Ari

With surprise the stockier teen glanced over at the other Claremonter. "Wait, really? Just 'bout everyone else I've met around here hates radios, 'cause the bands broadcast so rarely play any of the music they like. Why d'you prefer them?" When asked what he had planned he answered with a mischievous grin "Well, you noticed how..well, how there weren't all that many school events this year? Apparently this is one of the quietest years Claremont has had in a while. After all that stuff You-" he glanced sharply over at Mary, who had had just barely nudged one of the music containers as she had begun to sidle closer to the conversation, quickly and casually returning to the shelves when she realized she had been discovered "-that stuff you know back when the Gorgon showed up? Anyway, after all that and the other crises in the last years I was thinking we could do a little music fest, using your talents to help make it fresh!"

That was a troublingly good point. "I think it would be best to let him leave. If we let him go, he'll at least be mad at us" Heraldo explained quickly to Glow "If we imprison him we'll get the Serpent People mad at everyone in the city. Well, even more. Besides, if we pants this goon they'll probably send another even tougher guy for revenge" he glared at the sorcerer "but if we let you go, you'll only come back to avenge yourself personally." He shrugged "But you are right: he's done a great deal of evil, and ought to be punished for it. I think he should be let go so he can clear his scum out of Freedom City and go back to his people, suffer their shame at such a spectacular failure. I'll call the police to come get these guys since you don't think that's such a good idea." he said, darting up into the air and flying off for where he had last seen a payphone, discreetly checking the change he had in his pocket and sighing in quiet relief that he had enough.

GM There was a baffled silence as the guard who had spoken mulled over this news. Jötunheimr was a little out of the purview of Burkehardt's studies, focused as he was on the more terrestrial realms. He had been a little close-mouthed about where he had gotten the giants from, however. Glancing at the other guard their comms buzzed on a frequency the helmets of the two heroes couldn't quite catch, following which Officer Chesney nodded, turning to 'Groan' and saying, if a little cautiously ~"Very well. Proceed on down. Just don't get mad at me if any of the wards flare up and send you clear across the Harrow"~ she added sharply, tapping a previously invisible button on the wall, at which the air shimmered before them ~"The code is the same as last week. Mind the floor at the lower stop, some of the blood spilled around there and it's enchanted enough that cleaning it up is a hazard all its own"~ she added as she stepped to one side, snapping the familiar SHADOW salute to the disguised Myrmidon and Blodeuwedd.

Sense Motive roll, -2 to the DC due to it being a bit of a stretch: 13. They fall for it!

Startled by his friend's reaction Marceau darted to Rene's side, helping him reach the chair in case his century-old limbs were no longer up to the task. Making sure that the older man was at least nominally comfortable he turned to Sophie "The Comtesse de Domréry?" he asked with surprise, having only a vague notion of who the noblewoman had been in life "How did..." he looked more fully at the portrait, observing the masterful work that had captured so impeccably the woman in paint for a moment. "Amazing...Ms. Beatrice, how was the identity of the Comtesse portrayed so magnificently here determined? As well, if I may know, what protective measures have you already set in place? I assume it is not only those two worthies we met."

...By all the-let me just roll the OTHER Initiatives. I beg your pardon. Trasher goes on 10. Wave-Eye goes on 20. Okay, so he goes to check up on the people who got downed just now. Gabriel is up.

GM In answer to 'Flay's call a short burst of electronic noise flew through his comm, in which his trained ears could make out ~"Affirmative Flay. Sealing sectors. Keep a close eye out for those intruders."~ The disguised Claremont students moved unmolested through the nearly crowded hallways, passed by jogging bands of SHADOW troops(though Myrmidon noticed that something about their armor and gear was slightly off) that were searching with all speed and care throughout the sectors as they retreated to more defensible positions while the duo discussed the mystic dangers ahead. The base was a maze, all uniformly-lit identical hallways and look-alike doors that were only distinguished by signs on the walls denoting where they led to, and the colored stripes on the floor and ceiling. According to the maps located at various crossways in the base, the magically-oriented commander was located at the extreme edge of the base near the 'medical experiment' sector, with the more scientifically-focused clone of Overshadow dwelling more or less at the exact center, amidst the 'munitions forges'. For all there there was much built the place was cramped, hardly two miles square around and only a hundred feet at its lowest. As they drew nearer to the realm of Burkehardt, several changes could be easily seen. The halls grew broader and rougher, the sounds of industry faded and were replaced by a quietly persistent sound of whispers coming from the walls, and the lights dimmed. They soon arrived at what could only be the checkpoint leading to the commander's headquarters, staffed by two SHADOW troops holding slim swords that glittered with spectral glints, a silent chimaera that ,what little that could be seen of it, looked like a melding between a wolf and a crocodile with..more at various points, crouching nearby them, a retinal scanner on the wall next to a door labelled 'Elevator to South levels' behind the odd trio. All along the walls could be seen entryways into the vents, which emitted a smell like sweet poison. One of the soldiers spoke ~"Chesney here. Groan, Burkehardt hasn't forgiven you yet for what happened to that last giant. He's placed some wards on the door to keep you from coming any closer. Sorry sir"~ she added glumly, holding out a hand palm-outwards ~"I must ask you to turn back. At once."~

