Semi-Autogyro

Giang guess had been correct, as Johns' head snapped up when he heard his name called out. "Good Morning, Frauleins." He pushed up a pair of wraparound sunglasses and gave the pair a lazy wave that was at odds with his personality, but not his attire. The clone hero was wearing a Hawaiian shirt in an rather eye-watering shade of pink coupled with a set of board shorts and surfer shoes. "I do apologize for my abrupt appearance without warning you first, but something has come up that could not be disseminated over normal communication lines." He stood and stretched with a yawn, which both of the women saw him use as a means looking around to see if they were being watched. Once satisfied he fished the keys out of his pocket. "Sorry. I am still operating on Hong Kong time. I can take your luggage and can pull around to the front while you wait for Miss Malis' plane to disembark. Once on the road I will gladly chauffeur you ladies to whatever destination you require and answer the questions you most certainly have." A beep signaled the trunk opening automatically, the lid moving upward to reveal what was undoubtedly Myrmidons' armor and associated accouterments in a large duffel bag already secured. "Regardless of everything else, it is nice to see the both of you again." John said to them with an honest smile.

Myrmidon >I Sea Dead People - 3 posts

Master Plan Check: 1d20+21 = 26 +3 skills checks/attack rolls for 3 rounds, then +2 for 1 round, then +1 for the last round.

Myrmidon was currently holding a tablet PC in one hand and a stylus in the other as he had been drafting a rudimentary plan of attack. The JSDF was kind enough to give him the layout of the scientific vessel to which he was grateful. They had also requested that the creatures be subdued non-lethally at this point in time, which made things a bit more difficult on their end. Still, he knew from experience that his teammates could and would easily adapt to the situation, barring the need for any subversive tactics which tended not to work when Thalia had all the subtlety of a brick to the face. But it was a straightforward assault in this case: take out the shark-men and secure the vessel and the hostages. So the best plan of attack would be a simple pincer maneuver. He would have the others attack head on, while he would sweep and clear the ship from the other side. Once that was done, it would be time to focus on the rift which was not his area of expertise and he would pass the reins to his capable teammates. "If their physiology is like normal terrestrial sharks, aim for the eyes, gill slits, or other sensory organs to maximize damage and disorient them." He said aloud while glancing at the other ship, his helmets' heads up display forwarding him more pertinent information. "I have an idea on how we can board the vessel, however." He flipped the tablet around so the others could see.

Myrmidon had been unable to add to the discussion as he was more concerned about the Atlantean soldier currently bleeding out on him. Field surgery was never pretty and John was positive that were the Atlantean a normal man he'd probably die of sepsis even though he had stopped him from bleeding out on the floor. The clone finished up the last of the stitches and rechecked his handiwork. The man would live, but sport what was likely to be an impressive scar later on. Grabbing a towel from his medical kit to wipe off his hands, he stood up and tossed the blood soaked cloth to the side as he fished out a pair of industrial strength zip-ties to secure the unconscious Atlanteans. He paused for a second before ripping apart a clean towel and gagging the two men as well. "These men can be secured in the pressure hatch and the casualty can be moved to the Deep Sinker as he is stable at the moment. I'd put them all under guard, as a precaution." The clone hero stated to the group before facing the Marine leader. "It is inconceivable with the information present that you think you can secure this vessel, Captain Sparrow. Unless you and your men are somehow immune to what both Lady Temperance and Miss Tsunami have identified as semi-sentient water with malignant intentions." Myrmidon gestured at the two dead marines. "To which these dead men rather prove that point. Spreading out only invites you and your men to be picked off or subsumed individually. As my colleague has said the bigger issue is that this vessel and whoever is operating it needs to be destroyed or rendered inert before it reaches wherever it is headed. Sooner rather than later."

Power attacking for 2, Unarmed suit damage DC 25 with Takedown Attack. Taking 10 on the attack for a +18, DC 27 total for both of them, which SC told me in chat the pair were down with that. Medicine Check, Skill Mastery, with masterwork medical kit for a total of a 20.

