The Dark

[buddy]

Astrid:

The cabbie goes on,

"Yeap. Wanted to get my niece in the school, but that tuition's something else! Rich kid kinda place, I guess, but I never had a problem with any of the kids or staff ....... 'cept for maybe that French fella. Got a temper on him."

After some small talk and several minutes of riding through dark, winding roads shrouded by large trees, the cab arrives at a tall gated area. The cab slows to a stop, then the driver just sits, watching the closed gateway .....

[Quellian-dyrae]

Phase Knight gritted his teeth in annoyance. This one was putting up quite the fight. No matter, though! "Skippy, you're a bunch of nano-bots with laser eyes. You're only slightly less intimidating than- hello?" he halted as the robot shut down, eyeing it a moment, before turning and noticing Inspired. "Oh hey! Nice shot!"

[Regalus]

Noah nods, "On a nearby rooftop while on route. I believe they were wearing orange jump suits; though as I said, I was unable to get a good luck at the pair,"

[buddy]

Nova Leo:

The agent looks back at the transport and waves, then turns to Nova Leo,

"Are you perfectly-sure of what you saw? It was dark, wasn't it? Could've been some local idiots playing Halloween, even. Not unusual for the city, right? If NYPD air-support didn't spy them, chances are you could be mistaken ....

... I wont include that part in my report. It would be appreciated if you assisted our investigation by not discussing what you thought you saw with anyone else. Your mistaken testimony could create unnecessary panic for no reason and complicate our efforts at providing a remedy ....

....Nova Leo, can you help us with that?"

The agent eyes Nova Leo, while his fellow agents stare from their position next to the transport .....

Spoiler

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Noah definitely senses a raised level of tension from the agents ...

[Regalus]

Noah stayed silent for a moment as he calmed Leo within its resting place; the mighty hunter barring its fangs slightly. "It is as I said, I know not what I say for certain; in the dead of night with the crisis brought forth by Hammer and Anvil it is very likely that I am mistaken," Noah began upon soothing the beast, "Much harm has been done in the past due to lesser misunderstandings or half-believed things such as this, and I do not intend to let such a thing pass. In this delicate time we all most work towards the greater good, as such in this way you shall have my aid,"

[shugyosha]

Astrid:

The cabbie goes on,

"Yeap. Wanted to get my niece in the school, but that tuition's something else! Rich kid kinda place, I guess, but I never had a problem with any of the kids or staff ....... 'cept for maybe that French fella. Got a temper on him."

After some small talk and several minutes of riding through dark, winding roads shrouded by large trees, the cab arrives at a tall gated area. The cab slows to a stop, then the driver just sits, watching the closed gateway .....

Her heart jumped. They were so close, but the distance in her mind was immense. "Stay here," she said to Connor then changed her mind and then said to the cabbie, "Is there a intercom or something that you can let them know that we are here... Tell them Connor from New York is here."

[buddy]

Astrid:

The cabbie turns his head slightly towards Astrid,

"Look little lady, I just follow orders here. The old cabbie told me to wait here - the gate usually opens. Usually. Who am I? I'm not gettin' out - all kinds a crazy things go on up here! Giant robots and (bleep)! Nope. I wait. If it don't open, you're on your own."



Nova Leo:

The armored agent blinks at Nova Leo,

"Thank you for your cooperation. I think."

He raises his right arm and a small panel opens at the wrist of the golden armor. He draws out a small, coiled earpiece and hands it to the hero,

"You get any further information on this investigation, S.H.I.E.L.D. would like to know. ASAP. Take this. You can contact us whenever you need to. We need people like you on the streets."

Spoiler

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Taking it grants the Contact Advantage.

[Regalus]

Noah grinned internally, "Very well, may the duties of you and your ilk on this night end in good fortune for all," he stated formally as he accepted the ear piece, keeping it in his hand for the time being; it was times like this Noah wished this form had pockets.

[buddy]

Nova Leo:

The Armored agents stalk inside the transport and mere seconds later it lifts off, jet engines wailing and blowing any nearby street debris into clouds of dirt as the craft lifts skyward above nearby skyscrapers - many of the cops in the area watching - then rockets southeast!

Detective Daniels paces towards Nova Leo, leaving a gaggle of officers ....

"They put on quite a show. And, of course, we're all thankful for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s involvement. I know I am .... but what did they ask you, Nova?"

The detective hasn't drawn his pad or pen - his hands are buried inside his coat pockets as he gazes at the hero ......

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Daniels is hopeful - for a NYC cop ....

[shugyosha]

Astrid:

The cabbie turns his head slightly towards Astrid,

"Look little lady, I just follow orders here. The old cabbie told me to wait here - the gate usually opens. Usually. Who am I? I'm not gettin' out - all kinds a crazy things go on up here! Giant robots and (bleep)! Nope. I wait. If it don't open, you're on your own."

