RaynnVerse: The Revolution IC

[Starsign]

Ashley Culdis

By the time Ashley and Clark enter Robert's lab, she suddenly understands why Clark was hesitant earlier. How do you explain to someone that they are dying? Clark managed to tell her, though it was a very emotional experience. Ashley isn't a natural speaker like Jake or either of Taurus' sons are. There really isn't any easy way she can explain it, if there's a way at all... She looks at Diego for a moment; his awkward face contrasting his more confident one last night. Did something happen here? Did they learn...?

Eventually Ashley decided she had to speak up. Yet there is only one thing she can say; one thing that she can say in a weak tone. "Robert, we're arrived." In her own mind, she is still asking the same question to herself, over and over and over again.

How will I explain this to Robert?

[SuperMuldoon]

Len Cope

Len saw Jake's signal, and agreed that diplomacy had failed. It was time for action. Regrettably, as it would have been awesome to have a dragon buddy.

Len's gigantic legs propel his 20+ ton body toward the dragon, casting a shadow over the rest of his team below. He bellows a loud roar as he rears up again, crashing down with a tremendous stomp on his scaly foe.

Spoiler

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same as last time, all out/pow +5/-5, if hit initiate grapple.

Sauropod Stomp - (1d20+4)[17] DC 36 toughness
Grapple - (1d20+32)[39]

[Raynn]

Spoiler

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Toughness Save vs. DC 36: (1d20+17)[25]
Opposed Grapple Check: (1d20+26)[44]
Stunned + Blind + Bruised + Staggered

The King, Sauros, Hope & Faith

The Dragon is barely able to force Len off of itself but not before Sauros beats the creature repeatedly, obviously overpowering the much larger dragon, finishing the barrage of blows with a stomp to the dragon's abdomen that winds it again and forces out a puff of dark smoke from his lungs.

[SuperCracker]

Jake Wallace

Jake says nothing, but brings Excalibur down on the dragon with all the force he can muster. If it won't voluntarily cease its attack, then force was the only alternative.

The holy blade ignites with a blazing light as it arcs down into the black scales of the blinded opponent.

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Okay. First off, since the first time interval has passed (1 round), we make a new opposed roll for Mind-Control.

Power Check: (1d20+10)[19]

Jake is issuing no commands, so he's not using an action. The standing command to cease the attack is still ongoing if successful.

Dragon gets a fortitude save DC 20 to recover from blindness.

Also, full all-out/power attack on the Dragon.

Attack: (1d20+10)[23] - DC 30 no-save damage if successful.

[ChronicLunacy]

Faith Winters

From her elevated position, Faith leapt out into the air. She performed a triple aerial twist to orient herself and look awesome while doing it, then held out her arms and legs like a flying squirrel to increase her wind resistance and slow herself a fraction. Then she pulled off another flip and sent a series of silvery missiles streaming from each her hands right before she landed on the mythical monster's back. The throwing daggers buried themselves in the back of the dragon's neck, just behind its armored head at the weak point where its spine was vulnerable.

Spoiler

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Acrobatics: (1d20+10)[19]
Blast 10 (Autofire): (1d20+10)[19]

[SuperMuldoon]

Len Cope

That dragon sure could take a beating. Len was surprised with the amount of damage it was taking that it could still toss his bulk off. If he could just pin it down.

Len pivots on his monstrous dino feet, and whips his tail around at the dragon, bringing it to bear like a huge whip.

CRACK

His tail whips faster than the speed of sound, creating a miniature sonic boom as he lashes the dragon before quickly spinning back and trying to squish him down again.

Spoiler

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same as last time, all out power attack +5/-5

tail whip - (1d20+4)[18] DC 36 toughness
if hit, go for grapple
grapple - (1d20+32)[41]

[Raynn]

Spoiler

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Mind Control Will Save: (1d20+8)[27] Vs. DC 19
Blindness Fortitude Save: (1d20+12)[31] Vs. DC 20
Toughness Save (Excalibur): (1d20+17)[29] Vs. DC 30
Toughness Save (Autofire): (1d20+17)[35] Vs. DC 28
Toughness Save (Tail Whip): (1d20+17)[25] Vs. DC 36
Grapple Check: (1d20+26)[38] Vs. DC 41

The King, Sauros, Hope & Faith

The Dragon recovers from the mind control and blindness in time to endure Faith's barrage and to barely take a scratch from even Excalibur.

