle of the story! We’ll catch you up! –Ye Expositional Ed)
“Pachyderm was never a prisoner. He, or it, is wanted for large scale destruction of property five years ago, this is likely him here,” Drake said indicating a grainy photo of dark shape in a fiery cocoon. “This is a satellite image of what likely struck the CHESS Castle generators, initiating the breakout. In this image he is re-entering Earth’s atmosphere.” Grey exhaled a whistle.
A schematic of CHESS Castle Tier Five appeared. “Pachyderm survived the impact. Burrowed into the prison. Entered here, made his way through here into Hotsleep Sector, a chemical suspended animation program that places prisoners in a dream state. He spent five minutes safely extracting the Primate from the program, no small feat for an extranormal thought to possess low intelligence. He returned to the crater pit, holding the Primate, and leapt straight up. They were not seen again.
“Then in the prison yard, Forester secured the prisoner Dr. Chiropterus and found him still unconscious. Slingshot and Symbiote made short work of Black Ice and the remaining unidentifieds, and then the three fought their way into CHESS Castle through the access building.” Security camera footage showed the pitched battle!
“From the auxiliary security center, Kairos and Sentinel worked through the prison, joined up with the other two CHESS Knights and helped stage a rally of the prison guards still holed up in Castle.” More security footage.“Lightning Strike recharged himself inside cyberspace and discovered that the Primate was already gone!
"Vanguard reunited on Tier Two. Communication reception was restored when they defeated a prisoner named Static. By then, the storm was dissipating and the prison break was all over except the shouting.
“Accelerator, Black Ice, Dr. Chiropterus, Elemento, Gadget Girl, Goth, Ray Argo, Static and 10 other convicts were recaptured by Vanguard. Hotsleep Sector is re-secured at this point. CHESS Jets land. CHESS Knights deploy. Omni-Carrier is in position, the prison is locked down. We move to this outer building’s debriefing room, download Vanguard’s communicator recordings, get them patched up, and meet up with you,” Drake said to CHESS Director Grey.
“Great work,” said Grey around a cigar. “Casualties?”
“Five,” said Warden Jane Farquhar, a blond woman in her early forties and a former CHESS Knight.
“Sorry to hear it,” Grey said sincerely. “And Inhuman has been captured, unless he went willingly,” added Sam Drake. “His communicator and its tracking device are deactivated.”
(OOC: Replies if any?)
Eventually Grey asked: “What now, Sam?”
Drake replied: “CHESS Castle’s main defense, the secrecy of its location, is compromised. CHESS’s main priority must be Castle security until we can relocate all extranormal prisoners.”
“Jeez,” groaned Grey.
Drake continued: “Other convicts at large are Figment, Singularity, Mother Russia, Smog, and 2 still unidentified convicts. Authorities have been notified. This will be CHESS’s number two priority.”
“Could’ve gone a lot worse,” muttered Grey. “All this for one ape, huh? What have we got on him?”
“Plenty,” said Drake. The wallscreen split between AEGIS the Europe superteam and a simian with fierce intelligence in his eyes.
“The Primate was originally named Simon Simian. He was the result of brain experimentation upon a normal male gorilla, conducted by the late Professor Fahrenheit of Sweden. Named by his ‘creator,’ Simian became the pet/ mascot/ assistant of AEGIS, the European superteam, for two years before turning on them and killing Fahrenheit, Britain’s Lion, Germany’s Monolith, Italy’s Centurion, and France’s Chevalier. Days later he was captured alive by the Oracle of Greece and Dr. Monster of Romania, who had witnessed the murder of their friends and team mates.”
Doc Rocket referred to medical reports: “His abilities are understood to include the strength, speed, agility, and endurance of a gorilla. His intellect, it was discovered tragically late, rivaled his creator’s. He has a mastery of advanced technology, learned from his time with Fahrenheit. He has leadership initiative and was scheming to actually devolve all of humanity to a simian state.
His motivations were centered on a hatred of the human race and the desire for revenge, according to reports from the Oracle. After that…”
Warden Jane Farquhar picked up the story there: “The Primate would not be interviewed in captivity; he refused all attempts at communication and exhibited no remorse for his crimes. His intelligence made him a dangerous, Level Four, prisoner. After two nearly successful escape attempts, the decision was made to Hotsleep him. He entered CHESS Castle in ’93 with five life sentences. Entered Hotsleep in ’99.”
“What does nine years in Hotsleep do to someone?” asked Grey.
Jane Farquhar said: “The short answer, sir, is that we don’t know. Research studies were conducted for 12 months with no side effects. But we’ve had no convict released from Hotsleep yet.”
“Swell,” muttered Grey. “More unanswered questions. Lotta problems with this story. How does the damn Pachyderm even know the Primate?!” he said pointing at the prisoner’s photo. Grey simmered down and then looked at Vanguard with his one good eye. “CHESS is all tied up managing the Castle and the low level escapees. I’d like you boys to go after the Primate, take him down and get your teammate back. Whaddaya say?”
(OOC: Replies? Questions? Next steps?)
