Re: The Ultrahumans! Issue #3 starring Miss Victory and Lionheart "And there came a reckoning!"

Steeple_jackuk Tue Jan 11 2022, 20:49

Admin wrote:You want to push your Strength (to boost it) then attack the door so you may want to buy a couple of dice for the push (Strength Boost) then 3HP per point you gain, then some dice for the Strength vs Door attack (I recommend a couple or more of dice and going for a critical or devastating attack. The latter if you are feeling lucky!). Ordinarily Lionheart can put dents in this thing with his 29 Strength. Whether he could put enough dents in 30 seconds (or less) before Atomic Champion and his buddies turn up is ... another question.

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Lionheart sighed it was now or never the future cop and modern-day hero thought to himself as he applied himself to something that was largely going to be forgotten in the annals of history, especially if they, or he failed! But that would be a moot point with Nexus poised to take over the world and Advent not far behind.

OOC:OK so I'll go for spending 40 HP to get 5 more points and go for Critical attack hoping that Devastating attack isn't necessary. And I'll hold back the other HP so that if, as Dave says this pushes my strength up for only one attack I can do it again if need be.

Here goes everything and some...

Sj

Admin Wed Jan 12 2022, 08:44

DavidMcMahon wrote:ooc: Hmmm ... would need at least 3 more points of strength to equal the strength of the door since she maxes at 23 str. Is it 3 HP per round per Str point used or 3 HP per STr point for the whole 30 seconds? Not sure game mechanics-wise what is best so at least raise my Str to at least 26 and then spend the remaining points as you think would work best for this situation. Devastating attack is probably best too, since it isn't moving don't have to worry about a Dex minus on its defense.

OOC With the house rule changes/2D12 instead of D10s and Hero Point/Skill changes the only way to increase your Strength beyond normal limits is push it. In the old rules anyone with a stash of Hero Points could overcome any problem by spending. Then succeeding, then getting more hero points to spend because you succeeded. I'm not criticising the system but I prefer the way we do things as the dice are wonky and mix things up but you can affect them more than ever with skills and Hero Points.

Miss V has a strength of 23 and gets +1 from all the assembled heroes helping her (about a dozen or so but most aren't really strong enough to affect anything. Think of it like a weightlifter trying to pick a car up and being helped by a few little kids.)

To increase Strength you 'push' your Strength Attribute with a roll of:

Strength 23 + 2D12 vs
Strength 23 + 2D12

If you succeed (and you'd need to get a total of 1 point or more than the opposing total so just equalling it won't work) you boost your Strength by a certain amount and pay 3HP per point that you increase your strength by that lasts for one use (the following round) and you revert back to 23.

With your increased Strength of whatever it is +2D12 you are up against 26 + 2D12 (the material of the doors). You can use Hero Points to buy dice for this roll too (recommended) and go for a Crit Blow/Devastating Attack if you wish (also recommended but your call)

Lionheart starts with a Strength of 29. He can pound away with that or push it as per above and pound away on the door.

If you fail a push attempt the ability goes to zero for one hour (regardless of Regeneration) and you'll have to try a different form of attack.

Have to rush off to work now but will try to check in during the day!

Steeple_jackuk Wed Jan 12 2022, 09:05

Admin wrote:With your increased Strength of whatever it is +2D12 you are up against 26 + 2D12 (the material of the doors). You can use Hero Points to buy dice for this roll too (recommended) and go for a Crit Blow/Devastating Attack if you wish (also recommended but your call)

Lionheart starts with a Strength of 29. He can pound away with that or push it as per above and pound away on the door.

If you fail a push attempt the ability goes to zero for one hour (regardless of Regeneration) and you'll have to try a different form of attack.

Have to rush off to work now but will try to check in during the day![/i][/color]

OOC: OK, I am a bit stuck I can see that with my strength 29 I have 3 more than the material of the doors, and it seems that the wise thing to do would be to go for Devastating attack and spend points on damage as this is the critical part of this equation. I guess (and I know there is a random element that might spoil the best-laid plans - and I am not trying to game the system) that I want to know where to best spend my points. Do I push strength and see what happens, or do I spend on the damage since hitting is no real problem but hitting sufficiently is? There is an element here where it's really gamey, hitting an object like a door should be a no brainer, but I realise it's hitting it 'the right way' but that should then be a feature of damage not of actually hitting? If you see what I mean. I guess since I earned these points I want to make them count. SO I will go with whatever seems the most expedient form of spending the points. And go with Dev or Crit attacks as you think or Lionheart would think wisest in the situation.

Sj

DavidMcMahon Wed Jan 12 2022, 14:53

ooc: Yep, will go with what seems to be the best way to use the points to do what needs to be done, including devastating attack.

Admin Thu Jan 13 2022, 13:24

OOC at work (on my break) so rushing but I'll try to explain as best I can.

