Mutants & Masterminds: The Indigo Children - Chapter 1: Test 01

[jameson (ST)]

"It was a dark and stormy night."

"Dude, shut the fuck up. Seriously," Carl looked over at Lenny and shook his head. "Bad enough we got patrol duty in Harlem ... in the rain ... and at night. I don't need you bein' all goofy."

Lenny snickered, "Sorry man I couldn't resist, I'm bored out of my ..." Lenny and Carl were thrown forward as their cruiser came to a sudden and violent stop. Glass shattered and metal tore and bent, screaming in that way that metal does. The engine mounts snapped like crackers and the engine dropped to the ground coughing and dying as it was cut off from fuel.

As the rain poured into the wrecked cabin Lenny, barely conscious only due to the airbag, saw a shadow pull itself from the front of the car. Man shaped, albeit roughly, it turned toward him its features shrouded by darkness, rain, and blood. A flash of lightening revealed for a split second the being and then in shock Lenny passed out.

*****

It was cold and it was raining, the combination made for rather unpleasant flying. Rodney circled over his "territory" as quickly as he could. Make an effort, then go home for cocoa. Still better to fly than walk. That was exactly the same situation that Wally and Ozzie were in. Walking in cold rain. Technically Wally was hopping, which shouldn't have made a difference except that every time he landed he splashed Ozzie. Thus despite the umbrella Ozzie was getting wet. Wally too carried an umbrella, but instead of a simple wide black unit his was heavily arched with alternating white and pink panels each with a happy little Hello Kitty face on it near the bottom. If not for his size a causal onlooker might have seen a man and his daughter. Instead they saw a man and his kangaroo carrying a Hello Kitty umbrella. It was surreal enough for a Dali painting and most people simply willed themselves not to see it.

Meanwhile Penny was trapped in a car with Randy and two damp tigers. They were mostly dry and mostly warm but the scent was less than pleasant even to the rather dull human senses. Over the police band came a call for an Ambulance and a fire truck. A police cruiser in Harlem had been in an accident, two officers needed medical help. Shortly thereafter another call, a robbery in progress in the Bronx. The 911 caller said she saw a large man pull the door off a convenience store before entering.

[z-Penny Mann]

"Whoa!" Randy said, breaking into the conversation. "Did you hear that?" He was turning up the volume on the radio before anyone asked.

"What?" Penny asked, then settled back to listen. Her hands tightened on the wheel as she heard the dispatcher talk about the two incidents. Her mind had been on the discussion of toppings for the pie they were picking up, and she had to wrench it around to the new topic. "That's awful."

"No, no... the guy ripped off the door." Penny looked at him blankly, and Randy jerked his thumb back at Cole and Ramani. "Don't you think they could do the same? It might be more guys like you!"

[Cole Mulvaney]

Cole had been trying to lobby for either straight pepperoni or Meatlovers pizza, but he stopped and listened to the radio. When Randy spoke, Cole nods once. "Could be. If you want to check it out we can, but with it being cops down there, I'd say no to checking that one. As for the robbery we can go check it quickly, but it could be dangerous for us to go near. Ramani and I don't blend in well, and there will be cops there soon enough. We could easily be mistaken as the perpetrators and should anyone get close enough to look under the coats and hats the jig is up."

[Ramani]

"Bat Man!", said Ramani as if she just had an idea. "We can call Bat Man, ask him to look for us. If it is one of us, we can track him.", she was proud that the sentence didn't come out as broken as she usually sounded. Ever since they've met the humans Ramani tried to improve her speaking abilities. She was embarassed that she sounded so brute while Cole could speak effortless and fluently.

[z-Penny Mann]

"Batman?" Randy said, twisting around in his seat to stare at her. When her expression didn't change, he turned to Cole. "Is she jokin'?"

"She means Rodney," Penny giggled. "That's a good idea! I told you about him, Randy - Rodney the bat?" She dug in her purse, making Randy flinch a little when the sports car swerved a bit. Drawing out her phone, she handed it to Randy. "He's in my contacts - would you call him?"

"Um... is that ok?" Randy asked. "Will that upset him?"

"I think it'll be ok," Penny said, glancing at him. "I mean, you're calling him from my phone."