Current Conditions:
Forester: Hit Points: 18 Power Points: 69
Kairos: Hit Points: 42 Power Points: 82
Lightning Strike: Hit Points: 40 Power Points: 61
Sentinel: Hit Points: 20 Power Points: 60
Slingshot: Hit Points: 33 Power Points: 90 Invulnerability: 8
Symbiote: Hit Points: 25 Power Points: 80 Charges: 13
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Symbiote:
OOC: Drat. And I so wanted to absorb Accelerator or Elemento's powers. Oh well, maybe the next time there's a chaotic jailbreak at Chess Castle.
OOC: Drat. And I so wanted to absorb Accelerator or Elemento's powers. Oh well, maybe the next time there's a chaotic jailbreak at Chess Castle.
Tangentially related: Jeff, assuming that I had a few minutes left after the fighting stopped with Slingshot's powers, can we say I grabbed a tire or a hand full of tar and did a little regenerating? If necessary I'll use another charge on the Harness to get up to full, or at least as close as I can since some of the damage was from fire. And can I recharge the harness in the debriefing room or somewhere along the way? Just set me somewhere near an outlet...;))
IC: "Going after Primate's a fine idea, but where?" Hal says. "Seems to me we've got two possible options to explore. The first is Chiropterus. Can we interrogate him?"
"The second option is using Primate's own nature against him," Hal continued. "If he's an ape--even a super smart one--maybe he's still to some degree ruled by an animal's instinct to seek out his lair. Did the Primate have any old hideout or stomping ground we can investigate?"
(OOC: Looking forward to the answers! Happy Fourth of July to everybody! Jeff, please pass Happy Fourth wishes on to Skip, no matter how brutally he's being tortured, brainwashed or experimented upon by Dr. Primate)
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Slingshot:
“And Inhuman has been captured, unless he went willingly," added Sam Drake. "His communicator and its tracking device are deactivated."
Slingshot seriously says, "Sam, always suspicious. Do you need a hug? I've been told I give great hugs." His face is serious for about one more second, then he grins unabashedly and shrugs, "Sorry, I just had to say it."
Grey simmered down and then looked at Vanguard with his one good eye. "CHESS is all tied up managing the Castle and the low level escapees. I'd like you boys to go after the Primate, take him down and get your teammate back. Whaddaya say?"
"I'm all for it. Pachyderm managed to survive orbital reentry?! I think we need to find something to neutralize some of these guys. Big and strong as I am. I'd be hard pressed to hit harder than orbital reentry. Can we get the stats on these guys? Any weaknesses we can exploit?.. because I don't think my hugs will be able to help."
[ooc] I'll follow Symbiote's lead and I'll get a hold of materials to regenerate my lost hit points, or at least as many as possible. My character isn't interested in double teaming the interrogation. If necessary, my involvement will be the silent enforcer in the corner. that will break/bend a piece of metal to show what I can do to his bones, but I'll let them do the talking.
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Sentinel:
"Were we able to identify the escape craft and if so does it type and model allow us to identify any leads? Is it specific to an agency or known unique supplier?"
“But we’ve had no convict released from Hotsleep yet.”
Kirk has this line of reasoning depending on the answers supplied but here it goes: (he might not continue onward if the replies seem to contradict his reasoning)
“Well, that’s just great. Tell me, this ‘dream state’, what exactly is it? When you say it was tested, was the dream state entered by our side? Was it examined by someone with extranormal abilities that were cognitive in nature and sensitive to such a state of mind?”
Kirk would follow-up, “What is someone with telepathic abilities were put into this dream state? Was any testing done to examine this?”
Final follow-up, “What if the Primate, who developed extranormal intelligence, also developed additional mind capabilities and didn’t bother to tell anyone? And what if this ‘dream state’ just gave him nine years of time to relax and develop those abilities further and perhaps in that time he found a way to mentally bridge back to the conscious world even though his physical body was captive. What if the Pachyderm was being directly guided by the Primate?”
At this point, unless this theory gets totally shot down and unless there is some documentation on some of the above, Kirk would suggest that he take a trip into the ‘dream state’ to see if anything more could be learned.
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Forester:
Having singlehandedly outsmarted and apprehended the bat-menace known as Dr. Chiropterus, Forester' symbiotically supports Hal's suggestion to interrogate the bat-maniacal Dr. C.
Forester's disposition does not make him the best suited for this task alone, so he suggests that he play the role of "good cop" during the interrogation, while another hero or CHESS agent play the role of "bad cop."
Forester will use his performance skill to appear naive and sympathetic to the villain, hoping he'll break while defending himself.
"I did not mean to harm you," Forester tells Dr. C. when during the interrogation, with another hero or CHESS agent present. "I had no idea my sonic arrow would cause you such pain. If you need any extra medical attention or rest, just let me know. I understand that you must feel very vulnerable right now."
Pauses for Dr. C. or another interrogator.
"All of those other escapes made it away," Forester says. "And you're still here. Why would your friends abandon you like that? They're free and you're still in here."
Pauses for Dr. C.
"I attacked you first because I thought you were the most fearsome opponent escaping. "Well," Forester says, looking at the imprisoned winged foe, "my instincts aren't always right. Once again, I apologize."
Pauses for Dr. C. or the other interrogator.
"Oh, wait. I know you're sensitive to loud noises. Am I speaking too loud for you? I can whisper if that would help. But no miming, okay?
These stuffed shirts at CHESS already got me pegged as a clown."
