Thevshi

Some people in the exhibit hall had ducked down behind the display booths, trying to hide, but the vast majority were running for some exit or another. As Kyle made his quick change, he heard more gunshots sound off along the perimeter of the room, causing more panic. As he stepped out, he caught a glimpse of the two men he had spotted by one of the side exits. One of them was holding a pistol in the air, having apparently just fired it. This served to cause the people who had been trying to run to that exit to turn instead towards the main exit. Starting towards the trio he had first spotted, Kyle joined in with some of the fleeing crowd. As he closed, he saw one of them lift up the "wand" he had spotted before and touch the tip to a security guard who was starting towards the sound of the gunshots. The man went ridged like he had been shocked before dropping to the floor.

Megan smiled slightly as Kyle came back with a rather tactful response to her comments about her old uniform. "They were nicer, weren't they?" She stated in regard to the comparison of their two schools' cheerleading uniforms. With Kyle taking all the bags from the back of the SUV, Megan simply walked alongside him as they made their way to the door. She chuckled slightly as he asked her to get the doorbell. "I suppose I can, since you were such a gentleman and carried all those bags." Ringing the doorbell, she looked back over to Kyle as she waited for their host to answer. "Are you sure I can't help you with some of those?"

Okay, changing the last, Velocity is going to run about 1,200 feet down the street. After using a free action to send out the emergency call, she will use another free action to switch her superspeed array to insubsantial 4. At this distance, Bee Keeper has like a -120 to the Notice check to try to see anything different about her. He's going to have to get a lot closer Still using a hero point to negate fatigue.

Velocity felt her stomach sink as the Bee-Keeper turned on the other two heroes, delivering powerful blast to both. The one small bit of good news (well, semi-good news really) was that Quickstep did not stay to continue helping, but instead disappeared once again, though that only meant she was likely to be causing trouble somewhere else now. Gritting her teeth, the yellow clad speedster turned and zipped towards the hero gone mad. The swarm of bees was still everywhere, but to her they seemed to be almost standing still. She weaved between them and soon reached the armored figure. As she did a couple of weeks ago when facing Bonebreaker, the speedster focused on using more of the blinding speed of her hypersonic punch to increase the impact of the attack. As she reach him, she called out, "Bees? Really? What kind of theme is that? Lame!" There was a faint *CRACK* as her hand broke the sound barrier, striking the Bee-Keeper. There was a loud *WHAM* from the impact, but the armored figure took it without any noticeable effect. That's not good Velocity thought as she circled around, a yellow blur. Gritting her teeth, she tried to hit him again. There was another *CRACK*, but her timing was off, and her attacked missed. Circling half a dozen more times, another idea come to mind. "Hey Bee-Zero!" She called out. "Catch me if you can!" With that, she turned and started off down the road way from the scene of the battle, hoping to draw him away from the other two injured heroes. Speeding up slightly as she went, she took out her Freedom League communicator. "This is Velocity, I hope someone can hear this. I have two badly injured heroes down in the Fens, we were attacked by the Bee Keeper. I am trying to lead him away. If anyone can set up an ambush for him, let me know and I will bring him there!" As she got a bit further, she began vibrating her body's molecules, until she was insubstantial. While she could easily have been gone from sight, she wanted Bee Keeper to follow her, so she slowed considerably, ready to speed up once the chase was on.

Well, of course Velocity misses with her second attack after surging with a 14. She will move away from Bee Keeper, about a block away. Using a hero point to remove the fatigue from the surge. Edit: Actually, I need to check a couple of things and might change what Velocity is doing at the end of her action. Will try to be back on after getting the kids to bed.

Ricky dove under a table as Hound got up and rushed down the other stairs that led to the pool area. Ending up by the unbroken pool table, he was able to grab a pool cue off the rack. The patrons who had been playing around the unbroken table stepped back, not apparently ready or willing to get into the fight at this point. Nearby, Mess was still lying on the broken pool table, slightly sore, but otherwise unhurt. Suddenly, the large form of a biker came into view, a pool cue raised up over his head as he yelled out, "you son of a..!" Swinging the improvised weapon down towards Mess. But the experienced fighter easily rolled to one side, the pool cue slamming down onto the cracked granite of the table.

