"Heck yeah!" Jaime grinned as he disengaged the auto-pilot and took hold of the controls. "Beetle's been showing me the controls some." [And assuming you were properly focused, you may even retain some of Ted-Kord's instruction. I will provide assistance as you require.]
"Course, he won't let me do too much because 'I shouldn't be flying a mutli-million dollar aircraft when I can't drive a car yet.'" The teenager shook his head, "Nevermind. Think we should make for Gotham? Probably our best bet if we're going Riddle hunting. Hey, hit the round blue button on your left; turn on the police scanner. If the Riddler had Overthrow attack Kord Omniversal tonight, maybe there's other villain activity."
The man shook his head. "Don't waste your time worrying about us you have to help Dr. Dayton now."
"Who?"
"Steve Dayton is a scientist in this lab. The Riddler broke in here to steal his latest project." The woman climbed out of her sarcophagus and landed unsteadily. "If you don't stop him he's going to use it to take over the world."
Blue Beetle
Supernova pressed the button Jaime had pointed out and tinny voices began to flood the cockpit of the Bug.
"...Croc attacked a group of homeless in a subway station..."
"We need SWAT to the corner of 2nd and Lenworth! Two-Face just started shooting up the Janus Gems."
"Shots fired! Shots fired!"
"Officer down at..."
"Is anyone there?! I repeat we have a fire in City Hall. Emergency search and rescue required. I have people here in need of immediate medical attention."
"Sounds like the cops and Batman have their hands full in Gotham. How do we figure out where to find the Riddler?"
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Noticing Firestorm attending to what appeared to be the hostages Barbara set her mind to putting down the single remaining foe. She signaled to Nightwing and they executed a maneuver so familiar to the both of them it was like slipping on an old glove. Batgirl distracted the monster with lazy, tentative strikes as the former Robin slipped up behind it and locked it in an immobilizing sleeper hold. As it wriggled and writhed to get free Babs poured all of her anger and frustration into a series of hits to the torso that eventually put a hole right through the metal plating residing under the bandages.
It fell to the ground and Batgirl let out a long exhalation through her nose before smiling at Nightwing. He grinned back. "Too easy," they both said at the same time and laughed. Satisfied they walked over to Firestorm, Barbara rubbing her knuckles through her plated gloves. She probably bruised the bone and typing her homework later would be a nightmare.
Firestorm couldn't help but grin. Take over the world! Say whatever you like, bad guys always had high aims. "Right. We can't leave you two here alone though..." Jason thought for a moment. He had an idea, but he was new to the superhero game and both Batgirl and Nightwing had more experience than he did. That said, now wasn't a time to stand on ceremony, if the Riddler was as big a threat as this woman was saying, they needed to act now.
"Guys, this woman says that we have to help out a Dr Steve Dayton or the Riddler will take over the world. Nightwing, why don't you get these two outside to safety, while me and Batgirl press on and deal with the Riddler?"
[I commend your plan, but fear that you do not yet have the social status amongst your peers to enforce it
{Not about enforcing, doc. Just about trying to get things done as soon as possible.}
The eight of us go forth not back to protect our king from a foe's attack. The words fluttered through Batgirl and Firestorm's heads but they did not have the familiar comfort of their own thoughts. They were greasy and alien. The disquieting sensation of having someone else speaking inside of her own mind did not overwhelm Barbara's ability to reason however.
"Pawns."
A doorway that had not been behind Barbara seconds before suddenly appeared and seemed to open of it's own accord. The room on the other side of the door was clearly one of the many laboratories where STAR developed the technology that made the company famous across the globe. The only visible workspace was long table piled with bits of machinery, books that had been left open, and a large terrarium filled with scrabbling rats. Several greasy bags and styrofoam cups from Big Belly Burger were scattered around the table. An enormous pyramid made of thick sheets of glass stood at the center of the lab, and Captain Atom was kneeling within it. A glowing golden shimmer surrounded the pyramid casting a warm glow out into the room. The Riddler was standing next to it pressing his gloved hand against the glass and smiling, a heavy metal helmet with twin antenna jutting up from it's top was covering most of his head. Batman was strapped to the a gurney next to him. Thick restraints had been placed around his wrists, ankles, neck, and chest fastening him to the bed although he was making no discernable effort to escape. His masked head was hanging forward as he seemed to out at some unfixed point on the floor in front of him.
The Riddler withdrew his hand from the glass and turned to face the doorwat. "Correct again Batgirl, I must say you are nearly as clever as your pointy eared mentor. Not that he faired any better than you will when he chose to match wits with the Riddler."
The Riddler pressed the tip of his cane sharply into Batman's ribs without getting the slightest reaction from him.
Blue Beetle
The voices roaring requests for backup and instructions were all suddenly drowned out by a short blast of static that brought Jaime's hands to his ears as he reflexively tried to block out the noise. Daniel pressed the button to deactivate the comms then rubbed his own ears while wincing at Jaime. "Dude did I break it?"
A panel on the Bug's controls spun around revealing a hidden video monitor. The grinning masked face of the Riddler appeared on the screen as he stared out at Bug's passengers. "Alone I can make up anything divided I will destroy everything."
A small red ten appeared in the corner of the screen and then changed to a flickering nine.
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Firestorm started when he saw Captain Atom trapped in the pyramid. How did his mentor, with all his unearthly powers, get trapped by the Riddler of all people? Whatever was going on here, it was bigger than one the Riddlers normal criminal sprees. Crackling points of negative energy surrounded with golden flares of light streamed from Jason as he levitated into the air and began to drift forward, the power from the Matrix filling his body and mind, making him feel more alive than ever before.
[Engaging full energy levels for your current capacity. Reinforcing cell structure with energy aegis. Engaging nervous system overdrive. Running molecular scan on environment. You are fully charged, Jason, use of the Firestorm Matrix is entirely at your discretion.
