The NEW Vanguard! The HAUNT Issue #4

HAUNT: HP100*

BEEEPBEEEPBEEEPBEEEPBEEEP!!!

Rush King groaned. He was a superhero, one of the most powerful people not only in Great Britain, but across Europe, and probably the world. He was also an actor, with bills to pay, and ... he glanced at the clock... he'd been asleep for 3 hours, and the alarm going off now told him he had about 45 minutes to get washed and dressed, out of the door and to the first of four important auditions today.

He wondered if he could grab another 10 minutes... he hit sleep... and a moment later the alarm went off again. The time had jumped 10 minutes, but he felt like he'd only just fallen to sleep... With a sigh he sat up...

=========

"Reports of structural fault at the ancient site of the castle of Coldstream proved accurate as last night the castle collapsed in on itself. There are no reports of casualties and the area has been cordoned off whilst it is being made safe. In other news..."

Rush looked up from his copy of the lines he was reading to take note of the news, then looked back and continued to eat his toast. He almost missed the announcement of 'breaking news' as he was scooping up his coat and heading for the door...

"...just coming in that London Wall Road has been cordoned off by police. Traffic has been reported to have ground to a halt in the area and unconfirmed reports suggest that a metahuman has been sighted in the area. More details as we get them..."

Rush reached for the remote, then glanced at the clock. His first audition was 20 minutes away by pushbike, as fast as any cab or motor vehicle in Londons busy streets. That left 5 minutes to prepare and make a good show of ... He glanced at the TV. Metahuman prescence, rush hour traffic, Centre of London.

That can't be good news.

Rush King checked out the map of London on his phone. Wall Road was in the opposite direction. Best time to it by pushbike was 45 minutes or so... but the Haunt could be there faster...



*Plus whatever remains from the previous adventures. Will be digging through my records.

Well maybe he could see what was happening by flying over and then flying to his audition - he hoped. He left his flat, went into the convenient alleyway, change into the Haunt and flew off to investigate with his angel wings lifting him up.

London flashed by below, and people stopped and stared at the manta ray like figure soaring overhead...

Before he got to the area, Haunt heard sirens and saw 'blues and twos' approaching from several directions towards the disturbance.

People were half running, half hiding and watching as he got closer. Some had camera phones out filming to share with social media.

The street was choked with cars, unable to move with some having been abandoned, and some unwitting motorists blaring horns. Then came the distinct rattle of gunfire, and the screaming began!

OOC It's coming from the bank. You can see no one outside aside from bystanders running away from it. In this modern day age of money transfers stealing mere bank notes seems somewhat antiquated...

He summons his Fog to obscure himself and then glides over to where he hears the gunshots.

Whatever was happening was taking place inside the bank...

As the fog engulfed Haunt and the street around him, he looked to see through the windows of the bank.

Hostages knelt down, hands above and behind heads. Some sobbing, most cowed. About thirty, including bank staff. Half a dozen ski mask clad goons holding sawn off shotguns. Probably more in the back and downstairs where the vault was.

The sirens were getting louder. The police were arriving...

The Haunt considered what to do. Normal crooks would probably just collapse in fear if he used his Fear Aura on them but it was also possible that some might start firing wildly and hitting the hostages. He needed to be creative. Get inside and figure out what was going on before acting.

He let the fog stay around the front doors and windows of the bank so the crooks couldn't see out then he dropped to the ground and assumed a new disguise ... that of a nun in a white habit. He then entered the bank as if unaware of the robbery going on.

With fog swirling about, the 'Nun' walked into the bank and looked about with wild eyed innocence!

"GET. DOWN. ON. THE. FLOOR." stated a synthesised voice. Robotic, despite the human tone. The robber than said it moved across the floor with swift paces, machine gun pointed at the nun.

Machine gun?

Not one that Haunt recognised. The man made no sound... no, not quite none. A strange, quiet 'peeling' sound with every footstep. Haunts quick eyes and faster mind glanced about.

The robbers (6 in total) were either exactly the same size and build, or very very close. They wore black combat fatigues, what looked to be body armour, ski masks, combat boots. So far, so conventional... aside from the other details.

The click of the machine gun was followed by a high pitched whine.

That was no machine gun... and it was about to be fired!

ooc

Is there a way for the Haunt to stretch himself out between the robots and the hostages and the door? So he can create a barrier so they can run out the door. If not, he will try to engulf the hostages by stretching over them and rolling them out the door.

Thinking of the Hostages safety first, Haunt formed himself up as a barrier of sorts between the criminals and the hostages, albeit at a distance of only a few feet!

The white wall rose up to protect them, and Haunt was almost in position to order the hostages free when the shots started coming in! No problem, bullets were hardly...

ZZZZAPPP!!!

OOC Attacks on Haunt... team Attack and Critical Attacks...