Biker 2 swings and misses with a 12.

Bikers roll initiative, one gets a 21, two get a 9 . Round 2: Hound : 21 (wins tie due to higher Dex) Biker 2: 21 Mess: 20 (prone) (2 HP) Mobster 2: 19 (now heading towards front door) Mobster 3: 19 (bruised) (up by bar) Mobster 4: 15 (up near Harry) Biker 1: 9 Biker 3: 9 Mobster 1: 4 (coming down to sunken area) So, Hound is up.

Pool tables toughness save is an 11, which fails and the table is broken. Need a toughness save from Mess, we will call it DC 19.

"Well, I hear the mob has started using this freelance guy, goes by the name.." Ricky began, before being cut off by the Hound turning to yell at the mobster that had moved between him and Mess. The tough looking guy was clearly surprised to be challenged by someone behind him, and turned to look back at Hound, hesitating as he did so. Further down the bar, Mess was already in action. Stepping in towards the large mobster, he delivered an expert left jab. The blow landed square on the large guys face, causing his head to snap back ever so slightly, but he quickly focused back on Mess, a faint grin coming to his face. The other mobster who had been moving to flank Mess hesitated, unnerved by Mess' earlier threats. But the large mobster wasted little time in reaching forward to grab a hold of Mess. The street fighter tried to break free, but quickly found that the large man was clearly stronger than a normal human, as he maintained a grip like steel. Taking a step back, the large man twisted, and sent Mess flying across the bar, over towards the sunken portion of the room. Mess came down on top of one of the pool tables, the legs of which gave way from the impact, bringing the entire table crashing down to the floor with Mess on top. Pool balls went off in all directions, as the bikers who had been using the table yelled out in surprise. "What the hell?" The mobster who had been standing by the door watched the scene with slight amusement, before he focused back on the other man who Mess had intimidated. Moving forward, he grabbed the guy by the collar, shoving him towards the doorway. "You watch the door." He said, before he continued on towards the stairs that led down to the area where the pool tables where located.

Okay, Mobster 2 isn’t doing anything right now due to Mess’ intimidation roll success. Mobster 3 is going to try to grab Mess, gets a 22 for his attack roll, which hits. He goes for a grapple, getting a 32 for his grapple check. Need an opposed grapple check for Mess.

Mobster 3 gets a poor toughness roll with a 19 and takes a bruise.

Yep, they are first Mobster 4 fails his Intemidate roll to resist with a 13. So he is shaken. Go ahead and make an IC post for Hound, then let me know what Mess is doing.

Okay, Velocity is going to try to put Bee-Keeper down (his obscure was for normal vision, and her goggles provide IR vision, so she can see him). She is going to Power Attack, -4 attack, +4 damage. She easily makes her Reflex check to weave between the bee swarm with a 30, taking no damage thanks to Evasion 2. Her attack roll is a 20, just enough to hit him with his lowered defense from his All-Out Attack. He needs to make a DC 32 (15+17) toughness save. As extra effort: surge is a free action that can be taken at any time, I will wait to see the results of that toughness save. If he is still standing, she will surge and hit him again.

Giang made her way up the solid water stairs she had created along with Crow. Once at the top, she looked around the ruins off the office, focusing like the others on the metallic remains of what they had thought had been Headmaster Summers. She listened to Darren’s comments and then focused on Crow as Darren asked if he could do something. Noting that he appeared to be focused on something, she looked back down at the pile of metal. "Another question is when did this robot replace the Headmaster." She stated quietly to Darren. "When I first met with him after Raven brought me here just under two weeks ago, he mentioned concerns he had about an infiltration by the Terminus. But without the detail he provided earlier this morning."

Megan smiled slightly as Kyle talked about getting a Star Wars book at the convention he had covered earlier in the week. They had talked about what had happened during the convention last night during dinner, as well as her own experience with being almost caught in the crossfire of some gang war in the Fens the following day (or at least that was the story she had been telling people), so she did not bring it up again. She then listened as he talked a bit about some of his friends. When he mentioned wondering about if she still had her old cheerleading uniform, Megan glanced over, arching one eyebrow slightly. "Have you now?" She asked with clearly feigned shock. "Oh, I believe it is around somewhere." She stated as her expression returned to normal and she focused back on the road. "And I am positive it still fits." She added with a mischievous grin that Kyle was likely able to see. It was right about then that they reached the house his friend Mack was renting and Megan found a place along the curb to park.

