Semi-Autogyro

By the time Mali looked back to John there was a study-looking long staff in his hands. "That will not be necessary, Miss Mali." John placed one of the ends just in front of where the danging teens trapped ankle was located. "On three. One. Two. Three." With a slight bit of force at the other end of the improvised lever caused the tree to release its grasp on Morgans' ankle. John sidestepped at the same time, to avoid being used as an impromptu landing pad. "I will claim diplomatic immunity then, if he should ask that of me." He declared to his friend as he dismissed the no longer needed weapon.

I don't know if a lot of the links are active still, but here's a thread that might be of some assistance KD.

"Closest building would be the library." He said as the pair walked out the doors of the gym, while walking at a measured pace towards the building to their left. "Its hours of operation are the same as -" He stopped mid-sentence and mid-stride and stared at the large tree that was in the middle of the quad. A small sigh of resignation was heard from John as he turned back to address Mali. "We will need to make a slight detour, at the moment. It should not take too much time." John made a beeline over to the tree and looked upward. "Yet again, Morgan?"

"Very well." The tour was more along the lines of a walk through of the facilities. While she had probably seen such equipment at high end gyms or health clubs, it probably was a bit jarring to hear him idly informing her of the sauna or Olympic-regulation swimming pool located elsewhere on campus. There were quite a few pairs of students in the gym who called out to or waved to John and Mali as he escorted her though the facility. The final stop on their tour of the gymnasium was one of the unoccupied training rooms. "These rooms typically house students who would like to spar or train with each other without using their meta-human abilities. There is a check-in log put aside for their use posted in the lobby if you would like to procure their use." He looked up at the clock on the wall. "If you would like, lunch is still being served in the commissary at this time."

If he noted her uneasiness or blushing, it did not show. "If only more people here were to be in possession of such abilities." was all that he said about the matter. "The Gymnasium opens at 0530 to 0600 and is open till 2200 hours, or 2400 hours on the weekends." John explained as they walked towards the structure. "If you would like we can assign you a personal locker today as well." When he reached the door he held it open for her. "As one of the student volunteers here at the gym, I strongly encourage you to find a partner to aid you if you are going to be doing exercising or training that requires a spotter." They walked past a set of double doors that were open to a basketball court, which was currently occupied by about eight students playing a pickup game.

"I will heal in time, but thank you for your concern." At her next outburst his reaction was a simple nonplussed eyebrow raise. "You do not have to apologize, Miss Mali. Some students here choose not to reveal personal information about themselves until they are acclimatized." when the pair got outside he looked around and finally decided on where to go. "Judging by your physique and bearing you seem to be a practitioner in some style or variant of martial arts, so I think you would appreciate seeing our regular training facilities." He pointed across the quad at the building in question.

I cannot recommend Star Wars Saga Edition enough. Even though it's out of print, you really only need the core book. It's still d20 system, but very streamlined. You can easily distance yourself for a lot of 'fluff' of the setting simply by not acknowledging it or even reworking it to your favor. There's also a couple of decent adventures with it as well. I'd throw out Shadowrun, but it's a completely different rule-set and I don't think that's what you want to deal with.

John blinked twice, noticing that she had not offered her name. Knowing that some preferred to keep such things to themselves he brushed passed it and continued. "Then it will be my pleasure to assist you in this matter." He replied easily, and began packing up his things. "Please do not feel that you are interrupting my plans or the like. Currently, I am being restricted from my normal activities to aid in recuperation." At this John pointed idly in explanation to one of the gauze wrappings on his body that was visible. "Regardless of that fact, I already possessed no concrete objectives for the day." With the last statement, he clicked closed the guitar case and turned to her. "By your leave, I shall return shortly after I have returned these items and retrieved the appropriate attire." About three minutes later, he had arrived sporting a BDU jacket and patrol cap. "Is there any location in particular you would wish to visit first?" John asked as he slid on his ubiquitous sunglasses and held open the door for her.

"Indeed. I have been a resident here since April of last year." John sized up the new arrival as he shook her hand. He then turned his gaze out the window, one that gave a good view across the campus, and gestured to it. "If you would like I would be more than happy to escort you around campus." John gave her a friendly smile, the one that Morgan had termed 'not scary'. "Or if you would rather investigate on your own prerogative, that is fine too. If you should find yourself in need further assistance or information please do not hesitate to ask it of me." He tried to recall if there had been anything said about a new student, but came up empty. "I am called John. It is my distinct pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss...?"

