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[IC] Mutants and Masterminds - Claremont Academy - Chapter 1: Orientation

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    ReynoldsReynolds Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Bombshell dragged the unconscious girl further away from the portal, a nice distance from the people bunching up. She sighed and stretched her back, chest jutting out as she recovered from hauling the dead weight around. "Sheesh. We should probably tie her up, or something." She glances around for assistance, but everyone seems distracted.

    "Great, thanks guys." She grumbles, oblivious to everyone's concerned shouting. She makes do with tying the girl's shoelaces together, looking for a belt, scarf, or other accessories she might be able to restrain her hands with. She's never done this before. "Shouldn't those teachers be here doin' this? Or the cops?"

    Reynolds on
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    DVGDVG No. 1 Honor Student Nether Institute, Evil AcademyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    The new portal opens on a rooftop nearby the crashed Warehouse. The police have begun closing off the scene, and paramedics are loading injured civilians, who were presumably not in the warehouse but near it when it crashed to the ground, onto stretchers and loading them into ambulances. It would be impossible to search the rubble for Kid Alchemist without drawing the attention of the authorities.

    DVG on
    Diablo 3 - DVG#1857
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    DE?ADDE?AD Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Skerrk peers through the portal for a moment before turning back to his classmates. He shakes his head sadly. "He hkhkhk-did not run fast enough. He is lost tko us now." The alien says this matter-of-factly, without any hint of consideration or remorse. "We can only hkope he wjill find shelter in the Next."

    DE?AD on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Tears still in his eyes, Kent says "We can't just abandon him... I'm going back."

    And Kent makes a break for the portal.

    El Skid on
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    LardalishLardalish Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    James dives in front of the portal blocking Kent's way, "Hold on, look Im not exactly happy with what happened and if theres anything I can do then I say we do it. But lets be smart about this, we're in a school filled with mutants, maybe we can find someone who can make us invisible or cause a distraction. If we just bust in like we are we will just make things worse. Which means less of a chance we can save Kid Alchemist." Then turning to address the staff "You know of anyone you can go grab that could help us out here?"

    Lardalish on
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    DVGDVG No. 1 Honor Student Nether Institute, Evil AcademyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Serena, stifles her tears a bit and tries to take on a presence more fitting of an elder student in a crisis.

    "The term hasn't started yet, there... there isn't anyone here, for the most part, besides freshmen. There wasn't anyone with invisibility control in the freshmen roster. We should... we need to get these guys out of here before they come to," she says referring to the unconscious ravers and metas that you brought back from the warehouse. "And then we need to figure out our next move. We don't... we don't know that he's dead. Navigatrix should be able to tell if he's used his powers since the portal closed."

    DVG on
    Diablo 3 - DVG#1857
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    "I can't risk that he's bleeding to death, or slowly being crushed. Someone has to do something now."

    Taking a moment to remember what area of the building Kid Alchemist was in when he last saw him and calculating a trajectory, Kent speeds up and as he gets through the portal leaps high into the air and off the building, where he is lost from view from the front lawn of the school for a disturbing amount of time.

    I...I didn't know I could jump that high. I think the landing might hurt, but I don't think people are going to see me coming, at least- At this angle, I'll be dropping almost straight downward into one of the bigger piles of rubble... Hopefully Kid Alchemist didn't move too far.

    No longer crying and his face filled with determination, Kent's lips move in silent prayer as he hurtles through the air at high speed.
    Kent is obviously using his leaping power for the first time. Hopefully not the last :P

    El Skid on
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    LardalishLardalish Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    "Ok, Im with Kent on this" James starts running towards the portal, "Better keep this portal open cause I think we'll need to get out of there fast!" James hurtles through the portal and upon reaching the edge of the building, he uses his two extra arms to push himself up into the air, "Ok, lets hope these work..." while James is beginning to drop his boots ignite and throw him forward, cutting out so he lands near the edge of the rubble. He immediately starts to remove any and every piece of debris in his way, using all four arms to clear the area, searching for Kid Alchemist. Hurling slabs of concrete and I-beams left and right, making sure to not throw them towards the bystanders.
    Ran through the portal, lifted myself up 50 feet putting me at about 70 and then using my gliding power to glide up to 140 feet and landing at the edge of the site. I think that should all be within my capabilities but if not Ill use the hero point.

    Lardalish on
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    DVGDVG No. 1 Honor Student Nether Institute, Evil AcademyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    "WHAT THE FUCK? FREEZE!"

    In a matter of seconds the four police officers assigned to the scene have pulled out their pistols and have them trained on James.

    "STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW!"

    James thinks he sees a red stain on one of the pieces of debris he chucks aside.

    DVG on
    Diablo 3 - DVG#1857
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    LardalishLardalish Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Without turning around James just yells "Can't do that for ya, be outta your way in a sec!" Still frantically searching the debris James notices something on one of the pieces, he looks over towards Kent "Hey! I might have found somethin! Get over here and give me a hand!" James directs all his attention to the area the stained chunk of rubble came from.

