Freedom's Avengers: Earth's Unlikeliest Heroes IC

[American_Patriot]

"We got a call..." the news reporter said over the sounds of the helicopter rotars. "That there was something going down here..."

"It's..." the man motioned down to the school. "...it looks bad down there. If anyone needs medical assistance we can get them to the hospital, if you don't teleport them there yourself.."

"Shit!" the pilot cried out as another news helicopter flew to close to their own helicopter, Warp saw that the news copter didn't have any real markings.

"Current TV is already reporting that this was a peaceful meeting of political activists who were planning a protest later today..." the camerman called out as he leaned in to make sure that Warp heard what he was saying. "My contact with the police department said that you stumbled across something nasty..."

"We knew something was up when their news crews started reporting form over there..." he said pointing out to Warp where there were several satellite televsion vans, set up with real time news going down. "We tried to get closer... so the world can see yoursied of the story..."

"Yo... Warp," he pilot called out. "The intial response people are showing up... you'll need to get back down there."

[McGuffin]

Warp
Danny Ward
HP: 2 Cnd: Fatigued

"Thanks for the heads up guys." Warp eased up a bit. "But I was serious about what I said, stay safe." Then he 'ported back down to where the others were.

"Eye in the sky says Current TV's got either false info on the situation or they're part of a set-up." He motioned to the news van. "We gotta help first responders contain this mess and tell them to prepare to restrain or sedate any people they bring in case they're a threat to themselves or someone else. I can start bringing in victims to the hospital as well." Warp looked around at his teammates. "That goes for any of you who need to get checked out as well."

[FuzzyBoots]

Red Ranger
HP: 1
Status: Fatigued

Xerxes carefully eased the concrete down. "American Patriot? Hex-Mistress? Woman-in-Black?" The continued radio silence made him uneasy. "Mrs. Cadbury? Do we have communications once more?" Belatedly, he tried one more broadcast. "Freedom League, do you copy? Things got ugly here. Conqueror Worm did something to drive people crazy, had paramilitary holding guns on the crowd. When we moved in to save the children, the military guys did something with their vests and blew up. We tried to vent the area, but it only did so much..." Xerxes trailed off, seeing the guy with a rifle. "Shit. Sniper." He immediately planted his feet and leapt, yelling into the comm, "WARP! Sniper aiming at your copter!" As he sailed through the air, he considered the best angle to grab the rifle, ready to sacrifice his body as necessary to save his teammate.

OOC: AoA 5 on the disarm attack, taking 10 against what's likely to be a minion. Roll if the target isn't. Disarm check: (1d20+10=24) will probably be enough.

[American_Patriot]

Red Ranger's leap was perfect, his hands grabbed the longarm with so much ease it felt as if the gunman wasn't really all that up on how to hold or use such a long-ranged rifle. The man was stunned anyone would have done what the red clad hero had just acomplished. But he wasn't about to give up with out a fight. His loyality to the new Conqueror Worm and Legaira wsa absolute...

He snarled and moved towards the mystical martial artist in such a way that the Current TV camera crew was able to catch the image of their scuffle, and when he threw himself off the third floor of the school... the angle that the cameras were at, it looked as if the two men had been scuffling over control of the rifle. And that Red Ranger had just used the rifle to knock the occupier out of his sniper's nest and down to his death.

Note to everyone, Freedom's Avengers were not whom they were ready for, and their plans to set-up a senerio that would make the Freedom League (but most expessially, the second Raven) look bad. They are still going with what their plan was and doing what they can to make the Freedom's Avengers look really bad.

it's why the weapons the crowd themselves were equipped with non-military grade weapons and equipment. Some where armed with stolen police issue weapons and gear. Everything else was accured via surplus stores and the internet.

The really nasty stuff that was suppose to come later, using mlitary grade wapons that had been 'liberated' frm a national guard armory was to have happened during the second day of the riot that was suppose to come out as a respone to what happened here at the school.

All this can be learned if Woman-in-Black was able to do a mind read on the mercs before their vests went boom. I'd be a DC16 check, and i would do it myself, but not sure what other methods she coul use since i dont know the character build readily for it.

