Holding Out For A Hero: An Original Superhero Quest
- Thread starter Agent 99
- Start date
- Original Superhero
...
You don't know what you're doing. Nothing much is gonna change. The people in charge are going to change, but you're sure that you're going to accomplish anything here. Still, now that you know that the three most dangerous people in the city are going to be in one place, you can't just do nothing. You're going to see this through to the end. Besides, if it makes a bit of difference, if your actions save even one life, then it has to be worth it.
After you get off of the train, you walk the rest of the way. The sun is still down and the streetlights are still glowing a bright white as you make your way across the deserted bridge, the skyscrapers of downtown looming over you in the distance. You cross the bridge and continue your walk. As you walk across the nearly empty bridge, you tap your earpiece.
"Hey Kells, are you there?" You hear a yawn from the other side. "So, about 50 to 60 percent there, I assume"
"Hey, I'm tired, but I assure you that I'm at least 99% here" Jasmine says from the other end. You can hear some muffled music from your end.
"And the other 1 percent is listening to Space Oddity?" You snark.
"Street Justice, actually" Jasmine says. "Figure it'll be good luck. And since there's barely any traffic cams in Roanoke Junction, we're gonna need it"
"Just keep an ear on the police scanner." You say. "If if the cops are on the way, I wanna know"
"Fair enough. And... thanks. For bringing me onto this" Jasmine says. "I can't believe we're gonna take out the coalition! Oh, I can't wait!" You can almost hear her fist-pumping, even though she still sounds barely awake
"Hey, let's wait till this is done. We can get drinks to celebrate afterwards" You say with a smile.
When you get to the Lucky 7's, see a white van that wasn't there before. It doesn't have any windows beside the windshield and the ones on either side of the front seats. No identifying marks. not even a license plate. Peeking into the van, you see that its empty, so you head inside the bar, glancing at the van as you enter. After you close the door, you hear a pair of voices as you walk down the hallway.
"I mean, I dunno. I guess it felt more... abstract last night. Like we were just talking about it as an idea..."
"Well, now we're making it concrete. Find your nuts, wherever you put them, because this is happening"
"But, what if... if someone finds out who I am, I'm fucked! I'm either gonna have to leave town or I'm gonna end up in the river in a week!"
"Look, just wait for Vigil and I to get their attention, you can probably take one or two of 'em out before they can even get their heads on straight. We take all of them out, then we get back before lunch"
When you get inside, you see a pair of faces. One familiar, one not. You see Stampede, in an orange and white bodysuit, the same one she wore when she was piloting her mech. The other, Crush, this time wearing a black and white costume with arrows on the torso pointing a central point at his chest, his mask, which looks like its carved of some carbon fiber, is on the bar top.
Crush thinks about it for a moment. "You know what, you're right. We got this!" He says, smiling. Then, he notices you. "Hey, its Vigil!... Where's your armor?"
You summon your armor. There's a flash of light and you're standing in the middle of the bar in full plate. Crush jumps up and makes a squeaking sound. "Walking here in full plate isn't exactly inconspicuous" You say.
Stampede chuckles and pats the younger man on the back. Crush just sings down, looking embarrassed.
"Hey, you know about the van outside?" You ask.
"Yup. Its our getaway" Stampede answers. Then, she sees the look you give her. "Its faster than it looks. Plus, I have a couple of surprises if things get dicy." She says with a sinister smile.
"Alright, so that's Vigil" Crush says.
"The Vigil" Stampede corrects.
"Right, you, me, and The Vigil. Gangbuster's in the bathroom. So we're just waiting on Gladiatrix." He says. "Unless you got those other guys to join up?" He asks.
Stampede shakes her head. "They said it was too dangerous. As if we go out there and fight criminals in our pajamas because its safe." She says.
"You go to bed in your mech?" You ask, eyebrow raised with a smile on your face.
"Used to. Stampede kept breaking the beds, so I put a pillow in the mech and sleep there. Even with the maintenance, its still cheaper than renting an apartment in this city" She says, chuckling in a way that makes you wonder just how much she was joking.
The steel door to the bar opens again, and Gladiatrix comes in. She's wearing a backpack, presumably carrying her costume. Though she is still carrying her hog-splitter.
"Look who it is!" Crush says. "Looks like that's everyone"
"Sup" Gladiatrix says. Then, she looks around the bar. "Wait, where's Gangbuster?"
"There's a bathroom in the back. The bar's closed so go ahead and change as soon as Gangbuster's done." Stampede says, pointing over her shoulder.
Gangbuster is dressed in a military-like outfit. The camouflage is a gray, with square and rectangle shapes instead of the regular camouflage you'd think of. He's wearing a combination of helmet and kevlar mask to protect his head. He has a vest that holds several spare magazines and a couple of grenades for his rifle, which is slung behind his back.
"Looks like we're all here, and just in time. We gotta leave..." He looks at his watch "Really fucking soon."
Gladiatrix nods and heads to the bathroom to change. "Keep your shirt on. This won't take long" She says before heading to the restroom to change.
As she does so, Crush turns to you three. "So, who has the explosives? You said that we we're bringing the walls down right?"
Gangbuster gives a large grin. "Oh, you're gonna love this..." He says. He walks to the other side of one of the couches and lifts up a metal crate. He walks over and places it on the bar top, unzipping it to reveal that its full of explosives and a pair of aerosol cans. Though you see that these cans have been painted over, with the word "THERMITE" written in black letters.
"Woah, where did you even get all of this?" Crush asks. he reaches for the explosives, but Gangbuster slaps his hand away.
"Unless you've been certified with these things, Do. Not. Touch" He says, glaring at the younger man, who visibly shrinks back. "Now, the C4 will be Vigil and Stampede's way in. Should be nice and loud"
"With that much C4, it should be loud enough to shatter every window in five blocks" You say, looking at the C4."
"It helps to be over-prepared" Gangbuster says. "Anyway, everyone else will use the thermite to cut through the loading bay doors. It's quieter, but it'll take a bit of time, so make sure to keep them off us, alright?"
"Don't worry, The VIgil and I will take care of that little detail, right?" Stampede says, lightly elbowing your arm.
Around this time, Gladiatrix's dressed similarly as to when she was a cape. A kevlar bodysuit with a metal helmet and metal armor around her torso, legs and left arm, looking like she took some armor from one of those RPGs that Jasmine always plays.
"Alright, I'm ready to head out" She says, spinning her hog-splitter.
"Sweet. Alright everyone, lets get to the van. Gangbuster, you're driving. My mech'll meet us there" Stampede says, taping something on a smartphone all leave the bar, spirits high.
........................................................
