Vanguard#1- The Inevitable, The Inexorable...

[Ari]

GM

The glowing orb was lifted with surprising ease out of the pedestal's claws, its surface rippling for a moment before subsiding into a glassy smoothness once more. A quiet mutter from their fallen enemy drew their eyes briefly to him.

To the surprise of both the heroes, the narrow stab wound in the Amber Curse's leg, once rid of the sword, closed almost instantly. Not a trace of the injury was left.

Then with a thunderous crash, thick stone shutters slammed down over the windows. At the same time, the portal winked out of existence, revealing a bare metal wall lined with heavy-duty pipes. The mural shimmered before a concealed projector activated, showing the head and shoulders of a visage familiar to Thomas, the face of Dr. Green; who who had nearly caused a catastrophic explosion in Greenbank trying to give a discontented and rich young man superpowers and validate his theories of a universal power origin.

With a crisp smile at the two heroes he said, his voice echoing around the barren chamber "Ah, good. I was afraid this clumsy oaf wouldn't play his part convincingly enough. Remarkable what threatening somebody's loved ones can do..." Pushing back his glasses with a finger he said grandly, with a cheerless smile "...but I forget my manners. Permit me to introduce myself, Dr. Green, geneticist and chemist extraordinaire! And soon," he added proudly "I will have in my possession not only understanding of how powers come about, but powers of my own! For that I require your services and those of one or two others of note. Your abilities, Voltage," he said to the electric genius "will enable me to process the new information I will need to complete my theory, and you captain Silvia" turning his head to Stormbreaker "will grant me access to the so-called 'mystical' branches of superpowers, an avenue otherwise closed to me. Please, do not be alarmed, the processes you two will undergo have been rigorously tested to ensure there is only a minimal risk of your dying by them. As a gesture of good faith," he concluded with a glint in his projected eyes "I will give you two a few minutes before you are transported to your new residency. I hope you make the most of it. Oh, and by the way" he added casually, raising a small controller and tapping a button that caused the jewel held by Silvia to stop glowing "That's not the Eye of Argon."

With a blur, the hologram vanished, and the projector dropped out of the ceiling, which closed over the hole with a sharp thud.

[Blue Rose]

At first, Captain Silvia finds herself growing cross at being treated like a common specimen, but after a moment, she throws her head back, loosing a laugh that echoes through the chamber. This man has a god in his presence and doesn't realize she's anything more than a lowly conjurer? And then, she hears the gas turn on. Not a concern.

She turns to her fellow hero, approaching him to protect him from the gas, not that the man is likely to notice. "We have an advantage," she declares, fully expecting that the conversation is being monitored. "Our captor is utterly incompetent."

At that, she crushes the fake Eye of Argon in her hand and tosses it across the room, in case their host was fool enough to make that his bug. She then begins redonning her cloak as she leans close to Voltage, now whispering. "He is pumping in poison gas- most likely, a fast-acting sleeping gas of some sort. Do not worry, I have already neutralized it. We feign passing out, then when they come to retrieve us, we strike, and storm the facility proper. You look scrawny to begin with; you go down first. More believable that way."

[Thunder King]

Voltage rolled his eyes at the 'scrawny' comment, but agreed that it was a good plan. So, without further ado, he stumbled around a bit and finally dropped to the floor, closing his eyes. He slowed his breathing down, as if he were asleep.

He hoped that his captor wouldn't expect them to be dead. He regretted not having the means or materials to develop something to determine the nature of the gas. Either way, he was still alert, still fully awake, and paying attention to his surroundings. Even if his 'captor' expected him to be dead, he could teleport away the moment he looked like a threat.

[Blue Rose]

After Voltage goes down, Silvia looks like she's about to say something, then staggers a few steps to the door, hand going for her sword, but she falls just as she reaches it, leaving her sprawled across the floor, ready to draw her weapon.

Now, to wait for someone to vent some frustration on. She's not expecting a glorious battle; just applying a quick thrashing to some thugs. Still, they will have to act quickly, lest the enemy seal them back in.

In fact... if she's quick, there may not be a need to fight at all, depending on what's on the other side of that door. A smirk forms on her supposedly-unconscious face.

[Ari]

GM

The gas kept at bay by Stormbreaker's powers over the very air, the two were undisturbed for precisely five minutes after the Doctor's message ended. Voltage could detect with ease the sudden activation of several electric signals nearby, followed by an ethereal flare of teal light as four masked and armored soldiers teleported into view, their bizarre weapons trained on the two supposedly unconscious heroes. Seeing that they were both lying still they visibly relaxed, and the two could by their very different methods hear them as they spoke to each other.