While Woman-in-Black is down, Walking Dad's Martian will hopefully be more than enough to handle psychic investgiations and communications...

[FuzzyBoots]

Red Ranger
HP: 1
Status: Fatigued

The gun was plucked away easily. Too easily. There was a moment of hesitation before the gunman leapt forward and grabbed hold of the rifle again, leaning back and to one side. Xerxes automatically followed the movement to deny the fellow mechanical advantage and was shocked when, as the gunman's back neared the railing, he suddenly let go and, with a grin, leapt backwards over the railing. In slow motion, the gun fell from Xerxes's hands as he launched himself over the railing. Sadly, Newton was right and Xerxes couldn't force himself to fall any faster than gravity would let him, so all that happened was that Xerxes landed just beside the gunman, automatically rolling to soften the impact of the fall. He immediately scooted over to check the pulse but found it completely absent, the sharp angle of the neck demonstrating why.
"God damn it!" Xerxes yelled as he rocked back on his heels, "Why does everyone keep killing themselves?" He tapped his communicator over.
"Warp, we're the only members of the team who seem to have survived, or at least are able to communicate. The sniper is down. He threw himself off of the goddamned building when he realized I had his rifle. What the Hell kind of hold does this guy have that people keep killing themselves for him?" He took a moment to try to quell his rage over the situation.
"Freedom League isn't responding. Neither is Mrs. Cadbury. I'm calling 911 and looking to the survivors. With my luck, they're slashing their throats to make sure we can't give them first aid... at least we saved the kids, right?"

With a heavy heart, he returned to the wreckage, tending to the wounded. Those people pinned under the masonry, he assured that he'd lift it, but that he needed paramedics first to prevent death from crush injury. From the perplexed looks, he was fairly certain he'd gone over their heads.
Come on... didn't anyone watch Rescue 911 as a kid? E.R.? The movie, Signs?
He forced himself to mull over the sad lack of cultural literacy in the world as an alternative to obsessing over the fact that Summer had yet to respond back.
You've seen her survive worse... she probably just teleported out, right? Probably shunted off to Fairyland as soon as she heard of the explosion and now she's just negotiating travel down the Winding Ways or something...

OOC: Crush injury, of course, is the sudden release of pent-up toxins when you remove a crushing object off of a limb. It's a major cause of death in people being recovered from fallen buildings. And yes, Xerxes is being mildly insufferable in assuming everyone knows about it.

[McGuffin]

Warp
Danny Ward
HP: 2 Cnd: Fatigued

Warp bit back a string of curses at Ranger's words. The only ones left!? He hoped Black wasn't in earshot as he swore under his breath, then buried his face in his hands as he realized the implications of the thought that had just crossed his mind.

I'm too damn tired for this crap. Never the less, instead of giving up he looked to the wounded, ferrying those he could to the nearest hospital, all the while keeping a tally on the PDA of who went where and making sure the ER personnel realized what all had gone down tonight. He'd be damned if he'd let one of these fanatics loose on a hospital full of innocent people.

[Crazyivan777]

Hank rose from the ground with fury in his eyes. "Goddamit, what the hell is with the suicides?" The question wasn't meant to be answered. Hank was pissed. So much so that he hadn't noticed his com had clicked off.

He clicked it back on, "What the hell is going on? Where are we needed?"

[American_Patriot]

American Patriot
Status: Ruptured Eardrums regenerating, major migrane slowly rising up to make AP's life miseralbe for the next few hours to days.

"We need to get these survivors out of here..!" he yelled at Hex Mistress and gently picked up Woman-in-Black in his arms. "Tell Thunderer that Woman-in-Black is down... He and Red Ranger have the command over the scene until my eardrums regneerate or the duty officer shows up to take control over the scene. We have to start a search and rescue and do what clean up we can while bracing this place to make it safer for the first responders and firefighters..."

"I can't hear a damn thing!" he yelled.

"And you hear me?" he asked Hex Mistress, he didn't notice when Thunderer was rushing up to their position. The Olympian Demi-God Cabbie could see blood coming out of American Patriot's ears as was holding the Woman in Black.

