Trails on Cassos Island [SAPPHIRE CITY]

[Andraia]

TRIALS ON CASSOS ISLAND
------------------------- Or, How Not to Make a Good First Impression

Current Initiative Order: Freeplay

Our Adventure Begins...

The Sapphire City Trio’s helicopter was a sleek, black affair. It was designed for stealth and functionality, not comfort, and although the outside might seem relatively stylish, the inside was militant and hard. The thick padding on the inward facing seats did very little to make the long journey any more enjoyable. At least the propellers didn’t make the thrump-thrump-thrump sounds characteristic of its type of aircraft, and what little noise the machine did make was muffled by the walls.

They had left HQ about twenty minutes earlier, and none of the trio had given the team any indication of what their destination might be. Cerberus and Nymph, who were at the front end of the craft, were talking quietly among themselves and had so far deflected any attempts to have information pried out of them. Sabre, the only mentor who might have been persuaded to let them into the loop, was sequestered in the pilot’s cabin and inaccessible.

[SuperCracker]

Aegis: The Invincible
On the Helicopter
Stats
HP: 1
Condition: Unharmed


“Woo! Look at me now, son. I’m flyin’ in style,” Aegis said (in his Southern accent) with a big, charming, cocky grin on his face. He wasn’t seated in one of the uncomfortable chairs. He was hanging onto a handrail and standing near the door. He flashes that same grin to the other team-members assembled. Looked like a good enough bunch to him.

“Though I reckon you’ve flown in fancier space-ships and all, huh Li’l Bit?” His nickname for Gremlin. She had stuck around the HQ more than most, so she already had the pleasure of a nickname from Tim. He gave most people nicknames of some form or another.

Tim was ecstatic about being on this team. In the course of not-very-long he had gone from obscurity to being a famous super-hero under the tutelage of some of the very best the world had to offer. And he had a team and potential super-powered buddies. Life was working out for a change. And today... today was game time. He was ready to get out there and show them what he could do.

“How ya’ll doin’? Ready to… do whatever the hell we’re supposed to be doin’?” He turns his head to Nymph. “Yo! What are we doin’ anyway?” It doesn’t matter how many times people have asked that already, Tim just adds another +1 to the total.

[THEChanger]

Hex
HERO POINTS: 1 | CONDITION: Normal

"Do not disturb them, Ageis." Hex's eyes were closed, in an attempt to keep his mind clear amidst the constant babbling of his teammate. "If and when Cerberus and Nymph feel we need to know where we are going, they will tell us. Your continuous prodding will not get you the information you desire any quicker, and only serves as a distraction to our mentors."

"And me." Hex often found himself aggrivated by the more animated among his teammates. Cross appeared to be the only sane one besides himself, with the worst being that infuriating Speed Man. Working with such an undisciplined group would test Jonah's patience. But, Cerberus trusted them, as did the other two heroes currently commanding the helicopter. And if such distinguished heroes found them worthy, then Jonah would have to trust their judgement. For now.

[ripleycat]

Gremlin
HP: 1 | CONDITION: Normal

"Oh yes, our ships were much more advanced." Says the tiny figure perched on one of the seatbacks. "This is very nice too, though." Gremlin adds quickly, as if worried their mentors might be offended by her comparing the helicopter to an intergalactic starship.

Gremlin popped up and began buzzing around the cabin for the third time since they'd left the ground, her gravity boots leaving shimmering energy contrails behind her. The miniature engineer got bored easily, and there was little to do, especially after Nymph had taken away her tools for trying to jimmy her way into the cockpit. She busied herself doing flips and loops in midair, peering around at her teammates like they were the most amazing things in the world. "But Hex, how will we know when they are ready to tell us if we don't ask?"

Apparently, this line of reasoning makes sense to Gremlin, as she flits over to the veteran pair and gives them her biggest, most innocent puppy-dog eyes. "Hey Cerberus, Nymph? Where are we going? We have been traveling for some time now."

