((Ok, Long intro. This is a RP thread that started off from the Whitmoore, and is going to get its own thread here for ease of my mind. It's going to be somewhat of a project. That and while this RP might only take a day IC-time, it can take a lot of OOC time. It'd disrupt things...))
Whitmoore Lobby
Joseph, aka Techsupport, had faxed the letter he had gotten to the FSBA, where they could put a more adequate little taskforce onto the matter. He still couldn't believe it.
Of course, in due time he had held a personal crusade against the Clockwork, after all, they were the ones who ruined his old homes, but the ploys the Clockwork King attempted to ambush him...
This time he had sent a letter to invite him to a ceremony in his honor, where even Statesman would be, to award a prize in his vigilance to bring the rogue members of his court to justice.
Of course, there was always the chance the actual Clockwork King /would/ be there, and this is why he let the proper authorities organise a small team of heroes.
This was all for a later time, since he was going to go back to his room and tinker a little more on his armour, he had it almost perfected.
When he got back, though, an entirely different matter came to hand. His message-light was blinking, special messages...
"Umm Mister Wills? Techsupport? This is Barbara Gord at Hero Corps. There is a small matter we might like to enlist your assistance with..." the voice trailed on the message as if unclear how to continue. "I believe you are familiar with a heroine called 'Cyclonite Cat'?"
************************************************** **
Meanwhile, at Galaxy City, a post was put up for a small group of heroes to assemble a special task force. They are to investigate the possibility of possible clockwork activity in an office building in Perez Park. A warning is added, a good chance of running into the actual Clockwork King is present.
TechDefender Rad/Ele Defender
D'20 Gladiator DM/SR Scrapper
Cyclonite Cat Fire/Fire Blaster
[url="http://www.dutchfurs.com/~taross/w/screenshots/Ferretgal/Ferretgal.jpg"]Ferretgal Claw/Inv Scrapper[/url](Virtue)
@Cyclonite Cat
(Names changed at GM 'request')
((As promised, re-post of entrypoint for possible Whitmoore participants...))
Whitmoore Lobby
Techsupport, bedecked in full gear --His dull-silver armour giving off a soft hum of power --came barreling down the staircase.
He looked around the place, expecting it to be as busy as it always was and called out.
"I need help, quick..." he stated "Umm.. Hero down.. err.. heroine... It doesn't matter... I need people."
TechDefender Rad/Ele Defender
D'20 Gladiator DM/SR Scrapper
Cyclonite Cat Fire/Fire Blaster
[url="http://www.dutchfurs.com/~taross/w/screenshots/Ferretgal/Ferretgal.jpg"]Ferretgal Claw/Inv Scrapper[/url](Virtue)
@Cyclonite Cat
(Names changed at GM 'request')
((shortened for convenience, but if you ask i'll try and dig up a linkie to the full post in the whitmoore thread.))
[ QUOTE ]
"I need help, quick..." he stated "Umm.. Hero down.. err.. heroine... It doesn't matter... I need people."
[/ QUOTE ]
Nick had just come out of the stairwell in a pair of ragged baggy cargoes, a plain white tee, and his leather bomber jacket. He had been hoping for some nice tranquil senseless violence in solitude, and part of him wanted to just brush past the armored figure, ignoring the plea for assistance, but a tiny voice in the back of his mind told him he couldn't get away with that anymore. He sighed inwardly and tapped heavily on the powersuit's shoulder. "What's up, dude? Can I help?"
Joe almost jumps when the person who at first just walked by turns and then taps on his shoulder. That's not good, being edgy causes mistakes, mistakes cost lives. In this case, it'd take a little while before he'd manage to get his nerves all sorted out.
"Ummm yeah." he answered, his voice just a little distorted by the trademark rebreather "I just got a message that Kath, er, a Heroine called Cyclonite Cat is missing after she reported going into some small Crey outlet..."
'A Heroine' right, it's obvious in his voice that this is a little more personal than just 'a rescue mission' too.
