Half-Dragon

IC: Omega was silent for a while. Throughout the explanation his expression had shifted from shock to horror, then rage. Now it was a cold mask of fury. Even his aura (which normally didn't do much besides burn orange) seemed fiercer, as if it too was angry at the knowledge. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm, but it was a calm that promised a storm in the very near future. "No," he said simply. When this earned what was probably a look of confusion behind the mask, he elaborated. "I'm not going to bother. She does deserve to die. Her and more than one other scum I've cleaned up. But I'm not going to kill her."

If Apep was actually paying attention to the buildings passing by she might have noticed they were now near Grand Central Station and that, furthermore, there was an SCU van parked out front with a small area cordoned off. Apparently there was less traffic to get here, despite that contradicts everything known about Manhattan rush hours. Or they were just close by, whatever. Either way it made Omega's job easier as he brought them down into the handoff area. And that was when he did something Apep almost certainly hadn't been expecting.

Omega walked out of the shimmering bubble of energy as if the wall wasn't there and, without warning, it started to contract and shift, going from a ball to something more like a coffin (and just for ironic effect it was in fact shaped like a sarcophagus) that would hold her tightly, linked by a line of energy to his left hand. Immidiately the officers moved forward with the power-dampening cuffs. Trained professionals all, they could get them around her arm the moment he opened a small hatch on the side, right above the wrist and too high for a hand to come out. Of course a bandage still could, but for that he had a bolt of energy charged in his right hand.

"Don't struggle," he advised. "You'll only go to prison tired."

|H-D|

IC: The blow landed solidly with a small network of cracks emanating from the point of impact, causing Shard to skid back about a foot. He grunted in pain - that one actually hurt. After a moment of focused damage control, not quite repairing the damage from the bullets and the fist but ensuring they wouldn't get any worse, the hero shifted to a fighting stance. Or, well, the best fighting stance he could given that he'd never learned much in the way of hand-to-hand combat. Most techniques relied on a human body with fluid, human motions and muscles and joints and such. His body was more like a solid chunk that only moved when he told it to.

None of this of course stopped him from stepping forward and swinging a right hook at the robber's torso. This guy was strong, but how tough was that armor? Probably not as tough as he was. With no hostages and no distractions, this would be over quickly.

*H-D*

IC: "I follow," Omega said impassively, lifting the orb into the air. He could move for Grand Central Station easily enough, and the sight of a glowy, orange sphere usually kept the citizens at bay. Well, it did for a little while. Most of them, anyway. On second thoughts he decided to keep himself a couple dozen feet in the air for privacy reasons. This was New York, after all - people here were tough and crazy even without superpowers. On the way he touched his comm, still set to the SCU. "This is Omega. I am moving the villain to a location just above the street in front of Grand Central Station in pursuit of leads suggesting a related crime. Over."

After being told that they heard him and complained at for a minute as they'd just about gotten through the traffic between the precinct and the old spot (technically police vehicles had right of way, but it was rush hour - there was no way) followed by a snappy comeback from Omega, he turned his gaze back to Apep, still hovering in a very 'cosmically dispassionate but totally in charge' way. If you've ever read a comic with the Beyonder in it, you know the one. "You about ready to keep going? She faked her death under both IDs during the war. Then what?"

|H-D|

IC: Gunfire. This, at least, was fairly simple. Now Shard couldn't tell the difference between a machine gun and some other gun that fired really, really fast but apparently wasn't a machine gun (who knew guns were so confusing?) but he figured one of the two was being fired at him right now, and for the most part those bullets that actually hit him just sort of bounced off. That wasn't to say they didn't hurt - there were cracks and chips from every impact - but they failed utterly at actually penetrating or seriously damaging Shard's body.

It helped that he didn't give them much time to. The moment he saw the other Robo-robbers in the light of the exploding missiles he launched himself forward, fists swelling into diamond clubs, through a very brief hail of bullets and straight into one of their chests, club-fists first.