"What a relief!" said one more heavyset than the others "I was afraid the boss just sent us in to check if they were faking

"We don't know they're not" pointed out another, leaner man, the shortest of the quartet, who still had his strange gun aimed at the two

"Well, we'll know in a second" commented the third, who seemed to be their leader from the narrow gold band on each shoulder, her voice bland and level "get t'em ready for transport"

The fourth merely nodded and walked over to Voltage, carefully placing a small black disk on his chest and tapping three of the small buttons on it in a sequence before moving to Stormbreaker and beginning to repeat the process...

[Thunder King]

Almost as soon as he was done pushing that last button,Voltage disappeared, transforming into electric current. Silvery bolts cascaded through the air, coalescing above them, back into the shape of a man.

Voltage glanced down at them and fired off a blast of electric energy, causing one of the men to shake for a moment, then collapse unconscious.

He checked the device around his neck and interfaced with it.

"These devices are malfunctioning,they teleport the target, but mess them up on arrival. I know where they were sending us." He turned to Stormbreaker and nodded. I may be scrawny, but I can certainly carry my weight he thought to himself

[Blue Rose]

In nearly the same instant as Voltage's shot, Silvia rolls off to the side, gathering a rolling mass of air along with her, and then with a hop, she lashes out, her fingers cutting the sky like claws, sending the blades of wind out to strike at her enemies. And some unimportant structural elements. Where Voltage struck one foe, she strikes three.

"How precise? Can you put us on their doorstep, or will we need an investigation?"

Of course, first they need to find their way out of here. Wherever 'here' may be. And, naturally, she has to keep an eye on her opponents in case one of them lacks the good grace to stay down.

[Ari]

GM

The rolling lash of wind burst upon the unprepared soldiers still recovering from the surprise of one of their targets vanishing and then dropping one of their own in less than ten seconds. Their leader only managed to blurt out "Holy-" before she was thrown violently across the room, unable to stop herself in time before slamming into the far wall, dropping to the ground limp and insensible.

The other two by contrast managed to throw themselves to the ground as the slicing gale passed around them, evading the main thrust of the attack. Legs shaking a little from their narrow escape, the two quickly regrouped several yards away from Stormbreaker, and prepared for battle, slate-gray metal facemasks not able to conceal the nervous dread each of them was feeling.

[Thunder King]

Voltage turned to another man, seemingly with his mind on the situation at hand. In truth, his superhumanly keen mind was running mental simulations of the cause and possibilities. What could be awaiting them? How did Amber Curse, who wasn't very bright (by all appearances) possibly get his hands on such a powerful item? Either someone helped him, it was sheer luck, or he was smarter than he looked.

Voltage sent a blast of electricity at another man, dropping him to the floor. Enough current to knock him out, but not enough to kill. He had gotten really good at these practiced bursts of energy. Less wasted energy, better aim.

[Blue Rose]

Silvia grits her teeth and lets out a low growl, frustrated at the poor display. That two are still stan- that one is still standing is an insult. And now the best she can do is tie! Humiliating!

So, she walks up to the last guard, sword drawn, and starts swinging, shredding gear, knocking away that bizarre gun, and ending it with a hilt to the side of the head.

"Now that that unpleasantness is sorted," she says calmly, sheathing her sword as if she'd just cleaned up a spill rather than thrashing an armed soldier. "What do you know about their technology? Can you use it to get us out of here?"

[Thunder King]

"Don't need to." He said, glancing at Silvia. "I hacked into the device that was going to teleport us and memorized the coordinates. My own teleportation power can get us there easily, and probably more reliably. Depending on where we are now, it may take more than one teleport, my maximum range is 2,000 miles, and I have no idea where we are now.""

He reached over and touched her shoulder momentarily. The two of them transformed into lightning and vanished into the air. A split-second later, they reappeared somewhere else, a few feet away from the exact coordinates the devices were keyed to.

"If you experience a minor disorientation, I apologize. I'm not used to using that on other people."

[Ari]

GM

With a tingle of electricity, and a sensation like their atoms were flung at great speeds, the two found themselves on the wet roof of an aged concrete building, largely overgrown with vines, and trees pushing through some parts of it. A staircase in front of them led down to a broad shelf bearing two wheeled beds fitted with rounded metal covers attached to IVs. Two bored-looking soldiers nigh-identical to the earlier four were chatting about the weather beside the beds, watching the treetops.

