Ari

Alright, all of them catch the sound of faint singing coming from the tunnel(though Corbin doesn't make it out clearly over the running water), Wraith is canny enough to know that a pool wouldn't form for long out in the open, as well as the downward stream looking much older. Cobalt Templar realizes that it would actually make more sense for the pool to be hidden, because otherwise it would have been spotted by now. Kimber can make out individual words in a song gently enticing wanderers nearer, in a language that changes to whatever she's thinking in.

A quick Notice/Survival/Wisdom check would be good here.

GM The whistle faded rapidly in the still air. Seconds crept by with no answer, the scentless breeze just slow enough to keep the treetops rustling at the edge of hearing. Suddenly, two long calls like a woodpecker broke the silence, nervous but convincing to anyone who hadn't lived in forests most of their life. From behind a tree to their left a tall hooded man crept out, eyes glinting in the red night as they fixed on the strangers with a horrible mixture of dread and hope. A few steps from Blue Jay he paused to get a better look, throwing back his hood after a second . He was surprisingly large and strong for one of the mountain people, with a thick black beard and long curly hair streaked with grime framing a face that would have looked proud and commanding any time else. The deerskins he was dressed with showed a lot of wear and tear, and the quiver on his back was empty. He spoke at last in a low voice trembling with emotion "You've come...from outside?" Without waiting for a response he flung himself at Tona's feet, babbling out a stream of entreaties and sobbing helplessly as he begged for help. After a nearly indecipherable stream of pleas, he slowed down enough for a handful of clear words to get through. "They're everywhere! Everywhere! Drones in the skies, the General's army behind every rock, we're trapped!"

A very happy birthday to you. GranspearZX. Don't let the bugbears bite!

Hurrah on your birthday, Geez3r! Hope you're well and that you can cru-challenge us for years to come!

El Heraldo 1 IC post. King of Suits No canon posts. Osprey 1 IC post. 1 IC post. Red Moon 1 IC post. Wave-Eye 3 IC posts. 1 IC post. GM In order of awarding: King of Suits - Heraldo - Red Moon - Osprey - Wave-Eye. 5 GM posts. 3 GM posts. 1 GM post. 1 GM post. 1 GM post. 2 GM posts. 5 GM posts.

GM As each of the young heroes stepped into the spinning, distorting roil of coarse energies, they briefly glimpsed time flatten out and space collapse around them. The formless red and white flickered into something recognizable at the edge of understanding, and then it was like they had been shot out of a cannon, hurtling at impossible speeds through the Terminus Tunnel as it twisted and crackled around them, a vague smear of darker red filling their eyes and opening up into... The Terminus Exploding out of the Tunnel, the heroines nearly collided with each other, each feeling like they had been kicked out of the universe. With a low sigh, the Tunnel snapped shut. As they took stock of their surroundings, Blue Jay's home world stood silently before them. A clearing in a coniferous forest with ancient pines encircling the red sky, a steep hillside behind them reaching up to Appalachian snow-capped mountains, air as clean as could be imagined, and total silence. No bird sang, no animal rustled or cried into the night wind. Only a faint thrumming in the ground could be felt, like the distant rumble of a highway. Through the trees Tona could make out the faint, orangey lights of a nearby village, the dark lanterns unable to hide from her mask's lenses. Nothing else was in sight, and even the sky was free of the normally ever-present glare of the streaming Doom Coil and the dark world of Nihlor.

GM "Wha-you too?" For a moment it seemed like the Black Knight's eyes were fixed now on Blodeuwedd...until he reached out and touched the tip of Dyrnwyn. In a low voice he said gently "Thee, White-Hilt? Nigh on a thousand years since our last meeting, and I find you in the hands of this creature?" For a second he did look at Cerys, his gray eyes burning hotter than the fires sending an aroma of scorching metal into the air. "Fair fights are much overrated, faban. Neither true knights nor true monsters stoop to them, why should I?" Gesturing at the shield behind his chair, the Knight slouched back into it and looked indolently up at the crime-fighting duo "Make your knock on that, and after I'll speak my piece on your spurious charge. Better have some evidence about you."