"Okay," she says meekly. Closing her eyes she focuses and telepathically calls out, Hello... I have Connor from New York. We are outside in a cab.

[Regalus]

Noah released a held breath before backing away a safe distance, as per Leo's suggestion, before the ship blasted off. At this point, the young man more than welcomed the Detectives company.

"Aye though my sympathies go to whom ever is charged with restoring this place," he joked to lighten the mood, though he feared his current voice and accent might have made it fall flat, "They wished for me to confirm details that they received from your department regarding tonight's events, and to attempt to establish a plausible foundation for future communication between myself and them should it become necessary in the future," he admitted humbly as he eyed the good detective, the spark of hope catching his eye, "I must confess; when I first made my decision to let myself be known, I did not expect this night would be as...eventful as it was; I'm just glad all present will be able to return to their loved ones safely tonight," he commented cheerfully.

[Assurau]

"OK, people. Let's go. I want full inventory and Staff headcount. Check everything carefully. You, Olwheart, what kind of sensory rig do you have in that thing?" said Alana as she cloaked once more. While cloaked, she reshaped the CIFG back into the nanoplant gauntlets. Moving towards the recently downed droid, She stabs it and send the nanites to disassemble the explosive hidden inside.

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Tech Roll for Rehsaping
(1d20+20)[29]

Disassembler (Nanoplant)
-Power: Transform (Disassembled parts)
-Flaw: Permanent
- cost: 1 rank/ 3T p - 9 ranks = 27 TP

Stealth mode (Motoko Kusanagi Special)
- Power: Concealment (Full visual, Full sound)
- Flaw: Limited (Urban Enviorment), Passive
- cost: 2 Ranks/ TP- 6 ranks = 3TP

[buddy]

Astrid:

Almost immediately after Astrid's telepathic salutation, she senses her own mind being scanned ...!

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Astrid's Will check;
(1d20+12)[30]

rival Mind-Read;
(1d20+12)[20]

Whoever was scanning Astrid failed to penetrated her enhanced psyche. The large gate then begins to open and the cabbie pulls through the gate slowly. Driving into the estate, even at night the scenery is lovely, with beautifully-maintained greenery lining the road leading to the mansion.

Just ahead, Astrid sees the huge building - The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning - drawing closer. The immense mansion is very well-lit from the inside with light and shadows washing from the many windows. It appears to be three buildings - a large central structure connected by two smaller sections on either side of the main building. The exterior is an older, red-brick construction giving the mansion a look of historical elegance.

As the taxi arrives at the front walkway, Astrid can see small LED path and spread lighting giving the area just outside the mansion a soft illumination. The cabbie parks, but leaves his car running, and turns to Astrid,

"Welp, here ya go, kids. Hope everything works out for you two and stay outta trouble. And, don't worry 'bout the fair - the school runs a tab with us. That's what I like about this place: they really gotta classy way of looking out for people. Take care."



Nova Leo:

Daniels nods, drawing his pad and pen from his pockets,

"Amen. Not sure if you're local, but luckily, the city has a company that 'cleans-up' after nasty brawls like this. This'll be a quickie for them, compared to what I've seen in the past .... so, do you mind sharing what you got from Hammer and Anvil? They seemed pretty animated just before S.H.I.E.L.D. tucked them in ..."



Inspired & Phase Knight:

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DC30 Tech check vs. explosive, +2 for familiarity;
(1d20+22)[33]

With greater ease than the previous attempt, Inspired deactivates the droid's detonation mechanism. At the same time, her staff enters the area, hestitant to a degree, and her security head, Carter Jordan, walks to meet her,

"Ma'am, all staff is accounted for and unharmed. Interior damage seems minimal, despite .... what we saw. I have the other guards checking the entire estate for anything unusual. Should I alert the authorities, or ....?"

The maids and kitchen staff all look around, shocked at the somewhat 'butchered' robo-cops bleeding onto the lush carpeting. One woman, the newest member of housekeeping, faints into the arms of Phase Knight!

[shugyosha]

Astrid

"Thank you," she says stepping out of the car. She waits till Connor get out and grabs his hand. Closing the door she watches the cab leave before turning to Connor. "We're here. I'd thought they would have someone one waiting for us."

Astrid begins down the walkway with Connor in tow. Her shoulder relax for the first time in days. Eager she look around hoping that she has found a new home.

[Quellian-dyrae]

With the battle over, it appeared it was time to focus on answers. Eldain allowed his psionic focus to fade, and his helmet shifted back into a visor. "Visual enhancement, mainly," he answered Alana. "Woah!" he added as the staff member fainted, catching her, and then teleporting her into a chair. "What can I do to help out here? We need to talk."