[Croakamancer]

Daughter of the Crossroads

{table]Hero Points|One
Condition|Normal[/table]

Cross has been quietly tapping away at a laptop for the majority of the flight. Even in armour, she's been carrying a backpack, which holds her laptop, amongst other things. She's been working on a little profiling for the SCPD, not to mention her University application results are due in shortly, some time within the week. It's hard to get internet access whilst within a stealth helicopter, but that hasn't prevented Cross from making the occasional attempt.

No, her comrades seem more likely to stop her work, especially Aegis. Cross looks up at the southerner's drawl, slightly vexed. He's being friendly, but still, there's so much to dislike about the kid. He's disrespectful, arrogant, flippant... yet seems to enjoy the concept of a team. Street punk, through and through. There're worse people, of course, but she still can't quite work out how someone like that'd ended up on the team. Will he listen to anyone else's opinion?

Still, for that matter, Hex's actions are also a little worrying if it comes to integration and teamwork. Cross notes each in turn, but it's Gremlin's actions that get the Aesir to look up, flipping her computer screen down. "We'll know they're ready to tell us... because they'll tell us, Gremlin. I doubt three major heroes are going to take time off and bring us all the way out here to see a very interesting tree; this has to be important, and when we need to know what's going on, they'll say."

This doesn't seem likely to appease the ever bubbly Gremlin however, and Cross legitimately enjoys the tiny woman's company, as irritating as it might get on occasion, it's sincere, and can go a fair way towards lifting your spirits. A quiet grin taking over, she whispers, a touch theatrically."But if you want my best guess..."

If anyone ends up paying attention to the armoured figure as a result of that, Cross rests her hands atop her laptop, continuing explaining things simply and calmly. Something this team seems likely to need. "Think about it logically. We're using this helicopter, rather than a plane, but it's a prolonged journey. So midrange location, outside the city, probably isolated, most likely somewhere we don't know. Could be an urgent mission, but if so, they'd have given us a briefing by now."

Probably. Cross still isn't used to actually working on this level, and she's still less than sure of how things are done when you're superheroic. But still... I can't see any of these three simply not telling us what's going on if it's important that we know. They're not all Saber, but the three are each heroes. If they're not talking to us, that's the point of this, revealed in one.

[kpenguin]

The Sensational Speed-Man!
HP: 1|Condition: Normal

Aboard the HEROIC HELICOPTER of the SAPPHIRE CITY TRIO, the SENSATIONAL SPEED-MAN, BOLD BLUE BRAVO of the BREEZE, sits upright in his seat, back straight, hands folded politely in his lap. His relaxed yet formal pose barely conceals his excitement, an excitement betrayed by his goofy grin.

Speed Man has been nodding a long to the conversation thus far, attentive but careful not to interrupt anyone. He is especially careful not to interrupt HEX, SHRIVELED SHAMAN OF THE SHADOWS. Hex seemed to take offense at Speed Man's very presence, but Alan was sure he'd turn around.

As CROSS, DAUGHTER OF THE CROSSROADS, gives her analysis, Speed Manturns to look at her, rapt in attention. He's idly curious what she's been doing on her laptop, but he decides it wouldn't be right to pry.

"That's a real clever deduction, Cross. You're probably right, but I guess we'll see when we get there. No point in poking them if they don't want to tell.

[Andraia]

The two established heroes listed to the party banter with the kind of good-humoured tolerance one builds up when dealing with children. Although most of the people in the chopper were well past what, by any species’ standards, would be considered a child, some of them certainly had some childlike qualities. Which wasn’t bad, so much as maybe challenging?

It was a refreshing change, in Nymph’s opinion.

“Clever deduction indeed. Five points to Cross.” Nymph looked at her stoic-faced companion and grinned slyly. “Should we put them out of their misery yet?”

The masked man merely grunted in reply. Nymph apparently took that as a positive and turned to face the expectant rookies. Her grin faltered slightly and was replaced by a more serious expression. “You all know why you are here. In general, I mean,” she clarified. “You have all read about the disappearances on the news; heroes dropping off the face of the planet. What the reporters don’t know is that most of them are dead. They were killed by apparently random villains. The disturbing fact is that most of them were killed in their civilian identities.”

