ic OVERTHROW in Freedom Hall!(IC)

[Ari]

GM

September 12th, 2012, 1.45 P.M. City Hall

The day had so far been profoundly boring for the civic government employees. So far there had been the usual pileup of bureaucratic duties and paperwork needing to be filled out and passed on to other departments, or else sent out to businesses, agencies and the various Freedonians contributing to the steady stream of licenses, fines, and sundry other aspects of modern life.

Mayor O'Connor sat wearily in his office, squinting through his thin glasses at the carefully-worded email A.E.G.I.S. Director Powers' secretary had sent him and wishing the ear-achingly-loud helicopter flying by would hurry up. Running a hand through his hair limply, he sighed and read the last sentence again. "'So, with all due respect Mr. Mayor, I don't think their presence is necessary'. Really, Harry?" he said to himself sarcastically as he began to busily check through a report on the state of the city roads in Lincoln "You're certain you know these people that well?" he shook his head "Alright, if you think that's best, I won't try and talk you out of it."

Turning his full attention back to the almost completely positive report, he failed to notice the the fatigue-wearing man sneaking in through his propped-open window before it was too late. The hand roughly grabbing his shoulder and slamming him against the wall hard enough to dent it was his first clue that something was up, the sound of his attacker entering masked by the throbbing chops of the helicopter blades. Grunting in surprise and pain, Michael tore himself free and tensed himself, about to try and fight back when with a click his assailant backed up, drawing a rifle and aiming it directly at his face. "Don't even think about it, gramps" he snarled, his eyes behind the balaclava cold and murderous "from now on, your life belongs to OVERTHROW!"

From the low-flying helicopter and a trio of dark vans screeching to a halt in front of the local center of government, armed members of the terrorist group stormed into the white-washed building, quickly disarming the guards and herding the now-terrified government workers into the lunch rooms and higher levels. In mere minutes, the helicopter was landed on the eerily-deserted main plaza of the hall, the vans pulled up onto the municipal lawns with a group of terrorists to guard them, and already the wail of sirens could be heard, the flashing blue and red lights of the racing police vehicles clearly visible to the four snipers crouched among the decorations on the corners of the roof.

-----------------------------

News of the attack spread almost instantly, with twitter feeds, the various news channels getting as close as they dared to the scene of the attack, and word-of-mouth racing throughout the metropolis that armed men had taken captive their seat of government captive! Within the hour, the agents of OVERTHROW gave their demands to the television news networks, sending out an unmasked man in heavier armor than most of the others: "We categorically refuse to release your tyrannical mayor unless we receive the following:" he said, donning wire-frame glasses as he read from a sheet of paper "The firing of every person currently employed by this city's monument to managerial mediocrity and licensed waste of talent, replaced by the peerless members of our group we will bring before you for installment" smiling thinly at the blank stares that earned him he went on "As well, the freeing of Austrian citizen Hamilcar Kramer, AKA Weissnacht from Blackstone Penitentiary, the closing of that unnatural and unlawful prison, the rescinding of all laws permitting dangerous costumed vigilantes to operate freely in this city, and disallowing any reprisals against any of us involved with this act of regrettable but necessary terrorism!" he concluded forcefully, calmly removing his spectacles and folding the paper neatly into his pocket "Are there any questions?"

As might be expected, there were.

[Raveled]

Liz Moya was at work, carefully typing out a piece of correspondence for one of the higher-ups at the Albright Institute. She glanced quickly from the computer screen to the handwritten letter, pausing occasionally to decipher some section of chicken-scratch or short-hand. As for the requested information re: Angelique Monez, she typed out, hands flying over the keyboards, the Institute once again reminds you of our policy of strict confidentiality among test participants. If this request is made again, it will be--

A sudden gathering around one particular cubical caught her interest and the young woman stood, stretching and wandering over. It seems that one of the office workers had a radio, and had tuned it to WSAR, a local news station. "For those just joining us," the broadcaster announced, voice sounding strained, "Freedom City Hall has been taken over by members of the terrorist group Overthrow. They have informed us that they are holding Mayor O'Connor hostage as well as many other civil employees. WSAR's city correspondent will remain on the scene, and we will keep you posted on all developments."