"Ok," Randy replied, pulling up 'Rodney' and hitting 'Send.' "But if he drinks my blood, I'm coming back to haunt you."

"Not that kind of bat." Penny paused and glanced at Cole and Ramani in the rear view mirror. "Is he?"

[Ramani]

„He is a kind bat, Ramani likes him.“, she said innocently oblivious to the misunderstanding occurring around her.

[Cole Mulvaney]

Cole chuckles. "You'd be affraid of a giant bat as opposed to the two large White Bengal Tigers currently sitting behind you?"

He smiles. "In all seriousness, Rodney is okay. I wouldn't worry about him."

[Rodney]

Cruising over the city streets, it took Rodney a moment to answer his phone. He had to alight upon a nearby building.

Who could be calling him? Father?

"Hello," he answered breathlessly. "Father?"

Only after he said it did he remember that he had given his number to Penny as well. Whoops.

"Penny?"

[z-Penny Mann]

"You get a third guess," Randy said. Penny just shook her head as Randy added, "Actually, here's a freebie. I'm Randy, Penny's friend. I'm with her, Cole and Ramani, and we just heard about some weird stuff over the police band. Ramani suggested you take a fly-by and see what's up. That ok?"

Penny glanced back at Cole and whispered, "Could you call the, uh, Wally and Ozzie? They might want to be in on this, too."

[Rodney]

Randy? Who the heck was Randy?

"Ummm, okay. I'll flap on over. Were am I going? I'm north of Central Park right now, but since I don't have to follow streets I'm pretty fast."

Once he got the directions he thanked them and told them to hang on. Rodney pulled out his city map (laminated). Getting his bearings, he decided he would take off East toward the incident in Bronx first then cruise down to the Harlem. He informed Randy of his plan and hung up.

Man was it a cold and stormy night.

[Cole Mulvaney]

Cole pulled out his own phone, a special one with large keys and dialed up the numbe Ozzie had given.

"Come on, pick up."

[Ozzie Bloggs]

Ozzie tries to remind himself that the water being splashed on him wasn't Wally's fault. Wally was just doing what anyone of his kind would do, Ozzie thought to himself. Too bad that he couldn't learn to walk normal. That would help save the crazy looks coming from the humans that saw them.

Ozzie was so preoccupied with his thoughts that when his cell rang, it startled him. Pulling it out after two rings, Ozzie saw that it was Cole that called. "Hey there Cole, what can I do for you?"

[Cole Mulvaney]

"We overheard some call on the police band of a robbery in progress over in the Bronx. Said the perp ripped the door off with his bare hands. We figure it could be something worth checking into and wanted to see if you were able to go as well."

"Randy's already talking to Rodney to see if he can do a fly-by before we get there and scope things out."

[jameson (ST)]

Rodney arced northward and despite the wind and rain was over the Bronx in a short time. Shivering he circled until he located the responding police cruisers and gave chase. As he lit on the roof of the building opposite the convenience store Rodney checked his watch, fifteen minutes had elapsed since Penny's friend had called him, with luck the perpetrator was still there and he might see something.

The police men got out of their car into the rain and approached the building slowly. For Rodney it was a silent view save the sound of the weather. The first cop to reach the door looked in and then withdrew a large flashlight. It flicked on with a beam of intense blue-white light and he directed it into the store. Rodney could see he was yelling something, probably "Come out with your hands up!", it seemed that they always yelled that on TV. The cold was starting to soak into Rodney's bones now that he was no longer exerting himself and he was nearly ready to make a move to a new location when the storefront burst outward and the cop was sent tumbling backwards as a set of steel shelves hit him with the force of a haymaker.

[Rodney]

Rodney whipped out his phone and used his chilled wings to give himself some shelter while he dialed Randy back.

"Randy. Rodney here at the Store. Something is going on, like a huge set of steel shelves were just thrown through the store front and hit a cop outside. It looks ugly. I'll try to track whatever it is if it comes out."

He waits for a response while watching and listening at the store for any signs of movement, or attack.

[z-Penny Mann]

Randy quickly relayed that information, and Penny was already turning the car before he was done. "What are you doing?" Randy asked, his voice becoming a touch panicked.

