Raveled

Caranas nodded towards the bed opposite the door. "If I stare at my own bed from my desk," she said, "I'd never get any work done." She moved behind the desk and sat down, leaning forward and watching Wisp. "I have to say, it's pretty fascinating to watch someone's first reaction to space travel. The way some people talk, Earth heroes go to space all the time!" Brey nodded slowly. "Well. You should know that the Lor consider Earth to be a protected zone. We make sure no one interferes with Earth on a large scale, before you're ready for it." He inhaled deeply and held it; Frost could feel the tension and uneasy in the man. "If this turns out to be an Earth colony, a lot of that could change."

Ironclad frowned beneath her mask. "No doubt someone's already called it in, but if it makes you feel better I'll make the call in the air. But I need to get going, I need to get a look at this computer case!" With the Bee-Keeper's strength and speed, it wasn't long before they were landing on Ironclad's concrete patio. She walked up to the French door and punched in a combination on a keypad installed next to it; locks disengaged and she threw open the doors, striding into the apartment and making a beeline for the spiral staircase in the center. "I need to put this up in my workspace," she said over her shoulder. "Make yourself at home! There's, uh, water and pop and stuff in the fridge." The young genius reigned herself in from rushing up the stairs full-tilt, since that would probably break the wooden steps and she couldn't very well fly up just at the moment. So she took them in slow, measured steps, until she was past her bedroom and up to the third floor. Whistling a tune to herself, she dug out a bundle of wires and starting threading connections. A few moments of twisting and soldering later and the apartment's mini-frame was connected and working on downloading and deciphering the data contained inside the drive. Now came the more important task. The armored heroine carefully disengaged the separate sections of her armored suit, removing the clamshell helmet, the articulated gauntlets, and the several segments that made up the back- and breastplates. Then the vambraces, greaves, boots -- in a few minutes the entire suit was laid out on a workbench, opposite the armored disc drive that was humming away. Now standing just in her flight suit, Jessica turned over the backplate, greaves, and boots, revealing the damaged segments. An automated scanner swung down from the ceiling and made a 3D mock-up of the armor. Reaching in to manipulate the floating image, the young woman set a quick order of repairs for the automated systems. It wouldn't be pretty, but it would hold together until she got her hands on whoever it was that attacked Dawes Tech. With the repairs in motion and the computer working on the drive, Jessica headed back down. She hoped the Bee-Keeper wouldn't be one of those stoic types who refused to relax until the job was done.

Glowstar moved through the press of the melee. Part of him wanted to take off and strafe the sharks again, but in the crush it would be too easy to hit another hero. So he switched targets to the monster Cannonade was pressuring. "I dunno, guys, maybe we're looking at this all wrong." He delivered a quick pair of jabs to the twisted creature's ribs, fists still glowing with the baleful energies of the Terminus. "A huge, all-devouring god who cares nothing for its followers and leaves only devastation in its wake? These guys aren't worshiping some shark demon, they're worshipping the Kardashians!"

Glowstar Standard Action: Hm, none of them are going to be able to act this turn, are they? Oh well, punch Shark 4. Glowstar's melee attack check, vs Shark 4's Def. DC 27 Tou + DC 22 Fort (1d20+12=16) Rerolling that... Glowstar's melee attack check, vs Shark 4's Def. DC 27 Tou + DC 22 Fort (1d20+12=24) Much better!

FYI, I'm holding off on a post from Blue Jay until Bee-Keeper has a talk with his new radio pal.

