Desperate Times (Prowlers & Paragons)(Accepting)

[Neon Valkyrie]

THE P&P RULEBOOK IS LINKED ON THE CHARACTER PAGE!



The year is 2053. Thirty years ago a catastrophic meteor storm fell to earth, causing incalculable damage across Europe, Russia, and the northern halves of Asia and Africa. Nicknamed 'The November Crisis,' The loss of life was even worse than the physical damage, but we came together and crawled back out of the ashes changed. Chemical compounds in the extraterrestrial objects had been released into the atmosphere, changing the human genome in some cases, gifting 15% of the human global population with superhuman abilities. This was only the first domino to fall. Aliens, alternate dimensions, magic, by the 2040s, 25% of the Terran population could be described, in one way or another, as Inhuman. With the crisis in the past, countries grew selfish again, pulled back into their corners. Old problems of crime, inequality, poverty, bigotry, disease, and corruption returned, worsened. Where there were military dictatorships before, there were now rulers with elite meta-human armies to oppress their people. Where there were robbers and murderers and mob bosses before, there were now super-criminals. Mutated plagues, huge population growth ...

Something needed to be done.

In Canada, the problem was over-population. Directly following the November Crisis, the UN funded the Canadian government in the building of Mega-Cities across the most underdeveloped Provinces. On the west coast, Neo-Galiano overtook existing cities and territories, currently stretching from Squamish in the North, to Chilliwack in the east. Huge slums, rampant addiction issues and poverty, underfunded civic services, and a deep-rooted, thriving criminal underbelly, Neo-Galiano isn't a utopia, but it beats living in a blast crater, or a refugee camp. A roof over your head, running water, electricity, and internet are all provided by the government, but life is desperate, money isn't something that's easy to come by ... people are losing hope.

Something needs to be done.

So ... what chu gonna do super-freak?

Neo-Galiano; The city of tomorrow. The nicest district by far, the one uniquely inhabited by the upper class, is the waterfront. 20% of the city is dedicated to the most luxurious living one can manage with the emerging technology of the decade. Robotic supermarkets that grow and deliver their own produce. Super-malls with all kinds of outlandish entertainment venues and futuristic perks. Like the new World's Fair, but permanent. As you move inland, you get to Midtown, a wide strip of office buildings, shopping and entertainment districts, and fancy condos for people who think of themselves as rich ... just not THAT rich. This is where most of the criminal element of the city is operated from. You won't find much small-time street crime, but the people pulling all the string do so from their cloud-level penthouses, alongside the business-class.

Directly north of mid-town you have the utility districts. It's not the frostiest part of town, but if you want the kind of apartment you'd get in mid-town, but overlooking a water recycling plant and a bunch of snow for a discount, then this is your spot. The original designers hadn't expected the kind of climate shift that occurred halfway into the project, whereupon the decision was made to use the incomplete sections for utilities. From Midtown, another hundred-kilometre deep strip of housing flanking the US border is considered the bohemian quarter, and simply called Park. Social media celebrities, hipsters with inheritances, the nouveau-almost-riche who don't like to own it, these are the kinds of people you find here, the trendy. Street crime is controlled by the militaristic private police that contracts from Midtown thanks to ever-increasing rent prices, (since most mid-to-high level employees reside here) but there is the odd crime. As you move north the city deteriorates, even into the utility district. From about a quarterway up, the buildings start to look more and more like something out of a prison colony, with lots of angular, grey concrete. Residents make due with cheap overseas appliances and infrastructure. This district, comprising 50% of the city on its own, is where the lower middle-class and poor live, with income levels generally decreasing and crime levels rising as you move north, into the cold. Here, there are no private police, only public and volunteer members of the NVPD, who are sorely underfunded and ill-equipped to deal with anything more than a human criminal.

There are, of course, a few big name heroes ... mostly those who have incorporated, but to see them travel outside of the waterfront for anything but a city-wide disaster is a non-occurrence.


Technology and Culture​

In the thirty years since the November Crisis, technology has taken leaps and bounds in certain aspects. Medical technology, robotics, weapons, processors, holographics; each new event brought new advances. However, as with any new technology, price has kept the most tantalizing gadgets out of common hands. Full Medical Treatment Pods and Drone-cars are still only for the rich, holographic entertainment centres and self-driving cars only for the middle-class or better. If you're lucky, you'll be able to afford rent AND a fancy new holo-phone. Of course, that's only through legitimate channels. In the slums, most luxuries come directly from unmarked vans on street corners, or "condemned" houses with tables full of illegally obtained, if not outright illegal, goods.

Culture has also progressed only in certain aspects. The public portrayal (Media, commercials, pop-culture) is progressive, egalitarian, but behind closed doors old habits die hard. New habits include metaphobia and xenophobia, with "Aliens go home" and "Mutants aren't people" rallies not uncommon across North America. Canada's legal position is that meta-humans are people, and subject to all laws. Powers are not considered weapons until you use them as such, and Metas are not required to announce or identify themselves. However, the government is divided, and the Conservative party, on a platform of meta-human registration, is gaining popularity.

The population itself is much also more culturally and ethnically diverse after the mass migration from the Crisis zone.

The City's power is provided by three, large, self-contained hydrogen generator stations, owned by the privately operated Crown Corporation BC Hydro. High-Tension lines and poorly buried gas mains have been replaced with a city-wide network of utility tunnels. 4x8, the tunnels are build on top of the city's drainage and water systems, which run parallel to one another in high pressure, large diameter piping beneath the tunnels. The City also has 4 underground reservoir facilities that recycle water from sources you'd prefer not to know about into perfectly safe drinking water. Disassemblers, nano-machines that can rip matter apart, converting it into a grey, inert sludge, has virtually solved waste management issues, and the matter the nano-machines leave behind can be "reassembled" into any material up to the atomic complexity of Zinc, though the equipment needed is incredibly large and expensive.

