Half-Dragon

IC: Blaze All of this was doing nothing to alleviate Blaze's confusion. The infirmary was suddenly some kind of grand meeting spot and she still didn't know what was going on. Thus she reacted in what she felt was the sanest, most effective way: She hefted her oversized mace and said "I have no idea what's going on here and if someone doesn't explain it right now these beds are gonna get really full, really fast." Saying this with the medic maybe two bio away was probably not the wisest thing to do, but if she got horribly injured as a result then she was already in the right place. Besides, whatever didn't kill her only made her stronger. This she had proven on her last five trips here. Granted, it only made her stronger for a while, but still. ()H-D()

OOC: So, is it just me, or did this topic jump five pages while I was out for a day? O.o IC: Blaze, personally, couldn't see the irony in being attacked by a sniper. Unless Dodge was a sniper themself. Either way, losing a leg seemed like a strange thing to laugh about. She'd have been terrified. It was one thing she didn't just adapt to. Still, she grinned weakly, glad to see that whatshisface was taking this so well. Unusually for the headstrong adaptation rahkshi, she felt a bit out of place - everyone else here seemed to know this person. "So," she said suddenly, "introductions! Because I have no idea who you people are. I'm Blaze. You?" The simplest solutions were, of course, always the best ones. ()H-D()

IC: Blaze Blaze saw the prone form that other rahkshi was looking at. "Wow, that does look bad," she remarked. "What happened? Training accident? Fight with another student? Messed with a secret Nynrah weapon and accidentally discharged it into their own leg?" Of course she knew none of these was likely the truth, but it was interesting to guess. Whatever it was, it looked pretty nasty, and this was after it was patched up. ()H-D()

IC: Blaze Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored. Blaze was not having the best day. A bunch of the other rahkshi had gotten to go off and steal/wreck things and she - a natural-born wrecker - had been passed over. She even had her mace cleaned and everything! Well, mildly cleaned. She wiped off the sap stains from those trees, anyway. So now here she was, wandering the school halls, bored out of her gourd (whatever that was) and looking for entertainment. Or someone to talk to. Or just something to smash that wouldn't get her in trouble. At this point anything would do. It was then that she spotted movement near the infirmary. Some rakhshi idling there, probably waiting for an appointment. Just as she was approaching, though, Doc Palma came out and started talking to them. Not quite close enough to hear the whole thing, Blaze did catch something about a leg and prostetnics (was that some kind of politician?) but couldn't figure out what it meant. Never one to hover awkwardly and wait to be addressed, unlike some rahkshi she could name, Blaze walked up and asked aloud "What's up? Is someone hurt?" ()H-D()

Join a harem? Sounds like fun! XD Assuming of course Blaze doesn't get it into her head to try and start her own harem. That can't possibly end well...

In my case, at least, it was the front page feature. This sounded right up my alley, and the more I read the topic the more I liked what I saw. And the rest his history.

Name: Blaze Variation: Adaptation Level: 2 Gender: Female Gear: A large, heavy, flanged mace; a belt with a few pouches, mostly filled with knick-knacks and junk. Appearance: Blaze takes her name seriously: She’s taken advantage of her yellow-and-red color scheme by painting the places where the colors intersect (the areas around the wrists, shoulders, hips, ankles and parts of the neck and torso) with flame-like patterns, often blending into orange. She has also gone ahead and painted her smooth, flowing spines a shiny gold. Personality: A passionate, excitable rahkshi by nature, Blaze loves new experiences to the point where she actively throws herself at them. Whether a new skill, a new type of person, a new way of fighting or even new foods, she simply loves to try things she never has before. The months at the academy have somewhat tempered her recklessness, so she doesn’t automatically charge into a given situation without thinking at all, but she still tends toward action over caution and isn’t afraid of simply pushing all the buttons to see what they do. After all, whatever doesn’t kill her will make her stronger. Outside of this, Blaze is typically friendly, cheerful and outgoing. Though she has a bit of a temper when roused, she generally means well and prefers making friends over enemies. She’s just as likely to forget a grudge in ten minutes as hold it for days, but she tends to form strong loyalties to those she considers friends. Bio: If Blaze is reckless now, mere months ago she would’ve been practically suicidal if she didn’t have the power of adaptation. She knows that she will grow stronger from every experience, especially the defeats, and took this fact to heart, actively tossing herself at situations most would have approached cautiously or not at all. After several painful reminders that recursive adaptation doesn’t make losing hurt less in the here and now she has mellowed out somewhat, but hasn’t entirely lost her daredevil streak, despite being pummeled, burned, electrocuted, poisoned and tossed through a stone wall.

Waitwaitwait! Normally I approve of devious false positives, but how will BFA and Arpy know the real trail? Wouldn't this fool them too?

