The Vanguard! Issue #2 - Shadow from the past, a future in tatters!

Stormwarden

Stormwarden charged straight in, to land as heavy a blow as possible against the next target over from Lionheart.

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ooc - Sorry - last post I can do before tonight - I'm just logged in at work and no dice access. Can you roll please?

Thanks

The Vanguard

OOC 1d20=8+12=20(Wasserspeier), 1d20=2+7=9 (Freudenfeuer)

Lionheart concentrated, eyes glowing and aura building around him. The Lion leapt from him, then to the Gargoyle, and across to the fiery Nazi!

OOC 2d6=11 Htc vs Wasserspeier, 4d6=22 Htc vs Freudenfeuer. The fiery Nazi, Freudenfeuer is stunned. The Gargoyle, Wasserspeier, is injured, but still mobile (he's teetering on the edge of being hospitalised, so looks really cut up and bleeding).

Stormwarden took a few steps forward from the lift (OOC 1 frame), raised a massive fist, and slammed it down on Freudenfeuer!

OOC 1d20+3+6=28 Hit!, 2d6+18=29 Htc. Dividers reduce, but not enough to save him...

There's an audible crack, the floor around Freudenfeuers' feet cracks in every direction, and the Nazi totters drunkenly about. With a casual backhand Stormwarden sends him flying across the room to clatter into a heap! Stormwarden turns to the Gargoyle, reaches over, and slams a huge fist at the Nazi leader!

OOC Freudenfeuer is out. Move 1 frame and attack... 1d20+3+6=19 Hit, 2d6+18=25 Htc. Dividers reduce damage.Wasserspeier is staggered.

Wasserspeier is knocked several metres backwards and looks up at Stormwarden, grinning even though his mouth fills with blood! "You think you've won? You have no idea of what you are up against! Wait until..." he hawks and spits, a gory splatter of blood on the clean white floor. "Never mind. Enjoy your moment, fools. You will never leave here alive!"

Darkshadow appears behind Gargoyle, turns tangible, and lashes out at the Nazi leader! Though he has exhausted his supply of dark matter for the moment, his anger empowers his blows!

OOC Three attacks by Darkshadow... 1d20+2+6=14 Miss, 2d6=7, 1d20+2+6=13 Miss, 2d6=9, 1d20+2+6=26 Hit, 2d6=3 Htc. Dividers reduce this to 2 points.Gargoyle is still staggered.

Darkshadows attacks are mostly ineffectual, and the staggering Nazi leader wobbles about, laughing red froth. "Ohhhh hahahaha! You are so weak! Wait until Adjutant is here! He will ..." he coughs, more blood "...pull your arms and legs off! Hahahaha" His white uniform is now drenched in blood. He can't stand straight, it looks like one more blow will put him down!

OOC That leads me neatly up to: Frostbite. 2 frames, then bad guys actions.

The Vanguard

OOC That leads me neatly up to: Frostbite. 2 frames, then bad guys actions.

"Oh shut up..." Frostbite said between gritted teeth as he froze the air once more around the Nazi meta human leader.

"Guys we need to get Caldwell help, clear this mess up and get that info, before it is too late. Oh and I almost forgot, we need to deal with the remaining Nazi." Frostbite might talk tough but he didn't feel it. He dared to stand by the effort was difficult so let dignity dictate his moves and remained where he was for a moment.

OOC: OK field manipulation - thank goodness you suggested I take this Paul, energy attacks just drain so fast. With no strength based power, no wonder this becomes my fall back position.

And what a roll: 2d6=12HTC Good night Nazi.

Sj

The Vanguard

OOC That'll do the trick. Gargoyle goes down.

With a gesture from the prone Frostbite, the Gargoyle grabbed his head and slumped to the floor, changing back to a battered, bruised and bloodied man no longer fit for the Nazis to parade as their 'poster boy'!

The woman remained. She stood there, defiant, holding the prone form of the man with the nullifier stuck to his forehead. "I will not surrender." she said quietly. "You will have to kill me, and you should be aware, I will fight back!" she hissed, dragging the prone form into a corner and turning to face the Vanguard. Suddenly she sped over, swinging at Frostbite! (OOC he was prone and the 'easiest target' to her eyes...)