“In light of these attacks some of our friends, mostly the ones with families, have decided to retire. It has left the world in something of a crunch for superheroes. The world needs us now more than ever. That is why we,” she looked glanced at Cerberus and the door to the cockpit, “have decided to take you guys under our wing. But we can’t help you if we don’t know what you are capable of. Which is why we are here.”

“You can blame Cerberus for your current state of cluelessness, he wanted to give you as little time to prepare as possible. We’re about five minutes away from our destination now.”

“Our satellites picked up activity on one of the uninhabited islands along the coast.” Cerberus cut in, in his trademark growling baritone. He pushed a button on the arm of his seat and the passenger area of the split down the centre by a glowing holographic screen. The screen showed a map of the coast briefly and then zoomed in on one of the islands north of the city. “This is Cassos Island. Sixty years ago it, and some of the micro islands surrounding it, were home to a covert military testing facility. It was shut down decades ago after seismic activity in the area collapsed or flooded many of the tunnels. It appears that Doctor Blake Cursor--”

“I think he started going by Gigahertz last time we saw him… or terabytes, or megawatts, or something…”

“Gigabyte!” Sabre yelled from the cockpit.

“It appears that Gigabyte has decided to use the abandoned underground complex for his new base. Your job will be to infiltrate the facility, shut down whatever operation he is trying to run, and apprehend the good doctor.”

[Croakamancer]

Daughter of the Crossroads

{table]Hero Points|One
Condition|Normal[/table]

Nymph's approval wins a blush from the Asguardian Scion, she hadn't intended to stand out, just offer an observation. The blush soon enough turns to a pale sickly look, as Nymph narrates the current state of the heroic community, something Soph hadn't been following. Villains targeting heroes in civilian identities. That might not worry Cross as much as some heroes, half of her family are gods, and the other half can take care of themselves... but not against a death ray. The prospect of SCPD officers getting caught in the crossfire of something like that is frightening, mostly because it's something she's seen before once or twice, when things got truly dark. Seeing her mother, burning away in blue fire...

Focus!

Cross might've shivered a little at that, but soon enough, she's nodding to Nymph and Cerberus, her mind focused on the briefing. It's a fairly simple one, villain there, go get. "I take it that the doctor won't be working alone, or without equipment. The name Gigabyte suggests a tech focus, but with an old base originally abandoned for seismic activity and partial flooding, he'll have had problems trying to set up anything electrical somewhere safe, especially if he wanted to keep it underground. That narrows our search. Do we get blueprints for the original base?"

[SuperCracker]

Aegis: The Invincible
On the Helicopter
Stats
HP: 1
Condition: Good

Tim raised an eyebrow at Hex. That reply had rankled him a little bit; but instead of firing back, he would try and take the high road. It wouldn’t be good to start getting mad at everyone, would it? He grins a friendly grin at Hex.

“Ease up, Voodoo,” impromptu nickname, “If Nymph wants me to shut up, all she’s gotta do is say so.” Tim would listen to Nymph whenever she asked him to do something. She was a woman who didn’t have any apparent powers who still managed to hang with the strongest of the strong. She’s earned his respect in spades.

Naturally, when Cross mentioned that she was about to guess, he fell quiet and paid attention. And the analysis was very smart. It was certainly nothing Tim would have thought of on his own. No training, little actual education…

And then Nymph confirmed it to be true.

"Nice goin', Cross. I reckon you're the brains of this outfit." He said with complete sincerity. Then he shut up and let the experienced people talk.

The fact that villains targeted heroes didn’t make Tim afraid for himself. He is the least important thing as far as what needs protecting. He was worried about the Johnson’s. If little Aaron got dragged into any of this because of Tim… Let’s just say it gave him another layer of determination.

More was riding on him than the image of mutant-kind, that's for sure.

Cross again flexed her tactical brainpower and helped him understand the possibilities of the situation, but he wanted to cut to the chase. “What kinda activity did ya’ll pick up? And what could this guy do the last time ya’ll ran into him?” All the jokes from a moment before were out of his voice. He leaned in to take a closer look at the screen.

