Mutants and Masterminds: The Found IC

[Raynn]

You sit in the main lecture hall of Claremont Academy, some of you new arrivals, some old fixtures in the halls of Claremont Academy.
Daniel Sword takes to the stage as the new principle, a cute young woman named Athena, steps down. You recognise him as the new mayor of Freedom City.
“I’m here for a reason, and it’s not a photo op or to make sure that none of you are becoming super villains when I’m not looking. I’m here so that we can remember something, Event 84. In the battles that have occurred for our fair city since that day it would be easy for us to forget the sacrifices of those heroes.”

He pauses and looks out at the crowd, stepping around the podium and droppings his cards into a nearby trashcan.

“I’m not going to pretend that I have all the answers, that every hero here should say how high when I say jump but I want you to realise what is most important. This community, this family you have here, even when you don’t realise it. You need to be ready for the day, and this day will come, when you must stand shoulder to shoulder with every hero to fight for what his right.”

He sighs and looks up into the crowd “I want you to remember one thing ‘No one fights alone,’ remember that and you have the first piece to becoming a true hero.”

“That’s all I’ve got to. . .”
The Mayor is cut off as the wall burst open to his left, you see the shape of some sort of monster gore him and force him through the next wall back into outside in the courtyard. Most of the others have panicked and made for the exits.

What do you do?

[Sinistral]

Collin Keene listened with mild interest to the Mayor’s speech . He was attempting to translate the politician speak into something relevant. He smiled a little bit when the Mayor tossed up the cards. “Very nice. Using ‘improv’ to endear himself to us teenagers. ‘Look at me, I rebel against authority, too!’” Even so, Collin had to hand it the guy, he could give a good speech.


“I’m not going to pretend that I have all the answers, that every hero here should say how high when I say jump but I want you to realize what is most important. This community, this family you have here, even when you don’t realize it. You need to be ready for the day, and this day will come, when you must stand shoulder to shoulder with every hero to fight for what his right.”


The end of the speech made Collin pay more attention. “Does he mean this in a general way, or does he have something specific in mind…” Collin wondered. “I wonder if we can go- WHAT THE ****!" Collin is jostled to ground as people try to escape that … thing. He jumps to his feet, trying to decide what to do. As far as Collin could see, no one seemed to be volunteering to go save the Mayor. Collin turned to the ruined wall. “This is a bad idea, a very, very bad idea.” If Collin had a heart, he was sure it would be pounding right now. Collin closes his eyes, and releases control, as the hordes of nanites that compose his body split apart, an then compose themselves into a vaguely humanoid shape, enveloped in a cloud of what looks like a swarm of metallic gnats. Readying himself for battle, he flies into the courtyard after the Mayor's monstrous assassin.

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Here I transform into my Alternate Form (Swarm), and then fly into the courtyard, to assess the situation.

[Raynn]

As you survey the scene you see this;


The red beast sees you and almost with a hint of fear leaps away till he disappears as a dot in the sky. You can't see the Mayor but other students and staff are scattered about. Fleeing and in danger.

The monster that remains turns his attention to you, standing heroiclly upon the rubble like a podium.

[Sinistral]

Collin stares at the very large blue monster, suddenly uncomformtably aware of how alone he is. "This is a school for superheroes, you think I could get a little backup."

"Err, Hey, you, Blue Guy!", Collin's voice sounds as if it emanates from millions of tiny speakers. "Clearly I need to review heroic banter 101." Collin thought to himself. Well, here goes nothing...

Collin focused a sphere of the nanites into his 'hand', and launched it at the blue giant.

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I use swarm strike.

[roll]1d20=6[/roll] If it hits, DC 23.

[smuchmuch]

Eiko hasn't been paying attention to the Mayor's speech, she simply had setted her audio receptor on record and listen later. The only part wich had partly taken her attention was the part when he wasted a perfectly good card while saying something about not having all the answers.
That sounded like a weird mesage to transmit. Why openly admit weakness whitout being chalenged ? Oddly the crowd didn't seem to react well to this glaring confession of inneficiency. Obviously there were here somme subtleties of human thinking that were escaping her at the moment.

Suddenly the wall behind the mayor sudenly shatter and the mayor get caught by a unknwon organism.
Eiko hesitate a bit, not sure weither she should be intervening or not (after all, for all she know it is customary to have mayoral speeches interupted by giant blue unenditified oganisms).

She tries to move closer, but bumps into running student engaged in what she identify as the "fight or flight response
Grabing a feeling student, she asks "I get it that isn't supposed to happen ?" The look she get in answer as she shake herself free is an elegant enough answer.

