In Dreams to Come

[DukeGod]

Leviath is surprised by the new appearance. So, Simon was just another fake...

There was something odd with that story, but not now

Finally catching enough of a breathing, Leviath finds time to change his current summon, dismissing his bird and his protective shield, but quickly replacing it with Craftiezel.

The great iron knight occupies a good deal of the hallway. A shame, if he had more space he could've brough his wyvern. Also, if it didn't possibly trigger the defenses

Either way, his knight should provide just as much protection while giving more of a chance of fighting back

He lacked mobility now however. So, commiting to the fight

Without so much a verbal command or giving time for his summon to present itself, the attack order comes and the armor punches at FutureSimon

Spoiler

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Now this should be better. With his new Summon, Leviath is at +8 Close Attack bonus, 14 Toughness and Damage 5 (not using armors, I'm guessing there isn't really space), but -2 to active defenses.

So, we attack! (still unlikely to hit X_X)

1d20+8[/roll] (facepalm. Used Spoiler instead of roll here)
On hit, Toughness vs DC 20

[Dorni]

Daimon glanced at the fleeing Annabelle as she sped down the hallway. In the years they'd worked together he hadn't pegged her as someone who would run from even a hopeless fight, but if she had some plan he couldn't spot it. Most likely she was going for reinforcements, which meant he had even less reason to prolong this fight.

The spy spent a moment to focus his regenerative powers and washed away the fatigue from his earlier exertion and raised his gun, covering Leviath. He didn't fire immediately, instead giving the barest nod to his future self as means of explaining his plan.

Spoiler: Action

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Preparing to fire at Leviath when Future Simon attacks as per a Team Attack. If allowed as part of a team attack, I'll multiattack 2 to attack both Leviath and the Powered Armor agent. If multi-attack cannot be used as part of a Team Attack, add 2 to the attack roll vs Leviath and increase the Toughness DC as per Multi-Attack.

Attack Leviath: (1d20+8)[27]. Base Toughness DC 25 30. Crit.
Shoot Powered Agent: (1d20+8)[17] Base Toughness DC 25

Spending a HP to remove Fatigue. Using Morph powers to do it is entirely fluff and shouldn't be visible.

[Quellian-dyrae]

From several spots on the ceiling, panels popped open to reveal large, high-tech machine guns as Annabelle activated SIDE's internal defenses, no longer concerned with the enemy having the same face as a Hero. The guns swept the room quickly and began firing with uncanny precision...but apparently limited accuracy as the two agents tracked their lines of fire and managed to keep out of them, a series of explosive rounds that would make short work of most targets. Alarms also started blaring, an alert to whatever agents remained in the building.

Coordinating with the efficiency that came from knowing the very thoughts of your teammate, Future Simon quickstepped around to the other side of Gestalt and the remaining agent, taking his shots as he tried to keep two steps ahead of the automated defenses. They were reaching the point of now or never, but he wasn't going to break just yet. The Iron Knight hurled itself in the way, knocking its master out of the lines of fire and taking the shots to its powerful armor, but the bullets and lasers caused extensive damage to even the formidable summoned warrior. The agent also took her share of hits, and sparks flew off of her armor.

The remaining agent kept hammering at Future Simon, this time punching with one fist and trying to grab him with the other, but he was busy at the moment and did not have time for her shenanigans.

Spoiler

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Annabelle:
Full Round: Activate SIDE's defenses and alarms.

SIDE Building: Attack with explosive rounds, Multiattack for 2.
Future Simon: (1d20+13)[15]. On a hit, DC 30 Toughness at (1d20+10)[11] vs. Damage and DC 20 Fortitude at (1d20+14)[25] vs. Impaired/Disabled/Incapacitated Affliction. Miss
Simon: (1d20+13)[17]. Miss

Future Simon: Team Attack with Simon, Multiattacking for 2.
Gestalt: (1d20+12)[17]. If he hits by three degrees, this will worsen Gestalt's result to Incapacitated. Hit, but Gestalt does just barely retain Staggered
Agent: (1d20+12)[31]. On a hit, DC 31 Crit! DC 36 Toughness at (1d20+12)[27] vs. Damage. (I forgot, she had all-out attacked last round, so Simon did hit and thus provides +2 to the DC). Bruised and Dazed

Agent: Attack Future Simon, All Out Attack for 5, at (1d20+15)[18]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 at (1d20+10)[23] vs. Damage and Strength or Dodge DC 20 at (1d20+17)[28] vs. Grab. Miss

Current Status:
Mandragora: Fatigued, 3 Bruises, Staggered, Incapacitated.
Gestalt: 2 Bruises, Staggered.
Simon: EQ Nullified, Bruised, Fatigued.
Annabelle: Normal.

Power Armored Agent: Bruised, Dazed 1 round, -5 Defense.

Future Simon: Bruised, Fatigued.

Simon in on turn.

[Dorni]

The sound of metal sliding on metal gave Daimon just enough warning to avoid the auto-gun's first shots. Annabelle's escape suddenly clicked. Clever girl.

The auto-guns were certainly dangerous, but they were still just machines. A quick-step put got the agent into position and ready to dodge the turret's next volley. He'd use the turret to remove the distraction and trust his partner to do the same with Leviath.

Spoiler: Actions

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Standard: Defend. New Defenses: (1d10+27)[34]
Move Action: Trick (Using Technology at -2, Move Action -5) (1d20+13)[32]. On a miss, Turret hits Powered Armor agent instead.