OOC 1d20+2+6=14 Miss, 2d6=9. She runs over to Frostbite (1/2 frame), swings (Frame) and runs back to her prone companion (1/2 Frame)

Though ineffectual, she raised her head "You should know there is an army converging on this place! Mechs, armoured personnel carriers and troops!" she said, though her voice faltered somewhat. "You may have moments to live. I am feeling charitable. If you leave now, I will not stop you."

OOC 1d10=7 Heroes, 1d10=8 Bad guys. The Nazi lady (Auflader) holds her frame. Frostbite, though still stunned, gets his energy back this new round...





OOC four frames to the Vanguard

The Vanguard

"Lady, I'd be only to pleased to avoid this, but we've come for something and we ain't leaving till we've got it. Stormwarden, Darkshadow take her out. Lionheart see what you can do for Caldwell, and make sure these goons don't wake for a week."

Frostbite painfully moved himself upright and then to the computer terminal. He needed to make sure they got what they came for. "Computer," He said within himself once again, as he leaned forward and made physical contact with the panels and displays that made up the bases terminals, "lets get this info we need...Adjutant and the prison camp and anything else that might be useful, get it all."

Then he closed his eyes so as to be able to concentrate fully, trusting his team mates to neutralise the women.

OOC: OK so on reduced frames I'm trying to interface with the bases computer and get the info out that we need, on Adjutant, the camp where the white warlock is based, and anything else including a possible way out from here.

As for Lionheart, first he will offer the coup de grace to the prone unconscious villains, before attempting to upload his program as a surgeon and use whatever medical expertise he has to try and save Caldwell.

The Vanguard

"Lady, I'd be only to pleased to avoid this, but we've come for something and we ain't leaving till we've got it. Stormwarden, Darkshadow take her out. Lionheart see what you can do for Caldwell, and make sure these goons don't wake for a week."

Stormwarden moved steadily in on Auflader, trying to keep her eye as Darkshadow could then move in himself. Her speed was an issue - but then her only way out was by the lift. She was effectively trapped even if she didn't want to own up for it.

"Dear girl." Stormwarden addressed her calmly. "Give in now, let us bind you, and we will neither harm you or your colleagues any longer. WE are passing through and I would rather not harm Adjutant. He's too good a man to destroy all of London in just one fight. "

The Vanguard

Auflader was no coward. Nor was she a traitor, but she could see that a situation in their full control had flipped 360 degrees. Though her incredible slipstream field gave her amazing durability, speed and protection, this group was clearly experienced. She'd been used to coming across the odd metahuman renegade on their own. This? This was a coordinated group, in uniform, working for a common goal. They knew each other, how each other thought, and what was more, they'd flattened her team mates without much in the way of effort!

Darkshadow rasped "We let her go, she runs straight to her goose stepping buddies. This place will be crawling with them!"

Auflader answered quietly. "It already should be. I don't understand. I heard all this shooting then things went silent. Where are my sides troops?"

Stormwarden spoke his piece. "Dear girl." Stormwarden addressed her calmly. "Give in now, let us bind you, and we will neither harm you or your colleagues any longer. WE are passing through and I would rather not harm Adjutant. He's too good a man to destroy all of London in just one fight. "

There was something in the way he said it that gave doubt to Auflader. Harm Adjutant? Was such a thing even possible? Suddenly, her shoulders sagged. "Don't hurt my comrades any more than you have to, and I will surrender."

Lionheart finished backhanding Gargoyle into a deep sleep, though he took no pleasure in it. His goal was Saladin, but his thoughts were troubled. Saladin would disappear, drawn along with the changes in this reality, as would he, should the Vanguard succeed in going back and changing time. He wished he'd paid more attention in his temporal mechanics classes now!

Pulling a small device from his belt, he held it up to his eyes like binoculars. FLASH! Blinking, he knelt near Caldwell, turning him over. "I need drugs, medical supplies, and possibly a place to operate if I'm to save this mans life." With that, and a woosh of air, he disappeared! Lionheart scoured the building at superspeed. Every room was devoid of life but he found what he was looking for and returned, within moments.

"You'll never guess what this place is guys. It was built with extraterrestrial technology!" he revealed.

The Nazi, Auflader gasped! "What? That's not possible! We have the finest scientists! We would not stoop to working with inferior races!"

Lionheart scowled at her, then continued. "Not only can it move, by sprouting mechanical legs, it has the entire lower levels sealed off as an engine room. My friends, this is not just a base, but a means for aliens to invade! By remote controlling these things, scattered all across..."

