To Save The World!

[King Joe]

IV (Nihilo): "Whatever you say Doc. I'm just going to play the strong silent type for now." Nihilo "walked" behind Zaparus, but not too closely, but close enought that he looked like some sort of security.

[Chronicler of Ko-Koro]

IC:Longshot's finger squeezed down on the trigger, sending a steel bolt hurtling at high velocity at Plasmafire... and missing him by mere centimeters. Had Plasmafire made one wrong move in that moment, it would have lodged itself clean through his skull. Longshot's arm shoot, wincing as she fought to keep it pointed away from Plasmafire."Just wha'... tha' heck... do yah think I'm tryin' to do?" Longshot snarled through gritted teeth, fighting every muscle in her body as her arm moved of its own accord to the reloading mechanism on her belt. "I'm buyin' you as much time as I can... but... can't keep it up forever... really hope you can understand... sorry 'bout all this..."A new bolt snapped into place on her crossbow, and Longshot's arm started to rise once again."Now... move! Yer makin' yerself a great big blunderin' target just standin' there tryin' to reason wit me!" she shouted. "That ain't something you kin expect to do when I am in my right mind! Get outta tha' way, 'cause I doubt yer gonna be as lucky wit tha' second shot!"---Tornado marched off across the debris-strewn ruins of the main hall, gusts of air pushing aside whatever chunks of fallen masonry were blocking his path. Gusts of wind sprung up like walls, trying to force Gap down a path of his choosing. At the same time, gusts of wind swirled around the fallen rubble, lifting and catapulting the stones through the air and smashing them on the ground around Gap. The toll all this effort was taking on Tornado's health was etched onto his face, but so was something else: anger. Tornado wanted to end this fight now, and it appeared he was more than willing to risk his own personal heath to see that through...---Archmage hadn't anticipated Loadstone's move, and being in midair left her little defense as the magna-board slammed into her. Archmage was knocked backwards down the corridor, struggling to stop herself from dropping her staff in the process. A rapid volley of disintegration bursts shot out in all directions; Archmage knew she was vulnerable, and was trying to dissuade Loadstone from following up with another attother attack until she could get back on her feet. Her energy bolts blew holes through the walls and ceiling as Archmage gave little regard for where she was actually aiming... and in the process blowing a hole through the side of a nearby lift on its way upwards...---The entire lift shook around Mystic, throwing her to the floor. It creaked and shifted, scraping against the walls of the shaft. The sound of sparks shooting through frayed wiring filled her ears, and the air was filled with the smell of burnt metal. A persistent creaking began to worry Mystic; whatever had just happened, it must have hit something vital. There was no guarantee the lift wouldn't suddenly take a drop all the way down the the bottom of the shaft. Mystic did her best to keep a level head about the situation, ignoring the feeling of the walls closing in around her, trapping her in a metal box hanging just over the edge of oblivion. Best not to think about that.I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment, actually, she thought over her link to Ultionus. But thank you for keeping me up to date on the situation. We should still see to it that their path to the escape vehicle is cut off, just in the event that they do escape their current predicament.Now, back to dealing with her current predicament. She could sense minds nearby, but they both appeared too preoccupied to assist; at least one had probably caused the present situation, and the other was likely occupied dealing with the first. Instead, Mystic ran her hands along the walls of the lift, feeling her way to the door. She wedged her fingers into the crack and tried to push it open, telekinetic force assisting her, but she could not get it to budge. The metal was twisted where it had struck against the wall, and it simply could not be forced to slide open.Instead, a more blunt approach appeared necessary. Mystic took slow steps backwards, until she was pressed up against the far wall. She extended her arms, letting her willpower flow through her body into her hands, building up energy. Then, Mystic released it, like a massive fist of psychic power slamming into the door. It crumbled and bent, groaning loudly as the metal twisted outwards. Mystic could feel the entire elevator shake; for all she knew, attempting it again would shift it from its precariously wedged position and drop it into freefall. Left with no other options, Mystic started building up energy to try again... hoping she was close enough to the floor that there was actually an exit on the other side when she broke through...---Dread winced, bouncing from wall to wall as the air spun out of control. He shifted his body to soften the next impact, crashing lightly against the wall instead of being splattered against it. His armor was helping to cushion himself enough to avoid serious injury, although he was still forced to deflect the occasion projectile spinning loose in the winds. Dread attempted to grab a hole of the wall, eager to stop himself from spinning out of control before he suffered an injury he could not recover from.[For Science!]

[thelonewander]

OCC: oh well then. i think playing mortal kombat has really effected my writing.IC: as Lone got closer to his mother's house, he had this increasing feeling of dread.this was going to bring back a lot of memories, not all of them good.once they got to the house, lone knock first. the person to answer wasn't who he expected though. "who in the world are you?" the man said. " I'm looking for Maira Espino, my mother."

Edited January 25, 2012 by thelonewander

[Kumata]

IC: Gap hopped, ducked and rolled across the entrance hall as debris smashed into the places where she had stood, and as near-solid barriers of wind arose to block her path. She was exerting a lot of energy to stay evasive, despite the flares of pain she felt in each limb with every step she took. Though she'd told Hivemind that she could last for ten more minutes against Tornado, Gap now felt that had been a little optimistic. She needed to stall Tornado somehow, to throw an attack back at him - even an unsuccessful one would distract him for a few moments.Her gaze fell upon a half-shattered suit of armour that lay against the far wall. She progressed towards it, trying to hide her aim - it wasn't hard, given that she had to zigzag around the oncoming attacks anyway - and grabbed a spear that it had been holding. Using her not-unimpressive mathematical skill to roughly judge the right angle, she hurled the spear into a wind current that should propel the weapon in Tornado's general direction.IC(NPC): Dirge fell to his knees, his pained scream fading into a groan of agony. Two red rivers ran down his aquamarine supersuit. Ahead of him, the wild winds in the corridor died down, dispersing entirely as the villain fell flat on his face...

