You are faced with the following situation.
Your objective is to retreive an important item. You decide why it is important to you, but suffice it to say that it is important. It is located inside a locked safe in a warehouse somewhere. For reasons that you may make up on your own, you cannot enter through the front door.
The back door of the warehouse exits into a back alley. The alley is badly-lit and is hidden from the street by the surrounding buildings. It is also filled with armed guards chatting and passing the time. The warehouse itself is sparsely populated and barely guarded, but there are guards present inside as well. The boss of the operation knows the code to the safe and he can be found somewhere inside as well.
You are free to choose the time of day and weather of your operation, but keep in mind that your character has had only a several hours warning before the item will be moved from the warehouse to an inaccessable location. Whatever preparation they have done over their "standard" has to have taken no more than several hours.
You are forced by circumstances to start your mission from a corner of the alley where you cannot be seen and make your approach from there. You need to find a way to get past the guards, enter the warehouse, open the safe and then get away from the location with the item.
Any and all means that are available to your character or party are acceptable. Let me see how you would handle that.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Lord Diov would simply rift into the warehouse, force the safe to open with his gem, rift out of said warehouse.
Lord H'taed would get into the warehouse via a lightning bolt which would conduct along the metalic structure, through various girders and pipes, and into a spot by the safe. He would then magnetize the safe to force it to open, then use the lightning bolt trick to get out again via the same conductive girders/pipes.
The Psycho Fear would just drift in, infect the head guy without anyone else noticing him, and force him to open the safe, grab the goodie, and carry it outside to a waiting already infected servant.
Charles and Emily Dark Aura would just rip the entire warehouse apart with their telekinesis, rip the safe apart with the same, and call it a day.
Demon Void would just sit outside the warehouse, close his palm, and then open it. When his palm opens, the goodie is there.
Blightlord glanced up at the night sky. It would provide adequate cover. He and his undead walked into the alley, invisibility spells keeping them undetected. The guards nearest the door were silenced with a sleeping toxin. The way cleared, they entered.
The Lich, Grime, muttered a quick spell of seeking. In his mind, he saw the location of the safe, and the one who posessed the key. Blightlord nodded, and the Lich teleported them all to them.
As the man glanced up, he saw a dart head straight for him. His vision began to swim as the truth serum, designed to force him to tell only the truth while drugging him to intense drowsy-ness, did its work.
Blightlord bent over him, grabbing the front of his shirt. After a few minutes, he had the code. The master of the undead signaled to one of his Knights who quickly ended the man's life.
"Kill them," he said, throwing his arms out wide. The undead all rushed through the warehouse, charging the safe's location. Blightlord walked in their wake, calmly making his way to the safe.
He bent over the iron box and entered the code. His undead distracted the guards as he removed the object. He snapped his fingers, and they all teleported back outside.
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
A black suit crouched quickly behind a large trash disposal unit, his head peeking around to see his enemies' positions. He scoped them out quickly, and glanced around at his surroundings. He spotted one of the few lights in the alley, a low-beam security light, and threw a well-aimed spike into the bulb.
The men instantly aimed their guns at the sound, most releasing thier safeties. An angry mutter, and the new guys did too.
The head troop turned on his flashlight, looking around the dark area, only to have it smashed from his hand by yet another spine. He aimed his gun upward, firing randomly. His troops followed. They never heard each back troop being knocked out and pulled away quietly before the leader of the small group was knocked unconscious.
The figure stood, three blue lights on his head signifying night vision goggles. He pulled them off, and his mask went with it.
"Wow," Experiment muttered, "similiar scenarios are a LOT harder in Splinter Cell."
He shrugged, pulling the mask and goggles back on, and beginning to climb a pipe. On the roof, he made sure that no guards had decided to be smart and get posted there, and made his way to the hatch on the roof. There was ALWAYS a hatch on the roof.
After a little searching, he pulled it up, peering in. He caught sight of a good vantage point, dropping down onto a support beam near the roof. He quietly closed the upper door, and surveyed the area.
After waiting for a few minutes to scope out each guard and his patrol route, Experiment shimmied along every edge, only slipping once on rat 'leavings.'
He spotted the safe directly below, and pulled a small device from his belt. He sprayed it, and nothing happened. "Ugh... Was hoping to do a little 'mission impossible.'" he sighed, putting away the Infrared Detecting Spray. He still pulled out a zip-line and began his descent, but it just didn't feel as cool without a ton of lasers.
He stopped right at the safe, glancing around quickly before sliding a spike into the lock. He pulled it out just as quickly, the door opening as the lock came out. However, now his spike was stuck to the lock, and it was also inside the door. He frowned, trying to pull it back out, the lock simply clanging quietly on the side of the safe. He sighed, dropping the spine into his other hand and putting it on the ground. He reached in...
...And pulled out an original, huge grey Gameboy. He hugged it close, stroking the cartridge holder. While he was whispering something about 'never losing his baby again,' an attention-grabbing cough from behind made the hero raise an eyebrow. He thought for a moment, swinging absently in mid-air before grabbing the side of the safe and swinging himself around to see.
The leader of the establishment, and thief of Experiment's first Gameboy, stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at the heroic taker-backer.
"...Uh... Ninja-poof!"
With that, Experiment threw a flash grenade from his belt onto the ground, blinding the boss as he hit a switch on the same belt. He was pulled quickly back up to his device, detatching it and jumping out of the hatch.
He activated his jets and began on his way home, hugging the big, clunky hand-held gamesystem all the way home.
"Very well, knaves, commence operation 'Snakebite.'" Agent Drechi growled to his elite Angel of Death Mercenary team, the crack troopers smacking in the clips to their SCARS and AR-15s, Captain Vasquez rotating the drums of his large combi-rifle to a 'flamethrower' configuration.
Suddenly, but skillfully, the two Special Operatives Drechi had brought ducked into the shadows, skulking past the numerous guards quietly and professionally -- To the front door. The pitch black of the clear winter's midnight allowed the operatives to professionally sneak to the warehouse door. There was only one problem - They couldn't get the door open to the front. It had been jammed and jarred off of its rolling tracks - There was no way in hell the men would be getting through. What was worse, the Special Operatives were now in no position to reach the back door.
But Drechi had a plan already.
"Hose them." He growled simply to Omaro, his SMG-armed Medic, and the two Angel Riflemen he'd brought, who immediately complied - They stood, flicked off their safeties - One of them grinned, but in the heat of the moment, none saw it - And they quite literally sprayed a wall of bullets into the alley, the clattering and cracking of their rifles bouncing across building walls and turning the entire place into a wailing den of noise. At the other end, the SpecOps began firing gas grenades into the warehouse through the windows, creating a mass panic effect.
And Drechi quietly entered through the back door...
---
Drechi entered the gas-filled warehouse calmly, his natural immunity to such pitiful human chemicals allowing him to shimmy unhindered up the side wall of the building. Administering himself a powerful steroid, he suddenly had the strength to rapidly jump and climb from ceiling-bar to ceiling-bar, until he was directly over the boss of the enemy operation - and the safe.
"Now." He breathed as he let go of his hold and fell down on the Boss' guard, crushing him.
At his utterance, the same back door he had silently entered was the source of a cacaphony of gunfire and grenades, the distraction just enough to divert the Boss' attention as Drechi splashed him with an incredibly powerful (And painful) truth serum.
"Tell me the code." He calmly ordered. The Boss obeyed.
Drechi had recovered his 'Neurospike' nerve agent.
"Let us go, you fools!" He yelled to his Mercenaries, hosing one of the approaching guards with his own Assault Rifle and taking off for the back door again.
He looked up. The Angel's Blackhawk helicoptor transport was just coming down, the M60 on its side liberally spraying the last few guards in the Alley. All of his crew besides Captain Vasquez were already onboard when Drechi jumped on - And that changed shortly as Vasquez, still firing into the Alley, backpedalled to a sitting position on the floor grate of the helo.
"Get us out of here!" Drechi hissed, and the pilot complied.
And just like that, Drechi was gone.
OOC: I approve of this. 
BIC: Lightning ripped across the sky, briefly illuminating several hulking shapes standing in front of the warehouse's massive loading doors. As darkness fell once again, the only thing visible through the torrental downpour and gloom were a quartet of red glowing sensor strips that sat uncomfortably above an average person's height. Believing that the presence of five Zeus Titans would deter even the most stubborn of pursuers, the majority of the weakened Malta cell took cover from the rain inside the warehouse.
The only one's not allowed to stay out of the rain were two tactical operations agents. The two men sullenly pulled the collars of their advanced kevlar armor up closer to their heads, not that doing so prevented the rain from dripping down their necks. It was a thouroughly miserable job, but someone had to guard the back entrance.
"Think we lost them?" the TacOps on the left whispered to the one on the right, who was nervously rolling an old bullet in his hand.
"If Azure said so, then we did," Bullet Guy said as the dented slug danced it's way around his knuckles. "Although I got to say, I wouldn't bet on it."
"Then why the hell don't we have more guys back here?" the TacOps shot back, a bit louder than he intended.
Further down the alley, a can clattered to the ground and something small and low to the ground shot by the pair of Maltans and vanished. Two snub nosed rifles were up and aimed at the source of the sound with the smoothness of professionals. But no other sounds were made and the two slowly relaxed their guard.
The instant their guns lowered, the small shape darted back towards them, the low whirring noise of its passage now audible. A second shape shot at them from where the can had fallen and the two soldiers had no time to react before the seeker drones detonated in their faces, acting as point-blank flashbangs.
The old bullet clattered to the ground and rolled down a drainage grate, barely avoiding being stomped on by a heavy metallic foot as it tumbled into the sewers. Several gunshots stuttered out, their shots muffled by the heavy rain and then cut off by two loud thumps.
"Put them down for good, Mini Bot," Toy Dispenser said as he and the rest of his bots stepped out of the back door from the adjacent warehouse. "And good job, Combat Toy. See what you can do about the door."
Dashing forward, the tiny buzzsaws at the end of its tentacles buzzing merrily away, Mini Bot neatly tore out the throats of both unconscious men. Meanwhile, Combat Toy was tenatively trying the door knob with its ungainly hands. It turned easily in its grasp and the black assault bot swiftly pushed the door open and slipped inside.
Several small patrols and efficient sniper kills by Small Toy later, the group found themselves in a large room filled with a single safe, a pair of sappers, and the lead Gunslinger, Azure-Tango-Midnight.
"No way in hell are you getting the meteorite!" the lead Maltan shouted as he slung out both pistols and fired them in a single, lightning fast movement.
"Forgot how quick they are," Toy said in annoyance as he stumbled back, his right shoulder smashed to pieces. "Dispense the pain, boys!"
"I would if I could move," Mini Bot said sadly as a sap beam temporarily drained all of the battle drone's power.
"It is advised that we destroy the sappers first," Toy Bot stated as it's two modified Rikti blasters opened fire, knocking the second sapper down, but not injuring him that badly.
What followed was a typical scene of carnage, with Combat Toy opening up with a full alpha strike, neatly wiping the standing sapper off of the face of the planet. Small Toy's attempt to snipe Azure failed and the drone had to charge into melee combat when the Gunslinger retaliated by destroying the drone's rifle arm. The second sapper was shot to death with combined fire from Large Toy and Block Bot while Mini Bot lurched to its feet and charged Azure, knocking him to the ground long enough for Combat Toy to shoot off his head with a plasma blast.
"You're up, Block Bot, and hurry!" Toy Dispenser shouted at the protector bot as it ran over to the safe and started running a hacking program on the electronic lock.
The program succeeded and Block Bot opened the safe but a failsafe activated, channeling a powerful shapped charge that blew the robot into many pieces.
"Pull yourself together," Toy said as he reached into the safe and pulled out a chunk of dull gray rock. "Then punch a hole in the roof and let's bail this joint."
"Yes, boss," Block Bot sighed as it's pieces rolled over the ground and reformed.
Soon after that, six streaks of light shot up into the sky, distracting the Zeus Titans while a seventh shape, lacking the give-away sign of thrusters, sped safely off into the distance.
OOC: I wrote altogether TOO MUCH. But I enjoyed myself. ^___^
Statesman said let there be heroes, and there were heroes.
Lord Recluse said let there be villains, and there were villains.
NCsoft said let there be nothing, and there was nothing.
((I like this idea! So round 1 is retrieve an item from a guarded and locked safe? Hope round two will be more difficult
maybe even impossible.))
Although it was still the early evening, the dreary clouds that hung in the sky veiled the scene in a gloomy grey. Jase looked down upon the warehouse from a lamp post across the block with a determined eye. Well, this is the place. Doesnt seem well guarded
With a single hand sign, shadows engulfed his form and he disappeared in darkness. Soon, he emerged at a side door to the warehouse. Id rather not fall asleep on a mission so Id better make this fun. With that, Jase performed a series of handsigns, ending on an odd unique sign that made the shadows in the small area around him stretch and fade. If you were watching him now, he would have become transparent for a short instant. All right! Lets do this! he shouted and pulled out a handful of projectile weapons.
The guard within several dozen yards were alerted by the shouting and began reporting a disturbance in their sector before investigating. They turned their backs to the wall as they neared a corner. Just before they could quickly and cautiously round the corner with drawn weapons, a crazed teen in black and yellow ninja garb leapt out of a shadow on the wall. Without a pause, Jase bombarded the surprised group with a shower of poisoned blades.
He continued running through the slowly assembling guards, managing to elude their fire while dropping a few with well aimed shuriken. Dont let that [censored] through! Shoot him! Shoot him! shouted one of the Lieutenants while firing round after round at the intruding ninja.
Jase was grazed by a few of the bullets but managed to get past them without much other injury. With a gang of guards on his tail, Jase finally ran into the boss, a tall muscular guy with a deadly looking assault rifle that seemed to be a combination of a flamethrower, gatling gun, grenade launcher and a lance-like bayonet. The boss was standing on the catwalk, talking over his comlink to give orders to the others before he took notice of the intruder. The boss quickly pulled up his gun defensively, narrowly deflecting a kunai knife that was hurled at his head. Youll have to do better than that, [censored]!
The boss turned his gun on Jase and pulled the trigger. A hail of bullets rained on the assassin, managing to pierce Jase in one of his arms and shoulder. Although it was a slight struggle, Jase managed to dodge the majority of the bullets and flipped up to a support beam and down to the catwalk. Now you die! Jase quickly rushed the boss, drawing the oversized kunai swords from his back to impale the leader.
The boss pulled up his bayonet and smacked one of Jases blades away but Jase quickly lunged forward with the second. Just then, a flurry of gunfire from the minions below caused Jase to leap back for his life which interrupted his assault. The boss just smirked and flipped a switch on his gun. A few clicks and a pull of the trigger launched a flashbang grenade that knocked Jase down on his back. Just as he was getting to his feet the boss flipped another switch and fired a blaze of bullets at the assassin. Dozens of rounds pierced his body and he fell back, his limbs lifeless. So this is the famed Nightmare-Strike? Bull-[censored]. Get this trash out of here and return to your posts.
As the minions drug the dead assassin away to be disposed of and gathering up their dead comrades, they didnt take notice of the shadowy figure sneering in the dark corners of the area. That worked too perfectly, my little shadow. With a distraction like that I was easily able to read the hunks mind
.now for the fun.
The guards that were keeping an eye on the safe finally returned to their post with a shock. The safe was open and the contents were stolen. Immediately, they reported to the boss who quickly came to investigate. Damn! It must have been a trick or something
our contactll have my head for this
the boss groaned, slinging his large gun on his back.
Dont worry. When he first got in and you gave me the order, I managed to get a tracker on the device. Well catch him, sir, said one of the lieutenants from behind the boss. Soon, the boss and lieutenant were both hot on the assassins trail.
Jase was leisurely jumping from rooftop to rooftop while tossing the strange device from hand to hand. Hehe, I bet Cainll be really pleased I finished the mission in only an hour. I hope he asks me to do more for him, he grinned to himself as he through of the attractive young scientist that was paying him for this mission. His mind was on his blonde contact, replaying the young mans voice as he smiled gleefully.
A single shot rang through the gloomy sky and Jase was quickly dropped to one knee. Blood poured down his left arm and Jase quickly grasped his chest in agony. Thought ya got away, eh? the boss laughed as he closed in on his prey. Jase just looked at the man with cold angry eyes before being stabbed in the stomach by his lance-like bayonet. With a pained croak, Jase fell in a pool of his own blood.
Good work, sir, the lieutenant cheered behind his leader.
Good thing I thought to put that tracker on it before he stole it, the boss laughed as he leaned over and retrieved the device from the thief.
Did you? replied the lieutenant from behind the boss. A silence overcame the two before the rain started. The boss didnt understand what the lieutenant meant until he felt a shuriken dig deep into his back.
Ack! Cack!....Wh..what the?
Feeling the poison already? Heh, itll paralyze you pretty good, the lieutenant laughed before his form became hazy and altered back to the original form. You didnt think of putting a tracker on it. I did and implanted the thought into your head to make you believe you did. It was a ploy to lure you to a secluded place, Jase grinned.
The dead body of Jase lying on the roof was set ablaze in black fire and disappeared and the real Jase was engulfed in the same dark fire and reached back to draw one of the large kunai swords from his back. Ill enjoy hearing a hottie like you scream for mercy
Unsho!
(([EDIT] Too much? 
))
((I'm going to make a re-post.))
The Darkness of the warehouse was heavy with silence. The sound of soft footsteps in the distance indicated gaurds.
But Lord Diov didn't care.
He seemed to step out of thin air by the safe.
To reclaim what was rightfully his.
