Blarghy

If they're not lying, then it means that Ph0enix was, Leviathan thought with the same mix of anger and dismay. She said that mAZ was new on the scene, moving in on her operations; that can't be true if they have this kind of longstanding agreement with Freedom City's heroes. So, this whole thing was a setup from the start. Maybe mAZ really is her competition, but she had to know what she was sending us into. She was probably never going to give us more information about Solemn even if she has any; I bet she's gone underground already, to hide from us until we're taken out. Well, that's not going to happen. Whatever happens to me, I'll bring that traitor down too. ...But then what? How do I get out of this situation? He almost told the hackers about the original source of their trouble; letting them spread the word about Ph0enix on their own would be the simplest way of dealing with her, but Leviathan hesitated, largely out of spite. He wanted to face Ph0enix himself, if possible. "...If you're the pillar of anything," the lizard said slowly, "then it deserves to crumble. I've made my choice already." Nonetheless, he looked shaken when he turned to Bonfire. "If you want to go, you can," he offered solemnly. "I can handle it from here. You don't have to be involved any further."

Correct. Miss Grue has detected strange and hostile minds nearby that seem to be focused on the house you're in (well, below). She told the other heroes, Note that Miss Grue hasn't actually seen any of these individuals yet; she detected them via her mental senses. Miracle Girl does have a line of sight, but she hasn't told the rest of the team what she sees, due to being preoccupied with Julia. Thus, the general state of affairs is that you have about a dozen squishy civilians (some of them friendly, some of them not, many of them injured to some degree) to consider, and now a new group of enemies that may want to harm them and/or you. You also have the Coles, those super-powered "villains," on the lowest level of the bunker (Miss Grue noticed Julia's mental aura arriving and told the rest of the team that she was close, but didn't update you further; Miracle Girl can see and interact with Julia; Terrifica has seen Caleb Cole and informed everyone about him via Miss Grue's mental link about a page ago). There is also one of the hostage-taking teenagers on the middle level of the bunker, alone, who hasn't been dealt with yet. Miracle Girl and Miss Grue have detected him with their various senses, you all saw him before combat started thanks to Miss Grue's mental link (allowing you to see what Miracle Girl saw when she was scouting out the area), and Sea Devil can probably smell him. I expect that your overall objectives are still to rescue the hostages, detain the teenagers who were holding them, deal with the new threat that's currently outside the house but likely to engage soon if you don't rush out to meet them first, and do something about the Coles. How you address this is up to you, though I'll point out that you're currently in a pretty defensible position with only two entrances (via the house above the bunker, and the lower sewer entrance that Terrifica used to get in; it's unlikely that these new enemies know about it), but that forcing your opponents to come to you could potentially endanger the civilians too, and will mean that the Coles are going to be close to the violence. Miracle Girl has so far been able to get both of them to do what she wants, but that might be tougher once things get dangerous. If you do choose to fight in the bunker, Terrifica is aware of some of its special features that she could potentially use to her advantage, though she hasn't done it yet. Lastly, the AEGIS convoy, led by Agent Thornton, is still on its way. A complication may arise concerning them, which only Miss Grue knows about, as she didn't mention it to the anyone. As such, I won't reveal it yet. I will repost the way I described the new enemies in that spoiler box, since Tiff said that Miss Grue was projecting it to everyone else.

Casey got her wish; Leviathan hadn't managed to recognize her in the past just with a change of hairstyles and her civilian glasses, so this latest disguise threw off his eyes very well. That was not to say he didn't notice her, presumably like everybody else in the store. Pretty, in a rockstar kind of way, he thought, and sniffed the air to get an impression of not only the building and its inhabitants, but also monitor the street outside for any surprises. The last time he met another hero in a coffee shop, it didn't quite go as expected. His new olfactory range still took some getting used to; he had to really stretch his brain to pay attention to so much at once. She smells healthy, too. Although not as much as Bonfire's new friend over there; she's downright Amazonian. The reptile's new nose combined with old expertise to give him full appreciation of Blodeuwedd's incredible physical condition. Leviathan couldn't recall much about this hero, much less the dangerous-looking "Hardcase," but he was ready to fix that. Unfortunately, he was a giant lizard barely able to stand up straight without catching his head on the ceiling, so approaching all casual and coy like the others just felt silly. He walked over to the trio, rested one arm on the top of a nearby bookshelf, and tilted his chin toward Bonfire. "I'm with him," he said bluntly.