[Korkoa]

IC: "For-the-record-I-didn't-have-many-other-options!" Plasmafire cried just before diving away. He dashed past Skyra, heading for Bolt, having noticed that Fade was in trouble. He leapt, propelling himself with a small explosion as he aimed for Bolt, aiming to tackle him to the ground.

[Half-Dragon]

NPC: The room to which they had been directed contained, to whit: Four (4) rather spare-looking beds that probably weren't intended for long-term use; one (1) unconscious woman with no less than three intravenous insertions delivering something she presumably needed, possibly including oxygen; one (1) rather shocked-looking nurse wearing the general expression of a deer in front of a train and one (1) man whose features were obscured by a full-body cast with a pair of tubes sticking out of it at the arm and nose. Assuming their information was correct, that would be Elliott, or what was left of him.NPC: The sound of the wind was dying down. Ultionis looked up; infrared revealed the villains were still recovering from their little tumble through the tornado. Perfect. He holstered one pistol and grabbed a flashbang grenade, but didn't toss it yet. Sounds like Dirge's down, he told Mystic. It doesn't look like there's any way out of this stairwell except through the room they're in, so I can't cut them off, but they're still dizzy. We have an opening. I'm going to throw a flashbang grenade. When you hear it go off, you could try and subdue their minds while I go in and round up whoever's still fighting. Unless of course she had a better idea - he left it open just in case.(H-D)

[King Joe]

IC (Surge): "Again, I say ouch." Turning to the nurse, he said, "Thats Elliot right? In the body cast? What can you tell us about him and his condition? I'm Surge, by the way, and this is Magneta. We're with the League of Salvation."

[Chronicler of Ko-Koro]

IC:Bolt whirled around as Plasmafire hurtled towards him; with Sakeme overseeing the battle, the controlled heroes were impossible to surprise. Of course, there was little heat vision could do to harm Plasmafire, so Bolt was forced to retreat backwards to avoid him. Fade took the opportunity to bring himself back into phase, and rushed over to Plasmafire. Nearby, he could see Skyra spiralling through the air, coming in to try and deal with Plasmafire as quickly as possible."Plas, I can end this, but I need to get close to Sakeme to do it. He's screwed up my plan a bit, but I know how to get it back on course," he said. "Listen... I know I'm asking a lot from you, but I need you to keep them busy for just a few moments. I'll never get a shot at that psychic with Bolt after me like that."---Tornado didn't see the spear coming until it was almost too late. He'd been throwing all his focus into the shifting winds, and nearly dismissed the spear as a bit of debris until he realized it was coming straight for him. Reacting as quickly as he could, Tornado swung a fist upwards, almost as if he planned to punch away the spear somehow. This wasn't entirely far off from his actual plan; the air rippled outwards from his fist, smashing against the spear and shattering it on impact. Tornado threw up his hands as a shower of wooden splinters rained past him, spinning cyclones around himself to redirect most of it.But more importantly, his focus was presently on dealing with the spear and off of Gap, if only for a few critical moments...---Mystic pounded the door with another blast of psychic force. A painful scraping noise filled her ears, the sound of the elevator grinding against the side of the walls. By Mystic's estimation, the only reason the lift hadn't plunged straight down to a fiery end was the fact it was wedged against the walls of the shaft, and the latest impact had nearly shifted it loose. She could feel it starting to slide already, and knew it wouldn't be safe to remain there much longer.I'm not sure if that will be feasible, she communicated back to Ultionus. At this distance, it's taking a bit of effort just to maintain contact. Not to mention I have a slight issue of my own to deal with - nothing to concern yourself over, of course. If I do not deal with it in the next few moments, its likely it won't matter anyway.Mystic inched her way over to the other side of the lift, moving slowly so as not to risk shifting the elevator any more than it already was. She stuck an arm through the gap, feeling around. She'd have to pull herself up a bit to get onto the nearest level, but it was preferable to waiting for the lift to fall. Mystic started to shimmy between the gap in the doors, convincing herself not to think about the possibility of the lift suddenly shifting and slicing her in two...[For Science!]

[Half-Dragon]

NPC: The nurse nodded wordlessly, then did nothing else for a few moments. Eventually she seemed to muster her courage and spoke up. "H-he's stable - he'll live - b-but we're not sure when he'll wake up. Or if. W-we're supposed to be getting a healer in from the League soon..."NPC: Ultionis pocketed the flashbang. Disappointing. Without a psychic taking advantage of the confusion, the flashbang would only be good for trying to keep them from hitting him, and frankly with Aquarius' somewhat wide-bore powers that wasn't really very helpful. If you're sure. Just stay clear of the area. And good luck. It seemed the villains hadn't made much progress getting less dizzy, psychic conversations were pretty quick, but he had to act fast.He reached into another pocket. Concussive grenade. Only one he had on him, but hopefully the only one he'd need. They were already dizzy, so this should keep them off their feet long enough for him to get in and finish the job, all without killing them. Well, unless the aerokinetic died of shock or blood loss or something. That happened now and then. But villainy wasn't supposed to be a safe career choice, so he activated the grenade and tossed it through the open doorway at the top of the stairs. The best part was that he'd pre-set the timer on the grenade to pretty low. It probably wouldn't even hit the ground before it went off.(H-D)

