A Show of Force

[olopi]

GM

 

2^nd of May, 2016

Early Morning

AEGIS Headquarters, Freedom City

 

 

 

The Plagues of Egypt, the Makot Mitzrayim were over. Various heroes, all around the world had dealt with them. The public had been affected. The media were full of reports about the plagues, details, reports, conspiracy theories. And so was the public’s attention, still entirely focused on the destruction and mystery surrounding them. In all this talk of biblical horrors, many had forgotten an event that made the headlines just days before the first plague. The assault on Neutron Industries, with the following destruction of not only their primary reactor, but also the temporary shutdown of most nuclear reactors along the east coast.

 

The attack had been spear-headed by a small-time newcomer to the super-scene, a pyrokinetic calling himself Bonfire. Large parts of the public immediately reacted, calling him a terrorist and calling for his arrest. Meanwhile, others, among them a few people with positions of power, called him a hero for fighting corruption and the pollution of nature. AEGIS sub-commander Vincent Clarkson didn’t care either way. Bonfire had done enough good to build up a bit of protection, and truth be told, Clarkson had never been a fan of the nuclear industry. He had, probably deliberately, been left very vague assignments.  It fell on him to assemble a team to go out and tell this hero-gone-rogue that he was going down a bad path, to convince him not to continue with actions like these, one way or another.

 

Not arrest him, no. That would just cause the entire discussion, which had fortunately been interrupted by something much more threatening, to continue. It was best if all of this would just be forgotten, less political efforts from either side, less heroes thinking they can act like him too. This was about a show of force. Show him what AEGIS was capable of. Show him what would happen if he decided to go completely rogue.  The agents were not permitted to use any kind of violence outside of facing aggression, but the threat of it was something that remained open for them to use.

 

And so, the briefing had concluded. Ethan “Upgrade” Stone and James “Adept” Warner were to be accompanied by a local team of AEGIS field agents, and do what had been specified. They could call upon a, for AEGIS purposes, medium amount of supplies and backup, and had all been handed a file on Bonfire, specifying both known powers (very easy to find thanks to him having a blog), areas he frequented (more difficult to find since he wasn’t really tied down to any place), as well as heroic contacts (very few), and more miscellaneous information.

 

“Well then, Gentlemen. Any remaining questions?”

 

Edited April 23, 2016 by olopi

[Sophistemon]

After a moment of silence, Ethan shrugged his shoulders and ventured a thought. "I've been logging a lot of flight-time," he admitted. "The entire crew's been trying to get ready for the AMP's big debut -- and I guess that this is it. But I haven't been paying as much attention to the news as I should be. This Bonfire guy... if it comes to a fight -- and if that wasn't a concern, the two of us wouldn't be here -- what can we expect out of him? How dangerous is he?" The machine that he piloted, the XO-9 Advanced Mobility Platform, was equipped with enough armor to survive a tank round, but nevertheless he didn't relish the idea of being roasted alive inside of an enormous metal coffin.

[olopi]

Upon hearing Ethan’s concerns, Clarkson reopened his laptop, and a few seconds later the projector showed a video of a human-sized flame, recognizable as Bonfire only thanks to a label at the bottom, inside a room, shooting a fireball straight through an armored robot.

 

“From what we can tell, and he so graciously tells the public thanks to his blog, most of his powers seem to prefer not seeing combat. He focuses around talking people, deceiving them. According to a few police reports we were given, he has managed to simply talk down robbers before, make them lay down their weapons and get them to just walk to the police. It doesn’t fit in with the rest of his powers, but he might have some psychic abilities, judging from that. We have no reported info on it, it’s merely an assumption.

 

When it comes to actual combat, he, from what we know, usually holds back. We only have a few reports of him pulling off something like this video, most of the time he seems to simply create a bit of smoke. Smoke, which, mind you, he has used to strangle people unconscious before. I would suggest bringing masks. If he’s made of smoke, the XO-9 should have quite the advantage.

 

And if he actually should go all-out, which we doubt since so far he has claimed he would peacefully talk should law-enforcement want him to, you have seen what he can do. It’s our biggest concern, and the main reason this mission exists. You are permitted to use whatever force necessary to get rid of him should he turn into fire. We would prefer not killing him to avoid a debacle, but if it has to be done to protect yourself and those around you, we will not object.

