The NEW Vanguard! Haunt Issue #7

Haunt ducked down under the van. The Metal there was thinner but still armoured. Worth a shot!

He pushed... but it wasn't enough! With his usual strength he could punch through this like it was made of wet tissue! Instead he scooped up a handful of dust and blew it onto the keypad. Even as magnetic rounds zinged about he looked closely at the pad.

Five digits seem to cling the dust. Possibly six. He didn't have time for this! Haunt turned as an explosion rang out, then another, and he saw Yeoman crash to the floor. He was deliberately 'taking hits' to draw fire, but the Advent troopers weren't messing around! Their munitions were more powerful than conventional Earth weapons!

Yeoman got to his feet, grabbing a lamp post and tearing it up then using it as a bat to SMACK! a trooper into the sky!

Haunt glanced over at his friend. They exchanged looks. This whole thing was a bust! It was time to go!

Angry that his weakness was effectively dooming their mission, Haunt turned... and saw Advent Troopers running towards the truck he was stood next to. His arm tingled momentarily before he slammed a fist against the side of the truck and he turned to run.

Then looked back. There was a hole in the side of the armoured truck.

His hands, arms, heck his whole body was tingling! He wasn't at full strength but knew he was near it!

OOC 10APs to play with now. That can boost strength up to 13APs, just short of his normal max of 14. Str 13 + Dice roll Roll(2d10)+0: 2,2,+0 Total:4 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d10)+0: 2,10,+0 Total:16 (29) vs TN11 + 12 (23). +3EV. 16 vs 12= 4 RAPs.

He grabbed the sides of the hole then pulled, hard! RIIIIIPPPPPP!!!! The metal groaned, screeched and gave way! Inside were two men, middle aged, with hands handcuffed behind them. And... A woman. She was perhaps early 30s, remarkably calm given the circumstances!


"You... do not look like an Alien. But I hef been fooled before." she said, arching an eyebrow.

Haunt extended the hole and the three hopped out. Now came the hard part. Three handcuffed civilians to get out of here, the place was a warzone and Yeoman was being battered by two dozen Advent Troopers!

"My name is Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you," The Haunt replied, ever the actor. He quickly decided to see if he could shapeshift into a flying form that would allow him to carry all three people away. Or perhaps a roadster or flat bed pick-up of some kind that he could shift into and drive away with the three of them. {Which ever would get him the most speed}

"Now lets see if I can actually do that," he said as he began his escape with the 3.

Haunt shifts his form even as the Scientist arches her eyebrow. "A Star Vars reference I presume?" she asked as she struggled to remember where she'd heard the Skywalker reference before.

He morphed into a three man rocket sled/toboggan and with a quip hissed "Come with me if you want to live!"

The scientists clambered in as best they could and Haunt took off! His rocket blast from his rear end made a huge roaring sound that distracted many of the ADVENT troopers who were attacking Yeoman! The 'jet' blasted into the sky and left a trail of smoke behind. It wouldn't be hard for ADVENT to detect or track him, but the prime goal was to get the Scientists away.

The town raced by below them and Haunt heard a shout "We're getting away! I don't believe it! We're... we're being chased!"



Several forms swooped in from a distant point, over the battleground and towards where Haunt was flying away. The chase was on... and they were closing! He had three ARCHONs chasing him.

=========

Yeoman spat some blood out. His clothes were in tatters, he was covered in soot and dirt and he hid behind the burning wreck of a car.

Feeling somewhat battered, he muttered "Get a move on Haunt! I can't keep this up too much..." He saw the white rocket speed off, then the three Archons set off after him! "Ah well, so much for a low profile! At least he seems to be getting his powers back!" He scooped up the burning car then flipped it through the air, sending it tumbling end over end towards a group of advancing ADVENT troopers! "So long suckers!" he shouted, then took to the air low and fast after his friend and their pursuers....

ooc: while flying can I morph or create a hand that can unlock their handcuffs? Looks like I need to get them free and then lose pursuit long enough to drop them somewhere so I can lead the Archons away from them. Then try to take out the bad guys.