He stared at the safe until the door opened before his will. The item within floated into his outreached hand.
And the next moment, he was gone.
-----
It was a bright Summer's day...
So naturally, the red lightning bolt tearing down from the heavens was near invisible. It struck the warehouse, and nobody even raised so much as an eyebrow.
Within the warehouse, a slight red glow could be observed in the roof...As an electrical current ran through the pipes and girder...And finally traveled down a final shaft, and arced out onto the floor.
Lord H'taed materialized in a mini-storm of electricity. The static pop had been very soft, and no gaurds had seen the glow.
He aimem a clawed hand at the safe...Electrical power surging through him, polerizing the metal...
And the door swung open.
Lord H'taed grabbed the item within, then in a mini-storm of static...
He was gone.
-----
The collective drifted through the streets, invisible...
They infected a single pedistrian, and ordered him to wait.
Then the collective drifted into the warehouse. It passed by various gaurds, but didn't infect them.
They had a specific target in mind.
The commander, (who had insisted on wearing the non-standard uniform to prove it) Was smoking a cigar...
The collective raced in and infected him.
***
A few moments later, the commander, (who if anyone had looked closely enough, was sweating and crying profusely) was opening the safe...
He grabbed the item inside, and began to leave the building. None of his troops questioned him. He WAS the commander, after all.
Outside, he handed the item to the infected citizen, who got into a car then drove away.
***
A few hours later, the commander's corpse had been discovered on the sidewalk. He had been ripped into four seperate pieces, which had then been impaled on parking meters.
-----
It was night.
The gaurds at the back door had already shot down five supers who had come their way. The night was young, and they obviously expected more.
They heard footsteps, and soft laughter from around the corner. They raised their weapons...
Only to see a couple, hand in hand, walking straight by the ally as if it didn't exist. The gaurds relaxed.
WHAM!
They were all instantly crushed and killed by the truck that had been levitated over their heads while the couple had walked by.
The couple came back to the ally, and stood before the door into the warehouse.
"...There are lots of gaurds inside..." Charles Dark Aura mused.
"So why even bother to go inside?" Emily Dark Aura asked.
"You always did come up with the best ideas, darling..."
***
A few moments later...
***
The commander, surrounded by his troops, sat on the safe, smoking a cigar and reading through some documents.
When suddenly, there was a very loud schreeching noise from everywhere at once.
The troops looked around, flipping the safties on their weapons off...
When suddenly, the entire roof ripped its self off the building. The metal plate ccompacted into a single metalic ball...
Another schreech was heard.
Before any of the troops could react, the walls were compacted, sucking them along with it...
Until there was another metalic ball of scrap hanging in the air by the second. Blood dripped freely from it.
A few moments later, the huge amount of scrap unraveled its self. The couple spent a few minutes picking through the various items, until they came across what they were looking for. The blood-stained safe.
They ripped it apart with their telekinetic might, retrieved the item within, and departed the scene.
All that was left was a huge mountain of scrap and trash where the warehouse had once stood to mark their presence.
-----
The dark entity descended onto the streets. It normally didn't come to this plane of existance, but dire needs invoked dire measures.
The dark, shadowy figure leaned on a wall across the street from the warehouse. It extended a black hand outwards into the light of a lamp-post, the open palm revealed...
The hand closed into a balled fist.
Several seconds later, the fist opened to reveal the item, sitting in the dark figure's palm, as if it had always been there.
The dark figure departed to where ever he had originally come from along with the item, never to be seen again except for in the darkest of nightmares.
((Hm...Well, if these were Malta...))
Essex quietly approaches the back door of the warehouse chatting cheerfully with the guards. Within four minutes she has the item and is gone.
((Just kidding. XD I'mma keep these short and sweet. ...Fairly short and sweet.))
--Essex--
Essex bit her lip as she quietly approached the back door of the warehouse. With a single sigh to calm herself, she adjusted the chestplate of her pink armor. She was helmetless, which was dangerous in most situations - but the little android knew that if the guards considered her no more than a child, things would go much easier.
Suddenly the air filled with a heavy, soothing hum, and the guards found their eyes drifting closed. The little pink android quietly edged into the building, the only sound the soft whoosh of air from her thrusters as she deftly skimmed inside.
Where she was promptly faced by a plethora of other guards.
All eyes were on the tiny android and she swallowed nervously, her wide green eyes regarding each in turn as they raised their guns to point at her.
"What are you doing here, kid?"
"I-I'm lost, sir." Essex said, meekly, her hands raised to show that she was unarmed.
"How did you get in that door?" one of the guards said curiously.
"One of the fellows outside said that there was a surprise for me in here. I like surprises..."
The soldiers glanced between each other. Half of them snickered, the other half looked marginally nonplussed.
"Listen, kid, your parents never talked to you about goin' with strangers, did you?"
"Don't you like surprises?" Essex persisted, her small lips turning up into a mischevious smile.
The next moment, such a ringing erupted through the warehouse that every soldier dropped to the floor in agony, holding their ears. A few of them had burst eardrums with the sheer energy of Essex's piercing shriek, the shockwave reverberating off the walls due to the echoing acoustics.
Amidst the ringing, Essex quickly made her way over to the small lockbox. Pulling a small wire from the back of her audioreceptor, she coaxed the electronic bits of the lock to give up their information as she listened the subtle clicks of the machinery. The lock soon obligingly gave way, and she reached in to pull out the small piece of tech.
Turning to the guards, still agonizing on the floor, she shook her head.
"It wasn't very nice of you to steal Dr. West's astrascope." she chided gently. Though it really made her twitchy to see them writhing on the floor, holding their heads in abject agony. On her way out, she flooded the area with a burst of nanites...and then flew out on her way quickly.
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
((OK, I'll use the double brackets, I suppose 
I'll write my own take on the situation, then present you guys with the next one))
It was a hot, sunny summer day. It was noon and the scorching sun was beating down on the old warehouse, turning the small alley behind it into an oven. The unfortunate guards there had spent all night and all morning guarding the warehous and were at this point hot, sweaty and tired. Many had unbuttoned their coats and some were even in their tank tops. A gunfight was the farthest thing from their mind. All the wanted to do was get out of the sun, so they huddled under whatever shade was still left as the sun shone directly down. An overhang, a shaded corner, a large container - anything that offered relief from the scorching heat had men huddling bunderneath it.
As the baking asphalt spawned mirages of haze in the scalding air rising from the ground, a figure crouched behind a disgusting trash container. The heat of the day had caused the spoiled garbage inside it to smell indescribably, but the figure - Xandra Jay, Lord Bane's most trusted lieutenant and chief enforcer - had a mission to do. She could not afford to be distracted by anything, be it the heat, the smell or the consequences of failure. The words of her lord still rang in her ears:
-Miss Jay, I am quite disappointed that you lost my infinity crystal. I allowed the Nemesis Army to steal it for a reason, but I had intended for it to be back within my possession a long time ago. Yet it ended up in the hands of the Family. Now, I trust I don't need to remind you that this is entirely your fault, and I honestly don't care how that happened. All I care about is that I have it back within my possession before its power can be used by anyone else. I'm giving you a chance to rectify your mistake, and I expect you to take this assignment seriously. If you fail and my crystal gets sold, I will have to retriev it myself. And I trust you know what implications that will have for you.
Xandra was on a mission that she quite simply could not afford to fail. She had to succeed at any cost. To that effect, she had a working plan. From her Bane's surveilance and building plans, she had deduced the best point of entry into the building - a broken skylight on the roof. It led down to the second floor catwalk, which in turn led to the room where the infinity crystal was being held. To ensure the safety of his prized goods, the mob boss who had it never left the room. She had only an hour before the buyers for the crystal were to arrive, complicating matters tremendously, so getting involved in a fight was not advisable if it could be helped.
Her plan set in her head, Xandra made her move. She closed her eyes and concentrated intensely. As she did, red, glowing energy eminated from her body and enveloped it like a second skin. As the energy contracted and stuck to her body, it rendered her completely transparent. Initially, she resembled a glass sculpture, but as she stood there, concentrating, her refractivity faded away, leaving her resembling a mirage. A walking ripple of air that blended perfectly fine with the hot day's haze.
Even so, negotiating the guards in the alley would be hard, so she schose an easier rout. She turned toward the building next to her and jumped up. Her jump was smooth and effortless as though she had no weight. As her feet met the second storey windwo ledge, she pushed hersef off and toward the buidling accross the alley. Bouncing unnoticed between the buildings, she managed to get to the roof of one.
The warehouse roof was now 10 storeys below her and about 50 feet away. Without missing a beat, she rushed towards the edge and hurled herself towards the warehouse. Effortlessly her body covered the distance and plumetted towards the roof. But instead of smashing into the concrete below, a cussion of pure kinetic energy stopped her fall. As she fell into it, her fall immediately stopped, landing her gently on the roof with but a ghust of air that may as well have been the wind.
Xandra located the broken skylight quickly and silently descended through it. She found herself on a metal catwalk overlooking a large, open chamber filled with rusty machines and old, rotten crates. Guards did their rounds downstairs, chatting, goofing off and generally being glad to be out of the sun. On the other side, a row of upstairs rooms lined the catwalk. The one at the bottom of the corridor - the safe room - had two guards posted before it.
It was a simple encounter. As the two were casually chatting away, one suddenly received massive jold of energy to his head. His eyes rolled up into their sockets and he collapsed to the ground, dead. The other paniced, rushing check on his friend. He had barely noticed what looked like a mirage moving towards him when he too received a lethal dose of energy and slumped by the door, in turn.
Xandra opened the old rust, rotten door and it gave out a terrifing houl as it squeaked open. That immediately caught the attention of Angello Verdi - the mob boss who had stolen Lord Bane's crystal. He was a clean, stylish man, dressed in an expensive, carefully-pressed clean white suit - a contrast to the dirty, disheveled guards outside.
Angello was not a crime boss because of his with and charm, however. He possessed metahuman powers of his own - superhuman strength and toughness. He wasn't going to go down easy and he knew it. As soon as he saw the door open with no-one there, he grabbed his high-tech sensors glasses off the table and equipped them. Detecting Xandra, he immediately launched to attack her.
Angello fired a barrage of punches, each of them carrying enough power to break a man in half, but Xandra was able to effortlessly block and parry each and every strike with but a small burst of energy from her hands. She kept holding her ground until she saw an opening. Seizing her opportunity, she delivered a crippling blow to the man's chest. It was actually a pretty weak punch, one that didn't look like it could even bruise him. But the energy that punch shot into Angello was unbelievable.
The giant man just slumped to his knees and almost lost consciousness. Xandra calmly walked up to Angello, grabbed him by the back of the head and then with surprising strength slammed his face into the floor. So hard did his head hit the concrete that his face left an imprint. She then grabbed his collar with both hands and lifted him up.
-Open the safe - Xandra said in an even voice and a cold stare.
-Go to hell, woman! - Angello spat back in defiance.
Without skipping a beat, Xandra turned around and tossed his limp body against the wall. His back hit the brick wall so hard it left a almost broke through. As Angello fell on his head, Xandra calmly walked up to him and picked him up by the neck.
-Open the safe. - she asked again.
-I can't! They'll kill me! - Angello pleaded.
Without responding, Xandra grabbed him by the back of the head and turned towards the safe. It quickly became evident that she was going to smash his head into the kevlar-reinforced steel plate on the side of the safe. Angello was well aware that even if that didn't kill him, which it most probably would have, it would still hurt a lot.
-OK! OK! I'll do it! - Angello begged and waved his hands.
Xandra carried him close to the safe, where he punched a few buttons. The electronic lock gave out a series of beeps and the thick metal door slowly and silently slid open. Inside, on a small red pillow stood a large diamond-shaped, jade-green crystal. It hummed a quiet vibration and radiated a dim green light inside the safe.
Her objective had been found and Angello had no further use to her. Still holding him by the back of the neck, Xandra delivered a light punch, flooding his body with a lethal dose of energy. Red, glowing energy shot forth from the contact point and swirled around Angello's body, sparking away from the tips of his hands and feet. As he was screaming in mortal pain, Xandra took the crystal from the safe and put it in a small bag on her belt.
Angello's screams had, however, attracted the attention of the guards inside the warehouse. Soldiers burst into the room and immediately opened fire. Thinking quickly, Xandra waved her hand and produced round shield of pure energy. Red energy swirled rippled as the bullets simply bounced off.
Taking a step back, Xandra struck her fists on the ground and a wave of the same red energy shot forward along the floor. A moment later a ripple in the concrete followed the path of the energy, shattering the concrete and collapsing the floor beneath the guards.
As they fell to their doom to be burried by debris, Xandra turned towards the outer wall of the room. As she struck her palm on the wall, red, glowing energy shot in every direction along the wall, fracturing the bricks that that made it up. A mere moment later the enire wall shattered and blew out in a shower of pieces that raided down on the confused guards in the alley below.
This was her exit point. Xandra concentrated, and a wave of energy left her feet and began building up on the floor underneath. After it had charged a bit, it burst into a shower of light, shooting Xandra out of the window and almost straight up into the air at incredible speed, compressing the concrete below her feet.
As Xandra disappeared into the distance, still sailing from her long jump, she knew that her mission was complete, and a disaster narrowly averted. Both for herself and for her Lord Bane.
((I will have to admit that this did come out longer than I had intended, both for my own story and for the kind I expected to see, but I cannot help that my style of writing is just simply longwinded.))
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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OK, round two of our little game. Here is your new situation.
You need to extract a person from captivity. That person is quite ordinary, and so cannot help in your activity in any way. He is, in essence, a dead weight. That person also has no super mode of transportation, meaning they can't fly or teleport or such. Also, for reasons you will make up on your own, you are incapable of using your own super modes of transportation to transport him. So you can't carry him, can't teleport him, can't make him invisible and so forth.
All that person can do is walk around relatively stealthily. That means he won't be from too far away, but he cannot sneak past a guard on duty. He won't be seen if he's moving behind cover, but he also doesn't have the skill to move between cover when nobody's watching.
The person is located inside a hostile compound, comprised of a very tall, reinforced building and a courtyard filled with guards, soldiers and different security systems, as well as sentry guns that pose a serious danger to your character for reasons that are up to you. Those sentry guns can either be disabled one by one, or the power to them can be cut, but the power source is in a well-secured area of the courtyard.
The courtyard covers two sides of the building, the other two face a public street. However, there are no possible entry points on that side of the building up until at least 10 soteys up. And that's straight up a vertical wall. There is only sparse survailance on those vertical walls.
To gain entry into the building without breaking in, there are three different doors, each guarded by a seperate security system. One requires voice identification, one requires a retinal scan and one requires a key card. A few high-ranking guards around the compound possess those
Once inside the building, your target is held within a prison cell on the 30th floor. To get around the building, you can either use secure elevators, the method of breaking into which I will leave to you, survailance-laiden staircases or a system of rather small ventilation shafts. That, and of course, scaling the building on the outside.
The person you need to rescue is held in a cell that is wired to an alarm system. So if you break it, you will immediately allert the entire complex to your presence.
Two people have keys for the cell. One is the security chief who will be doing the rounds around the building. How to track him down I leave to you, but that will not present a problem however you do it. The other person who holds a universal key that openes any locked door in the complex is the complex commander. He can be found in his quarters at the top floor. Surrounding his quarters is a whole troop of elite, heavily-armed and very dangerous guards, but inside his quarters he is alone.
Alternatively, you can cut the alarm system in two ways. Either locally at the cell or anywhere along its cable connecting it to the security centre. However, doing that will allert security to your actions and they will sound the alarm within 10 minutes. You can disable the alarm system from the command centre if you can get to a terminal. That will buy you 30 minutes before a routine sweep discovers it disabled, crews investigate and sound the alarm.
In general, an alarm can be sounded in several ways. Firstly, this can be done by tripping one of the automatic security systems throughout the building. Secondly, this can be done by guards by using alarm switches distributed around the building. Keep in mind that these can be destroyed or guards prevented from using them. Thirdly, doing substantial structural damage to the building will automatically sound an alarm.
Once an alarm is sounded, several things will happen. Sentry guns in the courtyard will be activated. These are very dangerous to you, so directly opposing them is almost suicide, but you can avoid them if you try. The person you're getting out - not so much. Secondly, the commander's elite soldiers will descend into the building and begin doing sweeps. While not as dangerous as the sentry guns, they are still extremely dangerous. They can be avoided, as well, but again, not so well if you are lugging around your target. Finally, guards in general will be put on high allert and become much more observent, generally making moving around more difficult.
There are ways to deal with these problems. Firstly, as I said, the courtyard sentry guns can be destroyed or sabotaged while they are inactive, or their power source may be destroyed after they have been activated or sabotaged so it doesn't work when they are activated. The commander's elite guards will need to move through the building, so sabotaging stairwells or elevators could slow them down or prevent them from moving around at all.
Your objective is to enter the building by whichever means you choose, extract the target and lead them out of the premesis by whichever means is appropriate, but alive and unharmed. Keep in mind that, once you have freed your target, the enemy will shoot him on sight. You want your target alive.
Now, I have put a lot more regulations on this situation. Do not feel the need to limit yourself to the paths of progress I have painted here. For example, just because there are three entry points does not mean you cannot find or make another entry point, or because there are locks with keys held by certain people that you cannot bypass these locks by other means. Just because there are a few ready-made modes of moving around the building doesn't mean there weren't others you make yourself, or that I simply didn't mention. Those are just how the guards move around. As long as you don't break the rules given (cutting a small hole in a wall is not structural damage, blowing up a door with high explosives is), you are free to append my describtions however you wish.
