25,000 feet above Athens! The mysterious circular craft of the Primate! Night!Viper said, “Not so fast, golden boy,” and followed Sentinel with the speed of a cobra strike. “Or maybe we should call you yellah, boy.” The snake in the grass saw Sentinel averting his eyes, to avoid Viper’s hypnotic gaze. “Have it your way, Kirky. I don’t mind skinnin’ my knuckles on you, ya goofy boy scout. You thought we were gonna change the world? Usher in some bigshot age of heroes? Well the world’s finished, pal. Time to face facts,” he snarled almost as if Sentinel were to blame for the global animal revolution. KA-POW!! Viper landed a roundhouse packed with hate! (12 points! Rolls with 3. Takes 9 off hits.)
Web staggered to his feet after having been flattened by Crab Man. He saw Gator’s plight and yelled, “Hang on, brother.” The agile arachnoid skittered up the wall and across the ceiling until he was over Gator and Kairos. BLORF! Once again, thick grey fluid vomited from Web’s hands! SPLATSCH! Kairos feared that he and Gator had just been super-glued together!... but the fated fighter saw that only Gator’s free hand had been adhered to the outer hull with the webbing! The crocodilian criminal was safe from falling but still hanging outside the craft! Rows of teeth chattered against the icy cold!
Forester had lost his bow to Hyena! He remembered the words of his master, Marksman, back when Haven was unburned, “A weapon is only as good as the man who holds it. You must be the weapon.”
Approaching his dilemma sideways, the resourceful ranger pulled an arrow and threw it at an opponent for the first time in his superheroic career! Forester took aim at Web, hurling an Extinguisher Arrow!
THWAP! Fwooooooossssshhh! The desperate, unexpected move paid off. The chemical extinguisher neutralized Web’s adhesive, detaching him from the ceiling! Surprised and unprepared, Web fell straight down and right through the hole in the floor! He was gone, suddenly and without a word!
Outside the ship, Gator could only watch him fly past. “What the?”
Hyena laughed harder than time at CHESS Castle! (And that’s hard time! Get it? -Ye Excitable Ed)
Symbiote figured the best tactic at this point is pure attrition, wearing down the other side's numbers. And he could think of nobody he'd rather "attrit" than the Mocking Murderer he'd traded blows with in New York. "Hey Chuckles, remember me?" Hal roars at Hyena, unleashing a lightning bolt at the Befanged Badman. "I've got a new trick or two," he snarls. KRACK-A-BOOOMMMM!! Impossibly, an arc of white hot electricity surged from Hal’s hands! Hyena was hit and his thick hair stood on end as he was electrocuted! “Yeeeaargh! gh! gha! Ha! Haha! Hahahahahahahaha!”
Hyena was hurt bad. The silver sword had taken its toll. And now this (hell of a damage modifier with a 40 Intelligence!) The feral felon laughed through the pain. The sound wasn’t pleasant. His singed fur smoldered and smoked as he chuckled, “I remember you. See you’re still stealin’ somebody else’s act. Aintchoo got no style of yer own?” Hyena flexed his clawed hands. “Now I know you remember ol’ Hyena. Specially after what I did to you outsideuh Shea.” He smiled to show all of his slavering teeth. Then he pounced on Hal. SHHHRRRRIKKKKK! (18 points damage! Roll with 8. 10 off hits!) “There’s another scar fer yer collection, courtesy of the Hyena! No charge. Hahahhahahahahaha!” His unnaturally long tongue licked Hal’s blood from his claws. “Mmmm. Yeah. I remember you now.”
Kairos was safely inside the cargo bay thanks to Sentinel and Slingshot, and Gator was now off his ankle! He pulled himself off the deck and launched himself at Hyena like a warrior borne! The eternal champion let loose again with the silver sword of the Chevalier! He felt that in all the universe, he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
KTANG! The warrior’s blow was true! The leering lycanthrope fell beneath the silver sword. The smile was wiped off his face, the psychotic laughter died in his bloody throat. Kairos smote Hyena to the ground and Forester’s bow fell from the clawed hand of the beast.