At the back of the crowd, Liz's eyes narrowed and flicked back to the workstation and the half-finished letter. It would have to wait; she signed off the workstation, picked up the letter, and dropped it in the In box on an empty desk. If it didn't get written, well it would wait for a few hours.

---

The atmosphere in front of City Hall was worried and tense, with uniformed police officers holding back the crowd and reporters. Starlight made sure her appearance was in an unobserved spot -- a bathroom at a local coffee place -- and took a few minutes to double-check her disguise. She glanced in the mirror and a middle-aged man of Asian descent stared back at her, flat black hair cut in a conservative cut, grey suit rumpled. She glanced down at her legs and a gold police badge formed on one, while a holstered pistol grew on the other.

Amply disguised, the superhero made her way out of the cafe and towards the police barricade. One uniformed officer held out a hand to stop him, but Starlight swung the tail of her coat back and tapped the gold shield. "They called me in," she/he said, injecting a touch of boredom into the East Coast accent. "Where's the command center setting up?"

[Ari]

GM

The area for several hundred feet around the center of government was a crawling with police, including STAR squads and several vans of SWAT teams. A small cluster of suited government agents and the heads of the police department were murmuring to each other in a ring of squad cars as they observed the situation from beside a table covered with maps of the local area. The officer thumbed over to the gathering "If they called you in, better speak with those guys, they're drawing up a battle plan in case the negotiations fall through" he sighed and pushed back his cap morosely "A shame the 'League is over in Iran helping deal with that big monster in the Caspian Sea" he commented as he returned to his post, smiling cheerfully and waving to Starlight as he passed by.

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel had been finishing up a class lecture when one of his students had all but shouted that City Hall was under siege. After giving the student (who'd obviously been surfing on his smartphone rather than paying attention in class) a classic Mr. Keefe Glare, he dismissed them and asked that they be cautious and ready to evacuate if the university gave the signal. The fact that this let him slip into his office, lock it up, and slip out unnoticed in the panic helped.

It wasn't long before Gabriel was in the air, and really just a few moments before he was in the air over the police, quickly landing at the far side of the police blockade, quickly moving inside with friendly reassurances and a couple quick reminders of his Freedom League Reserve membership. He approached the ring of law enforcement officials, his face grim and his stride purposeful.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you don't mind my coming here. It's my hope we'll be able to resolve this with words, and that I can help that goal in some way. May I join you?"

[Azuth65]

Jennifer Owens massaged her temples, willing away the headache that was forming from the stress of her current project not going terribly well. First the rapid prototyping machine broke down halfway through building the shell for the latest lightweight toy the Secret Service wanted. Then after getting it working and taking it down to the company's reenforced testing range, it nearly blew up in her assistant's face.

She was reaching for a bottle of water when one of the lab techs shouted that there was a hostage situation at City Hall. Well, at least I can take my frustrations out on somebody that deserves it, she thought. While the rest of her associates gathered around one of the computers to watch a live stream of the events, she slipped out of the room.

A few minutes later she had swung her way through the city and ended her trip by landing on top of a SWAT van. Looking down at the officer nearest her perch she nodded, "I came as soon as I saw the report. I'd like to offer any assistance the FCPD might require."

[Brown Dynamite]

Erick Sloane had been sitting in his penthouse with his best friend discussing plans for purchasing the entire building they occupied. Now that he was old enough to get access to the account his late parents left for him, it helped that the already sizable chunk of cash was made more sizable due to investments made by one of David's friends. It just felt as if signing the paperwork was almost like closing a chapter of his life he wasn't comfortable closing yet, not that he had much time to contemplate the matter as suddenly a special alert bulletin played across the television set. With many

A stern look formed upon Alaina's face as it became obvious what Erick had been planning to do, "I believe Omen operates in the shadows. And despite how tired I feel right now it's far from night."

