Raveled

Starlight narrowed her eyes at the tanks and sniffed derisively, quite a feat for someone with no nose. They were hardly the most elegant machines she had ever faced, but she had also learned long ago that ugly could be very effective and quite deadly enough. "Quiet," she said to Finnegan, charging power into her hand letting him take a blast of it in the head. With the gunslinger put down, the alien floated into the air and flew out to confront the advancing armor. She quickly wove a curved shield of yellowish energy in front of her, a haze that separated her from the tanks. "I am Starlight," she said, "champion of liberty and compassion. What you are doing here is not advancing the cause of freedom. You are imposing your tyranny and your laws on people that are already free." She pointed past the tanks. "Abandon these machines, that they may be dismantled and the resources used to the common good. Or you shall be destroyed!"

Can I CdG Finny and put him down? In any case, Starlight will fly up to the tanks and switch to her CO AP, putting a wall of energy between her and the tanks, and then try to talk them down. Starlight's Diplomacy check. (1d20+10=14) Man, I need to get her more thanks in this.

Starlight hustled Synth into a side room where they could talk without worrying about members of the crew passing by and seeing them. "They are mercenaries," the alien explained. "They have been hired by... well, do you recall when we met Miss Hawthorne? She was being attacked by those pink blobby things? And I left you behind while I followed one back to its base? Well, it was being controlled by an octopus-like alien that called itself Nes. It seems that Nes' broodmates are accusing me of murder under the laws of the Lor Empire. And these mercenaries have some to collect me."

Tona took the bottle and held it up to her face, staring through the clear material. It didn't feel like glass, and it was far too light for that, anyway. It must be more of that plastic stuff the Freedom League told her about. Her people had never invented anything like that, and while the Furions has some even more wonderous materials, you expected shining silver demigods to be surrounded by wonders. But when she came here, the Freedom League had tried to fill her in on all manner of amazing machines, and she was still trying to process it all. She noticed some condensation dripping off the bottom of the bottle and held it over her mouth, opening wide to catch the drops. Waste not, want not, after all. After that she inspected the top of the bottle. The cap didn't feel like metal, so it must be more plastic, but there were little perforations along the edge. So, taking a chance, the young girl held the bottle steady and twisted with all her strength on the top -- causing it to spin off into the grass of the quad and losing half the water as the bottle spun in her grip. She swore and started sucking water off her fingers, watching Mali carefully. "I'm... I'm sorry that I wasted so much. This is good water."

The young woman appeared totally engrossed in her cat's cradle, but when Benjawan got within a few feet her head snapped up quickly and one hand... well, it tired to fall to her side. It was tied to the other one, though, so instead it just sort of dangled there for a moment. She made a face and wrapped the string so it was only around one hand. By that time, the other woman had already greeted her, so after a moment the new student nodded. "I... would like some water, yes." She had a thick French accent, but as she spoke slowly her words were still perfectly understandable. "I am called Tona. Tona Baudin." She paused and stuck out a hand to shake.

4:56 PM Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012 Claremont Academy, Bayview, Freedom City The city had been in the grip of a heat wave for a full week now, and the weather service wasn't forcasting any relief until the weekend. The dark sedan rolled up the baking, two-lane road towards the walled compound that held one of the city's most prestigious secondary schools. It slowed as it reached the walls of the academy, turning in and quickly finding a parking space. A casually dressed young man and a young woman with a tan climbed out of opposite sides of the car; the young man opened the trunk of the car and pulled out a packed duffel bag and a heavy rolling bag. He set them up next to the young woman and nodded at her. "I'll go get a teacher," he said. "Let them know you're here." With that he struck off towards the central building. The young woman's stooped and hefted the duffel without comment, then dragged it and the luggage into the shade of a nearby tree. She looked around the campus slowly, but aside from a few students walking around (and doing their best not to stare at the new arrival) there wasn't much to see. All the windows facing the quad made her nervous, but it had been mentioned over and over again that she shouldn't attack anyone at Claremont, at least until they asked her to. After a few minutes of standing, shifting her weight from side to side, the young woman dug a length of string from a pocket. She knotted it into a circle and draped it over both hands, pulling it taunt before beginning a complicated cat's cradle.