RULES!

1) My word is law.
2) I'm very open to debating the law.
3) Be nice, have fun.
4) Uuuuuse the diiiiiice
5) P&P and the RPN TOS cover the rest, so we should be AOK, KTHNXBAI!


ROSTER!

ME! - Hastielle / Dawn Jensen - Ultraviolet
Buckteeth - Alonzo Devine Roberto Toliver - Redeemer
Sara Sidereal - Steve Hayden - Professor Science
Dreamtique - Niccolo Paganini - Phantom Pain
P Practically Philistine - Braythantil Kindlekeeper, Wyrmling of Irenth the Eternal Flame​

 

[Sara Sidereal]

Professor Science​

Location: A road
Condition: System checks nominal
Party: N/A

Health 3 | 3

ESTABLISHING SHOT: A solitary white 2054 Acura ILX makes its way down a lonely, winding forest road, the our viewpoint following from a few hundred feet up.
In the next panel, we see the occupant, a faceless machine man, carrying on a conference call over bluetooth. The conversation itself is unimportant to us. "Science, science, science. Business."

 

[Buckteeth]

Redeemer​

Location: River Island Housing Complex (Slums).
Condition: Uninjured and focused.
Party: N/A

Health 5/5

The apartment complex was mostly unremarkable. A blocky heap of concrete, one of the many on it's street, sprinkled with hints of dilapidation. A worryingly wide crack in the wall, not entirely scrubbed away graffiti, that sort of thing. The only thing of note about this particular residence (at least for now), was that it housed a Roberto Toliver, who was currently walking through the building's corroded metal doors into it's too-small parking lot. He was focusing his mind, finding that old alertness he'd cultivated and used over a year ago. Getting back into the mindset he'd need in the coming war, and it would be a war, was a crucial first step that he needed to take. So he focused, listening to the sound of his heavy leather boots against the pavement, sensing the shadow cast by his baseball cap against his face, and feeling the strap of his duffel bag digging into his shoulder through the beige windbreaker he'd chosen to wear today. He breathed in the scents of exhaust and hot asphalt. He was aware...and slowly, slowly, he felt that familiar awareness become second nature again. Good, first step accomplished.

He'd arrived at his car now. It was a bit of an older model, a 2030 Chevrolet Express. As Roberto entered the vehicle, tossing his duffel into the back at the same time, he reflected on why he chose the simple white van. Despite his wealth, the fact that the van was cheap was certainly a factor, but mostly Roberto chose the van because it was hardy, unassuming, and could be used as an effective transport vehicle. It would suit his new purpose fine. Reaching forward to insert the key into the steering column (he'd had to have an old-fashioned starter custom installed), he adjusted his mirrors, twisted the key, and steered the lumbering machine out of the parking lot.

 

[Dreamtique]

Silence reigned the cramped, gloomy studio flat that was just big enough to fit a few rustic furniture, with only the occasional ticking of clock as the reminder of the passage of time in the otherwise stationary scene. The scent from the coffee that had gone icy cold left on the wooden table overnight permeated the tiny living space.
On the bed that had taken a quarter of the space of the living space laid a young man in his deep slumber, his body cocooned in blanket to hide from the cold, his mind stayed in darkness of slumber to hide from the sunlight and the hustle and bustle of the social life of the utility district.
A few rays of sunlight seeped through the black curtain that shielded the large glass sliding door to the mini balcony, a few managed to hit the sleeping black cat curled up in a cozy corner, finally perturbing the silence of the room as the faint light managed to awoke the cat from its slumber. The black cat stretched its head into the empty bowl before it decided to spring up from its position and leaped straight onto the bed, successfully caused a small impulse on the sluggish body of the man that was supposed to feed him. It took a few more tail whacking to the face followed by a few nice, wet lick to the cheek before the young man finally responded to the stimuli and moved his body for an inch.
"What do you want, Crimson?" The young man mumbled with his eyes closed, his locked brows showed his annoyance. The cat, obviously, didn't respond but sat on the bed quitely, expecting him to figure it out himself.

"Urg, you ate all the dry food already? Damn, then we are out of stock now. You leave me no choice here..." The young man began to move around in the bed, trying to warm up his muscles again before he slowly sat up at the edge of the bed, trying to fight the will to fall straight back into the bed that was still warm.

"I guess this is partly my fault but...Crimson, you know how much I hate sunlight." The young man continued to complain as he tried to get his lethargic body to move around the room like a walking dead, while the cat sat on the bed, grooming its paws as it listened nonchalantly.
After putting on some casual attire with a black jacket, not even bothering to wash his face or to take care of his messy black hair, the man grabbed and put on a sunglasses before he rushed out to get some food for his pet, hoping that he could be back home in a jiffy.

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Hastielle​

Location:The N-E Slums
Condition: Impatient.
Party: N/A

Health 4/4

Hastielle heaved a sharp sigh as she stepped back out onto the street. She shouldn't have been surprised, she'd heard it so many times, she was too young for the responsibility. She hadn't helped her case with her outfit; black denim cutoffs, purple lo-top converse, a white button down and a black, definitely-not-leather bomber jacket. Moving just off from the door, she squatted down and zipped open her bag, slipping the empty folder back inside. She found her vape, pulling it out as she haphazardly slung her bag over one shoulder and moved off down the street, occasionally letting out a plume of bubble-gum flavoured nicotine vapour. No one said anything, though she got a few wrinkle-nosed glares. The sun was getting lower and lower in the sky as afternoon dragged into evening, and the bustle of day was replaced with the hustle of night.

