The New Vanguard! Lionheart Issue #8 - Welcome to the Major League!

OOC Postcognition 11 + Roll(2d12)+0: 2,6,+0 Total:8 (19) vs
Time 1 hour 10 + Roll(2d12)+0: 2,9,+0 Total:11 (21)

FAILED

Poor roll scuppered you, but it was close.

Lionheart was frustrated as he tried to look into the past by an hour. He could try again but felt sure in his head that he'd tried his best.

Defender walked over. "What are you doing? Maybe I can help?"

Lionheart doubted it. The youngster in an adults body seemed somewhat limited with his abilities beyond those he assumed his name suggested. Still, he'd be useful in a fight, he figured.

Combat Queen came in. "The security guards will be ok. What have you found?"

She looked at the broken glass case then pressed a button next to the exhibit.

"NEXUS was one of the most powerful foes the Ultrahumans have ever faced! With power rivalling Silver Sentinel and Thunder Woman and an intellect to match he gathered about him a select group of super villains to attack the Ultrahumans individually where they would be most vulnerable. After succeeding with a number of members the rest of the team gathered and waited for the next attack. Silver Sentinel fought Nexus to a stalemate whilst the rest of the team defeated the army of gathered villains."

"It took the combined efforts of the team to remove Nexus' gauntlet which was thought to be the source of his power. What happened then was startling. Nexus transformed into an ordinary person, middle aged accountant William Blenkins who had no memory of what had happened and the gauntlet transformed into a plain leather glove. Examinations revealed that the gauntlet possessed no power as such and Blenkins was subjected to a number of tests all of which showed him to be a normal human in every way."

"Despite his legal defence suggesting he was the dupe of some alien influence no proof was ever presented and a jury sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment in a maximum security penitentiary. Despite the gauntlet seemingly having no powers the display case has every sensor known to the Ultrahumans to detect irregularities. None have been detected. The Gauntlet seems to be... an ordinary leather glove and remains here as a reminder of the struggle the Ultrahumans went through to survive the challenge of... NEXUS!"



"So why steal the gauntlet? EVERY test ever devised shows it's nothing more than a leather glove. Blenkins is an ordinary man in his forties in jail. What's going on?" she muttered.

Lionheart heard a noise outside but his danger sense never went off. Moments later a slightly damp Aquator stepped into the museum. "Well? What have you... oh."

OOC Aquator uses Analytical smell 20 + Roll(2d12)+0: 4,8,+0 Total:12 (32) vs
Unique Scent 15 + Roll(2d12)+0: 9,2,+0 Total:11 (26)
+3 EV (to 23) vs RV15 = 8 RAPs

"Hmm." he said. "I can smell you guys in here, and the guards outside, but there is something else. Not like a deodorant, but something... It smells like sewers."

"Poop? Ewwww!" said Defender. Then he glanced at the others and made his expression more serious. "I mean, uh, maybe they escaped into the sewers. good work Aquator."

"I have a sense of smell derived from that of a shark. It would put a bloodhound to shame, even though theirs is spectacular. This smell is faint but I suspect it was here about an hour ago." he knelt, frowning again. "It's dry now but someone wiped this floor. I can sense the moisture on the floor even though it's almost dry. to my vision it is a slightly different shade but the air conditioning in here will remove it within the next few minutes."

He stood. "It's possible I could track this to whatever sewer it came from. In there it would be impossible to track by scent as it would be overwhelming." He looked at the broken exhibit. "Are we just looking at some casual crime with someone breaking in to steal the glove as a dare, or for a collector? What if this is meant to throw us off the scent of a more serious crime?"

Aquator seemed very intelligent and analytical.

Combat Queen shrugged. "You may have a point. Maybe something else here is missing."

Admin wrote:Aquator seemed very intelligent and analytical.

Combat Queen shrugged. "You may have a point. Maybe something else here is missing."

Lionheart somewhat surprised by the lack of his own results chipped in..."Perhaps Aquator and I can survey the rest of the site and see if anything else turns up - could we round up a curator who might have a better idea if anything is missing? And also there is the possibility that whoever did this, has fled via the sewers. I'm up for looking, but any trail might be long gone by now. Still, I have a possible means that might help if you think its worth a try."

OOC: Not sure of postcognition will work down there any better than up here, but it might help us follow their trail if we wanted to give it a try. If we did I'd go for putting some HP into it to give it or the die a better chance of landing in our favour. Alternatively the same if we come across any clues here that might yield fruitful.

Sj

Lionheart says his piece and Combat Queen shrugs. "I think everything that went on here is gone and they got whatever they came for. Still..."

She turns to Defender. "Get to the rooftop and keep an eye out. If you see anything untowards holler over the earpiece."