So, you are reapplying the Snare and then going for a CdG?

Stronghold Player Name: Raveled Character Name: Stronghold Power Level: 7 (105/105 PP) Trade-Offs: None Unspent Power Points: 0 Progress To Impervium Status: 0/150 In Brief: A big man with a big arm trying to keep his little sister safe. Catchphrase: "I'll fight you with one hand behind my back." Alternate Identity: Luther Lionel Lexington (Secret) Birthplace: Bedlam City, WI Residence: Disused warehouse in Wolverton Base of Operations: Wolverton Occupation: Construction, bouncer, various jobs under the table Affiliations: Good News Thunderous Hammer Church of God in Christ Family: Alice Lexington (mother), father (unknown/estranged), Lena (sister) Description: Age: 32 (October, 1983) Gender: Male Ethnicity: African-American Height: 6' 0" Weight: 210 lbs Eyes: Black Hair: Brown Luthor Lexington is a large man with a barrel chest and a heavy build. It would be easy to call him fat, except that he moves with the restrained grace of someone with a lot of power who knows how to use it. He wears a short, neat beard and close-cropped hair, and dresses in clean clothes, usually athletic shirts and old, baggy jerseys and well-patched jeans. His hands are large and calloused and his face is stuck in a permanent scowl. When he goes out on the street with Lena, he wears a similar outfit. The most eye-catching part is a bright red tee-shirt with a black shield on it. He wears a black mask wrapped around his head to hide his identity, and black motorcycle gloves and combat boots. History: Luthor Lexington was born in Bedlam and grew up in Wolverton, amid poverty and discrimination and need. His mother wasn't a very good provider, and at an early age he became responsible for his sister Lena. He did everything he could to keep her safe and warm, and in Wolverton that meant joining a gang. They weren't as high profile as the Devil Rays, but they did a brisk trade by stealing or disassembling cars on the street. One night Luthor ranged wide outside of their normal territory looking for a good mark, and ended up breaking into an up-market SUV too near Stark Hill. The cops caught him, chased him, and arrested him; they charged him with grand theft auto (stealing a stereo), resisting arrest (running away) and assaulting a police officer (throwing a trash can at one of the cops). He was thrown into Bedlam City Jail and waited for his day in court. So he waited, and waited, and waited. Months went by and Luthor didn't have any contact with the outside world. He tried to lay low, but the big man was actively courted by several gangs who had their tendrils in the penitentiary; when he refused to play ball, he was jumped in the shower. Luthor fought back and put a couple of his assailants in the hospital and two charges of assault were appended to his case. It began to look like he would never walk free again and he fell into a deep, dark depression. That was when he met with a trim woman and a fat man who dressed in dark suits that screamed "Fed." They offered him a chance to get out of jail and sidestep the entire trial, a chance to earn enough money to get him and his family out of Bedlam forever. It was the chance of a lifetime and Luthor jumped at it. He was transferred to Bald Hill Penitentiary and placed in solitary confinement, but before long the experiments began. He was cut open and machines were put in him, he was subjected to electric shocks and freezing baths, he was injected with drugs and poisons. At some point he began lifting things with streamers of blue-red energy, and with a little more work (and more 'enticement' by his handlers/torturers) he learned to refine these abilities. Still, the researchers weren't very happy with him and once again Luthor began to wonder again if he'd ever see the sun again. One gloomy day (all days are gloomy in doors) he was shackled and loaded into a van and drove out into the city. His chains were short enough that he could barely get off his bench, but he did his best to watch the city through the barred window in the side of the van. He was probably the first one to see the dump truck that hit them. In a few moments the strict, military air of the group descended into anarchy and gunfire. A tall figure in a hoodie literally tore the door off Luthor's truck and helped him out of the shackles, freeing him and helping him escape into the city. It was a shock when he realized that this was his little sister Lena, all grown up and casually throwing dumpsters around. They caught up, and while Luthor was happy to be free and out of prison he quickly realized that Lena wanted to go further with it. She worked out, took tae kwon do classes at the Y, and sought out injustice in the city. Luthor tried to dissuade her, but years on her own and her growing maturity meant Lena wasn't persuaded. Eventually he was the one who bent; if his sister was going to be risking her life