"Now, now. They went to all the trouble of gathering an audience it would really be a shame if I didn't give the performance of a lifetime. Far more my speed than all this financial talk. Besides, I'll make sure to stick out of sight." The pair simply smiled at one another before Erick moved to his room to change into his uniform. Only the flap of the curtains would be left as a sign as Omen left for a rare afternoon appearance.

----------

There were some parts of the job he enjoyed. And making the rooftops his playground as he ran across the city was definitely a highlight. Although there was probably a more ideal way to maintain cardio. Even if one would be hard pressed to convince Erick of it.

Upon arriving on the scene Omen chose to stick to the rooftops rather than front and center through the crowd. Scouting out the building from afar he began to run through his options. "So taking out the guys with the rifles and moving in through the roof would be ideal, though not as much so as sneaking in unseen."

Musing over how to go about things he would look down spotting the cape clad in white floating along most likely giving a reassuring spiel as Erick imagined they often did. "And now for something completely different. A little contrast is good for the soul I suppose. I've never been one for the bright colors they seem to scream shoot here."

[TheAbsurdist]

Amir had been on a power lunch with Ana, there was things she had been trying to ask him, especially about his recent absence. And he had been avoiding the questions, because it wasn't something he wanted to discuss. Though he had to admit he was being erratic since coming back, but he was seeing a shrink, just to keep the board happy.

She was talking and he wasn't paying attention, and heard the gasp, and heard the words, "... hostage situation at City Hall...". There was a beat, and he looked to his aid, and started to pull off his coat, and fished his cellphone out of his pocket, along with the keys to his car.

"Ana... I am sorry." He was genuine with that. "I have to do this... and I am still not really ready to talk about what happened." Said before he pulled off his shirt, revealing the short sleeved, body hugging top, white with burgundy sleeves and a stripe down the side. As he had noticed it was rare he was in a situation where he could wear the full uniform, so he had a simple undershirt made, and he had taken to wear that with whatever pants he had on. Like now with his khaki slacks on.

"I, fine, just fine Amir. Eventually I will get impatient enough, and you and I will have a talk. Understood?" She looked at him, with her arms crossed, and a frown on her face.

He paused a moment, and nodded at her, before leaping into the sky. Fortunately once he was up into the air, and away from traffic, it was a relatively short trip to city hall, and to angle himself down among the police. "Was in the neighborhood, wondering if you needed any help."

[Ari]

GM

The group of law enforcement officers gathered around the table were just getting to an agreement on a plan to deal with the terrorists when the heroes arrived. "Ah, Gabriel! Just the man we wanted to see!" exclaimed one of the suits, a severe-looking man with iron-grey hair and a surprisingly warm smile. Shaking the super's hand he went on "We've been trying to work out some kind of deal with the terrorists, but as you might imagine they take our very willingness to talk as a sign that we're weakening" he nodded to the other suits and police officers before stopping and turning back to him "Oh, Harlan Schultz, director of the local branch of the FBI, we-" he was cut off abruptly when the Silver Spider landed on the SWAT van behind the two, starting in surprise and taking a few seconds to recollect himself.

"Glad to have your help, miss. We need every hand available to get in there and free those hostages! Not that the OVERTHROW goons are calling them that, of course" his smile took on a cold edge "We have caught glimpses of some snipers on the roof, and from what we've gathered so far there are some guys hidden behind the inner columns with RPGs. If you can get past them you shouldn't have much trouble with the more lightly-armed men. Now, if you can get inside, you'll need to keep out of sight as much as possible so they don't get antsy and start shooting people to make you surrender. I've known them to do that."

By the time Asad arrived, Director Schultz was more prepared for people falling from the sky. "That we do, Mr. al-Misri. We've got a lot of people here that need rescuing" he said briskly, shaking him by the hand as well, and showing him the map so far. "As you can see, most areas of entry into the City Hall is pretty heavily guarded. I've heard you can absorb physical impacts, think you could take some of the heat off of Silver Spider?"

