Thevshi

GM Meanwhile, towards the middle of Freedom City's Chinatown, Fred Furlong and Harry Hound made their way through the crowds out to celebrate the start of the Chinese New Year. The two private investigators had decided to attend the festivities in the hopes of finding the teenage girl they had been searching on-and-off for over the past week. They had confirmed she was in Freedom City, and that she was a metahuman, but they had also managed to learn that a number of criminal organizations in Asia were searching for the girl as well. In fact, only a few days ago, an assassin from one of the Tongs had tried to kill them and their Chinatown contact, Mr. Chen. How much luck they might have in finding the girl in this crowd was a big question. There were hundreds of people gathered in the closed off streets tonight, and the air was filled with the sounds of firecrackers, music and the like. For Harry, his normally keen sense of smell was being overwhelmed by the smell of gunpowder, people and the many exotic foods that filled street vendors and restaurants along the busy streets.

Giang was listening intently as John described more about his trip to Tian along with Morgan and some others and almost missed his compliment. "You honor me with such a comparison." The Asian teen replied. "And I would be greatly honored for a chance to visit Tian, should I be deemed worthy to enter." She added. Recovering from the shock of John's statements about Tian, Giang started forward once more towards their destination. "I appologize for my reaction." She stated. "It was just a surprise to hear you so casually mention a visit to Tian. But as to what you were saying before, I have also studied the I Ching and the Thirty-Six Stratagems, thought perhaps it would be best to save a discussion on those for another time." The pair turned a corner, and up ahead was the large wooden gate that straddled the street, the "official" entrance to Freedom City's Chinatown. The street up ahead had been closed off to traffic for night, and decorations filled the air above the street. Large red lanterns had been hung from the gate, and smaller ones were strung from buildings for several blocks ahead. Cables had been stretched between the buildings high above the street, from which hung brightly colored kits of butterflies, dragonflies and various birds, filling the air for several blocks. The streets ahead were crowded with people, making their way past the open shops and restaurants towards the main celebration beyond.

Megan looked over at the older Robert in surprise when "Anders" introduced him, though somehow she knew she should not be. The blonde young woman felt a sense of dread creep over her as he gave his brief explanation about the life he had led with another version of herself. Oh, I so do not need this right now. She thought to herself after he finished. Bad enough how hard it has been getting over my breakup with my Robert, now to hear about a possible future were we were married and had a child… After the older Robert finished, Megan put one hand to her forehead as she closed her eyes a moment. She then opened her eyes once more and focused on the older Robert. "I, Robert, even if I were to believe your story, and I have to say, kidnapping me is not really a good start to earning my trust, what do you expect to do?" "Like you said, what happened to you and the other me might not be my future. I am no expert, but I have heard a bit about time travel, and how going back to change something only creates two divergent timelines. How can you truly stop your past from happening in any other timeline?" "And in any event, I pretty well messed things up with my Robert, so I am not sure there is much chance of us ever being married. And as for having a child…I don't know about your Megan, but I there are times I can barely stand waiting in line for nine seconds. I have serious doubts about my ability to be able to handle being pregnant for nine months."

He only gets a 23, so he picks up another bruise.

GM Shaking off the powerful jet of water, the leader of the gunmen rushed forward towards Warp, water dripping from his armoured wetsuit from Tsunami's attack. As he drew close to the teen holding his speargun, he leapt into the air bringing up his right knee in an attempt to deliver a powerfully flying knee attack on Warp. However, at the last minute, Tsunami rushed over, intercepting the attack that would have hit Warp, her water covered arms crossed in front of her. The Asian teen's arms caught the mercenary leader's knee, deflecting it away as he landed back on the metal grating, facing off with her. Two of the gunmen had been tracking Tsunami, about to fire on her again, but when she moved into melee with their leader, they shifted their aim towards Warp. Both fired, but their shot went well wide. The leader glanced over towards the other gunman. "Close the doors and start the pumps!" He shouted.

Boo. Tsunami will spend one of her hero points and stunt Interpose and take the hit instead. Her toughness save is a: 27. This means the mercs will shot at Warp instead, but, still miss.