Raising a glowing hand, Firestorm pointed at the skinny, oddly helmed form of the Riddler. When he spoke, it was between gritted teeth, and his words had taken on a strange, echoing quality, buzzing with static and fire.
The Riddler's smile widened as his gaze flickered across Firestorm. "No."
Fire exploded across the inside of Jason's head and sent him sprawling to the hard floor in a writhing heap. The aura that had surrounded him flickered and started to die as tendrils of energy slipped away from him. Every pain he had ever experienced came rushing back into the front of his mind at once. Every blow he'd ever suffered at his father's hands. The sickening snap when he'd fallen on his arm during football practice and broken his arm. As quickly as the pain had flooded his thoughts it vanished and Firestorm found himself face down on the cold tile of the laboratory floor with the Riddle looking down at him.
"You should listen when your intellectual superiors speakboy. You might learn something."
Riddler's Mental Blast vs. Firestorm
DC 20 vs. 10 Will, 3 degress of failure.
Firestorm is staggered and suffers a -1 to further checks against damage. If the target is staggered again he will be incapacitated.
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Jaime repeated the message. "Alone I can make up anything, divided I destroy everything? What does that mean."
"Dude, it's a riddle." "Oh you think? And here I thought a guy called The Riddler would be a straightforward speaker." [Perhaps sarcasm is not the best response at this precise moment. Afterall, that countdown timer suggests something unpleasent will occur at '0']
Looking up to see that the timer was a red 6, having already ticked past 8 and 7, concentrated Blue Beetle's mind tremendously.
"Yeah, like a bomb to blow us up ... A bomb... That's it! The answer is an Atom. It's the building block of matter, but you split it and you get a destructive release of energy." As he talked, Jaime's hands flew over the control console. He may not have had much training in operating the Bug, but he had to try to track Riddler's transmission.
Not sure what skill to roll, if any, for using the com console for tracking a broadcast. Tech maybe? If so, I don't have any points in that skill.
For a moment, Jason laid on the floor, not moving other than the rise and fall of his chest as he panted for air. That the Riddler had something planned for them he had expected, that it would be so horribly devastating, he hadn't seem coming. All of the confidence and strength he got from being Firestorm, being a superhero, had just fled away when he was back at home, feeling his Dad's fists crashing down. The pain might have gone, but the memories still flashed before him.
The Matrix AI was speaking to him about something, but Jason wasn't listening. He knew how to pull himself out of this one. Don't let them step on you. Don't just let them ignore you. Get up. Get angry. Make it personal. Make it count. Keep your head in the game and focus. Snarling a little, Jason pulled himself off the floor and into an unsteady but determined fighting crouch. It'd take more than that to finish him off.
I want to use a hero point to recover in some way but I honestly have forgotten how to do it. I think it's usually a Toughness check but since that was a mental attack a Will check makes more sense? I got a 16 in total, not a lot, but I think it gets me into the action, though this turn I'm probably still messed up something nasty!
The video screen rotated back into the control console with a low pitched whirring sound. "Emergency teleportation protocol engaged."
Supernova's head snapped towards Jaime. "What the heck does that mean?"
With a flash of blinding light the filled the cabin Supernova and the Blue Beetle vanished instantly.
Batgirl and Firestorm
The Riddler adjusted a dial on the side of his helmet as he watched Firestorm carefully. "Your mind is somewhat more resilient than it seemed, I wonder if it will be able to withstand a second assault?"
Nightwing stepped between the Riddler and the freed hostages clearly hoping to shield them from danger. Bracing himself for another attack Firestorm gritted his teeth while Batgirl's hand snapped towards her utility belt. A smell like that of the overheated air being expelled from a hair dryer flooded the room accompanied by an upward surge in the temperature. With a crack like a gunshot and a sharp burst of light Supernova and the Blue Beetle appeared a few feet in front of the Riddler.
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
"Hey, whoa! didn't know the thing had a emergency teleport. Where are we?" The scarab helpfully downloaded its tactical scans directly into the teenager's head. [Room scan identifies one confirmed threat and two probable allies, accessing internal files identifies them as Riddler, Batgirl, and Firestorm respectively. Two restrained/captured forms, positively id'd as Batman and Captain Atom. Multiple persons, tagging as civilians by dress and body language.]
Though still disoriented by the unexpected teleportation and the scarab's infodump, Jaime straightened up and pointed at the Riddler. "What's your game, Riddler? Teaming up with Overthrow? Isn't he a little beneath you, mentally speaking?" Triggered by mental command, the armor completed re-configuring his arm to energy cannon mode as he finished.
Batgirl was used to unexpected occurrences. While surprising, it did not catch Barbara off guard. Quite the opposite, in fact; it was just the distraction she needed. She launched into a dead sprint and as soon as she was within range she jumped up and over Blue Beetle, landing directly in front of Riddler.
"Nice hat," she said, rising from her landing crouch before roundhouse kicking him in the side of the head. There was an audible CRACK as whatever complex circuitry inside the helmet shattered. Riddler yelped and fell over, tossing the device to the side as it started to smoke and catch fire.
The Riddler stared at the smoking ruins of his helmet and squeezed his hand around his cane so tightly that it shook. "Do you have any idea what you just did!"
He pointed the tip of the cane at Batgirl and there was a loud crack followed by a burst of smoke erupting from the length of wood.
Riddle Cane Pistol Attack: 1d20+5= 24 vs Dodge!
Toughness DC is 18.
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
A bullet tore through the thin fabric of Batgirl's cape as she leapt out of it's path with her usual dazzling grace. Not waiting to see what his intended victim had in mind for him the Riddler tried to dart past her towards the only exit in sight.
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Firestorm levitated slowly into the air, atomic structure rings appearing around his hands while his eyes glowed with unearthly power.