[Quellian-dyrae]

That had changed matters. Time was firmly on their side again, and Gestalt took advantage of it. Craftiezel raised his mighty shield and stood ready to defend his master.

Annabelle's hover chair zoomed back in. She started firing once more, this time at Simon himself. She didn't need to hit him; put enough bullets in the air and even he couldn't dodge them all.

And there were plenty of bullets in the air, as the turrets kept firing, the AI compensating for the misses with a more complex firing pattern. The shots wouldn't cluster as well, but they'd be harder to avoid.

Future Simon went for Gestalt, trying to get around the Iron Knight to assault the summoner with another rapid barrage of unarmed strikes, timing his move to try and take cover behind the Iron Knight in the space between bullets. But the Iron Knight was an adept defender, keeping carefully between Simon and his master to fend his blows and deny him the opportunity of cover. One of the bullets caught him in the arm as a result, although it was through and through and thus didn't detonate.

The agent started firing in both directions, spraying her own hail of bullets at the two shapeshifters. And with the alarms sounding and the gunfire providing all the direction they needed, two more power-armored agents flew into the hall, and lent their contribution to the futile but noble effort of putting enough dakka into this poor, helpless hallway. Simon managed to avoid all of them, but one of them caught Future Simon in the back when he was reeling from the injury to his arm. His armor held, but the impact knocked the wind out of him.

"Blast it, abort!" the time traveler shouted. As important as taking out Gestalt was, not getting captured in the past was moreso.

Spoiler

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Gestalt:
Standard: Use Aegis. Toughness capped at +13 this turn. Deflect at (1d10+17)[27].

Annabelle:
Move: Hover chair back into the hall.
Standard: Aid the automated weapons against Simon at (1d20+15)[29]. +5 to hit

SIDE Building: More explosive rounds, Accurate Attack for 5, Multiattack for 2.
Simon: (1d20+18)[31]+Aid. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Damage and Fortitude DC 15 vs. Impaired/Disabled/Incapacitated Affliction. Hit thanks to Aid

On a miss, base attack at (1d20+15)[23] to avoid Trick. If that fails, attack is redirected at Agent 1 at (1d20+18)[23].

Future Simon: (1d20+18)[37]. On a hit, Toughness (1d20+10)[23] and Fortitude (1d20+14)[20]. Hit. Bruised.

Future Simon:
Move: Attempt to Trick the guns (although this won't apply until next round) at (1d20+13)[23].
Standard: Attack Gestalt with Unarmed Strike, Defensive Attack for 2, Power Attack for 2, at (1d20+14)[26]. On a hit, Toughness DC 27+Multiattack at (1d20+11)[30] vs. Damage. On a miss, the attack is Reflected back upon him at (1d20+8)[11] (Toughness (1d20+10)[20]). JUST misses thanks to maxed Defend check. Deflect misses.

Agents:
Move: Agent 1 Dazed, Agents 2-3 fly into the hallway.
Standard: Attack with Machine Guns as a Team Attack, Accurate Attack for 2, All Out Attack for 5, Multiattack for 2. Attacks have additional +5 bonus for purposes of contributing to the Team Attack. Toughness DC 23+Team Attack on a hit.
Simon: (1d20+15)[16], (1d20+15)[27], (1d20+15)[32]. None manage to score a base hit, so the Teamwork bonuses don't apply. Miss.
Future Simon: (1d20+15)[32], (1d20+15)[20], (1d20+15)[21]. One hit, will roll Toughness OOC.

Current Status:
Mandragora: Fatigued, 3 Bruises, Staggered, Incapacitated.
Gestalt: 2 Bruises, Staggered.
Simon: EQ Nullified, Bruised, Fatigued. (Pending)
Annabelle: Normal.

Agent 1: Bruised, -5 Defense.
Agent 2: -5 Defense.
Agent 3: -5 Defense.

Future Simon: 3 Bruises, Dazed, Fatigued, +2 Defense.

Simon is on turn.

[Dorni]

Daimon cursed inwardly as he wove through the hail of bullets being directed at him. Annabelle's return had cut off his options. Now it was all he could do to avoid taking a clean hit. He counted himself lucky he'd escaped the last volley with only a graze.

As the additional agents poured into the hallway, he reached the same conclusion as his counterpart. He didn't waste time or breath replying.

Spoiler: Action

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Spending a HP to use Morph to strengthen his legs, power stunting Speed 1. Extra Effort to increase Speed rank by another +1
Move: Run away.
Standard: Run away.

Should result in 240ft movement. Going out the front door and ducking into a side street if possible. Assuming Future Daimon gets out in front of Daimon, I'll instead follow him. If offered, he'll grab his hand and accept the ride. Dunno if this will save any actions.

[Quellian-dyrae]

"No you don't," Gestalt said, and Craftiezel vanished, replaced by the Ice Witch Bruja. "Congele!" she cackled, a wall of ice appearing at the end of the hallway.

Annabelle moved her chair into position to try and obstruct Simon, equally determined not to let him get away.

Future Simon and the agent that had been fighting both took off almost simultaneously, flying at speed, and Future Simon would try to grab his present self and pull him along for the ride. The second agent also flew after them; the third hedged its bets and flew back around in the other direction, in case they did make it past the ice wall so someone would be ready on the other side.

