The Path Less Trodden (RP Adventure)

Around the site there is little movement.

A small plastic bag is caught up in the breeze and whipped around the bodies of the fallen.

Saphire and Grav stand unsteadily and look around. With a forced smile, Saphire created the wormhole and *blink*, both were gone.

Only to arrive in a cell...

From the speaker-grille a voice, cold and reeking of evil...

"You really think I'd allow myself to be trapped that easily? What fools you were..."

From the ceiling, small electrical points creep through, blue sparks leaking between them; whilst, from the side of the cells, water rushes in.

"I'm so sorry it had to end like this. You both were very entertaining, but my job here is done and I must return. I'm sorry that I won't get to see your deaths, but I imagine the videotape will provide me with hours of amusement once I dig it back up in the future."

"Goodnight Saphire and Grav. You have served me well."

"Grav! We have to act fast - can you sop any of the water reaching us?"

The lapping water soaks into the bottom of the cell occupant's shoes and the echoes reflect back from the wall. Looking closely, the hermetic seals are sealed with a magnetic jar. The walls can withstand a hell of a lot of force.

Taking a deep breath, Grav cast a bubble around her and Saphire, and expanded it outward and pushing the water aside. Untill the sides were locked against the walls of the cell.

"I'll maintain this bubble, can you see a way out?"

As the water is pushed aside, it rises significantly. A splash of water flicks against the side of the electrical generators and a shiver of power is felt through the shield.

Suddenly, the rooms seems a lot smaller, and a hell of a lot scarier.

"I've got an idea - but its gonna be risky!" Saphire shouts over the sound of the water "If you pull the walls in on us as much as you can... the pressure will build and the walls will weaken, then I'll blow them up"

Grav blinked behind he visor
"I . . I will do what I can. . but give me a moment"

With that Grav sat down in a meditative position, taking a moment to rest. She reduced the size of the bubble to reduce it's strain, and to give the water more space.
Gathering her strength she prepaired for the next feat.

Water rushed in against the shield, whilst Grav tried to cope. It was like holding wet jelly in her hands; little slivers kept getting through, spraying her and Saphire with shards of water; but there seemed to be something happening.

With an airtight cell, there was nowhere for the air to go...or was there?

Grav concentrated, maintaining the bubble and started to turn the bubble into a gravitational force, pulling on the water, and the wall, towards it.

It's not easy to form a vaccum. Grav's physics lessons started to rush back to her. Newton had said something about opposite forces; but she remembered there had been a cute boy in the back row; so Newton took second place.

She was managing it though; trapped between the water and the hermetic seal; a vaccum started to form; but the water was approaching the electrics with greater speed now.

Could Saphire do anything to hold it off for long enough?

Saphire looked at the wires, reminicant ((Spelling, anyone?)) of the days when she would be able to travel through them to safety. But that was before she had merged to become a peacebringer, and she wasn't sure how her new body would react to anything like that. Then she had an idea - if she cut the wires then melted the plastic cover over the ends, it would cut them off from the water. But what would she cut them with? She checked her belt...

((reminiscent ))

Saphire's hand dipped to her belt as Grav concentrated, pouring gravity into the vaccum; thereby exponentially creating the crushing effect.

A small leatherman tool touched Saphire's hand and she grinned; working quickly she moved across each wire in turn , snipping and sealing as fast as she could, the water inching closer by the second.

Saphire felt strange though and it took her a moment to realise the water was heating up. One of the things Grav hadn't realised was the build up of energy was releasing itself into the water; that or there was a heating circuit in it as well.

She worked quicker as the thought of the room filling with electrified steam drove her on.

Grav stopped her manipulation of gravity: she had a better idea.
Maintaining her shield around her and Saphire, she summoned up a singularity, right next to the wall opposite of Saphire. But a singularity without it's ussual restraints.

Using her shield as a focus, she did her best to shield her, Saphire and part of the cell's structure from the extreem gravity the micro-blackhole was generating.

(( Ooh good call ))

The Singularity didn't really think much about life. It had a brief experience of a bowl of Petunias, and almost said "Oh no..not again!", before the door erupted in a shower of metal fragments. Water rushed out, dragging the soaked pair onto the metal grate stairs within the Council's prison cell-block.

Two council guards looked around, looked at each other, smiled nervously and fled, leaving their still burning cigarettes behind them.

A klaxxon decided to make itself be known throughout the base, and as the two picked themselves up, there was a whirring from outside the cells as something was powered up.

Somewhere beyond the whirring, there was voices. Initimately familiar to them both. Grav and Saphire were being called by.... Grav and Saphire?

(( Thanks ))

After encasing Saphire in both a Deflection Shield (+def s/l) and an Insulation Shield (+def all else ), Grav turned Invisible to scout ahead, suspicious of the voices she heard.

Grav stealthily moved down the catwalk, trying desperately not to have the metal rattle. It really wouldn't have matter though as the huge Zeus Mech poked its gun arm straight at her when she turned the corner.

A moment's pause.

Then she released her breath as she realised it hadn't seen her. Just guarding the doorway.

In the large cavern before her was a battered copy of one of the old portals. Twenty armed mechmen stood guard, each one looking strangely deformed, as if they'd aged fifty... sixty.. a hundred years. Rust tended to spill from them as they walked.