This is what you get for settling, I'd Settle For That tribe. I saw Schizo Kaita's run; his legend is well-deserved. Had you chosen to properly venerate him, he might have stricken the Empress with just enough boozy insanity to give you guys the win. Let's face it, you would've needed every drop against a name like Clickit Supertramps. How else do you compete with that? So in short: Shame on you, non-believers. Shame! *Points the Finger of Shame! at the I'd Settle For That tribe* (H-D)

OOC: Weren't there a lot more people at the bank and the Coalition base? IC: Right then, there were a lot of things Omega wanted to do. He wanted to turn back the last ten seconds and think of a different plan. He wanted to pursue the armored villain who by now had gotten away entirely. He wanted to pummel Apep into a state that would make her ready access to full-body bandages very fortunate. But years of experience had taught him how to prioritize and focus on the objective, so he knocked Apep out with a single, swift blow and dropped her on the pavement like a discarded plastic bag. There were more important things to do. As soon as she was no longer a threat he zoomed down to the injured civilian. Using a trick he had learned during the invasion he formed a tightly-sealed bandage and patch over the injured zone with one hand while the other went to his communicator. "This is Omega," he said urgently. "I need an ambulance to-" He glanced at the street sign. "Seventy-third, fifth avenue. There's a badly injured civilian here. Left eye severely damaged, and I think he's in shock. Scramble a League healer if you have to." As an afterthought he glanced at Apep and added "Bring a prisoner transport with you, null-cuffs and all." |H-D| IC: Wondering briefly where the others were - without the robber, the force field had to be down - Shard stomped up behind the Robo-robbers' leader and grabbed his wrists, forming a diamond seal around them. That would hold him for a while... Actually, for several hours until the artificial diamond disintegrated. Getting the suit off him might be a bit of a challenge now. Well, someone else could worry about that. "I got the boss!" He called down the stairs at the others, who he had decided were probably wrapping up the other goons. "Should we call a prison van?" *H-D* NPC: Well, with the very limited amount of information apparently available to this grunt, Ultionis figured that was as much as they'd get out of him. He considered the kid's fate for a minute (and waited a few extra seconds just to worry him). Hard as he could be, he didn't intend to kill a prisoner. Still, that magna-board was the only means of transport Lodestone had besides 'one foot in front of the other', and they'd need it to get him down the shaft. He looked to the ferrokinetic and motioned toward the discarded laser cannons the sharkmen had wielded. Maybe he could restrain Prism with those. Then his gaze returned to the supervillains' guard dog/flunkie. "It's your lucky day," he remarked. "I was thinking we should just drop you anyway, but we wouldn't get much out of these interrogation sessions if we went around killing the ones who talk. So you get to sit tight and wait for us to call someone in to pick you up when we're done. Hope for your sake you're not holding out on us - if we got killed down there, you'd be stuck to the side of that shaft until you starved. Ain't a pretty way to go." This would be Prism's last chance to tell them anything he might have 'forgotten to mention' before they bolted him to the shaft and covered up his mouth so he couldn't call for help. (H-D)

OOC: There doesn't appear to be a lot of regulation on what superhumans can and can't do beyond normal human restrictions. A superhuman working for the government probably wouldn't be called a 'hero' by most others, since heroes seem to have a long-standing mistrust of national governments, but there's nothing stopping him from working for them or from acting heroically either on or off the job. Aside from the League, which is less of a governing body and more of a loose organization of superheroes worldwide with limited UN special dispensation, almost everything about them is unofficial. |H-D|

