Aberrant: Quantum Zero - Quantum Zero

[Nullifier]

Turning to the reporter he offers his hand,

\"Nice to meet you Mr Salt - it's a rare privilage to meet an investigative reporter I don't employ myself! We're trying to have a party here - you think you could force your way into joining us whilst you go about your sinister journalistic business?\"

Shaking the offered hand, a resigned grin coming to his face, \"I might as well, as it seems I won't be getting much work done at the moment. ::rolleyes \"

As Salt enters the dining room Jan looks over at him with an angry frown  ,

\"What's he doing here?\", she demands.

Masters grins  ,

\"As far as I'm aware Mr Salt is one of those reporters who is adept at 'digging up dirt' on people - exclusive OpNet exposés & the like - so I'd guess he's here to try & ruin some reputations.\" 

He turns to Fabry,

\"I'm sure he told you that, right?\" 

Raising an eyebrow, John glances at Jonas. \"Hmm...no, he hadn't actually. Of course, with Mr. Salt's contacts, I'm sure he's aware that if he were try to publish anything damaging, my own not inconsiderable contacts and influence in the media would make sure that he would regret it. Oh, or hadn't I mentioned that? Oops.\" 

Watching the interchange, Jonas manages to look both mildly offended and rather amused at the same time, in a gently chiding voice he says, \"We at the Unblinking Eye pride ourselves not on the search for 'dirt' or scandal, but for truth and clarity. After all, in this information saturated world someone has got to try to find all those elusive grains of truth and present them to the public. At any rate, if you're so well connected, you should have my credentials checked out. I stand by my record. Now gentlemen, if we've all had quite enough of talking business... \"

\"Um... Mr. Salt? Hi, my name is Derek Chalmers\" 

He offers his hand.

\"I have absolutely no difficulty with being quoted on anything I say here, but I would ask that you not include me in any of your pictures. I like my privacy, and due to my skin condition, pictures of me tend not to turn out too well, if you get me.\" 

Shaking Derek's hand and grinning wryly, "Actually, Derek, like I was saying, I think that I'm quite done with business for the time being, and I don't quote things I hear off-duty. It'd be unprofessional, not to mention no one would ever want to talk to me. "

[Asbjørn]

\"... and due to my skin condition, pictures of me tend not to turn out too well, if you get me.\"  ::wink

- "Hehe.... You and me both, Derek! ::cool " - Nathan nods towards the journalist, peeking over his sunglasses, so his eyes shine towards him like a pair of faint flashlights - "And Will too, come to think of it! Although he'd probably be good to have in an old-fashioned darkroom... ::biggrin All we need now is a discoball.... "

[brilyn]

All we need now is a discoball.... \"

Derek looks up:

"Well..... I could..... no, no.... I think I've spent quite enough energy needlessly....." ::wink

[Ayre el KaBeer]

OOC: This is not a proper post...

\"And Will too, come to think of it! Although he'd probably be good to have in an old-fashioned darkroom...  All we need now is a discoball.... \"

lol but unlike you guys Will's skin turns on or off when he wants ::tongue , no taint for this kid... yet ::devil .

[Archer21]

At any rate, if you're so well connected, you should have my credentials checked out. I stand by my record. Now gentlemen, if we've all had quite enough of talking business... \"

The coldness seems to leave John's eyes, his voice taking on a normal tone. "Indeed. Enough business for now. You have presented yourself well so far Mr. Salt, I apologize. I am perhaps too protective of myself and others, especially when we are in my home. I'm sure you understand. Though you may very well be a pillar of integrity, your cohorts in the media are not always as virtuous." He thanks the bartender as his drink arrives, then turns back and addresses everyone at the table. "Everyone, thank you for coming! ::bigsmile Please forgive my earlier absence." He pauses, then looks around, "Speaking of absent, we're missing some people. Any ideas where they are, Masters? I wouldn't want them missing dinner."

***

Outside in the stables, the horses start to whinny, sensing the sudden presence of a predator.

[brilyn]

OOC: Just letting y'all know I'm gonna be without internet access from about now, until Tuesday afternoon. Will be in a tent in a field in Derby until then. ::biggrin

[ProfPotts]

Outside:

The scents emanating from the mysterious woman alone, some of them fascinating, bring Glacier's attention back to her presence. He regards her with a newfound wonder.

\"Who are you?\"

Does it matter?

The pale woman involuntarily shivers at the sudden drop in temperature, but looks over Glacier with satisfaction, then looks into his eyes,

"You're right, of course, who I am matters little to you - you are a creature of primal instinct, with a need to respond to those instincts. However, for ease of conversation, call me PathFinder."

She looks thoughtful for a moment, then smiles,

"No, you're correct, you didn't voice your last comment - I still heard it though. Don't worry about it", she shrugs, "I find it easier to cut through the bullshit this way."

Again she looks deep into Glacier's eyes, seemingly unafraid by his dangerous Nova form, & maybe even a little more comfortable than she was before,

"You feel good like this, don't you? You're powerful, more in touch with your surroundings... In a word, you're 'free'. The question is, why don't you remain like this all the time? What's stopping you?"