Forester pauses for Dr. C. or the other interrogator, then continues:
"See, you're not the only one who has a hard time getting taken seriously. I'm not sure why we're even going through the motions of talking to you. A CHESS formality, I guess. I mean, you clearly didn't know anything about what was going on--Someone slams the door too loud and you're knocked out on the floor."
"I keep hearing how intelligent the Primate is, that orchestrated this entire event on his own," Forester say. "Funny thing is, based on your credentials, I thought you would have been the only one here smart enough to carry out such a plan. But you're no mastermind, are you? You like to play it safe like, what's her name? Gadget Girl. Oh, what do I know?"
Pauses for Dr. C.
"Heck, all Hyena did was slice my cape in two, and yet he made it out of here." Forester looks at the other interrogator. "Why do I always go after the small fry. This guy, Dr. C., he could have escaped and no one would have been any wiser."
Forester pauses then looks back at Dr. C.
"Are you doing okay? Can we get you anything?"
Forester will continue talking in circles like this as long as need be, letting another interrogator ask any tough questions.
OOC: Jeff, can Forester restock his arrows?
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"Were we able to identify the escape craft and if so does it type and model allow us to identify any leads? Is it specific to an agency or known unique supplier?"
“But we’ve had no convict released from Hotsleep yet.”
Kirk has this line of reasoning depending on the answers supplied but here it goes: (he might not continue onward if the replies seem to contradict his reasoning)
“Well, that’s just great. Tell me, this ‘dream state’, what exactly is it? When you say it was tested, was the dream state entered by our side? Was it examined by someone with extranormal abilities that were cognitive in nature and sensitive to such a state of mind?”
Kirk would follow-up, “What is someone with telepathic abilities were put into this dream state? Was any testing done to examine this?”
Final follow-up, “What if the Primate, who developed extranormal intelligence, also developed additional mind capabilities and didn’t bother to tell anyone? And what if this ‘dream state’ just gave him nine years of time to relax and develop those abilities further and perhaps in that time he found a way to mentally bridge back to the conscious world even though his physical body was captive. What if the Pachyderm was being directly guided by the Primate?”
At this point, unless this theory gets totally shot down and unless there is some documentation on some of the above, Kirk would suggest that he take a trip into the ‘dream state’ to see if anything more could be learned.
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Forester:
Having singlehandedly outsmarted and apprehended the bat-menace known as Dr. Chiropterus, Forester' symbiotically supports Hal's suggestion to interrogate the bat-maniacal Dr. C.
Forester's disposition does not make him the best suited for this task alone, so he suggests that he play the role of "good cop" during the interrogation, while another hero or CHESS agent play the role of "bad cop."
Forester will use his performance skill to appear naive and sympathetic to the villain, hoping he'll break while defending himself.
"I did not mean to harm you," Forester tells Dr. C. when during the interrogation, with another hero or CHESS agent present. "I had no idea my sonic arrow would cause you such pain. If you need any extra medical attention or rest, just let me know. I understand that you must feel very vulnerable right now."
Pauses for Dr. C. or another interrogator.
"All of those other escapes made it away," Forester says. "And you're still here. Why would your friends abandon you like that? They're free and you're still in here."
Pauses for Dr. C.
"I attacked you first because I thought you were the most fearsome opponent escaping. "Well," Forester says, looking at the imprisoned winged foe, "my instincts aren't always right. Once again, I apologize."
Pauses for Dr. C. or the other interrogator.
"Oh, wait. I know you're sensitive to loud noises. Am I speaking too loud for you? I can whisper if that would help. But no miming, okay?
These stuffed shirts at CHESS already got me pegged as a clown."
Forester pauses for Dr. C. or the other interrogator, then continues:
"See, you're not the only one who has a hard time getting taken seriously. I'm not sure why we're even going through the motions of talking to you. A CHESS formality, I guess. I mean, you clearly didn't know anything about what was going on--Someone slams the door too loud and you're knocked out on the floor."
"I keep hearing how intelligent the Primate is, that orchestrated this entire event on his own," Forester say. "Funny thing is, based on your credentials, I thought you would have been the only one here smart enough to carry out such a plan. But you're no mastermind, are you? You like to play it safe like, what's her name? Gadget Girl. Oh, what do I know?"
Pauses for Dr. C.
"Heck, all Hyena did was slice my cape in two, and yet he made it out of here." Forester looks at the other interrogator. "Why do I always go after the small fry. This guy, Dr. C., he could have escaped and no one would have been any wiser."
Forester pauses then looks back at Dr. C.
"Are you doing okay? Can we get you anything?"
Forester will continue talking in circles like this as long as need be, letting another interrogator ask any tough questions.
OOC: Jeff, can Forester restock his arrows?
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OOC GM Replies!
Symbiote wrote: can we say I grabbed a tire or a hand full of tar and did a little regenerating?
GM Reply: You and Slingshot can regenerate during the debrief and after. Before then, you were busy. Slingy can restore about 8 hit points per minute. Symbiote can restore 10 points per minute. I’ll modify sheets accordingly next issue. You’ll need to expend the extra harness charge.