OOC No problem with the adding an arm, you just lose 1aps of flight for Omni Arm. Then your Thief skill (which is still 7, making him a World Class Thief).

Roll(6d10)+0: 4,5,1,2,1,5,+0 Total:10 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d10)+0: 3,2,+0 Total:15 Oooh, that's not great. Dex 5 + 15 vs TN11 + 9OV (20) = 0. 5EV vs 9RV... Failed.

It wasn't the easiest of tasks as Haunt fumbled about with a hand then changed one of the fingers into a lockpick.

He withdrew his finger all mangled and twisted and knew he would have to land and concentrate on the task at hand to get the scientists free of the restraints.

He flew over fields and spotted something useful. A small wooded area. He could keep flying but a glance with a pair of telescopic eye stalks revealed the Archons were catching up. Then they started blasting energy at him!

Time had run out. He needed to ditch his passengers and turn/fight. He looked at the wood. Could he reach it before they reached him? He had no idea, but if he tried and failed, they'd have several shots at his retreating back and might take him out!

Where was Yeoman?

He got his answer as Yeoman clattered into the rearmost Archon and they went down tumbling towards the floor! The second Archon paused and turned to help its companion, leaving only one for Haunt to deal with!

OOC Head for the wood, turn and fight, or something else? It's one on one now. Yeoman is about to get a kicking, mind...

Land and ditch my passengers then turn and fight.

"Get to the woods and hide," the Haunt tells the scientists. "I gotta go help stop these guys or they will follow us everywhere! Yeoman or I or both will come get you after we are done."

After dropping them off, turn and head for the second Archon. Not sure if going for turning into a missile-shaped fist and ramming him would be better or just flying/running as fast as possible and use stretching and Omni-arm to hit him. Whichever gives me the best chance to hit.

Guided Muscle from an old Benny and Cecile cartoon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQsAz4KSOeY
Go to about the 5 minute mark to see it in action. :-)

OOC just a little heads up... Archons are one of the 'heavy hitters' (not THE heavy hitters but heavy enough!) of the Advent Forces. This will go south if you get into a blasting/punching match with this thing in your current state. Even powered up, you'd have to have Weaponry and some out of the box thinking to give it a hard time. Weaponry still not working as it should but you can divert some of your 10APs to it.

Haunt landed near the trees and morphed back into himself, drawing gasps from the scientists.

"Amazing!" said one.

Dr Vahlen shouted "Get moving!" She turned to Haunt. Glancing up at the flying alien coming towards them she hissed "The Staff! This Alien directs its energy powers through that! Without a carbon nanofibre composite rod to... look, just get the pole off it! That will mean it has to come in close!" She turned and ran.

Dr P was right. This woman DID know her stuff!

Haunt whirled. The Archon was flying out of the sun. Hitting or getting that staff away from it would be hard without his full abilities. It felt like he was moving through treacle! So slow! No... so Human he admitted to himself. He stood at the edge of the trees and saw how fast this thing was swooping in... but it moved in a manner that suggested it was incredibly manoeuvrable...

OOC The Alien is moving in closer, delaying its action (it wins initiative Roll(2d10)+0: 7, haunt (28) 9,Archon (35) till it can get into a position to blast Haunt and the Scientists in one fell swoop! You're up. Still want to change into a missile fist (which despite the cartoon is likely to miss as Dex 5 vs Dex 11 won't give great odds...)?

Not really looking to beat it, just slow it down while the scientists make a run for it. So my Guided Muscle idea is out.
Hmmm .... how about scooping up all available dirt and such and fire it widespread at it in makeshift attempt to blind it for a bit - dirt thrown in the eyes and smokescreen kind of thing. As well as putting up my Fog. Do I still have my Fog and how much does it cover now? If it doesn't do much to cover me and the area around me, then never mind.