Lightning Strike saw that the feral freak was down and turned back to the sucker-punching serpent! He moved into position for a clear shot and SHA-KOOOOOMMM!! Echoing Symbiote’s lightning attack, Strike thundered electricity into Viper, illuminating his skeletal system momentarily!! The electrocuted eel was clearly injured!
Sentinel likewise returned his attention to his traitorous ex-teammate, Viper. Without moving a muscle, his energy tendrils tore out the damaged coolant pipe and sprayed Viper again with the icy Freon until the pipe was drained! FWOOOOOOSSSSSHH! Viper was frozen solid, a statue en-crusted in thick ice!
“Warning!” announced an automated voice over the P.A. “Engines overheating!” The masked beacon of liberty employed his energy sense from his new vantage point and detected no other extranormals within his range! He sensed the ship’s engines, the craft’s power core, overheating!
Slingshot was locked in combat with the colossal Crab Man! “Crabgrass, your girlfriend's waking up!" When Crab Man turned toward the unconscious Jellyfish, Slingshot slammed him hard with a gigantic fist! WHAMM!! Crab Man staggered backwards a few feet as the cracks in his carapace widened.
Cockroach said to Crab Man, “Ah, I see your much vaunted armor is not so perfect after all!”
Crab Man saw that Viper was iced and he stopped in his tracks. The crustacean colossus performed a quick head count and then suddenly turned and slugged Cockroach with all his might! SLAMM! The human bug was squashed! He wasn’t getting up.
Crab Man muttered: “Thought that guy would never shut up.” Then he said to Vanguard: “Inhuman said if I had the chance, I should jump sides. He said if I helped youse guys and passed a message from ol’ fish face to you, then you’d let me and Jellyfish go. We don’t want any part of the Primate’s plans. He busted us outta stir, sure, but that’s got nothin’ to do with anything now.” He planted his feet squarely and waited for a reply.
(OOC: replies if any)
Gator tried to secure himself further and happened to look out the damaged porthole in the deck’s floor. “Something’s coming!” He shouted. Then, softer, “oh no…”
Sentinel detected a new extranormal beneath them all and moving fast… KA-BOOOMM! …the bottom of the ship suddenly exploded inward!
The Pachyderm had just burst into the cargo bay by going right through the hull!!
The grey goliath was nine feet tall and nearly as wide! He had been dropped five miles to Earth and all it did was make him mad! The elephantine elemental force had leapt back up and into the ship looking for those who sent him hurtling into the Aegean Sea!
The cargo bay was no longer pressurized! Everyone’s ears popped! The air was colder than ice and had no oxygen in it! The gale-force wind threatened to blow everyone free from the saucer craft!*
Alarm bells! The sense of rapid descent! Gator was no longer visible – he might have been thrown clear of the ship from the impact, adhered tight to a piece of plummeting steel.
Pachyderm roared wild anger and bewilderment like a wounded animal! The armored hide plates that served as his skin were tattooed with frost and ice. He hung onto the wall, fingers crushing tempered steel, and looked around for someone to smash with his titanic fists! (imagine the Hulk meets the Rhino!) “RROOOOOAARRRR!!!”
The PA repeated: “Warning! Engines overheating!”
To be continued!
OOC: Actions please!
*Anyone not holding onto something solid will need to make a Strength save on % dice or be sucked out of the saucer craft! Anything under 400 lbs and not nailed down will be automatically sucked out!
There is not enough oxygen. Anyone not wearing an AEGIS oxygen mask may operate for a number of issues equal to their Healing Rate x 10 before passing out (for most of you, 20 issues or 2.5 minutes). However, we subtract one “issue” for every hit point or power point lost from this point forward!
The air is now at subzero temperatures. Damage will be accrued every issue for exposure.
