Supercape

Synth Synth paused for a moment in the darkness, to catch his breath. He had at least a few moments to think about his next course of action. He hoped he had an at least vague idea of where he was, but he could not be sure. The important thing was not to run in circles - keep heading broadly the same direction. Despite the pain, he spent an agonising half minute changing his appearance once more. Same clothes, but now the face of a homeless woman in her fifties or more, with life-weathered skin and a nest of grey straggly hair. The smell, when, after chasing along the sewers, it was a perfect fit. She waited for the fire to down down from her bones. Oh, how it hurt - it was only the knowledge that it was transient that made it bearable at all. She felt her teeth grinding together, trying to bite down the scream. It would echo like a trumpet down here. Now, to find the subway. Most refuge collectors were at least vaguely familiar with the subway and sewers of freedom city. Different departments, but they were close enough to be on speaking terms. There were plenty of maintenance hatches and the like leading from one to the other, some so old that nobody even knew about them. It was home to a dozen and more urban myths of insect men and giant mutant alligators. Whilst Synth didn't pay any of them credence, she could not help a sardonic thought about how she didn't want to make any more enemies right now...

GM The sun was a little low in the sky by this time, and just beginning to turn ember. It flickered in a eerie but beautiful way through the thatched twisted trees that formed the serpent. It was hard to be sure; was this a man made structure or had the trees just grown this way? If one was to guess, the latter seemed more likely, even if less comfortable. There was a small fire in the middle, and a few cooking utensils. Various herbs, dead animals, teeth, and skins littered the place on hooks and makeshift furniture. The skin and teeth of snakes seemed the most populous. There was a hazy, sickly sweet smoke coming from the fire. "Welcome" She was young, or appeared young. In her twenties, with deep brown skin, and black hair tied into a singular long braid that reached halfway down her chest. She wore bangles and necklaces and an assortment of jewellery that bordered on the gauche. Her bandana and clothes felt like a mixture of Southern American styles and Native American. Most striking where her eyes; a slight slant and a clear almost sickly yellow iris. She had the taint of mysterious allure but it would be a bold man who fell for her. "What you come for?" she asked, as she turned some meat over on the small fire. It was crackling already. She tossed some more herbs onto the fire itself, which seemed to create another burst of pungent grey smoke.

Ill roll Starshots stealth if needed: Stealth: 1d20+14 27 Not sure if his Helmet super senses pick up anything (Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Extended [Visual] 1, Infravision, Microscopic Vision 2 [Cellular], Radio, Ultravision, X-Ray Vision, Drawback: Power loss [Lead for X Ray Vision] probably not but you never know if it has some fungus on it or some cool IR signature! Providing he is not seen, or appears not be seen, he will be activating using the aim action (in this case, his improved aim feat).

Starshot Grunting, Starshot put on his helmet and activated it: the faceshield coming down and sealing his head. HUDs pinged up in front of his eyes. He paused but a moment to grab his rifle. It might look like an antique WW2 Terran ballistic rifle; in fact, it had been. Now, it was considerably more advanced. "Easy there" he whispered to Gear whilst he moved off to the side, and took cover behind some twisted tree that looked rather purple to his earth eyes. "Take your time..." He pulled up his rifle and took a good look at the Drone through his helmets sensors...

Synth Synth turned into Woolback street, one of the filthiest, smallest streets known to the refuge collectors of Freedom City. It would be tough to get a car down here. He vaulted over one, then two dumpsters, and clear over a mesh gate in a tumbling swoop. He landed like a panther, sweating. He paused just a few seconds, juggling his muscles back to firmness. Less metabolic demand. Evading police would have been relatively easy. AEGIS was another matter, they had already displayed highly sophisticated technology and no doubt were well trained. On his side, he was faster on foot and new the streets of Freedom City better than most. A few seconds adjusting his muscles gave him an idea. Perhaps not the best idea, but he didn't have time to swirl around the risks and benefits of every course of action. He tore loose the manhole below him, dived down, and pulled the manhole cover. The sewers. Dark, and (hopefully) free from surveillance. Now, he couldn't see in the dark, but his uncanny senses gave him a sort of feel for the environment, and he had only developed eyes late when growing. Blindness was not strange to him. Hand to the wall. Cold, masonry, a little damp and even some fungus. His feet in water. His nose assaulted with the worst of smells. And now, as orientated as he could be, time to run...