I would also like to point out that due to the limitations I have given, direct, brute force assault on the compound is impossible. I apologise for that, but I trust you can come up with a way to work around that.
*edit* One thing I neglected to mention is that I'm very open to feedback on the way I'm handling this, or the manner in which I'm setting up the situations. I'm by no means good at this, so if I'm doing something wrong or you feel I should be doing something differently, don't hesitate to say so. If someone believes they have an interesting situation, you are welcome to contribute that, as well. Just let whatever the current one is roll for at least a day before we move on.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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OOC: Direct brute force is impossible? NUUUUUUUU!!!!!! We'll see about that! Ghoul! Get your [censored] in there!
BIC: "Why someone with as much strength as Lord Recluse allows these fascist fools to run rampant will forever escape me," Archlich remarked as he looked at the armed compound from across the street, his antique armor and skeletal countenance disguised with a sophisticated illusion spell to make him appear as a low ranking Council soldier.
"Maybe they pay him lots of money," grunted a hulking Warwolf standing just behind the mage.
"What did I say about talking while the disguise is up?" the fake Council soldier said to the Warwolf.
"To only talk in growls and grunts," the wolf sighed and then snarled at a civillian that looked to be taking too much interest in their conversation.
"Correct," Archlich replied, somewhat mollified. "Now then, tell those idiotic constructs to get moving, this arms convoy was supposed to have arrived five minutes ago."
As though waiting specifically for those words, which they had been, a dozen more fake Council soldiers scrambled over and onto several plain gray vans that had been parked further down the street. The vehicles were a convoy intended to resupply the soldiers in the fort while they waited for the prisoner exchange to through. They would be waiting for a long time; Lord Recluse quite liked the scientists he had had Black Scorpion capture.
Which is where Archlich, Brutish Ghoul, and the small group of Toy Dispenser's robots came into the plan. Since Recluse didn't want to give up the men he had captured, wanted the Council's prisoner returned, and was willing to pay a great deal of money for the man's safe return, the mercenary group known as LMOUSVEV took up the challenge.
The first part was how to get inside and was relatively easy to solve. After Toy Dispenser had hacked the Council's database and pinned down the time and route of a supply convoy, it was simplicity itself to take down the guards without harming the trucks or allowing them to get off a warning and then get Archlich to weave a powerful enchantment to disguise the attackers as the convoy members. Now all that remained was to get safely inside, break into the prison, and get the prisoner out safely.
"Took you guys long enough," said the gate guard as the first van drove up with Archlich sitting in the passenger's seat and Ghoul lurking in the back. "The Archon has been getting antsy about possible retaliation from Arachnos."
"Like those pansy arachnophiliacs would be able to get in here," Archlich drawled to the guard as he passed over a clipboard and ID card.
The gate guard checked these out against his records and then submitted Archlich to a retinal scan, which he passed.
"Password of the day?" the guard asked as he handed over the clipboard and ID card.
"All for all," Archlich said, confidant in the information he had ripped from the former convoy commander's mind.
"You're clear," the guard said and pressed a button, opening up the main gates. "Unloading dock is on your right, just look for the Eclipse Warwolf wearing the red hat. Don't ask, don't get your head torn off."
"Roger," Archlich replied and then directed the driver to bring them in.
Things proceeded exactly as the Council expected them too for another few minutes as the trucks drove up to the small armory and disgorged their guards. They were tasked with helping to unload the trucks and then were dismissed to find bunks for themselves before they could get integrated into the base's command structure.
The convoy guards were nearing the door leading into the main building, where the barracks and prison was, when the trucks and the armory exploded. Alarms began blaring as the sentry guns failed to initialize, their power supply damaged in the gigantic explosion and the confusion of the living soldiers was only added too as the convoy guards dropped their disguises and opened fire every which way.
As the skeletal, pulse rifle armed robots distracted the guards, Archlich and Ghoul burst into the front door of the building and slew the few guards there within seconds. Acting quickly, Ghoul covered the other doors while Archlich slipped a flash drive into the USB port of the main desk's computer. The programs carried within it activated automatically and swept through the Council mainframe, targeting and eliminating the controls for the security cameras and elevators. The Council was now blind and their movements were heavily hindered. But that was the last of Toy's contributions to this mission, from now on Ghoul and Archlich were on their own.
"They will be expecting us to come at them up the stairwells now," Archlich said as he blew open a door with an energy blast and started walking down a hallway. "Also, the Ascendant soldiers shall begin making their way down into the body of the building, leaving their Archon lightly defended as they attempt to coordinate with the normal security and cut us off from the prison area."
"So what're we gonna do then?" Ghoul asked as he casually reached up and pulled a camera out of its wall socket as he walked behind Archlich.
"We are going to exit through the rear of this structure using your methods of breaking through materials, then we shall scale the structure from the outside while the robots continue their distraction. In all probability we shall be able to swiftly scale the outside walls, infiltrate the top floor, and eliminate their commander. This will further confuse them and cause the Ascendant soldiers to charge back up at us. We will then jump back outside and re-enter the building at the 30th floor, extract the prisoner, fight our way back down to the bottom floor, catching our enemy from the rear, and then flee through the hole we originally made in order to scale the wall."
By the time Archlich was done talking, the two of them had already reached the wall that Ghoul was supposed to break through. The brute stared blindly at it for a few seconds as he tried to mentally sort through what Archlich had said. Failing, Ghoul shrugged and shoved his hands into the wall. Dark energy flared down his arms and into the stone, sending tendrils deep into it and breaking the rock apart from the inside. Once it was weakened enough, Ghoul tore out the chunk of rock and tossed it to one side.
"After you," Archlich said, waving one hand toward the breach while the other wiped off some dust from his black cape.
"Here comes papa!" Ghoul shouted as he jumped out onto the street and then bounded straight up.
Grabbing onto a slight protuberance, Ghoul gathered his feet underneath him once more and jumped again. This was repeated a few more times before he had accidently crashed into and through a window on the top floor, tumbling to a halt right in front of a startled Ascendant Adjutant.
"My apoligies for the damage," Archlich said as he appeared next to the soldier in a bright flash. "Rest assured you won't have to worry about it for much longer."
The Adjutant got off a couple of shots from his sonic gun before the combined forces of Ghoul's darkness and Archlich's energy blasts took him down for good. Their engagement, although brief, was long enough for several more soldiers to rush into the room. The two villains fought a short but deadly running battle to the commander's room, where they put down the Ascendant Archon and took his passcard.
After Archlich took an extra moment to be sure that the Ascendants that had already goen downstairs were coming back up, the two jumped outside and descended to the 30th floor. This time they were caught by surprise as an entire pack of warwolves rushed them, but Ghoul was able to heal his wounds by absorbing the life force of the defeated Council soldiers and Archlich used a quick incantation to restore some of his health.
"Our distraction shall not hold out much longer," Archlich said to the tired looking old man who they had come to rescue. "Stay behind us and keep your head, lest I be forced to cut it off."
"Just get me the hell out of here!" the man shouted as he dashed out of his now opened cell and started running for the elevator. Ghoul stopped him by grabbing onto the back of his collar, stopping him with a sudden jerk.
"Follow us," the brute said as he dragged the man along behind him as they went down the stairs.
A few patrols were encountered, easily dispatched, and the three made it to the ground floor and out of the breach just as the last robot self-destructed in order to keep its origins unknown.
OOC: Now THAT'S how you use creative brute force.
Statesman said let there be heroes, and there were heroes.
Lord Recluse said let there be villains, and there were villains.
NCsoft said let there be nothing, and there was nothing.
((Okay, this is my personal opinion but I think its valid. You made that situation *OVERLY ELABORATE*! I mean, I had to reread the layout of the outside of the building about four times just to make sure I understood it but I'm slow 
. Also, I dont really care much for all of the other obstacles because theyre so strict. Compared to the first situation, this one has too much of a rigid structure for freedom of RP. Not being able to use travel powers on the captive? That stinks! Reason: Some characters are mainly about that travel power and not completely overpowered like some characters that have all travel powers and can stop time while baking a cake using gamma rays not to mention it doesnt make sense. Maybe you could have two situations, one with simple obstacle A, B, C, D and then the second situation just elaborated on those obstacles.
Im simply going to extract the obstacles from your explanation and write with that:
Mission: Save a captive from an enemy stronghold who cannot escape themselves.
-Theyre located on a floor somewhere between 20th and 40th but you dont know where.
-The building is heavily guarded outside by means of your choosing.
-There are only several entry ways(3) which are all guarded by separate means of security. To gain access, there are 3 special guards located around the secured perimeter that have the means to open those entry ways.
-The prisoner is being held in a cell wired to trigger if you break it open.
-Two keys exist, one that simply opens the cell possessed by one boss that is patrolling around and the universal key that can open everything possessed by the elite boss on the top floor.
-Once the prisoner is freed, the enemy will immediately attempt to kill him if sighted.
-You must lead the captive out of the situation alive and unharmed.
Now, the reason I suggest something more generic is because I feel you should be able to meld the situation how you see fit. If you want to face yourself with highly organized thugs its your choice. If you want to face yourself with mad geneticists with crazed abominations of nature its your choice. If you want to face yourself with powerful magic users that use barriers and seals to hinder you its your choice. Also, if you want to run gung-ho and use brute force, its your choice if you think its possible within the guidelines.
Ill write my version later when I have more time and after I decide which character to use.))
Point well taken, Leogunner, and it's something I was worried about, myself. As I said, I'm really making this stuff up as I go. I'll let it cook for a while and bring you guys a new situation tomorrow. Lessons learned, it will be a lot simpler. It will also involve something other than breaking into a building to retrieve an objective.
Given the circumstances, I would have to say that frontal assault is not so much "impossible" as very dangerous and prone to catastrophic failure. I may have gone a little overboard on the limitations and security, but I wanted something quite a bit more difficult this time. A bit plot-device difficult, I will admit, but I'll think of something much more freeform for next time.
Just... Please don't kill me until tomorrow!
Err... (())
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Fun. Apologies to any RP purists - I'm replying in OOC style. Having not read the challenge situation yet, I'm choosing three of my CoH characters to respond - my three "classics". Stu, Shiela, and Ingrid (aka Radio Girl).
[EDIT: This is my response to Sam's first scenario. I'll look at the second one another day. ]
Spooky Stuart: As usual, Stu will have the easiest time of the three in accomplishing this objective. He can't go through the front door since there are cameras on it, and he doesn't want to leave any physical evidence of his passage.
Scenario 1: The easy way. Approaching the guards invisibly, he hypnotizes one into abandoning his post, and quickly interrogates him. He finds out when the object will be moved, and through which door, and simply waits for the transfer vehicle (having sent the guard back to his post with a good excuse in case anyone has radioed about his absence). When the movers are hauling the object out of the building, he creates frightening illusions (Spectral Terror) which quietly incapacitate the few guards escorting the object (Spectral Terror is loud, but only to people who can see it!). He hypnotizes the guy carrying the object into handing it over. He goes to the guards one by one and knocks them out, then plants the suggestion that the transfer happened with no problems, wakes them all up, and sends them on their way. They all return to their posts, and the transfer vehicle drives off, and to all appearances everything has gone just as they planned. The bad guys open the box, envelope, whatever, at the other end and simply find it empty.
Scenario 2: The somewhat less easy way. If it's a nuke or something of extreme importance, Stu might not be content to wait around, in case something went wrong. Nevertheless it would still be a very simple exercise in hypnosis, knocking out the guards one by one. If there were too many in one place, he might have to resort to hypnotizing one into setting off an alarm somewhere else, radioing the surplus troops to fortify the front door, or suchlike. But if it got that bad he could also easily summon enough illusions to keep many guards busy at once. It would be child's play to find out that only the boss had the combo to the safe. Since we all know Bosses are hard to confuse in one go, Stu might hypnotize a few guards into extracting the combination by force. More likely though he would just take the time to hypnotize the boss into quietly and peacefully leading him to the safe and giving him the item. If he found the boss early on he might have him issue orders to disband certain guard posts or otherwise make Stu's passage easier. Of course, depending on circumstances, Stu would prefer to take the time to hypnotize every guard who is disturbed over the course of the evening to erase all evidence of his ever being there.
Radio Girl: Ingrid will have a much harder time of it. I'll let her have some SG mates to help, since she's smart enough to know that she may fail alone, but since she is the star of this operation we'll say that she has her friends posted around at various vantage points to keep watch and make sure that no one escapes with the item. Only she is going in.
She decides to avoid the front door simply because there are too many guards there.
Cloaking Device is nice, but she probably won't get through even the lightly guarded back door without being spotted. She'll fly around the building looking for a window, but just for fun we'll say that there aren't any. She has to use one of the two doors. So she goes to the back door, plants a concussion bomb near the guards, then attacks. She'll use her taser to knock one out, revealing herself. Then she'll try to get the rest to chase her to the bomb. We'll say that one guy goes for the alarm and she knocks him out with an energy blast. A couple guys open fire but can't see her too well because of the cloak. The rest charge her and get taken out by the bomb (her suit is specially insulated against her concussion blasts, so she's fine). She knocks out the remaining guys with energy blasts, rewires the security lock, and heads in.
Sadly, someone has heard the commotion and the alarms have gone off. She knows there are only two ways out of the building, but she also knows the object is in a safe somewhere and will take time for the bad guys to recover. So she files through the building as quickly as she can to make sure no one has time to escape with the object. Her cloak helps a lot, but even without it she is too fast for the guards to react to. She does have to fight a few guys, but she's convinced that she has acted fast enough to prevent anyone escaping. Soon she finds the boss with some guards in tow about to open the safe. There is a fairly long running battle, since she's not tough enough to just slug it out with that many guys, and more guards are swarming around the whole time. The boss doesn't have time to get the safe open because RG is always flying out, KOing a guard, then flying back to harrass him, so he just decides to make a break for it. Maybe she is able to take him out before he gets away, but that's immaterial. She is happy to leave apprehending this guy to her teammates. In any case he is going to be in no condition to give her the combination, so she will just have to crack the safe. If it's a computer lock, no problemo. If it's an old style safe, she might try to crack it using her suit's advanced sensors, but more likely she will just use a bomb or two to blow the hinges or other weak point. Then she'll battle her way out with the object and be on the front page the next morning.
Red Shiela: Good luck, Shiela! She can't get through the front door because it's too heavily armored, but that won't stop her from trying. After killing the front door guards and searching futilely for a way to open it for a while, she will circle around and look for another way in. Yep, she kills the guards in the alley, too, except for one, since she actually is smart enough to know that she might not be able to get in on her own. She threatens the guy into getting the door open for her (whether he uses a code, radios inside to get them to open it, whatever the guy does, it works). She knocks him out with the pommel of her sword and barges inside. Plowing through guards like the relentless death machine she is, she eventually finds either the boss or the safe. (It's quite possible that the boss will have time to escape with the loot, in which case - you guessed it - she uses brute force to learn from the remaining guards where he might have gone.)
If she finds the safe, she will try to smash it open. Assuming that doesn't work, she'll wait for more guards and/or the boss to arrive so she can beat the combination out of them. If the boss escapes, she'll just wait until the cops arrive and turn the safe over to them. She probably doesn't care about the whatchamacallit herself anyway. (If she does need it personally for some reason, she'll let the cops open the safe - and then take it from them. She'll try not to kill them though since they are supposed to be good guys.)
If she finds the boss first, she will probably end up killing him, most likely in some cinematically satisfying way like knocking him off the roof of the building. Then it's back to waiting for the cops to open the damn safe.
This looks like a great idea, instead of a continuing RP that you have to worry about. Here you post once and you're done, unless you want to wait for the next scenario. Mine's coming soon, I'm currently typing it out in Word
@Kedeawyth
Co-leader of Vae Victus Sinistus (Freedom/Infinity)
Virtue
Exorii: Lvl 50 Kat/Elec Stalker, fully IO'd, T4 Incarnate
SG: Hands of Ashra
Temporal Strike (Temp) looked at the small map on her wristCOM. The target was located somewhere on the 30th and between her and it were a couple hundred guards, alarms, and a few guard dogs.
Looks like fun, she said with a sneer. The 4 sentry guns placed through out the courtyard would be easily enough disabled, but by the time she reached her target, someone wouldve noticed and raised an alarm.
So she started off, sneaking along the base of the vine-covered courtyard wall. In the distance she could see 3 guards patrolling, and 2 more chatting
about their wives? She shook her head, laughing softly. Reaching the side of the building, she stopped. The courtyard extended about 30ft past the front of the building, until the wall turned and connected with the building. The space was ill-lit and looked like it contained a relay box. She snuck over to it, and opened it slowly. Apparently the Council wasnt as bright as some thought. The wiring was all nicely labeled for whomever, Sentry 1, Sentry 2, Sentry 3
She reached into her belt and pulled out a tiny device. Inserting it between the wires, she closed the box and went around the front of the building.
The entry way was covered and downward lit. Patiently waiting for the guards, they eventually all turned away from the entry. Using a drain pipe, she climbed up the balcony over the doorway. The doorway into the building from the balcony was glass, and the room beyond was dark. She pulled down her visor and examined the door. It didnt seem to be connected to the alarm system, but she placed a scrambler on the glass anyway, just to be safe. Opening the door slowly, she slunk inside. The room looked like a company presidents office: mahogany furniture, giant desk, bookshelves galore, and nice array of liquor.
She went to the computer and turned it on. Connecting her wristCOM to it through its USB port, she began hacking. Seemed it was connected to the mainframe, but was kept separate from the Central Security Systems (CSS). She downloaded a number of files, including detailed maps of each floor.
Jackpot.
