Mutants & Masterminds: Lake City Universe - M&M 3E - LCU: The Home of Heroes (IC)

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Surveying the scene from about forty feet above - at an angle where those in the bank or getaway cars can't easily see him - Volt is looking for getaway cars, panicking people, anything that might be critical to the situation. He's staying fairly high to keep his surveillance and movement options open.

He thinks 'Hey! I can send images to the Telepath.'

Volt sends on the link to Gary "Hello Special Agent, I'm sending visuals to you now. Just let me know if there is a specific view you want ... This is neat."

Volt is indeed sending visuals, and with all his capabilities 'up' his perceptual abilities were quite good ...

[Superball]

Naomi stepped outside, then walked to her motorcycle. Sitting on it and getting ready to go, she heard the police scanner.

She makes a decision right then and there. She calls up the front desk through her helmet.

"Patch me me through to whatever communications the team is using. It's Superball."

"Yes... I am aware the team is on a emergency mission, Ma'am... I'm about to join them."

"Right... Beast of a truck... just tell me what channel tehy use for their radio so I can patch in."

"Thank you."

"Guys, this is Superball. I'm on the street sitting on my Motorcycle outside the HQ. When you guys hit the street I'll be right by your side. That is... if whatever you're about to ride I can match. What's your status?"

[Heritage]

Mike yelped in terror at the brief jaunt through Hell (or at least something damned close to it). "Please don't ever do that again..God, I hate my voice like this." He held up the keys and pressed the alarm button, and there was series of menacing whirs, clunks and grinding noises as the Beast shook, unlocked and unbolted itself, like a cave bear rousing from its sleep.

Up on the third floor, Kiki tried to keep the various conversational threads straight. "Hi, Supes, good to have you back! Uh, Gary did a mind-link thingy, and now he's the man at the switchboard. I'll let him know you're back in the saddle so we can coordinate better." She chewed her lip for a second as she looked at a map of the city on her flatscreen, with various colorful icons representing the many first responders. "Tell you what, head for the bank and the rest of the team will meet you there, 'kay?"

She then sent a mental note to Gary. *"Hey, G-Man! Oh, i guess that works both ways, huh? So after she left building and said good-bye. looks like Naomi had a change of heart...and a motorcycle. She's gonna meet you guys at the bank, if that's cool with you."*

Meanwhile far above downtown, Volt had an impressive view of the situation; the combination of the police cordon around the bank and rush hour traffic was nightmarish. Lisowski was right; how the heck did the robbers plan to make their getaway? SWAT, regular police, ambulance and fire trucks were packed in tight around the branch, which was a few short blocks from the Dearborn Avenue Bridge heading north across the river.

[Superball]

Superball squeals her tires as she flips the visor down on her helmet. "In route, base. Notify law enforcement that if they see a yellow-suited motorcycle rider speeding down the streets that's me. Last thing I need is a cop looking for quota."

She rushes to the scene of the robbery. Formulating her initial plan of action. Knowing once the rest of the team shows up she's to take a support position.

When she arrives at the scene, she looks for whoever is in command, activating the speaker system on her helmet.

"Excuse me... who is in charge here?"

She remembers to pull out the badge only a few moments ago she considered turning in to the officer guarding the tape. "Assistant Special Deputy Superball. First day on the job. What's the situation?"

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

She then sent a mental note to Gary. *"Hey, G-Man! Oh, i guess that works both ways, huh? So after she left building and said good-bye. looks like Naomi had a change of heart...and a motorcycle. She's gonna meet you guys at the bank, if that's cool with you."*

Understood. The more the merrier, I just hope she's got her head on straight this time around. Gary shifted the link around to the rest of the group repeating the same basic message, Kiki says Naomi radioed in with a change of heart. She's going to meet us at the bank. He reached under his shirt and tapped the O-suit beneath his suit, reassured by its presence. Without a gun he had nothing else to do but to flip open the case files still clutched in his hand, and look them over. The Beast jumped and bounced along, not excessively, but enough that he soon snapped the folder shut. Closing his eyes he reached out and began to search the area, he'd not touched Naomi's mind so he wasn't likely to find her, not without knowing it in his mind, but he could try.

Perception check

Perception +14 to locate Naomi

1d20+14=28

If that's insufficient let me know and I'll edit this post accordingly.

Reaching out he sensed thousands of minds within his range, he could send to them all if need be, but there was no reason to do so. Instead he tried to find a needle in a stack of needles. To his shock he found her, he was certain, as certain as he could be without having touched her mind previously. Naomi? It's Gary, Kiki said you changed your mind. She said you were going to meet us at the bank. I just want to ask if you're certain. If this goes bad we all need to know we can count on you, but if you say you are good then you're good, and I'll let the others know.

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Volt Surveyed the scene from above, "Gary, doing a slow scan now. Images inbound. Also kicking in my extra audio for you." flying an new arc - long and downward to get an ultra vision enhanced look into any open widows or darkened spaces - and making sure to saccade his central field of vision evenly over the scene to actually perceive details. He guessed that it wasn't exactly like a camera, and if he missed something then it might not get sent to Gary. His ultra-hearing also kicked in, all the while he was straining to hear something that might be critical.