Current Conditions:
Forester: Hit Points: 18 Power Points: 66
Kairos: Hit Points: 27 Power Points: 63
Lightning Strike: Hit Points: 18 Power Points: 45
Sentinel: Hit Points: 5 Power Points: 33 Energy: 66 Shields: 37
Slingshot: Hit Points: 39 Power Points: 77 Invulnerability: 0 until issue 71
Symbiote: Hit Points: 33 Power Points: 75 Charges: 10
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Slingshot:
Ok, I'm scared of Pachyderm now. Really scared.
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Forester:
Forester's parachute arrow was one of the few pieces of arsenal he still had left. He knew from his first encounter with Symbiote that the chute was strong enough to hold one additonal person.
Lightning Strike could escape as electricity. Slingshot's pliable invulnerability might very well protect him. Symbiote could adapt either of their powers. Kairos had heaven on his side. That left
Sentinel as the most vulnerable.
Before snapping his parachute open, Forester said to Sentinel, "It's a long way down. Want to come along for the ride?"
If Sentinel declines (or is able to construct a parachute on his own,
Forester will suggest that they each take a passenger, as needed.
OOC: I'm going skydiving for the first time tomorrow (Saturday). For real. -js
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Symbiote:
(OOC: Anybody remember John Byrne's run on "The Hulk" from the mid-'80s? It didn't last very long, right after he got started DC lured him away to work on the post-Crisis Superman. Anyway, one thing Byrne definitely got right was the action sequences on that book. He mad the Hulk look HUGE, and the Kirbyesque power punches he drew when the Hulk was fighting somebody close to his strength class (Doc Samson, Sub-Mariner, Hercules) were remarkable. The pages almost seemed to shake with the impact, he really conveyed the sense of power when two large, incredibly strong opponents clashed. Willingham's picture of Pachyderm sort of reminds me of those issues.
In that spirit...)
IC: Hal's mind was rushing at breakneck pace, powered by the extra mental muscle provided by Lightning Strike's borrowed intellect. He immediately grabbed a hold of the nearby pillar (OOC: I assume that's what the nearby star-shaped thing is) and considered. Only a fool fights in a burning building. We've got to get off this ship, the Duplicating Dynamo thought. Sentinel can lower most with a force bubble, Slingy can turn himself into a parachute and carry a body or two, Lightning Strike can "broadcast" himself down the same way he got up here. But we'll have to collect Crab Man, Jellyfish, Viper and yeah, even Hyena and Cockroach, I suppose. Pachyderm isn't going to give us the time or the opportunity.
He looked at the raging Elephantine Evildoer. Unless...he and I leave the ship together.
Plus, it was just too good an opportunity to pass up.
"Sentinel! Slingshot! Get everybody off the ship!" Symbiote roared over the rushing air. "DUMBO AND I ARE TAKING THE QUICK WAY DOWN!!"
With that, Hal launches himself at the Tusked Terror--palms first. His plan is to hit him, transform, and use the inertia and sudden increase in mass to overbalance him and carry them both out the hole.
(OOC: I'm imagining Symbiote and Pachy slamming away at each other ever foot of the way down. The fall didn't significantly harm Pachyderm, I'm hoping it won't do much damage to me either once I've absorbed his powers.
If, on the other hand, (and whatever Gods there may be help me with this), he's not a power type I can absorb, I guess I'll just shock him. This move will, of course, put me within arms reach of him, however. Build a nice memorial statue of Symbiote at Vanguard headquarters if it comes to that please, guys. Likewise if the Harper Harness gets a disrupting hit on the way down, though I'm really hoping he's too dumb and will be too surprised to do that, at least before we hit bottom.
Once everybody's on the ground--one way or another--we can hopefully all work together and take him down.
P.S. Congrats and good luck on the skydiving, James! Rather ironic. Seems to be the month for the team doing new and unusual things, I completed my CCW training (license to carry a concealed weapon) last weekend. Forester gets to go skydiving, maybe Sentinel will get to shoot something before it's all over).
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GM Replies:
Just some minor clarifications:
Symbiote wrote:
Lightning Strike can "broadcast" himself down the same way he got up here.
GM Reply:
Strike got up there through the saucer's communications array. It was since destroyed by Sentinel. Strike will need a new way out. He can travel safely as electricity via wire or transmission.