---

Omen's phone suddenly buzzed to life, the ID saying only 'ATHENA', who had sent him a text message: Go three blocks to the south, watch for a grey car with the license plate AOS-500. Follow it.

[Tiffany Korta]

After a couple of years Agnes had final tracked down one of her friends from before her 15 minutes. And after a lot of effort to convince her that she had changed they had arranged to have breakfast before she went to work. She was almost at the door of the restaurant when the news alert came in from Freedom City. She almost decided to ignore the incident, but it seemed that most of the major hitters were otherwise indisposed, and they might be able to use her talents. So she paid off the Taxi driver and called her ex-friend to say that she wouldn't be able to make it, the voice at the other end suggested that this was her final chance.

With a burst of photons she arrived in Freedom City and took to air towards City Hall, and for the second time today wished she hadn't bothered. There were already a couple of heroes there all of which seemed more capable than her. And as she got closer her heart sank Asad was there, she’d though they might have had something but after one, interrupted, date he'd dropped of the radar and she hadn't seen him again.

But she was here now and they could still use her help, so she took a deep breath and floated down towards the thong of heroes and police officers.

“Hi there am I later to the party?â€

[Ari]

GM

"Not in the least, Ms...errr..Young Britannia!" Director Schultz replied after a moment's uncertainty. Waving her over to the map-covered table he gestured to the neat red dots penciled into the blueprint of the city hall roof "Those are the locations of the gunmen OVERTHROW has stationed on the roof". "Of course, there's much better equipment in the trucks we came here in, but we though it would be best to figure on the preliminary method of dealing with this issue right out here. Tell 'em what we've got, Mr. Maddicks" this was addressed to the imposing 40-something police Captain and director of the STARs, who gave the assembled heroes a critical once-over and took out a small black pen to jab at the map for emphasis.

"What we've 'got' as Mr. Schultz puts it, is more or less what he just told you. Those guys with the rocket-propelled grenade launchers are a serious hassle for any kind of attack we could mount, and the snipers on the roof mean we have little luck getting them out any time soon. What we've 'got' is an idea that if we send a negotiation team to lure out their leaders, we can send a four-man team through this decorative grove here" he sketched out a series of dotted lines around a small path through the gardens that ringed the otherwise cool and austere federal building "we can catch the their artillery off-guard, while putting our own gunmen in position to take out their snipers. The arrival of your four, however, makes that that much easier. What I propose is this: Gabriel, you lead the negotiation team and use those magic powers of yours make the terrorists see reason. You, Silver Spider? While that's going on, I want you to find a way to sneak inside. Mr. al-Mi-...Asad, Young Britannia, you two seem to be flashy even for supers. You keep the attention of those terrorist bastards squarely on yourselves as long as you can and give Silver as much breathing room as possible. Any of you got a different idea?"

After the last jab at the paper he looked almost challengingly at the heroes, his short black hair gleaming in the sunlight that got through the heavy cloud cover.

[Brown Dynamite]

Omen skimmed his cell phone as he received the message. The number wasn't exactly public domain. Which only brought up a host of questions. Seeing as the scene was starting to get more stacked as time passed it wasn't as if him taking his eyes off the prize for a moment would be an issue.

Deciding to go along with this mysterious Athena, Omen would pick himself up and pivot towards the South. Taking off in a quick burst as he prepared to leap off the roof using the grappling line to travel the course of the supposed three blocks. "If it turns out I'm following step by step instructions straight into a trap it better not run on too long."

While he wasn't sure what the merit would be in following a strange car with nothing to go on other than mysterious instructions. Getting to the bottom of who got into contact with him was certainly an agenda worth pursuing.

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel gave curt nods to the other heroes as they came, though he did raise an eyebrow at YB's rather...expressive...outfit.

'Rare to see British heroes who are so openly British here in the states. Welcome to Freedom City!'

He paid particular attention when Mr. Schultz outlined his plan to save the hostages, and what parts each of them would play in the operation. He nodded as he was asked to help negotiate.

