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Epic M&M: Issue 3 (IC)

"Huh, duped? But the trucks are right up there. OK, if you say so." John says as he comes to a halt looking a bit confused. He wil follow the pack back towards Raisa if that's where they go.

buzzard
 

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Hospital
Doc Johnson finishes his rounds and then brings you down to the scanning lab. You're introduced to a ton of flashing, blinking and ray shooting machines. Vince is poked, prodded, blood taken, scanned, and tested in a myriad of ways.

"Ok," Doc Johnson says, pulling on a rubber glove. "This will only hurt for a second. Don't worry, water lubricates." As Vincent's face pales and his jaw drops, the doctor starts laughing. "Kidding! Just kidding! Man, I love my job sometimes..."

In case you are wondering... we're killing time ;)

Under the Freeway
Everyone runs back to where Raisa was pounding away on the wall. The sound of splashings comes from the freeway entrance and a small army of Johan's are heading towards you. Where the wall once was, the tunnel is open, and there is no rubble remaining. Raisa and Rebound are running down the tunnel ahead of you all.

You charge down the tunnel, and it is nearly perfectly straight. About half a mile in, the tunnel forks in a 'Y'. You'd be stumped for a choice... if not for the freaking huge hole in the left side tunnel wall, forming a gently sloping ramp upwards with light streaming down it from above and tire tracks leading along it.

As you run upwards, you see a truck exiting the ramp. Moments later, the sunlight is blocked out as the Mole imposes himself over the hole.

"I suggest you return to the sewers, young heroes. I have won, and you have lost. But I have no desire to harm you further," he calls out. The walls of the tunnel start to collapse, starting at the top and folding inward all the way down the 100 foot length. In mere seconds, the top is almost collapsed fully.

Damn hard to hate these guys, aint it?

Michelle
Nobody notices you and Dara not following the others. You dart down the sewer, flying rapidly along. You whip around a corner and catch another glimps of the silver cape streaking around the corner!

"There he is!" Tara says excitedly, pouring on the speed. You follow along and after a few more turns, you see him, both of him, touch down and grab at a door in the wall. It's old and rusted shut. One pulls on the handle, then both try putting their shoulder to it. It doesn't budge. Your sudden appearance startle him, and he turns to face you, that surprise etched on his face. It's slowly replaced with a look of wonder and an embarassed smile. He shakes his head in disbelief.

"How did you ... you aren't following my trucks?" one asks.

"You two are full or surprises," the other says with a smile.

They step away from the door, but make absolutely no hostile actions. No wand is in his hand, no magical glow about them. "It appears I am captured," the one nearest Michelle says with a sigh. He holds his hands out before him and approaches her, appearing prepared to be put in irons.

"I couldn't open the door," the other says, looking rather embarassed, approaching Tara. She seems frozen in place, blushing. Her wings thrumming a bit as she sets down, her insectoid arms rubbing together with a slight hum. You hear some sort of sound nearby, and notice some cockroaches gathering in a ring about all of you. Anithos notices it too, but doesn't seem perterbed. "Friends of yours," he says to Tara with a smile.

She looks back and around and sees them, looking back and at her feet embarassed. "Um.. yeah, I guess," she says, fidgetting.

Anithos raises her chin with his finger. "A truly wonderful gift you have. It is nothing to be ashamed of." He lays his hand along her cheek and she starts to glow. She lets out a little gasp and collapses forward into his arms.

"Don't worry!" the other Anithos is quick to say, grabbing Michelle's wrist. "I just... gave her what I gave you. She's not as in control as you are is all," he says, releasing your wrist and holding your hand instead.

"What do we do now?" he asks. "I fear M-Tac's containment methods," he says, with some serious trepidation in his voice. "They aren't kind or gentle, and they don't care if a mutant isn't a violent man. But ... I cannot force you to release us."

"Liar," his counterpart says with a grin, still holding Tara in his arms.

"Yes, ahem, well, perhaps I could force you to," he admits. "But I won't," he says honestly.
 

"I suggest you return to the sewers, young heroes. I have won, and you have lost. But I have no desire to harm you further," he calls out. The walls of the tunnel start to collapse, starting at the top and folding inward all the way down the 100 foot length. In mere seconds, the top is almost collapsed fully.