"Not this time, Riddler."
Ranged Affliction: Rolled a 17 vs the Riddler's dodge of 16, so that's a fort save. Oh dear, Mr Riddler. You rolled a 12 in total. That is actually the same as the effect rank! So three degrees of failure, leaving you Transformed.
I don't think I'll turn him into an actual question mark. I can turn him into whatever I want and he'll still be alive though, waiting for me to turn him back, but Jason doesn't like to push his powers like that, it makes him uncomfortable. So. Turn his clothes into an Arkham Asylum prison jumpsuit with a straightjacket around the top, one of those mask gag things and binders around his feet. Actually, screw it, ball and chain. Little riddler hat at the top, of course.
The Riddler exploded with crackling light, and when it died away, he was still in mid-stride, except his feet were tied together and to a large ball and chain on the floor. He was now wearing an orange asylum jumpsuit with a straightjacket and restrictor mask, and unsurprisingly all of this combined quickly curtailed his escape.
With a wince-inducing CLANK, the Riddler bounced off a discarded table, dropped to the floor and struggled for a moment before realizing that he was well and truly trapped.
Firestorm laughed. "I thought you might want to try on the latest of this years prison fashions, Riddler, since you'll be on that catwalk soon enough!"
[A fitting use of your powers, Jason. Though personally I would have transformed him into a simple block of silicate carbon, easy to transport, stackable and of great practical use. We must debate your lack of drive to unlock the more potent aspects of the Firestorm Matrix.
{Not now. Captain Atom and Batman may need our help, we can talk later if you insist}
Batgirl couldn't bask in the humiliating defeat of the Riddler just yet, however - Batman looked to be in trouble. She rushed to his side and immediately began checking his vital signs. "Nightwing, a little help over here!"
As the Riddler rolled around on the ground Nightwing rushed over to Batgirl and started to unstrap the restraints holding Batman in place. Once he was free Batman slumped forward onto his former sidekick. Dick looked at Barbara as he adjusted his grip on their mento. "Riddler must've dosed him with something. Open the second pouch from the left on his utility belt. There's an antidote in there that should get him on his feet again."
A sudden itching sensation across every inch of his skin made Jaime tremble. Turning his head sideways he whispered into his shoulder "What are you doing?"
The scarab crackled and hissed in response. [Radiation levels in the vicinity have risen to threatening levels. Enhancing carapace to withstand the threat.]
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Everyone in the room turned at Jaime's outburst. "Something in this room is throwing lots of radiation. We have to get everybody out now." He made a show of looking quickly around the room while whispering to the Scarab, "Can you find the source? Quickly, please."
[searching ... Estimate 77.96 probability that radiation source is Captain Atom or containment field surrounding him. Source may also be damaged headgear Riddler was using. Results are inconclusive.]
"Fat lot of help you are. Keep scanning, let me know the instant you isolate the source." With the situation as it was, Jaime wasn't too concerned with keeping his voice down. To the rest of the room, he said, "Come on, guys. Time to go!"
Before Nightwing spoke Barbara knew what compartment to open - it was identical on her own belt. She palmed the hypoinjector and flicked the cap off, jamming the small needle into Batman's neck. She squeezed the trigger hard and heard the CO2 canister eject and the glass vial empty.
Whatever it was in his system, if it wasn't completely neutralized would at least be lessened in severity.
"I will evacuate the civilians to a safe distance." Picking up both of the protesting hostages Supernova rocketed towards the exit in a blur of speed.
[Source of the radiation spike has been identified as Captain Atom. The surge indicates that subject will achieve critical mass in less than ten minutes. Threat neutraliziation protocols engaging.] The armor along Blue Beetle's arm elongated into the cannon-like appendage that the scarab seemed to favor for some of it's most overt attacks.
Captain Atom shook his head weakly as he looked up at Jason. Cracks had were slowly spreading across his metallic features and a bright light was shining from within. "Firestorm...can't contain my radiation...have to...you have to stop me!"
Seconds after the contents of the vial had been emptied into Batman's bloodstream he shuddered. He pushed himself away from Nightwing he stood unsteadily looking around the laboratory. "Where is the Riddler?"
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Pressing his hands against the glass, Jason felt a surge of horror within him. All he knew about Captain Atom's powers were that his power originated from the quantum field, and that they were restrained by his invulnerable Dilusteel body. If the Dilusteel was cracking then the power inside must be reaching staggering levels, should they be fully released...
[Jason, we must act quickly. With your lack of control over the Firestorm Matrix, even you may not survive the detonation. Those around us within a radius I cannot even begin to approximate most certainly will not.
{I know we need to do something! Just shut up and let me think!}
Slowing his breathing and calming himself, Jason forced himself to talk calmly to his mentor. "Okay. I just need you to hold on as long as possible there Cap. We'll sort you out here, don't worry." His voice seemed a lot more confident that he really felt, the only think Jason could really think of right now was absorbing the excess energy flow, or moving Atom to another location...
As Batman spoke, Firestorm whirled around. Of course, the Riddler had done this, he'd know how to turn it back! Stomping over, he grabbed the prone man from the floor, and effortlessly transformed his mask gag to air. Slamming him against a filing cabinet, Jason snarled angrily into his face.
"No!" Jaime kept the cannon pointed down, away from anyone else in the room. Speaking in a whisper, "Think for one second. Captain Atom is a bomb gearing up to explode if someone doesn't stop it or if he doesn't get it under control. And your first instinct is to shoot him? Nevermind that heroes don't shoot the people on their own side; that's like proposing to stop a baloon inflating with deadly neurotoxin by popping it with a pin."
