Mutants & Masterminds Mutants & Masterminds: The Unlikely Prophets - Issue #2: The Man Who Built Yesterday

[Necronaut]

"Hmm..." The Necronaut stroked his chin thoughtfully, as if weighing a matter of deep philosophical importance as he took in Sharatur's commentary. Then he took a large bite of a his breakfast granola bar. A moment later he remembered his initial line of cogitation and picked up where he had left off. "Hmmm... Well, firstly, I'd suggest keeping it to 3 syllables maximum. And it shouldn't be innately menacing. In your case there's a lot to work with. Maybe even the geologist angle or..."

He blinked.

"Hey, so, the crystal packed your head with the 'moves' right? Do you know the names for any of the moves? Maybe one of them would be good? Like 'Jade Fist' or 'Dark Smoke Punch'?"

[SalmonMax]

"Alright, while 'Janet's working on a name, lets get a plan sketched out," Larissa urged. "It looks dark, and I don't see any guards, but the door is probably locked. Does anyone know how to pick locks, or anything? Necronaut can you go through walls?"

[CyCo]

"Vader lets us in," Cyco said, pointing to Nec, "then we turn the building upside down, neutralizing any and all resistance like cheap bacon."

[Charlotte]

"Sounds like a plan. Or plan-ish. Plan related, anyways..."

Necronaut put on his mask. "Wait about five minutes for me. I'm going to see what's inside." Without further ado, the color bled out of him, and he faded away...

[Radiance]

Hikari nodded, her field shimmering to life. "Be ready for anything I guess. And hope that they don't all come here together."

[SalmonMax]

"Do you think it's guarded?" Larissa asked with concern in her voice. "I figured if they're going to tear it down, they may not be worried about people breaking in..."

[Radiance]

"May not be guards, but there's most assuredly a surveilance system. As I said, let's just be prepared."

[z-Gloom]

Gloom wanted to push her way in; Darkness was sure they could do it, but the human wasn't so sure. The question was not whether they could physically do it. Even Andi knew that wouldn't be a problem. It was the question of the aforementioned surveillance system. Andi was sure that even in Shadow form, she would set off the motion detectors. Quietly, she explained to Darkness what a 'motion detector' and why it was a bad thing for them.

[The Scarlet Samurai]

In the back of the van Kenshin sat in the forward corner, a stack of newspapers next to him as he poured over the articles. Perched upon his head was the very same ugly hat that he always wore, the one that the others now knew was his armor in disguise. The sword, disguised once more as a knife, was in his pants and for once silent. He tried to ignore the implications of their current activity, it did him little good to worry, and was even less useful for his concentration.

[Charlotte]

The newspapers weren't too much help. All they did was go into greater detail about the closure, and had various human interest stories about the town's decline. But one thing stood out: a photograph, taken at night and blurry, but that nonetheless seemed to indicate some kind of hovercraft or helicopter hovering over Ayers Rock, with something dangling from its undercarriage... something that might have fit in the hole.

The photograph wasn't dated.

[Necronaut]

Some time later The Necronaut stepped back through the wall, far more surreptitiously and with less property damge than, say, Bodhie might have done. A look of vague concern was evident on his face, thanks to the partially transparent nature of his mask.

"Okay, back from recon. I didn't get spotted as far as I know. Here's the deal." He paused and considered the deal he was about to offer. He opted to throw in the disclaimer first, so nobody could claim his dealings were shady. "The place is full of computers and I can't move through a strong electric field, even in the netherworld, so I couldn't get everywhere I wanted."

"What I could see , though... the first few floors are old empty office building like you'd expect. But with active security cameras. The basement is the security center. There are eight guys down there monitoring the feeds from the rest of the building."

"From the fourth floor up it's all computers. And I mean a lot of computers. Stories and stories of computers from laptops to ones the size of refrigerators all hooked together and humming away. It all comes together on the 34th floor. There's a fat guy with glasses up there, monitoring some progress output. Out of 800-million-something 'blocks' the very last one was about 72% done 'decrypting'. If the entire purpose of this building is cracking a code or something, it's almost done. Could be why they're taking it down soon. I couldn't go to the 35th floor at all. It wasn't electricity or anything. It's like a solid wall in the netherworld is surrounding the whole floor. That makes me nervous..."

