Freedom City Issue #2: Time of Vengeance

[SuperMuldoon]

reflex - (1d20+7)[12]
fortitude - (1d20+7)[19]

[fireinthedust]

I just want Aesir to post if he could; having an intoxicated summoner of lightning storms or not having one drastically changes what I should post.

Meanwhile: Soul succeeds only with great effort, which in this case means that she's not crazy-like but still feels terrible. Apex and Fireblade overcome the toxins entirely.

[Da Beast]

Aesir begins flailing around when a frog drops on his head, trying his best to brush the amphibian away

((Sorry about the delay, I've been swamped IRL. Aesir has immunity to poisons so it shouldn't affect him either way.))

[fireinthedust]

ok, so it dropped my original post. Nothing amazing: you go downstairs,all of you overcoming the toxins except Tempo (who should be caught on a camera phone before this wears off).

The Frog man is still frightened in his cage. the rest of the frogs are hopping about, or sitting there like hypno frog.

[sun_tzu]

"Urk..."
With a quick portal, Soul rushes to the restrooms. A quick vomiting session later, she pops back with the others, handing out healing spells.

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Hello again," Fireblade says. "You know, it's a little rude for a guest to redecorate without asking his hosts' permission. Do you think you could tell your colorful friends to go home? We're trying to help you here, and they're being very disruptive. You and the other people from that hospital. You don't want to stay half-frog forever, do you?" He thinks for a second. "...or do you?"

[Green Bean]

Tempo ignores his teammates as they exit the main room, choosing instead to nosh on Fireblade's chair.

[sun_tzu]

Tempo ignores his teammates as they exit the main room, choosing instead to nosh on Fireblade's chair.

((Shouldn't he have recovered by now? Soul's throwing healing spells around, and there's still the one from earlier.))

[fireinthedust]

((did you actually touch him? Remember, he's speeding around right now. (Tempo: what do you think? could she lay a hand on our speedster?)))

[Green Bean]

((did you actually touch him? Remember, he's speeding around right now. (Tempo: what do you think? could she lay a hand on our speedster?)))

((Well, if I was close enough to stick a frog on Soul's head, she was close enough to touch me.))

[fireinthedust]

sigh. Okay. so, no mescalin-inspired montage? fine, fine.

carry on then: what do you do now?

[sun_tzu]

((Soul will be joining the conversation with Froggy. Did you say he was still injured?))

[fireinthedust]

Fireblade: Froggy is still sad, sniffling while you talk to him. He shakes his head at one point, but you're not sure if he was agreeing or disagreeing with you.

Soul: yes, he's still wounded. Apex' blaster seemed to burn his frog-like flesh very badly. He may even have dehydrated somewhat.

[Green Bean]

Tempo freezes as the healing magic flows through him.

"Uh, what am I doing in here?"

[sun_tzu]

Tempo freezes as the healing magic flows through him.

"Uh, what am I doing in here?"

"Long story short: It turns out those frogs secrete psychotropic substances through their skin. In other words: Don't touch them without gloves."
Soul then walks toward the frog-man. He seemed...more pity-inducing than dangerous. "Hey. Let me treat thouse wounds..." she touches him with the tip of her finger (not wanting to reproduce the experience with the smaller frogs and absorb any sizable amount of toxins) and tries to heal hm.

[Green Bean]

"Oh."

Tempo looks distant for a moment, obviously trying to remember what happened.

"I didn't do anything dangerous, did I?"

[fireinthedust]

As Soul enters the cell, the Flea-man from the opposite cell calls out.

Haven't you done enough? Can't you see that he's just a child inside that frog-like body? Why torture him with your "caring", and other false promises?

Touching the frog-man, his wounds are healed. The burn is more serious for him than it would be for other people, but it gets somewhat better; there is some discoloration but it's otherwise smoothed out the blisters. Froggy sniffles somewhat, but seems reasonably cheered by the healing. He moves a step away, and several frogs hop over to him into the cell.

[sun_tzu]

"I didn't do anything dangerous, did I?"

"Er...Nothing that I'd stoop to blackmailing you over."

Touching the frog-man, his wounds are healed. The burn is more serious for him than it would be for other people, but it gets somewhat better; there is some discoloration but it's otherwise smoothed out the blisters. Froggy sniffles somewhat, but seems reasonably cheered by the healing. He moves a step away, and several frogs hop over to him into the cell.

"There, there." Soul tries to sound as comforting as she can. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Haven't you done enough? Can't you see that he's just a child inside that frog-like body? Why torture him with your "caring", and other false promises?

Ca-razy idea here: How about I don't listen to an attempted child-killer when he tries to convince me, in the name of compassion, not to heal the wounds of another child?" says Soul, the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

[fireinthedust]

Child killer? What are you talking about? I was fighting to stop mass-murderers! Do you have any idea what the Atom family has done?

[sun_tzu]

Child killer? What are you talking about? I was fighting to stop mass-murderers! Do you have any idea what the Atom family has done?

"Well, for starters, saved every living being on this planet. In case you have not been paying attention, there is an unfortunately high number of omnicidal maniacs at work within the multiverse that require individuals such as the Atom Family (which includes children, incidentally) to go out there and risk their lives to protect the rest of us."

[Nerd-o-rama]

"Er...Nothing that I'd stoop to blackmailing you over."

"Speak for yourself," Fireblade says.

Turning to Flea Man, he adds, "Listen, we've got a pretty good idea of where you guys got your theme-powers from. Why don't we all calm down, stop with the attempted murder and the collateral damage and the reservoirs full of blood, and you tell us where we can find your source."

((Fireblade does not actually have any ranks in Diplomacy. Someone with it might want to make a roll so he can Aid Another it.