The blue armored hero took a step back, "Listen, you say we have ten minutes. If Cap can't get his power back under control, do you think we can get him far enough away from the city so he doesn't kill all the people here?" [That course of action is far too dangerous to this scarab. Estimate only 15% chance of surivival with...] "Can. We. Do. It. That's all I'm asking you. One other thing, can the armor form a radiation sheild big enough to reduce the exposure in this room? Not everyone has radiation shielding as a standard feature."
Jaime turned to watch Firestorm slam Riddler into the file cabnet, hopefully the other hero could get the information he was after soon. Time was ticking down.
The scarab chittered and clicked inside of Jaime's mind as it calculated the odds. Shielding secondary targest is not possible without endangering operator. Transporting Captain Atom outside of a zone populated by civilians is possible, if radiation levels are reduced.
The Riddler coughed weakly before he spoke with a satisfied grin. "Oh now you want to listen to me?"
Firestorm slammed the Riddler into the filing cabinet again rattling its contents as he did. "If you think I'm going to tell you anything then you should go ahead and check yourself into Arkham."
Before Firestorm could make another attempt to intimidate the supervillain he saw the man's eyes flick behind him and widen with terror. Jason turned and found himself face to face with Batman who had crossed the room noiselessly. Pushing Firestorm aside he seized the Riddler's purple tie and lifted him off of the ground with one arm. His eyes narrowed to white slits as he peered up at the helpless man in his grip. "Talk."
Kicking his chained feet violently the Riddler trembled in Batman's grip. "Alright! I said alright I'll talk! Somebody just get him away off of me!"
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Batman shook the Riddler like a child's plaything slamming him into the floor and looming over him. "I know that someone from STAR was testing that helmet on the inmates at Arkham, using them as test subjects to perfect it. What were you planning to do with it Riddler?"
"It was going to be so perfect. Everyone would have finally been forced to admit that I am their mental superior. I just needed the right power source."
"You corrupted Atom's mind, forced him to channel as much as he could, but it was too much wasn't it?" Batman glanced at the imprisoned Captain Atom as he spoke.
"Without the helmet no one can stop it in time. We're all going to be reduced to ash within a matter of minutes..." The Riddler pointed at Batgirl and started shouting. "...and it's all her fault!"
Nightwing had been moving closer to Batman throughout the interrogation, and when he was within arms lenght and put a restraining hand on his former mentor's shoulder. "Batman you're not thinking clearly. Whatever the Riddler dosed you with is still in your system. Let us take it from here."
With speed that only came with a lifetime of practice and dedication Batman lashed out at Nightwing with a savage kick that sent him tumbling backwards across the lab. Dick skidded to a halt five feet away and came up in a crouch with one of his eskrima sticks clenched in his hand.
"If I have to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours than I will."
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Firestorm stepped between the two men, hands raised along with his voice. This wasn't helping, not one bit.
"Cut it out. We need to help Captain Atom, not fight between ourselves."
Any other time Jason would have balked at the idea of speaking to Batman like that. But right now, his mentor was in great danger, as was the life of everyone around them. You couldn't let nerves get the better of you when you were ten points down with only five minutes to go, and the same principle applied here.
Stepping over to the Riddler again, Firestorm dragged him up. "And Batgirl isn't the blame, Riddler. Youare. Why don't you prove how damn clever you are by figuring out a way to stop this." The villain grinned inanely back at him, and Firestorm felt a flash of genuine anger and frustration at his inability to get the man to talk. Dropping him, he walked back over to Captain Atom, whose horror at what was about to happen was apparent.
"I might be able to siphon off some of the energy. The Firestorm Matrix's powers are unlimited, as far as I know. But if it didn't work, then the energy surge would still be devastating, possibly even worse if the Matrix backlashed. We need to find a way to nullify his powers and quickly!" But who knew about Captain Atom's powers? Who would have that kind of knowledge.
Firestorm snapped his fingers. Maybe someone who had fought him before! Earlier on, Plastique's reaction to the Captain was definitely one with a history, and how else would Atom have interacted with a convicted supervillain? If they could contact her, perhaps she could help them. It was a long shot but maybe it could work...
"Does anyone have any way of contacting Belle Reve Penetentiary?
Okay, scraping the bottom of the barrel here. But there you go.
Jaime again spoke to the scarab quietly over his shoulder, "Hey. Can you contact Blue Beetle Sr?" The scarab responded with clicking and chittering. [Contacting ... contact achieved. Just speak and Ted Kord will hear.] "Uh hey BB. Listen... I'm in Gotham with Supernova, and some other guys. I know you wanted me home but I had to to do this. Batman and Captain Atom were captured by the Riddler. Captain Atom's in a bad way right now. Please tell me you know a way to keep Captain Atom from going critical? Sure could use your help. Bye." The radio connection closed with an echoing click.
He looked up at Firestorm's question, "Uh, Yeah I think I can." [... Opening communication to Belle Reve Penetentiary.] The fingertips of the armor's left hand lit up with a soft white light. "Just speak in here and the guys on the other end can hear you."
Firestorm looked at the armoured hero somewhat bemusedly, forgetting the seriousness of their situation for a moment. "Belle Reve? This is Firestorm. I need to be put on the line to Plastique right now. It's an emergency of critical importance. Tell her that I'm willing to deal." The man on the other end dithered for a second "for the second time today? Are you sure?" Jason had to force himself to stay calm. "Yes, I'm sure. Now get her on this line! Lives are counting on it!"
After a brief pause Plastique finally responded. "If you're lonely there are special numbers for this sort of thing. Although you're probably still a bit too young for that sort of thing."
The super villain sounded tired and irritable, as though she had just been woken up in Jason's opinion.
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't have time for that, Plastique. Captain Atom was captured by the Riddler and forced to access the full upper limit of his quantum powers. We've freed him but nobody knows enough about his powers work to stop him going critical in the middle of Gotham city. If he does, he and thousands, probably millions, of innocent people will die. You're the only person I can think of who might have any idea how his powers work." He started pacing, then realised that he was stuck to Blue Beetle's hand and stopped again shortly.