Symbiote wrote:
With that, Hal launches himself at the Tusked Terror--palms first.
His plan is to hit him, transform, and use the inertia and sudden increase in mass to overbalance him and carry them both out the hole.
GM Reply:
Very cool move! But it's not exactly within the confines of the rules.
Duplicating superpowers costs your "attack." So does touching/harming/moving any unwilling target. And you can't have two attacks.
So leave your orders as they are and I'll spread them across two actions, or come up with some other quasi-legal solution.
Don't want to discourage a cool move. Just want to clarify how it plays out so a new precedent isn't being set here.
Thanks!
We now return to our rollicking, earth-shattering, Byrne's Hulk-esque action!
Jeff
PS: Good luck James!
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Symbiote:
‘Strike got up there through the saucer's communications array. It was since destroyed by Sentinel. Strike will need a new way out. He can travel safely as electricity via wire or transmission.’
Symbiote's reply: In that case, he can hopefully hitch a ride with Sentinel, Forester or Slingy.
‘So leave your orders as they are and I'll spread them across two actions,
or come up with some other quasi-legal solution.’
Symbiote's reply: I'll go for the spread-it-over-two-actions option.
Thanks,
Greg
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Sentinel:
“Have it your way, Kirky. I don’t mind skinnin’ my knuckles on you, ya goofy boy scout. You thought we were gonna change the world? Usher in some bigshot age of heroes? Well the world’s finished, pal. Time to face facts,” he snarled almost as if Sentinel were to blame for the global animal revolution. KA-POW!! Viper landed a roundhouse packed with hate! “The age has always been with us, Vipe, you just need to open your eyes again and see it! There’s a real hero inside of every living being waiting to be released. You of all people know that, because I’ve seen it in you and seen you inspire it in others … and I’m sorry that whatever influencing you has overwhelmed that hero.”
Sentinel likewise returned his attention to his traitorous ex-teammate, Viper. Without moving a muscle, his energy tendrils tore out the damaged coolant pipe and sprayed Viper again with the icy Freon until the pipe was drained! FWOOOOOOSSSSSHH! Viper was frozen solid, a statue en-crusted in thick ice!
Kirk’s protective aura flared red amongst the gold seemingly echoing his anger and frustration in having to deal with his teammate in such a way. He wanted to be sure that whatever corrupted Viper never had that influence on him or others again. His mind raced to Myles Hudson and how Swastika had done just the same to him, a hero forced to act against his true nature. How unjust the universe to allow that sort of controlling influence to be wielded by any being!
… And he thought about Sam Simeon, remembering the happy picture of him alongside his teammates, and wondered what could have influenced that good-natured being to turn into the rage-infested murderous Primate.
“Warning!” announced an automated voice over the P.A. “Engines overheating!”The masked beacon of liberty employed his energy sense from his new vantage point and detected no other extranormals within his range! He sensed the ship’s engines, the craft’s power core, overheating!
OOC: Jeff, does Kirk have any clue given his energy sense of the time frame before they will cause the craft to blow and does he have any idea of how bad an explosion these much energy would cause?
Kirk turned to Strike, knowing he was the only one with any information on the team regarding the rest of the ship and its possible value to them, and asked, “Is there anything here of value that we need to salvage that can help us thwart Primate’s plans?”
Crab Man muttered: “Thought that guy would never shut up.” Then he said to Vanguard: “Inhuman said if I had the chance, I should jump sides. He said if I helped youse guys and passed a message from ol’ fish face to you, then you’d let me and Jellyfish go. We don’t want any part of the Primate’s plans. He busted us outta stir, sure, but that’s got nothin’ to do with anything now.” He planted his feet squarely and waited for a reply.
