ic Downtown Train

[Raveled]

Miras stumbled as the jet lurched, and watched with wide eyes as the pilot, co-pilot, and the big man with the stick all abandoned the crashing VTOL. And the frozen gunner. She felt a flash of anger at them all and swore loudly as she wrapped her arms around the man's midsection, doing her best to heft him off the ground -- and failing miserably. She was barely able to nudge the heavily-armored man, and as the aircraft began to shake apart around them she grew increasingly frantic. She wasn't about to leave him, but she didn't want to crash, either! At the last moment Miras noticed a blinking switch on his belt; she pressed it and pushed, and nearly cried out with joy when the man began -- slowly -- moving towards the door.

 

The magus pushed him out and into the air just moments before the VTOL dropped like a rock. They stayed above the crash, wreckage lying up and through the floating woman. When the worst of it seemed over she floated down, dragging the soldier with her. The magus landed on the sidewalk, glancing around at the gawking pedestrians who were filming everything with their smartphones. She pushed the mercenary at a man in the crowd and snapped, "Call the cops," before leaping back into the air. She had lost quite a lot of ground on the train, but the good thing about following a train was there were always tracks.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Raveled

[angrydurf]

As Miras successfully freed the gunner from the out of control VTOL Transport depositing him safely to the ground Phalanx breathed a sigh of relief.  The police had cordoned off the area under the tracks already so the crash zone was at least safe as the transport tumbled and spun out of control to its fiery end.  Turning his attention back to the mercenaries on the attack he shook his head in disappointment and flew up to the group still clustered at the hole they had wrought.

 

As he approached and maneuvered peering through their masks he tried to commit each face to memory should they escape he sought an opening though they were loath to provide one.  He snapped a quick jab at one but a last minute shift turned the telling blow to a glancing one.  These mercs were not as low rent as their compatriots below would indicate it seemed.

[angrydurf]

GM Post  

 

Things were clearly getting too hot to handle while their armor so far had mostly held out the mercs had lost their transport and two of their members flying it.  Matters needed to be rectified before things got worse still.  Executing a practiced in formation swoop the armored foes facing off against phalanx swung low two peeling off to begin cutting the car free from the train thier arm mounted lasers blazing as they slowly sliced through the strengthened metal of the junction.  Third swung around to fire a trial of blaster fire at the hovering paragon holding him in place for one of his fellows in the train below to slowly charge and aim a powerful blast of energy.  The exploding sphere of energized particles slammed into the back of the mighty flier with a blinding light leaving a hole in his morphic molecule cape and a dark scoring of scorches along his back and shoulders.

 

Meanwhile in the train Kingsnake and Gauss faced off against the remaining mercenary as the speakers built into his suit sparked to life, "One more step and she's dead!"  he demanded as his hand raised aiming his blaster at her head, the woman seemed frozen in place in fear no longer even struggling as the mercenary tried to back away, "Move aside and we'll be taking our prize."  

[N/A]

Kingsnake cracked a smile beneath his mask.  Not a good liar.  He's sweating through his armor.  His pulse is as loud and discordant as a death metal ballad.  She, on the other hand, is far too calm for someone with a gun to their head.

 

"Small men with big guns don't get to be in charge here.  Doesn't matter who you kill,"  Kingsnake growled.  "You walk out of here in handcuffs or you get dragged out in a bodybag."  He flipped to a half-handstand, one hand flat on the ground, holding him up as his legs spun around in the air at the height of the armored mercenary's head and vaguely in his direction.  But then he dropped to a crouch, and lunged at so-called kidnapper, throwing all his weight forward, driving his fist at the man's stomach.

 

[angrydurf]

GM Post  

 

Though not much of a liar certainly the armored soldier was highly trained in tactics and situational awareness.  He saw through the fanciful maneuvers as his bluff was called and whirled out of the way, "I choose option three."  his voice was distorted to a flat tone by the suits speakers but the cocky soldier of fortune attitude came through just fine, "I walk out of here and collect my pay and you earn yourself a nice memorial for the sheep to leave flowers at every year."