The Portal machine looked..odd...in one light it gleamed with a thoasand suns; in the other, it groaned under a millenia of weight.

Grav didn't know an awful lot about Temporal Mechanics, but she knew a collapsing machine when she saw one.

From the centre of the Portal, amongst the ripples, Grav saw herself and Saphire beckoning to her; Could the Mech's see them?

Grav turned and went back to Saphire.
While still invisible, she spoke softly:

"There's a small army of mechmen between us and a closing portal, we need to get to that portal, fast."

Grav cast Grant Invisiblity on Saphire.

"You go first, I'll be right behind you, ready to distract them and then I'll teleport to the portal aswell, so don't stop."

Saphire nodded. She boosted her essence, activated all three of her kheldian shields ((So res to everything except psi)) and charged forward, her hands filling with energy...

The Council Arbiter sniffed the air gently. It was greeted by the tang of cigarette smoke wafting from the cells.

He coughed and stared right at Saphire.

"Nothing there...are we sure those two didn't just grab a cigarette break?"

The Huge Zeus whirred.

Slowly, Slowly, Slowly

One of the Mechmen started to shake it's head violently.

"Can't Requiem at least leave us with some decent guards", the Arbiter whined, "These two are supposed to be dangerous."

Softly, Softly, Softly

As the two approached the giant Portal, they saw that it was supposedly on standby; but peering through the misty haze were definitely their own appearance. It was strange, as if their Future Selves wanted to be re-united with the Past Selves. Grav 2 beckoned them forward, whilst Saphire 2 stood, arms crossed.

The shaking Mech Man's head suddenly exploded in a shower of sparks; and it's lifeless body crashed to the floor; making the Arbiter spin round.

"Oh for heaven's sake! Can't they at least keep from falling apart after the Time-Shif....". He stopped.

"LOOK OVER THERE BY THE PORTAL!", he yelled, "THEY'VE ESCAPED. AIM FOR THE HAZY SHAPES, THEY MUST HAVE GONE INVISIBLE!"

Nineteen Mechs spun around, drawing their weapon-arms, whilst the Huge Zeus, slowly ambled round, it's weapons charging.

Grav 2 and Saphire 2 looked in horror as our heroines had been given away...by themselves.

"GET THEM!"

Grav waited for the opportune moment, waiting for Saphire to make her way further. Watching the movements of the council.

Then at the right moment (she hoped) she revealed herself.
She had moved to the left side of th Zues, as it was slowly turning right, and cast a Gravity Distortion Field (mass hold)in the largest consentration of troops, followed almost immidiatly by a Personal Protection Shield (V.high def vs all, some res vs most) making a easy to see, but hard to hit target for the troops not held.

Waiting to time her teleportation to the portal, she provided Saphire with a distraction. Moving to try and stay at the back of the zues.
In order to maintain the illusion that she was in real danger she made some hand motions, as if casting spells, but they could not penetrate her own shield.

Just a little longer...

Remaining invisible, Saphire summoned 3 Photon seekers as a further distraction, and ran towards the closing portal...

The air erupted with ozone as the laser bolts leapt across the room. Grav leapt for cover as her own shield could only keep so many away, but at least 5 shots peppered the Zeus.

From behind the Zeus, Grav could hear what she swore was a growl and the Zeus released a flock of micro missiles at the Mechs.

4 exploded in a shower of rust and the Arbiter cried out at the Zeus, which had decided it wasn't gonna be pushed around by these little weeds anymore. It strode into the Held Mechs and scattered them like nine-pins, with Grav stifling a laugh until the Arbiter pulled free a Panzerfaust and hoisted it onto his shoulder.

Meanwhile...

Saphire got to the Portal and looked at her reflection. She was pointing towards the control panel on the far side that the Arbiter must have left. She mouthed instructions across the void and then seemed to yell. Saphire turned and almost instinctively brought down an Alpha Strike onto the head of one of the Mechs, shattering it into filings.

Two Seekers had already shorted out mechmen, and the third was circling the Zeus looking for a spot to attack. Then across the Arena, she saw the Arbiter pull a thin rocket-launcher from his belt.

Portal or Grav?

((While the idea of a cliffhanger was a nice one, you forget half of saphires attacks are ranged ))

Saphire ran backwards towards the control panel, throwing blasts of energy at the arbiter as she did so, desperately hoping to achieve both of her goals.

With everyone more or less distracted, even from her, Grav dropped her shield so she could affect the world around her more directly.

Manipulating magic and gravity, she send debry from one of the mechmen flying towards the Archon (Propel: high dmg, knockback, bypassing summon time, so fast aswell ).

Muttering a spell, she disapeared in a small flash of light, appearing at the portal a blink of an eye later.

(( Forget?...no no no..))

As Saphire backed off, watching the energy bolts home in on their target with unerring accuracy, the Arbiter turned towards her and a burst of smoke signalled the rockets trace.... towards the panel.

In the split second it took for him to lower the pipe, he spotted the rusty mechman and the energy close in on him and there was only time for him to say a short prayer before he was slammed across the floor.

Time slowed as the rocket sped across the distance towards the panel...

Grav 'blinked' out and reappeared next to her other self.

The Zeus turned and it's megaphone screamed "NOOOOO!" before the Mechmen leapt on him.

Saphire looked at the rocket and stood firm in front of it, before an explosion and a cloud of smoke surrounded her and the portal controls...