Sadly for the dragon puffing Dark Smoke he was not so lucky with Len's tail whip. There's an echoing crack and thud as Sauros' tail slams into the dragon's head and a moment later Len is holding the dragon's limp form in his hands.

Hope is the first to speak

"Bad . . . Ass . . ."

[SuperCracker]

Jake Wallace

With a thunderous boom, Leonard Cope fells the Black Dragon. Jake hovers in the air with a grin on his lips looking at Len. At first, there are no words. Sir Sauros performed exactly as expected. Together, they were unstoppable. Jake gave his best friend a thumbs up.

“Alright, let’s call in the mages. I’m sure they can find a way to imprison this creature. Perhaps in a bottle.” He saw it in an extremely terrible movie once.

He floats down towards the ground, landing with a light touch. He sheaths his sword and makes a quick communication to the fire department, telling them it’s safe to move in and put out the flames.

Once finished, he glances to everyone assembled. “You know, this happens every time we go somewhere together.”

[Raynn]

Jake looks over to Hope who gives him a confused look then kneels down to pick something up. Still kneeling she raises it up so Jake could see it. She is holding a round, spherical except for a thin cylinder sticking out of the sphere for a neck, glass bottle. It is lying in the rubble near where the dragon appeared. It is labelled "Dark Smoke".

"You mean like this . . . ?"

[SuperCracker]

Jake Wallace

Jake’s brown eyes look at Hope. Then at the vial. He is expressionless for a moment. His brain is attempting to search for just the right words to convey this nuance of emotion. A synapse fires. He has it.

“You’re f****** kidding me.”

He walks over to her and looks at the bottle. Dark Smoke.

“So our enemies have a lousy sense of humor.”

Someone must have uncorked this thing. Did they get far yet?

[SuperMuldoon]

Len Cope

Len stood a moment, triumphant over his foe. He loved fighting things that could get as big as he was.

And he was training his powers to get even bigger.

He gave Jake a weird dinosaur thumbs up in return before shifting back down to human form. "Maybe we should just hang out at the villain's HQs, then this can happen at their place."

Then Len see's hope hold up a bottle. A dragon from a bottle. This was some Harry Potter type s***.

"I guess we should bring that to Merlin. Gotta be magic right?"

[Raynn]

Hope hands the bottle to Jake

"I don't get it . . . We . . . I mean you saw this movie. It was terrible. Dark Smoke is FICTIONAL. Will we have to deal with deadites soon too?!"

[SuperCracker]

Jake Wallace

Hope’s words triggered a thought in Jake’s head. It is fictional. It isn’t real. Or it shouldn’t be. And Hope, she looks just like someone who could alter reality. She might actually have that power herself. Couple that with her and Jake’s shared memories… and it’s entirely possible that she accidentally summoned “Dark Smoke.”

He takes the vial from Hope. He makes eye contact for a moment. He’s not willing to jump to conclusions, not yet.

“You’re right. Someone created this dragon. Pulled it right out of that film. I’m not sure who yet.”

He doesn’t let on about his suspicions. It would be best to consult with Merlin first, and keep this from those who might overreact.

He grins at Hope, “As cool as fighting the Deadites might be, we don’t need innocent people getting liquefied in pits. Come on. Let’s get back to the castle. I think he singed my tie.”

[ChronicLunacy]

Faith Winters

After Len smoked the dragon, Faith climbed off of where she had been perched behind its bony neck ridge. She clambered over to Len and over his big head before walking nimbly down his back and off of his tail with a little hop before he turned back into a human. "Well...that was...weird." she smiled. "There's never a dull day with the King and his court, is there?" she winked. "But then again, that's the second time someone's tried to kill all of us in nearly as many days. This is starting to scream 'big villain scheme' to me and it doesn't take my finely tuned secret agent senses to figure that out."

[kpenguin]

Robert Asterion

He... was dying. There was no way around it. Oh, the construction of his genetics was fascinating, simply fascinating. Taurus, or whichever of Taurus's underlings, had made him and Clark deserved a Nobel prize for them. It was elaborate and intricate. Fascinating.