If they did decide to take a shot, then on this closer approach would be their chance.

After that, he swooped back and down to the middle of the SWAT vehicles ... slowly and deliberately so as not to spook them by looking all XP. "Hello Officers, I'm Volt. EC squad is on the way. I'm sending back to them right now. Please, do let us know anything we might need to know. We're here to lend a hand ... Oh, yes. If we can keep the noise down I have enhanced hearing. I can try listening in to the goings on."

[quotemyname]

Thankfully, the trafficked streets hadn't been a terrible concern to them. From the small siren to the surprisingly capable driving skills of Mike, they made good time. Though it was plain to see that Blitz was nearly falling asleep of boredom as she lazily matched pace with the vehicle.

Before too long they had arrived. As The Beast roared up to the crime scene, Hellhound leaped from the rear toward the line of police cars. Using the momentum of the vehicle before it applied it's breaks, he flew a little farther than normal. He landed, crouched, in a three point stance. There was nothing overly dramatic about it. No splitting concrete from the impact, no gouts of flame pouring off of him, just a very smooth controlled landing.

"Glad to have you back, Naomi. Can you get the schematics for the building up on one of your computers? It'd be a big help to know where I was going when we eventually have to move on the bank." Hellhound addressed his returning teammate with a welcoming smile. Despite his altered appearance, he cast a friendly aura. Though, there was the lingering thought that it may feel so much more malignant if he only so much as changed his facial expressions.

"Officer," He addressed the nearest policeman, "Who here can fill us in on the situation? Hostages, identities of the perpetrators, any involvement by xp's, any demands they've made? etc.?"

[Superball]

Naomi steels herself. The question was right to ask. "There's people right now that need us, everyone. Because there's scum like that killer and like those robbers who want nothing more than prey on the innocent. It's our job... no our obligation having our gifts to answer when called to bring people like that to Justice... I almost failed in doing answering that call and I'm sorry. I won't be weak again."

She straightens out her suit and says a voice command to her computer. "Suit, grab a diagram from the PD and overlay that with the zoning board's property records. Access codes using team protocols."

She returns to the groups mental link. "This... is sorta cool... now, if anyone needs an eye in the sky I'm the best you got. Since I'm not the punchy-zappy sort of cape around. Once my passwords and what-not clear you'll have your maps in a jiffy."

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

Umm, Naomi, it doesn't work that way. It's one at a time. The others, they never heard me ask the question. Let along your reply. Sorry if that wasn't clear. Glad you're on board though. Gary grabbed the overhead bar as The Beast skidded to a halt in front of the police cordon. He got out and without even thinking it his badge was in his hand and the words came unbidden to his lips, "Special Agent Samson. What's the situation on the inside?" Barely a Special Agent at all and I already sound like a Hollywood cliché. Great! He shook his head ruefully, this was going to be difficult to get used to, not the least reason being that his team was anything but a coordinated unit that was used to working together.

He gestured to Russ, "This is *ahem* Codename: Hellhound." I sound like a retard. He pointed to the sky, "Codename: Volt. Codename Blitz is that red blur right there, and umm, Codename: Superball will be along shortly." The officer in charge was looking at Gary like he had a second head and Gary couldn't blame him. He looked at Mike and realized that Mike wasn't going to be Mike for this kind of fare. "That's the Driver. We're your new XP Support. Special Deputies with the Sheriff's Office."

[Superball]

Superball walks over to Samson. "I already introduced myself, Special Agent. As soon as I made contact, I opened it up on my motorcycle to get here. I think I blew something on the engine though... so I'm probably going to need to put her in back and a ride back to base."

She goes into thought mode. "Okay, Samson, you got that air of authority in how you presented yourself. Since you also have FBI training you should be our lead. Blitz and Volt are probably going to go in with Hellhound. I'll keep to the rear to provide any medical assistance or if you wish I can loiter above the bank and provide some semblance of recon. Your call."

A beep happens in her helmet. "And that tells me the downloads are done. I'll set up the overlay and keep that on my helmet visor HUD. I'm looking at it right now. I'll keep it visualized in my minds eye if you can read visual information as well as thoughts."

[z-Blitz]

Blitz kept her thoughts regarding the situation to herself. She was still badly shaken by all the events that had passed regarding Hellhound. How could I have gotten myself into this mess? the young XP wondered. It had all been so easy, she’d thought. Assume an identity. Find a job. Live happily ever after. But it wasn’t working out that way. Things were much messier than she thought it would be.

Blitz zipped into the cordon, circling it and the building, her green eyes studying the scene before stopping at Gary’s side. “So frontal attack?” she asked. “Or would you like me to zip around behind and come at them from the back while Volt and Hellhound come at the front?” Under her mask, her lips curled in an eager smile. Fighting wasn’t her first choice but she preferred that to standing around, trying to unravel the mess that her life had become in less than an hour.

[Superball]

{retracted}

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

Team, we need to work together. Everybody ok if I take charge? Gary got no objections, and decided to move forward, for better or worse he was stepping into a leadership role. We need information, first and foremost. Nobody is going in there until we have a better idea of the lay of the land. He broadcast a quick image of the area that Volt had sent him earlier, as well as the map from Superball. He fixed the aerial view in his mind.