[FuzzyBoots]

Red Ranger
HP: 1
Status: Fatigued

As he wended through ruined halls, Xerxes spoke. "First, make sure you're not going to take down more of the building from moving where you are. Warp is online. I haven't heard from the others. The Freedom League isn't answering their phone. And 911 is responding, but it takes time. For now, try to find survivors, but be careful about moving them. Have you seen anyone else? Woman-in-Black, Hex-Mistress, and American Patriot haven't checked in at all."

OOC: Is there anything left to do in gameplay terms here, or are we just playing our characters until end of scene?

[Crazyivan777]

Thunderer

"AP's gone deaf. Lady's out. I'm going to try to get him to get her out of here. I'll keep looking. Just clear out. If this place falls on me, I'll survive. I dunno about the rest of you."

Hank began to gesture to Patriot, first to his ears to indicate deafness, then rudimentary signs that he should take their team-mate out of the building post-haste.

[FuzzyBoots]

Red Ranger
HP: 1
Status: Fatigued

Hearing Thunderer's words, Xerxes paused a moment, eyes squeezed shut, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God more of us are safe. I should be fine in the case of collapse. This suit does a lot to protect me. I... I take it there's been no word from... Hex-Mistress?" His voice weakened toward the end of the sentence, but after a quick swallow to clear his throat, he was able to clearly enunciate her name.
I guess I didn't know just how much she affected me. She could still be alright, right? For his first time in years, Xerxes directed a quick prayer to whatever higher beings might be out there that his girlfriend might be alive and well.

[American_Patriot]

American Patriot looked at Thunderer and realized that his eardrums had been blown... that he was going to be deaf for the next few minutes. When he spoke he hoped he wasn't screaming at the top of his lungs, "Okay... be careful..!" he yelled back in response. Not realizing it was going through the comlink. "I will get Lady-in-Black and Hex Mistress out of here and try to set up a place for triage of the wounded as best I can. You, Ranger and Warp try to get the survivors out of here... if they try to fight, just cold-cock them and get them out of here!"

He sniffed the air and frowned, "damn, I smell CO2.... So be careful!" he yelled over his shoulder and into the comlink. "If you feel lightheaded, get the hell out of here and get a rebreather before coming back! I Hex Mistress and Lady-in-Black are both unconscious... but they are okay! But they will need to get checked over by a medical professional to double-check!"

He looked around at the devastation and sighed, 'I hate furballs like this. This makes us look like... rank armatures whom are in over their head.' He thought grimly. 'No, we're not amateurs... we just stumbled on something bigger than we thought possible. we stumbled onto something big... and we aint getting no sleep tonight.'

As he carried the two women out... he realized didn't realize that the helicopter camera crew was recording the image that the two women on the team were being carried out of the chaos on his shoulders, or that he was carefully laying them nearby Thunderer's taxi cab that sat perfectly parked an undamaged in front of the school.

He looked up and down the street at the collateral damage from the explosion and watched as a section of the street and a couple houses crumpled downward as at first a tunnel collapsed... and then sections of the sewer system followed.

"Crap..." he muttered shaking his head, still unaware his voice was being carried through the comlink to the rest of the team and command centre as he leaned against the hood of the cab and pulled out his Kindle Fire from one of his pouches and checked to see if the communications blackout had ended. 'Well, at least wi-fi is back...' he thought as he started to use it to send a text message to the communications centre back at the headquarters.

"The upside is that we got the kids out safely... bad news is that the collateral damage is massive.. have police send transports for the crowd. all will need to be debriefed and checked medically... and psych. tell the city managers that tunnels are collapsing along with sewers in the neighborhood... reroute subways to be safe. might be more explosives set. get bombsquads here asap. will be unable to respond to voice communs for the next five minutes, got to regenerate hear drums.. and got to see if they can get spell check for this thing."

He sighed as he sent the message and replaced the kindle into it's protective pouch. He looked up and saw the helicopter overhead and shook his head before double checking on both Hex Mistress and Lady-in-Black. Much to his pleasure Hex Mistress was coming around already. The shock wave had only stunned her into unconsciousness. But Lady-in-Black was still out, and her heartbeat was weaker than he liked. And his hand on the side of her ribcage allowed to to gauge how well she was breathing... it was shallow and steady. He couldn't tell if this wasn't due to the shockwave or something else.