Freddy pulls the car up to the warehouse, the property bright white and devoid of any logos or identifying features. Not unlike many of the other buildings nearby. There aren't many people on the street around here. Train tracks run parallel to the street, the tracks themselves leading to other nearby warehouses that are actually in use. The sun is starting to peek out.
The three men entered the building. through a glass door. The building is lit with florescent white lights. The area in front of them was surrounded by a chain link fence that reached the already high ceiling, marks on the floor where tables and benches once were for the revolving door of prospective workers to wait when this warehouse was still in use. The far wall is lined with shutter doors used whenever something needed to be loaded or unloaded. A pair of gaps where metal detectors once stood, beside the reception desk marked the way forward. Their footsteps echoed in the hollow building as they walked on the concrete floor.
Freddy sees one of the other body guards. From his outfit, it looked like one of Nikuya's. As opposed to the suit jackets he and Al wore, the man in front of them was wearing a vest with a burgundy tie. And while he was carrying a gun, the first thing Freddy noticed were his eyes. They were pitch black, as if he was staring at them with empty sockets.
"Good to see you here. Nikuya is already waiting in the meeting room." The man says in a polite tone.
"Eh, just point me to where she is" Contanti says, barely looking at the man. They may be allies, but he wasn't one of Contanti's men.
"Of course, sir." In the distance, he could see what looked like a panic room installed. Large, installed against one of the walls, the panic room was made of thick concrete and metal.
He wasn't expecting that...
"Looks like we're just waiting on Geist. Fucker's always late" Contanti says as he makes his way to the panic room. "Alright, Al, with me. Freddy, make sure no one who isn't on the guest list goes in." Freddy gives an acknowledgement and gets into position.
"Just stay cool." Freddy hears Al's voice in his head. "We'll be in and out in no time. Just don't fuck this up"
Freddy did as he was instructed, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
........................................................
The van drives through the Roanoke Junction, a neighborhood northeast of Southlake. You don't come around here much, so the streets are foreign to you. But you're pretty sure that if push comes to shove, you could get back to more familiar territory.
"So, you have someone on the other end of the comms looking out for police, and stuff like that?" Gangbuster asks as he drives. The car that Operative is in is a few minutes ahead, and since you already know where he's going, you don't need to tail him. All he needs to focus on is not making any mistakes. It would be embarrassing to be on the way to fight three mob bosses and get pulled over for running a stop sign.
"And to contact the cops to arrest them if they aren't on the way already." You say.
"I don't think that's gonna happen. Arresting them, I mean." Gladiatrix says. "I mean, even if they don't get caught in the crossfire or go down fighting, they're gonna get out of jail before we even get home"
"She's right" Gangbuster says, nodding. "And after that, who are they gonna come after? Us, our families, anyone we ever met is gonna end up feeding fish in the river if these guys walk away."
Crush looks a little more conflicted. "Well, I mean, if they're fighting back, that's one thing. But if they surrender, don't we kinda have to not kill them?"
"Don't tell me you're getting soft on me" Stampede says with a grin.
"If we kill everyone who surrenders, then no one's ever gonna surrender. I mean, why would they? Might as well fight to the end if you're gonna end up dead either way" You point out.
"I mean, I guess I see where you're coming from in normal circumstances, but here and now?" Gangbuster retorts. "We need to make sure no one walks away"
[] Try to persuade them to try not to kill anyone if they can help it.
- [] Write in your reason
[] Concede that they have a point
[] Write in.
After you get off of the train, you walk the rest of the way. The sun is still down and the streetlights are still glowing a bright white as you make your way across the deserted bridge, the skyscrapers of downtown looming over you in the distance. You cross the bridge and continue your walk. As you walk across the nearly empty bridge, you tap your earpiece.
"Hey Kells, are you there?" You hear a yawn from the other side. "So, about 50 to 60 percent there, I assume"
"Hey, I'm tired, but I assure you that I'm at least 99% here" Jasmine says from the other end. You can hear some muffled music from your end.
"And the other 1 percent is listening to Space Oddity?" You snark.
"Street Justice, actually" Jasmine says. "Figure it'll be good luck. And since there's barely any traffic cams in Roanoke Junction, we're gonna need it"
"Just keep an ear on the police scanner." You say. "If if the cops are on the way, I wanna know"
"Fair enough. And... thanks. For bringing me onto this" Jasmine says. "I can't believe we're gonna take out the coalition! Oh, I can't wait!" You can almost hear her fist-pumping, even though she still sounds barely awake
"Hey, let's wait till this is done. We can get drinks to celebrate afterwards" You say with a smile.
When you get to the Lucky 7's, see a white van that wasn't there before. It doesn't have any windows beside the windshield and the ones on either side of the front seats. No identifying marks. not even a license plate. Peeking into the van, you see that its empty, so you head inside the bar, glancing at the van as you enter. After you close the door, you hear a pair of voices as you walk down the hallway.
"I mean, I dunno. I guess it felt more... abstract last night. Like we were just talking about it as an idea..."
"Well, now we're making it concrete. Find your nuts, wherever you put them, because this is happening"
"But, what if... if someone finds out who I am, I'm fucked! I'm either gonna have to leave town or I'm gonna end up in the river in a week!"
"Look, just wait for Vigil and I to get their attention, you can probably take one or two of 'em out before they can even get their heads on straight. We take all of them out, then we get back before lunch"
When you get inside, you see a pair of faces. One familiar, one not. You see Stampede, in an orange and white bodysuit, the same one she wore when she was piloting her mech. The other, Crush, this time wearing a black and white costume with arrows on the torso pointing a central point at his chest, his mask, which looks like its carved of some carbon fiber, is on the bar top.
Crush thinks about it for a moment. "You know what, you're right. We got this!" He says, smiling. Then, he notices you. "Hey, its Vigil!... Where's your armor?"
You summon your armor. There's a flash of light and you're standing in the middle of the bar in full plate. Crush jumps up and makes a squeaking sound. "Walking here in full plate isn't exactly inconspicuous" You say.
Stampede chuckles and pats the younger man on the back. Crush just sings down, looking embarrassed.
"Hey, you know about the van outside?" You ask.
"Yup. Its our getaway" Stampede answers. Then, she sees the look you give her. "Its faster than it looks. Plus, I have a couple of surprises if things get dicy." She says with a sinister smile.
"Alright, so that's Vigil" Crush says.
"The Vigil" Stampede corrects.
"Right, you, me, and The Vigil. Gangbuster's in the bathroom. So we're just waiting on Gladiatrix." He says. "Unless you got those other guys to join up?" He asks.
Stampede shakes her head. "They said it was too dangerous. As if we go out there and fight criminals in our pajamas because its safe." She says.