Puigo is activating his Elongation ability. And for the moment, he's just trying to escape--I suppose it might not be all that heroic for him to go on a (nonlethal) rampage as well, but if you do want a fight, then I'm down for that too!

Samran-342 was right: Puigo didn't believe this. Oh, it made a kind of sense; he had to admit that, even in his frazzled state. Even so, he could think of...perhaps not simpler explanations to his predicament, but certainly other possibilities. To consider that everything he'd known and stood for was long gone was understandably horrifying, and his mind recoiled from it, just as his body leaned away from the Lor in shock. "...Star maps can be falsified," Puigo slowly hissed. His tentacles were beginning to stretch out; whereas before he curled inward on himself with uncertainty, the captain's claim appeared to be making him bigger and more aggressive. "You are trying to trick me. You have done this--whatever this is. Do the Lor think to take advantage of our glorious Empire's vulnerability? Do you think you can finish what the Communion started? Foolish aliens! We're stronger than you realize! And when the Delaztri learn of how you've abducted one of their agents, their wrath will shake the stars themselves!" With that, he sprung through the air, increased his suit's anti-gravity features to full flight, and made a break for the door.

That's who Miracle Girl has been talking to (although the others wouldn't necessarily know that, since I don't believe she's informed anyone).

Heritage, you can keep chatting if you want, but let's keep going through the Initiative roster too. Sea Devil and Singularity are up!

GM "I did more than just take the scientists and hurt some people," she said with a lump in her throat. "I've killed them too. At the lab where they changed us, and then...one of the boys working for me. Upstairs. He was pointing a gun at Delacroix, and I still needed the doctor, so I... He just came apart in my hands, like he was made of wet paper. I get so mad, so fast, and people just break. Is it like that for you?" Many emotions played across Julia's face; she hadn't needed to compose herself for another human in so long that she wasn't sure she remembered how. Now she felt torn between hope, distrust, desperation, deep-set anguish, and numerous others, but when she looked past Miracle Girl to watch her husband, frozen in time, her thoughts focused. She shook her head. "I guess it doesn't matter now. Yes, I'll surrender to you--so long as you find a way to fix Caleb. He hasn't done anything wrong. I don't think he even knows what's going on. If you can help him, then I accept whatever happens to me. It can't be worse than where I've already been." * * * The scene above was perhaps less emotional but a lot more frantic. FCI doctors converged on Tristan and threw around medical jargon and whatever meager supplies they had available; the only first aid kit in the bunker was running low from all the injuries they'd already tended, so the physicians improvised as best they could, tearing their jackets for tourniquets, warming him with body heat, probing for fractures, and expressing thanks and puzzlement that he somehow kept breathing in such a condition. Meanwhile, the heroes had other problems. As Miss Grue had reported to her team, more enemies could be on their way. Thanks to her, they still had some time--but probably not much.