Symbiote wrote: And can I recharge the harness in the debriefing room or somewhere along the way? Just set me somewhere near an outlet...;))
GM Reply: You can restore one charge per hour of recharging, which will restrict your actions and movements, unless you remove the harness while it recharges.
Symbiote wrote: Hal says. "Seems to me we've got two possible options to explore. The first is Chiropterus. Can we interrogate him?"
GM Reply: Vanguard may interrogate CHESS Castle prisoners during this investigation.
Symbiote wrote: "The second option is using Primate's own nature against him," Hal continued. "If he's an ape--even a super smart one--maybe he's still to some degree ruled by an animal's instinct to seek out his lair. Did Dr. Primate have any old hideout or stomping ground we can investigate?"
GM Reply: CHESS records show that if THE Primate (no doctorate, honorary or otherwise) had a “lair” it was AEGIS headquarters in Europe. He lived and worked there as the team’s mascot / assistant for years. And when he turned on them, he remained within its walls until capture. The manta craft can get you there overnight.
Symbiote wrote: Jeff, please pass Happy Fourth wishes on to Skip, no matter how brutally he's being tortured, brainwashed or experimented upon
GM Reply: Skip asked that I forward this reply: “Four legs good! Two legs bad!” (just kidding)
Slingshot wrote: "Sam, always suspicious. Do you need a hug? I've been told I give great hugs."
GM Reply: Sam Drake didn’t return the smile. “Code name Inhuman was activated earlier than I would have liked, due to his usefulness in the sewer operations in the Morgue case. He is clearly an unstable personality due to an uncontrolled transformation whose outcome is unknown. How well do you think you really knew him?”
Slingshot wrote: Can we get the stats on these guys? Any weaknesses we can exploit?.. because I don't think my hugs will be able to help."
GM Reply: There are no useful files on Pachyderm as he’s never been in captivity. Of the CHESS Castle prisoners, here are known “weaknesses”:
Cockroach: Sociopathic psychological issues due to grotesque physical appearance
Gator: Susceptible to extreme cold temperatures
Hyena: Vulnerable to silver weapons
Inhuman: Requires regular submersion in water. Psychological issues due to physical appearance
Ratman: His Whiplash Tail device is currently stored at CHESS Vault. But he could have replacements.
Crab Man, Jellyfish, and Slugg: None known.
Sentinel wrote: "Were we able to identify the escape craft?"
GM Reply: No. It was barely visible in the darkness and the storm. It was not detected on radar and satellite.
Sentinel wrote: “Tell me, this ‘dream state’, what exactly is it? When you say it was tested, was the dream state entered by our side? Was it examined by someone with extranormal abilities that were cognitive in nature and sensitive to such a state of mind? What is someone with telepathic abilities were put into this dream state? Was any testing done to examine this?”
GM Reply: Warden Jane Farquhar and her prison medical staff will eventually return with this information:
Hotsleep is chemically induced sleep that allows the heart, lungs and other involuntary systems to function normally. Normal REM and dream activity is permitted, to prevent damage to the brain.
No telepathic extranormal was available to test the technology. (The age of heroes was ending at that point and telepaths have always been rare).
No telepath has ever been Hotsleeped so there is no way of knowing the results. CHESS Castle will permit Vanguard to test the Hotsleep process. (BTW, After asking many questions about telepathy and the Hotsleep process, Sentinel insists on testing Hotsleep himself. An intelligent observer might wonder if Sentinel has telepathy!)
GM Question to Sentinel: Safely isolating an extranormal prisoner, Dr. Chiropterus, for interrogation is not a quick or simple matter. Also, preparing and safely introducing a subject into Hotsleep is a lengthy and involved process, starting with a physical examination. So it’s unlikely that Sentinel will be able to participate in the prisoner interrogations AND enter Hotsleep, without delaying one of the two events. And for that, CHESS will likely need a better excuse than, “I want to watch the interrogation,” when it will be recorded. What does Sentinel say or do? Thanks.
Forester wrote: Jeff, can Forester restock his arrows?
GM Reply: Yes. Also, the results of your trickster interrogation style will come after I find out who is playing “bad cop.”
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Kairos:
So it looks like everything is done? If so, then I won't be trying to "mop up".
How quickly could Kairos procure a sword made of or plated with silver?
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Forester:
Everyone: If any of you would like to take the "bad cop" role in Forester's interrogation, please do.
Jeff: If none of the other members of Vanguard are available to accompany Forester during the interrogation, could an NPC CHESS guard fill in? The placeholder agent wouldn't have to say anything--just look like angry as heck (or keep arms folded with a stiff upper lip) while Forester chatters on.
Everyone: If any of you would like to take the "bad cop" role in Forester's interrogation, please do.
Jeff: If none of the other members of Vanguard are available to accompany Forester during the interrogation, could an NPC CHESS guard fill in? The placeholder agent wouldn't have to say anything--just look like angry as heck (or keep arms folded with a stiff upper lip) while Forester chatters on.
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Symbiote:
Going down the list...
1) I'll take the time and the harness charge to regenerate, definitely.
Going down the list...
1) I'll take the time and the harness charge to regenerate, definitely.
2) I won't recharge the harness during debriefing, interrogating or any other activity going on at CHESS Castle but I will do so if we end up taking an overnight trip to Europe or any other far away point. I also won't remove it to recharge in such a case.
