Invasion! - Danger Mansion (IC)

[Cyroa]

"Are you ok," he asked Stesha. She was far more important than his own health as far as Dark Star was. "I'm alright. Just took a lot longer to get there and back; far more than it should of. By the time I got to them, they had been surrounded by some rather impressive creatures. If they were trying to draw attention, they had certainly gotten it in spades. Several of the demons were able to hit me as well. I caught a few shots as we were leaving but I'll take care of them in a moment." He looked at her and smiled, even if no one could see it. Just looking at her was enough to bring a little light into his life. "The city...it's pretty much gone. Overrun if not completely different than it used to be."

He looked at the broken broken 'bag of bones'. "Sir? Is there anything I can do to help?" He looked over at Jack, concerned as well. "Avenger? Are you going to be ok?"

[Electra]

Stesha pursed her lips and nodded at the grim statement. It was about what she'd expected to hear, after what she'd seen and the reports that had been trickling in all afternoon. They'd run out of options, and were rapidly running out of time as well. She followed Dark Star's attention and looked at the other Knights, giving a double-take first to the talking pile of bones, and then another, more severe one at Jack's inhuman appearance. The... whatever the bone man was, was unusual, but she'd thought Jack was at least human. He didn't show a lot of signs of being a regular guy just now. He was scary. She edged backwards from him, staying out of arm's reach for all the good it would do.

While Dark Star dealt with the... unusual cases, she turned her attention to what she could do. Tugging off her cowl, she draped it over Phantom like a blanket, covering the burned-away clothes and healing wounds. Without the hood, she looked even less like a superhero, wearing simple green clothes and with her matching hair coming loose from its braid in a dozen places. "Just rest for a minute," she told Taylor, "and I'll find you something to wear if you need it. I'm sure Ace has plenty of spare clothes inside." Turning her attention to the big, bloodcovered stranger who looked more shocked than scary, she said "Come on into the house, we'll find someplace for you to get washed up. It's crowded, but there's about fifty bathrooms. One will be free, I'm sure."

[Geez3r]

Samael stooped and help get Dead Head's body back in relative order. Before today, the prospect alone of doing this would leave him unable to keep his lunch down. But with all the terrible things he's seen - and done - today, this one barely registered. Samael didn't really have the hands of the healer, but when you needed someone to remove your own foot from parts unknown, he was your man.

Turning to the green haired woman, Samael gave her a nod. "Da. I vill do zat. Ze people are scared enough as it is. Besides, I don't vant to know vat happens if demon vound gets infected. Keep her safe." he adds quietly to her while flicking his eyes in the direction of Taylor. The expression on his face shows he knows that she can take care of herself (quite well in fact) but the fact that she won't when there are other people to be helped first is the distressing thing.

As Samael passed Colt he nodded, but then paused. "Zose zings vill kill you."

[alderwitch]

Taylor dredged up a smile for Atlas as she shoved herself up to a sitting position. Taylor put one bracing hand on Jack as she surveyed the ground. "It's a holy ward, in layman's terms. It also is going to come crashing down. Without anyone left out there, this is the last ground to claim."

Frankly, it was a miracle that it was still standing but Taylor didn't see a point in sharing that. She coughed, a harsh rasping sound, before she found her voice again, "The dimensions are merging, but this is still Freedom City, out there, it isn't. Not anymore."

It was so very tempting to sit there on the ground and hide her face against the people she loved. But there was a last stand to make, and while Taylor wanted to weep with exhastion, Phantom had a job to do. Chin firming with determination, she shifted to get her feet under her and reached out to Jack to steady herself as she stood up slowly. "We haven't lost yet."

[Dr Archeville]

Dead Head

"Thanks, Ruskie," the still incredibly mangled-looking man said, "that feels much better!"

Now he no longer looked like someone had crumpled him into a ball after setting him on fire. Now he looked like he'd merely been run over many, many, many times, after being set on fire.

He lifted one hand and gave a 'thumbs up'... and it promptly snapped off. "Oh, for the love of... hey, Starman," he called to Dark Star, "whose house is this? You know if there's any raw meat around?"

Dead Head suddenly realized that was perhaps not the best choice of words.

