Carces

A clever use of your powers should make it a tight squeeze but it should be doable. There is no crack along the ground, however, that goes any further in (It just goes lower into the ground before stopping - the whole thing probably slides downward to open). You'll have to sneak through lengthwise, which means you will be visible on the other side from viewers who are not looking at the door straight on, and any sort of camera/trip laser that might be in place would still pose a threat until you got out of the door crack. For Fox's information, the heightened DC and heightened risk for the computer use is for opening the door during a heightened security alert. Your efforts at taking a 10 will still allow you to do anything that would not normally compromise security, as you are a friendly user. Feel free to put your imagination to use as the story continues.

I apologize for the late post. Creature Feature and GM Lights and SHADOW (GM postings marked) GM Only Mysteries Infinite: The Palace of Fortune

As the message finishes displaying, Silhouette finds a hint of air being taken in through the side of the rock, close to the location of the biometric scanner. While its exceptionally well hidden, especially in the cold of night, there is a faint trace of what could possibly be a gap within the rock, and the crack is just large enough and symmetric in design to suggest a door or other entryway, despite all the pains taken to make the entire rock look natural from top to bottom. There's not a lot of room in the gap right now to wedge much inside at the moment without a little creativity or brute force. Considering what you've learned, forcing the door open may cause an actual alert rather than an overly cautious level of alertness. There's no telling, however, which way is more dangerous - forcing open the entrance of forcing yourself through via computer.

Also, I forgot to mention to Fox: You succeeded in your roll. You know that the alert was not caused by your computer interference. The information displayed is available to friendly, usual users of the system. They're not allowed in at the moment. You can try to spoof a higher up person, but that will require a more difficult roll, particularly since you don't know anyone in the system. There are also harsher consequences if you fail. Computer DC, with the datalink, DC 27.

I use updated character notes in my adventures, simply because I'm not nearly thorough enough to remember or copy down old character statistics. I trust you guys not to put your points in powers to specifically defeat an adventure of mine. We'll consider your attack a critical hit. I'll post the result when LS confirms his action. I imagine he's still going to sustain the barrier, but he can still move or take an action that does not require the use of his magics.

That's a search check and the DC is determined by how well-hidden the thing you're looking for is. For something like this, it's about DC 23 (25 -2 for knowing what you're looking for). You also need to specify the general area that you are looking, as searching larger areas takes much more time.

With Nick still trying to catch his breath, and the need to hold the aquarium in two different places, Kid Cthulhu has no choice but to get closer to the center of the Parlor, in order to be able to see both cracks. The horrific sea creature screeches an ungodly wail as the source of its mental anguish comes closer. The smell of ozone overcomes the usual fishy odor as lightning crackles between the various giant eel heads, focusing the power forward. In a startling and rather unnerving display of cooperation, six of the heads open their hideous maws, projecting a singular blast of lightning straight at you. With the barrier erected, Kid Cthulhu has nowhere to go... ...But barriers are good for more than holding water! With quick, creative magic on your side, you hold the shot of lightning dead in the air as the barrier forms a "U" shape, covering both the aquariums and yourself. The barrier eventually gives way way under the ferocious might of the deadly blast, but not before you have time to tilt your head to the side, the blast missing by mere inches. You've managed to buy yourselves the precious resource of time, but its quickly running out!

Within moments, the dull glow of subdued lights discretely flicker on as a screen-like hologram projects itself from a projector you could not sense before, despite your affinity for the electronic. PRISONER INTAKE SUSPENDED. PARAGON ALERT 3. PLEASE STAND BY UNTIL ALERT HAS BEEN LIFTED. ALL PERSONNEL BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE PARAGON ACTIVITY

Whoever hid the electronic device did a masterful job. You only feel the ping of a presence twice before the sense fades behind the latent white noise of the rocky ground, the foul weather, and the bustling modern city. There were definitely wires somewhere - a pulse with a distinct direction was sent. A careful search inevitably brings you to the source - a rather large, jagged rock that appears completely natural on this terrain. With a little investigation, you find a decently-sized hole, made to look rather inconspicuous. A green panel inside the hole lights up ever so slightly when you move something inside. This is an electronic. And not just any electronic. A biometric device! Considering the position of the hole, its likely made to scan the face and eyes of someone bent over. It's an odd discovery, to be certain. There's no way that anyone in the car had any time to use such a device, no matter how efficient it is, considering how closely you were following. Up to now, you've seen no one else in the area either.

