37 minutes later:
LOUD RADIO BLARING:
"...ank you very
much, Mr. Roboto
For doing the jobs
nobody wants to
And thank you very
much, Mr. Roboto
For helping me escape
to where I needed to
Thank you, thank you,
thank you
I want to thank you,
please, thank you, oh yeah"
A JEEP squealed into
the area where Demy can be seen rummaging around stuffing some things in a
large duffel bag simultaneously taking long pulls from ridiculously large
energy drink can. All the while the vehicles radio volume dial apparently has
no issue going past 11.
"..The problem's
plain to see, too much technology
Machines to save our
lives, machines dehumanize
The time has come at
last (secret secret I've got a secret)
To throw away this
mask (secret secret I've got a secret)
Now everyone can see
(secret secret I've got a secret)
My true identity
I'm Kil-"
Duly satisfied the
song was coming to the end, Demy cut the engine along with the blaring
music.
The silence was deafing...
Suddenly he was aware
of his surroundings and all those looking his way in various degrees of
disgust, humor, impatience, and annoyance.
"What? Oh,
sorry. Too soon?"
Whether it is
irreverence, insensitivity, or just plain youthful naivety, Demy immediately
seemed to brush aside his disruption to the group and walked up to Black
Orchid.
"Let me know if
and when you want me to bring back MISHA to look over. In the mean time, can we try to jack into the
hard drives of CyberDoom’s smaller robot they have in there”? Demy pointed to
the CHESS mobile lab nearby. "Who
knows, maybe we can find out a little more if it share the same technology with
MISHA."
One of the CHESS
techs working with Black Orchid replied, "No we can't jack into the hard
drive of an android without a warrant. The law considers it the same as getting
a telepath to read a human's mind when they are in custody. There has to be a search
warrant, it has to specify the specific information being searched for, and
what is the probable cause for initiating the search."
"Before you ask,
searching to see if it shares the same technology as MISHA isn't enough to get
a warrant. The courts have ruled that it is an attempt to access Intellectual
Property, not search for evidence or information in support of criminal
charges, since this case isn't about the theft of I.P. Can you assert that you
or MISHA owned the I.P. that he was made from?
Rubicon said,
"In my country, response to terrorists can be...", he looked down,
shaking his head back forth while rolling his tongue in his mouth while looking
for the right words, "...heavy handed. You recall the Moscow theater
hostage incident, nyet? I'm just glad there are no hostages. You must
understand, I have no issue with excessive force - 'Do bad things to bad
people...?', but certainly oversight should not be out of the question."
StrikeForce said,
"Rubicon, or Demy, if you prefer. I would like you to authorize the Super
Forces to send over your medical records to us. I would want us to be able to
set up a possible medical care plan in advance of possibly needing it. Shifting
gears, I wouldn't mind getting a look at M.I.S.H.A., the tech involved seems
very interesting. And speaking of interesting, I enjoyed your song selection;
it reminds me of the type of music they played at the lab when they were
rebuilding me. Maybe when this is over, we as a team can all go out and grab a
beer. It would be cool to bond with all the new members."
Demy smiled,
responding to StrikeForce:
"Please
StrikeForce, Demy to friends! At Super Forces we were very regimented,
especially when operational in the field and in the presence of others outside
the Teams. This helped ensure we kept our personal cover."
"As for my med
file, I'm hoping I'm good to go! I was
poked and prodded at MEPS almost as much as when I synced with MISHA. I'm sure
they injected peanut butter into my left cheek. I could not sit for 3
days!" After a moment, “I kid, but
not really. Ow!" Remembering back and shaking his head.
"I'll check back
with CPT Turner, our S-1 at SF. I don't
know how the admin stuff works, but assume she can forward my Personnel file to
where it needs to go. I have hard copies back at the BOQ, but assume she'll
have to send to whomever at your end to be legit."
Rubicon looked around,
finally seeing Black Orchid before continuing, "Oh, the song...sorry, just
can't help myself. Da YES is a great group." You know, 'I love the
'80's...' ", Demy used air quotes next to his face.”Sometimes I let the
music take over. But MISHA reminds me..." Demy tapped his head,
"maybe I'm the only one who likes it, nyet? MISHA, not so much."
Patty shook her head
and chuckled to herself. "Hey, sportski, that's not a YES song," she
said good-naturedly. "Were you born in the Styx?"
"Or maybe he was
saying that yes, Styx is a good band?" she pondered to herself, and then
decided to not confuse the situation any further.
James continued to
listen to the briefing as most of the information continued to evade him.
However, once they started to review the Destroyer's profiles, his research
scientist focus returned as he absorbed the information.
He couldn't help but
think to himself about how most of his research was predicated on specimens
like these and that, while in the lab, he had to rely on DNA samples and reports,
this would be a prime opportunity to see some of these biological anomalies in
action! Not only were there specimens from scientific experiments, like
himself, but there were also aliens and mutants to examine!
As soon as the
briefing was over, Erdbeben approached Agent America for directions to the
medical support staff. "If we're expecting any kind of resistance, we
should be prepared with medical support!"
Erdbeben worked with
medical resources to put together a field medical kit in order to support the
team. To the untrained eye, it looked like a sophisticated first aid kit. To a
trained EMT, it appeared to be a field surgery kit with all of the high-end
tools necessary for field medical support. They may wonder why there's about a
half dozen specimen sample containers and DNA sample kits mixed in with the
Atropine Injectors, but given James' background in experimental medicine, they
assumed that he knew more about treating field trauma then they did...
With his med-kit
assembled, Erdbeben marched back out to the team and Agent America, "I'm
ready! When do we leave?"
“We have to get the
others prepared and gather more Intel.” The Bionic Brawler said.
StrikeForce said, "Yes
Agent America, I would like to get the warrant for The Destroyers as soon as
Bishop Prince can possibly get it."
Pausing before
continuing; "Agent, I wanted to ask if anyone has reached out to DarkStar
about Apocalypse's interest in the orbs? I know that the two of you were
teammates, and you may have him on speed dial. Perhaps if the orbs are still in
his possession, he can ensure that they are moved to a secure location."
Agent America replied,
"I spoke with DarkStar. He told me the orbs are safe. DarkStar had said, ‘Dr
Apoc is wrong they aren't on any of the Islands. They are only in a place that
I know about and very few can reach. They have to know it is there first before
they can reach it so there are no worries.’"
William watched as StrikeForce
had meandered to the front to chat with Agent America.
"Well old
boy..." He mused to himself..."looks like things are getting
serious."
He stood up, uprooted
the Staff of Thorns which snaked back into its more usual form as a staff.
Holding the Helm of the Chimera in his other hand he spoke an unheard word and
ram’s horns turned back to stag’s antlers.
He watched
StrikeForce talking to Deny. The Russian worried him, not the man but the bear
inside him. To manage that level of detail in a cybernetic form was
spectacular, miraculous even...but there was something in the...aura of the
creature...elusive, predatory, dangerous. This was more than a machine, or had
become more...and William wasn't sure Demy had any notion of what he carried
within him.
Whistling the tune to
"I will survive", Dr Wildman headed out of the briefing back to the
hovercraft. It was time for a cat nap. He hadn't slept for over 36 hours and
until the warrant was issued they were bunked down here.
William stopped as if
something occurred to him.
He walked back to the
briefing area and got one of the agents to print off a copy of Ratman's
dossier.
Leaving the area he
headed to the hovercraft looking over the photo's of Edward Fink and his psych
profile. Sitting in the reclined co-pilots seat he shut his eyes and drifted to
sleep. As he did unconscious arcane hand movements danced over the helm that
rested on his chest. Deep beneath the craft in the sewer system below rats
stopped their scurrying as if something long forgotten reawakened in their
consciousness!
Using the secure
connection over the sat-sci drone; Jason reached out to his Dad. Wyatt answered
"Yes." The Cyborg Crusader paused momentarily before replying.