 

As he finished speaking the remaining merc in the train with him wheeled with surprising speed, probably juiced on Zoom or something and charged Gauss lifting the ex-pat bodily and slamming him through the doors and back a car out of sight.  The merc set the woman behind him and stepped forward, "Just me and you now ninja boy."

Edited December 2, 2015 by angrydurf

[Saithor]

Gauss grunted as the larger man tackled him and took him backwards back through a train car. At least it had the effect of helping to clear his shaky vision. He ignored the pain he was feeling. He had fought in a war, the war, the Great War! Only beat out by the following one because of the little rat Adofl Hitler! He was not going to fall to a man in an armored suit when head fought at least a dozen british and french metas!  Gauss switched powers, translating the kinetic energy he was building into a blast into something else, a glove of pure kinetic force. He yelled "You think you're an ubermensch in your fancy armor? Your nothing more than a boy playing with toys designed by actual warriors! And I will crush you!" The words, followed by a threatening upper right feint caused the armroed man to block in the wrong direction, and Gauss slammed his left hand into the armored man's chest. Armored plates cracked from the force as the man was sent flying back towards where he had come from.

[Raveled]

With the frozen soldier safely on the ground and hopeful soon in the hands of Freedom's finest, Miras rocketed back into the air again and sped down the street as fast as she could, racing towards the train. She could see it intermittently through the buildings, could see the armored figures still flying above it. Everything was too far away, though, with too many buildings breaking her line of sight, for Miras to risk a fireball, so the magus just poured on the speed. Eventually, robes flapping madly behind her, she managed to land on the last car of the elevated train. The big woman half-rose, the wind threatening to blow her off even as she gathered her power around herself. One last sprint, then she would be in position to end it.

[angrydurf]

The surging blast of energized particles striking him from behind sent the potent paragon reeling for a long moment before he was able to steel himself and bring the armored criminals into focus once more.  "Nice try but not good enough."  he intoned before his hands snapped out to grasp the distracting mercenary who had held his attention for the attack.  Phalanx wrapped a grip like steel around the armored leg of his foe and jerked hard metal plates and internal servos screeching in protest as he swung the battle suited bravo and launched him directly at one of his compatriots busily cutting the train free.  There was a resounding clang as the two mercenaries collided in mid air their armor dented and battered by the force of the crash though they managed to disentangle and right themselves on their maneuvering thrusters in short order these suits were tougher than they seemed at first glance.

[angrydurf]

GM Post  

 

Despite the interruption at the hands of the heroes the mercenaries cutting free the train managed to complete their work the last cut causing the car to shudder lurch as the emergency braking system kicked in slowing the last two cars as the remainder of the train shot forward down the track at reckless speeds.  Thier task complete they turned and opened fire on Miras and Phalanx the scorching particle beams filling the air with the scent of ozone as they burned holes in the air scorching past their intended targets.  The thrown mercenary however had truer aim and seared another scorching stream of ionizing energy across Phalanx' nigh invulnerable form battering the stalwart heroes defenses.

 

Inside the train Gauss and Kingsnake faced off against the remaining mercenaries.  Kingsnakes opponent setting aside the not so convincing hostage and unleashing a vicious power armored punch at the big mans abdomen exploiting the opening the vigilante had left with his last attack.  A car behind the final mercenary staggered back a step under the assault from gauss the plates of his armor dented and battered by the kinetic attack he'd weathered.  Silently raising his arm he fired a burst of scintillating energy to slam into the kinetic shields of the german hero.