"Beef, I mean! Steaks, or pork chops!"

Dead Head was trying very hard -- in his own macabre way -- to keep a sense of levity in the place, to fight against the crushing darkness, without tipping too far into irreverence. It was a delicate act, made more difficult by the fact he could hear all the dead screaming in his skull, wailing in confusion or roaring with rage at the suddenness and unnaturalness of their deaths. Some cried for comfort, for justice, but more demanded vengeance, bloody restitution for their losses.

If his skull and hands weren't so badly shattered, he'd be cradling the former in the latter.

[quotemyname]

"Reckon y'all don't need ta tell me twice." Colt hung his head for just a second as he replied to Atlas. "One'a them demons damn near killed ma friend out there t'day."

He looked from the new arrived group of battered heroes up to the barrier that covered the grounds and back down to Atlas. "Sure feels like we should be doin' more. I ain't sure if'n there's anything we CAN do, though. I'm FROM another dimension. I ain't yet figured a way back. Ain't no way I know of sendin' these damn things back where they came from."

[ex3lev3n]

Dark Star had returned, and he brought guests. Tapping Tarantula on the shoulder he spoke, "I'm gonna go check them out, see what the sit/rep is."

Razorwing noticed his teammate Colt stepping out of the front door of the mansion and walk towards the group of battered heroes. He stood just outside of the circle, listening to their conversations, trying to piece together what had happened outside. He didn't know any of the others save Colt and Dark Star, but he knew of them.

"Sure feels like we should be doin' more. I ain't sure if'n there's anything we CAN do, though. I'm FROM another dimension. I ain't yet figured a way back. Ain't no way I know of sendin' these damn things back where they came from."

"He's right. Once that wall comes down, we'll be flanked on all sides." He walked closer to the seasoned heroes as he spoke. "When that happens, we need to have something set up. The trees were a good idea," he said unsure of who had done it but sure enough it was the girl with the green hair near Dark Star, "but we'll need something more. Battlements, fortified defenses, and a place to fall back to when this," he gestures to the open lawn and garden, "is burnt to the ground."

[Avenger Assembled]

Jack's grip on Taylor's hand was very tight for a moment, but his hands were steadier now that he'd had a chance to steady himself. He could feel Ace's holy ward tugging at his own awareness like an unpleasant heat pressed against his skin, but entering without hostile intent had gotten him inside the door. "Mmmy god...my peoppple..." He stared out at the wall of demons outside, taking a moment to shake his head. "Nno, no, they'll be alll rightt. Demons showwed no interrest in mee until I staarted killing themmm." He'd ordered the vampires of Freedom City into deep cover, calling on the same ancient strongholds that they'd taken shelter in during the Terminus Invasion.

I never thought I would see this myself. God help us all. "Can't go inside," he finally said. "Too much demon blood. Can't...can't be around wounded and helplesscivilians. Will make stand here outside."

[quotemyname]

Colt turned to the man nursing the girl on the ground and simply looked on in silence for a few seconds. Nodding, it seemed he had made up his mind about something. "'Wing's right ya know. We gotta set somethin' up. I usually default ta people with more smarts'n me in this type'a heat. Y'all seen that scientist Dr. Archeville 'round here?" Colt talked about the doctor as if he barely knew him. It was an effort to obscure their real connection. Razorwing would have known what he was doing also. It was something the interceptors had talked about.

"Yer the one they call Avenger, right?" Colt pulled Marlin from the holster on the back, opened the chamber of the weapon to see it was properly loaded, and closed it again, cocking the gun so that it was ready to be fired. He held it in front of himself pointed at the ground to the side. "Well I reckon I'll be right there with ya, partner. If'n there's a stand ta be made. I aim ta be there...standin'." Colt nodded in confident confirmation of his own words.

[alderwitch]

"We can't send them home because this is hell. You can't banish something that belongs here." Exhaustion and pain made Phantom's voice sharp as she stood up, reaffixing her mask in place securely over her face. It was torn below one white glowing eye but it would simply have to do. She didn't have the time or energy to spare to mend it now. "We can't fall back to the mansion as I imagine they'll evac the civillians if the ward falls. We'd be best off if they punch through rather than bring the whole thing down but its more of an art than a science with wards."