[Transairion]

IC: KILL's machine guns sprayed an unhealthy salvo across the modified Veyron's frame, its wheels spinning as it reversed away rapidly. Advancing to make sure it was driven off for good, the sentient car found itself blocked by the orange Hummer which smashed into KILL's grill headon. Front partially crumpled from the sheer non-standard weight, KILL floored it in reverse as the Hummer advanced, now trying to scare him off instead. How quickly things changed...A simple "ram League member through a wall" move had led KILL back outside, where to his artifical surprise the car had found an armoured truck delivering something to the League... a truck that in the chaos was being robbed by two other, seemingly sentient vehicles. The orange Hummer, while grossly overweight for its design was nothing unusual, but the Veyron was heavily modifed with technology salvaged from the Technax Invasion a month earlier: most notably its wheels were completely replaced with the super-speed capable ones from a "Hunter" unit. The Veyron had a number of metallic tendrils dancing out from its interior, and had been steadily cutting it's way into the truck and retieving spheres: spheres KILL recognised as vessels for Technax's seemingly unique crystals which resided in a number of his units... seemingly the League around the world had discovered a fair number of them, which were now being plundered.Of course, KILL in his wisdom deemed the Coalition would have far better use for these unique assets, so had naturally attacked the vehicles in an attempt to scare them off. Succeeding in severing at least one tendril and sending its cargo to the ground, his action resulted in a fair amount of hostility and his current perdicament. Despite spewing enough ammo into the Hummer that it's engine should be kaput, the titan keep coming, seemingly suffering no penalty at all. Acting quickly, the villian vehicle peeled off to the side, and opened fire on the Veyron instead. The Hummer reacted as predicated and moved to intercept the fire, using its frame as a shield. At this point the Veyron had decide to vacate, flooring it around the side of the mansion and speeding out the front, followed closing by the Hummer moments later. With the immediate threat gone, but the mission at hand still very much active, KILL could not pursue the pair... merely backing up to the remains of the armoured truck and retrieving what few spheres still remained... not many. With what he could retrieve stuffed in his trunk, the car made his way back inside, making sure to go through a few priceless peices of art on the way back to where his teammates were supposed to be.OOC: The modified Veyron and the orange Hummer are NPCs who'll show up now and then, and it'll become clear what their interest is in alien tech soon enough

Edited January 26, 2012 by Transairion

[Kumata]

IC: With a great deal of focus Gap was now trying to drive away the sensation of pain in her limbs, at least long enough to take advantage of the momentary distraction Tornado was displaying. She broke into as fast a run as she could muster, dodging still-falling debris, teeth gritted, flinging her fist at Tornado's gut as she got close in an attempt to (the pun was unavoidable) wind him...

Edited January 26, 2012 by Kumata

[Korkoa]

IC: "Dude, if you told me I could help by flying to the moon and back, I'd be desperate enough to try it!" Plasmafire cried, turning back to Bolt. "Go! I've got you covered!" Plasmafire hurled a few plasma grenades at Bolt before turning and shooting a a jet of flame at Skyra. The attacks weren't meant to kill the other supers, but he needed to keep them distracted. He also kept an eye on Longshot, ready to jump into action if she made a wrong move.IC: Magneta winced as she saw Elliott in the full body cast. She turned to the nervous nurse and nodded. "We're investigating what happened to him, we're waiting on the healer now. Are you alright? You seem very nervous."

[Half-Dragon]

NPC: She seemed almost to jump at being asked. "Oh, it's just- Well... I saw him. When he came in. It was... awful. And then I thought... Someone did this to him. Someone actually took the time to... to do that to a human being. What kind of person could do that?"H-D

[Korkoa]

IC: Magneta sighed and shook her head, placing a hand on the nurse's shoulder. "Someone who thinks he's better than everyone else. Someone who thinks he can get anway with anything, who thinks he's above the law. Somebody we're going to catch and make sure they never do this to someone again."

[King Joe]

IC: Surge had been looking over Elliot while Magneta talked to the nurse. His fists clenched and glowed with pure energy. "He WILL be brought to justice. No if, ands, or buts. No maybe. There is nothing unsure about that. Do you understand, nurse? He WILL pay for his crimes." Surge had a tendencey to take things personal when innocent people got hurt. This was due to the guilt he bore for his past actions, and the fact that but for his guilt, he was the one torturing people like Elliot. And there was someone he was responsible for out there doing just that.Now he remembered why he didn't do much investigating. He preferred to save the day and be done, maybe help with cleanup. He didn't like following in the footsteps of a villain and seeing all the pain and hurt he had already caused.OOC: Wow. Surge has mood swings.