She doesn't wait for an answer,

"They've really sold you on their lies, haven't they? Yes - you're dangerous, but that's the way you're meant to be - a predator, a 'monster' if you will - a primal rage that should be free to roam as it sees fit. They've got you pretending you're nothing - playing at being one of them, the weak ones. Why? Surely it's not for your benefit? You really think that Masters is trying to help you? He makes sure you hide yourself all the time: his pet Nova kept on a tight leash. Do you honestly think he'd have helped you out with the authorities if there hadn't been anything in it for him? He had to cover it up - an investigation would have discovered that he was keeping a Nova locked in his vault: a subject for his company's experiments. Now he's got both of you playing the roles of monkeys - until he finds a use for you, then, like with any good tool, he'll select & use you, putting you back in your box when he's done."

She pauses, letting her words sink in, then adds,

"I'm here to help you find your path, Glacier, to help you to break free of the shackles the humans have placed on you. What does your instinct tell you? If you were unfettered by their baseline morality, their antiquated societal rules, what would you do?"

Meanwhile - heading back towards the house:

Natalia holds Will tight, & whispers in his ear,

"Let's try that 'running up walls' thing - like in that old movie with the Bill & Ted guy..."

... she trails off as she (along with Will) notices a powered-up Glacier some way away (& some distance from the house), talking to a strange pale woman.

"Wow!", exclaims Nat as she sees 'the bear' for the first time .

Inside:

Masters helps himself to a plate of food, exchanging a few flirtatious words with the waitresses as he does so. Ash gets some food & a couple of drinks for herself & Derek (she seems concerned about his comments on 'needlessly spent energy'), & sits next to the metallic Nova. Emma (after taking a few moments to shake several mental images that sprang to mind after Nate's comments to her... ) also joins in the feasting. Jan makes a point of shunning Mr Salt, steers John away from the reporter, & whispers to the actor,

"I think the kids are having fun outside", she glances at Masters then adds, "Let's not spoil it for them, ok?"

Resuming a normal speaking voice Miss Thorne asks,

"So, do you have any music that's good to dance to? I feel in the mood for...",

... her voice trails off as she looks past John towards the corner of the ceiling, eyes wide with shock ::shocked ,

"... What the Hell's that?!"

[Asbjørn]

... her voice trails off as she looks past John towards the corner of the ceiling, eyes wide with shock ::shocked ,

\"... What the Hell's that?!\"

- "What's what...?" Nathan's turning fast to look in the direction she's looking.

[Archer21]

Whipping his head around, John looks where Jan is staring. Subconciously, he places himself between her and whatever it is...

[ProfPotts]

Hawk-eyed John spots it before Nate, but it's pretty hard for either to see clearly. Backed into the corner of the ceiling, apparantly attached by it's hands & feet, facing down & into the room, is a strange figure. It's a small & thin humanoid, hairless & naked (&, apparantly, without any... ahem... 'gender features', so to speak... ::blush ::blink ), but it's hard to make out because it's skin seems to have taken on the shades & patterns of the features behind it - like a human-chameleon.

Seeing that it's camouflage has been seen-through, the figure hisses at the group (several of the hired staff scream when they spot it); moments later it's flesh starts to undulate & bulge, & it drops towards the floor. As it does so it divides - again & again - in the manner of a virus as seen under a microscope. Where one figure dropped from the ceiling, eight hit the floor - & immediately rush towards the guest, bodies crouched & rippling almost fluidly, skin shifting to match the backgrounds they pass, all the time hissing aggressively. ::angry ::shocked

[Archer21]

Pushing Janet behind him, John starts barking orders, his deep voice cutting through the screams. "Masters! Get Janet and the staff out of here now! Nathan, give me a hand with these! Let's try to avoid hurting it unless necessary!" Leaping agilely to avoid the clones, John grabs the tablecloth on one the sidetables and heaves, whipping the cloth off the table. Holding it wide, he pounces on whatever creature is closest, trying to immoblize it.

[Ayre el KaBeer]

Meanwhile - heading back towards the house:

Natalia holds Will tight, & whispers in his ear,

\"Let's try that 'running up walls' thing - like in that old movie with the Bill & Ted guy...\"

... she trails off as she (along with Will) notices a powered-up Glacier some way away (& some distance from the house), talking to a strange pale woman.

\"Wow!\", exclaims Nat as she sees 'the bear' for the first time  .

" ::crazy Glacier! John no!" Will, slows down to a stop and turns his glow off talks into Natalia's ear "Glacier's in control and he could kill her, and anyone else around, hide behind those trees I have to try to save her and warn the others..." Will turns and guns it, no time for romance people are in danger!

(OOC: Hyperrun and enhanced movement both, by my guess that's 1500km/h. lets not forget to maintain the all important forcefield, what's left goes into lifter for this round)

[ProfPotts]

Will shoots towards Glacier & the pale woman, churning up John's lawn in his wake. Suddenly, mere meters from the pair, a glowing disc materialises in front of the charging Nova - who plunges through before he realises what's happening! To Will's confusion ::confused he sprints on, emerging from an identical disc on the other side of the couple, bypassing them completely ::teleport . The pale woman doesn't even look up...