"Europe." answered Auflader.

"...the Aliens could pull the plug at any time on their alliance with the Nazis!"

What little the Vanguard had heard about this so called 'alliance' had been that the Nazis, in the early part of 1940, had formed an alliance with aliens and somehow churned out an army of metahumans! The tide had been turned dramatically, the Battle of Britain had been a formality, and the Americans had sued for peace once Europe fell, though the fighting spirit of the people there meant there'd never been a true peace or victor declared until around 1945. The Vanguard wondered how much of that history had been introduced by time travelling villains from their own reality...

Darkshadow threw up a force wall around Auflader whilst Stormwarden looked for, and found, rope in one of the off rooms. By now, the team had recovered their energies (OOC all on full Energy/PSI)

"I need to get Caldwell up to an operating theatre. I have to ask though - if you change history, will it matter if we save him?" asked Lionheart. "In the grand scheme of things, the time taken to help him might be better served on getting the White Warlock out of that camp. He's done his part, he would understand. My instinct is to help him, but my head says 'save billions from a fate worse than death by stopping the Nazis'. Needs of the many and all that."

Frostbite painfully moved himself upright and then to the computer terminal. He needed to make sure they got what they came for. "Computer," He said within himself once again, as he leaned forward and made physical contact with the panels and displays that made up the bases terminals, "lets get this info we need...Adjutant and the prison camp and anything else that might be useful, get it all."

<<Vital signs stable. Unit Joe Rigdon, you need time to rest and recuperate. With regards interfacing this technology... processing. Processing.>> Sparks passed between Joe and the console in the side room where a large bank of computers. Harnessing the power of the untapped side of the human brain, the computer attempted to bypass the security system of the Nazis. <<These algorithms can be bypassed, but I fear you will have died of old age before I can access them. Suggestion - the human designation 'James Caldwell' possesses the expertise to 'crack' this system in a much shorter time and access the information. The metahuman designation 'Lionheart' might be able to do the same, but it would take longer for him I predict.>>

Frostbite knew it was only a matter of time before the Nazis came to find out what had happened to their armed forces and their base, not to mention their superhumans!

Stormwarden finished trussing up the Nazi Woman. He stood back, admiring his handiwork. She'd been slippery as an eel until she 'powered down'. Apparently she exerted an aura that made her frictionless, allowing anything that touched her to slide off or bounce away, and giving her superhuman amplified reactions. Without a decent form of attack, her value was, at best, that of nuisance against that of the Vanguard.

There was little that could be done for the Nazi with the power suppressor attached to his forehead. The Nazi woman had requested it not be removed due to possible booby-traps.

THUMP!

The sound came from outside, and the structure shook! The floor reverberated with the shock of an impact! The bunker was under heavy attack!

The Vanguard

"Oh blast, now what?" Frostbite said through gritted teeth. "Guys if Caldwell isn't able to help us we'll never get this information, not even my onboard computer can crack the codes without some help. I guess that thump means we haven't long.

Lionheart, are their any facilities here you can use? We've got to get Caldwell up to help us."

OOC:

OK Paul did Lionheart see anything that meant he could operate here? If not, did my computer see anyway by which it could get this building to go into move mode and become operational?

IC: Darkshadow I think it best if you and Stormwarden secure the lower areas, to make sure the Nazi's aren't already in the place.

The Vanguard

OOC Oops.

Lionheart looked up, pondering all that had been said and constantly monitoring Caldwells condition. "What? Yes. We need to go upstairs. There's a fully stocked operating theatre on one of the floors. This place is amazing! It is less of a base, more of ... a spaceship or perhaps a robot, designed for humanoids to operate in. I suspect on the top level somewhere will be a 'bridge' of sorts. The Nazis probably have no idea of the true potential, else they'd have strode around the countryside obliterating the resistance."

"I wondered how they'd sprung up near instantly." said Auflader. "My superiors will be interested to hear of this though..."

The Vanguard

"I wondered how they'd sprung up near instantly." said Auflader. "My superiors will be interested to hear of this though..."

"Sounds like a double edged deal all right." Stormwarden replied. "Can we tell just who is outside at the moment?" he asked questionly "Or do I have to step outside? Plus. If this thing can move, can we move it?"