    Lardalish on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    With a large CRASH Kent lands in a heap of rubble a dozen feet from James. Staggering a bit but recovering quickly, Kent begins making his way over to James, heaving hundreds of pounds of rubble behind him with each hand, careful to keep the rubble from hitting anyone.

    Without pausing, Kent yells at the top of his lungs: "Don't mind us, we're just going to find our friend and we'll be out of your hair! It can't be against the law to search for someone trapped beneath rubble, can it?"

    El Skid on
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    DVGDVG No. 1 Honor Student Nether Institute, Evil AcademyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    As you throw back some more rubble, you find what made the red stain, it's almost too horrible to comprehend...

    A dark skinned arm has been detached from it's former body, clad in the Claremont blue and yellow. Not far from there is a structure that is in tact enough to give you an idea of what happen. It looks like Kid Alchemist attempted to make a quick shelter of sorts as the roof caved in, but it proved too weak to hold up the rubble crashing down. There is blood everywhere inside the fractured carapace, and some sort of arcane symbol traced there amongst the deep red. Your first thought is that the image is a pentagram, but as you look closer, it appears to be a much more complicated shape circumscribed in a circle. There is no sign of Kid Alchemist's body here beneath the rubble, apart from the detached arm.

    DVG on
    Diablo 3 - DVG#1857
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    LardalishLardalish Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    "Oh god...."

    James falls to his knees, overwhelmed by the horrific scene. "I... I should have grabbed him too... I shouldn't have left him... I could have.." He reaches out and snaps off the piece of rubble with the symbol on it . Suddenly, James starts flinging chunks of concrete left and right, making sure to keep the symbol safe, but no longer watching out for anyone else. "There has to be something else! He... he has to be here!"

    Lardalish on
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    ReynoldsReynolds Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Bombshell, not knowing what's happening on the other side of the new portal, looks towards the alien. Maybe. "Hey...uh...you! You're all ghosty. Did you ever see any...you know...prison-esque rooms in that place?" She points towards the school, before checking on her prisoner again.

    "We should prob'bly get her locked away somewhere. And uh...I guess her buddies, too."

    Reynolds on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    At first Kent didn't hear James' exclamation, being so intent on tossing aside the rubble safely while searching for any clue of Kid Alchemists' whereabouts.

    A few moments later, Kent meets up with his clearly devastated classmate and...the arm.

    "NOOOOO!" yells Kent, tears again streaming down his face, completely ignoring the police with their guns still trained on them.

    El Skid on
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    DVGDVG No. 1 Honor Student Nether Institute, Evil AcademyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    There doesn't appear to be any more signs of Kid Alchemist anywhere in the rubble.

    The officer in charge of the scene addresses you. "You kids know who blew up this building then? Put your hands in the air, NOW. You're coming with us."
    He's taking a "Cover" action, which means he's made an attack roll, but it doesn't resolve until you try to do something like move or attack"

    DVG on
    Diablo 3 - DVG#1857
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Through tears, Kent looks at Kid Alcehemist's arm.

    Looking blurrily at the officer, he'll blurt out "The place was being used to distribute drugs that gave you special powers when you took them...I dunno the name offhand. There was a fight and everyone but one person got out safely." Holding the arm up like some sort of talisman, Kent continues: "Sorry about the building, but I'm gonna see if I can find out what happened to our friend. I'll ask what the protocol is with dealing with the Police for us, but for now all I'll say is that I am not going to hurt you in any way- I'm just going to leave."

    Still carrying the arm, Kent looks over at the building where the portal is still outlined faintly against the sky and thinks for a moment, calculating forces. With another small prayer, he wipes tears from his eyes and takes a small running start, leaping high into the air.

    Hopefully I can hit the top of the building from here. And hopefully the roof can take the shock of me landing.

    El Skid on
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    DVGDVG No. 1 Honor Student Nether Institute, Evil AcademyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    As Kent makes his leap, Officer Bendis pulls the trigger on his pistol, putting a bullet square into Kent's Shoulder.
    http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1604207/ for an 18 when all he needed was 13. Pistol damage bonus is a +3, so El Skid, you need to make a DC 18 Toughness Save or potentially get a little hurt, I think the worst you can come off with is a bruise

    The other officers point their sidearms at the still stationary james, who has just finished removing the piece of slate the bloody sigil is drawn.

    Meanwhile back at Claremont Academy!
    Bombshell wrote:
    "We should prob'bly get her locked away somewhere. And uh...I guess her buddies, too."

    The Ant Boy stands up, having regained his composure. "We should probably open a portal to the police station and just dump the lot of them there. What do we want these crazies hanging around for?"