"I can now confirm that all information points to Iron Maiden from the
Destroyers being the culpable individual behind the Industrial espionage at
Vanguard Incorporated."
Wyatt replied,
"Any idea how she did it or who she is?"
StrikeForce replied,
“"Sorry, don't know yet, but I will find out."
A few hours later Bishop
Prince provided StrikeForce with the warrant. "It is a no knock warrant,
so the New Crusaders are all set to go", he said.
Receiving the
warrant, StrikeForce said, "Thank you Bishop Prince. Good job."
StrikeForce sent the
call out through the team’s comm. links, and asking them to bring along the new
members. As the new members arrived StrikeForce gave them each a comm. link to
allow them to keep in touch with the team.
William woke up with
a start as StrikeForce called the team together. He stretched his limbs
appreciating the brief catnap.
Tucking his helm once
more under his arm he marched back to the area Strike had designated to gather.
When all had arrived
he started his presentation. Calling the Sci-Sat drone over to his position, he
had it provide a 3D image of the building that houses The Destroyers. It is a
40 story building.
"While I have a basic idea for a plan, I
need all of your input." StrikeForce momentarily paused and looked around
the table to ensure that he has everyone's attention before continuing.
"In order to stop or reduce potential hostages or civilian injury, I
propose a late night, or predawn operation. This will in addition to limiting
the in building personnel to a cleaning/maintenance crew, will mean that we
have less traffic around the building as well. In coordination with Megalopolis
Police/S.W.A.T. officers, we can use them to hold back until we give the signal
to cordon off the area around the building and moving behind us to extract any
civilians we encounter. I'm suggesting a two pronged attack. The quieter of the
two will enter through the lower levels of the building and make their way
upward, and the louder will attack from the top pushing downward as we try to
catch them from both sides." As he talked, he pointed to the projected
entry points that the team will use. "I know that some of us may have a
particular person we are focused on, myself included. But in this type of
encounter, we will basically be engaged with whomever we encounter. Basically a
target of opportunity; I will need volunteers for both teams."
Looking to see how
the team responded to the idea, he finished with. "This plan is not set in
stone. Please, if you have any comments, complaints, criticism, let me know. And
remember, No plan survives first contact unchanged. The situation is fluid;
protect your selves and your teammates, and We Will Win!"
Dr Wildman chose to
stand during the council, nodding as StrikeForce shared his plans to mitigate
any potential harm to civilians.
As the cybernetic
soldier concluded William spoke: "I'm happy to be part of either team, I
can do subtle or obvious. Adamas has experience with these chaps, perhaps he
should spearhead 'Team Obvious' and Black Orchid 'Team Subtle' with you
coordinating us from whichever team you are on?"
James took off his
sunglasses and adds, "I'm a Doctor, so I'm thinking I should go with..."
he paused and looked over to William as he used the designations provided,
"Team Obvious."
"I'm assuming
they'll get the brunt of the action and I can help patch up anybody who gets
hurt. Plus, my... condition makes me tougher than I look."
Adamas shared he would
enjoy nothing more than making a very large hole in the top of the
building.
He had always been a
bit dramatic with his entrances, and the Diamond Dynamo was OK with getting
matched against any of the Destroyers.
Patty gathered her
nerve and spoke up with a semblance of confidence.
"I'm good with
either Team Loud or Team Quiet, wherever more experienced heads want me. I have
a, well, Astral Projection ability is the common term as corny as it sounds, if
anyone wants to get a peek at our friends before we go in."
She considered for a
moment, and then continued. "Speaking of powers and abilities, I
personally think we should talk about who should handle who if we run into them
based on each of our profiles versus theirs. I have a better grasp of the
Destroyers at this point than all of us good guys here."
"Personally, I'm
a weird mix of stuff. I'm stronger and tougher than I look, but nothing like
Adamas level. I can sometimes bounce physical and mental attacks back at the
source. I can paralyze people if I can touch them. And the, uh, astral
projection thing."
"Like I said,
weird mix. And I'm pretty inexperienced compared to most of you here. You need
to know that."
Paying close
attention to Patty's Input before replying. "I think proper reconnaissance
would be very helpful. While I know that you are still relatively new to all of
this Patty, it would be greatly appreciated if you were willing to do it."
Demy raised his hand
and asked, "Strike, just so you all know: it takes about 5 minutes to bring
MISHA out. I assume you want me to do this prior to the attack? If so, we may
need a bigger bird to fit us in for infil. We should all be able to fit in a
CH-47 Chinook, Osprey, or something similar, from my experience, but they are
not very quiet."
StrikeForce said, "Demy, I would advise
you to bring M.I.S.H.A. out before we depart, as it would give us the most
firepower, but obviously that would be your call. I had an idea for a transport
that is very silent and powerful enough to do the job. It is the Adamas model
transport. We can use a ranger line to hook everyone to it and allow Adamas to
carry all of you in."
William looked a bit
confused, not sure what a 'Ranger Line' looks like...
"If it's of any
use I can very quickly create a teleport gate to the roof for 'Team Obvious'
that will get you all up there instantly. I can't gate you inside as I need to
be able to see the end point, but it should be easy enough to get a view of the
roof from a vantage point some way off."
Rubicon said,
"Hey Doc, that sounds way more pragmatic. I've not done that one yet!
Using the SPIE harness system is fun, but I've not used it with M.I.S.H.A.
without putting him in a cargo net at the bottom. I can see it being an issue
if we are going in hot and I think may take minute to get everyone unhooked
from the line. It may make things harder
if M.I.S.H.A. attacks something and we're all tied to it and brings us along
for the ride."
He pulled a remote
from the table and showed some images up on the screen.
"But, either way,
I'm good with whatever is decided on."
Dr Wildman looked at the image and genuinely
pales: "Really! That's an effective way of getting people into combat? -
Good grief; you guys are really brave - Wow!"
Hearing William's
comment about teleporting Erdbeben chimed in, "I suppose it's too much to
ask to find a picture of the area inside? I mean, could the Destroyers'
headquarters be in an article for Homes & Villain Lairs?"
Looking to William he
added, "Would a picture even work? Maybe we could use one of those
surveillance drones to get sneak inside?"
William gave a warm
smile whilst shaking his head: "sadly my enchantments rely on biology
rather than technology - I guess it's a druid thing!"
The excitement
visibly dropped from Erdbeben's face in response to William's answer. "So,
you're saying your powers are due to magic and aren't from some DNA
mutation?" he asked as he slowly put his DNA Sample kit away.
William grinned:
"No bizarre scientific accidents, bitten by radioactive aardvarks, super
tech gizmos or the like - it's 100% training my friend - hard work for the mind
and the body, oh and the occasional magical artifact of antiquity to lend a
hand."
As if to make a point
he donned his helmet and in a nimbus of green eldritch energy - where the man
stood, now stands an 8 foot Minotaur, bull faced; broad chested and stood on
cloven hooves.
Dr Wildman clicked
his knuckles together and brayed a deep and hearty laugh: “But don't panic
Erdbeben - I have a doctorate in Zoology, biology and veterinary science -
despite appearances I am a real doctor of science!"
With that and in
another flash of emerald energy Dr Wildman resumed his human form and pulled
off his helmet. "I have learned that science does not have all the
answers, nor magic. Have faith my friend, the world is bigger that we think it
is." He gave a cheeky wink to Erdbeben then looked to StrikeForce as the
briefing continued.
"After much
thought on how best to go forward with the two teams, I believe that this
grouping will allow us the best chance of success. Team Obvious, the top down
assault force will consist of these heroes, Adamas, Demolisher, Erdbeben,
Rubicon and M.I.S.H.A. This of course means the bottom up infiltrators will
consist of Black Orchid, Dr. Wildman, Patty Plus, and myself (StrikeForce)."
He paused to ensure that there are no more concerns.