*H-D*

IC: Omega shrugged, unconcerned. "Boredom doesn't sound like much," he agreed, "until the first week is up. And the month after that. And the year after that. And the decade after that. With the charges against you right now you'll be bored for a really long time." It was true. In particularl dangerous cases some supervillains weren't allowed more than one hour of activity per day outside their cells, and always with powers suppressed and heavy surveillance. On his brief visits to the prisons he'd come to understand the boredom was probably the worst part - short of scratching the walls of your cell with your teeth there wasn't anything to do but wait.

"But back on topic..." He gave her a 'you're not very bright, are you?' look. "I'm not sure we're communicating here. I'm in charge. You're not. What part of non-negotiable is it that confuses you? You tell me everything - now - or you take your sentence and I do this the hard way. That is your only choice here." He glanced back at the street. "I wouldn't take too long thinking it over, either - I think I can hear sirens."

|H-D|

IC: Shard was pretty tough, but he didn't want to test his odds against a missile, micro or otherwise. Unfortunately, since it was dark, he didn't really know which way it was coming from and probably didn't have the aim to take it out even if he did. He'd have to spray- Wait. Why not?

Stepping in front of the others Shard raised his arm and projected a thousand tiny, diamond needles at high speed. They wouldn't do much damage in and of themselves, but they should have just about enough punching power to detonate the micromissile before it hit. Probably. Hopefully. Unless he just misunderstood how missiles work, in which case they were screwed.

*H-D*

NPC: Ultionis nodded. At least now they had a plan of action. He wasn't sure just how good Siren would be in a fight, but from what he'd seen she didn't have much of a combat-based power. If she actually survived as a hero, she had to be at least a decent fighter. Hopefully that laser cannon was easier to use than an actual gun, though. Civilians always thought using guns was as easy as 'point and shoot.' Well, he'd heard lasers didn't have recoil issues, so as long as she could figure out how to aim it...

With his mental complaining about finished for now, the soldier paused to remember the most direct route to the elevator shaft. With the way back to the level nine opening shut their only option was forward, down to level eight the hard way. With the decision reached he gave Siren some last-minute orders. "Keep those plans on one screen," he said. "When we come on a trap, tell us. Have these two screens focused on the ways into this room so you're not taken by surprise. All clear?"

(H-D)

IC: Omega gave the matter serious consideration. He'd definitely be checking on the Coalition base - you didn't just leave that sort of thing lying there, however dubious the source - but it really didn't do much to prove her willingness to help. All it did was prove she didn't care a whit for the Coalition and would break an agreement in a heartbeat. But still, it sounded like this whole mess was bigger than he thought... He made up his mind.

"I'm feeling generous," he decided aloud, "so I'll make you a deal. The SCU prison vans have power-suppressant bracers, like the handcuffs except you can still move your arms. I'll give you one, and you can follow me around like a puppy until this is over for your sick amusement. But there's two conditions: One, you tell me everything you know right here, right now. Non-negotiable. We'll see if it's true on the way. And two..." He leaned in closer and directed his best Clint Eastwood squint at the eyes of the death mask.

"If you pull anything at all - if you try to escape, if you lie to me, if you conveniently 'forget' anything, if you attack anyone or if I even think you're thinking about slithering away, I will drop everything and personally toss you in a holding cell for a few long, boring years. Claro?"

|H-D|

IC: Well, the attack was officially started. Now Centurion had rushed on ahead, Shard followed down the stairs as quickly as he could without tripping. A body of diamond was great for a lot of things, but he wasn't too dexterous, so that basically meant a light jog at best. Why couldn't they have taken the elevator? ...Okay, why couldn't the place have an elevator?

Now if only they could see where they were going. After the first flight of stairs the lights were all off and he couldn't see a switch. In fact, he could just see his own hand in front of his face, and only because it caught what little light there was so well. "I don't suppose anyone brought a flashlight?" He asked, slowing down to avoid something embarrassing.

*H-D*

NPC: Ultionis considered it. "Leaving one of us behind is risky," he said slowly. "If this place gets attacked they'd have to be able to defend themselves from a lot of enemies, maybe including supers. Failing that, a quick getaway, ideally with the system in ruins. They'd also have to figure out how to operate the security monitors and switch between cameras to keep an eye on us at all times." Which wouldn't be necessary if someone hadn't broken half the monitors when they came in. "Anyone here think you can handle that?"