3) Whatever became of the AEGIS headquarters? Is it still intact? What country is it in? Does CHESS have European agents that can swing by and at least check it out from the exterior, see if something mysterious is going on? If the location is now a Burger King, serving Burger Royales instead of Quarter Pounders With Cheese because they're on the metric system over there we probably don’t need to bother with a trip....;)
4) We can interrogate "CHESS Castle prisonerS," plural, huh? I recommend we ask CHESS agents to do a cursory interrogation of every prisoner involved in the break. If they seem to know nothing more than "the power was off, the doors were open and I made a break for it" fine, send 'em back to their cells. But if any of the interrogators get the sense that any of them seemed to know something more, turn them over to Forrester and whoever our Bad Cop is going to be for more in-depth questioning. Just because they don't have an animal themed power doesn't necessarily mean that they don't know something about what's going on.
5) As to who should be the Bad Cop...If he's willing, I would vote for the team bad boy--Lightning Strike. I imagine him standing in the corner, glaring at a prisoner, electrical arcs running between his fingers as though he can't wait to get his hands on them would have quite an emotional impact.
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GM Replies:
Kairos wrote: So it looks like everything is done? If so, then I won't be trying to "mop up".
GM Reply: Yup. Kairos and Vanguard did the mopping up in Issue 62.
Kairos wrote: How quickly could Kairos procure a sword made of or plated with silver?
GM Reply: Kairos’s background in history and antiquity can help him here, but such an unusual item would still likely take a week to purchase. Do you want to expend a luck point to change that?
Forester wrote: Jeff: If none of the other members of Vanguard are available to accompany Forester during the interrogation, could an NPC CHESS guard fill in?
GM Reply: Of course, but I wanted to give Vanguard the opportunity to reply first on this before going to an NPC.
Symbiote wrote: Whatever became of the AEGIS headquarters? Is it still intact? What country is it in? Does CHESS have European agents that can swing by and at least check it out from the exterior, see if something mysterious is going on?
GM Reply: Vanguard discovers that the European superteam’s headquarters, the AEGIS Spire, was in Greece, the birthplace of democracy and the modern world. The AEGIS Spire still exists due to an unresolved legal battle between AEGIS’s host nations and the real estate owners. The Spire is sealed off and closed pending resolution. CHESS will ask Interpol to stake out the building exterior.
Symbiote wrote: I recommend we ask CHESS agents to do a cursory interrogation of every prisoner involved in the break. If they seem to know nothing more than "the power was off, the doors were open and I made a break for it" fine, send 'em back to their cells. But if any of the interrogators get the sense that any of them seemed to know something more, turn them over to Forrester and whoever our Bad Cop is going to be for more in-depth questioning. Just because they don't have an animal themed power doesn't necessarily mean that they don't know something about what's going on.
GM Reply: Drake goes out of his way to let you know his team is already doing this. But at your request, he will notify Vanguard of any prisoners that seem connected to the Primate breakout. :)
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Kairos:
No, I don't want to spend a luck point on it right now but I WILL start the process of finding one or, better yet, requesting a higher-tech version from CHESS resources.
No, I don't want to spend a luck point on it right now but I WILL start the process of finding one or, better yet, requesting a higher-tech version from CHESS resources.
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Sentinel:
Whatever became of the AEGIS headquarters? Is it still intact? What country is it in? Does CHESS have European agents that can swing by and at least check it out from the exterior, see if something mysterious is going on”
I agree on this, but also emphasizing that if something is going on that they hold back until we can join them for a joint effort so that we don't lose the element of surprise (especially with Inhuman among them & with Primate's last murderous rampage).
Kirk would also request that Ajay focus the satellites on the target area for Intel. If we've got some feed prior it could give us a clue as to other activity and at the very least, current feeds should be able to give us thermal readings of the number of beings in the building/area, etc.
This whole idea sounds like a solid lead and good thought process.
If something is found at AEGIS it would also be an indicator that the Primate is the 'brains' of the operation.
This would also be an opportunity to for Vanguard to learn about CHESS's international pull and relationships - it would seem that CHESS wouldn't be operating in Europe as a US organization - do they have 'embassy' type relationships within some of the US ally countries or is there a European or other county national equivalents of CHESS operating there that there is a mutual cooperation? Even the fact that the Primate - a European rogue ended up in the custody of CHESS Castle says something here.
Any similar breakouts of animal related superhumans reported overseas?
“5) As to who should be the Bad Cop...If he's willing, I would vote for the team bad boy--Lightning Strike.”
Ditto on this suggestion. Strike's character would be the most skilled in this and would likely insist on being in on it - perhaps if Tony doesn't have the time to role play it, he would give permission for you to have him do it - this would certainly be preferred to just having a CHESS NPC since it would be more of a Vanguard interrogation in game play.
“ Sam Drake didn’t return the smile. “Code name Inhuman was activated earlier than I would have liked, due to his usefulness in the sewer operations in the Morgue case. He is clearly an unstable personality due to an uncontrolled transformation whose outcome is unknown. How well do you think you really knew him?”
Kirk, knowing Drake wouldn’t allow himself to appreciate his teammates humor in trying to diffuse the tense situation replied, “Enough to bet that he risked his own safety in allowing himself to be captured so that we’d have an inside man. He’ll make contact with us once he knows what’s going on and finds the opportunity to do so.”