Until the last bit, Leviathan mostly looked intrigued, but then his prisoner cut to his deepest fear. He worried from the start that his cover story might not withstand hard scrutiny. The hackers themselves didn't worry him; he doubted that online research could do more than reveal just how little evidence there was of his "species," which didn't, by itself, prove anything other than perhaps that his ancestors were good at hiding. If Ph0enix couldn't figure out his secret, this crew didn't have much chance either. On the other hand, a real Cowl could cause serious problems. Furthermore, once Leviathan's anxiety started to simmer, the anger seeped in too. He had entertained the possibility of what mAZ suggested just moments earlier, but now that he really considered it, he felt genuine outrage to think that any other Freedom City heroes might've decided to overlook these criminals, much less come after him for doing the right thing. So, when he moved closer and leaned down toward the hacker who spoke, nose-to-nose, his big eyes were dangerous and hateful. "My kind?" he repeated slowly. "Nnnnnoooo, I don't think so. My kind wants you in a cell until you forget how to work a keyboard. My kind doesn't make the deals you're talking about." ...Ph0enix notwithstanding, he added to himself. "You're talking about rogues and villains--AND I HUNT THEM TOO!" he roared suddenly. "So keep talking! Give me names, so you can see your friends in prison with you. Wearing a mask doesn't make them my kind, and it won't save them either!"

As it happened, the docking bay was quite well-lit, with faintly blue, glowing nodes positioned along the scaly walls. It did have a nice echo, though. "Yes, I live alone," Leviathan confirmed, which was true for his human residence too, even if he hardly ever went back to his Midtown apartment these days. "Well, at least, there are no other people here. I have animals. Come on; I'll show you. I think you'll like the garden." He walked to the elevator platform at the middle of the room. Leviathan thought that he should probably skip over most of his lair; last time, he gave Bonfire a detailed tour, but that might be a little tedious now. If these guests liked his handiwork, he could always show them more later. "If you want, we can make a quick stop first on our way down. Did you show Jessie the crown that the tribe gave us? I have mine in my trophy room. It isn't too impressive yet, but I'm working on it."

Such an odd question did nothing to put the Praetorian at ease. He looked between the captain and scientist for a moment, trying to decide whether to tell them at all--and then realizing that he wasn't entirely sure of the answer himself. "...I lost track during the war, if I must be honest," he said slowly. "I've been so busy, mission after mission. The Communion is relentless, which is precisely why I must report to my superiors; our last battle seemed to be finally turning in our favor, but I couldn't see its end. After I was shot down, my ship drifted for...a long time." He shook his head in agitation. "How did I even come to be here? What happened to me?"

Alright, that works for me.

What would the "current" date be? And how does/did the Delaztri calendar even work? Has that been established already, or are we just gonna make something up?

Leviathan 13 Beloved Monster 1 The End of the World Job 1 Freedom of Information 4 Frogs Rush In 5 Good Company and Good Cheer 2 Puigo 6 Intent 6 GM 1 X 2 = 2 The Doctor Is OUT 1 GM posts and Guide point to Leviathan.

Puigo went along at first; he'd been through these kinds of examinations before, though always by Empire-sponsored physicians who knew more about his biology than he did. He supposed it wasn't too odd that these strangers were less familiar. But gradually, he came to realize just how little the Lor understood about him: absolutely nothing, it seemed. They have no idea what I am, he thought. Already confused and surprised by this entire ordeal, Puigo wasn't sure how to address its latest development. He continued to answer the questions, increasingly and visibly unsure, not to mention impatient. His flexible fingers twisted into knots in a nervous gesture rather like a human might wring their hands. By the time they finished, the little Praetorian couldn't keep suspicion out of his voice, even smoothed as it was by his translator. "And now, the comm system?"

Sense Motive: 1d20+10 27 Woo!