Spoiler

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Since this is now kinda becoming half combat half chase, I'm being a bit more flexible with how turns work, since in game people aren't actually moving in a strict order and stopping. Kinda winging some rules here, but hopefully they make sense and are a better way to resolve things than just saying whoever acts first or has the higher Speed rank auto-wins. Or choosing what happens by GM fiat and trying to figure out who should actually get the Hero Point for it, for that matter .

Gestalt:
Free: Swap to Ice Witch.
Standard: Congele. Everyone attempting to fly out of the hall can make a Dodge, Speed Rank, Athletics, or Acrobatics check, DC 18, to get out before the ice wall forms. Those acting before Gestalt in initiative (i.e. Simon) get +2. Those acting after him get -2. If the attempt fails, standard action movement may be treated as a Slam against the Toughness 8 wall to try and smash through it.

Annabelle:
Standard: Attempt to interfere with Simon's passage. She rolls Acrobatics at (1d20+15)[29]. Simon, you have to beat that roll with Dodge, Speed Rank, Athletics, or Acrobatics, and you get +2 since you are acting earlier in initiative order. If you fail, she checks your first movement, and you can roll again to try and get past her with your second movement. If you succeed by one degree, you get around her, but she slows you down enough to impose -5 on your roll vs Gestalt. Two degrees you take -2. Three degrees she doesn't hinder you at all.

Future Simon:
Move: Dazed.
Standard: Attempt to escape at Flight 9. I don't think grabbing onto someone who is willing to be grabbed quite warrants a full action, but figure it will lower Speed Rank by 1. Future Simon can drag Simon along, but it weighs him down for another -1 Speed. So they'll be flying at Speed 7. It also will increase the -2 penalty for going after Gestalt and Annabelle (grabbing Simon means she's basically trying to block him now) to a major penalty, so he rolls at -5:
Dodge vs. Annabelle: (1d20+12)[14].
Dodge vs. Gestalt: (1d20+12)[17] (possibly modified depending on results against Annabelle).
(If Future Simon gets caught and your rolls succeed, you can still get through without him if you want).
Future Simon's dice hate him. But this is why I always give major NPCs at least a couple of Luck Rerolls. Ahoy in the OOC.

SIDE Building: Attack whichever Simons remain in the building, if any. Accurate Attack for 5, Toughness DC 25+Multiattack and Fortitude DC 15+Multiattack on a hit. If both are still in the building, reduce the attack roll by 2 and remove the +Multiattack bonus from the damage.
Simon: (1d20+20)[34]. Two Degree Hit. Toughness DC 27 and Fortitude DC 17 UNLESS Simon escapes the building successfully.
Future Simon: (1d20+20)[25]. Miss regardless.

Agents 1 and 3:
Move: Fly after the Simons at Speed Rank 10.
Standard: If they wind up on the same side of the wall, Agent 1 will attack Future Simon with machine guns, All Out Attack for 5, at (1d20+15)[33], Toughness DC 25+Multiattack vs. Damage on a hit. Agent 3 will Aid the attack at (1d20+15)[19]. I forgot to roll for them against the wall, will do that in OOC in case of FS's luck rerolls getting him through. Hit. Aid provides +2. DC increases to 27. Forgot AGAIN to roll FS's Toughness, so will do that OOC assuming the escape rolls don't change matters.

Agent 2:
Move: Fly the long way around and out the building.
Standard: If the Simons do get out, punch Simon, All Out Attack for 5. (1d20+15)[16]. On a hit, Toughness DC 25 vs. Damage and Future Simon has to roll Strength ((1d20)[14]) vs. DC 20 or Simon will be knocked from his grasp. If this does occur, Simon must also roll Athletics or Acrobatics DC 20 or land prone. Even if Simon does get out of the building this misses with a Natural 1. I'mma rule that Simon can use one of his 'you can use this if the enemy misses you while Defending' Advantages here if he does get out, because Rule of Cool.

So, what does Simon need to roll?
First, a Dodge check (at +2), DC 29, to get past Annabelle and have a shot to get out cleanly. If he fails, he can roll again, but he only gets his second movement, so he'd end turn pretty much in the vicinity of where the fight had begun initially.
Second, if he succeeds, a Dodge check DC 18 to get past the wall. This'll be either at +2, +0, or -3 depending on how the first one turns out.
Third, if he DOESN'T get out, Toughness DC 27 and Fortitude DC 17.
Or if he DOES get out, whatever reactive move he wants to do from one of his Advantages.

Mandragora: Fatigued, 3 Bruises, Staggered, Incapacitated.
Gestalt: 2 Bruises, Staggered.
Simon: EQ Nullified, 2 Bruises, Fatigued.
Annabelle: Normal.

Agent 1: Bruised, -5 Defense.
Agent 2: -5 Defense.
Agent 3: -5 Defense.

Future Simon: 4 Bruises, Staggered, Fatigued.

Simon is on turn.

[Dorni]

Everything happened in one confusing blur as the agents made their escape, but Daimon's accelerated perceptions let him watch everything in perfect slow motion.

Daimon took off running for the exit, expertly dodging the pack of SIDE agents. He raised one hand and wasn't disappointed as his future counterpart blasted past him with his flight belt. Daimon was yanked off his feet as the pair clasped wrists and flew down the hall.

He had yet more reason to be impressed with Annabelle as she reacted by racing to block their escape. In contrast, Leviath was helpfully announcing his intention as he called on his Ice Witch. Her spell started building a wall at the end of the corridor and it took Daimon a fraction of a second to realize that Annabelle would slow their escape long enough for the wall to be finished.