The tremendous blast reached up and swatted the sphere from the sky, the side of the machine bursting into smoke and flames before crashing down. Ironclad exited the building not far behind the Bee-Keeper: her blood was up and it didn't take long for her systems to lock onto the last sphere in the sky. She brought both wrist blasters up and shot it with an overcharged blast that blew it up in the sky and left burning metal fragments raining down. With the assault thwarted for the moment, Ironclad relaxed a touch and made her way over to one of the downed spheres. "It's time to figure out where these guys came from," she said. Routing power to her servo muscles, she ripped open the skin of the machine with brute, brutal force. Her skilled eye traced back connections to a heavily-armored computer drive buried near the center of the machine. She carefully snipped the connections before pulling it free and looking it over. "Titanium shell," she observed, turning it over in her hands, "looks like a single casting with no weld marks. Which suggests that all of it was assembled micro-scale inside the shell. Interesting. I should be able to get through it with the diamond saw..." She looked up and walked back to the Bee-Keeper. "Hey. I don't suppose you'd be willing to drop me off at my apartment? I need to crack this case, and my thrusters are out, so..."

Sphere 3's Toughness save, vs DC 30. (1d20+11=28) Well they had to roll a 19 or 20, and they didn't. Ironclad Spent her last round getting here, so she's in position to blast one. Standard Action: Full +5/-5 Power Attack, Taking 10 to hit. DC 32 Toughness save. Which it literally cannot make, so it goes down.

"We should stick to the buildings as much as we can," Blue Jay said, hopping to her feet. "Omegadrones like to look for folks from way up high. If we stay under cover, at least they'll have to come and get on our level to find us." Which wasn't strictly true; most drones would be just as happy blowing up a building as they would be gutting someone face-to-face, but at least it was a plan. If they could move from ruined building to ruined building, it would make them that much harder to find and catch. Though it would take them a bit longer to get to Freedom Hall, it beat having to fight a flight of drones on the way.

Tona and Sam stood in silence for a few minutes, just the babbling stream and the sounds of the forest in winter surrounding them. Then she pressed her lips against Sam's neck and stepped away. "C'mon. We should wait awhile before we check the snares." She unshipped her quiver and the attached bow, and put them on the ground as she dropped to the bank of the small river. She laid back and put her gaze to the sky, waiting and watching for the stars to come out. "So. What was your home like, Sam? Lots of orchestras?"

Apparently what Baxter had learned was very effective. He wove among the soldiers with surprising grace, deflecting blows off his armored forearms and striking back. It helped that they only seemed to be wearing flak vests, and so folded after only a few blows. Before he knew it he was surrounded by the unconscious or groaning bodies of the paramilitary goons. Ironclad picked herself up, shaking her head to get the dust out of her hair. She looked at the downed soldiers and whistled shortly. "Nice job," she said, moving out from around the cover. "I would've just blasted them, but this is much nicer on the furniture." The helmet came out and around again and soon she was looking at the world through the enhanced view of her HUD. The building shook suddenly, and the pair of heroes could hear the whining energy blasts from outside. "We need to get back out there and get those spheres out of the air," Ironclad said, "before they bring the roof in!" She turned and leapt into the air -- only to fall on her face, the thrusters at the back of her suit sparking wildly. "Dammit, they really did a number on the suit. Oh well, guess it's the ten toes express!" Metal feet clanking and remembering to breath deeply, Ironclad began to run towards the nearest exit.

Soldiers' Toughness save, vs DC 25. (1d20+5=20, 1d20+5=24, 1d20+5=14, 1d20+5=21, 1d20+5=18) I'd say that's all of them. Ironclad's thrusters are out so she can't use Flight. That's worth a HP. So she'll run, taking her whole turn to get back outside. Spheres are outside and shooting up stuff. Back to Bee-Keeper! Initiative 21 Bee-Keeper III -- Uninjured -- HPx4 18 Soldier 1 -- Unconscious -- Mook 18 Soldier 2 -- Unconscious -- Mook 18 Soldier 3 -- Unconscious -- Mook 18 Soldier 4 -- Unconscious -- Mook 18 Soldier 5 -- Unconscious -- Mook 10 Ironclad -- Bruisex1 -- HPx4 9 Sphere 1 -- Down -- Mook 9 Sphere 2 -- Outside -- Mook 9 Sphere 3 -- Outside -- Mook

The spheres are outside, the rest of the soldiers are holding their actions, and Ironclad is dazed. So it's time for the Bee-Keeper to sting them!