[N/A]

Kingsnake reflexively twisted his torso and hips to the side like a dancer as the armored fist landed, while swinging his forearm down in an arc to divert the incoming blow, and tensing his abdominal muscles as hard as he could.  He still exhaled sharply and staggered half an inch from the force of the punch.  That hurt...but at least all my organs are still where they should be.  He pulled another smoke pellet out of a a hidden pocket on his jumpsuit and hurled it to the floor.  Stop screwing around and end this.  Too much at risk here to fight "fair."  The "ting" of metal on metal rang out for a second, and the train car once again filled with a hissing sound and the black smoke it heralded.  Kingsnake stepped forward at a 45-degree angle toward his attacker.  He reached his fingers behind the armored plate on the man's arm, grabbing the inside of the man's wrist with his left hand, while simultaneously pushing against the man's elbow with all his might, forcing it to bend in the wrong direction, forcing the edge of the plate against the man's flesh.  At the same time, he kicked down as hard as he could at the side of the man's knee, behind the armor plate jutting up over his shin.  Weakest part of any suit of armor...the joints.

[Raveled]

Miras stood up halfway and, alarmingly, found that she couldn't really stand up any farther. The train swayed under her alarmingly, the wind blew at her harder than any storm she'd known in the city, and she just couldn't stand up any farther. The mage tucked her head into her arm and muttered in Latin; the world went sepia-toned and slow, and Miras could suddenly walk forward. She did have to lean into the wind, like she was pushing through an indifferent, obstinate mob, but at least she didn't feel like she was about to all off the train or be blown into a building.

 

She made her way down the train, eyeing the soldiers who hung in the air or were paused mid-punch. She held out her arms, fire gathering in either hand. The one hanging in the air was an easy target; she eyed him up and lobbed the fireball. An inch from her hand it froze like the rest of the world, and she turned her attention somewhere else. Below her, through the plastic sunroof of the train, she could see a man in a grey suit and gas mask -- military uniform? But it didn't look like camouflage -- engaged with another armored thug. She pointed down and loosed another handful of magic fire. She left it behind and headed further up the train.

[Saithor]

Gauss watched as the blast of energy evaporated on contact with his shield. Converting his production of Kinetic energy again, he pointed both hands at the armored warrior. "Not good enough, Kleine Kinder. Let me show you how your Grandvater did it." He pulsed with both blasts, and missed again. Or not he thought inside his own head. It seemed that besides that one lucky hit he had gotten in earlier, today was not really his lucky day. He got ready for the power armored warrior to hit him with another heavy blow. Then all of the sudden a blast of magic fire came out of nowhere and narrowly missed both Gauss and the thug. Now it looked like even more people were getting involved, but at least now it was feeling more and more like a warzone.

[angrydurf]

These armored thugs were sturdier than anticipated and quickly things were getting dangerous with the battle spreading to wider environs than the confines of the monorail car.  At least with the train cars whizzing on past them  there were fewer civilians to be concerned with.  As the mercs shot forward to catch up with their compatriots Phalanx pulled up short slamming his hands together with colossal force to unleash a crushing shockwave rippling through the air in front of him crashing into the armored mercenaries with crushing force and sending them spinning out of control before careening into a support pylon and falling to the ground in a tangled heap to be collected by the police on scene.  With the nearest foes vanquished Phalanx shot forward like a blue streak in the sky moving into position over the train cars once more.  "Your ploy is a failure, Give up now before anyone else is hurt."  he demanded of the apparent leader facing off against Kingsnake.

[angrydurf]

GM Post  

 

This situation had grown rapidly out of hand and the mercenaries were down four members and a transport already as Kingsnake did violence upon the leader driving him to a knee as the vigilante torqued his armored limbs despite the suits defenses.  Crying out in pain he managed barely to pull himself upright and cast about to get a grip on the target of this extraction mission gone so very wrong.  "I hate working in this city, heroes everywhere."  he spat over the suits speakers as he tapped on a panel of his suits arm, "But at least you're predictable, I think you have bigger problems now."  He laughed as explosions could be heard in the distance as the merc teams explosive charges detonated the tracks ahead of the still speeding train.  "Now run along."  the merc commander sneered at where the thought Kingsnake stood.  Those outside the train cars may not have heard the commander's speech but there was no mistaking the results of his actions, the train so recently detached from the final two cars sped onward toward the newly created breech in the monorail tracks if it wasn't stopped in time.  Clearly the Mercs had well laid plans to distract any heroes who interfered.  