[ripleycat]

Gremlin
HP: 1 | CONDITION: Normal

Gremlin frowned. Targeting heroes in their civilian identities was against the 'rules', as she understood them. It seemed cruel and cowardly. But then, villains weren't the type to play by the rules. If they did, then they wouldn't be villains, would they? While her closest friends didn't really have 'civilian' identities the way people meant when they talked about superheroes, she still didn't want to see them hurt because of her actions.

The prospect of dueling with a tech-based villain, though, that was very exciting, and quickly overwhelmed her other worries. "Does um, Gigabyte have any powers of his own, or do they all stem from technology? And do you have any idea what sort of things the military was testing, so long ago? Could Gigabyte be looking for something, and not just trying to set up a new base? I mean, surely there must be somewhere he could create a lair that isn't flooded and caved in, right?"

[Andraia]

“You’re right on both counts, Cross. More or less.” Nymph said with a small smile. Not for the first time since meeting the girl, Arisol wondered why Cross had chosen to affiliate herself with Sabre rather than more businesslike Cerberus. The older hero seemed a bit more her speed, but it would be amusing to see how this girl’s methods and personality got on with Sabre’s relentless optimism in the long run. “Dr Cursor was a programmer for Carthwright Labs. He specialised in robotics. Take from that what you will.”

Cerberus shot his partner a withering glance. Teasing them was unnecessary. “This morning one of our satellites was able to catch a picture of Dr Cursor outside of the main complex entrance. Unfortunately there are no blueprints available. Because of the building’s original top secret nature, the plans were never put on file, and because the building has been abandoned for so long, no one thought to keep track of the originals. We were able to estimate where Gigabyte has set up his base, based on the activity in-and-out of the cave and reports on where the damage to the complex was the heaviest.”

“He might be looking for something, but I doubt it.”

“D–”

“Don’t make assumptions.” Nymph rolled her eyes. “The based was cleared out pretty well after it was abandoned. It is very unlikely that there would have been anything left behind valuable enough to catch Cursor’s attention. Then again, there were some areas that they were never able to access. The building had the most advanced shielding technology of its time built right into it, most of which is still very effective. We were unable to get readings of any kind from inside the base. I’m actually rather surprised someone hasn’t tried to use it before now.”

Spoiler

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OOC: I apologise, this post is a lot less in-depth that it was originally. My original post was eaten and I had no way of retrieving it. This time I went for haste over quality ^_______^;; .

[Croakamancer]

Daughter of the Crossroads

{table]Hero Points|One
Condition|Normal[/table]

Cross nods at the two heros as they describe the base and how the Doctor's occupation of it might've come about. "It sounds more like he wanted the location rather than anything inside. Military officials working on top secret tech don't tend to leave it lying around. This place is shielded, immune to in-depth scans, out of the way. Prime villain real estate"

Yes, contrary to what her mother might say, Cross can attempt to make a joke. She grins a little, but doesn't continue the trend, returning to her normal recitation of the situation and how they might best handle things from a tactical point of view. "If the upper areas of the base are still abandoned, and the activity's been around the caves, that's the entrance his robots'll probably be at, and defending. Doesn't sound like Doctor Tech-Name was trying to cover his tracks too well, you make him sound like someone whose been at the game a while. He might not know we're coming, but that doesn't mean he'll be completely nu-prepared."

Forgetting Nymph and Cerberus for a second, Cross' gaze flickers between the five she's sharing the helicopter cabin with. Her 'teammates'. She tries to be a little more warm, a little less formal, though it's questionable as to if anyone but her will notice. "Would you guys be willing to consider a two pronged attack? Half going in through the old base's remains, the other half hitting them up front at the cave system? With one authority figure, and minions with limited autonomy, they won't be able to respond to such a menouver properly"

It occurs to Cross that this might somewhat contradict the intent the Trio had with bringing them out here. She turns to Nymph, voice quickening a little at the implication of a mistake. "It'd be easier to work in two teams than all at once, co-ordinating everyone's actions. Most of us are used to doing this stuff alone, after all. Start things off on the smaller scale, just a couple of friends along for the ride, rather than a six man combat unit. If we time it right, the defenders'll be too occupied to try and overwhelm either group, and Cursor's probably working on something. By the time he's ready for a fight, we'll have hopefully taken down half his toys, leaving Gigabyte ready for a trip back to the mainland, and a cell."