2d10 → [9,10] = (19) HIT, Haunt loses 11APs of his Strength! He is now no stronger than an ordinary man (2AP strength)
2d10 → [2,2] = (4) DOUBLE plus 2d10 → [7,5] = (12) Haunt loses his Self manipulation power (0Aps)
2d10 → [2,6] = (8) Haunt loses his Stretching power (0APs)
2d10 → [5,6] = (11) Haunt loses his Aura of Fear power (0APs)
2d10 → [10,7] = (17) Haunt loses his Fog power (0AP)
2d10 → [3,9] = (12) Haunt loses 9APs of his Chameleon power (down to 2Aps)

Haunt still has:

Omin Arm (2APs)
Chameleon (2Aps)
Regeneration (5Aps)
Str 2

Otherwise all as per character sheet.

Haunt staggered, back to his human form, weak as a kitten and unable to change shape or cast his awesome fear effect! What in the...?

Instantly the thought came to him.

This was a TRAP!!!

OOC Haunt is up... He's still bulletproof tough and ultra agile, but these guys have numbers, accurate shots and those guns are knocking his powers out!

ooc: question. Are the hostages robots too or real people? If real people, yell for them to get out. Guess I'm forced back into my normal form of white cowboy outfit.

If real people, after yelling for them to run for it, use my Omni-Arm to form a big ax and combine it with my remaining strength try to cut the nearest robot's arm off, the arm holding the gun, in hopes to use the gun itself.

If the hostages are not hostages but robots or part of the trap, try to run for it - dive for nearest cover then scramble for any exit.

The hostages seemed real enough - they were shocked into action!

Some ducked, covering their heads, others ran/stumbled towards the exit!

Haunt formed his arm into an axe... and immediately got that sinking feeling! It was tied into his strength, so that when his strength was reduced, his ability to form weapons and useful objects from his arms was similarly reduced!

OOC in other words it's linked. Strength goes down? So do all associated powers (only Omni Arm in this case). Haunt can still attack, but his main assets are that he's superhuman agile (9 Dex) and a peerless fighter, and tougher than a tank (Body 13). Unfortunately he's only as strong as a mortal person (2) but he has Regeneration (5) meaning that assuming these guys don't take that away as well, he gets his powers back in 2 minutes, or if he can't wait that long, a desperation recovery check (10Hp cost) will let you try to recover your powers. Still your action - Haunt has bid the people go, some have, but they are still in harms way, Haunt is badly weakened and he doesn't know who these people are, why they want him, or who is behind this...

Going to attack anyways. Hoping that I can hit a joint, which might be weak enough for me to break it. If not, maybe the other guys can come rescue me since it doesn't look like whoever it is is out to kill me.

Undaunted, Haunt went on the offensive - the 'robbers' were emotionless and probably didn't care in any case, but the weapons they used were non lethal, albeit depowering.

They were here to capture him, or at least, a superhuman that came to 'save the day'. Why?

Right now that didn't matter, Haunt swung!

OOC 2d10 → [6,9] = (15) Hit, a single point of damage

He struck the nearest of his assailants and knocked their aim off with a gash to the arm...

And Haunt saw plastic flesh peel back, revealing circuits, wiring, plastic/gel 'muscles' and shining metal bones! There was no cry of pain, discomfort or even a word of protest from the 'man'.

He knew he was dealing with inhuman opponents. They could not be bargained with, reasoned with or threatened - they would capture him, and ... then what?

Sirens were getting louder outside.

OOC Haunt wins initiative again. These guys are going to fire on him... or possibly harm the hostages. Haunt has uncovered something very, very nasty here ...

Are the hostages moving or still cowering on the floor?

I need to try to move the robots away from the hostages. Run and duck deeper into the bank. An office or over a counter or something away from the hostages.


"Run now! Get out while you can," The Haunt yells as he makes his next move.

Haunt did the unexpected, and ran further into the bank, easily vaulting the various desks and climbing over the bulletproof screen glass at the main desk even as the robbers turned to follow him with their weapons!

Several people stayed down - they were too scared to move. The bulk of them charged for the door, and for a moment the robotic villains - or the mind behind them - seemed confused.

Two rounded up a couple of stray hostages, leaving only five in the bank foyer now, and the other four headed for Haunt, moving towards the bank counter. One stepped up to the glass and pounded it with a fist, only to be rewarded with a loud THWACK! and splintered glass which didn't break.

The others saw that and closed to the same pane of glass, punching as one to smash and make the glass bow... another few moments and it would be through!

Haunt could stick around to see what would happen when they were through the glass, or he could duck into the back offices and the vaults below the ground level, but that meant he might eventually be cornered, unless his body could recover from this dreadful numbing feeling that clogged his mind and prevented his powers from working right!

"If I don't have the strength to take them out," The Haunt mutters to himself, "maybe I can outsmart them or damage them in some other way."

He looks around for a fire extinguisher. Maybe he can blind them or the powder used in it could jam up their gears.


"Run for it fools," he yells to the remaining folks, trying to use his acting ability to convince them to move out.

Haunt tries to be his most convincing to the remaining hostages, even as the Robotic Villains close in on him!

The glass at the desk was now well and truly bowed and splintered. Designed not to shatter, and to slow armed robbers as much as possible, it had withstood all it could from superhuman level pounding of steel boned fists!

