Though I'm guessing someone in Crowe's team is getting fired when it comes out that someone tried to warn her about a possible assassination attempt and they blew them off.
"Do you really see me as much of a talker?" is what I imagine Sonya would say.
Operative for Diplomacy, Stampede for Programming? Jasmine's done plenty for us already and we don't really want to bring her in deeper than she already is, do we?
Stampede blocking tracking roll...
EDIT: right on the money.
You start to think about it. Downtown probi ly has at least one cape patrolling at all times, and the mansion is a stone's throw away from it. And if you confront Lussiac, you might have to deal with her, the armed guards that are protecting the mansion, the cops, or a Cape. And with just the three of you, the numbers don't look good.
But then, you have the information. And it's not like you have to fight Lussiac yourself.
"Well guys, here's what I'm thinking. Lussiac's plan revolves around Crowe going into her panic room. Which she would only do if she was at her mansion when Lussiac attacks."
"Yeah..." Stampede says. "So what, are you planning on setting up an ambush? Let Crowe know that Lussiac is coming for her, she lays low somewhere and we take her out when she doesn't expect it?" Stampede is smiling at the thought. "Heh, I bet Lussiac'll never see it coming"
"You know, it doesn't have to be us" You say. "We could just call the police, let them handle taking Lussiac in, and we can just go home and rest, satisficed with a job well done"
Operative shrugs his shoulders. "They didn't manage to keep her locked up last time. God knows if they'll do it this time. I say we handle it ourselves" He says.
Stampede looks at you, slightly annoyed. "I didn't exactly get out of bed today to call the cops the first time a villain shows up"
"Do you really think that fighting a single, unpowered person is gonna be fun when you have a walking tank and a sharpshooter as backup? There might not be anything left by the time you fired your cannons" You ask.
Stampede thinks about it for a second. "Eh, you're right. It wouldn't be much of a challenge" She lays back down in the back seat. "Looks like you're outvoted two to one, Ops"
Operative sighs, and you hear Jasmine chuckling on her end. "Do you still need me around, Sunny? Because if not, then I'm heading out"
"Eh, it'll be fine. See ya later" You say in your earpiece. Jasmine says her goodbyes and you hear a click.
"So, whose gonnna make the call?" You ask.
"Well, it's your idea, Vigil. That means you do the honors" Operative says with a neutral expression. But you can see a twitch in his lip, like he's trying not to smile.
You groan. You remember your dad telling you the same thing when you were a kid. Whether it was a hole in the fence, or there were ants in the house. 'You brought it up, that means you take care of it'. You still love the man, but it was more than a little annoying.
"Do I look like a talker?" You ask.
"You didn't say anything when I met you, so no" Operative says. "But I can't drive and talk at the same time, and Stampede's, well, I have more confidence in you"
"Come on, Vigil, just do it." Stampede says.
You sigh. "Et tu, Stampede?"
"Looks like it" Stampede says. "Don't worry though, I'll work on something that'll keep the cops from tracking us before you call the tip line"
"Isn't it supposed to be anonymous? Do they really track you?" You ask.
Operative lets out a laugh. "Of course. They'll track you with as many things as they can get away with. And as much as manpower and budget allows, of course"
"Don't worry, Vigil. You call Crowe's people, and I'll work on something that can stop the cops from tracking us" She says.
You pick up the phone, and call Valarie Crowe number.
-------------------------------------
"Well... that didn't work"
You lift up your head to glare at Stampede. You're still in the car, on your way to a garage that Operative knows about. Where the car you're driving around in will be repainted and have new license plates put on.
"Really Stampede?" You ask.
"I mean, you'd think the guy would be more interested in saving his boss's life. Heh, maybe he wanted to see her dead"
You sigh. You managed to get to some receptionist or assistant or something. You explained that someone wanted to kill Valarie and that she should know. He asked who you were, you said The Vigil and that you had found the information. Then, the man insisted that I couldn't be The Vigil because The Vigil was a woman. Obviously, he was right, but like hell you were going to admit it, so you persisted. Things got heated. You may or may not have called him a fucking imbecile and demanded to talk to someone who could count to 10 without using their fingers.
Long story short, they aren't interested in what you have to say.