(H-D)

NPC: Though he probably couldn't tell through the mask, Epsilon recieved a withering look from Ultionis for that assessment. "We are not screwed," he insisted. "Take a closer look. None of the paths are ideal, but that doesn't make them useless. The vents are the only really dumb idea - I'm almost certain they're a trap, just waiting for some hero who watches too many movies. There's no other reason to make them that big.

"The main problem with the elevator shaft is that we can't all use it. I can rappel and Lodestone can bring one other with him on the magna-board, but unless you guys have superpowers that let you climb down nine levels of rough, uneven rock without a rope, that's all. It means splitting our forces even further, but those that go will bypass any traps in the corridors and get to any level of the facility easily, save for the last one.

"Right now the hallways look like the best option overall. Even if this isn't a complete listing of the traps we should still be able to get through without tripping any more alarms so long as we're quiet, careful and lucky. If not, we at least know the way and where a lot of the traps are. I've also thought up some strategies if a fight breaks out in the halls. There are some decent chokepoints here, so if we're just faced with more dumb sharkmen they won't be any trouble. If it's Coalition goons, we can still take cover and fight.

"Ideally we want to hit these points of interest-" He pointed out the armory, holding cells, security antechamber, subject testing facility and a few other places that looked important. "-until we have enough information to figure out what this place is and if it can help us with our main objective. In addition, if the rest of our people are still alive we may be able to find them in the holding cells. The Coalition's never been known for efficiency, so odds are good they weren't just killed as soon as possible."

He turned back to the others. "Now, does anyone have anything useful to add?"

(H-D)

IC: "No," said Omega bluntly. "Much as I like to enjoy my job, I also like to get it done right. You haven't exactly been playing a straight game and I don't expect you to start now without some proof. If you can't find any, then I guess my partner and I just do this the hard way." He crossed his arms, waiting for either some kind of evidence that she could totally be trusted or a twisted reason why he shouldn't need any. If he had to guess, it would be based on how boring it would be to actually know you weren't being lied to.

|H-D|

NPC: "It wasn't for your work ethic," Ultionis remarked. Behind all the near-indecipherable stuttering, Clearsight wasn't completely wrong. While in point of fact a large majority of the world was pro-hero, there were always elements (aside from the criminal element, that is) that didn't trust them. Usually the same people who didn't trust the government, didn't trust companies, didn't trust the military, didn't trust the police and generally didn't trust anyone who had more power than they did. How the heroes dealt with that he didn't know, but he imagined most of them just ignored it.

As for the governments... Well, the original ULTIONIS branch had been intended to combat superhuman threats the League either couldn't touch or couldn't be allowed to know about. So they probably weren't trusted completely.

On a more relevant note: The plans to the building had him thinking. There were a few shafts in the ventilation system that seemed large enough for a man to crawl through. Considering the trouble they'd had with the lift and the traps so far, this was almost certainly just another trap. That said, the main hallways weren't much better, if you could even call them that. Mostly they were just rough, rocky tunnels with traps sprinkled here and there. The map had those highlighted, but a nagging concern persisted at the back of Ultionis' head that they weren't all displayed here. Well, they'd just have to be careful.

Therefore, as he saw it, there were three ways through the place, at least down to level one: The main tunnels, the elevator shaft or the ventilation system. The elevator itself was out, but the shaft was still useable as long as there weren't any more unpleasant surprises. Or at least none they couldn't deal with. The vents were probably booby-trapped and would be very difficult to move through silently, so those were out. The tunnels... Yeah, that hadn't worked out great so far.

They could split up, but with their forces already divided that idea wasn't very tempting. They couldn't all go down the elevator shaft - even with the rough walls, climbing was too precarious and left them too vulnerable. At most two people, those whose powers let them descend fairly safely, could go that route. Everyone else was consigned to the hallways, like it or not. At least now they knew where some or even most of the traps were located and which areas were strategically advantageous.

After another minute or so of studying the display he turned around and slammed his armored fist into the back of Clearsight's head. As the world's geekiest superhuman security officer fell to the ground, out like a light, he turned back to the others. "Now he won't be reporting our plans," the soldier said simply. Without waiting to hear their complaints he gestured at the layout on the monitor and started to explain his findings.

