KnightDisciple

"No, wait. Something's not right." Corbin was still staring at the spot on the table where Rogue's face had been. A deep frown marred his features as he spoke, still unmoved from his spot against the wall. "While coming here in the hurry we did was a bit reckless, I felt it was a worthwhile risk considering the danger to the people here. But now? Something's going on. She's playing us, I wager. Think about it. Sharl listed four sites with blocks or troubles. Broadcast center, plankton processing center, militia headquarters, and oxygen recyclers. Food and air, military protection, and information flow. She's hitting all the lifelines of this place. But she's drawing attention to the least important one. Because she knows he'll go charging in. The question is whether she knows he's got all of us with him or not. But...we might need to split up. Cover more ground. Those three are headed for the broadcasting center. Theoretically the three of us could cover the other three locations. But I don't like that. What do you think, Eve, Koshiro? Do we stick together and hit those places one by one? Or do we split up?" He turned to face Sieva, giving her a concerned look that he hoped gave her a bit of comfort. "Your brother can be almost as boneheaded as me sometimes, but I think he'll be fine with the other two helping him. But we need you to help us. We don't know where anything is here...can you help us out? Show us a map or something?"

GM Post "Arrowhawk is correct, Gabriel. Control the anger. Don't let it control you. Remind yourself of what you'll have to return to when you go home." He signaled the man operating the projector, and it faded out, even as a few Resistance members came into the meeting room and stood at the ready. "I'll have someone take you to your double's personal armory, then to our general armory. I'll get you what information we know on powers, skills, and so forth in about an hour. It will be available to any and all who want it. Jill, we'll have someone get you to the infirmary now, and to any other supply stores you feel a need to access. Your brother is welcome to accompany you, or we can guide him to a gym, sleeping quarters, whatever he feels he needs at the moment." He gave Jessica an inscrutable look. "Yes. She made it. She and Sonya bolted it on themselves. Feel free to work with her on any devices you feel will be useful. That don't involve orbital flight." The expression he flashed might almost be considered a smile to some, but it quickly faded. "One thing to make clear: there will be a portion of this mission where you cannot be in costume. You will have to go in civilian identity. We can provide makeup, image inducers, or the like for you. For Gabriel they will be required; my face, my pre-scarring face, is too widely known otherwise. The rest of you could probably get away with minimal work. If it wasn't obvious, though, your primary concern for identity concealment is each other, not us. Here, secret identities are rarely a luxury we possess. You'll have the journey to make your minds up, though. Spare clothes and the like will be provided as you need them." Slowly, carefully he stood, grabbing a sturdy cane provided by one of the aides. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go sleep off the body-wide agony I'm experiencing. Good day, ladies and gentlemen." With that, he left the room, though the various aides stood ready to help guide the heroes to their desired destinations.

Corbin raised an eyebrow at Sharl's rather terse response to his remark. "Ooookay. Fair enough. You get the idea, though." His next thoughts were kept private, like pressing "mute" on a phone. 'Geez it's mostly just a figure of speech. It's like I insulted his mother or something. I was trying to be friendly! I know he's tense, but this is kind of silly' He lapsed into somewhat uncomfortable silence on the rest of the trip. As they traveled, it was clear he wasn't a huge fan of the rather narrow corridors; he kept having to move to one side or turn his body sideways to let people past. He was glad when they at least got somewhere they could stop moving through long boxes that served as poor substitutes for streets around some of these too-tall buildings. When they stepped inside, Corbin gave Sharl's sister a friendly smile and a slight bow at the waist. As cranky as Sharl was, and as little as he knew of this place's culture, he wasn't going to try shaking her hand. Sharl would probably punch him, and they didn't need a brawl in here. "Nice to meet you, ma'am. My name's Corbin. I have the honor of working with your brother." He looked around the room/apartment, raising an eyebrow at the refreshingly open design. He finally picked a spot along the wall and leaned against it, trying and failing to not take up too much space with so many people in so little an area. "Indira's kind of got a point. Good nothing's gone down yet, but kinda hard to figure out what might be planned to go down, or where." When Kimber smacked into the wall, he started to move to help, but settled back against the wall when Koshiro moved to help her.