Edited January 27, 2012 by King Joe

[Chronicler of Ko-Koro]

OOC: The modified Veyron and the orange Hummer are NPCs who'll show up now and then, and it'll become clear what their interest is in alien tech soon enough

OOC: I'm gonna go with either (a.) they're both actually Decepticons or (b.) these are the beginnings of the apocolyptic events that usher in the world as depicted in "Cars."IC:Fade nodded quickly to Plasmafire, then darted off past a burning tent. Skyra easily dispersed the flames, smothering them under heavy winds, but Bolt was having a harder time avoiding the plasma grenades. He had some degree of resistance against heat - otherwise he'd risk burning his face off whenever he used his powers - but he didn't think he could survive searing hot plasma and was in no mood to test that theory. Suddenly, Longshot marched into the fray, all appearances indicating that she'd gotten over whatever internal conflicts she'd been having previously. She raised up her crossbow, aiming directly for Plasmafire's head and launching a bolt.---Tornado staggered back as Gap's punch connected, gasping and wheezing in pain. Trying to recover, Tornado swung a punch of his own towards Gap, winds whipping around his fist to enhance the power behind his attack.[For Science!]

[Rumpelstiltskin]

(b.) these are the beginnings of the apocolyptic events that usher in the world as depicted in "Cars."

OOC: How I can find that fascinating, awesome, and horrifying all at the same time is beyond me.IC: (Loadstone)Loadstone kept himself flattened to the floor, rolling out of the way of a disintegration bolt that skimmed close to where he had landed on the floor. Had he not been so intent on taking down Archmage, or even surviving his encounter with her, he would have helped Mystic escape the elevator shaft. Charging his body with electricity, he sent his magnaboard hurtling toward Archmage, hoping to keep her distracted while he crawled across the floor in her direction. The electricity coursing through his body couldn't hurt him any, but if he could just get in physical contact with the Villainess it certainly wouldn't feel too pleasant for her...IC: (Aquarius)Aquarius knew a thing or two about injuries - he was a medical prodigy, after all. So he knew that Dirge's injuries were going to be serious if they weren't treated soon. Of course, his own incapacitated him, so there wasn't much that he could do to help.He was just starting to climb to whatever sort of sitting position he could manage when a concussive bang echoed from the grenade, flipping him backwards to land facedown on his stomach, injured kneecap slammed into the floor. He groaned, mentally willing hailstones to form and hurl themselves in the general direction he believed Ultionis to be in. He wished the world would stop spinning...IC: (NPC - Zaparus)"Aws I said before, zere should be a limosine vaiting to take us vhere ve vant to go," Zaparus said, straightening his glasses as he spoke. "Vonce ve are past airport security, it should a straight shot to ze ISNN."OOC: I have plans for an upcoming character with a German accent; I'm practicing, if you couldn't tell. :PIC: (Psionick)Nicholas staggered out of the bathroom stall, a slack and pained look on his face as he slowly made his way to the sink. Splashing cold water on his face, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. Bloodshot eyes stared back.He stood there on wavering knees for a moment, looking at the haggard reflection of the man he had become, when Agent Johnson burst through the door, hurrying over to where Nicholas was supporting himself."I know we're supposed to check you in for registration, but I've got bad news," Johnson said, looking Nicholas over with a worried frown. "There's some Super causing a scene downtown, and I've been called in to handle it.""I'll...comewith...you," Nicholas groaned. "I'm...better equipped...to handle...a Super...""You don't have the strength," Johnson argued."Nonsense, I'll...be fine," Nick grinned, straightening himself with visible effort. "Let's go..."~Lord Rahl~ Edited January 27, 2012 by Lord Rahl

[Korkoa]

IC: Thank goodness Plasmafire had been keeping an eye on Longshot. He saw her march up and quickly decided he could risk one short burst into his fire form. Just before Longshot pulled the trigger, he burst into flame, the bolt passing harmlessly through him. However, in the few seconds he was a being of flame, he had been tossed around by the winds created by Skyra. He was lifted a few feet off the ground, and when he extinguished the flames around him, he fell and skidded across the floor. He tossed a few more plasma grenades at Bolt, wincing as he tried to stand. When he got off he waved a hand, erecting a circle of flame around Longshot as he fired off a plasma bolt at Skyra...IC: Negafire nodded, grinning as he followed Zaparas. The chance to step into Plasmafire's shoes, take a part of his life... Oh, this was good!

[Kenpachi Zaraki]

OOC: Ok i'm only at one dilemma, I can't decide whether or not to have Kaname beat most of the people in his spot by cutting off the main brain circuit and paralyze their whole body tempoarly with his lightning or just fly around and hide...dunno. anyway ideas?(I'm asking this because i don't want to be doing something i'm not supposed to do)

[Half-Dragon]

IC: Omega finally found what he was looking for: A nice, big, metal girder was sticking out of the hole in the wall, but still looked strong and firmly attached. He picked up the unconscious villain, flew over to the girder and hooked his arms around it, still bound by the diamond cuffs, then let him slide to the ground with his hands on the other side, effectively shackled to the girder. It was several feet tall, so he wouldn't be shimmying off, even if he did wake up. Feeling quite satisfied with himself, Omega flew off down the hole Archmage had made to see if he could help out.|H-D|IC: Shard, meanwhile, seemed to have had a bit of inspiration. He summoned the other half of the splintered shield he'd cast aside and stood up, gritting his teeth visibly as he did. Then he carefully molded that shield piece so that it fit into the cracks in his chest and began integrating it with the rest. At this rate he should be able to re-join the fight before long...*H-D*NPC: Ultionis immediately ducked, but it seemed he needn't have bothered. The hail mostly went in entirely the wrong direction, and what little did come his way glanced off of armor intended to take high-caliber bullets. He probably could've charged right through if he had to. Instead he charged right past it, came up to Aquarius and brought his knee up towards the villain's jaw. Shooting him while he was down would've been murder, not necessity. He would subdue the prisoner the old-fashioned way, then focus on the other villains.(H-D)NPC: The nurse - whose name tag identified her as Emily Dinera - smiled gratefully for a moment, then the sound of the door opening caught her attention. In strode a man wearing a white lab coat, a stethescope and a white facemask. For some reason he too wore a nametag which proclaimed him to be 'The MD.' On the bright (and less ridiculous) side he did seem to conduct himself professionally, turning immediately to the patient and grabbing the medical chart off his bed, which he examined closely.H-D

[King Joe]

IC: Surge brightened up for a bit, and said "Eh, what's up Doc? The names Surge. you're The M.D I'm assuming?