Kirk was glad to hear some words of evidence to support his feelings that Inhuman still stood with Vanguard, particularly after what just transpired with Viper. He waited a moment to sense the reaction of his teammates and then replied to diffuse the situation, “It’s clear that a continued battle between us benefits neither of us here today, and I’m all for giving people a second chance. Our imperative here is to stop Primate. Anything you can tell us to do that and help save the world would certainly say much about you moving forward; it’s not every day you get to say you helped save the world. Let’s say we start with where we can find him…”
I’d like to get some of the reactions/answers to the above mid-issue stuff, but unless Strike was to indicate the ship was important for some reason, I’m all for abandoning it.
At this point with Kirk’s current condition he is in no shape for a battle with the likes of Pachyderm and given what he’s seen of him up until now, including his entrance at the end of the current issue, would think even if he was present on the ship when it exploded, they’d be fortunate if it knocked him unconscious, but if Symbiote is ready to go mano o mano, more power to him. He admires his chutzpa… and hopes he still has Pachyderm’s power when we encounter Primate.
On helping others exit the craft and make it down safely, Kirk would try his best to assist, but Jeff will need to give me an idea of how much he could do at current power levels. I checked my character sheet and couldn’t find it, but I know from when I brought water to the burning building in an older issue that each power point gives me a certain amount of carrying capacity (was it fifty pounds or five hundred pounds per point?) Given that some of these guys seem to be heavy weights, Kirk might not be able to help them all at current levels. You can let me know if things go that route and I’ll do my best (teammates first, then Viper, then the others (friendly’s first).
Finally, you didn’t mention it, but I’m assuming that Kirk doesn’t have to worry about the exposure and damage from it as long as his shields are up due to his power augmentation – if I can survive flying in space without peril or damage, this situation shouldn’t be an issue (and with only five hit points left and my power going fast, that’s a needed relief).
Assuming nothing changes before we get this far:
Before snapping his parachute open, Forester said to Sentinel, "It's a long way down. Want to come along for the ride?"
As Kirk was concentrating on the energy patterns to try to discern their situation, he seemed to focus back hearing the voice of the amazing archer and he thought that he must look as bad as he felt. For a second it appeared to Forester as if Kirk ‘checked himself’ glancing at his own condition to be entirely sure exactly how injured he actually was.
Glancing from himself to Forester he nodded to affirm, “No, I’m good,” and he added with all sincerity, “but thanks asking. Let’s see what we can do to help the others.”
As Kirk turned toward the task at hand he looked at the frozen form of Viper and as if finishing their earlier argument, thought to himself, “no extra-normal abilities and he’s concerned about me, now that’s a real hero!
Thanks.
Seth
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GM Replies:
Nick Danger! Mercenary, spy or private eye?
Symbiote's reply: I'll go for the spread-it-over-two-actions option.
GM Reply: Great. Thanks.
Seth / Sentinel wrote: How unjust the universe to allow that...
GM Reply: Hey! I resemble that remark!
Seth / Sentinel wrote: Jeff, does Kirk have any clue given his energy sense of the time
frame before they will cause the craft to blow and does he have any
idea of how bad an explosion these much energy would cause?
GM Reply: With the loss of engine coolant, thanks to the Sentimental Scion of Sentinel, it could go in 30 seconds to a minute (4-8 "issues" of combat)
The explosion could be large.
Seth / Sentinel wrote: On helping others exit the craft and make it down safely, Kirk would try his best to assist, but Jeff will need to give me an idea of how much he could do at current power levels.
GM Reply: Your sheet is in the Vanguard Vault.
Right now, Sentinel has 33 Power Points, a Creation Point pool of double that number (66), and his current construct (energy shields) are at 37 due to damage taken.
So, right now Sentinel could lift (current construct points x 50 lbs.) or 37 x 50: 1,850 lbs.
If he spent an action and 8 points of power, his new condition would
be: 24 Power Points*, a Creation Point pool of double that number
(48), and his current construct (energy shields) would be 48.
Then, he could lift 48 x 50lbs: 2,400 lbs.
*Every issue that he takes an action, he loses 1 Power Point. In the first scenario, his construct is already below the current power x 2 number. So this loss of Power will only affect the second scenario, for now.