    DVG on
    Diablo 3 - DVG#1857
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    As Kent flies through the air (at quite remarkable speed), the bullet strikes his arm and ricochets off of it harmlessly.
    1d20+11 = 22= Successful soak

    Apparently they don't mind shooting at kids who obviously aren't out to hurt them. I didn't expect that...I hope James'll be okay.

    El Skid on
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    QuothQuoth the Raven Miami, FL FOR REALRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    "I'm with the insect," Grace says, shrugging at Ant Boy. "Maybe you could even scoot them back through the portal where they came from, since the place seems to be crawling with cops already."

    Quoth on
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    CrovaxanCrovaxan Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Severitis Stands just to the side of his portal looking out at the worsening situation on the other side with James and Kent. As soon as Kent makes it through Severitis becomes worried.

    "I can't believe they shot you! What about Interface? Perhaps i should try and grab him with my power?"

    Severitis looks uneasily through the portal at James. "I'm not sure if it would go awry like last time though."

    Crovaxan on
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    Crovax.436 Steam: Crovaxan
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    ReynoldsReynolds Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Bombshell blinks, looking confused. "But, won't they just...ya know...do that trippy thing and escape? I figured we had, like...a special place for them." She seems to remember something. "Oh! Like, all those rooms y'all got underground!"

    Reynolds on
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    DE?ADDE?AD Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Skerrk curls a number of tentacles around his chin thoughtfully. "I hk do not recall seeing any prisons on cjampus. If I understand it correctly, however, many of your species find it very hard to pass through even ordinary walls..."

    DE?AD on
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Landing on the roof, Kent hurries through the portal. Seeing everyone still there, he stands there, unsure of what to say.

    Holding the arm up, he opens his mouth, closes it and puts it gently on the ground.

    "I...I'm just going to go make sure James makes it back."

    With that, he returns through the portal.

    Dammit, why am I crying? I'm not a child any more... I'm not!

    El Skid on
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    LardalishLardalish Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    The gunshot shakes James out of his stupor, looking around he sees that Kent has headed back with the arm. Without acknowledging the guns trained on him, James walks towards the building that the portal is at and starts climbing up.
    Climb roll = 24

    I assume Imma be shot at but with a +7 to defense and 9 total in armor powers I think Im good.

    Lardalish on
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    DVGDVG No. 1 Honor Student Nether Institute, Evil AcademyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Yeah, you're good

    Interface comes clamboring back through the portal, which closes behind him and Kent, the rest of you notice they seem to be carrying a piece of slate with some sort of sigil drawn in blood and a severed arm, apparently belonging to Kid Alchemist.

    Whoop Ant: "Dude, the city has special prisons for... meta...meta-human... oh man. Is that? Oh man."

    DVG on
    Diablo 3 - DVG#1857
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Tears still hanging in his eyes, Kent looks at Whoop Ant and says sadly: "Yeah. It is. Let's get inside and tell a prof about this- the rest of him wasn't there, so he might still be alive".

    El Skid on
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    DVGDVG No. 1 Honor Student Nether Institute, Evil AcademyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    There is a soft moan and stirring sound, as you look down, it looks like one of the Ravers is coming to.

    DVG on
    Diablo 3 - DVG#1857
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    ReynoldsReynolds Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Bombshell ahs, nodding at that piece of information. "First day here n' all." She grinned, before turning towards the school. Slightly lost in thought, she mumbled to herself. "We should probably change. Even if this outfit's nice n'...snug." She snapped back to the situation, however, as one of the miscellaneous ravers they'd dragged out of the building piped up.

    "What was alla that about a portal to the Police station?"

    Reynolds on
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    QuothQuoth the Raven Miami, FL FOR REALRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Grace stares down at the Raver, itching to give him a swift kick in the noggin.

    "Do you think one of these kids might recognize that weird symbol? Or should we show the teachers first?"

    Quoth on
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    DVGDVG No. 1 Honor Student Nether Institute, Evil AcademyRegistered User regular
    edited May 2008
    Serena pipes up.

    "It looks... like one of his Transmutation symbols. When K.A. first got here, he had to draw circles with designs transcribed in them so he could use his power. But then last year he figured out a way to do it just by clapping his hands together and stopped using the physical circles altogether. They were always different depending on what sort of object he was trying to transmute. But I've never seen one like this before..."

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    Diablo 3 - DVG#1857
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited June 2008
    Pausing in the act of heading back towards the school, Kent stops.

    "So...So could he have transmuted the rest of his body into...something?"

    Kent looks suspiciously at the rock, with its strange symbol.

    "Like maybe a rock?"

    El Skid on
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    LardalishLardalish Registered User regular
    edited June 2008
    James whips around when he hears that "Wait, you mean he could still be alive? Who was teaching him these symbols? They've got to know what it is!"