Frostbite

"Sounds like a double edged deal all right." Stormwarden replied. "Can we tell just who is outside at the moment?" he asked questioningly "Or do I have to step outside? Plus. If this thing can move, can we move it?"

"Perhaps, we can find that out ourselves. If this place is for what we might suspect its bad to be a lot more secure than we thought. Perhaps if we can get to the top we can find out if there is a way to make secure, until we know what we're up against."

With that Frostbite pulled himself together and motioned for Auflader to go before them and with Stormwarden into the lift. "Take her and Darkshadow up first to the top floor. Lets see if we can't break into this base and take control. We'll follow."

OOC:
Frostbite isn't much good for anything at present and Lionheart needs to get Caldwell to surgery, so I will accompany him if Darkshadow and Stormwarden take the women (since she might give me grief if she decided to fight leaving a Caldwell in a dangerous position) and see if you can't get past security.

Once I've got Lionheart sorting out Caldwell, I'll come and join Stormwarden and Darkshadow.

Sj

Stormwarden

"Take her and Darkshadow up first to the top floor. Lets see if we can't break into this base and take control. We'll follow."

Stormwrden tied an extra length of rope in Aufladers bonds and then motioned her into the lift with himself and Darkshadow. It was a tight squeeze with his bulk there and the other two as well. "This might just be a godsend for your folk's too, lass," Stormwarden stated as the lift moved upwards. "I've been noticing too much synchronicity in whats going on. I suspect that's why we're here and now as well as then and there. You may have to go on and take on the Aliens by yourselves after we're gone."

He waited until the doors opened again and he could squeeze out, tugging the girl behind him.

Stormwarden and Darkshadow

The big man stepped into the lift with Darkshadow and the trussed up Nazi woman. The lift had a series of numbers, though they looked like they'd been hand painted on, now that the Vanguardian looked closer. He wondered who and what these aliens were. They'd clearly tried to accommodate human proportions, or maybe they were of human proportions themselves, but it seemed inconceivable that they would manage to pull the wool over the Nazis eyes for so long with what amounted to war machines planted in the midst of their cities, and most Nazis, even high ranking meta-humans, thinking of them as nothing more than bases.

The lift chimed softly, and the lift door opened... to a floor similar to the one the Vanguardians had been on previously. Darkshadow frowned beneath his mask, and turned to Stormwarden. "I'm betting that lift only goes up so far, and you need a key, a password, something else to go higher. Heck, that lift just might not go high enough. Hold on."

He phased, floated up and through the ceiling.

Moments later he returned. "It's dark up there, but I can see just fine. Some kind of control room, reminds me of the bridge of the Starship Enterprise."

"The what?" asked the woman. Darkshadow ignored her, turning to Stormwarden. "Unlike the enterprise, there's no lift door leading everywhere else. I can't see any means of getting up there, unless we smash a hole through the floor. Maybe in one of these rooms ..." he gestured to the doors going around the corridor "...there's a ladder, some secret way up, heck, you never know. Maybe something to 'beam me up scotty' "

THOOM!

There it was again! Something outside was shaking the base/robot/spaceship the Vanguard were in. Lights came on, a soft glowing red replacing the white normal lights, and the Vanguardians were reminded that time was of the essence!

Frostbite and Lionheart

Between them the Vanguardians carried the prone form of James Caldwell between them.

"Hey. Sorry back there for sounding callous and all, but I studied a lot of files before I came back. This guy, he was a screwup. He was a superhero who abused his power... or at least he was before time was changed. Everything I know is changed now. All I'm certain of is that Saladin needs to be stopped. I have no idea what his plans are seeing as the time we came back to has changed completely. Knowing him as I do, he'll join the strongest side for as long as it suits him and..."

'Ping!'

The door in the lift opened and the pair stepped out into the preparation area for a surgery. There were viewing windows looking slightly down into a surgery room. In there, a number of robotic arms and medical apparatus either performed, or assisted with, surgery. "You can leave him here with me now. Screwup or not, he's our only chance to hack into this computer. I have some skill, but nothing like on the scale needed to hack into their mainframe. If this man does... well, let's just hope these machines do what they do really quick and get him on his feet again. I'll be here if you need me."