Backing out of the system she ran into a hitch. It seemed to want a logout password. She had never seen that before in a security system. There was a countdown time starting at 30. It seemed that she was in the security chiefs public office and if the logout password wasnt given in the timeframe, the alarm would sound. She looked around quickly, trying to think what it could be. After a number of failed tries, she noticed that whoever this guy was, he liked his whiskey. Hoping this would be the last, she entered JACK DANIELS. Seconds passed like hours. Eventually it green-lighted and the computer shut down. She let out a sigh. Theyre always finding new ways of making my job harder.
Going to the door, Temp pushed a small camera under the door. Lowering her visor again, she could see into the hallway beyond. There was a guard at either ends of the hallway, both facing outward. She waited to see if they were patrolling or just placed guards. They didnt move for 5 minutes. Pulling the camera back and raising her visor, she looked at her wristCOM, now displaying a map of the floor she was on, which was the 3rd. It looked like the elevator was down the hall and around the corner, about 50yrds away from where she was. Her other choices were going back outside and up 30 stories (the 30th-32nd stories didnt have any windows for security purposes) or the maintenance elevator on the other side of the floor, about 100yrds away from her. She looked at her map again. She made a small note where the guards were and made her decision.
Slowly opening the door, she entered the hallway. Both guards were still there, unmoving. Turned right from the door and crept towards the guard. About 2yrds from him, it looked as though she went from creeping to instantly having the guard in a sleeper hold.
We wouldnt want your friend to be alarmed would we?
The guard shook his head in agreeance.
Gooood, now, you wouldnt happen to know if there are anymore guards near the elevator down the hall would you?
The guard shook his head no.
Excellent, she whispered in a cheery tone, then Im sure youll forget we had this conversation.
She dragged the guard with her towards the elevator. The doors opened without incident. Forming a gleaming white, insubstantial blade from her fist, she pushed it into the back of the guards skull. His eyes flared for a second then closed as his shoulders slumped. Im sure youll wake up feeling quite refreshed, she waved goodbye as the doors closed.
Looking over the elevator control panel, it looked like she needed a key card to access the secure levels. It was too risky to open the doors and see if the guard had one. There was a comm port on the panel, which she connected to her wristCOM. The security system on the elevator was simpler than the computer earlier. A simple number sequence later, the elevator started moving upwards. Standing up, she reached for the access panel in the ceiling. Climbing out and closing it behind her, she waited as the elevator went higher.
Seemed security was lax tonight, as the elevator reached the 30th floor with no problems. There was a vent a little above the elevator when it stopped, into which Temp crawled. Fully in the vent, she looked at her wristCOM again. The vent system winded its way through the whole floor, connecting to itself in many places. Cross referencing it with where the cell was, she began making her way to the closes vent opening. Nicely, there was one located directly above the cell door. She couldnt see any guards from where she was, but stuck the camera through to check. There was a guard coming down the hallway from both ways, and they crossed next to the door beside the targets. This block was a square and the must be moving opposite each other, which gave her a little under 3 minutes to get into the cell and get the target out. The hallways were fairly dark, but the camera, which thankfully was located directly above the door, was probably fitted with night vision or thermal. She looked at the locking mechanism, of which there was none
Great, my night just keeps getting better, she complained.
Unfortunately for Temp, each door was opened by remote. She looked at her wristCOM, reading the security specs for the building. It told her what she wanted to see, but not WHICH guard had the remote. By now the guards were on the other side of the cell block, keeping her from being able to do this subtly. Picking the guard that was going to come down the left hallway, she waited till the security camera was facing the opposite direction. Quickly but quietly moving down the hall, she glanced around the corner. No guard yet. Moving about a quarter the way down the hall, she backed against one wall. Using momentum, she ran up the wall and jumped against the other wall, doing a split jump (Splinter Cell FTW). The guard came waltzing down the hall, whistling merrily. She dropped on him from above, knocking him out cold. Quickly searching his body, nothing. Hmm... this could be bad, she mused. Looking around the corner again, the camera was facing away, but would be moving back her direction any minute. Pressed against the wall with the camera as hard as she could, she moved towards the opposite hallway. She was able to counter the camera perfectly, as it faced the opposite wall as she reached the hallway. The guard was just rounding the corner as he flew into the wall with a loud THUD. She cringed. Quickly moving his body out of the way of the camera, she searched this ones body, with more luck.
Moving back to the cell door, she found the cell on the remote. Pressing the button, Cell 75-A opened with a hiss of escaping air. The target inside, was clothed in a blue jumpsuit, with a label of Prisoner 54C184.
Quickly, come with me. Theres no time to explain.
The target had a bewildered look on his face, but took her hand anyway. Helping him into the vent, they made their way back to the elevator. Unfortunately it had been recalled back to the first floor. She reached into her belt and pulled out a climbing harness. Put this one, she said, thrusting it into his arms. Shakily he put on the harness, which she checked for completeness. Connecting his harness to the identical one she was wearing, she pressed a button on her wristCOM. The gloves she wore shimmered for a second, and then returned to normal.
Hold onto my waist, and for Gods sake, dont look down. Unless heights dont scare you, then feel free.
She gripped the elevator cable and began going down. About halfway down the elevator starting going up, but thankfully only to the 3rd floor, where it stopped. Reaching to top of the elevator car, she unhooked him and pressed the same button on her wristCOM again. They dropped into the car and pressed First Floor. The first floor was a giant lobby, darkened after working hours. She lowered her visor and could see red lines jump to life all over the floor. Normally this would pose no problem what-so-ever, but she had the target, and he definitely couldnt get through on his own.
Stick right behind me and dont move unless I do, she told him with out turning around. Reaching the first sensor, she pulled a small gold button out of her belt. Placing it on the side of the laser sensor, the laser flashed then went out. She continued this until there were 4 sensors left. Thankfully he had stayed right behind her as the device only lasted for about 10 seconds before the lasers overloaded them. Now, she had run out of said devices. Hoping he could follow her movements, she placed him right in front of herself.
Follow my movements and we should be fine.
Together they bother lifted their right legs and moved it forward, up and over the laser (which the target couldnt see). Continuing with their left legs they made it over the laser, and copied it till they had made it halfway over the last one. Unfortunately the target slipped and his toe passed through the beam. Instantly the alarms began blaring. Seeing a line of large potted bushes leading from the doorway to either side, she ducked behind them, with the target in tow.
They watched as 5 guards came rushing in from the courtyard and fan out to begin searching the premise. Making their way towards the door behind the cover of the pots, she tossed a present for their hosts as they rushed out the door. They made into the shadows as she watched 10 heavily armed and armoured commandos descend from the sky. Grinning sinisterly, she whispered to the target, This should be fun. Pressing a button on her wristCOM, there could be seen a small spark from the sentry turret junction box. The device she had put in there reversed the sensors on the turrets, effectively making friends, enemies, and enemies, friends. The turrets started firing on the commandos, causing them to scatter and dive for cover. They made their way along the courtyard walls under protective cover fire from the turrets. Reaching the far wall, Temp tossed a rope over the wall.
Wow, thanks for getting me out of their, I have to get back to the base. Who sent you anyway?
A benefactor.
Well they have my forever debt, he said has he headed for the rope. But never made it. He was hit in the throat from a roundhouse kick so fast it seemed as if nothing touched him. Instantly going from walking forward to crumpling to the ground, he attempted to breathe through his crushed trachea. Blood began pooling on the ground from his mouth.
Ill leave you this last thought as you drown in your own blood. Next time dont speak so freely, loose tongues have a tendency to get cut off.
She left him lying there, trying to draw breath, crawling for the rope. He never made it.
----
OOC
Now you may be wondering about some things that went on. First off, possibly why she waited until the end to kill him. Honestly I dont know, but Temporal Strike has a sadistic side that gets carried away at times. Second, why he went with her when he knew there were people looking to kill him for the information he knew. He figured if she was there to kill him, she wouldve done it right away, not wait. Oh how wrong he was. Thirdly. Can Temporal Strike stop time? And what was the white glowing knife thingy? Well those are her powers. She cant actually stop time per se, but she can move so fast it seems as if everyone around her has been frozen in time. As to the knife, it cuts through the targets consciousness and removes any memories of her ever being there. Quite handy, especially in her line of work. And the wristCOM you ask? Just think of it like a PDA on steroids, a LOT of steroids. The last thing, her present she left in the lobby, was a nicely made flash bang. The guards wont be able to see for a couple hours, and their ears are probably bleeding pretty badly. Anyway, hope you liked, cant wait for the next one.
Edit: I was going a bit long anyway, so I took some creative liberties. Only big one was who had the cell key, cause if Temp started traipsing around the building to find the security chief, it would've gone on forever
@Kedeawyth
Co-leader of Vae Victus Sinistus (Freedom/Infinity)
Virtue
Exorii: Lvl 50 Kat/Elec Stalker, fully IO'd, T4 Incarnate
SG: Hands of Ashra
Never got to post the first situation, but its fairly simple for my main, Randall Grey (Tanker: Stone/Super Strength).
Hed worked his way slowly through the streets, asking passers-by if theyd seen anything unusual or if the local Sky Raider presence had been making any outrageous claims. After wailing on a few of their street-sweepers, he had finally found the information eh was looking for. Randall grey made a beeline for an old Lockheart warehouse, now long-since abandoned since the indictment of one of their CEOs and the inevitable evidence lock-up
It wasnt an exceptionally large building, and the info told him the cargo theyd stolen would be just inside the door. He even found four Assault Raiders having a smoke break just outside in the back alley he was strolling down. After slamming back a case of donuts (I bet you were expecting beer), Randall flexes his muscles. This activates the rocklike growths that have been his trademark defense since his bar-fighting days. He then storms down the alley, a guttural roar announcing his vicious entry to the fray.
The guards open fire, their ammunition impacting almost harmlessly from Randalls chest, abs, and face. They are completely unprepared for the assault as he bodily slams into them, smashing the door off its hinges and knocking the guards, unconscious, through at the same time. Breathing haggardly, he smashes open the crate and retrieves the Force Module, a small device used to focus energy in Portal Corporations many devices.
Funny Portal Corp sent me to get this, Randy grumbles to himself, They couldve called the cops or hired a lowbie
Ah well
Ill just drop by a subsidiary, leave a note saying I heard they lost this, and call it a night
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Second Scenario
Team effort, Nester (Defender:Emp/Rad), Kipland Durj (Scrapper: Martial Arts/Invuln;original, not Praetorian gunslinger type Kip), Cory Simmons(Blaster Fire/Ice) and Sarah Snuffy Grey (Controller: Psychic/Sonic)
(Note: This went from generally vague to surprisingly specific, for reference, we just went from 0-85 mph in about 2.5 seconds)
Calm down, Snuffy, its not your fault
Anton Stevens, a minor individual in most respects, had just turned states evidence against Crey Industries. He had knowledge on some of the corporations clandestine, illegal operations (its amazing what a janitor can learn
) and had hoped to make a little profit from the situation by ratting them out. Unfortuantely, he wasnt a bright individual, and Crey agents were hounding him before the day was out.
Kipland Durj, second-in-command of Greys Army, had been tasked by Freedom Corps to keep an eye on him until the court date (as the citys safehouses were turning out to be remarkably unreliable
). The young scrapper decided waiting in the Greys Army base would be safe enough.
What he hadnt counted on was his good friend (and daughter of Greys Armys founder, Randall Grey) Sarah Grey. It wasnt really her fault, she just didnt know the totality of the situation. She took Anton out for ice cream to help calm his nerves and they were jumped by a Paragon Protector in Atlas Park. Sarah, with the fortunate help of a Security level 50 blaster, was able to scramble away largely unharmed, but she lost track of Anton in the confusion of the battle and found too late that a group of Crey Security were hustling him into a black van.
She followed the van from a distance to one of the high-rise buildings in southeast Skyway City, and tearfully let her best friend know what was happening. Despite the long stream of curses that replied to her, Kipland still assured her that he wasnt angry at her
Just the situation
I hate these jobs
Kip grimaced from the ground level across the street, They tell you to watch the guy, you tell him not to go anywhere, and then something like this happens. I shouldve just handed him over to Crey, told them Now, you hide him real good, okay? Ill count to ten and come on up, and then kicked the ever-living bejebus out of everybody that got in my way after that.
Now, now, Kipland, lets not despair
Cory Simmons, the resident Warlock of Greys Army and typical cool-head, rested his hand on the younger heros shoulder and gestured to the skyscraper, Theres still plenty of time for the latter part of your scenario. But, may I suggest something, first
Nester Durj, Kips older brother and the Supergroups medic, hovered down behind them after Cory finished explaining his plan. Furrowing his brow in consternation, Nester tapped Sarahs shoulder.
Whyd Kip send me a message saying my skills would be needed here?
His babysitting mission just became a rescue mission.
Figures hed screw it up
Nester grumbled, but he was still smirking.
Hey! Kip rounded on his brother with murder in his eyes, but again, Cory caught him by the shoulder.
Nester was just joking, and you know it, he started floating away, and, whispering a spell to himself, disappeared, Go inside, and wait for me to start porting you guys up. Well be out of here before lunch.
Cory flew up the buildings side and glanced inside the windows. Floor after floor of cubicle corridor offices greeted his eyes, and he almost gagged. Though he didnt necessarily thrive on magic like most other mystically attuned heroes and rogues, he did despair at the uniformity of it all. It put a stranglehold on the imagination, turned human beings into little more than robots. He had dealt with Nemesiss automatons, the ones built to look like human beings, and could understand how they blended in, and even excelled, in environments like this.
A lavatory. Most people didnt understand this, but restroom facilities need proper ventilation, otherwise the stench becomes unbearable and the employees become far less efficient as they search for a more reliable lavatory. For high rises such as this, the simplest, most efficient, and most cost effective ventilation is a window. While the bathroom gets cold in winter months (ironically, improving efficiency as employees rush to get back to the heat of the main offices), the window was still far preferable to a mechanical ventilation system that would be cost-prohibitive to maintain at this high elevation. However, security systems were largely left un-routed through a bathrooms window as they were usually left open to allow truly horrid odors to escape quickly
Cory Simmons was a thermodynamic wizard, meaning he controlled the forces of heat and cold. Breathing deeply in a quick meditation, he murmured the words that would harness the local heat energies (draining the local area of heat, slightly) into a potent attack to burn through the windows glass. Typically, windows werent made of Pyrex..."
A long stream of blazing fire arced from his palms and scored through the glass, melting it into a river that hissed and bubbled as it flowed from the hole in the side of the wall. Small black scorch marks were left in the frame, but Cory was otherwise pleased with himself.
Downstairs, Kipland marched into the lobby confidently. A couple security guards looked askance at him, but largely left him alone. Nester and Sarah flanked him, Sarah bobbing her head to her headphones, Nester tapping at some of the controls on his left wrist. A nearby elevator made a dinging sound, and Kipland turned to see a Paragon Protector flanked by two Security Agents exit and start heading for them. The Protector towered over Kip and glared down at the diminutive scrapper as if her were something he just scraped off his boot (not that the helmet conveyed that, but Kip knew well enough what went through a Protectors head: Crey is Great! Obey the Countess! There are no heroes but Paragon Protectors! Crey is Great!)
Can we help you? the Protector asked cautiously.
Nah, just getting in out of the cold, Kip replied slyly, It is winter, after all
Nester arched his eyebrow at his brother, but said nothing. The Protector turned to Sarah whos eyes were now closed and she seemed to be really getting into her music. Suddenly, the Protector realized something.
I need to get my laundry.
You do that, Sarah suddenly piped to the blue-and-yellow clad generic hero, And take your guards with you.
Ill take my guards with me, the Protector mumbled and snapped his fingers. The two Agents glanced worriedly to each other, but knew better than to argue with a superior.
Kip turned to the nearest receptionist and approached her, Were going to use the bathroom and be right out, okay?
The receptionist got a faraway look on her face and nodded. She didnt even get too concerned when they all hurried into the same bathroom.
A moment later, and Cory had used his arcane magicks to teleport them up twenty-eight floors to the bathroom he had requisitioned for the operation. Kip glared at him when he learned where they were.
What do you mean were not at the top floor? You know how these things go! The [censored] objective is always at the [very censored] top floor!
This was the highest bathroom I could find, Cory replied, Besides, wheres the fun without the challenge?
Ill give you your challenge
Come on, lets get Anton out of here.
They creeped to the bathroom door, cracked it open and glanced about. A security guard was walking away down the hall from them, and Kip almost dove forward to kick him in the back of the head, but he was stopped by his older brother. Nester gestured to the cameras.
This is going to be very tough, he whispered. Cory pushed aside them, opened the door and disappeared. The rest of the group looked to each other with worry, but they shrugged as it seemed Cory had gotten away.
Have you ever seen Towering Inferno? they suddenly heard and the guard whirled about to say something. A gout of flame suddenly burst out of mid-air and blasted the black-and-blue clad agent down the hall. Cory was visible, his body wavering in and out of focus, and his hands were wrapped in unmistakable flames. He then darted into a nearby office and the crew found themselves teleported again.
Well, that was worth the trip, Kipland shook his head at the wizard, Whats your next plan?
We start a fire, Cory smiled.
A moment later, and the bathroom was in flames. The buildings environment control started working to curb the damage. However, the building was evacuating as standard procedure warranted.
Kip, however, was still not pleased. Environment control in office buildings meant only two things: air conditioning, and the water sprinkler system that puts out fires. On this floor, all the sprinklers kicked on.
Well done, Cory, he gritted his teeth and started marching for the door of the office they were hiding in, Well done
Kip, dont do anything rash
Oh, theres nothing rash about this, Kip whipped open the door and watched as a pair of cryo-tanks rushed past, This is completely irrational!