[Kumata]

OOC: Today you all get a double-whammy of artistry; the fearsome leaders of the Coalition of Corruption, Grand Cross and Mr. Mystery!

IC: Gap twisted. Injured though she was, she had the dexterity of youth on her side, and Tornado's punch ended up only glancing her shoulder. The winds that accompanied it were strong enough to force her to stagger backwards a few steps though, not to mention flinging a handful of dust in her face. It cost her several seconds, but with a grimace Gap returned as fast as she could and aimed a low sweep with her foot, intending to knock Tornado's legs out from under him...EDIT: OOC: I also whipped up a nifty banner. It changes each time you reload the page! If any of you want to use it to advertise this RPG, the code is

[url="http://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/Kumata.gif"][img=http://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/Kumata.gif][/url]

As I draw more characters I'll incorporate them into the banner too. Edited January 30, 2012 by Kumata

[Rumpelstiltskin]

OOC: Wow, we went a whole day without posting...this is much more like the TSTW! I remember. :PLove the banner, Kumata. I can't wait to see Loadstone/Aquarius on there.Anyway, let's get this show on the road!IC: (Aquarius)The blow landed, and Aquarius flopped backwards with a groan. Though he could hardly see straight, he knew where Ultionis was now. Lashing out with what little willpower he could conjure, he sent a wave of water at Ultionis, then froze it as soon as he was sure it connected. If he could encase the agent in ice, then he would have enough time to get his bearing again...or let one of the others drag him out of there...IC: (Soundless)High above the darkened alley, Soundless perched atop a fire escape, crouched low enough to conceal himself while still retaining a decent view of the proceedings below. He could just make out the figures stalking in from one end of the alley, and was reasonably certain that neither they nor the gang that was positioned below him could see him.In the three days that he had been in St. Louis, Soundless had found little evidence of a criminal underworld. Silently lamenting his choice of city, he had been forced to eek out an existence on stolen food while he hunted for potential employers. In his time working for the Chicago branch of the League, he had become adept at ferreting out meetings between criminals and tracking them down to their respective hideouts. He had followed a tip that there would be a meeting in this alleyway on this particular night, and it seemed as though he was not going to be disappointed.As the seemingly unaware group approached, the gang seemed to ooze out of the shadows beneath him, setting themselves in an aggressive formation around the newcomers. One of the gangsters situated himself in front of them, marking himself clearly as the leader, though his clothes were as ruffled and dirty as his fellows' were. Soundless had to strain his accute hearing to pick up what was being said."Did you bring the money?" the lead gangster asked harshly."Of course I did," the leader of the other group replied in an easy tone. "Did you bring the goods?" That one was hard to get a good view of; between the hat he was wearing and the way his collar stood, his face was obscured from Soundless' perspective. He was shorter in stature than the gangster, but his commanding demeanor made him seem anything but helpless. There was something odd about him, though - something about the shadows encircling him didn't seem natural..."Joey over there has 'em," the gangster replied sourly, nodding his head to a burly man lurking behind him. The man seemed to be guarding two black suitcases, though in the dark it was hard to tell. "Now show me the money.""So you can rob me?" the other man replied, still too casual. "I think not. I want confirmation that you have what I'm after, or you're not going to see so much as a dollar.""Big words coming from a runt like you," the gangster growled. "I could gut you and your boys like fish and leave you for the League to find.""There's no need to be uncivil; it's a perfectly reasonable request. Or are you afraid that I'm capable of overpowering you and your gorrillas and stealing it? I want to be sure I'm not wasting my money."Soundless noted that the gangster reached instictively toward his back pocket before relaxing and nodding. "Fine, we'll do it your way." He motioned for "Joey" to bring the suitcases over, and the thug complied. As the gangster reached for the lock, however, a group of voices called out from end of the alley."Criminals, halt!" the voices said, eerily in unison. Too much like one voice...IC: (NPC - Zaparus)The proceedings at the airport seemed incredibly dull to people who were used to hurling fire and battling League Heroes. Zaparus took it all in stride, however, and his incredibly convincing grandfatherly demeanor got the group smoothly through customs and out into a sea of people. A number of official-looking people holding large white signs bearing names were discernable through the crowd, however, and Zaparus zeroed in on a sign bearing the name "Dr. Schuller."As they approached, it became clear that their limosine driver was not alone. A serious-looking man in a sophisticated blue suit and electric blue tie was waiting by the man with the placard, and he spied the approaching group before the driver."Dr. Schuller, welcome to Washington," the man said in a smooth voice, stepping forward to shake Zaparus' hand. "The name's Inquisitor; the ISNN sent me to ensure that you arrive safely and to give you a tour of our facilities." His eyes settled on Negafire, and a range of emotions played subtley across them. Shock initially, followed by something more indefinite...jealousy? Hostility?"Why, Mr. Orkoa, I wasn't expecting to meet you here," Inquisitor added fluidly, quickly covering whatever he had felt upon seeing Negafire. "If I may ask, what are you doing here?"OOC: Am I correct in thinking that Plasmafire's identity is not public knowledge?~Lord Rahl~