After Farquhar leaves for the moment to confer with her staff Kirk motions to Grey that he needed to speak to him privately for a moment. He indicates that he wants the room sealed for security and all recording and documentation processes shut off for the moment. At this point, I believe that only Grey, Drake, the rest of Vanguard, and Rocket and Stone would be present, but if there are any other personnel present he would ask Grey to have them leave the room.
Likely Grey would at first protest given everything going on as to whether this was really necessary and Kirk would indicate that he felt it was both for privacy and security issues related both to Vanguard and our current mission and that it should only take a few moments.
Once the area is secured Kirk would address his friends and teammates.
“My apologies for this bit of melodrama, but hopefully you’ll agree that it was prudent and to our advantage to handle it this way.
Perhaps some of you would call me naïve, but it’s my belief that we need to have knowledge of all of our available assets to make the best decisions and succeed. We also have the personal responsibility as individuals to strive to improve ourselves to offer our best.
With this in mind, after our mission with Swastika it became readily apparent to me that our effectiveness was being hindered because we had no member with telepathic abilities as part of our core group. Our encounter with the Giant Starfish and my contact with it in particular indicated to me that there was the possibility that such a talent could be within my grasp.
I’ve been trying to build on my initial success from the Starfish encounter and want all of you to know that I have had some limited success regarding the mental disciplines. Given my inexperience with this talent and also the negative connotations that some could associate with it, I’d like to keep knowledge of it exclusive to only those I trust the most and who depend on me, namely the people in this room. I’d appreciate your personal discretion and secrecy with this knowledge, but I felt it wrong not to make you all aware of it since we regularly trust our lives to each other and since this does give us a tactical advantage in many situations.
To assuage some other concerns some of you might have, my ability is limited to the being able to pick up surface thoughts of people around me. It isn’t automatic, meaning I have to concentrate and try. And I would add before you need to ask, I haven’t used it with anyone in this room nor is it my intent to do so. To be blunt, I still have some moral issues and concerns to work out for myself regarding using this ability.
It was my intent to reveal this to all of you upon my return to headquarters, but all hell broke loose with the breakout before I had the opportunity. Regardless, I wanted it ‘on the table’ as we coordinate our strategy.”
At this point for those observant it would seem as if a weight had been lifted off of Kirk’s shoulders and despite the seriousness of events occurring Kirk carrier himself with a greater sense of peace; this secret had weighed upon him and he felt it wrong that his teammates were unaware.
Kirk would continue now integrating the knowledge of his ability into strategy.
“I’d like to be present for the interrogation of Dr Chiropterus, as he is questioned his surface thought may reveal more than his words. Perhaps we can set up a two way mirror and Forester and Strike can have earpieces so I can let them know when his thoughts aren’t following his words and they can redirect things further.”
“The impetus for my questions regarding the Hotsleep are all the more apparent to all of you now. Should AEGIS not be a solid lead, I would absolutely think it worth my undergoing its effect. However, my concerns regarding it would be twofold. First, given the time frame of the Primate’s captivity verses my limited moments experiencing the effect, I might not see the possibilities that are available. Second, if the Primate has established some sort of ‘mental domain’ within the effect, my inexperience both with the effect and with the mental disciplines would put me at a sincere disadvantage in any encounter.”
If the team thinks that the hotsleep exploration is worthwhile endeavor and it appears that the AEGIS headquarters lead is worth pursuing, he would ask if it was possible to set up things on the transport ship to Europe or if so much equipment was needed that it wouldn’t be possible to do outside of the Castle at this time. Kirk would want to go along with the team if they were going to AEGIS and would be hesitant with a plan that prevented him from accompanying them.
Finally, regarding silver, and as a backup to Kairos if it becomes necessary – what would be the odds of Kirk’s energy being able to duplicate the properties of silver? Let’s say that Kirk got Symbiote or Doc Rocket to review the atomic makeup of silver – since Kirk had an understanding of it, would it be possible for him to mimic it? I’m guessing that with Kirk’s other pursuits he wouldn’t have the time to do this now anyway, but was wondering if it was something that might be possible. If it would be possible to get a quick explanation so he had the knowledge it might be worth having it in his head in case it became needed and at least he might have a shot at the attempt.
Thanks all. Let me know if I missed anything or you have further questions based on this.
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I agree on this, but also emphasizing that if something is going on that they hold back until we can join them for a joint effort so that we don't lose the element of surprise (especially with Inhuman among them & with Primate's last murderous rampage).
Kirk would also request that Ajay focus the satellites on the target area for Intel. If we've got some feed prior it could give us a clue as to other activity and at the very least, current feeds should be able to give us thermal readings of the number of beings in the building/area, etc.
This whole idea sounds like a solid lead and good thought process.
If something is found at AEGIS it would also be an indicator that the Primate is the 'brains' of the operation.
This would also be an opportunity to for Vanguard to learn about CHESS's international pull and relationships - it would seem that CHESS wouldn't be operating in Europe as a US organization - do they have 'embassy' type relationships within some of the US ally countries or is there a European or other county national equivalents of CHESS operating there that there is a mutual cooperation? Even the fact that the Primate - a European rogue ended up in the custody of CHESS Castle says something here.