[ProfPotts]

Inside:

Pushing Janet behind him, John starts barking orders, his deep voice cutting through the screams. \"Masters! Get Janet and the staff out of here now! Nathan, give me a hand with these! Let's try to avoid hurting it unless necessary!\"

Masters appears somewhat amused that anyone would presume to order him to do anything ::sly ,

\"My dear boy\", he calls over to John, \"I can see your point about the staff, but Janet's a Nova - I'm sure she can take care of herself. As for you, I know you do your own stunts, but this doesn't seem like the time to be stealing the limelight.\"

He turns to Nate,

\"Time to earn those big bucks I pay you, Blaze.\" ::smokin

Leaping agilely to avoid the clones, John grabs the tablecloth on one the sidetables and heaves, whipping the cloth off the table. Holding it wide, he pounces on whatever creature is closest, trying to immoblize it.

The 'creature' targeted by the actor twists & moves with lightning speed, planting a palm firmly on John's chest before he can complete his attack. For a brief moment Fabry feels a fever-like heat, & the strength fading from him... then, with an effort of will, he forces the feeling aside & tries to enwrap his opponent. However, the thing is too quick for him, & so flexible he'd swear it didn't have bones - it smoothly twists under the makeshift net, through John's legs, & up behind him!

Meanwhile the other seven 'creatures' each leap upon a target of their own - they seem to be selecting the baseline staff first (for some reason). In some cases the chameleon-thing establishes a firm touch on it's target, who then appears to weaken & collapse in a cold sweat, as the muscles of the attacking 'thing' swell & bulge. In other cases the attacks are more simplistic & brutal - grabing & smashing at any opportunity.

Masters & company move towards the back of the room, away from the creatures - Ash has her 'phone out & is talking quickly & quietly into it; Emma hides as best she can behind Nate; Masters himself grabs & hurls a chair (one-handed no-less) at one of the creatures, managing to pull it's waitress-victim free as the fiend ducks away from the improvised attack. Jan, meanwhile, takes a step away from one of the creatures, shrinking & changing as she does: silky black fur sprouts from her skin, her eyes shift to luminous green, her posture warps & changes - until there's a small black cat standing where the actress was - hissing back at the thing in front of her, back arched & teeth bared.

[Archer21]

The 'creature' targeted by the actor twists & moves with lightning speed, planting a palm firmly on John's chest before he can complete his attack. For a brief moment Fabry feels a fever-like heat, & the strength fading from him... then, with an effort of will, he forces the feeling aside & tries to enwrap his opponent. However, the thing is too quick for him, & so flexible he'd swear it didn't have bones - it smoothly twists under the makeshift net, through John's legs, & up behind him!

*Damn! They're too fast, I can't afford to hold back! But all these people...aww, man!*

Making his decision, John sprints for the door leading to the hallway, shouting, "I'll be right back! Hold on!" Reaching into his pocket, he snaps open his cellphone, punching the autodial..."Yeah, it's me, I've got a problem with some Nova-sized creepie crawlies, I'm gonna need you to keep the boys in blue away from my house for their own sake! Just do what you can!" Hanging up, John(hopefully) bursts out the dining room and heads for the wine cellar...

[phoenix]

\"I'm here to help you find your path, Glacier, to help you to break free of the shackles the humans have placed on you. What does your instinct tell you? If you were unfettered by their baseline morality, their antiquated societal rules, what would you do?\"

Glacier doesn't bother to respond verbally, or to try to lie. I would kill them. But that doesn't give me the right to do so. All life is sacred. You're right; this can't continue. I have nothing in common with baselines, apart from being impressed with what I can do. And I am feeling an increasing desire to just be \"on\". But I'm still not going to take life away from anything that's willing to just leave me alone.

\"Glacier! John no!\" Will turns and guns it, no time for romance people are in danger!

Will shoots towards Glacier & the pale woman, churning up John's lawn in his wake.

Fortunately for the more violent side of my personality, that group seems to be getting smaller all the time..

John would have panicked, leaping aside and possibly shouting with surprise and fright at the incoming fireball. Glacier is several degrees removed from John. (Heh.)

He hardly glances at Will, and he appears through the anima to have his hands in his pockets. Even the great bear is lying on the ground. It does, however, turn white. (Activate force field: Glacier has no way to know he won't need it, and while he's cool as a moose at high tide, he's not stupid).

\"Stay back, or I'll kill you.\" The warning is offered in a tone as impersonal as John would use to warn someone of something that might trip them. It's not a threat, after all. Glacier turns his attention back to Pathfinder.

Suddenly, mere meters from the pair, a glowing disc materialises in front of the charging Nova - who plunges through before he realises what's happening! To Will's confusion  he sprints on, emerging from an identical disc on the other side of the couple, bypassing them completely  . The pale woman doesn't even look up...

As I was saying, it does look to me like if I stay here.. well, you've heard the expression, "Damned if you do, damned if you don't."

Let's see what you have to show me. I put myself in your hands.

[Asbjørn]

\"Nathan, give me a hand with these! Let's try to avoid hurting it unless necessary!\"

*Screw that...*

Nathan gets up as fast as he can, pushing Emma behind him away from the creatures. As he bursts into motion his eyes flash brightly, and in the fraction of a second it takes him to get to his feet his body is covered in the same pale light (forcefield on).