Natas moves over and attacks Warp HTH, getting a 28 for his attack roll. Need a DC 19 toughness save. Merc 10 and 11 shot at Tsunami. 8 and a 14.

After spinning away from almost being hit by the sharp tipped spear, Tsunami came to a halt in a back stance, just in time to see Warp disappear with the speargun the leader of the gunmen had been using. The Asian teen once again brought her hands up in front of her and another coiling jet of water shot out towards the armoured man. This time, the teen's aim was perfect, the powerful jet of water slamming into the centre of his chest. However, he was barely staggered by the impact, seemingly unaffected as he remained upright and focused on the two teens.

Round Four Tsunami: 23 (unharmed, 3 HP) Natas: 11 (bruised) Merc 10: 10 Merc 11: 9 Warp: 8 (unharmed, 0 HP) Merc 9: 5 Tsunami will try to blast Natas once more, still with a defensive attack -2 atk/+2 def. This time she hits with a 26. Natas has a DC 25 toughness save, getting a: just enough with a 25.

John was indeed able to hear the sounds of music, numerous voices blending together and similar sounds indicative of a large celebration as they drew closer to Freedom City's Chinatown. There were a number of other people along the sidewalks as well, apparently heading in the same direction. Giang smiled back at John as he mentioned most living things not reacting well with explosives. She had just been about to comment on his mentioning reading the I Ching and the Thirty-Six Stratagems, both of which Giang had studied herself, when she heard his final comment about his prior interactions with Asian culture. The teenager came to a halt as she looked at John, her face clearly showing surprise. "You have been to Tian?" She asked.

He does!

That is just good enough. Need an opposed roll now (so roll 1d20+7)

GM Having avoided Warp's latest attempt to take away his speargun and avoiding a blast of water from Tsunami, the leader of the gunmen loads another spear, this one with a razor sharp head, and aims the weapon at Tsunami before firing. The spear streaked across the room, but at the last minute, the Asian teen managed to dodge aside, and the spear continued on to clang off a metal beam beyond. Two of the other gunmen take aim at Warp with their pistols, opening fire one after the other. The first shot was well wide of the teen, but the second shot zipped dangerously close, the teen hearing the faint *crack* of its passage near her shoulder. Meanwhile, the hole caused by Warp continued to pump water into the chamber, as the submarine began to shift slightly as if it was starting to move.

Natas fires a spear at Tsunami now, just missing with a 21. Mercs 10 and 11 fire on Warp: one waaaaay off, one just barely missing. Warp's action!

The third new arrival rushes forward some as well, before aming his pistol at Warp and firing. However, his attack does not come anywhere near the agile teen. Despite being grazed by a bullet from one of the new arrivals, Tsunami turns her attention towards the leader of the gunmen. Bringing her hands up in front of her, the Asian teen sends a blast of water at the man. But her timing was well off, and the twisting jet of water streaked well wide of the man, smashing into some equipment behind him with tremendous force.

Merc 9 takes a shot a Warp, but misses badly with a 14. (I will wrap this in with my next post for Tsunami, as it would be a really short post). Round Three Tsunami: 23 (unharmed, 3 HP) Natas: 11 (bruised) Merc 10: 10 Merc 11: 9 Warp: 8 (unharmed, 0 HP) Merc 9: 5 Tsunami will make a direct attack with her standard blast on the leader now, using a Def attack -2 atk/+2 def. She misses with a 10.

Giang regarded Elias for a moment before she replied. "I am not certain your analogy is completely accurate. To be sure, there are influences that take place as a result of our interaction or actions, as well as those of others. But an island is similarly affected by the ocean, from simple changes resulting from the tides, to more significant changes that result from a tidal wave. However, the island is still the island." "Had you and I never met today, you would still be you, and I would still be me. We would both have continued on as we are, only without whatever changes may have occurred now that we have met." "And, even assuming your analogy is correct, a sense of self is still a viable concept. The influences that have made me what I am, be they environmental or social, are unique to me, just as yours are unique to you. At the very least, I should have a basic understanding of some of those influences, that is a basic sense of self, sufficient insight and reflection would allow me to recognize additional influences that most might not consider, increasing my understanding of who I am."