[Half-Dragon]

OOC: Ooh... *refresh* Hey, Plasmafire and Negafire! *refresh* I have no idea who these people are. *refresh* Oh, look, it's Shard! *refresh... refresh... refresh*I'm a fan of the new banners.NPC: Up to now Ultionis had been doing pretty well, considering he was faced with a numerically superior force of superhuman foes (five to their four, with Aquarius loose). He had a trick or a shot for more or less anything they'd thrown at him, and for what he didn't there was always training, discipline and sheer grit. Unfortunately none of those were any help right now. At all.On the bright side, Aquarius had frozen the water as soon as he thought it hit, which turned out to be a bit too early. On the not-so-bright side, Ultionis' left arm and leg were completely encased, the front of his torso was covered, as was half of his neck, and he couldn't reach very far with what limbs he did have available. Wonderful. He just had to leave the laser in the cycle too... Well, since he obviously couldn't finesse his way out of this one, there seemed only one option available to him. With the gun still in his right hand he began shooting at the ice where it seemed furthest from his actual body, shattering chunks off with every round. Thankfully it wasn't very thick - if it had been it would have encased Aquarius too, the man was one foot away from Ultionis'... foot. That said, this could take a few precious seconds, seconds in which the villains might be getting their bearings...(H-D)

[Transairion]

Unrealiable poster? Where? *looks behind self in confusion*:lookaround:NPC: "What do you mean we're now below quota?!?""Sir, Mastermind's little.... episode disabled several entrants to the point they can no longer compete""Just shuffle them around an-""We already HAVE done that, sir, but we're still short two entrants from quota and we don't have the time to acquire them before the next tournament begins...""..... then we have no choice but to try and fake it.... my employers won't accept less than what they were promised, and it's not like two fighters are just going to, what.... fall out of the sky?"*******************"The bunker where this supposed 'SuperBeing Smackdown' tournament is being held should be just below us... it's only partially hidden but I'm not sure what kind of welcome you'll recieve down there, so be on gaurd when you're ready" Esp explained as they dipped below the cloudline, the bland ex-military bunker showing no sign of hostility to the aerial craft."One more thing... Sluice, you may want to consider taking the Crystal with you. It has been.... gravitating towards you since you got on board, and if it wants to go to you I fear it'll tear a sizable hole in me if it chooses to..."

[Kumata]

IC: "Well, if you think that would be best," nodded Sluice. She would have preferred for the crystal to stay inside Esp, really - it was safer here than in a stadium full of criminals - but since the thing seemed to contain a will of its own she supposed that it might be of some help to them.Another extended mechanical arm of Esp's presented Sluice with the valued artefact. She noticed Fellwyd watching it with a look of - well, it was difficult to read his alien features, but she assumed it was one of curiosity - and offered him an explanation as to the glowing blue object. "This is Crystax's Royal Crystal. It's very powerful and the reason Technax brought his armada to invade Earth in the first place. So, um, we'd better try not to lose it. It seems to have an attraction to me though." Indeed, as she took it, her arm jerked towards her chest with the force of the thing's pull. Sluice looped the cord the crystal was attached to around her neck, then pulled open her collar and put it underneath the fabric of her supersuit. No sense having it on display."Alright," she said, adjusting her goggles, "I'm all set..."

Edited February 1, 2012 by Kumata

[Chronicler of Ko-Koro]

OOC: Urgh, I blame my own absence on my schedule; been far busier than usual, haven't had much chance to post.Banners are pretty nifty, btw.

OOC: Ok i'm only at one dilemma, I can't decide whether or not to have Kaname beat most of the people in his spot by cutting off the main brain circuit and paralyze their whole body tempoarly with his lightning or just fly around and hide...dunno. anyway ideas?(I'm asking this because i don't want to be doing something i'm not supposed to do)

Honestly, my best advice is for you to find some happy middle ground between "flashy overpowered g-modding" and "standing in the background doing nothing because you're afraid of getting yelled at for flashy overpowered g-modding". Have Kaname actually use his wits and abilities to duke it out with the bad guys, instead of just having him wipe the floor with everybody with one attack just so he came seem awesome. Having him just one-hit KO a large group seems a bit much, but I'd be more willing to accept him trying it on a few lower-level mooks (especially since I offer you no guarantees it will actually work).IC:Bolt ran as white-hot burning gas exploded around him, determined to get out of this fight and back to Fade. Skyra flipped sideways, just barely avoiding the plasma bolt streaking past him. As he spun in midair he let loose a gust of wind, tearing across the camp towards where Longshot was. The burst parted the flames; only a little, only for a moment, but with her superhuman accuracy that was all Longshot needed. She took a running start and leapt, jumping through the wall of flame the exact second before it closed up again. She raised her crossbow and launched another bolt as Skyra whipped up the winds around Plasmafire; Sakeme was determined to keep him pinned between the two long enough for Bolt to slip away.---Tornado winced as Gap's boot connected with his shins, quite nearly tripping and doubling over. But the winds swelled up behind him, supporting him and stopping his fall. Tornado let the air currents swell up around him, lifting him into the air and sending him speeding forwards to aim a flying kick right for Gap's head.---Archmage stopped the magnaboard coming towards her, and started charging her staff to simply disintegrate it. But upon glancing Omega descending into the corridor out of the corner of her eye, she quickly formed a new plan. Archmage broke into a run directly at the magnaboard, dropping to the floor and sliding underneath it. If Loadstone hadn't caught sight of Omega yet, the metal board would end up slamming straight into him. Even if that didn't work, the few seconds it would take Loadstone to turn the magna-board around meant that it was in the way of any attacks Omega might try to send her way.Mystic, meanwhile, squirmed her way between the twisted plates of metal, feeling about her to try for anything she could get a firm grip on. She got her hands around the carpet in the corridor outside, and slowly started pulling herself from the wrecked lift. Then there was a crashing of metal coming from the shaft; the doors shifted as the lift began to slide, nearly wedging Mystic in between them. She thrust a hand upwards, pouring psychic force outwards to stop the lift before it could plung downwards and take her with it. Slowly, she started to edge her way out inch-by-inch, all the while trying to hold the lift in place...[For Science!] Edited February 1, 2012 by Chronicler of Ko-Koro