John was in the lobby, focused on the guitar in his hands as he strummed out a melody. His olive drab undershirt did not entirely cover bits of bandages that peeked out from underneath it, and his camouflage cargo pants were lazily tucked into his unlaced combat boots. Every once and a while he would open up a nearby notebook, and write something down before returning to the guitar. He had been told directly by Headmaster Summers that he was supposed to be recuperating from his recent experience with the rogue scientist. It was just that he was starting to go a little bit stir crazy with what usually took up a large portion of his day no longer being available to him until he was cleared by a medical professional. To that end he had focused on his other objectives, mainly trying new hobbies and getting more practice at his current ones. Hearing the sound of footsteps he paused mid-strum, and looked up. A young woman stood there, one he had not seen around campus before. "Good Afternoon, Miss. Are you a new student?" He set his guitar aside and stood up, extending a friendly hand in greeting to the new arrival.

The footsteps were just outside the door as he freed himself from the final restraint. Looking around for a weapon he grabbed the Patterson trocar from the surgical tray beside the desk. Dr. Smythe rounded the corner, "Are you ready to cooperate, Zed-Seven?" She asked while looking up from a tablet computer. John jumped off the bed and crouched low in a defensive stance, the trocar held in a reverse grip. The scientist sighed. "I tire of these games." John advanced towards the scientist, confident that he could take her in close range. Instead, she drew the syringe gun from her side and leveled at him. Responding with force, John lashed out with the impromptu weapon. A simple feint and jab lightly wounded her forearm but more importantly sent the syringe gun clattering to the floor. The not-so-good Doctor let out a hiss of pain and backed away from him as he dove for the syringe gun. The cool metal and weight of the weapon felt good in his hands and now the tables had turned as he leveled it at the former SHADOW scientist. "I am leaving. I will assist AEGIS in dismantling this facility and assure your fate in a cell. You will not be conscious for this." He pulled the trigger but the weapon emitted a hash sound of negation. John, distracted, looked at the weapon. "So predictable." Dr. Smythe intoned, as she drew out a small remote from her labcoat and pressed a button. The nullification unit on his arm flared to life, pulsing thousands of volts of electricity into his body. He slumped to the floor, his muscles useless against the torrent of electricity. The doctor picked herself up off the floor and retrieved her weapon. "DNA encryption, you see. Unlike Doctor Mathias, I was and am not blinded by arrogance in thinking you are harmless." She pressed the button again, causing the clone hero to grit his teeth as the device pulsed again. "It looks like I will have to find an alternate means of your willing participation." "Never." He spat out between teeth clenched in pain. "I would not say such things if I were you." She stated as the muzzle of the weapon was pressed to his neck. "But you will understand this soon." With a hiss from the weapon and small prick of pain in his neck, she injected him. His hateful gaze remained on her, slowly unfocusing and then fading to nothing as he collapsed to the floor.