 

Inside the rearmost car the armored man facing off against Gauss unleashed a blistering stream of particle beam fire at the time displaced soldier as he withdrew up and out of the breached roof of the train taking up position overhead to cover the retreat of his more injured companions.

Edited November 28, 2015 by angrydurf

[Saithor]

Gunther grunted as the energy blasted him again, and his bones felt even more battered than the last time. The German ran back into the other train, saw the man flying away, and fired off another blast of kinetic energy that sheared off part of the side of the train, and hit the flying enemy, but failed too make any lasting impact. Why did I come to America? Gunther thought to himself.

[N/A]

I want to help those people.  But I can't fly, or tear steel with my bare hands, or walk through walls or lift cars with my mind.  All I can do is...this.

 

Kingsnake grabbed both sides of the kneeling mercenary's helmet.  "I told you.  Killing people doesn't give you the right to give me orders.  You're not in control here.  Wanting to save them doesn't mean I won't stop you."  He pulled the man's head down as hard as he could, while simultaneously driving his knee up into the man's faceplate.  That armor is metal...but I'm betting that part you see out of in front is glass.  Metal bends.  Glass breaks.

 

[Raveled]

Miras jumped into the air, becoming light and flowing as she bridged the gap between the rear cars and the foremost one. She was smiling broadly as she flowed past the fighting forms and straight towards the door, moving past all the fighters and the mercenaries and heading straight into the control room -- only to run straight into a gas-tight seal. She reformed on the wrong side of the door with a smarting nose as the world snapped back into the proper time frame. Miras stared at the door for a moment before pounding on it angrily. "You've got to be kidding me," she shouted. "Goddamn 9-11, Patriot Act, TSA-wannabe a--holes at the transit department put in a GAS SEAL!?"

[angrydurf]

Phalanx had been angling to swoop down towards the fight in the train when he saw the merc activate some transmitter on his armor with dawning horror.  It was almost a relief that the triggered device was on the track and not the train itself though that relief was short lived as the remainder of the train the mercs had not detached showed no sighs of slowing in the face of the danger.  Putting on a surge of speed he soared to the front of the train and slowly braced himself as he set down.  He likely could have anchored himself to the track and let the train collide with him at a sudden stop but that would not be good for any passengers within.  Stopping it quickly enough to avoid derailing at the destroyed track but slowly enough not to injure passengers was much more tricky.  As he set down his feet found no purchase on the relatively smooth concrete of the monorail track and despite his best efforts the train seemed to slow not at all as he skidded along the track seeking purchase.

[angrydurf]

GM Post  

 

This Op was not going according to plan and all the failsafes had been called in now.  The apparent leader if the squad was ill prepared for the barrage of attacks unleashed by the vigilante in the cloud of smoke with him and took a vicious pummeling before being flung bodily from the cloud to crash against the seats and wall of the monorail car.  He wasn't down for hte count yet but was in bad shape certainly as he weakly began to pull himself towards his feet.  Above the car half of the remaining soldiers continued to struggle to maintain their flight systems under the attacks by the heroes the sole remaining able bodied mercenary took careful aim at the only target still available unleashing a blistering barrage from his particle weapon at the kinetic hero below taking Gauss full in the chest with the potent ionizing energies.

[Saithor]

Gauss fell to the floor of the train, the Ast of energy sending him to the edge of concioussness, but he still managed to reflexively fire off a blast of kinetic force, this time hitting his opponent and it appeared to Gauss' strained vision, knocking him from the sky.