out on the streets, the least he could do was go out with her and try to protect her. Luthor's not as devoted to saving the city as Lena is, but he is devoted making sure she comes back every night, safe and secure. Personality & Motivation: Luthor had learned, though painful lessons, that the world is mostly full of people trying to screw other people over. He doesn't want to be a part of that cycle of hurting and predation, and so he does his best to stay out of it. The problem is that a lot of people on the streets want a big, strong guy like him as an enforcer, so to avoid hurting people Luthor learned to either scare them off or fade into the background. Really, Luthor is tired of all the dirt and grime and crime in his life and just wants to be rid of it all. The one bright spot in his life is his sister. Lena is, to him, a genius that is well on her way to escaping the festering pit that is Bedlam. Luthor's main goal is to help her and provide for her so that one day she can rise over it all and get out of the city, and he will do whatever is necessary for that to happen. Powers & Tactics: Luthor fights by getting in close. He's a brawler, not a tactician, and he will do his best to pick out the most dangerous enemy and engage them directly. At the same time, his biggest goal in a fight is to protect Lena so if anyone is proving a threat to her Luthor will jump straight into their face and start smashing them. If someone is using Movement powers or ranged attacks to stay away from him, he'll pick them up in his hand and shake them like a rag doll. Power Descriptions: Luthor can manifest a spectral arm of pure energy, a red ghost of his left arm that can lift nearly superhuman weights. In addition to lifting and squeezing, he can use it to strike with superhuman strength, or simply bring the arm and oversized hand around to shelter behind it. He can hide an entire crowd behind the energy field of his hand. Complications: Secret Luthor has to keep his identity as Stronghold a secret. The gangs don't care for capes hanging around their neighborhood. Struggling Luthor and Lena are usually running at the edges of their budget. Any extra, sudden expenses could ruin them. Family First Luthor puts his sister's safety first. He'd sacrifice anything or anyone to protect her. Unstable Experiment Stronghold's powers were awakened artificially, and no one can be sure how his implants will react to a particular stimulus. Wanted Man There's still a warrant out for Luthor Lexington, and if he's arrested he'll be in prison for a long time. Anger Mismanagement Time in prison hardened Luthor and taught him to react with violence. He's still working past those instincts, and under pressure he may still lash out without thinking. Abilities: 10 + 4 + 8 + 2 + 0 + 4 = 28 PP Strength: 20 (+5) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 18 (+4) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 10 (+0) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 6 + 6 = 12 PP Initiative: +2 Attack: +3 Melee, +3 Ranged, +7 Psychic Armament Defense: +7 (+3 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +8/+14 Knockback: -3/-6 Saving Throws: 3 + 2 + 4 = 9 PP Toughness: +7 (+4 Con, +3 Protection, Impervious 6) Fortitude: +7 (+4 Con, +3) Reflex: +4 (+2 Dex, +2) Will: +4 (+0 Wis, +4) Skills: 76 R = 19 PP Climb 5 (+10) Concentration 8 (+8) Craft (Mechanical) 9 (+10) Craft (Structural) 9 (+10) Intimidate 10 (+12) Knowledge (Current Events) 4 (+5) Knowledge (Streetwise) 9 (+10) Notice 8 (+8) Search 6 (+7) Sense Motive 8 (+8) Feats: 6 PP Dodge Focus 4 Equipment 2Bronze Reward Interpose Startle Warehouse HQ [10 EP] Size: Medium [1 EP] Toughness: +5 Features: [9 EP] Concealed Fire Prevention System Garage Gym Infirmary Living Space Security System 2 [DC 25] Workshop Powers: 3 + 24 + 8 = 35 PP All powers have the Psychic and Telekinesis descriptors Protection 3 (Personal Forcefield) [3 PP] Psychic Armament 9 (18 PP, Feats: Accurate 2, Alternate Powers 2) [24 PP] BE: Move Object 7 (Str 35, Feats: Chokehold, Extended Reach [10 ft], Improved Grab, Improved Pin, Extra: Damaging, Flaw: Range/Melee) (Energy Arm) [18/18] AP: Damage 7 (Extra: Area/Line [Targeted]) (Liner Punch) [14/18] AP: Impervious Protection 6 (Extra: Affects Others [+1], Area/Burst [Targeted]) (Sheltering Hand) [18/18] Leaping 2 (x5, move action, Extra: Linked [+0] [Speed, Super-Movement) + Speed 2 (25 MPH, Extra: Linked [+0] [Leaping, Super-Movement]) + Super-Movement 2 (Slow Fall, Swinging, Extra: Linked [+0] [Leaping, Speed]) (Telekinetic Grapnel) [8 PP] Drawbacks: (-0) = -0 PP DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 20 Toughness (Staged) Damage Energy Hand 10 ft DC 22 Toughness (Staged) Damage, Grapple Liner Punch Touch DC 22+Autofire Toughness (Staged) Damage Totals: Abilities (24) + Combat (12) + Saving Throws (9) + Skills (19) + Feats (6) + Powers (35) - Drawbacks (0) = 105/105 Power Points