There's no question that you will hit the door. It's like hitting a brick wall for you or I. Can you break that brick wall down? Maybe, if you put enough effort in the right place to use your strength, momentum, physics and some luck (and a dodgy builder who's done a naff job will make the task easier. Ask me how I know )

So from that point of view you can use anything that inflicts damage like your Energy Blast or Telekinesis or Magic Sword or Super Strength to get the job done and it's purely your ability/magic sword/blast/whatever against the material of the door. No hit roll, just a roll to see if you actually do any damage.

Miss Victorys' problem is that even with help she is using 24 Strength vs 26 Material so basically 2D12 -2 for Miss V and 2D12 for the Material of the Door. In addition Miss V has to overcome 26 resistance with her effectively 24 Strength so she needs a total of her dice roll plus whatever strength she can muster to overcome the material enough that she can make a dent in it. The odds are stacked against her but the dice have a big say.

Lionheart is acting from a position of Strength. At 29 vs 26 he inflicts at least 3 points of damage if the rolls show he scores the same as the material and more if he rolls higher.

'Pushing' your Strength temporarily boosts it and makes your job easier/inflicts more damage against the Door. Once you have your higher strength you then use it against the door with a Crit Blow/Devastating Attack. Where Lionhearts' problem starts is that to break through the door you have 8 rounds or less to reduce it to 0 Body (from 26) to get it open, then the force field goes back up (and it's Material Strength jumps to 36!).

To complicate that, Atomic Champion and his buddies will see what he's doing and hot foot it to go smack Lionheart around, so he has even less time than he thinks!

Using my best judgement I will spend the HP to get the best results that the dice allow. Next post I'll resolve it (when I don't have to rush to finish my dinner and sprint for a train!). 10 hour shifts the last two days haven't left much time for anything else when you factor in an hours travel either way...

Steeple_jackuk Thu Jan 13 2022, 13:38

Admin wrote:OOC at work (on my break) so rushing but I'll try to explain as best I can.

There's no question that you will hit the door. It's like hitting a brick wall for you or I. Can you break that brick wall down? Maybe, if you put enough effort in the right place to use your strength, momentum, physics and some luck (and a dodgy builder who's done a naff job will make the task easier. Ask me how I know )

So from that point of view you can use anything that inflicts damage like your Energy Blast or Telekinesis or Magic Sword or Super Strength to get the job done and it's purely your ability/magic sword/blast/whatever against the material of the door. No hit roll, just a roll to see if you actually do any damage.

Miss Victorys' problem is that even with help she is using 24 Strength vs 26 Material so basically 2D12 -2 for Miss V and 2D12 for the Material of the Door. In addition Miss V has to overcome 26 resistance with her effectively 24 Strength so she needs a total of her dice roll plus whatever strength she can muster to overcome the material enough that she can make a dent in it. The odds are stacked against her but the dice have a big say.

Lionheart is acting from a position of Strength. At 29 vs 26 he inflicts at least 3 points of damage if the rolls show he scores the same as the material and more if he rolls higher.

'Pushing' your Strength temporarily boosts it and makes your job easier/inflicts more damage against the Door. Once you have your higher strength you then use it against the door with a Crit Blow/Devastating Attack. Where Lionhearts' problem starts is that to break through the door you have 8 rounds or less to reduce it to 0 Body (from 26) to get it open, then the force field goes back up (and it's Material Strength jumps to 36!).

To complicate that, Atomic Champion and his buddies will see what he's doing and hot foot it to go smack Lionheart around, so he has even less time than he thinks!

Using my best judgement I will spend the HP to get the best results that the dice allow. Next post I'll resolve it (when I don't have to rush to finish my dinner and sprint for a train!). 10 hour shifts the last two days haven't left much time for anything else when you factor in an hours travel either way...

OOC: Ah thanks Paul, I appreciate the game terms and understand the principle. In this sense, it's an almost impossible object meeting an irresistible force. I guess we normally worry less about the rules (but they do provide a non-arbitrary means to adjudicate fairly so no one is treated better or worse) so the issue then becomes how do we get around this problem. And it's largely one of brute force. So in game terms how do we leverage things to muster that in our favour. Then regardless of win or lose we go back to RPGing, but at this point, it's all game, it's all a question of maths and what works best in-game terms to succeed. So I am happy to go with what you think our characters would do in-game and out of it whatever works best for the HP at the most significant point in the equation. Yet, with tongue firmly in cheek, isn't it ironic that we've spent the best part of a week trying to figure out how to get through a door (admittedly a very tough door - but still) I am very relieved to hear that when you get back of shift we can see how this works out for better or worse or back to the drawing board.

Sj

Admin Fri Jan 14 2022, 11:52

LIONHEART

Time wasn't usually a problem to the man who was - very possibly - the fastest on Earth.