 

But, I will remind you again, the point of this mission is not to arrest or kill him. “

 

 

 

Edited April 25, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

"Bloggers," Adept scoffed under his breath as he flipped through the pages of the dossier.  He couldn't understand the appeal, although he'd freely admit that modern social media made his job a lot easier than in the old days, when he was a rookie with the FBI.  No need for a professional investigation when all these new kids would freely put their life stories online. 

 

He hadn't heard much about this Bonfire before; the initial impression struck Adept poorly, after he just finished helping deal with another eco-terrorist at the DC headquarters.  Adept saw it not as well-intended extremism, but as blatantly illegal destruction of American infrastructure.  He rolled these misgivings around in his head, let them cook a bit; he could use the anger to put a real growl in his voice when the time came.  If the agency wouldn't let him bring Bonfire in, then he'd make the most of intimidation. 

 

"He seems to clearly care about public opinion.  Can't see the point in all these interviews and documentation otherwise.  If you have any articles or videos of negative reactions to the Neutron Industries incident, we could take them with us.  They might rattle Bonfire more than threats of incarceration."

 

And be less likely to turn him violent...fun as that would be.

[Sophistemon]

Ethan looked over at Warne and shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, man, my daughter blogs sometimes. I mean, she mostly just posts links to cat videos but there's really no harm in it. It's like our version of yakking into a CB radio when we were kids -- they're just putting their voices out there for people to hear." He then nodded to Clarkson. "So, he doesn't tend to use lethal or even potentially lethal force. He's a man that can turn into fire and chooses to blow smoke. That's interesting. It's actually almost a little zen, don't you think?" And then: "I hope that he can't turn into smoke. If he can, and things go south, there's not much that I could do to hurt him. The AMP's got firepower out the wazoo but I can't hit something that's immaterial." He cast a sidelong glance at his associate and raised a finger to his temple. "Can your, ah, mental-whammy put the hurt on someone that isn't, strictly speaking, really there?"

[olopi]

Clarkson winced a bit at Ethan mentioning trnign into smoke, before pulling up another video onto the screen. It shows Bonfire, looking completely human apart from a head made of smoke, getting shot and simply ignoring the bullets, having them pass through him.

 

“I will have to disappoint you there, sir. Turning into smoke isn’t just in his repertoire, it’s probably his signature power. It’s the main reason he even acts like he does, he knows average muggers and the likes cannot easily hurt him. He’s not invulnerable however. According to what he’s said himself, he’s gotten injured by explosions in the past. Unfortunately this means that yes, the XO-9 is not too effective should it come to actual combat. But it should work its intended purpose as a show of force. “

 

The video disappeared, and various screenshots of newspapers, online videos and similar showed up on screen instead. All of them were clearly speaking out against the “Upstart Hero’s turn to terrorism” as one of them put it.

 

“As for negative reactions, there’s enough of them. Most major news channels were quick to report his actions as acts of terrorism. Various government officials and celebrities have also spoken out against him. And, if you want to get more personal, he’s also lost quite a lot of popularity on his blogs. There’s people calling for his head, sometimes literal.

 

There’s always people siding with him, of course, but all and all, the public reacted rather negatively. The local Police has told us that they will not interfere if he does not act out further, but would appreciate our help in getting him back onto the right path. “

 

Edited April 27, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

Warne blinked a bit at his partner's speech mannerisms, before the videos caught his attention.  He hrrmm'd faintly to himself.  In response to both Ethan's question and the new evidence, he held the file-folder with one hand, fished in his jacket pocket with the other, and brought out his engraved Zippo.  He opened and lit it with a practiced flip of his wrist.  The flame held steady at first, then wavered and outright morphed into a smooth, featureless dancer, twirling on the small metal platform.  Warne's psychic manipulation soon put out the fire, producing a faint wisp of smoke, which also twisted unnaturally. It moved like a tiny swirling hurricane until he let it dissipate in the air. 

 

"Doesn't matter.  I got him, if it comes to that."