"Yeah, sure, I'll give you guys a call." Don replied as he picked up the card Harry offered. The pair made their way out of the aquarium and back to where they had parked the Caddy. A short drive latter, they were back at the barn to consider their next move. The afternoon was starting to grow late, and it would not be long before the celebrations would be starting in the West End for the start of the Chinese New Year. They knew the girl was in Freedom City, but where they still were not sure. There was a big question of whether she would show up at the Chinese New Year celebration or not.

Giang gave a small smile as John brought up the Western Zodiac, mentioning some differences and similarities between the two. "Well, I know only a little about the Western Zodiac, but from what I do know, there a number of differences between them. As to some possible connection between the two and the fact both are divided into twelve parts, I am not aware of any, but there could be some ancient connection, or it may just be that twelve is a common system of grouping, particularly when measuring time." She replied. The Asian teen then continued, "According to legend, the Chinese New Year began as the struggle between villagers and a mythical beast called the Nian, which either lived under the sea or in the mountains, depending upon the location of the village. On the first day of the New Year, the Nian would come and eat livestock, crops and even villagers, preferring children. According to the legends, the villagers learned that the Nian was afraid of loud noises and the color red. That is why the celebrations often involve fireworks and there are red lanterns and scrolls used as decoration."

GM The leader of the gunmen finished climbing out of the pool of water, as he finished loading another spear into his speargun. He then aimed the weapon at Warp and fired. The flat headed spear, which again crackling electricity, streaked across the room, hitting the teen on the shoulder as the electrical charge arched across her body. Two of the gunmen who had just arrived though the door to the launch bay moved further into the room, trying to spread out so that the Asian teen could not catch them both in an attack like they had just seen her use on their companions. Both levelled their pistols at Tsunami and opened fire. One of the bullets struck the teen on her side, but the swirling sheen of water surrounding her helped deflect the bullet without any harm. The second shot missed the teen, thought it came very close.

Natas fires a spear at Warp this time, getting a 27, so Warp has a DC 18 Fort save to make. Mercs 10 and 11 open fire on Tsunami: 24 and 22, one hit. Tsunami’s toughness save (vs DC 18): 21, no problem.

Managing to shake off the effect of the stun spear from the leader, Tsunami dodge another gunshot from one of the remaining gunmen in the water as she saw the door open and three more appear. "We have more company." She commented to Warp as she focused back on the four gunmen in the water who had been shooting at her and the other teen. Once again she thrust her hands out in front of her and swept them out to the side, sending short bursts of water flying out towards the four men. As before, the jets of water only struck the four intended targets, this time with a little more force than the previous volley. All four men were knocked back, splashing in the water and then floating unconscious on the surface. The Asian teen finished in a low stance, ready to try to dodge any incoming attacks from the gunmen's leader or the three new arrivals.

Round Two Tsunami: 23 (unharmed, 3 HP) Merc 1: 13 Merc 2: 12 Natas: 11 (bruised) Merc 10: 10 Merc 11: 9 Warp: 8 (unharmed, 1 HP) Merc 8: 6 Merc 9: 5 Merc 4: 3 Tsunami will continue to focus on the gunmen in the water, making an area attack on the four she was not able to catch in the first attack. This time she will power attack -2 atk/+2 dam, def attack -3 atk/+3 def and take 10 (as they are all minions). DC 25 toughness save for them. They all miss so are down as well.

GM As Warp tried to disarm their boss, the other two gunmen who were still conscious drew out their weapons to try to help deal with the superpowered teenagers. One of them fired a pistol at Tsunami, but once again the bullet went way wide of its intended target. The second aimed his sub-machinegun at Warp and fired a burst at the teenager. Thought all the rounds missed, Warp could hear the faint cracks of the bullets as they passed uncomfortably close to her. Just then a door at one end of the launch bay opened and another three of the gunmen appeared, each armed with a pistol.

Okay, Merc 8 will fire his pistol at Tsunami, missing with a 15. Merc 4 fires an SMG at Warp, getting a 23, which is just barely a miss.