Defender is just about to ask 'how he gets to the roof' until he clamps his mouth closed and nods. "I can do that. Telekinesis!"

Combat Queen watches him go and frowns. "He's younger than he looks. I worry that he might not have the chops for this. Investigating a theft is very much the easy side of things. A murder scene? not so much."

"I'll get on to contacting the curator and maybe we should get the police in to dust for prints. They may have left something. Again, find anything holler first before acting!"

Aquator watched her walk from the room and looked about. "The Ultrahumans have certainly had many adventures. The Gauntlet appears to have very little actual value."

He walked about, then knelt and sniffed.

"Hmmm."

OOC Analytical smell 20 + Roll(2d12)+0: 2,8,+0 Total:10 (30) vs
OV 10 + Roll(2d12)+0: 7,6,+0 Total:13 (23)

+4 EV (24) vs RV10 = 14 RAPs.

He turns to Lionheart. "Please come over here Lionheart. There is something..."

He's stood in an area between untouched exhibits. "There's nothing here to leave a scent but something faint... Someone WAS here. Even intangible someone would leave a scent as they breath and leave a body scent. I believe someone floated here and ... what were they after?"

He looked about. The exhibits here were:

Cobalts Armour - the villain faced Ultrahumans Timeskip and Jupiter Jones some years ago. The power supply and weapons have been removed but the battlescarred armour is intact.

Rocket Raiders jetpack - a low powered villain who was extremely intelligent and gave the heroes the run around until he was caught in a trap similar to one he'd set the heroes. His (now damaged) jetpack is in a bit of a state but is exhibited here.

Sapphire Sorceress - behind multiple thick plate glass walls and bars along with rotating laser beams and a strange glowing light is a precious stone sat on a cushion. The description lists it as depleted magic gem but still worth a lot of money hence the security.

Horror Hags' Broom - behind a glass case is a broomstick. Listed as the means of transport for Horror Hag the theory is that it's magical but not only has no one been able to make it fly, it's rather tatty and not much use as a broom!

Lionheart concentrated in the area...

OOC Same again.

Spending 6HP on a die. LIONHEART HP 141

Postcognition 11 + Roll(3d12)+0: 2,8,2,+0 Total:4 (ugh. DOUBLE) plus Roll(2d12)+0: 1,10,+0 Total:15 (26) vs
1 Hour 10 + Roll(2d12)+0: 10,8,+0 Total:18 (28)

FAILED AGAIN. These dice REALLY don't like you so far on this mission. No doctoring, no messing about, that's how they came up!

Once more Lionheart can't see anything from an hour ago. He wonders if his power is playing up. So far he'd not accomplished much, but then the others were more active style heroes and only Aquator had offered any clue of what had gone on.

Aquator looked about. "The gauntlet is gone. The glass case shattered. Yet the prescence of ... 'somebody' here suggests they were world class thieves or had super powers. To steal the gauntlet. They didn't touch the floor as far as I can tell but the trail has been messed up by the passage of feet."

Lionheart cringed at that. Probably his own at superspeed.

Aquator turned and shrugged. "Perhaps the trail has gone cold. We can go out to the street and see if the drain tunnels go to many places under here but I would prefer not to go down there myself. The smell would overwhelm me!"

Admin wrote:Aquator looked about. "The gauntlet is gone. The glass case shattered. Yet the prescence of ... 'somebody' here suggests they were world class thieves or had super powers. To steal the gauntlet. They didn't touch the floor as far as I can tell but the trail has been messed up by the passage of feet."

Lionheart cringed at that. Probably his own at superspeed.

Aquator turned and shrugged. "Perhaps the trail has gone cold. We can go out to the street and see if the drain tunnels go to many places under here but I would prefer not to go down there myself. The smell would overwhelm me!"

Lionheart nodded, what more was there to say or add. So far their conclusions had come up short with little to go on. If this was the big leagues so far he wasn't impressing, but he was in the same boat as everyone else. In the end, he realised before he might have been a big fish in a small pond, and now in a big pond...so he wasn't going to beat himself up about it. He failed, it happened, time to regroup and see if another line of attack opened up.

"I think you're right, let's join the others maybe they've had a little more success."

OOC: So let's regroup and see if something else pops up.

Sj

Thunder Woman came in. She was silent but took a look about.

Aquator reported to her. "Looks like the target was the gauntlet. I'll bet the breakout at the prison is the gauntlets owner amongst others. If those two get back together what do you think will happen?"

Thunder Woman shrugged. "This is your show. Give your conclusions to the leader of your team and go from there." Aquator left and Thunder Woman walked over to where Lionheart was standing.