Alden sat quietly for the blood-drawing, though he winced at the needle's pinch and gave Eileen a savage look out of the corner of his eye. He'd known her long enough to sense her smirks. 'Would it kill you woman, to use more than half a mouth when you smile?' He thought irritably, watching the dark red fluid seep into the crystal-clear vial. The two scientists seemed quite able to take it from there, leaving him to watch from the sidelines as Benoit and Blackpool inspected his and Eileen's altered blood under microscopes, commenting about them in lingo he could only guess at the meaning of. It was almost a relief when Blackpool looked at him with the old bright-eyed air of glee and put what was going on with his body in much more understandable terms. Then he suggested turning Osprey into a Tylluan-magnet. Just the idea made his pupils narrow to points and a tinge of yellow seep into his eyes. "God no, sir" Alden said, shaking his head emphatically, "keeping my distance. I'm not strong enough to fight him alone and I'm not risking others' lives on an off-chance. Unless..." Glancing at Jasmine with a calculating eye he offered slowly "...you and Dr. Benoit could make it..controllable. Tylluan's looney, but he might help if the baddy's bad enough. Draw him away from civilians too.."

GM The ghostly image strengthened, just for a few seconds "It was-it is Abdullah Rahman...for the just kings. My family lived just beyond that ridge, a good house" a spectral arm lifted and waved gently at the hill where the Claremont alumni had first arrived on the bus "Large...it may be buried...like me." Fading quickly, the silvery body raised its crooked neck and whispered "A black horse stood by us..." The canyon floor burbled and chuckled with the noise of running water, a small stream splitting in two around a pillar-like stone at the bottom of the slope. One stream ran quickly down into a low tunnel, the other meandered along the ravine floor. "Pretty sure the story didn't say anything about holes in the ground," Alfonso commented as he retied a lace "let's follow the other stream, it'll keep us on our route anyway. No need to backtrack."

GM Stormbreaker/Vector Now fully awake and alert to his peril, the smuggler was almost serene as he looked out from the cracked glasses perched on his bloodied nose, gazing up at the outlandishly-dressed alien and speaking in the confident voice of someone totally certain that they're screwed. "A bloke called 'John McGruther', never got his real name. He left Sydney for Darwin," he added, catching a glimpse of Stormbreaker's distinctly non-human crew "a week back, told me to find him at a place called Marsha's if I needed help. I'm sure he'll keep for a while, next shipment's not due here for another month." Meanwhile, in Freedom City... Panic was beginning to turn into grim determination in Graft's attackers, the hulking green biobeast surrounding Mendoza only giving the untested gangsters a little pause as they fired on him, trying to drive the organic tank into a corner with a hail of howling fire! Another steel crate smashed beside his head, the gauntleted young man growling in frustration at missing the enormous target. "It's over, man!" he shouted as he dove into cover, the concrete where he'd been torn up in the path of a purple cyclone fired by one of his friends "We've got you right where we want ya!"

GM A short time and one streetlamp-arrest later... The description given by Timothy Guest had been short but, as it turned out, accurate and evocative. The 'place' by the pier a stone's-throw from Adams and Grant was roughly squarish, had the look of a warehouse abandoned since the turn of the century(the one before this), with enough battered walls, vacant windows, empty doorways and paling roof tiles merited no truer words than 'rundown'. A dumpster smashed awkwardly against the back wall was the only departure from the everpresent decay, oddly clean and empty for something in such a neglected corner of Freedom City. As they got closer, they saw the most likely reason: a silver dragon on the wall next to the(artfully grubby) rear door. Scattered along the street and nearby corners were young men and a few women loitering and watching Freedonians go by like hawks. The glare of street lights made it hard to miss how many were wearing white and silver. Lights were on inside. Dim, harsh white lights invisible from the ground, and for a moment as the young heroes watched there was a shadow of a massive body surmounted by a monstrous head. It was gone in an instant, but impossible to miss. Getting there had taken the trio only a little while, Jake agreeing to sit tight in the alley and wait for the cops to explain what had happened and volunteer as witness, leaving them plenty of time to scout out the area and form something resembling a plan of action...

