4787 replies to this topic

[Wan]

OOC: I've mainly been waiting for something I could reply to...

OOC: Same for me.

[Toa of Dancing]

OOC: Did I never reply as Grau?

[Dallas Winston]

IC: Saosin (League Jet, Manchester, England)

"Alright," said Tilian, activating the invisibility booster as they began their descent onto a helipad atop a building across the street from Jodrell. The team stepped out onto the building and Tilian walked to an elevator on top of the building, sliding his finger across the security lock and ushering them in. Thirty seconds later, they were on the ground floor, walking out into the crowded streets of Manchester.

"Jodrell's right there," he said, pointing at the bank.

8 hours, 30 minutes.

-Teezy

Edited by Tyler Durden, Mar 29 2012 - 06:18 PM.

[Ymper Trymon]

OOC: Err, yes, I am still around. Been a bit busy lately. The main thing I need to respond to is the bit with Mage, yes?

IC(Fellwyd): The alien was, to say the least, just a bit disappointed at his opponent's lack of defenselessness - while it was a good mark for humanity that at least some of them knew what defense was, the fact that he was fighting what appeared to be the best example of that was less good.

Taking some time to circle his opponent once more (keeping clear of the mess Pyroclast had made), Fellwyd considered his options. Generally, with those relying on energy-based shielding, the best way to break through the shield was to simply throw more at it than it could handle. With Sluice busy with Pyroclast, however, his options for doing that were limited.

Weighing his options, he chose to test Mage once more, aiming, once again, to bring the staff down upon the villain's head. Now that he knew what to expect, the primary purpose of this "attack" was to see exactly how the attack was deflected, and what effect, if any, it had on Mage.

[Kumata]

OOC: FYI, Jodrell Bank is not a bank, it's the name of a centre of astrophysical studies, with observatory, etc. More info here if anyone wants it. Not sure why it has 'bank' in the name.

IC: As they made their approach Viktor gazed up at the massive Lovell Telescope, a rotating satellite dish that towered over the rest of the facility. He could certainly see why Lady Hexas had chosen this place to broadcast her worldwide announcement.

"Remember your roles, and stay inconspicuous," he said to the group as they arrived at the entrance...

OOC: Alright TPTI, take it from here.

[Dallas Winston]

OOC: I had assumed it was a bank in the sense of multiple places being put together, yeah. Fitting a transmitter that large into a bank wouldn't be nearly as easy.

IC: Saosin (Jodrell Bank, Manchester, England)

"I got a bad feeling about this," muttered Tilian under his breath. Why did I have to give away the gun...

OOC: Can't wait to see what TPTI does.

-Teezy

[Rumpelstiltskin]

OOC: Wan, if your heart isn't set on entering Superbeing Smackdown!, I could have the Coalition whip something up for you to do...

IC: (Superbeing Smackdown!)
Pyroclast was flung backwards by the unexpected explosions, landing in a heap on the ground. With her legs wobbling underneath her, she slowly climbed to her feet, revealing that she had a scrape on her cheek but was otherwise unhurt. She looked frightened, though, her eyes a tad wider, darting more often in an unsettled manner. Explosions were not among an aquakinetics abilities...

Unsure what to do next, she willed the ground underneath Sluice's heavy armor to heat, deciding it was best to attack at a distance as opposed to hurling attacks at her opponent.


The orange stone flared brighter again as Mage telekinetically grasped the staff less than a foot above his head, visibly doing nothing more than folding his arms. Quirking an eyebrow, he began telekinetically pulling on the staff, twisting it in Fellwyd's hands and making it spin so that Fellwyd had to turn to keep his grip on it...


~Lord Rahl~

Edited by Lord Rahl, Mar 29 2012 - 08:05 PM.

[Lord of Adders Black]

IC: Jodrell Bank seemed to be running as normal. There were people in coats and goggles walking round, and even a group of children on a field trip being shown round the discovery centre. No evidence that an evil shark had decided to use the place as a stronghold.

"Erm, can I help you with something?" A bespectacled young woman asked of the undoubtedly odd-looking group

[Dallas Winston]

IC: Saosin (Jodrell Bank, Manchester, England)

Tilian smiled warmly at the woman.