Edited in. After some consideration, added Stunning Attack to the Baton; belting you over the head seems like something one should be able to do with something like that.

Added some Extras to the Acid and Glue arrows to bring them up to 15 PP each. The Bow Array as a whole has Improved Range 1 on it, so all the arrows have a range increment of 1 000 ft, instead of the 500 they would normally have. The normal arrows have an additional rank of Improved Range on them, so their range Increment is 2 500 ft. It's the same as if the character had Improved Critical (Bows) as a feat, and Improved Critical (Bows) in the Device, the two ranks of the feat stack.

Player Name: Raveled Character Name: Blue Jay Power Level: 10/14 (186/218 PP) Trade-Offs: +5 Attack / -5 Damage Unspent Power Points: 32 Progress To Platinum Status: 68/120 In Brief: A refugee from the Terminus, fighting for a beautiful world as hard as she can. Alternate Identities: Antoinette Baudin, Tona Identity: Secret Birthplace: Maine, North America, Earth-Pastoral (Terminus) Occupation: Student, superhero Affiliations: Claremont Academy Family: Jean Blackfoot, aka Lady Liberty, aka Dame Vengence (mother, deceased), Robert Baudin, aka Jail Bird (father) Description: Age: 18 (DoB: March, 1996) Gender: Female Ethnicity: French/Native American Height: 5' 2" Weight: 120 lbs Eyes: Blue-green Hair: Brown Antoinette Baudin is a short, compact woman with a lithe, muscular frame. Her skin is smooth and tanned, and her chocolate-brown hair grows down to her shoulders, curling just at the ends. Her face is round and pleasant, with a small nose, full lips and big ears; most eye-catching, though, are the numerous piercings that adorn her lips, ears, and chin. She normally wears urban camouflage: monochromatic athletic tees devoid of logo or phrases, and pants bearing many, many pockets. When trouble threatens she pulls on a sleeveless Claremont uniform, complete with gloves that leave her thumb bare. Her bow is a matte-black length of carbon fiber, balanced blackened-steel pulleys, and monofilament drawstring. It can fold to a third of its overall length or unfold with a quick jerk. Her mask is molded to fit over her eyes and forehead, and features an elongated 'nose' where most of the active sensors reside. Power Descriptions: Blue Jay has no actual superpowers. Her equipment is a wonder of modern engineering courtesy of ASTRO Labs. Her bow is a length of carbon fiber composite with an artificial spidersilk drawstring that can fold down to a third of its overall length for concealment, but fully deployed it can maintain a seventy-pound draw. The arrowheads can deploy bodkins, broadheads, blunt tips, or frog-catchers as needed, all selectable from a dial near the fletching. She even has a few specialty arrowheads for when she needs to do more than hurt people. Her mask is a mass of active and passive sensors, bouncing IR and UV information off her surroundings, allowing her to zoom in on distant situations, and even tapping into local radio bands. History: Antoinette Baudin does not come from a happy world. Her home used to be verdant and green, an Earth where the Industrial Revolution had faltered at the first steps and as such humanity's spread and depletion of the planet's natural resources happened much more slowly. Of course, it also meant that when the Terminus came the heroes of the world had even less of a chance than most. Many of the planet's protectors died in the first wave; its Lady Liberty eventually rallied the survivors and lead them to retreat into the hinterlands and wilderness, where the Omegadrones' scanners were scrambled by the strange properties of the planet's native