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

[z-Penny Mann]

Penny rose to her feet, glancing at the fight. There was nothing she could do there. Swallowing hard, she walked forward, toward the van, trying to see anything that might identify them. Her father had always told her to shine the light of inquiry into the darkness, bringing the truth out. It was time to shine some light.

[jameson (ST)]

From within the store there was the sound of a heavy impact followed by the sound of tearing metal. A light appeared, framed by a twisted door frame, at the rear of the darkened store. Silhouetted by the light was the cyborg, its shape and size unmistakably human, if a large and heavily built one, despite the shadow of clearly mechanical armor that defined its outline. Without hesitation it began to work its way through the ruined store and out toward the street.

Meanwhile Randy flipped open the trunk of the police cruiser. Inside he found bullet proof vests and a pair of police issue Smith & Wesson slide action shotguns. One had a full wood stock, the other a rubber wrapped metal pistol grip. There was a box of rubber bullets and another of live rounds as well. Randy grabbed the full sized shotgun and the rubber bullets, his hands shaking as much from the cold as his sudden and intense nervousness.

[Rodney]

Rodney took himself up into the rainy night air. He flapped around looking for someone to spread the word to. Cole was in the street, as was Wally and Ozzie. Were was Ramani, and what the hell were they fighting?

Rodney spotted Penny at the police crusier and was that Randy at the trunk? Rodney flew down to Penny. Hovering over her, he cried out,

"There's a cyborg-type thing in the building. He was on the roof and took me down. He should be showing up any moment!"

At the same time, he drew his pistol from the holster across his chest.

[jameson (ST)]

Fully enraged, Subject 17 kicks out at the strange duck thing before it. His balance however is thrown off by the continuous assault and the creature misses as it plants its feet in order to prevent itself from falling.

Click to reveal..

(08:40:26) (Jameson): PB Attack (+3) vs DC 16

(08:40:31) ChatBot: (Jameson) rolls 1d20 and gets 8.

Result = 11 = miss

[SalmonMax]

"Cyborg type thing coming any moment?" Wally asks as he checks the sights on his rifle and lifts it back to his shoulder.

"In that case there's not a moment to lose. Sorry about this, mate."

The rifle report is muted compared to normal ammo. The hard gel just doesn't get the kind of velocity that a real bullet does. But as anyone hit by it can attest, it still hits hard.

There's a thick SPAK noise and a visible green splotch against the porcubear's forehead. The impact rocks its head back and forces even this massive brute to shuffle backwards a step.

A breathless pause. When it looks back down, its eyes are distant and unfocused. Finally, mercifully, the porcubear falls forward onto its belly with a keening exhalation, and a thunderous crash.

Wally cocks the action on the rifle back and grins broadly. "Right then, who's next?"

Click to reveal..

(OOC - Combat action and result resolved during chat with Jameson. 1 hero point spent to reroll an attack that would otherwise have failed. No hero points remaining for encounter.)

PB is Unconscious

[Cole Mulvaney]

Cole rushed to Ramani's side, his long tail lashing about behind him. He did his best to help Ramani regain her senses, nuzzling her softly. "Come on Ramani, we aren't done yet, and you're too heavy for me to carry all the way home."

He squeezed her shoulder gently in an effort to give her something to focus on. He looked to the others. "How's the cop, and do we have anything to bind that damn thing?"

[Ramani]

Ramani moaned still stunned by the pain she felt in her ribs. She blinked but her eyes didn't focus and she struggled to keep her consciousness. Cole could tell that she was really out for the moment.

[Ozzie Bloggs]

Finally "Great shot Wally. I knew you'd come through. Now give me some cover. I'll try to tie this thing up, but after that, what will we do with him?

Click to reveal..

Using the torn bolos and whatever else available to secure the porcu-bear. Ozzie has the improvised tool feat.

[z-Penny Mann]

Penny turned back to the group running over. "Guys, there's a van at the end of the street and Rodney saw something in the store - says it's coming out!" That was all she had time for.

[jameson (ST)]

There is a sound like a small clap of thunder and the light within the store is abruptly extinguished. Randy trots up to the reassembled group wearing a bullet proof vest and toting a shotgun. He watches for a moment as Ozzie tries to bind the porcubear's limbs, "Is that really going to work? I mean he totally just broke those lines by flexing last time."

[Rodney]

Rodney struggled to gain height in this rain, searching out cover from were he had just come. It was the best option he could come up with at the moment. He flew back over the roof and hovered there, wings flapping and just barely able to see over the lip of the roof down to the store entrance. The thing had to come out sometime.

Click to reveal..

Skill Mastery Move Silently (10) + 11 = 21 plus any modifiers for it being dark and on the roof.

[jameson (ST)]

For a tense moment they all waited. Rodney perched above the street like some guardian angel watched the scene from on high. Ramani finally shook off the momentary pain and with Cole's help regained her feet. Randy, toting the gun and armor, looked more frightened and relieved than anything else. Ozzie finished his makeshift bonds and stood up rejoining the others. The rain fell and for a brief instant that was all there was, rain and the sounds of their own hearts slowing back down to normal. Penny estimated they had fewer than five minutes before the police showed up to answer the call put in by the first two men on the scene. She also pointed down the block to the dim outline of a dark truck. "We're being watched."