Hastielle made it home with only a few unpleasant run-ins with especially demanding pan-handlers. She'd already begun fumbling through her bag for her key-fob when she noticed the notification blinking on her door-panel. She had a delivery. Her eyes went wide. It was here! She bolted back downstairs, down to the Postal Lockers. Sure enough one of them was scrolling her name on its animated panel. Swipping her fob past the sensor, she yanked the door open as the lock disengaged and snatched up the soft, plastic envelope into both arms. Slamming the door behind her, she raced back upstairs and into her dark apartment. Ripping off her clothing, she sat in her relatively bare den with the box in front of her.

A thin ray of light slit the envelope open, and she carefully slid out the garment inside. Her costume. The one job that couldn't refuse her. Pulling open the second plastic sleeve wrapped around the coverall, she slid the specialized fabric between her fingers for a few moments as the excitement welled up in her chest. She slipped it on right away, she took a few moments to pull and shift it into position before stepping back to admire her purchase. The material was thick enough to be modest, but certainly didn't leave a lot of questions about her physique. It even felt pretty comfortable.

It was time.

Drifting out through her window, she soared quickly up to the roof to survey the area. She'd already made patrols on foot, though now, in the air, she could cover more ground. She felt like her whole body had been supercharged, every sensory cell alight with excitement. Gathering her energy, she streaked off across the sky with a hoot of joy, taking a few minutes to fly out her stress before dipping down toward the streets and slowing her speed, her purple, glowing jet-stream somewhat camoflaged by the animated billboards lining the streets. Still, she could see the odd pedestrian casting her a cock-eyed stare, or offering a wave. Generally she just flew past. She wasn't really in the mood for conversation. She was in the mood for redemption.

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Explosion in the Utility District The utility district was quiet, the streets dotted here and there with people headed home, small groups of workers coming in for the night shift. The power plant, starkly lit by perimeter lighting, has only a few guards patrolling the wall. The building itself is an immense concrete cube supplying power to the slums, Park, midtown ... pretty much everything outside of the waterfront. No one noticed the unmarked, windowless vans that had been parking in the area throughout the day. No one noticed the lack of activity, of coming or going from the vehicles once they parked. No one noticed, just as it had been planned. The last few glints of sun began to vanish from the sky as the doors slid open, and the small teams of men poured out into strategic locations around the compound. The perimeter guards didn't stand a chance, both downed to the rushing sound of silenced mag-rounds. The group moved inside, led by a man in black, scorched armour, his face covered by a burnt skull mask. Security stormed out from the armoury, into the hallway, weapons ready. They weren't ready for the wall of fire that met them. None survived. Within minutes the men had secured the facility, and their armoured leader stood staring down at the large bank of generators built far into the ground. A smile twitched onto the corner of his scarred, hidden mouth, but it could be heard in his orders. "Strap it to the top one. When it blows, it'll take down the whole place." Another man, one wearing black fatigues and shouldering an assault rifle, stepped forward. He looked pale, his voice was quiet. The other men went about unpacking the bomb, moving it into position, locking in the detonation sequence. Now it was just a matter of pulling the trigger. "You know ... you know we aren't all making it out of here." The man in black armour turned, irritation in his semi-visible stare. "Just means more to go around ..." He cast a glare over her shoulder. "Even more so if you're backing out now." The man flinched. He was sweating. "Look ... it's just, I know what you went through, we all lost a lot, but I still have Jessica, the kids to worry about ... Darren, who's going to take care of them if ..." The man in armour whirled around, stomping over to snatch up the man by his collar, lifting him off his feat with a whir of electric actuators. "MY NAME IS INFERNO ... and don't tell me about what you still have. I don't ... they took everything from me ... so run away if you have to, but I'm not going anywhere. It's my turn to take everything." A third man, wearing a green bandana over his face, came running over with a cellphone. "Inferno, sir ... it's the CEO ..." Inferno just glared at the man as he slowly backed toward the door, turning to dash out of the power plant before police arrived on the scene, sirens already blaring in the distance. Taking the phone, Inferno pressed it to his face, a smile pulling what was left of his lips wide over his teeth. "Now, Mr. Earnhardt, I'm sure your security system has reported our every action to you, and you know exactly what we can do ... So the question is, do I have your attention?"

 

[Sara Sidereal]

Professor Science​

Location: A road
Condition: System checks nominal
Party: N/A

Health 3 | 3

"Steve? You there?"

The professor had been asked a question, and was quiet; his colleagues in the conference call were concerned.

"Jim, I'm sorry, I may have to reschedule. Something's come up."

"You alright?"

"I'm fine, but... well, I suppose you'll see it on the news, tonight or tomorrow."

"The news? The heck? What's going on?"

"Don't know. Sirens all over the place. Definitely not just a traffic accident."

"And that's your concern? You're not a SAR bot, Steve."

"I'm just going to take a look. That's all. I'll call you in the morning."

With the call disconnected, the professor said to his empty vehicle, "Hey Andromeda," - and paused half a beat for the "beep boop" indicating the onboard digital assistant recognized his voice command - "check law enforcement message traffic, my location within 20 kilometers, latest first. Major incident responses only."

In a few seconds "Andromeda" responded - in a woman's Australian accent - with the appropriate information. The only incident within the radius was a response to a developing possible terrorist threat, at a power plant in the utility district. Other details were sketchy.

"Who benefits from destroying a power plant?" he asked no one. "If there's one part of an infrastructure an invader would want intact, it'd be the power grid..." he trailed off.

The white car sat idle on the side of the road.

"Hey Andromeda, give me overlays for power and communications for the city."

Holographic displays projected onto the windshield.

"If they take out that, and a few other targets, there'd be no way for people to get emergency broadcasts. Coordinating an evacuation would be basically impossible."

He sat in silence for a few moments.

"Andromeda, navigate."

He peeled out and sped off into the night, towards the power plant.

"Further research is required," he muttered.

