shadowplay

Champions is a great game system, just set aside a few hours for character creation and bring a graphic calculator...

The change in perception form real world to mindscape briefly disorientated Contact, but he quickly adapted. He was used to shifting his perception quickly, but was surprised by how suddenly it was forced.

Out of those heroes pulled into the 'scape, he was one of the only to appear exactly as he had in the outside world.

Contact took note of Neko's shifting and approached. Accustomed as he was to poking around in her mind by now, he quickly and carefully worked towards stabalizing her, bleeding off some of his own strength and lending it to her in hopes of mending the two conflicting forms.

Preface your comments with a short, private, ooc note to the person such as this;

"OOC: my character is a bit of an <$%^> please dont take it personal. If I cross the line, or you're uncomfortable, say the word and I'll confine my comments to ;em grumbles. Thanks "

That puts the ball completly in their court and lets them set the level of interaction they are comfortable with.

Most problems like this can be solved with open communication.

Enjoy,

"Sly Fox... Seems an alright guy, wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him though. A little twitchy. And shifty. And obnoxious. <pause> Actually, could we start over? I need to call my agent."

Contact was still drained, striking down the Mage had taken a lot out of him. He raised his head to examine the unfolding situation, his mind taking in tacticle details.

Using the lamp post for support, Contact took a few steps towards the battle and reached his hand out towards the raging Lobe. Energy swirled between them and Lobe suddenly felt more dense and resistant to harm. Pausing a moment to catch his breath, he reached out again, this time towards Lobe's target. Energy flared from the Thorn's center, empowering all those surrounding it and healing their wounds.

Not wanting to attract additional attention to himself, for once, Contact decided it best to play safe. He moved a few steps closer to the fight and stretched his hand out towards the fallen Deth, drawing her away from the combat telekineticly as he drug her across the ground towards him.

From his position across the street, Contact watched the remainder of the battle play out.

ooc

its a good read, if thats any consolation.

Contact was the first in again. Even though he had doubts about how succesful they would be, he refused to balk in front of others... he always lead from the front. Tigerseye, Lobe, Neko and Contact all rushed forward towards the Doctor, ducking their heads to avoid the hail of bullets. The droid and Ivory moved in behind them, both hefting massive weapons and bearing down on the beast, returning fire. Lobe and Tigerseye crashed into the massive Doctor, pounding him with huge fists and burning him with fire. Neko moved to his flank and peppered him with blow after blow, her dark aura enveloping him.

Contact remained between the two groups. He needed to stay close enough to the front fighters so that he could heal them and increase their attacks with his Kinetics, yet still far enough back to direct the gunners. He didnt want anyone getting hurt and in this chaos it was quiet possiable for a shot to go errant. He trusted Ivory and the Project, and his faith was well placed.

The Doctor fought back furiously, his fist pounding into the cat-man like a jackhammer while he swiped at Lobe with his axe. Both men were wounded and Contact did what he could to bolter them back to health, increasing their power with his own kinetics. In the end though, it was the two gunners and Neko that won the day. While the two large men took the brint of the Doctor's fury, they were open to attack him at will. Project and Ivory picked him apart, choosing their shots carefully and making each one count. Neko was close enough to land her shots in sensitive areas, taking advantage of his distraction. Her dark cloud further confused him and slow sapped away at his energy.

The end came as quickly as it had began as the massive form of the Doctor crashed to the sewer floor, showering the room in muck. Ivory and Project stepped forward and everyone surrounded the body momentarily as it decomposed before their eyes.