Hey, she's kind of cute...

-Teezy

[Kumata]

IC: Viktor's gaze swept across the facility. He took in everything that he could without lingering too long on any one thing; the buildings - possible hiding places, if anyone was watching them through the windows, the locations of security cameras; the staff - the way they walked and whether it matched the common gait of a person carrying firearms, their ethnicities (if the majority were not white caucasians it would suggest that they were hired stooges), and the average age and fitness of each. Even the glasses-wearing woman was not safe from his subtle scrutiny. Nothing immediately seemed suspicious about her, but since a short conversation was going to occur he would have time to study her thoroughly.

Again, Viktor was not a paranoid man. Just very cautious.

IC: The thick coating of ice surrounding Sluice protected her from the rapidly-heating floor - however, it also prevented her from sensing it. So Sluice remained where she was as she raised an arm towards Pyroclast, sublimating a chunk of it into a jet of water. Specifically she was trying to hit the villainness in the face, hoping to blind or disorient her...

Edited by Kumata, Mar 30 2012 - 09:29 AM.

[Dallas Winston]

IC: Saosin (Jodrell Bank, Manchester, England)

Tilian's gaze did the same, though he managed to make it appear as though he were focusing on the young woman's face. 8 hours, 28 minutes...

This all took place in about two seconds before he had opened his mouth to reply to the woman.

"Dorian Hewett," he said in a perfect British drawl. He knew he was supposed to let The Whistler do most of the talking, but he was distracted. That was dangerous on a job like this...

-Teezy

Edited by Tyler Durden, Mar 30 2012 - 08:19 AM.

[Half-Dragon]

OOC: If Geist did reply, I'm afraid I missed it. Also no word on the EMP grenade that should have gone through KILL's shattered windshield by now...

NPC: While the field agents performed their assigned task, Carapace was busy with Jodrell Bank's computers. He'd gotten into the systems easily enough, undetected of course, and had already noted the placement of every security feature in the area, but scanning for unusual transmissions was proving a bother. All the clutter - from satellite feeds to cellphones - was making it impossible to find anything out of the ordinary unless he already knew what he was looking for. Added to the fact that the equipment he had hacked into wasn't really designed to pick out individual feeds in the first place... It wasn't going well.

For the time being he would simply have to rely on the ragtag bunch that had more or less assembled itself to actually pull this off... so odds were actually not that bad.

{H-D}

[Ymper Trymon]

OOC: Me being offline is not quite the same as my character being distracted.

IC(Whistler): Mr. Airey shot the new arrival a rather annoyed look, as he had spoken at precisely the moment the businessman had intended to make his introduction. Clearing his throat, he began anyway.

"Hello, I am a member of a newly-formed business think-tank, our primary function being to look into the possibility of privatized spaceflight in the near future. The primary purpose of this visit - and I apologize profoundly for it being on such short notice, but given what we're doing, there was no other way - is to inspect this facility and determine whether I and my associates would be wise to contribute funding - an investment, in essence - to the work you do here."

[Dallas Winston]

OOC: I'm aware, I just needed an excuse to talk so the group didn't look suspicious while waiting for Whistler.

-Teezy

Edited by Tyler Durden, Mar 30 2012 - 10:30 AM.

[Kumata]

OOC: Lol, we aren't on a time limit Tyler. You could have waited.

IC: Viktor was glad that, at least in this instance, Bruce had remembered his role and played it perfectly...

[Lord of Adders Black]

IC: The scientist scanned through appointments on her computerised clipboard, brows furrowing when she couldn't find anything.

"Sorry, must be an error somewhere. Possibly your booking hasn't been added to our systems yet. If you'll just head to security they'll give you clearance and find you a guide."

[Ymper Trymon]

IC(Whistler): "Well, of course - though I must assure you that there has been no error. It was absolutely vital that we make this visit unannounced, so we may see the facility as it truly is - no tidying up, no special preparations for our inspection."

Following the clear and informative signs so typical of modern facilities, the group was quite able to make their way to security, where, Airey expected, they would find out rather more about the current state of the facility than they did from the bespectacled woman who welcomed them to the facility.

