Kid Kinetic and the Space Knights! Issue #2 "Ummm where are we?"

Kid Kinetic deduced turning off the power was the wrong solution. That left smashing the cocoons open or figuring out how to operate control panel with the alien alphabet. The latter option would take time whereas the first could be done instantly. Seeing as time was of the essence...

Kid Kinetic balled up his fist and pounded on Mimic's Lad cocoon.

With his superhuman strength - many dozens, possibly hundreds of times more than he was used to, Kid Kinetic figured the cocoons would be easy to smash!

OOC Let's see.

Str 9 + Roll(2d12)+0: 2,11,+0 Total:13 (22) vs
OV7 + Roll(2d12)+0: 9,3,+0 Total:12 (19)
Hit +2 (to 11) vs RV7=4 RAPs. The cocoon has body 3/7 remaining!

With a THOOM! the youngster smashes a fist down on Mimic Lad's cocoon... it cracks, splinters... but holds! These things were NOT made of glass!

Behind him - in the previous room - he hears sounds of crashing! Things being moved! He didn't have long!

Taking aim again Kk slams his fist down once more...

OOC Str 9 + Roll(2d12)+0: 8,9,+0 Total:17 (26) vs
OV7 + Roll(2d12)+0: 6,1,+0 Total:7 (14) Hit +5 (to 14) vs RV7=7 RAPs. The cocoon shatters!

This time the glass shatters and the clear liquid spills over the floor, drenching KK's feet before he dances aside... His friend lies inside, limp and ... gasping for air! Oh no!

OOC Int 9 + Roll(2d12)+0: 10,11,+0 Total:21 (30) vs
OV4 + Roll(2d12)+0: 8,9,+0 Total:17 (21) Success +4 (to 5 Will) vs RV4=1 RAP Success

Kid Kinetic looked down on Mimic Lad who was breathing - or trying to breathe - like he was a fish out of water! These infernal machines had - somehow - been used to make the occupants dependent on the liquid solution within them and they were somehow tied to the machines as prisoner and symbiote! Without the proper process to extricate his friends they'd be trapped here forever... he looked down at the gasping friend/team mate thrashing about on the floor... Something told him Mimic Lad didn't have forever...

CRASH!

And the sounds in the room behind him suggested that neither did he! He heard a ripping sound... and a gap opened up in the door he'd jammed shut... From the gap peered a bunch of eyes... and Kid Kinetic felt he was staring into the eyes of madness!



OOC No, you haven't stumbled into a high level D&D Adventure with Umber Hulks and Mind Flayers, but I do like to cross genres (hence why it's Sci fi with supers and fantasy) and i never did get to run the 'Expedition to Barrier Peaks' for my group back in the day to see how magical swords fared against laser guns!

"Joe! No, no, nooooo!" There was still one chance but it was a long shot. Ryan's systemic antidote. If Joe mimicked it he might be able to ward off the disease. Kid Kinetic squeezed Mimic Lad's hand. "Come on, buddy. Fight!"

OOC Good thinking!

Mimic 12 + Roll(2d12)+0: 6,10,+0 Total:16 (28) vs
Ov6 + Roll(2d12)+0: 11,10,+0 Total:21 (27) Close! +1 EV (to 13) vs RV6=7 RAPs.

Mimic Lad has 6 APs Systemic Antidote all of a sudden!

"Copy me!" hissed Ryan with a glance over his shoulder. "Joe! It's Ryan! Copy ME!"

Squeezing his friends hand the young hero knew time was running out for his friend!

Suddenly his squeeze was answered with a weak squeeze in return!

OOC Drowning/Poison Effect 8 + Roll(2d12)+0: 5,12,+0 Total:17 (25) vs
OV6 (Body) + Sy Antidote 6 + Roll(2d12)+0: 6,9,+0 Total:15 (27) No longer dying!

With a huge gasp and shudder, Joe lurches forward and throws up clear gunk all over himself! He was already drenched anyway but his coughs up more and groans, looking about and seeing Ryan stood over him. He sighs with relief and tries to get up but seems to be struggling. "My muscles... aren't working right... buddy..." he splutters, still coughing. "Those things... the tubes... what...? Where's... Rachel...?"

This could be a problem. Out of the tubes, it seemed Joe's superhuman abilities had quickly returned but Rachel couldn't copy Joe's Mimic Ability. Plus whatever this stuff was, it seemed designed to drain life energy from the occupants leaving them weak and disorientated!

There was a crashing sound behind - a huge four finger claw crashed through a metal door and there was an awful ripping sound!