Tiff, actually Biker 4 is still up, he made his Reflex save (here)when BK unleashed his bees, and avoid damage with the Evasion feat.

Dave gave a slight nod. "Sure, no problem. I am sure it will be some time before the crowd dies down anyway." He replied before he headed back towards the center of the exhibit hall where one of the convention’s main attractions was set to soon appear. Once Dave was gone, Kyle renewed his observation of the three out of place men. They continued standing off to one side, appearing to grow more and more anxious as time passed. A few minutes later, the sound of cheering filled the exhibit hall, clearly a sign that the headliner was out on stage. The noised died down, but Kyle could faintly hear the sounds of the author talking over a microphone, though it was not so loud that it carried all this way over the other sounds in the convention. The three men appeared to focus slightly, but remained in place. Eventually, Kyle could no longer hear the author speaking, a likely sign that she was now likely signing books. It was not long after that that he heard what sounded like some sort of commotion back towards the main stage. That was quickly followed by some shouts, and then screams. Then there were a number of gunshots, which were quickly followed by more screams. And the exhibit hall began to fall into chaos.

Megan listened while Kyle explained why he really did not need a car, giving a little chuckle as he mentioned renting out the empty parking spot that he got with his apartment. "Very good business sense there." She replied with a small smile. "Finding a way to generate cash flow with an asset that would otherwise go unused." "Thank you." She then replied to his compliment. "And you are looking ruggedly handsome, as usual." She paused a brief moment, then continued. "So, anything in particular I should know before I meet these friends of yours?"

Giang gave a small smile as Subito explained why he wanted to get the statuette. "I am sure he will be very excited. I certainly hope you will be able to obtain some obsidian to trade with." She stated. She then gave him a slightly puzzled look as he apologized to her, as she was not entirely sure what he was apologizing for. "Well, this is only one aspect of these people's daily lives. I was thinking of just exploring more of the city, seeing how they live and examining their ingenious construction methods more." The two teens then made their way out of the market, their translator following behind. By mid afternoon, Giang and Subito were making their way through another section of the city when they came upon a small courtyard where a number of the narrow streets intersected. In the center of the courtyard was a small pool of water, beside which there were a number of children were playing. As she watched, Giang realized that one of the children was entertaining several of the others with a number of puppets made from wood and cloth. The scene brought a small smile to Giang's face, as her thoughts drifted back to one of the few entertainment activities her surrogate parents, the Trangs, had allowed her to enjoy back in Vietnam, performances by traveling múa rõi nuóc performers. Translating roughly as "puppets that dance on water," múa rõi nuóc was a centuries old form of puppet theater developed in the villages of the Red River Delta region of north Vietnam as a means of satisfying the spirits thought to reside in the rice paddies, and as a form of entertainment. The "stage" for the performances was a large pool of water on which the puppets appeared to move across. But that was only an illusion, for the puppets were in reality supported by long bamboo poles, controlled by puppeteers located behind a bamboo screen at the back of the pool. Some of the puppets used were articulated, their arm and head movements controlled by string mechanisms located within the bamboo poles. Of course, once her powers had developed in adolescence, Giang had recognized the irony in her love for the performances, given the central role of water. Since her trip to Hong Kong shortly after her seventeenth birthday, she had come to the further realization that the illusion of the puppets dancing across the watery stage was very much a symbol of her entire life in Vietnam. There had always been someone, her true father, behind the scenes controlling events. The Asian teen was pulled from her thoughts by the children that had been playing in the courtyard. Having spotted the strangers, they had all gathered around her and Subito, talking excitedly in their unusual language. While she was not able to understand them, the excitement and curiosity in their faces was difficult to miss. Glancing back up at the pool in the middle of the courtyard, a smile came to Giang’s face as she moved forward, the children following behind. Kneeling down in front of the pool, her legs tucked under her and her back perfectly straight, Giang looked at the children around her. Reaching out, she gently took one of the puppets from the girl that had been entertaining the others as she said, "Where I grew up, I used to watch puppet shows that were done on a stage of water much like this pool." She knew they could not understand her, but hoped the translator might interpret for her. "But I do not have any of the specialized puppets that they would use, and this one will not work either." She handed the puppet back to the girl as her smile widened slightly. "But I think I can do without." Turning back to regard the pool of water once again, the Asian teen reached out with both hands as she concentrated on the water in front of her. The ripples that had been playing across its surface from the faint breeze smoothed out until the pool became completely still, looking almost like a sheet of glass. Giang made a small gesture with her right hand, and the serpentine form of a water dragon began twisting its way through the water, until it leapt into the air, flying over the pool of water for a moment until it came to a halt in front of Giang and the children. The children laughed as they looked at the watery creation, before more water dragons joined the first and they all began flying through the air over the pool, racing and playing as they went. The crowd of children around the pool had grown, as a few had gone off and brought back others to watch the show. A number of adults had also stopped in the courtyard to watch as well, adding to the small crowd. After the water dragons had disappeared back into the depths of the pool, mounted Mongol warriors swept across its surface, until Hua Mulan rose up from the water to defeat them. Next, watery puppets acted out the story of Chang'e and Houyi the Archer (or at least one version of the story), all under Giang's careful direction. When Giang finally released her control over the water in the pool, the crowd around her applauded, the children being clearly amazed and excited by the show. The Asian teen seemed slightly embarrassed by the attention, as she stood up and bowed slightly to those gathered around. Making her way back over to Subito, she looked up at the sky a moment before focusing back on the other teen. "Perhaps we should make our way back to see if the others have returned?"