flora. For years she led a guerrilla resistance against the occupying forces of the Terminus, even as the world was dragged into the Terminus and made one of the Hundred Worlds. Unending, grueling war changed Lady Liberty, made her darker and harder, transmuted her to Dame Vengeance. The only solace she found was in the arms of a former escape artist and thief turned sniper and assassin, Jail Bird. In time they had a child, naming her Antoinette and teaching her the skills she needed to survive on the run, an heir to an endless, hopeless conflict. In time Dame Vengeance was overwhelmed, leaving it to Jail Bird, Antoinette, and a few determined rebels to stop Omega from stripping their world of the last of its beauty and resources. It all came down to a final, climactic, likely suicidal battle. They would never have succeeded... if their world had not swung to the outermost part of its orbit around Nihlor, prompting the Furions to join in the fray. In the end the largest processing plant on their world was destroyed and tens of thousand proles were liberated. Some of the Furions elected to stay on the planet as it swung out in its orbit again, and Antoinette stayed in the shadow of the Silver Tree. She wasn't to remain there for very long, though. The Furions contacted the only people they knew who had stood against Omega successfully and the Freedom League took Antoinette to Earth. She was quickly enrolled in Claremont Academy and now has the chance to prove how effective her parents' training was in a different kind of war. Personality & Motivation: Antoinette is a withdrawn, private, intense woman. For most of her life silence meant survival, and even if that is not technically true she still falls back on old habits. She can be rather brusque, even rude to others; she grew up in a tight-knit community where social graces were not greatly valued. She will treat individuals with talent respectfully, but she usually demands to see that talent demonstrated, first. Tona fights evil because that's the only life she's ever known; tracking, hiding, and sniping at foes is literally her entire existence, and she can't set it aside anymore than she can give up breathing or exercising. She works intently to make up for her lack of super-powers, secretly afraid of not living up to her own notion of this world's heroes. This can lead her to get reckless if a fight's going against her, as she fears nothing more than failure at something she deems important. Powers & Tactics: Blue Jay knows she can't really stand toe-to-toe with most superopponents and doesn't try to. Her style is to stay in cover and stay at range, peppering her target with arrows from as far away as she can manage. If she has to, she'll retreat and hide, waiting for her opponent to break off the fight, and track them until the terrain favors her again. A favorite tactic is to pin a tough opponent down with a glue arrow and either open up with full Power Attack, or hit them with a couple acid arrows. Complications: Secret Identity Tona strives to keep her life separate from her actions as Blue Jay. Hatred Tona hates the Terminus like only one who has lived there can. Luddite Upbringing Tona grew up without cell phones, the Internet, or even computers. Much of what we take for granted in modern life is magical or miraculous to her. Ammunition Without arrows, Blue Jay's bow is useless. While she tries to make sure she always has enough on hand, in an extended fight she could run out. Wrathful Blue Jay was one of the heroes replaced by the Curator in preparation for the Day of Wrath. While she has been officially declared free of all charges, her public image may not be so easy to