Here's what I want us to do. Recon first, action second. Volt, I ... we, need eyes in the sky still. Specifically check for roof access on this building and those nearby, see if they are locked or not, see if there is equipment or people up there that may help affect an escape. Hellhound, you're fast, canvas the area, check the alleys, streets, and the rest of this building, make sure we haven't missed an exit they might use or an ally they have on the outside, maybe a getaway car. Blitz, don't hate me, but you're faster than the rest of us, so I need you to cover the most ground. All these neighboring buildings, check their basements for escape routes. Check the sewers and the utility conduits and corridors, anything that these guys might use to escape below us. Superball, hack the bank, check their schedules, those of the manager, their armored truck schedules, look for anything that might tell us what these guys were up to. Unless this was a random robbery there's probably something we can leverage to our advantage, and even if not, it pays to know that. I'm going to check out the inside of the bank, I can borrow others' senses, see and hear from their point of view. If I can't get the lay of the land from that I'll be surprised.

Remember, I can send to you all at the same time, but you guys cannot. Anything you send to me I need to send out to the others. So keep it brief and information dense please, it'll make my job easier. Gary looked at them each, everybody had gathered to where he was with Mike. We can do this. You guys can do this. Once we have a better understanding of the situation, we can better formulate a solution that won't get people killed. Gary nodded, he assumed they didn't need anything further, but waited anyway before closing his eyes in concentration.

As the others went to their work so did Gary, his mind reaching out to touch those of the men and women within the bank. Instead of trying to read their thoughts he hacked into their senses, seeing and hearing the situation. He counted hostages, counted the criminals, and made a note of their gear, their weapons. He checked to see if anybody was hurt, or killed, and made notes of anything else he felt was relevant. It took time and effort, but it was almost as good as having a man inside.

Suggestion

I suggest that the rest of you make one (and only 1) reply post to this. Describe your actions, make any rolls you need to roll like Perception, or Hacking and Investigations, etc. Then we all sit pat and wait for Heritage to make an update.

ESP but cooler

Gary is using Shared Sensory Network: Remote Sensing 15 (120 miles, Normal Visual, Normal Auditory, Mental; Subtle 2, Limited to other people’s senses)

He's basically looking through the bank to see how many hostages there are, how many crooks, what weapons they have etc,

Here's my Perception Check

1d20+14=20

[quotemyname]

"Before anyone says anything else, if you quote Toucan Sam, you're a dead man." With a smile, Hellhound brandished a finger jokingly at the group. "Joking aside, I'll cover the back of the building first. It seems the most likely way in and out other than the front door."

Hellhound began to stalk off toward the line of police cars, eager to do his part. He stopped briefly in front of Blitz, "Looks like you'll be getting down and dirty," He eyed her with a sideways glance, "Don't have too much fun without me down there." His lips cracked into a smile just before he vanished in a wisp of sulfur and a small tongue of flames...

Hellhound wasted no time in getting to work looking for all the things Gary had suggested. Though he didn't just use his eyes. He set his unusually keen nose to the task of turning up any uncommon smells that would lead into and out of the building. If the employees so much as took their smoke breaks out back and used a security door to do so, he'd find it.

[Superball]

Naomi wishes it was blitz wearing the suit. God knows what sort of biohazards and pests call the sewers of fair Lake City home.

She shivers a little before speaking. "Understood. I'll get right to it. Samson, I will have your information shortly. I'll stick next to you to relay this verbally."

She pulls her laptop and wifi card out. "I guess if it's for the greater good I'll break my one rule..."

She starts doing a brute force crack of the bank's wireless connection directly. Her prize was the bank's local database of all deliveries, accounts, and very recent transactions. See, banks rarely anymore carry a lot of their money, so if a deposit was made of a large sum in person... that might be bait. Then there's the safe deposit vaults... any recent changes in the bank's manifest should prove interesting.

Technology Roll

Kamiko *rolls* 1d20: 7+18: 25

She just hopes she can crack the system in time. If the police would have given her some sort of access codes this would be far faster.

"I hate doing it like this..."

She's also an insufferable white-hat. Committing one of her cardinal sins. Hacking.

[Heritage]

At the sudden arrival of many colorfully costumed XPs (two of them young ladies), the men and women of the Lake City police at the edge of the cordon had a few things to say.

"Huh...looks like the Sheriff's recruiting at high schools again..."

"That looks like it would be hard to keep clean."

"Wait, does that guy have a pelt?"

"Holy shit, that guy flies! We've got a flier now! That is awesome!"

A senior officer pushes his way through the uniformed throng with some difficulty. "Alright, the lot of you get back! We got word from the county they was coming, so give 'em a little breathing room, would ya?" His angry glare drives them back, but the muttering, elbowing and staring continue, just at a lower overall volume. Straightening his uniform, the officer jerks a thumb at his chest.

"I'm the guy in charge here; Lieutenant Harvey Fresnel at your service." He takes a few moments to cast his eyes over the group, then takes note of Gary, which leads to an appreciative nod. "FBI, eh? Nice to see you guys got out here so fast. Now I'm never gonna remember all your little code-names and whatnot, but I'll give ya the lay of the land. And buddy-" He points at Volt, an amused grin on his face. "If you can think of a way to make rush hour traffic, ten black-and-whites and the LCFD keep it down, I'd love to hear it." He shrugs. "No offense."