"Its done."
~~~
Contact sat in the office of First Strike Security, a check from Skyway City General held in his hand, "For services rendered."

Reaching forward he pressed the button on his speaker phone.

"Gene, I'd like you to arrange for a funds transfer, once this check has cleared," he spoke towards the box.

"Of course sir, to whom," the female voice responded, distorted by the speaker.

"Send half of the funds to Kitties on the Prowl and the other half back to Skyway City General."

There was a long pause, "Sir are you sure, that would be a lot of money, shouldn't we," she didnt have a chance to finish.

"I'm positive. Just make sure the funds transfer properly, " he interupted, closing the connection.

Leaning back in his chair and smiling to himself, Contact decided to test a theory someone once told him while standing outside of a sewer pipe.
~

The creature was completly uneffected by Contact's kinetic control. It actually laughed as he ran behind it and exploded with energy. His most concentrated effort only caused it to stumble forward half a step.

Neko was furiously pounding the flesh of the thing with her dark fists and claws, but to little effect. The Doctor made huge sweeping attacks with the axe blade of his arm, nearly connecting several times. Franticly, Contact used his powers to heal the wounded Neko, but there was no way he could keep up; The Doctor was far to powerful.

"Run woman, go for the doorway," Contact yelled, healing her again.

Neko ducked under another attack from the Doctor and quickly scampered towards the door. Not accustomed to seeing his victims escape, the Doctor lowered his huge cannon and bore down on the escaping hero.

Contact was completly drained. His mental attacks and kinetic controling abilities were doing little to harm the Doctor. The only wounds he had suffered thus far had come at the hands of Neko and her dark energy. In any case, he expended his last bit of power in healing Neko as she escaped. Seeking the Doctor bear down on her and prepare to shoot, he knew he had to do something. With few other options, Contact jumped up and grabed a low hanging pipe, wrenching it from its fitting. Taking it in both hands he swung as hard as he could for the Doctor's head.
~~~
THUNK!

The sound echoed through the cavernous chamber which was otherwise silent. Contact stood motionless for a moment, the pipe still in his hand as the Doctor slowly turned to face him.

Dropping the pipe and taking a few steps back, Contact moved to run, but was caught dead center in the chest by a meaty fist. Flying back several feet he crashed into a rusting steel door and slumped to the ground.

His vest had taken some of the shock, but he could still feel a sharp pain in his abdomen. The blow had likely broken a rib. Pulling himself up, Contact made another run for the door, trying to keep the Doctor away by ducking behind pipes.

Belowing in frustration the Doctor opened fire with his cannon, spewing rounds over the area. Staggering, Contact nearly made it to the door when a round clipped his shoulder, spinning him as he staggered out of the line of fire and behind the doorway. Neko caught Contact before he could fall and dragged him away from the area, back to the "safer" area of the sewers, putting as many walls as possible between them and the Doctor.
~~~
The stocky man-tiger was the first to arrive. He introduced himself as Tigerseye. Contact was still injured even after attending to himself as best he could with a medical pack. He tried to hide it though and greeted the man cordially, thanking him for coming and joking with him to cover his own nervousness.

Neko called one of her group's droids to assist next, a unit Contact was familiar with designated as Project LV-426. He had worked with him before when he was just starting out in Paragon, well before First Strike even existed.

The giant Lobe was the next to join them, crinkling his nose at the stench of the sewer and chiding Contact for arguing with Neko over some minor thing. Both laughed and were glad to see him join them.

Last to arrive was Ivory. The wreath of blue fire that heralded his apperance from "the Limbo" burning away any traces of the filth that might have tarnished his suit on the journey there.

Assembled, Contact began designating tactics. He paired up the two younger members, Tigerseye and Lobe, with the two more experianced, Project and Ivory, so that they wouldn't be overwhelemed by the Doctor outright. He knew that the two more experianced heroes would keep them safe and the group needed all of their added strength.

The group approached the chamber that held the Doctor, some with apprehension and others with much more confidence.
~~~

"I can't stand the sewers," Contact said, standing in front of the gaping sewer pipe with its broken gate. He pushed his hand through his blond hair in frustration and looked over at the cat-woman that was with him who mirrored his sentiment.

"We don't have to do this, after all it's my contract, Neko," he turned towards her, hoping to put off delving into the sewers at least until tomorrow.

