Mutants & Masterminds: The Unlikely Prophets - Issue #3: "History is a Bomb"

Charlotte · December 29, 2010

Radiance's swing went wide, and Spartan ducked out of its way.

Next UP: Hex. You have until Friday.

On Deck: Necronaut (and his summoned ghost.) Necro, still don't have stats on the Prophet Profiles section for yours ghosts.

SalmonMax · December 31, 2010

Once again, the magical torpedo that Hex had launched a moment ago, and missed with, came curving back in for another go at the bogged down giant. Even as it did, Hex was already casting another spell, sending yet another of the missiles whizzing at Spartan!

She glanced up at the prison complex then and called, "We have to hurry this up!"

(Hit roll for returning shot from last turn: 17 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2822442/ )

(Hit roll for this turn's shot: 21 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2822446/ )

Charlotte · December 31, 2010

Click to reveal..

Spartan ducked the returning shot of the first magical missile, but the second hit him square in the head, knocking him for a loop.

Next UP: Necronaut. You have until Tuesday.

On Deck: Strongarm.

Necronaut · December 31, 2010

The Necronaut started summoning a second specter.

In the meantime, the first one floated to a halt a few feet from the bound Spartan. For a split second its face coalesced from the swirling ethereal miasma and glared at the murderous metahuman with empty, pit-like eyes. It reached out as if to strike him but stopped short. Instead it placed its hand, as cold and immaterial as frozen mist, on the side of his face and attempted to share a little bit of death.

Click to reveal..

Charlotte · December 31, 2010

The ghost's touch was unsteady and uncertain, it being new to the island, and it missed the skull of Spartan.

Next UP: Strongarm. You have until Tuesday.

On Deck: Jade.

Bodhie Armstrong · December 31, 2010

Bodhie was starting to feel confident. She had Spartan right where she wanted him to be and was sure she was in control of the situation. Unfortunately they were running out of time and the guards could show up any moment...

"Yield!", she grunted at Spartan as she yet again increased her grip on him and forcing him down. They had to finish him now.

Click to reveal..

Charlotte · December 31, 2010

Click to reveal..

"You... fucking... yield." Cracking noises came from Spartan's arms as he strained against the weight. He sneered up at her, a few beads of sweat forming on his brow.

Next UP: Jade. You have until Tuesday.

On Deck: Spartan, then Glitch.

IndyPendant · January 2, 2011

"We're trying!" Jade called peevishly to Hex. She looked down at the crouching, struggling Spartan with something approaching contempt. "This is one of the Order's biggest forces for evil? And to think that minutes ago we were seriously considering running away from you!" She leaped into the air, using her staff to give her a bit more height, and lashed out with all her might at Spartan's jaw with one foot. Spartan tensed, jerking his head to one side at the last moment--but Jade read the move in the tension of his muscles, and her foot was there to meet him. She landed in a light crouch, watching the results critically. "Hex is right. You're just a washed-out bully."

Click to reveal..

Charlotte · January 3, 2011

Click to reveal..

The impact was so strong that it actually sent Spartan sprawling out of Strongarm's grip. He landed awkwardly on his stomach, with a wet tearing sound, and the tip of a sword poked out his back.

He stood up, slowly, his sword sticking out of the center of his chest. He looked at it for a long moment. He poked at the hilt, watching it wobble.

"Heh."

Then he grabbed the handle, and wrenched it out of his chest. A red stain spread across his crisp grey uniform, joining the burns and the blood from the assault the group had dished out.

He took one step towards the group, then another, sword raised. Then the sword tumbled from his fingers, sticking point-first in the ground, wobbling in place. He sank to his knees, and glared at the group.

"Guess I am rusty."

He coughed, a trickle of blood coming out of his mouth.

"Who the devil are you people?"

Click to reveal..

Thomas Froit · January 3, 2011

"We're the people who won." Glitch's words contained a level of exultation, as he hadn't fully conceptualized the chance of beating Spartan. Still, his face tightened noticeably as he saw the dying man. Psychopath as Spartan was, reportedly coming back from the dead, Glitch swallowed a little. This was war against the Order.

Anxious not to seem to disconcerted, he turned and holstered his blaster and other gadgets. They had to crack open a gate and descend into a pit of what was claimed to be mythological beasts to get someone out. And the guards would be coming.

He pulled out the WID and holding it front of him, began to tap into the networks, to see if he could get the vault gate open.

Click to reveal..

Charlotte · January 3, 2011

For a moment, Glitch was puzzled. The firewalls on the door had to be insane, because every 'in' he tried couldn't even locate them, much less the system they were guarding.