//Situation assesed: Disturbance. Potential threat. probable fight situation//agressor non recognized.//engaging. Readying fighting capabilities.// Readyiong for investigation

Her hand start cracking with electrecity as she moves to the courtyard. She takes a good look at the scene. Currently the potential target seem to stand still, there is no trace of the mayor. She doesn't act agressively in case the intruder decide to initiate communication but stand ready to intervene.

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Electrical blast (6) to the monster if it does anything openly agressive toward or any of the other students

" I think it would be in your interest to cease violence and surrender" The way she says it, it isn't a threat, or a demand, it's just a constatation.

[Raynn]

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(1d20+6)[13]
(1d20+6)[23]

Collin's shot goes wide and the beast approaches the two.

Eiko's shot hits the beast squarely in the chest as he approaches her but it doesn't even seem to phase the monster.

[smuchmuch]

//Situation updated. //Primary weapon system inneficient
I don't think I have anything powerfull for that kind of armor
//Threat level raised to Uh oh. //Boosting defensive reactions.// searching for new approach
.
Taking a few step backward, Eiko brace for impact, hoping to buy somme time for the non combatants to leave the scene (not that she really care about their well being, it just make the situation simpler) and for somme support to arrive.

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Preparing for total defense (raising total defense to 10)
there's pobaly something that could be done with bluf and feats such as distract and fascinate but I'm keping that for later.

[Sinistral]

Collin seethed with frustration as his shot went wide. "It's effing huge, how did I miss that?" The new girl wasn't having much luck either. It didn't even flinch when it took her blast. He watched as she assumed a defensive form. Before coming to this school, Collin might have had chivalrous instinct to try to get in-between the monster and the odd looking Japanese girl. Now, however, he had seen enough to know that she was probably better equipped to take a hit then he was.


He called out to the girl, "Any ideas on how we can take this thing down?" I doubt we can beat it in a straight up slugfest.

"If at first you don't succeed..."

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If it's been a round then I use Swarm Blast. (1d20+6)[19] DC 23
Also, my homing attack takes effect: . (1d20+6)[21] DC 23
If it has not been a round, disregard this.

[kpenguin]

Hikaru was listening quietly as the Mayor makes his speech. It was, at least short, if not entirely inspirational. He stands up quickly as the attack occurs, his body glowing with bright white light. He watches as two of his fellow students follow.

Lifting into the air, Hikaru flies after the strange girl and the metallic swarm. He pauses for a moment.
Maybe I should call Mister Albright, ask him what to do. Tell him what's happening.

He shakes his head.

No... I can't be calling for aid every time something bad happens. If I'm going to be next Beacon, I need to stand on my own two feet.

Hikaru surveys the scene, noting the noncombatants swarming around, trying to get away.

Alright, keep calm, keep calm, keep calm. What do I need to do? Right, secure the area. Make sure nobody gets hurt.

He swooping down near the beast, Hikaru nods to his schoolmates also in battle before spreading his arms outward, his hands shining with the light of the light-bearer. His face passively looking down at the beast, a wall of shimmering glow circles the brawl

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Hikaru is hovering around fifty feet above the fray and shifts all power in his Light Control Array to Create Object, creating a hollow topless cylinder that encircles at least Hikaru and the A-Bomb lookalike and excludes any noncombatants. If it can include Collin and Eiko without including any noncombatants, it does so.

The cylinder is as wide as it can be to meet the above specifications and fills out the rest of Hikaru's maximum Create Object area (nine 5 ft. squares) in height.

[Raynn]

The swarm attack strikes hard but the monster doesn't notice he looks up at the beacon as he creates the barrier, too small to include the other fighters.

The beast leaps up at Beacon II attempting to grab him, he strikes hard and tries to wrap his arms around beacon before landing on the rooftop of a nearby building.

He grabs Beacon II on the way down, slamming hard into the roof of the Lecture hall.

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His grapple modifier was so high you couldn't beat it

[kpenguin]

Uh-oh. Not good, not good... and no... stay focused. Calm.

Hikaru struggles in vain to wrest himself from the blue beast's grasp.

Maybe I should blind it with a quick burst of light... no, too dangerous. It'd hit anyone looking at us. Well, at least it's away from everyone else now.

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Should I be making toughness rolls?

[Sinistral]

"This is not going well, not well at all..." The monster just took everything that had been thrown at it without even flinching. He thought they had it with that light spell, but it got out of that, too. He readied another attack, hoping to distract the beast from the newcomer.