BTW if you get in the EU server of COH, I am in the Super Group called 41 Ties. Found out it was called that because back in the original game, the guy who made it had 41 friends online so he called it 41 Ties for them.
Got 35+ alts on the server, so that's the best way to find me.

OOC Just a heads up that while he could use Fog at max APs, he needs to be wearing his Haunt suit (back at base I think though I can check back on the posts to see if any mention was made of bringing it). The dust thing was a decent idea...

Scooping dirt up in a MASSIVE improvised hand scoop Haunt flipped the dirt into the air, then made another scoop, getting into the trickier tough soil underneath even as the sun was temporarily blacked out!

The Archon blasted wildly through the dirt but dust and debris would be falling for a few more seconds, enough for Haunt to reach cover of the trees and to see that his Scientist charges had managed to get out of the open.

It swooped in, then out and around to the spot where it had seen Haunt last. With dust still falling from the sky it twitched and turned back to the distant battle where yeoman was wrestling with the other two.

A glance back into the trees... The Archon took off and headed back to where Yeoman was getting battered.

Haunt reshaped from the perfect silhouette of a tree and faced a problem. His friend was about to get triple trouble, but Haunt himself had to get the scientists clear or all of this was a bust!

Cursing himself, the Haunt held out the hope that Yeoman could get free on his own, and instead ran after the scientists in his normal form in order to keep from being tracked.

"Run for it, Yeoman," he yelled just before taking off after the scientists, "I got them away from here!"

Whether that was true or not, he didn't know but was hoping that saying would help make it true.

Haunt ran after the scientists hearing blast after blast behind him.

He caught the scientists as they were jumping into a car by the side of the road next to the trees. A couple had gotten out were straining to see what was causing the disturbance. Noise, laser blasts. booming sounds...

"Get in!" shouted Dr Vahlen. "You two!" She switched to French and shouted for them to get in the car. The couple started to protest until Haunt came from the forest and a huge explosion rang out, raising a flaming ball of smoke and flame into the sky! That persuaded them and Haunt glanced back as the car loaded up with people.

"GET IN!" shouted Vahlen to Haunt. Haunt glanced back. The blasts were less frequent now.

Then they silenced.

"I hope he got away," the Haunt mumbled as he got in the car. "Let's ride," he commanded, "drive like you are fleeing from explosions then slow down as if you feel you are safe and drive normally."

He gave directions to the safe house while looking around to make sure that they weren't being followed. He made sure all his powers were off so he couldn't be tracked that way.

The Group drove steadily away from the battle site even as more and more alien troop carriers flew in.

"Look!" hissed Vahlen. Haunt followed her pointed finger and saw something else. It was, for want of a better word, a flying saucer! It hovered over the site then slowly started circling it, increasing the radius with every pass.

"Time to go." muttered the other scientist.

The car drove away down the French countryside to a village, then turned to head onto a trunk road and from there, the motorway.

Haunt glanced back. Somewhere, Yeoman was in that mess. His friend.

=========

Some time later... "You did it!" shouted Dr Praetorious as he hugged a bemused Dr Vahlen and turned to give his friend a hug.

"What happened? Where's Yeo.. Jack?"

Dr Vahlen explained, and the mood was all of a sudden sombre.

It was the rescued scientist who broke the silence, and she managed as best a smile as she could. "I cannot thank you enough. Without your intervention I would be dead in weeks, perhaps days, and I have information vital for the survival of the human race!"

That piqued Haunts interest and the small group of resistance leaders in the ramshackle room took notice. "The Aliens have set up 'gene therapy' clinics to 'heal' people. It's a sham. They extract the DNA for their own insidious ends! I lost the data unfortunately, it hadn't uploaded in time for me to make off with it before they captured me and my associate, a soldier named John Bradford. He told me of something else he'd found, a project named... 'AVATAR'. What it is, what the aliens plan to do with it, I don't know. All I do know is that to beat them, we must be organised and ruthless. We are at war, and whilst we have not lost - yet - unless we make decisive moves to strike back, only a few countires of the world will be left to oppose them."