'Yeah, I doubt Eel would care who saw her face. Fearless. Not like me at all.' Taking a medical robe from the neatly-folded pile, Alden checked the size tag, snorted, and vanished into the toilet. The door shut with a thump, so fast he had to whip his cape out of harm's way with a harsh mutter. Once inside, he let the robe fall open and examined it critically, noting its cleanness almost with surprise. "Alright," he murmured, eyes flicking from the robe to the rib-like walls and sharp corners, "no need to carry this stuff around while I'm changed..." A few minutes later, Osprey reappeared with the mask still in place, wearing the robe as gracefully as possible and the rest his costume mysteriously absent. Standing beside Captain Rose he regarded the other three with a polite smile smile. Turning to Jasmine he told her "Don't worry doc. Won't need to sterilize my gear when it shows up again. So, what's the next step? A blood test?"

Well, it's been established that the Haven has Concealed, Computer, Infirmary, Power Source, Holding Cells, Defence System, Living Quarters, Laboratory, and so on. With the added support from the Ministry that could justify Personnel. I can easily put in an additional 4-5PP to add in whatever Synapse can't cover. Toughness could be about +20? It's an underground bunker after all.

Plans are for people, is Wave-Eye people? NO. Initiative roll: 11.

Hip-hoorah! A million cheers on your recovery, Sandman!

GM Struggling uselessly to lean his head away, the would-be gangster spluttered "Wait, hold on! It's...different. Than this," he clarified unnecessarily "and I just figured you were gonna kick us and tie us to a streetlamp or something, but if you're scarier than the Dragons, then I guess you already know where Suse works and what kind of car Dad takes to the mill." By now he was quivering like a leaf, his moment's outrage forgotten thanks to the sheer terror that had fallen into his life like a bowling ball hitting a paper teapot. "It's...the big guy, their boss, I think. Called Devin. He found us with some other Drags when me and those guys," the impromptu informant managed a vague wave of his head at the unconscious bodies nearby "were trying on their stuff they'd stashed in a dumpster, just outside a run-down place near that old pier on Adams and Grant. He was super-mad about something, guess it must have been that glove, and it looked like we were dead..." For just a second the man in Nevermore's grip paled. Then, out of nowhere, an almost awestruck look crept into his averted eyes "...but then he gets this look like he's seen the future and asks if we want to join. Says there's this guy who stole a 'dangerous secret' that could 'threaten everything I've built...'" seeing the incredulous look on the teen's faces he added defiantly "His words! Straight outta his mouth! Told us to look for some bum with an army jacket and rough him up, search him for something belongin' to the Drags, and haul him back if we found it. Let us keep the stuff we'd stolen, too. Nice guy." The last was said with a preposterously admiring half-smile on the gangster's unshaven face.

The batteries the shock-sticks must use can't be off-the-shelf. The shafts are too narrow and the electrical output would drain anything not industrial-grade within a couple of minutes. The construction isn't common either, like a cross between a club and stun-gun wholly unlike anything sold in stores. The parts would have to come from a specialty store and modified. As for the fuel tanks, these seem at least fairly straightforward. It looks like repurposed SCUBA gear with an added valve on the tank and triggers on the tubes attached to the mask. The gas is kindly marked on the back of the tank: C2H2, or acetylene. There's another compound listed, but it's nothing Polarity recognizes.

GM "Well...uh..." for a second Jake's eyes flitted from his rescuers to a dark, tempting alley just a few yards away. They quickly went back to the three teens. the young man shifting and fiddling with his hands. "See...it's really cold, you know? I was just passin' through Dragon turf, they don't bother you if you look like a bum, and one dude dropped his glove" reaching into a grubby pocket Jake sheepishly produced a sleek, padded winter glove marked with a silver dragon "I could barely feel my fingers, and I didn't want to have somebody jump me with numb hands, so...I grabbed it." Rolling it over in his hand, he looked at the glove like he hated it. Raising his head he shrugged and offered it to the trio "Here, it's got some kind of receiver in the back, I was gonna sell it, but this is waaay too much trouble to put up with so I can keep my hands out of my pockets." Nevermore's captive stared at Jake incredulously "Dude...that's the 'dangerous secret' you had? What a gyp!"