BRIGHTEST DAY'd BY GIZMO Cobalt Templar These are kind of a long time coming. Anyways. Minor change: Increase Age to 18 Mechanical: 7 PP to spend... 2PP to increase Attack by 1. Attack is now 12. 1PP to buy Dodge Focus 1 Defense goes up to 7, Flat Footed stays the same. The other 4PP go into Now is: Device 21 (99/105PP Container, Flaws: Hard-To-Lose, Feats: Restricted 2) [86PP] (Power Ring [Blessed/Holy, Magic]) (Didn't know I had that extra PP for the container. wacky) 6PP to spend inside the Device First thing to do: 2PP: Increase Holy Fire Control to Rank 12. Increase the Blast to Rank 12 Increase the Area Damage to 12 (the one labeled a Strike). Next: 2PP: Increase Enhanced Strength to 12. Thus: Strength: 28/16 (+9/+3) And within his Large form, his Strength would total 34 with a +12 bonus. Final 2PP spend: Increase Enhanced Con to 12 Thus: Constitution: 28/16 (+9/+3) and Toughness: +17/+3 (+9/+3 Con, +8 Protection and Fortitude: +11/+5 (+9/+3 Con, +2) Done, all PP spent. BRIGHTEST DAY'd BY GIZMO

Another note: Currently, everyone's on-track for 1 Hero Point extra when we get to a point you can spend them. If we run across situations you feel merit another one, make it known in here. :)

Gabriel listened passively as the other him explained some of the situation, what could and couldn't be done, made promises about supplies, and so on; all the mundane parts of leadership, it seemed. Then he got the answer to the question, and almost wished he hadn't. For several moments, he sat there in shock, his exposed skin almost as white as his costume. Then he stood suddenly to his feet, his hands all but slamming the table, which hummed a bit beneath his open palms. If the others looked, they'd see cracks forming in concentric circles around Gabriel's hands, thousands of tiny microfissures forming strange patterns as he physically pushed down into the metal just a bit. "I don't care about the others, but All-Star is MINE. I'll be sure he's not a threat to even a flea when we're done." The sheer anger, nay, hatred with which those words were uttered were uncharacteristic for Gabriel, or at least this Gabriel.

GM Post Scarred-Gabriel pondered Ironclad's suggestion for a few moments before shaking his head. "Not enough materials. Besides, we're basically in the middle of a quarter-mile high underwater mountain where the peak is still another quarter-mile under water. We don't have a physical place to launch from. Maybe, maybe if you stripped every sub we had and most of our non-life-support gear you could cobble something like that together, especially since Jessica's here on-base. The two of you could probably build just about anything. But we don't have the manpower to strip our subs like that, and we can't afford to. This base serves as one of our main hubs, especially for operations in South America, Australia, and Antarctica. Besides, I don't know what kind of anti-air defenses the Doktor and Americana have cooked up, and I'd rather not have you all find out the hard way. Either method gets you there with little advance warning. But going on the ground at least gives you a chance of getting further before getting found out. Plus, it's hard to say what that sort of impact might trigger; you should know how some scientists can be with playing with volatile substances. I'd be worried about fallout on the rest of the city. At least damage from the inside might have some control." He turned to face Arrowhawk. "Your counterpart left plans and instructions for a case similar to this one. He was nothing if not thorough. Anything you feel you need that we don't have, let me know, I'll see what we can do. We should be able to fabricate it here, or on the way." He looked at all of them for a moment. "Jessica, our Jessica, will be going with you the whole way. She'll continue to brief you on the journey over, as well as helping with final equipment preparation. As well, once on the ground, she'll work to establish Mission Control, though don't rely on a lot of continuous communication. I'd wager at this point they may even have some sort of method of keeping Gabriel's communication out, or rendering it less effective. More difficult to pick it out, though." He turned to Jack and Jill, his eyes strangely dualistic; one moment they were like a battle hardened commander, the other they were just...dead. "You can sort among yourselves how you confront your enemies on the field, so long as you beat them. Which I have full confidence you can; while some of them will be formidable, others likely won't stand up as long as they'd like to think they will. As for medical supplies, our infirmary has several emergency field kits available. It's amazing the things you can get lost in paperwork when you know how to talk to people." He once more regarded the group as a whole. "I must emphasize again this is a single mission, not a campaign. But this mission will surely restore the balance. Which means we'll at least have a chance, which is more than we could have asked for with this thing reaching completion." He then turned to Gabriel, a grimace across his features.