Truly, Eldain wanted to jump right in to requesting the device. Time was of the essence. In his experience, though, it was generally faster and easier to help solve a person's problems than to convince them to ignore them and focus on yours.

That these robots were attacking other supers was a concern. While Alana dealt with her staff, he sent a mass text to his family. "How was your day?"

Innocuous enough, but as a mass text, another code. Good meant they were fine; bad meant, there was a problem. No response and Lily would link them.

[Regalus]

Noah nods, "Alas not much that should be taken at face value," he began, "As one would expect, mounting tensions seem to have arisen in Ryker's with the Avenger's arrival. Old rivalries and enemies and such. Though it appears that their presence has added some much needed stability, and support to the prison and its guards. Our intrepid pair seemed to have found the atmosphere too stifling for their tastes, and were none too eager to return there,"

[Assurau]

"Carter, Let the old man know first. Depending on what he says, then we notify the authorities. Make sure that the guys do a full bug sweep. This 'The Dark' was targeting me directly. Also tell them to be careful, the droids have nano tech in them. So we could be dealing with some high end listening devices.", said Alana as she moved to the first of the two droid the Owlheart boy had hacked to pieces.

"What kind of enhancement? and what exactly is it that you can do?", said the girl as she injected the fallen droid with the disassembler nanites.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Night vision, magnification, and threat detection," he replied. "Also has a compass and range finder, if you want completeness. And my power is targeted teleportation and augmented mental acuity." He tilted his head slightly as she began disassembling the droids. "You're some kind of gadgeteer or technopath, I suppose?"

[Assurau]

"Something to that effect. Since you're a porter, could you port the droid that chased after me here? I'll have one of the guys guide you to the room. By the way, why are you here?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Sure thing. And I was attacked earlier myself. My father lent Mr. Smith a device that should allow us to download the data from the droid that attacked me." His voice became grave as he added, "My sister went missing today. There's a chance that these things are involved. I need to learn whatever I can from them as soon as possible."

[Assurau]

"I see. My condolences. Though you probably won't need the device. Just give me the droid. Technology is my thing. Hardware, software, wetware, bioware or any other kind of ware, I can handle it. Besides I've got a vested interest in this affair, given that The Dark seems to be interested in me. Though what kind of interest is unknown."

[Quellian-dyrae]

"Excellent, thank you! I'll be back bef- he vanished. And a moment later, reappeared with the previously neutralized droid. -ish this sentence."

[buddy]

Astrid:

As you approached the large, wooden double doors, they open slowly and the inner lighting floods onto the entryway. A slender-built woman with Asian-American features and long dark hair stands in the doorway, looking at Astrid, then Connor .... you see another figure - a young female maybe Connor's age with hot-pink hair and a face not unlike an elf from a fantasy novel - comes prancing down the stairs, moving towards the door as well.

The first woman's gaze is somewhat stern as she speaks,

"Welcome to the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. I'm Elizabeth. Hello, Connor ...... are you okay? Please, come inside both of you ..."

Spoiler

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Would Astrid recognize Psylocke and Pixie?

Phase Knight:

In less than a minute, Eldain gets responses from his other siblings - both positive, but wondering about Sophie. The elder Owlheart wants answers regarding the ongoing situation: had he met with Shepard-Smith? Was the tech still operational? More?

It all came across coded, with Mr. Owlheart coding his requests as questions about a book Eldain read. Coded, but meaningful to Eldain as it applied to the now early-morning investigation ......



Nova Leo:

The detective notes the hero's response with a snort, and looks up - EMS vehicles were arriving to treat the few injured, followed by large trucks bearing the "Damage Control" logo ....

"Pretty much everyone figured the Avengers placed in Ryker's would have that kind of effect. Guess we figured right. You ever work with them - the Avengers? Also, just an aside maybe, did you hear anything about more than two prisoners escaping the island?"



Inspired:

As the guard makes his call, the metamorphic heroine connects with the incapacitated cyborg and tries again at unraveling the coding matrix ....

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DC30 Tech check;
(1d20+20)[25]

.... and again, the tech's unique construction frustrates Inspired's nanite-based investigation ....

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Hero Point retry?

[shugyosha]

Astrid

As you approached the large, wooden double doors, they open slowly and the inner lighting floods onto the entryway. A slender-built woman with Asian-American features and long dark hair stands in the doorway, looking at Astrid, then Connor .... you see another figure - a young female maybe Connor's age with hot-pink hair and a face not unlike an elf from a fantasy novel - comes prancing down the stairs, moving towards the door as well.

The first woman's gaze is somewhat stern as she speaks,

"Welcome to the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. I'm Elizabeth. Hello, Connor ...... are you okay? Please, come inside both of you ..."

