Ari

"Feeling all those minds touching yours, rushing around you with all their alien thoughts and emotions?" Subito asked glumly, nodding in understanding "I have some idea whatcha mean Elias, back in the spring I was exposed to that Proteus mutagen, it gave me uncontrolled telepathy for a while. It was horrible. I kept sending my thoughts to other people and receiving their terror as the voice spoke int heir head" he admitted quietly, the stocky teen leaning against a lamppost as he explained, waving a powerful arm for emphasis "It was just for a few days. I can only imagine how it must be for you, yours seems a lot more powerful." he squinted at the darkening sky for a second before lowering his gaze back to the lean psychic. "Okay, we're runnin' a bit late. You wanna start heading back to the academy? We can try one of the less populated areas around town next time" he suggested with a bright smile.

He's talking to somebody who apparently can speak without breathing, they're messing with some kind of electrical equipment that is quite heavy from the sounds of exertion. The noises of several other footsteps around them and the noises of breathing and flowing blood makes it clear that they aren't alone. At least ten other people are with them, give or take a few.

GM The Queen looked first surprised, then delighted at the offer of exchange, bursting out into laughter with a silvery sound that echoed throughout the throne room, lolling back onto the throne and tugging Subito closer to her as she answered between her peals "It is countless eons since We have had such a generous offer, and still more since such a charmingly ingenious one! You give us two extra days, days our enemies do not have, and in return you get this darling little boy that we so look forward to learning about" she plucked him into her strong arms to squeeze him briefly(though to the stocky teen it was far longer than he would have wanted) to herself in a show of affection before dropping him back on the floor with abandon, waving a hand at one of the mirror-like windows lining the pristine hall that shimmered and suddenly looked out into the vast kitchens of her palace, where the Afanc hung above a boiling pot made of some strange silvery metal, which was being stirred by several Fey wearing neat white smocks "and, along with him, the chief delicacy of our first hunt on this water, and a vanishing rare beast at that? This is better than we could have imagined!" she jumped lightly off her throne, the winding silver and gold chains making sure the Puerto Rican boy kept just behind her as she all but skipped up to the envoys of the Order, looking them over with much greater interest. She spoke again "Such a spectacular trade, and We have not even moved all our treasures here yet! We will tell you what, Blodeuwedd of Caer Dathyl: We shall consider your offer, and make our decision before the sun has set on the next day in this, the Otherworld. We are favorable to this, but certain...precautions must be kept, of course." she smiled fondly down from her superior height at the three agents, at which Cigfa carefully looked at her forehead, and Nisien smiled as best as he could(which for the dour wizard was extraordinarily well). Cigfa answered quietly and serenely "Thank you, your most majestic presence, for this kindness. The Order is not wealthy, but there is much we can offer that no one else can. We shall prove it..over a feast?" the Queen's teeth flashed eerily in answer "We look forward to it. Do you have anything else that you wish, before we retire?"

Subito stared very hard at Cerys when she made her bizarre offer. He had total faith that she knew exactly what she was doing, but suggesting that he and the lake monster get released in return for..two days? 'How does she plan on giving any proof that she can do that? How..how can anyone do that? Dama Azul, do you-? Oh right! Blocked off by these stupid chains' he thought irritably, rattling one of them experimentally and giving it a dirty look as it rang more like a clear bell than shackles, before returning his attention to the proceedings. He wouldn't have bothered to hide his bafflement if he had known how, or that it was unwise to show his emotions in such places. He edged away from the gowned Queen nearby, not trusting her for an instant, and not just because she'd captured him for no reason. He tested his bonds surreptitiously, searching for a weak spot so he could bust out and clobber one of the big ones over the head before they stabbed someone. He was certain that fighting was inevitable, and if not that he was going to make sure it was.

GM "I was...turned into a weapon..." came the dizzy reply from the weakened man, suddenly staring right at the pair with his drawn face and hollow eyes. "The man...Dr. Green...he wanted to make a weapon to get rid of you...get rid of the only other man...who knew about that...day when you and Voltage...stopped him." he closed his eyes slowly "The other one...will come soon for you...and me. Please. I can tell you where to go to find..Dr. Green and those...he wishes to unravel...the secrets of." in a stronger voice he went on steadily "Keep me safe from..the other, and I will tell you all that I..." he shuddered, eyes flickering as he slowly fell back into unconsciousness "...know..." In the distance, harsh boots crunched on the gravel.