Upon hearing Strike
Forces team roster, Demy can noticeably be seen restraining himself as he said,
"Put me in Coach! I'm ready to
play....today!"
Adamas rubbed his
hands together glancing around at the gathered team, "This will be
fun."
Black Orchid stated
that it would take the infiltrators one and a half minutes to run up the
stairs, if all doors were unlocked.
{GM Note: It would take 6 turns for them to run up from the
lobby to the lower floor of The Destroyer’s HQ.}
Erdbeben chimed in,
"Maybe we can pull up Google Maps and get a look at the roof of the
building? We can see if there are any entrances or defenses that we should be
aware of? But, I'm just a medical guy and not a tactical guy, so it's probably
not the way you all do things..."
Dr Wildman said,
“Unless I commit to memory a location I can't gate blind without a chance of
something going wrong. My preference is to be able to see both ends of the
gate. If you want a beer in the UK, a view of the pyramids in Egypt or just to go
to my house; I can get you there safely”
“I could gate the
team in blind but that comes at a risk.” Dr. Wildman said, “I’d be happy to do
it though.”
The Solar Druid
looked at StrikeForce.
StrikeForce said
“Let's stay as safe as we can. It is looking more and more like this two
pronged assault may not work. I guess we will have to let everyone decide if
they are still onboard with it.”
Adamas said, “I like
the idea of staying together, nothing good I can think of off the top of my
head, has ever come of splitting the party.” He was remembering how the
Fellowship of the Quest had split up when they faced The Destroyers. That did
not go well.
{GM Note: Quest issues 15 to 17}
StrikeForce said, “throw
my vote towards a one group assault. Sending Patty Plus to recon before Adamas
"knocks".
Erdbeben was good
either way. He would like the additional recon, though. Maybe in addition to a
satellite image of the roof, we can get the blueprints from the city as to what
its 'supposed' to look like on the top three floors.
Dr Wildman looked at
the sky..."so it's about 3pm. How long to liftoff boss?"
Replying to his
friend; The Bionic Brawler said. "Doc., I'm thinking wheels up at 0300 so
that has us reconvening at 0230 to be able to ensure that the Intel has not
changed before we depart."
"Get whatever
rest you can before we depart. We will reconvene 30 min. before liftoff to
finalize any changes before we leave. Before we separate to rest, let me tell
you Ladies and Gentlemen, I consider it a privilege to head into battle with
you. While some of us are new to working together, and some are new to all of
this." StrikeForce took a moment to pause and look at all of his
teammates, and resumed. "I don't think that there is a finer collection of
individuals anywhere, and I am proud to be here with you." After finishing
StrikeForce went go to rest; he woke an hour before liftoff to go over any new
Intel before gathering the team.
When he got up, StrikeForce
meet with Bishop Prince, Knight Demanis, and Detective Broyko of the
Megalopolis. Det. Broyko led the Crusher Crimewave Task Force {Last seen in Crusade Issue 18}. After
the Crushers were captured, it was renamed the Super-Powered Crime Task Force.
He was still its leader.
Bishop Prince
introduced StrikeForce to Detective Broyko. Prince said, “The MPD (Megalopolis
Police Department) will provide the crowd control and will ensure no one enters
around the block on the Montuori Building where The Destroyers have their
headquarters.”
“CHESS Knights will
follow behind your team’s entrance to remove any civilians are in the building.
They will not engage with The Destroyers, falling back immediately if they come
into contact with them. Knight Demanis will lead the CHESS Knights”
Bishop Prince asked,
“Would you like to visit see the surveillance location that CHESS has? We have
the entire 50th floor to ourselves. We can get you in without anyone
noticing”.
When it came time for
the New Crusaders to gather together the Demolisher did not show up. He left
with FISH agents the night before. He was needed on other urgent matters.
The entire team was
shuttled in unmarked vans to the building where the surveillance occurred. Det.
Brokyo readied his team to setup barricades and stop traffic at the agreed to
time.
Across the hall from
the room where the actual surveillance was occurring was a conference room with
smart boards. The Intel being gathered was being transferred to the smart
boards so the New Crusaders could make their plans.
The main smart board
had an aerial view of the Montuori Building and the surrounding buildings. The
letter ‘k’ marked the Montuori Building. The letter “b” marked the building
which the New Crusaders and CHESS were in. The letter “h” marked a street-level
pedestrian plaza. All the other letters marked buildings.
Bishop Prince pointed
to the screens which were to the left and right of the main screen. “Here are
skyline views from the west. It shows north to the left”
“We are in a building
that is 50 stories high and the Montuori Building is 40 stories high.”
“There is a scale
measuring in stories to the left of the image.”
Here is the view from
the east side. “The building labeled “c” is the same height as the one we are
in. That is why you can’t see our building. The other building completely hides
it from view.” Bishop Prince said.
Here is the view from
our building toward the Montouri Building.
Bishop Prince pointed
to the other side of the conference room where 4 smart boards were. “Pull up the
requested floor plans that were on file with the city for the 3 requested
floors. Put on the 4th board the live view of the roof of the
Montouri Building”.
“Here is the lower
floor plan” Bishop Prince said.
“The location labeled
“a” is an industrial elevator shaft that runs from the basement of the floor to
this floor and the middle floor that the Destroyers are in. The plans don’t
show where the openings are and which floors it opens on. It appears they
bribed the city official to be able to submit incomplete plans.”
“Location ‘h’ is a
stairwell both the middle and upper floors.”
“Location ‘n’ is a
stairwell to all above floors and the roof.”
“Location ‘s’ is
elevator. It leads to the lobby, all other floors and the roof.”
“Here is the middle
floor plan”, Bishop Prince said.
“The location labeled
‘a’ is an industrial elevator shaft that runs from the basement of the floor to
the within the 2 floors of the Destroyers are in.”
“Location ‘l’ is a
stairwell both the lower and upper floors. We think it connects with ‘h’ on the
lower floor”
“Location ‘g’ is a
stairwell to all floors and the roof. It connects with ‘n’ on the lower floor’”
“Location ‘n’ is
elevator. It leads to the lobby, all other floors and the roof. It is labeled
‘s’ on the lower floor.”
“Here is the upper
floor plan”, Bishop Prince said.
“Location ‘k’ is a
stairwell both the lower floors. We think it connects with ‘l’ on the middle
floor”
“Location ‘s’ is a
stairwell to all floors and the roof. It connects with ‘g’ on the middle
floor’”
“Location ‘n’ is
elevator. It leads to the lobby, all other floors and the roof. It is labeled ‘n’
on the middle floor.”
“Here is the roof
view”, Bishop Prince said.
“Location ‘a’: This
is the observation walkway. It is made out of steel and is raised six feet
above the deck of the roof. It can be reached via the elevator on the roof or
from the stairs to the roof deck behind the elevator. There is a four foot
steel railing running around the exterior and the interior circumference of the
walkway.”
“Location ‘b’: This
is the helipad. It is made of steel mesh supported underneath by a heavy steel
framework that leads to the single 36’ steel pole that connects the helipad to
the deck 10 feet below. There is a metal stairway that leads to the roof deck
from the helipad.”
“Location ‘c’: This
is the stairwell leading to stairway (n) on the lower floor, stairway (g) on
the middle floor, and stairway (s) on the upper floor.”
“Location ‘d’: These
are the hangar doors to the hanger below.”
“Location ‘e’: This
is the microwave transmission tower. It is a steel framework that stands 50
feet high from the deck.”
“Location ‘f’: This
is elevator. It leads to the lobby of this building and to the lower, middle,
and upper floors of The Destroyers headquarters.”
Adamas stepped out of
the room briefly. He walked into the surveillance room. The Alien Powerhouse
tried using his Ethereal Vision to look into the 3 floors but he couldn’t. The metal
strength was too strong and too thick for his vision to penetrate.