"You go to bed in your mech?" You ask, eyebrow raised with a smile on your face.
"Used to. Stampede kept breaking the beds, so I put a pillow in the mech and sleep there. Even with the maintenance, its still cheaper than renting an apartment in this city" She says, chuckling in a way that makes you wonder just how much she was joking.
The steel door to the bar opens again, and Gladiatrix comes in. She's wearing a backpack, presumably carrying her costume. Though she is still carrying her hog-splitter.
"Look who it is!" Crush says. "Looks like that's everyone"
"Sup" Gladiatrix says. Then, she looks around the bar. "Wait, where's Gangbuster?"
"There's a bathroom in the back. The bar's closed so go ahead and change as soon as Gangbuster's done." Stampede says, pointing over her shoulder.
Gangbuster is dressed in a military-like outfit. The camouflage is a gray, with square and rectangle shapes instead of the regular camouflage you'd think of. He's wearing a combination of helmet and kevlar mask to protect his head. He has a vest that holds several spare magazines and a couple of grenades for his rifle, which is slung behind his back.
"Looks like we're all here, and just in time. We gotta leave..." He looks at his watch "Really fucking soon."
Gladiatrix nods and heads to the bathroom to change. "Keep your shirt on. This won't take long" She says before heading to the restroom to change.
As she does so, Crush turns to you three. "So, who has the explosives? You said that we we're bringing the walls down right?"
Gangbuster gives a large grin. "Oh, you're gonna love this..." He says. He walks to the other side of one of the couches and lifts up a metal crate. He walks over and places it on the bar top, unzipping it to reveal that its full of explosives and a pair of aerosol cans. Though you see that these cans have been painted over, with the word "THERMITE" written in black letters.
"Woah, where did you even get all of this?" Crush asks. he reaches for the explosives, but Gangbuster slaps his hand away.
"Unless you've been certified with these things, Do. Not. Touch" He says, glaring at the younger man, who visibly shrinks back. "Now, the C4 will be Vigil and Stampede's way in. Should be nice and loud"
"With that much C4, it should be loud enough to shatter every window in five blocks" You say, looking at the C4."
"It helps to be over-prepared" Gangbuster says. "Anyway, everyone else will use the thermite to cut through the loading bay doors. It's quieter, but it'll take a bit of time, so make sure to keep them off us, alright?"
"Don't worry, The VIgil and I will take care of that little detail, right?" Stampede says, lightly elbowing your arm.
Around this time, Gladiatrix's dressed similarly as to when she was a cape. A kevlar bodysuit with a metal helmet and metal armor around her torso, legs and left arm, looking like she took some armor from one of those RPGs that Jasmine always plays.
"Alright, I'm ready to head out" She says, spinning her hog-splitter.
"Sweet. Alright everyone, lets get to the van. Gangbuster, you're driving. My mech'll meet us there" Stampede says, taping something on a smartphone all leave the bar, spirits high.
........................................................
Freddy pulls the car up to the warehouse, the property bright white and devoid of any logos or identifying features. Not unlike many of the other buildings nearby. There aren't many people on the street around here. Train tracks run parallel to the street, the tracks themselves leading to other nearby warehouses that are actually in use. The sun is starting to peek out.
The three men entered the building. through a glass door. The building is lit with florescent white lights. The area in front of them was surrounded by a chain link fence that reached the already high ceiling, marks on the floor where tables and benches once were for the revolving door of prospective workers to wait when this warehouse was still in use. The far wall is lined with shutter doors used whenever something needed to be loaded or unloaded. A pair of gaps where metal detectors once stood, beside the reception desk marked the way forward. Their footsteps echoed in the hollow building as they walked on the concrete floor.
Freddy sees one of the other body guards. From his outfit, it looked like one of Nikuya's. As opposed to the suit jackets he and Al wore, the man in front of them was wearing a vest with a burgundy tie. And while he was carrying a gun, the first thing Freddy noticed were his eyes. They were pitch black, as if he was staring at them with empty sockets.
"Good to see you here. Nikuya is already waiting in the meeting room." The man says in a polite tone.
"Eh, just point me to where she is" Contanti says, barely looking at the man. They may be allies, but he wasn't one of Contanti's men.
"Of course, sir." In the distance, he could see what looked like a panic room installed. Large, installed against one of the walls, the panic room was made of thick concrete and metal.
He wasn't expecting that...
"Looks like we're just waiting on Geist. Fucker's always late" Contanti says as he makes his way to the panic room. "Alright, Al, with me. Freddy, make sure no one who isn't on the guest list goes in." Freddy gives an acknowledgement and gets into position.
"Just stay cool." Freddy hears Al's voice in his head. "We'll be in and out in no time. Just don't fuck this up"
Freddy did as he was instructed, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.
........................................................
The van drives through the Roanoke Junction, a neighborhood northeast of Southlake. You don't come around here much, so the streets are foreign to you. But you're pretty sure that if push comes to shove, you could get back to more familiar territory.
"So, you have someone on the other end of the comms looking out for police, and stuff like that?" Gangbuster asks as he drives. The car that Operative is in is a few minutes ahead, and since you already know where he's going, you don't need to tail him. All he needs to focus on is not making any mistakes. It would be embarrassing to be on the way to fight three mob bosses and get pulled over for running a stop sign.
"And to contact the cops to arrest them if they aren't on the way already." You say.
"I don't think that's gonna happen. Arresting them, I mean." Gladiatrix says. "I mean, even if they don't get caught in the crossfire or go down fighting, they're gonna get out of jail before we even get home"
"She's right" Gangbuster says, nodding. "And after that, who are they gonna come after? Us, our families, anyone we ever met is gonna end up feeding fish in the river if these guys walk away."
Crush looks a little more conflicted. "Well, I mean, if they're fighting back, that's one thing. But if they surrender, don't we kinda have to not kill them?"
"Don't tell me you're getting soft on me" Stampede says with a grin.
"If we kill everyone who surrenders, then no one's ever gonna surrender. I mean, why would they? Might as well fight to the end if you're gonna end up dead either way" You point out.
"I mean, I guess I see where you're coming from in normal circumstances, but here and now?" Gangbuster retorts. "We need to make sure no one walks away"
[] Try to persuade them to try not to kill anyone if they can help it.
- [] Write in your reason
[] Concede that they have a point
[] Write in.
- Pronouns
- He
[X]Write=in
-[X]Question for Gladiatrix-what keeps Heroes from eating retaliation from criminals like this, much less angry Supervillians?
Pointing out a flaw in the argument with pragmatic reasoning.