[Lord of Adders Black]

IC: The security consisted of a brief walk through a metal detecting arch, a guard sitting lazily nearby. This would only be a problem for Lone and the amour he was wearing and carrying, the others would be able to stroll on through

[Dallas Winston]

OOC: Alright, sorry. Just got a little carried away with the suspense.

IC: Saosin (Jodrell Bank, Manchester, England)

Tilian walked along with the rest of the group, waiting to let Whistler, Gadgeteer, and N-Ber through. Lone would be a bit of a problem with all that armor...

-Teezy

[Kumata]

IC: Viktor strode through the metal detector. If things went as he predicted, then Lone would set off the sensor and explain to the guard that a clipboard or some other metallic item within the briefcases had set it off. If not... well, it was too late to discuss it with Lone now. He hoped that whatever the solo hero chose to do, it wasn't something that would blow their cover. He felt that it was too early for them to be exposed yet...

[Dallas Winston]

IC: Saosin (Jodrell Bank, Manchester, England)

After Viktor went through, Tilian followed close behind, strolling through the metal detectors easily and without alarm. He turned and watched the other three members of the team, standing hands on his hips and leaning back on one foot slightly.

Here's hoping Lone is quick with excuses...

-Teezy

[thelonewander]

IC: as lone went through, it did indeed set off the alarms. the guards come over to search lone. the used those metal detecting wands and they went off all over Lone's arms and legs. this is isn't, not at all. lie or explain? which to choose?

"sir, can you explain why the detectors went of only on you?"

"yes, i can. it is because of the prosthitic limbs i have to use. i simply prefer to use metal ones over plastic."

OCC: it is the truth, just not the whole truth

Edited by thelonewander, Mar 30 2012 - 05:58 PM.

[Dallas Winston]

IC: Saosin (Jodrell Bank, Manchester, England)

C'mon, c'mon...

Tilian's face was rock solid and expressionless, but his mind was moving a mile a minute. If they detained Lone, they'd be a man down. If they got suspicious of everyone, then the whole op would be blown, and there was no time to throw together another one.

8 hours, 25 minutes.

-Teezy

[Ymper Trymon]

IC: While Lone was being questioned regarding the alarms, Mr. Airey very calmly set a pair of keys and some loose change into a tray, then waited patiently, showing no sign of concern regarding Lone - after all, if the man was posing as his bodyguard, then it would be reasonable to assume that he had dealt with this sort of delay before.

[Lord of Adders Black]

IC: "We'll have to check the limb then," said the guard wearily, putting down the newspaper he'd been reading, "Would you prefer a private room to remove it?"

[Dallas Winston]

OOC: New profile awaiting approval.

Real Name: Paige Peterson
Alias: Siren
Appearance: Average sized, slim, long, dark brown hair. Rather attractive. Her supersuit is purple with black stripes around her biceps and thighs.
Power: Can read the thoughts and emotions of people, but only when they sing.
Allegiance: Solo Hero
Area: Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, now lives in New York City.
Bio: Paige is a 22 year old woman that was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and currently lives in New York. She's a reporter for the ISNN and is currently working on deciding whether or not she wants to unveil her secret identity as Siren.

-Teezy

Edited by Tyler Durden, Mar 30 2012 - 07:48 PM.

[thelonewander]

IC:"No, I can do it out here. it's no problem." Lone decide against wearing his chest plate, which has looking to be in his favor right now, going along the lines that, if he needed it, things would have to have gone very far south. it wasn't hard removing his limbs, as he had done it mulitple times in the past to repair what the Forge couldn't.

[Lord of Adders Black]

OOC: Siren is approved. Interested to see how that power could be practically used

IC: If the guard was surprised at the advanced tech used in Lone's limbs he didn't show it. He'd probably imagined something like that after hearing they were from a think-tank.
A dishevelled-looking man in his mid-fifties dressed in a lab-coat stained with what was most likely coffee was waiting for the group to gather itself together again. This was clearly someone who knew more about what was going on than the assistant back in the greeting room.