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Use Swarm Blast, (1d20+6)[24] DC 23

[smuchmuch]

Eiko still wasn't sure why the flying one had created a topless barrier rather than a full cage around the target, but the result didn't suprised her one bit. It was fairly predictable. In fact she almost wondered if she should really intervene as maybe it was all part of a cunning strategy she just didn't get. On the other hand he didn't sem to do so well and Dire-sama would probaly be quite annoyed if a student died during the first at her new job.

She concentrates for a quarter of a second. Her whole body seems to shimer.

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Move action: Using mental shapeshift to get
-Feat: Distract
-4 point in disguise
-12 point in bluff
-Taunt

"Repeating the same mistake a third time will not make it sudenly work. As you said yourself we will not beat though sheer force. Neither do we have too all we have to do is to distract it long enough."
She doubted such a comotion would pass unoticed, particaulary with the mayor himself threatened. By now, no doubt the NLF (she knew personaly how fast and hard they could respond) or another response force was probaly already on it's way.
"It has ignored our attack until now. So I will atempt to distract the thing. Do what you will, but the one on the roof could use help."

//Acessing comportement library// .. Loading available strategies........ computing available option... Loading. strategy formulated. Taking effect now. y/n
Y
I just hope that thing is not much smarter than it looks.

As this point her body has become an inform fluid mass wich quickly seems to inflate and reforms in another shape and color. A keen obsever would actualy realise that most of her boy is still made of the same of liquid, it just changed colors and visual texture to imitate something solid. Soon in her place, pprently stands the huge red monster she saw flying away when she penetrated in the courtyard. Apparently the blue thing whatever it was had it for him so that should constitute an apropriate distraction.

//Accessing image library//Reconfigurating apparence. Calibrating body mass//size.. Loading colors.............Done

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Using Morph as a free action
disguise check (1d20+6)[19]

"If you have other abilities than blasting energy, I suggest you start thinking of a way to use them to gain a tactical advantage now."

She let the two seconds necessary for her to to configure her vocal system, to Collin to take a head start.
//Volume set to maximum. //Accessing sound library
Hope this works
taking what she identify as a chalenging pose, Eiko emmits the closest thing she can emulate as a roar in the direction of the roof.

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Using distract as standart action. if it works the thing is dazled giving a small avantage to Kpenguin's character to free himself (or at least making sure he won't be crushed this round, wich is alway good). If someone who hasn't posted yet wants to enter the fight, now would be an excelent time.
If Hikaru doesn't manage to free himself even with someone else help, Eiko will use trick to try to convince the thing to let him go and attack her intead
Bluff (1d20+14)[20]

[Raynn]

Hikaru:

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No, he's doesn't seem to be trying to crush Hikaru

Another shot dances along the beast's skin and it doesn't even seem to notice.
It roars out at Eiko's trick and turns towards her, leaping down about to rush her as it drops Hikaru.

Daniel Sword, Mayor of Freedom city stumbles into the archway of the courtyard, his clothes ripped and torn "kids, stand down the N.F.L. will be any minute."

A voice rings out from the end of the main hall into the courtyard "We don't have minutes Daniel," her tone is annoyed yet level and business like.

The beast turns away at the sound, towards the small woman wearing silver gauntlets as if from some advanced battle suit.

She raises her hands and points towards the beast, fearless "these are MY students! So monster or no monster you will treat them with respect! SO SAYS DIRE!"

With that a pulse reverberates through the whole courtyard and the beast roars out in pain, swinging blindly, striking nothing before collapsing and turning into a shirtless, dark green haired boy.

Dire points one gauntlet at his head "Detention, for as long as you live and breath."

The boy looks up at her for a moment before promptly collapsing.

She looks up from him her serious and dangerous look fading to one of sheer exuberance, a smile stretched across her face "Are you all okay? Do any of. . ."

Her voice is cut off by Daniel shouting "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ATHY! YOU'RE PREGNANT! IF IT HIT YOU ONCE. . .!"

Athena cut him off "but he didn't, and I'm fine."

"He could have killed BOTH OF YOU!" He shouted with a terrified look.

A few secret service agents began to rush over to the Mayor as Athena spoke again "Daniel, we're done here."

"No, we're not!" Daniel half shouted as the agents flanked him and began to pull him away.

"No Daniel. . . We are." she said in monotone but watched him sadly as he departed, a scared, depressed look on his face.

She turns back to you all "is anyone hurt?"