"Okay, we've got three XPs that we know of in the bank; they're using scrambled radios of some kind, but we gather they're on the horn with a fourth perp, possibly another XP, who's on overwatch. We're not sure where he is, possibly in one of the offices across the street, but we can't find him yet."

He counts off on his fingers. "The team leader goes by 'Nucks', though it may just be 'Nuts', because this guy is wound tighter than a drum. He's got an SMG of some kind, maybe an Uzi, and he just fires the damn thing into the ceiling tiles whenever he gets pissed off, which is all the time; this is not the tightest ship, lemme tell ya. Our buddy Nucks seems to have some kinda...I dunno, vertigo power or somethin'; we got folks in there puking their guts out, but there's no gas or anything else, so we think it's like his power."

"Next we some dumb fat bastard they call 'Joey Bumps', 'Bumps' or 'Bumpy'; it seems like he's pretty strong, but he's not there to do the heavy lifting. He's wearing like a-" He turns to one of the other cops. "What color would you call that, Matt, like a burnt orange?"

"I don't know, lieutenant, it's one of those Crayola colors; like maybe an umber?"

"Whatever, he's wearing an umber bodysuit that's just about to split, with what looks like a tire track right across his fat gut. He's got a gun, but he hasn't used it yet. Mr Bumpy is also engaged in an ongoing fight with our buddy Nucks over why the fuck he was so damn late to show up with the van; seems Joey stole the van, and then got stuck having to pick his sister's sick kid up at school." He rolls his eyes in disbelief. "The guy's a total putz. This situation appears to be the main reason for all the gunfire into the ceiling; these guys are running way late, and weren't anticipating rush hour traffic at all."

He counts off on a third finger. "Last XP on-site is a big mother they call 'Carny', and buddy, this guy is huge; estimates are close to eight feet tall, pure muscle, orange fur, claws, the whole works. He ain't even wearing goddamn pants, though thank God we haven't gotten a free show yet." He points towards the bank windows. "Our boy Carny is ripping the shit out of the vault, and nearly has the damn thing off its hinges, from what we can make out." He waves a finger vaguely towards the buildings overhead. "Fourth man is up there somewhere; they call him 'Pidge', from what Nucks is screaming into his radio, the guy must be havin' some kinda panic attack on the other end. Sound's like 'the boss', whoever he is, is going ballistic."

Lt. Fresnel then outlines the hostage situation, such as it is; there are ten bank employees in the branch, plus three security guards, all of whom have been accounted for and are visible through the windows. They've counted fifteen customers, but have no idea if there are anymore they can't see, though it seems likely. No formal demands regard any hostages have been issued; perhaps the perps are still hoping to make it out without them? It's clear the situation is rapidly deteriorating, and it's probably only a matter of time before Nucks shoots someone.

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Working with the plan, Volt replied to the officer "Anything you can do sir, its appreciated. Maybe just tell the other fellow over there to take it easy with the bull horn - the crowd and traffic noise are manageable." and while still hovering near ground level said to the rest of the team "I'll be in contact with SA Samson, but since I might go in close to take a look up there I will be hiding ... sort of invisibility. Don't be shocked if you loose sight of me."

... at the mention of the potential un-sub (that is what they call them on CSI right? Volt thought to himself) in the offices the handsome hero lifted from his near-ground hover to a spot where he could get a good listen and look ... he had experience using his super hearing and had set up a few stereo systems with friends ... so he listened for the acoustic sweet spots along his flight path. His keen eyes also swept the scene for details ... anything to find 'Pidge'.

Since he was already more than close enough to the potential cover of building ledges, window wells, and roof-line angles his trick for hiding would work ... and he subtly bent time around himself to 'hide in plain sight'. That would let him get in very close, and hopefully avoid testing whether the criminals were normal weapons or not.

Anything of importance he gleaned would be relayed back to Gary instantly.

[Superball]

"So, a crazed vertigo inducing gunman, a super fattie, and Dr. Seuss' worst nightmare. And a potential sniper. Not good."

Naomi makes sure her helmet is on as good as it can before returning to her task on her laptop.

"Hopefully I can get into the security systems. Having eyes in the bank would be a blessing. Still working on entry, by the way."

"Lieutenant Fresnel, Just so you are aware I am trained for medical emergencies. I'm monitoring emergency channel 9, on the citizen's band."

"Agent Samson, I will notify you once my search provides paydirt."

[quotemyname]

Hellhound listened to the Lieutenant's message as relayed by Gary even as he prowled the area around the bank. No demands? I don't like that, Gary. To me it says they don't care about the hostages, Hellhound reasoned over the mental link between them, Soon as they get their money, it's likely they're going to rabbit, and as XPs we have to assume they're capable of getting away. I'd hate to see the hostages be caught in the crossfire when we make our move. The moment this 'Carny' breaks through the vault, let me know. I'll jump in and stall them. If they don't have their cash, they're not going anywhere.