Gabriel had been quieter than average for him. The fact that his interdimensional "brother" had done a fair bit of talking probably "balanced the scales". Of course, it was that very same talking that made him so quiet. After all, it was shocking enough to see himself so broken, but to see the woman he cared deeply about (loved?) nearly as bad, and hear that his family hadn't wholly survived? Add onto it the fact that here there were heroes playing villain, and it was enough to make just about anyone stop and take a think. "What do we know about the attitude of the average person on the street right now? How hard would it be to talk at least some of the guards down from trying to fight us?" He gave Ironclad a slightly cautious look. "I don't know about shoving us into orbit and then slamming us back down. I don't think collateral damage would be an issue, but would we have barf bags strong enough? Besides, it sounds like both plans involve surprise, really. It's just how we achieve that surprise that changes." Finally, he asked the question he had to ask, yet part of him dreaded the answer. He asked it subtly, such that only his "brother" heard him.

Corbin couldn't help but grin at Kimber's enthusiasm and joy, as well as the reactions of the others. Sage's question made him chuckle a bit. "That would be fun, though I guess I'd have to take the ring off for it to be very thrilling." When they reached the elevator, Corbin tried to slide in first or second and shove himself in a corner, or along the back wall. He gave an embarrassed grin to his friends. "Probably best if I try to keep my absurd bulk to the back, at least, despite how small or malleable some of you are. Gonna feel like a clown car when we're done here." As Sharl talked about wanting to see his family, he nodded. He started using the mental link like Sage suggested. --I hear you, Sharl. We'll be subtle and all, at least for now. At least we shouldn't get hungry in here; I'd hate to try and make your folks cook enough to add me to the table. Anyways, we're here to help. Just let us know how.-- When Kimber asked her question, he couldn't help but let his mind drift a bit. He started mentally humming a tune that may not be familiar to anyone else. --Put one foot in front of the other...And soon you'll be walkin' 'cross the floor...--

"You're kicking butt and taking names, Ghost Girl! You and Papercut both!" Cobalt Templar willed the construct-him to grin broadly and give a thumb's up to both his teammates, while casually lifting one huge foot and smashing it down on the Dark Young in front of him like a hydraulic breaker, the ground likely compressing a bit beneath the creature. "Wraith's right, that lady's too crazy to call these beasties off. We'll just have to smack them down like we did the last one." He himself had noticed how skilled the Headmaster was, but he felt it wisest to not pry too deeply. Somehow, he instinctively knew that Summers would know, and that he'd lose a game of "I know you know" faster than Kansas lightning. "You guys don't think any of them ran off into the woods already, do you? They'd be a pain to try and track down, even with a small army, as thick as these woods are..."

Third verse, same as the first. Free Action: All-Out Attack 5: Defense Bonus is 1, Attack is 16 Power Attack 5: Attack is 11, Save DC is 31 Standard Action: Smash Dark Young 3! 26 ought to hit. DC 31 Toughness Save.

Not going to be an awesome month this time, either. I blame work. Gabriel Earth Victoriana: Deliver Us From Evil: 2 IC Posts Scrier's Masquerade: 6 IC Posts GM Posts Scrier's Masquerade: 6 GM Posts, equivalent 3 IC Posts. NOTE: All GM Posts go to Gabriel Cobalt Templar Change is Necessary for Growth: 5 IC Posts It's Gonna Be The Future Soon: 10 IC Posts Count: As of 10:58pm CST Jan 31

Gabriel shrugged, then willed his traditional costume into place. He'd get some other clothes once they were back in their home dimension, and then he'd got get a "check up". Carefully, slowly, he lowered himself into the pod, making sure to put the buckles into place without disturbing the worst of his wounds. "I didn't really bring anything besides what I've got on now, so I'm ready. Just...be careful when you get settled in, please." He braced himself to share the pod that really needed at least one more seat, before gesturing for Carrie to follow. "This probably will be less fun with fresh wounds." Once she was in and the pod triggered, he closed his eyes and rode out the waves, quickly finding his mind lost in a short Shakespearean monologue. ------------------------------------------------- Once they arrived and the spinning stopped, Gabriel politely waited for Carrie to climb out and most likely finish emptying her stomach. He gave her a weak grin and a hasty salute. "It was interesting working with you, Carrie. Be safe. And try not to call me to that upside-down world unless it's truly dire, hm? Seems like it's poor for my health." And with a rush of wind, he was gone. Probably to get patched up by one of the lady healers he knew.