Seth / Sentinel wrote: Finally, you didn’t mention it, but I’m assuming that Kirk doesn’t have to worry about the exposure and damage from it as long as his shields are up due to his power augmentation
GM Reply: Right. But he will be sucked out if not hanging on. (Not that he can't fly back in once the atmosphere reaches equilibrium.
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Sentinel:
At this point, I'm assuming that we have no reason to try to prevent the ship from blowing up tactically (if we do, we could possibly try to have the craft go upward into an orbit with the cold of space cooling the engines and where we could try to retrieve it later.)
Kirk will keep an eye on Crabman to be sure that his 'conversion' is legit for now and that he doesn't change his mind with the arrival of Pachyderm.
With that in mind, we could even ask Crabman if they were informed of emergency EVAC procedures or he noticed anything (ie, is there a smaller craft available for abandoning ship or parachutes or other similar devices located anywhere?) to assist -- he seems to have thought things out ahead of time from his other actions (ie a backup plan).
Given the stats on Kirk's power/shield levels, he wouldn't reform the shields at this point. The power expenditure versus what he would gain (about ten points) doesn't seem to be worth it unless something else changes here and he needed the extra ten points to save lives somehow.
In thinking about that, assuming no further EVAC suggestions from Crabman, really, Kirk doesn't need to 'carry' everyone and can probably handle getting more weight down here. Instead of a bubble of platform, he could form a series of tether attached parachutes and use the wind resistance to glide down a greater weight than his carrying capacity. I guess he could do the same using a platform and taking everyone down together, depending on how much weight and how much wind resistance would need to be funneled to offset that weight (ie would separate parachutes versus a group parachute work better). It would be more of a gliding versus flying situation, but should provide a means to get more people down safely. He could allow a bit of a free-fall to get them far enough away from the potential blast of the ship before employing the 'chutes'.
Again, just some suggestions if we end up going that route.
At this point, assuming Crabman doesn't try anything, it would seem only Symbiote would be in 'combat' mode, but Kirk would watch as backup (perhaps to pull Symbiote away from Pachyderm at this last second if his 'power duplication' doesn't work); I think this would be movement if needed. If we are continuing in 'combat', then Kirk would use his action to evade (this would go along with keeping an eye out for Crabman's possible change of mind and watching the backs of his teammates) since right now the stats indicate that an attack would get through Kirk's shields and would likely do enough damage to knock him unconscious or worse.
If I missed anything or the above is unclear, let me know.
A good week to everyone.
And Tony, how about that World Series? Surely as the lifelong Phillies fan you are, you've got to have something to say about it?
Seth
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Kairos:
Kairos will quickly look around for any sort of parachutes or escape pods or anything of the sort while keeping Vanguard in view (not really expecting to find anything but the effort must be made). Further actions are contingent on what everyone else is doing.
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Slingshot:
Upon hearing Crabman's confession, Slingshot stops his windup. "Crabman, Is Inhuman on this ship? We need to rescue him if he's going to crash with this ship."
(Assuming that Crabman says no)
Actions: Slingshot will help anyone not already helped by Sentinel or doesn't have their own way of going down. I'll extend tendrils around them all, holding them tight and I'll glide down maneuvering out of the way of anything that might crash us.
(Assuming that Crabman says Yes)
Actions:
"Sentinel, are you ok with getting everyone off this leaky boat? I'm going to get Inhuman." At which point, I'll be using my full move this turn to find him.
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Lighting Strike:
Sorry for the delay, but I was celebrating the Phillies victory!!!
Anyway here is Strike's action.
Even though the odds were much better after taking down a few of the bad guys, Strike didn't think that the team in its present state could take on Pachyderm. Given that theship was clearly not long for this world, escape seemed the most prudent course. Strike yelled to the others, "Get as many of the unconscious off the ship as soon as possible. I will be looking for an emergency communication system or the radar array and leave via one of those."
OOC: Question for GM - When Strike first entered the ship, was he able to discern the location of Inhuman? If so, he will pass it on and if not he will attempt to locate him electronically.
That being said he turns into electrical form and enters the ships system.
That's all for now,
Tony