Adamas realized that
The Destroyers headquarters was going to be more difficult to ram through than
Dr. Velo’s headquarters {GM Note: Crusade
Issue 46}.
He would have to
blast the roof with his Energy Beams too.
Adamas returned to
the conference room. He informed the team that he wouldn’t be able to collapse
the roof on top of The Destroyers. It will take all he had to punch a big
enough hole for everyone else to enter through.
A CHESS Rook entered
the conference room, “The others have arrived.” He said.
“Okay bring them in.”
The CHESS Bishop said.
Through the doorway
entered Dreamweaver and Blizzard.
Blizzard and Dreamweaver
introduced themselves to the New Crusaders. They were glad to get to meet the
new team. Evergreen had said good things about them.
Dreamweaver said,
“Manta-Man sent us as we both have abilities which could assist the team with
surveillance activities or any attempts to infiltrate the location. We both
have limitations so none of us provide the perfect solution but maybe we can be
a piece of the solution.”
“I can turn invisible
to sight but I can still be smelled or touched. I can create illusions but they
don’t smell and can’t be touched either. They are holograms with a sound
component,” she said.
Blizzard said, “I can
vibrate to the point that I can’t be touched. I can pass through anything
physical and I can’t be hurt by physical items. Only force fields are a barrier
I can pass through. I am still visible so I can be seen. I can be heard as I
move. My steps are audible and my vibrations give off a low buzzing sound.”
“We can function as a
support team instead of the assault team too. My ice powers and Dreamweaver’s
telekinesis power can reinforce structures which have taken damage to ensure
that pieces of the building don’t fall on the shorter buildings next to it,” he
said.
Demy summoned MISHA
successfully. After 5 minutes had past, Rubicon’s companion stood next to him.
<Turns and Actions due December 28th >
After Battle Conditions (Mighty Protectors character data):
Adamas Hit
Points: 24 Power Points: 74 Healed 2 HP – Fully Healed
Black Orchid Hit
Points: 24 Power Points: 92
StrikeForce Hit Points: 31 Power
Points: 93 Healed 3 HP – Fully Healed
Manta-Man Hit
Points: 8 Power
Points: 66 Healed 1 HP
Dr. Wildman Hit
Points: 12 Power Points: 60
Patty Plus Hit
Points: 15 Power Points: 60
Laserfire Hit
Points: 8 Power
Points: 49
Erdbeben Hit
Points: 46 Power Points: 66
Rubicon Hit
Points: 20 Power Points: 66
MISHA Hit
Points: 41 Power Points: 101
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
There is a new page
on the website giving details on the Government Organizations of Megalopolis
universe. Check it out. I have hidden an Easter egg of two in there :)
Enjoy
Tom
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom,
So excited to get the
new issue! I can't wait to read it. I'll check out the website as well.
Jamey
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks Tom!
Two issues of some
great data and intel download. Now, what to do with it and where to go?
37 minutes later:
LOUD RADIO BLARING:
"...ank you very
much, Mr. Roboto
For doing the jobs
nobody wants to
And thank you very
much, Mr. Roboto
For helping me escape
to where I needed to
Thank you, thank you,
thank you
I want to thank you,
please, thank you, oh yeah"
A JEEP squeels into
the area where Demy can be seen rumaging around stuffing some things in a large
duffel bag simultaneously taking long pulls from rediculouly lage energy drink
can. All the while the vehicles radio volume dial apparently has no issue going
past 11.
"..The problem's
plain to see, too much technology
Machines to save our
lives, machines dehumanize
The time has come at
last (secret secret I've got a secret)
To throw away this
mask (secret secret I've got a secret)
Now everyone can see
(secret secret I've got a secret)
My true identity
I'm Kil-"
Duly satisfied the
song was coming to the end, Demy cuts the engine along with the blaring
music.
The silence is
defining...
Suddenly aware of his
surroundings and all those looking his way in various degrees of disgust,
humor, impatience, and annoyance.
"What? Oh,
sorry. Too soon?"
Whether it be
irreverence, insensitivity, or just plain youthful naivety, Demy immediately
seems to brush aside his disruption to the group and walks up to Black Orchid.
"Let me know if
and when you want me to bring back MISHA to look over. In the mean time, can we try to jack into the
hard drives of CyberDooms smaller robot they have in there. Demy points to the
CHESS mobile lab nearby. "Who knows,
maybe we can find out a little more if it share the same technology with MISHA."
Ooc: assuming this
hasn't been attempted yet.
If she agrees, Demy
continues, "I honestly don't know how it all works, it just does with
MISHA and I, er....most of the time, I mean." Demy finishes slightly
embarrassed. "But," he quickly
continues, " maybe we can hook me or MISHA up to it to, I don't know,
maybe see if that help access it or something?
I'm, how do you say: "Spitballing?"
Greg
---------------------------------------------------------------------
When he was able to
talk to Rubicon, StrikeForce will say, "Rubicon, or Demy, if you prefer. I
would like you to authorize the Super Forces to send over your medical records
to us. I would want us to be able to set up a possible medical care plan in
advance of possibly needing it. Shifting gears, I wouldn't mind getting a look
at M.I.S.H.A., the tech involved seems very interesting. And speaking of
interesting, I enjoyed your song selection, it reminds me of the type of music
they played at the lab when they were rebuilding me. Maybe when this is over,
we as a team can all go out and grab a beer. It would be cool to bond with all
the new members."
In his interaction
with AA.
"Yes Agent
America, I would like to get the warrant for The Destroyers as soon as Bishop
Prince can possibly get it." Pausing before continuing. "Agent, I
wanted to ask if anyone has reached out to DarkStar about Apocalypse's interest
in the orbs? I know that the two of you were teammates, and you may have him on
speed dial. Perhaps if the orbs are still in his possession, he can ensure that
they are moved to a secure location."
Using the secure
connection over the sat-sci drone. Jason reaches out to his Dad. Wyatt answers
"Yes." The Cyborg Crusader pauses momentarily before replying.
"I can now confirm that all information points to Iron Maiden from the
Destroyers being the culpable individual behind the Industrial espionage at
Vanguard Incorporated."
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Demy smiles, responding to Strikes Force:
"Please Strike
Force, Demy to friends! At Super Forces we were very regimented, especially
when operational in the field and in the pressence of others outside the Teams. This helped ensure
we kept our personal cover."
"As for my med
file, I'm hoping I'm good to go! I was
poked and proded at MEPS almost as much as when I synced with MISHA. I'm sure
they injected Peanutbutter into my left cheek. I could not sit for 3
days!" After a moment, " I
kid, but not really. Ow!" Remembering back and shaking his head.
"I'll check back
with CPT Turner, our S-1 at SF. I don't
know how the admin stuff works, but assume she can forward my Persennel file to
where it needs to go. I have hard copies back at the BOQ, but assume she'll
have to send to who ever at your end to be legit."
Rubicon looks around,
finally seeing Black Orchid before continuing, "Oh, the song...sorry, just
can't help myself. Da YES is a great group." You know, 'I love the
'80's...' ", Demy uses air quotes next to his face. "Sometimes I let
the music take over. But MISHA reminds me...", Demy taps his head,
"maybe I'm the only one who likes it, nyet? MISHA, not so much. ".
Greg
----------------------------------------------------------------------
IC: William watched as StrikeForce meandered
to the front to chat with Agent America.
"Well old
boy..." He mused to himself..."looks like things are getting
serious."
He stood up, uprooted
the Staff of Thorns which snaked back into its more usual form as a staff.
Holding the Helm of the Chimera in his other hand he spoke an unheard word and
rams horns turned back to Stags antlers.
He watched
StrikeForce talking to Deny. The Russian worried him, not the man but the bear
inside him. To manage that level of detail in a cybernetic form was
spectacular, miraculous even...but there was something in the...aura of the
creature...elusive, predatory, dangerous. This was more than a machine, or had
become more...and William wasn't sure Demy had any notion of what he carried
within him.