"It sounds like a good plan. Do you want me to stick to negotiation, or try to keep them really distracted with some flashy oration? Either way I should be able to at least get them calmed down a bit."

[Raveled]

Starlight stayed quiet and towards the back of the group, safely behind her mask of shaped flesh, as Director Schultz sketched out the plan. Her part seemed obvious; Silver Spider would need back-up inside, and Starlight's abilities made her uniquely suited to the task. She'd need to wait, though; revealing herself now, after trying to stay under cover like this, wouldn't endear her to the other heroes.

The detective hung around the back of the group, ready to make a quick exit once the plan was finalized.

[Ari]

GM

Omen didn't have to wait for long after his arrival at the appointed destination. In a few minutes a grey Volkswagen Golf rolled past, with the license plate precisely as 'ATHENA' had described it. It was heading serenely down Caniff St., cruising through intersections with simply uncanny timing towards the Waterfront. It was surprisingly easy to keep the vehicle in view as it drove along, at last arriving near the mooring of a large container ship, where two longshoremen were loitering. Out of it two men and two women appeared, carrying bulky briefcases and dressed in subdued colors with a vaguely formal cut. After a short discussion with them and the exchange of keys, the longshoremen got into the car and drove away quickly from the docks. The four then began to approach the ramp leading up to the ship's deck.

Another rumble, another message from 'ATHENA': Stop them. Get what they have in the briefcases. Bring them back to Freedom Medical Center.

---

Capt. Maddicks frowned slightly "Glad you approve, Mr. Gabriel. If you can think of ways to draw attention to yourself and away from the people that need to get in there, I'm all for it. That and getting those people to see reason would frankly be pretty invaluable."

He jotted down some slight notes on the portion of the map covering the steps.

[Azuth65]

Silver Spider nodded as the plan was laid out, pointing to an air vent she could slip into without being spotted easily. "I can sneak into the ventilation system here. Even if I can't get into the room they're holding the mayor I'll be on the inside. On a side note, once this is over I'd suggest lining the vent system with copious amounts of razor wire so the next group of terrorists can't turn this same trick back on us in the future."

Turning to the law enforcement officials, "Is there a radio frequency you guys think I should stick to in case I need to make an emergency call out? Any code phrases worth noting?"

[TheAbsurdist]

Arched an eyebrow as he looked at Mr. Maddicks. "I think I can draw their attention pretty well. Clearly I am the representation of the Bourgeois capitalist system they clearly hate so much, blah blah, up with the proletariat, yadda yadda. Either way, soak up their gun fire, and any RPGs got it."

Pulling gloves out of his back pocket, he pulled them over his hands slowly, meticulously, and then paused and glanced around at the other costumes, taking note of who they were. A ghost of an amused smile at his comment, and then he nodded back at at Maddicks and Schultz, "Just say when." Casually pulling out his commlink, and putting the earpiece on. Seemingly less chatty than he had been previously, for those who knew him.

[Brown Dynamite]

Blind faith wasn't exactly the modus operandi for a cowl. Omen was of course no exception, the switch looked iffy. But he couldn't justify a snatch and grab without at least confirming that the shifty looking bunch heading towards the ramp were less trustworthy than the anonymous texter. Which of course warranted doing something incredibly stupid. Attempting to send a response text which read, 'What is going on?' Omen would immediately put the phone away afterwards. Seeing as he couldn't actually sit around and wait for the response a slight smirk would form under Omen's face as he took off in a full sprint toward the quartet hoping to come up from behind and use his acrobatic talent to maneuver himself ahead of the ramp.

I'm not worried about holding my own if this thing goes South. There's only four of them. But ending up on the 5 o clock news over some stolen donor organs would really turn this into a sucky day. Well at least I'm photogenic.

[Tiffany Korta]

Agnes listened carefully to the plan, her part of the plan was simple cause trouble and distract from the main plan, surrounded by such experience and knowledge she was almost afraid to say anything. But if she could help avoid bloodshed then she had to give them any advantage they had.