OOC: Sorry I vanished again. At first I was waiting to see if someone - I've completely forgotten who now - would post, then life started getting in the way. Mostly exams. Only thing worse than a massive criminology essay is an oral Danish exam... Anyway, back now! IC: Omega was a planner. It was a trait that always surprised people who expected him to use the lots of power he had at his disposal to just smash through obstacles. Instead he came up with ideas, plans, plots and so on pretty much as soon as the inspiration hit him, which was often. His latest plan for dealing with Apep was a risky one, but he didn't have a lot of options, and it was pretty good for something he'd just through up while he was growling in frustration at her renewed demands. He halted in mid-air, holding her a good seven meters away, and rounded on her. "I've had just about enough of your-" And then he stopped. While his face, being pure black with white eyes and mouth (and only when open) was difficult to read, at this point its expression should be clear: Shock, incredulety and sheer annoyance such as had not been felt since Agrajag. The plan from there hinged on Apep being curious, or at least wanting to know what had him suddenly even more upset. The moment she turned around to see what it was, he would start a sequence of attacks that should keep her too off-balance to remember her name, nevermind kill anyone, and finally incapacitate her. First he would shake the orb she was in like a baby's rattle, knocking her about a bit. Then he would toss her into the air like a salad, letting her out only briefly from the prison before he zoomed in and hit her with an uppercut that would either knock the mask off her head or shatter it, whichever came first. Finally, grab her by the papyrus around her neck and punch her. Hard. The same calculated power he used against supervillains a lot when they had no superhuman durabilty, to render unconsciousness without risking brain injury. Much. If all went well, he should have her incapacitated and the civilian safe before she knew what hit her. All never went well, but he was letting the other villain get away for this. It had better be good enough. |H-D| IC: "Well, it's not the dumbest thing you could've done." As previously mentioned, Shard was not very fast. He might be able to fly after the robo-robber leader, but he certainly couldn't chase him running, and flying up that narrow stairway would be tough with his lackluster maneuverability, as it turned sharply haflway up. But he did have one other weapon. Taking quick aim, Shard fired a series of small crystals, each about as long as a toothpick and as thick as a pencil. They flew past the robber, as they were intended to, and embedded themselves in the wall ahead of him, where they quickly grew like plants in fast-forward. By the time he was up to the turning point, where they had landed, the path was closed off by seven long, narrow crystal spikes going horizontally from wall to wall like cell bars flipped on a side. Now, if that suit of armor had super-strength, like the other, it might not take long to break through. Though stronger than steel, they were thin and brittle and would shatter before bending even a little. But if not, then this chase was over and Shard could just walk up the stairs and call for the robber's immediate surrender. He started walking now, hoping for the best. *H-D* NPC: Ultionis considered the crystal kid's words, looking at the blank screen. He wasn't exactly an expert interrogator, but it sounded honest enough. Not a lot of people would talk about being treated like furniture to sell a deception - a few, but not a lot. Still, if he really was usually ignored he'd probably heard something in passing while others were discussing it. His mask concealing his expression, the soldier looked back up at glass-jaw and let him squirm for a bit before speaking again. "When did the Coalition come back here? Same time as you, or before? Have you seen anything important around here? Materials being moved, important personnel, anything at all?" It was his way of saying they wouldn't drop him... yet. (H-D)

IC: Omega staunchly ignored Apep, just as it seemed the nameless other villain was ignoring him. He fired a low-level blast off just to the left of the armored boarder, just one foot away from his back. "That was your last warning shot!" He called. "I can and will smack you into a hole in the ground. You caught me on a really bad day, camarada, and resisting now is only gonna make me madder!" Part of him was hoping this guy would keep running. He could use a punching bag. On the bright side, both pursuer and pursuee had sped up considerably as was the way of chases, taking them further and further from the cop with the papyrus up his nose. Probably out of Apep's range by now. |H-D| IC: It didn't take Shard long at all to open the hole wide and step through with practised ease. His arms, already ending in large, pointed spikes, now grew razor edges on the insides as he pulled an old trick the more experienced heroes had taught him: Swaggering. If you made it clear you would resort to violence, and looked sufficiently scary while doing it, you often didn't have to. With three-foot, diamond blades sticking out of his forearms that was pretty much a given. And now to round it off: "These were made to go through forcefields," he said, grinning, "but I've found they also make great can openers." He raised the two sharpened appendages threateningly. "I'm not being too subtle here, am I?" He wished he could take credit for thinking that up on the spot, but he'd actually used the same line a few months ago on an Armada robot with a force field of its own. As the robot had no capacity to process fear this was utterly wasted, but hopefully it would work better here. *H-D* NPC: "He wasn't supposed to survive," Ultionis remarked offhandedly. Then he got down to business and stepped forward, extracting a small device from his pocket about the size and shape of an iPod nano, from which he in turn withdrew a small, semi-transparent piece of plastic. He slapped the plastic on the crystal teenager's forehead, where the adhesive sealed it tight. "This is a psychic lie detector," he said, showing him the screen, which had a flat line on it. "It reads your brainwaves. It's going to tell us if you're messing with us. If you lie to me, he drops you. If you try to scream or alert anyone in the base, he drops you. If I think you're too shifty or don't like what I'm hearing, he drops you. And before you ask, no, he won't like it, but we have orders not to allow confirmed security risks. Just ask Clearsight, if you can find enough of his head." With this made clear he flipped the screen so he saw it and the villain didn't. In point of fact it was not a lie detector - it was an actual iPod nano, with his hand covering any marks that would identify it as such. The patch was the screen protector. The first answer he got would predictably be a test to see if it was actually telling him anything, so if it sounded too shady Ultionis would tell Lodestone "I don't think he's taking us seriously." And after a bit of posturing, maybe drop him and catch him a few feet down, they could get some more reliable information. "Let's start with the easy stuff," he said. "What is this facility? What's it for? What are you doing here?" (H-D)