The Aztec triton had drifted to the surface, and stared at the disintegrating body, elation mingled with a powerful blow of remorse coursing through him for a moment 'I..we just struck down an Aspect of Leviathan. But why did IT wander so close to the shore? And why now...? Ah!' he started at Silver Spider's greeting, replying with an awkward "Grgh, yes, it is good to meet you again, Silver Spider. Once again, we triumph!" he cried, raising a triumphant fist towards the place where the remains of the Aspect, letting the rush of glee at the defeat of even such a minor fraction of dread Leviathan flood through him. He stalked out of the water, shaking the mud off of himself before offering a streaming claw to Silver Spider and Temperance "Please accept my gratitude. Few can claim to have fought so much as a fang of Leviathan and prevailed. I could never have driven them off on my own." He turned to Temperance "You said you can see the spirits that swim invisibly around us. Could they help us uncover why this has happened? I never speak with them myself, and Dread Leviathan's reasons for every stirring is a mystery even to us sea-dwellers."

Ah! Understandable, especially given that you wanted few enough details in the first place. Thanks for the vote of confidence! Now, Quinn, do you have any concerns or further suggestions to express?

GM The ray of electrical power flashed and sizzled at incredible speed through the air, leaving a strong smell of ozone hanging briefly in the room as it slammed into the metal man. It knocked the creature clean off the ceiling, landing with a sizable *WHNG* as he landed in a gently smoking heap on the floor, a distant grating sound emitting from him as he twitched, lightning arcing across his bronze-like body. The wispy fellow breathed something that sounded like "Well yes, I am an amateur." as his stab was batted away, which turned into total incoherence as he was sent staggering, and then the blade-like gale struck. In moments the room was once again filled with a whirling mass of air pushed to a razor sharp edge, meaning that it was filled also with a hail of shards of concrete cement, shards that flew through the air like daggers from an explosion, and which seemed fit to nearly tear the wavering man asunder. Thin plumes of whatever it was that made him up drifted upwards in the stillness after the storm, to say nothing of the manifold cuts and slices that lined his riddled form, leaking liquid metal that hissed as it struck the cold floor.

If El Heraldo suits your fancy, he can totally help introduce a new schoolmate.

"Yeah. I didn't think much of it first because I thought it was just her reaction to a period of transition and change, the land being ruled by a wholly different people with a vastly different spirit" Subito admitted, not a little sheepishly given what he had just learned "Not to mention..well, the loads of people who died while she was around. She might be a little touchy about that. I'll still ask, of course." he leaned slightly further back, frowning as he considered John's other points. At length he said carefully "Dunno about another envoy being in action. I couldn't find much in the way of ANY records about people who bore her power, or who contacted or met her at all. She was pretty quiet for the last few hundred years." he looked at the other student curiously "Wait, Germany's can remember all the way back then? Whoa. What are they called?"

Immaterial's DC20 Reflex save: 14. Failed, so DC25 Toughness save: 16. Stunned and Bruised. Going to say Angcrist automatically-fails the Reflex save. Toughness save: 21. So Bruised again. Round 3: Immaterial: Bruised(x1), Stunned-GM Angcrist: Bruised(x2), Stunned-GM Voltage: Bruised(x1), 3HP Sotrmbreaker: Unharmed, 1HP Those two are Stunned, so attack or restrain or what-have-you at your leisure.