"So, if you're the inspectors, what exactly did you want to inspect first?" he asked

[Dallas Winston]

IC: Saosin (Jodrell Bank, Manchester, England)

Tilian let out a mental sigh as Lone made his way past security. He decided to wait for Whistler to direct the new scientist: his role in this had not yet arisen.

IC: Siren (ISNN, New York City, New York)

Paige Peterson sighed as she walked into the Starbucks on 5th Avenue. Everyone at the ISNN station had been jabbering on and on and on about Lady Hexas and what she planned to do about Operation: Lockdown which, rumor had it, didn't even exist.

She sighed again as she made her way to the counter and ordered a Double Chocolate Chip Frappuchino.

-Teezy

[Half-Dragon]

NPC: Here Carapace felt it wise to step in. He spoke into Gadgeteer's earpiece - an astrophysicist should be asking the questions at the center more often than not, after all. "Ask to see their research facilities. Along the way, ask what developments have been made recently by the center's scientists. Their attempts to assuage you should buy some time. Display interest in the satellite dish - don't ask, just seem interested. They'll bite."

{H-D}

[Transairion]

OOC: Wan, if your heart isn't set on entering Superbeing Smackdown!, I could have the Coalition whip something up for you to do...

OOC: I'd probably prefer that myself, this is meant to be a very minor part of my plot and it's blown up into something that seems like it'll take several months to complete. I am NOT repeating my invasion plot and having the follow up plot last as long as that mess...

I'm also cutting out all the fights after this one and before the Mastermind one, since it'll take forever. And if I start fighting, then one fight will still be going while the other has yet to end and.... bleh it'll be a nightmare. I can be stressed during the global tournament, but not during this minor one.

Also no word on the EMP grenade that should have gone through KILL's shattered windshield by now...

I'm going to have say that another villian took care of it, or one never got thrown at all. If I give KILL some baloney EMP-immunity then I've just removed a major weakness I had given him (he'd be disabled at the very least, 'killed' at the most), and I can't really see anyway around that without outright making up that he's not weak to them, somehow.

...... and if I'm honest, who the heck throws an EMP grenade at a car. As far as I know that'd do far more damage to the high-tech stuff in Mentor's Mansion than any normal car, and since he isn't normal it may as well have been looked up on his "How to counter" chart.

Rahl, I'd just go ahead and skip to the Coalition forces escaping personally. I've got zero drive (pun not intended but humorous) to IC as KILL now that I've created another situation mirroring Invasion where the IC's of about eight people all hinge on my actions/lack thereof. Just use him like an NPC I don't care anymore.

I'll try and make a flashback IC later when I'm not in such a foul mood.

Edited by Transairion, Mar 30 2012 - 11:35 PM.

[Dallas Winston]

IC: Siren (Starbucks, New York City, New York)

Paige sat down with her frappuchino and sipped on it pensively as she pulled out her laptop and began to browse the world news websites for any updates on the Lady Hexas situation. Nothing on the internet, but as soon as she went back to the Yahoo! homepage, she received a text from one of her co-workers. Her eyebrows raised.

Huh.

Apparently, a source from the UN was saying that the signal was coming from the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics. Interesting choice, though expected: the transmitter strength for a message like that had to be monstrous.

Leaning back in her chair, Paige took another sip of her frappuchino and began to let herself daydream...

-Teezy

[Kumata]

OOC: Sorry you feel that way Trans. Have you been getting my PMs, because I've been trying to contact you?

I'm going to to take the initiative and end the plot right here. If you have a character at the League base, take note!

IC(NPC): Several things seemed to happen at once in the chaos at Mentor's Mansion. Shard's diamond hammer collided nicely with one of KILL's machine-guns, tearing it away. Ultionis clung fiercely to the back of the sentient vehicle, which was increasing in speed with every second, rocketing towards freedom - then a ghostly figure hovered up through the roof of the car (Grau) solidifying just long enough to stamp on the agent's fingers. His loosened grip, coupled with the many forces of friction acting upon the car, served to hurl him off, leaving only the villains to rocket through the huge hole in the wall and out towards the street.

"I can slow them down!" Cried Skyra, who had just began to manipulate wind currents in the hope of drawing the villains back.