Ironclad's suit didn't look pretty. There were metal fragments embedded all along the right side, and the flight thrusters were leaking black smoke. Inside the armor, Jessica Parker blink-clicked through menus at rapid speed, assessing the damage from within. It wasn't as bad as it looked; mainly an energy feedback loop that had tripped the safeties on the thruster units and locked the suit's 'muscles' into place. It had also shorted out her HUD, so she was only vaguely aware of being lifted and moved. She could barely hear a voice from outside, but without the suit's pick-ups it was muffled and unintelligible. Then she hit the fast restarts and the suit flickered back to life in seconds. She sagged in the Bee-Keeper's arms as he laid her on the ground. The helmet unfolded and she shook her head, focusing on the black-and-yellow helmet. "I'll... I'll be alright," she insisted. "I just need a second to power up the peripheral systems. Although the flight systems need to be switched out for --" Whatever she was going to switch them out for, she never got a chance to say. The assault soldiers, tracking the armored hero through the skies, managed to find the impromptu shelter without much trouble. While the rest of the squad leveled their weapons at the structure, two of the men pulled grenades off their belts, primed them, and tossed them over. Jessica saw the olive-green spheres pass overhead and her words ended in a terror-filled squeak. She instinctively pulled herself into a ball as the charges went off and the world was filled with light and noise.

Sphere/Coptors are remaining outside. Soldiers are coming indoors. 1 & 2 will be throwing grenades at our heroes! That's 2 Blast 5 (Extra: Area/General [burst]) effects. Ironclad's Reflex save, vs DC 15. (1d20+7=16, 1d20+7=25) She makes the Reflex save, so it's DC 16 Toughness instead of DC 20. Ironclad's Toughness save, vs DC 17. (1d20+16=29, 1d20+16=31) Yeah, there wasn't much chance of her failing that, but still! Initiative 21 Bee-Keeper III -- Uninjured -- HPx4 18 Soldier 1 -- Uninjured -- Mook 18 Soldier 2 -- Uninjured -- Mook 18 Soldier 3 -- Uninjured -- Mook 18 Soldier 4 -- Uninjured -- Mook 18 Soldier 5 -- Uninjured -- Mook 10 Ironclad -- Bruisex1 + Daze (9) -- HPx3 9 Sphere 1 -- Down -- Mook 9 Sphere 2 -- Outside -- Mook 9 Sphere 3 -- Outside -- Mook

"Need my stuff," the man mumbled, his eyes drooping lower under the influence of Kit's mind-magic. "Need to get the stuff from the Salties. Pretty lady..." His voice trailed off and he slumped down finally, snoring gently. Blue Jay had watched the encounter with interest. She had no knowledge of drug gangs or ambulances, and if she had simply run this man to ground the trail would have stopped here. It was impressive to see how far a little persuasion could take someone -- and a little scary. "So these drugs are coming from some people called 'the Salties,'" she said, "and they're down at the docks? So that should be our next move, right? Going down to the docks and finding these people." She shook her head to clear rainwater out of her eyes; it was really starting to come down now, heavy drops instead of a light mist.

Yeah, he's asleep.

Blue Jay took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. She smiled at the Bee-Keeper. The knot in her gut relaxed slightly, as she realized she wasn't going to be alone in this city. "I think we should get to Freedom Hall," she said. "If there are any records of the attack, the League should have them." She frowned and closed her eyes, trying to remember stories of the attack on her home world. "If... if Wander and Jill O'Cure are serving the Terminus, then they should have... been at the front of the invasion." She opened her eyes and stood, fitting the commlink back in her ear. "I think we should get going. I think we should listen in on their communications, but we shouldn't use them ourselves." She pulled out her bow again, getting ready to move. "And we should stick to the shadows and the buildings wherever we can."

I intended for Blue Jay to lead them through the row of buildings, to the opposite side of the street. So not ATM, no.