(H-D)

IC: Omega stroked his chin, considering the matter. All things considered she probably did know what she said she knew. It could be an elaborate ploy to get away - she'd shown serious smarts so far and might be able to escape even under escort. And even if she knew, she might just lie about it to keep from exposing her bosses' motives. Still, if the woman really was as bad as Apep was making her out to be then catching her would be a priority. Worth the risk? Maybe...

A plan started to form in his mind, but he'd need a moment to work out the details. "How do I know you'll tell me the truth?" He asked suspiciously. "You might just be messing with my head to get at my 'blinkered morals.'"

|H-D|

IC: In point of fact Omega had done some independant research after the whole Anubis incident. If myths had a basis in fact, he needed as many myths as he could get his hands on. They were distorted by a few thousand years of ancient Egyptian reinterpretation and then again by modern Egyptological misinterpretation but hey, better than nothing. But that wasn't important right now. He still had his doubts Apep was telling the truth. It could be she just hadn't thought about it too much, but the original Apep wasn't a symbol of selfishness, it was the Egyptian incarnation of evil, chaos and destruction for its own sake. Seemed an odd choice for someone who just didn't give a flap about rules, laws and so on.

Or maybe he was overthinking it and she just liked the name. Not everyone had to pick something that represented them exactly.

Shaking himself from his reverie he shrugged at Apep's question. "Self-control," he said, seeing no reason to hold back. "Partly we know we'll hate ourselves, partly we do care about rules and stuff. Mostly? We're just not really bad people." He considered adding 'no offense' but they both knew that was a lie. "Not as complicated as you'd think. So to answer your question, kinda sucks somtimes, but it's worth it."

|H-D|

IC: Omega considered this. "She had a sort of..." he said slowly. "I mean, she kinda... I think her hair was brown?" He shrugged. "Eh, if you're telling the truth this'll come up again, someone will stop it and then we'll know. This is New York, after all, it's basically superhero central." That, and he could just ask the hotel who had that room with the exploded floor. They probably had a privacy policy, but if he used the right channels it would be an official investigation. That had weight.

Around that time something finally clicked in his head that had been bothering him since he found out her name. "Apep... One of the names for that snake that attacked Ra, right? When he went on the night journey." He looked at her oddly. "A spirit of evil and destruction. You're really enjoying the novelty of being the bad guy, huh?" Plenty of villains acknowledged they were on the wrong side of ethics, morality and all that stuff, but not a lot of them embraced it. Well, not enough to name themselves for it. That was kind of creepy.

|H-D|

IC: For all that his own part in the actual capture of this robo-robber was kind of minor (he didn't deal well with hostage situations) Shard was still rather pleased with himself. He'd done okay that time. But now they knew they had more pressing concerns. He turned to the stairs leading down to the vault. "More robbers down there, huh? We'd better check it out," he said, gesturing at the captive crooks. "Someone stay here and watch these two until the police get here."

He considered volunteering for that himself. He was fairly confident he could handle one fully-functional robo-robber or one bound and one unconscious robo-robber, but it sounded like there might be more down there. He probably wouldn't contribute a whole lot.

*H-D*

OOC: Before I add Ultionis' part I should ask, are there any features on the map that we ought to be aware of? Stairs down to the lower levels, secret passages or maintainance corridors, traps highlighted, et cetera?