To be somewhat fair, cheetahs are probably one of the least strong of the great cats. Which is probably why this guy's about speed, not power.

GM Post Whatever truth may have been in the words of Ironclad and Arrowhawk, this Gabriel no longer seemed to care. Almost before the bow-wielding marksman was done speaking, the scarred man gave an annoyed grunt and slashed a hand through the air in a "be quiet" gesture. "Look. We're getting distracted. The point is, we're still looking at a project that will likely threaten multiple dimensions, given time. I mean, when they start hooking some of their psychics with minor technopathy up to that monstrosity, I wouldn't be shocked to see them start bending the laws of physics." He looked at Ironclad for a moment, shaking his head a bit as he answered her earlier question/statement. "You can't win our war. The four of you are here to do nothing but utterly destroy and ruin this project. You've been picked because we've seen what all of you can do. You're solid fighters, and more than that between all your skills you will be able to gain entry into the complex. Worst case, Gabriel can simply sing the whole place down around their heads." He seemed to lose focus for a moment, though the other Gabriel might pick up his voice floating through the air to call for some extra equipment. In less than a minute, a half-dozen men and women brought in a small laptop with an odd attachment, as well as some tablet PCs for everyone to examine. A few moments of quick typing on one of the worker's part got a translucent blue-green hologram floating above the table. The other workers hurried from the room, but the one operating the projector took a seat as his leader continued. As he spoke, the display shifted to show the various things he spoke on. "Right now we're in an underwater base embedded in the ocean floor in the South Pacific. If you can't tell, we're close to one of the fictional sets of coordinates for R'lyeh. This was actually going to be a research base for Mastermind's government, but it got "lost in the shuffle" and then deemed "unworkable". At any rate, we'll get you from here to North America by one of our better submarines." The display indicated a landing in Panama. "A quick hike over Panama leads to a boat that will bring you to a boat that carries you to Freedom City. We're doing our best to speed this along. I'm thinking you get there in about 3 days." The projection zooms in to Freedom City itself, which looks somewhat different than what the heroes recall. "I'm strongly recommending you all go in civilian identities for some of the distance. Some adjustments will need to be made for Gabriel, but beyond that you all should be fine. None of the rest of you are well-known enough that you can't get by without notice by the average citizen. Avoid security forces no matter the cost." His eyes were as hard as Arctic ice as he spoke. "You may see a very sad city when you get there. You'll be moving through non-meta territory for a while; despite the pretty picture Mastermind paints, they don't get nice things a lot of the time. But they typically don't care about much of anything, if you don't make a show about it. Just pass through, you'll be fine. When you get to the edge of the neighborhood where the complex is, you'll want to change into work clothes, I imagine. Won't be many civilians, mostly guards, soldiers, and a few mercs. Hopefully that's all there is; most of those would be low level metas, or particularly loyal non-metas." The complex was highlighted on the map, a huge sprawling building. "It's locked down pretty tight, but it's not a military fort or a supermax prison. Freedom City's been calm for a couple years now; the Fight is on other fronts. They've been going for mostly quantity over quality..." Suddenly, a pair of familiar pictures appeared. "Assuming the two leads on the project aren't present. Doktor Archeville and Miss Americana are brilliant scientists...and rather potent forces on the battlefield. I've tangled with here once or twice in-costume; she's rather ruthless about how she goes about things. The Doktor's a bit more merciful, but I think it's because Mastermind subverted him when he helped wrench some sort of evil alternate personality out of him a couple decades ago. He's in it for the science and the chance to "provide a better world and future". True believer and all that, though I guess the flag-girl is too, though truer to her boss's actual vision. They're the co-leaders of the Interceptors, Mastermind's premier public anti-Resistance force. He's got people who are better at dirty jobs and wetworks floating around, but these folks do the high-profile fights. They've got several sub-teams floating around, but right now this is who they have assigned to the mad scientist duo." Three more pictures appeared. "Edge is a member of the Lucas family, who gladly kiss up to Mastermind's whole group. He's a pretty potent reality warper, but a bit dim-witted. All-Star tried to get his own team, but...well, he's hot-headed, and no brighter than Edge. Still, bit of a powerhouse. Basically this group's muscle. Razorwing is one of the reasons I wanted you here, Arrowhawk. He can take some of our own non-meta agents, but I have a feeling you can lock him down pretty well, and basically outwit him. More physical skill than mental, though by no means stupid. They may be one step up from a Saturday morning cartoon on the surface, but this team shouldn't be taken lightly. I've seen them decimate teams of agents sometimes. I think all of you are skilled enough and powerful enough to not only give them pause, but beat them. Which is good, because they're likely going to be your one real challenge in destroying the Quantum Supercomputer. If they're not there, it'll go easier. Plan for them to be there." He looked at each of them. "Questions about the operation?"