"I wasn't in the team when many of the exhibits here were gathered. The Ultrahumans weren't always the worlds most powerful superheroes gathered into one place but together they were able to defeat most of their opponents and keep the world safe." she said. "Sometimes I wonder if we're looking to the heavens so often that we don't notice the small stuff happening near our feet, stuff that really matters. Things that will help people on the street rather than the big picture save the world every second day."

She looked at the exhibits and pauses at the jetpack. "Just one of the current Ultras could have battered most of the people in here. Nexus was different of course, as some of them often are. Somehow able to combine the powers of those he faced up against. The ... oh."

"Do you see what I see?"

Lionheart turned to look at where she was looking.

Horrors Hags broom. Eh?

OOC Lionheart perception 9+Roll(2d12)+0: 11,7,+0 Total:18 (27) vs
OV 10 + Roll(2d12)+0: 1,6,+0 Total:7 (17)

+4 (to 11 EV) vs RV 10 = 1 RAP.

Lionheart can't see anything out of place. It was a broom, and a battered one at ...

He blinked, then leaned in close. There was a fragment of a sticker on the handle and a bit of bar code. THIS was some kind of magic artifact?

"We had our guys check everything in here and the stock is changed up twice a year to keep things fresh or updated. We spend money on the dioramas and displays, but overall we make sure EVERYTHING in here is inert, non powered, of no use to anyone." said Thunder Woman. "THAT is not the Hag's broom. If I recall she was a psychologist who stared into the darkness too long and did some digging about her ancestry as a result. After tracking down her family history the story is she found the hat, cape, broom and wand of an ancestor who was a real witch, magic and everything. A bad one."

"And she came back to life. It didn't come from Home Depot. Someone has switched that out! The gauntlet is a decoy!" she exclaimed and suddenly clamped her mouth shut. "Hmmm. Should have let you come to that conclusion yourself. You're up brit boy. What now?"

Admin wrote:"And she came back to life. It didn't come from Home Depot. Someone has switched that out! The gauntlet is a decoy!" she exclaimed and suddenly clamped her mouth shut. "Hmmm. Should have let you come to that conclusion yourself. You're up brit boy. What now?"

Lionheart grinned at her attempt to needly him good-naturedly. "Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to get in here and take things, that either doesn't belong to them or to reunite them with previous owners for some larger scheme. This and the break out suggests planning and scale. I have an ability to look back at things, it's not been too good but since this is a new clew it might be worth..."

And with that Lionheart tried once again with his precog abilities, although little had turned up and if this failed he thought again of bringing in Aquator, nonetheless his ability gave them what might have happened where others can only gather from what is left after it happened. Failing this his mind was considering following up the Witch, and seeing if she was part of the breakout. It might be the two teams were facing one opponent with two operations designed to split the team and attention.

OOC: Here we go again and this time adds some HP 2 die to the accuracy to see if we can get a hit...man this only used to happen to Frostbite, now Lionheart!!!

Sj

Lionheart concentrated and poured his thoughts once more into the task.

As time ticked on it would be harder and harder to see into the past. He'd struggled and his previous thought limit of 2 hours must be reconsidered down to about an hour or even less. he was struggling, and under the gaze of Thunder Woman knew he had to perform!

OOC 2 extra dice LIONHEART 128HP

Lionheart postcognition 11 + Roll(4d12)+0: 4,4,10,10,+0 Total:20 DOUBLE that's more like it plus Roll(2d12)+0: 12,1,+0 Total: 33 (44) vs
OV 10 + Roll(2d12)+0: 2,8,+0 Total:10 (20)

+7 EV (to 18) vs RV10 = 8 RAPs.

The image was blurred as if looking through a fish tank but AT LAST the power worked as Lionheart hoped! Perhaps it was Saladins more physical influence on his powers that meant his more cerebral abilities took a back seat. he had to admit it was a while since he'd had to be a Detective!

Lionheart sees a floating man that was insubstantial and the various exhibits shone through his body. He was careful and seemed able to 'see' various security systems and know how to get round them. Reaching into the pedestal of the broom exhibit there appeared to be a 'buzz'/crackle and then the figure reached in through the glass and took the broom without disturbing the glass. Following the figure he watched the person reach for a broom that had been propped against the wall and placed it in the same place.



At first, second and third glances, the broom was identical. Down to the last twig. This thief had spent a LOT of time preparing the second broom so as to ensure every short twig, every mark on the handle, was identical. That they'd missed a sliver of label and barcode suggested so meticulous a thief had been disturbed or rushed in some way.

The image faded and Lionheart was none the wiser to who the thief had been but had a rough description. Around 6' athletic build, male, able to fly and turn intangible, meticulous thief and attention to detail. Could also disrupt electrical systems and was efficient. In, out. Done.