Diplomacy (1d20 1=15)))

[fireinthedust]

Stop the murder? Why do you think I became... like this and accepted my mission? Your Atom family may have fought inter-dimensional whatevers, or so they claim, but I learned the truth. Their chemical research division uses animal testing. Not normal testing, by the way, but on animals... animals "rescued" by so-called "animal shelters". Do you understand the irony? People who spend their lives trying to save these helpless creatures, pets who trust us to love them, care for them, who only want a home. Then what happens? Some rich corporation that doesn't want to pay for lab rats slaughters them just to learn how toxic their latest batch or nail polish is. The Atom Family are right up there with Axis chemicals. They disgust me. Children? I wish.

[sun_tzu]

Stop the murder? Why do you think I became... like this and accepted my mission? Your Atom family may have fought inter-dimensional whatevers, or so they claim, but I learned the truth. Their chemical research division uses animal testing. Not normal testing, by the way, but on animals... animals "rescued" by so-called "animal shelters". Do you understand the irony? People who spend their lives trying to save these helpless creatures, pets who trust us to love them, care for them, who only want a home. Then what happens? Some rich corporation that doesn't want to pay for lab rats slaughters them just to learn how toxic their latest batch or nail polish is. The Atom Family are right up there with Axis chemicals. They disgust me. Children? I wish.

"Right. Nothing wrong with that reasoning. I mean, never mind the fact that, in the name of protecting hundreds of animals, you'd be putting the entire universe at risk. Never mind the fact that if the public at large doesn't know about this, chances are the Atom Family doesn't, either. Never mind that the Blackstone guards you were fighting weren't involved in any of this, and your rampage could have resulted in any given numbers of supervillains escaping. Never mind that attacking the Atom Family would not have helped oppose Axis chemicals in the least.
I, sir, am thoroughly unimpressed. You seem to think of yourself as a hero to the lab rats? I see a man -for a very broad definition of man - who let his anger replace his reason and restraint. You haven't exactly turned yourself into something much better than what you claim to fight."

[SuperMuldoon]

Can't you see that he's just a child inside that frog-like body?

Apex stands stunned when he hears this. A child?! I'm supposed to be a superhero...and I did this to a child? I'm supposed to be protecthing people! What...what have I done? Apex slumps down into a chair and draws into himself, lost in thought while the conversation continues around him.

[fireinthedust]

Oh, the universe got along fine before they came along, it'll manage. As for their abiltiy to fool the public into believing in their shining example... I was like you, once. I fought hard for SEAT, the Scholars for Ethical Animal Treatment, as a man. Prof. E. Theodore Almond ii, so proud, so pompous. I did everything to raise money, millions of dollars to save animal lives. Then, when I was sitting at home, I had to find out through the news (the NEWS!!!) that my organization had bought freezers to store animal carcasses. Everything I'd stood for, non-euthenizing animal care, was a lie. They were killing off most of the animals we "rescued" for the sake of the almighty dollar. I was a puppet for embezzelment. I lost the right to look human, so don't think to taunt me with images of a humanity that disgusts me. I was going to end it all, the world was so unjust... instead, I have a chance to fight back, to make up for what I did wrong. You think the Atom family is good because of what you've read in the press. I thought SEAT was good because *I founded them*. How can you know? How?

[Green Bean]

"Oookay, why don't we just agree to disagree."

Tempo looks for the control pad to the flea man's cell, hoping there was a "soundproof" button.

[sun_tzu]

Oh, the universe got along fine before they came along, it'll manage. As for their abiltiy to fool the public into believing in their shining example... I was like you, once. I fought hard for SEAT, the Scholars for Ethical Animal Treatment, as a man. Prof. E. Theodore Almond ii, so proud, so pompous. I did everything to raise money, millions of dollars to save animal lives. Then, when I was sitting at home, I had to find out through the news (the NEWS!!!) that my organization had bought freezers to store animal carcasses. Everything I'd stood for, non-euthenizing animal care, was a lie. They were killing off most of the animals we "rescued" for the sake of the almighty dollar. I was a puppet for embezzelment. I lost the right to look human, so don't think to taunt me with images of a humanity that disgusts me. I was going to end it all, the world was so unjust... instead, I have a chance to fight back, to make up for what I did wrong. You think the Atom family is good because of what you've read in the press. I thought SEAT was good because *I founded them*. How can you know? How?

"You can't. That's kinda my point. You don't go around hurting people and assuming you're right about it, because often enough, you're not.
I don't know what's with you, I don't know what's up with the Egyptian plague-themed villainy. But I know that when a bunch of supervillains show up, attack people, spread chaos, and thrun the water in the reservoir into blood, someone needs to stop them. All the evil you accuse others of committing? It's going to look like small change unless my friends and me put a stop to this madness."

[Nerd-o-rama]

Fireblade elbows Tempo and whispers, "Ixnay. Don't you watch Law & Order?"

[fireinthedust]

The giant flea turns his head, looking away from the emphatic stare of Soul. What do you expect me to do, just forget everything I've done? I don't expect you to understand the suffering of an animal in the same terms as human pain, but I do. How can I turn my back on that? Shouldn't someone pay?

[sun_tzu]

The giant flea turns his head, looking away from the emphatic stare of Soul. What do you expect me to do, just forget everything I've done? I don't expect you to understand the suffering of an animal in the same terms as human pain, but I do. How can I turn my back on that? Shouldn't someone pay?

Soul looks at him sadly. "Professor Almond...Wanting to stop suffering is a noble goal, and one that we ultimately share. But what is causing extra suffering going to accomplish? Making someone pay is less important than protecting the innocents...and whoever it was that gave you guys powers seems willing to hurt any number of innocents through you guys."