[smuchmuch]

As she morph back into her regular form, Eiko runs a short system diagnostic and gives the result with a short bow. "No damages found, Dire ue-Sensei".*
Except maybe for pride.** The fact it was just another student make the whole thing somehow even more annoying. And the principal just took it down in one movement, although that doesn't upset Eiko so much as renforce her respect for the woman, hence the overly superlative sufixe.

Not appearing shaken or even upset by the fight, (though she was scared for a moment when the monster rushed in her dirrection, she just doesn't show it), Eiko just brushes her clothes and make her way back to the conference room, quietly waiting for the normal programm of activite to resume.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* I intend to eventualy cool it down with the gratuitous fake japanese titles (Mostly because I'll have forgoten half of them by two page or so). it's just for the flavor of having acting streoticaly animish (it's not like she can help it, she's been progrmmed that way) character in a western comic book world. when the game become serious, I'll tone that aspect of the character down.

**Wich, as we know, comes before The Fall, therefore we can only deduce The Shame will take place after The Rise.

[Sinistral]

“Wha- Wait.. .Huh?” Collin took a couple seconds to collect himself. “No, I don’t think it hurt any of us.” He waited a moment, and then burst out with questions. “That thing was a student? Why would a student try to kill the Mayor?”


He took a moment to examine Athena Dire. “She took down that thi- student so easily…” She was pregnant, presumably with the Mayor’s child, and yet she had no problem throwing herself into danger to save her students, and only wearing a small piece of her armor. He couldn’t help but wonder what the exact relationship between her and the Mayor was.

[kpenguin]

Well, that was interesting

Hikaru floats down to Athena.

"No injuries to report, ma'am."

Who was this small woman, his principal, brave enough to stand between a monster and her students?

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Knowledge (Current Events) check to see if Hikaru knows anything about Athena Dire.

Knowledge - (1d20+5)[23]

[Arq Kujos]

Richardson was sitting downstairs watching the mayor give his speech on a monitor. Great, another politician giving a speech. Just what I love to watch. Richardson wasn't impressed. He tossed a look over to his battle suit, the Sentinel. "I still can't believe I took this job. What the hell do I know about teaching kids?" He smirked for a moment before turning his attention back to the monitor.

On the screen, a strange blue monster was tearing up the academy and the students. It was big, ugly, and seemed to be handling the students with little to no difficulty. Without saying a word, he ran to his suit and punched in a key code to open it. The suit's seal down the front split open and Richardson stepped in it. It closed around him and in about 30 seconds, it was ready to go. He stepped out of his charging station from under the school and punched a command into his wrist communicator. A door above him opened. Richardson engaged his thrusters and flew up the open tube to the courtyard where the action had spilled to.

However, by the time he had arrived, a Athena had already driven the beast off. He watched as the beast flew off and then looked to Athena. "Is everyone alright?" he asked in a deeper, more mechanical tone.

[Raynn]

Athena walks over to Eiko and brushes a hand gently through her hair with a smile "just be more careful next time Eiko."

She glances over the other students and then to Richardson before she speaks "Mr. Richardson, I was meant to look over the Next Gen Entrance exam but I believe I now have a meeting with Daniel, which will likely involve much yelling and then him buying me my weight in rocky road ice cream, if you please, could you bring these students to meet the seniors in the combat simulator on subbasement level 4, it seems they fancy their chances in the test."

She walks back over to the student that a moment ago was the monster and picks him up, he's young, looking barely 15 "I will bring John to be looked after, he was using S.P.I.N. tech to control his transformations, it seems something must have gone wrong."

With that she walks away again.

Leaving Richardson with the students.

[kpenguin]

Combat simulator? Things sure are moving fast.

Hikaru looks to the man in the powersuit Athena had called "Mr. Richardson".

"Sir."

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I'm assuming the Knowledge check failed?

[Raynn]

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Sorry. Forgot it there for a second.

You are aware that she was recently made principal after Mr. Summers stepped down and that she has some personal connection with the mayor. Other than that she seems to be an almost complete unknown to you.

[Sinistral]

"So, we’re going to take a test?” Collin asked, slightly redundantly. He was going to ask about whatever S.P.I.N. was, but the prospect of being even considered for the Next Gen drove it from his mind. He’d dreamed of joining the Next Gen as a kid, what kid hadn’t? But now, to be faced with the possibility of joining the famous youth super hero team, especially so soon after Event 84... was more than a little overwhelming.

[Arq Kujos]

"Yes. Before we can help you understand your gifts, we need to know what you can do and what the full extent of your powers are."