Admin wrote:The image faded and Lionheart was none the wiser to who the thief had been but had a rough description. Around 6' athletic build, male, able to fly and turn intangible, meticulous thief and attention to detail. Could also disrupt electrical systems and was efficient. In, out. Done.

With a final look of triumph and relief, he explained in as much detail what he had seen to the team and Thunder Woman. He was hoping that the would-be thief's description and his abilities which Aquator had already picked up on, might be known to the group. But he had nothing much else to offer, save the chance to sketch what he saw or have an image made up if that would further strengthen their lack of intelligence.

Sj

"Thief all in black, who'd have thought it?" laughed Thunder Woman though her eyes were serious.

Aquator came over. "So we have TWO crimes. One obvious, smashed case and stolen gauntlet. No attempt at stealth, in out and a couple of knocked out guards. Bulletproof glass broken and no obvious other means of breaking it suggests a super. The other, a broom, stolen and carefully placed to show no sign of passing."

Combat Queen came in "Just zipped through to the security room using the key off a guard. I fast forwarded through the videos. They are clearly on loop so someone has hacked them to keep replaying a minute or so of inactivity as it's not perfect."

The group of heroes walked through looking at the various exhibits. Nothing else seemed to have been touched. The array of exhibits, the dioramas, mannequins in various poses and proximity activated videos and holograms ensured a visitor to this place wouldn't get bored.

"The proceeds from this place go to charity. Not a bean goes to the Ultrahumans as we have our own independent funding." explained Thunder Woman. She paused by a video playing of a fight with a huge green creature with three arms who was swinging a cruise liner around like a club. "I remember that one. Messy. That thing caused a tsunami we had to stop as well."

Combat Queen explained when they got in the room which was quiet aside from one of a dozen screens. "My reflexes are pretty fast. I scanned through the images at speed and caught a picture o THIS chap. He wasn't alone but there are no images of the others and only one frame of this guy. Without flicking through 30 frames for every second that has passed an ordinary person would have missed this."



Aquator considered. "Can we use the Ultrahumans database on this guy?" Thunder Woman nodded, whilst she was stood back and folding her arms.

Taking a phone out he took a picture of the suspect and tapped away to forward it to the Ultrahumans "REPORT A CRIME!" website.

The reply came back quickly with a ping.

"Herman Dwight. Otherwise known as CRUSHER. He's not too smart but incredibly strong, tough and resistant to mental attack. Muscle, generally. Absconded from a secure facility with outside help five months ago. Known contacts here in Washington with the Carboni crime family. Mario Carboni has an address outside of the city in a private estate. Carboni has been linked with but never pinned down on various crimes. Uses a wide range of superhuman villain talent. Again, impossible to pin down. He has a vast range of lawyers to call on." explained Aquator.

The distaste in his voice was clear. Combat Queen muttered "So this goon and his buddies were after the gauntlet. We'd better alert the others and mention that the breakout they are investigating could be all about reuniting the glove with its owner."

Aquator turned to the British hero. "Lionheart, I have a theory. The dark clad thief and the other group might not have been connected. Discuss." he offered with a hand on his chin. Clearly the man behind the mask was smart and analytical and sensed a kindred spirit in the future cop.

Meanwhile Combat Queen spoke to Defender over the earpiece. "All quiet down there?"

"Yup. It's kinda boring. I was hoping for someone to whack." came the reply.

Combat Queen looked to the others and rolled her eyes.

Admin wrote:Aquator turned to the British hero. "Lionheart, I have a theory. The dark-clad thief and the other group might not have been connected. Discuss." he offered with a hand on his chin. Clearly the man behind the mask was smart and analytical and sensed a kindred spirit in the future cop.

Lionheart nodded concurring with the hero whom so far he'd spent more time with than anyone else on the rest of the team. His instincts seemed sharp.

"It does seem as if two crimes were committed by two separate groups, or interests. Perhaps one by Carboni, but how does this the dark-clad thief fit into all this? Stealing to order? And was it a coincidence that the two occurred the same night or he/she/it piggy packed off another crime without the others knowing? To be honest, had you not picked that original clue, we'd not have noticed."

Lionheart then spoke to Thunder Woman to talk over what they had both been surmising that instead of one crime and one course there may well be two interested parties working different angles and for entirely separate reasons.

Sj

Thunder Woman shrugged. "I'm supposed to be impartial but if there's something we should pass on or act on I'll make sure it gets done rather than missed."

"I don't know Crusher but he's probably a rung or two lower than what we deal with as a group. One of the others in the team may know about him." she said. Tapping her comm badge she called out "Duplex. See who's been up against CRUSHER will you? No, don't give me that not supposed to be helping them crap. I'm pulling rank, do it."