"Look, I know you're a super villain. But I've known enough criminals, hell, done enough things myself, to know that it's not always a choice and you're still a person despite breaking the law. Whatever you've done in the past, I don't think you'll let an entire city get burnt to ash if you can stop it. Please, Plastique. You're the only person I know who can help."
Plastique sounded much more serious that Firestorm had ever heard her before when she answered. "Captain Atom is a force of nature, nothing I've ever thrown at him has been able to do more than slow him down or distract him."
Firestorm's pulse began to race as he watched his mentor struggling to contain the deadly energy that was pouring out of him.
"But there is still a way to stop him from destroying the city. If he absorbs too much energy at once he'll be trasnported through time. It happened once when he tried to contain a radiation leak that I caused during a getaway." It sounded as though revealing this memory had cost her something. "It's the only way to save Gotham."
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
"Transported through time? How far? And won't he just detonate when he reappears in the future, or the past?" Plastique seemed to have an odd tone to her voice that Jason honestly hadn't expected. "No. The time travel will allow him to radiate the excess energy and he'll arrive stable and in one piece, though when, and where to that matter, I don't have any real idea." Jason wasn't surprised, Atom had never mentioned any time travel to him but that was hardly unusual, the shining quantum hero kept his past life a private mystery.
"So if we expose him to more energy, force him to absorb as much as we can, then that'll trigger the time travel?" Even saying it out loud seemed ridiculous, and Jason was highly dubious of this plan, and from the faces of the others as they heard the insane plan suggested they had similar feelings. But with time running out, they didn't seem to have many other choices...
"It should, but you'll need a massive amount of energy to trigger it. I'm not sure you'll be able to do it by yourself." Plastique sounded as worried about this plan as Firestorm did. "I'm sorry but I don't know any other way."
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
"Oh well if the known terrorist says we should blast her enemy into cinders then by all means..." Nightwing shook his head frowning.
Across the room Batman shifted slightly. "She's not lying."
Nightwing charged across the floor until he was standing face to face with the dark knight. "And you're willing to risk Captain Atom's life on your certainty of that! What if you're wrong?!" Batman didn't respond. Throwing his hands up in the air Nightwing turned towards Firestorm, Blue Beetle, and Batgirl. "Guys, Batgirl, please don't tell me you're going along with this."
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
"If you have a better plan, Nightwing, believe me I'd be the first one willing to try it. But Plastique isn't just a heartless monster because she's a criminal. She helped us early today and I think Captain Atom knows her better than he lets on. If I was in his place, I'd trust him to do what is best, and I know he trusts us to do the same."
"Plastique tried to blow up the Statue of Liberty to make a point, I'm not about to look to her as my moral compass. We should call in the rest of the Justice League, maybe one of them could do something for Captain Atom even if we can't."
GM of M&M "And Justice For All."
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
"We don't have time to call in the league! We don't have time to properly investigate! You don't have to tell me how dangerous this is, I'm about to overload my mentor's own energy absorption capabilities in order to send him through time! Right now, the only person who has any idea about what to do is the woman on the other end of that phone. I'm going to take a leap and trust her." Firestorm stepped right up to the taller man and pointed a finger at his chest "and if you're not willing to try, then you'd better just stay out of my way."
Turning back towards Captain Atom, Firestorm looked over at Blue Beetle and Supernova. "Okay, you guys have energy powers right? Or blasters, whatever. We need to hit Atom with everything we have, force him to time jump and burn off all his excess power. I can't do this alone, even with the Firestorm Matrix. You with me?"
Posts
"Course, he won't let me do too much because 'I shouldn't be flying a mutli-million dollar aircraft when I can't drive a car yet.'" The teenager shook his head, "Nevermind. Think we should make for Gotham? Probably our best bet if we're going Riddle hunting. Hey, hit the round blue button on your left; turn on the police scanner. If the Riddler had Overthrow attack Kord Omniversal tonight, maybe there's other villain activity."
The man shook his head. "Don't waste your time worrying about us you have to help Dr. Dayton now."
"Who?"
"Steve Dayton is a scientist in this lab. The Riddler broke in here to steal his latest project." The woman climbed out of her sarcophagus and landed unsteadily. "If you don't stop him he's going to use it to take over the world."
Blue Beetle
Supernova pressed the button Jaime had pointed out and tinny voices began to flood the cockpit of the Bug.
"...Croc attacked a group of homeless in a subway station..."
"We need SWAT to the corner of 2nd and Lenworth! Two-Face just started shooting up the Janus Gems."
"Shots fired! Shots fired!"
"Officer down at..."
"Is anyone there?! I repeat we have a fire in City Hall. Emergency search and rescue required. I have people here in need of immediate medical attention."
"Sounds like the cops and Batman have their hands full in Gotham. How do we figure out where to find the Riddler?"
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
It fell to the ground and Batgirl let out a long exhalation through her nose before smiling at Nightwing. He grinned back. "Too easy," they both said at the same time and laughed. Satisfied they walked over to Firestorm, Barbara rubbing her knuckles through her plated gloves. She probably bruised the bone and typing her homework later would be a nightmare.
"Guys, this woman says that we have to help out a Dr Steve Dayton or the Riddler will take over the world. Nightwing, why don't you get these two outside to safety, while me and Batgirl press on and deal with the Riddler?"
[I commend your plan, but fear that you do not yet have the social status amongst your peers to enforce it
{Not about enforcing, doc. Just about trying to get things done as soon as possible.}
The eight of us go forth not back to protect our king from a foe's attack. The words fluttered through Batgirl and Firestorm's heads but they did not have the familiar comfort of their own thoughts. They were greasy and alien. The disquieting sensation of having someone else speaking inside of her own mind did not overwhelm Barbara's ability to reason however.