The retired superhero 'The Flash' might have something to say about that and several supervillains might have a shout too. The door in front of him was impenetrable. Designed to protect those inside against the worst of the worst in terms of supervillains and anything up to and including the most powerful nuclear munitions. He had 30 seconds. less, probably, to break through it. On the other side he knew Miss Victory had gathered other powerful superheroes to help her pound away at the middle/bottom of the floor with punches, kicks, energy blasts and anything else they could throw at it.

It might not be enough.

The material of the door was a Promethium/Adamantium mix. Synthetic metals both considered unbreakable by any measure. Combined? More powerful still and the unique benefits from the Promethium would mean that the metal - given enough time without being battered - would restore itself to an undamaged state. That meant constant damage and pressure would need to be kept up.

Normally boosted by a force field which further increased the durability of the material to beyond anything that humanity had ever created in terms of Nuclear weapons, the field had been dropped thanks to Lionheart entering the 'back door code' provided by his friend and former colleague in the Vanguard, Wandafar.

He set to the task!

OOC Lionheart will PUSH his strength and temporarily increase it.

87HP. Spends 13HP for two dice to boost strength.

Strength 29 + Roll(4d12)+0: 4,2,10,6,+0 Total:16 (45) vs
Strength 29 + Roll(2d12)+0: 4,3,+0 Total:7 (36)
Success +4. Effectively 4 RAPs

Lionheart pays 12HP to boost Strength by 4 points (to 33)

Now Lionheart buys 3 Dice for Strength (21HP, Down to 41HP)

CRIT BLOW Strength 33 + Roll(5d12)+0: 9,4,5,3,8,+0 Total:17 (50) vs
OV26 + Crit Blow 4 + Roll(2d12)+0: 10,4,+0 Total:14 (40)
Success +4 (to 37 Strength) vs RV26 - 6 Crit Blow (RV20)=17 RAPs.

The Body of the Door reduced from 26 to 9 (RV is Still 26 however)

The Door will start to heal if it receives no damage in any round.

Lionheart was a blur, roaring with rage and pounding thousands of times per second in the same spot! He felt Saladin surge inside him and let loose, pounding harder than he'd ever done against any target ever! He was so much more powerful than his first incarnation and he wondered what Bentham and Trowers, the future villains who'd masterminded the manipulation of the PSI Corps project into serving their own ends would think of the raw power he had at his command!

Stepping back, breathing hard and feeling genuine pain not just in his hand but all the way through his arm and up through his shoulder.

The door remained unmarked but there was an orange glow where he'd struck. He'd thrown EVERYTHING into that and knew he might never be able to muster that much effort into a blow again!

LIONHEART HP 41

Admin Fri Jan 14 2022, 12:21

MISS VICTORY

The charismatic superheroine called out for the onslaught to start and pointed at the places where impacts were to be delivered! The doors were large but even so the super powerful strong types needed to swing and the room required limited to how many could strike at the door.

"NOW!" she yelled and threw herself at the door, delivering super powerful kick after kick after kick!

OOC 80HP (granted by Lionheart in a 'save the world' type moment. This would normally only be possible with the Leadership advantage but failure to get through this door will have serious, lasting consequences!)

Pushing her Strength, spending 13HP for two Dice

Str 23 + Roll(4d12)+0: 1,10,10,3,+0 Total:20 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 12,2,+0 Total:34 (57) vs
Str 23 + Roll(2d12)+0: 6,8,+0 Total:14 (37)
Success +6 so 6 RAPs

Miss Victory spends 18HP to boost her Strength to 29! Remaining HP are 51HP (including her 2)

Now she spends 21HP to buy three dice and attempts a Critical Blow against the door.

CRIT BLOW Str 29 + 1 (the gathered heroes pitching in) + 3 Dice + Roll(5d12)+0: 3,6,5,6,6,+0 Total:12 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0:
2,4,+0 Total:18 (48) vs
OV26 + Crit Blow 4 + Roll(2d12)+0: 9,7,+0 Total:16 (46)
Success +2 (to 32 APs) vs RV26 - Crit Blow 6 (RV20)=12 RAPs. Success.

Miss Victory poured her strength into the effort, crying out in rage and fury as she felt her fists buckle against the doors! Those around her screamed their rage and fury, pouring themselves into the task! The area around the door lit up as dozens of energy beams lit the place up and some had to fall away. One hero cried out and fell back with a horribly mangled and broken hand. Another staggered back, dizzy and disorientated before collapsing to the floor due to overexerting himself.

Not a mark. Nothing.

"Noooo!" she screamed. She *knew* that the villains would soon do something else. Launch another missile, this time possibly nuclear. They'd wipe out everyone outside of the base and hundreds of thousands in New York. They would win. The heroes would be wiped out and Earth would fall under their sway!

"Not... on... MY... WATCH!" screamed Miss Victory and she poured her fury, determination and power into kicking and pushing as she'd never done before!

A dent appeared.