[SalmonMax]

"Computers," Larissa muses. "I wonder if this is related to the Mathemagician. And if it is, maybe they're doing something about that song that 'awakened' us." She winced and shook her head.

"Okay, that's a lot of speculation. We need facts. It sounds like the building hasn't got much in the way of guards, but it's going to be hard to get in there without being noticed. Unless..."

She gives Necronaut a questioning look. "Are there any street level windows or other ways to see into the basement? Maybe I could use a door to get us down there first. Then we could take the security center right away and shut off the cameras."

[The Scarlet Samurai]

Kenshin removed the photograph and tucked it into his pocket, nothing to say who took it, or when, or even where; though the last two were somewhat narrowed but the simple uniqueness of the event captured therein. He sighed and moved on to the next mewspaper listening to the others discussion out of the corner of his mind.

[z-Gloom]

"When you passed through the walls, did you see any sensors in them?" Gloom asked. "I mean, detection devices in the spaces in the walls. And I guess I need to ask, are there spaces in the walls?"

Perhaps, there would be room for her to slither through the walls up the top floor. Realizing that she'd just used the term 'slither' to describe her own movement, she twitched and tried not to think about how inhuman she'd become.

[Bodhie Armstrong]

Bodhie listened carefully to Necronaut’s report while she watched the others in silent contemplation. She was half expecting to wake up this morning and be “normal” again but that wasn’t the case. Not that she had wanted that but somehow yesterday was some kind of strange dream or LSD-Trip but waking up proved that it wasn’t… or isn’t over yet.

Shaking her head to rid herself of these thoughts the large female bodybuilder tried to fit in as good as possible given the nature of their mission. Stealth wasn’t her forte and probably would never be. She hoped they wouldn’t have to depend too much on that because she had no idea how to sneak into a place without drawing attention to herself.

“Now – what am I supposed to do?”, she asked almost innocently. She wanted to help where she could but she had no idea how.

[IndyPendant]

Sharatur spoke up, somewhat hesitantly. "Uh, I don't need to see where I'm going if it's a really short distance, or I know it well. I can take someone with me too. Maybe we can get close to the basement, and I can take someone inside? Like, if I took Larissa inside with me, she found a door and made a portal for the rest of you."

She pauses for a few moments as you discuss it. "Floating Petal. Air Dancer. Flash Fist. Seriously, I can't think of anything that doesn't sound absolutely ridiculous!"

[Necronaut]

"There might have been a door into the security area... I think we should hit there first. If an alarm sounds and this place is even half-way relevant the Order could have their big guns right on top of us right quick."

[Bodhie Armstrong]

Bodhie chuckled at Sharatur but tried to keep a friendly smile. “Flash Fist… I think that’s too graphic. You should go with something more poetic or something that fits your personality.”

“What about… Chi? Or how’s it pronounced? I think that sounds fitting, yet elegant.”, satisfied with her idea Bodhie crossed her arms across her mighty chest and nodded. "I like it."

[Charlotte]

As it turned out, the security room was close enough to the surface that Sharatur could, in fact, teleport there.

"All right. Here's what I suggest. Hex and Sharatur head in first. Take out the guards, then link a doorway for us - then we head inside. Someone with working eyes want to find a doorway we can go through?"

[IndyPendant]

"Hmm, green is my favourite colour...Green Girl. Green Ghost. Green Chi. Green Grass! Okay, Jade. Jade Fist. Jade Chi. Jade Kata. Jade Ghost. Green Jade Ghost Fist Chi Girl ARGH!" Sharatur stops at Jack's words, and stands up, reaching for her bo staff and getting ready to step outside. "Good a plan as any. Ready, Larissa?"

[SalmonMax]

"Wait, we need a destination door," the sorceress temporized. "An unlocked one."

The search for a suitable door was fairly quick, since it consisted largely of just trying nearby ones until an open one was found. All the while Larissa fought to contain the butterflies in her stomach...but once that last hurdle was crossed there was nothing else to delay with. It was time to put up or shut up.

She cloaked herself in a glamour, a stylish illusion of cloak and mask and somewhat daring dress over a slightly padded physique.