[Cole Mulvaney]

"Then it is time to leave. We should split up, the Van cannot follow all of us."

He shrugs. "Unless you all want to go say "hello" now."

[SalmonMax]

Wally eyes the van belligerantly, but spares a glance for porcubear too.

"What about our favorite pincushion here?" he asks. "We just leaving him to the van? Seems like they're not having the best of luck keeping him under control."

[Rodney]

Seeing no Cyborg come into evidence, Rodney flies down.

"Getting is a good idea, but I don't see a way to take this guy," he points to the PB, "with us. Moving him would be a pain."

He scans around,

"Maybe this guy didn't escape. Maybe he was let go - like to see what damage he could do. Heck, maybe he was set loose to draw us out."

He realizes he's being a bit paranoid, but then he was just trusted up on the roof a minute ago.

[Cole Mulvaney]

"He's to heavy to take. If they wanted to draw us out then the accomplished that astoundingly. I say we leave."

With that he starts moving away, taking Ramani by the arm as well.

He looks to Penny. "Are you going to drive or do we have to run home?"

[z-Penny Mann]

Penny looked down, then back up. "It seems... wrong, to leave him," she said softly. "If getting captured is what has led to his condition, then letting him be retaken could lead to us having to do this again, with him being stronger still. Plus, I can't imagine that being locked up like that is very healthy for him."

[Cole Mulvaney]

Cole stops. "How do you propose to transport him then?" None of us has the means to do it. He wouldn't even fit in the van." Cole looks over at the other Van.

"Though perhaps..."

[Ramani]

Ramani shook her head to clear of the cobwebs of her near unconsciousness. Her eyes focused quickly on Cole and her ears sprang to attention as her whole body tensed again.

Realizing the fight was over she slowly relaxed again and asked Cole, "You want to carry the bear?"

Together they could manage to carry the behemoth to some place where it could be transported - a Van for example.

[Cole Mulvaney]

"We can't carry him, he's too heavy, andbesides that we'd get stuck just lifting him."

"Whatever we're going to do we must do quickly. I imagine other patrols will be here soon."

[Ozzie Bloggs]

"Well we need to get this thing out of here and someplace isolated so I can examine him more closely. There's something hooked to it's head that may or may not be the reason it's acting so savage, and I'm not letting him get captured again." Ozzie voice is heavy with concern.

[Rodney]

In an exasperated voice to Ozzie, "How!"

Even if I could find a truck in time, and if I could hotwire it, how would we move it to the pick up ramp? Without getting stuck to death. We don't have the time. We need to run."

[SalmonMax]

Wally eyes the porcubear, then the van.

"We could drag 'em," he suggests. "Get a rope around under his arms...can't have pins there or he wouldn't be able to move 'em...and have the tiger twins pull him to the van and up inside. Then we drive it on outta here."

He opens the satchel belted to his side.

"Think I got a rope in here somewheres..."

(OOC - Can I spend a hero point to have some rope? It's not on the standard list of Equipment, but I can't imagine a survivalist being without some nylon rope. )

[z-Penny Mann]

Penny waves Randy over and begins to help in any way she can to get the porcubear into the van.

[Rodney]

"Were are you going?!?" Rodney screams in frustration. "We don't own that van. It's been sitting there WATCHING us!"

Calming down a bit,

"There is still a cyborg running around waiting somewhere around here. I'm sorry for our pointy friend, but we can't save him tonight. Next time we know to bring a van of our own, but now - we need to boogie!"

Damn, but Rodney is excitable. Maybe being electrocuted and tied up has made him cranky. Maybe it has wised him up.

[SalmonMax]

Wally grins at Rodney as he gets the high-test nylon rope out and starts...carefully...looping it under the porcubear's armpits.

"Relax, mate. We'll just hijack it. Shouldn't be a problem for us now, should it?"

[jameson (ST)]

"fzz ... *crackle* Zed-one report."

"Zed-one, operational status 100%. Maintaining stealth observation of Subject One-seven per mission parameters. Subject appears to have been disabled by a group of five unknown subjects and two humans. Initial analysis suggests all five subjects are class three or four. Mission parameters conflict. Request orders."

"Zed-one do not engage, repeat, do not engage. Observe and Report."

"New primary objective: Observe and report. Affirmative. Control, registering a 95% match between one of the unknowns and the detained subject by beacon zero-two."

"Acknowledged Zed-one. Control out." The internal radio crackled once and faded to quiet. Inside the ruins of Joe's fast mart the cyborg activated it passive sensory suite and audio and video recording. Primary Objective: Observe and Report. Secondary Objective: Recapture Subject One-seven. Tertiary Objective: Detain and Capture unknown specimens. The cyborg locked its joint into position creating a stable tripod of its bent legs and extended arm. His head followed the observations subjects and recorded everything.

*****

Wally, with Penny and Randy's help was slowly forming a rope harness around the porcubear's massive torso as the others argued if they should or should not try to capture the truck in order to flee with the huge creature. Unfortunately the point quickly became moot as the faint sound of sirens reached their ears. A few seconds devoted to listening confirmed that they were getting louder, and thus, closer.