repair. Abilities: 5 + 14 + 8 + 0 + 6 - 2 = 31PP Strength: 15 (+2) Dexterity: 24 (+7) Constitution: 18 (+4) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 16 (+3) Charisma: 8 (-1) Combat: 14 + 12 = 26PP Initiative: +15 Attack: +7 Base, +15 Strike, +15 Bows Grapple: +10 Defense: +10 (+6 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -5, -2 Flat-Footed Saving Throws: 4 + 5 + 4 = 13PP Toughness: +10 (+4 Con, +6 Defensive Roll), +4 Flat-Footed Fortitude: +8 (+4 Con, +4) Reflex: +12 (+7 Dex, +5) Will: +7 (+3 Wis, +4) Skills: 172R = 43PP Acrobatics 8 (+15) Skill Mastery Climb 12 (+15) Skill Mastery Concentration 7 (+10) Craft (Mechanical) 5 (+5) Disable Device 10 (+10) Escape Artist 13 (+20) Intimidate 12 (+11) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 5 (+5) Languages 2 (Algonquin, French [Native], English) Medicine 7 (+10) Notice 12 (+15) Skill Mastery Perform (Dance) 2 (+1) Search 15 (+15) Skill Mastery Sense Motive 12 (+15) Sleight of Hand 3 (+10) Stealth 17 (+24) Survival 17 (+20) Swim 13 (+15) Feats: 45PP Accurate Attack Acrobatic Bluff All-Out Attack Attack Specialization (Bows) 4 Attack Specialization (Strike) 4 Benefit (Native: Terminus) Challenge 2 (Accelerated Climb, Fast Acrobatic Bluff) Critical Strike Defensive Attack Defensive Roll 3 Dodge Focus 4 Equipment 1 Evasion 2 Favored Enemy (Robots) Favored Environment (Forest) Hide in Plain Sight Improved Critical 2 (Bows) Improved Initiative 2 Improvised Tools Luck Move-By Action Power Attack Ranged Disarm Ranged Pin Skill Mastery (Acrobatics, Climb, Notice, Search) Takedown Attack Track 3 (Full Speed; Visual) Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) Equipment: 1PP = 5EP Camera [1EP] MW Rope [1EP] MW First-Aid Kit [1EP] Handcuffs [1EP] Mini Tracer [1EP] Powers: 13 + 8 + 1 + 4 + 3 = 29 PP Device 4 (20 PP, Easy to Lose, Feat: Subtle [Collapsible]) [13PP] (Bow & Quiver) Bow Array 7.5 (15 PP, Feat: Alternate Power 4, Improved Range 1 [x2]) [20PP] BE: Blast 3 (Extra: Autofire [5], Feat: Improved Range 1 [stacks for 2 (x5 for 150 ft)], Mighty 2, Variable Descriptor [slashing, Piercing, Bludgeoning]) [15/15PP] (Arrow Flurry) AP:]/u] Blast 3 (Extra: Area [Targeted, Shapeable] Feat: Mighty 2, Progression [Area, 2 5' Cubes per Rank], Variable Descriptor [slashing, Piercing, Bludgeoning]) [15/15PP] (Arrow Against the Crowd) AP: Drain Toughness 5 (Extra: Affects Objects [+1], Ranged) [15/15PP] (Acid Arrow) AP: Snare 5 (Extra: Contagious) [15/15PP] (Glue Arrow) AP: Leaping 1 (x2, Move action, Extra: Linked [speed, Super-Movement, +0]) [1PP] + Speed 1 (10 MPH, Extra: Linked [Leaping, Super-Movement, +0]) [1PP] + Super-Movement 2 (Slow Fall, Swinging, Extra: Linked [Leaping, Speed, +0]) [4PP] [6/15PP] (Magnetic Grapple Arrow) Device 2 (10PP, Hard to Lose) [8PP] (Mask) Super-Senses 3 (Extended 1 [100 ft increments], Infravision, Ultravision) [3PP] Super-Senses 2 (Distance Sense, Time Sense) [2PP] Super-Senses 1 (Radio) [1PP] Communicate 3 (1 000 ft, Radio, Feat: Subtle) [4PP] Feature 1 (Temporal Inertia) [1PP] Strike 3 (Feats: Mighty) (4PP) (Espadas Self-Defense) Super-Strength 1 (Effective Str 20, Feat: Innate) (3PP) (Grueling Training) Drawbacks: 0 = 0PP DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 20 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Arrow Flurry Ranged DC 20 Toughness + Autofire (Staged) Damage (Physical) Arrow Against the Crowd Ranged/Area (Shapeable) DC 20 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Acid Arrow Ranged DC 15 Fortitude Drain Toughness Glue Arrow Ranged DC 15 Reflex Ensnared Abilities (31) + Combat (26) + Saving Throws (13) + Skills (43) + Feats (45) + Powers (29) - Drawbacks (0) = 186/218 Power Points