-[X]Question for Gladiatrix-what keeps Heroes from eating retaliation from criminals like this, much less angry Supervillians?
Pointing out a flaw in the argument with pragmatic reasoning.
...
"Same reason why criminals don't generally go after feds or cops" Gladiatrix says. "You know what happened to Lussiac after what she did at the funeral?"
"Dead" You say.
"Decapitated" Gladiatrix clarifies.
"Wait, they cut her head off?" You ask. You heard that she died when fighting Saber, but you didn't know that she got her head cut off. That... you didn't think that Heroes would generally be the type to do that.
"Yeah. They got her in a week. If you kill a Cape, cop, or a fed, pretty much everyone is gonna be after you. Every Hero, every cop, That's a lot of people and a lot of resources dedicated specifically to making sure that you have a really bad day.. Its even worse if you go after a Cape's family." Gladiatrix looks out of the window, single story buildings with peeling paint and empty lots of overgrown vegetation passing the car by.
"It can't be every one. " Crush says. "I mean, they have other shit to do, right?"
"You know what I mean, Crush" Gladiatrix says, looking slightly annoyed. "Anyway, as for why they can get away with shit and we can't, we don't have any of that. They kill one of us, then the only people they have to worry about are people who'd try and kill them anyway. They don't have to worry about teams of investigators with a personal grudge."
"And you know they aren't gonna look too hard if its one of us that ends up dead" Gangbuster says.
"To be fair, they probibly wouldn't have found Lussiac if it wasn't for me and The Vigil." Stampede pipes in.
"What?" Gladiatrix, Gangbuster, and Crush all say at the same time.
"Yeah. Operative, Stampede, and I raided one of her hideouts. That's how we found out where she was" You say. "From there, we forwarded the info to the cops, and here we are."
"Though credit where its due, The Vigil and his friend were the ones who found the hideout. We couldn't have done it without them" Stampede says.
"Aw... Can you tell Stampede that I said thanks?" Jasmine asks from your earpiece.
"That friend just said thank you." You say to Stampede. She gives you a thumbs up.
"Well, I mean, good job, but the point still stands" Gladiatrix says. "Killing someone in law enforcement is a lot more dangerous, and is probably a lot more trouble than its worth for these guys"
"Wait w-w-wait a minute, I think we kinda lost the plot, guys" Crush says. "We're talking about what we're doing here, right?"
"Yeah, about how much we're gonna leave for the cops when we're done." Stampede says. "All honesty, I'm just here for the scrap. I'm good with whatever you guys decide." She shrugs.
"What's your problem with killing, anyway?" Gladiatrix asks. "I mean, what we're doing isn't exactly legal, and I know you don't have a problem with violence."
[] I don't want to be a killer. Fighting is one thing. But killing someone who can't fight back? Its wrong.
[] I'm here because I want to fight crime. Lord knows the city needs all the help it can get with that. But it isn't my place to execute someone for their crimes. Its a jury's job to do that.
[] If I get caught, then the DA will probably be easier on me if I haven't killed a hundred people.
[] Write in
"We're almost there." Gangbuster says as he makes a turn. "Get ready, things are about to get hot."
You look up and see the building coming up. It isn't much from the outside, but you suspect that's on purpose. You don't have a building that looks like an evil lair from the outside if you're an actual criminal. That's reserved for eccentric rich people who like to larp. Or people so powerful that they don't give a shit if people know if they're evil.
You could try to persuade the people in the car to be less lethal when you start the attack.
[] Try to persuade your allies not to try to kill the bosses (Diplomacy)
[] Agree to disagree. You'll try to be non-lethal. What they do is their business.
[] Concede their points. You're going to go in for the kill.
[] Write in
"Dead" You say.
"Decapitated" Gladiatrix clarifies.
"Wait, they cut her head off?" You ask. You heard that she died when fighting Saber, but you didn't know that she got her head cut off. That... you didn't think that Heroes would generally be the type to do that.
"Yeah. They got her in a week. If you kill a Cape, cop, or a fed, pretty much everyone is gonna be after you. Every Hero, every cop, That's a lot of people and a lot of resources dedicated specifically to making sure that you have a really bad day.. Its even worse if you go after a Cape's family." Gladiatrix looks out of the window, single story buildings with peeling paint and empty lots of overgrown vegetation passing the car by.
"It can't be every one. " Crush says. "I mean, they have other shit to do, right?"
"You know what I mean, Crush" Gladiatrix says, looking slightly annoyed. "Anyway, as for why they can get away with shit and we can't, we don't have any of that. They kill one of us, then the only people they have to worry about are people who'd try and kill them anyway. They don't have to worry about teams of investigators with a personal grudge."
"And you know they aren't gonna look too hard if its one of us that ends up dead" Gangbuster says.
"To be fair, they probibly wouldn't have found Lussiac if it wasn't for me and The Vigil." Stampede pipes in.
"What?" Gladiatrix, Gangbuster, and Crush all say at the same time.
"Yeah. Operative, Stampede, and I raided one of her hideouts. That's how we found out where she was" You say. "From there, we forwarded the info to the cops, and here we are."
"Though credit where its due, The Vigil and his friend were the ones who found the hideout. We couldn't have done it without them" Stampede says.
"Aw... Can you tell Stampede that I said thanks?" Jasmine asks from your earpiece.
"That friend just said thank you." You say to Stampede. She gives you a thumbs up.
"Well, I mean, good job, but the point still stands" Gladiatrix says. "Killing someone in law enforcement is a lot more dangerous, and is probably a lot more trouble than its worth for these guys"
"Wait w-w-wait a minute, I think we kinda lost the plot, guys" Crush says. "We're talking about what we're doing here, right?"
"Yeah, about how much we're gonna leave for the cops when we're done." Stampede says. "All honesty, I'm just here for the scrap. I'm good with whatever you guys decide." She shrugs.
"What's your problem with killing, anyway?" Gladiatrix asks. "I mean, what we're doing isn't exactly legal, and I know you don't have a problem with violence."
[] I don't want to be a killer. Fighting is one thing. But killing someone who can't fight back? Its wrong.
[] I'm here because I want to fight crime. Lord knows the city needs all the help it can get with that. But it isn't my place to execute someone for their crimes. Its a jury's job to do that.
[] If I get caught, then the DA will probably be easier on me if I haven't killed a hundred people.
[] Write in
"We're almost there." Gangbuster says as he makes a turn. "Get ready, things are about to get hot."
You look up and see the building coming up. It isn't much from the outside, but you suspect that's on purpose. You don't have a building that looks like an evil lair from the outside if you're an actual criminal. That's reserved for eccentric rich people who like to larp. Or people so powerful that they don't give a shit if people know if they're evil.