Dr P spoke up. "Even the United States is fragmented. Some have declared neutrality and banned ALL superhuman activity, others have aligned with the aliens whilst California, New York and other great states have said they will oppose the aliens. That said, they have the highest and most powerful population of super humans. It can only be a matter of time before the Aliens find some way to overcome even their power, and the world will... "he went silent.

Dr Vahlen spoke up. "Yes, it will not take a huge leap of imagination to figure out what will happen to mankind. I have analysed the capabilities of the resistance at this base and I think we should move. Bradford had contacts, a few of whom I have met. Dr Shen is a chinese engineer. He should be on our list of people to recruit as soon as possible. Also Bradford himself will have been moved to a holding facility for.. .'processing'. It may not yet be too late to rescue him. In the meantime I suggest we split into small cells and work from a constantly moving and shifting pattern of attacks and missions." She turned to Haunt. "You are our prize asset, but using your powers makes us all vulnerable. I would suggest we analyse the targets and send you in with a selected team to strike at the enemy and disrupt them. Information is our goal. If we can find proof of the alien threat and expose them, then public opinion may turn away from the shiny technology and false promises of increased lifespan and end to disease."

OOC you have a choice...

Rescue the Engineer Dr Shen
Rescue John Bradford, Military leader and organiser
Try to find out what happened to Yeoman
Do Something else.

"I'm not a military man," the Haunt said out loud as he weighed his options. "Having someone who is and hopefully has some experience fighting insurgents could be of great benefit to us as he can show us the tricks that the insurgents used so we can use them as well. Probably more so than rescuing Dr. Shen or finding Yeoman and rescuing him. But the two bring a lot to the table in our fight as well."

"My powers are in flux. They are weaker than they were before I was captured. So I am both an asset and a liability. I think we need to rescue Bradford first and then try for the others, with him helping us plan those missions. And maybe Doc P can help me figure out why my powers are in flux and how to stabilize them while we plan to rescue Bradford."

HAUNT

Dr P looked disappointed but nodded. "I'll work with Dr Vahlen and we'll see about getting your full powers back."

Dr Vahlen nodded. "Maybe we can do more than that. Key something specific to your DNA that renders you invisible to their detection unless you are at a very close range. That will take time but we'll get some samples and set right to it."

A day later...

In a darkened room of a nondescript house on the outskirts of a village in France, the leaders of the local resistance gathered. Aside from Dr Vahlen and Praetorious, others represented grass roots level resistance. Spreading word, gathering supplies, recruiting... the roles went on but half a dozen were crowded in here with Haunt as Dr P spoke up.

"The operation is quite simple. We shall create a number of diversions by launching simultaneous attacks and feints across the region to trigger alerts and having ADVENT respond to as many as we can. Our people have strict orders to break off and get out of there at a predetermined point. We'll give you just enough time to get into, and out of, this location..."



"Our sources say that Bradford - and others - have been taken there to be 'reconditioned'. For that assume it means 'tortured until they crack and spill all they know'." said Dr P.

"Bradford won't crack." said one of the resistance soldiers, a man name Claude LeChenne. He continued "The others though... some of our cells need to be moved. Once they talk, they, others families, will be in danger. The aliens have no qualms about seizing anyone they can use as leverage." he said in accented English. "Time is of the essence."

Dr P nodded. "The place is fenced, covered in alarms and cameras, patrolled and guarded by Advent forces and special forces. That means their own brand of superhumans."

"Huh." muttered another resistance fighter, a German known as Heinrich Shustmann. "If only the people were allowed to know the truth, that the outlawed superhumans they have been told to hate and expose are also used by the Aliens."