After a moment, Glitch looked to the door itself, and the solution became obvious: he couldn't hack the computer lock because it had a manual valve, like an ancient submarine door. A thick one, too - whoever built this door was very serious about keeping people out... or in.

Radiance · January 3, 2011

Hikari moved silently. It was a risk, moving in close to him, he wasn't dead. She moved in to lay hand upon his sword, and if all went as planned he would truly die upon it.

She took it up, suprised by impossible lightness of it, not letting her guard down for a moment and nodded. moving behind him. If any had any words left to speak, she would give them only a moment.

"Before you said it would make things easier that I wasn't her. What did you mean?"

Necronaut · January 3, 2011

The Necronaut stood back in silence, watching the (theoretically) dying man. He had never seen anyone die before and just a few minutes ago the thought had been utterly horrifying, he would have done anything to prevent it. But now, watching him die (theoretically) it was a different matter. He had heard the rumors of Spartan coming back. So he was very interested to see what, if anything, happened as his enemy shuffled off this mortal coil. He focused his otherworldly sight on the Spartan's life force, seeping into the netherworld.

"I can save him. He doesn't have to die." The Necronaut's eyes widened in shock as his ears reported back to his brain what had just come out of his mouth. Damage Control. "I mean, it's probably best to just let him go, but he doesn't have to. We don't have to go down that road. Theoretically."

z-Gloom · January 3, 2011

Gloom stepped back, clearing enough room between her and Spartan that if he managed to recover and lunge at her, she'd have a chance to shoot his ass. Speaking of... With practiced, efficient motions, she ejected the clip and checked the rounds, then slammed it back into place.

She glanced toward the jail and the still-screaming alarms. "I don't think we have time for twenty questions," she rasped. "Let's get the Dell out of Hodge."

Bodhie Armstrong · January 3, 2011

Bodhie felt how Spartan’s body went limp under her steellike grip and realizing he posed no threat anymore she let him go watching him die. The huge amazon stared at her hands for a moment not quite sure if they actually defeated Spartan or if this was some kind of strange dream.

The voices of her friends brought her back and she shook her head to clear her thoughts and refocus on their mission. Spartan’s death would have to be handled later although she could already tell that killing him wasn’t really what she was trying to do. She had hoped he would’ve given up and then they would take him as hostage or something like that. Unfortunately things always end up completely different and in so many cases, according to her experience they went totally FUBAR when she was involved. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed, eh?

But right now wasn’t the time to dwell on this matter. The giant woman looked around for a moment before she decided to head for the massive door. Either Guards would be storming out of it soon or they would’ve to find a way inside. In both cases her presence right there would surely be in high demand.

„We’ll have to deal with Guards first!“, she yelled not at anyone in particular but tried to catch Gloom’s eyes. She was still their designated leader and Bodhie didn’t want to spoil any plans she may have had in one of her many sleeves...

SalmonMax · January 3, 2011

"We're the good guys," Hex told Spartan quietly.

Then, with a shake of her head she said, "Lets get to the door. I can protect us from the guards, at least for a little while."

She looked at Spartan again, increasingly uncomfortable with just leaving him to die. But...it had taken everything they had just to beat him. Heal him and it would start all over.

"Necronaut...can you control how much you heal? Stop him from dying, but still leave him too weak to fight?"

Thomas Froit · January 3, 2011

"Unfortunately, we don't have time for this." Glitch responded, painfully aware of the consequences of his action though he knew Spartan didn't deserve much mercy. "The door's manual, I can't hack it open. We need Necronaut or someone else who can get to the other side of the vault door and open it so we can step lively."

IndyPendant · January 4, 2011

Jade warily backed away from Spartan, her expression devoid of any sympathy. Once safely out of reach, she simply turned and walked away.

When she reached Glitch's side, she took his hand and said "Okay, come with me then." If her hand was trembling hard enough to vibrate his, that had nothing to do with nerves, it was just his imagination. Jade and Glitch simply vanished, reappearing on the far side of the huge door.

Charlotte · January 5, 2011

"What did I mean? Ha. The last woman I fought who looked like you, the Luminary? We wailed on each other for an hour. She stuck me in a maze made out of light. Depleted my ammo. Finally killed her when I caught up with her and drop-kicked her through a building then brought the building down. There was just one of her. And you needed six of your buddies to take me down after thirty years out of practice. Next time I meet you people? It's gonna turn out a little differently."

He coughed up blood. "But yeah. You got me this time. Enjoy it. We're going to throw everything at you. Everything. Every cop, every spook, every camera and every gun is going to be coming for you. You're trying to punch out gods. So you got lucky with the first tap. Whoopie shit - "

He looked to Glitch, at his reference to the door. "So you're gonna go down there? Ha. Haha... kids? I wouldn't even go down there."