Before the gale could take effect however, a wide pillar of light descended from the sky (quite literally, out of the blue) engulfing the entirely of the black getaway vehicle and its villainous occupants. They shimmered and vanished, and the light faded.

The onlooking heroes stared at the empty space where KILL and his passengers had been, silent for a few moments. For the benefit of those who were confused, Loadstone spoke up:

"The Coalition's satellite teleporter."

IC(NPC): In the amphitheatre-like room at the Coalition HQ, the encircling computer monitors on the above level flared with noise and activity. There was a droning sound and, in a flash of light, a black car appeared at the centre of the room. KILL still possessed forward momentum, and screeched and skidded to a halt just before he would have struck the metal barriers of the arrival pit.

Upon the platform overlooking them was the indigo-costumed figure of Grand Cross. He placed his hands on the safety rail and leaned forward, staring down at them.

"Welcome back."

IC: "The research facilities, I would think?" Rather than answer the lab-coated man, Viktor directed his answer to Bruce in the form of a suggestion. Bruce was meant to be their boss, so it would look natural to defer to him...

[Half-Dragon]

OOC: To clarify: The EMP grenade's compact size means it has a limited area of effect. It wouldn't have covered the whole room, much less the whole mansion. As to why he used it, all modern cars have electronics they require to function - spark plugs, off the top of my head - and a Coalition escape vehicle that apparently doesn't require a driver and can extend a pair of gattling guns at will clearly falls under the definition of 'high-tech.'

Plus, that and a thermal grenade were the only things left in his arsenal at the time. And he was saving the thermal for Grau.

NPC: After waving away the League doctors with a stiff 'Nothing's broken' and suggesting that they look after the more severely injured in the area who may not have been so fortunate, Ultionis slumped against the wall and allowed himself a groan. With the adrenaline rush wearing off he was now beginning to feel the full extent of what the battle had done to him. He'd been tossed around like a ragdoll, slammed with concussive waves, partially frozen in a block of ice and his teeth still hurt from the sonic scream.

And to top it all off? Mission failed. The prisoner got away. The League's own headquarters, smack dab in the middle of the superhero capital of the whole ****ing world, and a bunch of no-names just busted in and walzed away with him like they were picking up some ****ing groceries. ****.

Against the protests of his aching muscles, he pushed himself to his feet and went to pick up his fallen pistol. He'd need to de-ice it, replace the gunpowder cartridge, clip was probably useless too... And then, when he was finished recharging and reloading, they could get down to planning a counter-attack.

(H-D)

[Ymper Trymon]

IC(Whistler): The businessman nodded as he was collecting his things from the plastic tray by the metal detector.
"Yes, for obvious reasons, those portions of this facility that are concerned with research are at the top of the list. It would, after all, be hard to make a decision regarding funding for research without first finding out exactly what we would be funding."

[Wan]

OOC:

That sounds good to me Rahl. =)

[Toa of Dancing]

Dieter Geist, Grau/Coalition Headquarters\IC:

Instead of smiling due to a mission completed, or even indifferently walking away, Grau began to vehemently swear in his native German. Finally, when that was through, he began cursing in English while saying, "Both my ******* swords vere ******* levt! ****! And my **** Glock too! Vhy the **** did I have to get ******* teleported?! **** you all!" With that, he stormed away. It probably would have been a good idea to stop him, as he just might have been planning to return to the mansion to retrieve his belongings.

[Rumpelstiltskin]

OOC: In defense of those "no-names," Impact and Blowhard escaped from Confinement.

Wan - would you like to be summoned, or retconned and presumed already at the Coalition HQ?

IC: (Aquarius)
"Glad to be back, sir," Spex said, beating Impact and Blowhard in replying. "I'm happy to report a successful rescue, though we lost Meltdown, Dirge, and Archmage somewhere in the battle. Also, Aquarius was badly injured in the escape; he needs medical attention, ASAP."

While Blowhard contented herself with glaring daggers at Spex's back, Impact whirled around to face Grau. "Oh, do calm down," he said, then snapped his fingers. "Someone find Apparition, and send him back to retrieve Grau's weapons." One of the Sharkmen complied, hustling off through a sliding door on the upper level. "Now will someone please tell me why I was not informed of the backup team?"