IC: Omega had no intention of letting him go that easily. He'd almost lost one convict already and the other was probably long gone by now - this third one was going down if he had to throw him down personally. In fact, with the day he was having, he kind of hoped he would. The hero hopped into the air and flew off after the armored rider with Apep's sphere trailing behind him on an energy link, probably shaking her like a rattle in the process. Oops. Omega called after the rider, "Get back here! Surrender now and you'll go to prison with only the bruises you already have!" |H-D| IC: Well, the animal control crisis seemed to have been somehow taken care of. Shard would have asked what just happened, especially since that little sonic burst had rattled him - it wasn't directed anywhere near him, but high-frequency sonic emmissions around him always gave him some trouble. It was like how a person's teeth felt odd when nails went on a chalkboard or plates were scraped, but crystal had it even worse. Unfortunately, just as he was going to ask, he noticed the force field was getting uncomfortably close. Luckily Shard had faced force fields before, during the Armada invasion. He'd learned a trick for using his arms, shaped in a specifically refractive pattern, to cut through them and create a small gap that he could lead the rest of his body through, allowing him to take out the field emitter. While it was possible that these force fields were another type, this detail - or even the idea that there were different types of force field - did not really occur to him, so he formed the appropriate shape on his arms and shoved them at the field, aiming to penetrate a single point and create the gap. *H-D*

OOC: For the most parts the constructs act as physical objects. In this particular case, it's a bit like a cowboy roping a steer: Steer pushes forward, cowboy pulls back, and the construct is the lasso connecting them. It's all a matter of what gives out first. IC: Omega was starting to run out of juice. Of the three supers in the area - him and the two villains - only Apep produced an omega radiation signature he could use to produce energy. This gave him a fair amount of power, enough to form these constructs and easily enough restrain her or blast things, but the limit was a bit tighter than he'd have liked. Multitasking, sustaining the constructs when they were damaged, all these things were drawing from his personal reserve, which was starting to look mighty low. And the hoverboard? It was strong. It was pulling against him, and the more he pulled back the more the construct holding it was strained. He couldn't keep up the tug-of-war for long. So instead he tried something else: He turned the board, so that while it was still struggling to escape in the same direction, its flat side was now leading. Anything it hit if it were to, say, suddenly break free wouldn't be sliced in half. Then he let go, allowing the board to rocket toward its master at top speed. If he was lucky it would be too fast to immediately decelerate and would impact the armored villain hard enough to keep him out of the fight a bit longer. |H-D| OOC: Yeah, thinking now might be a good time to send a few out. IC: Ultionis followed warily. This entire mess had been far too noisy for his liking. Not that he hadn't contributed heavily to that, with grenades of both exploding and stunning varieties probably waking up everyone on the lowest levels, but the metal-on-crystal clanging noises weren't subtle either. They weren't even halfway through here and had already alerted everyone to their whereabouts. That would not look good on the after-action report. Hopefully they could at least lose any pursuit by going down the elevator shaft. That should be just around the next corner... (H-D)

OOC: Urgh. This time it's nothing to do with school - net's been on and off for a while. Bad weather in this part of the world. I told them we should switch to fiber-optic. It's still not great, but in my genius I just thought of typing this up in Word and posting it when I could. On the subject of Omega's constructs, their full range has never been tested. He's usually not seen using them further out than fifty feet, but this might not be an actual limit, rather a matter of convenience. His energy bolt attacks, however, have been seen to fly much farther. IC: Omega hovered forward, one arm still raised and ready to blast again. Odd how things kept being demolished - he wasn't using wall-smashing force in these attacks, just enough to knock people around (painfully) and maybe result in a broken bone or two. And that was just to deal with the armor. Regardless, for whatever reason, the armored villain was now lying in a pile of rubble, so Omega took advantage of this by reaching out with a construct to grab that weapon of his, hoping to get it well out of reach fast and remove much of the threat. |H-D| NPC: Lodestone's slamming the crystal teenager gave Ultionis an idea. Using the clang of metal on crystal to cover his footsteps, he raced across the hall to huddle up next to Lodestone, still sticking to cover despite that he probably couldn't be seen and he didn't think this guy had any ranged attacks. Better safe than sorry. "Cover your eyes," he said quietly, having to lean in closely to be heard over the noise. "When he's blinded, pick him up with the board. We'll drop him down the shaft." He knew Lodestone would likely have objections to a plan that involved dropping someone down a multi-story elevator shaft, but he didn't see any other way out of this. They simply did not have the ordnance - or the sheer power - to fight this guy on even terms. So he withdrew a different grenade, this one a flashbang, and carefully tossed it at the villain's feet. With luck he would be too distracted to notice or stop it. With that in mind, the soldier also activated the polarized lenses on his mask. They'd have to time this just right... (H-D)