Spartan toppled over, his final taunt hanging in the air. Necronaut's necro-sight confirmed it - he actually was dying. His life force was streaming away, so fast... and Necronaut did not detect a hint of resentment holding any of it back. It was passing straight out of this world and out of his domain. It was chilling to watch, because Necronaut had never seen a man go to his grave with not the slightest regret, before or after the song.

Then it was over. Spartan, the Order's hatchetman, the butcher of gods, was dead.

The light swere still on. The sirens still blared. But there was a stillness to the air, nonetheless. The group spared a glance, to find the guards that had assembled in the courtyard, near the wreckage of the chopper simply staring - and, from inside the cells with windows facing the interior courtyard, every single prisoner who could watch did watch. None of them knew what to do next.

A world where Spartan had fallen was not one they knew their way in.

* * *

Jade and Glitch blipped into being behind the door, and for a moment didn't know how to react to what they saw.

It was a large underground antechamber, lit well with some kind of phosphorescent algae on the end of torches set in holders. The architecture was Greco-Roman, with long columns holding up white marble walls. Sounds echoed down here.

Standing before them were two minotaurs.

They were not what Jade and Gloom had expected minotaurs to be. They were both male, lean and thin, dressed like ancient Grecian warriors, with greaves and loincloths and red capes, with thick horns on their heads and their bodies covered in fur. They also had spears, which gleamed with unnatural sharpness - and they took ready stances with them, with speed that gave even Jade's reflexes pause.

They shouted something in a dead tongue that neither of them understood. Then the floor shook, with a thump. Then it shook again, with another thump.

From the darkened hallway at the end of the antechamber emerged a third, and this one was what they'd come to expect from a minotaur. Eight feet high, dressed like the others, and the presence of certain attributes pegged this one as decidedly female - whatever the minotaurs were, the males were clearly the slim ones compared to the females.

She looked at the two of them, and spoke with a voice that was two steps below a roar. "Not ready yet. Where are the three? Where is the Surface Warden?"

Bodhie Armstrong · January 5, 2011

Bodhie reached the door eyes scanning the immediate area. She expected the guards to open fire or at least storm out and try to do something but nothing happened. Spartan’s death left a vacuum both physically and mentally. He represented so much that was attributed to the Order that his absence was practically unimaginable. Even Bodhie had to admit that there was a certain insecurity she felt somewhere in the back of her mind. Something just out of old habit that the World may stop moving if he wasn’t there anymore.

But the Order was evil... and Spartan represented everything that was evil about the Order. He was a murderer – a butcher and he deserved to die. Still Bodhie wasn’t sure if she wanted to kill him, it went too fast...

Damn, we're murderers..., there was no way putting it in a better light. They just killed a man and even if he was evil shouldn't heroes be better than killing people? Shouldn't they bring the villains to justice and... well, find a peaceful solution?

What if they became what they tried to fight? What if the Order started out with good intentions and lost it's focus over the years resorting to the "easy and fast" solution?

The huge musclebound amazon looked up the door seizing it and trying to figure out if she could open it by force. Maybe she could pull it off...

Click to reveal..

Radiance · January 5, 2011

Radiance nodded. "A novel concept."

She watched him die with an unreadable gaze and looked to Gloom and the others. "He's right, there's no going back now."

Just then Glitch and Jade vanished. With strongarm trying to manhandle the door open, Hikari took watch for the guards.

"He would have killed every single one of us if he'd had the chance. When we fight them, we have to be prepared to fight just as hard."

IndyPendant · January 6, 2011

Jade stood frozen for a long moment, staring at the minotaurs. Some part of her was distantly pleased that she retained enough sanity to be shocked at the sight of real, live, actual minotaurs. "Uh, right" her mouth said, getting ahead of her brain again. "He's right outside, I'll just let him in."

She turned to face the door, her neck-hairs prickling their protest as she turned her back on the things. She glanced quickly at the door, hoping that the method to open it was obvious.

Click to reveal..

Thomas Froit · January 6, 2011

"-Yeah." Glitch broke in suddenly, a bit nervous at the real-life beasts, and the likelihood of another fight skyrocketed to painful. But the others should be warned in a prompt manner. "That's right." Glitch said suddenly, as if he'd remembered something. "There's something about the trade that I should make sure he remembers."

Digging out the WID, he quickly tapped into the special cell phone with Gloom and went through the texting functions.

In a short period of time, Hex's cell beeped, as if she's gotten a text message, but there was no sender.