By the time Crow had returned from terrorizing the AI in the Doom Room, Myrmidon was sticking multiple sets of cable ties in his costumes' utility harness. "A most impressive display, Morgan." He closed the pouch, opened another and took a small roll of duct tape out of a small bag. "I shall return shortly." He intoned as he slid the tape into the pouch while walking out the door. A sharp crackle of static emanated from the control panel, whereupon Myrmidons' voice came though loud and clear. "Attaching and activating helmet camera." John had started using the device in training after suggesting it to Mister Archer and Headmaster Summers after a few Doom Room sessions, since a point of view from the thick of things could provide valuable information that the normal cameras of the Doom Room could miss. One of the secondary monitors powered on, and the the viewers were treated to a Myrmidon-eye-view of things. "Commencing training scenario." the voiced stated succinctly as he walked through the doors of the simulator. While Crow had set about to creating a mook horror show, and Glowstar demonstrated pure brute power in his scenario; Myrmidon was more along the lines of watching Predator or the Aliens movies from the perspective of the titular creatures. He had gained entrance to the facility easily and quietly through the maintenance access panel for the elevator on the roof, and now he prowled the halls. Myrmidon moved at precise moments while moving though the halls, ducking into the blind spots in security as he made his way to his first destination: the security office. Sidling up to the door, he took a quick peek inside the room. Standing there with a suppressed MP5, one of the robbers was keeping an eye on the banks of cameras. A security guard lay slumped unconscious against the desk, as the robber reached for his radio. After a short exchange of conversation in what seemed to be some sort of Slavic dialect, Myrmidon struck as soon as then man took his hand off the radio. He muffled the mans cries with one hand as he hammered in with a series of savage liver blows with his other hand. The man slumped to the ground, and he sent him to unconsciousness with a blow to the jaw. Myrmidon then busied himself with securing the man to an office chair with a pair of cable ties and duct tape across the mouth, before going to the security console. After identifying where the remaining three robbers were, he turned to and opened the large breaker box that was beside the camera banks. Myrmidon flipped all the breakers, and the room and the bank as a whole was engulfed in darkness only lit eerily by the red emergency lighting. Satisfied, he shut the box and stalked out of the room to hunt other prey. The next targets were the pair of criminals currently in the vault trying to cut through the bars to the safety deposit box areas. They both were wearing night vision goggles, as they had expected the police to cut the power and came prepared. Their first indication of danger was a hockey puck shaped item that slid into the room between them, and started emitting a high pitched whine. The duo looked down at it in confusion, only for it to explode in a dazzling burst of light seconds later. Screaming obscenities in Czech, they ripped off their goggles. In the the time they managed that, Myrmidon was on top of them. A series of nasty elbow blows and a particularly wince worthy groin attack later, the unconscious pair were trussed up and gagged against the bars they were trying to break though. The final robber, a woman, paced outside the break room where they had stashed the hostages and tried to contact the others only to get dead air in return. The lobby that she overlooked was cast in a greenish tint from her goggles as she scanned the area for intruders. She caught a flicker of movement off to her side, and raised her sub-machine gun as she turned to face the threat. She very nearly squeaked in surprise as Myrmidon slapped the weapon aside. The female robber showed more initiative than her male compatriots by discarding the weapon and backpedaling madly. Given the additional breathing room, she pulled a pistol out of a holster only to be dumbfounded as the helmeted hero grabbed it and removed the slide of the weapon with almost contemptuous ease. The uppercut that followed sent her sprawling to the marble tiled floor, and when she tried to get up she was forced to the floor by a foot in the middle of her back. She slipped into blissful unconsciousness seconds later. After securing her with cable ties and tape, he grabbed her radio. He made his way back to the elevator whereupon he turned the radio on and switched it to the police channel. "Attention. The threat inside of National Bank has been neutralized. Four targets are down and secured in the following locations: one in the security room, two in the vault, and one in the copy room. All fifteen hostages are unhurt and located in the employee break room and one in the security room. Signing off." He tossed the radio into the nearby trash can and left via the way he came, leaving the Freedom City police to take the credit for taking down the internationally wanted group. John had his helmet off now, as he climbed the stairs to the control room. "I would have used tranquilizers, but I did not think that would be quite as entertaining as the method I chose to employ." He said to the group before setting his helmet on a nearby table.

After changing into his costume, John met back up with the others in the control room where picked up the phone and had a quick conversation with Mister Archer before turning to the programming console. As he input parameters, the displays started showing the floor plan of Freedom City National Bank along with a scrolling ream of data. After about five minutes he finished and walked over to the holo-display, which started glowing. Gesturing to the floating image, John continued. "As requested the main branch of National Bank here in Freedom City. The criminals committing this heist are based on a professional group of four criminals specializing in heists, and they posses access to what a group of their stature and means could attain." He glanced over to Wisp and Glowstar. "That may include equipment from their heist in Zurich, where they used a RPG to incapacitate the hero who responded to the silent alarm." He walked around the display pointing out the particulars. "The bank is simulated to have been robbed just after closing, with the silent alarm being tripped and police on scene. Hostages are bank employees only, and there has been no attempt to negotiate with police. I have randomized the reason for the heist, so their objective might not necessarily be the vault." John finished and turned his attention to Fulcrum. "In order to provide the best showcasing of our individual abilities, I will be assuming the time needed for all preparations is allowed for the responding hero." John put his hands on the edge of the counter that held the holo-projector and leaned in to study it in further detail. "Now if you will excuse me, I myself would like time to formulate a plan of attack, so whoever would like to go first may do so. The program will execute as soon as you enter the chamber."