Apparently the other boy was still unsure of his surroundings and the people around him. 'Can't blame him for that,' El Heraldo thought to himself 'I'd feel the same myself. I might as well slow down a little, I guess.' he nodded in affirmation of how Blodeuwedd explained the need for secrecy and assumed names, volunteering "She's right. That and it would be churlish of us to put our families and friends at risk, in case we ever anger someone who has access to a phone book. Also, if you want to know something from us, you can always just ask rather than delving into our minds." he said wryly, sliding the flaring Banner back into its ring on his back as he went on "You are wholly right, stranger, my name is not El Heraldo, but it is what I am, the Herald of a higher power, in my case the very spirit and national will of Puerto Rico! This lady is called 'Wisp', because in battle her power to leap from place to place at will makes fighting her like fighting a shred of mist. Which can punch you extremely hard." he gestured to his schoolmates in turn "This other, much more Welsh lady is called Blodeuwedd, for she is very pretty, and can sneak up on just about anyone without their knowing it." he said with an entirely straight face as he sat down facing the extremely strange and tense boy. "Agreed on waiting at least a little while. Would it help to put you at ease if you told us a little about yourself? What and who you are, how you got here and other such tales? We-" he stopped suddenly, adding "If you don't wish to tell us, then by all means say so, I will never ask again." he said bluntly, with the apologetic tone used also by people asking others if they were talking too much. 'Gah! I'm screwing it up! Perhaps it would help to put you at ease if you did not talk so much? Hey! I say stuff when I talk! Well then, how about not getting so caught up in wanting to impress that girl whenever she enters your sight? ...Fine.'

Sweet mercy, I thought you were just really busy with other stuff. No hurry at all, take the time you need to. Hope you recover smoothly!

Repeating the address and ensuring that the ambulance was on its way with all haste, he turned to Crusader, breathing a little heavily from the recent and sudden exertions. Marceau nodded at the other man, leaning against the pay phone to explain himself. "As you've likely not heard, there's another one of those lethally-violent vigilantes in town around the Fens. Under most circumstances I would like to at least talk with them, but from what I have heard they're beyond all reasoning. I was searching for them here when I was attacked." he gestured to the shreds of smoke that still drifted up from the ground, the scattered bodies of the goblins and the horrible wreckage that had happened mere minutes into the fight. "I am quite curious, how did you come to be here at the same time?" He went up to the shrunken man, taking out a flashlight and examining him with care "What happened to you?" he asked gently, wincing at the sight of the scars, and the bruising from the tissue damaged during the fight.

Your villain suggestion sounds a lot like someone from Micron's home. Could that work as another aspect? A colonist from a 'truly civilized' world come to rescue the benighted natives from their ignorance?

Yes, he's just within range. Make a Notice roll if you want additional information.

"...And that's Markovi's Greek diner down here" Subito rattled on briskly, walking with surprising speed as he kept pace with the other boy he insisted on calling Elias. "If you need a job, and don't mind dealing with fish for hours, it's not a bad choice." he added, with the air of long experience in such situations. 'What is with that skateboard? How does...it's like John and his guitar, just baffling' It hadn't taken the extremely extroverted teen long to figure out that the reserved telepath was uneasy around people, and as was his wont he took it upon himself to try and get Elias acquainted with the fine art of being around his fellows in humanity, offering to show him around the areas of the city that he knew best, which were mainly Southside and the Lincoln district. The slightly run-down and crowded southern regions of Freedom City were where he had spent most of his life since his family had moved to the city, and on nearly every block there was some store or restaurant where he had worked for a while and every street they went down someone greeted him with a friendly wave. "Yo! How's it goin' Mr. Markovi? Good business? That's awesome, have a great day!" he called over to the wispy-looking owner of the diner as they passed it by. He turned to the young psychic, gesturing to the busy streets in the waning light around them, deftly dodging around a harried-looking woman carrying several pieces of luggage and a baby in a sling on her back "So, what d'you think so far, El?" he asked eagerly "Feelin' any better?"

Tagging.

GM The voice that spoke in placid reply to the message from the phony Flay was, as usual, like John's own without his warmth and feeling, each word flowing smoothly together into the next without regard for grammar or emphasis. <> with a short tone the message ended.

Alright, DC15 Knowledge(Technology) roll using Jack of all Trades: 10. Welp. He doesn't understand how it works(what specifically it's doing is much more difficult to answer), so he'll make with the DC20 Disable Device roll: 25! Success. The thing is shut down, and no further folks will be turned into animals.

GM The security chief stared tiredly at the enthusiastic masked crimefighter, flicking his eyes up and down the man before answering politely "Evenin', yeah I can get you and one of those Grue in an interrogation room together. We'll have to have a few medical employees there with you two to make sure you don't go and mistreat them, and one or two of my guys to keep an eye on you. If you want to help out with the questioning, ma'am," he added to Catalyst with a respectful tilt of his helmet "you're more than welcome. I'll forward your request to the medical lead, and if she says yes, we'll set things up." he said shortly, nodding to the pair and quickly walking down the bright hall and out of sight. Ten minutes later... The interrogation room was small and gently-lit, with the defiant-looking Grue sitting in their dull green chair opposite their questioners, a small bank of equipment beside the alien that was working to purge the harsher elements from its poisoned body. It had awakened much earlier than the others and been quite compliant for the most part, but it obviously was deeply suspicious of the humans and their intentions. It remained silent, staring coldly at the two medical staff standing behind the heroes, the security guards standing behind the Grue, the one-way mirror windows hiding the small team of Lab employees keeping a close eye on both the Grue's vitals and the goings-on within the booth.