It ran upwards to where a glow had formed on the upper part of the door and she focused her efforts higher up, crying out as scorching heat sizzled the skin on her fists, burned holes through the soles of her feet as she pounded away! The dent deepened then crunched inwards and the metal either side pulled and twisted. The orange glow expanded and Miss Victory shouted "THERE!"

The gathered heroes poured their energies and powers at the point she suggested and she knew Lionheart was pounding just above it.

MISS VICTORY HP 30

Admin Fri Jan 14 2022, 12:22

THE ULTRAHUMANS

At once it seemed the door shattered and metal fragments twisted outwards and fell away! The metal was liquid, though not scorchingly hot save where Lionheart had struck and where the metal dropped onto the floor it rolled around like mercury and moved to where another pool had gathered.

The heroes staggered back, exhausted. Some had burned their abilities out. Some were reeling with pain, clutching numbed limbs and others were retching due to their overexertion. Those not able to pitch in moved forwards to help, shocked and stunned at the sheer potency of their efforts that had broken through the Ultrahumans best defences.

Had the force field been up such an act would have been impossible, even for those gathered.

Lionheart stood, shaking his hand to relieve the numbness and stared through the gap in the doorway at Miss Victory stood on the other side who was putting on a brave face through the pain, her hands battered and feet bare from pummelling the door. Others around her were on their knees, leaning forwards, on each other, turning away, breathing hard. Some of them were completely burned out, effectively useless until their powers returned.

They'd done it.

Doctor Maximus called out "The door will reform! It is 'memory metal' but we have time to get people in there!"

There was a huge cheer from the gathered heroes and despite her exertions, Miss Victory grinned at Lionheart who grinned back.

DavidMcMahon Fri Jan 14 2022, 13:59

"Everyone! INSIDE NOW!," yelled Miss Victory, acting as a traffic cop to hustle people through. She would step through at the last minute in order to get as many folks inside as possible before the door reformed.

Steeple_jackuk Fri Jan 14 2022, 19:04

DavidMcMahon wrote:"Everyone! INSIDE NOW!," yelled Miss Victory, acting as a traffic cop to hustle people through. She would step through at the last minute in order to get as many folks inside as possible before the door reformed.

Lionheart moved aside and directed people, any moment now Atomic Champion and his cronies would be here and then this door would be as nothing compared to that battle. He shouted, cajoled and slapped backs as he prepared people as best he could knowing some of these heroes would only have a short time to live. Atomic Champion would see to it that he thinned the ranks before he let his own people at them. And undoubtedly though the heroes had a moral code the villains felt no such compunction. This would get ugly, it turned Lionheart's stomach, but such thoughts were not for a time like this. This was war and he had to steel himself against the things that were yet to come.

Sj

Admin Thu Jan 20 2022, 20:50

Doctor Maximus had been grouping heroes together and issuing instructions. Get in there, stay as a group, free any hostages, secure section by section and stay in touch as best you can with other groups.

He was still repeating instructions as Lionheart and Miss Victory walked over to greet each other.

"...that Atomic Champion has gone rogue, and is your enemy! Unless you are a solid class 8 or above do not engage! Fall back and defend yourselves as best you can! He has others with him, names and abilities unknown but they won't be pushovers! Remember this is Ultrahumans HQ so don't go crazy and trash it! Some damage may be expected but try and remain focused on the aims of freeing hostages and rooting out the bad guys and CALL FOR HELP if you need it!" he yelled out.

Some of the costumed heroes looked rather young and impulsive and more or less charged past without listening much. Thankfully Maximus had grouped some of the older and hopefully more experienced heroes with them and established a social media group for posting updates and status reports on. Chances were if the younger heroes were expert at anything, it would be posting on the phones...

Maximus continued the speech and waving heroes past even as he checked the phone and typed away one handed, displaying expert multi tasking skills.

Anchor Man rolled his neck and rubbed his shoulder. "You don't look like much in th' muscle department lady but you sure do pack a punch! Dis place is supposed to be immune to anything thrown at it, an' we pounded th' door through without much trouble!"

Lionheart and Miss Victory - who'd between them done all the 'heavy lifting' - might think otherwise but it had been a truly remarkable feat. The door was of a material that resisted any weapon or bomb devised by conventional means. Problem was that the door would 'heal' itself, reforming as the liquid metal dragged molecules from all around it (the walls, ceiling, floor) and when reformed the force field would drop back into place.

That meant anyone in here would be trapped with the villains.

This would become a fight to the finish, with no way in or out for anyone until the other 'core' Ultrahumans got back from space!

Anchor Man grimaced and turned to Lionheart and Miss Victory. "Guess you're our 'guy on da inside' huh? Nice ta meetahce. Anchor Man." he said with a hand outstretched. "What's da plan fer you an' the pretty powerhouse here? I don't mind mucking in with th' scrappin but I have ta say, Atomic Champion is a HEAVY hitter and way ouotta th' league o the guys and gals and... fish?" he muttered as a man size floating/flying fish wafted by in a group of costumed heroes. "Seen it all now." he muttered. "Hope dat fish don't get battered..."