He looked around as the first police cars arrived at the edge of the neighborhood, and the officers started to get out to set up a perimeter moments after the firetrucks arrived and the emergency workers started to cautiously enter the area that looked like a warzone.

He pointed to one of the large areas on the sports field and yelled, "Triage needs to go there! Be careful of tunnel collapse..!"

The first paramedic that arrived saw that American Patriot's ears were blown, and frowned at the damage. "This guy is deaf..." he reported back.

"You don't think?" his partner muttered. "he's yelling almost loud enough they can hear him back at city hall!"

"Take it easy and sit down," the Paramedic said to American Patriot, motioning for the man to sit.

"Thunderer, Red Ranger and Warp are still in there trying to get the crowd out of the ruins..." he yelled. "We have to make sure the triage area is ready for mass causalities... Tell the police to be onsite... these people aren't innocent. They nearly butchered a bunch of kids and started a damn riot that could have blown up into a full scale insurrection!"

The first ranking police officer on the scene had easily heard the American Patriot's words from nearly a block away as he started to run towards the super-soldier to get him to lower his voice. The news vans on the ground would hear him just as easily when they got out and set up their equipment at the parameter that his offers were setting up.

he handed his comlink to the sergeant and pointed to the collapsed gym. "Coordinate with my team to get them to the triage in the sportsfield..!"

"Will do!" the sergeant yelled back, trying to get the soldier to stop yelling sensitive information where it could be overheard by the reporters. His bosses back at One Police Plaza were not going to be happy... not all all. What appeared to be domestic terrorists here in Freedom City? The headlines would be leading all across the country. And Mayor O'Connor would be hitting the roof... and it would not be good.

Not one bit.

[FuzzyBoots]

Red Ranger
HP: 1
Status: Fatigued

The news that Hex-Mistress had survived rushed through Xerxes like a sudden influx of oxygen after getting the breath knocked out of him. Thank you God. Gods. Hairy Thunderer or Cosmic Muffin, whatever you are. He was grateful for noise filters as American Patriot proceeded to yell at the top of his lungs and in general try to insert himself into the command chain.
I swear... that guy keeps saying that he doesn't want to be in charge, but every chance he gets... He shook his head and continued tightly bandaging the leg of the man before him.
"So," he said conversationally, "My take on you guys is that this Conquering Worm guy took you for a ride. Gave you lots of promises about equality, riled you up, then had guys with automatic weapons pointed at you when he ordered you to hurt those kids." The easy smile on his face gave way to a blank stare. "I'd like to think that people are essentially decent until misled. When the police come in to talk with you, I'd advise being as cooperative as possible. Bad things happen to good people. Try not to make moves that will bring more bad karma." He then moved to the next patient and continued to talk while bandaging them up.
Sooner or later, someone's going to give us a clue as to where to look next after we've regrouped...

OOC: Diplomacy, Sense Motive: (1d20+1=20, 1d20+13=27) ^_^

By the by, I'm assuming that my attempts to contact Freedom League and our homebase before just hit an answering service? Or that the transmissions were still being blocked?

[McGuffin]

Warp
Danny Ward
HP: 2 Cnd: Fatigued

Warp was operating almost like a machine by the point the emergency services showed up in full force. 'Port in, grab people who needed evacing, 'port out, rinse and repeat. When Patriot said to set up triage on the nearby field he followed suit, dropping off people there and 'porting the most urgent cases to a hospital once they were cleared for moving.

His body ached all over but he kept at it, determined to help as many people as he could, only vaguely aware of what Patriot said about the CO2. Warp's face hardened when the Mayor started running his little show but then he pushed on. Let them play their stupid game, he had people to save. He'd cram their crap down their throats later.

[Crazyivan777]

Thunderer

Hank would let the others coordinate. He kept half-an-ear open for the com, but he knew that Warp had his back when it came to evacuation. He was also sure that his conscious team-mates were doing what they could. The absence of Lady's touch in his mind made him feel uneasy, but didn't pause him. He had a job to do.
In this case, the job was clearing rubble. He made a bee-line for where people had been gathering, and started searching for survivors. Or corpses. Even the dead needed to be brought out of this place.