IC: As Apep rattled through her 'what could have been' story, Omega rolled his eyes (visible mainly by their profiles, as they were pure white and lacked any kind of pupil or iris) and thought Man, and they say I read too many comics. Then the ultimatum came out, and suddenly it wasn't even mildly amusing anymore. His hands curled into fists, the one not controlling the orb began building a charge as if to fire, but he knew he couldn't do anything about it. At least, nothing overt. Just as he was considering knocking Apep out before she had a chance to try anything, he spotted the other villain coming in fast, but aiming not for Omega - he was aiming for Apep. What, their little grudge match was so bad he couldn't just let her get carted off to jail? Whatever. In one fluid movement the hero thrust his hand out sideways - the one controlling the orb - and Apep's prison went with it, moving a dizzying ninety degrees around him while still at the same distance. Basically about a twenty-foot journey. At the same time he raised his other hand and fired off the charge directly at the armored villain. If he'd timed it right, the nameless one wouldn't have time to switch his weapon back to a ride and should take a nasty hit to the torso. If not... Well, still a good chance of hitting. Not sparing a look in Apep's direction, he simply told her "I'll deal with you when I'm done saving your life." |H-D| IC: That went pretty well, all things considered. The robber he'd been holding didn't look like he'd be getting up again for a while, so Shard got up, dusted himself off (once - the noise made his entire body feel like peoples' teeth when you scrape a chalkboard) and looked around at... Oh, crud. While he'd been busy the beast in the corner had turned out to not really be on their side, it seemed. There were droplets of red on its claws. Worse, the forcefield that had formerly been stationary, protecting the lead robber, was now pushing outward to crush them all. Not that he was in much danger from crushing, but still. Best to deal with the problems one at a time, he decided. First: Crazy animal thing. That seemed the most immediate concern. Shard launched himself forward, fists first, aiming to slam the animal off of the defeated robber. *H-D*

OOC: Sorry it's been taking me a while to IC - school started up again and it's getting in the way before the first week is out. IC: Well, that was random. The guy in the armor had just thrown himself at Apep, presumably missed as she was still standing (though the padding on her back had been sliced neatly open) and then failed to course correct and crashed anticlimactically into a wall. Omega knew how that felt... Either way, he couldn't afford to get distracted. Mainly this was because Apep might be distracted by the failed attack on her person. That in turn meant she wouldn't be slipping away this time when he reached out and formed another orb around her, sealed shut as quick as he could and then reinforced. Just to be sure. "Don't bother," he spat as he worked. "Did you not see the mess you two caused? The trail of destruction from here to Grand Central Station? Even if she didn't show up while you and this tolo were slugging it out and with me - the same hero who was at the hotel - floating ten feet from the entrance, there's no way she's dumb enough to stick to the plan with the police already on-site." That, and he'd ordered them to be on the lookout for anyone trying to board a train by the name 'Abigail Ostermann' with advisory to call him rather than engage her directly. But now Apep was confused about him, there was no need to go around correcting her. |H-D| IC: "I know," Shard replied happily. "So's this." Then he floated up in the air, still holding the criminal, and promptly performed a move he'd seen on pro wrestling one time: He dropped down, robber-first, bringing all his mineral weight down on the armor. That was sure to crumple it well beyond the point of viable use. *H-D* NPC: Ultionis bit back a curse. No such luck here. His only option to damage the crystal man at this point seemed to be a grenade, and even that would have to be shoved right into his face to do significant damage - the frags, thermal damage and pressure change would be utterly meaningless. That meant it fell to one of the others... a prospect which did not get his hopes up. Aside from the fact that he didn't think any of them had the capability to inflict serious damage, he couldn't know for sure because they were probably blind in this darkness and had no means of silent communication. Where was Mystic when they needed her? In the end, only one viable plan presented itself: Somehow drop the guy down the nearby elevator shaft and let the ground kill him. Maybe one of the others could force him down like that, but how to communicate the plan without the villain hearing? This was why militaries practiced some kind of hand signal or sign language. Well, no use worrying about it yet. For now, he resolved to do what he could, which was to finish off the sharkmen before they rallied and sniffed them out. That was easily accomplished: Grenades may not be much good against crystal men, but sharkmen? In that they were tried and true. He tossed one in now, between the teenager's legs - bouncing off there first, the sound wouldn't give away his position. Then he huddled back in cover and waited for the boom. (H-D)

IC: Apep made just one crucial mistake when she tried to run off from Omega: She assumed he would be busy with the other villain. Not that this was unreasonable - with powered armor and a lethal weapon with at least one known alternate function, he seemed to have the greatest potential for destruction, making him a priority. While it could be argued that Apep had displayed great ingenuity in causing destruction with whatever was on hand, in truth by that point Omega's priorities were decided less by cold logic and more by cold fury. Lead by the prime directive to find Apep and teach her the folly of attempting to escape while the hero was still in the area, he released another bolt of energy at her. Then, regardless of whether it hit (he'd bet no anyway - she was quick and clever, probably more than able to avoid it even in her compromised position) he let off another, this time at the fire escape she clung to. But he knew that wouldn't stop her - she could just grab on to something else, parts of the metal still clinging to the building. So he hovered nearby, energy charged in his hands, ready to blast away her bandages the moment she latched on again and drop her like a puppet with its strings cut. |H-D| IC: Admittedly, by now, Shard was more than a little confused. Just as he'd maneuvered around the side of the robber with the heat beam and micromissiles - the heat beam side, so he couldn't bring the missiles to bear in time - a big monster just ran up out of nowhere and attacked him. Why was there a big monster coming out of nowhere, attacking the robbers? How did that even happen? Whatever, probably one of the others did something he didn't get. More to the point, he saw the other remaining robber about to attack Soundsmith. A moment later he didn't see much of anything, as that robber had cleverly chosen to activate the blinding light on his mask, making it difficult to actually see him. After a moment of trying in vain to blink away the spots, Shard decided he didn't need to see his enemy. He knew where he was... roughly. So he just spread his arms really wide and charged in roughly the right direction, intending to grab the robber the moment he felt he had him. Because of course the electrified armor worked so well last time. *H-D* NPC: I am already at work finding Warner's military record, Carapace assured Gadgeteer. I should have an overview prepared in a matter of minutes. In the meantime, you had best inform your comrades that you have been searching for Warner's address - some of them are quite perceptive and will have noticed you aren't focusing on their conversation. I will require access to your audio and video to keep track. Tell them you've found his address, along with a list of occupants and detailed layout of the house. He sent the detailed layout he'd just finished digging up around then. Is there anything else? {H-D}