There may also be a way to get the hostages out without any casualties, Hellhound mulled over his plan silently for a momment, then continued, Yea, I think this'll work. Ask Blitz how fast she thinks she can evac 10 to 11 people. If it's only a few seconds, I can get us in there allowing us to ge the jump on them. I grab one or two and vanish, and she grabs the rest and shows us how fast her hundred yard dash is. If the perps are busy arguing amongst themselves, we can be in and out before they even know what hit them.

[Heritage]

WHAT EVERYONE FINDS OUT

1. There's a unmarked white van in the alley near the rear exit, by the southeast rear exit past the vault (the 'real' floorplan goes another twenty feet back behind the vault and tellers, and includes the break room, bathrooms and maintenance closet). The plates have been removed and the engine is running, and it reeks like a barnyard.

2. There is a somewhat larger amount of money in the branch since it's the first Friday of the month and therefore a major payday, but not a great deal more than there would be on the average weekday. There are several 'juicy' safe deposit boxes in the vault, including some jewelry, t-bills and other small high ticket items, but the most intriguing item is steel briefcase that belongs to a top researcher for the Orthi Corporation, contents unknown.

3. There are no major connections to the bank other than a fairly large utility tunnel for telecom and electrical conduits that runs both across the street and behind to the next building. It opens into the maintenance room, with is in the northeast corner behind the waiting area.

4. There are no apparent irregularities in the work schedules of the employees, but two of them have numerous write-ups and are close to being terminated due to various performance issues; one of them, Tyler Hartigan, is off today, but the other, Stephanie Curtis, is in, and is one of the tellers.

5. There are five stories of offices above the bank, entered through a separate lobby. Roof access from the top floor is by the elevator maintenance area, though there is also a fire escape down the back of the building. From the bank, you'd have to go into the building lobby (which runs along the north end of the building) and make your way to the top floor via either the internal stairs or the elevator, and the use the short stairway there to the roof.

6. The criminals are not having a good day; one of the 'hostages', an elderly woman with a cane who is collapsed on the floor, looks to be close to having a heart attack, and Nucks and Bumps are arguing about getting her medical help: Bumps want to let in an EMT, Nucks says no way. Carny is taking forever to rip open the safe, which seems to be stronger than the criminal suspected, possibly due to bad intel.

7. All of the hostages are on the ground and the floors are slick with vomit; retching noises and moaning are common. There is a very frightened young woman hiding in the women's bathroom near the waiting area, and no one seems to know she's there.

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

Gary's hand went to his head; relaying so much information was taking its toll. OK guys, I'm going offline, you'll need to rely on comms for a bit, I need to take a look inside and then see what I can do in there. Gary shut the network down and shook his head to clear it. A moment's concentration and he located the men inside and found 'Joey Bumps'. Taking a deep breath Gary let it out slow, he wasn't ready to do this but there were three XPs inside, and a lot of innocents. This seemed the easiest way to try and get more information quickly. Hopefully Lieutenant Fresnel was right and this guy was an idiot, and hopefully that would make him easy access for Gary. Closing his eyes the FBI agent touched his mind to that of the criminal.

Mind Reading

Gary is going to try to mind dive 'Joey Bumps' with Mind Reading 8. It's perception range, and Gary has mental senses enough to locate the guy inside. He's going to try and find out where the fourth man is, and what these guys have planned.

Opposed effect check 1d20+8=10

Guh, spending a HP to re-roll: 1d20+8=24 better

Bumps gets to resist with d20+Will sav, each degree I succeed by determines the starting level of connection

[Heritage]

It was child's play for Gary to enter the mind of 'Joey Bumps', though due to the adreneline currently pumping through his bloodstream, the XP's thoughts were flying a mile a minute.

...God, if that old lady buys it, we're all screwed...hell, we're already screwed...Stanzi's gonna gut us if we don't get that damn case and get outta here...oh Jesus, Pidge says they've got supers outside!...oh shit!...ohmigod, I swear I'm gonna have a heart attack...where's my pulse?...I can't find my pulse...I thought the Wart and that damn pixie were gone!...is it...is it Alliance?...oh shit! oh shit!...Ratcatcher's gonna nail us to the wall!...wait, why does Nux want Pidge to start shooting?...That asshole!...

The special agent is also able to pry the information out of Joey's head about the fourth man's location: Pidge is perched on a ledge on the Fitchner Building across the street, wearing an invisible flight suit. He's fairly sure he's on the twelfth floor, but he wasn't paying close attention to that part of the plan, since he didn't think it affected him too much.

Those watching the bank from outside see the arguing between Joey and Nux reach a fever pitch, as the two are now screaming at the top of their lungs and gesturing towards the windows outside.

[z-Blitz]

Blitz nodded at Gary's orders, though she couldn't see the man and he couldn't see her. It was an instinctive acknowledgement of his command. She burst into motion, circling the area as asked, her impressive speed allowing her to cover ground in seconds that would take non-powered humans hours. She zipped around, looking at everything and came back to the same spot seconds later. *Gary, you there again?* she asked in the confines of her own skull. *I have a report.* Then she waited until the telepath reconnected to her so she could tell him what she found.

Heri, what did she find?

Anything of note?

[Superball]

Naomi quirks an eyebrow. They have to be using some sort of radio...