Myrmidon (29 Total) Irregulars Revelations (8 posts) Meet The Irregulars(5 posts) SHADOWs on the horizon (4 posts) Sharing Space (8 posts) Shock the Monkey (1 post) Trials & Resolutions (3 posts)

Player Name: Semi-Autogyro[floatr][/floatr] Character Name: Dr. Sydney Smythe Power Level: 8 (10) 150/150PP Trade-Offs: None Unspent Power Points: 0 In Brief: Power hungry former SHADOW scientist looking for a way back in. Alternate Identity: None Identity: Public Birthplace: London, England Occupation: Geneticist / Neuroscientist Affiliations: SHADOW (Former) Family: Sir Solomon Smythe (Husband, deceased), Samuel Smythe (Son, estranged), Stephanie Smythe (Daughter-in-Law, estranged), Saxton Smythe (Grandson) Age: 98 DoB: February 13, 1914 Apparent Age: Late thirties/Early forties. Gender: Female Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 5’10†Weight: 145 lbs Eyes: Grey Hair: Blonde Description: Sydney is a relatively slim and tall woman with short blonde hair and can be distinguished by her round glasses and scar. The scar is over her right eye, which she has had for many years. She is usually seen with a cigarette in hand when not working. In the face of that image though, Sydney chooses to dress quite simply and professionally, though her taste in clothes shows her minor nobility roots through their excellent manufacture and price. She speaks with a British accent, and her appearance easily belies her true age. She has a regal bearing, and almost seems to look down upon those who do not have her interest. Power Descriptions: With her long history in sciences, Syndey prefers to utilize chemical and biological concoctions of her own making. These are usually delivered via syringes, or darts when she doesn't want to get her hands dirty. These concoctions fly in the face of most modern medicine and pharmacology, able to do things common scientists dream about achieving. History: Sydney was Born in 1914 a few short months before the start of world war 1. She was the only child of the Smythe Estate, and doted on by her parents who accommodated her every wish. Not wanting to be a society lady, she explored her interests in psychology and biology where she graduated with honors from the University of Berlin in 1935. Shortly after graduation, she was married to Solomon Graves who took her surname. When world war two broke out she returned to Britain along with Solomon, where they both served in the OSS as operatives. The pair hardly saw one another during the war, and Solomon was killed in the closing days of the war in Europe. However, Solomon got his wish of a son born in 1946. With her husband gone she threw herself completely into her work, and at this point was where she she started her spiral into who she is now. Working for the Ministry of defense in trying to create more metahumans, she was a constant source of innovation. During the 1970's she was kicked out of the government and nearly jailed when they found out the extent of her 'testing'. Her estate went to her son, and she left the country. It was a few years later that she was approached with a job in genetics at a facility in Germany, who was funded by SHADOW. Eventually she worked her way up and became on of the lead scientists in their cloning program. Unfettered by the bureaucracy and oversight she dealt with before, Sydney was responsible for numerous advances that SHADOW took advantage of. Eventually she was placed as a the lead scientist in the Myrmidon project, which was meant to develop clones into true super soldiers using research from the MIMIR project. With the destruction of the base, Sydney found herself on the outside yet again. Luckily for her, she has all the time in the world to find a way back in.... Personality & Motivation: Cold, Haughty, and Distant have been used to describe her, although she prefers the term 'High-Functioning Sociopath'. She cares little for those around her, instead choosing to focus on her work. That is to say that she is not without feelings as she does care for some people like her grandson (who is keeping his contact with his grandmother secret), and still harbors feelings for Wilhelm Kantor from when the two crossed paths during WW2 and when she later worked for SHADOW. She holds grudges, and thinks nothing of killing or murdering someone in the name of science or merely out of spite. With the failure and destruction of the Myrmidon project, she lost credibility with the organization and seeks to regain while plotting a method to gain even more power on her return. Powers & Tactics: Depending on her target, she will either approach and attempt to sway the mark or just outright drug them. Once they are rendered unconscious she has free reign to experiment on them escape as situation demands. She does not stay around for a fight she knows to be hopeless and values self preservation even in the face of her ego. Her inventions are pharmacological in nature and she can do almost anything if she has the time to research and develop new methods. She is an excellent shot with pistols from her days as in SHADOW, but eschews firearms due to her preference to drug the target. Complications: Addiction (Cigarettes): Sydney has found nicotine to be a useful drug, especially since becoming immune to the health risks. Greed (Power & Recognition): She is willing to do almost anything as befits her Machiavellian nature. Obsession (Science!): Sydney is driven to test her ideas by in what others would call immoral, unethical, opportunistic manners. Not to mention possessing a flagrant disregard for things like safety, protocol, and authority. Reputation (Scientific Pariah): Her theories and experiments has come to be regarded as a failure or an outright mockery in scientific circles. As a result, she has nothing but disdain for these 'modern scientists'. Secret: SHADOW scientist, immortal, war criminal, state secrets, etc. Temper: Sydney is prone to violently lash out when things do not work as designed or someone dares to interfere with her plans. Abilities: 0 + 4 + 4 + 12 + 4 + 4 = 28 PP Strength: 10 (+0) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 14 (+2) Intelligence: 22 (+6) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 8 + 16 = 24PP Initiative: +10 Attack: +4 Melee, +4 Ranged, +6/+8 Pistols/Dart Pistol (w/ Laser Sight) Grapple: +8 Defense: +8 (+8 Base, +0 Dodge Focus), +4 Flat-Footed Knockback: - 4; (-3 Flatfooted, -2 w/o Armored Labcoat, -1 Flatfooted w/o Armored Labcoat) Saving Throws: 4 + 4 + 6 = 14 PP Toughness: +8/+6 (+2 Con, +4 [Armored Labcoat], Defensive Roll +2) Fortitude: +6 (+2 Con, +4) Reflex: +6 (+2 Dex, +4) Will: +8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 100 R = 25 PP Bluff 8 (+10, +14 w/ Attractive) Skill Mastery Craft [Chemical] 12 (+18, +20 w/ Masterwork Chemical Lab) Skill Mastery Diplomacy 8 (+10, +14 w/ Attractive) Skill Mastery Intimidate 13 (+15) Skill Mastery Sense Motive 8 (+10) Skill Mastery Knowledge [behavioral Sciences] 12 (+18) Skill Mastery Knowledge [Life Sciences] 12 (+18) Skill Mastery Languages 4 (English [Native], French, German, Italian, Latin) Medicine 12 (+18, +20 w/ Masterwork Medical Kit) Skill Mastery Notice 8 (+10) Profession [scientist] 3 (+5) Feats: 28 PP Attack Specialization (Pistols) Attractive Benefit [use Knowledge [Life Sciences] for Inventor Feat] Challenge (Demoralize as a Move Action) Defensive Roll Distract 2 (Move Action) Eidetic Memory Equipment 6 Fascinate (Intimidate) Inventor Improved Initiative Jack of All Trades Luck 2 Precise Shot Quick Draw Second Chance (Intimidate Checks) Skill Mastery 2 (Bluff, Craft [Chemical], Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge [behavioral Sciences], Knowledge [Life Sciences], Medicine, Sense Motive) Speed of Thought Startle 2 (Move Action) Equipment : 6 PP = 30 EP Powers: 22 + 6 + 3 = 31 PP Descriptors: Biological, Chemical Device 6 (30 PP Container, Easy to Lose; PFs:Insidious, Improved Critical 2, Restricted [DNA Lockout]) [22 PP] (Dart Pistol, Chemical) Base Power: Damage 8 (PF: Alternate Power 5, Incurable; Extras: Range [Ranged] +1, Secondary Effect +1) [30 PP] (Nerve Darts) Alternate Power: Confusion 8 (PF: Mind Blank; Extra: Alt Save [Fortitude] +0) [25 PP] (Hallucinogenic Darts) Alternate Power: Emotion Control 8 (PF: Mind Blank; Extra: Alt Save [Fortitude] +0) [21 PP] (Hormone Darts) Alternate Power: Paralyze 8 (Extras: Range [Ranged] +1, Alt Save [Fortitude] +0) [24 PP] (Paralytic Darts) Alternate Power: Snare 8 (PFs: Obscures Senses [All], Selective) [26 PP] (Poison Darts) Alternate Power: Stun 8 (PF: Sedation; Extras: Range [Ranged] +1) [25 PP] (Tranquilizer Darts) Immunity 6 [Aging, Critical Hits, Disease, Poison] (PF: Innate) [6 PP] (Gene Tonics, Biological) Regeneration 0 (PFs: Persistent, Regrowth, Innate) [3 PP] (Gene Therapy, Biological) Drawbacks: = 0 PP DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Melee DC 15 Toughness Damage Nerve Darts Ranged DC 23 Toughness Damage; Crit 18-20 Hallucinogenic Darts Ranged DC 18 Fort Confusion; Crit 18-20 Hormone Darts Ranged DC 18 Fort Emotion Contol; Crit 18-20 Paralytic Darts Ranged DC 18 Fort Paralyze; Crit 18-20 Poison Darts Ranged DC 18 Reflex Snare; Crit 18-20 Tranquilizer Darts Ranged DC 18 Fort Stun; Crit 18-20 Totals: Abilities (28) + Combat (24) + Saving Throws (14) + Skills (25) + Feats (28) + Powers (31) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points