Lionheart considered his own words about Caldwell, then about the circumstances surrounding his journey back through time. Saladin had rigged explosives, to not only destroy the time machine but the whole city! Richard King (Lionheart) had discovered the agents who'd been assigned to recapture Saladin had been killed by the man himself, whilst King was on his way, escorted, back to quarters for confinement for yet more regulation breaches. When the explosions had gone off, his guards had sped off to see what the trouble was. King had headed for the time machine, eager to see if it was all he had heard, and in the end it was go through it or be caught up in the city wide blast.

'I'm as much a screwup as you ever were Caldwell.' he thought to himself. 'I'll sort you out, get you on your feet again.' he vowed, prepping his patient for surgery. He looked at the machines, went over to consoles, switched his own program for the time being to computer programming, and set his hands dancing across buttons. Then as machines started to move into place over Caldwells prone body, he called out to Frostbite as he was about to go into the lift. He held a syringe. "A little pick me up?" he offered, the bright green substance in the tube looking rather uninviting.

OOC Aside from getting an injection (or not) is Frostbite heading up to the same floor as Darkshadow and Stormwarden?

Frostbite and Lionheart

Frostbite deftly caught the syringe, despite his injuries. "I suppose there is no point in asking what this is about..." He knew from being in the army they were often handed stuff to try, by medics without question. Clearly Lionheart had skills so Frostbite just shrugged, pressed the button to join the others, and defrosted, long enough to get the syringe into his arm. Before refrosting as the doors opened.

OOC: Assuming what happens next happens...I'm assuming that the injection isn't going to knock me out so I will join the others looking for a way to get into the control room.

Sj

[font=Arial Black]Stormwarden and Darkshadow

"Let me try something. Might not work" Stormwarden summoned his fog bank and let it fill up the tower, not as a thick fog, but as a haze. It was something that he should have done earlier - when he was hunting for frostbite and darkshadow but now, maybe, it might define an enterance way. And if not, he'd have to resort to his strength.

"Is there a way straight up that we can break into?" he asked. "Boy, what I wouldn't give for a teleporter right now. Actually I'd give anything for either Enterprise or Galactica right now - but I'd prefer Enterprise." He said, keeping his face straight, once he'd realised that Auflader was taking it all in. As he concentrated he mentioned various differences about the two ships, the difference between viewscreens and the deeply protected cic on Galactica. If she was thinking along a wrong tangent there was always an outside chance that might keep her distracted and subserviant for the moment.

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ooc: Stormwarden is using the fog to see if there is any gaps, air flow, and to map out the levels to see if he can spot an entrance way. And if not, to make sure that there is a clear way to pound through a floor. The bit about the spaceships is just to confuse the Nazis' even more and is, of course, a total red herring.

The Vanguard

OOC 2d6=9 Htc. Can't have updated that last sheet for combat tracking, but Frostbite is now neither stunned nor staggered. Looks like I've misread someones' character sheet at some point. At 9Htc (which he was actually on) he was neither staggered nor stunned. Still, I cut you guys a fair few breaks when the notion takes me, so I beg forgiveness on this one He's on 18Htc now at any rate. At any time if it looks like my maths are screwy, feel free to let me know and I'll hold my hands up!

The syringe pumped the goop into Frostbites arm, and instantly, his aches and pains were gone.

"Just a pick me up. You need R&R but the likelihood of getting either is slim. I'll figure out the comms system on this thing and try to get word when Caldwell is on his feet. These auto surgeons are very advanced for this time period, evidence of metahuman or extraterrestrial tampering with the technology level of this time. Good luck!" said Lionheart, as the lift closed on Frostbite.

He emerged into a mist filled room - literally, it was as thick as pea soup. Stormwarden and Darkshadow were looking about, at the walls, floors, ceilings... Opening doors into side rooms... There appeared to be no 'secret way' into the upper floor that the group could see, but the Nazi woman, Auflader, appeared to be taking a great interest in all that was said and done.

"Here. What's this?" asked Darkshadow. On one wall of the room were what must be dozens of metal bracelets. To the rear of the room was a raised pad, with around a dozen or so circles on the floor. In a corner of the room, a chair and console, though it appeared to be dead, or deactivated. At the back of the console, a pan had been removed at some point. Inside, complex looking circuitry and electronics filled the bulk of the console itself.*

"Ha! You fools! That is nothing! Our scientists determined a long time ago that there was nothing of interest in these bases save the weapons and we make good use of them!" laughed Auflader.