Corbin could have said a lot of things in response to Eve, but ultimately it wasn't time time or place. A sad expression briefly crossed his face as he glanced her way, before finishing getting the suit on himself and getting himself in position on the chair. Before he knew it there was a feeling like falling down through a tunnel, the air crackling with static. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When he appeared alongside the others in Tronik, he had to shake his head to clear the cotton between his ears, and blink the spots from his eyes. "That kinda tickled." He looked down at himself, and couldn't help but smirk. Black jeans, black cowboy work boots, black denim shirt, all covered by a heavy-duty black duster. The black teashades were just the icing on the cake. He glanced around, before flexing his right hand, a brief flare of blue fire leaving him feeling instantly calmer. "This is Sharl's home. Only thing I can think of is see if there's any major escapades going down yet, or if they're lying low. Beyond that, he's the man with the contacts and the local geography lessons."

Ok, before I let myself get too frustrated, or feeling like I'm going in a circle, I'm going to ask the three of you some stuff. 1.)Are you at all pleased with where things stand at the moment? 2.)How do you want to proceed from here? I'll expand on 2 a bit. a.)Part of me envisioned them all having to move around in civilian identities (this is super-easy for Gabriel and Ironclad, somewhat easy for Jack and Jill, and I don't know how easy for Arrowhawk). Is this a no-sell for anyone? b.)Right now, my general "timeline" is: -Leave Resistance base -Move through civilian area as civilians -When close to government outpost, they then bust in. Perhaps Arrowhawk sneaks in? They can probably plan as they go. -Inside, they discover there's a section with prisoners (Perhaps they were testing prototypes of the Quantum Supercomputer by having them predict how certain prisoners would try to escape for the next 7 attempts or some such). Including MM!Arrowhawk (who's all but entombed in concrete by this point). None of the prisoners can contribute to the on-screen fight, but they can help cause havoc, then escape back to the Resistance. -Meanwhile, the heroes approach the QS, only to fight...well, you'll see. :twisted:

The assault by the twisted headmistress left Cobalt Templar reeling for a few moments, but he quickly shook his head, clearing the spots from his eyes. Seeing that Papercut and Ghost Girl had things well in hand, he shot them a grin. "Great work you two!" He turned back to the Dark Young that was in front of him. He really hoped it wasn't actually some poor, twisted student who'd shapechanged too far. But he was committed to the fight, now. "You should take a nap, or whatever it is crazy flesh-tree-things take." He then slammed both hands into what was roughly the middle of the creature, the force enough to probably snap a regular tree in half. On such an amorphous being, it would probably only give it a few moment's pause.

Going for Dark Young 3 again! Free Action: All-Out Attack 5: Defense Bonus is 1, Attack is 16 Power Attack 5: Attack is 11, Save DC is 31 Standard Action: Smash Dark Young 3! 24, which equals... A hit! A fine hit! DC 31 Toughness Save from Dark Young 3.