Whistling the tune to
"I will survive" Dr Wildman headed out of the briefing back to the
hovercraft. It was time for a cat nap. He hadn't slept for over 36 hours and
until the warrants was issued they were bunked down here.
William stopped as if
something occurred to him.
He walked back to the
briefing area and got one of the agents to print off a copy of Ratman's
dossier.
Leaving the area he
headed to the hovercraft looking over the photo's of Edward Fink and his psych
profile. Sitting in the reclined co-pilots seat he shut his eyes and drifted to
sleep. As he did unconscious arcane hand movements danced over the helm that
rested on his chest. Deep beneath the craft in the sewer system below rats
stopped their scurrying as if something long forgotten reawakened in their
consciousness!
OOC: If we were
around a table I would expect we would start to come up with a plan. Do we want
to have an OOC conversation about a plan and then role play it?
Just a thought
Steve
----------------------------------------------------------------------
James continued to
listen to the briefing as most of the information continued to evade him.
However, once they started to review the Destroyer's profiles, his research
scientist focus returned as he absorbed the information.
He couldn't help but
think to himself about how most of his research was predicated on specimens
like these and that, while in the lab, he had to rely on DNA samples and
reports, this would be a prime opportunity to see some of these biological
anomalies in action! Not only were there specimens from scientific experiments,
like himself, but there were also aliens and mutants to examine!
As soon as the
briefing is over, Erdbeben approaches Agent America for directions to the
medical support staff. "If we're expecting any kind of resistance, we
should be prepared with medical support!"
Erdbeben will work
with medical resources to put together a field medical kit in order to support
the team. To the untrained eye, it looks like a sophisticated first aid kit. To
a trained EMT, it would appear to be a field surgery kit with all of the
high-end tools necessary for field medical support. They may wonder why there's
about a half dozen specimen sample containers and DNA sample kits mixed in with
the Atropine Injectors, but given James' background in experimental medicine,
they'd probably just assume that he knew more about treating field trauma then
they did...
With his med-kit
assembled, Erdbeben marches back out to the team and Agent America, "I'm
ready! When do we leave?"
Paul
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Yes Agent America, I would like to get
the warrant for The Destroyers as soon as Bishop Prince can possibly get
it." Pausing before continuing. "Agent, I wanted to ask if anyone has
reached out to DarkStar about Apocalypse's interest in the orbs? I know that
the two of you were teammates, and you may have him on speed dial. Perhaps if
the orbs are still in his possession, he can ensure that they are moved to a
secure location."
Agent America later
replied, "I spoke with DarkStar. He told me the orbs are safe. Dr Apoc is
wrong they aren't on any of the Islands. They are only in a place that I know
about and very few can reach. They have to know it is there first before they
can reach it so there are no worries."
Using the secure
connection over the sat-sci drone. Jason reaches out to his Dad. Wyatt answers
"Yes." The Cyborg Crusader pauses momentarily before replying.
"I can now confirm that all information points to Iron Maiden from the
Destroyers being the culpable individual behind the Industrial espionage at
Vanguard Incorporated."
Wyatt replied,
"Any idea how she did it or who she is?"
Thanks
Tom
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A few hours later
Bishop Prince provided StrikeForce with the warrant. "It is a no knock
warrant, so the New Crusaders are all set to go", he said.
Thanks
Tom
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Whether it is
irreverence, insensitivity, or just plain youthful naivety, Demy immediately
seems to brush aside his disruption to the group and walks up to Black Orchid.
"Let me know if
and when you want me to bring back MISHA to look over. In the mean time, can we try to jack into the
hard drives of CyberDoom’s smaller robot they have in there. Demy points to the
CHESS mobile lab nearby. "Who
knows, maybe we can find out a little more if it share the same technology with
MISHA."
One of the CHESS
techs working with Black Orchid replied, "No we can't jack into the hard
drive of the Androids without a warrant. The law considers it the same as
getting a telepath to read a human's mind when they are in custody. There has
to be a warrant, it has to specify the specific information being searched for,
and what is the probable cause for initiating the search."
"Before you ask,
searching to see if it shares the same technology as MISHA isn't enough to get
a warrant. The courts have ruled that it is an attempt to access Intellectual
Property, not search for evidence or information in support of criminal
charges, since this case isn't about the theft of I.P. Can you even assert that
you or MISHA owned the I.P. that he was made from?
Thanks
Tom
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks Tom,
I'm not certain if
Demy has the knowledge or wherewithal to follow up with this information.
OOC: my inclination
would be to correlate this as a State Department and/or DOD issue to be further
defined with the ongoing investigation, something Demy is trying to support. To
mitigate any metagamey aspect to this; is there a knowledge: legal roll I could
make that I could use to jump to another conclusion, solution, or resource
support? My initial reaction for Demy is to respond to the CHESS tech is to
say, "Ok, Agent Einstein, all that legalese is great but the way I see it,
that thing has part of MISHA in it that originated in another country. It was a
part of an attack on US soil.
I don't know if I or
others know enough about Dr. Apocalypse to be considered a foreign power or a
national terrorist, but it seems to me that with all the resources and smart
people here there has to be some loophole to connect the dots to get a
warrant."
Demy trudged off
mumbling in partial Russian about red tape...
With that, he leaves
it to others with more patience and legal knowledge.
Think of Demy’s tone
and response to the CHESS tech similar to Han Solo in the Empire Strikes Back
when he calls for deck officer to see if Luke has reported back in from his
patrol on Hoth.
Let me know your
thoughts.
Greg
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Replying to the Super
Spy. "Good, I don't need to know where, in fact, the fewer who do know,
the better. I'm glad that he won't be getting his hands on them. He is too
dangerous already. Thanks AA."
Replying to his Dad.
OOC: Tom, if the
information is known about her name and identity, StrikeForce's reply will be
listed below. I'm playing that her image and name are in the gaps in Jason's
memory. That way the reveal will be bigger, and have a greater impact.
"Yes, this is
her I.D. and photo that I am sending to you over the drone. Is she ringing any
bells for you?"
OOC: If he doesn't
know, his reply is.
"Sorry, don't
know yet, but I will find out."
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Receiving the warrant, he says "Thank you
Bishop Prince. Good job."
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Iron Maiden's name and identity is currently
unknown.
Thanks
Tom
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Demy has Military and
Government background so that would be a +3 to his IN save of 11, so he needs a
14 or less. I made three IN save rolls,
The first roll was
for the State Department / DoD definition of this as a foreign entity attack.
Demy rolled a 15. He couldn't think of any way to categorize this as a military
attack. Dr. Apocalypse didn't claim to be a foreign head of state, he didn't
declare war on the United States, and the attack wasn't an attempt to overthrow
the government. In fact he announced his criminal act before it occurred in
order for civilians to leave the area. Their failure to do so can't be held
against him. There are Super Powered civil liberty organizations (C.A.P.E.R.
and G.A.L.A.N.T. from the V&V resource Citizens Report) which would argue
the preceding storm and announcement clearly made this a criminal act under the
category of black mail of the city and state not an act of war. Demy realized
that the United States Congress would have to declare war on the country that
Dr. Apocalypse is the head of state of. They would never declare war against an
individual and there is no country for them declared against. Demy realized the
irony that the government's giving into Dr. Apocalypse demands would have
created a country for him to be the head of state of. The success of the New
Crusaders in stopping the Doomsday Robot kept this from being a State
Department matter.
The second roll was for
Demy supporting an ongoing DoD investigation. Demy rolled a 6. Demy realized he
wasn't here as part of the Super Forces. Demy had shown up on his own volition.
