Cubismo

Welp. Since the Rifle Guy is just there waiting to be righteously punched I like Replica will oblige with him. Attack: Punching Rifle Guy: 1d20+12 30

Replica's sensors notified her that while the soldier with the RPG was severely injured with multiple injuries to his head and back that he was not in a critical condition and would likely be incapacitated for a while. She quickly assessed who her next target would be. The enemy with the blowtorch was making good headway cutting through the armored car while a soldier with a rifle was standing relatively close to her. A soldier that looked like a comm officer was a little ways a way as well. In the end, Replica chose to strike the one wielding that nasty looking rifle. Like the merc with the one with the RPG she reasoned it would be prudent to remove any and all assailants capable of inflicting heavy causalities on gridlocked drivers and pedestrians. Turning from where she was, the android sprinted towards the gun-totting soldier and tried to send him flying like his cohort up with a uppercut.

Initiative: 1d20+12 19 Attack: Punching Soldier: 1d20+12 24

Going on vacation y'all. Be back Thursday.

Replica ran a scan of the soldiers equipment and referenced that information on through her internal database to see if anything would come up. As luck would have it the scan revealed to her that these soldiers were definitely not your bog-standard mercenaries but instead Russian soldiers that were highly likely to be a dedicated outfit who were definitely not lacking when came to proper strategic coordination. That knowledge raised so many questions and problematic new variables that Replica had to struggle to not completely engross herself in analyzing what this could all mean. Instead, she focused on the soldier with a RPG launcher and booted up her combat mode. Removing the biggest threat to herself and the civilians around the packed gridlock was essential she reasoned. The moment damage he could do with the weapon would be horrendous if he got a shot off. So, slowly edged herself behind him and prepared to make her attack. From the side of a car leaped from the ground and attacked the soldier with a punch to back of his head.

Sorry for the delay. I've been getting ready for a vacation I'm going on soon. I'll make the roll and give you a post. Knowledge (Tactics): Identifying soldiers: 1d20+7 27

Astrid followed everyone else to the common room holding her bat and trying her hardest not to smile. When they made it to the room she finally answered Judy's question and did so with a goofy grin on her face. "Oh, the most shocking kind of magic." She immediately started laughing like an idiot. I mean, how could she resist the opportunity after all. It was just to perfect. Besides, Astrid figured it was just good form to make puns about your powers in a superhero school. When he finally settled down she gave Judy an honest and straightforward answer. "Sorry couldn't resist. Anyways, the bat's been rune-inscribed by dwarven weapon-smiths with the runes of thunder and lightning to give its power." Astrid paused for a second to let Judy take that all in. Most people tended to need one when she explained the craziness that was her life. "Weird I know. But that's the truth. I got a magic lightning bat made my dwarves from Asgard."

Ms Thursday would be play for being a Barbarian.

It was hard for Astrid not make a lopsided smile. She didn't like to think of herself as a cliche. Who would? But Nicole had her nailed even if she was being obviously sarcastic. The hard drinking, party girl with a thing for music and fights. Yep, that was her. To a tee. She even had the trademark shaggy pixie cut and ripped jeans. But what was bad about that? She liked being that girl. Usually. Astrid sighed a little and allowed the tension in her shoulders to drop. There was no need to unload all her drama on someone she just meet so she decided to let the conversation flow light and carefree. "Kind of. The Arctic Monkeys and Paramore are up there for me, but my true inspirations are a bit harder that them. Ever here of Enslaved or Adorned Brood?" Astrid asked, trying her damnest not to sound like a pretense ass. When Nicole shrugged Astrid tried to explain. "They're kind of like Led Zeppelin back when he was going through his Viking phase. They mix together heavy metal inspired from what you Americans were cooking up day in the day with ancient Nordic folk songs and themes." Still feeling a bit self-conscious Astrid defended her choice of genre. "Yeah, I know. A half Asgardian into viking metal is pretty cliched, but I was totally into it before all the weirdness happened." She pointed to Porrklubba, which was sticking up from her duffel bag, as if that would explain everything. "What about? You seem like you how to get something useful out of Claremont, but you didn't really say what that was. You seem pretty smart so I'm gonna guess it involves tech and science. Am I close?"