 

He doubted it would.  Between himself and Upgrade, plus backup, and especially reminders of public reactions to this Bonfire's actions, Warne considered real trouble unlikely.  Another idea had come to him too, but he kept that to himself for now.  Best to feel out Bonfire first, and besides, he rarely told his handlers beforehand when he tried to cultivate assets and informants from the criminals he wasn't outright dragging off to Blackstone. 

Edited April 27, 2016 by Blarghy

[Sophistemon]

Ethan nodded, but inside he was thinking. Sure, I'll look really impressive in my big metal suit -- until the fighting starts and I can't do anything to him. Then Agent Warne demonstrated his telekinetic mastery and Ethan stared, transfixed, as the other man made the fire dance and the smoke twist into the air. "That's... wow, enough said." he murmured. "That's incredible, Warne. At least we've got you." He snorted then when he heard how the media, both old and new, had turned on Bonfire following his most recent actions. "Oh, but aren't we a fickle people?" He shook his head and tutted. "He should have stuck to beating up muggers and spandex-wearing lunatics like a good little hero. Y'see, this is what happens when good people try to get into politics -- the whole damn system goes for your throat in the blink of an eye." He motioned towards Warne, and then to himself. "And they send people like us to make sure that it sticks." He looked at Warne, then, and grimaced. "You know the damn suit isn't even finished yet? They promised a suite of sensory modes, an Active Denial System, all sorts of stuff -- it's all stuck in the planning stages until they figure out how to fit it on the chassis. Isn't that a kick? Every egghead in Washington is working on the damn thing."

Edited April 28, 2016 by Sophistemon

[olopi]

GM

 

Clarkson nodded at the agents speaking. He was sure this mission would go well, it might not have been high-priority, but it would likely get his superiors’ attention if things went well. These agents knew what they were doing.

 

“Gentlemen, the briefing is concluded. You will find agents to accompany you downstairs. We will remain in contacts through the communications network. And now, good hunting.”

 

 

 

A few hours later, early afternoon.

 

The North End

 

Various inconspicuous cars had been driving around Downtown Freedom City all day. They belonged to AEGIS, their mission was simple. Equipped with IR readers, they were to find Bonfire. He probably was travelling around the city somewhere, if the files were anything to go by. And then, Mission communications sent something through. Clarkson’s voice sounded up on everyone’s channels.

 

“We’ve got reports of a robbery in a North End Tech store. Bonfire was seen on the scene, in combat with the robbers. That was just a few minutes ago, by now the police arrived at the scene and the robbers are arrested. We’ve got somebody on Bonfire’s tail, so we’ll know where he goes.”

 

One of the cars took a turn into an alley, before coming back out, now driving back the way it came.

 

“According to Agent Thompson your target’s inside the Low5 Bar. He usually goes to bars when he has to recharge his powers, according to what he tells people. So this is probably the best moment to strike. Your call, Gentlemen. “

 

 

 

Edited April 29, 2016 by olopi

[olopi]

PC

 

Bonfire had been hunting the V-Arr for a while. A few small time criminals and hackers, robbing computer stores. Always a step ahead of him, until today. Their goals were a mystery, but after stopping that robbery those freaks in pirate costumes should have reconsidered their ways. The ones still hiding, that was.

 

But now he had to recharge. He hadn’t gotten the time to do so earlier that day, and he was running low because of all the flying. There was a bar only a block away from the stroe that had been robbed, so finding one was hardly a problem. Money had been pretty good after all the stuff with Neutron, donations had gone up a fair bit. He still had to watch his expenses, but rent was secured for a month or two.

 

And so he sat down inside the small, fairly average bar known as Low5. It was only early afternoon, so no customers beside him. And the barkeep wasn’t anywhere to be found either. Hopefully this wasn’t one of these situations. He quickly announced himself. The bar was open, so somebody had to be there, right?

 

Edited April 29, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

"Bloggers," Adept repeated to himself; if this new hero would even tell his fans where he spent his downtime after a mission, he was damned lucky that AEGIS was the only one about to ruin his afternoon, instead of some foiled villain looking for revenge.  Or was that part of Bonfire's plan?  Maybe this was all a trap, though perhaps not for the agents.

 

Adept kept that in mind as he climbed out of the company car and had a look at the bar.  He studied it for a long moment and radioed to the rest of the team: "Do we have the building surrounded and under surveillance?  I don't see any civilians...  Ready to move in, if we've got the green light."