He kicked the one to his right as he lined up on the massive bathroom blaze and forced the tanks head into the head of his partner. The stereo-like sound of them yelping in pain rewarded him and he followed up with a crane-kick that sent his first target sprawling down the hallway. The other, disoriented, struggled to stand but found himself booted into the burning bathroom.
Hes armored and throws ice, Kip shouted over the tanks screams, hell be fine.
They bounded for the elevators which were now open to allow a small contingent of security guards to see what was going on and usher employees on this floor to the stairs. They hadnt counted on running into a group of heroes and were quickly overwhelmed by fire, feet, radiation and
dance music? Whatever it was, it looped through their heads and kept getting louder. They clutched at their ears, trying to block out the sound, but it was in their heads
Nothing was getting it to stop, nothing but Kipland Durjs foot.
Taking the keys from one of the guards, Nester led the group to the stairwell and called to the employees of the floor to hurry over. He then used a guards boot to jam the door open and followed his friends up the stairs. They made their way directly to the thirtieth floor where Kip used the key to unlock the emergency door there, too.
Idiots
he spat as they made their way in. They saw a pair of Power tanks guarding a door and Kip repeated himself.
Hm, if I wanted to hide a guy, Nester added, I would put two heavy-set guards just outside the room Im keeping him in. Uh-oh!
One of the guards turned to regard them and Kip was off like a shot. Nester followed quickly, activating his defensive and focusing matrices. Cory then drew the heat out of his immediate surroundings and focused it into a savage blast that knocked Kiplands target out cold
Well, after a series of repeated kicks to the head, groin and groin again. This, unfortunately, caused the other Power Tank to get the drop on Kip, as Nester was by no means an offensive type of hero.
As Kip lay on the floor, rubbing a split lip and Nester darted back and forth, ducking and diving out of the Power Tankers attacks, Sarah kicked on her MP3 player and aimed a particular tune at her friend. Kip heard the sounds of Dry Kill Logic streaming into his ears and he sneered. He could feel his adrenaline picking up and he leapt to his feet. As the Power Tank blasted Nester out of the way and started to turn to Cory, who had been pelting the tanker with more bolts of fire, there was a tap on the Tanks shoulder.
Hey, [censored], Kip spat some blood into his visor as he turned to face the scrapper, Were not done yet.
Anton yelped as the Power Tanks body hurtled through the door. He was handcuffed to his chair, but a quick eye-beam blast from Nesters glasses melted the chain away. They ushered the poor young man to the emergency stairwell and started hurrying down. It was surprisingly difficult going, but through a quick questioning of Anton, they learned he had been injected with sodium pentathol or some other chemical during his interrogation that made him sluggish.
Cory, invisible and flying, moved far ahead of the crew and warned them of whatever was coming their way. On the first floor, there was a rather substantial crowd outside the door, but that wasnt what dominated their attention. Four pillars had suddenly converted into automated cannons with laser sights, and it wasnt hard for the group to figure out what they were intended for. The Paragon Protector they had messed with prior to their ascent also stood in the middle of the room, with murder on his mind.
I say we go to the second floor and leap out the window, Kip turned to Anton, Itll only hurt for a second.
Or, we could take the fire escape
Cory countered when he saw their charges reaction to Kips plan, It would be a wise course of action
The second floors fire escape led to a courtyard. Nester shuddered and charged up his healing wave generator and the healing wave focuser. The courtyard turned out only slightly better. Again, they had to contend with a set of turrets. Kip was studying the field intently.
I think I have a way
he muttered, But its going to hurt me
Youre not a tanker, Kip
Nester reminded his brother.
Im the best weve got, Kip raised his arms to the sky and his body was wrapped in black purple smoke for a few seconds.
When the tenebrous mass cleared, the young martial artist was suddenly covered from head to toe in a black-purple armor. Though it was visible now, Nester had his suspicions that it never truly left Kip, protecting him even more vehemently (though far more subtly) when he walked about without it on
Okay, Kip intoned, Im going out there, and I cant be sure Ill make it out. Sarah, Nester, Cory, I want you guys to escort Anton out of here and get him to the cops. Crey wont do anything when youre with the cops.
Wait! Nester tried to plead with his brother.
I gave you an order! Kip replied, Im doing this as much for you as him. As long as the guns are on me, they wont be on you. I figure youll have maybe five minutes, tops to get out of sight of em, and theyre not restricted to their movement the way the ones back in the lobby are. Swivel mounts are horrible things
They bid their farewells and Kip made jokes about utilizing the Red Cross Express when it was all said and done. He gave the word and leapt out into the middle of the turrets and was rewarded with the tell-tale sound of them revving up to spit hot, solid death at him. The other trio led Anton off the roof and hurried around the corner, Nester pausing momentarily to watch his brother go to war with the machines as they fired unrelentingly into his torso and head. Remarkably, the younger Durj brother was holding his own and was smashing through their metal hides to reveal the parts inside.
But the fight took its toll, nonetheless. As Kip smashed the last one, he dropped to his knees and gasped for air. He couldnt believe he had survived, weird, alien combat armor notwithstanding. His elation was shortlived, however, as a shadow overtook him.
Kipland Durj, a familiar voice droned monotonously, You have cost Crey dearly today, and I intend to take the payment out of you in blood.
Kip glared up at the Paragon Protector. Tendril-wreathed, glowing eyes met a cold, emotionless mask. Kip chuckled.
Does this look like the face of someone who cares?
The Protector was one of the Super Strength types, and Kip was punched across the courtyard. He lay still, and the Protector turned to continue his hunt for the informant.
Crey is great
he muttered happily to himself.
Several blocks away, the other members of the group were busy fending off random assaults from Crey guards and agents. It was difficult, what with Anton unable to properly run and Kip out of commission, the group was barely able to keep pressing on.
What were you doing back there, Nester? Cory hissed as he pelted another group with bolts of flame.
I
Nester faltered, I couldnt just let that [censored] kill him
Nobody truly dies in this city, Cory replied, Well, not normally, anyway
Ive seen some Rikti die
But Kips a hero, logged into the medical matrix. Hed be zipped over to the hospital lickety-split and probably meet us halfway
Only they didnt make it halfway. The Protector descended from the sky and glowered at them. Sarah gulped involuntarily and considered sending a broadcast for help. She knew it wouldnt get there in time.
We already know what Anton intends to tell the authorities, the Protector almost chortled, So the interrogation phase is over. I think Ill just kill him and blame the death on some of those trolls over there. He shouldnt have run off when he did
Nester and Cory stood in front of Sarah and Anton, between them and the Protector.
Were not letting you get through, Nester said as he started to hear some of his favorite punk rock tracks echoing in his ears, Well die defending this man and die again, and I swear by everything holy Ill make that take as long as possible. I can do that, I have the technology
Corys fist started blazing fire and a sword of ice appeared in his left hand, You shall not pass, villain, and I can guarantee, this city will know of your corruption!
The Protector started laughing as it dove forward and smashed through Nesters defense matrix. He barely felt it, but he knew the damage was there. He activated his healing wave generator and looked to see Corys condition. The blaster was doing rather well at holding his own against the Protector, but everyone knew a blaster, alone, against a Paragon protector was a losing battle.
Cory was thrown across the street and bounced against a light pole. Nester, firing radiation into the Protectors body as he flew to his friend, was next to fall. Cory stood uneasily, his head a little dizzy from the assault, but Nesters nanite healing devices were working fast to clear the damage. Too bad Nester didnt have the same thing going for himself, as he lay moaning on the asphalt.
A yelp of alarm from Snuffy Grey brought the dark-skinned wizards attention back to the battle and he realized he was too late. Sarah was held up by her throat and, with tears in her eyes, she clutched at the protectors wrist and struggled vainly to get free.
No
Nester groaned as he struggled to stand, No, you son of a [censored]! Ill kill you! Ill
urk
Thats right, the Protector gloated as Nesters stomach emptied itself, Thats what youll do. Puke on my street. Why? Because its all you can do. I told you how this would end, and Im making it happen. Ah-ah-ah, wizard, Ill break her little neck
Not before I break your wrist.
The Protector turned to Kips voice and realized too late the scrapper was already moving. Kips arms wrapped about the one holding Sarah in the air and there was an audible pop as the elbow joint was hyper-extended. A scream issued forth from the Protectors helmet, but Kip paid no heed. Sarah also took the opportunity to blare Ride of the Valkyries through the Protectors mind, further adding insult to injury as Kipland Durj mopped the streets with the Protectors body. Though the thuggish company hero was able to re-set his arm, it didnt help him much as the rest of the team recovered and worked together to soundly stomp him into the pavement.
Several hours later, they arrived at the Skyway precinct. They were tired, bruised, aching, and in desperate need of bathing, food and rest. Detective Westbrush took their statements and provided them a security contingent of nearly twenty officers. One asked if they needed anything and Sarah piped up.
Some ice cream would be nice.
-End
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was a labor of love. Eight Word pages of love. Granted, it's broken between paragraphs, but still...
That's longer than a forum post should be. I feel this second task was far too specific. It harkened me back to my days of playing Shadowrun ("Surely, the teddy bear can't be rigged with C-4...") Still, it was a fun challenge. I don't know if I used all of your objectives, but I feel I got the main ones.
Edit: Just had a thought about this...
Just because we, the authors, know what surrounds our characters, it's no guarantee our characters know what's going on.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
An ominous night forshadoed events of great power. A black, starless, clouded sky hung over Malta's stronghold complex. A storm was coming, in more ways than one. As a slight breeze swept the streets, a trio stood in a shadowy alley, looking at the imposing building.
-Does everybody know their mission? - Ezikiel Bane asked his companions.
-Yes, sir! - both Xandra Jay and Mek Majik replied together.
-Good. - Zik said as he faced the building - Then go in there and bring me the man who stole the plans for my crystallic fusion generator. No, no. - Ezikiel laughed to himself - The man you let steal the palns for my crystallic fusion generator.
-YOUR crystallic fusion generator? - Majik asked with irritation.
-But Zik, it wasn't my fault! - Xandra interrupted.
-It would appear you two don't quite grasp just how displeased I am with you. Should I have to demonstrate? Hm? - he looked at his silent followers - No, I shouldn't have to. And I trust you don't even want to imagine just how displeased I will be if the Malta get my plans from the man you let escape?
As if on que, Xandra's communicator gave out a loud beep.
-Saved by the bell - Zik said sternly - Time to move out.
Without a word, Xandra clenched her fists and concentrated. Without a sound, red energy enveloped her body and melded with her skin, making it transparent. Within a second, her figure barely refracted any light, transforming her into little more than a walking shadow in the night.
As the two man watched, she walked accross the street towards the Malta stronhold, completely invisible to the men watching the front security cameras. She approached the wall of the front courtyard and effortlessly lept over the 10 feet tall obstruction as though it weren't there. The courtyard was well lit, but there was enough darkness between the fixed lights and searchlights for Xandra to move about freely. Transparent as she was, the darnkess made her completely invisible to those around her, and by applying small ammounts of energy, she was able to move completely silently.
She calmly walked up to the generator providing power to the courtyard's deadly sentry guns. It was well guarded, but around its perimeter. There were no guards at the device, itself. She put her palm on it and a slow but steady current of pure energy seaped into the generator's electronics - a terminal dose.
Having finished there, she made her way towards the retinal scanner on one of the three main entrances. She knew which of the guards was authorised for the scanner, so she simply waited until he came around. The guard walked up to the door, turned around and put his back against the wall. That was her cue.
Xandra tapped her communicator and sent a message to her lord. As Ezikiel's communicator beeped, he turned to Majik.
-It is time. Go introduce yourself to them, Majik.
The power-armour-clad figure nodded. He threw his hands in the air and powerful electricity enveloped his body. It arched all over his suit and increased in intensity until he resembled a creature of electricity. Then his figure durst into small archs of electricity that shot into the ground and all the surrounding buildings. A second later, a massive bolt of lightning struck the centre of the courtyard to the dismay of all the guards therein. As the beam of light dispersed and its electricity sunk into the ground an armoured figure of a man was left standing.
Condused soldiers opened fire on the invader, only to have him burst into lightning and rupt somewhere else. Majik did as he was ordered - he kept the soldiers busy, zapping all over the courtyard and electrocuting any soldiers that stood in his path. But he wasn't attacking. All he was doing was keeping them busy.
The sentry guns that the Malta soldiers were relying on so much never activated. The controls of the generator that powered them had been fried beyond repair, and it stood dead and silent. Unprotected, the courtyard was now Majik's playground, the perfect opportunity for him to fieldtest all of his brand new gadgets. Bane had counted on that, and hoped that his enthusiasm would keep his enemies busy long enough for his plan to succeed.
And as Majik provided a distraction, an invisible Xandra grabbed the guard authorised for the optical scanner, dragged him to the device and smashed his face into the visor. The machine scanned him and opened the door without rising any more alarms. As the man bled from his injured face, he received a tap on his back that shot a massive jolt of energy into his body, paralising and killing him instantly.
Xandra walked through the unlocked door and found herself inside a lobby with a frantic security guard shouting in a dozen microphones and listening to a cacophony of incoherent shouts from the courtyard outside. The dark, barren lobby was equipped with laser sensors, unaffected by Xandra's transparent figure and survailance cameras no-one watched, all survailance being redirected to the outside.
The security guard was easy pray, too busy to be mindful of intruders he didn't even expect. A single touch to the back of the head caused his eyes to roll back into their sockets as the man fall back in his chair, dead. Xandra scanned his control console until she found a glowing green light with a switch below it labled "External Survailance." Flipping the switch made the light turn red and switched off all the cameras on the outside of the building.
Having memorised the building's plans, Xandra knew where to find her next objective. She walked slowly down a few twisting corridors until she came to a locked, but not secured door. A light punch at the door handle sent red energy coarsing though the door, and a moment lated a large chunk of the door shattered inwards.
The door led to a slmall room filled with pipes holding cables, control consoles and electircal flow gages. Looking through the cable pipes, Xandra found the one she was looking for. She grabbed the pipe and squeezed. Red energy shot from her hand and coursed along the pipe, destroying the cables within. In a heartbeat, all elevators in the building died.
Xandra tapped her communicator again. Again, Ezikiel, now standing at the side of the building facing the street, received the message. Tapping his communicator, he sent a message to Majik.
-Playtime is over. Eliminate them.
As he said that, Ezikiel lifted off the ground as though gravity no longer affected him.
Back in the courtyard, Majik received the message. He had just getting close to the optimal calibrations for his suit, but he knew better than to displease his Lord. Failing him in an operation of this importance would be a most deadly mistake. Following orders, he stopped running around and fought.
He appeared in one spot and this time did not disappear. Instead, he simply stood there. All of the soldiers in the courtyard were firing at him, but their bullets wer being incinerated by arcs of incredibly powerful electricity as they approached Majik's body. Having charged up his suit, he released a tremendous bolt of electricity that arched between the soldiers in his line of sight, instantly electrocuting in small groups. And so, group by group he moved between them, taking them out and chasing them around the courtyard where necessery.
That elevated the situation to a major threat. The base commander's elite commandos were dispatched, rushing straight for the expresse elevator. Sadly, that was out of order, courtesy of sabotage. So they took the stairs, which would take them forever. As they descended down one staircase, Xandra ascended up another. On the outside, Ezikiel had just flown all the way up to the top floor office where the base commander was trying to get a handle on the situation.
Quietly the wall behind him cracked, the collapsed into dust at Ezikiel's will. The commander eventually sensed this and backed away, looking for the person responsible. In a few moments, the perpetrator introduced himself. Ezikiel's floating figure landed in the centre of the room, a could of fine, yellow sand swirling around him.
The base commander, Ocelot-2-12, was no pushover. He had expert training, scientifically-induced superhuman powers and high-tech equipement that had cost more than some countries' entire military budget. Ezikiel was well aware of that. As Ocelot reached for his guns, a vortex of sand exploded in the room. Ocelot resisted being knocked down, but it still pushed him back. Just as he was about to get a shot through, the vortex receeded around Ezikiel. The sound compacted around his body and melded tother into a thick, hard layer of stone.
A large, hulking giant of stone now stood before Ocelot. His guns were unable to penetrate Ezikie's stone shell, but the barrage of their kinetic slugs was preventing him from advancing. For every step Ezikiel took forward, he was pushed another step back.
Ezikiel worked his bag of tricks. He levitated chunks of the surrounding room and hirling at Ocelot, but he was able to shoot them to pieces as they flew. He caused the ground below Ocelot to crack and explode, but he was quick on his feet and avoided it every time. He caused all manner of rock formations to shoot from every which way, but Ocelot always avoided them.
The battle looked like a stalemate. It was meant to be one. It had gone on for a few minutes when the door behind Ocelot opened quietly. A transparent figure walked silently into the room and stopped behind the commander as he was furiously shooting at his enemy. He never suspected a thing until he heard the faint squeal of energy as it focused on Xandra's hand behind him. Just as the thought to turn around crossed his mind, a powerful punch struck his back and transfered a colossal charge of pure energy into his body. The sudden surge pierced through his armour and friend his body from the inside.
As the commander slumped to the floor dead, Xandra leaned over and took a card from his pocket. The giant monster of stone exploded into a cloud of fine, yellow sand and from inside, Ezikiel stepped forward.
-Now, for the switch. - Ezikiel said as he activated his communicator - Majik, proceed to the final phase.