Good luck to you wherever you go, Moira. My computer has died. It's been on its last legs for a while and has finally bitten the dust. Unfortunately, that means I'll have to post even less than my already-reduced rate, and I will not be able to rejoin chat until such a time as I have purchased a new computer. I sincerely apologize to those of you waiting for replies in my threads. Rest assured, I will endeavor to continue posting as often as I can.

The water below the cliffs combined with the depth of the water may make the electronics below out of your reach - particularly if the car did indeed have some type of watery method of locomotion. Even still, the scan is worth giving a... There! For a brief instant, you do sense the presence of an electronic down somewhere in the depths. It's small, and somehow familiar. It's also moving - at the moment, it's currently moving away from you. You have only a short amount of time before it will move out of your sensing range. The water looks remarkably perilous and the side of the cliff treacherous. If you want to proceed downward, you'd need a plan. However, there is also an electronic signiature somewhere behind you, and this one does not move. You're certain there were no street lights or similar electronics coming up to this cliff, so the presence of another electronic is peculiar indeed. It feels confined and very difficult to sense - it would have likely gone beneath your notice if you had not taken the proper amount of time to search. It's nature is definitely questionable, but at least its on land. Unfortunately, if you take the time to investigate where precisely the land-based electronic is, the water-based one may disappear from your reach... "Car water-jet!" Travelling at high speeds down the large pipe of the secret SHADOW base, a hovercar held Vance Malloy prisoner, and surrounded by heavily armed and very annoyed SHADOW agents. His imagination ever active, Vance had spent the time deducing that the base was somehow under water (Protip: pipes are a dead giveaway!) and was now engaged in pushing his luck to determine how exactly a car gets into a secret underwater base. "Secret high-speed water elevator! Super-Tech water teleportation device!" The guard to Vance's left throw up his hands as he ranted in a surprisingly high-pitched voice. "You're just... you're just adding the word 'water' to things, you stupid kid!" "Water Rail! Water Zip-line! Highly sophisticated water-explosives with amazingly calculated water trajectories!" The excitable guard turned to the others. "Someone shut him up! Please!" A particularly large guard large SHADOW agent grabbed his gun tight, leaning in towards Vance. Despite the fact that each SHADOW agent wore a mask, Vance could somehow see the menacing scowl and blood-thirsty gaze. "Listen here, runt. The only reason you're still conscious is that we want you to scream for your little friend. If you don't shut up this instant, I will give you something to scream about when we got there. You got that?" The large agent snorted loudly right into Vance's face, who turned away and scrunched up his nose to avoid the guard's rotten breath. After a moment, the guard leaned back into his seat as the ride continued quietly. "Water telekinesis graviton beam!" Groans came from all of the soldiers as the thin guard shook his rifle. "I will END you, you little runt!"

Nope. Dragonfly chose to slow down and be more cautious, so the saving throw is made through the choice. Sil won't need one either as Dragonfly is stopped at the edge. By the way, at any point during the adventure where Silhouette and Dragonfly are conversing and you're not waiting for a response as to what happens, feel free to post without me. I don't have quite as many opportunities to post and the posts I make have to be fairly large to encompass anything anyway. Don't feel obligated to wait for me. :)