[King Joe]

OOC: @banner, 0_0! SURGE AND NIHILO ARE FAMOUS! Seriously, I need to try to integrate it into my sig....IC (Nihilo): Nihilo kept his eyes on the new guy. It was necessary to mingle with heroes, but that didn't mean that he couldn't be wary. He would be watching every hero he could closely. He already had a plan. Any hint of suspicion he would ask the hero if he could talk to him in a seculded place, and then BAM! Fist sized hole in their face. He didn't want to have to do that though. He would rather they got what the needed and got out, no questions asked. That areokinetic really took it out on him. earlier.

[thelonewander]

OCC: haven't been here in forever. been thinking of a name for a character. oh, and the new banner is cool too.IC: " oh, John, it's you. what are you doing here?" "who do yo- oh, hello uncle Mendoza. what are you doing here. where is my mother. I need to talk to her.""don't you know, she's been dead for a month now.""who killed her? their head is MINE!""some of the local gangs. i'm not for sure which one killed her. the cops are still working on it, and it's been slow."after hearing that, Lone and Paul left to head back to the motel. OCC: i'm waiting for darkon before i go any farther.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

OOC: Speaking of unreliable posters, was it me or my opposite number that missed a beat in the situation Fellwyd is supposed to be involved in? Five bucks says it was me, but I need to make sure before I go post-diving.

[Kumata]

OOC: @Shadows - Check out Transairion's last post, and my subsequent one. That's all you've missed. (Ironically from your phrasing it seems you were actually referencing the OOC of said post )Gap IC later.

Edited February 1, 2012 by Kumata

[Korkoa]

OOC: Nice banner!@Rahl: You'd be correct in assuming the general population doesn't know Plasmafire's identity, but I'd assume his ISNN coworkers would know, seeing as he spent most of his time as Plasmafire.IC: Plasmafire yelped as the wind picked up. He stumbled and was thrown around a little, which turned out to be the thing that saved his life. When he stumbled, he actually fell out of the way of Longshot's bolt. He got back to his feet and took off after Bolt, throwing up a wall of flame in front of him. Plasmafire figured that Fade was most susceptible to Bolt, and he could handle the others by phasing.IC: Negafire stepped forward to shake Inquisitor's hand. "Ah, y'know, I was on a, eh... 'business trip' in Europe, and I ran into the doc here. I met him last year on my sabbatical, and he mentioned he was coming to tour ISNN. I'd finished my business, so I offered to accompany him. And please, call me Ken. You know how I hate being called Mr. Orkoa."

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

OOC: I was indeed referencing the OOC, though I'm afraid I missed the meat and potatoes of the IC the first time I read it.IC(Fellwyd): Fellwyd didn't bother to ask how the crystal worked or what it did, as, given what he'd seen so far of Crystaxian technology, it wouldn't make much sense. Based on the description, though, it was either an entirely unknown mineral or a known one with some other technology implanted in the crystal.Or it ran on crazy-power or something. Never could tell with some of the stranger aliens.Putting the matter aside before it drove him crazy, he checked his armor - as it was pretty simple, just a leathery material with metal plates sewn in, this didn't take long."No problems present themselves here, which suggests twice as many as could be attributed to chance in the mission area."

[Rumpelstiltskin]

IC: (Loadstone)Cursing, Loadstone reached out and stopped the magnaboard just short of clobbering Omega. As Archmage advanced toward him, he climbed to his feet and let loose the electricity he'd been charging in his body. While she was distracted by his electric attack, he willed the magnaboard to slam Archmage in the back, hoping to catch her between the two attacks.IC: (Aquarius)Aquarius rolled over, being careful to favor his shattered kneecap. His eyesight began to clear, and he got his first view of the attack he had thrown at Ultionis. Suddenly realizing just how stupid he had been, he sent a trickle of water at the gun in Ultionis' hand. Everyone knew how effective gunpowder was when it was wet...IC: (NPC - Zaparus)Inquisitor raised an eyebrow at Negafire's story, but smiled anyway. "Of course, Ken," he responded graciously. "I appologize; it's a habit of mine." He paused for a moment, then leaned in a bit closer and added quietly, "For the record, I don't believe the rumors going around the ISNN; I'm convinced that you're innocent."~Lord Rahl~

[Chronicler of Ko-Koro]