Okay, initiative for the mobsters two have 19, one a 15 and the last a 4. Mobster 2: 19 (will not act on round 1 due to failed Intimidate roll) Mobster 3 : 19 (big guy) Mobster 4: 15 (guy between Mess and Hound) Mobster 1: 4 (guy standing at the front door) Time for Mess (and maybe Hound’s) initiative rolls.

Glancing around, Harry saw an emergency exit off to his right. The closest mobster to him was off to his left, having moved between Freddy and that exit. Ricky seems to squirm slightly in his seat, but then slowly nods his head. "Okay, I have only heard a little. Really just a name." He stated in a low voice. A short distance away, Freddy spun around to try to stare down the mobsters that were moving to surround him. The four stopped as he leveled his threat, but only one really seemed to be shaken by it. The closest of the mobsters, the one who had been right behind Freddy, and was now directly in front of him, had a lopsided grin. He was by far the biggest of the four, possibly the result of some sort of enhancements. "You're the one who is looking for trouble Furlong. Showing your face around here." His large hands clenched into fists, as he was clearly not about to backdown.

Intimidation rolls for Mobsters vs Mess’ roll: most make it. Oh, and Mess picks up a Hero Point for his mob complication. IC post coming up.

Giang followed after Subito as they started towards the market place. While the Asian teen had grown up in a village that much of the modern world would consider rather primitive, it had been relatively small in size. The market the two teens found was far busier and exciting than her simple village could ever hope to be. Weaving through the crowds with Subito, she noted some similarities with some of the backstreet markets she had seen during the weeks she had lived on the streets in Singapore, but there was a uniqueness present that was hard to miss. As they made their way through the narrow streets, the Asian teen did her best to take in all the sights, stopping occasionally to examine some of the astonishing array of handcrafted items that filled many of the stalls. But she was not able to stop for long, before she had to start off again to keep up with Subito. "It is quite amazing. These people seem to have achieved a careful balance with their environment." Giang began to reply when the Puerto Rican teen asked what she thought of the city. But before she could elaborate more, Subito's attention was distracted by what he saw at one of the stalls. Following behind the stocky teen as he headed to the stall, Giang looked at the statutes that had drawn Subito’s interest. She only had a vague knowledge of the Atoms, having only heard a little of them while growing up, but could see that a great deal of artistry had gone into carving the various statuettes. As Subito talked about buying some of them and began to check his backpack for space, Giang looked over a moment. "What would you use for trade?" She asked. "I do not expect American money has much value here."

Supercape, just to confirm, that is an intimidate roll for Bloody Mess? (if so, it should be an 11, as he has +9 on his sheet). Thanks :)