[Sophistemon]

Agent Stone, currently encapsulated within the durable metal hide of the XO-9, was hovering above the building at a respectable altitude. To those below the enormous fighting machine might resemble nothing more than a passing plane at this distance -- albeit one that remained remarkably stationary. His voice, filtered through a program that made it sound suitably mechanical, buzzed through the communicators. "Upgrade reporting in," he droned. "I've established surveillance and I'm ready when you are." And then, after switching to Warne's personal channel: "You know, they promised me that they'd at least have the radio working by now. I've got nothing in here and it's driving me crazy." It's true -- when he wasn't speaking into the communicator he was humming to keep himself entertained. "At least this thing is climate-controlled. I'm chilling at a comfy 67 degrees."

[Blarghy]

"Let's hope temperatures don't get any hotter than that," Warne replied dryly. 

 

While he waited for confirmation from the rest of the team, he began planning out their approach.  "How do you want to go in?" he asked Upgrade.  "You're the size of a minivan; if you take the front door, we'll have to pay to fix the hole.  Got a better idea?  If you're going to make a mess anyway, you could just drop through the roof.  It'd make an impression.  Probably best to announce yourself early and loudly as AEGIS in that route; if Bonfire mistakes you for a villain, on legitimate grounds, it's going to complicate the mission.  We want to scare him for the right reasons, not cause an embarrassing scene for the agency."

[Sophistemon]

Ethan thought for a moment before responding. "I'd rather not cause any damage if I can help it," he admitted. "Why don't I swoop down, land in the parking lot, and announce myself? If he comes out with his hands up and looks like he's going to behave himself, we can have a nice quiet chat about not causing any more nuclear emergencies. If he doesn't..." He ran his fingertips over the console before him. "We discipline him until he does. Or at least until he realizes that not even my bullets can shoot smoke and you have to take over." He grumbled something. "Forget the radio; I want something that can damage immaterial stuff. Maybe an impact cannon, or a sonic weapon. I'll talk to the boys in the back room about it and see what they can do."

Edited May 2, 2016 by Sophistemon

[Blarghy]

Rookie doesn't even have his gear sorted out, Adept mentally grumbled.  If Bonfire turned violent, then this mission might get interesting. 

 

"Maybe," he said, concerning the plan of action.  "Clarkson, advise: can we handle this in full view of the public?  Or do we need to take it inside, out of sight, if at all possible?"

 

If AEGIS wouldn't arrest Bonfire, hoping instead to keep his recent nuclear exploits rug-swept, then having an armored man-shaped tank shout at him from the parking lot would probably attract the wrong kind of attention.  Which is to say, any attention at all. 

[olopi]

GM

“We’ve got three agents currently evacuating the buildings right next to the bar. Our IR suggests Bonfire’s alone inside the bar, no barkeeper, no other patrons. We don’t know why that’s the case, and we’re not responsible for it being like that.

 

Feel free to call him out. There’s a crime scene nearby and he just assisted in dealing with it. We’ve got enough of a motive to not have this cause much attention. Just keep your voices down while speaking to him and don’t shout out sensitive data, and this should go fine. It’ll all get out there thanks to our blogging friend either way, so you might as well make it easier for yourself. “

 

From his elevated position, Upgrade managed to see how a small group of people, civilians clearly, left the apartment building to the left of the bar. All of them were slowly walking down the fire escape. They didn’t look worried, but confused. Only one of them was moving their mouth, a small girl, around for years old. She was speaking to the man holding her hand, her father most likely.

 

Shortly after the group, two men clearly identified as AEGIS by their outfits followed. While the civilians walked away from the buildings, the agents continued over to the building to the right of the bar, where their colleague was already working on evacuation. While moving, one of them spoke into her communicator, and just a second afterwards Clarkson spoke up.