She plugs a USB cable from her laptop to her suit, and starts getting into her comlink interface. Her mission... get into the radios that the robbers are using to give the team an advantage. Namely by being able to relay intel. If she can recalibrate her comlink to recieve on their frequency... but first she has to isolate their channel! Luckily looking at the radio sets they are wearing through the security cameras, it should be easy to isolate the brand they are using... and thus figure out what frequencies they use.

Investigation Roll & Technology Roll

[Kamiko] 4:56 pm: investigation roll

Kamiko *rolls* 1d20: 15+18: 33

[Kamiko] 4:54 pm: Technology roll

Kamiko *rolls* 1d20: 12+18: 30

If she is right... this could be a game changer. She turns on the speaker on her helmet on low volume. Since Samson is next to her she can relay vocally if she gets in.

"Special Agent Samson, I am going to try to get their radio frequency and start getting more intel on their actions by listening in."

"After this... I got a lot of confessions to make..."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Unable to hear anything above the background noise, or see anything besides the van - an escape Van.

Since there was nothing to report as an eye in the sky Volt decided hinder the escape, especially since Gary was going off-line. With his long energy tentacle he didn't have to come right to ground level ... from above he came down a bit and also stretched the glowing tendril round the van.

He was strong, and his tendrils were equally potent ... strong enough to easily lift the vehicle into the air and temporarily place it elsewhere. This would be the time for a sniper to take a shot at him, but his defenses were up. He would stash the van in a place difficult to drive out of ... another alley or the roof of a sturdy enough building. He would also place it on its side, careful not to damage it as was possible. No one would be using this for an escape.

He did this as quietly as possible ... so as not to spook the criminals with a spectacle.

[quotemyname]

Hellhound had also seen the van in the alley. He'd never gotten there, however. As he was making his way toward it, he stopped dead. The mental message from Gary about what was inside the bank echoed through his head. But he heard little more than, "There is a very frightened young woman hiding in the women's bathroom near the waiting area, and no one seems to know she's there."

Hot air around him crackled and snapped, Just as Volt air lifted the van Hellhound vanished. He appeared a moment later in the small restroom beside the main lobby of the bank. He diffused the majority of his powers, other than what would be needed to help her escape so as not to frighten her. With a once again, normal complexion, he hissed and in a hoarse whisper he said, "Miss! Excuse me, Miss? Open the door. I'm here to get you out."

[Heritage]

Other Cool Stuff Blitz Learns!

As she races beneath, below and throughout the lower levels of the buildings in the area, she comes across a rather sinister-looking device in the building directly to the north of the bank; she went by so fast she had to retrace her steps and look at it a second time. It appears to be a large case with some sort of radio device strapped to it with black electrician's tape. What possible purpose does it serve?

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

Volt, the fourth man is called Pidge, and he's perched on a ledge on the Fitchner Building across the street. He's got optical camoflage, but I don't know if its full spectrum of not, Bumps is too dumb to know the difference. He's going to start shooting, find him and make sure he doesn't. Gary scanned the area for minds, for the thoughts and wills and desires of other people, craning his head up and around to look at the Fitchner Building he looked for the sniper, not with his eyes, but with his mind. Volt, try the twelfth floor, third window over from the corner.

The rest of you, we need to be on point, this looks like it's going to go south soon, these guys may already have decided to fight their way out. They're nervous and agitated, and ... and I think we're just about out of time. Nux seems to be the kingpin here, if this gets violent take him out fast and hopefully the other will surrender. Bumps is my way in, I'm gonna puppet him.

Rolls

[jameson] 9:23 am: Perception +14

jameson *rolls* 1d20: 10+14: 24

[jameson] 9:23 am: witness?

[Jeremy] 9:23 am: witnessed

[jameson] 9:24 am: ty

[jameson] 9:26 am: Psychology +5 and Insight +12

jameson *rolls* 1d20: 11+5: 16

jameson *rolls* 1d20: 10+12: 22

[Jeremy] 9:26 am: witnessed

[jameson] 9:27 am: danke

[Heritage]

Using his mental abilities, Agent Samson is quickly able to pinpoint Pidge's location and relay it to Volt, who has gingerly placed the escape van on the roof of an adjacent building. While removing the van has indeed cut off the criminal's primary escape route, it does indeed freak them out. Via the comlink that Naomi successfuly hacked, the following is now heard:

Pidge: Uh, boss...we got a serious problem here.

Nux: Why am I not hearding shootin', Pidge? How long does it take to remove a fuckin' silencer?

Pidge: One of the capes just stole our van.

Nux:...

Pidge: Did you copy, boss?

Nux: You're tellin' me one of the capes stole our stolen van?

Pidge: That's right, boss. He picked it up with like...an energy thing, and put it on the roof.

The radios go silent. From outside, Nux can be seen screaming and emptying a clip into the ceiling in his fury; he then throws his empty gun across the lobby and storms off to the vault to verbally abuse the hapless Carny, still trying to pry the vault door off its hinges.

(back on the radio)

Pidge: So should I still start shooting?

Joey Bumps: No, do not start shooting, Pidge! I don't care what Nux says, we do not want a riot out there if we got no van!

Pidge: So what should I do?

Joey: I dunno; what are the other capes doin'?