She rolled her eyes then listened to the reply. "Right. Get hold of Knighthawk for me will you? Yes i know he left the team. Do it. It's could be important."

Tapping the comm off she sighed "Duplex is good but he'll start an argument with anyone, even himself."

Defender asked "What do we do next?"

Combat Queen considered. "We send half of our team to check out Carboni's place. I think it's too obvious even for Crusher to head back to. He and his comrades will lie low. If they have any sense. However if Carboni had a hand in this, maybe someone with mental powers can ...uh... tell if he's lying."

Thunder Woman raised an eyebrow. "Reading minds is a big..."

Combat Queen nodded and held up a hand. "Just talk to him. We need to see if there are any more clues and make sure the other team knows there may be some attempt to reunite Nexus with his glove. If that happens?"

Thunder Woman holds up her hands "I don't know but it can't be a good idea. Nexus fought us ALL to a standstill once, on his own. He needs to stay in jail and the glove will be replaced with a fake when we get it back. It's failed every test to detect anything from it though, and that's from world leaders in the fields of magic and technology."

"So who goes visit Carboni?" asked Aquator.

Combat Queen turns to Lionheart. "I'll go and take Lionheart if he's finished here. Thunder Woman you tagging along?"

She looked about and spoke "I'll keep an eye on things here. I'll trust you two to behave as Ultrahumans should. I don't think these thieves will head there but there must be another clue or two round here."

Combat Queen turned to Lionheart "Carboni's place?"

Admin wrote:She looked about and spoke "I'll keep an eye on things here. I'll trust you two to behave as Ultrahumans should. I don't think these thieves will head there but there must be another clue or two round here."

Getting the measure of things, Lionheart made a mock look of shock and added, "Madam! We're professionals..." before broadly winking in an outrageous manner.

Admin wrote:Combat Queen turned to Lionheart "Carboni's place?"

Lionheart nodded, and added, "If you've no objections and know the destination I can have us there pretty quick..."

OOC: Ok so I'll take her up, up and away if that is ok, unless the jet we came in is to go with us, I'm easy either way. I will suggest to Combat Queen we recon from the sky, look for defences looking skyward as well as anything else aimed defensively at intruders of our ilk or otherwise, and I'm happy to do the whole Superspeed laparoony to check out things etc. Boy you are on fire today Paul, your replies look their smoking their coming in so fast!!!

Sj

Combat Queen raised an eyebrow "Well it's not my normal mode of travel - I can run at a couple of hundred miles and eye but ... why not?"

She hopped and her hulking form was suddenly in Lionhearts arms! With a laugh she threw her head back and said "I'm not normally used to being swept off my feet unless some super goon has smacked me with a street lamp!"

Thunder Woman chuckled and shook her head. "Check the place out then report back. if the trail goes cold the best bet might be head to the supermax to help out if things get out of hand there."

=========

Moments later combat Queen breathed out "Are you always that fast!" as she settled her hair back in place!

Lionheart set her down and blushed slightly but got back to business and looked about. The estate was surrounded by a fifteen foot high wall and the gates were barred steel and locked. A path ran through extensive grounds and led to a very large mansion. It seemed crime DID pay!

"We have to be careful here." said Combat Queen. Technically we'd be breaking and entering if we enter that place without permission.

Lionheart kept an eye on the place from a couple of hundred yards away watching as cameras swept about the place.

"If we turn up in costume they'll probably laugh down the intercom at us." muttered Combat Queen. "Mind you they wouldn't be laughing long..." she said slapping a fist into her palm.

"Thoughts?"

Admin wrote:"If we turn up in costume they'll probably laugh down the intercom at us." muttered Combat Queen. "Mind you they wouldn't be laughing long..." she said slapping a fist into her palm.

"Thoughts?"

Lionheart knew she was right if they turned up at the door unless they had an extremely good cover story, the truth was it wasn't going to stick. Walking into an affray unprepared was probably not going to win them any kudos.

"Though we are going to need to be careful, I can't see us getting past the front door, without an extremely good cover story, do you?" Lionheart said, before continuing, "Clearly they've got state of the art surveillance and all that, but that only goes as far as they have experience to deal with. I wonder if there is a way to bypass this security..." Oh what Lionheart wouldn't do for Frostbite about now. His handy AI companion was always able to get them past goodness knows what. But for now, that option wasn't open to them so trying to find a back door, a blind spot or some other way through was about all he could think to do.

OOC: Wow this is tricky. I guess it's down to Lionheart, to find a way in using his danger sense, and other heightened precog abilities. Unless that is Combat Queen has another way through? I did think of pretending we're muscle looking for work, but I then thought it's not likely we'd swing it - although I am different in this new costume, Combat Queen not so. However, if that wasn't the case perhaps we could try things out...but only as a last resort. The problem with breaking in is, of course, being caught doing it. Something that probably wouldn't go down too well. So we've got to avoid that. It might be that we need to spend some time doing surveillance and checking the place out before we can find a decent way in - always assuming that such a spot isn't meant to funnel us into a trap!