The cold wind of the night has already taken the car's warm exhaust away and the car itself, a usual beacon of heat in a miserable night such as this, is nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, the high speed coupled with the rocky terrain created enough heat with the friction of the tires to make an adequate trail. Undoubtedly, the heat in the ground here would not last long, but there is ample time for Dragonfly to track the tire marks... ...where it leads to a deadly drop to the tumultuous tides below! Even reducing your speed, it takes quick reflexes and quicker wits to stop before plummeting towards a normal driver's watery grave. With the trail never stopping, an uphill course followed by such a sudden drop, and the already-poor road conditions, its impossible to see the drop until you're already on top of it. A quick glance gives you the facts. It's likely not an illusion, as illusions tend not to work well with infravision, save those from particularly powerful practitioners. A hologram would likely have an emitter, which gives off a very high amount of heat as well. In both cases, it would be foolish to set up an optical effect when its already hidden by the uphill slope. There's no doubt that the car went off the cliff, down to the jagged rocks and crushing waves of the ocean. This does not bode well. Creature Feature woke up, having blacked out for a short period from the sudden fall and crash. His chest ached where the seat belt had grabbed him, likely stopping a far more grievous injury. He shook his head, trying to gather his wits. "Uuuuuuuuugh... you guys aren't very good at driving, are you?" Creature Feature mumbled to no one in particular as he cradled his forehead with a hand. When the door suddenly opened, Vance whipped around to see two hooded, uniformed figures with rather malicious-looking guns looking into the car. Both of them sported the familiar symbol of a black, S-like lightning bolt: the symbol of SHADOW. "Out!" commanded one of the men, as he readied his unusual rifle towards the car's back seat. Vance was no weapons expert, but he knew these guys were not playing around. Exiting the car, Vance noticed no less than 6 of these armed soldiers, all standing in what appeared to be a large, metallic tunnel. There was also a seventh person - a thin man in a white coat with slicked-white hair. His large, mirror-like spectacles reflected the light from the screen of a strange, hand-held device he carried. Breaking his permanent scowl, he spoke up. "Trackink device. Check him." Immediately, two of the guards swarmed over Vance, grabbing the tiny tracking chip from his pocket. "Hey! Give that back!" and displaying it before the old SHADOW scientist. Giving the soldier a nod, the SHADOW operative crushed the tiny device with his bare hands. Meanwhile, the thin german looked up at his screen as he scratched his long, beak-like nose with curiosity. "Interestink. Ze boy is knowingk of ze device. Too stupid to use clever hidink place. Amateur job." "Hey!" Vance squealed in protest. The scientist turned to start walking as he continued to shout orders. "Remove all ze electronic devices ze boy has. Throw zem in ocean. If he is not cooperatink, ve vill give ze ocean boy too. Expectink hero for to be giving ze varm velcome!" Despite the warnings, Vance struggled fruitlessly against the grip of two soldiers while a third removed his watch. He bit his lip as he watched the soldier open a mesh grating that revealed flowing ocean water concealed underneath the flat runway built into the metal tunnel. The soldier tossed his video watch into the water, where it was swiftly taken by the current. With his panic button gone, Vance swallowed hard. Looks like I really am on my own here for now. I sure hope Sil and the genius-lady can find me...

The attack goes through your impervious toughness, Nick. It's a DC 29 toughness save.

The bolts of mystical fire fly out, findings their target - the sea hag's magical barrier, erected only through sheer force of will, stops most of the attack, but not without a price. With little other alternative, she stumbles to her feet, staggering towards the kitchen door in the hopes of finding sanctuary against the mystical onslaught. The beast, however, is simply too enraged to mentally assault successfully. With surprising single-mindedness, the creature roars a cacophony of ear-piercing shrieks. Charged with a hellish burst of lightning, the creature thrashes at Nick Cimitiere, who has nowhere else to go.

It's exceptionally difficult to maintain the delicate balance between keeping one's distance and keeping the vehicle within a safe range. With the absence of a road, there's far too few places to hide, even with the rocky terrain. The car you pursue slips in and out of sight periodically. Inside, Creature Feature listened carefully, getting himself up as close to the back window as he could. The sound of an engine could be heard in the distance - a distinct difference from the sound of the car bouncing upon rock. "A motorcycle?" The sound was faint, but was becoming more constant as time went on. Vance smiled to himself. "Maybe that's Sil! Maybe...!" The car disappears from sight again. On the tracker, the car's position skips a beat as the signal gets ominously faint. Not a surprise, considering that you must be close to your destination - its likely shielded against broadcasts in general. However, it is a dangerous sign. There could be anything ahead. If you slow down now, you might lose track of the vehicle. There's no telling what will happen if you speed up...

Even without visibility through the windows, the exceptionally rocky trip and the constantly changing incline tipped Vance off that they were no longer on a main road. His heart raced in his chest as the ride was beginning to get more intense. In his nervousness, Vance gripped his new-found video watch, the gift from the scientist friend. I haven't heard anyone else in a while. What if that tracer isn't working? Vance pulled the tracer out of his pocket. There was no indication anywhere on the tiny piece of electronic that the tracer was turned on or off, as an indicator like that would draw unwanted attention. Still, the absence of a green light only made Vance more nervous. This might be my last chance to break out of this car. If I go werewolf, I'm sure I could claw my way out of this car and jump to safety. But this is the only shot I've got left of findin' Miss Lights. Vance swallowed hard as he placed the tracer back in his pocket, clutching the video watch in comfort. He clenched his teeth as he summoned whatever resolve he could muster. The vehicle was coming close tot he end of the landmass in southeastern Freedom, and was no longer near any recognizable main road. One way or another, the vehicle would be coming to its destination soon.