OOC thread for Blodeuwedd, Blue Jay, Crimson Tiger and Kit go to rescue cosmic prisoners from the grip of the Doom Coil!

GM The Gateway, the Nucleus, Goodman Building, 1961 40th. Avenue, Midtown, Freedom City, United States of America, North America, Earth, the Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy, Earth-Prime. 10.47 AM, March 17th, Monday, 2014. The silence had grown almost unbearable as Maximus and Tesla Atom prepared the circular arch placed on raised steps in the center of the starkly-lit room. Hands tapped out short commands on the aged yet ruthlessly advanced control panels on either side as power thrummed through the portal, a kaleidoscopic miasma of shifting colors and shapes revolving in the center as dimensional energies were harnessed for a journey to the uttermost depth of the omniverse. While the the older siblings did their work, Victoria and Chase watched the bulky readout monitors beside them, once or twice calling out a word that touched faintly the edges of the visiting teen's scientific knowledge. Cosmo had a job as well, the blue primate flashing from shoulder to shoulder as he searched carefully for errant insects suck in unwieldy human hair. The destination for the four young superheroines was felt long before it was seen. A prickling across the skin, a sense of rawness in the air and a growing sense of something horrible drawing nearer had gone on for agonizing minutes before- "Got it," Tesla Atom's voice rang out suddenly, a hint of satisfaction behind the steely words as she swept her hand across a quartet of buttons, green energy flowing from her fingers to keep the triggers down, "incoming door locked." she looked up, ponytail bouncing against her neck as she quickly checked on her brother "Max?" "Everything's fine, Tess. Outgoing door just locked, no problems." The older Atom answered with a momentary glance to her. Maximus briefly flickered and passed wraith-like through the panel, solidified enough to check an errant power cable, give it a cautious nudge, and then drifted back to his station with a a relieved smile. It soon vanished though, replaced by a deep frown. "Stand by, Terminus Tunnel opening...now!" And with that, the mouth opened. Air rushed through the Gateway, a deep howling that had begun as the last word fell rose to a deep thunder, and the room trembled as a roiling whirlpool of red and white gaped before the four heroines and four Atoms. Cosmo screamed and vanished in a flash of light to reappear trembling on a rafter, and for a moment nobody said anything more, until Chase stepped over to the visitors. Regarding them with his earnest, penetrating eyes, he said in a quiet voice that cut through the howling wind "We'll shut the outgoing door the moment we know you're through, but like we said earlier, just trigger the Passport," a small metal box sheathed in a faint yellow aura slid out of his pocket and floated over to Blue Jay, "and Max and Tess will reposition the passage to Sanctuary. We will transport you and anyone you can save out of the Terminus. I guess you'll want a 'good luck'. I wish you success." he gave a stiff nod and retreated to Tesla's station. Victoria gave the foursome an encouraging grin "Don't worry, Chase, it's not like they're racing in to beat up Shady Ironpants or anything, just a quick and quiet trip there, Tona grabs her people, they get back, yadda yadda, everything's gonna be fine." Reaching up to the ceiling with an elastic arm, she gently scratched the family Moon Monkey behind his ears "Sucks we're not coming with, I want to meet this 'Steam General' jerk and show him my new Atom Punch! But this is your gig, we'll stay put unless you need us." Miming a boxing motion she turned her legs into a stool and sat with Cosmo on her lap, stroking him gently from long practice. Tesla smiled a little "What Vicky said. Keep in touch, and good luck. I'm sorry we can't go with you. Could be there's someone we know trapped in there too." The maw of the Terminus Tunnel never ceased its seething, its flickering blood-bone colors giving the sere room an ugly feel.