 

[Practically Philistine]

Bray​

Location: Low income housing
Condition: Rooftop brooding
Party: Feature not yet unlocked

Health 7/7

The light sound of claws tapping on the concrete roof was overpowered by the late night street noise of the poor housing complexes that seemed to make up a majority of the street, as a large creature hidden in the shadows cast by the streetlights below paced along the building. Bray scanned the rooftops and alleys below looking for any sign of trouble. It had been a pretty uneventful week as he slowly worked his way though patrolling the poor districts. He checked over the side of the rooftop to make sure there wasn't anyone on the fire escape below or looking out the window as he quickly hopped the ledge and with one powerful flap of his wings landed on the next complex. He shook his head as he noticed some young girls smoking and leaning up against the concrete building across the street under the streetlight. Suddenly though his attention was drawn elsewhere. His snout raised slightly, nostrils flaring his inhuman face seems to darken slightly as he notices the unmistakable smell of blood. He raises his large leather wings and in one beat takes off in the opposite direction of the unaware pedestrians still nursing their cigarettes.

 

[Buckteeth]

Redeemer​

Location: The streets of the Northern Slums.
Condition: Uninjured and focused.
Party: N/A

Health 5/5

"I can't afford to rush this," he thought, idling at a red signal, his eyes passively scanning the weary faces of the commuters next to him. He wanted very badly to start patrolling, but diving in too quick would mean striking blindly, ultimately leaving him ineffective at best and dangerous at worst. This wasn't his city, wasn't even his neighborhood, at least not yet. But once he'd established patrol routes, got a feel for the local criminals, earned the trust of-

Suddenly, the bright, sickening beams of the ever-present holo-ads hawking disposable e-cigs and discount synthet alcohol down the street were eclipsed by a somehow more conspicuous light. Red and blue flashed and reflected from glass and cheap carbon steel. NGPD, two of them, hauling ass through the upcoming intersection. They were city funded for the northern slums, which meant they were older models with none of the mag-suspension or holo-sirens the more affluent communities had. The Redeemer didn't notice the slight smile he was sporting. Slums or upper-crust, one thing was bound to be the same. No city sends two squad cars going that fast for a probation check-up, at least not for one going well. Faintly, he remembered his own warnings about risky starts, which he promptly pushed out of his mind. Intel would come later, he was needed. Green flashed in the upper limits of his vision, and he introduced pedal to metal, accelerating after the cruisers that would surely lead him to his first crisis...in Neo-Galiano anyway.

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Hastielle​

Location:BC Hydro Generator Complex C
Condition: Excited
Party: N/A

Health 4/4

The sound of sirens screaming drew her attention immediately, the electronic howl echoing through the city as a dozen vehicles in various locations responded to the call. Far below her, weaving through the streets, an older model SUV with clearly welded armour plating roared to life, traffic parting like a wave as the vehicle soared through intersections and skidded through turns.

Hastielle grinned. She didn't have any such problems navigating, darting like a firefly between buildings, just high enough that the officers wouldn't notice. Whatever changes humanity had undergone in the last half-century, vigilantism was still illegal. A half kilometre ahead, red and blue lights lit the front of the power plant, most of the NGPD rallying in the large, fenced parking lot. A temporary command centre had been set up at the far side, and men in suits were busily scurrying between vans and tents with arms-full of monitors and electronic equipment.

Circling the nearby buildings slowly, oblivious to the residents inside, she slowed to reduce the sparkling jet-stream that followed her, surveying the area from a safe distance.

While most of the surrounding area wears a mix of utility and elegant design, the Power Plant definitely looks more like a fortress than an art-piece. Twenty-foot barbed wire fences surround the building and parking lot, with lit guard towers at all four corners of the property. Like some kind of Bailey, the central building consists of a large, 30-storey central block, a large square building with tall, narrow frosted windows cut into it's sides. On top there is a heli-pad, and a controlled entrance, along with the usual array of utility ducts and pumps. The main building is flanked by two, smaller, but symmetrical cubes, similarly lined with obfuscative windows. Neither gives any hint as to its function or purpose. Each building has a large set of blue, steel double-doors front and centre, acting as the only ground-level points of entry. Around the fences, police vehicles and officers have set up a cordon, waving the few luxury vehicles heading home down dark side-streets, away from the plant, away from the area.

This is where you all come in. Should you choose to engage the situation, you must first find a way past the police barricade, into the building. If you want more detail about the building, I will take Perception rolls. the level of detail will depend on what specifically you're looking for, and the number of successes you score. Hastielle, despite decent Edge, will be acting last, because she's my character, and I already know the ways in ))

 

[Sara Sidereal]

Professor Science​

Location: A road
Condition: System checks nominal
Party: N/A

Health 3 | 3

"In one mile, turn left on Power Plant Road, then your destination will be on the right."

The Acura pulled off the road some distance, hiding within a bank of trees. The professor killed the engine and lights.

"Andromeda, take a look."

Mutliple holographic displays arranged themselves like a bank of monitors.

"Satellite feeds show law enforcement already has a complete perimeter lockdown in place. Surveillance is total. Undetected entry on the ground will not be possible."

"What about under the ground?"

A shift as the major center display changed, buildings and terrain turning 80% transparent, now mainly displaying sewer, electrical, data, thermal, and air processing systems, along with any subterranean transportation networks running through the area. A secondary display indicated the nature of the geology under the plant and in the surrounding vicinity.

The professor considered his options.

 

[Practically Philistine]

Bray​

Location: Rooftop skimming
Condition: Slightly chilled
Party: Feature not yet unlocked

7/7

The cool nighttime breeze felt good on Bray scales he followed the scent into the utility district. His wingbeats began to crescendo as the ever more pungent scent of blood guided him towards the powerplant. As he approached under cover of the night sky, Bray's yellow saurian eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed the spotlights and the significant presence of police lights around the pungent powerplant. Slightly annoyed, Bray grumbled to himself and his rooftop skimming stopped and he began to gain altitude. Above where human sight would see clearly (and several hundred feet above the spotlights) Bray crossed over into the sectioned off area. He descended slowly onto a darkened part of the roof near the raised dais. His eyes drawn to a metallic door.