"The cops can't stop them," she said, "not without getting really hurt. We have to help them."

"Ya hear that?" Randy sighed into the phone. "We're on our way to you, I suspect." He glanced back hopefully at the tigers as he added, "Unless Cole and Ramani can talk Penny out of it, anyway."

[Ozzie Bloggs]

Ozzie turns to Wally and quickly fills him in on the call. "Me and Wally will be there as fast as we can. You got the location where this is going down?"

[SalmonMax]

"Ooo, going down," Wally chortles happily. "Just like on CSI. Ask about the 'perp' next, Ozzie."

[jameson (ST)]

Even as Randy is speaking the other officer drops down behind his car and starts speaking into the radio on his jacket. Though Rodney cannot hear him he can surmise the intent and content of the call. Randy and the others in the car however do hear the panicked call for backup and an ambulance. With a specific address now Penny lays on the gas and speeds through the quiet streets toward the scene.

Rodney meanwhile moves to gain a clearer point of view on the scene as the policeman aims the cruiser's spotlight into the store. Trashed shelving and torn up food containers are visible everywhere through the smashed window. For the first time Rodney sees the security door, a steel overhead type, lying on the sidewalk torn in pieces as though it were foil. Inside he sees something move back out of the light just before a second set of shelves is hurtled toward the cruiser.

Ozzie and Wally run through the rain, puddles splashing in their wake as they make haste toward the scene only a scant few blocks away. They near the intersection just as Penny skids her car to a stop, its hood sticking past the corner just far enough to allow them to see the second set of shelves careen off the cruiser, tearing the lights and part of the roof off and extinguishing the spotlight that was aimed at the building.

[OOC: Notice checks all around, no penalties, bonuses of +1/per type for any sort of advanced vision]

[Cole Mulvaney]

Cole Focuses his eyes into the storefront, trying to pick out whatever is in there.

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1906583/

1d20+6= 15

[z-Penny Mann]

Leaning forward in her seat, one hand gripping the wheel and the other on the door handle, Penny tried to see where the injured cop was in the dark night.

[OOC: 1d20=11 + 2 = 13]

[Ramani]

Ramani's anxiety was clearly visible. Her ears where pointed forward at full alert and her eyes where focusing just like Cole's. While she was looking for her prey her claws slowly extended leaving minor scratch marks on the seats in the car. She wasn't aware of that but it always happened when she was excited and about to get into action.

1d20+6=25

[Rodney]

Rodney is terribly relieved to have the others show up. Something that could tear through a steel door could do ... well horrible things to Rodney. He crouched for a look inside, his Bat Senses tingling for their enemy within.

(14:47:16) ChatBot: (Adrian) rolls 1d20 and gets 10+10+1=21

[Ozzie Bloggs]

Ozzie's eyes squint as he looks towards the storefront hoping to make out just what was inside.

(23:11:56) ChatBot: (Ozzie) rolls 1d20 and gets 7+7=14

[jameson (ST)]

For the rain and darkness there was little to be seen. A cop, hunkered down behind the now damaged cruiser was trying to use the broken side mirror to get a look inside the store without sticking his head up. The other lay prone in the street, whether he was unconscious or dead it was impossible to tell given the conditions. Wally and Ozzie saw the car carrying Penny and the others come to a stop but with the street lights glaring off the wet windshield they could not be certain who the occupants where. For their part though Penny and the others could see them.

"What the hell? Is that a duck and a kangaroo?" Randy sounded like he'd just tumbled down the rabbit hole once more and found himself at the Mad Hatter's tea party. He'd been told by Penny but no matter how prepared to believe one was, the human mind dismissed the impossible until it was proven otherwise unable to do so.

Ramani's eyes never left the storefront and despite the poor lighting and rain she was able to see a large shape within, something much larger than a man was moving inside the store. The hulking shape was clearly not a man though, perhaps another something like she and Cole and the others.

Above on the roof Rodney kept his eyes open, his sonar was suffering from reduced range due to the heavy rainfall and while on a clear night he could have "seen" what was within the store he could barely make out what was twenty feet in front of him. His eyes scanned the area and he saw Wally and Ozzie show up shortly as did a car which he could only presume was Penny.