OOC Haven't posted the heads up about the hols as you two know about it, but I'm away from Saturday back Saturday 29th and will try to post updates when I get a quiet minute or two, internet pending. I quite fancy the idea of sat outside and listening to some tunes watching the sun dip and sipping on a cold beer whilst typing away in January when for us Brits it's usually wrap up time...

DavidMcMahon Fri Jan 21 2022, 07:34

Miss Victory grimaces at the pun but then again a guy calling himself "Anchor Man" making fish puns seems appropriated somehow.

"This is Lionheart. Lionheart, this is Anchor Man. Lionheart, is the one who smashed the door down, we just helped a tiny bit," she says. She then turns to Lionheart. "Do you know where Atomic Champion is and why he became a turncoat for Advent? Is he alone? If so, the two of us could run right over to him and take him on while everyone else takes on the others and saves the wounded."

Steeple_jackuk Mon Jan 24 2022, 15:16

Admin wrote:OOC Haven't posted the heads up about the hols as you two know about it, but I'm away from Saturday back Saturday 29th and will try to post updates when I get a quiet minute or two, internet pending. I quite fancy the idea of sat outside and listening to some tunes watching the sun dip and sipping on a cold beer whilst typing away in January when for us Brits it's usually wrap up time...

Lionheart nodded to the hulking figure, taking his hand gladly as he and they needed all the help they could get. He turned back to Miss V, "I see you've been busy. Things here aren't looking good. If Atomic Champion and his cronies get their way, Nexus will win. He is somehow siphoning off energy from Sentinel and has upped his game considerable. I am not sure how we will take him down, but even I couldn't handle it alone. So it's good to have you here. Just not sure if we will meet him here, or up there..." Lionheart indicated off in the direction of the control room, which up till now AC had pretty much remained within.

OOC: OK I guess it's a question of going or waiting depending on what happens next.

Sj

Admin Mon Jan 31 2022, 18:01

Doctor Maximus came over, shaking his head. "Were we EVER that young?" he asked as what looked like fifteen or sixteen year olds trotted past.

"I've checked out their credentials!" he said, with placating hands. "Legally speaking, they are free to act as they will. Power wise the group forms a kind of 'gestalt'. The six of them combine into one powerful superhero - an adult - and depending on who is in control their powers change in type and effect. For instance depending on who forms the Gestalt, who comes second, third, fourth and so on there are 720 different power, ability and skill combinations they could make. Even they admit that they've only tried half a dozen or so and settle with the ones that 'punch or blast the hardest' for the most part. Amazing."

"As for the rest of them? I've divided them into teams of six and we have fifteen of them. The others you see out here are for support and crowd control as I considered their power levels too low in a straight up fight. That also goes for me. My ego..."

"Yeah, we know ALL about dat." muttered Anchor Man.

Maximus scowled then continued "My ego tells me my world class master level martial arts and deduction abilities will be useful. My brain tells me that Nexus and Atomic Champion will have assaulted this place in the sure knowledge that the Ultrahumans would return at some point. However, the flaw in their plan is that they expected the Ultrahumans to be delayed and 'nuked' by those 'anti metahuman' bombs the government think are a secret. By my deductive reasoning I assume that you two..." he looked at Lionheart and Miss Victory "... are the reason this base isn't hovering in a crater full of scorched remains of superheroes. Their plan would then be to simply watch on the external cameras, monitor radiation levels and spill out to fall upon the Ultrahumans in a depleted state. Perhaps even be taken by surprise by Atomic Champions' defection."

"You've foiled their plan. Bravo, to you both. Now comes the tricky part. Taking Atomic Champion down. Being a 9th Dan Black Belt in most martial arts styles won't do much good against someone who can put out heat comparable to the surface of the sun. If what you say is right, Lionheart, and Atomic Champion has somehow found a way to siphon and drain off the energy that makes up Silver Sentinels physical form, even from as far away as the sun? Then we are in trouble..."

With chin in hand the genius looked to the sky.

Anchor Man shook his head. "Listen, I rounded a few of the toughest nuts ta crack. I don't get on wid all of em, but dats a strong guy ting. We look at each other, size each other up den tink about whether we could take em. It's a man ting." he said with a nod to Miss Victory. "Kind o like measuring..."

"Ahem." said Dr Maximus. "There MAY be a way of detecting and stopping the siphon of solar energy from Silver Sentinel to Atomic Champion. If you can do that, then he would be in theory reduced to his normal levels and, though one of the 'core' Ultrahumans, he can be beaten as seen in the past. Especially by people on a power level near or on a par with his own." he added with a glance to Miss Victory and Lionheart.

"We have several people here who can fly at or near the speed of light. What we have less of are people who could do what I am proposing." said Dr Maximus.

"Just what ARE you proposin? I swear you could talk all day an never say nuthin useful Doc!" growled Anchor Man.