IC: (Loadstone)
Muttering to himself about Aquarius escaping, Loadstone headed back toward where the phaser's weapons were discarded on the floor. As he reached for the hilt of one of the swords, however, a voice spoke behind him.

"I wouldn't touch that, if I were you."

Loadstone turned to see Doctor Om sweep into the room, golden cape fluttering behind him. "You might want to take a few steps back, as well," he advised the magnetic Hero, motioning for Loadstone to back up. Raising an eyebrow, Loadstone complied, glancing from the weaponry to the clairvoyant.

"In 3...2...1...now," Doctor Om added, pointing toward the weapons at the last word. A gray-clad figure appeared out of thin air, latched onto the swords and gun, and teleported away before anyone could make a move to stop him. "You're welcome," Doctor Om added, the second that Loadstone opened his mouth.

Loadstone's mouth hung open for a moment, then he closed it and swallowed. "What would have happened?" he asked instead.

"Knife in the back. Dead before any of these lovely doctors of ours could have reached you."

Loadstone paled, looking back to the spot where Apparition had vanished. "I see..."

"What the h*** happened here?" a woman's voice asked, quickly followed by the woman herself. "It looks like half the mansion's been destroyed, and that's the good half."

"Coalition," Loadstone replied absently. Doctor Om took far more interest in Sugar Rush, however.

"Where is Psionick? I must speak with him."

"He wasn't there," Sugar Rush said sourly. "His house was in a sorry state when I got there, but there were no signs of a struggle. The place was furnished with beer bottles and tissue boxes, though; I have a feeling he wouldn't have gone anywhere by himself."

Doctor Om took a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose. "That is...unfortunate," he said quietly, then held up a hand. "Excuse me a moment." He turned away and pulled out his cell phone, waited a heartbeat, then answered it when it began to ring.

"Yes, Spectral? ... What? ... Tell me you're not serious! ... Mm-hmm. ... Yes. ... Well, get back to me then. Goodbye." He stood staring at the cell phone for a moment, then hurled it with all his might at the nearest wall with a snarl of rage. Taking a ragged breath to compose himself, he set to straightening the collar of his golden vest, which it hardly needed. "Gabriel Lapointe has been kidnapped," he said finally. "Last night, in fact."

Loadstone and Sugar Rush looked at each other, visibly shaken. "Spectral will find him," Loadstone said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. He wasn't so sure of his voice anymore.

"Tell me, Loadstone, not that I want to know, but did the Coalition escape with Aquarius, or is he still in League custody?" Doctor Om asked in the too-calm tone of someone about to scream.

Loadstone bit his lip, preparing for the outburst. "He escaped."

Surprisingly, Doctor Om sighed with relief. "Oh, good. At least one thing went right today..."

IC: (NPCs - Superbeing Smackdown)
After her last attempt to deflect one of Sluice's attacks had exploded, Pyroclast was not about to try to deflect the jet of water. She lunged to the side, somersaulting out of the way, while still raising the temperature of the floor underneath Sluice. She could definitely be considered paranoid at this point, because she refused to get any closer to Sluice than she had to, backing away as soon as she climbed back to her feet...


~Lord Rahl~

[A billion cats]

IC: Skyra - League Mansion -

"How is that a good thing!?" Skyra suddenly yelled at Doctor Om. Skyra looked visibly upset, it didn't help that his rather quick recovery from his concussion had been done so hastily repaired, Dr. Light had warned him about possibly side effects. "The whole bloody point of us all fighting was to freakin keep Aquarius here!"

[Half-Dragon]

NPC: What caught Ultionis' attention this time was the cellphone that narrowly missed his head on its way to the wall. He glanced over in the direction it came from. Some hero in a gold cape (flashy, much?) was saying something about a Gabriel Lapointe being kidnapped. Someone called Spectral would find him, yada yada... Waitasec-

The soldier found new energy in sheer rage and stomped up next to Skyra, for once in full agreement with the hero. He didn't say anything yet, though. He was expecting an explanation. A very, very good one.

(H-D)