The technical side of things, Subito decided firmly, was best put in the hands of someone with their feet more or less firmly on the ground. Frowning at the problem he said thoughtfully "When we'll be ready...yeah, if we really, really practice a few months working on who does what, the cues, the props, backdrops..wait, those probably go under 'props', don't they? Anyway, it'll be a pretty big undertaking" he said gravely, staring intently at the floor as he spoke to Serge. He leaned his left arm against the checkout counter as he looked fully at his mutant pal "Anyone you know off the bat that'll be up for it? I mean, practicing just about every day for the play? I know maybe Morgan or Cerys is intense enough about training for it, but I doubt ol' Blodeu would speak loud enough to be heard for more'n a few yards from the stage, and Morgan would go crazy making r-really weird special effects for the scenes" he corrected himself smoothly, glancing at Mary out of the corner of his eye.

"Indeed it is! It took me more than a year to perfect the formula to treat the steel in" the King of Suits said proudly, nodding in satisfaction as his handiwork deftly swooped around and pinioned his limbs together, beginning "Now, if you can sweep-" before Crusader lunged forward, leaped and cannoned the massive goblin in the face with his shield-arm, sending their enemy direct onto the abandoned railway yard, where he began to change form before their eyes "-on second thought, nevermind! You have this well in hand it seems" he finished hurriedly, jumping down from his perch and jogging over to the red and white-clad hero's side, peering in bemusement at the man lying on the ground. "I did not expect that," he admitted, detaching his cap and tossing it over their fallen opponent, turning to Crusader as he went on "and none of their attacks harmed me, I am quite alright. But I forget my manners!" he declared with horror, taking Crusader's free hand and shaking it energetically "I am the King of Suits, may I ask the name of my gallant rescuer, O Sir Knight?" he asked with a short, cheery laugh. He glanced back at the man on the ground "As for calling for an ambulance, I will do so at once. I saw a payphone a step to the east." After introductions he dashed off through the rusting, decaying yard until he found the lonely payphone next to a surprisingly prosperous corner store and fumbled for change in his pocket, sighing in relief as he found he had enough for a call to 911. "Hello, emergency services? I need an ambulance at the yard in Greenbank at this address..."

Congratulations! May you see many more years to come, and always return to this day with cheer. :toot:

Leaping backwards when the massive arms slammed out of nowhere into the concrete mere inches from where his head had been, the King of Suits glanced hurriedly up at his two new foes, muttering under his breath <"Too close, too close, where are they..."> as he searched for the vital weapons his belt held. Seizing hold of the two gauntlets that lay snugly next to his thighs, he quickly slid them over his gloved hands, snapped the connections shut around the chemical tubes, and charged forward with a powerful strike straight at the head of his enemy, pulling the double trigger that sent the ram rocketing forward and connecting with a thunderous *WHUD* that sent the Frenchman staggering away from the hulked-up Crusader. To his satisfaction, man was visibly discombobulated by the charged punch, and with a swirl of his black and red cape he vanished into the fog. 'Many thanks, Crow, for this charity' he thought with relief as he watched his enemies through what to them was a blanket of impassible grey wool, but was to him a thin mist.

GM The colossal shield-led punch drove the Ultragoblin into the ground, smashing them into the dirt and mangled metal with enough force that the green glow faded almost instantly from its eyes as he fell unconscious. Then the change began. Before the eyes of the two heroes, the monster shrank, limbs getting thinner and thinner, chest becoming narrower and narrower, the head growing smaller and smaller until a very normal-looking man lay before them, breathing shallowly in an extremely unfitting loincloth that covered most of his lower body, the marks of restraint and a narrow tracery of scars around his skull and heart becoming very evident.

GM Blackout swayed for a moment as the focused waves of sound pummeled him and then fell with a thud, electricity arcing over his body as he faceplanted with a quiet whimper of "...No fair...". In a whirr of motors the clearly-damaged robot leaped back into the fray, eyes blazing from excess energy being pumped into them he leaped onto Wave-Eye's back, its super-humanly powerful arms wrapping about his arms and waist with terrific force...only for the triton to burst free, sending his enemy staggering backwards, its feet struggling to find purchase on the carpet amid the growing debris. The smell of salt water was strong in the air, and from the way Combine brushed angrily at his jacket while glaring at Wave-Eye apparently it was strong on his clothes as well. "You'll pay for this jacket, Creature from the Dank Lagoon," he spat, his skin turning a brilliant steel-grey as he swung around on Gabriel with a swinging fist "and you for crashing our deal!" his words belied by the fact that he missed his mark, a harsh sound singing through the air.

Trasher goes for Wave-Eye with a grapple attempt: 19, hits. Grapple check: 30. Wave-Eye's opposed Grapple check: 31. Combine tries again to punch Gabriel, with Power Attack(+-2): 17, miss.

Ruling that at present no Stealth roll is required, but if you want feel free to make one.

Last roll is fine. Ultragoblin is down, and we're out of rounds! As he falls unconscious the fellow promptly begins to shrink, shifting into the form of a lean-looking human.

Quite right. It's +12. FIrst Toughness save, DC30: 25. Another Bruise, and Dazed again. Second Toughness save, DC31: 19. Failed by 12, so Staggered.