Where Does the Time Go? (IC)

[lostsole31]

ALCON: I PM'd you both, but here is the link for the OOC thread for this game.

[srgonzo]

The short version is that the Reedeemers are a group of people with special talents who operate in conjunction with, if a little outside, standard law enforcement. The guys who run the organization might not have enough stroke to call in a nuclear strike, but they have enough influence to manage to get local, state and federal law enforcement to cooperate with us.

[lostsole31]

As far as what he knows ...

Janos came to investigate the bombing of City Hall. A manifesto was sent out that for too long the stupidity of those in positions of leadership is killing the rest of the populace ... nay, the world, while those whose idiocy is at fault are untouched. Not so anymore. Death's Messenger comes for those who would visit death on others through incompetence, negligence, cover-ups, and malfeasance.

And so, the beginning of his reign of terror began with the Hudson City Hall bombing. Not so bad as all that, structurally, but it was under a meeting floor that the mayor was having with many council members and aides. The Mayor had been called out five minutes before when he heard that a long-time vigilante in HC, by the name of Crusader, had been killed. News of Crusader's death saved the Mayor's life ... but took the lives of 10 councillors, 3 guards, and wounded some 22 others.

[BuckGodot]

ALCON: I PM'd you both, but here is the link for the OOC thread for this game.

So is this thread dead then?
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145197

[lostsole31]

Nooo. This thread is the IC (In Character) thread ... the OOC (Out-of-Character) is just that, for game rule discussions, "table banter," etc.

This thread is for in-game descriptions, actions, etc. ... not for BS and banter. You remember when we used to say "out of character" and hold up the back of our hand to our forehead with palm out? That's the OOC thread.

[lostsole31]

The far dusty outskirts of Las Cruces, New Mexico ...

Spoiler

Show

"Hey, Roberto!" said Fabio Mingo, the bartender at one of Las Cruces' rough-and-tumble roadhouses. "Been awhile since we seen you here."

"Sorry, Fabio, but I've been around ... and around." Bobby is a very lean man of 5'11", and weighing no more than a buck-fifty or so, but was as strong as stone as far as men go. He had a bit of a life before this point, though, and was bald except for the white hair around the sides of his head, though on closer inspection one will see his ice blue eyes and hair and realize that he is actually an albino mestizo. He dressed in a gray workshirt with standard turquoise bola tie, blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a long leather duster. A strip of bandana is taut around his forehead to keep sweat out of his eyes for when he rides his cycle, and a day or two of white stubble is on his chin. "So, where is this guy?"

"It's that really big man over by the dartboard. Juana's been made to sit in his lap now for an hour, and my other waitress is getting overworked. Fidela was raped by him and his gang a few months ago, and I worry for Juana. I don't think he's gonna let her go. A few guys have tried to stop him, but he's not right. He rides around the backroads with his hombres, the Popes of Hell MC. When he's in town, the cops don't wanna' touch him. He's smart enough to not get too much attention drawn to him, but he and his boys do as they want."

"Thanks, Fabio. I'll see what I can do."

Fabio puts his arm at Bob's chest. "Careful, esse. He's only got two guys with him here, the others are out at a cathouse. But, this guy upturned a Crown Victoria and smashed it to pieces like it was nothing."

Bob started moving towards his mark, when the two bikers at the pool table noticed him. One stops him by putting a pool stick across his chest. "Where the hell do you think you're goin', you scrawny beaner?"

The other man and his target laugh, and the woman in his target's lap with an arm wrapped tightly around her silently pleads as if to stop Bob for his own sake. "I just wanted to talk with your boss for a minute."

The other man was coming around the pool table, and now Bob was pinned. "Talk to us, you white-haired whet-bak."

"Fabio, the owner of this place, is a friend of mine. My father was pretty good buddies with him, too. Juana there is his second cousin, and she's had it pretty rough. So I'll buy you guys a pitcher of beer if you leave her alone, and go join your buddies at Miss Maud's cathouse. Hell, I'll spring for that as well."

The biker looks back at his boss, who simply smirks. The 'talker' turns back. "Sorry, spic, he's taken a liking to- WAUGHHH!"

The man is interrupted as Bob throws out a double-punch to the man's midsection, cracking ribs and doing internal hemhorraging as the man goes flying back into the wall, crashing into the paneling and falling down with pictures and paraphernalia dropping on him. He is out cold.

The man behind him is surprised, but doesn't have time to think and starts to go for a gun at his waist. Bob is faster than him and punches him right in the face for 5 BODY, 47 STUN, breaking his nose and cheek and dropping him instantly.