\"Time to earn those big bucks I pay you, Blaze.\" ::smokin

Smacking the nearest creature away from the servant it's attacking, Nate keeps an eye on Emma and is on the lookout for other threats.

*Let's try not to wreck this place too much.... Aw, hell. He can afford it. ::devil *

If the one he hit seems to be able to take more damage than that, he'll blast the next couple out the window or open doorway. He will not fire any Q-bolts if there's a chance to hit innocent bystanders or if the creatures go down from a punch, instead going with the hand to hand option, but if he has to and gets a clear shot, they're toast. (Trying as hard as possible to avoid collateral damage and pulling his punches on the first blasts). Anything that gets close to Emma is his primary target. ::cool

[ProfPotts]

Inside:

John flees the room, heading for the wine cellar - one of the creatures on his heels, leaping from floor, to wall, to ceiling, & scuttling after him. He hears some disgusting squelching noises behind him as he runs - the same noise that he heard when the thing first divided.

Reaching the cellar the actor is brought up short when one of the creatures drops from the ceiling in front of him... followed by another two behind & to the side of him. The three creatures encircling John start to close in, & one speaks in a hissing voice (there's a hint of Spanish in it's accent),

"Victory... through sssuperior numbersss..."

Meanwhile, back in the dining room...

Nathan gets up as fast as he can, pushing Emma behind him away from the creatures. As he bursts into motion his eyes flash brightly, and in the fraction of a second it takes him to get to his feet his body is covered in the same pale light.

A quick glance 'round shows the Nova that the four creatures that had 'touched' their victims appear more 'bulked up' than their colleagues - with rippling body-builder muscles - whilst their victims lie covered in a feverish cold sweat, twitching now & again, but seemingly too weak to move. Of the other three, the one which Masters warded off leaps towards the multi-billionaire, whilst another is savagely beating the bar-tender, & the last is choking the life from a helpless waitress. Black cat-form Jan has retreated behind Nate & Masters, with Emma, Derek, & Ash...

Nate steps forward to take a swing at the thing choking the waitress: it tries to duck away, but Nate's swing connects - sending the thing flying across the room, & smashing through the interior wall to land sprawled in a cloud of dust & plaster in the corridor beyond! However, it starts to rise again moments later, it's injuries minimal...

As the waitress Nate's rescued crawls to (relative) safety, Masters flips one of the tables on it's side, sending the expensive sea-food spread everywhere, managing to momentarily block the creature that's gunning for him.

The four bulked-up fiends look towards the hole in the wall, then towards Blaze. As one they charge - leaping & hissing. The first two squirm & flex around the glowing Nova, pinning his arms with their own malleable bodies. The third plants it's palm on Nate's chest, smiling evily as it hisses,

\"Ssstrength...\"

Blaze suddenly feels drained & weak, reduced to mere baseline strength as the thing touching him bulks-up even more (it's starting to resemble a Mitoid).

The fourth fiend then shoves it's sibling aside angrily ::angry , & takes it's own turn draining Nate's strength as it bulks up to similar proportions - Blaze now feels too weak to even stand...

Outside:

As I was saying, it does look to me like if I stay here.. well, you've heard the expression, \"Damned if you do, damned if you don't.\"

Let's see what you have to show me. I put myself in your hands.

PathFinder nods towards the house,

"We have a job to do here first - you're not the only Nova bound by this man Masters, we're here to free her as well."

She shrugs,

"& to execute Masters for his crimes against Novakind, naturally."

The pale Nova smiles ::sly , adding,

"It shouldn't take long."

[Ayre el KaBeer]

Will realising he can't get to the two nova's, he turns to the house and sprints towards it. When he gets close enough he leaps in through the nearest window.

[phoenix]

PathFinder nods towards the house,

\"We have a job to do here first - you're not the only Nova bound by this man Masters, we're here to free her as well.\"

She shrugs,

\"& to execute Masters for his crimes against Novakind, naturally.\"

The pale Nova smiles  , adding,

\"It shouldn't take long.\"

Glacier furrows his brow.

Umm... 'her'? What are you talking about?

As for Masters, I don't blame him for anything. He had no way to know that it would be like this, although it was a bit stupid of him to assume that I could live as a baseline the same way I could as a nova. I can't let you hurt him in good conscience.

The din from the house becomes enough to attract Glacier's attention. What the hell is going on in there?

[Archer21]

Reaching the cellar the actor is brought up short when one of the creatures drops from the ceiling in front of him... followed by another two behind & to the side of him. The three creatures encircling John start to close in, & one speaks in a hissing voice (there's a hint of Spanish in it's accent),

\"Victory... through sssuperior numbersss...\"

Meanwhile, back in the dining room...

"I don' think so, you ugly little bastard." His face set it a grim smile, John's eufiber suit suddenly morphs into a full body suit, the collar of the outfit reaching up to cover his mouth and nose in a half-mask. Adopting a fighter's stance, his whole body mirrors his aggression. "Molon labe!"

he cries fiercely, then punches the one in front of him as hard as he can, hopefully putting it through the wall!

(OOC: Can't afford to hold back, pumping QP into Crush for all it's worth when I hit this critter. If I miss, hopefully I'll at least make a hole in the wall.)