IC: She wouldn't be the first, either - Omega had fallen for that twice before he caught on. "You could try it anyway," he said, shrugging and generally maintaining an air of vaguely interested, slightly chilly nonchalance. "NYPD's still two, three minutes away depending on traffic. Might as well keep ourselves entertained." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "With villains there's always two options: Either you tried to kill her for personal reasons, or someone ordered you. Obvious, I know, but it's a place to start. So which was it? Did she owe you money, or were you planning to collect from someone else?" He doubted he could trust a word she said, of course. Until she was hooked up to one of those fancy lie detectors they had at the precinct, anything she said was just wind. But if he kept her busy inventing a story she probably wouldn't be able to think of an escape plan without halting and giving herself away. Multitasking was a myth in ninety per cent of cases.|H-D|NPC: "Happier if you could get a word in edgewise," Ultionis remarked, glancing up at the screens. He gestured to Lodestone. "Keep an eye on Chuckles. He so much as sneezes the wrong way, flash-fry him." To Skyra and Epsilon he added "Watch the camera feeds and entrances. If the feed flickers at regular intervals it means he's feeding us a loop. That happens..." He glanced at the nerd. "You get the idea." Seeing as no one had yet bothered him about threatening to kill the IT guy he figured they were at least able to keep up with the act. He might have his disagreements with heroes and their operational procedures (nonlethal tactics might work fine against the average criminal, but when dealing with terrorists or superpowered psychopaths shooting to kill was the only sane choice) but killing an unarmed noncombatant was out of the question. Besides, he might be useful. While Poindexter was left in Lodestone's capable hands Ultionis began the process of memorizing every detail of the model on the screen and plotting routes, strategies, exit plans and so on. Occasionally he would order the captive to rotate, zoom in or otherwise shift the image to give him a better view of something. Every detail, from the number of steps in the stairwell to the size and location of each individual room along a hallway, could be crucial to getting through this place alive. Assuming, of course, that all this was even accurate. If something on the map was marked deceptively (for instance the deathtrap marked 'main control room') Plan A was basically shot. Hence the exit plans. (H-D)

IC: Omega relaxed, though not so much as to let it show. Good. He'd been worried for a minute there. He lifted a hand to his communicator and set it to call the police, specifically the superhuman crimes unit that usually carted these lunatics away. "This is Omega," he said clearly. He didn't need to tell them he was League - he'd been around eight years. Even New York, with its surprisingly high superhero population, had taken notice of him. "One for transport outside the Beaumont Arms. Bring the cuffs and watch her carefully. This one's smarter than she looks." As he said it, he brought the orb containing them both - and them with it - down to ground level or nearly so. He did not, however, relax it or turn it into a dome to conserve energy. He'd conserve energy later. Last time he'd allowed her contact with the ground she'd blasted it apart. That wasn't likely here, but then it hadn't seemed likely at the time either. |H-D|IC: Now that the matter was dealt with, Shard took the initiative and moved behind the captive robber, knocking the rocket launcher from his hands and grabbing them roughly. He thrust them together and created a two-centimeter-thick diamond shell that sealed them together. This would have neutralized most threats very effectively, but considering how tricked-out these suits were he wasn't willing to believe that just yet. With that in mind Shard grew a large, diamond club around his left hand and held it at the ready, in case of any more tricks.*H-D*

IC: That rang some alarm bells in Omega's head, but he was careful to keep his reaction to himself. Rather than let on he was concerned, he countered with a sort of disbelieving sneer. "In case the beating I just gave you didn't tip you off, I wasn't born yesterday. You don't have a partner. I can think of two reasons off the top of my head you wouldn't have a partner, starting with you trying to take me on alone."If you bluffed calling a bluff, was that like a double-bluff? Didn't matter. He didn't know for sure she didn't have a partner. For that matter her partner could have already attacked the woman in the hotel and gotten away while he was playing pinball in the hallways. But if he called it now and it turned out he was right, false alarm. If not... he really wished he carried a pair of those power-restraining cuffs around. |H-D|IC: And just when Shard had been about to land another punch, FLASH. Another stupid helmet flash, and he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. Worse, the robber hadn't actually been facing him, so at best he was blind in one eye from the reflection. At worst, not even a little. While he was shaking out the spots in his eyes, Shard heard the robber shout about heroes not moving and something being blown up, and once they cleared off he saw what the guy meant. Hostages. This just got really complicated. His powerset wasn't exactly subtle - it literally shone and sparkled under any light - so he was at a loss for what to do now...*H-D*

NPC: "Good," Ultionis said, striding across the floor his scans confirmed was safe to stand before the security monitors. He never once let his gun waver, though - it was always ready to give the 'security chief' a new breathing hole and positioned so he'd know it. Some of the screens were still intact, despite Epsilon's best efforts. "I want a floor-by-floor schematic of this entire base, starting here," he commanded. "Any cameras on this level still active, bring them up here. If any reinforcements do come this way, you'll let us know. Whatever happens," he added, just to keep up the pressure, "they will not save you."(H-D)