The bar is shocked into silence and backing away - many leaving, yet more remaining out of curiosity. "You Brad Powers, former Unlimited Class wrestler named 'Bulldozer' before you got kicked out?"

Bulldozer tosses Juana onto the floor and stands up, just over 6-1/2 feet tall, and stacked as a pro wrestler can be expected to be. "Yeah, you heard 'a' me, huh? Well, you gonna see why I was the best 'fore I was framed. Who the hell are you, huh?"

"I go by the biker handle Whisper. I'm not going to chat. Get out. Grab your men up at Miss Maud's. Take these guys to the hospital in Gallup if you have to, but I want you and your knuckleheads out of here by daybreak."

"How about we go outside and settle this like men, you pencil-necked geek?"

Whisper backs up slowly to make sure he doesn't turn his back on Bulldozer. "Sounds good to me, if that's how you want to play it."

Bulldozer grabs Juana by the arm, who grunts and struggles feebly. "C'mon, darling. You're gonna see a real man in action today. Then there's no way you're gonna resist me."

They go outside, and a crowd of the morbidly curious follows out and files along the side of the roadhouse. Bulldozer shouts as he roughly shoves Juana to the side, "You think you got what it takes to stop a bulldozer? HUH? You ain't seen nothing like what I got, you little creep!"

Whisper stands there, waiting for Bulldozer, who comes up to meet him. Bulldozer tries to stare him down, but it doesn't work. Whisper, seeing that the larger man is full of himself, doesn't even try.

P12S30: Whisper's a tough guy, as far as normals go, but he knows better than to try and go offensive with a guy who can total a car. The fact that Bulldozer was an UCWF draw means the knows how to use his strength, too. Whisper puts his 3 points of Kajutsu (Gun Kata, but includes very basic unarmed) all into DCV. His DEX 30 gives him an OCV/DCV of 10, plus 3 for Kajutsu skill levels, plus another 1 for a CSL devoted to DCV for a total of 14. His only Kajutsu unarmed attack is a snap kick or punch (same maneuver) which is +0 OCV, +2 DCV, raising his DCV to a staggering 16.

He makes a snap kick at Bulldozer that catches him in the chest for a base 3B/ 15 S (3 BODY/ 15 STUN), but Bulldozer is phenomenally resilient and easily takes it without any damage. Since his STR is 20, that is 20 APs (Active Points), and its 1 END/ 10 APs, dropping his END from 32 to 30.

P12S20: "You can't hurt me, knucklehead, any more than you can hurt a Bulldozer!" Bulldozer puts his +3 HTH CSLs all to OCV. Bulldozer swings but doesn't catch the fast Mexican. His STR is a Brick-class 50, costing 5 Active Points.

Post-Phase 12 Recovery:

Whisper has a 7 REC, and he recovers his END. Bulldozer has a 20 REC, and recovers his 5.

Turn 1 ...

P2: Whisper quick draws his two .50-cal modified machine pistols, spins them in his hand, and uses them as a club. Same OCV/DCV setup as before. One hits Bulldozer in the chest for 25 STUN, but he has 24 PD, so only 1 STUN gets through. (END 32:34).

P3: Bulldozer misses. (END 55:60, STUN 69:70).

P4: Whisper pops Bulldozer in the vitals for 30 STUN (6 mod).

P6S30: Whisper hits vitals for 12 mod STUN. (END 28:34)

P6T20: Bulldozer misses. (END 45:60, STUN 51:70)

P8: Whisper hits R shoulder for no mod-dmg. (END 26:34)

P9: Bulldozer misses. (END 40:60)

P10: Whisper hits L shoulder, no damage. (END 24:34)

P12S30: Whisper hits chest for no damage. (END 22:34)

P12S20: Bulldozer misses. (END 35:60)

Recovery: Whisper (END 29:34), Bulldozer (END 55:60, STUN full)

T2P2: Whisper realizes this guy is just too tough to beat down. He flips his guns in his palms.

"Whaddya' doin, coward? Using guns on me, huh?"

"Hey, if your fists can trash a car, then my guns aren't even close to that."

CSL's in DCV, but he has Rapid Attack (Ranged) and Two-Weapon Fighting (Ranged), as well as Ambidexterity (no off-hand penalty). He uses a Multiple Attack, both "Trained Shot" maneuvers of his Kajutsu (Gun Kata), which gives a +2 OCV, no bonus DCV. Final OCV +12, DCV +13.