As he paused to wipe the rain from his eyes and hair he spotted a shadow of movement. Not from the store or the street but from the roof across from him, something was moving amidst the AC units, antennae, chimneys. He waited trying to see if it would expose itself. All he could make out was a vaguely man shape though bulkier as though in armor.

Click to reveal..

OOC: Rolled for Wally ...

(09:12:00) (jameson): Notice Check for Wally (+7)

(09:12:04) ChatBot: (jameson) rolls 1d20 and gets 4.

Result = 11

Opposing:

(09:18:15) (jameson): Stealth Check (+6)

(09:18:18) ChatBot: (jameson) rolls 1d20 and gets 17.

Result = 23

[z-Penny Mann]

"Platypus," Penny muttered in answer to Randy's query. But that was forgotten as she spied the cop. She popped the door open started to scramble out. "What are you doing?" Randy cried.

"He's hurt," Penny said simply. "Last one out, please pull the keys, ok?" Then she was running through the rain, her coat flapping around her legs.

"Damnit, Penny, wait!" Randy shouted, following her and leaving the tigers in the car.

Beside the cop, Penny knelt, mindless of the water soaking her. Her first aid classes came back to her as she began to examine the cop. Randy stopped next to her, but his eyes were on the store. "We need to get you out of the street," he said nervously.

"We can't move him," Penny said, "we could hurt him more."

"Yeah, and if another shelf comes flying out, all three of us could be hurt," Randy said reasonably. "We need to do the minimal amount of moving to get him to safety."

Penny frowned, looked closer at his wounds, and tried to decide if he could be moved.

[OOC: Medicine roll:

1d20+7=20 ]

[SalmonMax]

"Ay!" Wally shouted when he saw the tigers. He waved a forelimb happily. "You beat us! Damn your tiny little legs, Ozzie, we coulda had..."

His cheerful diatribe is cut short by the sudden drama, and he hops over to put himself between the building and Penny and Randy as they hunch over the fallen cop.

"Don't worry," he assures them, "I'll keep you two in the...oh hey, you've got a boyfriend. Congrats! Wally's my name and..."

He's interrupted again by the sound of crashing from within. Angrily, the kangaroo raises his voice and calls, "You want to keep it down in there?! People are trying to talk!"

"Heh. Some people, you know?"

[Rodney]

Slipping into the Shadows, Rodney pulled out his phone. All the time he kept concentrating on this 'second' shape. Pulling he phone up, he hit redail, calling Randy/Penny. When it was picked up, he whispered into the reciever.

"Rodney here. There is someone up on the roof of a building behind you. I can't make him out, but he looks bigg-ish. I'm going to go see if I can sneak up on him."

Perched on the edge of the building, Rodney was as close as he was going to get by staying were he was. He had to fly across. That meant close proximity and a possibility of getting himself killed. He shivered in the cold rain. He shivered again, this time to get some of the water off his wing membranes. Quietly as he could, he took flight and sailed to the next building. Landing as stealthfully as he could, he moved up to were he had last seen the shadowy image.

Sneak roll: (15:47:49) ChatBot: (Adrian) rolls 1d20 and gets 14 + 11 = 25

Notice check : (16:16:06) ChatBot: (Adrian) rolls 1d20 and gets 1 (!!!) + 10 = 11.

[Ramani]

Ramani got more and more excited. She had seen something, something big. The idea of chasing a large prey appealed to her on a very primal level. She had to focus her attention back to Cole in the car else she would have jumped right after it.“Larger than us I think it is. We should stay together then we can get prey.”

Ramani revealed her teeth as she spoke. There was something inexplicably savage about the way her eyes stayed transfixed on the storefront. Ramani seemed determined to capture or hunt the strange creature but she waited for Cole to take initiative.

[Cole Mulvaney]

Cole nodded. "Alright then, but for now keep the trenchcoat on."

Taking andvantage of the weather, Cole killed the car's engine and exited the car, once again thankful that he'd gotten a long trenchcoat that mostly hid his feet. He waited for Ramani to join him and made his way to Ozzie and Wally. "You guys want to go in and check this out?"