 

[Dreamtique]

Phantom​

Location: Central building ground floor
Condition: Alert
Party: N/A

Health 2/2

The blaring siren was enough to send Niccolo's legs off the ground for a split second before diverting his attention from the store not far away to the street leading straight to the Hydro Power Station. It didn't took long before the daydreaming man realized that something was up, compelled by obligation, Niccolo knew what he had to do.

"Sorry Crimson, looks like you'll have to wait."

Niccolo turned to a dark alleyway, stepping under the shadow casted by the setting sun, Niccolo took a step into the spectral plane before a dark mist shrouded his body as he slowly dematerialized and took the form of The Phantom. With a wave of hand his ghastly form slowly vanished from vision and blended into the darkness as he turned completely invisible and intangible, hidden from the detection of the five mundane senses, living up to the name of phantom.

The man decided to take a shortcut, and quite literally head straight to the power station to avoid or minimize any direct exposure to sunlight in such a form, for prolong exposure may directly post a threat to his power and disrupt his spectral form, or it was simply because the Phantom didn't feel the need to take the long way round when he could just walk through buildings, a little rude, but he couldn't be bothered by it. He respects others privacy or his own dignity enough to not be a busy body when it's not necessary, for that he'll only ever be creepy to those who deserves it, he'll save his time to stalk the criminals instead.

The Phantom's feet began to rise from the ground before his body accelerated forward as he hovered, his body shot straight through the walls in his way before his destination revealed before his eyes, soon he had spotted the hydro power station that was now surrounded by cops, lots of them. That alone was a clear sign that something had gone very wrong. Without wasting any time, The Phantom decided to investigate the situation first-hand, as always.

"Well, excuse me." The Phantom mumbled before he allowed himself to go straight past the barricade and the tensed cops securing the area, it was more of a tease and less of a formality.

Right before he passed the blue steel front door, The Phantom drew out a sniper rifle hidden in his long coat, ready to plant some bullets in unsuspecting criminals, The Phantom suspected an infiltration.
The Phantom checked his vicinity in the building that felt abandoned before he tried to heighten his senses to locate any traces the criminals might have left behind in order to track them down, and to check if there was any potential imminent danger that he could neutralize.

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Hastielle​

Location:BC Hydro Generator Complex C - Rooftop
Condition: Nominal
Party: P Practically Philistine

Health 4/4

Hastielle had finished her second lap of the nearby buildings, still trying to wipe the sweat from her hands. As if the police officers weren't enough, it now seemed that private security were arriving to either support, or take over the operation. It would have been nice to know what she was walking into, what kind of situation would draw this much attention. Should she even be getting in the way? The odds of being spotted, even at a distance, were growing the longer she circled. Biting at her lip, she asked herself one deciding question; was she really going to turn back now? Still staring intensely at the roof, her best point of entry, something caught her eye. Something with large, leathery wings, slowly descending straight down onto the helipad.

Well ... at least she wouldn't be the only one on the job.

Following the large figure's flight plan, she soared high up above the spot-lights and positioned herself above the building. Her powers cut out, and she began to fall, plummeting toward the large H printed on the building's roof. She was only a few dozen metres up when she began to slow herself, landing silently on both feet. Taking a moment to collect herself, she couldn't help but stare at the ... the ... thing. Larger up close than he'd looked from far off, his large, leathery wings made his size even more impressive. A mantle of horns ringed his scaled head, and Hastielle couldn't help but think back to high fantasy holos, and the fire breathing dragons therein. It earned a little smile before she wiped the look from her face and cleared her throat to get the creature's attention.

Once he turned, she offered a tight-lipped nod, and an awkward wave.

 

[Sara Sidereal]

Professor Science​

Location: A road
Condition: System checks nominal
Party: N/A

Health 3 | 3

Hayden made his decision. He had a hand on the door handle when he noticed something on the satellite’s feed.

“Enhance.”

“Doctor, you know you can’t magically increase video resolution by just saying ‘enhance’,” replied Andromeda.

“I know, it’s just fun to say. Can you zoom in on the helipad?”

“Engaging surveillance satellite Orwell lenses.”

The rooftop expanded to fill the viewer, along with its two recent arrivals.

“Is that a pixie and a dragon person? Is there a convention in town?”

“You’re a robot.”

“Point. So, we’re not the only ones out here LARPing tonight. But… friend or foe? They can’t be why the cops are here. Criminals wouldn’t arrive after the police… right?”

“Insufficient data for a meaningful answer.”

“Well, testing my hypothesis will have to wait. Let the fliers take the high road. Hood, trunk.”

K-thunk, k-thunk. Each popped open. Hayden swung open his door and got out - for a moment, slowly rising up in between the open door and the car. With the sun setting into the trees behind him, it would have been the perfect moment for the Michael Bay low-angle sweeping telephoto zoom lense shot in the movie adaptation.

He went to the trunk first, which revealed an array of gadgets set into a liner with pockets shaped to fit them exactly. From here, he grabbed a couple of thermo-plasmic charges and a fusion torch. Each of these went into a different compartment located on his sides or midsection - a small chunk whirring out to accept an item, then sliding back into place.

“Taking the subtle approach, I see.” Andromeda’s voice came from his wrist.

He paused a moment, then reached back in and came up with a crowbar, along with a pound of plastic explosive and a detonator.

“Yes, that should help you keep a low profile.”

He shut the trunk. A few short steps over the grass, and he was in front, removing a small object from the engine, about the size of four “AA” batteries. Like the gadgets, he stored it in his torso. He shut the hood.

“What’s my heading?”