Daimon's gun blurred as he fired a pair of shots at Annabelle, missing her completely but hitting her hoverchair cleanly. The bullets punched clear through the electronics covering it and with a spark and bang the hoverchair crashed to the ground. With Annabelle grounded, the pair shot out the end of the hallway and out the building just as the ice wall closed behind them.

A quick glance behind him revealed that two of the agents had managed to squeak past the ice wall behind them and were gaining on the pair. As the pair closed on them, Daimon realized that his counterpart couldn't teleport so long as he was in flight. Daimon let go, hitting the ground and rolling back to his feet, but too late. The pair had managed a heedless flying tackle that had knocked the wind out of his partner. Just then, a second agent burst around the corner and spotted Daimon. The Agent charged and tried to deliver a heedless flying punch, but Daimon cleaned ducked underneath the attack as the officer sailed past, granting him a clean shot at the officer's back.

Daimon didn't want to kill any of the officers, but could afford being slowed by them even less. He raised his gun to take advantage of the officers' heedless attacks.

Spoiler: Actions

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As per OOC, using Deceptive Defense on Agent 2 after the missed attack. Deception 30 to make the officer flat-footed.

Standard: Fire gun, Multi-Attack 3 to hit each officer. Power Attack 2 to place the shots precisely.
Attack Officer 1: (1d20+5)[11] On Hit, DC 27 Toughness vs Damage
Attack Officer 2: (1d20+5)[10] On Hit, DC 27 Toughness vs Damage
Attack Officer 3: (1d20+5)[22] On Hit, DC 27 Toughness vs Damage

Move Action: ???

[Quellian-dyrae]

Future Simon gave a slight, pained smile as they arrived outside, escaping the anti-projection field. "You know the nice thing about being from the future?" he asked deadpan...and then suddenly vanished.

Leaving Simon alone with the three powered-armored agents.

In the movies, this was where they'd level their weapons and demand the suspect surrender.

This was not the movies. This was SIDE.

They kept shooting.

Spoiler

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You get a Hero Point for the Complication.

Future Simon:
Move: Staggered.
Standard: Teleport.

Agents: Fire on Simon as a Team Attack, Accurate Attacking for 2. On a hit, Toughness DC 23+Multiattack+Team Attack vs. Damage.
(1d20+12)[31] Hit. Multiattack +2.
(1d20+12)[24] Miss, but Teamwork bonus allows it to contribute to the Team Attack for +2.
(1d20+12)[22] Miss, but Teamwork bonus allows it to contribute to the Team Attack, but only by one more degree so still +2.

Toughness DC 27.

Current Status:
Mandragora: Fatigued, 3 Bruises, Staggered, Incapacitated.
Gestalt: 2 Bruises, Staggered.
Simon: EQ Nullified, 2 Bruises, Fatigued.
Annabelle: Hover Chair non-functional.

Agent 1: Bruised.
Agent 2: Normal.
Agent 3: Bruised, (Dazed Ends).

Future Simon: 4 Bruises, Staggered, Fatigued.

Simon is on turn.

[Dorni]

Sometimes, Daimon's reflexes were a curse. They gave him an eternity to realize he had made a mistake, but his body wasn't fast enough to correct it. So it was as a bullet ripped its way though into his hip. About the only fortunate thing was that he didn't yet feel the pain. He didn't have time anyway, as the agents were continuing to fire on him.

He recovered his balance and concentrated on the officers' lines of fire. He couldn't outrun them. He had to hold out until his ride arrived.

Spoiler: Actions

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Standard: Defend. New Defense (1d10+27)[31]

[Quellian-dyrae]

Simon didn't have to wait long. As the SIDE agents started moving to get him in a crossfire, a car door opened from empty air behind him. "You can always remember where you parked," his counterpart finished as he pulled him into the vehicle. He sped off as the door closed, rendering the car once again invisible, its advanced cloaking field making it difficult even for the sensor suites of the SIDE powered armor to detect.

Not that they didn't try.

Spoiler

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Future Simon:
Extra Effort - Additional Action: Recover. Staggered condition removed.
Move Action: Drive to Simon.
Standard Action: Pull Simon into the car and drive into the air at -1 Speed rank.

The SIDE agents have Counters All Concealment Senses, but Simon's car's Feature means they have to roll Perception vs. Stealth to detect it. Agents roll (1d20+10)[16] Perception. You want to do the honors for the car's Stealth? Actually, nevermind, your car can't fail to beat that.

If they fail to detect the car, they can't pinpoint it to attack. If they detect it, they fire on it as a Team Attack. On a hit, Toughness DC 25+Multiattack+Team Attack.
Agent 1: (1d20+10)[25].
Agent 2: (1d20+10)[30].
Agent 3: (1d20+10)[24].

Current Status:
Mandragora: Fatigued, 3 Bruises, Staggered, Incapacitated.
Gestalt: 2 Bruises, Staggered.
Simon: EQ Nullified, 3 Bruises, Staggered.
Annabelle: Hover Chair non-functional.

Agent 1: Bruised.
Agent 2: Normal.
Agent 3: Bruised.

Future Simon: 4 Bruises, Exhausted.

Simon and Future Simon escape.

[Quellian-dyrae]

In the SIDE Building:

Mandragora slowly comes to. The damage he received in plant form didn't translate to anything too severe when he reverted to his normal body. Gestalt is kneeling beside him, apparently checking his vitals. The two unarmored SIDE agents are both still lying unconscious. Annabelle is cursing and trying to get her hoverchair back working. "How are they?" she shouts across the hall.