"The Aliens have their own agenda. Their supposed benevolence is a cover which we must expose, but only when the time is right otherwise resistance will be quashed and the information buried. People will be hapless sheep and will believe whatever they are fed so long as they are given nice houses, cars, their lives made easy. We need to find out what the aliens secret is, how to defeat them, then turn the people against them. Bradford can be a key part of this process. He is a fearless soldier and determined to see the Earth freed or die trying. It's our job to make sure he doesn't die in that place." said Dr P.

He turned to Haunt. "You are our ace in the hole. Dr Vahlen and I have come up with a box of tricks that will do two things. One, it will mask your powers unless you move within four metres of a detection mast.. There is also something else. An experimental process. You take the cap off the end of the power masker. The prongs then get stabbed into your thigh and a one shot dose of a chemical keyed specifically to you will, we believe, restore your FULL powers for a short time. After that you will be weakened, but it may be enough to get you out of a sticky situation. We used all the resources we have here to make this one dose. We'll get round to making more but we don't know if there will be any side effects..."

OOC Any thoughts on a plan to get into the place? next post will see you overlooking the place from the cover of trees and ready to go into action!

hmmm ... be nice if I had a uniform to use to enter the place with ID. Could get it by taking someone's place inside who was actually working for the Resistance. Could do the very Non-PG rating of getting whore at a whorehouse to keep one of her regulars busy while she hands off his ID so we can copy it and then give the original back to him without him knowing it before he leaves the whorehouse [something I think the French Resistance did during WW2 and maybe other resistance groups as well] Waylaying a guard, technician, janitor, etc and using my makeup skills to disguise myself as that person in order to get inside with their ID. Of course, if they are using more than card scans like fingerprints and DNA tests, none of that will work. Though if we go all Mission Impossible, we could make something like latex fingerprints that would fool scanners, Retinal contacts, maybe a bit of blood from the person we kidnap and put in hidden "bags" under the fingers for any DNA/Blood tests.

Knowing what part of the building the man is kept in is helpful. How we get him out of there and away, back up to slow down those who might be on our tail when it all goes South or how to get him away while the Haunt does the slowing down with his powers.

Some smoke and tear gas bombs, small ones. Incendiary devices. Those would be nice. Invisible Knock out gas. Need to ask Batman if I can have a spare utility belt, he would have all those things in there.

HAUNT

hmmm ... be nice if I had a uniform to use to enter the place with ID. Could get it by taking someone's place inside who was actually working for the Resistance. Could do the very Non-PG rating of getting whore at a whorehouse to keep one of her regulars busy while she hands off his ID so we can copy it and then give the original back to him without him knowing it before he leaves the whorehouse [something I think the French Resistance did during WW2 and maybe other resistance groups as well] Waylaying a guard, technician, janitor, etc and using my makeup skills to disguise myself as that person in order to get inside with their ID.

One of the resistance fighters, a french woman called Marie-Claire Renou, spoke up. "Since we found out about this place we have watched it. At one point it seemed like their actions were orchestrated and perhaps they were luring us into a trap. Dr Praetorious urged caution, so we waited and did nothing. We ignored the obvious signs, the 'gift' of getting in and it seems that while the Aliens have detected our presence even at a distance on a number of occasions, they tired of being sent on wild goose chases. Right now..." she reached for the map on the table. "We have three scouts watching at a distance of 1.5 miles out, and another within 100 yards of the treeline who operates under radio silence. She used to operate as a crime fighting Vigilante called Célérité Faucon, meaning 'Stealth Hawk' in English. trust me. If she does not wish to be found, the aliens will not find her."

"It is through her reports we have a list of comings and goings and even names of human collaborators." She turned to Heinrich Shustmann.

"Ve are on it. You'll have your uniform, your passes, and if required, the means to pass a retinal scan." he growled. When several of the scientists looked uneasy at the prospect of plucking someones eye out to use to pass a scanner, he added "Ven you are fighting ze devil, you must climb down into his pit. The end justifies ze means." He stared as if to challenge any who would doubt his methods, but it seemed they agreed, no matter how uneasy they felt.