But... there was no way around it. he was dying. He didn't have long. Measured in months...

He puts his hand on the Peregrine's shoulder. He knew as well as Robert what the data implied. Brave face, Robert. "It's late, your caretaker is probably worried sick about you. Go home, Peregrine. I'll finish up here."

Attaboy, Robert. Don't talk about it. Just send him home.

Ashley and Clark arrive at the door. He turns to face them and catches Clark in the eye. Oh my scrolls and mazes. How was he going to tell them? How..

He walks up. "Evening, Ashley. Clark. We were just finishing up. Um, Clark, if I might have a word? In private?"

[SuperCracker]

Jake Wallace

Faith Winters
"There's never a dull day with the King and his court, is there?" she winked. "But then again, that's the second time someone's tried to kill all of us in nearly as many days. This is starting to scream 'big villain scheme' to me and it doesn't take my finely tuned secret agent senses to figure that out."

"More true than you know," he says with a chuckle. "I'm not certain whether this is connected to the Supreme or not. It seems a little haphazard for someone who nearly wiped us out last night."

He looked at Faith. "Still, with the Supreme out to get us, perhaps we should arrange for a more permanent AEGIS liaison position." He gives his old friend a grin. "At least until the trouble is over."

In unspoken words... let's get the band back together.

[Raynn]

The King, Sauros, Hope & Faith

Later, in Merlin's Chambers . . .

Merlin sits in his chair, tired and weary, having most definitely seen better days. Last night on top of assisting in the restoration of Camelot has greatly drained the once great Merlin, who in his youth had been the Sorcerer Magnus for a time. Jake is aware that one day soon Merlin may indeed move on to Avalon to meet his old friend Arthur.

He looks up as the group enters and with a strained smile says

"How may I be of service your grace?"

***

Professor Minotaur, Rycon, El Peregino & The Centurion II

Clark gives Ashley a wary before nodding in agreement to Robert and following him out into a large office a few doors down that is currently empty, leaving Ashley alone with El Peregino.

[SuperCracker]

Jake Wallace

Jake smiles at his one-time camp counselor and walks in with the others. Jake comes to stand beside the great wizard’s desk. “You don’t have to call me that in private, Merle,” Jake still uses the name he grew accustomed to using. “I know you’re tired from last night. We all are. But something very unusual just happened.”

He produced the vial labeled “Dark Smoke” from his pocket.

“A fictional dragon just became very real at the local shopping mall. This was pulled directly from a very stupid movie.” He hands the vial over.

“I need to know where this came from.” He pauses for a moment. He’s hesitant to bring this up. “Merle, you’ve met Hope, yes?” He gently pulls on her hand to bring her forth. “I need to know if she has any superhuman abilities. Do you think you could find out for me, old friend?”

[Phase]

Diego Torres

Diego frowns a bit, but nods, understanding. His own woes from the day seem somewhat petty in relation to this load. "Si, jefe..." He looks about to say something else, but instead just shoves his talons into his backpack, slings it over his shoulder, and turns to head out. He gets only a few steps before he spots Clark and Ashley and freezes. His frown deepens as he glances between the three older parties.

He moves to go grab some of his notebooks on a nearby bench as Robert leaves with Clark.

[Starsign]

Ashley Culdis

Though she wanted to find something else to say, Ashley is utterly silent as Clark and Robert head down the hall. All she could do is turn to Peregrine and notice his face. It's almost like there was something that had shocked him; Robert looked similar when Ashley and Clark came to the room. And... In a lab, does that mean...?

Ashley cringes as she softly asks Diego, "...He already knows? Doesn't he?"

[Phase]

Diego Torres

Diego picks up his notes and puts them in the bag next to his talons. "Knows about..." He glances down the hall after Clark and Robert, and looks up sadly at Ashley. "Si. I guess Centurion Jr. there does too?" he gestures a thumb after the other two as he leans against a bench.

[Starsign]

Ashley Culdis

Ashley pauses at Diego's words as she slowly looks towards the hallway. "...Yes. He told me about it." She shudders, still very uncomfortable with this whole disaster. "We wanted to tell Robert, to tell him that... They have six months." She pauses again, trying to have some sort of composure as she tries to speak more indignantly. "I want to make these last six months count for both of them. If this is all the time they have left, I'm going to make it the best six months they'll experience."