Sj

OOC Lionheart has the THIEF skill. At 14APs he is one of the worlds best Thieves! (+5 Dice!) His options with that skill in this situation are:

Security Systems - assuming he can get to the gizmos that the estate has (like the cameras and electronic locks) he can try to override them so that the alarm doesn't go off like it normally would. Difficulty is dependent on how much the guy spent on their system. If they have lots to hide/like their privacy it may be tricky to get through.

Stealth - the ability to move about without being seen/spotted. Lionheart has astonishing speed that will help and the two combined might mean he is effectively invisible to the guards if he succeeds. Combat Queen will not be so hard to spot.

It's day time/bright sunlight so that doesn't make things easy!

Combat Queen frowns "Well, supposing that we need to obey the law, the best thing to do would be to knock. However a criminal would not accept heroes as visitors normally! So... how are you at disguise? Maybe we need to do a little dressing up..."

She pondered then whipped out her phone. "Maybe a fancy dress shop or even some kind of work wear... we could pose as people wanting work..."

Admin wrote:She pondered then whipped out her phone. "Maybe a fancy dress shop or even some kind of work wear... we could pose as people wanting work..."

Being part of a team was also recognising when someone had a point, and going with it. "Ok we can try it that way, and perhaps we might get a foot in the door."

Lionheart wasn't too keen on the way that Combat Queen was suggesting that they go. But to be honest, although he might be able to get in, leaving her out...Nah that wasn't going to work. So this was their way in at least for now.

"You take the lead, I'm no actor, but I can nod in all the right places." he added willing to play ball.

OOC: Ok so I guess we are going in, in disguise assuming we can talk our way through the front door and past the guards! Not sure what story we're coming at this with, but happy to go for the hired muscle looking for work, perhaps Combat Queen has some ideas of names to drop, for Lionheart he'd not be in the position. But if whilst talking he can see if there are any opportunities to link and or take advantage of security features or get a look-see at what is going on all good and well. And perhaps if whilst they are at the door, talking all friendly-like, as concerned citizens, they suddenly hear what sounds like a fight or people in trouble, could anyone blame them if they offered to help - even if that might mean being a bit pushing and getting past the doorman all to help, of course!!!


Sj

Combat Queen asked of Lionheart. "If you're so fast can you buy me a long coat to wear over my clothes?" she handed cash over and gave directions to a shop...

... and finished talking as Lionheart returned, explaining that he'd bought a coat, left money, checked it fit. It didn't so he'd returned and exchanged it for another... all in the blink of an eye!

She gaped, then put the coat on. Looking at Lionheart she raised an eyebrow. "You look too much like a good guy. I'd lose the mask and muss your hair up and let me ... hmmm."

"Tell you what. YOU do the talking and I'll be the 'muscle'." she said, noting that she stood nearly six inches taller than Lionheart and was clearly built like the largest female wrestlers out there!

Handing out more cash she said "A suit of some kind should do it."

Woooosh!

Within moments he'd suited and booted, changed back into his costume raced back then changed again. Ordinary clothes would shred at the speeds he could move!

(OOC Assuming he has no problems revealing his face as he doesn't have much in the way of a private life anyway). "hmmm cute. That limey accent should stand us in good stead as everyone knows Brits play bad guys in movies. Let's see how persuasive you are!"

In her trenchcoat the hulking warrior woman was quite imposing whilst Lionheart was suited in a pinstripe suit with shined shoes and hair slicked back. He looked like a cheesy gangster from a movie!

They walked across the street and Combat Queen gestured towards the intercom panel... "You're up... slick!"

BUZZZZ!!!!

"Yeah? Who is this? What do ya want?"

Admin wrote:"Yeah? Who is this? What do ya want?"

Using a slightly crusty voice, just a hint of something dark but not to camped up, Lionheart replied sarcastically,"I can see they left the dumb one on the door. Look, mate, usually you get to ask one question and I reply, you get to ask a second question and then I reply. Its called a conversation and its something we ain't 'aving if you keep me and my lady friend here waiting around. I hear the boss is looking for some muscle. Not your regular types, and more reliable than steroids or somethin'. Capiche?" He finishes with a sullen retort.

Looking about he looked for some sort of surveillance that might scan in on them, and took the opportunity to squeeze the bricks around the pillar near the gate so that within the viewing range of the camera, he made a noticeable fist-sized hole in the wall, as a small demonstration of his abilities.