IC:The wall of flames roared up in front of Bolt, forcing him to retreat backwards in search of a route around. Fade decided to take advantage of it, putting as much distance between Bolt and himself. Skyra unleashed a whirlwind upon Plasmafire, threatening to hurl him against the wall. Longshot began adjusting her aim; unless Plasmafire did something to stop it, the winds would guide the bolt right to him.---Archmage barely dodged the sizzle and crackle of electricity rushing back, whipping about just in time to see the magnaboard coming towards her. Hastily, she blasted at the board with her staff; sure, she'd lose her cover against Omega, but that would have been little good when her cover was about to smack her in the skull. Then she ducked to the side, blasting another hole through the wall. Archmage knew she was in a bad tactical position, sandwiched between two superhuman powerhouses, and was eager for a change of scenery.Mystic was unable to support the lift any longer; she pulled her legs clear and let the elevator drop. It plummeted down the shaft with a horrendous screeching of metal, before erupting with a crash that echoed through the mansion. Mystic paused, lying on the floor, her breathing heavy. She honed in on the nearest minds she could find - Omega and Loadstone - to try and get a better view of her surroundings as she started to pull herself back to her feet.[For Science!]

[Half-Dragon]

IC: Omega grinned. Now this was more like it: Between him and Lodestone they had the crazy chick with the stick caught like a rat in a trap. The little mynx was agile as an olympic acrobat (Did they have that in the Olympics?) so he'd have to avoid blasting her, she'd probably just dodge it and Lodestone was on the other side. Instead he extended his hand and formed a sphere of energy around her (including the ground this time). Being that his constructs were pure energy, he wasn't sure if a disintegrator beam would have any effect. Then again, they were energy taking solid form, so... Time to find out.|H-D|NPC: Ultionis, on the other hand, had not been stupid. He never took his eyes off his opponent while they were still a threat. The moment the water began moving toward his pistol, he whipped it around and fired a shot right at Aquarius' shoulder. That should break his concentration. Besides, he'd probably already lost one pistol to all the ice. He really didn't feel like losing another.(H-D)NPC: "No, I just wear the name tag for kicks and giggles," answered the MD drily. He even had an appropriately dry british accent. After a few more moments he put down the chart and knelt down by the side of the bed, muttering something under his breath about 'severe thermal shock' and 'brain damage unlikely.'H-D

[Kumata]

IC: Gap went limp, allowing gravity to pull her out of the way of Tornado's flying kick. Dropping to the floor in such a way sent another pang of pain through her arms as she caught herself. She hopped to her feet - and the strong air currents, which were still trailing in Tornado's wake, forced her back head-over-heels towards the villain. Panicking, she attempted to turn the tumble into a backwards-somersault-kick, but such a hastily-made maneuver was bound to come off quite sloppily...

Edited February 2, 2012 by Kumata

[Transairion]

Between him and Lodestone they had the crazy chick with the stick caught like a rat in a trap. The little mynx was agile as an olympic acrobat...

I smell sexual tension! :DSpeaking of sexual tension.... oh wait I haven't introduced that NPC yet, and I can't until after this plot concludes... =(NPC: "As long as you don't blatantly spout heroics in this villian-infested location, you should merely be one of the many entrants into this tournament... simply keep your gaurd up and be careful: both of the competition and of Mastermind himself... we can't risk tipping him off early and sending him running as he's our only lead. So if you lose him, Sluice... I'll never, ever forgive you" Esp mixed a lighthearted joke with a thinly vieled threat: truthfully she'd be beyond furious if Mastermind vanished from under their fingers... the fate of the Crystaxian race was at stake!

[Kumata]

OOC: For a moment there I thought you meant the NPC's alias was Sexual Tension... you didn't did you?IC: "Have a little faith in me," said Sluice with a weak chuckle. She knew how important the matter was; reminding her just made her worry all the more - but she had known Esp long enough to understand that blunt statements were basically default, and had learned not to let herself be offended by them. Outwardly she retained her amiable manner.She and Fellwyd took positions at the top of the boarding ramp as it began to descend. A warm rush of air an dust met them as they stepped out into the Arizonan desert...

Edited February 2, 2012 by Kumata

[Transairion]

OOC: No, I didn't mean that... I'm not sure a NPC with the alias of "Sexual Tension" would be allowed regardless, if the name implies anything about her (or his X_X) power... gosh that'd be one weird superbeing :cry:But said NPC who will provide the aforementioned tension is very sexy :DNPC: "I do try... good luck, and you know how to reach me if you need me" Esp tapped her holographic head, refering to the already-programmed link in Sluice's newest bit of headwear. For Fellwyd she offered no words or gesture, just glad the lizard-like being was leaving for a bit... she didn't trust him, even if he was 'heroic'... but in her view it was always best to err on the side of caution. She did have faith in Sluice though, partially because she knew the human wouldn't purposely blow a chance to find Silver, and partially from surverying her day to day over the past month... the aquakinetic was many things, but not a quitter.Taking off to find somewhere else to linger, the heroic duo were left a short walk from the looming structure ahead. The disused military bunker was disguised, not particually well anymore as part of a curved plateu: part of the fake rock had been worn away to expose the metal underneath. Apart from the larger domed area and the small series of buildings, it didn't seem capable of holding a tournament: it was likely it extended much further underground. But to get inside, the only obvious entrance had to be used: the gaurdpost fence which two overtly-muscled Russians were standing by, surely to keep out any unwanted guests.