"Koshiro's right." Those words were uttered without a single trace of sarcasm, without a touch of anything that would suggest they were insincere. Corbin turned and gave Eve a flat look. "More than that. We're heroes, Eve. We don't wantonly murder sentient beings like that. Even if they happen to lack a meat body. That's a heavy line to cross, and one we know the Centurion would not cross lightly. Only under the most dire of circumstances. This isn't like fighting Omegadrones. This isn't like Friendly. This isn't even like the barely-sapient Meta-Grues that flooded the city. This is a thinking, feeling sentient being. Just because she's non-organic doesn't make her less of a person. Is Darkstar less of a person because his body's made of dark energy? Was Midnight less of a person when he turned into his mist form?" He shook his head. "We're Young Freedom. We don't do things the easy way. We do them the right way. Besides." He began finishing pulling on the immersion suit (which was thus far only up to his waist). "I'm kind of with Indira on this. I could do with some punching. I punch pretty good."

GM Post "I never realized what a selfish, egotistical, shallow ass you were, Jack. Since this version of you is dead. Was too busy being a thief, albeit one without powers. Until he was ventilated by the SWAT teams they sent after him. Your sister was "merely" disappeared, though she at least was helpful." There was a false, sickly sweet smile on the scarred Gabriel's face now. His voice never wavered from that calm, polite tone, but it was clear he was not in a good mood. "Meanwhile, my subordinates, who at the time were in command due to, well, the chain of command while I was unconscious and in intensive physical therapy, decided it would be quicker and more assured to kidnap you. I have already had severe words with them. More words will be spoken later. I suppose if you think your life was too busy being a grandstanding hero, snarking at people you don't really know at all, shaking your fist impotently at heroes who use weapons even vaguely gun-like, and/or going and mating with your tree-woman lover, we can always send you back. If you're scared." The smile disappeared. "Make no mistake, Jack of All Blades. We are the good guys. But we are in desperate straights. And I am personally in no mood for your self-righteous snark. Not since I woke up to my whole body being a collection of agonies, the woman I love in barely better condition, and half my family dead after my "betrayal" was exposed to Mastermind and his top cronies. If you want to get in a pissing contest of "I've got a right to be upset", I'm game. But don't throw down the gauntlet unless you're willing to follow through."

"I promise I won't write Ancient Sumerian on your face while you're plugged into the Matrix. On my honor as a Boy Scout." Corbin's expression was deadly serious as he gave Papercut his word. He then turned to Sharl, giving his teammate a small smile. "Of course I'm coming with you. Good luck keeping me from helping a teammate. Besides, like you said, there are people in danger." He moved toward one of the immersion suits, poking at it a bit. "Please tell me these things either auto-size, or you've got bigger sizes. Because right now, this isn't happening, as much as I want it to. At least once I get into one, I should have no problems. Any tips and tricks for heading into Tronik? Things to watch out for? Ideas on who Rogue's "friends" are?"