Ms Thursday Astrid couldn't help but laugh too. "See! You're a honest con artist. A dishonest one wouldn't have told me that," she said sarcastically with a grin on her face. Maybe she should be a bit more suspicious? Elizabeth was turning out to be pretty charming and wasn't as if she never been conned by people like that before. Errant memories of great-uncle Loki cheating her at a game of hnefatafl immediately coming to mind. Still, Astrid had a good feeling about her and figured that asking her a few more questions wouldn't hurt. "So, besides card tricks and stacking the deck what else can you do? Powers-wise, I mean."

Astrid turned to the girl with a smile on her face and her scrawling counterpart. "Nope. Well, maybe yes. It's complicated," Astrid said, trying to explain. Determining whether magical baseball bats forged by the equally magical dwarves counted as a technological device was one of those theoretical questions that tended to make Astrid's brain just humming one of her favorite songs. Figuring it was just better to show her Porrklubba up close, Astrid walked up to the smiling girl and past her broody friend (what was her problem?) with her bat rested firmly on her shoulder. "I used this teleport in," she said, indicating Porrklubba. "It's a magic weapon that my father had made for me. It can teleport me around and do a tons of other stuff too. I call it Porrklubba."

Stealth: Sneaking around the mysterious soldiers: 1d20+8 20

Replica's sensors had given a good assessment of the situation it was not as advantageous as she had hoped. With only herself and two guards to protect the shipment of Darwin-X against several soldiers the odds were decidedly not in their fair. With that being the case, Replica opted to do whatever we could to shift back. She couched down and silently moved across the tightly locked cars, hopefully away from any preying eyes. If she could just get into the right position than maybe she could flank the assailants before they even saw her coming!

In a flash of glittering rainbow light Astrid made her introduce back on Earth. She had just come back from visiting her brother Anders in Asgard and had wanted to teleport right back in her room so she could immediately crash on her bed after a long day of catching up with her very extended family. Porrklubba apparently had different plans because instead of being in her room, she was in the middle of the hallway surrounded by other students. "Oh helsike," she muttered under her breath. Putting Porrklubba downwards as if to hid the magical baseball bat and her embarrassment at the same time, Astrid figured she might as well use the opportunity introduce herself to her floormates. "Sup. Name's Astrid. Sorry about just showing up out of nowhere. That happens sometimes."

Ms Thursday Astrid couldn't help herself. "Pfff. I don't know the kind of people you've meet but not trusting someone because they know card tricks sounds just as reasonable as thinking someone's a witch because they know how to use herbs." She didn't mean to be harsh about it, but that kind of illogic had gotten her and her friends in trouble more times than she'd care to remember just because they enjoyed heavy metal music. It was ridiculous and it always made Astrid a little peeved. She signed and tried to relax again, staring off for a bit at nothing in particular. "Alright, that might have been a bit much but I hope you get my point." Thinking that this one of those moments where you had to look someone in eyes to make sure they knew you were being serious Astrid did just that. "I know I literally just meet you but I got a feeling that you're pretty trustworthy."