"Maybe, but it will be with a new light in their eyes, a knowledge that a world beyond the dark abyss, above the bitter gnawing at old wounds and slinking in the mud that you would chain them to, exists. They won't bow to you or be cowed so easily as their brethren have been, they'll carry the light of Freedom back home, if they ever decide of their own free will to return to their kin. Swear you will leave Todd Hayden and everyone else who were your agents be for the rest of their days, and get you gone from here!" Heraldo demanded, pointing imperiously at the Serpent Man magician, his Banner fluttering in a nonexistent breeze with all magnificence. Turning to Glow he added more quietly "Great job, Glow! Sorry for dropping the ball back there in the tank, and for being so short with you." he whisked around and glared at Iapetus "Swear it, begone, and never return if you value your life!"

Quinn? TiffanyKorta? Your thoughts?

That gets a lot of people's attention, but triggers no new dangers. Guard #1 spots Starlight and fires, luckily the terrorist's gun is fitted with a sound suppressor. Attack roll:6. Misses by at least a league. The others in the halls don't mark the noise and move onwards. One passes into the area Silver Spider is in.Their Notice: 14. Can the Silver Spider beat that?! #3 does not move into any areas holding any heroes, and #4 stays put with the hostages, pointing his gun at them as hard as he can. Editing GM post. Starlight is up.

"T's not small and insignificant to me" Subito muttered dourly, glancing around the bright mall, looking for one store in particular. "Alright, just wonderin'. She is really good at fighting, like a lot of those other girls that recently got into Claremont. Wonder if it's a new trend? Anyway, been on a few evil-fighting trips with her recently, she lives a pretty crazy life. Ask her about Wales or her family sometime." they arrived at the small music store, Subito waving cheerily to the lone employee, who waved back before going back to inventory-taking. "Hey Mary! So, Serge, figured we might do good by going for a similar interest, so..music. Bound t'be somethin' you've wanted to get for a while" he said encouragingly, heading for the small Schubert corner. "I've got a grand idea for something we can do at school, I want to be prepared."

"I'd heard some things, but I never thought it was really true. I mean, I thought everyone was just saying that because you were so blond and had such blue eyes." Subito admitted. With his hearing it was almost impossible for him not to have heard the rumors flying around the Academy. The news, while unsettling to him, was at least heartening, and he sounded quite hopeful "Glad to know you're okay with what you found out. Not a lot of family secrets I know of do such good." "I dunno if she ever had a different name" he confessed "it's what my parents called her, what she called herself when we first met, so I just assumed that's what her name was. I do know she used to fight for the people who lived on the island before the Europeans arrived. She kind of fell into a serious funk when she failed to save 'em. That might explain the memory lapse" he added glumly.

GM The harried-looking young man behind the desk smiled perfunctorily at the costumed vigilante as Omen approached, saying into the phone he was holding to his ear "One moment, please hold" putting it down he nodded at the invocation of the code word. "Yes, it's the name given to that mutagen that caused so much trouble in the Spring. We've had a lot of people coming in all year suffering after-effects, residual powers, biological screw-ups from allergic reactions to the chemical...it was a mess" he said wearily, glancing at the desktop for a second before looking back up to Omen. "We had some records stolen earlier this morning, just before this new thing with City Hall. Just toss 'em over, I'll get them to the office. Put a real lock on that cabinet" he added darkly. The transfer complete, Omen didn't have to wait long after exiting the Medical Center before the two agents reappeared beside him, Silas gesturing down the street southwards "Walk with us." he and Anthea were silent for a minute before the woman spoke "You are aware of the function of AEGIS, the American Elite Government Intervention Service, yes? Our agency has been doing some recon for the source of this attack, and we believe we've found it. A base just off the coast of Russia. The situation at the Federal Building was..." she hesitated, searching briefly for a suitable descriptor "...perilous, but is now well in hand thanks to the city's heroes." She smiled warmly at Omen "We want to make sure that source is blocked off for good, something you and the heroes right now dealing with those OVERTHROW soldiers can help with. If you accept our request for help you'll get a full briefing by Director Powers on what to expect, and what is expected of you and the others. Do you have any questions?" Silas spoke up again "We will try to make as much of the situation as plain as we can, Omen. We won't hide anything from you, despite what our reputation might suggest" he said with a rueful smile "admittedly, that reputation is not without some basis in fact." The holler hadn't done much for the situation except make the already nervous soldiers doubly so. The woman who had sprang to her feet had just begun to rlex when she happened to catch a glimpse of Starlight out of the corner of her eye. Swinging around she brought her firearm to bear in a hail of bullets! All of which missed entirely and merely punched holes in the walls around the eerie alien. Shaking, the terrorist slowly began to retreat, the gunfire having been almost noiseless due to the modifications done to the rifle. At most other times, that would have been a boon. Silver Spider didn't have long to walk before another of the guards rounded the corner right in front of her. He was so intently focused on seeing any attackers before they struck that he was almost blind to things he would have seen otherwise. There was a serious chance at catching him off-guard.