Myrmidon had started moving a split second after the two began attacking their leader. Half a heartbeat later, he had jumped forward and grabbed onto the study metal construction of the ceiling and used that momentum to launch himself at the pair. Twisting his upper body he delivered a split kick into the face of the mind controlled men, feeling and hearing the signature crunch of a broken nose as they met unconsciousness scant seconds later when his attack slammed them headlong into the far wall. Luckily Atlantean armorsmithing proved to be equally as tough as their thick skulls, their helmets sparing them from further cranial damage but not from being knocked insensate. Satisfied the pair were down, Myrmidon turned his attention on the wounded leader and began mentally triaging the patient as he reached for his field medic kit.

Myrmidon >Vignette >I Sea Dead People (6 Posts)

I'm not rolling for the Atlanteans notice/search because he was more focused on hostilities than making those rolls. Okay, Myrmidon will aid another on Tsunami succeeding automatically on the DC 10, and with his teamwork 3 giving her a +5 to a roll. I figure this would be him physically causing them to have a gag reflex by force of some sort making it easier for her to extract that water. If it works, that is.

Myrmidon had not joined in the diplomatic snafu that had happened because his inclination was to put everyone down except his teammates and sort of the mess afterwords. This is exactly why he had confronted the Captain Gomez on the surface and this had just confirmed his suspicions rather pointedly. Still, he made no movements as the two sides confronted each one another other than being ready to launch a preemptive strike before true stupidity broke out. Luckily for all involved, cooler heads prevailed and discourse instead of a firefight broke out. He finished pocketing a spare pistol magazine from one of the bodies when Giang informed him and Lady Temperance of the subverted nature of the Atlantean troops, which tactically had mental alarm bells going off in his mind. Good thing that wearing a mask let him speak without betraying the fact he was speaking or who he was speaking to as he responded quietly back to the pair. "Forcible extraction or dessication might be required to break it then." I'll assist on your mark, Tsunami. Lady Temperance, would you warn the Princess as she might see this as an attack on her people." Myrmidon turned and did a quick series of military sign language gestures at Captain Grimes that stated: Enemy. Compromised. Wait.