Richardson turned back to Athena and said, "I'll take care of the students." He saluted in military fashion and then turned back to the students. "If all you could follow me.," he said, leading them back inside towards level 4.

[smuchmuch]

//?.//Querry
"Yelling is a sign of conflictual relationship is it not ? How does ice cream fits into it ?" asks a puzzled Eiko to no one in particular, before getting back at the matter at hand with a shrug. That is a mistery she'll have to investigate later.

"Combat simulation feels somehow redundant" she comments,waving at the ruined roof of the library building before following Richardson. She doesn't think much about eventually joining next gen in itself, if it the way she is deemed most usefull then so be it, even if is sensible to the fact she is trusted with something considered an unique opportunity.

[Raynn]

As you go enter the building a few of the younger students look at you with wide eyes, students rush past you to spread the gossip of your actions to their classmates.

As you reach the elevator Mr Richardson enters a code into the keypad and the elevator slowly descends to sub basement 4, the doors glide open. To reveal a large foyer like room, bean bags and other seating scattered about the room with monitors on each of the grey walls.

A dozen heads to turn to you as you enter. One of them belongs to a girl made of solid dull grey metal, another belongs to a boy with one arm made of magma the other of ice, yet another belongs to a part bat part human.

The crowd also includes a small blonde haired girl who's arm morphs continuely like she is fidgiting.

The others have no outward display of their powers but you know from your time at Claremont that they're all seniors, most of the remaining senior year actually.

A large door rest in front of you, steel, maybe even admantium, sealed shut.

[kpenguin]

As they walk, Hikaru's eyes flit to his classmates, the ones who had also taken the initiative to aid in fighting that other student.

The girl... she was very pretty, very very pretty. There was something off about her appearance, though, something Hikaru could not place. And then the emotionless, cold way she spoke was rather chilling.

The boy... he seemed nice enough. HE at least seemed to act real where the girl did not... though the way he transformed into little metal robots might imply he wasn't.

Hikaru decides that perhaps an introduction is in order.

"Um... hello, by the way. I'm Hikaru. I will be the next.... I am the new Beacon"

[Sinistral]

As Collin scanned the mass of seniors he couldn’t help but wonder what the hell he was doing here. They had all been here for years, while he was only a recent arrival of a few months. How was he supposed to compete with them? He forced himself to calm down. I just helped to contain a very large monster, and I doubt the principal would send me here if I couldn’t handle it. Hikaru’s introduction interrupted his mental pep talk.

"Um... hello, by the way. I'm Hikaru. I will be the next.... I am the new Beacon"

"Err, hello. My name is Collin. Collin Keene. Or Matrix. I’m still getting used to the whole alternate identity thing." He attempted
a smile, but with some embarrassment, he realized that he had forgotten to return to his human form. “ I’d offer to shake your hand, but uhh…” he trails off, waving his nanite composed 'hand'.

[smuchmuch]

///Morphing*patial reconfigaration.(right.arm)*//.
Eiko turns her hand partilay into liquid. Would an observer capable of miniature vision be in the environs, he would see that it's actually more of a gel, composed of billion of small moving balls.
Looking through her hand, she compare it to the one who just indentified himself as Colin or Matrix. She hadn't been able to pay much attention to it during the fight, but there was little doubt. Different abilities, different aspect, but this were also a swarm of nanites, probably off much purer quality than her own.

Maybe there is truth in the saying the world is a small place." (A saying wich until now had seemed rather odd to her, as "small" is not the adjective Eiko would apply to a 12,742 km diameter ball. But right now it's funny how it seemd fitting.) "Maybe that he technology is getting generalized ? she wonders as her arm solidify back top normal. She would have somme questions to ask later.

The other one looked much more human, but, even if she hadn't be able to watch his abilities in combat, his shining eye were a clear indicator of his particular nature. Otherwise for someone who could manipulate light, if her observations from the fight were any indication, he didn't seem too bright.

"I am Eiko. I am glad to meet you both" While it is obvious that last part is more automatic politeness than anything else, her interest seem genuine rather than simply polite. "The new beacon of what, if i may ask ? Light ?"

[kpenguin]

"Um... yes. I am a Light-Bearer... one of an ancient line of champions of light. My mentor, Mr. Albright... Mr. Langston Albright, he was the Beacon and I take my super name from him. Before him, White Rose and White Thorn weilded the power.

I... I have their legacy on my shoulders."

[Raynn]

As beacon finishes he notices the boy with one magma and one ice arm approaching, he seems like he's looking for a fight, either with words or fists, when he speaks to beacon it's almost a sneer "Aren't you a little short for a senior?"