“Back to the street. There’s a manhole. I’ve marked it on your map.”

He stayed away from the road as he walked, keeping behind the treeline, moving parallel to the street. The crowbar was too large for any compartment, and too heavy for a coat pocket, so he carried it.

 

[Practically Philistine]

Bray​

Location: BC Hydro Generator Complex C - Rooftop
Condition: Slightly startled
Party: Neon Valkyrie

7/7

Bray turns to acknowledge the sound and notices a young human female waving at him. Befuddled, he slowly began approaching the purple clad beckoner noting the strange sickly sweet smell she emanated. He noticed, though a little on edge, she did not seem fearful of him. Straightening his back and spreading his wings slightly intimidatingly, his sonorous voice sounds "Who are you and why are you here, youngling?" His yellow saurian eyes narrowing slightly awaiting her response

 

[Theflamre]

An unwelcome end to a pleasent night

Sebastian​

Location: The Slums
Condition: Perfectly fine, how are you~?
Party: add mentions for anyone included in the scene.

Health 2| 2

He was having a interesting day thus far, he had been spending the day with a small group of richer youth. He had found them earlier that day having an expensive breakfast having just enough to pay for his first meal him self. He was able to strike up a conversation with one of them and over the course of an hour became an fun person to talk to. When the good byes were about to be said he 'accdently' found them again, this time at the park. In truth he had easedropped a bit before first talking to them. He played this game of accedently bumping into them throughout the day, each time they bought him something diffrent. A lunch, a dinner, some good wine and finally a desert, anyone watching in would have been able to tell he was taking advantage of them. He had placed him self perfectly, not one of them catching his name or anything about him other then fake stories. They were rich so buying these small things barely occured to them and honestly he didn't feel a lick of guilt for taking them.
Well as the pleasent, and free day was winding to a close he found him self within a park within the park. The nicer part of town was all but completely covered in art, the park they were in becoming a vast viewing gallery for the local colleges students to show off. Depsite all the the many distractions and such he had, he was a man of simpler tastes. He turned his gaze up wards, tuning out the words that filled the air, his new 'friends' talked like rich people did in this sorta place. Like some sort of wealth measuring contest, when drunk they let slip how much of a supriority complex each of them had. They argued and squabbled about each other with the same sort of ignorance and begrudgingness of children comparing parents. Sebastian how ever sipped meekly from his glass of expensive wine, slipping his knees up towards his chest and holding the glass in both hands nursing it. He gazed at the stars that seemed to glimmer from this less polluted part of town, he was amazed how long it had taken to get to this moment. He had spent an entire day talking to a bunch of people he could care less for just to legally get into a gated park and gaze up at the stars. He chuckled to him self ,the stars brillant lights reflecting off the light green pools of jade within his eyes, what a silly thing to do.
He spent almost an hour doing this, the people around him disappeared or fell into a drunken stupor upon the ground. When the moon hung almost fully in the sky he finally stood, he had work in the morning and as much as he liked this he needed to sleep. Walking out he managed to nick a bottle of nice wine from one of the women who had bought entirely too much as a showing of her wealth. Walking off he made his way to the side of the road and flagging down a taxi. Many things amazed him, anyone who truly knew him knew he had never lost that love for life that children have no matter what he had done. His experiences with the most... traumatic of human emotion had not robbed him of that which he held dear. Well he was visibly saddened as he left the poss light air of the park and slid through the slums. He hated this place its dark ally ways and ramshackle houses made him want to help them. He was ,despite his natural ability ,unable to too many mouths and no enough to go around. Something however caught his eye ,in the attempt to look away from the slums he caught a distinct lack of stars within a particular section. Looking toward the section of the sky carfully he was able to divine the moving nature of the distortion. Almost cursing to him self he leaned against the metal grait that separated him snd his driver asking (and paying) for a ride close to the only place he knew that could burn like that in the slums, the powerplant.

 

[Buckteeth]

Redeemer​

Location: Alley near the BC Hydro Power Plant.
Condition: Uninjured and focused.
Party: N/A

Health 5/5

It was halfway to the plant that the Redeemer realized it would be detrimental to him for his vehicle to be placed at the scene of the crisis. A few mistakes like that and a particularly shrewd detective would have him exposed in no time at all. So, slowing the van to a more inconspicuous speed, he followed the emergency responders at a distance, and arrived a bit slower for it, but safer as well. He parked quite a ways from the plant, and leaned back to get his binoculars from his duffel bag so he could assess the situation. Grasping the metallic pair, he brought them to his eyes and trained his gaze on the situation at hand.

The Redeemer lowered the binoculars, his mind working furiously as he rested his head against the driver's seat. A police blockade had been erected. In all likelihood, a perimeter had already been set up around the facility. The Redeemer had his flaws, but he was no fool. They'd never let him pass. He pulled off the street into an alley, parking next to a much narrower side alley going towards the power plant. Wasting no time, he squeezed between the seats into the back of the van. He unzipped his familiar duff, and hefted out a tangle of fabric and metal plates, which he prepared to put on.

As he made the final adjustments to his chestplate, the Redeemer took inventory of the equipment laid out on the metal floor of the van. A CMP-3 SMG and an Instigator Mk3 pistol (without serial numbers, naturally), a combat knife, an ever useful crowbar, a lockpick gun, and a supply of plastic handcuffs. He experimentally flexed his gloved hands, and started to stow each piece of his kit in it's particular holster or gear loop, taking care not to accidentally adjust the rappeling harness he already wore. His mind raced as he prepped, theorizing possible means of entry into the power plant based on what little intel he had. There was too little to go on, and failure due to unforseen circumstance was no different than regular failure in his eyes. He needed more info, and his eyes came to rest upon the bag again as he finished suiting up. Determined, he reached one last time for the duffel.