The first action Agent America did was remove Demy from Super Forces and had
him join the New Crusaders. If AA hadn't done that, would Demy have been forced
to leave, he wondered? The only DoD representative on site is Agent America and
he is coordinating activities between the agencies and ensuring intel is
shared. The investigation is being led by CHESS. They have both Bishop Prince
and Bishop Black Orchid supervising all aspects of the investigation. The crew
members weren't being treated as prisoners of war but as criminals under
arrest. Demy realized if they were treated as POWs then they would be protected
by the United Nations war crimes accords. This would mean that UN
representatives of Russia, China, and Malaia would all have influence in the
situation about what would constitute a war crime and what would not. Would
Russia use this as an opportunity to have the crew members returned to Russia
and would they be able to leverage the situation to demand the return of
M.I.S.H.A too? Demy realized that the State Department wasn't willing to take
that chance. Any attempt to treat this as an act of war or terrorism would put
the entire situation on the world stage subject to UN peacekeepers. Would Col Z
use that opportunity to infiltrate the UN peacekeeping team with agents of his
own? Demy knew he would try. Demy realized that treating Dr. Apocalypse as a
foreign entity would provide him and the Destroyers diplomatic immunity while
they are on US soil. The warrant that New Crusaders recently obtained would be
invalid. The warrant allows them to investigate a crime on the identified
property.
The third roll was
for Demy making the argument that thing has part of MISHA in it that originated
in another country. Demy rolled a 20 and then a 1, so the roll is a normal fail
not a fumble. As Demy prepared his argument to take it to Agent America as he
wanted the Super Forces Leader to take control away from CHESS, he realized
that his argument could have the reverse effect. The State Department could
agree with him but instead of allowing access to the androids they seized
M.I.S.H.A. instead. Demy had thought that M.I.S.H.A. was being treated as part
of Demy so therefore all of the US constitutional protections were extended as
well. But seeing that androids have been given US constitutional protections
based on court rulings regarding the rights of Mocker and Red Hawk, M.I.S.H.A
would have the same protections. This must have been why General Samuel has
insisted on the tests that were performed that proved M.I.S.H.A. was sentient
and communicating with Demy. He did it to establish M.I.S.H.A.'s protection under
US Law as a Cybernetic Sentient Being (C.S.B.).
Above is the world
knowledge that Demy has of the situation. Feel free to role-play this out with
AA and CHESS Knights & Rooks as you want. Feel free to continue to play out
Demy's frustrations with the situation. This could be his first experience with
how the U.S. treatment of Super Powered individuals given how their long
history (1920s to now) has shaped the law to protect them from being treated as
terrorists on the whims of politicians. This can be a stark contrast from
Russia where Super Powered individuals have kept Communism in power longer than
it should have lasted. In Russia there really aren't any Super Heroes but
instead there are Super Soldiers of the State.
Let me know if you
have any questions or need further clarification on this topic.
Thanks
Tom
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom, that was an
amazing run down. I really appreciate the amount of information provided.
There's a lot of story, rules, let alone real life government, political, legal
and social knowledge that can be overwhelming to take into account. I like how
you presented this. I will try to pull my thoughts together on this for further
response from Demy.
Really appreciate it
Tom!
Greg
--------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC: Planning:
- so we have a no
knock warrant on the assumption that there is sufficient evidence that the
Destroyer's are employed or at least connected to Dr Apocalypse and his
potential worldwide threat. They represent the best chance of locating the Dr.
- we have a dossier
on the individuals who make up the Destroyer team and where they are located -
The top 3 stories of the Montuori Building.
- Presumably the
simple aim is to determine the location of the Dr.
- Do we storm the
building or enter covertly? - How do we get there, elements of surprise, is
time of the essence etc
- Do we have
predetermined targets?
- How do we bring
them into custody?
- Are Chess or
another agency going to do the interrogation; or is that what we do?
- Do we split the
party?
Some initial
questions OOC - we can write this up once we come up with a plan.
Thoughts anyone?
Steve
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve,
Thanks, some of these
bullet points relate to what I was mulling over. See my thoughts below for what it's worth.
Demy is currently
trying to come to grips of the political, legal, social, let along rules and
background story IRL.
Greg
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Erdbeben won't have
any thoughts on tactics as he has been focused on medical research most of his
life, but from a player perspective, I would agree with a strong force hitting
the 'front door' to create a diversion while the more 'infiltration' types try
to sneak in another way.
Paul
--------------------------------------------------------------------
- so we have a no knock warrant on the
assumption that there is sufficient evidence that the Destroyer's are employed
or at least connected to Dr Apocalypse and his potential worldwide threat. They
represent the best chance of locating the Dr.
- We have a dossier
on the individuals who make up the Destroyer team and where they are located -
The top 3 stories of the Montuori Building.
- Presumably the
simple aim is to determine the location of the Dr.
- Do we storm the
building or enter covertly? - How do we get there, elements of surprise, is
time of the essence etc - I like the idea of an obvious team and a discrete
team. What about danger to the public, how do we assault the building without
endangering the public below? Do we create a cordoned off area? How do the
Destroyers like Behemoth get in and out of the building without being seen? Is
there a secret way in, I don't think anyone is a teleporter?
- Do we have
predetermined targets? I have an idea, Dr Wildman's Helm of the Chimera allows
him to boost his shape shift so that he can take the form of a hybrid animal
e.g. a griffon or a hybrid man/animal - if we can capture Ratman; Dr Wildman
can take his form and his place to sow confusion within their ranks.
- How do we bring
them into custody?
- Are Chess or
another agency going to do the interrogation; or is that what we do?
- Do we split the
party? - That seems to be a yes if we go 2 teams
Steve
--------------------------------------------------------------------
In my opinion the
best way to minimize the risk to civilians, is to do a late night or pre dawn
operation. The amount of people either in the building or on the streets would
be greatly reduced. We could move forward with the police/swat in reserve, and
when we give the signal they will move into place and cordon off the area
surrounding the building. If we infiltrate with officers behind us, they can
remove any cleaning/maintenance personnel inside.
If we go for a two
team split, we need to determine what the roster for each team is.
While we may have
"preferred" targets, in a split assault, in which we don't know in
what order we will encounter them, we may be looking at more of targets of
opportunity.
Remember: No battle
plan survives first contact unchanged. The situation will be fluid, and we will
need to adapt on the fly.
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC:
"Victory at the
expense of the innocent is no victory at all"
T'Chaka, Captain
America: Winter Soldier
IC: Rubicon says,
"In my country, response to terrorists can be...", he looks down,
shaking his head back forth while rolling his tongue in his mouth while looking
for the right words, "...heavy handed. You recall the Moscow theater
hostage incident, nyet? I'm just glad there are no hostages. You must
understand, I have no issue with excessive force - 'Do bad things to bad
people...?', but certainly oversight should not be out of the question."
Greg
---------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC: Sounds like we
have a plan of sorts, at least something to go on - Jamey; do you want to start
writing something up with StrikeForce calling the team together?
Steve
---------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC: Sure Steve. I'll start off and everyone
else can join in where and how they feel comfortable.
IC: Sending the call
out through the team’s comm links, and asking them to bring along the new
members. As the new members arrive StrikeForce's gives them a comm link to
allow them to keep in touch with the team. When all had arrived he starts his
presentation. Calling the Sci-Sat drone over to his position, he has it provide
a 3D image of the building that houses The Destroyers. "While I have a
basic idea for a plan, I need all of your input." StrikeForce momentarily
pauses and looks around the table to ensure that he has everyone's attention
before continuing. "In order to stop or reduce potential hostages or
civilian injury, I propose a late night, or predawn operation. This will in
addition to limiting the in building personnel to a cleaning/maintenance crew,
will mean that we have less traffic around the building as well. In
coordination with Megalopolis Police/S.W.A.T. officers, we can use them to hold
back until we give the signal to cordon off the area around the building and
moving behind us to extract any civilians we encounter. I'm suggesting a two
pronged attack. The quieter of the two will enter through the lower levels of
the building and make their way upward, and the louder will attack from the top
pushing downward as we try to catch them from both sides." As he talks, he
points to the projected entry points that the team will use. "I know that
some of us may have a particular person we are focused on, myself included. But
in this type of encounter, we will basically be engaged with whomever we
encounter. Basically a target of opportunity. I will need volunteers for both
teams."