Back down into the courtyard, the elite commandos had already engaged Majik in a fight he could not win. He had eliminated all other soldiers on the ground and was now doing his best just to avoid the commandos' high-powered weapons, unable to penetrate their grounded armour. As soon as he received his Lord's message, he stopped. Just as he was about to get shot, a bolt of lightning stuck his body. When the lightning dissipated, Majik was gone. Just then, the commandos received an alarm - their commander's heart had stopped. Immediately they rushed back into the building and up the stairs to the top floor.
In the meantime, Ezikiel and a now-visible Xandra had climbed down another stairwell to the 30th floor. Lacking the stealth of Xandra's original infiltration, Ezikiel was forced to simply crush all of the guards and soldiers that stood in his way. In a building made of concrete - an earth material - the very environment was his weapon. Guards found themselves crushed by walls, impaled by spikes shoopting out of the archetecture or just smashed to pieces by the granite fists of a walking pile of impenetrable stone.
Unfortunately, they made slow progress because of their many encounters. Eventually, they reached the cell of the thief and unlocked it. Inside stood a ragged, beaten old man, just barely hanging on.
-Why fancy meeting you here - Ezikiel said as he pulled the man out of the cell by his collar.
-No, please! Don't hurt me! - The man cried.
-You took something that belongs to me. Let's go something a little more quite where calk about where you hid it.
-We should go. - Xandra urged, looking nervously around.
Without saying a word, Ezikiel turned towards the stairs, dragging the man by the collar. The two went down even more slowly, encountering soldiers who were rushing up to secure the building. Fighting their way in a fierce, but largely easy battle, Ezikiel and Xandra made it out of the building. No sooner had they set foot outside that an angry shout came from behind them.
-You will not leave this compound alive! - A winded commando shouted as his comrades in arms descended down the stairs to join him.
-Take him. - Ezikiel said to Xandra as he literally tossed the old man to her.
-I'm gonna' enjoy takin' you down! - A commando said as he slammed a clip into his machinegun.
-Big words for a little man - Ezikiel said calmly as a slight but very noticable tremor shot through the ground. - But can you back them up?
As Ezikiel said that, the ground shuddered frightningly and large boulders tore themselves from off the pavement and levitated into the ground. With a simple gesture, Bane sent the boulders hurtling towards the surprised commandos. Some were crushed by the boulders, but many dove for cover and opened fire. Again vortex of sand shot up from the ground and formed itself into a suit of stone armour. And while the commando's bullets bounced off, each one still chipped a little off.
As the battle went on, Zik gestured like a conductor. At the wave of his hand, pillars of stone rose from the ground throwing the commandoes away, sinkholes collapsed downward, sucking and burrying them and and a constant barrage of flying debris battered them unrelentingly. But even so, they held out.
Just then, a flash caught everyone's attention, as a bolt of lightning hit the generator that provided the sentry guns with power. It was Majik's final contribution. He had reprogrammed the turrets while the action went on elsewhere and now through his pure electricity, he provided them with power enough to last a few minutes.
As the powerful guns opened fire on the terrified commandos, Ezikiel simply turned around and walked out the front door. The mission was complete. Xandra waited for him in a black van with the target safely locked away in the back and Majik would be back on his own. Ezikiel had suffered some injuries and exhausted a lot of energy, Majik had suffered serious damage to his armour and Xandra had hurt herself in one of her bigger applications of energy. They all had scars to show, but in the end, those were minor problems, all things considered.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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((I have studied your responses to my latest situation, both your feedback and the stories you have written, and I have conclided that you're abosolutely right! The situation I made was far, FAR too complicated. It was not at all what I had in mind when I first started the thread, and the results it produced were much different from what I had in mind. I will endevour to make the next one just as ingaging and much more free at the same time. Admittedly, it may be easier, as well.
Here is your new situation: Escaping an ambush.
You have been led to believe by sources you trust that something you want can be found within an old, abandoned building. That is not the case. In fact, you have been mislead and you find yourself in an ambush.
Now, weather you are able to figure it out before the trap is sprung or not is up to you. Weather you actually the trap to actually be sprung is also up to you. But the chief limitation here is that you walked sufficiently deep inside the buiding for reasons of your own choosing.
Once the situation has initiated, your first objective will be to find out who set you up and why. Even if you are able to sense the ambush, you will not be able to fully understand the ambush until you intorrogate the leader of the attackers. He can be found within the same building.
Your second objective is to make your way ouf of the building. Your exit is your own to choose, but abide by the limitation that it is not readily available. You have to MAKE or FIND your own way out.
Outside, you find yourself in an abandoned neighbourhood now crawling with enemy soldiers. You can make up a reason for that, or you can assume they're there in case the ambush fails. Your next objective is to leave the area alive. It is surrounded by impassible terrain in all directions (police barricades, War Walls, collapsed buildings, enemy spells, your choice) and you can only exit through one of a handful of heavily-guarded checkpoints.
Throughout the environment, you can find the following assets that you can make use of however you wish, or not make use of at all:
*Overall commander - he can be found wherever you wish, but he will always be heavily guarded. What significance he has is your choice.
*A normal person who has important information - This is a person who has information that can potentially help you in some way. It is useful, but not so much so as to completely negate any one obstacle. That person may be hostile or firendly, whatever you wish.
*An outpost of a rival organisation - this is an organisation, rival to the one setting the ambush. They have only a small outpost there with not a lot of fighting power. Their reasons for being there are not defined. Keep in mind that this won't necesseraly be an organisation that is friendly with you, so it may complicate matters more than it helps. Their involvement is up to you.
Let me just remind you that you don't have to use ANY of the above. They are simply there for you if you wish to use them. Feel free to stick to the main objectives and ignore the assets completely or make use of all of them. The choice is yours.
To summerise: You are ambushed inside a building. You may or may not have anticipated the ambush. You need to find the ambush leader located in the building, escape the building, and then escape the zone under the limitations given above. Outside of those, you may make use of the optional assets on your way.
I should mention once again that I will appreciate feedback on the way I am setting up the encounters. It helps me greatly in finding and later fixing mistakes and shortcomings in my describtion and setup of the situations. If you could be so kind as to give me an OOC comment about my presentation before you begin, it would go a long way towards bringing you more interesting encounters in the future.
As usual, if anyone else would like to set up a situation, just announce it in a small post before you make it so that I'll know not to write a new one. I will update this one some time tomorrow, when I have the opportunity.
Err...))
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Hm... I have an idea... It's a bit later in my storyline, but I guess I can write it out now... Might help to have it down here so I can just copy and paste it later into my Greys Army thread when I need to
Scenario 3: The Ambush
Hero used: Sheldon Wallace (Controller: Gravity/Kinetic; RP Specialty: Inventor)
It had been several weeks since the Praetorian forces had tried to push out of Boomtown. The heroes assigned to Steel Canyon's War Walls were finally well rested and keeping to a strict routine that enabled hero shields to shore up the holes in the war walls and contingents of nearly 24 heroes ready for action every eight hours. These heroes were backed up by a heavy contingent of Freedom Corps soldiers and Police Riot Guards, not to mention the mobilized National Guard contingent which was currently working on getting more artillery into the zone than just the Freedom Corps/Longbow Heavy Mechs. In other parts of the city, battles were going just as well or better, which was a good sign
The worst aspect insofar had been the fact that so many heroes had faced their own doubles. Psychics found themselves locked in combat with the students of Malaise and Mother Mayhem. The large percentage of combat oriented heroes' opposites were under the direct command of Marauder, Battle Maiden and their lieutenants. Rumors abounded that Tyrant and Statesman were fighting all over and around the city, but nobody was truly certain about that. It seemed whenever a broadcast or a series of Tell messages (or even the hero-made Watch networks) made it known that the two Opposites were in-zone, they promptly disappeared before anybody could get a decent view of the action.
Sheldon Wallace had joined the Northern Front under Randall Greys orders. His kinetic powers had proven vastly potent in establishing consistent victories at the wall and had assisted in pushing back the collective efforts of the multitudinous Praetorian minion assault. He was no fool, however, and understood he was just a cog in the massive defensive machine the city now relied upon.
Dealing with what were now typically referred to as Doubles was another story, however. It was like fighting the class of criminal designated E.B. or Elite Boss over and over again. For ones that were granted even more clearance(?) by their superiors, they were suddenly registered as A.V. or Arch Villain. The fights dealing with an A.V. surrounded by E.B.s were the stuff of legends, almost impossible fights that took very specifically designed teams to survive and eventually win. Forunately, the signature heroes of each zone were quick to help in such situations, and in Steel Canyon, the heroes were happy to be aided by Positron and Valkyrie.
In fact, Positron had realized that if they were to truly succeed on this front, the heroes were going to have to push into Boomtown. He knew the mission would be difficult, dangerous, and the heroes involved would likely be making several trips to the hospitals.
When the call was made for volunteers and no hero backed down, Sheldon made quick calculations in his head to determine what the casualty rate would be and how much stress the Steel Canyon emergency medical transport matrix could take before a total failure. The result was not pleasant.
Sir
Sir! he called out and after the initial shock of being recognized wore off (it took him about three seconds of real time, but he had been keeping himself in a state of nearly perpetual enhanced speed thanks to his pet gerbil, Felix, willingly letting his speed get drained, and to him it must have been almost a minute), he laid out his plan. Positron didnt seem too thrilled about the idea, but it was far better than wasting the brunt of their forces on what was essentially a scouting maneuver.
Four Mechs, Sheldon repeated to himself after an hour of preparation, I wish it was the whole contingent, but thats just not feasible
He was now in the seat of a machine reminiscent of the Nemesis Warhulks, only nuclear powered and not filled with liquid for a catatonic pilot. In fact, Sheldon was far from catatonic, and his Bipedal Assault Tank (Oddly enough, BAT for short) was outfitted with a larger array of weaponry than just an archaic flamethrower. The only problem he had with the machine was that it was painfully slow compared even to when he was running when he first signed on with Freedom Corps, but that couldnt be helped. It also helped to keep the other Mechs, Cataphracts, nearby, so he couldnt fault the landspeed so much
Hokay
scanners arent picking anything up within a half mile radius
Sheldon glared at his sensors, That cant be right
Positrons voice came over the communicator, Come on, Wallace, the Praetorians have held Boomtown for weeks. It was their insertion point! Why would the Council, Outcasts, Lost or even the Clockwork that survived the initial assault stick around?
Because its their home, Sheldon replied mostly to himself, Wait, Im picking up something. A small group
Looks to be Marauders troops
Bursts of automatic fire echoed throughout the devastated wreckage and Sheldon smiled to himself. The bullets impacted harmlessly on the white ceramic and polymer armor that surrounded him. He took aim with the minigun mounted on the BATs right arm and picked some of the soldiers on the left fringe.
The tank turned deliberately and sprayed a few quick bursts. The Rampager he targeted was knocked back several yards, black goo covering his chest and legs. Another of Sheldons innovations, his rubberized bullets were a thicker form of paintball, melting from the heat of the bullets explosion and sticking to their target(s) upon impact. If the target wasnt knocked out from the attack, their movement was seriously hampered, and suddenly the BATs movement speed wasnt as much of a hindrance as it once was.
The Rampager fell, and the Freedom Corps Hevies opened fire as well, sending devastating explosions into the center mass of the group. Few stood again, and Sheldon cursed.
Im trying to chip away at them! Get them to lead me to their boss or their camp
Im not out here to kill them!
Some are still moving, Wallace, came a reply from a man he didnt recognize, Use what youve got.
I wonder why Babbage didnt stop them
Greys Armys inventor suddenly wondered out loud.
Cut the chatter!
He figured it was one of the National Guard commanders, rusty from inexperience and itching for a real fight. Or maybe even lower on the ladder, just a communications officer who was getting an adrenaline high from coordinating an assault. Sheldon, knowing arguing would make little difference, kept his mouth shut and pushed forward on his control stick, kicking his vehicle to top speed.
He was barely faster than the Freedom Corps Mechs, and slowly outstripped them in his pursuit of the fleeing Rampagers and Wreckers. Their Destroyer must have been incapacitated from the Mech blasts. He passed by a building that leaned sharply to the north, but otherwise remained standing. He always wondered at what was keeping the buildings up, but he figured it was better left to more dedicated physicists.
As the fleeing Praetorians rounded the corner of a building roughly fifty yards from the walking tank, Sheldon cursed. He calculated their pattern of flight and turned left to cut them off on the other side, or at least catch up to them. He knew there should have been a hill on the other side of the building
A sudden shuddering jarred him from his plotting and he realized something was notoriously wrong. The ground seemed to be standing up in front of him and a horrible thought crossed his mind.
Maybe CK decided to help the Doubles
Maybe Babs is out here
after
all?
The wreckage never reoriented itself into a solid form... For example, where Babbage still had definition and form, working parts surrounded by an armored chassis, this was one massive walking pile of garbage. It was more similar in form to the notorious Jurassik than any enormous mechanical monstrosity, yet it lacked a stone skin.
A gargantuan walking junkpile stood before him, and before he could react, it slammed its huge fists into the ground in front of him, sending his little tank hurtling through the air and landing badly on its right leg, destroying its knee joint and leaving the vehicle irreparably crippled.
[censored], Sheldon calmly cursed into his radio, My tanks disabled, get those Cataphracts out of there!
It was too late. The giant monster held its arms up, massive girders and slabs of concrete impossibly suspended horizontally five hundred feet in the air, and suddenly launched the parts that composed them into the Heavies. It was like a shotgun blast of stone and steel. The machines were smashed, impaled, and utterly obliterated by the debris. Several saddening fires and smoking craters were all that remained, and the battle had only taken a minute and a half
The giant monsters arms retracted back to the main body, now with more parts as pieces of the destroyed Mechs joined with the rest. The hero recorded this in his head, but his heart raced with worry.
How am I supposed to defeat a monster like that?
Sheldon popped his emergency hatch and the bullet-proof glass canopy opened with a hiss. He rushed for the nearest building and hid inside, hoping the monster would lose interest in his machine at least long enough to allow him to get an estimate of the damage and plot some field repairs.
Get your own place, hero!
It suddenly occurred to Sheldon that he might not be alone. Composing himself quickly and turning crisply, he regarded the Outcast refugees huddled around him with placid indifference. This was not engendering
We told you to get out! an orange colored fire-based Outcast half-barked half-whimpered at him.
Id love to accommodate your request, Sheldon kept his tone neutral, like a college professor, But as you can see
The giant junk monster punted his walking tank like a football and stormed off. Sheldon didnt even wince at the metallic crashing sounds and the final, bitter crinkle that signaled the final defeat of his third pride and joy.
Im a little prohibited at the moment, he was surprised that he was able to maintain his calm.
My God, he thought to himself, Am I truly so cold inside? No
Im full of rage and hate for what that thing did to my machine
But I am not about to give in. I need to keep my head cool and clear now more than ever.
He realized the Outcasts werent looking at him anymore. Their horrified faces were focused outside the door. He could see them instinctively wince with each footstep the girder monster made. They were terrified, and way out of their league. Sheldon would have smiled to himself if he thought exploitation of any sort was honorable. He knew he could use the boys for their talents, and he knew exactly what he needed them to do. First, however, he needed two things
The first was obvious. Leadership. The orange one, the scanners in his glasses identified the Outcast as Charred (Char-ed), which meant hed been to the Zig before, was a low-power fire blaster-type. There was also an ice blaster type in the small enclave, and Sheldon grinned inside, the skills between these two would be very useful.
Charred, Sheldon pronounced the leaders name correctly, which was a shock to the small group, I know you have little reason to trust me, what with the fact that heroes have sent you to the Zig
. Five times now
But I need you to work with me.
No way, [censored], Charred barked back, his voice still cracking with fear and desperation, We aint goin nowhere with you! Youre just gonna get us killt like dose udder guys!
Those were just remote controlled machines, Sheldon assured him, New weapons in the war to keep this city safe
He immediately realized that was the wrong thing to say.
You mean to use on us! Charred sounded more confident now, he was applying a Nazi-like method of power retention, giving his men something to hate, [censored] you, hero! [censored] you! We aint helping ya just so you can shoot us in da back!
Sheldon closed his eyes and bowed his head. He stood that way quietly for a few seconds, the sounds of the giant making rumblings echoing through the building. Eventually he gazed back up into the again unsure face of Charred. His second requirement was not going to be attainable
I dont want you to like me, Charred. I want you to work with me. I want you to recognize an opportunity here
As it stands, you Outcasts are little more than a joke in the criminal underworld. Youre barely a footnote as it is, one of your greatest leaders? Little more than a joke.
Whats your point? the blue ice-blaster type pushed past the others to stand beside Charred, who was merely seething with silent rage.
My point is that I can give you an opportunity to be remembered, but time is running short, Sheldon pointed up the slanted wall to his left, The giant is over there, where the building slants over
Probably looking for me
But it isnt going to find me.
You want it to find us? an initiate said behind the two leaders.
In a manner of speaking, Sheldon replied, I want it to find what you do to it. Specifically, you Charred, and you
uh
I dont have a file on you
Im new, the blue one replied, They call me Fraust. F-r
I know, I know my German, Sheldon replied, You two and any other ice or fire-based gangers can significantly weaken the walls that rest above the giant and drop massive chunks on its head.
Charred, for his credit, suddenly looked surprised, Wouldnt that just give it more to build itself with?
Not initially, the hero white-coated controller replied, It would be like a magnetic sculpture getting smashed apart by the direct force. It would have to reform itself before it could attack
I think
Its also ridiculously slow to react
Even if it did see you, I bet you could move quickly enough away to avoid getting hit
They stared at him incredulously before Fraust finally asked an important question.
What will you be doing all this time?