Tough Save vs Bullets: 3#1d20+10 28 15 20 I believe thats a bruise.

GM "Heroic...ha. Call me heroic when...I mean if I had saved him" she said, with a smile laced with regret. She wiped away ah half tear and smacked another mosquito. She was sweaty and hot. She tensed when Kimo mentioned someone was inside. "What? Well...maybe not surprising. But this feels really strange. I mean..frightening strange" she conceded. "Here, give me that flare gun. I hope we don't need it but...well those Slaughter cousins. They scared me to the bone" she said, almost trembling despite the heat. "They...were evil. I never said that before, not about anyone. I've seen bad men, and women, but always seen a reason for them to be bad. I believe in God, Catholic girl. Never quite believed in evil though, until today..." she shuddered. "Lets get this done then. I don't want to wait around more than I have to..."

Moving all out right now.

Synth His synthetic flesh was little tougher than human, and he could feel the bullet pass through muscle and skin, and even into his spleen. Its just...Synth really didn't need most of his organs, and the bleeding was minimal. His body just took the bullet and kept moving on. Nothing vital injured....it smarted, and a trickle of blood. But nothing to slow him down. And by the looks of things, that was a good thing too. AEGIS agents everywhere. Things had gotten a lot worse, a lot quicker. He vaulted over a car. Perhaps a little cover, but not from the men on the roof tops. Still dark. A small advantage. He knew the streets fairly well, thanks to his job. He sprinted at full speed towards the narrowest streets he could remember. He would be able to outrun anybody on foot, but vehicles were another matter....

Toughness save vs AEGIS: 1d20+10 25

With X Ray vision, you can see a figure inside, female, huddled over a camping stove (and various bits of eldritch witchcraft, herbs, and camping equipment etc). Theology check wont get you much, other than the general realisation that its a temple or at least the very primitive version of it - some kind of place of worship (although you know of no monotheistic deity it could be dedicated to).

Synth "They are true, and I can't take the risk. You seem to be in bed with a terrible scientist, and even if his story is more believable, it remains untrue" he countered. "There is no free will. We are slaves to our circumstance and our nature. You are forced to take action, and so must I. I simply cannot allow the risk of SHADOW finding me" he explained. It was neither particularly aggressive nor apologetic. It was merely his determination forging. "Look into it. Investigate, if you truly are interested in the truth. But you will do it without me" he said. It was an almighty effort to slip off the handcuffs, even with muscles and ligaments as soft as jelly and bones that bent and squeezed, but he did it, with an oily whip of his hands. And, without waiting for a response, he hurtled away, full speed...

Escape Artist check: Escaping from AEGIS handcuffs: 1d20+27 31 Just for the awesome, i will reroll with an HP: Escape Artist Reroll: 1d10+37 41 Just making it!

Can you toss me a Concentration DC 15 roll to maintain the mind reading (given the collision, insects, heat, and terrain)? Incidentally, the terrain is enough to cause a -50% movement penalty (without sure footed), and is officially a "hot" terrain, meaning fort saves every hour. Unlikely to cause a major problem, but for reference.

GM "Heal the sick, same old story" said Rosa, not looking Kimo in the eye. Perhaps out of avoidance. But on the other hand picking their way through the wet lands whilst fighting mosquito's did require attention. It was slow going - at least for Rosa. "I have...had...a brother" she said vaguely. Her thoughts turned to her younger brother, sick with cancer. She had studied so hard, turning to every experimental treatment...every one... "He got sick. Cancer. I guess I turned to oncology to try and help. Pulled a few strings in the department, got him the best experts. Got him the best treatment..." It helped, but he was still dying before my eyes.... "He...he...I'd rather not talk about him, sorry..." she said, visibly upset. "But it gave me a passion for my job. Too many people taken by cancer...." It was he who found the references to the orchid. Even persuaded me it was true. Came out here by his own...what happened? Did the slaughter brothers get him??? She shuddered at the thought. "Lets just concentrate on that tree - serpent. Looks like a shrine to me, but right now I wish the professor had come to tell us about it. There were references to the orchid being revered in certain...cults...." she said, vaguely. She slipped on a tree root, and collided into Kimo. In another circumstance, it might have been a semi romantic comedic event. But this was a less than romantic terrain.