Astrid didn't have to be a psychologist to tell that her story had ticked Nicole off something furious. As much as she tried to forgive her father for what he did, the fact was that she still kind of hated him for what he did and it was kind of cathartic to see someone else express that same anger. Maybe Nicole had father issues of her own? Astrid made a mental note to remember to ask her about her own domestic situation. "I've haven't a clue? I've meet a couple of the Gods and trust me. When it comes right down to it their just humans with a bunch of fancy powers and egos the size of Yggdrasil." That got Astrid laughing and it almost made her forgot about her issues. Almost. After having a good laugh she started to think about everything else Nicole had just said. She was right. Even after a few hours of being there it was obvious to her that Claremont was a treasure shove of resources. "You definitely have a point there. I already know how to give a mean right hook or back swing anyway so focusing on that would be redundant." Astrid did a mock parody of flexing like something out of a cheesy 80s film to prove her point. "Honestly, as much as I like fighting, and I really do like fighting, I'm hoping that I get to explore a couple of my other interests here." Astrid tried to hide it but she was actually nervous about sharing what her interests were with people she really didn't know yet. She didn't expect to be laughed at but was still human, at least by half, and could get insincere from time to time. With a huff she told her. "Well. I'm really into making music, and finding other students or teacher that could help me improve would be pretty sweet. Who knows? I might even might my future bandmates here. That's the goal anyway."

Let's see if Replica Notices anything weird around the car. Notice: looking around car: 1d20+5 18

The android didn't take long to give Dr. North a reply. The Irate Pirate was partial responsible for Freedom City undergoing possibly the worst traffic in its history but he ultimately was just an idiot kid sucked into something beyond his understanding. So as long as he was genuinely repentent Replica had no real qualms against giving him to some intelligence service or even WEST. "I'm in agreement. His talents, such as they are, would be of greater use in the service of some agency instead of rotting in prison." As Replica finally made it past the gridlock, she finally saw the black armored lorry. Discarding her now well-worn bike she made it the rest of the way by foot. "I'm close to the lorry but I haven't seen any assailants yet or the vehicle's guards, but I'll be on the look out. Notify me when Simmons has more information on this Mother Board character. Replica out." Approaching the lorry Replica put her sensors on high-alert for any suspicious activity. She knew the terrorists behind all of this chaos had to be nearby and she definitely didn't want to be the one caught unawares."

Replica responded in her cool monotone. "I'm fine, Dr. North. I believe I just had a run in with one of those hacked self-driving cars you were mentioning." Turning her surprisingly still intact bicycle, Replica continued to make her away to the epicenter of all this chaos. As she rode on she contacted Dr. North again, but was still mindful for any more cars suspiciously coming her away. "Have you been able to learn any more about the app or whose behind all of this?"

Ms Thursday Astrid stuck it out her hand and gave Elizabeth a mighty handshake. She was very conscious of ensuring that it wasn't to strong of a handshake. Accidentally slamming a door was one thing but crushing someone's hand would probably get her kicked out of school on the first day. That, and probably charged by the cops. "it's a pleasure to meet you too, Elizabeth. The name's Astrid Torsten. You can call me Thursday if you want." She let go of Elizabeth's hand and put both of them behind her head. "You didn't bother me by the way. I get antsy too and totally get why you'd want to do something while we wait for this assemble to finally start." It was true, Astrid didn't do waiting all that well and was already starting to feel uncomfortable in her seat. She started to drum her fingers to the beat of one of her favorite songs to help keep her brain occupied. "Anyways, do you play cards? You can sure shuffle them pretty well."

Replica's sensors proximity picked up the approaching vehicle before her actual eyes did. She immediately prepared an estimate that calculated the vehicles trajectory, speed and likely weight. Using that information is was relatively simple to formulate a maneuver that would allow Replica to avoid the car without a scratch to her person and still maintain her speed. Putting her plan in action she turned her bike to face the upcoming car and started to peddle at top towards it! The calculations had to be just right or she'd slap right into it, but one of the perks of being an android was being really, really good at math. Replica bounced the bike up at just the right moment without losing any of her momentum and proceed the ride atop the car's window and roof before landing back on the street as if nothing had happened!

Alright Replica's gonna stay on the bike. Let's see what happens! Dex Check: Avoid car ram: 1d20+8 26 Made it! I'll post Replica's daring feat of bicycle mastery.