He knew Ramani would be behind him and by dint of how her voice sounded she would likely not speak with a human cop around. It took a certain amount of practice to make it look as if he walked normally, and Cole actually consciously not moving at full speed. He only hoped Ramani remembered to do the same.

[jameson (ST)]

As penny and Randy kneel over the policeman Cole and Ramani made their way out into the rain. Their long coats dipped into the rain drenched gutters and out as they moved carefully toward Wally and Ozzie all while trying to stay out of the line of sight of the remaining policeman.

Originally Posted By: Penny

"We can't move him," Penny said, "we could hurt him more."

Penny tried to recall her first aid and first response lessons and was too engrossed examining the fallen cop to notice as Wally bound up behind them. Bloody nose, bleeding from the ears, probably a concussion. Possibly broken ribs, hard to tell. His arm is definitely broken... She checked off injuries like she was replying to a survey; the man was badly hurt and a first aid class was simply not enough to know what to do or how to do it beyond the bare basics.

Originally Posted By: Wally

"Don't worry," he assures them, "I'll keep you two in the...oh hey, you've got a boyfriend. Congrats! Wally's my name and..."

"Huh? Oh, I'm Randy ..." Randy nodded with an expression that combined mirth and confusion, the whole situation was overwhelming he needed to focus. "Oh hey! I got an idea." He moved over to the shelving which lay crumpled in the street and pulled one of the shelves off dragging it back to the prone policeman, "Maybe we can use this as a stretcher and get him out of the street at least?"

"Oh Jesus what the hell!" The three turned as the second policeman suddenly burst out in a frightened voice, "Good god what is that thing!" He pointed at Wally with rain soaked finger, his service pistol forgotten in his other hand as was the creature within the store. For a moment none of the four moved but as Ozzie came to join the group the policeman's reverie was broken and he scrambled to his feet and fled, "Monsters! Ahhhhh!!"

Seeing the cop flee Cole and Ramani close the final distance to join the others in the rain and as Penny and Randy attempt to tend to the injured cop Cole turns his attention first to the store and then on the other mutants. The hulking shape within is easier to see now that all are closer and have a more direct line of sight. Despite staying deep within the darkness of the store enough light is cast in by the streetlight and off the wet pavement that they can see it well enough. Wally and Ozzie instantly recognize the Porcu-bear though it seems to be larger than before.

Originally Posted By: Cole

"You guys want to go in and check this out?"

*****

Meanwhile Rodney leaps into the air and with a few quick beats of his wings gains enough altitude to glide silently to the other building. He circles the roof once looking for the other being and seeing nothing settles down on a compressor unit before jumping down onto the roof itself. He sticks to the darkness staying as silent as he can to avoid being seen in return. A quick scan reveals nobody else on the roof. He finds the door that leads down into the building proper and it appears to still be closed. A quick burst of his echolocation returns nothing but a grainy distorted picture of what he can see with his own eyes. The noise from the rain is doing no favors to his evolutionary advantage.

Click to reveal..

OOC:

Randy's moment of inspiration:

(12:48:20) (jameson): Randy Inspiration roll (+0) vs DC 15

(12:48:24) ChatBot: (jameson) rolls 1d20 and gets 19.

Notice check vs. Rodney

(13:49:19) (jameson): Notice Check (+10) Vs. DC 25

(13:49:22) ChatBot: (jameson) rolls 1d20 and gets 11.

Result = 21 = fail

Stealth Check vs. Rodney

(13:50:19) (jameson): Stealth Roll (+4) vs DC 11

(13:50:25) ChatBot: (jameson) rolls 1d20 and gets 16.

Result = 20 = success

[Ozzie Bloggs]

I knew something like this was going to happen. Well I guess we get another chance to take it down. Better make the most of it. "Cole, this is the same creature that me and Wally encountered before, but it's been changed somehow, and by the looks of it, it's more agressive. We've got to be careful dealing with it!"

Ozzie reaches into his belt and pulls out his bolos. "Okay I'm ready, Cole. We going to do this or what?"

[Rodney]

Rodney moved carefully around the roof, looking for the unknown stalker while at the same time trying to not give his own position away. After all, he wasn't the best warrior in the best of situations and this rain was hardly aiding him.

Click to reveal..