“It’s a good plan, simple yet effective. I might be able to help getting Silver Spider inside the building though. I can Teleport, should be able to take a passenger. If you can find me a quiet room out of the way I should be able to get us in, then I can teleport out and cause some trouble.†She blushed a little at Gabriel’s welcome. Being spoken to by someone of Gabriels stature was still quite a big deal to her, she hoped she'd never become so jaded that it would “Thanks, I just hope I can be of some use here.â€

[Ari]

GM

Omen's answer was prompt: 'Records of patients cured of the mutagen that caused the chaotic Hotzone incident were stolen by those four.'

As he swung in front of the quartet, landing on the ramp with a ringing clang, they all instantly reached for something hidden under their coats, eying him warily. One of them asked crisply "Who are you? What do you want with us?" seeing the eye on his collar they stepped slowly backwards, their spokeswoman adding nervously "Are..are you Foreshadow?"

---

"A teleporter?" Maddicks' dour face seemed to lighten almost imperceptibly "That's a weight off my mind, uh.." one of the nearby officers apparently listening intently to radio chatter coughed into her hand and glanced meaningfully at him "..Young Britannia." he concluded resignedly "Yes, that would work excellently: Mr. Gabriel gets their attention, Mr. Asad draws a few rockets and sniper rounds so Ms. Young Britannia can maker her jump with Ms. Silver Spider and joins in the bullet-drawing. We'll keep in mind your suggestion about trapping the ventilation shaft Silver Spider" he sighed "and as soon as we find a way to get young supers stop using it to get to his office quicker, we'll implement it." He drew up to his full height, shaking the hands of the heroes firmly, and calling on his radio got news of the negotiation team's ETA, relaying it to the others present. That done, he led them through the barricades to the front line of the police force. There was still much yet to do....

Soon afterwards

The negotiation team was thrilled to have a superhuman like Gabriel along, as he definitely made the group of four besuited men carrying briefcases look more appealing to talk to. Under the bright sun, they marched towards the steps of City Hall. When they had gotten ten feet into the plaza, a warning shot rang out from the roof, driving up a small cloud of dust in front of them. Ten OVERTHROW agents including the one who had issued the demands, exited the Federal Building, and walked up to the small group. Looking at them suspiciously their spokesman asked "Well? Have you come to comply with our requests? They aren't too steep, are they?" another cold smile.

[KnightDisciple]

"Right, I'll be sure to keep them talking. Everyone, stay safe out there. Maddicks, you let me know if things change. This is your show, I just want to help."

Gabriel had heard a bit of the mans' reputation, and wanted to make sure to keep his feathers un-ruffled. There were hostages to worry about first.

-------------------------------------------

Gabriel kept pace with the rest of the negotiation team, his spear nowhere to be seen. His white coat flapped a bit in the breeze as he strode forward, his simple presence radiating calm, confidence, and compassion. When the OVERTHROW agents stepped out, he raised his hands a bit in a gesture conveying both "I come in peace" and "I am unarmed". He gave them a warm smile and spoke with a friendly tone.

"We come to you in peace, gentlemen. Please, there's no need to point guns at us. We wish only to talk with you for a bit. You understand, of course, that one of our primary concerns is the safety of those inside the building. The hostages, yes, but also your people. I do not wish to see any blood shed this day. Now. Obviously we simply cannot give you everything you want at the drop of a hat. Perhaps we can take some time now to discuss how we can both get what we want in a reasonable manner and timeframe?"

He wasn't quite lying; he was going to discuss how they could arrange things.

He just wasn't planning on actually giving it to them...

[Ari]

GM

The men and women behind their spokesman visibly relaxed, their rifle-barrels lowering and their forefingers dropping away from the triggers. The man Gabriel had addressed seemed quite comforted and taken with his short speech, nodding enthusiastically and saying eagerly "Of course! Certainly!" he gestured over to one of his escort, who brought over a couple small folding chairs and set them up with great speed "I am glad to meet such a reasonable man here, the negotiators sent before were solely concerned with the safety if the collaborators. Your humanitarianism gets this off to an excellent start!" gesturing to the folding chairs and saying "Please sit" before doing so himself, he began at once

"So, what do you propose?"