"Pawns."
A doorway that had not been behind Barbara seconds before suddenly appeared and seemed to open of it's own accord. The room on the other side of the door was clearly one of the many laboratories where STAR developed the technology that made the company famous across the globe. The only visible workspace was long table piled with bits of machinery, books that had been left open, and a large terrarium filled with scrabbling rats. Several greasy bags and styrofoam cups from Big Belly Burger were scattered around the table. An enormous pyramid made of thick sheets of glass stood at the center of the lab, and Captain Atom was kneeling within it. A glowing golden shimmer surrounded the pyramid casting a warm glow out into the room. The Riddler was standing next to it pressing his gloved hand against the glass and smiling, a heavy metal helmet with twin antenna jutting up from it's top was covering most of his head. Batman was strapped to the a gurney next to him. Thick restraints had been placed around his wrists, ankles, neck, and chest fastening him to the bed although he was making no discernable effort to escape. His masked head was hanging forward as he seemed to out at some unfixed point on the floor in front of him.
The Riddler withdrew his hand from the glass and turned to face the doorwat. "Correct again Batgirl, I must say you are nearly as clever as your pointy eared mentor. Not that he faired any better than you will when he chose to match wits with the Riddler."
The Riddler pressed the tip of his cane sharply into Batman's ribs without getting the slightest reaction from him.
Blue Beetle
The voices roaring requests for backup and instructions were all suddenly drowned out by a short blast of static that brought Jaime's hands to his ears as he reflexively tried to block out the noise. Daniel pressed the button to deactivate the comms then rubbed his own ears while wincing at Jaime. "Dude did I break it?"
A panel on the Bug's controls spun around revealing a hidden video monitor. The grinning masked face of the Riddler appeared on the screen as he stared out at Bug's passengers. "Alone I can make up anything divided I will destroy everything."
A small red ten appeared in the corner of the screen and then changed to a flickering nine.
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
[Engaging full energy levels for your current capacity. Reinforcing cell structure with energy aegis. Engaging nervous system overdrive. Running molecular scan on environment. You are fully charged, Jason, use of the Firestorm Matrix is entirely at your discretion.
Raising a glowing hand, Firestorm pointed at the skinny, oddly helmed form of the Riddler. When he spoke, it was between gritted teeth, and his words had taken on a strange, echoing quality, buzzing with static and fire.
"ONE CHANCE, RIDDLER. LET. THEM. GO."
Fire exploded across the inside of Jason's head and sent him sprawling to the hard floor in a writhing heap. The aura that had surrounded him flickered and started to die as tendrils of energy slipped away from him. Every pain he had ever experienced came rushing back into the front of his mind at once. Every blow he'd ever suffered at his father's hands. The sickening snap when he'd fallen on his arm during football practice and broken his arm. As quickly as the pain had flooded his thoughts it vanished and Firestorm found himself face down on the cold tile of the laboratory floor with the Riddle looking down at him.
"You should listen when your intellectual superiors speakboy. You might learn something."
DC 20 vs. 10 Will, 3 degress of failure.
Firestorm is staggered and suffers a -1 to further checks against damage. If the target is staggered again he will be incapacitated.
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
"Dude, it's a riddle." "Oh you think? And here I thought a guy called The Riddler would be a straightforward speaker." [Perhaps sarcasm is not the best response at this precise moment. Afterall, that countdown timer suggests something unpleasent will occur at '0']
Looking up to see that the timer was a red 6, having already ticked past 8 and 7, concentrated Blue Beetle's mind tremendously.
"Yeah, like a bomb to blow us up ... A bomb... That's it! The answer is an Atom. It's the building block of matter, but you split it and you get a destructive release of energy." As he talked, Jaime's hands flew over the control console. He may not have had much training in operating the Bug, but he had to try to track Riddler's transmission.
[Tactical assessment: suggest non-standard attack pattern...
The Matrix AI was speaking to him about something, but Jason wasn't listening. He knew how to pull himself out of this one. Don't let them step on you. Don't just let them ignore you. Get up. Get angry. Make it personal. Make it count. Keep your head in the game and focus. Snarling a little, Jason pulled himself off the floor and into an unsteady but determined fighting crouch. It'd take more than that to finish him off.
The video screen rotated back into the control console with a low pitched whirring sound. "Emergency teleportation protocol engaged."
Supernova's head snapped towards Jaime. "What the heck does that mean?"
With a flash of blinding light the filled the cabin Supernova and the Blue Beetle vanished instantly.
Batgirl and Firestorm
The Riddler adjusted a dial on the side of his helmet as he watched Firestorm carefully. "Your mind is somewhat more resilient than it seemed, I wonder if it will be able to withstand a second assault?"
Nightwing stepped between the Riddler and the freed hostages clearly hoping to shield them from danger. Bracing himself for another attack Firestorm gritted his teeth while Batgirl's hand snapped towards her utility belt. A smell like that of the overheated air being expelled from a hair dryer flooded the room accompanied by an upward surge in the temperature. With a crack like a gunshot and a sharp burst of light Supernova and the Blue Beetle appeared a few feet in front of the Riddler.
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
[Room scan identifies one confirmed threat and two probable allies, accessing internal files identifies them as Riddler, Batgirl, and Firestorm respectively. Two restrained/captured forms, positively id'd as Batman and Captain Atom. Multiple persons, tagging as civilians by dress and body language.]
Though still disoriented by the unexpected teleportation and the scarab's infodump, Jaime straightened up and pointed at the Riddler. "What's your game, Riddler? Teaming up with Overthrow? Isn't he a little beneath you, mentally speaking?" Triggered by mental command, the armor completed re-configuring his arm to energy cannon mode as he finished.