Notice Check:(20:02:36) ChatBot: (Adrian) rolls 1d20 and gets 12 +10 = 22

Stealth Check:(20:02:48) ChatBot: (Adrian) rolls 1d20 and gets 4 + 11 = 15

[z-Penny Mann]

Penny cursed softly as the officer fled, but she was already turning back to the injured man. "Yeah," she said, giving Randy a smile. "Yeah, grab that and we'll construct a backboard for him." Carefully, gently, the two teens began to tend to the officer.

[SalmonMax]

"What?! Monster!" Wally hops forward a bit, gesturing at the fleeing cop.

"Bloody idiots! I AM A KANGA! ROO! I don't even LOOK funny! I'm as bleeding ordinary a 'roo as you can find in the States!" He sniffs and rubs his nose.

"'Cept for the talking bit. And the hands. Still."

Then he glanced up and caught sight of the -real- monster looming nearby.

"Ay! It's you! You got free! Good on you, mate! That's great!" He hops forward, spreading his arms a bit as if to hug the big thing, though he doesn't get nearly close enough to actually do it. "You remember me, right? Eh? Wally? I was giving you food before they exploded you and took you off?"

[Ramani]

Ramani was itching to get into action. She was hunched forward almost in a combatitive stance as if she was ready to pounce right into the Porcu-Bears face. A diversion could help the others catch the beast and she didn’t want Cole to get into trouble. Maybe she should try to catch the creature’s attention and while it focused on her it’d give the others an opening to go in for the kill capture. Talking to it didn’t seem an option, at least not for her.

Slowy Ramani moved away from Cole's side and closer towards the Porcu-Bear. She was ready jump it should the creature catch her attention. Cole would understand what her plan was... that's what she hoped.

[jameson (ST)]

Rodney moved about the roof, he kept an eye on the door down, wary of losing the person to the inside of the building. He saw nothing of his quarry however who happened to have spotted the bat. With stealth that belied its form the being rose up and took aim. Rodney heard a crackle of electric discharge before the bolt hit him square in the back.

Click to reveal..

OOC:

(12:58:13) (jameson): Stealth Check (+6) vs DC 22

(12:58:17) ChatBot: (jameson) rolls 1d20 and gets 20.

Result = 26 = pass

(12:58:49) (jameson): Notice Check (+8) vs DC 15

(12:58:53) ChatBot: (jameson) rolls 1d20 and gets 14.

Result = 22 = pass

(13:04:48) (jameson): Attack Roll (+8 ) vs DC 13

(13:04:53) ChatBot: (jameson) rolls 1d20 and gets 18.

Result = 26 = hit

Fortitude Save vs DC 14

[Rodney]

Well, you can't dodge what you can't see and in this rain ...

Click to reveal..

(15:07:56) ChatBot: (Adrian) rolls 1d20 and gets 9+1=10, so Fail by 4.

[jameson (ST)]

The blast caused Rodney to convulsed and spin. His muscles twitched uncontrollably and found himself unable to move with any sort of control as his nervous system attempted to recover. He tumbled a step backwards his back bumping into the cool slick surface of an AC compressor. The being stood perhaps ten feet from him, its arm held out before it ended in the cylindrical barrel of a gun. The light was such that Rodney could barely make out any features but the being was built like a football player, tall and wide. One of its (his?) eyes glowed with a red light that cast a ruddy reflection off the metal plate that covered its face. A blue white glow began to emanate from the barrel of the weapon and then flashed to white as another blast leapt toward Rodney.

Click to reveal..

OOC:

(15:19:31) (jameson): Attack Roll (+8 ) vs DC 16

(15:19:35) ChatBot: (jameson) rolls 1d20 and gets 13.

Result = 21 = hit

Fortitude Save vs DC 14

[Rodney]

What the hell? Rodney thought as another blast of eletricity lanced toward him then he had difficulty making any coherent thought at all. Only vaguely was he aware of the debate in the back of his soul. Here, his better angle was harping on and on about how the bad man wasn't trying to kill him. The Devil in his soul just smiled and said, "There are things worse than dying."

Click to reveal..

(15:21:37) ChatBot: (Adrian) rolls 1d20 and gets 9 +1=10! Failed by 4 again.