GM Post Ironclad's SONAR picked up the woman in the hall well before she stepped into the room. She moved slowly, gracefully into the room, barely making a sound, for all that she was practically draped in cloth. At first it seemed to be just a fashion statement, albeit an odd one that gave her a faintly Arabic air. But when she reached her hands to steady the wounded Gabriel as he guided himself to a chair, the reasoning became clear. The flesh of her hands was pink and almost "shiny"; it was the sure sign of a still-healing burn, and the signs were on both hands, and disappeared up her arms. As she guided the battered hero into a chair, she leaned over and whispered into his ear. He frowned, sighed, and nodded, his lips twitching for a moment. The woman stood and moved from the room, nodding at the others in acknowledgement. Battered!Gabriel waited until she was well on her way down the hall before giving a small chuckle that died off into a wince. "For what it's worth, Jill, my personal physician thinks I should still be in traction receiving daily regeneration therapy. I'll probably eventually be able to walk again, run, and so forth. All normal function restored to about 85%. Considering 90% of the bones in my body were, at minimum, fractured, that's not bad, hm? Not to mention the burns, cuts, bruises, internal injuries..." Suddenly, his spear was gone, as was his costume and armor. In its place, he still wore the medical exoskeleton, which it was now clear was actually bolted to a few points on his skeleton. Under it, he had a thick sleeveless shirt, and simple cotton shorts that reached a bit past his knees; thick socks covered his feet, and sandals were strapped on. His body, especially his arms and legs, was covered with a collection of strange markings. They almost appeared to be bruises, except the were coming up from underneath the skin. They stopped around his neck, oddly enough. Then again, considering the rather horrible scarring all over his scalp (which had nothing but thin red stubble on it), the milky-white right eye, and the scars criss-crossing his face, the bruises seemed the least of his concern. "Mastermind's top interrogators had quite a lot of fun with Sonya and I, though each in our own way. She retains her powers, while mine are mostly burnt out. Caused all the sound-producing nodules under my skin to burst one by one, you see. That's why you're here. This world, it's a thin veneer of an advanced utopia over a rotten core of mind control, torture, metahuman supremacy, and cheerful, subtle conquest. Half the world fell to Mastermind's control without a shot being fired." He paused to take a sip from the glass "Sonya" had provided. "That half helped conquer most all of the rest. The point is, this world, it's not free. It may not be as blatant about it as some dimensions, but Mastermind tries to control everything and everyone, in any way he can. I'll give you all the pamphlets later. Point is, this world's a rotten place to live if you believe in freedom and all those wonderful things. So some of us cooked up a resistance. It's being led by...other parties who we won't name. But there are individual cells, for lack of a better descriptor. I have inherited leadership of this one, as of a couple of years ago." He turned to face Arrowhawk. "When your counterpart was captured on an oil rig by Mastermind himself. We're not sure what happened to him; I'm pretty sure he's still alive somewhere, though. That we aren't all dead means they haven't ever gotten any meaningful information out of him." He faces the rest. "That's why you're all here, at least in general. All of you have counterparts that helped us in one way or another. But all of your counterparts are no longer "in the game", or weren't as active in it as you all are." He actually coughed in embarrassment, and his scarred cheeks perhaps reddened a bit as he spoke his next words. "I had planned to ask for your help. However, I was captured two weeks ago and freed a week ago. I've only been conscious for less than a day. The operation to just snatch you was already in motion. My subordinates panicked, between my capture and the intelligence we had received. It was that very intelligence that landed me in a torture chamber, actually. " He pulled a few sheets of paper from a pocket in his shorts, laying them out on the table. They were simplified schematics for...well, Ironclad might be the only one to recognize it was some sort of advanced computer. "Quantom supercomputer. The goal is to use it to, essentially, predict the future. Or at least, the most likely way it will develop. It'll let them advance a lot of their science by leaps and bounds. Which, considering their behavior "modification" methods are advanced already...Plus, it'll let them decide which dimensions and planets will be the easiest marks. Mastermind intends to spread his influence as far as possible. And it's going to be done in less than a week."

"And I know it's not a world where the English are in charge; I've been there, and this isn't it. Which has to be some sort of improvement, right?" The grin Gabriel flashes is clearly false, though his hunched duplicate returns a faint version of it. "As for the other options, you know I could easily get a date with any ski bunny I fancied, without an ounce of sympathy points. I just have the self-confidence to apply my manly charms with precision." Without letting his eyes leave his double, he turned his head a bit and spoke toward the hallway. "Do come in, whoever it is. I can hear you breathing and wringing your hands from in here."

GM Post Suddenly, a voice that seemed both familiar and not to everyone in the room filled their ears; it was like the speaker was in the room with them. "Not like I'm trying to hide that I'm coming in, Gabriel. If all of you would kindly give me a minute, I can try to explain most everything." The voice went silent. If any of them tried the door, it was locked. It was not quite two minutes later when they could hear the deep, metallic sound of the tumblers disengaging, and then the pressure door swung open to reveal... Gabriel. Or rather, some poor, mangled mirror image. While he still wore the shining armor, he also had some sort of mechanical exoskeleton holding him up. In places, the armor seemed to form around the exoskeleton. He held the same spear as his mirror image, but used it to support his stooped posture. He all but shuffled into the room, wincing every now and then. Jill's medical training gave her extra insight; it was clear he was fresh from a large number of debilitating injuries, and by all rights shouldn't be standing there right now. The injured hero look-alike gave a small smile as he met each of their gazes. "My name is Gabriel, and we need your help to save our world, and likely many worlds beyond."