"Well, you could always try and see if the cops'll do anything"
You look at the modified phone that Stampede handed you. It looks like a regular iPhone, though you guess that most of the mods are on the inside. You look up at Stampede, who gives you a thumbs up. You dial.
"Hartford PD Confidential Tip Line. Would you like to report any criminal dealings today?"
"I'd like to report an assassination attempt that is going to take place later today...."
--------------------------------------------
It was a very rough day for Saber, also known as Sanaz Faranakian.
She was supposed to be resting today. She was still affected by the gas that Lussiac had used on her, and at least several dozen other people. But Starhammer was escorting Pentagon to prison, making sure that he didn't break out again. Jetstream was in Kansas fighting another speedster, Corporal Steel was pulled for patrol and since Sunspot was a walking flamethrower, no one wanted to risk his flames causing an explosion. That just left Temple, and her.
She wasn't sure about this. Her lungs still burned every time she took a breath, and occasionally, she felt a copper taste in the back of her throat, but the doctors assured her that it would go away in a week, and that it wouldn't affect her performance. And with the Heroes being spread so thin helping in other cities, she was "asked" to come here.
For now, she was outside of Valarie Crowe's McMansion, keeping an eye for Lussiac's approach. She had read the reports. The reports that were being kept from the papers. That Lussiac, a previously unpowered person, was shot in the throat and kept going. After she fell from a speeding semi and broke half the bones in her body.
The armed guards that Crowe hired were still here. The cops were having trouble contacting Crowe, but her bosses at least managed to contact the people here. Their orders are to not engage Lussiac, to retreat if they spot her, though the maids and butlers have all been evacuated to a guest house a ways away.
Saber's orders were to just follow Lussiac back to whatever hideout she was in. Then, when she went inside, to call in the calvary while making sure that she didn't try to escape. She's already pulled it twice.
As Saber stands on the roof, she sees movement in the brush. Silently sprinting across the lawn, is the Lussiac. Skillfully avoiding any outside patrols, she goes up to one of the large windows and starts to open it. Saber felt the grip on her sword tighten as she springs into action, her body turning invisible, she moves down the walls to shadow Lussiac. As she descends the building, Saber promises herself that...
[] she was going to stick to the mission. (The mission resolves without player input)
[] she was going to take down Lussiac herself. (The player takes control of Saber to take down Lussiac)
Advantage:
Code of Honor: Hero
Combat Reflexes (Doesn't get surprised in combat)
Hard to Kill (Can take more damage before having to make Death Checks)
Law Enforcement (Cape)
Code of Honor (Hero) Could also be a reason why she chooses to complete the mission as ordered. The goal is to fight her away from as many civilians as possible, and with the civilians on the grounds, and in the surrounding area, Lussiac could do a lot of damage if the fight gets out of hand.
But then, I gave Saber both Code of Honor Hero and Impulsive and Grudge so the vote could go either way.
Voting will be open for another 24 hours, so if anyone else wants to vote, feel free. But until then...
Sunday, Saturday 14th, 2015
Liu Proclamation Expanded in The People's Republic of China
Powered people have been part of our lives for nearly a century, whether it was Paragon fighting for a free world in the 60's, to Artillery holding a city hostage for billions of dollars. With the unique challenges that powers introduce to our society, people must adapt to them, whether on an individual level, a country level, or even a global level. Earlier today, the President of the People's Republic of China has proposed several amendments to the Liu Procimation, the legal frame work of Power regulation within China.
Currently, the Proclimation, among other things, requires all Powered people to be registered at birth, and go into State service upon their 18th birthday. It also provides Chinese Law Enforcement broad powers in combating Supervillians. The proposed amendments were announced after the latest meeting of the Central Committee of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party). These amendments will further criminalize unauthorized use of Powers, expand law enforcement's powers in combatting supervilliany, inflict harsher punishments on Powered people who are convicted of crimes, and restricting travel of Powered Chinese citizens.
"These are necessary reforms" President Lingxin Zhan stated during a press conference. "The world is more dangerous than ever before. Many of our nations still bear the scars of the past, scars left by Powers run amok. We must act decisively in order to ensure that this never happens again."
These proposals have been met with widespread criticism from the international community, including German Chancellor Caroline Hitzberg, President Danshov Stolikov of Asterica, King Joakin Harkon of Norway, and President Asha Dhavale of India.