"Hey! Where are we goin'?! Answer me, you police creep guys!" With little else to do in the car until he arrived at the destination, Vance had taken off his seat belt in order to pound his fist on the glass and yell at his kidnappers. While it was fairly unlikely to get him any answers, any distraction could be helpful for Silhouette. Vance wasn't sure how she'd be following the car, but a slower, distracted driver is usually a boon. Heh. With all this noise, I'll betcha they couldn't shake off a pursuer. They'll be caught totally surprised when Silhouette 2-D Karate Chops them *ninja* style. Vance thought to himself as he continued to pound on the glass with maniacal glee as he continued his little charade. "Hey! You can't keep me here! I demand my phone call! Turn this car around, you hear me?! Turn this ca..." Vance was completely caught off guard when the car made a sharp turn off of Centery Bridge, slamming the young man hard into the door without the protection of his safety belt. His right shoulder took the brunt of the blow and he immediately gripped it with his left arm as he winced. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Vance whimpered a little to himself as he dejectedly reached for his seat belt again. He wasn't sure if he was more upset about slamming his arm into the door, or that the kidnappers used dangerous, yet mundane driving techniques to shut him up rather than some sort of over-the-top knock out gas dispenser. The car was heading East now, going farther away from Pramas. Still, the tracker was working fairly well, even as the car threw itself into the rocky terrain of South Eastern Freedom, where the roads were much more difficult to traverse.

From what Creature Feature could tell, the car was going pretty fast at this point. As the car raced, his mind raced with it. Figures. Using the cop-car lookalike to their advantage like the sly SHADOW ninja-dogs that they are. Unless this is one of those fancy morphing cars that can look different with a push of a button. Or a car that morphs into an awesome jet and we're about to take off. Stealth spy ninja car jet. Gotta be. Vance listened hard, and was mildly disappointed when there were no sounds of jet engines. Still broadcasting his position, the car was already off of the Hanover Bypass and was making its way to Centery Bridge, the only real access to the southern section of Freedom City from the eastern landmass. Even at this time of night, there was a decent amount of traffic, which the black vehicle weaved in and out of with little courtesy to other drivers.

OOC Thread for Lights and S.H.A.D.O.W.

Sorry for the delay. You can find the kidnapping thread here

The night did not have a promising start. Before the first credits of the first movie were shown, a few policemen had arrived to break things up, much to the anger of HIT's attending students. Alcohol was present, despite the campus' zero tolerance rule, and the fact that Vance Malloy, a minor who was trying to be conspicuous enough to be a viable kidnapping target, was there made the situation much worst. Vance grit his teeth as two large policemen escorted him off the premises in order to take him home. His only shot at finding Ms. Lights was fading fast, he'd never get to the bottom of what all these SHADOW-Nazi guys were doing in Freedom City, and worst of all his parents would ground him. Maybe for life. Being a super hero sure's gonna be hard if I'm stuck in my room all day... Vance thought to himself with a sigh. Vance and the policemen had arrived to a black car, where they placed Vance into the back without a word. As the door was closed and locked, Vance couldn't help but notice that all of the windows were darkened to a point where someone in the back could not see outside. Similarly, the view to the front seat was blocked off by a mirror that showed Vance's reflection until the lights in the car dimmed out. A one way mirror, maybe? Vance frowned. Even without the sinister vibe the men gave off, Vance had seen enough police vehicles to know this wasn't standard issue. The engine turned and the car started to move as Vance tried the doors and windows, confirming his suspicions that all of them were locked and inaccessible from the inside. Looks like the kidnapping was a success after all...

Creature Feature Double Features GM The Palace of Fortune

You can, but in order to keep both aquariums visible, you'll have to go towards the center of the room. That'll put you closer to the hydra, so keep that in mind.

The roll I made didn't include your extra DC from the autofire, KC. She's taken a decent beating. This is an expansion of the same complication, so no new hero point for this turn of events. However, it also means the hydra spends his action being a spaz, so go ahead and act again.