"I think they're alive!" Gestalt calls back.

In Simon's Car:

"I have to leave," Future Simon says. He doesn't look particularly good, bleeding from several wounds and wavering, looking near to passing out from pain and exhaustion. "Go to IDEA. To Lorelei. Help her. It...it won't stop this. But it might give us a chance." His voice is thin, breathy and raspy. There's blood in his mouth.

"Daimon," he says, the use of your real name underscoring the importance, "The others. They..." He took a shaky breath.

"They were not ready. Are you?"

And then he tapped his belt and vanished. It was different this time. He didn't just disappear. There was an almost electric crackle, a wavering in the air where he had been.

And Simon was alone in his flying car. With no one behind the wheel. Yay for autopilot.

[Dorni]

Daimon snorted as his future self faded away. Since when did he indulge in melodrama?

With his neural uplink to the vehicle still shot, he settled himself into the driver seat and checked the sensors. Satisfied that he wasn't being followed, he keyed in a new destination and finally allowed himself to relax.

Leaning back in the chair felt good. Or perhaps it was the cession of pain as he let his shapeshifting abilities mend his wounds.

Even though they hadn't managed to capture Leviath, there had still been some gains today. The time traveller had been forced to leave his vehicle behind when he left. Daimon didn't doubt that IDEA would end up getting hold of it. Replicating its technology would be a big advantage for Illessia.

He'd also managed to save Simon. He smiled a bit at the idea - was it possible to save someone who doesn't really exist? 'Simon' was just an identity he'd built up over the years. A detailed and useful identity, but ultimately just a mask. Even if he did enjoy wearing it. Whether he enjoyed it was beside the point. He needed the identity now more than ever.

As for Loreli Winters, he wasn't yet sure how she factored in to what was happening, but his future self seemed to think her research would end up being the key to stopping... something. As he recalled, her research into Time was still in its infancy. It was difficult to see what use it could be, but it seemed obvious that this looming threat somehow involved time travel. He himself was proof that it was possible and it would be prudent to assume that their foe also had the capability.

That put their possible foe in a new light. His future self hadn't confirmed his suspicions about an unknown organization being behind the Disappearances and today's attack, but he hadn't denied it either. An organization with access to that much Dreamer power would take time to develop and it would be extremely hard for it not leave some kind of detectable fingerprint. IN-SIDE wasn't perfect, but it was unlikely that such an organization would go unnoticed for long. If time travel was in play though, then the entire building up phase could be skipped. A future organization could conceivably go back in time or feed its younger self assets from the future - not entirely unlike the time agent's car that had been left behind - and be a force to be reckoned with. When they'd fought the creatures outside the building, it had seemed like there was some kind of intelligence guiding the summoned creatures. They'd reacted instantly to Leviath's presence and as far as SIDE had been able to tell the SIDE HQ was the district heaviest hit in the attack. In fact, Daimon couldn't remember them using non-lethal force against any other target. Did whomever was behind the attack intend to capture Leviath, or merely ensure that he wasn't killed? Future Leviath immediately sprang to mind - those creatures clearly had been more powerful versions of Leviath's and he'd have incentive to ensure his past self wasn't killed...

Daimon felt the car slowing down as it parked itself near Aaron's home and ending his musings. He had a plenty to take care of to make his cover story stick - cleaning the blood, wiping his vehicle's travel logs, fixing his neural uplink and locking it down again, sending off the car, faking a struggle, restraining himself, and half a dozen smaller details. It was routine work, but vital to keeping his cover intact. He could speculate later when he was waiting for Simon to be discovered.

[Born]

As Eric came to, the first thing he noticed was the shooting pain in several inconvenient places on his back. The second thing he realized was that it was Leviath yelling about someone being alive. So, future Simon had been unable to capture the summoner after all. For a little while, Eric let himself feel relief that Leviath was fine. Leviath was alive, and Eric would ensure that he does not turn into some mass-kidnapper/murderer. The SIDE agents, Leviath, Simon, and Annabelle had fought the time traveler off.

Then he realized he had no idea what had hit him. Future Simon had been contained in his vines, held still (though still able to shoot - and well at that), and Annabelle and Simon had followed him into the hallway. Eric thought the SIDE building's defenses would keep anything from being cloaked inside. So what had happened? He felt the need to ask while he looked around for a patch of sunlight to stand in.

"Did anyone see what hit me?" Eric asked, now realizing that any semblance of anonymity he had was now also shot since he was out of vine form. "Are you okay, Leviath? And are the monsters gone from the city now?" Eric winced as pain shot through his back again when he tried to get up. "Actually, am I going to have to go outside, or is there a nice patch of sunlight from a window or something I can lay in?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Mandragora

"It was the other one who was with you," the first power-armored agent said as she came back into the hallway. The other two weren't with her. "Apparently they were part of the same organization. He changed into a different form after shooting you, presumably his normal form, and he was wearing the same uniform as the other one." There was concern in her voice. "That shouldn't be possible. Dreamer powers that let you take on alternate human forms are restricted in here. Agent Colt, can you run a security sweep? We have to make sure our defenses aren't compromised."

Annabelle nodded, "He claimed to be from the future, and I have evidence supporting that conclusion. He also had access to a SIDE command code, so it's possible that they had a workaround for the defenses. I'll check regardless. In the meantime, Mr. Cinder has been placed under arrest while we investigate his connection with the original attack."

"After all that?"

"Having a vigilante from the future after you doesn't invalidate the evidence. Look, like I said, I'm sure you didn't have anything to do with it, but we need to investigate the possibility anyway."

Gestalt sighed and nodded, not resisting as the power armored agent walked over taking out a pair of power-suppressing restraints.

Simon

You go about your work uninterrupted.

[DukeGod]

With one last sigh, Leviath presented one of his wrists, the other hand holding the witches. As the restraints are placed, and his summon disappears, the connection severed, Leviath feels what it is like to have one's power negated

A lot of nothing basically. He wonders if in his dreams his creatures would be gone too. Certainly a lot more threatened. If he slept, would his creatures be in his dreams?

"Argh, this one is gonna be ugly. I'm really gonna try to cooperate, but just cause I'm supposed to set the bar and follow protocols in these kinds of things, I'm gonna call one of the Corps lawyers and wait for him if you don't mind, before we start talking"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Gestalt:

You are escorted to one of the interview rooms by the captain who first assisted you against Future Simon, who waits as a guard; she doesn't speak to you, since you've requested an attorney. You wind up having to wait for apparently six hours, although given the whole time weirdness it may have been technically less to the outside world. The interview rooms are pretty well sound-proofed, but after about five hours you do start to see more agents moving through the halls, some of them injured or carrying the injured.

Finally, your attorney arrives. Paul Wright, you've met him a few times. He handles most legal matters for the Corps in Adaros. "Why would you do this?" he demands of the captain pretty much immediately upon entering. His voice is calm, but a clear note of exasperation. It's also identical to the one you heard in your dream, the night of the Disappearance.

"We don't have enough to worry about without our Heroes being held on trumped-up charges? Or am I to believe your power scanners did, in fact, reveal that Mr. Cinder is capable of a mass summoning on this scale?"

"That would matter more if one of your Heroes hadn't just attacked this very building, and displayed shapeshifting powers that didn't show up on power scanners. But-"

"So what you mean to say is, if an unknown shapeshifter who appeared as a Hero hadn't attacked this building."

"But it's a moot point. Yes, we are aware that your client's powers are not strong enough to summon this volume of creatures. I fully expect that he will be released tomorrow. But that doesn't mean we just ignore the possibility. He may not be the most likely suspect, but he's still a better one than most, which means he gets interviewed." She turns to you. "Are you willing to answer my questions now, Mr. Cinder?" she asks, firmly but respectfully.

"Be aware that they have nothing they can hold you on. I've already heard witnesses report that you were fighting against the creatures, and your power readings will prove you couldn't have been involved. They can keep you here for up to twenty-four hours, but they don't have a leg to stand on otherwise, and you don't have to answer any questions you do not wish to."

Simon:

You finish your preparations before a response team arrives at Aaron's home. The crisis bought you time, although not a ton of it; you're barely sitting for fifteen minutes before they arrive. Your senses are keen enough to hear them approach the house. On foot; they would have parked their vehicles further away to minimize the chance of detection. It's hard to tell, but you estimate eight agents, and the metallic sounds of their steps indicates that they're in powered armor. With the military active as it is, and considering the attack on the SIDE headquarters, it's entirely possible that they might have OUT-SIDE agents among them.

That's all to be expected. What isn't is the voice that filters through the door: "He's not going to be here. Simon isn't stupid; he knows this is the first place we'd look." It isn't so much that it's strange that Specter would be among the team - you and Future Simon definitely earned enough respect for SIDE to deploy a Dreamer - but that she would speak at all that close to the house on approach. She's way better trained than that - the only plausible explanation is that she's intending it as a warning in case you are there.

Of course, that warning would be for Daimon Aimes the maybe shapeshifter maybe guy from the future maybe something else entirely who may have just been party to an attack on the SIDE headquarters, not for Simon Candler the guy who had just been beaten up, tied up in his friend's house, and had his identity stolen. Twice. As the case may be.

The agents breached the house fast and hard, though there wasn't much to tell of their entry, since by then your senses were already under assault from the souped-up flash-bangs they had hurled through the windows.

Spoiler

Show

You're in the area of two flash-bangs. Dodge DC 20 for half from each. Fortitude DC 20 vs. Dazed+Vulnerable/Stunned+Defenseless/Incapacitated+Unaware Affliction. You're at -2 on the Dodge checks (would be -5 for having restrained yourself, but since you're forewarned by both your own senses and Specter and you know SIDE protocols, it's only -2) and these attacks are Cumulative.

Mandragora:

While the SIDE agents have a couple questions for you, just trying to get your view of what happened, they don't keep you for long, although they'd happily accept any assistance you choose to provide as far as healing and such goes.

In any event, as you're leaving, two people are approaching the SIDE building, a young man and woman. The woman stops and kinda stares at you for a moment when they see you, and the man regards you for a moment before leaning over and whispering (although your hearing is keen enough to pick it up), "Is that one of them?" The woman nods, though somewhat uncertainly, and the two walk in your direction.

"Excuse me," the woman says as they get closer. "You're one of the Heroes, right? Who saved the mayor?"

[Dorni]

About time they showed up.

Simon had just enough warning to shut his eyes as the flash-bangs shattered the window. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do being bound and gagged.

Then flash-bangs erupted in light and sound, momentarily illuminating the closet he'd been stuffed in. His ears were ringing too loudly to hear the door being breached, but he knew the agents would discover him any moment.

[Born]

"Yeah, I helped with the situation at City Hall. Did you need something?" Eric asked as he tried not to give away who he was. Part of him still wanted to remain anonymous to avoid attracting attention, in spite of how difficult it would be to maintain anonymity while doing more hero work. He was particularly reluctant to gain fame among the congregations at the temple. He didn't need people asking him for an autograph while he prayed.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Simon:

By the time you've recovered from the flash-bang, you're faced with three power-armored OUT-SIDE soldiers point arm-cannons in your direction. You can see Specter standing a bit past them with a concerned look on her face. Shouts of "Clear!" are coming from various points in the building. Although they're wary and combat ready, it does seem like finding you beaten up, tied up, and stuffed in a closet was not what they were expecting, and they seem momentarily uncertain how to proceed.

Mandragora:

"To find you, apparently," the man says with a sort of wry sarcasm, not unlike one might expect from a soldier who's smart enough to think for himself and loyal enough to follow orders anyway.

"My name's Jenny Cade, and this is my brother, William. We're Dreamers. I get visions, gifts from the Lore and the Fate. See the future and stuff, in...varying degrees of clarity. I got one this morning that basically told me to seek out one of the heroes who fought at City Hall."

"And I can temporarily exchange the powers of two Dreamers. And I'm sure you can tell where this is going," William said with an amused grin.

"The gods have a vision they went you see," Jenny said with a bright smile. "Are you willing to see it?"

[DukeGod]

Pau'ls first line alarms Leviath a bit. First because he thought for a second it was directed at him. And then because it had been too much like from that dream. No, nevermind, probably just his memory playing tricks. He didn't have any prediction powers.

The conversation goes pretty much as expected. Oh well, that's what happens when everyone knows the intentions of everyone else he guesses. Also, when a lot of it is done just because of protocol?

"I'm willing to answer for now. Ask me your questions"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Gestalt:

"Thank you. First, I would like to know where these creatures you summon come from. Presumably, whoever did conjure them is able to acquire them from the same place. Have you ever encountered any other Dreamer capable of summoning such creatures, or encountered such creatures in circumstances other than your personally summoning them? Reports indicate that you were able to exert some control over the creatures while you were fighting them; how did you accomplish that? Finally, the two shapeshifters were apparently after you in particular; do you know why, and are you able to identify them with certainty? Those are the most important, but any insights you might be able to give on the nature or reason behind the attack would also be appreciated."

"I'll advise you not to answer that last one. We're agreed that you are most likely not involved with the attack, so I'm sure SIDE will be able to conduct its investigation just fine without the speculations of a single Hero."

"I was, in fact, hoping that whatever ability he had to control the creatures might have allowed him to acquire some information from them."

"Be that as it may, I'd want it in writing that SIDE indemnifies my client against responsibility in this matter before he provides any such information."

[Dorni]

It wasn't easy to look serious while bound and gagged, but Simon managed it. He kept a wary eye on the arm cannons trained on him as he waited for SIDE to sweep the building, barely able to make out the signals being called out through his ringing ears. He barely glanced at Spectre. Simon Candler, long retired OUT-SIDE agent turned Hero, wouldn't be able to pick the young IN-SIDE agent out of a lineup.

As the confusion stretched on well after the building sweep should have been finished, Simon finally rolled his eyes. "Ah hurrenur?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

One of the armored agents finally spoke, though not to you. "House is clear. Agent, you want to check for any hidey-holes while we secure the prisoner?"

"Sure thing, Captain. When you get him back to HQ, make sure he goes to Level 2, okay?"

"Thought he was Corps."

"Yep, but used to be one of us. One of you, to be precise. And considering the situation, orders are that IN-SIDE gets this one."

"Fair enough. I'll see to it."

Specter nods and walks off, vanishing into invisibility and intangibility as she does so. The soldiers quickly search you for weapons or devices, before untying you and securing you with their own restraints. They also remove your gag. Unless you resist, they escort you down the block to where two ACVs are parked and seat you inside. The captain speaks as they walk, "Simon Candler, you are not under arrest. You are being taken in for interrogation on suspicion of conspiring with enemies of SIDE and revealing SIDE secrets, per Article 4, Section 2 of your contract with SIDE, which remains in effect through the expiry of your association. Depending on the result of this interrogation, legal action may or may not be taken against you. A civilian attorney is not permitted to be part of the interrogation, but you are entitled to have a SIDE legal representative assist you if you wish to do so. While you cannot be forced to speak, refusal to do so may result in further legal action. Do you understand?"

[Dorni]

Simon didn't resist as they marched him out. "Did they get Leviath?" He countered as soon as the captain finished. For Simon, everything else could wait.

[Quellian-dyrae]

Simon:

The captain eyes you intently for a moment when you ask that question. Two and two clearly weren't adding up in his head. "No," he said simply.

The soldiers escorted you back to the Headquarters, taking you down to the first basement level and into one of the interrogation rooms held down there. It was no secret among SIDE that those rooms were every bit as secure as one of the cells that actually held prisoners in.

Twenty minutes later, Specter entered the room (using the door; even her clearance wasn't high enough to circumvent the anti-projection measures down here). The first thing she did was make a show of going to the camera and turning it off. It was against protocol, but then, this was an IN-SIDE interrogation. Protocol was a guideline at best.

And thus certain that no one else was watching or listening, she finally said, "Dreamless night, Ames, what is going on?"

[DukeGod]

Leviath winces at the questions.

"Okay, I really want to cooperate, which is why I'm gonna downright tell you, I don't know the answer of the first one. I don't know where my creatures come from. All I can guess is my dreams but even then only because...well, I'm a Dreamer. Oh right, side note. Keep an eye out for more monster attacks. I didn't start with all 4, so I'm not really sure that's all of them either. Now, I think other Dreamers can summon things, but I'm not sure where they get or wether they make them from nothing."

"Getting control wasn't hard. I'm guessing even if I didn't summon then, they were still in a way mine and incapable of disobeying orders. I could only control one at a time. Mandragora apparently captured some of the knights, they're capable of speech, so I think I can take control of one and just order it to talk everything it knows"

"I know what they said they were after, they wanted to capture me, and the reasons are rather unbelievable. Annabelle will probably say it aniway, so here it goes. They came from the future, with some certainity that I was some kind of villain and wanted to stop me here in the past. Sorry, Paul, this one is probably gonna make your life difficult I think"

[Dorni]

Tension visibly left Simon's shoulders at the captain's words. "Good." Simon was quiet the rest of the trip. Anything he said now would be admissible and he didn't want to involve them. He might have been retired, but OUT-SIDE was a band of brothers. No one ever fully left it.

Simon didn't resist as they led him to the interrogation room and sat him down. Simon settled into the seat and relaxed. It wasn't exactly comfortable - interrogation chairs are deliberately uncomfortable - but SIDE wouldn't meet with him until they were good and ready.

It came as a surprise when Spectre walked in. He wasn't surprised it was her - she was the obvious candidate to handle the interrogation. He'd been on of her trainers and had overseen her evaluation missions. He'd gotten to know her, but she knew him as well. He trusted her - as much as it was healthy to trust anyone in this line of work, anyway. He just hadn't expected her so quickly. Nor did he expect her to kill the camera right away.

"A lot, even by our standards." But what was safe to tell her? "How much do you know already?"

[Quellian-dyrae]

Gestalt:

Spoiler

Show

Summoning is a pretty rare power. You're the only Hero Corps Summoner in the region. You know of a handful of Dreamers with minor summoning abilities in the city, about the most powerful creature any of them are capable of calling up is a particularly big wolf. There's three other summoners you've heard of in the city that approach your own power. Harem, who was at City Hall, of course, if duplicators count. A woman named Katherine Araya, who is in show business; her summons aren't that strong, basically ordinary people, but she can call up a lot of them at once. She mainly uses her powers as a source of cheap extras. The third is a man named Richtor Byrne, a pretty powerful elementalist who has elemental summoning as one aspect of his powers. He's about four floors below you after gambling debts got him in too deep with some rather nasty criminals who started using him as Dreamer muscle. (At your discretion, Gestalt may have been one of the Heroes who brought him in).

"It better not. Unless SIDE really wants to go to court accusing an established Hero of a crime he hasn't committed yet," Paul said, giving the captain a firm look as he said so.

"Sounds like it'd be hard to prosecute," she responded dryly. "However, what I'm gathering here is that these creatures are basically unique to you. What I would like to do is hold you here overnight, and let some of our scientists conduct an examination. It may be that some other entity somehow accessed your powers and provided the raw energy to initiate them on the scale we saw by some other means. If so, the scientists might be able to find evidence of it. Would you be willing to consent to such an examination? And in the meantime...we have the knights you mentioned in custody, and they are so far not speaking at all. If you believe you can compel them to, we would certainly accept and appreciate such assistance."

"I assume you would first be signing documentation guaranteeing him immunity, if he's going to assist you in such a manner."

"I can't guarantee anything at this stage, but I can tell you plainly that him allowing us to perform the examination would go far towards indicating his innocence."

"Meaning you'll feel, just, awful if you can't find any other suspects and he's the one who goes down for it. Paul retorted, a hint of a mocking tone in his voice. More neutrally he added, "I'd advise against it, Mr. Cinder."

Simon:

"I know that a hostile individual who appeared as you chased another person who appeared to be you and another of the Heroes who had fought at City Hall into the SIDE headquarters during a city-wide crisis. I know that during the struggle, the second you was temporarily separated from the other Hero, who engaged the attacker with the assistance of other SIDE agents until more backup arrived. I know that when the attacker seemed on the verge of capture, the other apparent you took on the form of another person entirely wearing a similar uniform to the attacker, shot one of the Heroes in the back, and assisted the original attacker in escaping the building after its automated defenses were initiated."

"I also know that Doctor Colt met with certain high-ranking people in IN-SIDE, and once that meeting was over I received orders to rendezvous with an OUT-SIDE squad in the city and bring you or anyone who looked like you in by any means necessary."

"And finally, unlike most people, I know that the display of a shapeshifting ability that does not come up on Dreamer scanners is not necessarily evidence of your innocence in the matter."

"That said, I also know that strange things happen every day and the past two days have been stranger than most. I know that there is nothing that Agent Daimon Ames is more loyal to than the security of Ilessia. And I know something significant had to happen for you to be found beaten up and stuffed into a closet in your cover's friend's house."

"So, that's what I know. Now how about you tell me what you know. What. Happened?"

[DukeGod]

Struggling with his thoughts, Leviath fidges a bit as he thinks. He did wanna help SIDE. But if he ended up taking the fall, and locked up for good it'd be a true disaster

"Okay. I'll take your hint Paul. I'll answer questions, but I won't do the examination just yet"