Giving what information she could, Phantom turned her attention to Avenger. Either Colt would take her advice or discount it but she wasn't up to bickering. With their resistance gone, the horde would be on its way here directly. Lowering her voice for Avenger, as much as she could in the crowd, she said in what she hoped was an aside, "You ought purge that out of your system. You're not using it up in the fighting anymore."

[Avenger Assembled]

"Okkay. May be hard to watch..." He faded from view at that, disappearing from the sight of everyone there. Jack concentrated, digging his hands into fists as he pushed out at the fouled blood inside him. It didn't come out his mouth; instead it leaked out his pores. When he was coated in demon blood as if he'd bathed in it, he reappeared on the other side of Taylor. He looked shockingly disreputable, but like a man who'd bathed in blood instead of a monster who'd drunk it. "I'm ready."

[quotemyname]

"Y'all're somethin' else." Colt crossed his arms. He was constantly surprised what strange people he called his fellows. But he wouldn't let that discourage him from what needed to be done. He gave himself another cursory look over. "Suppose it don't matter none. Least ways not long as we get the job done. If'n we're still standin' tonight, I reckon it'll have been a damn good day."

[ex3lev3n]

Avenger's cryptic and half-crazed words about "his people" and such caught Razorwing's attention. Eyeballing the black-clad vigilante suspiciously, he listened to the rest of the conversation while slowly backing away from the group.

When Avenger vanished then reappeared soaked in crimson, Razorwing took the opportunity to slink away from the group unnoticed. Though the display was a bit disturbing, it piqued his interest. When this was all over, he would definitely look into who and what Avenger was, but for now he had to keep his head in the game.

The Interceptor's had established protocols for this sort of thing... kind of. Razorwing needed to make contact with the rest of the team, not to mention find Doctor Archeville. As he made his way across the lawn and garden he pulled a commlink from his utility belt and keyed the mic twice without speaking. It was a hail, of sorts, and any military-minded person within comm range would understand.

Arriving at the massive wood doors to the palatial mansion, he opened them and stepped inside. His objective was round up the Interceptors and any other able bodied hero for the last stand outside.

[Dariusprime]

Following on the heels of the latest arrivals came another surprise.

Bowling over each other, smaller demons at the front grounds shrieked and scrambled in opposite directions. They weren't fast enough to evade the source of their desperate flight. The battered shell of a metal cargo container plowed lengthwise through their ranks. Many smashed against the barrier with a satisfying crunch, and the container slid to a halt on the main drive.

Stepping around the box came Fulcrum, dressed in her blue, gold and white costume. Not that much was visible under the caked layers of grim and blood. She, like many of the other arrivals, looked to have been in one hell of a fight. Twisting off the makeshift lock, Fulcrum pitched the metal bar at the nearest demon and sent it flying with a clock to the head.

"More where that came from you horned freaks!" spit the hero. The conviction was there, but the voice still sounded weary.

After glancing inside, Fulcrum dragged the container up towards the mansion and began unloading a motley collection of shell-shocked survivors. Once they were safely inside, she leaned heavily against the box, sighed and looked around at the gathered heroes. Considering the day's battles, she didn't seem too shocked by their appearances.

"Glad to be here. To whom do I owe this...safe zone?" she asked while catching her breath. No slashes or bruises were visible over the stains. She just looked tired. Tired.

[Electra]

Stesha led Atlas into the house, where the wall-to-wall refugees somehow still managed to find room to make a wide path for the bloodsmeared giant. She took him down to the gym and peeked into the men's dressing room, which was relatively uninhabited. "There are showers in there," she told him, "and probably some workout clothes too, but I don't know if any will fit you. You can wash out your clothes and get, you know, the stuff out of them, at least."

Leaving him to get cleaned up, she returned to the front yard just in time to see Jack's new Carrie-at-the-prom look. She stared at him for a minute, then darted away to the other side of the yard. Somebody else could find him a bathroom. She didn't know what was going on with him, but she wanted nothing to do with it. As more and more heroes began arriving, she returned to her work, trying to raise a perimeter of trees around the property. It was tiring, but she wasn't likely to be much good in the fight anyway. She would make her stand how she could.