Hitzburg, who has recently lead the charge to reduce the scope of Germany's own Adanauer Accords had scathing words for President Zhan. "The Chinese President talks about scars, but he neglects the scars that are left on a nation's very soul when corrupt actions are taken in the same of safety and security. The German People know this all too well."
Meanwhile, within mainland China, the amendments have widespread support among the CCP, and are expected to go into effect within the next several years.
Looks like we have a winner. We're going to try to take Lussiac down right now.
Before we get started, I am going to need a Constitution roll for Saber to keep from coughing. The gas she inhaled, well, it did a lot of bad things to her lungs and coughing at the wrong time would... not be good.
Saber stalks through the halls of mansion. The red, carpeted floor and the golden brown walls and ceiling give the mansion a warm feeling, unlike the mostly-white mansions that Saber had fought through before. Paintings, sculptures, and other decorations lined the hallways giving off a feeling of opulence common among the nouveau riche. But Saber ignored this as she followed Lussiac, dressed in her usual dark gray and green suit and gas mask down the hallways. As Saber did, she took out a knife. Lussiac may be able to regenerate, but she's still human. There are a lot of ways to handle someone with regeneration abilities. Choking them out so they pass out, an attack to the head to disorient them while you tie them up.
Or, if one wanted a more permanent solution, then doing enough damage quickly enough could kill someone before their regeneration could keep up with the damage. Even if a regenerater could survive it, getting one's head cut off tended to at least slow them down for a little while.
As Lussiac keeps walking, Saber matches her steps behind her, making her strides a little longer to close the distance. She thought of stabbing Lussiac through the back, if she hit the right spot, it might be able to kill Lussiac before she hit the ground. And more importantly, before her regeneration could compensate. But then, that depended on just how good her regeneration is.
Eventually, the two women come across a part of the hall overlooking a lower floor. On the left side of the hallway, wall became railing. Over the railing and on the lower floor, there was a study, with shelves and shelves of books. Lussiac briefly looked down at the study before ducking into a room on the right side of the hall, but closed the door before Saber could follow her inside. A click confirmed that the door was locked.
Saber mentally brought up the schematics of the mansion, and remembered that the room that Lussiac just entered was a bathroom. No way out except for the door. Saber could probably ambush her as she came out, or just go in while she was (most likely) changing into a disguise and shank her.
As Saber crept to the door, she inhaled. And as she inhaled, no air entered her lungs. She made a soft wheezing sound as she fought for breath. Saber slumped to the left, using the wall to support herself as she desperately inhaled, making wheezing sounds every time she did until finally, she managed to gulp down some oxygen. For a few seconds, Saber just stood there, breath heavy as she tried to regain her composure. The distinct taste of copper was in the back of her throat as she fought back a coughing fit.
It was official. Something was wrong. She wasn't a doctor, but something was wrong. As soon as this was over, she was going straight to the doctor.
Lussiac came out wearing the same outfit that the servants here wore. White long sleeved dress shirt, black vest tie, slacks, and dress shoes. It's a little wrinkled, likely from being worn under her suit, but at a distance, it could fool someone. Saber could see the chem launcher hidden in her sleeve. If she had to guess, if Lussiac had more vials for the launcher, they were either hidden in her pocket or in her vest.
But what caught Saber's attention was Lussiac herself. She looked pale, nearly as white as the shirt she was wearing. Compared to a picture of Lussiac from before she turned villain, her face was now gaunt with clearly visible cheekbones. Part of it could be her living on the run but life has definitely not treated this woman well.
Lussiac adjusted her sleeve, hiding her chem launcher, before stepping out of the bathroom to continue her walk to the panic room. As she does, Saber decides to...
[] Choke her out (Roll Chokehold)
[] DIsarm her and zip tie her. (Roll Brawl)
[] Throw some throwing knives at her. (Roll Throwing. -1 for each knife you choose to throw)
[] Stab her in the back. (Roll Shortsword)
[] Just go crazy. (Roll any combat roll. Choose All Out Double, Strong, or Determined. Sacrifices Defense)
- [] Optional: (Write in a one-liner)
[] Keep following her. She isn't going to attack her yet.
[] Write in.