The Redeemer exited the van, making sure to lock it as he did, his steel-capped boots clomping against the concrete that seemed ever present. He quickly entered the side alley headed towards the plant, sidestepping litter and mysterious puddles reflecting the street lights as he went. Eventually, the alley terminated into a side street that intersected with one of the roads surrounding the plant. From here, carefully peeking out, he had a direct view and was fairly close to the fenced parking lot of the power plant. Well, close enough for what he intended. Hefting the plastic dish in his hand, a wire running from it to his helmet, he aimed at whatever looked the most important in the police's makeshift forward operating base, and listened with his parabolic microphone.

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Hastielle​

Location:BC Hydro Generator Complex C - Rooftop
Condition: Nominal
Party: P Practically Philistine

Health 4/4

Hastielle had to admit to being conflicted. While a large part ofher acknowledged that the Dragon Man's obsidian claws, large teeth, and sheer size, all put her in potential jeopardy, the dorky part of her was kind of excited to be face to face with ... well, a Dragon Man. Her outward confidence faltered slightly as Brey stalked toward her, his wings spreading wide to make his massive form even more intimidating. His eyes cut right through her, and as his voice broke the silence, she couldn't help but flinch. She crossed her arms, cocking onto one hip defensively. Well, at least he was talking instead of attacking. Good sign. Wait ... youngling?

Her initial enthusiasm at meeting a dragon waned. Dragons were usually really old right ... so was he just going to be like some super-powered old man? Her smile had fallen away by the time she realized he was just staring at her, waiting for an answer. "Uh, I uh ... call me Ultraviolet, I saw the lights and came to help." She still didn't look impressed about being called a youngling, but then, there wasn't really any safe way to refer directly to her age. Damn teenagers.

Floating up into the air, she floated in a wide circle around Brey, bound for the large, steel doors that stood between them and the interior. "What's your deal, Red?" While she had planned to stick to a certain level of formality while in costume, it seemed she was the only one who felt that way. Landing next to the doors, she peered down at the number pad before abandoning the idea of doing anything with it. Instead she focused on the doors, running her fingers across the visible seam between them. They were going to need one hell of a can-opener.

Holding her open hand out at one side, purple light leapt from her palm, glimmering and sparkling as it shaped itself into something between a baseball-bat and a can-tapper. Without much hesitation, she attempted to jam the point between the doors ...

 

[Theflamre]

A luckily quiet walk

Sebastian​

Location: The Maintance Tunnels under the Power Plant
Condition: Slightly irritated
Party: add mentions for anyone included in the scene.

Health 2| 2

He sighs quietly at the sight of the burning building, looking around into the darkness of the sky he doesn't see any super heros arriving. Though to be honest he wasn't really looking, just glancing up to see if any of those red caped "pillars of society" would bother to make an appearence. He had better things to do then wait for nothing, he payed the taxi driver and walked into a small ally way. He didnt concern him self with the camera's, with no power generators that meant the cities watch over the area had to be carried out manually. He slipped behind a dumpster his back pushed against the wall as he let him self gradually slide down fully tell his knees were level with his head. Casting his gaze once again upwards he looked to the stars. The slumps had destroyed their own veiw of them, the super cities needs had created enough polution to blotch out the sky and moon
Closing his eyes he adorned the long black sleeve, sliding the smooth sythetic fabric aorund his head tell only his eyes shown. Breathing through it's thin carpace seemed to cleanse the air that entered his lungs a bit or atleast had the placebo affect of it. His eyes narrowed, their green glowing warmth becoming a glare out into the night sky. Placing his hand on the near by dumpster he pulled him self to his feet, suddenly much more aware of the ground and his basic placement he started taking notes. Mental ones, he noted the hard packed apartment complexes and relays that seemed to summon up wires from the earth itself before offering them to the long sets of wires that crossed across the city. A part of his mind took sad note of how few remained here in comparison to the plethra that went out far into the distance. The relays however offerered an interesting question, where did the wires come from. He moved quietly across the street, not that anything lit it through the smog above and the lack of power that would normally bathe the streets in the artifical yellow glow of street lights. Finally under one of the large wooden poles he traced the wire all the way from the metal box at the top of the tower known as a relay all the way to a man hole.
He cracked the large metal cover open, it wasn't hard given the tools left behind by panicking night workers. Looking down the man hole he saw that smoke hadn't filled the tunnel yet, 'another door?' The idea did strike him as peculiar considering the seemingly lack luster amount of concern they had for the workers, a more reliable awnser may be that where it exited was just far enough away that smoke hadn't reached it. He would find out soon enough ether way, sliding in he hit the ground some ten feet below him with a few steps forward as to use up the energy of the fall without hurting him self. Looking around he saw a long tunnel full of wires, the walls were nothing but thick black cords with no breaks for lights even.
He pulled a flash light from his pack flicking it on so that he could navigate the long corridor without worrying about loosing his way. The light gave him a much grimmer scene though, the tunnel was oppressive, the black cables running along the sides of the wall making the tunnel closterfobic enough that the sort man's head almost brush the ceiling and the walls were mere inches from his shoulders. He could only imagine with some fright the actual workers size compared to this tunnel. Heading even further into the dark tunnel he found it lacked conditioning of any kind, making the small space, also hot. He wondered how many people had survived this event, expesially considering one thing, not one of them had run down this tunnel searching for safety.

 

[Sara Sidereal]

Professor Science
Location: The sewer level
Condition: System checks nominal
Party: N/A

Health 3 | 3

Hayden popped off the manhole like a pickle jar lid. It was totally slick and absolutely nothing went wrong. He slid it back into place after him. With the manhole cover back in place, the sewer tunnel was blanketed in darkness. He engaged his LED wrist light and swept it side to side as he walked, slowly closing on the super secret entrance to the power plant.