Pidge: There was a hot chick who was running super-fast, but I have no idea where she went. There's a chick in a yellow suit who's doing something on a computer...oh man, the monkey van just showed up....

The 'monkey van' is a large gray police vehicle with 'LCPD ECU' stenciled on its side; it pulls up on the sidewalk across the street from the bank, and the back end opens open to reveal a bunch of cops in SWAT uniforms unpacking what looks like a cross between medieval armor and a space suit.

Inside the bank, Nux's burst of submachine gun fire ellicts screams from the hostages; from inside the women's room, a small frightened voice is heard. "Hello? Is someone out there? I don't want to die!"

On the puke-slicked floor of the lobby, Mrs Emily Switlack goes into cardiac arrest.

[z-Blitz]

Nux. You got it. Blitz never wasted time, and this was no exception as she eyed the device. Gary, I have something down here I need to check out. It’s a radio-box-case thing. I’m going to make sure they aren’t going to bomb us, then I’ll be up to help with Nux.

Blitz leaned over and took a closer look at the device, praying that a bomb wasn’t about to go off in her face. That would be very inconvenient.

Technology roll (1d20+6=17)

[Superball]

Naomi, hearing where the sniper was, gets defensive. She sets her laptop to operate while closed by clicking an icon on her desktop, puts it in the slot on her backpack she originally pulled it out of, and presses a red button, inflating her suit for the first time in public. Of course when it activates she is practically has tank armor.

"Samson, seems there is a little conflict in the ranks." She says as she's next to Samson. "Their leader is a hot head and he just disarmed himself by blowing his ammo into the roof of the building. The Sniper is getting itchy, and needs to be dealt with immediately."

She sighs, realizing her original idea for taking out the sniper won't do... just out of her ability.

[Heritage]

Blitz' Tech Analysis:

The case does appear to be a radio or cellphone triggered explosive device of some sort; it looks to be a professional job, with no blatant digital countdown clock blinking on it. There are a few redundant looking wires, which suggests possible booby traps; based on her limited experience on the wrong side of the law, this would be a tough bomb to diffuse, but it's not the work of a criminal mastermind, merely a talented pro.

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Volt, following agent Sampson's orders and directions, is already quite close to the target. His tendril can reach thirty feet and still manifest full strength. Hopefully, he could overcome the optical camouflage with his sight in the ultra-violet spectrum and / or his very keen hearing. He had trained to grab targets effectively, and that would be his goal here.

If nothing else, he would look menacing enough for the target to try and shoot at him ... and he was reasonably sure that wasn't gong to be an issue. In theory ... hopefully ... he could survive a bullet as he was told he could.

[Heritage]

Focusing his mind, Volt is able to tune out the myriad of sounds in the area of the robbery, and the sirens, car horns and excited chatter of the populace fade until he can single out the radio broadcast of the fourth man Pidge. An energy tendril lashes out...and makes contact! The amazing young man can feel the invisible foe writhing in his grasp, unable to break free!

[quotemyname]

Inside the bank, Nux's burst of submachine gun fire ellicts screams from the hostages; from inside the women's room, a small frightened voice is heard. "Hello? Is someone out there? I don't want to die!"

"Jeez, my life is just full of blondes, isn't it?" Hellhound slapped his palm to his forehead in frustration. "Of course there's someone out here. I'm one of the XP's the police called in, and I am not planning on killing anyone today. Look, if you're with me, you're safe. You've gotten lucky so far with this hiding spot, and it's allowed me to get in here without alerting the robbers, but there's no telling how long that luck is going to hold. Now unlock that door, and come with me if you want to live!" Hellhound folded his arms and waited. He readied his powers to allow himself to teleport the girl to the EMTs curbside the instant she touched him, then he planned on doing one of the things he was best at...

Creating a distraction.

Oh yea, this hero thing was going to be fun.

[Special Agent Gary Samson]

Gary juggled the thoughts of his team and the mental layout of the minds around them effortlessly. Volt acknowledged that he had the sniper, Pidge, and Gary heaved a sigh of relief, Volt has the sniper, one less threat to deal with folks. The information from Blitz quickly countered that however, OK Blitz, if you need an assist on the tech let me know I'll patch Naomi through. Gary focused, and located Hellhound, out of position inside the bank, Hellhound, what are you doing? He received back the gist of it; another hostage, in the bathroom, and scared. Damnit. Get her out of there and then get ready, this situation is going poorly.

Gary turned to Naomi and the police lieutenant, "Naomi can you set the sprinklers off inside the building? Sir, we're going to need you men ready to protect the hostages as they exit the bank, but don't engage the XPs unless they engage first, we'll handle them." He turned to face the bank once more, OK team, I don't think we can delay much longer. We need to disable Nux before he starts hurting people. I'm going to dive Bumps and try to puppet him, that just leaves the third guy. Gary couldn't recall the fourth XPs name, but it didn't matter they knew whom he was talking about. Blitz, good luck. Volt, get Pidge to the cops and then join Hellhound in the bank. Russ, get that woman out of there, and then hit Nux with everything you have. Naomi, I know you aren't combat trained, but be ready for medical support, this could get ugly, and I am hoping it's us who need patching and not the civvies. OK folks, let's be heroic. Gary nodded to himself and then located Joey Bumps again. He focused on the man, and then he dove once more into his mind but this time he sought control rather than reading information.