Once his captors’ footsteps had moved far enough away to not be heard, John began to plan. That was one of the main purposes he had been created for, John darkly thought to himself as the knowledge to escape this situation came easily to mind. SERE. Survival. Escape. Resist. Evade. His survival was assured. The doctor needed him for some reason, and while he was curious as to that reason it was secondary to his survival at the moment. Glancing at a nearby table of surgical tools and the other medical equipment located in the room, John decided that it was something he would rather not gain firsthand knowledge of if at all possible. Escape. He took inventory of himself. No weapons on hand, or able to be created. The only clothes that remained were his pants. The restraints were standard medical ones, confining his hands, feet, and upper chest. While made out of leather and judging by the amount of movement available to him, they were not fully tightened. The grey box strapped to his upper right arm could only be the nullification device. First rule of escape: all bonds loosen with time. Time he hoped he had, but luckily the bonds were not entirely secure. It was almost enough to make him think it was a trap, but he would find out when and if he freed himself. With careful and measured movements Johns’ hands moved slowly, the leather restraints biting into the softer skin of his wrists. Shifting and twisting, he looked about the medium sized room. Judging by the walls and smell was located in some sort of warehouse by the ocean. It had been around two minutes since starting before he felt wetness and give in his bonds. He had probably torn the skin open at his wrists, but that only aided in his escape. John estimated about a minute or so more before pressure, muscle movements, and his blood-stained wrists would be enough to free one or both of his hands. The sound of footsteps returned, and John was thankful that she was wearing something that sounded easily against the concrete floor. He redoubled his efforts before he ran out of time. His left wrist popped free, the bloodied restraint falling loose. The footsteps started approaching. Time for step three: Resist.