"As opposed to barely being able to string a sentence together and making no sense in any case?" asked the Doctor.

Anchor Man scowled but shook his head. These two were team mates and, on some level, friends. That didn't mean they weren't diametrically opposed in practically everything they said or did!

"I am proposing..." said Maximus. ".. that what we need is a total solar eclipse."

DavidMcMahon Mon Jan 31 2022, 19:23

Forever People, 5 teenage New Gods who form into the Infinite Man when he is needed. Jack Kirby's creation from his 4th World DC run in the 770s.

The Ultrahumans! Issue #3 starring Miss Victory and Lionheart "And there came a reckoning!" - Page 7 Foreve13

The Ultrahumans! Issue #3 starring Miss Victory and Lionheart "And there came a reckoning!" - Page 7 Foreve14

Steeple_jackuk Tue Feb 01 2022, 08:37

Admin wrote:"I am proposing..." said Maximus. ".. that what we need is a total solar eclipse."

Despite the many things that he had seen, been part of or heard, Lionheart was taken aback for a moment. He was used to plans coming out of the left-field, way by which they tried to take the day by something other than brute force and determination. But this was a whole new world of, "I didn't see that coming!"

"OK I can see the logic of what you are saying and if we can do this it might be Sentinel and the rest will be back in the game. But how, it's not as if we can snap our fingers and pull the moon out of orbit! But then again I am sure you wouldn't be suggesting this if you didn't already have a plan, right?"

Lionheart hoped Maximus had a plan because it had so far stumped him as to how an eclipse without something the size of the moon could be achieved.

OOC: Wow certainly out of the left field that one, mate. Love the Kriby tomorrow people, we used to have a TV programme about some teenagers called the Tomorrow people...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuoxFcPyZvE

Sj

Admin Tue Feb 01 2022, 09:37

DavidMcMahon wrote:Forever People, 5 teenage New Gods who form into the Infinite Man when he is needed. Jack Kirby's creation from his 4th World DC run in the 770s.
snip

OOC Didn't know about that! I wasn't a fan of Jack Kirbys' comics (art or writing) but didn't hate on em either. Just... they kind of passed me by. I suppose I'm most familiar with his Silver Surfer stuff (and then only briefly) and I think he did some of the marvel cartoons. I'm aware of his status as a legend in the comic book industry but never much cared for the Eternals (and haven't bothered watching the latest movie either). Each to their own and all that...

Admin Tue Feb 01 2022, 10:10

Doctor Maximus nods. "The moon I suspect would be too big and create far too many problems for our simple needs."

"No, what this needs is a little creative thinking."

Anchor Man rolled his eyes. "Is this gonna take all day? I'm pretty sure Atomic Champion is in there plannin ta whack everyone an he's not the kinda guy we should take our eye off, kapeesh?"

Maximus patiently waited then continued. "Lionheart. I have deduced from various sources about your power levels. With the utmost respect to Miss Victory, who appears close to but not quite on a par, you may be best suited to this role. You can fly, yes?"

"Yes, but..."

"And your maximum speed, without straining yourself, is...?"

"Never measured but I'm guessing ... near the speed of light?"

Maximus held his chin in his hand. "Then... let's assume you can push beyond any normal safe limit for just a moment. Just as Anchor Man might be able to lift a supertanker, on his best day, when he runs the risk of hurting himself, he could - if possible without it breaking under its own weight - lift a small mountain. All theoretical as physics plays a part."

"Is there a point ta this?" muttered Anchor Man, who was also trying to figure out what an unladen Supertanker might weigh...

"The point, my dear fellow..."

"Less o the 'dear', eh?" growled the hulking hero.

"Indeed. Your speed should get you to the asteroid belt in minutes. Let's say you can fly at the speed of light. The asteroid belt is - approximately - 110 to 200 million miles away. At the speed of light you travel 186,282 miles per second. With a simple calculation that reveals you arrive at the furthest point in the Asteroid belt in 17.89 and change minutes. Hopefully you'll cut down on that time. I would like you to select an asteroid..." he starts to think "and can give you some rough general sizes. Then MOVE the asteroid to a specific point between the Earth and the sun."

"You gotta be kiddin!" splutters Anchor Man.

Dr Maximus turned, his eyebrow clearly arching under his mask. "I shall run some calculations then give you an angle and a specific distance to travel with the rock so that it creates a localised eclipse in the tri state area. We will alert the authorities and broadcast on all emergency channels as to the nature of the unplanned phenomena."

"This is all gonna take...? Weeks? Months? We ain't got dat long, stoopid!" roared Anchor Man. Miss Victory took a careful step between the huge hero and his team mate...

