KnightDisciple

"I can ask most of them to go home. Just letting them know you're up and about should be sufficient." Gabriel shifted as he spoke, even as he turned to look at Stesha once she'd given the "all clear". Stesha knew Carson found the sheer devotion some of the people on Sanctuary regarded her with...uncomfortable...at times. He and the monks had been extremely gentle in any discussions where it had come up; they'd thoroughly lived up to the bargain of not making their aid conditional. "No further sightings yet. The eggheads think it's some kind of phobophage-like being. A fear-powered spirit. They said, and I quote: 'We are at least 80% confident it is not Fear Master having taken some kind of mutation cocktail', end-quote. Which...does not necessarily make me feel better, but still." He held out another bag, this one smaller. "Some bread, cheese, and Brother Martin's special brew. To help you wake up. Anyways, the children seemed to do better because of fewer terrible injuries in their past, and dealt it enough of a blow that it retreated. We've been trying to keep our eyes open, but without some kind of sensor reading or whatever, it's hard."

Gabriel smiled at Stesha's not-quite-desperate question. "Clothes, brush, and a few other things in a couple bags someone packed in here. I'm mostly just a courier." He walked over and set the bag down near his friend. Then he turned his back and walked over to the entrance; he stopped just inside the door and spoke over his shoulder as Stesha started to dress. "Melanie and her family have been watching Ammy. We just had them stay at your place the last couple days. Seemed easier for Ammy, all things considered. Velocity and I talked with her the evening that everything happened. The rest of the League is aware of what we do know about this being. I'm less mad now, so I don't plan to run off and get hit with some of the stuff I've already experienced. Still, it's...concerning."

Gabriel had been on the outside of the garden for most of the day. Tiamat was clearly the forceful guardian. Gabriel had appointed himself the gentler guardian, there to calmly ask visitors whether they truly needed to be there. Gaian Knight had "spotted" him once or twice, but Gabriel had insisted his duty lay in fulfilling this task. His friends could tell he viewed it as a penance, for allowing his dear friend to die when he was so close. When the flower opened, Gabriel sat up straighter. Then he stood, and reached down to the bag on the bench next to him. He stood and moved inside, his eyes closed as he did so, a gentle smile on his face. "Tiamat, would you mind making a bit of room? I think Stesha will want these."

With some assist from RL due to me not having my login for rollers at the moment... Stealth: 29. Melee Attack vs Left Thug: 19. Rerolling with HP: 24. DC 24 Toughness save vs the melee attack. If Takedown Attack 2 procs, roll vs Right Thug: 28. DC 24 Toughness save vs the melee attack. Will wait to post IC until I know how those go down.

Gabriel nodded slightly at Velocity's words. His reply was quiet, his voice tinged with sadness. "Yes. I think that would be best." In between eye-blinks, his spear is gone, and has folded his hands together. They sit mostly hidden in the sleeve-folds of his robe-like coat, giving him the air of a man of the cloth. "I will go with Gaian Knight and wait for you at their home. Best not to delay things by having someone who's not a registered guardian go to Nicholson." He closed his eyes and sighed. "Give them the code-phrase "Field Falls Fallow". They will know what it means." Stesha had spoken with most of the League for contingencies like this, but Gabriel not being a parent with those demands on his time meant that, ironically, he was better able to keep track of these things, at least at times.

Micah shook himself out of his near-trance from putting out the fire on the tree. He turned and looked again at the pirates, and his eyes widened while his face paled a bit. "Okay that is just completely messed-up. This is objectively worse than a zombie movie." He looked at the array of pirates before him, then stepped in front of Pan, his arms raised and pointed at the small army in front of them. "Hang on, they just need to chill out." A wind picked up. At first it was just a breeze, but then it began to roar. The temperature dropped, and flakes of snow appeared. The snow became sleet, and before Pan's eyes, ice began to form under and on the pirates. Some would likely lose their footing, and within moments, many more would find it difficult to move, as ice crawled along their legs to the point of trapping them. It slowed their arms. Thunderbird wouldn't stop his barrage of arctic weather until every pirate was frozen in place and almost entirely encased in ice (to prevent their controller from trying to claw or chop them out). Micah bent over and took a few deep breaths as the extreme weather faded. "Right, sorry, couldn't help the pun. Give me a sec, lot of big stuff in a short amount of time."