[Geez3r]

Atlas nodded and made his way into the shower. "Thanks." he said quietly to the green-haired girl. In the back recesses of his mind, he felt that it was a beautiful house and would have liked to admire it, but this was hardly the time. Too many people with too much fear in their eyes.

Atlas got into the shower "fully dressed" and turned the water on. He let out a his through clenched teeth whenever the water fell on his wounds. He had forgotten how much being heavily injured sucked. After a few minutes he had gotten most of the blood off, and the warm water had heated his stiff muscles, now came the really bad part.

His eyes darted between the wash cloth in his hand and the wounds on his leg that sorely needed cleaning as he didn't want it to become infected. With a few deep calming breaths, he prepared himself, and then ran the washcloth over his leg. He had to use his free hand to support himself on the shower wall as tears welled up in his eyes.

A few minutes after that a now sopping wet Atlas made his way back outside. He hadn't bothered to change clothes, all he would do is tear them again.

[Cyroa]

Dark Star nodded. "I believe this is the residence of Ace Danger." He looked around for the immortal hero. "Though I don't see him around. Hopefully he has some more thing up his sleeve." He turned to the 'zombie'. "There probably is something in the kitchen? I'm not certain actually."

He turned to Phantom and listened. "Do you think that is possible? Allowing the demons or altering the wards to open one hole we can funnel them through? Or will this magic all collapse at once?" Magic was really not in his area of expertise. FAR from it despite the little knowledge he had learned from his time with the Knights. "And...how much can you hold in your cloak. While I'm certain we will defeat them eventually, things are a little tense. If we need to move all these people, you and Fluer are likely our best, if not only, option for doing so."

[angrydurf]

Having shown Dr. Archeville to his stores of assorted weapons and trophies Ace made his way back out to the courtyard once more.

"The kitchens are fully stocked." He anounced with a nod to the battered corpse man and beckoned one of his diminuative servants to fetch him whatever was needed, they woudl need everyone in as best shape as was possible when the ward fell.

"As for the Ward," He said with a casual shug, "I only have a minimal understanding of its design, Eldricht installed it after the Hades invasion but I only know how to activate it and little of its finer workings."

He watched as the assorted heroes set about their preparations for the inevitable battle his confident smile never wavering. He stepped closer to Dark Star pitching his voice so it wouldn't carry beyond the cluster of heroes, "As for these people I thing you will find they are as willing to fight for thier city as much as any of us." He had already made a basic survey of those well enough and skilled enough to aid in the battle, and was gathering what weapons he could for them, The people of Freedom were not going to so easily give up on thier city.

[alderwitch]

As Jack's reappearance created a ripple in the crowd of folks backing away, Taylor pulled up the edge of her cloak that was now more holes than fabric and ripped a portion of it off. Folding it into a small pad, she tilted her head to listen to Ace and Dark Star, nodding occasionally as they spoke but without contributing as she weighed her options.

Taylor stepped into the empty circle around the vampire and reached up to blot some of the demonic blood from Jack's face. It didn't take a mystical expert to realize the blood was not so good for Jack, even if it had been neccesary. Her expression was solemn, and her hands still trembled from exhaustion intermittantly.

"If Eldritch were here, I would say most definately it could be done. As I don't see anyone more mystically skilled than myself, I will say that it is possible." She said finally, almost reluctantly. Taylor paused, turning her face towards the waning barrier. She was so very tired and knew she was no where near Eldritch's calibur. She might end up taking the whole thing down by accident. There was no margin for error and she was far from her peak but they didn't have Eldritch, they had her so she would have to suit.

Shaking herself back to the present, she rallied enough to volunteer her thoughts, "I might be able to route the energies of the field through my own powers. The manor is already in a state of dimensional flux. I might be able to shift the manor out of synch with prime and into the void. Then, yes, we could bring the barrier down in incriments."

She'd never tried anything like it but the metaphysics were sound. Heshem knew what it would do to her in the process. She fell silent again as she tried to work out other angles to approach the problem.