The stocky teen brightened up noticeably when Serge came into view, letting the 'Bito' slide due to the other, more important issues at hand. Walking up to his friend he shook his hand fervently "Thanks a lot man, and you didn't. I was only there f'r a few minutes. I..I'm sorry for how I asked you along, I really shouldn't have said that" he apologized earnestly, brushing a few stray curls roughly out of his face. "I just wanted us to..hang out, that's all" he added, a little lamely as he turned to the front doors, beginning to lead the way in and holding the door open for the taller boy. Raising his voice as they entered the busy mall he went on "So, um..have you met someone you like? At school, I mean" he clarified with a slight glance of embarrassment at the mutant "sorry, I can't..I'm just curious, lots of really awesome ladies there. You met Cerys? She's pretty badass."

GM One of the other Agents stepped forward to speak to the Queen, with regards to a recent rise in Otherworlder sightings. It had only been one or two, but that was still a worrying trend. Medraut nodded shortly at Blodeuwedd's suggestion "That would be best, we cannot risk him endangering himself and the Afanc along with him if he tries anything foolish..." He looked at her with a sudden idea "...and who better to go and keep him cool-headed than someone he already knows and trusts? Agent Blodeuwedd, you will accompany the small team sent to 'check up' on Subito. Nisien, Cigfa" he said louder in the direction of the two agents, who stepped quickly over to him, still watching the lolling Queen. "First though, let us see..." he gestured to Branwen, who passed her hand over her eyes, which caused the Supervisor to blanch. Quickly donning the goggles he glanced around the lake, drawing in a sharp breath at what he beheld, handing them back discreetly to Blodeuwedd as he muttered angrily "We are being set up for a trap here. This is almost the worst thing that could have happened. And the rising ghost..." he shook his head "Nisien, Cigfa, you and Blodeuwedd will go and reconnoiter the Queen's palace. Locate Subito and the Afanc, determine any and all escape routes, and wait for the opportune moment to make a breakout if a deal cannot be struck" the lean woman and stockier man made their own signs of agreement. Approaching the water's edge Medraut called out politely to the Queen "Most majestic sovereign, we wish to make sure for ourselves that our friend is well. To this end, and to negotiate a proper bargain for his life and return, we wish that these three," he waved elegantly to the agents elected "would descend with you to your grand estate. They will do their best to discover a way to end this regrettable misunderstanding in a way that will give everyone something that they desire" he declared with an incline of his head to the inhuman Queen, who after a moment's careful thought grinned openly "We agree, this is most agreeable to us. They may not descend with us" she said with a note of steel "we must make our castle..pleasing to your eyes first. Wait a while, and then throw the ring into the water." She raised her left hand, and the barge shot away from the shore at incredible speed, sliding noiselessly and without a ripple into the lake.

When you guys want to go ahead with the plot let me know. I don't want to cut this conversation short, is all.

"Oh, that's easy" came the quick answer "In English she'd be called the Blue Dame of Puerto Rico. Blue for the sea, you know" he said, looking closely at the laptop screen, nodding slowly at the geographical map in recognition. "Yeah, I've got some relatives that live around the foothills there. I could easily see them next time I'm back home. The next visit won't be for couple months though." He looked up curiously "'Personal experience'? You mind if I ask what you found out John?" he asked before wincing a little "Sorry, I know it's..uh, presumptuous of me. If you'd rather not tell, I won't pester you 'bout it. We've still got a lot of this chapter to get through, after all" he added lightly, glancing at the prodigious tome on the table.

That hits. DC23 TOU save for the guy: 16. Failed by 7, so Stunned and Bruised. Stormbreaker's up.

The scene is set as follows: the alleyway and part of the streets around the Blanche Heights is filled with a fog that can only be seen through by Crow and his comrades. The alley is also filled with the unconscious bodies of most of the unpowered Crusaders, only two of which managed to not get caught up in the traps and have gone running to get the White Knight to hurry up and keep them all from getting owned. Two of the Super-MAX'd up Crusaders have been wrapped up, one by Crow(who has been shocked unconscious and left dangling on a lamp post), and one by KoS. Three of the others have gone after Crow, two after King, and one has dashed into the clear to try and get a grip on the situation. That clear it up?