"Nice hat," she said, rising from her landing crouch before roundhouse kicking him in the side of the head. There was an audible CRACK as whatever complex circuitry inside the helmet shattered. Riddler yelped and fell over, tossing the device to the side as it started to smoke and catch fire.
bam pow!: 1d20+9 16 1d20+15 20
the attack uses Riddler's parry; the damage save was a 25 and the hat rolled spectacularly bad, exactly two degrees of failure which means it's broked
He pointed the tip of the cane at Batgirl and there was a loud crack followed by a burst of smoke erupting from the length of wood.
Toughness DC is 18.
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
"Not this time, Riddler."
I don't think I'll turn him into an actual question mark. I can turn him into whatever I want and he'll still be alive though, waiting for me to turn him back, but Jason doesn't like to push his powers like that, it makes him uncomfortable. So. Turn his clothes into an Arkham Asylum prison jumpsuit with a straightjacket around the top, one of those mask gag things and binders around his feet. Actually, screw it, ball and chain. Little riddler hat at the top, of course.
The Riddler exploded with crackling light, and when it died away, he was still in mid-stride, except his feet were tied together and to a large ball and chain on the floor. He was now wearing an orange asylum jumpsuit with a straightjacket and restrictor mask, and unsurprisingly all of this combined quickly curtailed his escape.
With a wince-inducing CLANK, the Riddler bounced off a discarded table, dropped to the floor and struggled for a moment before realizing that he was well and truly trapped.
Firestorm laughed. "I thought you might want to try on the latest of this years prison fashions, Riddler, since you'll be on that catwalk soon enough!"
[A fitting use of your powers, Jason. Though personally I would have transformed him into a simple block of silicate carbon, easy to transport, stackable and of great practical use. We must debate your lack of drive to unlock the more potent aspects of the Firestorm Matrix.
{Not now. Captain Atom and Batman may need our help, we can talk later if you insist}
Batgirl couldn't bask in the humiliating defeat of the Riddler just yet, however - Batman looked to be in trouble. She rushed to his side and immediately began checking his vital signs. "Nightwing, a little help over here!"
A sudden itching sensation across every inch of his skin made Jaime tremble. Turning his head sideways he whispered into his shoulder "What are you doing?"
The scarab crackled and hissed in response. [Radiation levels in the vicinity have risen to threatening levels. Enhancing carapace to withstand the threat.]
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Everyone in the room turned at Jaime's outburst. "Something in this room is throwing lots of radiation. We have to get everybody out now." He made a show of looking quickly around the room while whispering to the Scarab, "Can you find the source? Quickly, please."
[searching ... Estimate 77.96 probability that radiation source is Captain Atom or containment field surrounding him. Source may also be damaged headgear Riddler was using. Results are inconclusive.]
"Fat lot of help you are. Keep scanning, let me know the instant you isolate the source." With the situation as it was, Jaime wasn't too concerned with keeping his voice down. To the rest of the room, he said, "Come on, guys. Time to go!"
[Radiation increase detected. Jason, we need to resolve this situation now.
Firestorm turned to the rest of them. "If it's Captain Atom, he's not doing it on purpose. We need to get him out of that case!"
He looked back at the shimmering Atomic superhero. "Captain? Can you hear me? What's going on?"
Whatever it was in his system, if it wasn't completely neutralized would at least be lessened in severity.
She hoped.
[Source of the radiation spike has been identified as Captain Atom. The surge indicates that subject will achieve critical mass in less than ten minutes. Threat neutraliziation protocols engaging.] The armor along Blue Beetle's arm elongated into the cannon-like appendage that the scarab seemed to favor for some of it's most overt attacks.
Captain Atom shook his head weakly as he looked up at Jason. Cracks had were slowly spreading across his metallic features and a bright light was shining from within. "Firestorm...can't contain my radiation...have to...you have to stop me!"
Seconds after the contents of the vial had been emptied into Batman's bloodstream he shuddered. He pushed himself away from Nightwing he stood unsteadily looking around the laboratory. "Where is the Riddler?"
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
[Jason, we must act quickly. With your lack of control over the Firestorm Matrix, even you may not survive the detonation. Those around us within a radius I cannot even begin to approximate most certainly will not.
{I know we need to do something! Just shut up and let me think!}
Slowing his breathing and calming himself, Jason forced himself to talk calmly to his mentor. "Okay. I just need you to hold on as long as possible there Cap. We'll sort you out here, don't worry." His voice seemed a lot more confident that he really felt, the only think Jason could really think of right now was absorbing the excess energy flow, or moving Atom to another location...
As Batman spoke, Firestorm whirled around. Of course, the Riddler had done this, he'd know how to turn it back! Stomping over, he grabbed the prone man from the floor, and effortlessly transformed his mask gag to air. Slamming him against a filing cabinet, Jason snarled angrily into his face.
"Start talking"
Crap!
Batgirl looked from Captain Atom to Batman to Firestorm and back to Captain Atom.
The blue armored hero took a step back, "Listen, you say we have ten minutes. If Cap can't get his power back under control, do you think we can get him far enough away from the city so he doesn't kill all the people here?"
[That course of action is far too dangerous to this scarab. Estimate only 15% chance of surivival with...] "Can. We. Do. It. That's all I'm asking you. One other thing, can the armor form a radiation sheild big enough to reduce the exposure in this room? Not everyone has radiation shielding as a standard feature."
Jaime turned to watch Firestorm slam Riddler into the file cabnet, hopefully the other hero could get the information he was after soon. Time was ticking down.
The Riddler coughed weakly before he spoke with a satisfied grin. "Oh now you want to listen to me?"
Firestorm slammed the Riddler into the filing cabinet again rattling its contents as he did. "If you think I'm going to tell you anything then you should go ahead and check yourself into Arkham."