[THEChanger]

Hex
HERO POINTS: 1 | CONDITION: Normal

"So let me see if I understand. We are being dropped into territory which we have only an imperfect sense of, to capture a criminal with unknown resources, and who is engaging in unknown activities?" Hex leaned forward, both hands resting on his cane. He gazed at his mentor, Cerberus. Hex admired the hero's straight-forward attitude and strength of will. It would be a challenge to live up to Cerberus' expectations. Hex briefly wondered if that were even possible. Cerberus seemed to believe that perfection was not only achievable, but expected. It would be interesting to see how this apprenticeship turned out.

"Business as usual then. Excellent." Turning to Cross, Hex nodded. "Two teams of three then. Seems like a solid plan. If possible, we should keep a method of communication between the two teams open. This, of course, brings up the question of how to divide ourselves."

[Andraia]

Cerberus looked at his new protégé with what passed for an expression of amusement on his carefully controlled face. “Basically, yes.”

Nymph grinned at the girl as she made her uncharacteristic joke. She watched the team approvingly as they made their arrangements. They were taking initiative. Good. “You guys can do this however you want. This is your mission.”

[SuperCracker]

Aegis: The Invincible
On the Helicopter
Stats
HP: 1
Condition: Good

Every time Nymph spoke it reminded Tim why he liked her. He appreciated that kind of attitude. As for Cross, the two-teams plan sounded fine to him. Especially when one team was going to hit the front entrance as hard as it could. That put a wild grin on his face.

“I ain’t good for sneakin’ around. But I tell ya’ll what… I’ll knock on his front door so damn hard he won’t be lookin’ nowhere else.”

He’s very aware that he’s a blunt instrument. He’s also very aware that he’s a very good blunt instrument. And the last time he checked, he could probably take a laser blast better than the rest of the team; so he preferred that he would be the one drawing the fire.

“I’d be happy to take whoever else is down for a frontal assault. Might be best if we team up based on whose abilities work good together. Ya know?”

His own were fairly straightforward and well-known. He's a powerhouse.

[ripleycat]

Gremlin
HP: 1 | CONDITION: Normal

Gremlin nods her agreement with Cross's plan. "Excellent idea. Divide his attention and we should be able to get in and destroy his defenses before he realizes what is actually going on, and has a chance to counter us or escape."

The opportunity to play havoc with shielded systems and a possible robot horde was one no self-respecting "gremlin" would pass up, and Zayana was no different. "I would like to be part of the team that goes through the old base. Unlike Aegis, I am very good at sneaking around." Gremlin considers this statement, then clarifies. "Well, actually, I am not, but I am quite small, which is kind of the same thing."

She claps her hands, a gleam in her large (relatively speaking) black eyes. Taking down a real supervillain with her new friends! Now this was going to be fun. And he was a roboticist! Even better! She hoped that afterwards they'd get to really explore the base. Maybe they'd let her examine one of the robots. Maybe they'd let her keep one of the robots! Or two! Or all of them!

[Croakamancer]

Daughter of the Crossroads

{table]Hero Points|One
Condition|Normal[/table]

Cross smiles at first as the group seem to be coming together passably well. Even Hex seems happy (ish) Still, the smile fades to a frown of concentration as the details begin to become the subject of debate. "We don't have the numbers for an even division. Given that, more of us in the attack team seems wise. You're going to be more at risk, after all. "

She looks between the three boys, more than a little unsure. They didn't exactly seem like a group that'd play well together. Aegis is pigheaded, Hex is broody, Speedman's oblivious to sarcasm, irony and arguably common sense. But they need to work together at some point, if this little band's going to become a proper team. "Will you three be comfortable working together? Your power sets seem like they'd compliment each other well. Aegis up front, drawing fire and dealing damage, Hex standing back, fighting from a distance, and Speedman offering support where needed. It's your decision, but still..."

Spoiler

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I'm going with the thought that Vortex hasn't shown up, so it's a five man band for now

[DuReign]

Vørtex
HP: 1 | CONDITION: Normal

And that is when ...