OOC: So around this point I feel some explanation is owed to anyone who may have been waiting on me: Last week my computer broke down. Techs say it's probably nothing serious, just some power thing that the warranty should cover fine, but those guys can really drag their feet. Since then I've been kind of internet deprived. It's not back yet, but my mom's loaned me a laptop, so I can pretend it is... so long as I don't feel like playing videogames. Or watching videos. Or about half the things a computer is good for.I may be slightly bitter about this.With that out of the way, I kind of can't remember if I'm needed anywhere aside from what I see two posts above me, so if you were waiting on me, I could really use a reminder. Please and thank you!NPC: Not trusting the floor plates until he finished scanning them, Ultionis opted for the safe way of threatening a frightened, unarmed and generally helpless nerd: He pointed a gun at him and spoke in a serious yet menacing tone. "Grand Cross is the least of your worries," he said. "We, on the other hand, have some questions you're going to answer. First question: Do you know anything that would be useful to us?" He gestured with the gun. "Think carefully."(H-D)

IC: On the bright side, Shard was not transparent and would not light up like a diamond disco ball, blinding the entire room with his blinginess. This was no accident. He had tried going out like that once, in pure diamond form, and it had been a sunny day. The resulting traffic accident was not pretty. Ever since then his diamond form was actually only mostly diamond, having enough trace impurities running through the stratum to render it a pretty, shiny and completely opaque shade of teal. It actually wasn't even that shiny, but with a flash that bright it only needed a decent bit of reflectiveness to effectively blind both combatants."Sonova-" Shard clapped a hand over his eyes and stepped back out of shock, shaking his head desperately to try and remove the spots currently blotting out anything at all. Who knew being blinded would hurt the eyes so much? Come to that he wasn't certain he actually had eyes being that what he did have was made of crystal, but he saw forward out of his head and he'd just been blinded, so he probably did. And for some reason they could feel pain. And being blinded really freaking hurt.Eventually, once sight returned (presumably to them both) he sneered at the robber. "Cute trick," he said, "but I can adapt." And as he said it, a pair of black lenses made of pure jet formed over his eyes, like ray bans attached to his face. He wasn't sure the equivalent of mirrored sunglasses would actually work against another flash, but it was certainly worth a shot. Dealing with the robber was simpler: He just came at him with a right hook aimed squarely at the chest.*H-D*

IC: (Outside the building) Decked out in full combat mode (meaning he was now essentially a moving diamond statue) Shard nodded at Platinum and Caige. They'd join in soon enough. "Guess we'll go get our intel the hard way," he remarked, turning to enter the building with the others.(Inside)Shard didn't know why the robber was sweeping the heat beam upwards across the floor before aiming at the actual heroes in his way, but he could tell well enough what it did. Secure in the knowledge that diamond endured heat and pressure during formation that made this look like a hot summer day, he stepped between the beam and the others, letting it harmlessly glint off his shiny exterior. He strode forward as if he wasn't at all being fired on and raised his fist to deliver a swift, crushing blow to the armored torso.*H-D*

IC: After a report of the Robo-Robbers (that name totally sounded like a toy line) tearing up a bank, Shard (who had been hanging out in the break room reading a book) hopped to his feet and jogged off to the lobby. He needed something to do. The killer robot before had been cool and tough, but that was hours ago and he still had a day off from the store. Assuming that intern, Diana, hadn't completely fouled it up... He'd check later.On reflection it was kind of sad that he chose to use his days off getting shot at.Nevertheless, he arrived in the entrance hall and looked around. There was Platinum, along with a hero he didn't recognize, and they seemed kitted out for battle. Odds it was them going off to face the robbers? Eh, as good as anyone else in the room. He walked up to them and extended a hand to the new guy. "Hey," he greeted, "I'm Shard. Here for the Robo-Robbers thing. You?" Not a great introduction, but those never were his strength.*H-D*NPC: ...He was just now sounding the alarm? The guy with half a hundred monitors on the wall and a grenade going off practically right outside his door hadn't figured this out before now? "If this is the first you've heard of it," he remarked as he drew his pistols, "you really haven't been doing your job." With that he casually (but very quickly) took aim and fired a round at each of the eyes on the sharkman X-Calibur wasn't going after.And speaking of X-Calibur, that was about the moment when he dropped through a trapdoor. Sonova- He tensed up. Of course there were defenses in the security room. He couldn't believe they'd just wandered in here. Even without the time for a stakeout, it was still just dumb. Not only were X-Calubur's odds of survival now a lot lower, as were their numbers, but this group had lost the only leader he and the heroes could agree on. None of the others had his tactical skills or trusted the soldier enough to do it. In other words this mission just kept getting better and better...(H-D)