[Dariusprime]

Fulcrum took in the scene before her. Considering what the city had become, she looked relieved to be around anyone normal. Well, normal was relative, considering the blood drenched man in black and the shadow man and the green-haired heroine...ah forget it. She was just happy to be around anyone other than demons. If only she had time for a proper introduction. A small smile crept over her face, but before she could say anything else, Dark Star spoke up and she simply nodded her thanks.

When Ace appeared, Fulcrum listened intently. A confused, more like a perplexed look, clearly indicated that she knew very little of which they were speaking. Still some of it seemed digestible. She scowled at the thought of shifting the mansion 'into the void' and approached closer to the group, raising a hand. Realizing how dirty the glove was, she pulled them off and crossed her arms.

"Pardon my interruption, but why would we want to bring down this barrier? Shouldn't we be looking for a way to reverse this disaster or whatever it is?" Taking a deep breath, she looked every gathered person in the eye, "Or has that option already failed? What the hell is going on anyway?"

Her gaze turned to the mansion, steely resolve intermixed with frustration in her voice, "If they're willing to fight, then they and we deserve better than a last stand. We have to do something."

[Avenger Assembled]

Avenger gave Phantom a grateful smile as she wiped the blood from his face, discreetly wiping his filthy hands on his clothes before putting his hand on her shoulder as they faced the whirlwind together. "Take anything you need from me," he suggested softly. "Power it with necromancy, anything...anything that'll help save those people. I've seen too much death today already."

[alderwitch]

Phantom leaned into the touch on her shoulder, one gloved hand slipping up to cover his and give it a squeeze. She returned his smile with a shaky one of her own and said quietly, intending the words just for his ears, "I don't even know how Eldritch built it. I'd guess he's got a relic in there but that's only going to have so much oomph. We'll manage something."

She pivoted and looked at the assembled faces. Not for the first time, she wished the Master Magus was here but he had other tasks to attend to. The sphere of his duties was more than one city, after all. Phantom would bet her last dollar that he was making sure that if the city fell, it wouldn't spread to the rest of the world. That did mean she was rather on her own, mystically speaking.

"There's a group, the best group suited, to trying to reverse this invasion." Phantom said, her tone measured and even. Only Jack with his hand on her shoulder would feel the tension in her body. The plan hadn't been an easy one or a choice made lightly, but it was not only the best hope, but the only one. She knew her voice would carry, and she knew these people wanted answers so she gave them what she could, "We were trying to buy them time by taking on the brunt of the Horde deeper within the city. In Riverside. That group is going to be on its way here to bolster the numbers. This is the last unclaimed scrap of Freedom City, which means every demon pouring through the hell gate will be on its way here and, eventually, that barrier is not going to be enough to hold them back. It can't."

[Cyroa]

Dark Star nodded at Phantom's words. "We've just got to hold out until they succeed. If there are people who wish to fight and Ace has the means to let them, then they should be allowed. Ace, perhaps you should lead that group or keep them organized as much as possible given the situation, unless there is someone you think would be better suited for it." He looked at the others. "Our task is simply to stop the demons from getting to the mansion...which shouldn't be too hard. Considering how much of an obstacle we're going to be, I don't see why they wouldn't focus on us. As long as it keeps them away from the people inside and buys that other group more time, I'll accept it."

[quotemyname]

"Well don't that beat all." Colt spoke up for the first time in some time. He had contented himself with watching and listening and learning.

"Reckon there ain't no cause ta keep secrets. Not now, leastways. Who is mysterious group'a hero's comin' ta save the day, as well as our collective asses?"

[Geez3r]

Atlas had rejoined the group outside in the courtyard, but had yet to make his presence really known. He knew most of this already from Phantom's earlier phone call, so he didn't really feel the need to speak up too much. He merely waited to see the reactions of the other heroes. But as expected, none of them seemed even remotely inclined to back down at this critical juncture.

Atlas also began looking around the courtyard, trying to figure out where he himself should make his own last stand. Fighting in the city in a target rich environment was one thing, but fighting in a open courtyard was an entirely different sort of beast. For one thing, he didn't have anymore buildings to topple over. Furthermore, there were a lot more friendlies in this fight than there had been in the last, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing.