Hero Academy #2: Whodunit

[Axelgear]

Sekhmet tries to think through her furious haze. She has to think, to focus... Focuuus... If she gets this wrong again, they're not likely to spare them at all, but if she goes too far, they'll lose any hope of finding out why Brick killed himself... And why he showed so much shock at the sight of her...

"Focus... Focus... Rrrrr... Kill the pinhead!" Sekhmet's claws scratch at the floor once or twice before she swings her whole body into the motion of hurting a fireball at Drain, trying to make sure that he wouldn't get the drop on her again. She also levitates to the roof, away from the wall, to ensure he can't use that tricky wall-jump maneuver to tag her again. That was as much thinking as she could muster, her idea to take out Ammunition long gone. Her mind was blurred, and all thoughts of strategy suffocated by a river of fire pulsing through her mind.

[Zarthrax]

"Sounds like a plan!"

FX flinches as Leshii rushes towards him. "Sorry, thought that was gonna hurt me more."

Once he's across the threshold of the door, he closes it and tries every password he can think of to jam his collar.

[sun_tzu]

As soon as Leshii carries FX outside the room, the jamming gets weak enough that he can access his collar's program. The codes in the datalink are enough to hijack the collar's control in a matter of seconds.
Back in the room, the villains are scrambling. Drain screams in pain as he is engulfed by Sekhmet's fireball. Combustion Man hesitates, Stretch and Ammunition try to get her from a distance...but by the time their attack reach the spot, Tsunami's already sent a devastating stream of water that hits Sekhmet at what must have been at least one hundred mph. There's a cracking sound as Sekhmet's head makes a big dent in the metallic ceiling, before she falls back to the ground. ((Unconscious. And, um, some fractures. That was a critical hit, and a roll of 1 for for the Toughness Save ))
Graviton is quickly pressing a few buttons on his remote. A debilitating, excruciating storm of pain hits Powerhouse and (judging from the screams) Improv - Sekhmet's collar has been broken to bits.

FX:

Spoiler

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You suddenly get a message through your company's direct channel - a request for your situation and coordinates from the police and Bleu-Blanc-Rouge. It looks like they've been emitting it for a while now in the hope of getting ahold of you.

[Axelgear]

Sekhmet hits the roof with a terrible crunch and lands on the ground with a horrifically quiet thud as her mind drifts into unconsciousness.

As this happens, Sekhmet's last thoughts are "Oh no, not again". Of course, if we knew why deities fused with the minds of humans that have taken on human form thought such things, we would probably know a great deal more about the state of the Universe than we do today.

[Green Bean]

Leshii keeps moving away from the holding room as fast as she can with FX in tow.

"Okay, we need a plan. We can't take them head on by ourselves, and going back in there is probably suicide. Can you hack their computers or something? At the very least, we need a map."

[Zarthrax]

FX uses his datalink to respond to the transmission. "Doing just peachy. Home in on this frequency. I'll keep the line open as long as I can. Incidentally, our hosts are Dr. Knack and the New Predators, so speed would be appreciated."

Afterwards, he turns to Leshii. "Let's find his servers, or his defense grid. I hack either, and Knack is going to find out just who he's messing with here."

[Mick_the_Rogue]

Powerhouse tried to breath slowly, and held in the scream he wanted to yell. He wanted to help Improv but he didn't know if he could First things first...he thought as he tried to move his hips again, trying to get the ball to smash into his neck, and break the collar

Spoiler

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Another Hero point I suppose

[sun_tzu]

As the hypermass ball hits Powerhouse's collar, there's a crunching noise and a few sparks. The excruciating pain subsides somewhat - whereas until now it felt like your entire body was on fire, now it only feels like you've got a multitude of burns. It's still very painful, but not so much you can't grit your teeth and think clearly.
His clothes still burning, Drain throws himself at Tsunami. Her water shield blocks him and puts him out; he staggers a bit, and collapses.
Stretch and Combustion Man rush at Sekmet's body, checking to make sure she's out of commission.
"Get back here." Graviton's voice sounds particularly chilly as he raises an arm in Leshii's direction. The next instant, a gravitic pulse yanks the elastic heroine through the corridor and back into the room. Ammunition, gun in hand, sets something on her weapon...then shoots a blast of pure cold at Leshii ((Stunned and Bruised)).
FX is at a fork in the corridor. Now that you're in a less strongly-jammed area, your datalink can pick up the wireless network that runs this base. It doesn't actually seem to be that high-tech - this is probably the New Predators' base rather than Knack's. You can also sense some familiar connections - your gauntlets and gadgets, in a room on the other side of this complex. There's something with them - all of Improv's gadgets, you think. Including that sphere of his, apparently on standby mode.

[Mick_the_Rogue]

Powerhouse breathes a sigh of relief, before looking down Four left... he thinks looking towards Improv, Can't do the same thing, it'll break his neck.., he takes a breath, his body still burned, but there was no time to worry about that, he was out of creative options, now was the time for brute force, he thought trying to move his hands and arms as much as he could, trying to rip himself and his bonds from the walls

[Green Bean]

Leshii reels as the icy blast once again scores a hit on her. This time, however, she manages to keep a clear head, and quickly recovers. Think, Danny. She can hurt you, but you can use this to your advantage. Turn assets into liabilities. Hang on a sec. I'm not the only one who can be frozen. Leshii starts twisting and distorting herself as only a shapeshifter can, keeping her movements erratic. Subtly, she positions herself between Ammunition and Tsunami and addresses the well armed villainess.

"Man, I can't believe you bought that whole 'I'm just a little girl' shtick. Didja drop out of second grade to do this?"

((Hero Point to become un-Stunned, and I'll try to Trick Ammunition into freezing Tsunami's water shield. I'll also use another HP to double my dodge bonus this round))

[Zarthrax]

FX grins. Time to even the odds... He runs to the room with the gang's stuff while trying to hack the base's network at the same time.

Spoiler

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Hero Point expenditure, I'm sure.

[sun_tzu]

"Man, I can't believe you bought that whole 'I'm just a little girl' shtick. Didja drop out of second grade to do this?"

"Dodgeball." says Ammunition as she shoots another icy blast at Leshii. Half-frozen as she is, it takes painful effort for the heroine to twist out of the way at the last tenth of a second, then elongate her legs and spin in the air as she twists further to escape Combustion Man's flaming fist and Graviton's destructive blast. Ammunition's attack hits Tsunami's water shield, forming a solid wall of ice that surrounds her. "Hey! Watch where you aim that thing!" Meanwhile, Stretch sends an arm out of the room, then follows it.

FX sprints like he's never sprinted before. It takes some heavy-duty programs you have on the datalink, but you manage to auto-hack the base's system. There's a teleportation chamber (no time to find out the range), which appears to be the only way in or out...from the resemblance, you suspect Knack actually built that one. Also, light control, temperature control, communication equipment...Additionally, you're in front of the room with all your equipment, and you think you might be able to access the basic I/O of Improv's sphere with a few more seconds. That's when you access a movement detector...which indicates four people have just appeared within the base.
The next instant, something shoots right next to you. Only the hand at its end tells you it's Stretch's arm. The rest of him quickly follows, and the elastic villain stands before you. "Sorry, where you going somewhere?" He grins like the cat that ate the canary...but suddenly, there's a blur between you two; the next instant, his arm is outstrecthed out of the room. He yelps a quick "Waugh!!!" before being yanked away.

In the torture room, Powerhouse struggles against the omni-metal bonds. Living as you do in a world that sometimes feels so fragile, a material this hard is an unusual experience. You're not sure whether the shackles are moving at all.
Suddenly, there's a blur in the room. Stretch's hand is held by someone you recognize next to the wall opposite to the door; his elongated arm goes from there and through the door, passing right next to Graviton in the middle.
Half-a-second later, with a quick "waugh!!!" the rest of Stretch is pulled in crashing into Graviton. The figure who just pulled him all the way in exclaims: "Don't touch my classmates!"
Two seconds after Celerity's entrance, the wall behind Powerhouse and Improv is shattered. Two hands grab Powerhouse's bonds...and tear them apart, freeing him. You can now see who it is - Vigilance, the strongwoman of the Liberty League. Another leaguer, Komodo, is busy freeing Improv. "Just had to go and get yourself in trouble while half the team was at the hospital, didn't you?" "YEEEEEES!" You suspect Improv might be having trouble giving a wittier answer with the pain collar still on.
The fourth member of the reinforcement stands between you and the New Predators, sword in hand. "Bleu Blanc Rouge. They'll really let anyone in these days" mutters Graviton.


((Dunno if you remember the description of the Libery League's roster, but it's all in the OOC thread.
...Hope Dawnstrider_Moogle won't mind me NPCing Celerity there...Hope he comes back eventually.))

[Green Bean]

Leshii grins at Ammunition as she evaded all three attacks. "Actually, I always was quite good at that." I can't keep this up forever. Think! There's always a way out.

Leshii pauses for a moment as the cavalry arrives, but quickly collects herself, using the distraction to lash out at Ammunition. Wow. Note to self: buy lottery tickets. She quickly moves over next to the newcomers. "Thanks for the-oh, shoot, hang on a sec." Realizing she still looked like Stretch, she reverts to her appearance before her capture.

((I'll attack Ammunition, then move over to where the cavalry is))

[Zarthrax]

FX watches the lame villian go flying off. "Yes. Apparently, you're not on the invite list to come with." He opens the door, still hacking away to try to get Improv's sphere thingie running. As an afterthought he hacks into the base's internal communications. If the New Predators are wearing any sort of comlink, they are about to hate their ears. "Testing, one, two. Ahem,

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night

Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

Istanbul (Istanbul)
Istanbul (Istanbul)

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

Istanbul!"

[Mick_the_Rogue]

Powerhouse

Powerhouse shakes his head and holds his arms looking back towards Vigilance "Thanks gorgeous" he says looking back towards Gravitron, anger definitely beginning to overtake him. As the sound speakers began to blare 'Istanbul' he laughed

"Party music" he says with a chuckle, before exploding from where he was, directly after Gravitron, wishing to see their torturer to be in some pain

Spoiler

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Sorry for the silence, the boards have been...less than reliable

[sun_tzu]

Moving quickly, Ammunition aims another blast at Leshii. Moving even quicker, Celerity pushes the mercenary, causing her shot to miss. A blow from Leshii then slams her against the wall, completely knocking the wind out of her.
In the storage room, FX manages to reactivate the sphere. It immediately flies away.
Raising up, Stretch throws himself at Bleu-Blanc-Rouge, who displays superhuman reflexes and agility as he dodges attack after attack. "Ha! Keep running, frenchie! I'm made of ****ing rubber! What do you think you can do to me with a sword?! You're gonna...AUGH!!!" Stretch's gloating ends rather abruptly as Bleu-Blanc-Rouge's sword slashes him in the eye.
Combustion Man roars and charges Vigilance. She punches him in the gut, sending him flying and crashing through the metallic wall behind him. She is then hit by a blast from Graviton that causes her to shake in pain for an instant, until Komodo catches Graviton and begins grappling with him. That leaves him unable to dodge as Powerhouse's fist connects with his battlesuit; the suit bends under the impact, and sparks fly.
That's when the sphere flies into the room and begins circling Improv, to his great delight. He gives Dr Knack an appraising look, and begins: "Listen, I think we can neutralize his force-field if we..."
"...I think not." Knack interrupts. "I believe the expression is, know when to hold them, and know when to fold them. See ya next time."
There's a flash, and both Knack and the New Predators disappear from the room.
"...if we hit at opposite sides...in the right frequency...Ah, forget it." Improv trails off.

[Green Bean]

After double-checking that the Predators really were gone, Leshii reverts to more normal proportions.

"Er, I don't suppose that any of you guys have a teleport tracker or something?"

[Zarthrax]

FX grabs his equipment and starts pulling it on while running back to the big room. He takes a deep breath and kicks in the door.

"FREEZE, YOU TERRORIST SONSAB.....
.
.
.
.
They left, didn't they?"

[Axelgear]

Sekhmet, meanwhile, just twitches feebly...

[sun_tzu]

"Er, I don't suppose that any of you guys have a teleport tracker or something?"

"No such luck", says Improv.

Bleu-Blanc-Rouge quickly examines Sekhmet's wounds.
"I don't think this is lethal, but no taking chances. Celerity, carry her to the hospital immed..."
A few seconds later, Sekhmet is on a hospital bed.

Bleu-Blanc-Rouge looks at the rest of you. His gaze stops at Leshii.
"Improv I know from reputation, but who are you?"

[Green Bean]

"Oh, wow. You're Blue-Blanc-Rouge! I played you in a movie once! Well, sort of. Mainly the parts where you get hit. Not that I'm saying you get hit that often, I mean, you're really good at dodging and stuff, so I mainly was people you were hitting. Well, it wasn't really you, you know, it was just an actor, but it was great because I'm a really huge fan and...oh geez." Leshii turns bright red as she hears herself talking. "Er, let's just start over. I'm Leshii. Improv asked for help with investigating Brick's death." Leshii jumps as Sekhmet vanishes in a colourful blur. "If you don't mind me asking, who's the speedster? I recognize everyone else.

[sun_tzu]

"Her codename is Celerity. She's been operating in New York recently."
The Global Champion goes on: "I apologize for the entirety of this fiasco. Celerity and myself, along with a squad of Task Force Synapse, were busy investigating that lead on the Combat Network - which appears to have been completely false. But you tell me you were investigating Brick's death?"
"Yeah." Improv speaks up. "We were wondering how he got so powerful, and why he killed himself right when he had reached the top. Asked questions at the Triads', Golden Dawn...Even the New Predators didn't know anything. I'm almost positive Dr Knack was behind Brick's powerup, though." He quickly gazes at your group, then back at Bleu-Blanc-Rouge. "But tell me...does the name 'Kotos' ring a bell?"
Bleu-Blanc-Rouge blinks. "I'm afraid you do not have clearance for that information."


Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Sekhmet wakes up with a killer headache.
"Oh hey. You're awake." The words come from the patient in the bed next to yours - a sour-faced teenage girl. She looks about...well, about Mary's age.

[Green Bean]

"Wait, so you know what Kotos is? Why can't you tell us?"

[sun_tzu]

"Wait, so you know what Kotos is? Why can't you tell us?"

"Color me curious" says Improv. "What's the deal here?" Komodo looks intereted too. Vigilance shakes her head and sighs.
"Like I said, you do not have clearance for that information" Bleu-Blanc-Rouge answers sternly. "This is extremely dangerous knowledge that could have catastrophic consequences if it fell in the wrong hands. As such, I must request that you do not so much as mention this to anyone. This is not negotiable."

[Axelgear]

At the hospital...

Sekhmet instantly tries to place a hand upon her forehead, as if to quell the throbbing pain... Not that it helps, but it's instinct, and one can't fight that. She sits up in the bed for a moment, or, again, tries to, only to find that it is painful to move her shoulders, leaving her in a state of tensed agony with each attempt.

"Yeah, I am. Good thing you'd mentioned that or I'd never have noticed..." The young woman retorts harshly but then sighs and relaxes further into the bed and her expression relaxes with her. "Sorry. Monster of a headache... Who're you?" She asks, hoping that at some point the room will stop spinning.

[sun_tzu]

At the hospital...

Sekhmet instantly tries to place a hand upon her forehead, as if to quell the throbbing pain... Not that it helps, but it's instinct, and one can't fight that. She sits up in the bed for a moment, or, again, tries to, only to find that it is painful to move her shoulders, leaving her in a state of tensed agony with each attempt.

"Yeah, I am. Good thing you'd mentioned that or I'd never have noticed..." The young woman retorts harshly but then sighs and relaxes further into the bed and her expression relaxes with her. "Sorry. Monster of a headache... Who're you?" She asks, hoping that at some point the room will stop spinning.

"Name's Sarah. Sarah Thompson.
Now if you don't mind me asking...What the Hell are you? And why're you here?"

[Green Bean]

Leshii almost presses the point, but backs down when she hears Bleu-Blanc-Rouge's tone. Instead, she surveys the wreckage of their previous battle. "I assume the police are going to tear this place apart, but what's next for us?"

[Axelgear]

Sekhmet looks at the woman as if she had just asked her what two plus two was. The question was an absurdity to her, in a way...

"My name's..." She began, then paused, and said "Sekhmet. As to what I am and why I'm here, the answer to both is the same: Someone who just took a punch that sent them flying through a roof of some incredibly hard material and is feeling the after effects." She replies. It is then that she notices that her feet, or paws as one might deduce, are sticking from the bottom end of the blanket, and her tail is hanging limply over the edge of the bed.

Sekhmet smirks a little and chuckles as she realizes the true direction of the question. "You know, I'd grown so used to being around people that didn't find me unusual that I'd almost forgotten how odd I must look..." She says with a roll of her eyes. She then creates a small ball of smokeless fire, it drifting back and forth between her hands. "Bet this probably be adding to the weirdness too, hm?"

After evaporating the fireball, Sekhmet thinks for a moment to try and come up with an answer. "What I am, I really don't know. I've been told I'm a god in some way or another. I think, anyway... I don't see how I can be, I don't know everything or grant wishes or stuff... But I suppose that would be genies..." She trails off, then looks over at the woman again, having gotten lost staring at the ceiling. "So, now that I've answered you, it's your turn. What are you and what're you doing here?" She asks comically.

[sun_tzu]

Leshii almost presses the point, but backs down when she hears Bleu-Blanc-Rouge's tone. Instead, she surveys the wreckage of their previous battle. "I assume the police are going to tear this place apart, but what's next for us?"

"Heading back to the Academy. I will want a full report from you on the way."

Sekhmet looks at the woman as if she had just asked her what two plus two was. The question was an absurdity to her, in a way...

"My name's..." She began, then paused, and said "Sekhmet. As to what I am and why I'm here, the answer to both is the same: Someone who just took a punch that sent them flying through a roof of some incredibly hard material and is feeling the after effects." She replies. It is then that she notices that her feet, or paws as one might deduce, are sticking from the bottom end of the blanket, and her tail is hanging limply over the edge of the bed.

Sekhmet smirks a little and chuckles as she realizes the true direction of the question. "You know, I'd grown so used to being around people that didn't find me unusual that I'd almost forgotten how odd I must look..." She says with a roll of her eyes. She then creates a small ball of smokeless fire, it drifting back and forth between her hands. "Bet this probably be adding to the weirdness too, hm?"

After evaporating the fireball, Sekhmet thinks for a moment to try and come up with an answer. "What I am, I really don't know. I've been told I'm a god in some way or another. I think, anyway... I don't see how I can be, I don't know everything or grant wishes or stuff... But I suppose that would be genies..." She trails off, then looks over at the woman again, having gotten lost staring at the ceiling. "So, now that I've answered you, it's your turn. What are you and what're you doing here?" She asks comically.

Sarah pauses for a moment.
"Me? I'm a normal teenage girl with a normal life who goes to school, is interested in boys, listens to popular music, and can't ever walk again."
She pauses once more. "I was...I was with this friend from high school, you know?" her voice sounds a bit shaky this time. "We were coming home from the club, when she bumps into this *******. He starts screaming at her, being a total racist - black friend, forgot to say - then she gets angry, and slaps him. Only, it turns out that he's not just an *******, but this KKK supervillain guy called White Knight - that's a laugh - and he raises his hand, there's a big flash of light - next thing I know, I'm here, and I can't feel my legs. He vaporized my friend, and me and some other people were collateral damage from the explosion."
She falls silent. Her expression looks...stunned. Like she herself still hasn't fully accepted all of this.

[Axelgear]

((Hurray! You used the idea!))

Sekhmet frowns a little at that, hands balling into fist, eyes beginning to turn red for a moment before she calms herself and tries to relax. It was something she'd noticed in her time since her transformation that injustices like this made her angry. Villainy and wrongdoing, yes, they were bad, but injustice was something else. It did more than light the fires of rage within her; it turned them into an inferno.

"Well, as soon as I get out of here, I'll track him down. That pointy-hatted freak won't last long if I ever catch him..." She muttered bitterly. This was why she had become a superhero; not because she had wanted to enforce the law but to fix injustices... Those using their power for evil instead of good; the big picking on the small for no reason beyond their inability to defend themselves; those with power abusing those without it for superficial reasons.