It might be a stretch to escape, but switching to muscle laxity power anyway!

Synth Synth felt a warmth, not anger, but rather the flow of blood to muscles, a quickening of the heart (synthetic as it might be). He was preparing to run. He did not trust AEGIS, or Agent Gold. "I see" he said. "Those three officers were imperilled not by me, but the man you seem to blindly trust. Something is going on here you seen oblivious too, or, worse complicit in. I chased after a scientist who, well known or not, kidnapped me, tried to experiment on me, and shot at me..." An officer in ICU? he felt sick. Had he been too reckless. He made a note to try and save that man. Synthetic cells could help. "Let me make it clear, and for your records. I avoid public and official knowledge of me. I live under the radar. Because SHADOW would love to rip me apart and use my cells for their own gains. You may think I am a threat to society, but imagine a horde of me, under SHADOW's wing. As soon as you cart me away, you are taking a far bigger risk in the long term...."

Starshot Starshot felt a slight unease at the flowing tails of the Alien. Weird. Although he had seen plenty of beasts with multiple limbs, it was odd seeing all those tails moving on a sentient. He grimaced a little at the aliens lack "sporting" comment. I'll judge by actions he concluded. Despite the aliens initial abrasiveness, he had proven honest and forthright, and they were on the same page with Cain. And, frankly, having someone smart enough to work around the technical side of things was a bonus. Gunmonkey wasn't exactly a maestro with the omni-tool. "A drone it is then. Lets see if we can't catch something robotic for once" he agreed, pressing forward with the ATV. He pointed out a few basic features of the Vehicle as it steamed forward, but he gave particular import to the radar and communication systems. "I use this to track animals. Robotics is a mystery to me" he explained, unconsciously flexing his own robotic hand. "I guess you know what you are doing. At least, you know a hell of a lot more than me" he said. He flicked on a switch and the Ride of the Valkyries piped through the music system. He always loved German Opera.

GM Somehow the augmented awareness brought the wetlands to life; the teeming insects, the small fish, the croaking amphibians, even the vibrant flora. There was always the hint of disease about the place, however. And Dr Sanchez was sweating. Perhaps it was the heat. The twisted trees in front of him reeked of magic, in a black and green hue, like rotten wood. Something magic was in them, something magic inside the structure. And something most foul buried below it, in whatever black and green mud and earth lay there. Is he out here? Is he? came the thoughts of Dr Rosa Sanchez. It was full of love, and compassion. And constrained anxiety. Could he have survived? I have to know! If he has...then maybe...just maybe....I can cure him! Her minds eye turned to pages and illustrations of the fabled orchid.

Just to let you know I'm not pushing for ATV action the whole way, but its more to have a base whilst the Xeno goes back into orbit. Let me know if my IC post is ok / not ok and ill edit if need be.

HP - 1 Will Save: Will Save vs Mind Reading: 1d20+6 8 which means mind read, concentration duration (i.e. active until you say so, although given the terrain I may call for a concentration roll to maintain it whilst you move). Ill post IC (imminently) the results.