Now it was Leviathan's turn for some awkward vibes. "I didn't find it, exactly," he hesitantly explained. Taking the submarine down through the passage bought him a little time to think, for all the good it did. After their first meeting, Leviathan admitted to Sea Devil that he was actually human (albeit only because she guessed it first), but little more than that. Had they been alone now, perhaps he'd tell her that he crafted this home himself. Or, if he was only meeting Singularity, he might go with the cover story he and Bonfire supported for just such an occasion--then again, Jessie seemed like a clever and perceptive lady with no tolerance for liars, and Leviathan would not, in fact, like to learn if she could knock the truth out of him. They'd all just barely reached his lair, and already his guise was wobbling. Well...maybe it's for the best that we get this out of the way early. Aquaria's a friend, and Jessie's her friend, so I won't lie to them, even if I can't tell the whole truth either. "It's complicated," Leviathan finally said as their vessel descended: they entered a short tunnel with another bone-hatch at the far end. Given that they'd been to space, and thus presumably visited actual ships like Tristan had tried to mimic, the ladies might recognize this as an airlock of sorts, for decompression or pathogen management. "And part of...what we talked about last time, on the beach. Someday I might tell you the whole story, but right now, it's...complicated." Through the lower hatch, the submarine dropped into a flooded, dome-shaped room. Around its perimeter grew a latticework of something like orange bamboo, a tangle of briars without thorns. They seemed to come right out of the walls and floor, which were made of scales very much like Leviathan's own. The fluid in the room began to drain once the hatch above them sealed again, and after the submarine bobbed to the top like a cork, the diminishing water level gradually brought them lower until they sat in a pool apparently designed to hold Leviathan's ride. "But anyway, this is the docking bay," he continued, and popped open the hatch to let everyone out. Immediately, they would smell sweet, pure--if presently damp--air.

Yet again, Leviathan's thoughts swung back in the other direction, now toward worry. These ups and downs in his confidence were starting to frustrate him. What did mAZ mean, "Don't they know about the deal?"? Did the hackers have outside protection that was supposed to keep away heroes and law enforcement? As best he could judge the whispered conversation, Leviathan got the impression that he wasn't merely dealing with other, more dangerous, criminals. Did mAZ make arrangements with some shadowy government agency or another, granted freedom in exchange for their cooperation? Were they the pets of another hero? Is this Ph0enix's game? Leviathan wondered. Did she send us to get rid of mAZ not because they're the problem, precisely, but as a way to strike at whoever they're working with? Or is this her trap? Does she expect mAZ's supporters to bring down Bonfire and me? He nodded tensely to Bonfire: "Yeah, call it in." Hesitation was plain in his voice. Now the lizard stomped over to their prisoners, loomed over them, and demanded bluntly, "What's all this about? What do you mean?"

Once again, Leviathan felt like he'd put his foot in his mouth by being so casual about a topic that was apparently very deep. He listened closely as he turned the submarine around and dived down into the Bay. "That's very true," he agreed seriously. "If you decided to stay in space and be a Star Knight, I'm sure you would be a great one. But I'm glad you came back to Earth; we need you here." The submarine's bioluminescent headlamps glowed in the water, soon pitch black; they scattered the occasional fish, and once Leviathan reached the ocean's floor, he navigated along it, mud stirring in their wake. This was a trip he'd made many times now; before long, the three heroes came to see his lair's entrance, from the outside appearing to only be a door of interlocking bone petals, partly hidden in the muck. Leviathan tapped a button on the control panel; slow but smooth, the white sheets pulled apart to grant them passage. "I meant to ask about the tribe we relocated, by the way. Have you seen them since then? Are they doing alright?"

Even though this invitation came from a trusted ally, Tristan still had to think it over for a while. Not because of the job's clandestine nature--he was becoming pretty comfortable with that--but simply due to the unknowns. He wasn't sure who he might be working with on this mission, other than Bonfire, and new partners could spell trouble. With a wry bit of insight, the doctor realized that this was a rather illicit viewpoint to automatically take; perhaps the criminals he hunted down were starting to rub off on him a little. Once he decided to join the meeting, he then had to figure out the details. Obviously, he wouldn't attend as himself. A new face seemed like the clear solution, but on reflection, Tristan thought it a poor choice. He was still trying to keep his shapeshifting under wraps, even from most other heroes. He'd been invited as Leviathan, and so--as Bonfire had--he would show up as Leviathan. He had doubts almost immediately. Strangely enough, this was the first time in his career that the enormous lizard had ever just strolled through Freedom City. Now, this was Freedom City, and so his presence wasn't entirely shocking to other pedestrians, but Leviathan looked dangerous enough that a lot of people quickly moved to the other side of the street. A few police hesitantly approached him and inquired vaguely about his day, trying to tell whether or not he planned on causing trouble. When he didn't start flipping over cars or trying to eat anybody, the West End locals relaxed slightly. Leviathan got a few questions about himself, mentioned Bonfire's online blog, and even posed for some photos. This could've turned into a full-blown event if he hadn't had somewhere to be; as it was, by the time he ducked his head and turned sideways to fit through the door of Silberman's, the reptile had a pleasant spring in his step. Leviathan waved at Bonfire, more to let the staff know he was here to see a friend and not wreck their shop than anything, and then began the delicate process of weaving through the bookshelves without knocking any of them over.