IC: Omega had all but lost track of the fight by now. As far as he could tell, the nameless villain in the armor had managed to free Apep, then the two had somehow gotten into a fight and ended up slamming their way down the street. Normally he would have been curious to know what had prompted them to turn against one another, but right now he honestly couldn't say he cared. Shockhead had probably seen the commotion by now and ditched the train idea, meaning he was back to square one, the villain he had captured was back on the loose, the fight was tearing up his city- He'd had enough. No more mister nice guy. The hero flew down the street after the two brawling villains, charging bolts of energy as he went. The difference this time was that, while still concussive in nature, these were less the usual 'family friendly' attacks - a few bruises and ideally they're down for the count - and more the 'broken bones and concussions' attacks. In the armored one's case this was justifiable, as he was, well, armored. For Apep? He was just ticked. Finally he caught up with them both and released the energy bolts, aiming one at each from either hand. |H-D| IC: Shard blinked. He had honestly not been expecting that. "Did he just... electrocute himself?" He asked of no one in particular. Then, apparently recalling he was in the middle of a pitched battle, he turned to see if there was something he could do to help. Unfortunately he turned out to be too late - just as he looked up, a micromissile slammed into Soundsmith's armor just as a heat beam narrowly missed him. It looked like the other hero was still standing, but his armor seemed damaged. Well, nothing for that now. Knowing he couldn't undo what was done, Shard opted instead to attack one of the robbers who had fired - specifically the one with the heat beam. That weapon would be essentially useless against Shard... though if it was laser-based then it might diffract across his body. Harmless, but very bright. That was a risk he was willing to take, especially when the alternative was a micromissile, which would be considerably more painful. With that decided, he launched himself forward, fist-first, at the heat-beam-wielding robber. *H-D* NPC: Ultionis retreated back to cover, thinking fast. What little detail could be determined suggested a crystalline pattern to the enemy's skin. That made him the second solid-rock thug they'd dealt with. Now what did he know about crystal? Not a lot, actually. Supposedly near-invulnerable. Sheets of it were used for bulletproof glass, so at a thickness equal to the human body basically nothing he had would do more than crack it. Apparently had a weakness to sonic attacks, he'd heard that somewhere, but while Skyra had shown some ability to dull sounds through air manipulation the soldier doubted he had the fine control required to produce a sound that would actually damage the crystal. Especially without damaging everyone's ears as well. So... Basically he was down to 'hit it really hard and hope for the best.' Great. Next time he was at HQ he would requisition some kind of sonic weaponry. Worst of all, breaking this one would make a really, really loud noise, which basically shot any hope they had of keeping some small stealth component in this plan to shreds. With a machine gun. Except... The second rock thug. The first one had had a ring that made her what she was. It was a long shot, but what if this one had the same? Ultionis risked leaning out from cover and focusing on the enemy's hands, looking for some kind of gemmed ring and prepared to fire off a shot if he found it, followed by another at the skull if it worked. Made for a pretty small weak spot, but he was Donovan Locke. He hit smaller targets at greater range while facing the other way, eyes closed and gun pointed over his shoulder, upside-down. As practice. (H-D) NPC: Carapace considered Gadgeteer's reply carefully before sending his own. I need details, it began. Understanding that you had little choice but to accept, do you believe Hexas was sincere about having no other forces? Or that she will keep her promise? And did she know, or deign to share, what kind of enemies Warner houses at this prison? Rivals? Leaders of enemy militaries? People too valuable to execute? When was it built? How did he keep it secret? Who funded it? The last one was especially important. If it was funded by the military, a record should exist. If it was funded by the military without their knowledge, there would still be a document somewhere, but falsified - something he knew how to track down. If it had no military connection beyond the one commissioning it, that would mean he had to reach out to someone else - and that identity would prove telling indeed. Leave nothing out. Every detail could be the one that leads us to him. {H-D}