Looking to see how
the team responds to the idea, he finishes with. "This plan is not set in
stone. Please, if you have any comments, complaints, criticism, let me know.
And remember, No plan survives first contact unchanged. The situation is fluid;
protect your selves and your teammates, and We Will Win!"
StrikeForce waits on
anyone else to voice their opinions.
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
William wakes up with
a start as StrikeForce calls the team together. He stretched his limbs
appreciating the brief catnap.
Tucking his helm once
more under his arm he marched back to the area Strike had designated to gather.
Dr Wildman chose to
stand during the council, nodding as StrikeForce shared his plans to mitigate
any potential harm to civilians.
As the cybernetic
soldier concluded William spoke: "I'm happy to be part of either team, I
can do subtle or obvious. Adams has experience with these chaps, perhaps he
should spearhead 'Team Obvious' and Black Orchid 'Team Subtle' with you
coordinating us from whichever team you are on?"
Steve
--------------------------------------------------------------------
James takes off his
sunglasses and adds, "I'm a Doctor, so I'm thinking I should go
with..." he pauses and looks over to William as he uses the designations
provided, "Team Obvious."
"I'm assuming
they'll get the brunt of the action and I can help patch up anybody who gets
hurt. Plus, my... condition makes me tougher than I look."
Paul
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Adamas would enjoy
nothing more than making a very large hole in the top of the building.
He's always been a
bit dramatic with his entrances, and he's OK with getting matched against any
of the Destroyers...
Jon
--------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC: Regarding both Adamas and Erdbeben, that
is what I was thinking as well.
Jamey
-------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC: Marc, would Black Orchid be interested in
using the invisibility chemical that she invented and used when she/they
infiltrated the Crusader Citadel to take out the Crushers? It would probably
really benefit the Subtle team.
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
> Then, "Oh, the music. Da, YES is a very good band, nyet? My apologies, the music sometimes takes over
me. You know...", Demy mimes air
quotes next to his face, "..'I LOVE > THE 80's!' ".
> "MISHA has
to remind me...", Demy taps his head, "..maybe not everyone like it
so much".
Patty shakes her head
and chuckles to herself. "Hey, sportski, that's not a YES song," she
says good-naturedly. "Were you born in the Styx?"
"Or maybe he was
saying that yes, Styx is a good band?" she ponders to herself, then
decides to not confuse the situation any further.
Following the
briefing, she gathers her nerve and speaks up with a semblance of confidence.
"I'm good with
either Team Loud or Team Quiet, wherever more experienced heads want me. I have
a, well, Astral Projection ability is the common term as corny as it sounds, if
anyone wants to get a peek at our friends before we go in."
She considers for a
moment, and then continues. "Speaking of powers and abilities, I
personally think we should talk about who should handle who if we run into them
based on each of our profiles versus theirs. I have a better grasp of the
Destroyers at this point than all of us good guys here."
"Personally, I'm
a weird mix of stuff. I'm stronger and tougher than I look, but nothing like
Adamas level. I can sometimes bounce physical and mental attacks back at the
source. I can paralyze people if I can touch them. And the, uh, astral
projection thing."
"Like I said, weird
mix. And I'm pretty inexperienced compared to most of you here. You need to
know that."
Shane
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Paying close attention to Patty's Input before
replying. "I think proper reconnaissance would be very helpful. While I
know that you are still relatively new to all of this Patty, it would be
greatly appreciated if you were willing to do it."
OOC: If we are
splitting up into two teams, Obvious and Subtle. We could go with this split, if
everyone is o.k. with it.
OBVIOUS: Adamas,
Demolisher, Erdbeben, Rubicon and M.I.S.H.A.
SUBTLE: Black Orchid,
Dr. Wildman, Patty Plus, and StrikeForce
This would probably
be the best way to split, but I defer to whichever squad you feel most
comfortable on and where you think your character fits best.
Jamey
---------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC: Tom, what is the time at this point?
Steve
--------------------------------------------------------------------
3 o'clock in the afternoon, Eastern Time USA.
Tom
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks Shane,
ACK Busted!
Yes, I admit I did
mean YES, even though I knew it was a STYX song. I always associated them as
similar bands, at least newer YES.
I'll be more careful
in the future! ; )
Greg
--------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC: You don't have
to be more careful. You could allow that to be a part of Demy's personality.
Just a thought.
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
IC: Demy gives the thumbs up
Ooc: I so want a
cover of that image....
*starts drawing*
Greg
-------------------------------------------------------------------
You draw it. I will
make it the cover of the issue.
Tom
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I would love that
cover myself.
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
At 0230 Rubicon will start to summon MISHA.
Greg
---------------------------------------------------------------------
IC: Demy raises his hand and asks,
"Strike, just so you all know: it takes about 5 minutes to bring MISHA
out. I assume you want me to do this prior to the attack? If so, we may need a
bigger bird to fit us in for infil. We should all be able to fit in a CH-47
Chinook, Osprey, or something similar, from my experience, but they are not
very quiet."
Greg
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Demy, I would advise you to bring
M.I.S.H.A. out before we depart, as it would give us the most firepower, but
obviously that would be your call. I had an idea for a transport that is very
silent and powerful enough to do the job. It is the Adamas model transport. We
can use a ranger line to hook everyone to it and allow Adamas to carry all of
you in."
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr Wildman looks at the sky..."so it's
about 3pm. How long to the off boss?"
Steve
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Replying to his
friend. The Bionic Brawler says. "Doc., I'm thinking wheels up at 0300 so
that has us reconvening at 0230 to be able to ensure that the
Intel has not changed
before we depart."
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
IC: William looks a
bit confused, not sure what a 'Ranger Line' looks like...
"If it's of any
use I can very quickly create a teleport gate to the roof for 'Team Obvious'
that will get you all up there instantly. I can't gate you inside as I need to
be able to see the end point, but it should be easy enough to get a view of the
roof from a vantage point some way off."
Steve
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Hearing William's comment about teleporting
Erdbeben chimes in, "I suppose it's too much to ask to find a picture of
the area inside? I mean, could the Destroyers' headquarters be in an article
for Homes & Villain Lairs?"
Looking to William he
adds, "Would a picture even work? Maybe we could use one of those
surveillance drones to get sneak inside?"
Paul
-------------------------------------------------------------------
William gave a warm
smile whilst shaking his head: "sadly my enchantments rely on biology
rather than technology - I guess it's a druid thing!"
Steve
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Rubicon says, "Hey Doc, that sounds way
more pragmatic. I've not done that one yet! Using the SPIE harness system is
fun, but I've not used it with M.I.S.H.A. without putting him in a cargo net at
the bottom. I can see it being an issue if we are going in hot and I think may
take minute to get everyone unhooked from the line. It may make things harder if M.I.S.H.A.
attacks something and we're all tied to it and brings us along for the
ride."
He pulls a remote
from the table and shows some images up on the screen.
"But, either
way, I'm good with whatever is decided on."
Greg
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The excitement
visibly drops from Erdbeben's face in response to William's answer. "So,
you're saying your powers are due to magic and aren't from some DNA
mutation?" he asks as he slowly puts his DNA Sample kit away.
Paul
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr Wildman looks at the image and genuinely
pales: "Really! That's an effective way of getting people into combat? -
Good grief; you guys are really brave - Wow!"
Steve
---------------------------------------------------------------------
William grins:
"No bizarre scientific accidents, bitten by radioactive aardvarks, super tech
gizmos or the like - it's 100% training my friend - hard work for the mind and
the body, oh and the occasional magical artifact of antiquity to lend a
hand."