Mind Control: Perception Range Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled) Bumps needs to make a Will Save vs DC 18.

[Superball]

((Oops, posted out of order))

[Heritage]

"Jeez, my life is just full of blondes, isn't it?" Hellhound slapped his palm to his forehead in frustration. "Of course there's someone out here. I'm one of the XP's the police called in, and I am not planning on killing anyone today. Look, if you're with me, you're safe. You've gotten lucky so far with this hiding spot, and it's allowed me to get in here without alerting the robbers, but there's no telling how long that luck is going to hold. Now unlock that door, and come with me if you want to live!"

There was a brief pause, followed by the sound of the door unlocking. "Okay, if you think it's safe..." No sooner had the pretty blonde stepped outside, looking very disheveled with her smeared makeup and rumpled blue business outfit then the demonically-tinged hero poked her smack in the middle of her forehead, and she vanished to a swirl of sulphurous smoke...

...Only to reappear outside next to one of the ambulances, eyes wide with fear and still shrieking from her very brief sojurn through hell. The EMTs, though initially stunned were none the less Lake City veternas and knew not to question such phenomena too closely; in short order they had her in the back of the ambulance, lightly sedated, IV'ed and wearing an oxygen mask.

Back inside the bank, the security monitors revealed the hapless Joey Bumps suddenly standing up straight and marching stiffly over to where Nux was hurling abuse at the massive hairy figure of Carnie, who despite his great height and bulk was cowering like a child under the barrage of invective; Nux paused at Joey's approach and stared at him quizically, cocking his head to one side like a puzzled dog as he waved his hand in front of his chunky thug's blank gaze. Then he visibly shook, as though an electrical charge passed though him, and he switch his radio back on.

Nux: Pidge, what the hell is going on out there? Talk to me, buddy!

The invisible snipper, unable to activate his radio with his arms pinned to his sides by Volt's energy tentacles, struggled violently but could do nothing to respond.

Nux: Can you read me, Pidge? Pidge!

Now there was an edge of terror in his voice as he realized the gravity of his team's current situation, even though he couldn't quite grasp exactly what was going on. His shoulders slumpped for a few seconds, then he drew himself to his full height; when he spoke again, there was defiance in his voice.

Nux: Okay you bastards; I don't know who you are, but you just fucked with the wrong guy.

(pause)

Nux: Pidge...I'm sorry, man...I'm so fuckin' sorry.

He then threw off his headset and marched with great determination past the frozen Joey and back into the lobby, leaving a confused Carnie standing where was, unsure if he should continue to work on the safe. Rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck, the whip-thin thug leader spread his arms as he glared at the wall of faces outside on the sidewalk and in the street,

Suddenly a sickly green aura, centered on the cluster of emergency vehicles across from the bank's entrance, spread across the crowd; wherever it touched, the police, EMTs and nearby civilians suddenly clutched their stomachs and began retching violently!

Meanwhile, back inside the lobby, a young man wiped the dried vomit from his face as he rushed to Mrs. Switlack's side. "I think this woman is having a heart attack! Does anyone here know CPR?"

[z-Blitz]

Blitz swallowed hard and crouched over the bomb. Her lips parted in nervousness, her tongue flicking over her bubble-gum pink lips. "Oh, god, This could be so bad. So, so bad. Here goes nothing."

Val was terrified. She wanted to be a superhero, but this wasn't the usual thing for her. Still, her fingers were steady as she selected wires to pull. "And here... goes nothing." *Gary, I'm doing it now.* Blitz prayed she was right and got ready to run like hell. She'd never tried to outrun an explosion before but life was about new adventures, right?

Roll: 16 +6 Modifier = +22

After about two seconds of work, Blitz realized that this bomb had been assembled by knowledgeable amateurs. They weren't newbies, definitely, but they weren't Dennis Hopper from Speed, either. Feeling better, Blitz was able to focus on the job and soon had the receiver disconnected from the bomb. Now even if they tried to remotely detonate it, they'd have no luck. *Gary, the bomb no-go boom anymore. Heading up to join you all.* Turning, she began to run back toward the group.

[Superball]

"Oh God..."

She saw the sick-wave start heading for her and responded, realizing if those SWAT team members were going to have a bad day with their respirators, it would be worse wearing her helmet.

Reflex/Fort Save


Kamiko *rolls* 1d20: 2+8: 10

[Kamiko] 8:22 pm: hp

Kamiko *rolls* 1d20: 8+8: 16 Note - (8+10+8 = 26 for the REF save)

[jameson] 8:22 pm: so now you need to make a Fort check on DC 14

Kamiko *rolls* 1d20: 16: 16

[Kamiko] 8:24 pm: Made the fort

[Centimane] 8:24 pm: basically, the lowest you can roll when spending an HP is an 11

[jameson] 8:24 pm: if the die comes up 1 through 10 you add 10[/code]




[code]One HP Remaining

"Computer! Activate Sprinklers!" Superball shouts. "Samson, fall back!" As she starts to bounce back to get behind a corner in a alleyway nearby out of Nux's line of sight. "Whatever you did, Samson, worked in the wrong way and Nux is going on the offensive!"