Starshot "The Jungle then. More cover" decided Starshot, without much enthusiasm but with cutting decisiveness. The Devil and the Deep Blu Sea. But no point debating the merits of one or the other. They will both be difficult. He had no particular wish to damage the Xeno on this harsh world. Instead, he carefully piloted the Xeno to the best spot he could, his eye on the holo-readout. It wasn't what he had wanted, but you had to do the best with what you have. Touchdown. "We aren't going to get far in this terrain, but lets take the ATV out as far as we can" Even if we only get a few hundred yards, its at least equipped with food and water. He showed Gear the way down to the ATV hangar. It was a big ship, and could squeeze in the ATV, although the vehicle was by now means small either. Large Polyrubber tyres, an armoured shell, and enough supplies to last a week. It would be able to crush its way through light vegetation without much bother. How far that would take them...well, he was not hopeful. With Gear by his side, he drove out of the Xeno, and flipped on the communications array to Gunmonkey. "Take her up, Monkey, but stay in touch..." "Shure thing, cowboy" answered Gunmonkey, powering up the Xeno and drifting upwards into the atmosphere. The ATV had a radar and communications array. It might help. But at least they would have a smaller, mobile base even nif they could not get far in it. "Feel free to do your thing" he said to Gear with a smile. "I can drive this thing, even patch it up a little, but I'm no technician" he explained. "I think we are going to have to go on foot sooner or later. We have water and supplies here, but make no mistake, its a savage land with savage beasts. Can you shoot straight?"

Synth The gnawing feeling was there, like heavy ice. I have made a mistake. "Misrepresented? I can't answer that. I don't know how I have been represented in the first place" he answered. "This place is wrong. An unscrupulous place. It lures people here, then experiments on them without permission. I was kidnapped, strapped down, and offered super powers. I didn't hang around to find out what would have happened, but I can assure you they have all the research here. Have you seen the laboratories?" he asked. "I came here to stop it" he said bluntly. "But I see that whatever greed is in this place has somehow got its claws into AEGIS too. So why don't you tell me....why should I trust AEGIS? You seem to be part of this business, and that makes you implicit. So, Jennifer Gold, it is not me you should be worried about. Unless you are in on the scheme too, in which case you should be very worried".

GM "Sure, sure, enjoy the show, Ronald" he said with a smirk. "Amber is up, and she is a swell girl. I'll be watching her. You'll be watching her. And Ill be watching you" he said, pointing at his eyes. "I won't forget you, Son" he said, ostensibly but unconvincingly friendly. The warm up band were scuttling off to the tune of lacklustre applause. The compere announced, with a brightly manner, that "The main attraction, Miss Amber and the Baaaad Beeeat Baaaaand" were up next, to considerably more enthusiastic applause. John caught sight of a woman watching him. And watching Blowfish. And watching him walk away from Blowfish table. Her stare was penetrating but not malign, full of observant curiosity. She was dressed in a professional and cold suit, much like her demeanour. A black suit, a white shirt, undone. Well done smoulderingly black hair, and smouldering black eyes. She was well off, one would say, but not rich. Smart, and with a restrained steely passion. Her eyes did not falter when her gaze met Johns, but kept steady, almost inviting, quizzical, like a candle rather than a fire or warmth.

GM The boat motored along for a while, with little changing. The terrain was getting progressively less wet. The river was running out, replaced by bogs and marsh. The mosquitos became, if anything, more oppressive. They seemed to be larger and thirstier. The Captain seemed to put up a wall of contained fury and bitter stew. He spoke not a word, and didn't even look at his passengers. Rosa pulled out a map, and showed Kimo some landmarks. "Here....we should be close" she mused, scanning both the cartography and the terrain about them. In the distance, they spotted something. It was like a cluster of trees, mangled, broken, and distorted into a giant effigy. No-one was suprised to see that the horribly bent trees and formed the image of a snake. It was a couple of hundred yards from what remained of the river. The terrain was a few feet under water, or barely above it, in patches. Roots and wood poked out of the water everywhere. If one was inclined to climb through them, one could keep one's feet dry. It was, however one looked at it, rather uninviting terrain to hike through. Rosa was glad she had brought sensible hiking shoes. Whilst no athlete, she was in her thirties and in reasonable shape. It would not be an easy walk, but she assured Kimo she could manage it and this did not seem an overestimation of her stamina. "Be careful" said the Captain, who maintained he would wait for them in his boat. He offered Kimo the flare gun, "just in case".