Sometime later… The sensation of pain flooded his senses. He began blinking his eyes against the harsh light that flooded them when he opened them. John groggily attempted to shield them before realizing that he was restrained. As he began straining against his bonds in attempt to free at least one of his trapped appendages, only stopping when a face appeared in his vision. “Awake I see. You were always more resilient than the other subjects.†Johns’ eyes narrowed. “You.†The venom in that statement was almost palpable. The woman smiled, “Oh? So you do remember me, Zed – Seven?†“That is no longer my designation.†He growled out while fighting against his restraints. The woman gave a snort of disdain. “Ah yes. ‘John Smith’ was it? How patently ridiculous. Stop your useless struggling, or I will be forced to take more extreme measures.†“Torture? You of all people should know that will not work on me, Doctor Smythe. After all, you were the one to ensure that." He pointed out dryly. She frowned at him, before responding. “Very well then. Durendal lies sheathed.†John laughed darkly as the sleep phrase did not work. “Those will not work either, Doctor.†She growled in frustration, and backhanded John in the face hard enough he briefly saw stars. “You are even more degraded than I suspected from viewing the field test.†She spat vehemently. “You did not kill your attackers, or even maim them." “Mercy is the mark of a good man.†He shot back at her. Another lightning fast backhand followed. “You are not a man. You are a weapon. A currently useless one; which I will be soon rectifying.†She left his line of sight, and judging by her receding footsteps was moving away from the table he was strapped to.