"The man is Pierre Lubensche. He is a biochemist/scientist. He lives in a large expensive house with servants and drives from a fleet of fast cars. He is, by any measure now, a rich man. He is one of a middle tier of scientists that work on superhuman biochemistry, but we are not sure why as yet." said Marie-Claire. "With your superhuman abilities we surmise that you should have little problem in duplicating his appearance, but we chose him because he has a similar height and build, and if you... ah... thin out your hair..." she looked uncomfortable.

Dr P spoke up "My friend is scarred from an Acid attack. We could trowel make up on until it drips from him, but there's no chance of hiding his features. Sorry me friend. Just being realistic."

An uncomfortable pause passed and Heinrich spoke up.

Of course, if they are using more than card scans like fingerprints and DNA tests, none of that will work. Though if we go all Mission Impossible, we could make something like latex fingerprints that would fool scanners, Retinal contacts, maybe a bit of blood from the person we kidnap and put in hidden "bags" under the fingers for any DNA/Blood tests.

Knowing what part of the building the man is kept in is helpful. How we get him out of there and away, back up to slow down those who might be on our tail when it all goes South or how to get him away while the Haunt does the slowing down with his powers.

"That's where ve are struggling. The Aliens have extended the place. Downwards. Their ability to build, modify and extend buildings in so short a time... weeks, days even... defies belief. Without red tape, health and safety constraints or budgetary concerns they simply decide what needs doing and get to it. So. The upper floors will be records, administration, information collation and sorting... rubbish we're not interested in. Downstairs? That's where Bradford and others will be held. And whatever it is they are working on. We have one objective. Get Bradford out. That's it. Nothing else."

He let the words sink in.

"If anything, we could sent a statement by blowing the place into the sky with shaped charges. We're preparing those as we speak." he said, then punched a fist into his palm as he emphasised "Get. Bradford. Out!"

Some smoke and tear gas bombs, small ones. Incendiary devices. Those would be nice. Invisible Knock out gas. Need to ask Batman if I can have a spare utility belt, he would have all those things in there.

Heinrich relaxed. "Ach. Ve got all sorts of toys for you to try. Ze eggheads hef not finished examining zem yet und vill be crying like babies because we are using zem. Zey are mostly von shot items from ze alien forces. Ve hef Concussion grenades. Acid grenades..."

Dr P glanced at Haunt, seeming to cringe slightly.

"Smoke bombs ve hef plenty of. Incendiary... ve can manage a couple but ve vould rather blow ze place up zen set it  on fire as ze Aliens vould put out ze fire quickly. Knock out gas..." he glanced at Dr Vahlen. She nodded. "Ja. Grappling hook, alien gauss rifle, ve hef. Zey have a nice kick to zem, but ve cannot reproduce ze ammo yet so it is limited. Are you plenning to valk in ze front door viz all zis stuff because I hef a feeling zey vould notice..."

OOC Right then, next post will be a small team trying to infiltrate the facility unless there's something you've forgotten. It may be a few days before I can update as I have work exams to swot up for and pass...

HAUNT

"Uncanny." admitted Dr P as 'Pierre Lubensche' stood in front of him. Or rather Haunt did, in the guise of the scientist who worked for the Aliens.

"The problem, of course, is if they are able to nullify superhuman abilities. I suspect that's what this research facility is about. As we know every superhuman seems to be cut from different cloth. Radiation, bitten by a whatever, cosmic rays, blessed by an ancient deity... the list goes on. The defining factor in most cases is that an ordinary human was transformed into a super human. We know there are extra terrestrial supers on Earth and details are sketchy about what happened with them. For the most part they are in America, which has remained neutral thus far."

He shook his head. "I can see their point. If they leave the US they run the risk of being depowered and captured. If they do nothing, eventually the aliens will have captured all other supers and turn their sights towards whoever is left. All the while they charm governments with building programs, a 'better way' of life and reduce violence from rogue metas. We need to find their ultimate goal. I believe this facility, and the risk associated with getting in, is a step towards finding that out."