You could try to persuade the people in the car to be less lethal when you start the attack.
[] Try to persuade your allies not to try to kill the bosses (Diplomacy)
[] Agree to disagree. You'll try to be non-lethal. What they do is their business.
[] Concede their points. You're going to go in for the kill.
[] Write in
- Location
- Southampton, Great Britain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] I don't want to be a murderer. Fighting is one thing and while I would rather avoid it myself if I can, I can accept taking a life in the heat of battle. But killing someone in cold blood? It's wrong.
-[X] And on the pragmatic side of things, if I get caught, then the DA will probably be easier on me if I haven't killed a hundred people.
I don't want to intentionally kill or kill at all if we can help it, but I will accept/tolerate killing in the heat of battle because that happens sometimes. Executing someone in cold blood is just murder.
[X] Agree to disagree. You'll try to be non-lethal. What they do is their business.
Best option. I don't want to burn bridges trying to get them to be nonlethal, but I don't want to start killing ourselves.
-[X] And on the pragmatic side of things, if I get caught, then the DA will probably be easier on me if I haven't killed a hundred people.
I don't want to intentionally kill or kill at all if we can help it, but I will accept/tolerate killing in the heat of battle because that happens sometimes. Executing someone in cold blood is just murder.
[X] Agree to disagree. You'll try to be non-lethal. What they do is their business.
Best option. I don't want to burn bridges trying to get them to be nonlethal, but I don't want to start killing ourselves.
Last edited:
- Location
- PA
[X] I don't want to be a murder. Fighting is one thing and while I would rather avoid it myself if I can, I can accept taking a life in the heat of battle. But killing someone in cold blood? It's wrong.
-[X] And on the pragmatic side of things, if I get caught, then the DA will probably be easier on me if I haven't killed a hundred people.
[X] Agree to disagree. You'll try to be non-lethal. What they do is their business.
-[X] And on the pragmatic side of things, if I get caught, then the DA will probably be easier on me if I haven't killed a hundred people.
[X] Agree to disagree. You'll try to be non-lethal. What they do is their business.
- Pronouns
- He
[X] I don't want to be a murder. Fighting is one thing and while I would rather avoid it myself if I can, I can accept taking a life in the heat of battle. But killing someone in cold blood? It's wrong.
-[X] And on the pragmatic side of things, if I get caught, then the DA will probably be easier on me if I haven't killed a hundred people.
[X] Try to persuade your allies not to try to kill the bosses (Diplomacy)
-[X] And on the pragmatic side of things, if I get caught, then the DA will probably be easier on me if I haven't killed a hundred people.
[X] Try to persuade your allies not to try to kill the bosses (Diplomacy)
Barondoctor
The things I chase come to me.
- Location
- The other side of the mirror
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
Killing isn't desirable, but it is inevitable with that much force getting thrown around and the danger level being that high. We gotta get ourselves home. Killing people that aren't trying to kill you back isn't even fun. I mean, I don't plan on shedding any tears for our opponents, but it's less about them and more about who we are and who we want to be.
[X] I don't want to be a murder. Fighting is one thing and while I would rather avoid it myself if I can, I can accept taking a life in the heat of battle. But killing someone in cold blood? It's wrong.
-[X] And on the pragmatic side of things, if I get caught, then the DA will probably be easier on me if I haven't killed a hundred people.
[X] Agree to disagree. You'll try to be non-lethal. What they do is their business.
[X] I don't want to be a murder. Fighting is one thing and while I would rather avoid it myself if I can, I can accept taking a life in the heat of battle. But killing someone in cold blood? It's wrong.
-[X] And on the pragmatic side of things, if I get caught, then the DA will probably be easier on me if I haven't killed a hundred people.
[X] Agree to disagree. You'll try to be non-lethal. What they do is their business.
-[X] And on the pragmatic side of things, if I get caught, then the DA will probably be easier on me if I haven't killed a hundred people.
[X] Agree to disagree. You'll try to be non-lethal. What they do is their business.
- Location
- Florida
[X] I don't want to be a murder. Fighting is one thing and while I would rather avoid it myself if I can, I can accept taking a life in the heat of battle. But killing someone in cold blood? It's wrong.
-[X] And on the pragmatic side of things, if I get caught, then the DA will probably be easier on me if I haven't killed a hundred people.
[X] Agree to disagree. You'll try to be non-lethal. What they do is their business.
-[X] And on the pragmatic side of things, if I get caught, then the DA will probably be easier on me if I haven't killed a hundred people.
[X] Agree to disagree. You'll try to be non-lethal. What they do is their business.
...
"Well, let's just agree to disagree, alright? " You say.
"Fine." Gladiatrix says. Gangbuster just nods.
The car creeps around the warehouse, staying far away from the main entrance, a pair of glass doors. As they drove past the loading bay doors, you summon your armor.
"Alright, you and I are getting out here." Stampede says, grabbing a backpack full of plastic explosives. As you get out, she takes out another small device that looks like the communicator that she gave you. She pushed the only button on it.
Decloaking in front of you is a mech. Its smaller than her normal mech. Much less bulky. But it still has a large gun on one of its arms and a wicked looking blade underneath the other. Overall, it looks like a lot of work and care went into this thing.
"How long has that been here?" You ask.
"Not that long. Couldn't risk someone bumping into it before we got here, right? I'm just glad it didn't get caught in some powerlines on the way here." She says, As she does, she starts planting the explosives on the wall, glancing back at the mech, then spacing the C4 enough so that the mech can get through.
"How long does it take you make those things?" You ask, almost admiring the craftsmanship. Part of you wonders if you could make something like this. If would need to be a statue, and making a life size version would be way too expensive to be practical.
"A lot longer than it has any right to" Stampede says, finishing up preparing the explosives.
"And money, I'd imagine" You say Speaking of building things, maybe you could build some constructs and animate them with magic... you've heard of magic users claiming that they could, but you've never seen it in real life or the internet.
You'll need to think about it later. Right now, you have a job to do.
Stampede climbs into her cockpit, put pauses to look at her communicator as the door closes.
"The others have made it to their entry point and they're getting their gear ready. I'm setting these things off in 30 seconds." You hold your sword and shield at the ready, blood pumping. You summon your barrier, standing a fair distance from the wall but ready to charge in at any second. But as you're psyching yourself up, you hear something that you never want to hear someone say when they are holding a detonator.
"OHSHITNO-!"
And for a moment, you're blind and deaf from the explosion.