IC: SMASH.The glass shards were less than pinpricks to Omega. He felt them bouncing off his skin (if you called it skin) but they were like flies bouncing off a brick wall. Didn't even hurt. Apep, he was willing to wager, was not so lucky. Even if she bundled the papyrus around her, those things were sharp, and this impact wasn't light. Still, he had to admit (silently) that he was glad it had been a window after all. Whatever his boasting, smacking headfirst into walls was never pleasant, especially with only one active super and limited personal energy.Now he stopped in mid-air and tore off the ribbons over his eyes at last. He could tell by air currents alone they were in the open air, but now he saw they were well positioned above a street, far from any building. The perfect time to strike. Without waiting for Apep to react he lifted his free hand and formed a bubble of energy around them, sealing the two of them off from the rest of the world, and dumped her unceremoniously on the bottom of it. "Reconsidering that surrender yet?"|H-D|

OOC: Wow. Just... Wow.Seriously. That is awesome. And thank you - all you guys - for the awesome years. The forums have hit some rough patches, but like any good hero we've taken the hit, and like any good villain that was never the last BZP had seen of us. IC: "'This thing' has autopilot," Omega called over the sound of them constantly smacking into things. "You just bandaged it up!" He detoured to ram her into a wall. "If you're as smart as you think you are, this is where you surrender. Otherwise, you better hope we're heading for a window!" He accelerated a bit more to drive the point home. He couldn't see where he was going at all - he'd stopped even trying to tear off the bandages. "I slam into walls twice a week. This won't hurt me a bit."|H-D|

IC: "Ow!" A potted plant is heavier than it looks. All that dirt in the clay jar makes it a good club if the jar doesn't fly off. Omega careened forward haphazardly, trying to tear the bandages off with one hand and hold on to Apep with the other. Holding on wasn't hard - his arm was like iron - but he couldn't see where he was going and kept getting pelted by- "Ouch!" Ah. A table. That was the second time today. Well, at least he hadn't flown into a wall. Walls seemed to have something against him. If he had a buck for every time he'd slammed into a wall he wouldn't need college loans, and in fact-It was at this point when a fire extinguisher nailed him on the back and sent him tumbling around in the air, but that with extinguisher, an idea hit him too. She wanted him flying blind? Fine. See if she liked the result. With barely half a plan formed in his mind, Omega tightened his grip and hurtled off down the hallway, taking every possible opportunity to scrape and slam along the walls, floor and ceiling - with Apep taking the brunt. |H-D|

IC: "He is not my-" Omega was stopped halfway through his protest by a net of papyrus that failed utterly at even slowing him down, but kinda got in his face anyway. Huh. So that was what he had to fear from papyrus strips. Well, that wasn't so- WHAM. "Ow."Once his cognitive processing got back in gear, he reflected that it was a good thing he'd controlled his descent to grab with minimal damage. If he'd just careened down with intent to smash, that impact would've really hurt him rather than just daze. Also probably broken the elevator. He shook his head and looked back up. Apep was trying to make another getaway. Clever one, that mummy-girl. But they both knew it was a delaying tactic. She couldn't really hurt him. Well, maybe if she collapsed a wall on him or something. But not directly. He just had to stick to her like peanut butter on toast and sooner or later she'd slip up.Shaking off the last of the knock to the head, Omega launched himself up and came level with Apep. With the elevator still coming upward there was no time for a quip, so he just charged in. He'd bull rush her before she had a chance to do anything else clever. Simple. Efficient. Effective. Aside of course from the fact that his plans never worked for some reason, even the simple, efficient and effective ones.|H-D|