OOC: Darn, I did miss that. IC: Now Shard wasn't actually a good fighter. He was incredibly strong, obviously tough and possessed myriad superhuman advantages that made being a good fighter a moot point in most situations, but he had been in only a few actual fistfights in all his time as a hero. Most people just couldn't fight back. As such, while anyone with a modicum of actual training or skill likely would have dodged every one of those clumsy blows with ease, Shard took a couple of hits to the chest and leg that he'd have to repair once he had the time. Luckily, however, the robber was still dangling limply by his ankle from Shard's hand, and with minimal leverage even his super-strong blows did only minimal damage. This was also why punching the ground may not have been the best solution to the situation. It did serve to crack the floor and unbalance Shard enough that he stumbled and toppled over, but when he did so the robber ended up (through sheer luck that he would later claim was intentional) with several hundred pounds of diamond dropped heavily atop his back. And the moment Shard regained his bearings (faster than the robber, since he hadn't just been halfway crushed) he seized the opportunity and grabbed the back of the robber's metal-clad head. "This would be a good time to surrender," he pointed out helpfully, knocking the helmet against the ground lightly for emphasis. *H-D* NPC: Finally. That was over with. Just as the ground team was returning from Hexas' base and he was about to get a report of what exactly went down there, too far underwater for his communications to reach, his systems had come under electronic attack. He'd spent the time between then and now fighting it off, repairing the damage, tracking down the offender, eliminating his employers, ensuring this wasn't part of a larger group or organization working against him and generally cleaning up the mess. Now he had finally managed to reestablish contact with Gadgeteer. The electronic safeguards on this armor were better - it would take him a while to access any systems he wasn't supposed to... If he decided to do so, of course. As soon as communication came back up he found a message, fortuitously dated only seconds ago, asking for the home address of one General Warner. He'd neglected to mention what nationality, so Carapace assumed American on the basis that other people often assumed it and only noted nationality if it wasn't American. An odd habit, especially for a man from Stalingrad, Russia. A minute or so later he replied with the address of a suburban home just outside Denver, quite comfortable, with a small family consisting of a wife, daughter and cat (names and ages included - even the cat, Dorothy). Finally he added a note to the end promising an explanation for the radio silence at the next convenience and asking that a report of everything since their last contact be prepared. {H-D}

NPC: Ultionis approved of ambush. A tried and true military tactic. But he usually liked a bit more planning in his ambushes, or at least an established operating procedure. He had no idea what the others were going to do, meaning their attacks would be uncoordinated and probably get in each others' way. Well, blunt instruments still hit hard and if nothing else the chaos would confuse the Sharkmen. Hopefully they could at least keep it quiet to avoid giving away their position. When the lights went out he switched to night vision and readied his silenced pistols. There - the figure in the trench coat. There was something odd about his skin, but from here it was hard to tell what. Especially without color. Well, if it was made of stone (again) he'd soon find out as he aimed his guns. One bullet in the neck, one in the head. Quick and clean. Lodestone would probably deal with the sharkmen's laser cannons - his powers should make shorting them out or tossing them away easy. As for the others... Well, best hope they just focused on the sharkmen and didn't mess up his shot. (H-D)

OOC: I don't know why, but lately I've been forgetting to check up here. The holiday season's kind of busy, but not that busy... Hm. Just have to do better. Sorry for the wait! IC: Omega growled something in Portuguese that doesn't bear writing down, let alone translating, followed by "I don't have time for this!" He grabbed a pair of cuffs, slapped them on Apep himself and tossed her roughly into the truck, slamming the doors behind her, then turned on his comm, broadcasting to any League heroes in the area. "Anyone in the vicinity of Grand Central Station," he said urgently, "an armored figure on some kind of weaponized hoverboard is attempting to spring a supervillain in transit. Please respond immediately - we need to wrap this up fast. Currently moving up a building across the street from the entrance." He took aim with a charged energy bolt, but didn't release it until the last possible moment, when he was sure the figure couldn't twist out of the way. It was looking less and less likely that they'd have this done by the time Shockhead got here, and then they might lose their only chance of finding her before she caused any more trouble. |H-D| IC: For a moment Shard just stood there, holding the robber resolutely a few feet above the ground. Presumably he was able to maintain that mid-air situp because the armor was locked or something and not letting his body go limp. Or maybe he worked out. Either way, the attempts to unfasten Shard's fingers were having absolutely no effect. As he might have known had this guy paid attention in school, while diamond isn't actually as impact-resistant as some industrial materials, its resistance to pressure (like pressing or pulling) is another matter entirely. Compared to the heat and pressure that forms diamond, even a super-strong robot suit is nothing impressive. Thus it was that the only thing this tactical error accomplished was to allow Shard an excellent opportunity to swing his free hand in for a nice, strong left hook aimed (after some consideration) at the chest, since he didn't want to concuss the poor sap. *H-D*