--------------------------------------
Freddy yawned as the meeting started to drag on. The panic room was only slightly soundproof, so he could hear the muffled conversations. Recalling some of their people who were serving in the US Army and giving their foot soldiers a military training. Kidnapping and "Interrogating" high ranking members of the Gun Runners to find their hideout in Crush City. High profile murders to intimidate them. Ideas were shot down and agreed upon as Freddy kept an ear open for it as they freely talk about their plans.
"You know, sometimes you need to learn to keep your ears shut."
Freddy nearly jumped out of his skin as Al walked towards him.
"Hey, you're one to talk. You're rooting around in other people's brains. What, you're gonna look for my kinks or something?"
"Nah, nothing like that" Al says, holding his hands up. "Just, let the bosses make their decisions. When they want you to know something, they'll let you know. Besides, the less you know, the less the pigs can make you say."
"*Sigh* fine" Freddy says. and starts walking away from the panic room, followed by Al .
"And, Freddy, you should really be careful about the r-" Al stops mod-word. For a moment, Al looked up, as if he was distracted by something.
"Something wrong?" Freddy asked. His hand was unconsciously straying towards his pistol.
For a moment, Al didn't say anything, before shaking his head. "Its nothing. Just felt some bad mojo or something."
Freddy laughed, a sense of relief crept into his voice. "Well if it really is noth-" A nearby wall exploded, the loud sound echoing through the large warehouse. He could hear shattering glass, voices shouting, and a very large gun firing. The taste of dust filled his mouth as he drew his gun. As he opened his eyes, he saw a very familiar looking mech and a very familiar suit of armor.
--------------------------------------
The explosives go off with a resounding boom. You could swear that you could hear every glass object in five blocks shattering. Your ears are filled with a loud ringing sound as
"Fuck it, we're going in!" Stampede says. Her mech charges in, breaking some more of the wall as it enters. You go in soon after, Two loud booms echo as Stampede fires her mech's cannon., whizzing over someone's head
You see four people in smiting range. One of them is Operative staring at you, just as surprised as everyone else, so you can't attack him. There is a man beside him who you might be able to take out in one punch. Unless he has something else up his sleeve, which he might.
A third much larger man of off to your left, he looks stunned at your sudden entrance. His jaw drops, but you see a sphere of fire forming in his hand.
The fourth person, if the furthest away at about 60 feet. They also happened to be Stampede's target. As you charge in, you see that the bolts flew over her target's head because they look like they're melting into the floor in a puddle of black ichor.
Two more people are in the distance. They were on the opposite side of the warehouse, and are running towards you, one much faster than the other.
[] Write in your target.
- Write in how you're going to attack.
"Fine." Gladiatrix says. Gangbuster just nods.
The car creeps around the warehouse, staying far away from the main entrance, a pair of glass doors. As they drove past the loading bay doors, you summon your armor.
"Alright, you and I are getting out here." Stampede says, grabbing a backpack full of plastic explosives. As you get out, she takes out another small device that looks like the communicator that she gave you. She pushed the only button on it.
Decloaking in front of you is a mech. Its smaller than her normal mech. Much less bulky. But it still has a large gun on one of its arms and a wicked looking blade underneath the other. Overall, it looks like a lot of work and care went into this thing.
"How long has that been here?" You ask.
"Not that long. Couldn't risk someone bumping into it before we got here, right? I'm just glad it didn't get caught in some powerlines on the way here." She says, As she does, she starts planting the explosives on the wall, glancing back at the mech, then spacing the C4 enough so that the mech can get through.
"How long does it take you make those things?" You ask, almost admiring the craftsmanship. Part of you wonders if you could make something like this. If would need to be a statue, and making a life size version would be way too expensive to be practical.
"A lot longer than it has any right to" Stampede says, finishing up preparing the explosives.
"And money, I'd imagine" You say Speaking of building things, maybe you could build some constructs and animate them with magic... you've heard of magic users claiming that they could, but you've never seen it in real life or the internet.
You'll need to think about it later. Right now, you have a job to do.
Stampede climbs into her cockpit, put pauses to look at her communicator as the door closes.
"The others have made it to their entry point and they're getting their gear ready. I'm setting these things off in 30 seconds." You hold your sword and shield at the ready, blood pumping. You summon your barrier, standing a fair distance from the wall but ready to charge in at any second. But as you're psyching yourself up, you hear something that you never want to hear someone say when they are holding a detonator.
"OHSHITNO-!"
And for a moment, you're blind and deaf from the explosion.
--------------------------------------
Freddy yawned as the meeting started to drag on. The panic room was only slightly soundproof, so he could hear the muffled conversations. Recalling some of their people who were serving in the US Army and giving their foot soldiers a military training. Kidnapping and "Interrogating" high ranking members of the Gun Runners to find their hideout in Crush City. High profile murders to intimidate them. Ideas were shot down and agreed upon as Freddy kept an ear open for it as they freely talk about their plans.
"You know, sometimes you need to learn to keep your ears shut."
Freddy nearly jumped out of his skin as Al walked towards him.
"Hey, you're one to talk. You're rooting around in other people's brains. What, you're gonna look for my kinks or something?"
"Nah, nothing like that" Al says, holding his hands up. "Just, let the bosses make their decisions. When they want you to know something, they'll let you know. Besides, the less you know, the less the pigs can make you say."
"*Sigh* fine" Freddy says. and starts walking away from the panic room, followed by Al .
"And, Freddy, you should really be careful about the r-" Al stops mod-word. For a moment, Al looked up, as if he was distracted by something.
"Something wrong?" Freddy asked. His hand was unconsciously straying towards his pistol.
For a moment, Al didn't say anything, before shaking his head. "Its nothing. Just felt some bad mojo or something."
Freddy laughed, a sense of relief crept into his voice. "Well if it really is noth-" A nearby wall exploded, the loud sound echoing through the large warehouse. He could hear shattering glass, voices shouting, and a very large gun firing. The taste of dust filled his mouth as he drew his gun. As he opened his eyes, he saw a very familiar looking mech and a very familiar suit of armor.
--------------------------------------
The explosives go off with a resounding boom. You could swear that you could hear every glass object in five blocks shattering. Your ears are filled with a loud ringing sound as
"Fuck it, we're going in!" Stampede says. Her mech charges in, breaking some more of the wall as it enters. You go in soon after, Two loud booms echo as Stampede fires her mech's cannon., whizzing over someone's head
You see four people in smiting range. One of them is Operative staring at you, just as surprised as everyone else, so you can't attack him. There is a man beside him who you might be able to take out in one punch. Unless he has something else up his sleeve, which he might.
A third much larger man of off to your left, he looks stunned at your sudden entrance. His jaw drops, but you see a sphere of fire forming in his hand.