Stormwarden, as far as he could tell, could determine no gaps save from the air conditioning chutes, and they were too small to squeeze into even if he were normal size! If there was some kind of upper floor as Lionheart surmised, it was off limits by conventional means! No lift, no ladders... how to get up there?

Frostbite walked through the mist, which was powerful enough to overwhelm even an advanced air conditioner like that in evidence on this vessel, base, whatever it was. Stepping up to the doorway of the curious room, bracelets hung on walls, damaged or deactivated console and some raised platform with rings for standing on... it was interesting enough, but most of the rest of the ship had been stripped by the Nazis and taken apart to reproduce. Might they have taken a part vital for the operation of whatever that console did?

There was another THOOM! on the outside of the base. The bombardment - if that was what it was, was definitely getting more frequent. The red warning light continued to flash overhead in every corridor and every room.

OOC: *We've had Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and now another reference. Bracelets? If you're anywhere near my age or older you might get this one

The Vanguard

Stormwarden saw Darkshadow put the bracelets down. They reminded him of something. "Blake?" he wondered aloud. "And the liberator perhaps as we've been talking comparisons." he moved over smiling ruefully at blank expressions on others faces.

"It was another way of teleportation. You need a bracelet to use the teleportation system. If it works like that then you put the bracelet on, stand on the pad, and up, up and away. Those bracelets were also communicators. All right then. Lets at least try it eh?"

OOC

OOC: *We've had Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and now another reference. Bracelets? If you're anywhere near my age or older you might get this one

- Blakes 7 is my guess.

Frostbite

OOC:

OOC: *We've had Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, and now another reference. Bracelets? If you're anywhere near my age or older you might get this one
- Blakes 7 is my guess.[/i]

Yeah and that was my guess to!

As regards the numbers HTC etc don't sweat it, I'm not a rules lawyer I'm more interested in story than mechanics.


IC:
Frostbite took a look at the bracelets, smiled ruefully at Stormwarden's comment then snapped it on. "Computer." He said aloud, "Please identify and interface with bracelets - any chance we can get them to open the door to the next level?"

OOC: Assuming its not that easy and despite stuff being ripped out we might still be able to access the above controls, if the bracelets prove unfruitful, then I'll go for interfacing with any wires/boards/controls on this level that might work with what is above, through the computer.

Sj

The Vanguard

Once more drawing a blank though increasingly interested look from the Nazi, Stormwarden tried a bracelet on. As expected, nothing happened, and he was able to take it off again. Interestingly, it stretched to encompass even his wrist, though when off wrist it looked about the right size for a ladies, slimmer, wrist.

Frostbite took hold of one. <<Interfacing.>> said his computer. <<This room has been unpowered according to the memory chips inside this bracelet. As your companion correctly surmises, these bracelets can be used for location, communications and transportation to and away from the teleportation pads. It's possible that, were the circuits and wires in the console repaired, full functionality may be restored by simply 'flicking a switch' somewhere in the vessel. I would start at the engine room or a monitoring room, on a lower level of this place. First, the circuits must be repaired. Your friend, Caldwell, could probably do it.>>

THOOM! THOOM!

More explosions on the outer hull, and shaking of the place. Without the main guns on top it seemed the place could not defend itself as before, and eventually, whatever was attacking it would break through the sturdy defences and destroy the place!

Frostbite

<<This room has been unpowered according to the memory chips inside this bracelet. As your companion correctly surmises, these bracelets can be used for location, communications and transportation to and away from the teleportation pads. It's possible that, were the circuits and wires in the console repaired, full functionality may be restored by simply 'flicking a switch' somewhere in the vessel. I would start at the engine room or a monitoring room, on a lower level of this place. First, the circuits must be repaired. Your friend, Caldwell, could probably do it.>>

Calling Darkshadow and Stormwarden to him, Frostbite repeated what his internal computer had revealed. Then said quietly, as he didn't want their prisoner to glean information she could use against them, he said. "Caldwell can repair these circuits, but it may be possible to get this base partially operative if I can get power going from the below decks generators. Stormwarden I think you need to try and slow down our attackers, use the weather to 'rain on their parade'. I don't know if it will help us but we have to buy ourselves some time.

Darkshadow you need to remain here and keep an eye on our prisoner and also keep an eye on anything that changes up here.

Meanwhile, if I can phase into the engine rooms and interface with what is down there, I might be able to switch on the power or getting things warmed up, at least if we are good to go from that end, there may even be base defences that could come into play. I'll check in with Lionheart on the way down and keep him in the picture. "Right now our priorities must include keeping this base safe, all we need is locked in here and with those attacks getting closer we are sitting ducks. Does everyone agree?