Mino's in here. Stalling- Glitch

Click to reveal..

z-Gloom · January 6, 2011

Gloom watched Spartan die; with her foot, she pushed the corpse over onto its back and bent over him. "What are you doing?" someone asked; Gloom just grunted, "Need somethin'." She tugged his belt open and grabbed the specialized holster for the gun.

She glanced at Radiance. "Ya might want the holster for that pig-sticker." Standing, she began walking toward the vault door. Time to see if minotaurs really existed.

Radiance · January 6, 2011

Radiance nodded, unstrapping it from the corpse and fastening it over her shoulder. "Indeed." Her eyes were towards the prison, ready to plast anyone who got close.

Necronaut · January 6, 2011

"He just let go. How could he, how could anyone just let go like that?" The Necronaut stared at the empty shell that had once been his enemy. A haunted look crossed his face, appropriately enough. Finally he had seen death in the act, and he was glad it had been Spartans. In more ways than one, it wasn't really like watching someone die at all.

Then he turned toward the Door and, with his two summoned specters in tow, marched toward it as if it weren't even there. He did take the precaution of advancing with one hand forward, just in case the door were somehow proof against otherworldly transit.

Charlotte · January 8, 2011

The door, from Jade's side, looked incredibly solid. She could potentially kick it down, given time, but that would obviously arouse suspicion.

Then the handle began to spin on its own. At the sight of this, the minotaurs took a step back. After a moment, Strongarm had shoved the door open, twisting the incredibly heavy valve. She was followed by Necronaut, and then the others.

The minotaurs looked quite wary. "You are new! Where is the Surface Warden. We deal with him. He knows the rule - three for one."

z-Gloom · January 9, 2011

"New rules, kids," Gloom said, easing to the front. Three of her hands were propped up on her hips; one rested on her new pistol. She stood confidently before the three, looking unfazed by the impossibility of their existence. "We'll come in and take out who we want. You're going to let us."

Hopefully a bold front would unsettle the creatures enough to avoid a fight.

Bodhie Armstrong · January 11, 2011

The Door opened and instead of guards horned, furry men with spears stormed out shouting menacingly at them. Bodhie understood no word but decided to remain passive for the moment. She felt confident that this new situation may be resolved peacefully, after all it was a prison and they just freed them, didn’t they?

A good part of her confidence came from the certainty that she was the biggest around. The power she possessed was easily recognisable by her imposing and huge body. It was obvious that she was the team’s powerhouse, a pillar of strength capable of doing the most mindboggling feats of strength. Bodhie had known this feeling to a certain human level when she was working out. People usually shied away from physically bigger and presumably stronger ´specimens´ it was nature’s law and one of the reasons Bodhie started working out in the first place. She wanted to be strong.

This certainty was challenged when the leader of the Minotaurs stepped through the door. She felt the heavy steps physically long before the towering shape of the female Minotaur appeared in the door. It heralded the arrival of something BIG. 8 Feet of Female righteousness and anger stared at them, physically strong and imposing and for the first time since her change Bodhie felt threatened and intimidated. She may not be the biggest around anymore...

„Holy mother of god...“, she flinched and stared at the huge female Minotaur her body tensing in anticipation.

Charlotte · January 12, 2011

At Gloom's words, the large minotaur's expression darkened. She barked something in... Minotaurese? And the two leaner males immediately turned and ran.

"We will protect the Garden! You are intruders! You are not welcome in our walls!" The large female minotaur slammed the butt of her spear against the ground for emphasis, shaking the walls slightly.

Meanwhile, outside, the guards seemed to be getting their act together and were advancing on the opened doorway. None of them had opened fire, but it was only a matter of time...

SalmonMax · January 12, 2011

"So much for diplomacy," Hex muttered. She reached into the little nylon fanny pack on her belt and took out a vial of white crystalline powder. Murmuring some words in Greek or Latin or something, she uncorked the vial and with a flick of her wrist hurled the contents towards the open door of the Link. In midair the powdery stuff seemed to organize itself into a series of thin streamers that drew a complex-looking arcane circle on the ground when they hit.

"I've got a wall around the doorway," she reported tensely. "It won't block us though."

Then to the minotaur she said loudly, "We're not after the Garden! We're not intruders! The situation outside this place, outside the labyrinth, has changed. There's someone here we need. We're not with the Order, so whatever deal you have with them doesn't apply to us. We defeated Spartan, of the Order, to stand here now."

"We don't fear you, but we're not here to fight."