He turned to look at the table where an array of gathered grenades and weapons were laid out.

Concussion grenades.
Acid grenades.
Smoke bombs.
A small grapple hook and line.
A small handgun with two clips of nine shots, easily concealed unless body searched/scanned.
A smartphone.
Earpiece for two way communication, scrambled.
A mask/cloak for Haunts Aura of Fear power.
Keycard ID.

(OOC Be realistic about what you take. Mounds of gear will be easily spotted!)

Haunt would pass a fingerprint and retinal scan thanks to his incredible ability to Chameleon but with his limited control of his powers right now it would be the first thing that was 'dropped' if he needed to defend himself! He also had the experimental jammer/booster. A device which jammed the aliens scans unless they were close and allowed a one shot adrenaline boost keyed specifically to Haunt that gave him short access to his FULL powers, with as yet unknown side effects.

Dr P held out his hand to shake, then changed his mind and hugged Haunt before stepping back and speaking. "Remember the mission. Get John Bradford out. Forget everything else. Bradford is vital if we are to make anything of this resistance. Right now we have few resources, what we have is badly disorganised and the net is closing in. Bradford is key to unlocking the Aliens security network and getting us in where we can really hurt them. However, the last thing we need is for you to be captured. We have a plan if that happens, but it's best if you don't know it."

=========

The car, a futuristic looking thing with sleek lines, all glass roof and silence of powerful electric motors pushing it along, pulled up outside Lubensches' house.

Inside, the man himself and several of his 'concubines' were trussed up and guarded by resistance fighters and at the front door, Dr P hissed "Good luck" as his friend stepped out.

By the car a black clad trooper waited, gauss rifle in hand. Another was in the driver seat, and behind the car a truck with a squad acted as escort.

"Stop!" said the trooper by the car. He held up a hand scanning device to Haunts eye. What if he hadn't perfectly duplicated the mans features? Eyeballs were very specific... He might be ...

"Enter." said the Trooper, looking about as Haunt apparently passed the test and climbed into the luxurious car. The trooper gave a last look about then climbed in beside Haunt. He passed over a tablet computer which required fingerprint unlocking... They'd been as tricky. Dr P's computers had helped and .... phew. In. An itinerary of work was listed.

The car hummed off, gathering speed.

Twenty minutes later, it slowed. Traffic ahead was building. When the car stopped the trooper in the back with Haunt got out, as did three others in the escort.

Somewhere up ahead an explosion rang out, and suddenly there was gunfire!

ooc: sorry was blanking out on what to do. As to devices, figured some of them would be hidden in his briefcase.

These I think would be on his person: A smartphone.
Earpiece for two way communication, scrambled. Easy to look like the earpiece for a smart phone to listen to music over your smartphone.
A mask/cloak for Haunts Aura of Fear power. [Disguised as a handkerchief for mask and his T-shirt or undershirt for the cloak]
Keycard ID.

These in the briefcase or disguised/hidden in briefcase: Acid grenades.
Smoke bombs.
A small grapple hook and line.
A small handgun with two clips of nine shots, easily concealed unless body searched/scanned.

I think maybe the grappling hook could actually be the handle of the briefcase and the line could be hidden in the outer seams of the case already somehow attached to the "handle/hook". Need to really think over the 25 odd James Bond movies and Mission Impossible movies to remember what might be feasible or at least as feasible in a superhero world.
OH! Man with the Golden Gun, his gun was his lighter and heavy ballpoint pen and something else [cigarette or cigar case?]. Maybe the two clips would be hidden in the soles of his shoes? A scanning wand usually wouldn't go all the way down to a man's shoes.
The bombs, if we go with tiny superhero bombs, could be the size of large pills and could be in a couple of medicine bottles in the briefcase.
Also a laser pen/pointer would be nice, especially if it could be powerful enough to actually do harm, such as for burning through locks and such.
Should have dug out my old Top Secret SI role playing game for all the neat gadgets that might be available but I have no idea where it is at the moment.