OOC: I am getting really tired of having my posts eaten. Let's try this again... stargatestatic: Sorry, I didn't see your post. I'll retcon now, but when looking up Ozo's appearance I noticed the profile lists his allegiance as League. Probably just an oversight, but you might want to fix it. IC: Just as the SCU were about to cuff Apep, a tall, armored form riding what looked like either a very bare-bones hoverboard or a flying weapon zoomed in and slammed the board/weapon/thing into the energy construct holding Apep. Omega cringed, shaking his head at the sudden wave of pressure as the construct was assaulted, but it was a sturdy one. He'd made sure it was in case she had another dirty trick up her bandages. As the armored form's momentum carried him on, Omega tossed the energy bolt he had charged in his direction and motioned for the officers to grab their guns and take aim. Judging by that armor it might not do much good, but there was always the chance it wasn't bulletproof. |H-D| IC: Despite seeing the kick aimed at him, Shard kept coming closer... and closer... then suddenly shifted in mid-air, the very moment before impact, dropping lower and to the left where the arm bent back to jab instead hooked around the leg still on the ground, followed immediately by the opposite arm clamping down. He hoisted the robber up into the air and squeezed his leg, hoping to crumple both the armor and the... robo... movey... thingies. He'd ask Omega how robots moved later. Regardless of whether or not that worked, he moved on to phase 3 of his plan: Grab the leg and swing the robber at the ground. Hard. Phase 4, of course, was 'repeat until unconscious.' *H-D* NPC: After going over a few finer points with Siren, just to make sure everything was in order, Ultionis returned to the others. "Looks like we're as ready as we'll ever be," he said. "The path back to the level nine shaft is still blocked, so for now we head forward, down through level eight until we get to the opening. It's pretty straightforward, but there are a few traps, so we're moving slowly. Stick to cover, check corners and above all be quiet." He turned to leave, paused and glanced back. "Oh, and for future reference even if we do get spotted, do not destroy equipment we might be able to use unless necessary." It wasn't something he'd expected to have to say, but some people on this team apparently needed reminding. That finished, he proceeded to the doorway out, avoiding the floor plates he knew had trap doors, and with a glance at the monitors to confirm there was no one outside he quietly opened it and crept out. (H-D)

OOC: Sorry this took a while, the server ate the post. Several times. It gets kinda discouraging. IC: Despite her assurances that she would go quietly, Omega stuck around to watch Apep get cuffed and hauled into the van. It wasn't until she was securely inside that he dissipated the energy bolt and relaxed a bit. Paranoid? Definitely. But she had shown cunning and ingenuity well beyond expectations already. Underestimating her now would be just plain stupid. Once he was sure she wouldn't be escaping, he picked up a spare pair of handcuffs and turned to leave, but paused to say something. "About my silly little principles," he said seriously. "I wasn't lying before. She doesn't deserve it. Neither do you, I'd bet. Or a hundred other scumbags I've put away. But I don't hold back for your sakes. I'm just not going to become a murderer because of thugs and psychos like you. You're not that important." Then he flew off before she could retort. He didn't go far, though - mainly he just went up, over the lip of the station's roof, where he set down out of sight of the street below. Normally he would've felt pretty good about outsmarting a villain like Apep - some villains just did not realize that the good guys could be underhanded too, it was like they hadn't opened a comic in twenty years - the knowledge of Shockhead's crimes had put a damper on the entire day. Plus he didn't even know what she looked like, so stopping her was going to be a pain. But he did have one option open. The hero set his communicator to call a League office that dealt with legal affairs. Most heroes didn‘t even know it existed – not because it was secret or even that obscure, but they only used it when the villain wasn‘t doing anything obvious and they needed an actual warrant for the arrest. He also pulled something from his pocket – a small recording device he kept on him at all times. Useful for those underhanded hero tricks. The word of a villain wasn‘t proof, of course, it wouldn‘t be enough to convict, but it should be evidence enough for an arrest. Once he had the warrant he would work with the station authorities to know when one Abigail Ostermann tried to take a train and blend in with the crowd until they contacted him. And then the real fight would start. |H-D| IC: Shard was very much used to standard punch-ups. He took a punch, usually to little effect, then he threw a punch and the fight was over. He was also more or less used to non-standard punch-ups, which were a lot less one-sided, but generally revolved around punching anyway. This judo-flippy tossy stuff? That was new. Most people who had the strength to move a bulk like his didn't bother being fancy about it. Thus it should come as no surprise that he had zero defense against getting tossed halfway across the room. He only managed to slow himself down enough not to seriously damage the strong but brittle form of his body. Instead he just got a few painful cracks and a nasty feeling that his back was going to ache in the morning. The hero landed on his feet and glared at the robo-robber that had tossed him. Feeling that this sufficiently conveyed the message that they were not friends he dispensed with further attempts at communication and returned to the simpler language of charging forward with a strong gut jab leading. At least this time he was prepared to stop himself if there was more judo-flipping. *H-D*