[ProfPotts]

Will realising he can't get to the two nova's, he turns to the house and sprints towards it. When he gets close enough he leaps in through the nearest window.

Will circles back 'round Glacier & his pale friend, & hurtles instead towards the main house, as the glowind disc 'tunnel' shrinks to a point, then vanishes, behind him. Covering the distance in a fraction of a second the speeding Nova vaults at the nearest window, smashing through, & making a dramatic entrance into the dining room...

... He lands with the grace of a gymnast, taking in the scene in moments, his mind working almost as fast as his body - the seven 'creatures', Masters & co. barricaded behind an overturned table, Nate being constricted by his strangely flexible assailants, the bar tender being clubbed into a bloody pulp - the whole thing. The speedster's arrival causes all in the room to stop for a moment & look at the unexpected source of noise & flying glass. As one the creatures glance at each other, then one of the highly-muscled ones draining Blaze, as well as both the one beating the bar tender, & the one climbing back into the room (through the hole in the wall where Nate smashed it), break off what they're doing & rush towards Will.

Outside:

Glacier furrows his brow.

Umm... 'her'? What are you talking about?

PathFinder frowns a little ::angry ,

\"They didn't tell you? The girl 'Emma' is the Nova called Nefertiti - she's being kept in baseline form by Masters, much as you were.\"

As for Masters, I don't blame him for anything. He had no way to know that it would be like this, although it was a bit stupid of him to assume that I could live as a baseline the same way I could as a nova. I can't let you hurt him in good conscience.

\"His treatment of you is just the latest of his many crimes against our people\", replies PathFinder, \"What would you say if I told you that his company designs & manufactures weapons specifically made for baselines to use in killing Novas? They do. He kept Nefertiti locked up for years, experimenting on her like she was some lab rat - there's little reason to think he'd have any more respect for you... or any of us. He's worse than stupid, he's actually quite clever (for a baseline), & powerful (again, as far as baseline influence reaches) - he's the enemy of all Novas. You have my word on that.\"

The din from the house becomes enough to attract Glacier's attention. What the hell is going on in there?

She smiles a little ::sly , adding,

\"I think that Virus is doing just fine with the killing on it's own.\"

\"I don' think so, you ugly little bastard.\" His face set it a grim smile, John's eufiber suit suddenly morphs into a full body suit, the collar of the outfit reaching up to cover his mouth and nose in a half-mask. Adopting a fighter's stance, his whole body mirrors his aggression. \"Molon labe!\"

he cries fiercely, then punches the one in front of him as hard as he can, hopefully putting it through the wall!

The creatures stop abruptly, stunned by the 'baseline' actor's startling transformation ::blink , & even back-off a little, giving John the time he needs to build-up for his devastating assault. His punch is as swift as it is brutal, slaming through the thing's soft chest & out the other side in a shower of greyish-green gore (that splatters over some of the finer Merlots... ::sly ). The creature stares dumbly at the hole that's left when John removes his fist, then collapses to it's knee, rapidly disolving into a fetid mist. The other two look at each other, then at John,

"Nova...", whispers one of them, as they warily start to circle their suddenly dangerous prey.

[Archer21]

Eyes narrowing, John's whispers in a menacing voice..."You can leave, or you can die. Your choice." John's whole demeanor has changed, his presence now incredibly intimidating.

(OOC: Trying to use Intimidation to get rid of these guys, but holding an action for dodging.)

[Ayre el KaBeer]

... He lands with the grace of a gymnast, taking in the scene in moments, his mind working almost as fast as his body - the seven 'creatures', Masters & co. barricaded behind an overturned table, Nate being constricted by his strangely flexible assailants, the bar tender being clubbed into a bloody pulp - the whole thing. The speedster's arrival causes all in the room to stop for a moment & look at the unexpected source of noise & flying glass. As one the creatures glance at each other, then one of the highly-muscled ones draining Blaze, as well as both the one beating the bar tender, & the one climbing back into the room (through the hole in the wall where Nate smashed it), break off what they're doing & rush towards Will.

"Sh!t..." Will, seeing what these 'things' are doing, is enfuriated ::angry and roars as his hands flare up and Will darts past them with a red streak trailing at chest level.

(OOC: Claws, Quickness. manuvers: hyperstrike with the claws and since his momentum is carrying him off anyway possibly a hyperslam)

(OOC: delay the hyperslam! if there's no target at the end of the room, in the dirrection will is running then he runs up the wall and across the ceiling prepairing to strike at them for the next combat round)

[phoenix]

\"They didn't tell you? The girl 'Emma' is the Nova called Nefertiti - she's being kept in baseline form by Masters, much as you were.\"

Nefer- Glacier sends his mind back to his duel with Alex in the Masters building. Behind the veil that had been his blinding fury at the other nova, he vaguely remembered the rise of a second nova - more powerful than any other he had ever met. Great God..

\"His treatment of you is just the latest of his many crimes against our people\", replies PathFinder, \"What would you say if I told you that his company designs & manufactures weapons specifically made for baselines to use in killing Novas? They do. He kept Nefertiti locked up for years, experimenting on her like she was some lab rat - there's little reason to think he'd have any more respect for you... or any of us. He's worse than stupid, he's actually quite clever (for a baseline), & powerful (again, as far as baseline influence reaches) - he's the enemy of all Novas. You have my word on that.\"

The recent revelations (and, to a lesser extent, the fact that Emma's true nature had been hidden from him) make Glacier so angry that he can hardly think. He reverts to verbal speech, perhaps because doing so helps him better organize his thoughts.