OOC: Please chip in here if you have any other ideas, or suggestions or disagree etc.

THOOM! THOOM!

"Time is running out people, lets go..."

OOC:
Assuming now one disagrees, I'll head down and check in first on Lionheart, let him know what we've agreed and what Caldwell will need to do if he is able? I'll also tell him that I'm going to try and throw a switch or two down below.

I am aware my computer said the circuits need to be repaired and then the switch thrown, but waiting for Caldwell to be operated on, let alone better to work seems like a long shot anyway. So I'm going down the root of in desperate times, try all measures approach.

Sj

Frostbite

Calling Darkshadow and Stormwarden to him, Frostbite repeated what his internal computer had revealed. Then said quietly, as he didn't want their prisoner to glean information she could use against them, he said. "Caldwell can repair these circuits, but it may be possible to get this base partially operative if I can get power going from the below decks generators. Stormwarden I think you need to try and slow down our attackers, use the weather to 'rain on their parade'. I don't know if it will help us but we have to buy ourselves some time.

"I'm on it." Stormwarden replied. He moved to a wall, leant back, closed his eyes and [i]reached for the big weather front he had created earlier. This time he was going to go for the works: Driving rain, lightning strikes, hail, tornados. In fact, to the best of his ability he would pull a tornado down so its very centre would be this tower.

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ooc: this email just slipped in before work. Nice. Stormwardens actions as listed above - try and bring a tornado down around the tower, with wind hail and driving rain scouring the rest of the area.

The Vanguard

Lionheart looked up at the figure stood in the viewing area overlooking surgery. "Ah hey Frosty. You wouldn't believe the stuff they got in here. The machines figured out his injuries, I did a little clean up and, well, they got to work!" he said with a shrug, peeling off surgical gloves. "This isn't far off what we have ... had... from back where I came from. If anything, we maybe had less - with overcrowding, life wasn't so important, so anyone too far gone would be used for spare parts." he said casually. Must have been a helluva place to grow up.

He moved into a sterile room, cleaned up, and zipped out in a flash, clad in white bath robe and towelling his hair down. Behind the mask he was young, probably the same as Joe Rigdon or a little younger. Clearly he'd seen and done a lot in his years on Earth. "What the heck is going on out there? We had the whole works - rattling, lights flickering, I thought the robot arms were going to power down at one stage... And now? It sounds like the heavens have opened! You guys sure know how to throw a party!"

Frostbite looked upon the prone form of James Caldwell. The robot arms were moving at an incredible speed, patching Caldwell up on the inside with a precision few surgeons could match, and none, save the superhuman kind, could match at the speed the machines worked. Lionheart stood beside him. "Believe it or not, so long as he doesn't do anything silly like yoga, he'll be back on his feet within the hour. Amazing!"

An hour? Would this place even be here in an hour?

=========

Stormwarden concentrated. The force of the storm coalesced into a maelstrom with the base directly in its eye! He knew it wasn't possible to fine tune it enough so that the damage was localised, so hoped the 'scavvies' would have the sense to seek shelter in the undercity below the Nazi built metropolis. Seeing as if he were the storm, Stormwarden made out shapes. Lots of shapes! Almost fifty flying gunships, launching missile after missile at the base the Vanguard were in! Clearly word had gotten out that the base had been compromised, and that it was possible the rebel leader was holed up inside it! As the skies darkened above, Stormwarden clenched his fist, eyes glowing, then thrust a hand out, as if conducting an orchestra...

And the fury of the storm struck London!

Lightning flashed, thunder boomed, the winds howled to such a degree that windows cracked and buildings swayed! Rain lashed the city, along with hailstones the size of golfballs!

Suddenly the Nazis were flying blind, battering into one another and losing control of their gunships! First one, then more, attempted to flee as the winds picked up, forming a huge tornado! All caught up in it were spun and torn to pieces, fragments flying outwards then upwards to be tossed miles away! And still Stormwarden called more power from the storm!

=========

Darkshadow watched Auflader with undisguised hate in his eyes.