"No. What we have..." and he waved a hand at Lionheart. "Is an Ultrahuman 'Core' member. Two of them in fact." he said with a nod to Miss Victory. "The laws of physics barely apply in the loosest sense to our friends here. Lionheart, would you like the opportunity to test your abilities to the absolute limit, in the interests of saving not only America, but perhaps the world? If you fail, Miss Victory and Anchor Man, along with every other heavy hitter we can muster, won't last long against Atomic Champion in his enhanced state. Cut off the source of his stolen power though - Silver Sentinel - and the lady has a good chance of stopping the rogue with some aid..." he nodded at Anchor Man "Especially if you can dig something up from your reserves..." he nodded at Lionheart "To get back here and lend a hand!"

Anchor Man blinked. "So, you want dis guy ta fly inta deep space, grab a rock an fly ta the other side o the Earth..."

"in a specific direction and for a specific amount of time, yes..." replied Dr Maximus

"Don't interrupt me while I'm rantin!" snarled Anchor Man. "Where... ah yeah. Ta create an eclipse over New York ta stop Atomic Champion sucking Silver Sentinel - who's in da sun - dry. Den get back here an help us take dat fink down, all in a short a space of time as possible?"

"Yes. My theories indicate even with the massed heroes we have, Atomic Champion may be more of a threat than can easily be handled." muttered Dr Maximus. "We need to shave the time down to minutes. Or seconds if possible."

Lionheart blinked. At his strongest he could lift... a million? Maybe more, tons? There was nothing on Earth he could lift to really test himself. Since he created the unique symbiosis with Saladin he'd been on a power level considered inconceivable... Only when he'd come to America had he been shown to be a powerful but not THE most powerful superhuman...

"What does an Asteroid weigh?" asked Anchor Man.

"Hmmm. An estimate of Ceres puts it at 60 MILLION tons..." replied Dr Maximus. "give or take."

Anchor Man was, for once, speechless.

DavidMcMahon Tue Feb 01 2022, 11:52

Miss Victory, still not really aware of how powerful she really is, barely surviving an atomic blast seemed like a dream to her, thought for a moment.

"How is Silver Sentinel being drained of his powers," she asks. "Isn't he still n the sun recovering them? If he is still there, are you powerful enough, Lionheart, to dive in the sun and pull him out? Wouldn't that stop the power drain as well? And faster? It's only just over 8 minutes to the sun at the speed of light. Are you that powerful? Or is Silver Sentinel the only that powerful?"

DavidMcMahon Tue Feb 01 2022, 12:01

Admin wrote:
DavidMcMahon wrote:Forever People, 5 teenage New Gods who form into the Infinite Man when he is needed. Jack Kirby's creation from his 4th World DC run in the 770s.
snip

OOC Didn't know about that! I wasn't a fan of Jack Kirbys' comics (art or writing) but didn't hate on em either. Just... they kind of passed me by. I suppose I'm most familiar with his Silver Surfer stuff (and then only briefly) and I think he did some of the marvel cartoons. I'm aware of his status as a legend in the comic book industry but never much cared for the Eternals (and haven't bothered watching the latest movie either). Each to their own and all that...

OOC: Wow certainly out of the left field that one, mate. Love the Kirby tomorrow people, we used to have a TV programme about some teenagers called the Tomorrow people...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuoxFcPyZvE

Of his 70s DC stuff, the only ones I really liked were Mr. Miracle and Kamandi [which was his version of Planet of the Apes with lots of twists with all sorts of animals being intelligent, not just apes]. The New Gods and his run on Jimmy Olsen were ok in my mind but nothing to write home about, though it introduced the Newsboy Legion and the Guardian to me. Didn't like the Forever People, they were basically Hippies in Space and a total turn-off for me. "Peace, Free Love, Understanding and 'We Want no part of your war, Man.' 'Not our bad, so leave us alone!'" - the Apokolypse/New Genesis War that was the main storyline for all his 4th Worlds books.

The Tomorrow People were shown on Nickelodeon here in the US when that cable channel first started up in the early 80s. I watched them all. They even created new episodes of the show here in the US continuing with the actors from the original British version. Then there was the very terrible US version of the show that was made some years back. Around 2015 or so. Lasted just one season.

Steeple_jackuk Tue Feb 01 2022, 13:40

DavidMcMahon wrote:Miss Victory, still not really aware of how powerful she really is, barely surviving an atomic blast seemed like a dream to her, thought for a moment.

"How is Silver Sentinel being drained of his powers," she asks. "Isn't he still n the sun recovering them? If he is still there, are you powerful enough, Lionheart, to dive in the sun and pull him out? Wouldn't that stop the power drain as well? And faster? It's only just over 8 minutes to the sun at the speed of light. Are you that powerful? Or is Silver Sentinel the only that powerful?"

OOC: OK I am up with Dave on this, I did think that an asteroid might be the answer, but wasn't sure if even then it would work, as such. However good to go on this, if not Dave's suggestion, but finding Sentinel in the Sun and getting to him might prove more difficult, even for me, than flying to the asteroid. And moreover, if the asteroid is the best of all our options then it might be the one to go for before trying to get to SSentinal. Anyway, good to go once I've got the coordinates and a way to triangulate my position to make sure I get it right, before getting to the melee again.