"No, its ok really, I could use the experiance," she said, slipping past the bars and into the pipe before Contact could protest further.
~~~
"RRAWWRL," the feral growl was followed with the sick sound of tearing flesh and the groan of another abomination.

Battle raged all around the cavernous sewer switching room. Neko had long since given over to her more feral insticts and was tearing the slow, yet powerful, abominations to pieces. Contact stood behind her, keeping her movements fueled with careful kinetic manipulations, healing her wounds, and preventing her from being flanked.

A larger abomination thundered towards them. Contact noticed the various tubes and connectors leading from the thing's skin to a large tank on its back; it was a walking bomb. He quickly lanced what was left of the creatures brain with psionic force, causing it to stumble forward tripping over its own feet and exploding harmlessly before it could reach the pair.

The explosion rattled the walls of the sewers and suddenly everything was quiet. Neko and Contact looked around and found no more enemies. Both climbed out of the knee-deep much and sludge they had been fighting in onto an overhanging grate to rest.

"We have one corpse left to recover, Neko. Then we can get out of this damnable place," he said resting against the railing and catching his breath. Vahzilok minds were terriably difficult for him to effect, and the strain was begining to show.

Neko mewed in agreement and purred, cleaning some of the filth off of her armor.

Sighing, Contact picked himself up and they moved on.
~~~
"There is something ahead," Contact stopped abruptly, holding a hand to his head and shivering. "Something completly inhuman... terriable." The pair stood silently in the doorway, a large sewage filled room stretched outbefore them.

Slowly they picked there way forward and that's when he saw it. The creature was huge, standing over 12' high and made of knoted clumps of muscle, bone and metal. One of the beast's arms had been turned into some sort of weapon... a cross between a large cannon and a huge axe, and the other was a giant meaty fist. If not so terriable the human sized head would have looked comical atop all of those muscles, like a cartoonists drawing, but there was nothing funny at all about this creature.

Contact gasped and backpeddled, dragging Neko with him who mewed weakly in shock. The two retreated back to the doorway and collected themselves.

"We can't do this, we should go," Contact was exhausted and sick of being underground. He tried to sound firm, but the truth was he was rattled. This was no gutter-punk ganger, or even a shambling zombie... this was a horror.

Neko considered for a moment, having regained control of herself from the shock, "We should try at least... He looks to big to fit through these tiny doorwars, we could always retreat back here?"

"Well," Contact looked at the doorway then back at the massive Doctor, "I suppose you are right. Maybe I can draw his guards away individually. If we can get that... thing... alone maybe I can knock it down? Once its down you should be able to pummel it with your darkness."