*ZWUM*

... a gently glowing, round portal - like a cross section of scintillating ocean water - pops into view in the rear of the helicopter.

"I am sorry I took so long, Nymph, I needed to make sure I was not seen..." comes a voice through the portal, preceding its owner: a lanky young man wearing a black suit printed with glowing, spiraling lines. He stops, surprised, as he sees everyone else. His glowing cerulean eyes widen in surprise, then delight.

"Oh WOW, superheroes!" He seems like he is about to ask you all questions, before he once again notices Nymph and Cerberus. He starts talking again, in more formal diction.

"I am sorry... I scouted the island, as you asked:

"It is not that big, perhaps about the size of that field on which your people play that game, the one with the plastic armor and the oblong ball and the Tebowing?

"There is a thick, forested area on the side of the island where we believe that underground complex is ... well, under.

"I also saw a deserted looking cement building, with a heavy metal door, built right into the side of a hill; an entrance maybe? It does not look like it has been disturbed in some time.

"I saw no sign of any other presence."

Finally, the young man can hold it in no longer.

"Is this the team of superheroes you mentioned to me before? Wow, it is an honor to meet you all! I greatly admire superheroes! I am Adam, Junior Guardian of Dimension X84-P, but my superhero name is Vortex!"

[SuperCracker]

Aegis: The Invincible
On the Helicopter
Stats
HP: 1
Condition: Good

“Hell yeah I’m down to work with Speedy. Speedy’s my boy.” He’d go for the fist-bump, but he figures Speedy’s a little too Leave it to Beaver to get what’s going on. Maybe later.

He’s not too sure about Voodoo, though. For some reason Tim thought he’d be the sneaky type. What with the shadows and everything. Still, he’d roll with the guy if he wanted to be in the attack team. The A-Team, if you will.

Then a portal opened up and a new guy stepped out. “What in the h—“ Oh but then he’s showered with excitement and adoration. Okay, the portal kid is good in his book. Though he would seriously have to be taught about football. Maybe a few hours of watching the Falcons was in store.

On a serious note, it looked like he’d already been at work scouting the place out. Would have been nice to know about that ahead of time rather than having a team-mate pop out of nowhere… literally.

Aegis grins and extends a big hand to the young man. “Nice to meet ya, Adam. Name’s Tim. I go by Aegis when I’m wearin’ this headband, ya know?” He gestures to the old, worn headband across his forehead. It's been around the block a few times.

[DuReign]

Vørtex
On the Helicopter
HP: 1 | CONDITION: Normal

Vortex takes Aegis hand. He has practiced this dimension's Earthling "handshake" extensively; he is nearly an expert at it.

"I am pleased to meet you, Aegis. Does another headband bestow upon you a different name?"

[SuperCracker]

Aegis: The Invincible
On the Helicopter
Stats
HP: 1
Condition: Good

“Kinda. Ya see, when I’m ready to go do the superhero thing, I put this bad boy on. It’s the real uniform, for me. This suit,” he pinches the black costume he’s wearing, “is awesome—thanks, Nymph—but the headband’s been my thing for years. Long story short, when I put it on, it’s time to get serious. Get what I'm sayin'?”

[ripleycat]

Gremlin
HP: 1 | CONDITION: Normal

Gremlin was going to comment on the uneven distribution of the teams when the universe saw fit to drop a teleporting fanboy into the helicopter, neatly solving the problem and providing valuable intelligence at the same time.

"I think I'm going to like you." she said simply, noting a kindred spirit as the newcomer gushed about how much he liked superheroes. "Greetings, Adam! I am Zayana, but you can call me Gremlin if you like." She tries to find a way to shake his hand, eventually settling for moving one of his fingers up and down.

The sprite-like engineer gives Adam a shrewd look and asks eagerly: "So, Vortex, you are going to join us, yes? We're about to go after a supervillain, and one of our teams could really use another person. Especially someone sneaky, with powers that let them pop into small spaces. You said that you greatly admire superheroes, correct? You have superpowers and a superhero name, so are you not also a superhero yourself? You said you were the guardian of an entire dimension, you must be a great superhero!"