"We... need... to ... go..." coughed Joe as he slid from the shattered tube and struggled to stand on swaying legs, held up by his friend. "Come back... with the others..." he said, wiping sludge from his nose.

"We... need... to ... go..." coughed Joe.

He was right, of course. Escape was their best option..They were outgunned and would most certainly be captured or killed. Ryan still did not like it.

Kid Kinetic looked at all the strange alien lifeforms they would be leaving behind. And Rachel!

Kid Kinetic scooped up the still weakened Mimic-Lad. "Grab on to me. We will need to find a way past that uh...lumbering hulk And watch out for its eyes. It tried to put some sort of psychic whammy on me."

OOC Apologies for the delay. Last week I spent grafting away at the house repairs and didn't have time to catch my breath, pretty much. Over the next week should be more regular (and I'm going back to work which means I'm not grinding/smashing/drilling/repairing etc).

Kid Kinetic scooped up his friend and looked about.

Dozens of tubes with all manner of aliens inside. Including Rachel.

It seemed like the only way in or out was past the lumbering hulk type alien. One way in or out.

OOC Perception check Int 9 + Roll(2d12)+0: 7,11,+0 Total:18 (27) vs
OV5 + Roll(2d12)+0: 6,2,+0 Total:8 (13) Success +5 (to Will 6) vs Rv5=1 RAP

1) No conventional way in or out save the door he came in... but this ship seems modular so who knew if the walls were movable to create larger/smaller spaces? Also, the ventilation shafts looked - just - big enough to accommodate Kid Kinetic's teenage form. Whether Joe had the strength to move through the shaft was another thing.

"No way are we getting past that thing! I am going to crawl through the ventilation shaft like in that old "Die Hard" movie Dad is always watching. You grab Shadowhawk's 2D ability and find the shortest route out. Once you reach the exit, head for camp. I will meet you there."

OOC Apologies for the delay. DIY seems to occupy my waking moments on the new house. It won't a) last forever and b) affect me too much over the next couple of days all being well. Every promise I make with time seems to be broken though - always seems to be something needs doing!

Mimic Lad, though dazed, nodded. "I'll ... I'll try. We can't just leave her... damn. We'll have to."

OOC Mimic 12 + Roll(2d12)+0: 3,12,+0 Total:15 (27) vs
OV9 + Range 2 + Roll(2d12)+0: 5,11,+0 Total:16 (27) Success +0 EV12 vs RV9=3 RAPs. Copied at 6 (dex link) + 3 RAPs=9 APs which is the maximum anyway.

Becoming a two dimensional image of himself Joe seems to flow up the wall like a shadow and into the vent!

Ryan leaps up to the vent off the surface of a nearby tube...

OOC Dex 9 + Acrobatics 2D + Roll(4d12)+0: 8,2,12,6,+0 Total:20 (29) vs
OV5 + Roll(2d12)+0: 8,6,+0 Total:14 (19) +4 (to 13EV) vs RV5=8 RAPs success.

Managing to do it quite stylishly much in the fashion of the best Olympic athlete, Ryan is soon shimmying down the vent and hears crashing from the room behind him.

Speeding up he catches up with Joe and the pair move deeper into the spacecraft that served as home for the parasitic aliens and their hulking companions.

The pair come to a crossroads in the vents. From Ryan's perspective, east and west go on into absolute darkness with no indication of what lies in store. Ahead (North) the vent bends to the right slightly and there is an orange glow along with heat that can be felt from that direction.

Behind, somewhere in the tunnel/vent, there can be heard clanking and groaning of metal.

OOC Do not worry about it. This my busy season at work.

Kid Kinetic tapped the headset that Marionette had fashioned for him and activated the night vision. He remembered they were not permanent and hoped that his hour was not yet up.

The vents seem to light up to his vision and he glances about.

The headset shows that not just light but heat as well is being emanated from the glow he can see in the tunnel. That suggests the vent leads towards some kind of power supply but he won't find out until he shimmies down that way.

"Which way?" hisses Joe. "I can go ahead to check out the glow, but that thing behind us is still coming and the aliens are sure to tell their buddies. We need to keep moving - which direction buddy?" he asks.

Behind them there is a crunching/clanging sound and Kid Kinetic knew time was running out! His goggles revealed nothing of interest in the east/west direction.

"We should follow the glow. I have no idea how much longer my night vision is going to last. If it fails, we would be crawling around lost in the dark. We can't take the chance."

Joe couldn't really nod as he was as flat as a sheet of paper but replied by flowing towards the glow...