"Exactly!" Jessica threw her hands into the air, the light catching her bracelet/watch and glinting. "It's Freedom-damn-City, you know? Maybe carrying a can of mace works in New York, but here we do things a little differently." She laughed and brushed her auburn hair back from her face; finding a kindred soul had let her really relax, and she was feeling a lot better about this upcoming confrontation. She turned to the young man and extended her hand. "Jessica Parker, by the way."

Liz nodded along with the officer's story. Chico had been attacked by the imposter later. Aloud she said to Moshe, "So you weren't the target at all, then? It would explain why the Penitent fled rather than face a combined police threat." She turned to Lucy, asking a question with her eyes. "I think we have all we need now, Officer Moshe. Although if you could, do you think your partner would be up to answering questions?"

Liz was not, in truth, overly impressed with Freedom City; it had a goodly number of people with interesting powers, yes, but at the end of the day it was simply one place in the galaxy. There were Lor settlements that Freedom City would have been lost in, and Starlight had walked their streets (and fought through their airspace, to tell the truth). "I couldn't imagine not being... my other half," she admitted, still toying with the water bottle. "It's what I do, you know? Wake up, eat, go... out onto the streets." She smiled faintly. "As for staying in Freedom City... no. The world's too big to be in one place your whole life." She grinned toothily at her friend. "If you make it big here, you'll be touring all of the world. Still think you'll be calling Freedom home then?"

"Well, my mother," Jessica spat, "seems to think that how I spend my time is every bit her business. That being a superhero is far too dangerous an occupation for the heir to the empire. Or maybe I should be working on my PhD instead of doing practical things at the Lab!" The elevator arrived and the doors opened with a ding. Jessica charged the interior of the cab, reaching out with her mind to trigger the control for the highest floor. "If I let her, she'd probably make an itinerary for my entire day, with a full hour blocked out for sitting quietly in a room with no sharp objects around."

So he was a customer. Or at least the son of a customer, which meant that with luck he would be a customer himself in a few years. She pressed the call button for the elevator and stepped back to wait. "Yes, well. This is a bit smaller of an order than Dawes Tech usually fills, I'll admit, but it still should have been ready by now. I'll bet you I know why it's late, too." She sighed and shook her head. "Ever get the feeling your parents would be a lot happier if they could just be you?"

Jessica glanced at the young man as she kept walking. Her first instinct was to brush him off in irritation, but she quashed that. This man wasn't the cause of her problem, and blowing up to a random person wouldn't impress her mother. Heck, all things considered he was a customer, so it wouldn't help Dawes Tech, either. Besides, he was kind of cute, if you didn't mind the silver hair. "A very small thruster unit," she explained, "of my own design. It puts out in the area of five thousand, eight hundred newtons per second per second. And for some reason it's a week overdue." She shook her head and muttered, mostly to herself, "I provided very clear plans..."

Ms. Scarlet stepped forward, rolling her arms and causing a length of coiled metal to fall from her right hand. She grinned at the senior hero and swung the whip with ease, raising sparks from the floor and ceiling. She showed her teeth and snapped the metal left and right, almost to fast to see; and on the next pass a twist of her wrist brought the entire length up and crashing onto Wail's shoulders. "Dear oh dear," she said. "Not quite as fast on your feet as you used to be?" Sidestep, for her part, vanished from the room entirely. Ironclad only barely noticed her reappearing behind them, in the sewer, just long enough to note the glowing bundle of energy between the woman's hands. She winked at the inventor and the purple energy contracted, then exploded in a deafening, blinding roar. Wail was facing the wrong direction and Scarlet was shielded by his bulk, but Ironclad's wrap-around sensors caught the full blast. The young hero stumbled into a wall as her sensors whited out and shut down. Inside the armor, she squeezed her eyes shut and once again debated the wisdom of making the face plate a single, unbroken piece. The fact that her ears were ringing loud enough to drown out any ambient sound was a further irritant. Still, she had planned for this -- a quick mental command and the suit sent out a strong pulse of radio waves. The return on the steel walls and Scarlet's whip were strong, as radar always was off metal, but even Sidestep was picked out in a ghostly fashion. Sidestep danced around the disabled inventor, laughing to herself. "Oooh, oooh. Not so fancy when someone pokes you in your all-around eye, are y--" The metal-clad fist caught her entirely off-guard and ended up propelling the criminal to the opposite side of the sewer tunnel. Ironclad pulled herself upright. She turned to Sidestep, enunciating carefully since she couldn't hear herself speak. "Next time, try just punching the problem."