\"I know they make anti-nova weaponry.. that doesn't really bother me. After all, we can kill them.. they've got every right to try to defend themselves. The playing field between humans and novas will never be even. I, for one, don't care about them, and if they set themselves against us, more fools they.

But what you say he did to Emma.. That's evil, though it was understandable due to her state of mind.\" What kind of torment could she have gone through that would make her like that?

Somewhere around this point in time, Glacier loses track of whether he's speaking or thinking.

I'll make you a deal. I don't hold any grudges about what he did to me, and from what I've seen of Emma, she seems to have escaped unharmed. Anything else is before my time. But if you show me that he's doing to any other novas what you say he did to Emma, I'll kill him myself.

The din from the house becomes enough to attract Glacier's attention. What the hell is going on in there?

\"I think that Virus is doing just fine with the killing on it's own.\"

Glacier stares blankly at the woman for a moment before what she says sinks in.

Virus.. ::mellow ::blink ::angry Dammit!

Glacier sprints for the house and goes for the hole made by Will, not that he'd be entirely adverse to making a hole of his own at this point..

[Asbjørn]

Blaze suddenly feels drained & weak, reduced to mere baseline strength as the thing touching him bulks-up even more (it's starting to resemble a Mitoid).

The fourth fiend then shoves it's sibling aside angrily ::angry , & takes it's own turn draining Nate's strength as it bulks up to similar proportions - Blaze now feels too weak to even stand...

Groaning from pain and exhaustion, the light covering him glows slightly weaker as Blaze sinks to his knees on the floor. He feels like he's fainting, all he sees are the disgusting creatures stealing his strength away.

*They're taking my powers! ::shocked Well... Let's see how much they can handle... ::devil *

Marshalling all the strength he's got left (Willpower and health levels if needed), Nathan grits his teeth and smiles through the mental fog the weakness has brought about. The air in the room suddenly heats up as his body is surrounded by superheated plasma. The floorboards under him catch fire as he tries to fight the creatures off.

As the little bastards scuttle away, everybody around can see Blaze hovering a foot above the floor, his hands glowing white hot with plasma as he stretches them both out towards the two nearest enemies.

- "Now it's payback time, you bastards! ::angry "

[ProfPotts]

The Wine Cellar:

Eyes narrowing, John whispers in a menacing voice...\"You can leave, or you can die. Your choice.\" John's whole demeanor has changed, his presence now incredibly intimidating.

[i'd actually presumed his actions before had been quite intimidating... That's what made them pause enough for him to use a Crush, right?::confused ]

The two remaining creatures look at each other, one saying,

\"Geryon wouldn't like usss killing a Nova...\",

the other replying,

\"We'll jussst hurt him real bad...\"

They both leap at John, their bodies contorting & stretching as they do so. The masked Nova nimbly ducks under the first, but the second manages to tightly wrap it's flexible body around him, holding him as it's companion recovers from it's missed attack & approaches, palm outstretched...

The Dining Room:

\"Sh!t...\" Will, seeing what these 'things' are doing, is infuriated  and roars as his hands flare up and Will darts past them with a red streak trailing at chest level.

The creatures scatter from Will's path, one of his targets managing to contort it's body out of the way of the deadly scything hand. The more bulked-up creature fails to dodge the attack, the line of crimson force opening up it's chest & allowing the foul-smelling contents to spill over the floor ::shocked ! The muscular figure falls to it's hands & knees in a futile attempt to scoop it's guts back in... then collapses, unmoving. ::smiley4

As Will continues up the wall & across the ceiling the third creature attacking him stretches & elongates it's body in order to grab the speeding Nova as he rushes past inverted - then winds itself around the speedster, causing both of them to crash to the floor, where it attempts to hold it's prey still.

The air in the room suddenly heats up as his body is surrounded by superheated plasma. The floorboards under him catch fire as he tries to fight the creatures off.

The two creatures holding, & the muscled one draining, Blaze scream with pain as the plasma fires dance over their bodies - they release their captive & leap & squirm away from the flaming Nova...

As the little bastards scuttle away, everybody around can see Blaze hovering a foot above the floor, his hands glowing white hot with plasma as he stretches them both out towards the two nearest enemies.

- \"Now it's payback time, you bastards!  \"

There's another crash as Glacier smashes through the remains of the window that Will broke moments before. The three charred creatures actually look relieved as the temperature in the room lowers significantly...

Meanwhile, Masters swings a punch at the creature worming it's way over the overturned table, connecting a solidly with it's jaw - to little effect. The creature wraps itself head-to-toe around the multi-billionaire, cutting off his air supply...

[Asbjørn]

There's another crash as Glacier smashes through the remains of the window that Will broke moments before. The three charred creatures actually look relived as the temperature in the room lowers significantly...