She looks weakly toward Diego. She could barely muster a frail smile. "Would... You agree?"

[Phase]

Diego Torres

Diego adjusts his helmet, and puts his hands up. He's been embroiled in a bit too much drama for one day, especially given it was now actually Saturday. He hopes his brother fell asleep right after his shift. "Look, Sparky." He starts, squeezing past her into the halllway. "I got wrapped up in this to, what, learn some science and maybe beat down a big league culo or two?" He begins backing down a hallway in the opposite direction of Robert and Clark. "I didn't sign up to be the shoulder for crying of a dude I met yesterday..." He backs up a few more paces into the darkened hallway. "Lo siento..." He turns and jogs down and around the corner.

A few minutes later he re-appears sheepishly, glancing up at Ashley as he passes by again to reach the elevators. "No, ah, no exit down that way..." He stands, exceptionally awkwardly, waiting for the elevator.

[kpenguin]

Two Brothers

Robert and Clark step out into the hallway, standing next to the glass, overlooking the city. They both look out over the city for a moment. Robert can barely look Clark in the eye. How was he going to tell him...

Brave face.

He turns, pain in his eyes, and says.. "Clark, there's some..."

"...thing I need to tell you" Clark says at the same time.

The two blink. Robert opens his mouth to say what he had to say, but... not yet...

"Oh, go ahead, Clark"
"No, you first. I'm... this can wait"

Tell him? No, he couldn't. Not yet. Too painful it.

"I'm sure what you have to say is important..."
"It is, but... bro, I..."

What could he even say? Here Robert was, the great orator, and he was stalling for words.

"Is this about Ashley?"
"What?! No! I, well."

Right, get him to talk about Ashley. More time. Keep stalling

]"Well, you spent the night with her. Look, we broke up years ago, its not a"
"No, its not that, I..."
"Then..."

Just say it, Robert. Tell him. He deserves to know.

"We're dying"

The two just look at each other for a moment. And then...

"Hahahahahhahahahahahahha" *snort*

Laughter. Tears. All that pain and doubt released as emotion as the two embrace. When they seperate, Robert takes Clark by the shoulder.

"You knew?
"Yeah. They ran blood analysis on me a while ago... you did it on yourself tonight, huh?
"Yeah... oh my scrolls and garters, you knew! That makes this so much..."

The weight of it all comes back.

"easier"

There's a silence as they look back out at the city again.

"So, six months is what you got too?
"Yeah. I just. I spent a lot of time trying to deal with it. Are you going to be okay, bro?[
"Yeah. Just. Oh my god.

He looks up at the ceiling. "There's so much, you know? So much I put off, so much I thought I could wait for, thinking I could wait... thinking I had time
"Yeah, I know what you mean.
"But at the same time... we don't lead safe lives do we, Clark? We could fall to any number of things any day. While we're out there.
"At least this way, we know what's coming

They look out over the city again.
It's a beautiful city, isn't it?
"Yeah. I'm glad you're back, bro. No phone, no e-mail, not even a post card. I missed you.
"I missed you too. At least, whatever fate has in store for us, we face it together. You talked to Anna?
"No, can't reach her. She has more time than us though.

Long quiet.

"This Supreme thing. And this whole Prometheus thing. We're going to beat it, aren't we?
"Of course, Robert. That's what we do. What we're born to do."
"Think we have time?
"Six months? When have we ever needed that much to save the world?

They smile at each other.

[Raynn]

And So Closes Another Chapter In Our Tale . . .

In A Cell In The Freedom City Police Department . . .

A figure is suspended by the legs and arms in a small steel cell. Most would mistake the man for a child but he is in fact quite old despite his appearance. Strapped permanently to his wrist is one of the most powerful weapons in the city at this moment, the Omnitrix. Sadly for Toy Boy he has been specifically bound and suspended so his hands can't reach the device leaving it less useful than a wrist watch . . .

He looks up in the darkness of his cell and a man in a featureless white mask, a similarly white three piece suit and white gloves steps out of the shadow. Toy Boy suddenly looks hopeful and fearful at the same time.