"Just be careful, Neko"
~~~
To his surprise, the Doctor was distracted and took little notice as Contact carefully drew his guards away from him and dispatched them. Left alone with only the Doctor before them, the two made ready to attack.

"Just remember, we will hit him then retreat. Once we rest we can attack again," Contact said, all buisness now. With the way things were going thus far, they might actually have a chance.

Neko nodded and they both rushed forward to attack. Contact let Neko speed a bit ahead of him while he prepared to lance the creatures mind, hopefully distracting him while she got in position. Contact hardly phased the Doctor as he roared and leveled his canon at him. Swearing, Contact ducked his head and ran for cover behind a nearby sewer pipe. Bullets rattled off the wall where he was standing just a moment ago as Neko leapt at him, enveloping him in a cloud of dark energy. Seeing that Neko had engaged, Contact rushed forward hoping to use the Doctor's energy against him and force him to the ground for her to finish off.

Unfortunatly, that is when things turned for the worst.

OOC preface

Thanks to everyone that came out and helped with the fight last night It was a lot of fun and very exciting.

I am going to tell the story through my character's perceptions, I encourage those that were present to do the same, it could be interesting to view the same event through different eyes.

Thanks again,

I happen to be playing a fairly gregarious character that goes out of his way to make sure people know his name, but an opposite personality is CERTAINLY no less valid.

Just because you talk alot doesnt mean its roleplay, after all.

Depends on where the people i play with go.

They really make it a RP server for me, not what the company said.

I support your idea though

RP with people and often they will RP back, its really that simple.

Complaining, cajoling, swearing at, or beating about the head with sticks will not endear anyone to our cause. If they dont want to RP, just let them be. They aren't hurting us anymore then we are hurting them.

Contact brushes Sly away, wiping more blood from his face with his forearm, "There must be another... go. I'll stay here with those still under the effects of the attack."

Although still weakened he pulls himself up straight.

Contact raised an eyebrow above his sunglasses and looked quizzically at Neko. He started to ask her what was wrong when he felt it.

Someone was trying to break into his mind.

"Someone is attacking us, " he muttered, losing focus on the group surrounding him and raising his defenses. Contact withdrew himself into his own mind.

Psionic battles are never as flashy as other struggles. There are no explosions or blasts of colored light. Often time though, the stakes are just as high if not higher. A damaged mind is nowhere near as easy to repair as an injured body. There is no such thing as a mental bandage.

Contact was old hand at this and had the confidence of a practiced dueler. He knew the attacker had the advantage as he had no idea where he was and that if allowed to continue his attack, he would eventually probe through his defenses. So, Contact let him in... Almost. Much like a swordfighter would attempt to draw an opponent in by feigning a mistake, Contact hoped to entrap his attacker in a psychic version of a honey-pot.

The Madness Mage's brow furrowed briefly, he hadn't been expecting any resistance. It passed quickly though as he found a ***** in the target's mental armor. He braced himself for the final mental thrust that would break through the defenses, lowering his own to allow for the attack.

"Gah," the Madness Mage gurgled, startling his robed cohort who was busy siphoning power off the already weakened heroes. His face contorted painfully as he realized he had been tricked.

"Good night," Contact said softly, his own mind crushing the weakened defenses of the Mage, sending the Mage's psyche retreating into the deepest parts of his mind. True to his name, the Madness Mage flopped forward, convulsing and twitching on the pavement.

Drained, Contact stumbled forward a step and leaned heavily on a near by lamp post. He wipped a small trickle of blood away from his nose and breathed heavily, spent from the effort.

My advice would be to use the character you love as a seed to create something that is uniquly your own. Take what you like from the story and expand upon it... That's what makes a character really interesting.

That would be correct, although we have just began taking city contracts for patrol routes. I was doing the work "pro bono" previously, but the additional money lets me hire additional operatives... makes the whole thing more efficent and lets me focus my efforts in boomtown or other more dangerous areas.

In anycase, it only makes sense to try to work with the law as much as possiable. I do have an advantage though... I don't need a confession to know if someone is guilty.

[ QUOTE ]
My point is, just because you have some "Contact" who tells you he knows of a werehouse he's suspicious of, doesn't mean you can form a posse, kick the door in and just start knocking people out left and right. It's called "Just Cause."

You know what's going to happen eventually? One of you is going to kick in the door of some citizen's home and kill someone. It's all well and good for you, I mean you get to hide your identity and wear a mask.

It's public servants like me that can't get the equipment or training we need because of lawsuits paid out for "Cape" assaults...

[/ QUOTE ]

You should come by my office some time. I have a stack of applications from Paragon City PD officers that sound just like you.

We have the money and the backing to outfit them properly. The city has already leased out a few of the tamer areas to my operatives to see how they handle it... It's thus far gone really well. The public are happy, the criminals are in jail, and some decent law enforcement officers earn a day's pay for a day's work. Not only that, but they have the equipment to do the job properly.

You're comments are right of course, which is why First Strike works the way it does.

The big picture is real ugly.

Focus on the small victories and it will seem a lot less daunting, that and setting a clearer goal then "I'll make the city crime free!" are sure ways to keep your santiy.

(ooc I restarted this thread for us HERE I figured it might get long and this was just "cleaner" )

Red Starr turned off his television in disgust. He thought the heros of Paragon were pure of taint, but it seemed he was wrong. He slammed his fist into a nearby counter. These ridiculous capitalists must be stopped! Charging for what should be freely given?! It is a mockery of everything he and the Spetsnaz stood for. He Adjusted his red and black uniform, and placed his full helmet on. He climbed out the window and started to make his way to 'First Strike Security' head quarters. He was going to give this monster a piece of his mind!
~~
Wensday March 5th, King's Row office of First Strike Security, Contact's office

Contact sat behind his desk going over applications for new operatives. Since opening the operative program he had recived a storm potential recruites. He handled most of the interviewing himself; being a mind reader kept his new hires honest. He had already turned several "bad cops" away and felt confident about the handful he had hired. Even now several were taking lucrative city patrol contracts in the "tamer" areas until they got some experiance. Public response had thus far been positive.

He mulled over Sullen's report leaning back in his chair, lost mometarily in thought.

His musing was interupted by the speakerphone on his desk.

"Sir, we have a problem down here."
~~~
Wensday March 5th, King's Row Office of First Strike Security, street level