When the initial signal had gone out, Carson Keefe had been grading papers in his apartment. He didn't do it very often, so he wasn't quite as efficient as he could have been. He'd listened to the signal from Tiamat. His eyes had widened, and even as he stood, his form was cloaked in a glow and then clad in his armor. He restrained himself long enough to run to the balcony, throw open the door, and fly at sub-sonic speeds into the air. He got far enough away that he knew he wouldn't break any windows. Velocity and Gaian Knight beat him to the park, the former by virtue of her speed, the latter by virtue of having a clearer head. Gabriel was a calm man, the "diplomat" of the League for reasons beyond just his supernatural ability to work with people. His fellow heroes rarely saw his temper flare up. So Velocity and Gaian Knight, at least, ought to know that he was in a mood when they saw him land ready for battle and heard the rumble of a barely-restrained sonic boom come down from on high. The angelic man's armor gleamed, his spear shifted slightly in his hand, and his eyes seemed to glow with a terrible fury. When he spoke, his voice was not the gentle, comforting sound most who'd work with him heard every day; it was a slightly echoing rumble that promised the wrath of God upon his foe. "Where is-" He looked then, to where Velocity held Fleur's body, and GK stood close as well. His hand flicked, and the spear disappeared. He moved, half-run and half-flight, to the side of one of his closest friends. For a moment, his face showed anguish. Then he sighed and closed his eyes; he seemed to calm and center himself. He reopened his eyes and looked at the others. "We need to keep her away from the people or from her daughter, until she's had time to...heal. She needs good earth, too. Gaian Knight should transport her, us, to Sanctuary, and can help keep this...discrete." He closed his eyes again and took a deep breath, before he looked Velocity and then Gaian Knight in the eyes in turn. "I will talk to Amaryllis about this once we have Stesha...resting...safely."

Raven III Raven took in the scene with a visible frown on his face. Charlie knew Alek was chewing on the problem. Multiple angles, multiple options. After a half-minute of thinking, he nodded, apparently to himself. Then he moved his hands through a rapid series of gestures, before tapping his cowl in a way as to send a signal to Nevermore's own Head's Up Display. --Move to rooftop above them. Tag designated mark with drone.-- He'd marked the top of the broken street lamp, where the metal curved up above the position of the bulb. Even if it had cast light, it would be a hard place to see, especially if they used one of their small recon drones. They were basic disc-shaped devices, barely able to do more than course-correct after being thrown. But the robo-crows were still being worked on, and would be a bit obvious if they flew in now. Raven followed his own advice and quietly moved between the rooftops until he was almost overhead of the small group. There he crouched and waited, the glow of his cowl-lenses almost entirely gone, and his form naturally blending into the shadows.

Sorry I haven't posted yet. Been unsure how to approach. Having a thought. Could I invoke the Benefit (Raven) Feat again for some sort of subtle way to switch off the lights in the room or something? I can't remember if our phones have been confiscated; if not my thinking is he stealthily types on his phone and sends the signal.

Cobalt Templar (OMTB) Interview: Cobalt Templar: 4 IC Posts Posts to Judex Raven The Eye, The Bird, and The Arrow: 1 IC Posts Playdate: 1 IC Post The Shadow of the Doomforge: 2 IC Posts 3 Posts to Thunderbird 1 Post to Judex Thunderbird Dakar Rally: 1 IC Post How a Young Heart Really Feels: 2 IC Posts Return to Neverworld: Make a Wish: 4 IC Posts Guide Point to Thunderbird.

What kind of vantage points are closer to the "random" people that we've spotted? How easy/hard would it be for us to traverse over to somewhere above/nearly above them?

Cobalt Templar looked a bit thoughtful as he thought back to the exact order of events. "So the replica made the attack, and immediately left. We thankfully were quick enough in pursuit to prevent further major injury to bystanders. At the same time that the Replica was starting to perform structural damage, a member of Grant's....security team...made his presence known. This engendered some confusion." Templar's expression and projected emotions told Paige exactly what he thought of that situation. "In the midst of that, the Replica enacted major structural damage to that subway station. While most of my team worked to pursue the Replica, I myself elected to stay behind and work to maintain the structure to allow for evacuation." He smirked and held up the hand with the glowing blue ring; he even wiggled his fingers a bit to show it off. "I was by far and away the best-equipped to do so."