TechDefender Rad/Ele Defender
D'20 Gladiator DM/SR Scrapper
Cyclonite Cat Fire/Fire Blaster
[url="http://www.dutchfurs.com/~taross/w/screenshots/Ferretgal/Ferretgal.jpg"]Ferretgal Claw/Inv Scrapper[/url](Virtue)
@Cyclonite Cat
(Names changed at GM 'request')
((sorry bout the delay - forgot to favorite the thread.))
Nick didn't miss the intonation, and despite Tech's describing her as a hero, the thought of Crey getting their grubby meathooks into a woman rubbed Nick the wrong way.
Outwardly, Nick's eyes appear to glaze over. Inwardly, he reaches out mentally to Elumien. Yo, man. You busy?
Halfway across town, in a dank, murky cave, a short dark-skinned man in baggy, light blue pants and soft leather boots perks up from the Clockwork he'd been examining. Not at present. Do you need me? Elumien asked.
Got a guy here, says he needs backup, Nick replied. Crey. I know how you like screwin' with gadgets and stuff. Maybe you could swipe some of their goodies.
Nick's eyes refocus on his surroundings, and a few seconds later there's a bright flash outside as the mage steps through empty space to appear in front of the Whitmoore. Elumien steps into the lobby, nodding in greeting to the building supervisor, Stanley Green, and to Nick. He then bows to Techsupport and says, "I'd be glad to assist. Lead the way."
Tech looked a bit more relieved now as he studied the other two heroes who now voiced their support. Though he was being careful. A few surreptious commands had his visor take a few snapshots of their faces and sent to FSBA to be able to get an assessment of their security levels.
"Ok... thanks..." he started, and then got out of the stairway as to stop blocking it. "You should know that this can get rather tricky. Cyclonite Cat is a pretty powerful heroine, and she was captured in what looks like a Crey repair shop. You'll all know what that means I hope."
He was being more serious than he ever was normally, this is not supposed to be a personal matter... This time he had the responsibility to people who followed his call for help.
TechDefender Rad/Ele Defender
D'20 Gladiator DM/SR Scrapper
Cyclonite Cat Fire/Fire Blaster
[url="http://www.dutchfurs.com/~taross/w/screenshots/Ferretgal/Ferretgal.jpg"]Ferretgal Claw/Inv Scrapper[/url](Virtue)
@Cyclonite Cat
(Names changed at GM 'request')
((in-game nick's L26 and elumien's L33, but i've been roleplaying them as 41. i just don't have the time to level this many heroes, specially since i'm trying to get my main to 50 so i can make a warshade. if you'd rather, i can run them at their in-game levels, or whatever would be suitable for this thread.
fbsa would have nick's file flagged since he's on probation. ex-outcast, and all. elumien, however, isn't technically registered as a hero, so they wouldn't have anything on him. he also therefore doesn't have a medicom patch, but rather certain magical artifacts he can use to escape mortal danger.))
Nick snorted. "I was born in King's Row. Been living here my whole life. If I didn't know Crey was crooked, I'd deserve what I got."
Elumien grinned at Nick's sarcasm, and added, "I have not been in this city for very long, but I have had encounters with these Crey. I understand the risks we will be facing.
Whitmoore Lobby
Techsupport nodded and then looked at Elumien a moment "Err... You're not registered as a hero, are you?" he asked "We could get into a lot of trouble this way. Us going into Crey's is legal only thanks to the Vigilante act, otherwise the Countess can get our behinds in a sling..." He warns, and adding in a bit of a more concerned note "and without a medicom I cannot teleport you or watch your health."
He waited a moment, seeing what the response would be, and figuring out wether or not he wanted to expose Elumien to the risk.
Crey 'shop'
"What do you mean 'It's not there yet!'," Yelled the chief geneticist of the facility through the phone. "I NEED those programming devices. We have a high grade specimen here and if we can't download her knowledge onto the blank brains, the next batch is useless."
Elsewhere
"I see," said the charming, but commanding, voice. "So this Techsupport didn't go to the Clockwork king, but he is going to meddle into the Crey labs himself."