Any similar breakouts of animal related superhumans reported overseas?
“5) As to who should be the Bad Cop...If he's willing, I would vote for the team bad boy--Lightning Strike.”
Ditto on this suggestion. Strike's character would be the most skilled in this and would likely insist on being in on it - perhaps if Tony doesn't have the time to role play it, he would give permission for you to have him do it - this would certainly be preferred to just having a CHESS NPC since it would be more of a Vanguard interrogation in game play.
“ Sam Drake didn’t return the smile. “Code name Inhuman was activated earlier than I would have liked, due to his usefulness in the sewer operations in the Morgue case. He is clearly an unstable personality due to an uncontrolled transformation whose outcome is unknown. How well do you think you really knew him?”
Kirk, knowing Drake wouldn’t allow himself to appreciate his teammates humor in trying to diffuse the tense situation replied, “Enough to bet that he risked his own safety in allowing himself to be captured so that we’d have an inside man. He’ll make contact with us once he knows what’s going on and finds the opportunity to do so.”
After Farquhar leaves for the moment to confer with her staff Kirk motions to Grey that he needed to speak to him privately for a moment. He indicates that he wants the room sealed for security and all recording and documentation processes shut off for the moment. At this point, I believe that only Grey, Drake, the rest of Vanguard, and Rocket and Stone would be present, but if there are any other personnel present he would ask Grey to have them leave the room.
Likely Grey would at first protest given everything going on as to whether this was really necessary and Kirk would indicate that he felt it was both for privacy and security issues related both to Vanguard and our current mission and that it should only take a few moments.
Once the area is secured Kirk would address his friends and teammates.
“My apologies for this bit of melodrama, but hopefully you’ll agree that it was prudent and to our advantage to handle it this way.
Perhaps some of you would call me naïve, but it’s my belief that we need to have knowledge of all of our available assets to make the best decisions and succeed. We also have the personal responsibility as individuals to strive to improve ourselves to offer our best.
With this in mind, after our mission with Swastika it became readily apparent to me that our effectiveness was being hindered because we had no member with telepathic abilities as part of our core group. Our encounter with the Giant Starfish and my contact with it in particular indicated to me that there was the possibility that such a talent could be within my grasp.
I’ve been trying to build on my initial success from the Starfish encounter and want all of you to know that I have had some limited success regarding the mental disciplines. Given my inexperience with this talent and also the negative connotations that some could associate with it, I’d like to keep knowledge of it exclusive to only those I trust the most and who depend on me, namely the people in this room. I’d appreciate your personal discretion and secrecy with this knowledge, but I felt it wrong not to make you all aware of it since we regularly trust our lives to each other and since this does give us a tactical advantage in many situations.
To assuage some other concerns some of you might have, my ability is limited to the being able to pick up surface thoughts of people around me. It isn’t automatic, meaning I have to concentrate and try. And I would add before you need to ask, I haven’t used it with anyone in this room nor is it my intent to do so. To be blunt, I still have some moral issues and concerns to work out for myself regarding using this ability.
It was my intent to reveal this to all of you upon my return to headquarters, but all hell broke loose with the breakout before I had the opportunity. Regardless, I wanted it ‘on the table’ as we coordinate our strategy.”
At this point for those observant it would seem as if a weight had been lifted off of Kirk’s shoulders and despite the seriousness of events occurring Kirk carrier himself with a greater sense of peace; this secret had weighed upon him and he felt it wrong that his teammates were unaware.
Kirk would continue now integrating the knowledge of his ability into strategy.
“I’d like to be present for the interrogation of Dr Chiropterus, as he is questioned his surface thought may reveal more than his words. Perhaps we can set up a two way mirror and Forester and Strike can have earpieces so I can let them know when his thoughts aren’t following his words and they can redirect things further.”
“The impetus for my questions regarding the Hotsleep are all the more apparent to all of you now. Should AEGIS not be a solid lead, I would absolutely think it worth my undergoing its effect. However, my concerns regarding it would be twofold. First, given the time frame of the Primate’s captivity verses my limited moments experiencing the effect, I might not see the possibilities that are available. Second, if the Primate has established some sort of ‘mental domain’ within the effect, my inexperience both with the effect and with the mental disciplines would put me at a sincere disadvantage in any encounter.”
If the team thinks that the hotsleep exploration is worthwhile endeavor and it appears that the AEGIS headquarters lead is worth pursuing, he would ask if it was possible to set up things on the transport ship to Europe or if so much equipment was needed that it wouldn’t be possible to do outside of the Castle at this time. Kirk would want to go along with the team if they were going to AEGIS and would be hesitant with a plan that prevented him from accompanying them.
Finally, regarding silver, and as a backup to Kairos if it becomes necessary – what would be the odds of Kirk’s energy being able to duplicate the properties of silver? Let’s say that Kirk got Symbiote or Doc Rocket to review the atomic makeup of silver – since Kirk had an understanding of it, would it be possible for him to mimic it? I’m guessing that with Kirk’s other pursuits he wouldn’t have the time to do this now anyway, but was wondering if it was something that might be possible. If it would be possible to get a quick explanation so he had the knowledge it might be worth having it in his head in case it became needed and at least he might have a shot at the attempt.
