SAP Headquarters
Michelle, Straightjacket
Rebound responds with "Too late... rockets firing... be at top in minute..." and then Vince launches himself after the bouncing boy and Straightjacket's father.
"Should I point out the obvious problem with Vince's statement?" Tara asks, not following into the air.
"Hey, you gotta admit, it's a good plan to hit this from both sides, in case it isn't Sanj.. Neutron," Cosmo says. "I'm sure they'll be fine. I mean, when was the last time Vince charged blindly into a situation," he jokes to Michelle.
With Michelle growling, Officer Beno leaves his scowling commander and a few of his men outside, while he and the rest of the officers escort Michelle, Straightjacket, Cosmo and Tara into the building. With the exception of one very half-hearted attempt at stopping you by some low level secretary, most workers seem relieved to have EPIC in the building. You quickly find yourselves in two elevators, streaking upwards through the center of the building towards the upper floors. You are just approaching the upper floors when the entire elevator shakes and you hear a rumbling from far below you.
Tara, in the elevator with Michelle and several police says "What was that?" as she steadies herself with her extra limbs.
In the other elevator, Cosmo manages to keep his feet uncannily as the elevator shakes, and easily pulls Straightjacket to his feet. "Why can't things just go smoothly for once?" he says. "Maybe we should check that out," he suggests.
Vince
You streak up, finding yourself lagging slightly behind the rocket-propelled Rebound. You, he and Straightjacket's father all flash past the police and SAP security forces, past a floor totally encased in a yellow energy field, and alight on the rooftop. Weapons turn your way briefly, but soon are lowered, much to your relief as the force arrayed atop and around the building is quite significant.
One ISA SWAT member calls over to his commanding officer and says in Portuguese, "Captain! EPIC is here, and it looks like they have a home-town boy with them!"
A short, barrel chested man with close cropped hair and rough growth of a beard on his face looks up from a table, then stomps over. "About bloody time someone got here," he rumbles in your native tongue. "I got men trapped inside, and we just lost radio communication with 'em. We're trying to breach the energy field again. If you and your boys want a go at this mutant down there, I'm all for it... Demon right?" he says.
"Now just one moment, Captain Ralina. I most certainly am not going to authorize any involvement by EPIC in this matter," says a familiar voice. It's Ms. Price. "SAP wants this handled internally. Even your SWAT team is here at our sufference."
Captain Ralina affixes the taller woman with an intense glare and seems ready to let loose with some sort of response when the sound of an explosion rips through the air from well below the roofline. As quick as you are, you zip to the roof edge and look down to see a large burst of flame and smoke, broken glass and debris, soaring out from a mid-level floor of the huge tower. You also see a number of what looks like people flying out of the building with the explosion. It will only take mere moments before the people, if they are even alive, to impact the ground!
Mere moments being... two rounds.
Johan
You glance around, trying to find anything that might serve as a defense system for the inside of the room. You search the computer system, and manage to activate a series of defense turrets outside the room, but the activation sequence halts as if they've been damaged. You see several turrets drop down outside the windows, however, under your control from the remaining computer terminal.
Through the door, you hear a muffled shout in Portuguese that you recognize as "Fire in the hole!" an instant before a massive directional charge goes off, blasting not just the door, but that entire wall of the room towards you. Flame smoke and debris immediately cloud your vision. Your breath is blasted from you and you vaguely feel yourself soaring backwards. You hear the sound of shattered glassteel and a brief feeling of weightlessness before you can finally see again.
And find yourself plumetting earthward from forty stories up.
Reflex save (DC 20): 18 fails
Damage save (DC 25): 15 fails (1L, stunned) -- but the explosion took a full round, so you aren't actually stunned.
Neutron
Will Save (DC14): 14 succeeds -- you can act normally next round
Seeing you momentarily incapacitated, both guards blast at you to try to take you down. With your stunned condition, you feel your normally hardened flesh revert to a more normal hardness, and let out a small shriek as both blasts catch you, one in the shoulder and the second slamming into your chest.
Attack rolls: 18 and 20 (hits)
Damage saves (DC23): 14 and 18 (2S, stunned) -- you can spend a hero point to overcome this stun and act normally on what is now your turn.
You reel backwards into the window from the blasts, returned to your feet by the impact of the second one, though you feel surprisingly not dead, which is a pretty nice feeling.
You are at -3 to damage saves now.
October 26, 2120
Lancheng, China
Master Wen's Academy
An hour later, you still find yourself staring at a blank computer screen, unable to put anything to words in a manner that satisfies you. The rest of your team and the senior EPIC members soon board the plane.
"If you want to say goodbye to Wen or his granddaughter, now is the time to do it," Kodiak says as he takes a seat nearby you. Glancing out the nearby window, you see Master Wen and Li watching the plane from a short distance away, speaking with Thunder. Xi is notably missing.
October 26, 2120
Brighton Transit Terminal 1
Brighton, England, 6:45AM
Jeremy Alfredson York
"Yeah, I came in with... from New York, myself," he says easily. "I'm just here on a little business trip to acquire some robotic toys from York Industries. Small world, aint it? I hear your brother left EPIC. Nice kid that one. Definitely being held back by that Thunder twit. He's the one that suggested I come to England to see some of your family companies products," he says with his ready smile that seems a bit predatory.