[DuReign]

Vørtex
On the Helicopter
HP: 1 | CONDITION: Normal

Vortex nods his understanding, smiling. "That is a fascinating superpower! So this is your Serious Headband... do you have an entire Headband Emotional Spectrum that you can utilize? I am sure your enemies would quail before your Angry Headband!"

Vortex begins looking at the other superheros, completely oblivious to Nymph's hiding a smirk and Cerberus rolling his eyes behind him.

The cerulean and black clad Junior Guardian greets Gremlin just as enthusiastically, but shakes his head at her question of his joining them.

"Alas, no... I wanted to be a superhero, but the other Guardians... think that that would not be my best role. And I am only a Junior Guardian, I... I, uh, am limited in my responsibilities. I was only to provide reconnaissance of this island for you... Sabre, Cerberus, and Nymph have clearly picked an extraordinary team, they don't need someone like me."

Spoiler

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I just had Vortex pop in now to explain why he had been so silent up to this point; because he wasn't there! It was my ad hoc rationale for my being so busy IRL. It also provided an organic 'info-dump' of the island without Cerberus and Nymph having to explain everything.

Since Vortex is in exile, he is assuming that his job was just to scout on ahead for the rest of the team, and that he isn't actually supposed to join them on this mission; he thinks he's a benchwarmer. The Trio have not really allowed him to do anything super-heroic until they had a better feel for his situation. So his joining (in the immediate future) will come as a delightful surprise to him.

EDIT: ZOMG ninja'd by ripley!

[THEChanger]

Hex
HERO POINTS: 1 | CONDITION: Normal

Hex jumped as a strange-looking man appeared in the back of their helicopter. Acting on instinct, Hex lifted his staff, eyes burning with purple fire. He was about to unleash a blast of pure void into the intruder's face, but then he began reporting on the situation below. Slowly, Hex lowered the staff. "Another of Nymph's recruits. Why am I not surprised." Still on guard, Hex listened to the conversation between this newcomer(Vortex, it seems his name was), Ageis, and Gremlin. The three would get along fantastically.

"Alas, no... I wanted to be a superhero, but the other Guardians... think that that would not be my best role. And I am only a Junior Guardian, I... I, uh, am limited in my responsibilities. I was only to provide reconnaissance of this island for you... Sabre, Cerberus, and Nymph have clearly picked an extraordinary team, they don't need someone like me."

"Do your abilities have application in either a combat or inflitration scenario?"

[SuperCracker]

Aegis: The Invincible
On the Helicopter
Stats
HP: 1
Condition: Good

Aegis smirks at Vortex’s misunderstanding of the headband. Instead of partaking in a conversation to set him straight, Tim just says, “Yep. And you’re gone know it when I put the angry one on. Welcome to the team, buddy.” Yeah, it was for the older ones to make it official—but why else is Vortex here if not to join?

He grins a little bit more.

“Alright. Looks like that makes a couple a squads. Let’s do it… feels like I been on this chopper for days now.”

[DuReign]

Vørtex
HP: 1 | CONDITION: Normal

"Do your abilities have application in either a combat or inflitration scenario?"

Vortex nods. He can't stop staring at Hex's costume - particularly his mask. Its probably the coolest thing he's seen yet, if a bit creepy.

"I'm not really a warrior, or a ninja-stealth-master, but I try to be useful. I really wish I could join you, but I was only supposed to be recon..."

He glances wistfully at Cerberus and Nymph.

Spoiler

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Just giving Andraia a hook.