It was substantially colder here than in Freedom City, and the sky was filled with the tattered remnants of the clouds that had brought the recent rain.

[Blue Rose]

Silvia advances into the ruined hospital, taking it all in. Those beds are probably where they were to be transported initially. Drop them there unconscious, strap them down, fill them with sedatives, and go about business.

Then, she spots the guard, and doesn't even slow her walk. "Take the one on the left." With a sweep of her arm, she calls on a column of air to slam the back of the guard on the right, to pin him in place. After all, they need to ask someone questions. Not that they're liable to be very cooperative, even after some physical 'persuasion.'

[Thunder King]

With a flick of the wrist, a bolt of energy cascaded through the air and slammed into the other guard. Not near enough to knock him out, but enough to show that Voltage could have hurt him if it was his intention.

Voltage was well aware that his scrawny body and average looks did not, in any way, constitute someone 'scary'. He did, however, float menacingly with his arms crossed, letting electricity arc off his body in short, silvery bursts. He wasn't especially scary, but he hoped that he would add to Stormbreaker's prowess and at least not ruin what she was doing.

He was, however, going to leave the questioning to her, and just float there looking somewhat scary.

[Blue Rose]

With a, 'whumph,' sound the guard in her grasp strikes the wall. Not enough to take him out, certainly, but enough to make a rather useful noise, audible through the whirling winds. At that, she pulls the man away, the winds holding the man growing quiet enough for her to hold a conversation, rather than the raging storm she'd started with, wind forming tightly controlled bands around her captive.

She draws her blade, pointing it at the other guard. "Good day to you, sir," she says, unconcerned by the captive currently rising slowly to the ceiling. "It seems my friend and I are a bit lost. Congratulations; you are now our tour guide. I suggest you begin with where we are, and what this facility is."

[Ari]

GM

Stunned by the attack, it took a moment for the prisoner to realize what was even asked of him.

"Gah! I...y-you..okay, okay, I'll do it I'll do it!" yelled the now utterly terrified guard in a Portuguese accent, staring at the two super-humans from his gradually increasing vantage point. "You-you want me to show you where stuff is...a-and that's it?" he asked, clearly relieved "Oh thank you! I thought you might be those.." he gulped and seemed to calm down a little, though he was still fearful "Okay, just let me down, and I'll show you around this place, deal?" he asked hopefully, wobbling in the whirling prison that sent the loose straps of his black and green body armor flailing around his body.

"A-as for where we are...it's in Venezuela. A little north of Colombia, this place used to be a hospital until the road washed away in a flood, now it..it's something else"

[Blue Rose]

Good. The man is cooperating. Now, to make sure they don't get any fool ideas, and their gear doesn't make them too brave for their own good.

"Alright. I will release you. Then, you are going to set down your weapons and remove your armor. Then, you will tell me everything you know about the security here, and what your employers are using this facility for."

Then, after that, she'll send Voltage to find something to bind and gag the two with, and break their guns. But they don't need to know that yet.

[Ari]

GM

Dropping to the ground with an only slightly cushioned 'THUD', the guard slowly got to their feet, already in the process of unbuckling their armor and removing his three knives, carbine, two pistols, belt of five grenades and short modern-looking sword. Tossing them to the ground in a heap he hurriedly pulled off his thick armor, revealing a strongly-built South American man in his late 20's with a five o'clock shadow and narrow facial features, wearing clothes of an unfamiliar cut of some unusual grey synthetic material.

Kneeling and placing his hands behind his head he began at once "The place has an electricity trap in every hallway on the first three floors, along with sixteen security cameras, gas-emitters and a few teleportation...things, I don't know" he rattled off, looking fearfully at Stormbreaker the entire time. "What it's being used for...I don't know that either, me and the others just guard this American doctor man, calls himself Green, says he's going to find out where powers come from or something. He and some American assistants of his stays in the basement, out of sight from grunts like me or Estaban" he nodded over at the unconscious fellow guard "but some of the others, they say he's making a chemical that can give you any kind of ability you want. All I know is that he uses up a lot of...uh" he scowled as he tried to think of something "...yeah, I can't remember, it's in that Max stuff tourist sometimes get caught carrying in their luggage" he offered "it's a chemical that's part of it" he glanced between the two superhumans

"Uh...I don't know anything else useful. I just started two weeks back. Esteban would know a little more, I think" he added eagerly.