"Remember, I'm Hex. I'll just call you Jade for now until you work out the whole thing." She offered 'Jade' her arm.

"Ready when you are."

[Charlotte]

Jade and Hex made their way for the alleyway next to the building, and Sharatur put a hand on Larissa's shoulder, concentrated... and jumped.

There was a feeling of lightness, that didn't seem to fade right away, as Sharatur instinctively sought to materialize the two of them in empty space. Then they reappeared.

Inside the security room, papers were blown over by the displaced air. There were eight men in suits, earpieces and shoulder holsters in the room. They all turned as one to the pair.

Originally Posted By: OOC

Combat rounds for you two only. You have surprise, so act as you want. These people are treated as minions, so feel free to use minion rules.

* * *

Taking Radiance's advice about the solid light van, the group got as close to 'normal' as they could get, and went inside the cafe'. With the rain and the time of day, they were easily half the clientele. They sat down near the door that Larissa had indicated, and waited.

Kenshin reached the end of the clippings. The story they told lined up with what Jack had told them, with the photograph of something being taken out of the top being the exception.

[SalmonMax]

Larissa had rehearsed this moment in her head, but it didn't prepare her for the nauseating reality of facing eight armed men, any one of which would have easily dispatched her just a couple of days ago. Now she was going to try to take them all on. She spoke her spell so fast she almost tripped over her own incantation.

"From the shadows, from the dark, from the deep corridors of the mind...I call your fears and forge them to chains, to tangle and fetter and bind."

And sure enough from all the shadowed corners and spaces in the room, black rough iron chains snapped out with manacles at their ends. The manacles snapped at wrists, ankles, any extremity really, attempting to grab hold and hold the victims tight.

(Paralyze DC 20 across a 10 square shapeable area. In this case it would simply stretch across all eight men in the room. They make Will saves to try to resist. By minion rules, they'll be immobilized and helpless on any failed roll.)

[The Scarlet Samurai]

As they sat in the cafe Kenshin grew nervous. He'd expected that his research would take longer, and hopefully take him out of the fight. Instead it had done little but confirm the old man's story and provide a nearly untraceable photo as proof. Proof was something that had power however, maybe even something they could use.

Ken turned to the others, his hat's hideous grinning face in sharp contrast to his own emotionless facade. "Once this is over I have something to show you all, something that pertains to that big donut we saw."

[IndyPendant]

For all her complaining about what they have all been thrust into, now that she and Larissa are in the middle of it, Sharatur's hesitation and uncertainty vanish. Quick and silent as a panther, she dashes for the guards, pausing only momentarily as the shackles appear from nowhere. She makes her priority anyone not immobilized by Larissa's spell, her bo staff a blur among the guards.

(Invisible Castle seems down atm; feel free to roll my attacks for me. Non-lethal damage, using autofire and reach to strike as many guards as possible, targeting those not immobilized first.)

[Charlotte]

The effects were immediate, as the chains grabbed the guards. Five of the guards froze where they stood, unable to move.

Click to reveal..

All failures; five failures by more than five. Those five are helpless; the other three are slowed.

Three of them fought off the worst of the spell, and were starting to move very slowly, straining against the chains - until a tornado wielding a stick snapped out at them.

Click to reveal..

These are mooks, so Jade auto-hits and can reach the three of them easily enough. Toughness Saves vs. Sharatur's Staff Attack (DC25) (1d20+1=12, 1d20+1=7, 1d20+1=6) - none of them make their rolls.

The three of them fare as well as straw huts against a hurricane, and fall just as quickly.

With little effort, Hex and Jade incapacitated the remaining ones. No alarms went off; and there was a handy unlocked door.

Mighty quick combat - but we're off combat rounds, now.

[CyCo]

"ZEN!" Cyco eeped with delight, drawing every set of eyes to herself.

"What?" she asked quizzically, "That would be the perfect name, wouldn't it? Fits her...um...skillset...yeah, and shoves it up the arse of the Order...since they banned...religion...what? C'mon guys, what, you're looking at me like I'm fartin' frogs."