I have a decent trick up my sleeve. A last regret, if you will. I can assure you, when we knock that [censored] down, it will get back up again, but it will go down even more spectacularly after that, and not get up again.
Jebus, another initiate breathed, Hes
Were gonna take down the Dross!
Dross? Sheldon gasped, then recomposed himself, Nevermind
Are we in agreement?
Two conditions, Charred folded his arms over his chest instead of reaching out to shake the heros extended hand, One, we get credit. Two, you get us the Hell out of here. I promised my boys Id get them back to their families after this nightmare
Sheldon nodded. He got his second requirement after all. He wasnt using them. They were using each other, reciprocating, working together. It was a bargain, not a scheme.
They shook and immediately set to work. The Outcasts were high-end types, so each of them was capable of a particular elemental feat. A couple electrically attuned ones helped light the way for their comrades as they sparked old salvaged lamps to life, and the ice and fire ones worked out a plan as to how they would weaken the walls in such a fashion that the largest amount would crash down on Dross.
Sheldon couldnt believe that was the monsters name. He wondered how the Outcasts had learned it, but then, they had been here during the invasion. They mustve overheard numerous conversations, and none of them pleasant about the conditions theyd expect if they were captured. He wondered what it must have been like for the Council troops. They wouldnt have skulked or surrendered. Theyd have amassed themselves into a defiant force and held one last bloody battle to preserve themselves. Chances were, there was a section of Boomtown that was now permanently stained brown.
The Lost and the Clockwork would have done like the Outcasts, and hidden or otherwise fled. Sheldon was glad Greys Army had gotten out the Dregs when they did. This was not a pleasant place to be at the moment.
He had to wonder at the monsters name as he approached the wreck that was once his tank. He had learned from Kipland Durjs Praetorian that Dross was also the name of his Praetorian. Knowing naming conventions among super types, he knew it was exceptionally unlikely that this monster was anything but his Praetorian. So why the radical difference in appearance? Was Dross a being of kinetic energy, only able to exist by inhabiting the wreckage and debris surrounding him, or did he actually have a human body, and the monster was a shell he wore, just like Sheldons tank?
He was taken out of his reverie by the roaring sound of stone wall falling away and crashing down mixed with metal grinding. A spine-chilling roar reverberated through the local block and Sheldon set to work. He typed into his wristpad and his tank came to life. He rested a hand on it before continuing.
I dont know what separates me from Mastermind types, he said softly to the machine, But I really do care about you. I wish I hadnt dragged you into this, and I wish your life wasnt about to end this way. You may be nothing more than steel, plastic, glass, and whatever else I built you out of, but I like to think that the things I build have a soul of some kind. How else can I explain the Ryat series? They act so unlike any other automata
Well, almost any other
Still
He hit a button on his wristpad and the machines sensor panels started flashing a dangerous shade of red.
If you do have a soul, girl, I hope it rests easy in the fact its about to reduce a very bad thing to a smoldering pile of rubble. I hope it roams free and returns to this earth as something more beautiful than a war machine
A single tear rolled down his left cheek. He could hear Dross rebuilding itself behind him. He could almost swear the coolant leaking down through the remaining headlight mounted under the canopy was a tear to match his own.
Goodbye.
His skin went cold as he set to work. Hed heard of the concept of compartmentalization, the theory that psychologists believed allowed serial killers to work their horrid work while living what seemed to be a normal everyday life. It always struck him as a stepping-stone across the river of dementia to the shore of schizophrenia. A part of him feared he had a bit of that inside of him, allowing him to be coldly professional when it came to his work, to the construction of his inventions, to even dreaming up new devices and unique uses for his powers to increase the efficiency of his construction. The part of him that feared that, however, was now pushed back. It was time to work, and he had to work fast.
He had never lifted something this heavy before. Sure, he had restricted the flight of a Sky Raider Skiff or even levitated a War Hulk, but he had put considerable effort into this machine, and its weight was significantly more than both of those machines combined. He figured the Freedom Corps War Mechs were a match for weight, however, they werent equipped for what eh was about to do.
He raised the vehicle into the air and turned around, using his right hand to tether the machine to his body. His gravity control technology was still something he hadnt quite figured out all of the nuances of, but he did have a considerable amount of skill with the techniques he had mastered. He moved to his left until Dross was easily in view. The monster wasnt completely rebuilt, but it had its arms in a firing position already. If he didnt act fast, or the Outcasts didnt come up with another attack, there was a good chance they were all going to die this day
He started spinning his hand in the air. He could feel the gravitic tether whirling around his hand and growing stronger. Eventually, the tank was revolving around him and picking up speed rapidly. He pumped a kinetic speed boost into it and it moved even faster. Gritting his teeth, he put the weight of his body into the effort and, as the last pieces of Dross came together, hurled the tank into its body with all the force he could muster.
The giant monster was almost knocked off its feet and the tank easily embedded itself into the body. It took a few steps back and looked about, not realizing the situation. The Outcasts hadnt been wasting their time while the villain was repairing itself, either. They started pouring out of the buildings main door almost as soon as the tank had hit and were sprinting as hard as they could for Sheldon.
Goodbye, Dross. Goodbye Julie
he pressed a glowing red button on his wristband and raised his right hand toward the monster.
Inside the canopy, a panel opened to reveal a glowing red button marked Graviton Cannon. The idea was that if a villain had stolen the vehicle, Sheldon would simply take advantage of the villains lack of technical readouts on any of his technology and remotely arm the self-destruct. The disadvantage was that the button actually had to be pressed. While that was easy for a dimwitted villain who thought he had just unlocked a new weapon system though his bumblings, it was much more difficult when there was nobody in the cockpit. Hence Sheldons raised hand. Aiming carefully, knowing the interior of the canopy as if it were his own body, he focused a patch of gravity and the button pressed.
The explosion did more than just tear apart the giant walking wreckages body. Apparently, the Outcasts did have a plan in store, and even more debris fell out of the building onto the monster. What they hadnt counted on was the rest of the building buckling under its own weight on the new weakpoint and further burying the monster under even more concrete, glass and steel.
They paused for a few moments. The whole zone was deathly quiet. Sheldon had a sudden, disturbing thought
What if that was the last hurrah here? he asked Charred, How often have you been seeing these guys in the past few days?
Actually, that was the only group wed seen in days..."
Sheldon cursed and pulled his communicator, Hey! Whoevers over there, this zone is clear! Repeat, this zone is clear! Praetorians haven't been seen in days by the locals! We need to amass troops and heroes in a new location, the Praetorians are picking a new place to attack and we dont have the luxury of time!
What about us? Fraust asked almost bleakly.
Ill talk to the security chief at the gate, Sheldon assured him, I give you my word on that, and my word is something I hold sacred.
They walked back to the Steel Canyon entrance in a silence that was only interrupted by the sounds of troop movement coming from his communicator. Boomtown had been abandoned, but that meant somewhere else was in even more trouble. Sheldon hoped they moved out in time. If the Praetorians were allowed to break through in just one area, it could spell doom for the whole city
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This one was a lot of fun! I simplified the background information because I wanted to stick to the dynamics between the hero and the third party. I hope this fits the criteria, though. I apologize for taking the ambush outdoors, however, but the location isn't always as important as the act itself. As I said before, it's supposed to be yet another part of the Grey's Army chronicles (the others so far on this thread can be stand alone adventures in and of themselves), but takes place much later than I've already written so far.
My Stories
Look at that. A full-grown woman pulling off pigtails. Her crazy is off the charts.
((Hmm, guess I'll give this a try. This scenario sufficiently appeals to me. ))
((Scenario 3: The Ambush))
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"Varus Kapuarr-gia langrun dis Varusu Damis."
"I repeat: lev from Kapur Central now arriving on track 6. Please allow other passengers to disembark before boarding. Repeat: please allow other passengers to disembark before boarding. That is all."
With barely a sound, the sleek, dull-gray maglev train hovered into the station platform, slowly coming to a stop. There were no passengers this late at night anymore, and the few security guards still on duty had settled in for the station's slow shift. They patrolled along the white-dray metalplastic platforms, protected from the storm clouds building overhead by a transparent, parabolic roof.
The dim yellow lighting of the station at night was just bright enough for a few of them to find sleep. The hulking guard bot at the end of the platform stood ever-vigilant anyway, so a little nap on the job wasn't looked at as ground-breaking. Thankfully, the trains made little noise, only a slight hum as the accelerators brought this one to a stop, like they had so many others.
Suddenly, a sound of thunder roared across the station as the guard bot went up in a fireball. Barked orders identified the source - the lifted plasma cannon arm of the gray-blue assault bot still standing in the door of the last car - but it was already too late.
The characteristic hisses of paralyzers rang out as more mechanoids stepped from the train, striking down the living guards in a matter of seconds. Invisible to the naked eye - and most EM-based systems - the bolts incapacitated fully.
The robotic attackers slowly scanned the area for more targets, and then someone else stepped off the train. He stood roughly the size of a tall human, and had two arms and legs, but there the resemblance already ended. His skin was green and leathery, almost an organic armor, complete with a long, slender tail, clawed hands, and a head that seemed to have come from a raptor. The yellow eyes held the distinctive pupils of a reptile, scrutinizing the station meticulously. Clad in a black leather jacket, matching pants and heavy boots, as well as a white T-shirt under the jacket, the intruder slowly made his way to the security checkpoint, located behind a transparent wall at the public exit.
On the way, the intruder stopped for a moment at one of the fallen guards, who lay facedown on the ground. With a boot, he turned the man over, making sure everything had gone as planned.
It had. The Ferron slumbered in a state of deep paralysis that would keep him down for hours, just as it would for a human. Indeed, had it not been for the coppery skin and gray-green hair, the man in the deep-red military uniform and trench coat could have been taken for human.
"Acid Zero!" came a shout from behind, followed once more by the hiss of a paralyzer. The guard who had shouted fell to the ground. His pulse rifle clattered down next to him.
"Ya missed one." Acid said to the closest robot, slipping his pistol-like paralyzer back into its holster. Usually, he carried only three rifle-sized weapons on his back, but today he'd opted to leave behind the third and use the paralyzer as a sidearm instead. It had paid off already - he wouldn't have gotten the much larger combi-rifle to bear in time.
"Bleh bleh bleh." the protector bot pouted, mocking him with a distinctly female tone, "I'd like to see you kill every security feed and KO the guards at the same time."
"I was just making an observation."
Well, stop observing and get me out of here. I think I'm stuck.
The soundless voice had been clear as day in his mind, the projected thoughts of an avid telepath.
"Stuck?" Acid stared at the windowless cargo car in disbelief, "
What do you mean, stuck?"
As in car too damn small. Can't reach door button. That kind of stuck. Help.
Acid facepalmed, sighing, "Just bust out of it. There's nobody left to notice."
Really? I can? Yay!
Another sound of thunder blasted through the station as the cargo car burst apart, and out came a creature easily comparable in size to an F-14. To the minds of most people now came the words 'anorexic dragon', though this wasn't anywhere close. While the entire frame followed a long-and-slender pattern, from the pterodactyl-like head to the cutting-edged tail, Vyachslav wasn't even a reptile. The black metallic luster of his form only underscored this, as did the orange glow of his unblinking eyes.
"Feel better now?" Acid smirked as his large friend stretched like a cat, mentally complaining that now he knew what a sardine must feel like...even though he'd done things like this many a time.
Seriously, I've got this giant kink in my neck and...
"Later." Acid became serious again as he entered the security checkpoint and accessed a terminal, "Alright, we're good so far. Nothing got out."
"Did you ever have a doubt?" the assault bot interjected smugly.
"Just in case." Acid smirked, entering a few commands, "That should keep 'em busy. Big V, you ready?"
One moment.
Vyachslav stretched again, this time unfolding two large, thin and wing-like frames from his back, connected to his shoulder joints. A moment later, the spindly black constructs crackled with power, and seemingly solid orange energy filled the gaps between the metallic structures.
Alright, ready.
"Good. Get going, we'll meet you at the rendezvous point."
Yehs, mastah. Igor go throw sweetch.
With that, Vyachslav faded from view. Despite his size, remaining unnoticed was one thing he excelled at. Acid and the robotic cadre, meanwhile, stepped to the opaque doors of the exit.
Two guards outside. Awakeness rating minimal, heh heh.
Acid nodded to the assault bot and looked once more through the transparent roof of the station. Storm clouds obscured the already dark night sky, but he could see their target clearly: a gigantic, tent-like structure rising high into the sky. Its apex shot a black line right into the clouds and beyond.
The orbital dock's space elevator.
"Go."
The door exploded under the assault bot's dual plasma burst. Both guards hit the ground paralyzed before they even realized what had happened.
The intruders didn't waste any time. From left to right led the free-floating bridge of the maglev terminal. To the right stood the target, to the left a ramp down to the city, the many lights of Kapur clearly visible far below the metallic structure.
"Take it out." Acid ordered coldly. The robots executed the command with mechanical precision, tearing the ramp to pieces in mere moments. Their weaponry turned the proud structure into nothing more than a falling mass of fire and slag.
Now the easy part was taken care of, and it would buy them some time as well.
It didn't take Acid and the robots long to close the distance to the titanic metal 'tent'. Without reinforcements, the automated defenses didn't stand a chance - and Vyachslav made sure those reinforcements suffered heavy delays.
"Clear!" yelled Acid as he threw a micro at the main gate. The barrier couldn't hold, and some of the surrounding structure suffered as well, despite the bomb's deceptively miniscule proportions. It had been no larger than a marble.
As debris clattered across the bridge floor, rain began to fall, and Acid stepped through the smoke with a malicious, toothy smile. Today, they'd see what happened when you tried to enslave a galaxy.
The rain intensified, and another small part of the complex exploded. Vyachslav was in his element.
"Okay, you know what to do." he told the mechanical cadre, "Be sure to send the signal as soon as this thing blows."
With that, he drew his combi-rifle and ran inside. Not ten meters later, the first thermocannon bolt already thundered into the wall next to him. But the guard had fired too early. A hiss of the paralyzer, and he was on the floor.
Acid smirked as he kept going. Security may have been armed with state-of-the art weaponry, but the entire force was in disarray. They were nervous, panicky, and afraid, and this made them easy prey. They couldn't take on an enemy with such single-minded focus right now - and focus Acid had. The orbital dock held a ship full of allies, and right about now, the interned crew was in the process of viciously retaking their vessel.
Acid was on the bottom floor of the plan, so to speak. The dock's defenses were formidable, but drew their power from the city below. Sure, they had backups...at least normally. With the havoc a certain 'inexplicable software infection' now wreaked through the backup plants, however, the ground was their only lifeline.
It would be severed.
Finally, Acid reached what he'd been looking for: one of the freight elevators that fed into the main line. The shaft was large, circular, and held an open platform, at the other end of which sat the control console.
Grinning viciously, he holstered the rifle and went to work. Clawed hands tore the cover off the terminal, then Acid reached into a pocket and drew a memory stick.
"Time to go to work, my friend." he chuckled evilly, and connected it to the system. The claxon of an alarm sounded almost immediately.
"Warning!" the mechanical voice echoed through the facility, "Emergency release system now active! Evacuate immediately! Eight minutes to detonation!"
Plenty of time. Acid retracted the memory stick and turned to the exit.
Only to find it was blocked.
Acid's eyes narrowed at the Ferron standing there in a blue-and-gray suit of powered armor, expertly cutting off his retreat. He knew the face behind that helmet's visor, and the glimmering fieldbarrels of two plasma pistols aimed directly at him.
Acid knew him all too well. He also knew the guy would shoot long before he could get the rifle back out of his holster, not to mention fire a shot of his own.
Then again, there were other ways to bring people to their knees.
"Mr. Thysthe." he smiled emotionlessly, leaning backwards against the elevator console with immaculate casualness.
"Mr. Zero." his counterpart returned just as dryly, and then cut right to the point, "Please disarm and step away from the terminal. You're under arrest."
"And if I don't?"
"Then I'll turn you into a pile of ashes and be inconsolable because my bounty just got cut in half."
"Hard times, Mr. Thysthe." Acid chuckled, "I don't suppose I could convince you otherwise?"
"Hardly." the bounty hunter motioned to disarm once again, this time with the pistols.
"Shame." Acid retorted, ramming his left elbow into a contact plate on the console. In a mere instant, the elevator clicked, clacked, hummed, and then shot up the shaft, throwing the bounty hunter off balance.
Acid didn't hesitate an instant, using the moment of shock to project an energy barrier. Half a second later, the air in front of him flared up pale-blue as two plasma bolts viciously rammed into the shield.
And the armored man shot by no means only once. Keeping up the fire, the bolts kept coming, even as Acid sidestepped and drew his combi-rifle again with his right hand, using the left to maintain the barrier. The gesture almost resembled that of a Roman legionnaire wielding a wooden shield.
And then Acid was no longer there. The air collapsed into the vacuum that had formed where the reptilian had just stood. He had teleported, and fired the heavy paralyzer the moment he popped back into the world.
Thysthe, however, had anticipated the maneuver. Dropping the spent plasma pistols the moment Acid disappeared, he dove to the floor and let the paralyzer shot go wide. Another shot went into the floor as the bounty hunter rolled sideways frantically to escape the debilitating weapon, pulling a square-barreled weapon off his back at the same time.
As Acid fired again, so did Thysthe - with a rocket launcher.
The invisible paralyzer bolt and rocket passed through one another without ill effect to either, unlike the combatants who'd let them loose - as the bounty hunter rolled on, Acid vanished in a cloud of smoke, fire, and noise.