"Understudy! Thank god! Get me out of these things! I need . . ."

The figure in white raises his index finger to lips and Toy Boy's voice catches in his throat

"I didn't steal the Realizer Ray from Freedom Hall for you to waste it's power with childish crime sprees."

"I know, but I was just testing it out and this girl . . . she had lightning powers and . . . "

The Understudy silences him again

"Ashley Culdis, Codename Rycon, graduated with honours from Claremont Academy.

We Have Met.

Omnitrix; Code 10, Password 000 - Release - 0"

As Understudy finishes the Omnitrix pops off Toy Boy's wrist and falls to the floor of the cell. Toy Boy looks at Understudy with his mouth agape

"H. . . How . . . ?"

Understudy seems to smirk underneath his full face mask

"A google search and a guess."

Toy Boy seems terrified now

"But . . But I've still got the Realizer Ray! You need me! YOU NEED ME!"

The Understudy looks back at Toy Boy and the smirk can be heard in his tone

"You really think I didn't make anything myself before I gave you that gun little boy. What I'm going to do soon, over 10 minutes, will make what happened in Camelot last night look like a walk in the park. And The Claremont Knights? Or The Knights? Or whatever they call themselves now, well, they've seen nothing yet."

With that he drops a butterfly knife from down his sleeve, grabs it and in one long one handed swing slashes Toy Boy's throat like paper. He flicks the butterfly knife in a spin, closes it again and puts it in his pocket before picking the Omnitrix off the floor as Toy Boy coughs and splutters his way to oblivion.

The Understudy puts it onto his wrist and it wraps around it and the dial glows blue as it says "-//Omnitrix Rebooting//-"

A minute or so later a smaller more streamlined version of the Omnitrix rests on the Understudy's wrist, white like his suit except for the black and green dial face. He glances at the watch as he walks out of the door he hacked his way into, with a grin saying

"This Is Where The Fun Begins."

- The End of The Revolution Issue #2 -

Spoiler

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Will post the beginning of the next issue a.s.a.p.

1 PP for this Issue.

[Raynn]

The Raynn-Verse:

'Some Dreams Never Die'

The Revolution Issue #3

"Anything you build on a large scale or with intense passion invites chaos," - FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA

The Dreaming . . .

Rycon stands in full costume, except one she had only just thought up, at the end of a platform clutching the sides of a console. Before her is a sphere of portals. Within the sphere is an area of space surrounding a dwarf star . . . somehow Rycon knows that the the portals are large on the other side than this one so they cover vast tracts of space on the other side, making the sun appear to only fill most of the cavernous room they are in, rather than appearing bigger than Earth as it actually is.

Someone . . . A girl dressed like a pilot with a rocket strapped to her back shouts over to Ashley from the doorway as thuds can be heard outside the massive titanium doors

"Blitz! They're coming! Shut it down or soon we're going to be the LATE last heroes of the Earth!"

Ashley is barely able to speak

"...I can't . . ."

Emily shouts back as she checks her ray gun

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T?!"

"There's a password, nine letters . . . I can't shut it down . . . I can't stop him . . ."

As the metal door Air Ace is guarding buckles open Ashley bolts upright in her bed, waking, alone in her apartment, with a cold sweat . . .

***

Camelot, Merlin's Chamber. . .

It takes a day for Merlin to prepare the proper incantations and rites in his weakened state to investigate the nature of Hope and when he is ready he invites the quartet of Sauros, The King, Faith and Hope to attend the ritual.

When they enter the chamber they find Merlin in deep meditation but as you all approach he motions for Hope to seat herself in a arcane circle he has prepared. When she is also seated Merlin asks the rest of the group

"Before I begin do you have any specific quarries about her nature, or any information, that might make my examination easier or more accurate?"

***

The Rooftops of Freedom City . . .

El Peregino lands softly on the rooftop of the Eastern Seaboard Bank overlooking the city before him. The high rising towers and the lowly apartment blocks, the gleaming glass cathedrals and the dirty worn old concrete. He looks out over Freedom City and sees it all as one astounding horizon. Then as usual that serenity is broken by a scream.