The pair moved closer and closer, and the sound of humming got louder. Behind, the sound of crashing was getting louder too!

Ryan turned a corner and the heat was quite something now! The glare came from a vent and he shielded his eyes as he peered down through it. Some kind of engine room. Not fully powered up maybe but there was a generator that looked something like a warp core out of Star Trek and three of those tentacle face psychic guys floating about monitoring machines! Though the engines weren't running on this downed spacecraft this generator seemed to provide enough power somehow to keep the various life support and electrical functions going!

"Any ideas what next?" whispered Joe from his position on the wall as a shadow. "If we go down there those guys will brain zap us. If we go back, that creature will splat us! We gotta do something though."

Ryan thought things through with his enhanced intellect. The generator would provide power to those tubes which held Rachel and the other creatures captive. Would cutting that power free them... or cut off the life support systems that kept them alive and in stasis?

CRASH!

The sound came from somewhere behind them, some distance away now. The creature was - it seemed - tearing the air vents off the ceiling/out of the walls to find them! However in doing so it would be damaging large parts of the ship and helping Ryan/Joe with their task of creating a diversion...

Indeed, the three floating tentacle faced psychics seemed to pause what they were doing, face each other and two of them floated off towards a doorway in the generator room, leaving only one down there monitoring the machines...

"Can we take him?" asked Joe. "And if so, what do we do? Smash that warp core thing?"

"Can we take him? Of course, we can take him." Kid Kinetic waved his hand at Mimic Lad. "We've taken down tougher baddies than this. But you might want to switch up your powers. I don't think darkness will work on these subterranean types."

Secretly, Ryan was worried. In their last encounter, one of those tentacled aliens had nearly fried his brain. The only reason he'd survived was sheer luck. He and Joe would need to work together. Two quick strikes before it had the chance to react.

"We drop down, and take him out then disable the warp core. Ready?" he whispered.

"No I'm not ready! But I suppose we haven't much choice!" said Joe.

"I can mimic your speed I guess. Two of us, super fast... maybe we have a chance! Say... how did you get so strong anyway? I mean, I know you used to bench press nearly a ton which is great n all, same as me, but you really seem to have become some kind of badass. What gives?" he whispered.

OOC Mimic 12 + Roll(2d12)+0: 12,6,+0 Total:18 (30) vs
OV9 + Roll(2d12)+0: 7,7,+0 Total:14 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 1,6,+0 Total:21 (30) EV12 vs RV9=3 RAPs. 9APs (Dex 6 + 3APs) copied.

"Whew. Thought I'd fluffed my lines then but..." he moved his hand rapidly so it was practically invisible. "I got it. Also still got Rachel's powers. Let's go!"

Ryan smiled then punched a hand through the grill and the pair were a blur, dropping to the floor and racing over to the Alien who spun, surprised!

Kid Kinetic shouted "Strike! NOW!" and the pair of them punched the alien at the same time!

OOC team Attack, with surprise. Should be a cinch.

Av9 + 2D M Arts (0D Acro) + Roll(4d12)+0: 2,11,12,10,+0 Total:23 (32) vs
OV6 - team Attack 4 - surprise 4 (OV-2) + Roll(2d12)+0: 4,10,+0 Total:14 (12) Success +6 (to 15) vs RV5=10 RAPs

Av9 + 3D M arts (0D Acro) + Roll(5d12)+0: 7,9,12,3,6,+0 Total:21 (30) vs
OV6 - team Attack 4 - surprise 4 (OV-2) + Roll(2d12)+0: 11,6,+0 Total:17 (15) Success +5 (to EV10) vs RV5=5 RAPs

Their hands were a blur delivering pounding blows so fast the Alien didn't know what hit it!

It would be down for quite a while, that was for sure (2 hours)!

Joe looked about. Banks of machinery. The pulsing 'warp core' and pipes and tubes running everywhere. It seemed that without the engines running this place, or perhaps this and several others, kept life in this great, submerged bulk of a spacecraft... They'd have to be careful. Cutting power might harm their friend and the captive aliens in those tubes.

They looked across the room to where the alien had been flung and tumbled after taking the blows. It looked in a bad way.

"Say, you don't think we kinda... went overboard on that thing do ya?" asked Joe. "What next?"

Kid Kinetic managed smirk at Mimic Lad's comment. "I honestly know how much punishment these guys can take. I only know what happens when they zap you and I was not going to give it a second chance."

Kid Kinetic looked down at their fallen foe with satisfaction. They had executed their plan and took him down with no fuss. He and Mimic Lad made a great team but their partnership was going to end soon. Provided they got back to Earth, that is.