Thysthe rose again, launcher still aligned, and shoved another rocket into the chamber. It was a good idea.
"Alright..." Acid's voice coughed from the smoke cloud, "Now I'm mad."
As the smoke cleared, Thysthe saw Acid had apparently leaped back from the explosion. It was also evident the combi-rifle had been the impact site of the rocket. The weapon was in tatters, and shrapnel lay all over the place. Several bloody cuts stained Acid's white T-shirt, and the rest of him didn't look so fresh anymore either. Apparently, he hadn't escaped the detonation entirely.
Another rocket screeched away, but exploded uselessly in yet another energy barrier. Thysthe didn't need to see it to know.
Acid had pulled another weapon - the one he liked to use most - a night-black construct that looked like a long rifle with a cutting edge running down the bottom of the barrel. Grip and trigger sat at the very end, and Acid wielded the long weapon more like a very weird pistol, with one hand.
But then Acid just stood there for a moment. He seemed perplexed at something.
"Teleportation not working quite right?" the bounty hunter chuckled darkly, taunting him, "Sorry, but you're not the only one with friends."
Acid's eyes narrowed again, and just then the elevator platform reached the top of the vertical shaft. It didn't stop, however, oh no - a lamellas gate sealing the shaft roared open, and the night rain gushed into the elevator. A bolt of lightning tore through the clouds, and thunder cracked in the air.
With another series of clicks and clacks, the platform transferred to a rail, riding diagonally up the side of the 'tent'. It wouldnt stop until it had reached the very final destination. The momentary jolt this sent through the platform was more than enough distraction for Acid.
Fading away into nothing, he reappeared right in front of Thysthe and struck at the launcher with his bladed weapon. The disintegrator blade sliced cleanly through, and a small cloud of green gas rose as the barrel - and half the rocket - clattered down.
The follow-up strike, however, was countered with a suddenly appearing sword of solid fire, and Thysthe managed to force Acid back again, generating a second fiery blade, then struck with this as well.
With one blade against two, Acid had been forced into the defensive. He had to get him at range again, but Thysthe followed him step by step, keeping himself close to his opponent. About the only good thing about this was that the searing heat of the fire swords didn't really seem to do anything to the reptilian.
Trading strikes and slashes, the bounty hunter forced Acid backwards, to the point where the rail of the complex made contact with the elevator. Metal plating rushed underneath the platform with frightening speed, and anything that landed in there would surely be crushed.
"Enough!" Acid snarled, throwing the bounty hunter back. Thysthe's back hit the floor, and he skidded a little across the plating of the platform before managing to stop.
He swore and scrambled to get up again...then stopped when he noticed the barrel of Acid's weapon in his face.
"Don't do anything stupid." the reptilian stated coldly, "Now I'm going to take my leave. Just lie there for about ten seconds and I'll be outta your hair."
Already, they could hear the characteristic sound of starfighter engines. Thysthe couldn't see the small, cloaked ship, but his visor at least displayed the energy signature. It was almost here.
And suddenly, everything went to hell. The clouds broke apart as a solid sphere 500 meters in diameter descended. Dull-gold and almost luminescent, this object was one of the most feared things in the entire galaxy - a Concile SVE ship.
Thysthe laughed madly, especially as the vessel blasted apart Acid's fighter. A bright-burning fireball slid down the side of the structure. Above, the structurally variable ship shrank to one-fifth of its former size, allowing it to move closer to the complex, then opened a number of bays in its energy hull to dispense troops over the area.
"Last chance." Thysthe grunted, still pinned down, "Give up already. You can't get away! It's impossible!"
Acid only turned back to him and smiled, "Impossible is what I do."
Then the first detonation rocked the complex. A wave of smoke and fire expanded at the base of the space elevator, and the shockwave ran rampant like a seismic tremor.
"What?!" Thysthe gasped in disbelief as the explosion caught the SVE ship, roaring into the vessel through the now-open troop bays. A second detonation quickly followed, and the ship began to list and descent, clearly damaged. With a devastated interior, even the best hull could no longer prevent a crash.
"No!" the bounty hunter shouted, eyes wide, "It said eight...!"
"Don't believe everything you hear." Acid grinned savagely, "Now if you'll excuse me..."
Acid never got time to finish that sentence. With a roar of rage, Thysthe's fiery blades shot up and knocked the barrel pinning the hunter away. Acid stumbled back, and Thysthe didn't hesitate to follow, striking out yet again.
Above, the detonations continued to spread up the space elevator, and the entire complex seemed at the brink of collapse. A hail of fire and debris now mixed with the rain and crated a truly ghastly scene. Worst of all, the elevator platform rushed right into the inferno.
"Holy frig, you damn moron!" Acid yelled at his opponent, who seemed intent on keeping him locked in combat until everything exploded. Slowly but surely, the fight took them across the entire platform and to the free end. Below, the detonations had already worked themselves down to the gates, and the complex was now in the process of vaporizing from both top and bottom, "Do you really want to die here?!"
"If it means getting you, it's a price I'm willing to pay!"
Oh good grief, why do I always get the crazy ones? Vyachslav!
But this moment of inattention was enough for the hunter. He crashed into Acid directly, and the reptilian lost his footing. Thysthe followed up, and a moment later, it was now him who had Acid pinned - beneath dual swords of fire.
"Only one way left." the hunter laughed psychotically, "Down!"
The top of the complex was now almost here. The detonations were spectacular and chaotic, but above them, a moving orange shape appeared high in the sky.
Acid's eyes narrowed again, and with a boot in the gut, Thysthe took flight in a short parabola...only to crash down again a moment later.
"Down sounds good enough." Acid smirked as he jumped up again, "See ya."
With that, he leaped off the platform, which still rushed upwards. Staring in disbelief, the hunter scrambled to the edge only to back off again as a black blur dragging an orange glow behind it rushed down after the reptilian.
Vyachslav snatched Acid up by the extended left hand, then threw his friend onto his back like a duffle bag. As the SVE ship hit bottom, the complex went with it, and everything sank into a wall of flames and stirring shadows.
"That didn't quite go as planned." Acid murmured as he walked a few steps along Vyachslav's back, surveying the scene, "Thanks for telling me. Heh, they sure gotta be mad right about now"
Oh, no trouble at all. And yes, they are...the ones that survived, anyway.
Acid sighed. He couldn't say he was happy about that. Then again, when one fought fanatical loyalists who didn't want to listen to reason...
Hey, stop that. You're just going to get into a never-ending debate again. We're fighting a war here. Take it for what it is.
"Guess you're right." Acid shrugged, looking down at his friend, "Sick of air?"
Very much so. You know, atmospheres are nice and all, but nothing goes over space. Up?
"Yes." Acid agreed, fiddling with his 'watch' again, "Up..."
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((After reading this again, I realized it had very little to do with the original idea. Oh well. ))
"If I had Force powers, vacuum or not my cape/clothes/hair would always be blowing in the Dramatic Wind." - Tenzhi
Characters
Temporal Strike
((If you get confused on what her powers are, theres an explanation at the bottom of my last post))
Not two minutes after the informant job, Temporal Strike got a call from one of her contacts. It seemed a certain item she had been searching for had finally been located. Finally somethings going my way, she thought to herself. She closed the link with her contact and brought up a map on her wristCOM. The warehouse the item was in stood on the other side of the city. The information she was given told her the item had been somehow procured by the Hellions and was being stored in an abandoned warehouse.
This had better not be a wild goose chase like the last three; either way, those Hellions arent going to know what hit them, she grinned maniacally.
Temp found the warehouse with ease, staying to the rooftops as to not be seen. She dropped down by a side door and cracked it open. Inside she could see crates stacked upon crates stacked upon crates. She had as much cover as she needed, but unfortunately it meant the same for anyone else. Entering and sticking near the wall, she blended with the shadows.
After about 5 minutes of weaving herself between stacks, she heard voices. Two Hellions, apparently standing guard, were chatting about their respective girlfriends. She snuck up onto a pile of crates overlooking the two and jumped. She landed directly between then and kicked one in the chest, sending him sprawling into a stack a crates. The other was on his knees with one arm painfully twisted behind his back before his buddy hit the floor.
Now, we can either do this the painful way, or, pending your cooperation, the less painful way. She tweaked his arm a bit, a yelp of pain escaping the Hellions mouth.
I dont know what youre talking about, Im just here cause they were payin me!
What? Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
The Hellion was about to respond but was silenced by the multiple clicks of guns being cocked. Temp looked up and around. Standing on, around, beside, and any other place were Malta operatives and a number of Knives of Artemis assassins. She pushed the Hellion away, he scrambled away as fast as he could. Slowly raising her wristCOM she spoke a short phrase into it, Note to self: kill contact.
A man walked up to her, followed by a Hercules Titan. From his uniform she could easily tell he was the Operations Officer. He was clean shaven with auburn hair. She memorized his face.
So the famed assassin, Temporal Strike, has fallen for a trap. Not losing your touch are you? My name is Officer McKriff, and its the last name youll know.
He turned around and walked away, the titan following in his footsteps. As he reached a junction in the paths between the crate stacks he snapped his fingers. Kill her.
Instantly about 150 rifles, pistols, and any other ranged weapon available to the Malta, began firing on her. Lucky for her, her enhanced speed and reaction times increased her chance of survival from about 10% to 20%, going from possible death to hope your family has life insurance. At lightning speed she moved to the closest operative dropping him with a roundhouse to the head. She was intercepted by a Blade of Artemis as she went to the next group of Malta. Temp, not stopping her momentum at all, punched, aiming for the mercs face. It was dodged as the merc leaned backwards, but it didnt help to block the kick to the abdomen that followed. She leapt up the next stack of crates and began an onslaught that would instill fear in Freddy Krugers heart (Id love to finish the fight scene, but it would make this go way longer than needed).
Temp looked around and surveyed the carnage. A number of stacks had been destroyed and bodies littered the whole room, a few of them with missing limbs. Turning to her wristCOM, she had it search for large energy signatures, knowing how much it takes to power one of Maltas titans. She got a lock within seconds, near the back of the building. Before moving out, she picked up a bio-feedback rifle from a downed Sapper. She stayed to the shadows, moving slowing but constantly. She saw Malta operatives everywhere; this was obviously well thought out. Even her contact had been bought out.
Making her way through the building, she reached the back room. Finding a vantage point, she could see the McKriff talking to one of the Knives of Artemis. His pet titan was standing about ten paces behind him. Temp waited for about five minutes watching the exchange, which seemed fairly heated. Her guess was that the Hand didnt want her assassins being used as fodder and Malta, being their overlord organization, didnt care. The Hand stormed off, her two escorts, both Artemis assassins, following in her footsteps. When she had left the room, Temp attacked a small explosive to the bio-feedback rifle and tossed it to the floor before Officer McKriff. Even before it hit she was moving. The ensuing blue-white explosion wouldve blinded anyone in the vicinity. A nice side-effect she didnt expect was the energy released had a strange effect on the titan which was now shaking slightly, electrical arcs moving along its armoured shell. She grabbed McKriff, who was picking himself off the floor shakily. It seemed the energy released from the rifle had drained most of his energy; he felt like he had just run a 30 mile marathon.
By now your lackeys are probably rushing back here as we speak, but I wont be here that long. You and your organization should know better than to mess with the Black Sun, and me of all people, she hissed into his ear.
You killed our informant; he would have given us invaluable information on the inner workings of the Council. My superiors werent going to let you go unpunished.
Then theyre dumber than you are. She pushed him to the floor and walked over to the titan. Connecting her wristCOM to its internal computer she spoke over her shoulder at him, I would suggest you get moving because things are about to get much worse. Unplugging her wristCOM, she kicked McKriff in the ribs hard as she walked past him.
Remembering seeing a skylight back in the central part of the warehouse, she moved out. From the shadows she could see operative after operative stream into the back room. The chaos that would start when the titan reactivated would be tremendous, and she smiled to herself at the thought (She reversed its friend recognition programming. Now it views Malta as enemies). Reaching the skylight she looked around outside. She couldnt see any air support, so she opened the light and climbed out. No one was on the roof. She moved to the side with the door she entered through. There were five Sappers and two Zeus Titans waiting outside for her. She backed away from the ledge. Thinking quickly she looked at the map on her wristCOM. The zone she was in had been quarantined during the Rikti invasion, but had yet to be unquarantined, so there was only one way out.
Looking at her map she found a suitable route to the exit. She got there relatively undetected. A few minor incidents with a couple operatives slowed her down slightly, but killing things always put her in a better mood. She looked around the edge of the building she was hiding behind. The gate was guarded by three Zeus Titans and about twenty operatives. She spoke quietly into her wristCOM, Operative Temporal Strike, code 'The sun shines bleakly.'"
What is your status?
Im standing here looking at three Zeus Class Titans, and am looking for an easy way to destroy them. And Im currently out of flashbangs, EM grenades, and I dont have a bio-feedback rifle to do the little trick I pulled earlier.
Use your knife.
Can it work on something like that?
Concentrate hard enough, see what happens.
With that the link was broken and she was on her own again. Thus was the nature of her profession. She brought up her hand and the shimmering white blade formed around it. Concentrating it went from insubstantial to solid, but still retaining its astral nature. She tested it on the back of the house. It slid in with ease and a chunk of brick fell out.
Interesting, could come in handy. Her maniacal grin appeared once again on her face.
Her form shimmered as she went around the side of the house. She moved from there to another building a bit closer, then another, until she was standing in the middle of the group.
Hello boys, mind if I play?
She stabbed the operative next to her in the throat with her knife before he even had time to react. She pulled it out and swung behind her cutting a deep line across two more operatives chests, blood spraying in all directions. The titans began powering up their weapons. Sweeping the feet from under another, and using his groin as a push off, she dove under one of the titans, slashing the hydraulics of its right leg. It started to fall; its automatic sensors began firing its chaingun in a final effort to take out the assailant. The chaingun ripped through the eight operatives standing in-line with the weapon.
Thanks for the help, she said to no one in particular as she sliced through the titans central computer. Eleven operatives and one titan down, nine and two to go. Just about that time, she heard a commotion coming her way. It seems the titan she had reversed the programming on had infected the two Zeus titans standing guard outside the warehouse, reversing their programming also. And now they were clamoring down the streets towards the exit. Powering up their plasma cannons, they began firing on the unsuspecting Malta. Temp dove for cover as superheated matter began flying everywhere. The two remaining titans ended with gapping holes through their chests and about half the remaining operatives were incinerated instantly. The rest either ran for cover or died from plasma splash.
Thanks for the help boys, she yelled over her shoulder as she got into the remaining working van, and drove out. Someone had some answering to do.
@Kedeawyth
Co-leader of Vae Victus Sinistus (Freedom/Infinity)
Virtue
Exorii: Lvl 50 Kat/Elec Stalker, fully IO'd, T4 Incarnate
SG: Hands of Ashra
I am afraid that my inspiration has dried up for the moment. I'm currently working on a rather longer story for my latest situation, and even that's coming out badly. In this state, I don't think I can come up with an engaging new situation at this time.
However, this is an opportunity that I hope someone will take. An opportunity for you, my role-playing friends, to make up your own situation and I will try to work with that to the best of my ability. Should that fail, I'll have to wait and look for inspiration. Then when that is found, I will update the thread.
I apologise for what I am doing, but I hope you understand that this is something that I just cannot force.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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I have an interesting idea, and forgive me if it is inappropriate for this forum. I'd like to initiate a small, uninvolving game of roleplay-lite. It's about putting a character you choose into a situation I, or another person provides and then explaining how your character would acheive the given objective.
The idea came to me from the old D&D tale about the Palading, Mage and Thief, and about how each would handle getting into a chest, locked inside a room guarded by a hoard of zombies. The Paladin would Turn Undead, smash the door and force the lock of the chest. The Mage would shoot a fireball, phase through the door, open the chest magically and then disappear back into his tower. The Thief would sneak past the zombies, unlock the door, pick the lock on the chest, steal the items inside then sneak back out.
The idea here is that I will give you a situation. A very simple, sparsely-described situation. I will then ask you to choose a character of yours (one or more) and then tell me how your character would overcome the obstacles I present and acheive the objective I give them. I will not limit you to characters from any game, nor will I limit you to using a single character. Feel free to bring a whole party along, as long as it makes sense.
I will give limited describtions, but I leave you full creative freedom to describe omitted details of the world however you see fit. Just try not to break the spirit of the challenge. So, if I ask you to get past a locked door, feel free to make up an open upstairs window or a key carefully hidden behind a brick. In the same vein, however, please avoid making up a door 3 feet away that's unlocked and open and leads to the same room. You know what I meant when I asked you to get past a locked door.
Feel free to bring as much or as little narrative as you like. Go into a lot of detail, be it visual or action-related, or just stick to the basics of "kick butt, take names, smash stuff, get job done." The choice is yours, although I would appreciate simpler tales of exploits. My idea here is to form a simple encounter.
My purpuse for making this thread is two-fold. First and foremost, I'm interested to see other people's takes on what will essentially be randomly generated situations. It's just interesting to me to see other people's problem-solving mentality, that I may gain inspiration for my own gains. Of course, I don't intend to steal anyone's ideas wholesale, but I do seek inspiration that can only be found in the spirit of how other people think.
On the other hand, I have found through personal experience that working with your own characters under other people's constraints is actually beneficial towards the overall development of one's character. Too often we take the creative liberty of tailoring situations to our characters, rather than the other way around, so it sometimes helps to stick to an uncontrolled situation and work your character around it.
For starters, I'll go with the classic D&D story on this one. Will detail in a following post. Keep in mind I'm interested for feedback at this point, so I will refrain from giving my own solution.