One of the negotiators murmured to Gabriel "If I may, keep him focused on the well-being of himself and the other agents. We can catch them when they leave, but they need to think they'll be safe first"

[KnightDisciple]

Gabriel seated himself last among the negotiators, keeping the polite smile on his face the whole time. He masterfully buried the anxiety he felt, knowing how many lives depended on him right now. He locked that worry away and focused on the task at hand. He didn't even nod to acknowledge the advice from the negotiator.

"Well, obviously we're all a bit tense right now. Perhaps instead of doing everything at once, we can do this in stages? Here's my request: Any hostages who are injured, have diabetes or some other chronic condition, disabled in some way, expecting mothers, or otherwise might need to be seen by a doctor and free more directly and urgently than the others, release them. Perhaps a few more, such as the eldest staff. Certainly no more than a quarter of who you currently hold; I don't expect more than that to fit the criteria I laid out."

He shifted a bit in his seat, getting comfortable.

"While that's going on, perhaps we can discuss the nature of your grievances with how this city operates, and who you feel may be qualified replacement candidates?"

[Brown Dynamite]

Omen calmly held his index finger as if asking the group to wait before pulling out his phone and reading the message. Parsing his lips slowly he would begin to gruffly answer, "No need to worry about who I am. What you should be concerned about is the fact that I'm going to give you two options. Either you drop the patient records and I take them where they belong. Or I forcibly take them, and your concern will be over your own pending hospital records."

He wasn't attempting to ride David's reputation for always being in the know, but Erick wasn't going to let the psychological advantage that the mere idea brought against goons like this. He'll probably get a chuckle after I tell him about this. Might send a thank you for striking fear into the hearts of the criminal underworld card next Father's day. I think they make those.

[Ari]

GM

"None of the people in there were injured during or after our acquisition of the city hall," the spokesman said proudly "though otherwise yes, that seems quite reasonable. One of our soldiers will escort any such civil servants out of the building, and must not be molested or detained in any way. One moment" he took out a small radio and spoke quietly into it "How many older than 50? No, I can wait.....Really? That many? Jesus..." he clicked the radio off, turning to Gabriel and saying "By our count there are around twenty or so collaborators past the age of 50 inside. They will exit first, of course. As for what grievances..." he stood up, and gestured around at the city, at the towering skyscrapers and statues to heroes gone by "Look at this place! A monument to greed, filled with corruption and the exploitation of the many by the few, a place where anyone wearing a mask is granted nigh carte-blanche over the very lives of others! I mean no disrespect to you, Gabriel, but surely you know how irresponsible and lackadaisical your fellow vigilantes can be when fighting those rebelling against the loathsome laws of the state! We want to replace all of it, all the city fathers and mothers who smile indulgently at such horrors as are unleashed regularly, when even those powered by the Terminus itself are given free reign!"

Turning back to Gabriel he added "That doesn't even get into the likes of al-Misri, who doesn't even have the decency to hide his face when he goes out and oppresses those less fortunate than him! How do you excuse such behavior?"

---

The drably-clothed people looked nervously at each other, their hands falling away from their concealed weapons. After a whispered conversation one of the women stepped forward, saying "We'll drop them, just don't be surprised when this little sting of yours doesn't get you what you wanted" she tossed her briefcase at his feet and stepped back, followed by the others quietly following her example. At last they stepped further back from him, watching tensely. The loading ramp creaked slightly.

[TheAbsurdist]

Absently he adjusted the straps on his gloves, and then stood outside of the tent, waiting for the signal. As vague as that was. He had gotten the frequency for his commlink. Then folding his arms across his chest, he pushed up and into the air. Not expecting anything further, just putting himself in a straight line towards where he would be rushing at the signal, and instead he faced away from the City Hall, masking his intentions, as keeping watching for something else. His back presented towards the snipers.