The fourth person, if the furthest away at about 60 feet. They also happened to be Stampede's target. As you charge in, you see that the bolts flew over her target's head because they look like they're melting into the floor in a puddle of black ichor.
Two more people are in the distance. They were on the opposite side of the warehouse, and are running towards you, one much faster than the other.
[] Write in your target.
- Write in how you're going to attack.
Barondoctor
The things I chase come to me.
- Location
- The other side of the mirror
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
[X] Hit the guy next to operative
-[X] go to the other side from operative and hit the guy.
Uses operative to potentially flank, lets us look like we're minimizing exposure. Secures our entry point.
-[X] go to the other side from operative and hit the guy.
Uses operative to potentially flank, lets us look like we're minimizing exposure. Secures our entry point.
- Pronouns
- He
[X] Hit the guy next to operative
-[X] go to the other side from operative and hit the guy.
-[X] go to the other side from operative and hit the guy.
- Location
- Florida
[X] Hit the guy next to operative
-[X] go to the other side from operative and hit the guy.
-[X] go to the other side from operative and hit the guy.
...
Several Minutes Earlier...
"TOC, this is Steel. Last suspect has entered the warehouse parking lot."
From inside a nearby warehouse, another person watches the warehouse, through the cameras of four different drones flying through the air, their small metal forms camouflaged by cloaking technology. The last car enters the warehouse parking lot and the three occupants exit the vehicle. Two men are dressed similarly to the other bodyguards he had seen enter, followed by a third man. This third man was pale, tall, almost seven feet tall, and would look rail thin, if not for the heavy gray coat draped over his shoulders like a cape. He looked like he could be knocked over by a stiff breeze. But the Thaumaturgic sensors in one of his drones went off as soon as the camera focused on him. No doubt about it. This was Geist. The third leader that they were looking for.
"Copy that, Entry Team. Keep us updated." TOC responds
"Any word on when Jetstream or Starhammer are gonna show up?" Corporal Steel asks. Right now, their "Entry Team only consisted of about three Heroes. Normally, that would be overkill, but they were taking on group with up to seven Powered people.
He'd rather they get more people, but there were only so many Heroes, and if they brought the Black and Blues* in on this, chances are, things would've leaked and months of surveillance would've been down the shitter.
So that meant that the mission fell to them.
No pressure.
"Uh..." TOC says, there's some typing on their end. Corporal Steel looked at the cameras, which had now switched to thermal vision. Two figures near the center of the warehouse, with four more covering possible entrances. Not counting the three that had just arrived. Though it only took a few seconds, it felt like an hour.
"Jetstream's been called to La Colonia and Starhammer's been sent to Temple early. Called in just this morning" TOC says.
"So, you sent Starhammer to find the new guy? Did he get lost or something?" A third voice joined in.
"*Sigh* You know I mean the city, Sunspot" TOC says, exasperated.
"Hey, sorry TOC. Anyway, I'm ready to move in when Steel gives the word. I'm tired of waiting around."
"We need to get at least some of this meeting on tape. We need evidence of them actually planning a crime. Once the meeting's over and they start leaving, that's when we move in. Don't want them hunkering down in there."
The camera showed the two bodyguards taking their own positions while three figures met in the middle of the warehouse, all sitting around the table.
"Looks like they're inside. Saber, you're clear to get working on those cars. We don't want them going for one of their cars."
"On it" Saber said. While she was invisible to the naked eye, Steel could see the Saber's outline as she hopped a nearby stone wall and crept to the cars parked around the back of the warehouse. She pops open the hoods starts sabotaging the vehicles so that they couldn't start if anyone managed to get to them.
..........................................
"The problem isn't with numbers. With her debacle in Mexico, she doesn't have the numbers to match all of us anymore. The problem is that they have better equipment and training than us" Ōmukade says. Ōmukade, which wasn't her real name, wore a dress that matched the ties of her two bodyguards, along with a golden mask with a face carved into it, framed by her black hair.
"The tours of about 30 of out enlisted men are coming to the end over the next six months. They'll be able to bring that military training to all of our people once they get back" Geist says.
"But we need arms for all of these men. AR-15s are good, but if Ordinence sends some of her more exotic weapons here, we won't be able to keep up" Ōmukade.
"A bullet is a bullet, no matter who its fired from. We can get the guns and explosives from our local suppliers, and give our contacts FBI some more 'incentives' to not investigate too close when we use them. Or at least, to make sure that the investigations point to her people and not ours" Contanti says dismissively.
The meeting continued as Corporal Steel continued to listen. They were talking about moving arms, bribing federal agents, having people inside the US military, and more. Hopefully, it was enough to put them away for a long time, assuming that a judge didn't throw all of this out for some BS reason.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
"What the..." Corporal Steel's eyes wandered one of the camera feeds. The thaumatic detector went off again. The drone swiveled around, before locking onto the source. An old sedan that was driving towards their warehouse.
"TOC, looks like we have a contact heading towards our place. Magic sensor went off. Here's hoping its just a civie passing through."
"Uh... copy that, Steel. Sending this up the chain just in case" TOC responded.
Steel tuned out the meeting as he stared at the sedan driving down the street. Magic was a rare power. But it wasn't an unknown one. So flagging someone who was just on their way to the store or dropping off their kids somewhere wasn't out of the question.
But as the camera zoomed into the car, the facial recognition tech flagged one of them as Catherine Wheeler, also known as Stampede. She's been dodging their attempts to catch her for years. The second man was wearing a mask, but it was flagged as belonging to one Phillip Montejo, another Vigilante. With two vigilantes in the car headed for three of the most dangerous mobsters, there isn't much of a doubt as to what they're doing here.
But how did they find out?
He recognized the third face before facial recognition did. Hell, he worked with her for a little while. It was Kelsey Kole. Briefly known as Gladiatrix. She had left because of... well, what happened when she fought Reservist. But he thought that her fighting days were done after that.
Apparently, he was wrong.
The blonde man came up as a John Doe. His facial profile didn't match anyone they had in the system, so whoever it was, they haven't been caught yet. The last man was wearing a mask, so no ID. And apparently, they haven't been around for long since his mask wasn't in the database either. But there was little doubt as to what they're doing here.
"Fuck" Steel muttered under his breath. "All Elements. We have Vigilantes in the area. Looks like they have the same idea that we had." As if to underscore the point, the car turned into the warehouse lot. It drove around the building, where Stampede and the mystery man exited the car before the car pulls a u-turn and heads back to the southern half of the building. Suddenly, a mech de-cloaks right beside Stampede and she gets inside. It wasn't as large as her normal mech, but it was still armed.
"So, looks like Plan A just went out the window" Sunspot says.