...Not for long.... ::devil

In a blaze™ ::wink of whitehot light, two burning bolts of plasma shoot out from Nathan's hands, hopefully burning a hole through two of the already charred creatures. ('pulling the punch' - just below half power on damage dice)

Meanwhile, Masters swings a punch at the creature worming it's way over the overturned table, connecting a solidly with it's jaw - to little effect. The creature wraps itself head-to-toe around the multi-billionaire, cutting off his air supply...

That done, Blaze flies in Masters' direction, trying to judge the heat of his own plasma field. Still too weak to pull it off Masters, he stretches an arm out to touch the creature hugging his face (But not going so close that he burns Masters too.)

(Is Emma in any direct danger now? And maybe even more important: Any signs that she thinks she is? The last thing we need is her going bananas...)

[Ayre el KaBeer]

As Will continues up the wall & across the ceiling the third creature attacking him stretches & elongates it's body in order to grab the speeding Nova as he rushes past inverted - then winds itself around the speedster, causing both of them to crash to the floor, where it attempts to hold it's prey still.

Will attemps to literally tear free from the creature, sinking both claws into the thing on him and trying to rip it apart.

(uses quickness again for each claw)

[phoenix]

The white bear (now rendering Glacier himself all but invisible) crashes through the window and lands on the floor, which promptly begins to ice over.

Sorry I'm - dammit! "Sorry I'm late, everyone!"

Glacier mostly ignores the battle going on around him. He sniffs the air, then realizes that John's scent leads down to the wine cellar.. with quite a few of the creatures (he's not sure how many, exactly) heading in the same direction!

"You idiots! Think he can handle those novas by himself?"

Glacier casts an inquiring eye to the familiar-smelling cat behind the table grooming itself, then sprints for the wine cellar without further ado (pausing only to hit anything that attacks him into next week).

[Archer21]

They both leap at John, their bodies contorting & stretching as they do so. The masked Nova nimbly ducks under the first, but the second manages to tightly wrap it's flexible body around him, holding him as it's companion recovers from it's missed attack & approaches, palm outstretched...

Beneath the mask, John's jaw sets grimly. *I gave them their choice.* Pretending to be weakened, he goes limp, falling to his knees...then quickly grabs the one on his back and slams it forward and down, using all his strength to smash both creatures with one blow.

[ProfPotts]

In the Wine Cellar:

Beneath the mask, John's jaw sets grimly. *I gave them their choice.* Pretending to be weakened, he goes limp, falling to his knees...then quickly grabs the one on his back and slams it forward and down, using all his strength to try & smash both creatures with one blow.

The masked Nova manages to get a good grip on the creature wraped around him & flings it off, across the room. It's partner swiftly ducks out of the way as it flys past & smashes through a rack of expensive wines to impact the wall beyond. The thrown creature seems dazed, but not out, whilst the remaining one moves with incredible quickness to counterattack - laying it's hand upon the masked Nova's arm. John again feels like the strength is being drained from him, but again, focuses his will & shrugs the feeling off. Moments later the temperature in the cellar drops a few more degrees, & frost starts to spread across the bottles, as Glacier makes his appearance.

The Dining Room:

Will has yet to start his struggle & is still being held when the creature that dodged his initial attack leaps over, laying a palm on the incapacitated speedster. Will feels the power in his muscles fading as the creature drains them, it's own muscles bulking-up as it does so, leaving young Henessie as weak as a kitten. [Will's on Mega-Str zero, Str 1]

Unable to get leverage to actully turn his glowing hands upon his attackers, Will is forced to try & wriggle free [the ripping can come later - after he's out of the Hold... ::wink ]. Using his speed & skill, rather than his (now puny) strength, he slips his captor's grasp & turns on the thing with his glowing crimson fists - his fingers dig deep into the creature, but he now appears to lack the power to inflict any great damage (Will feels like his arms are made of lead).

In a blaze™  of whitehot light, two burning bolts of plasma shoot out from Nathan's hands, hopefully burning a hole through two of the already charred creatures.

Trying their best to stay away from the brightly burning Nova the creatures dive for cover as the twin plasma bolts lash out - both nimble creatures manage to dodge the attack (although the stray plasma does blast a couple of extra holes in John's walls...).

Meanwhile, Will continues his weakened, but furious, assault on the creature that grabbed him, trying his best to rip it's colour-shifting flesh. The thing squeals in pain, actually damaging itself in it's attempts to pull free, but fails to do so.

The creature that recently drained Will's strength steps over & swings a back-handed punch at him, connecting with enough force to send Henessie smashing through the external wall to sprawl on the ground near the beer-filled pool! Will's force field takes the brunt of the blow, but it still smarts ::smiley4 . [Will is Bruised]

Blaze flies in Masters' direction, trying to judge the heat of his own plasma field. Still too weak to pull it off Masters, he stretches an arm out to touch the creature hugging his face (But not going so close that he burns Masters too.)

The creature screams as it's flesh boils & pops, & leaps away from it's captive, to scuttle up the wall & along the ceiling. Masters stands for a moment looking a bit disorientated ::confused , then smiles at Nate ::smile ,

"Thank you, Blaze, I must say..."

... suddenly the multi-billionaire's eyes roll up ::rolleyes & he collapses on the floor, sweating feverishly & twitching slightly. Ash drops her phone & rushes to his side to tend to him, looking worried ::nervous .