"I don't know how to operate this alien tech and I almost killed you the last time I tried. See if you can probe this guy's mind and figure out how to free Rachel and the other prisoners."

Mimic lad shrugged and went over to the alien. He knelt and concentrated.

OOC Mimic 12 + Roll(2d12)+0: 9,2,+0 Total:11 (23) vs
OV7 + Range 9 (from the camp where Tim is) + Roll(2d12)+0: 6,1,+0 Total:7 (23) Success (+0 so EV12) vs RV7=5 RAPs. Mimic Lad has Mind Probe 7

Mind Probe 7 + Roll(2d12)+0: 3,11,+0 Total:14 (21) vs
OV0 + Roll(2d12)+0: 3,9,+0 Total:12 (12) Success +4 (to 11 EV) vs 10 RV=1 RAPs

"The aliens operate the technology with their minds. They interface and speak in... alien. The rest of the stuff in there is garbled. It's like... nothing I ever saw before." said Mimic Lad when he returned to speak to Ryan. "I can keep digging but I don't know how long we..."

CRASH!

From a short distance away - a corridor or another room - that crazy looking purple 'hulk' was seemingly trying to crash it's way to them - and wrecking half the ship in the process! They might - or might not have time to probe the alien again but that thing would be in here soon! It seemed able to track them somehow, which meant there were few places to hide!

"We need to keep moving, get out of here..." said Mimic Lad. "Unless... unless you want to make a stand against that thing, if you think we can take it. Your plan to take out the brain guy worked. Maybe we'll get lucky again?"

Kid Kinetic shook his head. "I don't think we can pummel that hulk like we did with the telepath. It looks too sturdy and is strong enough to tear through metal. It is possible it is a pet or guard dog for tentacled guys so it might be susceptible to a psychic whammy."

It was too big a risk. If they got captured or killed there would be no one to save Rachel and the others. Tim could learn their language and figure out the machine in no time.

"We climb back into the ducts and book it back to the camp. There are too many obstacles in our way."

The pair sped back to the ducts and climbed in. Mimic Lad chuckled.

"look." he said, pointing out at the ventilation ducts where they were dented and misshapen. "The ducts were too small to get through but you managed it anyway. How'd you get so strong?"

CRASH!

"Ulp. Let's go!" he squeaked!

With the sounds of shredding metal behind and below them the pair sped down the vent shaft until they came back to the junction they were at before. Go back the way they'd come from or try a new way?

After all, the longer that monstrosity was chasing them, the more damage it would do to the Alien's ship!!!

"That lab is probably crawling with sentries by now. Our only viable option is to go into the darkness. I still have this visor Marionette cobbled together. Try to grab Rachel's ultra vision then find a way out."

"Hey that's a good idea! Why didn't I think of that?" asked Mimic Lad.

OOC Mimic 12 + Roll(2d12)+0: 9,12,+0 Total:21 (33) vs
OV5 + range 5 + Roll(2d12)+0: 11,3,+0 Total:14 (24) Success +4 (to 16) vs Rv5=11 RAPs. Success.

"Wow! I can see!" he whispered. "You should be the team leader Ryan. You'd get my vote pal."

The pair of young heroes shimmied along the ventilation duct with Kid Kinetic denting, twisting and misshaping the metal as he went!

The ducting narrowed and finally shrank as it split off into dozens of different directions and the pair had little choice but to drop into a room before it did so. It was empty (Mimic Lad had checked first) and appeared to be a store room of some kind with boxes stacked from floor to ceiling. There was a door leading out. The pitch darkness presented no problem for either of the youngsters, and more importantly the crashing/smashing of the hulk like being seemed distant now.

The door into the corridor was locked but Mimic lad slipped his head underneath the door and popped back in. "Corridor. Alarms blaring all over. They'll be trying to calm down that beasty! This is out chance to get out pal and get back to the others! We'll get back there, tell em what we found and kick these alien's asses!"

Ryan wanted to tell Joe about the symbiote. He really did. Joe was a Loyal friend and would be supportive. But Joe could not keep a secret to save his life and he'd no idea how the others would react. They might want to separate them...

"Race you back to camp. I'm getting hungry!"

The pair raced down corridors ignoring the alarm and distant crashing which had resumed again and - finally - out into the jungle!

There they had to slow down. One misstep, one trip, and the jungle would 'come alive' as giant insects, creatures of all shapes and sizes and even the plants themselves would seek to devour them!