The soldier in front of the gleaming person nodded nervously.
"Very well, I figured he would do that much. Send out team two, they have their instructions."
TechDefender Rad/Ele Defender
D'20 Gladiator DM/SR Scrapper
Cyclonite Cat Fire/Fire Blaster
[url="http://www.dutchfurs.com/~taross/w/screenshots/Ferretgal/Ferretgal.jpg"]Ferretgal Claw/Inv Scrapper[/url](Virtue)
@Cyclonite Cat
(Names changed at GM 'request')
Elumien detested subterfuge, so he had a sour expression on his face as he explained, "I have, shall we say, a few connections in MAGI. I do not believe there will be much trouble. Also, my stealth magic has thus far been able to confound their attempts at positive identification. They can, of course, record my presence, but without a fingerprint or photographic record, they cannot check me against the hero database. The number of registered heroes here in Paragon with magic similar to mine is a convenient smokescreen to deter them.
"And, as regards Medicom, if need be, I am able to phase shift and teleport myself. So I should be as safe as any of us are," he added.
What went on before...
"Oh? Cat was here? And I missed her?" said Joe to the curator for the Whitmoore, turning his wallet over in his hands... "Someone should get a better way of keeping these things for when you're wearing something like spandex or a powerarmour." he stated eventually, slipping the item into the backpocket of his jeans.
"Anyway, thanks for keeping this, and the mail." Joseph noted and then ambled off towards a couch in the lobby, settling down on it to make a first quick separation of the mail.
"Letter... card... spam spam spam spam... interesting spam.."
***
"It's true" said the man standing in the alleyway with the feline hero "I've never seen the Raiders this active in a long time. They recently cleaned out one of their holes, in an old warehouse. It might be useful if you checked it out. Might be a loose memo or something they forgot."
Lenny might not be one of the most productive contacts Cat had to find out about what was going on, but as he was "Just another homeles bum", who even played a good act of being a bit mentally muddled, even the Freakshow let him pass by unhindered. After all, it was just "Good ol' Lenny, what harm could he do...
But after the occasional meal, and a couple of drinks, he always had a little something that helped, like now... Katherine gave him a couple of tens, enough for a day or so, and who knew what other heroes had Lenny on their list. She had tried, at one point, to get him to register at a flophouse, but the man had declined each time.
***
Somewhere, a memo passed hands.
"Forgot some equipment at Warehouse #5. Take some men and check the place once more."
***************************
Whitmoore Lobby
Now, in the Lobby, where there were three new tennants gathering, also still was Joseph. Bedecked in one of his usual, loud and garish, hawaiian type shirts. He tossed the last envelope of unwanted adressed advertising into the waste-paper basket with a flick of his wrist; a practiced move by someone with way too many time on their hands in the past.
Finally, he went to opening the two leftover letters, with a postcard that had a windmill on it set aside.
He suddenly started laughing...
Warehouse #5
"Hero on deck!" "How did she manage to find us here?" "Forget that, how did she know we would be here at all?" Confused shouts of Sky Raiders rang through the mostly deserted warehouse, rapport of gunfire echoeing inbetween.
Usually, Katherine was one to temper her fire-wielding abilities to make sure villains dropped more from shock than from injury. But as bullets bounced off of the armoured jacked she wore, just in cases like this, she decided that one or two people in the burn-ward wasn't such a bad thing...
***************************
Whitmoore Lobby
Tech looked up and ahhed, folding the letter a bit. One could see that it was hand-written in a very eloquent style and most importantly was the seal at the bottom with a cog-and-crown motif.
"Oh.. err... I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?" was his first reply, before he blinked "Ahh... Joe- Joseph, Joseph Wills, nice to meet you." He had been so engrossed in his letter that he completely missed things happening, and now was confronted with new people, out in public and no 'protection'... He should really learn to relax around new faces sometime.
*************************
Whitmoore Lobby
[ QUOTE ]
[qb]
He glanced over at Joe/Tech. Nice shirt kid I wish Icon had that pattern for hero costumes. He chuckled.