Sj

Admin Fri Feb 04 2022, 15:46

Doctor Maximus frowned. "Without knowing specifics..."

"Here we go..." muttered Anchor Man.

"...I suspect Atomic Champion draws his power directly from the sun. He has demonstrated a number of times that he can draw more than usual and in fact the daylight seems to dim in an area of around 1 circular mile around him. This is something else..." the genius said, chin in hand. "I think that he is still drawing energy from the sun but is somehow drawing the energy that Silver Sentinel is 'leaking' perhaps from some wound. The theory is that Silver Sentinel is a being composed of pure energy and only given physical form by the use of a special formula or substance that gives him physical form. Very useful it is, too. It seems to be sentient and acts in some kind of symbiosis with his energy as well as granting the ability to change his appearance and interact with the physical world around."

"That'd be useful if ya married to a gal like Thunder Woman. I mean, what a waste if you couldn't get ya hands on her..."

"That's enough Anchor Man!" stared Dr Maximus. With a roll of his eyes he continued "Silver Sentinel suffered a wound of some kind - I don't know the details, perhaps you two as Ultrahuman 'Core' do - and until that sentient outer skin heals the best way of stopping his energy spewing out and vaporising everything for miles around and possibly eventually destroying the Earth..."

"He's DAT powerful? Sheesh!" muttered Anchor Man.

"Don't you have someone to punch? Or something to lift or break?" countered Dr Maximus. "Anyway, Atomic Champion has somehow found a way to drain the suns' energy as well as grab some of the energy that Silver Sentinel is leaking, and possibly stop that wound from healing. If he can draw all of Silver Sentinel's energy away? In theory that would make him invincible! As it is, the energy takes 8 minutes from the Sun to the Earth and if we could delay or stop it the man might have reduced capabilities. He's said to be less powerful at night as he relies on stored energies. By making him spend all those energies..."

"Ya mean in battle?"

"Yes Anchor Man. That's what I need you and all the heavy hitters to do. Engage Atomic Champion, wear him down. Make him use his powers..."

"Easier said dan done! Dat fink is a powerhouse!"

"Indeed. Even as annoying as you are it would be... unfortunate... if you were to perish."

"You're all heart Doc." muttered Anchor Man.

"So you see..." Maximus said, turning to Lionheart and Miss Victory. "Without cutting off the source of his energy somehow you are fighting Atomic Champion boosted by a portion of Silver Sentinel's power, and that, however small, may make Atomic Champion the most powerful person currently on the planet!"

Steeple_jackuk Fri Feb 04 2022, 19:56

Admin wrote:"You're all heart Doc." muttered Anchor Man.

"So you see..." Maximus said, turning to Lionheart and Miss Victory. "Without cutting off the source of his energy somehow you are fighting Atomic Champion boosted by a portion of Silver Sentinel's power, and that, however small, may make Atomic Champion the most powerful person currently on the planet!"

Lionheart nodded his mind doing computations and thinking through some theoretical information to work out how he could do what needed to be done and how to best triangulate his position using whatever fixed points he could find. He only needed three, the sun, earth and moon would do. From there he could work out where needed to be, although not with the computational abilities of Frostbite's AI companion, nonetheless, Lionheart was no slouch. He figured he could work it out.

Turning to Maximus he said, "I need to run some numbers by you, if I can grab a sufficiently large asteroid and place it in such a space as can cast a sufficient shadow over the area, I think we might be able to cast the shadow you're talking about. It's a bit like taking your little finger and covering the sun with it by bringing it closer to your eyes. I'd need to bring it within a space above the earth where it wouldn't cause it to decay in orbit, but not so far that it made the shadow minuscule or too specific. I'm running some numbers, can I run them by you, as I think we haven't much time if I am going to do this. Even at my top speed, getting out is no problem but getting sufficient speed with the asteroid and then bringing it back and not having it shatter on me and then being able to slow down sufficient to place it in orbit will all take time. It's a shame I just can park the Ultrahuman's satellite in the same space. But I fear it's not big enough. If we do this, I will be totally occupied with this thing, I cannot easily break off and help out even if things go bad, it's our only choice if we are going to do something with what we have now. If we are agreed..." He said, looking at the small group gathered around. "...then here are my numbers, check my calculations."

OOC: OK When we've got the OK, I'll implement the plan and get off into the asteroid belt and see if I can't find the biggest asteroid to move toward space. Bonus it should be so full of metal we could mine it for resources for years to come if it doesn't fall apart on the return trip.

Sj

DavidMcMahon Sat Feb 05 2022, 15:03

"Once you leave, I will do my best to keep us alive until you can set this up," Miss Victory puts in, "even with him weakened, I don't think I can take on Atomic Champion and his crew without you. So I guess we will have to duck and run, do bits of minor sabotage and keep them chasing us until you get back."

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