Myrmidon July 18th, 2:20 AM Local Time Hong Kong, People's Republic of China Unexpected Patronage Myrmidon released the unconscious triad boss, allowing the body to drop heavily to the floor that was littered with the rest of his men. Yet another dead end, the clone thought as he let loose a rare sigh of annoyance. What information the man had was either wrong or purposeful misinformation, not to mention at the end he was gibbering any sort of information that he thought might appease Myrmidon who had kicked down the door to his penthouse suite after fighting his way up the skyscraper. The sound of clapping snapped him out of his reverie, as he turned toward the sound hand on his sword. The sight that greeted him made him pause, namely a woman in a military-style uniform reclining on a trio of insensate Triad enforcers like she was a queen on a throne. “Oh John, you always bring me the best violence!†The ensuing silence was only broken by Myrmidon cocking his head slightly and uttering a confused sounding “What?†If the woman had heard his query, she either ignored it or deigned it as unimportant as she stood and lightly brushed off her skirt. Helpfully, this allowed the clone to parse this unusual circumstance to try and make some sense of the situation. One, the woman most definitely was not here before or during the altercation, either visible or invisible as he had made a thorough sweep of the premises. Second, she knew his civilian identity, which wasn’t common knowledge outside of a few select people that mainly resided in Freedom City. Certainly none he knew about here in Hong Kong. Third, her uniform matched no known military force or mercenary company he was aware of. The unit patch of simplified clock face at midnight also was unknown to him. Finally, he knew he had never met her before. That didn’t exclude her hiding her identity, but he could not shake the odd feeling of familiarity. “Still, it wouldn’t kill you to snap a few necks now and again. It’s kind of a waste not using the full extent of your training.†She gestured at the bodies before turning to face him. “Still, this was an inspired piece of work, so I had to at least show that some people have an appreciation for your talents.†“Thank you for your patronage.†He deadpanned, his hand still wrapped around the hilt of his sword, “Explanation now, please.†She gave him a look like he was being particularly dense, as she blithely countered with “Really, John. You of all people should know who I am.“ “My current working theory is some sort of mystical entity. Possibly extraplanar or extradimensional, with an odd proclivity to have me under their personal surveillance.†At this she laughed. “You’ll figure it out eventually. Once you do, it will seem obvious.†She turned and surveyed the room again, nodding in appreciation. “Hmm. I should at least give you something for your performance.†The woman rubbed her chin in thought. Myrmidon warily let go of his sword, seeing as the woman was not an enemy, but keeping alert just in case. “Aha!†the woman said, along with a snap of her fingers that sounded more like a rifle report. “Advice! I can give you that!†A slightly manic grin crossed her features, causing the clone hero to warily back up a step. “No offense, but I fail to see what advice you could offer me that I would value. If you know me as well as you seemingly do, then you know what I want. Kantor. Dead.†Myrmidons tone was one of finality. She shot him a pitying look. “Can’t. Not my place to interfere. But that brings up my advice: You should know that you’re going about that all wrong.†He practically bristled at that. “What pray tell is the right way, then?†The woman sighed, rolled her eyes and jabbed him in chest with a surprisingly sharp blood-red fingernail that he felt even with his armor. “Look. I understand where you’re coming from so you don’t need to get snippy with me.†He was going to interject before being silenced by another gesture with said finger ordering him to be quiet. “This is something you cannot do alone, no matter how you go about it. You are hamstringing yourself being stubbornly unwilling to seek assistance.†She again jabbed him again with her finger as if emphasizing the point. Ow. That one actually caused a damage indicator to light up in his helmet. “The others have no understanding of what they would be getting into.†He wanted to keep his friends far away from SHADOW as possible. It was not their fight. “Then explain it to them, or swallow your vaunted pride and talk to the ones that are aware. You are just one man, regardless of your skill going against an entire organization. Even you cannot ignore the disparity.†While to point was true, he glowered at the woman underneath his helmet. “Who? AEGIS? Go to the people that originally wanted to vivisect me to reverse engineer advanced cloning techniques and then shanghai my mental conditioning to become their own shadow operative. Nothing could possibly go wrong with such an alliance.†“Sarcasm, how droll. I will point out their mistrust was when you were an unknown quality; you have done much to eliminate a vast amount of suspicion of yourself. You’ve proven yourself many times over.†The woman helpfully pointed out. "John, no soldier has ever won a war singlehandedly. I should know. You fight for the simple reason that you want others to have the basic right of self-determination, something that means more to you than any fealty to nation, religion, or cause. As long as you keep that, does it matter how you go about achieving your objectives?†“No.†She was right. “Then my advice is to change your tactics, soldier.†She placed a friendly hand on his shoulder as she gave him a wan smile. He caught the familiar scent of blood, smoke, and ozone that seemingly surrounded the woman like perfume. "Oh, and by the way, he might know where that shipment you're looking for is." She nodded at something behind him, which he turned to face. One of the triad enforcers had regained consciousness and now had a SHADOW manufactured hyper-blaster leveled at him. The weight of the womans' hand disappeared of his shoulder and he knew he was alone again. Well then, back to work.

Myrmidon looked around before crouching next to the body of the armed soldier, plucking the handgun out of dead fingers rigid with rigor mortis. He ejected the magazine and cleared the slide, catching the brass that was still in the chamber out of midair with practiced ease. "9 Millimeter, three rounds spent with ten left in the magazine. He must have been retreating to this position looking for an escape, firing defensively when he was cornered and then taken down." The clone stated, holding up the caught brass one in his left hand followed by pointing at two other 9mm casings shining dimly from the floor from the sparse lighting with his right. "One hit, two missed with impacts there and there." His right hand shifted to aim at two chest height deformations in the wall. "Absence of blood spatter or pooling so his target was either wearing a vest or immune to small caliber rounds." He rifled through the two corpses pockets looking for ID or other clues. "No bullet wounds on the other body which means something or somebody else was here." After he was done searching the corpses, he slid the magazine back into the pistol and flipped the safety on before sliding it into an unused holster on his armor.

Myrmidon hits the search check with an 18, along with ridding his sensors of sonar and keeping darkvision on [2/5 PP used]. He'll also take the handgun and any extra magazines on the bodies, while also going through their pockets for more clues.

I am fine with proceeding into the belly of the beast.