[Blue Rose]

"Very well," the good captain says. "Now, you are going to disarm your friend the same way you did yourself." She waits for the man to do so. "Voltage. Find something to tie these two up with. No need to harm them." Meanwhile, she sets to work removing the ammunition from the weapons, no shame in needing to use her feet to make up for her slight shortage of hands. Then, she throws the equipment off the balcony; none of it is particularly valuable to her, after all.

When all of that is taken care of, it's time to advance. She's not in any particular hurry; better to savor this assault. It's not like this enemy stronghold is going anywhere. "I can take care of the gas," she says to her companion. "Can you disable the electrical traps?"

[Thunder King]

Voltage sighed. He wasn't really the type to tie people up. He grabbed some straps from the gurneys and tied them up quickly, hoping they wouldn't just get out.

"Leave the electrical traps to me. Electricity can't harm me, so if I accidentally trigger it..." He shrugged and looked towards the entrance.

Green! That guy again? Last time he'd seen him, he'd nearly killed someone. He wouldn't get away this time, not if Voltage had to hunt him down.

Stormbreaker was an interesting ally. Egotistical, but effective. Plus she seemed to have her own space ship. Someone to keep an eye on, he supposed.

[Ari]

GM

The interior was as oppressive as the exterior, all dull gray and stained concrete walls, with concrete for floor and roof. The place had an ingenious(if obviously inexpertly done) substitute lighting system that made the place look at least fit for human inhabitation. The place was a series of regimented hallways with a dozen doors to each hall, and a sign on the door as they entered, supplemented by another on the wall of the small antechamber before they reached the hall itself, announced an elevator at the intersection of the passages and staircases at the extreme ends of the building.

The place was seemingly covered by bundled black and red electrical cords, which snaked along the walls and ceiling as far as either could see, with the occasional suspicious dip across the floor around shining steel nozzles.

The place smelt of mustiness, decaying plants and gunmetal, with a strange sound below the pair like a bubbling pot of water, mostly overshadowed by the distant footfalls of several dozen booted feet on the levels beneath them.

[Blue Rose]

As the duo ventures onward and downward, Stormbreaker advances sword-drawn. As they start crossing more and more wiring, she raises her weapon, then stops herself, considering her companion.

"Do you need light to see, or can you navigate by electrical signals or some such?" she asks, doubting she'll be so fortunate. Cutting off power anywhere she can and destroying the lighting would be a huge advantage, if they could both see. Though if not, they can still handle things the old fashioned way.

[Thunder King]

"That would be great, but no, I still have to see. I'm pretty sure we can handle whatever he throws at us though. It's been ordinary thugs so far, and these traps aren't especially tough. But this is suspicious...

He floated a few inches off the ground to make sure he didn't step on any pressure-plates or traps on his way down. Never could be too careful. The thug may have lied, or may not have been told everything. Green was a psychopath, but a crafty psychopath. Best not tempt fate.

[Ari]

GM

With Voltage's intricate understanding of electrical devices, fixing the emitters to short out after a single discharge was an effortless task, and after only a few minutes the short nozzles sparked fitfully, the electrical charges passing through the wires bypassing the emitters and leaving them unable to connect to each other. There were at least a dozen of the things lined at roughly ankle-height, all thankfully interconnected to the power supply, and all similarly affected by any change in the current. This also served to disable the security cameras in the hallway, none of which had spotted them yet.

The pressure plates and apertures to the canisters of knock-out gas were similarly easy to deal with, as none of the encroaching gases were able to push against Captain Silvia's power over the very airs, though by the time they had gotten through the hall a thick cloud of the stuff filled the corridor, making it a wholly opaque wall of shifting white.

The elevator at the center of the building looked to be in working order and was relatively clean. The stairs they could both see down the perfectly straight halls of the re-purposed hospital also were clear, even Stormbreaker's keen ears detecting not so much as a single footstep or cough coming from them.

[Thunder King]

"I'd rather trust the stairs, but that's just me. Elevators are easy to trap and we may not get out in time if it is. Stairs are likely easier to escape if something bad happens. What do you think?" He asked.

Dr Green's tendency to lay ambushes and traps was something he was beginning to grow familiar with. This wasn't something he was too keen on walking into again. Still, an elevator was a tactically inferior position, more chances to trap, more chances to ambush. The stairs could be ambushed too, but it looked to be the lesser of two evils. He hoped, anyway.