After some minutes of relatively high speed travel they arrived at the edge of the camp and were spotted/hailed by Transmutor/Ian and the rest of his friends, including Cutthroat and Depthcharge. Moth Woman stayed high in the trees keeping watch whilst the alien space station workers who'd managed to escape seemed quite industrious, setting up a shelter of sorts from fallen trees and leaves, all of which were massive compared to Earth equivalents. Luckily the super powered types in attendance had been helping to move stuff. It wouldn't stand up to a hurricane but the lean to/shelter would provide some protection from the elements.

"Why has it taken so long? Where's Rachel?" demanded Ian.

Joe rolled his eyes. "Well Ryan here saved my butt and Rachel is back there as a captive of Aliens! they have these crazy mind powers... and they have MASSIVE purple hulk guys to do their lifting and bashing! Like huge, man."

Ian scowled. "Great, so what happened to leave no one behind? We're a team Ryan. You need to act like a team member if you want to stay on it."

Well, that kicked off a new argument as the new Knights all pitched in.

Cutthroat wandered over to Kid Kinetic. "Good to see you back kid." he drawled whilst chewing on a stick. "That Ian guy sure has something jammed up his anal discharge tube." he said as he mangled his decent but not complete knowledge of the English language around a literal translation of what he wanted to say.

"So, how big are these 'Purple Guys'?" asked DepthCharge, rolling his neck and popping his knuckles. "What do you want to do next?"

"The purple guys aren't really the problem. It is their machines. I tried to free Mimic Lad from one of their cocoons and nearly killed him. I need Mentallica to use his abilities to decipher the controls and free the captives. Mentallica, Mimic Lad probed the console when he borrowed the aliens' telepathy. He should be able to fill you in."

Ian stomped over, waving arguments away behind him.

"We're going to rescue Rachel. Lead the way." he barked.

"Shouldn't someone watch the camp?" asked Cutthroat. Everyone looked around as a rough constructed framework of branches slowly toppled over and crashed to the floor. "Such as it is. Probably won't be standing when we get back."

Ian whirled and marched over. "I said to set it up HERE and THERE. Then I'll transmute it into metal! Don't you lot understand basic instructions?" he roared. "YOU!" he pointed to Moth Woman. "Stay here with me and guard the camp." He turned to the alien workers who looked - blank faced - at him and waited for more instructions they couldn't understand.

With a sign Ian stomped over. "Right. Kid Kinetic lead the way back to the ship. Bio For... MATT!" he shouted, looking about.

"Dude! Secret Identity!" said Matt/Bio Force. Everyone looked about. They were in a jungle on an alien world light years from Earth. All gathered would have to work together or they'd die.

"Ok, moot point." admitted Matt.

"You are in charge." Ian said. "Any trouble, let me know."

"Me?" Matt glanced at Kid Kinetic and the others. "But..."

"No Buts! Bring Rachel back here!" snarled Ian with a last glance at Kid Kinetic as he stomped over to the shelter "lift that ... LIFT! Up! UP! Yes. Then hold it... HOLD! Arrrgh." he muttered as the Aliens let go of a tree framework which crashed to the floor and brought most of what they'd built with it.

Matt/bioforce shrugged. "Tim? You good?"

Mentallica shrugged and his wheelchair floated off the floor. "Sure. I'm ok with concentrating and maintaining my TK so long as I'm not too distracted."

Samantha/Mystralla spoke up "I can't sense any magic nearby. Looks like it might be your field of expertise Tim."

Joe/Mimic Lad grinned. "Oh those purple guys are soooo gonna get their asses kicked now!"

Matt frowned. "Ok listen up. Ryan knows the layout."

"And me!" added Joe.

"And Joe. We'll follow those two to the ship. When we get there don't go crazy wrecking the place. i think we'll need all the parts and stuff we can get to fly off this planet. Lead us to Rachel, we get her out, beat the snot out of any bad guys and get a look around the place but STICK TOGETHER. last thing we need is more people getting matrix'd, okay?"

Cutthroat spoke up "Yo. If me and big blue (Depthcharge) see anything we recognise we might go get it. May be handy."

"Whatever. Questions?" asked Matt.

Ian seemed unusually prickly. Ryan briefly considered erecting the shelter at superspeed. (Nah.)

"Glad to have you along, Bioforce." Ryan employed his codename out of force of habit. Countering Ian was a bonus. "Your electrical abilities might be just what we need to bypass the robot sentries and ship's security."

Ryan liked the make up of the rescue team. The jungle terrain might be an issue for Tim and his chair. If things turned ugly, someone might need to carry him.

"No questions from me."