"Hm. Well, I would say that things felt 'off' when our team was discussing the situation. Wander seemed agitated, and too focused on 'the mission'. Everyone else was kind of off-balance from that. But honestly, considering our ages, I chalked it up to more mundane causes. Conflict with friends and family, things like that." Paige could tell he was skirting a few details, but it was more about not giving out details of Wander's own life. "We headed downtown, and things seemed to be getting back into rhythm again. Up until we caught a piece of conversation from the board room that seemed to set Wander off. She charged in on her own, angry and aggressive, in a way I'd just never seen her act like before."

Micah seemed almost distracted as he lowered a bit and hovered directly over the tree. He was a bit damp now, but the rain did not abate. If anything, it picked up. There was little wind; only enough to guide the rain directly downwards. It took him several long moments as he hovered in the air bringing the rain, before the movements of the pirates really registered with him. He frowned. "Be careful, Pan. Something's wrong here. Beyond the obvious."

Raven skimmed through some fuzzy satellite photos of the neighborhood. Nothing good enough to track the Ushers on, but enough to get a sense of the buildings. "Make sure you've got some flash bombs." He sounded irritated; Charlie could guess his boss hated not being able to rely on one of his most constant tools. Alek had once told Charlie he was practically born in the shadows, and was certainly raised in them. He had a natural talent for avoiding detection. "Rooftops is a good call. Better perspective. More escape options. Stick together. Same roof, unaugmented eyesight distance at most. Probably ought to shoot for something like 10-15 feet separation, easier to communicate." He entered a command, and the holographic display shut down. The seals around the driver's compartment hissed as the canopy started to lift up. Alek grabbed a couple of extra items and clipped them onto his belt before he climbed out. He surveyed the alleyway for several moments, until Nevermore had exited the Unkindness as well. Then he tapped a couple of discrete buttons on the inside of his gauntlet, and the car-tank sealed itself up tighter than a bank vault. The dark avenger of justice then turned to the nearby building and raised one hand toward the roof. There was a nearly-silent hiss of air as a thin grapnel line extended out, and a whirring that was barely louder as he started to ascend. He jogged up the wall to speed up, and his voice carried over his shoulder. "Let's move."

Young Mister Roebuck accepted the fuzzy puppy with aplomb, maneuvering the lively ball of fur until the dog was all but cradled in his arms. Micah blushed deeply at the kiss and gave Judy a hilarious, awkward smile that was probably painful to outside observers (like Ashley). Then the smile softened, and his eyes seemed to lose focus. "My dad used to say something like that. Mom loves dogs too, she just...it was hard." His voice was soft, only Judy could hear the words, hear the vague ache behind them. She knew his departed father was a sore, touchy subject for Micah. He'd given her bits and pieces in fits and starts this year; he was trying to open up to her, but this was an old, stiff injury to his heart. Micah shook his head and looked down at the puppy, then gave it a scratch behind the ears. "What do you think, little fella? Thunderpup? Stardog?"

"Indeed." Which statement Raven was actually responding to with that little quip was just mysterious enough to make it clear he was having a bit of fun with Foreshadow. The bird-inspired hero allowed his psychic comrade to begin his descent first. A moment later, he simply spread his cape in his arms and stepped off the ledge. The angle was such that he descended behind Archer. He did so silently and quickly. The criminal would likely spot the winged shadow with glowing greenish-white eyes, but Archer seemed just intent enough on the interrogation as to miss it. Raven landed without a sound several feet back, and slowly stood up. He drew his cloak about himself, and just stood there, a glowing-eyed sentinel of the night. Watching the trapped man. Judging him. Waiting.

Raven and Nevermore sat in the Unkindness, perhaps a mile away from the wrecked Doomforge, half-hidden in a dark alley. The car was hunkered down with an extra layer of armor deployed, this one covering even the tires. It let them focus on the data screens in front of them. Raven's face looked like he'd eaten a week-old lemon. "They're not ghosts, but still hard to track. They know the game they're playing." He tapped a few keys and several small holograms sprung up in front of each hero in his seat. Raven was silent for several moments before he continued. "Part of me wants to break them here and now, but they seem prepared for us, and I don't feel we're entirely prepared for them. This mission is going to be strictly recon. If we encounter more than one of them, drive off but do not focus on capture. They seem to love surprise attacks. Any thoughts on routes and tactics?"