OOC: I'm going to just assume Prime declared himself fit for duty.IC: Omega dived down through the hole, hovering above the scorched ground where Apep had landed. A quick scan revealed sooty footprints leading out. Perfect. Gesturing to Prime to follow (as if it wasn't obvious) he flew off after the footprints. After a while he almost didn't need them - he could feel Apep giving off an Omega radiation signature, like any super did when they actively used their powers. Probably she was replacing those 'bandages' of hers (why papyrus? Mummies were wrapped in linen. He should know, he'd met the guy who invented the process). Finally he came to an open elevator door - with no elevator. It did, however, seem to have papyrus strips wrapped around the central cable - taut, like they were holding something. And in other news, two plus two is four, he thought, peering down the shaft. And sure enough, there she was. He considered blasting her with a concussive bolt, but at this range he probably couldn't hit her. And if he did, she'd almost certainly fall to her death. Le sigh. On the bright side, that left the direct approach: Fly down there and tackle her. He was all but bulletproof, what did he have to fear from a few papyrus strips?Ignoring the fact that he'd just jinxed this entire battle, Omega dropped like a rock down the elevator shaft, arms wide open, aiming to grab her halfway down and hold her in a wrestling grip he saw on TV once. |H-D|NPC: Blood everywhere. Cooked flesh. Overwhelming stench. If it weren't for the fish smell, Ultionis reflected, this could be the bad old days. Disturbingly, it made him feel almost at home - this was now a battlefield. A military operation. It was his territory. The superheroes notwithstanding. He put his fingers on the triggerguards and crept forward, scanning the area with a few different vision modes on his mask. If there were any more hostiles ahead, he would see them. And he was sure there was a perfectly good, strategic reason why Lodestone hadn't just done that in the first place.(H-D)

IC: Omega glanced behind him at the gaping hole in the floor, then back at Prime. "We'll deal with that in a minute. You sure you're alright? That stuff looked nasty. Listen, if you start feeling like you might have internal bleeding or something, break off and find a hospital. I'll fight her alone if I have to." |H-D|NPC: Aside from Epsilon tossing himself at the blast zone like a madman, that was about as effective as could be hoped. As for Epsilon, well, hopefully the shrapnel and the smackdown he was getting would teach him not to rush in ahead of the team. For now, Ultionis pushed off with his leg, going from a kneeling position to a swift roll just in time to avoid a laser, then back on his knees a few feet away, guns in hand. His armor fared pretty well against thermal weapons, but a laser that size wasn't something he wanted to test it against.The sharkmen's numbers were down. No sense wasting any more grenades when he had bullets. He began taking shots at the ones armed with lasers, aiming for the hands, heads and weapons. If he could disable their armaments they were less of a threat. If he could kill them, a lot less of one.(H-D)

IC: Just as he was about to duck and hope the sharkmen had the poor aim their shark heads implied, Ultionis found himself protected from the first blast by X-Calibur's timely intervention. With no time for a proper thanks, he nodded gratefully and holstered his guns, moving instead to extract something else from his belt: A pair of top-of-the-line fragmentation grenades. Lighter than the old M67s and with almost ten per cent more punching power in the shrapnel, perfect for getting through modern body armor and sharkman hide. He rolled out from behind X-Calibur and hurled both grenades, one after the other, calling out as he did. "Lodestone! Metal frags!" Hopefully he would get the message and protect them from any shrapnel that got close to them. It was a fair distance, but some of these heroes weren't armored and those metal shards could really fly. (H-D)

NPC: While he had training in multiple military disciplines, Donovan Locke was a marine at heart, and the marines had a motto: One shot, one kill. As he saw the hostiles arrayed in the corridor beyond the falling wall (he would never say it out loud, but he called it) the soldier decided now would be a good time to exercise it. He had twelve rounds in each pistol - regular, lead bullets, not the incendiary, armor-piercing, explosive or otherwise just nasty ammo he had available - and planned to make every shot count.With practised ease and the eye of a prodigy, he sighted down the sharkmen closest to their position and began unloading rounds in their heads with pinpoint precision, prioritizing the largest. Their bodies would trip up the others the most. His legs were braced against the ground, partly to absorb recoil, but also ready to spring out of the way if these sharkmen turned out to have projectile weapons available.(H-D)