Thanks all. Let me know if I missed anything or you have further questions based on this.
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Lightning Strike:
Strike will participate in the interrogation and I hope to write something up tonight.
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Sentinel:
OOC: Give him hell Tony!
Seth
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Seth
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GM Replies 3!
Sentinel wrote: Any similar breakouts of animal related superhumans reported overseas?
Sentinel wrote: Any similar breakouts of animal related superhumans reported overseas?
GM Reply: No.
Sentinel wrote: The impetus for my questions regarding the Hotsleep are all the more apparent to all of you now. Should AEGIS not be a solid lead, I would absolutely think it worth my undergoing its effect.
GM Reply: How long do you give the AEGIS lead to earn results before you enter Hotsleep?
Sentinel wrote: What would be the odds of Kirk’s energy being able to duplicate the properties of silver?
GM Reply: This kind of a breakthrough with your powers (to replicate basic elements at the atomic level) would require level advancement(s), a luck point, or both.
Best,
Jeff
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Sentinel:
OOC: I would think satellite Intel could be gathered rather quickly.
We need to have Kirk present for the interrogation which I could think would take his time up to the point of the decision whether the lead was solid about AEGIS headquarters. If there is a delay in that and the decision for that, then my question would be how long to prepare for the Hotsleep and how long to come out? Would Kirk still have the potential to take the Hotsleep and still assist with AEGIS?
Kirk's (and Seth's) take here is that either this is a solid key lead or a waste of time (yes, I know it has to be one of the two) but here's the reasoning, if a waste of time, then Kirk certainly wouldn't want to not be present for the mission to help with AEGIS. If it is a solid lead, then Kirk is certainly going into a trap (The Primate would have something waiting for a superhero that took this route of investigation) so there's a good chance he's entering something way over his head which again would likely delay him in returning for the AEGIS mission.
If it appeared that the AEGIS lead didn't pan out and we had no leads, then Kirk would have no question about entering the Hotsleep.
If it appeared that AEGIS was the valid location and Kirk could enter the Hotsleep and get out in time to accompany the team and the others felt it worth the risk, he'd do it. (And while Kirk would believe he'd make it out in time, Seth fully believes that if Kirk enters the Hotsleep he's not getting out that quickly and he's missing the AEGIS mission; hopefully it will be worth it).
I think that covers the scenarios unless you want to give me some additional information to lock it down further.
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OOC: I would think satellite Intel could be gathered rather quickly.
We need to have Kirk present for the interrogation which I could think would take his time up to the point of the decision whether the lead was solid about AEGIS headquarters. If there is a delay in that and the decision for that, then my question would be how long to prepare for the Hotsleep and how long to come out? Would Kirk still have the potential to take the Hotsleep and still assist with AEGIS?
Kirk's (and Seth's) take here is that either this is a solid key lead or a waste of time (yes, I know it has to be one of the two) but here's the reasoning, if a waste of time, then Kirk certainly wouldn't want to not be present for the mission to help with AEGIS. If it is a solid lead, then Kirk is certainly going into a trap (The Primate would have something waiting for a superhero that took this route of investigation) so there's a good chance he's entering something way over his head which again would likely delay him in returning for the AEGIS mission.
If it appeared that the AEGIS lead didn't pan out and we had no leads, then Kirk would have no question about entering the Hotsleep.
If it appeared that AEGIS was the valid location and Kirk could enter the Hotsleep and get out in time to accompany the team and the others felt it worth the risk, he'd do it. (And while Kirk would believe he'd make it out in time, Seth fully believes that if Kirk enters the Hotsleep he's not getting out that quickly and he's missing the AEGIS mission; hopefully it will be worth it).
I think that covers the scenarios unless you want to give me some additional information to lock it down further.
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Forester:
OOC: Hey Jeff, Viper left the team some time after Forester's first leave of absence, and I didn't spot a back issue explaining where he went (as opposed to Blue Comet, whose on-again, off-again involvement has been covered in the text.)
Given the menagerie theme of the latest adventure, I'd like to have
Forester look up Viper's CHESS file, just so he can get up to speed on his former teammate. Thanks.
James
OOC: Hey Jeff, Viper left the team some time after Forester's first leave of absence, and I didn't spot a back issue explaining where he went (as opposed to Blue Comet, whose on-again, off-again involvement has been covered in the text.)
Given the menagerie theme of the latest adventure, I'd like to have
Forester look up Viper's CHESS file, just so he can get up to speed on his former teammate. Thanks.
James
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Lightning Strike:
Lightning Strike reluctantly agrees to play the heavy in the interrogation. Although Strike plays the tough guy, he does it knowing that it plays a purpose and doesn't want to be seen as a rogue element of the team.
So once prisoners are made available for interrogation, Strike will assume the role. He will play off the good cop and be as threatening as possible.
"We can play this the easy way or the hard way. I personally prefer the hard way. I am certain you will tell us everything you know eventually, but I prefer if you hold out for a while. I have been wanting to test how much electricity the body can take and I think you would make an excellent subject." Strike tells each of the prisoners we interrogate.
Strike is also interested in the Hot Sleep technology. In between interrogation, he will research the technology as much as possible but without testing it on himself.