 

“One building is fully evacuated, the other should be in just a few seconds. “

 

Edited May 11, 2016 by olopi

[Sophistemon]

Ethan nodded, though the XO-9's head-shaped sensory cluster remained stationary. "Roger that," he buzzed. "Standing by for the 'all clear' and go-ahead." He tapped his fingers on the console in front of him and waited, as patiently as possible, for the evacuation to be completed. He was nervous. The AMP wasn't, strictly speaking, finished. It was functional, of course. He'd seen it demonstrate strength and durability that had made his jaw drop, and its offensive array was already shaping up to be something special, but there had been so much that he'd been promised in the initial briefings that hadn't been delivered. Additional sensory modes, for example, not to mention further expansions of its arsenal. He sighed, and then spoke aloud to himself. "The Government -- long on budget, short on time."

[Blarghy]

In contrast, Warne wasn't nervous.  He'd done this kind of thing before, though he preferred matters to be a bit more straightforward.  He didn't care for kid gloves.  In any case, he waited as well, first for the remainder of the evacuation, and then for his partner to use those expensive government speakerphones. 

 

Warne leaned against the side of his car in the mean time, and took out his lighter by habit.  He then thought better of it; having fire right next to his face probably wasn't the best idea in this particular scenario.  With a low, displeased rumble in his throat, he put his hands in his pockets instead.  He'd settle for a victory cigarette once they'd finished up with their arson-happy vigilante. 

[olopi]

GM

The agents moved quickly, and only half a minute later all three left the building together with a group of 4 civilians, all of them retreating away from the buildings. From the looks of it, it was a young couple, as well as two men, both of them wearing the same clothes.  The agents leading the evacuation had done their part of the job, now it was time for the second group, led by Agents Warne and Stone, to do their part of the job. Communications sounded up immediately upon all of them leaving the building and making their way to a small café a block away, where the other civilians were waiting too. Most of them seemed fairly calm, they had taken to making the best out of the situation and drinking coffee and exchanging some words with their neighbours.

 

“All clear. Gentlemen, you are free to go ahead. “

 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2016 by olopi

[Sophistemon]

"All clear, control. Initializing approach in three... two..." He tapped a button and cut the hover mode, initializing a brief wave of nausea as the AMP began to drop and his body found itself in one position while his stomach remained in place. For a moment, maybe two, Ethan considered allowing the XO-9 to make unimpeded contact with the ground, crashing to earth and leaving an impressive crater in its wake. It would survive the impact no problem, and what better way to make an entrance? But, unfortunately, causing that much damage to the parking lot would be an egregious waste of taxpayer dollars. He flipped a toggle and stabilization thrusters coughed to life, slowing what had been a free-fall to a carefully controlled descent and a feather light landing. There was a brief period of hissing machinery as the AMP re-calibrated itself, and Ethan stared through the screen at the innocuous entrance to the building. Sunlight gleamed off of polished chrome, bright but not too bright, as the man inside the metal considered his next move. Public relations; this was part of the job. Better him than Warne, though; the older man didn't strike Stone as being the warm and fuzzy type. Then again, maybe he was totally the kind of guy who'd spend his entire weekend in sweatpants; there was just no way to know. Ethan's voice, rendered impressively mechanical by an array of digital filters, boomed out into the surrounding area. "Bonfire," he buzzed. "This is Agent Upgrade, of the American Elite Government Intervention Service. Your presence is requested in the parking lot. You are not under arrest -- I just want to talk." There. Ethan cut external communication and sighed. Hopefully that sounded equal parts official and friendly.

[olopi]

PC

 

Cass had been waiting in this bar for a while now. Still nobody showed up, it was getting a bit strange. For the time being he’d started to inspect the bar’s decoration. It was themed after submarines. Pictures of submarines, especially ones from WWII hanging on the walls, a few medals inside a display hanging above a table in a corner. The most interesting thing probably were the torpedoes hanging above the counter. Clearly fake, clearly not made of metal. Interesting to see either way. Just as he was about to take a closer look at the establishment’s bathrooms, a voice buzzed through outside.

 

…

 

American Elite Government Intervention Service? Cass had definitely heard that before, but where? Maybe the acronym would make more sense? AEG- oh, them. Yeah, Cass had expected the government to take issues with what he had done. It had been rather quiet, they had been to busy dealing with the Biblical Plagues incarnating in various members of society, but now that was over, here they were. And they hadn’t crashed through the ceiling without announcing themselves, so they had some kind of plan beyond just arresting him. Maybe arrest him more subtly? He’d see soon enough, this was the government he was dealing with. They’d have planned for him trying to escape, no reason to even try.