The building looked like many others in King's Row, a squat four story brownstone with few windows and a single door, front and back. Large metalic blue letters were attached to the front of the building over the door;

First Strike Security, Inc
Coporate protection at private sector prices

Standing in front of the frosted glass doors were two men in uniforms and masks. The uniforms were pale blue and white, signiture colors of First Strike. Their faces were covered by a mask and breather, and their eyes were behind shaded goggles. The flack jackets they wore were similar in style to Contact's, except they bore no corporate sponsorships, only the First Strike Security patch. A large multi-mode rifle was slung over each of their shoulder.

Seeing the approaching Red Starr, one of the guards steps forward and holds out a hand, indicating he should stop.

"Present your ID card and state your buisness, please," his tone is official, yet not rude.

(OOC note: You'll find you get better response to your supergroup advertisement if you start you're own thread... also, no hijacking )

Contact doesn't really have a battle cry... doesn't seem to fit him.

For FSS Operative though it is "First Strike Security, freeze!"

(before the attack)
Contact laughed at the merit badge comment and grasped Lobe's massive fist with his other hand to give it a firm shake, "These are hardly badges, friend. They are advertisements... I am paid to wear them since, everytime I am in the news or on television, so are all of these logos." He smiles pleasently up at the massive man.

"As for the order of introductions, I appologize if I've offended anyone, it was of course unintentional."
~~~
(During the attack)

Contact blinked when he saw the dagger hit Lobe, not because it was flattened but because he had no idea that they were in danger. Typically he was alerted when hostile minds approached. Looking up to the rooftop where the attack originated from he understood why they had been able to sneak up on him.

"Thorns... I hate Thorns. Damnable spells play havok with my perceptions," Contact complained, turning towards the rooftop.

"Come on down from there now, or you'll get your dresses dirty," he called out to them, motioning them down with his hand. The Thorns remained silent as always, standing to get a clearer shot at the group of heroes.

"Have it your way then," Contact said, stretching his hand out towards them. Giving them the slightest nudge of kinetic power, he increased the force of their movement while they stood up. The front few guards went sprawling over the edge of the building, screaming until they thudded onto the pavement below.

"That should get their attention," he said to no one in particular, preparing to deal with the incoming barage of projectiles.

Contact briefly turned away from the final moments of the battle. Ivory had his shot, Neko was safe, and no other apparently hostile entities were within his range except...

Something pulled at him, something not entirely human. As quickly as it came it was gone and a quick visual scan of the area found nothing. "Its just stress," he reassured himself mentally, looking up to reapraise the situation.

Relativly confident that all nearby were more-or-less on the same side, Contact took a few steps closer into conversation distance. He brushed a bit of dirt off the front of his pale blue, logo covered flack jacket feigning primping while he composed himself for a second.

"Pleasure to meet you, Sly Fox," Contact extended his leather gloved hand to give a firm handshake, "Contact, First Strike Security, Inc," he smiled easily, reaching up with his other hand to adjust his expensive looking sunglasses.

"I haven't yet had the pleasure," he said turning to the other two new arrivals with a smile, regarding them behind the dark shade of his glasses and awaiting introductions.