Ironclad has +5 Ini, so she goes first. Initiative 20 -- Scarlet -- Uninjured -- GM 18 -- Sidetrack -- Uninjured -- GM 15 -- Ironclad -- Bruisex2, Fatigue -- HPx4 15 -- Wail -- Uninjured -- HPx2 Scarlet will start off by swinging at Wail. Scarlet's melee attack check, vs Wail's Def. DC 28 Tou (1d20+15=31) That will hit handily. Sidetrack will do what she does best and try to blind Ironclad. So that's a DC 18 Ref saved and a DC 18/14 Fort save. Ironclad's Reflex save, vs DC 18. (1d20+6=9) No on that. Ironclad's Fort save, vs DC 18. (1d20+7=12) And very much no. So Ironclad is blind. Well, she'll switch to her Radar Super-Sense and show the teleporter why it's a bad idea to come into melee range with a nice big punch. Ironclad's melee attack check, vs Sidestep's Def. DC 27 Tou (1d20+11=28) That will hit. Sidestep's Toughness save, vs DC 27. (1d20+4=16) Well she's not out, but she is Staggered + Dazed. Okay, Wail is up! I need a DC 28 Tou save from him, first off.

I'm fairly certain that Quick Change 2 as Equipment will not fly. That's any outfit you can imagine as a free action; even Quick Change 1 as Equipment is probably pushing it.

According to the boards he's logging in, I just don't know why he isn't posting.

Highfollower works. You could contact him over the phone, or someone could take a trip up to Boston. Both Jubatus and Ages Lost can get there in a little less than a half hour.

Starlight nodded. "Very well, then. I trust you'll be able to find me when it's time." She stood and walked out of the conference room, looking around quickly. She started wandering the ship almost at random, testing to see how far her security clearance would let her get while simultaneously being as courteous as possible to the crew. In truth she was trying to meet up with Synth; tracking down the other shapeshifter would be all but impossible, so Starlight had decided to simply make herself visible and let the other heroine make contact.

Initiative time! Ironclad's Ini. (1d20+5=15) Sidetrack's Ini. (1d20+6=18) Ms. Scarlet's Ini. (1d20+9=20) Well, that doesn't bode well. In the interest of transparency, Ms. Scarlet has been outfitted with a powered suit to bring her up to PL 14; she still has +15 Att and +15 Def, but she does +13 Dam with her whip and her Toughness is +13.

"Loud it is," Ironclad agreed with a nod. The heroine stepped back, aiming both wrist blasters at the door. There was a pause, then Wail could hear a low humming fill the tunnel. The armor's blaster apertures glowed brighter and brighter, as more and more sub-atomic particles were gathered there and given an ionic charge; then Ironclad let them go all at once and the entire fusillade smashed into the door, vaporizing it in a shower of metal fragments and smoke. The entrance was obscured, but the heroes could clearly hear a woman's voice say, "As you wish, my lord." A few moments later the smoke cleared and they could see that beyond the door lay a single large room, maybe half the size of the warehouse above. It was walled in steel, and a projector screen several feet across was just folding into the wall. In the middle of the room was a pair of women; the taller one had mocha-colored skin and wore a red-and-black bodysuit that covered her from her neck all the way down. Her dark hair was bound up in a ponytail and hung down her back. The other woman was clearly of Asian descent and wore a shimmering silver bodysuit that left her right leg and the opposite arm free. She tugged on a fingerless gloves as the heroes made their presence known. Off to one side was a large steel birdcage with a human form crumpled on the floor -- Wail's student. The darker-colored woman sniffed sharply and looked the heroes up and down. "Should have known those mercenaries weren't good for anything but a distraction," she said. "Sidetrack, why don't you take our new acquisition and meet me at facility Seventeen?" The Asian woman nodded curtly. "Right away, Ms. Scarlet." She took a step towards Desmaris, but a quick blaster bolt from Ironclad stopped her dead in her tracks. "It's not nice to leave the party before it's over... Sidetrack, was it?" Sidetrack sniffed and turned to face the armored heroine. "Ironclad, isn't it? Let's see if I can fry those eyes out of your head, hm?"