R-hand hits Bulldozer's R shoulder. It is a 2d6+1 Killing Attack weapon with a +1 STUN multiple. Modified (which is how I will state the rest) it does 0B/ 24 S, as well as 4 Knockback (KB), the latter of which isn't resolved until the second attack. L-hand gun hits head for 0B/ 6S/ 0 KB, so the higher KB value is used, and as big as Bulldozer is, he's KB'd 4 hexes (25') for no damage. (Costs no END, but used 1 charge from each gun. Each gun holds 16 bullets/charges.)

T2P3: Bulldozer gets to his feet. "Try that again!" he says as he tries to run Whisper over with a Move-Through, passing him by 2" (2 hexes) and just missing, but being off-balance with this maneuver (-2 DCV). (END 50:60, STUN 40:70)

T2P4: Whisper fires again with a trained shot. Bulldozer aborts his next action to use his Missile Deflection to swat away the bullet. His HTH OCV doesn't help him, but this power gives him +5 OCV (12 total). Whisper makes a tremendous shot that would hit an 18 DCV and Bulldozer misses the bullet in the left leg for 0B/ 3 S.

T2P630: Whisper moves right up to Bulldozer to make sure there are no Move-Throughs or Move-Bys. He makes a Leg Shot, a special maneuver that is +0 OCV, -1 DCV, +2 DC (damage class, raising this RKA - Ranged Killing Attack - to 3d6 Killing Damage), and makes the target fall. He hits him for 9S and Bulldozer falls.

T2P620: Bulldozer is a little woozy, but had aborted his last action to swat away the bullet. (END 45:60, STUN 28:70)

T2P8: Whisper tries a Quick Shot (+1 OCV, +0 DCV, +2 DC), hitting Bulldozer in the chest for 20S!

T2P9: Bulldozer, desperate, gets to his feet and swings but misses.

T2P10: Whisper uses a Trained Shot, hitting Bulldozer in the chest for a whopping 36 STUN and dropping Bulldozer down to -24 STUN. This means that Bulldozer will get a Recovery only once a minute.

Two minutes later, Bulldozer gets up. He never even landed a blow, this guy was too fast, and his guns were more powerful and stung more than he thought could be from handguns. "This ain't over. I'll be back."

"Well, I travel around. But leave word with Fabio, and he'll get in touch with me. I'll be happy to meet you if you want to go again."

Bulldozer goes down the street to gather up his boys from Miss Maud's. He doesn't bother to help his two fallen brothers that are lying badly injured in the bar. He and his band, the Popes of Hell, ride past the roadhouse giving dirty looks to Whisper and all the people standing around watching. Ever full of machismo, their leader yells out, "We'll be back, Whisper! And y'all better get ready to be Bulldozed!"

The folks cheer, and Whisper goes inside. He has a bottle of Dos Equis, a bowl of posole, and a plate of Fabio's fabulous chile rellenos, and then heads out, only nodding as he leaves.

"Where's he going, Fabio?" asks a patron.

"That man is only half Mexican. His dad was full Tesuque Indian. He likes to go out and camp rather than be stuffed into a hotel, when he can."

"Where the hell he'd learn to fight and shoot?" asks another.

"He spent 6 years as a, what was it, RM2 in the Navy - a radio operator. Become a Navy SEAL, and then supposedly worked many years working for Uncle Sam in other ways. Prolly' CIA or something. Ain't no finer man I ever saw with any kind of gun you can name."

They stand on the porch watching the tail lights of his refurbished Indian Panhead motorcycle fade away. Fabio looks on proudly. "Yeah, he's a regular mestizo knight. A steel-horse cowboy that rides around like the lone ranger, protecting those that need help well outside the big cities here in the Southwest."

[lostsole31]

Donovan, as the two of you get to the outer perimeter that includes cops and bomb squad on standby and stuff .... will you be as Donovan, or will you change into the Cloak?

[BuckGodot]

Donovan, as the two of you get to the outer perimeter that includes cops and bomb squad on standby and stuff .... will you be as Donovan, or will you change into the Cloak?

I was going to say I would take my cues from the man on point, but if it comes down to needing to be the Cloak, I don't want Crane implicated, so...Yes, I will change before we arrive on scene.

[srgonzo]

Mr. O will be arriving on scene, not Janos.

[lostsole31]

As Janos pulls over and parks the car, he looks over and sees that Donovan became his mysterious darkforce self in what seemed like no time. It takes Janos a little more effort to change into his super-self with the sign of the ourobouros on his chest.

Hardpoint is there, Mr. O, and is your liaison with TACOM. He'll be with you on your wrist radio for comms.

So, Mr. Ourobouros (who is identified as such), how do you introduce your mysterious darkforce twin??

[srgonzo]

Hey Hardpoint. I'd like to introduce my brother from another mother. Somehow the universe conspired to put the two of us in the same general location at the same time, and now that weirdo Death's Messenger thinks he's my sidekick.