[IndyPendant]

Sharatur relaxes. "Well, that was easier than I expected. Good work La--Hex. Best create that portal now." She looks around the room in detail, touching nothing for now, just looking for 'anything interesting'. She notes idly that she is rapidly getting better at ignoring that constant but-this-is-impossible gibbering that still mutters protestingly in the back of her mind.

[SalmonMax]

Hex shakes her head to clear it, still a bit dazed by how -fast- Jade had moved. She'd barely been able to track the motion with her eyes. The suggestion snaps her back though and she quickly goes to the door. A few mystical marks, and the sympathetic connection is formed.

Back in the little shop, the door opened...revealing Larissa in Hex's full regalia peering out and gesturing quickly to the others to run in.

[The Scarlet Samurai]

Kenshin grabs the knife off the table, he'd been staring at it, willing himself to find a solution to the problem of it. Head down, his hand on his hat, the other depositing the knife into his pocket, Ken walked to the door and passed through as inconspicuously as any man would be getting up to go to the lavatory.

[Radiance]

Hikari wastes no time, her barrier field rising after she steps through the portal and off to the left, and a sword of pure light takes form in her left hand. She looked around and smiled.

"I see you all had a little fun before you sent the car..."

[Charlotte]

The remaining members of the group went through Hex's doorway, drawing a few odd stares before the door closed.

The nine of them gathered in the main security hub, the unconscious bodies of its staff at their feet. Cameras and motion sensors were still live, and (theoretically) controlled from this room...

Originally Posted By: OOC

To disable the security systems, roll either Disable Device as normal, or Computers at -2.

[SalmonMax]

"We had to act fast so they wouldn't raise an alarm," Hex admittedly sheepishly. "Speaking of which..."

She leaned over the controls, trying to puzzle them out.

"I'm not the most technical-minded...anyone know how to operate this kind of stuff?"

[IndyPendant]

(OOC: I take it I don't notice anything out of the ordinary...)

Sharatur is busily tying everyone up when the others come through. She looks up at Larissa's question. "I don't know a pointer from a plug" she states.

[The Scarlet Samurai]

Once the door closed Kenshin pulled the hat down tight onto his head. It shifted fluidly at his will into the blood red mempo that bonded with his face, becoming his face, as the Blood Armor formed around him. The sword reappeared at his hip but his hands stayed away from it even as it began to call for the blood of the men on the floor. "What now? We should be as quick as possible I should think."

[z-Gloom]

"First, we get someone to shut off the security." She glanced at the others. "That isn't me, by the way." She looked back at the console, hoping that someone else had the necessary skills to shut it down.

"Then we start poking around until we find something to hit. Then we hit it until it stops moving. Rinse and repeat until we've found what we've come for."

It was an admittedly simple plan. Sometimes, those were the best ones, though.

[SalmonMax]

Hex sighed and cracked her knuckles when no one else expressed any ability or desire to try the shutoff.

"It's basically a computer system, I guess," she said. "I'll give it a try..."

She navigated a few menus, getting the hang of how the operating system was set up, then started checking different options. There was a bad moment when the system asked for EMPID#...but then she realized the guards had badges with numbers on them. She entered one of the numbers, and the system seemed to accept that. With a little more poking she found a maintenance shutdown option that, after confirming that this was what she wanted, took the systems offline.

"Okay," she said shakily. "I think we're good to go."

(12:28:33) (Hex): Security System Bypass +5-2=+3.

(12:28:41) ChatBot: (Hex) rolls 1d20 and gets 18.

So that's a 21 total on Computer, including the -2 penalty.

[Charlotte]

It took Hex a while, but she manages to shut down the cameras as well as the motion sensors.

Meanwhile, Jade did in fact find something of interest as she looked over the downed guards - a faint noise that she determined was coming from their earpieces. Someone in the building was talking over the security wire...

[IndyPendant]

"Good work, L--Hex." Jade pulls out the earpiece gently, examining it for a moment looking for a 'voice off' option. Whether or not she finds one, she still places it in her own ear to hear the words, making sure not to say a word while it is in her ear, and trying even to breathe silently.

[z-Gloom]

Gloom watched 'Hex' work, curious to see what she did. I should learn that, she mused, if we're going keep fighting the Order. We'll probably have to break into a lot of buildings, and I'm a former Knight. I've done my fair share of illegal entries.