"Your cause is hopeless." she said. "Why not cut me loose? I will put in a good word for you. Say the others put you up to it. Your talents would be very useful in the forces of the 3rd Reich! Soon we will be making a push on America, and the world will be ours! For powerful people such as us, the world will be our plaything! We will become royalty, with slaves to tend our whim!"

The dark clad Vanguardian seemed to consider then moved closer to Auflader...

=========

Frostbite advised Lionheart on the proceedings above. "I may be able to help." offered the speedster. The technology in this bucket is fairly old hat for me. I may have studied something similar in history as a child, or may have a program that will help. The machines will sort Caldwell out better than I could. Look."

Frostbite looked into the room as Lionheart zipped away, then back, clad in uniform. The robots were applying what appeared to be artificial skin to aid the wounds healing and cause a scar-less skin reformation. He was impressed, but time was against them.

Minutes later as the storm howled and shook the base, Frostbite and Lionheart stepped into a large dark room. They'd gone to the lowest floor and come to what seemed to be an engine room of sorts. Large engines resembling 'warp cores' from the Star Trek films Joe watched as a child lay dormant save for one, which pulsed with a faint blue glow.

"There's our problem. The power cores have been shut down, save one. If so, just that one will provide light, air-conditioning, defences for the base. imagine if all three were running!" said Lionheart. The pair were stood on a gantry that went all the way round the room and looked down on the cores. On the floor were piles of torn up wires, metal plates, smashed apparatus... seemed the Nazis had moved in, smashed whatever they couldn't make work and dumped it in here. One thing caught the eye. Jutting from the mountain of trash covering the floor seemed to be a metal arm.

The base shook again.

=========

Stormwarden looked up, eyes pure white and glowing. His storm had smashed or driven away the best part of fifty gunships. Wreckage was strewn all around the plaza, though it didn't burn long with so much rain and hail coming down!

There was a new danger though.

Through his 'minds eye' he could see a new, small group of projectiles cutting their way through the storm! More Nazi Metahumans! They were too close to count, appearing as a lumpy 'blob' to Stormwarden, but obviously smaller than gunships! As the storm raged Guy Saint Ives knew that it wouldn't hold off superhumans for too long. Whatever Frostbite and the others were doing... they needed to do it faster!

=========

Outside.

The group landed on a building, the wind whipping at them. Several of their number had to cling onto something. one stood proud, ignoring the wind, standing stock still. *<Majestic! This storm ... it is unnatural! There was nothing on the forecast and Weather Master says it is beyond even his power to counteract! He says it is centred here!> said one of the Nazis. The white uniform was drenched with rain and ice. It cam down in painful biting waves. The metahuman whose codename was Majestic relished the challenge. He kept his contempt for the others from reaching his face. <We will assault the base. Someone has kindly destroyed the sentry guns so it is simply a matter of flying through the wind. If you and our comrades cannot manage it, attempt to approach on foot. This wind... strong though it is... will not stop ME!> he bellowed, as if challenging the very storm itself!

OOC this post takes place over a short period of time, 10-15 minutes or so. Anything else you want to do in that time feel free to mention it.

*translated from German

The Vanguard

OOC: Just for the record the last post was excellent, pacing and tension has been slowly ramping up and now this. If I wasn't playing I'd be on the end of my seat reading. As it is I'm off my seat trying to work out what I do with the team next. javascript:emoticonp('')
bounce:

IC:

Standing with Lionheart to one side, Frostbite picked up the solid looking 'Arm' "What's this?"

He looked at it before raising his head to look about. "Time is running out, we'd better see if there is anything here with which we can make the circuit connect up above and unlock the power here below. In a very short time, even the gale Stormwarden has brought down outside won't keep them off our backs for long.

Unless you've a better idea, I suggest you use your super speed to scan the place and find if there is an on switch conveniently located down here or anything else that might be of use."

Lionheart nodded, speeding off his started by doing a circuit of the platform looking for a way down or around, maintenance hatches, control panels, or any clues. "Heck," He thought to himself, "he'd settle for a manual in German at this stage."

Meanwhile, Frostbite spoke to his internal computer seeking to interface with the machinery whilst taking a second glance at the 'arm' he'd acquired.

"Computer interface mode, I want you to see if you can hook into this machinery and or tell me if this arm and any of these other parts might fit with the missing components seen above."

OOC: Ok just trying everything in this post, starting with the arm, moving to the components and then interfacing with the machinery, assuming that being alien tec it might even have some computer or wireless type interface etc.

Sj