[lostsole31]

Cloak, in front of you stands a guy who looks like a cross between the middle ages, and a sci-fi something or another. He's a guy encased in metal armor, but it has a futuristic look. Hardpoint's powered armor is sleek and aerodynamic with an aesthetic heavily (though not entirely) influenced by Japanese anime and manga. Overall it's a sort of purple-mauve, with golden highlights and trim. The helmet flares back slightly, something like a bicyclist's headgear. The armor's gauntlets and boots are (slightly) oversized, in the anime style.

"I'd shake your hand," Hardpoint says, his voice electronically amplified (else you wouldn't hear him speaking in there), "but I'm sure I'd crush it. And you are .... ?"

[BuckGodot]

"I'd shake your hand," Hardpoint says, his voice electronically amplified (else you wouldn't hear him speaking in there), "but I'm sure I'd crush it. And you are .... ?"

Cloak extending his hand....Nice can.....

[lostsole31]

Hardpoint reaches out to shake it. He is very ginger about.

"Hardpoint here," he says rather cheerfully.

He looks to Mr. Ourobouros. "Well, we don't let any new traffic into this area, but we couldn't evac either because of his threat. It's 11:52, Mr. O., so you two better get down there pretty quickly."

[srgonzo]

I suppose this guy is intelligent enough to monitor radio frequencies, so attempting a technological relay would be a bad idea. Dang, it sure would be nice to have a micro-camera and an earpiece so someone else might be able to help us look for this bomb. Here's hoping it's obvious. Ok, what's the fastest way of getting there, vice teleportation?

[lostsole31]

Hardpoint points down the road. "Three blocks down, you can see the line of bikes from here. Sooo, walk, run, skip ... ?"

[BuckGodot]

I'll follow along. This is your show. I'm just the sidekick, remember? he chuckles....

[srgonzo]

Considering time constraints, let's run.

Mr. O runs out at top speed.

[BuckGodot]

Wouldn't it be faster to fly? and he coasts alongside Mr. O.

[lostsole31]

This morning, Donovan felt just the faintest bit queasy, but chalked it up to not really getting a lot of sleep and the stress of the night before.

The mobile command center was set up three long blocks away, but because of on-and-off drizzle, a tarp was set up so that paperwork and some equipment could be out without getting wet. The car Janos drove pulled into a 2-car spot under the big tarp.

As soon as Mr. O set out with the Cloak following, they left the tarp ... and into the sun. Not even the "sun", but overcast clouds ... but the Cloak feels sick like he never did before as he feels the sun is enervating him for 7 STUN. He takes a few second to process this as his initial burst of recovery helps him, but then he takes another 21 STUN in the mere 2 seconds it takes for him to decide on an action. It is so bad and potent, that Cloak gets physically ill (he doesn't vomit). It is as if a sun that isn't even visible (because of the clouds) is trying to rip him to pieces. His form is bubbling and boiling away, and Cloak has no doubt that if he were to fall unconscious from this, that he would quickly burn up and die.

Now, Cloak has been out in the sun before, but he's never been bothered. But ever since last night and his first contact with Mr. O ... things haven't been the same.

[BuckGodot]

We need to get under cover soon. I can't take this much longer. I feel like I'm melting in the sunlight....What the hell happened to me?

[lostsole31]

No, you didn't forget .... this is new. (For this incarnation of your character.)

[srgonzo]

Switch back to Donovan, and we'll just run down to the bar.

[lostsole31]

Of course, if Cloak shifts back to Donovan ....

[BuckGodot]

Is there any shade or cover to be seen along our route?

[lostsole31]

No, not really, not enough to matter. The clouds are out, and yet you are in pain ... so if you are thinking "direct rays of the sun," you are on the wrong path, Grasshopper.

[BuckGodot]

I should be able to outfly this..... he says through clenched teeth.....But it's kicking my ass...... and he lands and runs next to Mr. O while changing to Crane stance......

[lostsole31]

And Donovan is now walking next to Mr. Ourobouros ... and he recovers his STUN over the next couple minutes walking to the bar. There are a line of bikes outside, and talking and smoking outside are two "classic biker toughs" that stop to look at you both.

Do you talk to them, or just go to brush past?

[BuckGodot]

I don't think they are why we're here...Let's just go in....Once inside (provided we get there) I'll find a dark corner and cloak back up.

[lostsole31]

The two men block the door.

"Hey, look at this Nitro! The freak show just pulled in."

"Sorry, spandex-boy, private party in there. You and your buddy there are looking for 'The Hole' ... about two blocks up that way, take a left, and it's right next to the costumeshop."