"Connor behind me!" she shouts. "Kwannon, I don't know how you got here but this is for Roberto!"

"Power Boost" she commands and her armor shimmers into view as all its power is channeled into the young girl's mind.

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Would Astrid recognize Psylocke and Pixie?

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Yes but not as she is. To her she is an assassin Kwannon who is not a psychic.

She is doing a Psionic Blast (range perception) DC 23 vs will

[buddy]

Astrid:

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Astrid's Initiative;
(1d20+11)[23]

Psylocke's Initiative;
(1d20+13)[32]

The woman appears on-guard, then shocked at Astrid's exclamation,

"Kwa-? You mistake me for someone else, girl - someone I was forced into being!"

... a brilliant aura of pinkish-energy radiates from the woman's head, as if her hair explodes into psychic flames ...!

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results in next post - wait, please ....

[buddy]

Astrid:

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Psychlocke's Will check vs. DC23
(1d20+15)[34]

The woman's stunning psionic power seems to almost casually repel Astrid's mental assault!

"Your powers are no match for mine, girl! I am not Kwannon - I was forced into that form by Mats'uo Tsurayaba some time ago - but, regained my true self after Kwannon was slain by Tsurayaba himself! Stop this nonsense, or you may find yourself in the very fight of your life ....."

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Astrid is up next, but she realizes Psylocke is a much more powerful Psi ....

---

* post roll count doesn't match database

[Regalus]

Noah looked at Daniel curiously for a moment before responding; Didn't the Agent say that he'd been told that by the cops? Noah inquired, his question meeting with only Leo's tense silence.

"I cannot say that I have heard anything worth while about the matter. As far as I have been told Hammer and Anvil were the only ones sought out this night," Noah replied truthfully, quite thankful for the wording of Daniel's question. It was amazing what dealing with spirits so often could do for a person's speech.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Eldain followed one of the staff members to the room where Alana had disabled the last droid, teleporting it back down. While he went, he texted back to his father, "Another attack. Won. Be back soon. Talk then."

Once back in the living room, he looked to Alana, "Alright, we should have all of them. Myself, I'm most interested in anything they know about my sister - Sophia Owlheart. Then why they went after us. Then if they have buddies attacking anyone else, particularly tonight. Then who sent them. Then what this 'Dark' is." He stopped for a moment, smirked, and added, "But if there's anything connecting them to Henry Gyrich, that'd be fun too."

[buddy]

Nova Leo:

Detective Daniels stopped writing and just looked at the superhero ...... a long look that covered a few seconds, then,

"Look. Something stinks to high heaven about all this. You know anything about criminal investigations? Street cops interview witnesses, Forensics collects evidence, and ***** like me try and put all the pieces together. Right now, the pieces look like they fit, even when my superiors tell me they don't ...."

A light, cold rain begins to fall as police officers run across the area trying to direct EMS and Damage Control .... Daniels looks around, then focuses on Nova Leo, tucking his pen & pad back in his coat pockets,

"... if I told you that you might be able to help crack one of the biggest cases in recent history, would you be interested? One answer: yes or no ....?"



Inspired:

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DC30 Expertise check
(1d20+16)[19]

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She missed it - maybe Phase Knight will pick it up later ....

[buddy]

Phase Knight:

As Dr. Owlheart mentions Gyrich, his text message signal chimes - Evangeline Owlheart. The youngest of his sisters. The Telepath. Evangeline had risen from mediocre prep school grades to attending college at UC-Berkeley (at daddy's expense, of course), where she learned about the "never-ending party". Despite the higher morals of the Owlheart clan, Evangeline seemed to be her own Free Spirit, determined to just live, as opposed to living towards something.

Amazingly, she took to Political Science and ended up graduating top of her class. She then went on to a "proud career" as a data analyst for a small D.C.-based think-tank that advocated Pro-Liberal agendas. Then, she vanished for a year, re-appearing to the family during a annual gathering as nothing less than the quintessential "flower-child". All high-minded philosophy of a Utopian society and possessing little regard for the Owlheart legacy of stern public service.

The elder Owlheart all but "excommunicated" her. They hadn't talked since that event and no one had heard from her until the last few months when she took to reconnecting with her siblings. Like Eldain ....

"Hey, bro. What's going on? Noticed you were working with S.H.I.E.L.D. (congrats! ;D) Is everyone okay? We need to meet soon. Already bought your ticket to Lyons (that's France, not U.S.). I want to see you, El ..... something strange is going on. 'Gimme Me'....."

'Gimme Me' was what the young Owlhearts would say to each other when one took another's toy. It became something of a household mantra. It meant, now, that Evangeline honestly wanted to have her brother near ...