Cobalt Templar nodded at the first question. "Yes, we weren't teenagers but we were still young." He gave a slightly odd smile. "Most would say we still are rather young. Even if we've seen a lot and done a lot." He grew more serious and focused in on Paige's questions. "Yes. We had received reports of some extremely shady and illegal things happening at a large corporation, that were right in line with other rumors. Most of the team received word of the intel simultaneously."

Micah all but leapt from the truck. He tucked the tablet he'd been tracking the truck and car systems on into a secure carry-case, and moved to the section of the support truck that housed the fresh-charged batteries. He hit a button on the screen next to the designated next set, checking the readouts. "Right, full charge confirmed on the next set, we're ready to plug them in as soon as they get here. Use this set here." He thumped the batteries in front of him; they had several sets, though currently two were in the charging apparatus. They had 2 more stowed further in the support truck. Micah moved to the ladder on the side of the truck and climbed up to a small ledge at the front end of the trailer section, overhanging the cab. It was the only part of the roof not composed of solar panels. There, he plugged the tablet into a port he uncovered (had to keep the sand out) and started running diagnostics. "I'm checking the truck's recharge rate and cell decay. Everything looks good right now, but I want to double-check it all."

Micah had just put down his guitar to rest his hands for a bit when the puppies came out. His eyes widened in surprise and a bit of childish delight. Then Judy grabbed him and dragged him (not that he fought against it) over to the pen. For a moment, the sheer joy of "pen of puppies" overrode everything else. Judy's sheer joy was infectious. He laughed and stepped into the enclosure. "My aunt and uncle have a couple dogs. Mom keeps talking about getting one but she's too busy right now." His voice had just a bare trace of melancholy. He caught the edge of the commotion with Eira and Pan...and Pan's quick save. He smiled softly and touched Judy's shoulder; when she turned to him, he discretely pointed at his best friend and his girlfriend. "Pan's good people, hm?"

"That explains the smoke." Micah was tired enough to snark, just a bit, at the sight before them. He frowned at Pan's clarification. "Hm. Yeah, that's no good." Then Pan prompted his Oklahoman friend to bring assistance in a way that only the Thunderbird could. Micah smiled back. "Yeah, I reckon I can help." Micah flew lower and stopped not far from the burning tree. His arms stretched toward it, and his eyes half-closed. In moments, thick dark rainclouds appeared over the tree, and soon began unleashing their contents with gusto. Micah just hoped the fire would give out before his endurance would.

Cobalt Templar OMTB Interview (CT): 3 IC Posts Titanium Character, posts go to: Judex Raven III Family Takeover: 1 IC Post Playdate: 1 IC Post Titanium Character, posts go to: Thunderbird Thoughtspeed (Guest Star) The Old Girl Is Dying On Her Feet: 2 IC Posts Guest Star, posts go to: Judex Thunderbird Dakar Rally: 1 IC Post How a Young Heart Really Feels: 4 IC Posts Pirates Over Midtown: 1 IC Post Return to Neverworld: 6 IC Posts Return to Neverworld: Make a Wish: 1 IC Post

For just a moment, as Pan seemed excited, Micah allowed himself to feel a few shreds of relief. Not happiness, not yet, but the thought of reaching a destination inhabited by beings with some measure of power brought the hope of just a bit of rest. That hope, that relief, was then thoroughly dashed when he saw the smoke. Micah frowned, then turned to Pan. "I'll back you up. Let's try to keep our eyes open, though. We don't want to get ambushed."

The large man in blue just nodded and smiled at the clarification about how to stop the interview. He sat patiently and moved as requested while they got the mics and lights set up. Paige couldn't gather much telepathically from him, in a way that suggested he knew one or more psychics very well. What she did pick was an instinctual sense of his body's space; the sort of self-awareness and self-caution that many larger people (who cared about those not sharing their size) had. Her first question caused Cobalt Templar to look thoughtful for a moment. "Yes, though it's been a much less formal thing than some such groups. I've worked a lot with the group who's taken on the mantle of the Liberty League. While I cannot trace my own heroic legacy to the Second World War, I knew several members before the team's formation, and so I found it natural to work with them. We were doing fairly "general" hero work. Probably more super-powered criminals than unpowered gang types. My own powerset does not exactly lend itself to overly subtle operations."