Blue Jay plucked the commlink from her ear, sighing. Losing was never her strong suit, so she wasn't particularly surprised when this Jill O'Cure saw through her deception. Still, it had been worth a shot. Jay half-sat against the wall, looking at the Bee-Keeper. "I can't tell you what to do," she said, "but do you really think that someone who rights alongside an Omegadrone is someone you want to risk your life on? The damnes thing was attacking you before I stopped it!"

I don't know if I need a Bluff check her or if we'll just roll with Blue Jay's lie, but here it is if Wander or anyone wants to roll against it. Blue Jay's Bluff check. (1d20=6)

Blue Jay's blood ran cold when she heard the voice of the Omegadrone buzzing in her ear. How did it get onto this frequency? And how did it know... Wander!? No, that couldn't possibly be the Brave, it just couldn't be! The chance of meeting an idol, of shaking the hand of someone who killed Omega made her feel hot and excited, but why was she cooperating with an Omegadrone? A sick feeling settled in her gut as she recalled stories of the invasion of her world; heroes who saw the unending armies of the Terminus and knelt at the foot of the Knight of Entropy, returning as twisted abominations infused with the power of entropy. Could that be what was happening here? And if so, were the rest of the Heroes as twisted and broken? Her mouth was dry, but she couldn't stay silent too much longer or it would be suspicious. She glanced over at the Bee-Keeper, suddenly glad he'd stayed silent so she could lie. "I'm alone," she said. "I managed to avoid an Omegadrone, and right now I'm..." She crossed to a window and looked outside. She could just barely see a street crossing, if she pressed her face against the glass. "I'm at the corner of 34th and Monument," she lied. If possible, Blue Jay wanted to see this Wander with her own eyes before making any decisions.

GM Maybe he wasn't feeling so great because of the withdrawal, maybe Kit's magic was more effective than she thought, or maybe it was just because a pretty lady was next to him and asking him a question, but he smiled dreamily at her and seemed to calm down. "The Salties are down at the docks," he said, rubbing slowly at his chest. "They've got the good stuff. They gave me the Max, and Joe and Josh the Zoom, and they had some new stuff for Isaac." He leaned back and started breathing more heavily. "Please, please. I need my stuff!"

Blue Jay tarried long enough for Bee-Keeper to join her under cover, and peeked out to check on the Omegadrone. It looked to still be immobilized, but the sickly glow of its power pike was already eating away at the fibers; clearly, before long it was going to be free again, and it would be best to be far away from it before that happened. Jay pushed deeper into the building, intending to at least get to the other side of the row of buildings before going back out on the streets. She didn't even pause to look back at the Bee-Keeper as she spoke to him. "I'd say it's good to see you, but it's not good for anyone to be here." She reached a locked door and rattled the doorknob, then knelt down and prepared to pick the lock. "We should get to Freedom Hall," she said. "We need to find out what happened to the Freedom League." Blue Jay froze suddenly when she heard a voice come through her commlink! She didn't recognize the voice, but she supposed there wouldn't be much danger in replying. "This is Blue Jay," she said, pressing the 'speak' button on her comm. She glanced at Bee-Keeper, but decided that if he wanted to join in he could. "I'm running away from an Omegadrone. Who is this?"

Blue Jay glanced back at Crimson Tiger, waiting for the other girl to take the lead with the drug user. When it became apparent that she was staying back, Jay edged forward and kneeled next to the man. She was edgy at being so close to him, but he didn't seem likely to attack her again. She wasn't sure where to start, but the name seemed like a pretty good place. "Who's Bennie?" "He's got the stuff," the man moaned. "Get Bennie!" "Was Bennie at the club?" The man panted and flopped his head back and forth in a loose shake. "Bennie's at the warehouse. He's a Saltie. Man, just go get Bennie!" Jay looked back at Crimson Tiger and mouthed "Saltie?" back at her. The archer was out of her depth and floundering.

Hive Tyrant's Toughness save, vs DC 26. (1d20+9=24) That's another Bruise.