    Lardalish on
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    DVGDVG No. 1 Honor Student Nether Institute, Evil AcademyRegistered User regular
    edited June 2008
    "He didn't have a teacher like a person might have a math teacher. He did have people who would put out new challenges for him, get him to try things he hadn't before. He had a diary of sorts where he would scribble designs and write out material compositions and things like that. But he couldn't have turned himself into anything else. He told me once about how living material couldn't be transmuted. He said that... that you could never know what was going to happen with a living creature."

    DVG on
    Diablo 3 - DVG#1857
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    DVGDVG No. 1 Honor Student Nether Institute, Evil AcademyRegistered User regular
    edited June 2008
    Serena looks down at the collected Ravers. "We really ought to get ride of these guys before they come to and see the school.

    She draws out a long wand made out of Rosewood and gives it a wave, and a Purple Portal opens up before you, on the other side it looks like a large temporary holding cell, much like a drunk tank. She starts hovering Unconscious perps through directed by her wand.

    After the portal closed again, she looks up towards the school. She reaches a hand up to her ear. "Navigatrix, we need to see Professor Summers in the Briefing Room, right away. There's been an accident."

    She starts walking towards the school.

    DVG on
    Diablo 3 - DVG#1857
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited June 2008
    Kent follows Serena, the arm cradled gently before him.

    El Skid on
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    QuothQuoth the Raven Miami, FL FOR REALRegistered User regular
    edited June 2008
    Great. Our first mission and one of us comes back in pieces.

    Grace frowns and heads after the two students.

    Quoth on
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    ReynoldsReynolds Gone Fishin'Registered User regular
    edited June 2008
    She didn't really catch most of the conversation, but she did notice the chunk of arm. Her eyes widened, before she looked away. "Ew...gross." Bombshell turned away from the sight, towards the school, before freezing as limp bodies starting floating around her. It took her a few moments to determine what was happening, letting out a breath she didn't know she'd gasped in, as unconscious crooks were deposited in the holding cell.

    "Well, that's all good 'n done now." She started heading towards the school, lagging slightly behind most of the crowd as she avoided Kent, James, and the odd things they were carrying. "Been a long day already. Maybe we'll get tomorrow off...?" She suggested to noone in particular, adjusting her suit as she walked.

    Reynolds on
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    DVGDVG No. 1 Honor Student Nether Institute, Evil AcademyRegistered User regular
    edited June 2008
    You arrive back in the briefing room, where Professors Summers and Archer are already seated and waiting. Professor Archer looks genuinely shocked and horrified as he sees the desimbodied arm and realizes what's about to follow, whereas Duncan's expression remains stony and inscrutable.

    Serena begins speaking about the whole experience. About falling into the warehouse and being forced into a nightmare state. She details what she knows about the rescue, and about the warehouse coming down (though she does leave out the specific details about what caused the explosion) and how Kid Alchemist attempted to keep the building together until everyone had escaped.

    Professor Summers dismisses everyone after the debriefing, assuring them that he will personally take up the search for Kid Alchemist with the help of Navigatrix and the senior students who will be arriving back later this week.

    "For now, I think you've had quite enough to deal with for tonight. Serena, could you please show them back to the Dormitory?"

    Serena explains that there is normally a more formal tour and a naming ceremony on orientation day, but they will have to wait until a little later, given what's happened.

    The common area in the dormitory would be impressive if the weight of what just happened wasn't heavy on the minds of most everyone in the room. Big comfy couches and arm chairs are arranged are the room, with desks along the side of the walls for help studying, as well as a large-screened television with various games hooked up, which currently sits ignored as the other freshmen crowd you to find out what happened...

    A Week Later
    You all find yourself seated around a few large round tables in the cafeteria, which is now full to capacity of older students back from the summer. The laughter and high spirits of friends seeing each other for the first time in months almost seems foreign given the general mood of the place the last week, but it hard to not smile all the same.

    As you eat breakfast, Professor Archer walks by and hands everyone a class schedule.

    "Here you go guys, hope your ready to get started," he says with a smile before heading off to the other tables.

    Class Schedule - Freshmen
    * History of Meta-Humans: Bo Hoppee
    * 4th Dimensional Physics: Darian Skyler
    * Super-Human Sciences: Stephanie Harcourt
    * Meta-Human Ethics: Leeroy Hawke
    * Practical Physical Education: Alan Archer

    DVG on
    Diablo 3 - DVG#1857
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    El SkidEl Skid The frozen white northRegistered User regular
    edited June 2008
    Taking his schedule, Kent's expression goes from dubious to gleeful in the couple of seconds it takes him to read his course names.

    "Oh wow! I thought they were gonna keep us to the public school curriculum with some extra stuff added in. We get to do advanced physics, and gym class looks like it'll be sweet."

    Looking around at his classmates, he seems puzzled that not all of them are reacting as excitedly as he is.

    El Skid on
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