A few minutes later Myrmidons' voice came over their commlinks. "It appears to be armed with an device I have not encountered before, which means it more than likely to be built for a specific, specialized purpose." Through the audio you could hear the ambient noise the spidermech producing filtering in. "With the vehicles size taken into consideration as well, we are probably looking at a damage capability of city-grade devastation or greater. Though I do not know what it would be targeting from this area. Princess Thaelia, this is your bailiwick. Do you know of anything nearby that could be the target of this vessel?" Myrmidon at this point was contemplating disabling the weapon right now and sorting out the who and the why later, as devices and vehicles such as this were seldom used with good intentions.

Myrmidon hits the DC 20 with his Skill Mastery, but since he's doing a quick once over I won't have him attempt anything further.

SC, Myrmidon is going to try and figure out if this is a research vehicle or some sort of military vehicle. Quick once over for hatches, weapons, view ports...whatever looks important. Skill Mastery on his Notice for 22 total. Also, activating his cloaking subroutine so he doesn't get shot at off for poking around mechaspider.

Myrmidon grimaced underneath his helmet as he watched the metal behemoth moving across the ocean floor. it was definitely a manned vehicle of some sort, but if it was carrying weapons or what sort of crew it had was yet to be ascertained. Switching his comms to active, he sent a quick statement to his current allies. "I am going to reconnoiter the unknown vehicle for places of entry and armaments. Will report back." The others could see his outline start to fade as he approached the massive spidermech only to lose sight of him in the inky blackness between the lights of the spider and the phosphorescence of nearby sea life.

Fine with me!

Myrmidon configures his Armor Super-Senses Array [5 PP] as they descend to have Darkvision [2 PP] and Sonar [3 PP].

Myrmidon stood at ease waiting for the captain to finish his counter arguments before nodding once in acquiescence. "I understand and appreciate your candor, Captain." "I was not originally part of this endeavor, my presence here being a courtesy to a friend. But that does not stop me from wanting the whole picture, or at least your version of it. No or bad intelligence can kill as easily as a bullet or knife." He said as he gestured idly at the Marines' weapons. "I do not mind observers or lack of trust, but rigid adherence to protocol is not always a good thing." The super-soldier grasped a nearby railing. "For the record, I am always willing to fight and bleed alongside people like you and your men regardless of their issues with people like us." He glanced over at the heroines. "I am going on ahead." With that he vaulted over the railing followed seconds later by the splash as he entered the water.

John secured his helmet into place as it sealed the the suits atmosphere off with a slight hissing noise. As soon as that was completed he started the procedure for the suit to rig for deep submerge, namely flooding the suit with a oxygen rich liquid perflurocarbon while a membrane oxygenator was connected to his respiratory system. A few seconds later he was breathing liquid oxygen before he noticed the boarding marines, then quietly turning to face Captain Gomez. "Captain Gomez, is there a reason a squad of marines is being assigned alongside of the four of us? I am not questioning their skill, only their orders and utility. They cannot operate outside of the the vehicle, let alone make a difference with their torpedoes in any manner that any one of us could provide normally. So I am asking you, Captain, if they have orders or intelligence that we are not privy to. Furthermore, whose orders will they follow should we be cut off from the surface?" The statement was delivered in a monotone from the Myrmidons external comm, but there was an unmistakeable point the clone hero was driving home: secrets have no place if you wanted his assistance and compliance.

John had his helmet tucked under his right arm as he listened to the captains' report while reading the official reports. He had not been present at the first encounter with the spectral pirate, not to mention this was somewhat out of his area of expertise but he found he really could not say no when Giang needed help that he could supply. Besides, arms dealers ranked lower on the threat scale than eldritch privateers. Canting his head slightly he picked up the sounds of the helicopter that had dropped them off onto the Luther returning back to Lonely Point naval station back in Freedom City. He waited for the others to talk before adding his observations. "These readings are too fast moving to be a normal biologic contact. If it was a foreign vessel, it would be likely that the SOSUS sonar array would have picked up some sort of signal. Furthermore the average depth here is beyond crush depth for most submersibles barring deep research vehicles. I can operate at that depth, however." What the cloned super-soldier did not mention was that much of his arsenal would be rendered useless underwater.