"It is not over yet!" Raisa stubbornly presses on, attempting to scramble the rest of the way up the tunnel.

ACTIONS: If the collapsing dirt and rubble gets in her way, she'll go at it like she did with the walls.
 

Calinon said:
"What do we do now?" he asks. "I fear M-Tac's containment methods," he says, with some serious trepidation in his voice. "They aren't kind or gentle, and they don't care if a mutant isn't a violent man. But ... I cannot force you to release us."

"Liar," his counterpart says with a grin, still holding Tara in his arms.

"Yes, ahem, well, perhaps I could force you to," he admits. "But I won't," he says honestly.

"Damn they're sexy, I don't want them to go with M-Tac but they did break the law, didn't they? Yes of course they did, they helped steal the vans, they killed police officers, well not them directly. They got that air elemental to release Anna, and they sent that wounded officer out of harm's way. Maybe they didn't have a choice, maybe the others were forcing them to help. I wonder how the others or doing, I shouldn't have left them without telling but I had to see them again." All these thoughts flash through Michelle's mind as the two Anithos talk to her.

I know, since you never actually killed anyone and the others are somehow forcing you to help them. If you come with us peacefully and help us round up your compainions and the vans, I'm sure Epic would help you get a reduced sentence and that way you will not have to go with the M-tac. Michelle tells him with a smile, obviously pleased with herself that she solved this problem.
 

"Let me help you" say Kevin, and he help Raisa to make her way...

"If the real Johan is near, come next to me!"
if Johan decide to show up next to me, I will stop helping Raisa to mimic his powers and feats (not skills) and start to duplicate. Two full dupliactes per turn, and each duplicate will help Raisa to make a way out for the group.
 

Under the Freeway
Raisa charges up the ramp with Kevin shortly behind. She makes it about half way when, with a rumble, the walls collapse. Kevin turns and flees back down ahead of the collapsing walls, but Raisa is trapped, buried alive in gravel, dirt and mud! Dust and moisture fill the air in the sewer, making it hard to see or breathe.

Reflex saves Raisa 19 (fail), Kevin 20 (success)

Raisa
You quickly realize that perhaps this wasn't the best course of action. The weight pushing down on you isn't too painful, but your arms and legs are pinned and you can barely move. If it was solid, you'd have no trouble getting out, but the loose composition of the soul and gravel make it impossible to get good purchase. Still, there is the ramp at your feet. You move terribly slowly, maybe a foot a second, and realize there are at least forty feet between you and the street.

And you can't breathe.

You start to panic and lose your bearings quickly. You are about to lose consciousness when you feel a rumbling, and something clamps down over your back, yanking you upward. You find yourself vomiting dirt, then gasping in breath as sunlight filters down from above. You open your eyes and find yourself face to snout with the Mole, one of his massive clawed hands clamped about your body. You are dangling some 25 feet from the ground.

"Are you stupid?" he growls, giving you a shake. "You could have been killed," he growls again, shaking you once more. "I have done my best to keep you and your companions from serious harm; a small price to pay for the continued services of Anithos. But you seriously *shakes Raisa* try *shakes Raisa* my *shakes Raisa* patience!" He shakes you again, and you are beginning to feel like a rag doll.

"Come on, Mole," a smooth voice says beneath you. "She's exhausted and if you keep shaking her she'll come right apart. Just let her down and lets get away. She's in no condition to follow anyway."

The Mole grumbles, gives Raisa one more shake and sets her down next to the wall of a building. As he does so, Raisa sees Anithos standing there. "Just sit down here," Anithos says, guiding Raisa to a sitting position. He puts a bottle of water in your hand. "Wash out your eyes with this. And then get back to your friends. I'm afraid you've lost this round, and if you insist on angering my boss, I doubt I can keep convincing him to not hurt you." He runs his hand through the tangle of your hair, and all the dust and dirt falls out, returning it to its natural shining glory. He gets up, smiling at you. "See you later, Amazon princess," then turns and heads for the final truck.

"Small price, huh?" he says to the Mole, who is shrinking down and hopping in the truck as well.

"You have no idea," the Mole grumbles. "What of your other selves?"

"Oh, they're working on getting away from that remarkable woman with the magnetic control and her insect controlling friend."

The trucks speed off.