[phoenix]

the remaining one moves with incredible quickness to counterattack - laying it's hand upon the masked Nova's arm. John again feels like the strength is being drained from him, but again, focuses his will & shrugs the feeling off. Moments later the temperature in the cellar drops a few more degrees, & frost starts to spread across the bottles, as Glacier makes his appearance.

"Hope that wine wasn't too expensive.."

Glacier absent-mindedly swats the creature away with a gigantic paw.

He observes the path the second creature made when the masked nova hit it, then turns to him.

"Okay. Who the hell are you?"

[Ayre el KaBeer]

Meanwhile, Will continues his weakened, but furious, assault on the creature that grabbed him, trying his best to rip it's colour-shifting flesh. The thing squeals in pain, actually damaging itself in it's attempts to pull free, but fails to do so.

The creature that recently drained Will's strength steps over & swings a back-handed punch at him, connecting with enough force to send Henessie smashing through the external wall to sprawl on the ground near the beer-filled pool! Will's force field takes the brunt of the blow, but it still smarts  . [Will is Bruised]

Rising to his feet, rather shakily (strength 1 is a b!tch), William knows he has to try to stop them but has to change his tactics otherwise he's a gonner. Will decides to get back in there and tie them up, hopefully giving Nate a chance to fry them.

(OOC: Regenerates whatever dammage he's taken, runs back in, and plays the dodge game using quickness untill he finds an easy opening or a their numbers are reduced.)

[ProfPotts]

The Wine Cellar:

Glacier absent-mindedly swats the creature away with a gigantic paw.

Apparantly the creature doesn't expect Glacier to attack, because the 'swat' catches it off-guard, & sends it smashing through more neatly racked bottles to end up imbedded half a metre or so into the cellar's stone wall, out cold.

The creature that the masked Nova dazed recovers it's feet & turns, hissing, to face it's attackers.

Outside:

Will gets to his feet, dust & debris falling from his form as he does so, the bruises already vanishing from his skin.

The two creatures who were attacking him (the one he was wrestling with & the one bulked-up on Will's own strength) step through the hole his impromptu exit from the dining room made. The stronger one charges, with a loud hiss, whilst the other one stretches & flexs towards the speedster, in another attempt to grapple him.

Having decided that avoiding the attacks of these guys is a good idea, Will moves with phenominal speed, easily dodging both creatures, & giving himself plenty of time (well - from his point of view) for that 'easy opening' he was looking for - a swift punch with his crimson fist to the one trying to grapple him damages it, but again - not much.

[Asbjørn]

Trying their best to stay away from the brightly burning Nova the creatures dive for cover as the twin plasma bolts lash out - both nimble creatures manage to dodge the attack (although the stray plasma does blast a couple of extra holes in John's walls...).

The creature screams as it's flesh boils & pops, & leaps away from it's captive, to scuttle up the wall & along the ceiling.

Letting Ash take care of Masters, Nathan turns his attention to the rest of the creatures (How many are left in the dining room now?) He's trying to get between them and the baselines. Turning his blazing eyes on each one of them, he tries to use the fear they have for him to his best advantage. The glow pulses around his hands as he asks in a low, menacing voice "All right, I've had it. Who... dies... first...?" ::devil ::angry

If his attempt at intimidation doesn't work, he fires a full force plasma bolt at the one that looks toughest.

[ProfPotts]

[There are 4 creatures in the dining room - only one is 'bulked up'; two more - one 'bulked' - are outside fighting Will; one is left active in the Wine Cellar]

In the Dining Room:

Turning his blazing eyes on each one of them, he tries to use the fear they have for him to his best advantage. The glow pulses around his hands as he asks in a low, menacing voice \"All right, I've had it. Who... dies... first...?\" 

The creatures back off a little, then look at each other with some confusion ::confused . The more muscled one looks at Blaze,

"We only want to kill the zipsss... You attacked usss..."

Then leaps forward... into a face-full of superheated plasma! The bolt continues on to add to the Fabry insurance rates, whilst the creature it hits appears to be utterly disintegrated! ::blink

[Archer21]

\"Okay. Who the hell are you?\"

Thinking quickly, John responds. "Let's just say I'm here to protect Fabry. Call me The Stranger." His eyes flicking to the remaining clone, he asks, "Would you be willing to take care of that last one? There are people upstairs in need of medical attention. I can help them, but I need your help to clear the way."

(Assuming that Glacier will take out the critter, The Stranger will then turn to the cellar wall, and open a secret panel that contains a security keypad.)

[Asbjørn]

Then leaps forward... into a face-full of superheated plasma! The bolt continues on to add to the Fabry insurance rates, whilst the creature it hits appears to be utterly disintegrated! ::blink

Hoping that display stunned the others just a little, Blaze blasts two of them just a second later. (Half force again)

Staring the last one (hopefully) down, he says over his shoulder. "Emma? Ash? How are we doing? Anyone seriously hurt?"

Looking out through the perforated walls he adds in a louder voice "WILL? How are you doing out there?"

[Ayre el KaBeer]

Looking out through the perforated walls he adds in a louder voice \"WILL? How are you doing out there?\"

Will replies while sidestepping another attack "Could use a hand, my sister could scratch them up with more force than I can right now!" ::hmmm