[N/A]

Kingsnake came flying out of the smoke cloud right before it faded away.  He tucked his legs up against his chest and somersaulted once before landing on the prone mercenary's midsection with both feet.  Still standing on the armored man, he pulled the coiled whip from his side with one fluid motion, almost absent-mindedly.

 

"Stay down."  He let the coil fall free.  The braided black leather twirled and slithered to the ground.  He turned his head slightly over his shoulder in the direction of the so-called "hostage."  "And you, stay put."

 

[Raveled]

Miras ached to stick her head through the ceiling and see how close the train was to the blasted section of track, but she didn't have enough time. Ironic, since she was one of the very few people in the world who knew the magic to control time, but right now she couldn't waste any power slowing things down -- she needed time to speed up. The woman pulled off one glove and licked her fingers, then drew a rough circle of spit dead-center in the door. She muttered, alternating Latin and Arabic phrases as she worked. "<Time must flow and race and crash and bend and break.> <May God protect my body and save my soul if I cannot do this.> <Take my strength from today and tomorrow and years ahead and bring it here.> <God, help me!>" She focused her magic on the tiny circle, willed it to age and rust and rot, and then slammed her fist into it with all the strength she could must from days ahead of herself.

 

The metal folded -- not much, not entirely, barely enough for her fist to go through, but enough for her. She gave a whoop and flowed through the breach and into the control room. She wasn't a train driver or any kind of tech-head, really, but she wasn't looking for anything complicated. Just -- there! A red button the size of her thumb under a plastic case. She didn't other opening it, just flowed her hand around the cover, formed it on the other side, and pressed down.

[angrydurf]

'It's not enough.'  Ran through Phalanxs mind as the train continued to plow toward the gap blown in the track by the mercenaries, 'Not enough time, but I have to stop it.'  As the train shuddered and screeched with the emergency brakes engaging he redoubled his efforts butting all he had and then some into stopping the train and its disastrous course.  Grimacing against the strain as his feet lifted from the slick track and he braced himself instead with the power of his flight the train slowed to a stop just shy of the breach but safe.   He offered a heartfelt nod of appreciation to Miras through the windshield for her timely aid in stopping the vehicle and was gone in a streak of blue and gold streaking toward the ongoing fighting in the rearmost cars where they had come to a stop after being detached.  

[angrydurf]

GM Post  

 

On board the stopped cars the fight was not going the mercenaries way.  Thier leader continued to take a brutal beating at the hands of the Kingsnake, the heavy plates of his armor all that saved him from severe injuries as the large vigilante landed atop him with crushing force.  Even with the suit of armor the air was crushed from his lungs leaving him writhing and gasping on the floor.  In the skies above the Mercenary targeted by Gauss was flung further into the air losing control of his flight systems under the barrage of kinetic energies and tumbled from the skies like stone as they gave out, the resounding thud of his impact with the ground audible even among the chaos above, if he survived the fall he was in no shape to resist the police in the vicinity.  Only one of the mercenaries remained relatively intact rolling as he flew away to unleash a wild volley of blistering particle beam fire right at Kingsnake whilst the acrobatic vigilante was still recovering from his assault on the mercenary leader.  His aim was true and the deadly energies coursed toward Kingsnake only to be intercepted by Phalanx barreling out of the sky to take the blast full in the chest bracing himself against the barrage with heroic resolve he was unharmed beyond some minor scorching of his uniform.  The final Mercenary realized perhaps too late that the Leader was a lost cause and fired his boosters flying away over the front of the train at speed intent on at least escaping prison time.

Edited December 3, 2015 by angrydurf

[Saithor]

Gauss leaned out of the trail care and fired off another shot, only for it to miss completely. Grunting in annoyance he prepared for a second shot. He must be sick or something, he wasn't this bad at aiming. Admittidly, in the War his targets hadn't been moving this fast. He leaned back inside to see a man in spandex beating up one of the power-armored men. "You want some help with that, herr...?"