[Cole Mulvaney]

Cole loooked to the others. "We don't have the time guys we have to leave him."

He handed the keys back to Penny. "We need to get out of here now. Are you going to drive, or do we need to start running?"

[Ozzie Bloggs]

"Can we strap him on the hood of the car or something?" Ozzie asks desperately. "Penny can drive him a few blocks away, and in the mean time we can find another vehicle to transport him. Rodney, Wally see if there's something to cover it up, or drag it on."

[Ramani]

Ramani stayed close to Cole waiting anxiously to get away. She suppressed a snarl and her pupils focused on the Porcubear. "Ramani don't like waiting..."

[Rodney]

Rodney looked desperately around. No awning over the store front. The steel door was a mess. No awnings anywere to cut down and use to cover the beast up. If there had been, he would have flown up and cut one down with his knife ... if he had the time, which he doubted.

"There's nothing!" he shouted back to Ozzie. He went to the Odd Australian and put a hand on his arm.

"Dude, we have to go - NOW! There is nothing we can do for our pointy brother this time. You stay and the police will have you. They might just kill you seeing as one cop is down and the other is missing. WE FLEE!"

[z-Penny Mann]

"Ozzy, Wally... I'm sorry," Penny said. "He's alive, and we can fix this another day. We'll be ready next time. But we can't help him now. And we really can't help him if we're locked up."

She took the keys from Cole and started for the car, hoping the tigers would follow. Randy, grumbling that he'd just found everything he needed, quickly wiped down the gun and tossed it in the trunk. The vest followed, and then he was trailing after Penny. Soaked through and miserable, he leaned in, "Next time, Pen?"

She nodded. "This isn't done, Randy," she sighed. "It can't be. Not by a long shot. Too much has been invested already for them to just back away now."

[Ramani]

Ramani agreed with the red haired girl and reached for Cole's paw dragging him a little away from the Porcubear.

"Penny-girl is right. We need to go - come back another day. Ramani got Bear's scent.", she pointed briefly at her nose hoping Cole would agree with coming back another day to rescue the bear.

[Ozzie Bloggs]

Originally Posted By: Rodney

"Dude, we have to go - NOW! There is nothing we can do for our pointy brother this time. You stay and the police will have you. They might just kill you seeing as one cop is down and the other is missing. WE FLEE!"

Ozzie's heart sank. He knew that Rodney spoke the truth, and it wouldn't serve any purpose if he got capture or killed. Clearly dejected Ozzie look at the PB one last time as he let Rodney drag him out of the store. I'll find you, and set you free. This I swear.

[SalmonMax]

Wally hesitated, but when Ozzie left he realized it was over. With a last internal apology for the porcubear, Wally bounded after Ozzie, quickly catching up as the others filed out the door.

Here the sirens were loud, maybe too loud. Still time to get away? Only one way to find out.

"Tigers, carry people! Everyone follow me!"

He takes a couple of bounds...then looks back to see if people are actually following him.

[Ramani]

Ramani wasn't sure if she understood what the Kangaroo said and hesitated for a short moment. Knowing that time wasn't on her side she simply ran to Randy and tried to pick him up assuming Cole would do the same with Penny. "I carry you.", she half growled to him.

Then she would run as fast as she could following the Kangaroo.

[Cole Mulvaney]

Cole lays a hand on Ramani's shoulder berfore she takes off. "No, get in the car, now. If we leave it it can be traced back to Penny." With that he leads her back to the car, gets her to set Randy down and gets both her and Randy and himself into the car, ready to leave now.

[Ramani]

Ramani nodded to Cole, trusting him completely and knowing he would have a better understanding of such things than her. Smiling briefly at Randy she managed to croak an "Excuse me", before she put him down again and entered the car.

[jameson (ST)]

As they near the intersection where Penny's car is parked they glance back after a flash of blue light. The streetlight, already fading to blackness showers sparks down like molten droplets of rain. The illumination from further down the street casts the scene as a silhouette. The shape of a man, bulky and armored, moves methodically toward the mounded shadow that is the fallen porcubear. It raises its arm toward the creature and a second blast of blue white bursts outward and envelops the fallen creature. The cyborg turns and looks down the street, less than half a block, at the fleeing mutants. Its single glowing red eye pierced the darkness as it watched and waited.

*****

The last of the doors slammed shut and the sound of falling rain changed pitch and loudness within the cabin of the car. Randy wrinkled his nose as the smell of wet cat but said nothing, still not fully recovered from having been picked up and carried like a child. Penny's hands shook as she fumbled the key into the ignition and turned the engine over. Outside in the wet and cold Wally, Ozzie, and Rodney paused at the opposite corner looking to the car for a brief moment.

[Rodney]

Rodney turned to Ozzie,

"It looks like we are sticking together for a while. I guess we follow the car, which is following Wally."

His wings went out and he lept up into the air with a mighty flap. Despite the rain, he managed to gain a little height then he began making lazy circles around Wally, at least until he picked up speed.