===========================
Twenty minutes later, it slowed. Traffic ahead was building. When the car stopped the trooper in the back with Haunt got out, as did three others in the escort.

Somewhere up ahead an explosion rang out, and suddenly there was gunfire!

"What's going on? Are we in danger," the disguised Haunt asked. "Is this going to put me behind in my work?"

One of the guards barked "Stay here! We will investigate!"

Haunt glanced through the smoked windows. People were screaming and running for cover as bullets ricocheted from vehicles and the Alien soldiers took cover.

Sharp eyed as he was, Haunt watched and picked up movement. There! Ski masked garbed insurgents attacking... what? He glanced up the row of traffic. There was something. A transport vehicle. They were moving from vehicle to vehicle, taking cover and firing as they went. The Aliens were pinned down but moving around to encircle the attackers.

What...?

He looked at the truck. Markings indicated ... food transport? These people were trying to hijack a food truck, and were willing to die for it?

And they would, too. The Aliens, armed with superior weapons, were moving steadily around even as a black masked insurgent reached the food truck and dragged the door open, shouting for the driver to get out!

And behind... even as bullets were being fired, and Haunt realised that the insurgents were firing in the air, at the vehicles to pin them down... anywhere but at the vehicle drivers. They hadn't expected Alien soldiers, but the ones escorting Haunt to the lab were primed and ready to act! If Haunt helped the insurgents, the mission would be a bust! But if he didn't, these people who were only trying to steal food to help no doubt starving people ... well... they would die!

I have just read it, I needed to reread that I thought it said, "We are closing!" What!!! ...I then reread it and saw you actually wrote, "We are closing in on our 10th Anniversary." Ugh! Phew Few this is the only RPG action I get and have got for a long time. I'm so glad to keep it up, and appreciate your skill, commitment and amazing imagination, how you can keep coming up with fresh ideas and keeping it fresh is amazing Paul. Hats off you to you buddy.

Sj

One of the insurgents dashed from the cover of a building and towards the back of a food truck.

The aliens guarding Haunt in his guise as a professor took aim. The resistance member was a sitting duck! Unless...

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" he shouted, putting in his most commanding voice!

OOC Infl 8 + Charisma (extra 4D10) + 2D10 ... Roll(6d10): 2,10,5,8,8,8 Total:16 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d10): 1,3,+8 Total: 28 (Acting Value Total)

vs

Infl 4 + Roll(2d10): 10,4 Total:18 (Opposing Value Total)

Success +4 Effect (to 9 Aura) vs 5 Spirit = 4RAPs.

The attempt to command the aliens isn't wholly successful... nor it is a failure. What it does is causes them to give pause and take stock. The leader leaned in to the cover of the car and made contact with his base.

Haunt watched through the windows and saw the insurgent get to the back of the truck... then, before Haunts astonished eyes, the young man punches through the steel truck body, reaches in, and twists, causing the truck rear to open! He was a super, like Haunt!

The aliens saw it too...

Haunt could try again to command the aliens to get him out of this war zone and to the lab, or he could take direct action to help the insurgents escape with the food. The young man who seemed in his late teens looked about and shouted in french to his companions who were firing into the air to create cover. Then he started scooping up solid looking crates weighing hundreds of pounds each, and tossing them! They flew twenty, thirty, forty feet through the air and into the mouth of an alley where half a dozen insurgents started to drag it to the back of a waiting truck... Could Haunt buy more time for them to escape with the food?

Admin wrote:One of the insurgents dashed from the cover of a building and towards the back of a food truck.

The aliens guarding Haunt in his guise as a professor took aim. The resistance member was a sitting duck! Unless...

OOC: Lovely as it is to have our characters work together I think you meant to put this in Dave's thread ;-). For a moment I thought the mysterious purple cloud was Haunt joining our merry shindig around the cosmos, but alas I think not.

Sj