"Run you fools!" shouted Haunt in his most menacing voice.

OOC Charisma check 2d10 → [4,2] = (6) Oh. Ouch. They stay put.

The glass explodes inwards, but mostly stay in one (shattered) piece thanks to the thin clear film over it. Immediately the robbers start scrambling over the desk as Haunt pulls a fire extinguisher from the wall. He faces two immediately, and the others are climbing over behind them. Despite that Haunt had shouted to the Hostages to leave, and the Robbers were focusing purely on the hero, the remaining hostages were too terrified to get up and go!

All of a sudden the Fire Extinguisher (OOC Foam these days. Powder is a no no in enclosed spaces for health+safety reasons...) didn't seem the best of weapons to use against these things - With normal human strength Haunt wasn't even sure how long he could hold the thing up!

OOC Initiative 2d10 → [7,10] = (17) 7 for Haunt, 10 for the Robots, but that's not enough to give them the drop on Haunt. He goes first. There are two robots 10 feet away, then another two behind them. They intend to attack as a team/pair which will make Haunt easier to strike... If there's a good thing Haunt can think of, it's that their attacks have been strictly nonlethal. They want him alive, and - possibly - aren't even bothered about the bank, though he may be wrong. But why?

Try blinding them with the foam and then get out of the office. Area Affect Attack? Stream? Not sure, whatever it is. Not sure if putting hero points into the attack will help or not or if I have to use a lot of them to help. IF it would be more than 25% of my current total, then no I won't put HP in, if less, I will.

Let's go with my original plan. He is also thinking maybe he wants to be captured and see what's going on and who is behind it but doesn't want to make it look too easy. He has a rep you know.

Haunt whips around the fire extinguisher, filling the room with foam and white mist...

HAUNT
HP: 96

OOC 2d10 → [10,2] = (12) With only a fire extinguisher vs infr a red and ultra violet vision of these guys, you'd need a great roll to fill the area and have a chance at obscuring their vision. Unfortunately, whilst the roll was ok, a double would've been more helpful. Thus...

The 'men' moved in, clearing the desk and the remnants of the shattered bulletproof glass then moved around Haunt. Amidst the fading white smoke he knew that what came next would be painful. But for him, or the foes he faced, he couldn't be sure.

OOC Initiative 2d10 → [6 Haunt,5 Bad Guys] Haunt goes first. His way out the front of the bank is blocked by these guys. Behind him there are more offices and a set of stairs guarded by a cage which is ajar and presumably leads to the vaults where precious items are stored in safety deposit boxes. That said, Haunt has the distinct impression they aren't here for money - the drawers are full of the stuff and untouched.

Time to dive, roll, dodge, weave, broken field run, swing from the chandeliers, slide along the polished floor, bounce off the walls Jackie Chan-style and otherwise attempt to escape out the front door.

Haunt used what prowess and powers remained to him after the mauling he'd taken in this cleverly sprung trap...

With an acrobatic leap, run and slide, he rolled, twisted and sprinted for the front door!

OOC I assume he's using his Acrobatics (5) to boost his dodge to 14 opposing value. Let's see if it's enough... Three attempt to grab Haunt physically, two attempt to blast him. The last moves towards the vault.

2d10 → [1,2] = (3)
2d10 → [9,4] = (13)
2d10 → [10,1] = (11)

Physical attacks all miss.

Neutralise attacks...

2d10 → [1,3] = (4)
2d10 → [1,9] = (10)

Both miss!

And just like that, Haunt broke free into the street! The lights from police cars momentarily dazed him, and he saw Police taking cover behind their cars with guns trained at the bank - and on Haunt!

"SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY!" bellowed a man with a megaphone... but Haunt was running amidst several escaping hostages so he felt reasonably sure they wouldn't open fire. That said, dressed all in white he was painfully aware of how much he stood out!

OOC For a round (4 seconds) Haunt has 'cover' from the hostages, but the police are in a horsehoe shape around the bank entrance with half a dozen cars and around 15 officers with guns.

Any shot at diving into another door to another store or such? Or a nearby alleyway?

"Robots disguised as robbers in the bank," the Haunt yells out as he looks for the nearest exit from the police.

The police were unsure of what to do - open fire on a seemingly unarmed man, with freed hostages running about?

Amidst much shouting, Haunt sprinted, vaulted over a cars bonnet (hood), barged past a couple of policemen and towards an alley across the street, his white form partially shielded by pedestrians who'd been held back by a police line. More shouts from behind, and the bark of a couple of police dogs!

What had turned out to be a big day for Haunt, or at least the man behind the mask, was turning out to be a bad one as well!

"Hey!" yelled a female voice from the shadows of an alley Haunt ran past. "This way!" Haunt caught a glimpse of a late teens goth girl, typically attired in gloom and doom clothes and makeup. Her face was even more worried and stressed than usual though. Why? Haunt had to make a quick choice - keep running for the alley or trust the girl and go her way?