 

So he walked over to the door, and unceremoniously opened it. Sure, he could’ve left through the window, but he was trying to conserve what little energy his body had left in case he’d actually have to escape. Great. Bonfire, Superpowered Terrorist on the run.

 

“Greetings.”  

 

Edited May 11, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

Awfully calm about it, Warne thought to himself.  But at least he isn't running.  That's good.  I don't feel like having to chase anybody down today.  ...Not that I would anyway, with the human tank over there on the job.

 

He straightened and stepped away from the car, suddenly aware that standing next to an explodable piece of machinery might not be terribly wise under the circumstances.  Frowning sternly, eyes hidden behind his sunglasses, the agent moved so that he and Upgrade formed the lower two points of a triangle with Bonfire as the top edge.  "Well, this is a good start.  Nice and slow, without any surprises--let's keep it that way.  How I hear it, you're normally not so easygoing.  Which brings us to this little visit.  I don't suppose you remember destroying hundreds of millions of dollars worth of energy-producing infrastructure lately?" 

 

Greetings, indeed.

[Sophistemon]

Upgrade's sensory apparatus swiveled on a pivot, the cameras taking in the parking lot until they settled on Agent Warne, before rotating back around again to look at Bonfire. Ethan engaged communications and spoke into the receiver. "What my associate means is," he began, his voice amplified into a booming mechanical monotone. "We're interested in learning why you did what you did. Your profile doesn't suggest that you're the kind of person who would do this sort of thing without a good reason. That makes us -- and the agency -- very curious as to why it happened." Two enormous metal shoulders rose and fell in a casual, all too human shrug. The armor plating that protected the joints shifted slightly, revealing an array of missile pods and at least one rotating autocannon. "We would like to settle this as calmly as possible, but we need you to explain yourself before we can proceed."

[olopi]

PC

 

Wow. Cass had expected a few agents, yes, but not a bi-pedal tank. Probably remote controlled, but maybe it actually had a pilot inside? Either way, it and it’s colleague, a much more classical agent, were here on a mission. And since they didn’t want to arrest Bonfire … just yet … why not help them? Best case they’d leave him alone, worst case he could still defend himself in jail. But a few moments to consider his words were needed either way.

 

Hundreds of millions? Wow, nuclear reactors were worth more than Cass had considered. He actually was a bit proud of this, certainly put him higher up on the Collateral Damage Ranking than many upstart heroes. But, wasn’t that a bad thing? Probably, especially in a situation like this.

 

The capnokinetic took a few steps forward, his head just a tiny cloud of smoke now. Partially because it looked less aggressive, partially because of energy conversion.

 

“Yeeeah, the Neutron Incident. Well, shutting down the entire East Coast’s power network wasn’t part of the plan at all, I can tell you that. But as it turns out, adding unstable nuclear materials to an already somewhat unstable Nuclear reactor causes some … complications. I think if I had actually known how much I’d shut down I’d have thought of a different way, but in between getting chased by mercenaries and laser robots I kind of acted in the heat of the moment. And that reactor was my best chance at shutting those … people down. It didn’t really work considering they started sending bounty hunters after me…. “

 

Edited May 12, 2016 by olopi

[Blarghy]

Bounty hunters?  Warne couldn't say he blamed the corporation, in this case; assuming that their mercenaries were acting within the confines of the law and trying to bring Bonfire in instead of shooting on sight--he rather doubted it--then there wasn't much he could, or cared to, do.  Still, it perhaps deserved investigation at a later date.

 

"Let's put a pin in that," he growled.  "We're well aware that your recent actions have consequences.  We're among them.  We're here to make sure this never happens again.  No more complications.  Myself, I'd rather accomplish this with a little trip to Blackstone, but some nicer people than me want to give you another chance before you spend the next few decades pacing 'round a tiny underground cell.  If you're set on this vigilante career, you should take some pointers from heroes who did it right.  Collateral damage is bad.  Destroying nuclear facilities and risking mass hysteria from the civilians who live nearby is bad.  Giving me a reason to track you down a second time is bad.  Are you seeing a pattern here, kid?"