The squeak of sneakers on the floor signaled one of the pair approaching his position, and Myrmidon threw a blind punch at where he estimated the mans' throat would be. Surprisingly the man blocked it and threw a counter punch that John recognized immediately. As it was almost a perfect duplication of how he would deny such an attack. This man knew the basics of the SHADOW combative style, probably more. Seeing movement coming from his peripheral vision, he grabbed the mans arm and swapped their positions. A pair of shots hit his attacker in the chest, but instead of causing grievous damage he went down with a moan of pain but no blood visible. Rubber bullets. That means they are here for me. The final robber fired his revolver again, lightly clipping Myrmidon in the shoulder but he easily powered through the pain from the non-lethal round. When he attempted to fire again, a load click was all that resulted. Easily closing the distance between him and the final attacker and taking advantage of him having to reload, Myrmidon easily brought the man down with a liver blow. That was quickly followed by a savage uppercut that connected firmly with the mans' chin, his target's eyes glazing over with pain and finally unconsciousness. John looked around for more potential threats, before approaching the counter and stepping over the unconscious bodies sprawled about. "Mister Richter? It is safe to come out now. Would you find some cable ties while I police their weapons?" The older man nodded quickly, currently at a loss for words. John surveyed the group that had attacked him, and judging by how they were dressed and what they were carrying, in addition to their tactics...he rapidly arrived that the logical conclusion. What he was looking at only could only be one possible thing: An activated SHADOW Sleeper cell. Meant to capture him. Well this was FUBAR. He growled to no-one in particular as he grabbed the sleeper agents various accouterments and lashed both their wrists and feet together. He handed the man a number he hastily scrawled on a nearby napkin. "I need you to call this number, and tell whoever answers that a you have a sleeper cell potentially belonging to SHADOW unconscious in your store." AEGIS would handle this problem easily. Now all he had to do was inform the other proper channels of the problem. He stepped outside and fished his phone out of his backpack as the first police cruiser pulled up, no doubt from either a bystander or silent alarm. A female patrol officer stepped out of the vehicle, and John approached her."Officer? Would you keep others from going in there until AEGIS arrives to secure the instigators?" She looked at him and gave him a smile that did not reach her eyes as he felt a sharp pain coming from his torso. Looking down, he saw her withdraw a syringe with an auto-injector from his abdomen. "I'm afraid I can't allow that, Zed-Seven." Her words and face seemed to distort as he attempted to grab her in a choke-hold but only caught her collar. The last thing he recalled before blacking out was the officers face twisted in a smug grin of accomplishment as his grip slackened and he collapsed onto the pavement.

The robber collapsed with a grunt of pain as his leg gave out from the blow, followed his swift passage to unconsciousness by Myrmidon utilizing the closest source of blunt force trauma (i.e. the checkout counter) to subdue the man. With a dull-sounding THWUNK! The man collapsed bonelessly to the floor. Step two: Evade companions’ responses. He immediately dove for cover behind the nearby rack containing various brands and types of chips, a few of which promptly burst open messily due to the impacts of multiple subsonic rounds. Using his momentum to slide further along the aisle, he was treated to one of the more bizarre sights he had seen in his short existence: what appeared to be a soccer mom pulling a cut-down shotgun out of her oversize purse. A quick kick to the shin caused her to miss wide, the round ricocheting off the tiled floor by his head with a dull thud. That caught his attention even more than the woman did; the only rounds that behaved like that were non-lethal beanbag rounds. Alarm klaxons going off in his head, he kicked it up a notch to finish this immediately and get to the bottom on this quandary. Myrmidon kipped up off the floor and delivered a sharp blow to her solar plexus while she attempted to cycle the shotgun, leaving her gasping for breath on the floor before continuing his prowling game of cat and mice game between himself the two remaining robbers. It was perplexing however that they brought non-lethal ordinance to a robbery, not to mention that these people seemed to be well outside the normal types for committing such crimes. Odder and odder, John mused to himself.

Feburary 18th, 11:20 AM Somewhere around Lake Mackenzie John slowed his pace as he entered the one of the small sections of storefronts that dotted this side of Lake Mackenzie. He had been through this area numerous times before, as he had decided in January that he wanted to participate in the Freedom City Marathon in May after overhearing the idea one day in the gym from some other students. In order to prepare for it, he had taken to running a circuit staring at Claremont followed by a lap or two around the lake and then returning back to campus. Well, as often as the weather permitted. Coming up on the convenience store he had chosen as a resupply station, John pushed open the door and a made a beeline for the bottled water. “Good Morning, Mister Richter. I am getting my usual. Please ring me up.†He said as he passed the proprietor and the customer in front of him. He had met the owner a few weeks ago when he had helped him get his car out of a snow bank. As soon as John had grabbed the item in question he realized that he had not been given a response, and he looked up at the register. Mr. Richter returned his gaze, and then back to the man in front of the register. “Of course John,†he replied with a bit of tremor in his voice “I need to help this customer first.†John looked at the customer and the rest of the store a quick once over. Three other customers were present, all who seemed to be on edge. John caught a glimpse of a shoulder holster one of them wore; containing what looked to be a large frame revolver of some kind. A robbery, then. John thought to himself as he mentally changed gears into the familiar mindset of combat and adrenaline started to course throughout his system. Assessment: Four targets, firearms present. Step one: Seize the Initiative and control the fight. Straightening up, John moved over to the newspaper stand and took one of the papers. “On second thought, I will require one of these as well.†He opened the paper, feigning interest in it as he stood behind the man. John exhaled, steeling himself for the oncoming fracas as he delivered the disabling strike to the back of the robbers knee almost simultaneously.