[/qb]
[/ QUOTE ]
Joseph smirked a little, mhing "Really? Most people think they're too loud." He answers, indicating with 'they' that apparently he has way too many of them in his wardrobe as well. The man got up, stretching his legs a moment to put away all the 'bad' mail he threw into the nearby paper-bin. That is to say, the paperbin was full enough now to warrant emptying. The other two letters and the postcard were left on the coffeetable for now.
"Anyway, umm... So you're new tennants?" he asked when he got on his way back. "I'm Techsupport... Live up on the fifth."
Wolffe, what with his more-than-natural senses can tell that he's trying, but he seems to be greatly uncomfortable with this many people, specially those he doesn't know.
Warehouse #5
Cat approached the downed Porter, and with a clean cut of a sword made of pure flame, sliced the device right off of his back before the poor man could activate it "No running for you my little prey..." she said in a sweet voice. It was a little stereotype, she knew, but somehow villains cooperated better if she played into the more feral side of her appearance. The man shuddered, his eyebrows since long singed off.
"You're going to tell me what was going on here, and if I like what I hear... Well, I won't let you walk, but you get to go to the Zig and skip the burn ward." she purred at the man.
The Raider took one look at the scorch-marked walls and swallowed slowly... and began to spill.
Somewhere
"I trust our new... ahah... 'recruit' has received his letter?"
-"Yes mylord."
"And the feline woman has succeeded in her scheduled task?"
-"Yes mylord."
"Good. Instigate the Hellions to start a fire in this building here." The same sort of brass-filligree embossed hand pointed towards a holographic map of Steel Canyon. When the heroes are putting it out, activate the automatons inside."
-"Yes mylord." The other person made a salute, turned around on his heel and walked off.
****************************
Whitmoore Lobby
After people were going their way again, Joseph had gone to the telephones and started calling a few people. Those who were near could hear some snippets about the letter he had just gotten...
"Yeah, the king himself.... no... I don't trust it either but what /CAN/ he do to harm me nowadays... That sounds like a good idea, sure... Yeah, I'll fax it over."
With that, Joe ended the call and went over to Mr Green, waiting his time for the caretaker to be freed up again and asking the man if he could use the fax-machine.
Warehouse #5
Cat leaned back against a few crates as she watched the last Raider vanish towards the Zig. She would get a few questions lateron about the amount of violence that she used, but then again... It sucked being the Good Guy, Gal in her case, sometimes: People were after your life, but killing them was a no-go.
She re-read a bit of paper, part of a file that was recovered by the Raiders; it had apparently slipped behind a cabinet. She could see why they wanted to have this packed away from hero-hands, as it were orders to break into a small Crey Company white-wares outlet and have the engneers hack into the network there. Whatever they wanted was irrelevant at the moment, while Crey was bad enough as it is, she didn't want to have Sky Raiders running around with their stuff.
She left the warehouse, using her communicator briefly to let someone with GIFT know where she was headed; always a good idea to do so when you're out alone, and then flew off, a streak of hot air left behind where she passed.
Somewhere
"Pawn to b5..."
**********************
Crey Chop Shop
"Well, that was interesting, if not a little annoying..." said the Crey Protector, whose armour was still plinking with the intense heat it withstood.
The geneticist next to him nodded and mmmed "Very, I believe that technique is normally used by Tanks, she must be gifted if her body can withstand that much heat to employ it herself... I want her taken to the surgery, let's test her dna for viability in the Revenant projects. She has much potential, the Countess will be pleased."
Inside the clasp of the heroine's cape, though, a little beacon started going 'boop' inaudibly except for the medicom sattelites, and the FSBA terminals at GIFT...
TechDefender Rad/Ele Defender
D'20 Gladiator DM/SR Scrapper
Cyclonite Cat Fire/Fire Blaster
[url="http://www.dutchfurs.com/~taross/w/screenshots/Ferretgal/Ferretgal.jpg"]Ferretgal Claw/Inv Scrapper[/url](Virtue)
@Cyclonite Cat
(Names changed at GM 'request')