Before Firestorm could make another attempt to intimidate the supervillain he saw the man's eyes flick behind him and widen with terror. Jason turned and found himself face to face with Batman who had crossed the room noiselessly. Pushing Firestorm aside he seized the Riddler's purple tie and lifted him off of the ground with one arm. His eyes narrowed to white slits as he peered up at the helpless man in his grip. "Talk."
Kicking his chained feet violently the Riddler trembled in Batman's grip. "Alright! I said alright I'll talk! Somebody just get him away off of me!"
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
"It was going to be so perfect. Everyone would have finally been forced to admit that I am their mental superior. I just needed the right power source."
"You corrupted Atom's mind, forced him to channel as much as he could, but it was too much wasn't it?" Batman glanced at the imprisoned Captain Atom as he spoke.
"Without the helmet no one can stop it in time. We're all going to be reduced to ash within a matter of minutes..." The Riddler pointed at Batgirl and started shouting. "...and it's all her fault!"
Nightwing had been moving closer to Batman throughout the interrogation, and when he was within arms lenght and put a restraining hand on his former mentor's shoulder. "Batman you're not thinking clearly. Whatever the Riddler dosed you with is still in your system. Let us take it from here."
With speed that only came with a lifetime of practice and dedication Batman lashed out at Nightwing with a savage kick that sent him tumbling backwards across the lab. Dick skidded to a halt five feet away and came up in a crouch with one of his eskrima sticks clenched in his hand.
"If I have to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours than I will."
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
"Cut it out. We need to help Captain Atom, not fight between ourselves."
Any other time Jason would have balked at the idea of speaking to Batman like that. But right now, his mentor was in great danger, as was the life of everyone around them. You couldn't let nerves get the better of you when you were ten points down with only five minutes to go, and the same principle applied here.
Stepping over to the Riddler again, Firestorm dragged him up. "And Batgirl isn't the blame, Riddler. Youare. Why don't you prove how damn clever you are by figuring out a way to stop this." The villain grinned inanely back at him, and Firestorm felt a flash of genuine anger and frustration at his inability to get the man to talk. Dropping him, he walked back over to Captain Atom, whose horror at what was about to happen was apparent.
"I might be able to siphon off some of the energy. The Firestorm Matrix's powers are unlimited, as far as I know. But if it didn't work, then the energy surge would still be devastating, possibly even worse if the Matrix backlashed. We need to find a way to nullify his powers and quickly!" But who knew about Captain Atom's powers? Who would have that kind of knowledge.
Firestorm snapped his fingers. Maybe someone who had fought him before! Earlier on, Plastique's reaction to the Captain was definitely one with a history, and how else would Atom have interacted with a convicted supervillain? If they could contact her, perhaps she could help them. It was a long shot but maybe it could work...
"Does anyone have any way of contacting Belle Reve Penetentiary?
He looked up at Firestorm's question, "Uh, Yeah I think I can." [... Opening communication to Belle Reve Penetentiary.] The fingertips of the armor's left hand lit up with a soft white light. "Just speak in here and the guys on the other end can hear you."
The super villain sounded tired and irritable, as though she had just been woken up in Jason's opinion.
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
"Look, I know you're a super villain. But I've known enough criminals, hell, done enough things myself, to know that it's not always a choice and you're still a person despite breaking the law. Whatever you've done in the past, I don't think you'll let an entire city get burnt to ash if you can stop it. Please, Plastique. You're the only person I know who can help."
Firestorm's pulse began to race as he watched his mentor struggling to contain the deadly energy that was pouring out of him.
"But there is still a way to stop him from destroying the city. If he absorbs too much energy at once he'll be trasnported through time. It happened once when he tried to contain a radiation leak that I caused during a getaway." It sounded as though revealing this memory had cost her something. "It's the only way to save Gotham."
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
"So if we expose him to more energy, force him to absorb as much as we can, then that'll trigger the time travel?" Even saying it out loud seemed ridiculous, and Jason was highly dubious of this plan, and from the faces of the others as they heard the insane plan suggested they had similar feelings. But with time running out, they didn't seem to have many other choices...
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Firestorm shot Blue Beetle a withering glare, "Shutting up now."
[Ready to deploy Energy Cannon.]
Across the room Batman shifted slightly. "She's not lying."
Nightwing charged across the floor until he was standing face to face with the dark knight. "And you're willing to risk Captain Atom's life on your certainty of that! What if you're wrong?!" Batman didn't respond. Throwing his hands up in the air Nightwing turned towards Firestorm, Blue Beetle, and Batgirl. "Guys, Batgirl, please don't tell me you're going along with this."
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Dresden Files RPG- Dumb Luck
Playing Phillip Hess in Motor City Blues
GM of Dresden Files Low Life
GM of Star Wars Sagas Into the Unknown
GM of Star Wars Sagas Lost Hope- Concluded
GM of Star Wars Sagas the Dark Times- Concluded.
GM of Star Wars Sagas Jabba's Palace- Concluded due to injury.
Bart Allen/ The Flash in M&M Metropolis- Concluded.
Koyi Disturbances in the Force- Concluded.
Jessup Owlbeard Forge of the Dawn Titan- Withdrawn due to injury.
Sal Mander In the Shadow of Zeus- Concluded.
Zevoto in Out in the Black- Withdrawn due to injury.
GM of Wyvern Watch
Berru Secune in Rise of the Jedi
Turning back towards Captain Atom, Firestorm looked over at Blue Beetle and Supernova. "Okay, you guys have energy powers right? Or blasters, whatever. We need to hit Atom with everything we have, force him to time jump and burn off all his excess power. I can't do this alone, even with the Firestorm Matrix. You with me?"
He turned to look at Captain Atom, "If we're gonna do this, we should probably hit him with everything at once, right?"