Ms Thursday Astrid waltzed into the auditorium having flicked the entry doors wide open with just one push of her right index finger. She didn't actually intend on making a dramatic entrance. Not consciously anyway. So just wanted to see whether she had enough control over her strength that when she pushed the door it wouldn't slam open or unhinge. The good news was that the door wasn't broken. The bad news was that it totally did slam open to the side and did so rather loudly. The demigoddess decided that best course of action was to simply waltz right through the door and put on the silent bad girl mystique. She was certainly dressed for it, wearing her favorite black leather jacket, torn blue jeans and a bit of eye-shadow. If anyone asked what happened she'd tell the truth and apologize, but if they didn't she figured she'd look like a mysterious badass instead of a total ræv. Walking down the aisle Astrid looked around for someone she knew. It was her first year at Claremont so she didn't really know anyone at the school beside her roomie, but Astrid didn't see Nicole anywhere. With a shrug Astrid figured she'd just scan the room and sit near someone that looked mildly interesting. She quickly realized that she had set herself up for failure because EVERYONE here looked interesting. It was a superhero school after all. Eventually she settled on sitting near the back. There was one bored looking girl there playing cards and Astrid figured she found had found a kindred spirit. Waiting for assemblies always tended to bore her rather quickly, especially when she had no one to talk. Astrid turned to head to face her and loudly signed. "Waiting for an assembly to start sure is exciting, ja?" She asked, the sarcasm obvious.

Replica ran the numbers through her processor. Darwin-X was one of the most lethal pathogens on the planet and if it was released in downtown Freedom the number of casualties would be horrific. Replica had no intention of letting that happen. "I agree with your assessment, North. The Irate Pirate's hacking of the traffic AI and the subsequent gridlock and the must have been part of a larger scheme to get access to the Darwin-X being transported." But what good was knowing that now? The gridlock was getting worse and worse and Replica wasn't sure that even she could pull of another feat of driving through it now. A new plan had to be made. "I believe I'm going to have to borrow your bicycle," Replica said calmly to the Irate Pirate. While taking the property of innocent civilians triggered her ethical program, doing so to the likes of the Irate Pirate didn't bother her all that much. Hopping on the bike before the hacker could even complain, Replica looked towards Simmons and North just before departing. "I believe it would be prudent that the two of stayed behind and kept a watch over the hacker here. Ask him a few more questions and see if you can learn more about this app. I'm going to the transport. Call if you find out any important information." And with that she put the pedal to the metal.

Astrid just had to smile. She liked anyone who had the spunk to match sarcasm with sarcasm. Back in her hometown of Risør people could be so self-serious and stiff. The same could be said about Asgard. When a typical Asgardian wasn't feasting or fighting they could be just as self-important and dreary. It was one of main reasons why she left Asgard after a while. Pulling her head of the clouds, Astrid decided to answer a couple of Nicole's questions. "Well I think I can really find myself here, you know," she said, putting on the most obnoxious Valley-Girl affectation she could muster. When it was clear that Nicole hadn't bought it she switched back to her usual tone. "Haha. Sorry couldn't resist. I do that to almost all the new people I meet." Becoming more serious, Astrid told Nicole the truth. "You were right about me coming from Scandinavia," she started. "I'm from a place in Norway. Don't bother asking about it. It was a pretty boring place." "Long story short, my long-lost deadbeat dad turned out to be a bigshot who whisked me and my little brother away to Asgard after our mother died." Astrid said briskly, as if it was no big deal. Astrid didn't like explaining her "origin." It always made her feel awkward, so she always tried to get it over with as quickly as possible. The past the was the past after all. Bringing it up always felt kind of pointless and painful. "Anyways, I stayed there for a while but came back to Earth once I figured out that I probably wasn't going to get a proper education in a place where indoor plumbing hadn't been invented yet. And so I came here." Astrid opened up her arms in a wide gesture to indicate their room. "What about you?" She asked wanting to change the subject. "Why did you decide to come this crazy school?"