His former patient inclined his head, just a touch. "I feel well, Professor." replied the young man with a bland smile from behind his white-and-black mask "Sometimes I understand birdsong, want to tear heads from shoulders with talons that aren't there, but most days nothing goes wrong." Stretching out his right arm he twisted it slowly, until the forearm's bones made a gentle spiral and the muscles under his costume a spring. Letting the arm twirl back into place he said idly "Like this one." In actual fact, Alden was pretty firmly convinced that this day had gone wrong almost from the start. After a lengthy talk with the three women he'd agreed to stick around and help them find out what had happened to Vanguard, the idea looking much more appealing then than now. Then at least he could believe that dealing with the inevitable queue of Ministry hanger's-on wouldn't involve more of Blackpool. Blackpool with his prodding and probing voice, the interrogating eyes that that drank in everything one was unwise enough to show, shuttling and filing information noiselessly in the cold mind that lurked behind those little chips of steel. Now that he didn't look to the man as the purveyor of fine cheques and intriguing, baffling experiments, Osprey silently admitted that he'd never felt at ease around Professor Thomas Blackpool. But 'This is more or less besides the point. We're all stuck with this looney scheme, and this is likely the most helpful sort I'll meet. Anyway, Eel's here and the Yank can deal with Brainpool.' That task was easy enough to assign. It didn't take much effort to see how little Jasmine seemed to think of Thomas, or his infatuation with one of the world's few even halfway-successful superhuman treatments. Her immensely practical attitude and disciplined mind made it more fun, too. Osprey had remained deeply quiet ever since the odd duo had arrived, silently looming behind Dr. Benoit whenever space permitted, with his arms hidden behind his cape's swooping wings and watching the proceedings from behind the yellow lenses of his mask, powerful jaw set and bright eyes narrowed as he watched. Captain Rose's air of bravado elicited an almost brotherly eyeroll, but Blackpool's careful question had gotten the first audible word out of the young vigilante. For the first time, he pushed the goggles up and smiled fully at Eileen, commenting "Good to see you again, Rosie. Heard you made captain. You sure the soldiers will hear what you're saying?" he added with a mock-worried look "I don't want our nation's finest dropping like flies because their C.O.'s too nervous to speak up." Stifling a grin and turning is attention back to Blackpool, Alden went on "As for how it's affected me, Professor, not much to tell you or Mz. Benoit(here he glanced at Jasmine) don't know. Transformation can still be...uncertain, my mind is often gripped with animal urges, the switch from far-sighted eagle to myopic human gives me a headache after too much morphin', and the risk of growing claws and wings while asleep or at the toilet is starting to affect me in certain substantial ways." With abrupt suspicion he looked sideways at Jasmine "You want to get me into one of those sheets too, Benoit?"

Wave-Eye's feet curled, long nails scoring the metal floor below. "With your wills, I shall break this door down." his watery voice whispered to the young women "It will allow the prisoners a larger path of escape, and let us move more freely as well. Confining ourselves in a battle with the unbound souls is a foolish plan." To captain Pike he added gravely "I am sorry, I will repair the damage to your ship after this." With that he reached over Thaelia and Temperance's heads and placed both his spined hands on the door frame, tensing himself for a mighty heave, muscles moving across his massive back like bundles of snakes... "But speak the command."

GM Meanwhile, the communications picked up the relieved voice of the Australian officer, the words drifting easily up to Stormbreaker's ears. "Really? I-I didn't think it went that smoothly, okay! Coordinates are being transmitted as we speak..." "South ocean-side docks of Freedom City, captain!" Thundered the navigator's familiar voice "Arranging course, nothing looks likely to get in our way!" At about then the cruisers and a formidable armored truck emerged from the dark streets, officers piling out and hustling the unresisting collaborators into the backs after a quick questioning that turned a positive on the guilt-o-meter. The sky-bound galleon got a lot more looks than in Freedom City, and the two supers were given a polite, deferential berth besides tips of the hat(to Vector) and a few tersely shouted thanks(to Stormbreaker). A carefully-worded request for the floating smuggler crackled over the radio waves, along with a "We'll be keeping the stuff at a warehouse nearby, not leaving space rifles or whatever in the open."