He was tempted to go on and haul out the lackie and have the conversation outside the gate so that he knew he wasn't joking but besides shredding his new clothes, he thought he'd save some for later. No need to show off after all.

OOC: Hopefully a small demonstration of muscle and a lot of bravadoes gets you somewhere these days. If not, I'll offer to remodel the front gates, by removing them and disassembling the wall a brick at a time at super-speed if I've not got their attention by now.

Sj

"What? You insultin' me? Do ya know whose place this is ya punk? I'm gonna send th' guys out wi the dogs an they's gonna..."

POCK!

Lionheart grabs up a stone from the garden/rockery near the entrance to the estate and powders it with a superhuman grip!

The voice on the phone goes quiet.

"Stay put. I'll send someone out." it mutters after a moment.

The pair wait a few minutes until a golf cart comes out and stops on the other side of the barred gates. A slight man in a suit wearing round glasses steps off and he's shadowed by a hulking brute with veins popping from every muscle. A bulge under his jacket suggests a large calibre pistol.

"My name is Mr Fenwick. I represent Mr Carboni on certain matters. If you are applying for work with regards Mr Carboni and his interests you should know that security is paramount so as not to tip off his competitors. please tell me who you are so that we may check references and details of previous employment, criminal record and so on." he said whilst raising an eyebrow at Combat Queen and glancing at the dust form the powdered stone on the floor.

"Melanie Jackson. Amazonia. I done plenty o jobs." she growls. "This here is a limey, which is why he talks funny. Over there he's known. That's why he's over here. No one knows him..." she drawls.

"And that is precisely why we have an audition of sorts. To be considered for employment we need to know you can think fast, act faster and be prepared to cross any line. After that...? You'll be considered and monitored until you can be trusted. Even now your credentials are being run through our computer..." he presses an ear to the piece hidden in it. "Amazonia. You were listed as MIA presumed killed in a botched bank job 18 months ago. Superhuman strength, agility, resistance to harm. Explain your 'missing' status please."

Combat Queen paused for just a moment and Lionheart realised she was thinking up some story that sounded plausible. "I scrapped against that bitch Combat Queen and her buddies an' a building fell on me. Managed to get out through the sewers but I was in a bad way. Even though I heal quick it took me an age ta get back on my feet. Broken bones, ruptured spleen, you name it. I owe that bitch good! ta get back on my feet I need cash, fast, so quit jawin' an' let me know if I'm wastin' my time or not. That goon next ta ya might have popped some o them super steroids I heard about but I'm th' real deal!"

She flexed a muscle and the coat shredded as her bicep strained against it!

Fenwick considered, the muscled goon growled and sneered, and Combat Queen/Amazonia stared back. Fenwick turned to Lionheart. "And your story is...?"

Admin wrote:Fenwick considered, the muscled goon growled and sneered, and Combat Queen/Amazonia stared back. Fenwick turned to Lionheart. "And your story is...?"

With a slight twitch of his mouth, and hope that the goons weren't going to embarrass his big moment to audition, he let loose with a mind blast against the bigger of the two.  

OOC: Figured I'd let actions speak louder than words, and give him a nasty headache.  I'm going for accuracy, not damage.  I want to intimidate him, not mush his brains to pieces.  Lionheart is going to play the I only talk if I need to - sort of Jason Stratham style. I'd best put a die into making sure this works, as I don't want to fail at the first hurdle and fall down now.  And assuming I get a good hit...

Lionheart smirked, although it didn't feel especially good to play the bad guy nor the bully to a man who he could probably kill quite easily.  Nonetheless, he hoped he had the finesse to make the point without doing the sort of damage that he would regret later.

Dusting himself off, he simply said, "Good enough...?"  with a sardonic smile and a raised eyebrow.

Sj

OOC Effectively trying to hit the goons but not hurt them is a TRICK shot and I wouldn't bother spending any HP on this. These guys aren't the brightest and I think it would be wasted. However, you do want to make sure and thus:

LIONHEART HP 135

Lionheart Mindblast 13 + Roll(3d12)+0: 7,2,12,+0 Total:21 vs
Goon Int 3 + trick Shot 4 + Roll(2d12)+0: 2,3,+0 Total:5 (12)

+4 EV (to 17) vs RV 3 = 14 HYPOTHETICAL damage

With eyes that flash and a spark of energy jumping from Lionhearts eyes to his targets, he sees the man cry out and stagger back, clutching his head!

"Arrrrggghhh! What did you duhhhh..." The man staggers, blinking and wobbling about on rubbery legs. Staggering to the golf cart he slumps onto the chair then keels over and immediately empties the contents of his stomach!