 

[Practically Philistine]

Bray​

Location: BC Hydro Generator Complex C - Rooftop
Condition: Intrigued
Party: Neon Valkyrie

Health 7/7

Slightly taken aback by the tone of this strange new character, it took Bray a moment to process her response. It had been a long time since Bray had ever heard someone talk to him so informally. This girl was clearly nothing like the suits he had become accustomed to. He soon followed after her glimmering streak with a few strong plodding wingbeats. The rushing air blowing Hastielle's platinum blonde hair in her face as he lands, "You are quite different than most humans I have meet recently Ultraviolet." Seeming to get a slightly more inflated tone "I am Braythantil Kindlekeeper, Wyrmling of Irenth the Eternal Flame". The inflated tone rapidly fades into a darker one "I came here to investigate the overwhelming smell of blood. I am sorry but it seems some servant of chaos has slaughtered quite a few of your kind and I am here to stop them" his words trailing off into the slight night breeze. Totally ignoring the strange human contraption to the side of the door Bray watches as the teenager works laboriously works to pry open the thick steel doors with some sort of glittering purple wedge.

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Hastielle​

Location:BC Hydro Generator Complex C - Rooftop
Condition: Nominal - Embarrassed
Party: P Practically Philistine

Health 4/4

Hastielle stood staring at the doors. A large scratch had been etched into the metal by her unsuccessful attempt to wedge the point of her oversized can-tapper between the doors. Hair billowed up into her face, and she spat out a few stray strands as she glanced back at the impressive figure, hoping he hadn't seen her initial failure. Her brow twitched upward. Kind of the pot calling the kettle black. She didn't know what she was, not really. It was a sore spot to be sure. Not that this dragon knew any of that.

"I, uh-thanks ... I think. You kind of stand out in a crowd too." She tried her best not to sound defensive.

She was winding up for her second attempt when she caught his name. A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. There was that inner nerd again. Her smile fell as quickly as it had formed. The smell of blood? She swallowed hard, her stomach tightening. She scolded herself silently for being so naive. This many cops meant serious. Serious usually meant potential body count. She forced a few slow breaths, in then out, to try and level out her head. At least it seemed like she was on Dragon-Man's team.

'your kind'

While it had been somewhat disarming to be considered human at first, there was something nice about it. This time she let the smile was over her face, turning to look up at Brey's piercing yellow eyes.

"Then it looks like we're on the same side ... Kindle." Finding the appropriate nickname would take a delicate hand, some trial and error.

"Now, She started, turning her attention back to the doors with another attempt to stab the tool between them, another failure. Taking a step back, she offered a sigh and finished. "First problem ..."

Sara Sidereal The hallway, about 4 feet wide by 8 tall, is sparsely lit, lined with colour-coded PVC piping. About 30 metres down the tunnel, you see a large, orange pressure door set into a heavy, polished steel frame. There is a panel next to the door, a standard security terminal with a keypad and touchscreen display. As you approach, the motion lights flanking the door activate, You are able to see a camera in a bulletproof enclosure above door, but it is pointed at the floor, unmoving.

 

[Dreamtique]

Phantom​

Location: Central building ground floor
Condition: Alert, Curious
Party: N/A

Health 2/2

"There they are." Phantom knew what he had to do straight away after he checked the vicinity with his X-ray vision briefly. It was perfect that the invaders had left an opening for him to rescue the captives, it would be too easy for him to bring them to safety if he acted fast before attracting any unwanted attention, distraction would be unnecessary, he had a gut feeling that it would happen eventually anyway.

Now that his suspicion was confirmed, Phantom uncontrollably started to wonder about the purpose of these invaders, and what were they trying to do by taking over the power station, he simply knew that they must be planning something sinister, the uncertainty had made rescuing the captives more and more important and urgent in Phantom's eyes.

For as easy as rescuing the captives seemed, the Phantom couldn't let his guard down, from experience(well...through movies to be precise), from the sheer amount of invaders it was clear that this was some sort of organized crime, the mastermind wouldn't be so careless about their captives, one of their potential last resort, but of course, that wouldn't be the case if they are not expecting a 'phantom' to their rescue.
He suspected that there could be someone keeping an eye out on them through CCTV or other security devices that may make his rescue not as secretive as he would like it to be, he simply didn't want the spotlight to be on him before he could make sure all the captives are rescued.

Regardless, there was no use in pondering, so he dived straight down and got into action.
The Phantom dived straight to the room containing the 9 captives while staying invisible, as he turned and inspected the room briefly, noting particularly eye catching came into his sight. It seemed like he might be overthinking, so he proceed to approach the captives cautiously, kneeling down and leaned closer to them.

"Hey there, psst." His eyes locked on the captives, slowly, he let his presence known by sending whispers into their ears, making sure that his voice was only audible for the captives.
"Don't freak out, I am here to rescue you. I need all of you to remain calm. You shouldn't be able to see me, but I am right here, right in front of all of you."
"Now tell me everything you know."
"Are there more of you trapped in this building? Those who captured all of you...do you know what they are after?"

 

[Neon Valkyrie]

Dreamtique A wave of confused murmurs moved through the small group as the disembodied voice broke the grave silence. Peering around, one of the women in the group, one with ruined hair and a business suit, inched closer to the source of the voice. "No, no they killed the others to prove they were serious. We ... we've been locked in here since they took over the facility. They ... they had codes and cards to get past the doors, said something about a bomb, holding the place for ransom ... please, you have to get us out of here. They're planning on blowing up the building whether they get their money or not. Please!" The woman fell quiet, tucker her chin to her chest as a set of heavy, booted footsteps heralded the arrival of one of the men, who was grimacing behind his balaclava as he pointed his sub-machine gun around the room. The moments before he left again were tense, and when the sound of his steps faded down the hallway, the woman issued a final "Please!" though she wasn't exactly sure where to throw her pleading stare.