[THEChanger]

Hex
HERO POINTS: 1 | CONDITION: Normal

"Just recon? Ah. I see." Hex sat back down, and considered his staff. "That's a shame. The portal you created was quite impressive. I have no doubt that level of mobility would prove useful on our mission. And that they have other applications you haven't shown us. But, if you feel you aren't up to the task, I understand. It wouldn't be right to force you into a situation where you would be putting yourself in danger." Hex gazed out the window of the helicopter at the ground, doing his best not to grin. "Still, your teleportation abilities would have been incredibly useful. Positioning, distractions, possibly communication. It would have made things so much easier." Hex shook his head, seemingly attempting to get his concentration back. "But enough of what might have been. With five of us, we need the heaviest hitters on point, and the stealthiest infiltrating below. My personal thoughts would be for Ageis, Speed Man, and Cross to fight on the surface, and myself and Gremlin working below. Though I do have the capacity to deal damage from a distance, my true talents are those of subterfuge and stealth. Combined with Gremlin's size and technological knowledge, I think such a team would be more suited to finding Gigabyte's computers and shutting them down-after taking any information relevant to his prosecution, of course." As he was speaking, Hex kept his eye on Vortex. He sensed that the insecure man had potential, and from his teleporting into a moving helicopter, he clearly had power. But Vortex had to be prepared to take initiative, and not look to their recruiters for permission. If Vortex wanted to be a part of the mission, he would have to man up and go on the mission. If he couldn't, Hex wasn't sure he could trust Vortex to make the important decisions come crunch time.

[Andraia]

“Hey kid.” Nymph greeted Vortex when he portaled into the room. She let the team sort themselves out and waited until Vortex gave them a look before she spoke up. It really wasn’t fair to keep the kid out of things. He was more than capable, but Cerberus was worried about interdimensional politics or some other rubbish… she looked at her surly partner and gave him her best pout. “Cerberuuuuus.”

Lysander resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Grown woman, yeah, right. He leveled his calculating gaze at the newest arrival. “Vortex,” he clipped, “you will accompany Gremlin and Hex to the secondary entrance. We should still be close enough for you to open a portal large enough to take you and your team mates to the peripheral island from here. The rest of us will continue on to the main entrance.”

Spoiler

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OOC: I will be making the arrival posts in twenty-four hours. You have that long to wrap up anything you want to do while still in the helicopter.

[DuReign]

Vørtex
HP: 1 | CONDITION: Normal

A whole series of emotions play out on Vortex's pale face, plain for everyone to see, when Cerberus and Nymph include Vortex into the team and the plan. Its obvious he is trying very hard to not say obsequiously grateful things; instead, he just says as calmly as he can muster:

"You can count on me."

He turns and grins at Hex and Gremlin, before turning to Hex, who with his lengthy assessment of the infiltration end of things was probably the leader of their three-man band.

"Looks like I'm coming with you guys!"

[Andraia]

A blue portal opened over the crass on the small islet where the abandoned bunker entrance was located, and three figure stepped through. Vortex, Hex, and Gremlin walked out into the overgrown grass a few meters away from the moss-covered cement front. The solid looking door was set directly into the hill in front of them, framed by a backdrop of tall evergreen trees. Behind the party, the islet sloped down until it met the water at a rocky beach. Aside from the occasional bird flitting between the trees, the area around them seemed completely devoid of activity.

Spoiler

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OOC: You guys are okay to continue with free-play. If that doesn't seem to work, then we will have you roll initiative. Remember to add a location marker in your post formats, to try and keep the who-is-where confusion to a minimum.

After three of its passengers portaled off of the stealth helicopter, it altered course and took the rest of the team towards Cassos Island proper. This hadn't been the plan, but it was the kid's mission and they could run it however they wanted. That was the whole point of the test. Although the chopper was designed to shake off any kind of long-ranged detection, it was still perfectly visible to camera and eye. Sabre didn't make any attempt to keep it out of sight, and instead brought it down right in front of the lighthouse that served as the bunker's front.

The wide door at the back of the craft began to open before the vehicle had even begun to descend. As they neared the ground, Aegis, Speedman, and Cross got a birds eye view of the surrounding area. Spreading out from the lighthouse was a wide, flat open space and there was no movement that they could detect, except for the water lapping up against the shore. Cerberus looked levelled his gaze at the team as they touched ground. “You wanted to make an entrance? Make an entrance.”

Spoiler

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OOC: You three have one free-play post each, in which I would like you to roll initiative. After forty-eight hours I will roll initiative for anyone who hasn't posted and carry on. If you post sooner, we can get going sooner. Also, remember to add a location marker in your post formats, to try and keep the who-is-where confusion to a minimum.