Fenwick takes several steps back whilst glancing at the security guard and putting a handkerchief to his mouth even as he pulled a face. "Ah, well, there's no doubt that you are a superhuman, but to prove yourself you must undertake a standard task. Once done you may be considered for further employment... and there may be some coming up very soon. Thus time is of the essence! I wish you to head to this bank... he scribbles an address on a card and retrieve the contents of safe deposit box number 328C. You will not be granted permission to obtain the item but that should prove no obstacle to superhumans who wish to advance their careers. You have... " he checks his watch... "Just under an hour. I suggest you hurry."

Combat Queen looks slightly surprised then put her game face back on before grunting "No problem. Let's go ... Lightning... Limey..." she says, slightly chewing through those last two words.

Admin wrote:Combat Queen looks slightly surprised then put her game face back on before grunting "No problem. Let's go ... Lightning... Limey..." she says, slightly chewing through those last two words.

Seemingly with a shrug of indifference, as part of the act, nonetheless, Lionheart didn't like jumping through hoops. First the Ultrahumans and now these goons? Still, if it got them in with the mob, they were chasing down and the ideas of what was going on. Maybe it couldn't hurt. Besides whatever was in the box, might well be something that, if it fell into police hands sometime soon, would be good for all.

Turning to Combat Queen, Lionheart says, "Want a lift?"

OOC: Ok let's go check this thing out that needs to be done. It might be easier for me to go in and out before camera even knows there has been a break-in, but Combat Queen could make sure there is a diversion to keep folk busy so that we play this smart not just efficient. But we'd best check the place out before we jump in.

Sj

"Stealing things for criminals is DEFINITELY not what I wanted to sign up for! I can't see Thunder Woman or Silver Sentinel doing this sort of thing. It seems... beneath them somehow." muttered Combat Queen after she'd been whisked across town at superspeed by Lionheart.

"Do you think you can get in and out without being seen, or do you have any more abilities you could use to extract the item remotely?" she asked. "All I can do is fight, but I'm pretty good at it." she said, feeling frustrated.

The bank was an ordinary building with people coming in and out. Lionheart figured he could move so fast he wouldn't be seen so that was one thing, but stealing things went against his instincts!

OOC Your call. Does Lionheart 'cross the line' to get into Carboni's good books and perhaps get a chance to track down Crusher, or try a different approach?

Admin wrote:OOC Your call. Does Lionheart 'cross the line' to get into Carboni's good books and perhaps get a chance to track down Crusher, or try a different approach?

"I'm with you on this. Since this is a grey area, I think the best thing we can do is not play this so that we come off looking like idiots. We phone this in, let Thunder Woman know what we know, and if we cross a line we do so letting them know why so that we are covered in this. I can use my powers...but in pursuit of a criminal going to any length...do we end up being just as bad as them? No, I don't feel happy with this. Now if Thunder Woman can pull strings and let us have the box, covertly, smartly so we don't have to break the law, even if it appears we have...that could be a win-win situation. Assuming she has the clout to make it happen? What do you think?"

Sj

A hurried communication later and Thunder Woman responded. "You did right to contact me before committing a crime! Our bylaws would immediately see you as a criminal and ineligible to join the team!"

Combat Queen and Lionheart glanced at each other as the hands free call continued. "I'll talk to Duplex, give me a second. With a few well placed phone calls we can get in touch with the bank, tell them what's happening, pull rank and see what's in that safety deposit box. They won't tell us WHO it belongs to but once we know what's in it..."

Combat Queen frowned "Aren't banks supposed to be discreet and not hand out that sort of information...?"

"Yes, and they normally would be, but if they know they are targeted by two of the most powerful 'super villains' out there chances are that they will cooperate, especially when we reveal who we are and that we may throw them an endorsement or open day with one or two Ultrahumans. That sort of thing brings crowds, good publicity and new customers as they feel the bank is more secure if the most powerful team on the planet is watching out for it, believe me. Give me a few minutes."

The line went dead and Combat Queen shrugged. "So, tell me a bit about yourself. How did you get into this crazy business? I was an army veteran injured in the line of duty and offered a place on a program to get me back on my feet. It seemed to be unsuccessful and most people on the program died. I was lucky because my dad was a biochemist and stopped at nothing to get me cured. He did better than that, by accident. I got better, MUCH better and the people running the program noticed. Despite my Dads' protests that the cure was specifically targeted on me they kidnapped him and forced him to work for them turning vets on death row into killing machines. I tried to rescue him. The government denied the programs existence so were no help."

"I failed. Dad died and I was injured again. In desperation and despair I overdosed on Dad's cure and... it changed me. I fight crime and injustice now where I can to repay Dad and keep looking for the people who led to his death. They are out there, and I'll find them. For now? I'm at loose ends and thought I'd apply for these guys. You?"