Johns' face was set in his normal mask of impassiveness as Chloe talked, and as he responded to her with a simple. "I see." He seemed to be searching for something since he did not reply for a few heartbeats of silence as his gaze remained on Chloe before he looked over to and gave an apologetic smile to Kristin. "That has been said of me on numerous occasions, Miss Kristin. Though the implements change depending on the persons. I have been also unfavorably compared to chainsaws, explosives, and nuclear weaponry when dealing with my numerous social faux pas to date." Returning his attention back to Chloe, he dropped his normal formality since he thought it to be best to be straightforward in this conversation. "I will not mince words. Upon further consideration, it is my opinion you are neither Chloe nor are you MD273. You are who you choose to be. As such, I will ask you to answer a single question. You do not have to respond to it now but I would like you to seriously consider the question. It is something that I ask myself on a regular basis: Who are you? John stood sliding on his coat and backpack before picking up up his tray. "Then you can inform me how you would like to be addressed. If you will now excuse me, I have Ethics class in 15 minutes. I wish for the both of you to have a pleasant rest of the day." As he left the cafeteria after putting away his tray, he gave the pair an easy wave.

He nodded at Kristin. "Indeed. It has taken a while, but I have found a few extracurricular activities that I enjoy. I look forward to finding more that I find appealing, and broadening my horizons as it were." He cocked his head at Chloes' last response which was followed by a puzzled frown as he fixed her with piercing gaze."Used to?" Johns eyes narrowed as he focused on her, mentally assembled a profile from her previous responses. "Judging by your phrasing, I take it that you suffered some sort of mental trauma that led to your eventual arrival here Miss Chloe?" John froze when he realized what he had said, and then held up a hand in apology. "Pardon my rudeness in the matter, I sincerely hope that I have not offended you. I retain the mental tendency to assess other people, and I sometimes forget that is frowned upon when such information is brought forward in normal conversation." Relaxing his rigid posture from the earlier scrutinization of the new student, he continued. "But if indeed that is your situation, then there is a wide selection of things that you can attempt to try again. People change. Their likes and dislikes as well. Not liking something that you previously enjoyed is not a crime, after all I do not miss my time before coming here to Claremont even if it was doing things I was very good at."

When the group arrived in front of the changing rooms John spoke up. "Might I field a suggestion?" John asked to the group, continuing speaking when he had the groups attention. "A proper demonstration that would show the extent of our skills would be both individual and team-based. Since Miss Fulcrums' intent is to divine further information on us based on first hand experience, I suggest that we do individual solo runs in the simulator and follow that with a team based exercise. A simple and mundane test scenario should suffice, for example a bank robbery by non-metahumans or another trial along those lines. In this manner we can showcase our individual skills that sometimes do not come up in team scenarios." "Our choices for the trial would give further insight into our strengths and limitations and therefore be a much more effective demonstration tool in the matter. For example, the individual training scenarios that I routinely run are markedly different from the other Irregulars' choices." The last statement was directed at Fulcrum. "Now, by your leave the members who have to attire ourselves normally can change while the others can direct you to the observation and control room of the combat simulator. We will catch up when we are finished there and then we can begin at your leisure, Ma'am." John indicated the changing rooms with a slight nod of the head in their direction.

He nodded gravely at Kristin. "Indeed, Mister Archer has been most vocal with Morgan and I to 'keep it down' as it were. We have been fortuitous that we have not needed major medical assistance so far." He then turned his attention to Chloe. "I understand the true nature of your predicament more than most people, Miss Chloe. My upbringing excluded most things that are common to most students here, coupled with my nationality. It has taken a while to integrate myself in a 'normal' life as it were, and not without problems but I can tell you it will get easier with time." He paused in thought before continuing. "So far the best way I have found of expanding ones' own repertoire is to ask others about their interests and likes. For example, Victoria has been loaning me her movie and show collection. That has allowed me to look into similar ones that I found that I enjoyed."

Just my sort of thinking out loud here. Since the purpose of Fulcrum being here is for her to get a 'feel' for the Irregulars both as individuals and as a team, how about we do this? Each character does a post when dealing with some mooks and showcasing their individual abilities (in a sort of mini-vignette), then sort of 'skip-ahead' to a post team battle session where they can talk about how they work together and the like, and Fulcrum can chime in etc. I don't think combat is needed since I'm assuming that Darius wanted more of a social thread here, so he can correct me if I'm wrong. I do however, think it would be best to keep up this thread as a meet & greet. That's just my opinion, so feel free to ignore it. Just wanting to keep this thread going at a decent clip.