Down an alley nearby that El Peregino quickly stands on the rooftop overlooking a quartet of men stand between a large rock covered monster and a girl cowering behind the group away from the monster. The men have each grabbed things from nearby, pieces of debris and pipes from the alley as make shift weapons, seemingly to protect the girl. One man approaches with his pipe held like a sword and the creature swings out at him, and the man is only barely able to jump back out of the way with his life. The creature's form is covered in a cracked thick hide of concrete that give it a bulky and fearsome form, standing at about 9 foot tall.

What do you do?

***

Tremont Hotel, Fourth Floor, Room 13B . . .

With a grunt Robert Asterion awakes from a slumber plagued by images of broken planets and a great cavernous white room. He brushes the crumbs from his chest and sits upright on the floor of his hotel room. He had six months to live . . . A half eaten deli sandwich sits on a counter nearby. The room is as disheveled as the Minotaur staying in it. Robert wondered if today could be any worse than yesterday.

Spoiler

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Rolls for Robert in next post.

[Raynn]

Spoiler

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Attack roll: (1d20+14)[28]
DC 27 Toughness Save for Professor Minotaur on a hit.
Hero Point to Robert.

[Phase]

Diego Torres

The Peregrine, your friendly neighborhood falcon, peers down at the struggle below. He smirks, finally back in his element, and pushes his helmet forward before stepping off the bank and plummeting a few feet. He freefalls for a moment before pulling up, grabbing a tin can from the alley, and flying upwards to hover behind the monster.

He flings the tin-can creatureward, it bouncing off the rocky coat. He whistles to get its attention more fully before speaking. "Not to butt in, esse, but I don't think you were invited to this particular party, aye?" He crosses his arms and floats. "Understandable given the whole..." He gestures broadly at his own head. "Face situation you got going on."

[Starsign]

Ashley Culdis

"Gaaah!"

With a painful shout and rushed breathing, Ashley wakes up in her apartment room. First were the past two days, now this. Sitting upright, Ashley takes a few moments to calm down and once physically able to speak, she frustratingly mutters quietly, "This is going to take much, much longer than a week..." She tries to go over what she had just witnessed. It could have been a dream of foreshadowing or an exaggeration of her theories and fears... No, it had to have been a dream. That other female, Ashley had never seen her before and yet she talked like she knew Ashley. She can remember the girl calling her "Blitz" and Ashley was in that costume she had thought up of. The dream had to be some sort of foreshadow.

And then there was the portals and the dwarf star. She knows who can make portals in space, but the dwarf star didn't make much sense. By her own theory, Ashley assumes that what she saw was a sort of Armageddon close to completion... She couldn't figure it out and she doubts that anyone else has time to speculate with her. The stress of the situation and finger pointing of all the vague details has been driving her nuts. It's been hard for Ashley to think clearly since Clark told her that he was dying. She was going to need to take something off her mind for now.

Ashley turns on the news as she gets dressed and afterwards decides to make a phone call. She is in need of hearing a friendly voice and all of her friends are either in Camelot or somewhere that she didn't know. She dials the number of her cousin, Danielle. Ever since she moved out, married, and had a child, Ashley has not heard much of her. Now would be a good time to catch up.

[Raynn]

<- Diego Torres, Yes, THAT Diego Torres ->

The creature stumbles back a few steps as El Peregino appears, backed into a corner against the back wall of the alley. One of the quartet shout out "Come on man, that mutey is going to KILL SOMEBODY!"

Just as the young man speaks the creature takes a swing at El Peregino letting out a low rumbling roar

"Rrrraaagh"

Spoiler

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Attack Roll: (1d20+10)[17]
El Peregino is not flat footed.

***

~ THE Ashley Culdis ~

Ashley tires Danielle's home phone but doesn't get through, finally she tries Danielle's mobile and she picks up. Ashley can hear the sound of quite a lot of people in the background, including Danielle's crying three month old

"Ashley? Is that you? How have you been, I haven't heard from you in ages?"

~ Robert Asterion The 1st~

The force of the gun shot shatters the glass pane of the window and forces Robert to the ground, smacking into the side of his bed. His supernatural physiology protects him from harm as he groans away the pain in his side. The deli sandwich did not fare so well, being showered and embedded with shards of glass.