Raisa, you are exhausted, half-blinded and have just taken 6 stun damage from the shaking and 1 lethal from the cave in. You are no longer slowed or suffocating.

Michelle
Anithos laughs. A gentle laugh like soft music.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure EPIC would love to get their hands on me. Merlin would flay me alive if he could," he says warningly. "I try to be heroic and kind, and keep people safe from the harm my companions could inflict, but it is not something Merlin and the others appreciate. I fear Merlin's handling of me would be far more dire than that of M-Tac. He truly does not und...."

He pauses a moment, and his eyes glow white. So does his counterparts. He smiles in relief. "Your Amazon friend is quite brave. She was nearly killed by a cave in after being warned back. I convinced the Mole to pull her to safety. She's battered, but resting in a nearby alley."

Tara lets out an excited squeak. You glance over and see the gathered roaches making a pyramid out of themselves. It is rather remarkable. "I can really control them!" she says excitedly, then spins and wraps her arms around the Anithos behind her.

"Oof," he says, stroking her hair. "Of course you can. You always could. I just gave you the control to do it easily." Her wings thrum on and off.

"I cannot allow myself to be captured," he says, smiling appologetically at you. "I'm going to leave. Stop me if you must, but I will not be placed in prison willingly. I am sorry to put you in such a position," he adds sorrowfully, bringing your hand to his mouth and kissing it once before letting it go and retreating back the way you came, walking backwards. His counterpart gently pries himself free of Tara's grasp, kissing her briefly on her lips, and joins his other self. Both of him pause, smile at you, shimmer slightly, and continue to move back.

"Nooo, don't go," Tara whispers. "We can... we can let you get away! Michelle can open that door, really she can!" Tara grabs your arm. "You can do it. We'll just say... we got lost and nobody has to know," she says to Michelle pleaeingly, on the verge of tears.
 

Raisa coughs a few times, expelling more dirt and dust from her lungs, and just watches as the "bad guys" get away. She doesn't make any attempt to move, doesn't even use the water given to her to wash the grime from her face. A smile slowly creeps onto her lips while her eyes stare at the spot where Anithos had been only moments before.

"He called me a princess..." With a stupid, giddy grin now plastered on her face, Raisa falls to onto her side, sighing whistfully as she just lays there.
 

"Damn."
Johan will get to where Kevin is.
"You might want to start *cough* digging, she will not be able to hold her breath *cough* forever. Sanjay, start transforming the dirt to something *cough cough* else so Kevin will have an easier time digging through it. *cough*"
 
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"Damn."
Johan will get to where Kevin is.
"You might want to start *cough* digging, she will not be able to hold her breath *cough* forever. Sanjay, start transforming the dirt to something *cough cough* else so Kevin will have an easier time digging through it. *cough*"
Carl coughs. "He's right! She'll suffocate in there if we don't get her out. I'll go find out where she is in there. Maybe I can pull her loose," he says. His body starts vibrating and he walks right into the collapsed tunnel, and through the dirt.

A minute later, your radio crackles weakly.

"Guys I... Raisa... alive and... in dirt..."

Anyone with appropriate skills can probably try to get a communicator to work properly...

Raisa
About a minute later, there is a vibrating sound, and Carl appears up through the ground. Seeing Raisa lying on her side, he rushes over. "Raisa? Raisa, are you ok?" he asks, pulling her to sit upright. He taps his communicator. "Guys? I found Raisa. She's alive and on the surface, just covered in dirt," he says, then shuts it off again. "We gotta rinse your eyes out." He grabs the nearby water bottle and tries to start rinsing out your eyes.
 

Calinon said:
"Nooo, don't go," Tara whispers. "We can... we can let you get away! Michelle can open that door, really she can!" Tara grabs your arm. "You can do it. We'll just say... we got lost and nobody has to know," she says to Michelle pleaeingly, on the verge of tears.

"But I'll know." Michelle says weakly, she starts to chew her bottom lip as she attempts to make up her mind. She knows what she should do but when he looks at her, doing what is right doesn't seem that important.

"Wait," she calls out to the retreating man. "I... I can open the door for you," she stammers out still unsure if this is really the right thing to do. "But there is a price, a kiss, you have kiss both of us and then you can go. We won't chase you." Michelle ignores that tiny voice in the back of her head that says she didn't choose wisely.
 

Into the Woods

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