Radiance · January 13, 2011

Hikari said nothing, noting the Minotaurs, and sighing inwardly. This mission was going from bad to worse faster than she thought it could. With Hex's wall, her shield flickered back to life and her newly acquired sword felt like an extension of her own arm. She held it at her side in what she hoped was non threatening, yet ready shoud a fight start.

IndyPendant · January 14, 2011

Jade's mouth picked up Hex's thread. "Yeah, you can see Spartan's body through the door, right there" she points. Then her brain finally caught up and started working again. "Look, we really are not the Order, and we're not here to wreck whatever operation you have going here"--Yet. she added mentally to herself--"if you just bring one person to us, we can leave peacefully. If you want to fight us though, it's not going to end well." She paused. "For you, I mean" she concluded, a bit lamely.

Charlotte · January 15, 2011

Originally Posted By: IndyPendant

"...if you just bring one person to us, we can leave peacefully."

"The law is Three For One. Once they go into the Maze they only come out if there is a gain for us! The Order knows this. Spartan tried to bend our rules once and we killed him. It did not take, because he is less than a man at the same time that he is more - but he respects the rules now.

"You wish to pit your steel against ours? We stand ready! We are granted all the time there is by our rulers. We fear them more than we fear Spartan and certainly more than we fear the likes of you." She readied her spear. "Defend yourselves! We shall protect the Garden with our lives if need be!"

With that, the minotaur's hooves scraped the floor, and she charged.

Click to reveal..

Thomas Froit · January 15, 2011

Click to reveal..

Kazap!

The female minotaur stopped in her tracks as if she had run into a steel wall and stiffened, before toppling down unceremoniously. Everyone saw the blast mark where Glitch's reactive shot had struck the minotaur's sternum. Glitch turned his gaze to Jade and Hex apologetically. "Good try at diplomacy, but I guess they won't give up a good deal, even just once."

"Of course, the other two are well on their way and bound to spread the alarm. So we're gonna get another fight on our hands, eh?"

z-Gloom · January 16, 2011

Gloom knelt and checked the throat for a pulse. She felt one; with a nod, she rose. It seemed better to knock out someone defending their home than killing them.

"Then let's move," Gloom said. She took a step, then paused. "Anyone got some string or chalk? We're gonna need to find our way out. I mean, Hex can probably bampf us out, but I don't want to rely on that." Cause if she dies, we're fucked.

Thomas Froit · January 16, 2011

"Visor, activate Route Recording Log." Glitch replied - though his firm command voice and words were clearly not addressed to Gloom, nor anyone else in the group. Then he smiled briefly at their shadowy, four-armed leader and the other super-powered rebels. "IF anything happens to me, the Visor will still be available for all of you to use. Obviously, I hope it won't come to that."

Click to reveal..

Bodhie Armstrong · January 17, 2011

As the large female Minotaur crashed heavily to the floor Bodhie couldn’t hide her surprise. She looked at Glitch then back to the massive body his blaster just knocked out.

„Nice shot, buster.“, she commented but had the same impulse like Gloom to check for the female’s pulse. Gloom was faster though and Bodhie trusted her expertise and nodded in agreement when she said it was better the Minotaur was merely unconscious and not dead.

„I can carve arrows into the floor using on of their spears.“, she offered picking up the Mintaur’s weapon which was comfortably sized for her. The huge amazon remained close to Gloom and waited for her fearless leader to take point or issue an order how they should proceed.

Charlotte · January 19, 2011

With Glitch's visor and Strongarm's impromptu etchings, the team proceeded into the maze.

The labyrinth was surprisingly well-lit, with 'torches' of a sort set into the walls, with some kind of phosphorescent algae growing on the ends. It lent the smooth stone walls an oddly soothing glow. The stone walls themselves were tough, but not so tough that a dedicated attack from one of the team couldn't burst right through.

Sticking to the one-wall rule bore fruit. As the group proceeded, however - about five minutes into their hurried trek, Necronaut stopped short, his eyes wide, looking at something the others could not.

Necronaut · January 19, 2011

He unfroze after a few moments and turned to the others. "A minotaur spirit... long dead." He looked dazed as he dared contemplate just how long... "It seems he has a grievance with the living remnant of his people. The center of the maze is a garden. If we keep heading toward the middle we can find it, even as the maze shifts around us. The prisoners are there, as well as the rulers of this place. He was a bit cryptic, naturally, but he gave the impression this could end up even less pleasant than minotaur brawling."

He pulled a sharpie out of his lab-coat and knelt to scrawl 'Here Lies a Disgruntled Minotaur' on the stones.

"He said we should go this way." He added as he stood, nodding down one of the hallways.

Mutants & Masterminds: The Unlikely Prophets - Issue #3: "History is a Bomb"

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