As if to make a point
he dons his helmet and in a nimbus of green eldritch energy - where the man
stood, now stands an 8 foot Minotaur, bull faced; broad chested and stood on
cloven hooves. Dr Wildman clicked his knuckles together and brayed a deep and
hearty laugh: “But don't panic Erdbeben - I have a doctorate in Zoology,
biology and veterinary science - despite appearances I am a real doctor of
science!"
With that and in
another flash of emerald energy Dr Wildman resumes his human form and pulls off
his helmet. "I have learned that science does not have all the answers,
nor magic. Have faith my friend, the world is bigger that we think it is."
He gives a cheeky wink to Erdbeben then looks to StrikeForce as the briefing
continues.
Steve
--------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC: Sounds good to
me.
IC: Upon hearing Strike
Forces team roster, Demy can noticeable be seen restraining himself as he says,
"Put me in Coach! I'm ready to
play....today!"
Greg
--------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC: I
thought it was all just perfect! You
guys are amazing #blessed to be included with such a great cast of characters.
Adamas rubs his hands
together glancing around at the gathered team, "This will be fun."
Jon
--------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC: Thanks! Glad to have you with us.
Since no one has a
change to the idea, StrikeForce's OOC will be given IC.
"After much
thought on how best to go forward with the two teams, I believe that this
grouping will allow us the best chance of success. Team Obvious, the top down
assault force will consist of these heroes, Adamas, Demolisher, Erdbeben,
Rubicon and M.I.S.H.A. This of course means the bottom up infiltrators will
consist of Black Orchid, Dr. Wildman, Patty Plus, and
myself.(StrikeForce)." He pauses to ensure that there are no more
concerns, then resumes. " Get whatever rest you can before we depart. We
will reconvene 30 min. before liftoff to finalize any changes before we leave.
Before we separate to rest, let me tell you Ladies and Gentlemen, I consider it
a privilege to head into battle with you. While some of us are new to working
together, and some are new to all of this." StrikeForce takes a moment to
pause and look at all of his teammates, and resumes. "I don't think that
there is a finer collection of individuals anywhere, and I am proud to be here
with you." After finishing StrikeForce will go to rest; he will awaken an
hour before liftoff to go over any new Intel Before gathering the team.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
For team Obvious, I
need to know what they plan to do once they are on the roof and if Adamas is
leading the way through the roof, I need to know how many floors he plans on
going through.
For team
Infiltrators, I need to know how you plan on entering the bottom and get up to
the floors.
If you want to have
the issue stop right before you enter the floors that have been identified to belong
to the Destroyers, I can do that. So that way everything is in a position where
you can provide me you read the next issue before providing actions once you
are in.
I need to know where
you stop and how you are timing actions. Do both teams enter the Destroyers'
floors at the same time or does Team Obvious enter while Team Infiltrators
enters the building. So it could be a couple of turns before the Infiltrators
show up.
Thanks
Tom
-------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC: How about this as a suggestion? As far as
we can work out from the briefing the Destroyers do not have a psychic. That
means that Patty should be able to reconnoiter with a healthy margin of safety.
Both teams make for a rooftop that can be a mile+ away but has a line of sight
to the roof of the Destroyers building and the street below.
Adamas hits the
skies, high enough not to be seen, above the building. Patty scouts the
building in her astral form leaving her body with us on our roof top. Having
got a sense of (1) where the Destroyers are and (2) a good route in for Team
Infiltrators she heads up to Adamas and he preps his dive. Meanwhile Patty zips
back to her body on our roof and shares her intel. Happy with the intel
StrikeForce shouts "Crusaders Charge!" (It's like Avengers Assemble
but cooler!) And Adamas starts his 'Dive through the rooftop with a pike
finish'.
Dr Wildman meanwhile
lines up the gate to the roof. Adamas smashes in with Team Obvious hot on his
heels having been gated in.
Meanwhile Dr Wildman
makes another gate to street level for Team Infiltrators shrouded in Black
Orchids darkness with StrikeForce using his IR vision, Orchid using her night
vision and Dr W assuming a suitable shape with night vision. Between them they
steer Patty to the place where the infiltration starts.
Meanwhile, meanwhile
- Team Obvious is causing mayhem up top and Team Infiltrators...infiltrate.
Now it may be that to
start at street level might be a bit of a long drag to the top floors so Team
Infiltrators could also gate to the roof and infiltrate from there; again
shrouded in Orchid's darkness - With this option Patty could support Team
Obvious - her powers are pretty awesome in a face to face fight and she's
almost unbreakable like Adamas. That means StrikeForce can go Cyber Ninja,
Black Orchid invisible and Dr Wildman can make like a Black Panther -
infiltrating whilst the madness and mayhem continues.
Anyway I clearly need
to stop now and do my real job - I'm quite happy to read an issue I'm not
directly involved in if that helps the story develop.
This is great! Love
it!
Steve
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Erdbeben chimes in,
"Maybe we can pull up Google Maps and get a look at the roof of the
building? We can see if there are any entrances or defenses that we should be
aware of? But, I'm just a medical guy and not a tactical guy, so it's probably
not the way you all do things..."
OOC: We should have a
means of recon of at least the roof so that we can form a more cohesive attack
plan.
Paul
--------------------------------------------------------------------
If Dr. Wildman is
already gating them to the roof, he could change shape and follow Adamas in to
get a look inside the building, and then just gate the other team inside.
Jamey
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unless he commits to
memory a location Dr W can't gate blind without a chance of something going
wrong. His preference is to be able to see both ends of the gate. He could gate
the team in blind but that comes at a risk. He'd be happy to do it though.
If you want a beer in
the UK, a view of the pyramids in Egypt or just to go to his house. He can get
you there safely
Steve
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's stay as safe as
we can. It is looking more and more like this two pronged assault may not work.
I guess we will have to let everyone decide if they are still onboard with it.
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I like the idea of
staying together, nothing good I can think of off the top of my head, has ever
come of splitting the party.
Two smaller parties
might be easier for Tom, if that's the case, we make it happen.
Jon
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Together or two parties, either way I can
handle
Tom
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Throw my vote towards
a one group assault. Sending Patty Plus to recon before Adamas
"knocks".
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Erdbeben is good
either way. He would like the additional recon, though. Maybe in addition to a
satellite image of the roof, we can get the blueprints from the city as to what
its 'supposed' to look like on the top three floors.
Paul
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom,
I was wondering if
StrikeForce/Jason's knowledge areas of security/technology will possibly help
the team when it comes to bypassing security measures in the Destroyers HQ?
As far as
StrikeForce's next area of development, I have been considering a couple of
areas for improvement. While not in any sort of order. Bumping up his Cool
score, as this helps his strength of will. I have also been thinking of control
of machinery, and an advanced drone like Redwing from the Marvel movies. I was
wondering how many points I would need for either of these last two ideas. I
would appreciate an answer when you can get around to it.
Thanks,
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
To bypass security
measures that would be Intelligence save 12 or less with The Destroyer's Oppose
Save score. So StrikeForce would need a 10 or less.
Cool score is easy to
increase. It is 1 CP per 1 point of Cool increased
Control of Machinery
is now called Gear Control. StrikeForce has 5 IP that could be invested as CP
into which would give you a 15- (base chance) to control gear which after the
hit, the Gear would have a save of 9 or less to avoid being controlled. You can
invest less and the Gear save increases by 1 (2.5 CP is 10 or less and 0 CPs is
11 or less)
The Advance drone
would be under the Companion. StrikeForce has 5 IP that could be invested as CP
into which would give you 197 CPs to make your Advanced Drone. You can invest
less and the abilities of the companion drop (2.5 CP is 177 CPs and 0 CP is 157
CPS)
Let me know if you
have any questions.
Tom
--------------------------------------------------------------------