At first, Puigo hardly seemed to hear the doctor. He became more and more trapped in his thoughts, which were increasingly worried. The surprise of being alive should've occupied him entirely, and pleasantly so, but the details he saw that clashed with his memory were more concerning. Why was the Lor station so different than what he expected? Why were they here at all? Why was he here? Where even was here? He looked at Dr. Titania a little hesitantly, but nonetheless climbed onto the examination table. Puigo badly wanted answers, and if this scan could provide any, then he'd tolerate it. "Very well--but afterward, I need to use your communication systems. I have to report to my superiors as soon as possible."

We'll just roleplay it for now; I don't really care for stacking Diplomacy rolls together in such a short timeframe. And yes, it looks like Miracle Girl has enough Imperviousness to resist her heat aura (when she's not adding her Strength bonus to it).

Alright, by the Diplomacy table, Julia should now be Indifferent. I'm not holding to that too strictly, but she isn't currently attacking Miracle Girl, so that's something. You can reply to her and decide your actions for this round (if you want to take any), and then I'll probably move onto the other NPCs and then Sea Devil/Singularity.

GM Whatever Julia had expected, this clearly wasn't it. She stopped just short of throwing another punch; her posture was still tense, and her expression furious, but as Miracle Girl spoke, that certainty began to drain out of the older woman. Nothing replaced it, making her seem hollow. She stared at her fellow speedster, and her shivers of adrenaline seemed to take on a different connotation. This was the first human contact Julia had experienced in...a long time. Isolation had twisted her into something terrible and tragic. And now, faced with this gesture of kindness, even from someone she considered an enemy, she did the only thing any reasonable person could do: She fell to the floor and began to sob. This went on for some time, the tears sizzling on her cheeks; in their timeless, silent bubble, the only sounds where whatever she and Casey made. But eventually, Mrs. Cole regained a measure of control over herself and began to talk. She had quite the story to tell. Most of it just supported what Miracle Girl's friends learned at Blackstone: the Coles, Owen, and Holly Page were abducted and taken to a secret facility outside of Freedom City, experimented on, and transformed into the flawed superhumans they were today. They eventually escaped, killing and wrecking their way to freedom. They managed to recover some notes in the process; though heavily damaged by Julia's uncontrollable heat, they could still read mention of Dr. Delacroix, and so, they sought him out. "Holly and Owen were supposed to take him, but you sent them to prison instead," Julia pointed out icily. "So I had to do it myself--and now he and the others are useless anyway. If they can't fix this, then I don't know who can. I just want to be normal again. I just want to go home! With my husband! We didn't deserve any of this, and I don't know what else to do!"

This obviously made the wheels start turning again in Leviathan's head. He frowned and looked down at the business card, and this lovely chair, with torn thought. "I didn't know any of that," he admitted. "I...would not want to hurt you by letting something happen to your creations, so perhaps it is best for you to keep them. Once I write down your contact information, of course." He let Grim's last comment slip by unrecognized, but the faerie could surely guess that it stuck with him. Still, he soon focused on a happier aspect of glamour. "You can really travel through anything you make? Even something small?" Leviathan held up the business card. "So you could pop out of this? That sounds like a fun party trick."