"Just got word from Command. You are to make sure to take the primary suspects alive is possible. We have way to much riding on this to let it be blown now"
"And the VIgilantes?" Sunspot asks.
"They're leaving that to your discursion." TOC responds in an even voice.
"Alright, people, get into position. Be ready to move in on my mark" Corporal Steel says.
"TOC, this is Steel. Last suspect has entered the warehouse parking lot."
From inside a nearby warehouse, another person watches the warehouse, through the cameras of four different drones flying through the air, their small metal forms camouflaged by cloaking technology. The last car enters the warehouse parking lot and the three occupants exit the vehicle. Two men are dressed similarly to the other bodyguards he had seen enter, followed by a third man. This third man was pale, tall, almost seven feet tall, and would look rail thin, if not for the heavy gray coat draped over his shoulders like a cape. He looked like he could be knocked over by a stiff breeze. But the Thaumaturgic sensors in one of his drones went off as soon as the camera focused on him. No doubt about it. This was Geist. The third leader that they were looking for.
"Copy that, Entry Team. Keep us updated." TOC responds
"Any word on when Jetstream or Starhammer are gonna show up?" Corporal Steel asks. Right now, their "Entry Team only consisted of about three Heroes. Normally, that would be overkill, but they were taking on group with up to seven Powered people.
He'd rather they get more people, but there were only so many Heroes, and if they brought the Black and Blues* in on this, chances are, things would've leaked and months of surveillance would've been down the shitter.
So that meant that the mission fell to them.
No pressure.
"Uh..." TOC says, there's some typing on their end. Corporal Steel looked at the cameras, which had now switched to thermal vision. Two figures near the center of the warehouse, with four more covering possible entrances. Not counting the three that had just arrived. Though it only took a few seconds, it felt like an hour.
"Jetstream's been called to La Colonia and Starhammer's been sent to Temple early. Called in just this morning" TOC says.
"So, you sent Starhammer to find the new guy? Did he get lost or something?" A third voice joined in.
"*Sigh* You know I mean the city, Sunspot" TOC says, exasperated.
"Hey, sorry TOC. Anyway, I'm ready to move in when Steel gives the word. I'm tired of waiting around."
"We need to get at least some of this meeting on tape. We need evidence of them actually planning a crime. Once the meeting's over and they start leaving, that's when we move in. Don't want them hunkering down in there."
The camera showed the two bodyguards taking their own positions while three figures met in the middle of the warehouse, all sitting around the table.
"Looks like they're inside. Saber, you're clear to get working on those cars. We don't want them going for one of their cars."
"On it" Saber said. While she was invisible to the naked eye, Steel could see the Saber's outline as she hopped a nearby stone wall and crept to the cars parked around the back of the warehouse. She pops open the hoods starts sabotaging the vehicles so that they couldn't start if anyone managed to get to them.
..........................................
"The problem isn't with numbers. With her debacle in Mexico, she doesn't have the numbers to match all of us anymore. The problem is that they have better equipment and training than us" Ōmukade says. Ōmukade, which wasn't her real name, wore a dress that matched the ties of her two bodyguards, along with a golden mask with a face carved into it, framed by her black hair.
"The tours of about 30 of out enlisted men are coming to the end over the next six months. They'll be able to bring that military training to all of our people once they get back" Geist says.
"But we need arms for all of these men. AR-15s are good, but if Ordinence sends some of her more exotic weapons here, we won't be able to keep up" Ōmukade.
"A bullet is a bullet, no matter who its fired from. We can get the guns and explosives from our local suppliers, and give our contacts FBI some more 'incentives' to not investigate too close when we use them. Or at least, to make sure that the investigations point to her people and not ours" Contanti says dismissively.
The meeting continued as Corporal Steel continued to listen. They were talking about moving arms, bribing federal agents, having people inside the US military, and more. Hopefully, it was enough to put them away for a long time, assuming that a judge didn't throw all of this out for some BS reason.
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
"What the..." Corporal Steel's eyes wandered one of the camera feeds. The thaumatic detector went off again. The drone swiveled around, before locking onto the source. An old sedan that was driving towards their warehouse.
"TOC, looks like we have a contact heading towards our place. Magic sensor went off. Here's hoping its just a civie passing through."
"Uh... copy that, Steel. Sending this up the chain just in case" TOC responded.
Steel tuned out the meeting as he stared at the sedan driving down the street. Magic was a rare power. But it wasn't an unknown one. So flagging someone who was just on their way to the store or dropping off their kids somewhere wasn't out of the question.
But as the camera zoomed into the car, the facial recognition tech flagged one of them as Catherine Wheeler, also known as Stampede. She's been dodging their attempts to catch her for years. The second man was wearing a mask, but it was flagged as belonging to one Phillip Montejo, another Vigilante. With two vigilantes in the car headed for three of the most dangerous mobsters, there isn't much of a doubt as to what they're doing here.
But how did they find out?
He recognized the third face before facial recognition did. Hell, he worked with her for a little while. It was Kelsey Kole. Briefly known as Gladiatrix. She had left because of... well, what happened when she fought Reservist. But he thought that her fighting days were done after that.
Apparently, he was wrong.
The blonde man came up as a John Doe. His facial profile didn't match anyone they had in the system, so whoever it was, they haven't been caught yet. The last man was wearing a mask, so no ID. And apparently, they haven't been around for long since his mask wasn't in the database either. But there was little doubt as to what they're doing here.
"Fuck" Steel muttered under his breath. "All Elements. We have Vigilantes in the area. Looks like they have the same idea that we had." As if to underscore the point, the car turned into the warehouse lot. It drove around the building, where Stampede and the mystery man exited the car before the car pulls a u-turn and heads back to the southern half of the building. Suddenly, a mech de-cloaks right beside Stampede and she gets inside. It wasn't as large as her normal mech, but it was still armed.
"So, looks like Plan A just went out the window" Sunspot says.
"Just got word from Command. You are to make sure to take the primary suspects alive is possible. We have way to much riding on this to let it be blown now"
"And the VIgilantes?" Sunspot asks.
"They're leaving that to your discursion." TOC responds in an even voice.
"Alright, people, get into position. Be ready to move in on my mark" Corporal Steel says.
- Location
- Florida
Oh man this just got way more exciting. Three groups duking it out, one of which expected nothing to happen, one expected a quiet sting, and the third a simple overwhelming ambush with minimal complications.
I'm just glad we're sticking to our guns about no post-capture executions, imagine thinking we could get away with that only for an official sting to get it on record.
I'm just glad we're sticking to our guns about no post-capture executions, imagine thinking we could get away with that only for an official sting to get it on record.
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