Carces

"Ooooooo....kaaaaaay?" Creature Feature wondered what testing bulky-looking PDAs would entail, or why someone would need another test subject. Maybe late night texting tests were the scientific equivalent of a detention? Whatever. The science inventor person doesn't want us touching the games, so we don't touch the games. Afterall, every guy... er, girl needs their games, right? Piece of cake. Creature Feature looked back at Dragonfly, nodding and smiling before arriving at his destination - the spiral staircase. His ears drooped as he looked at the tiny steps as well as the low roof made by the staircase itself when the steps went entirely around. Okaaaaaaay... maybe a particularly hard to cut cake. The wolfguy form was a remarkably agile and quick creature, capable of leaping extraordinary heights and lengths and certainly capable of awe-inspiring feats of acrobatics. However, ultimately, the form was also rather large, which meant the as-of-now impractical feet of the wolf were also very large - a little too large for compact steps. Vance looked up. Jumping was out of the question. Even if he managed to gracefully bound off the spiral staircase, bit by bit (something rather unlikely to happen, thought Vance), he still wouldn't be able to see where he was ultimately going and would probably hit the mysterious games the scientist warned him about. Besides, no one likes a show-off. Vance thought to himself. With few other viable alternatives, Vance began to inch up the staircase as he bent right over to avoid hitting his head on the second staircase. Using the railing as his point of stability, Creature Feature slowly pulled himself up, balancing his large feet on one or even two different steps in whatever fashion he could fit the feet. Woo! I'm doin' it! Maybe I can start a career as a stilt-walker! In his premature cheer, one of Vance's feet slipped and he crahed onto the stair case, his large chin slamming into a step as the edge of the stair caught his throat. The reverberating sound from the struck staircase was more than enough to cover the inaudible "Urk!" from Creature Feature's battered throat. Then again, maybe not... Vance thought as he proceeded to crawl on the stairs on all fours, eventually reaching the top floor where he could search for a computer.

Creature Feature smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Hey - Yeah! And that kind of thing would be perfect for would-be kidnappers, right? Lots of chances to be alone in the streets, lots of dark rooms, and everybody just thinks you came in a costume if you show up in rad ninja gear! That's brilliant!" The large werewolf attempted to snap his fingers in time with the declared brilliance of the plan, but produced no sound. He looked down at the giant, hairy mess that was the wolf-guy hands, only now noting how they were completely inappropriate instruments for finger snapping, including his extended, razor-sharp claws that would likely punish the careless. Note to self: Don't ask for anything activated by snapping from the scientist lady... Vance shook himself out of his stupor and continued with the plan. "Now all we need is the closest convention-thing I could convince my parents I wanna go to." He looked back up to the various flashing screens within the warehouse. "Uh... I don't suppose you have google on any of these things, do you?"

"Someone I can confide in? I dunno..." Vance thought about the question. The trick, of course, was thinking of someone that was trusted by his parents enough to pull off a convincing cover story that wouldn't be followed up while not giving up his own secret. Having too much of one trait tended to be at the cost of another, whether it was his own friends from school or friends of his mother or father. Of course, there was always... "...my brother, Joey, maybe? He moved out a bit back when he started goin' to University." Vance grimaced as he mentioned his big brother Joey. Even though the Hanover Institute of Technology was inside Freedom City, his brother had essentially disappeared when he received the full scholarship and had moved out to get closer to the school. Even before his HIT days, Joey's time was always scarce, taken up by important tasks and projects, whether it was in technology or sports. It was not a small part of Vance that dreaded asking him to waste his time, even for something this important.

I'll rule it a combined attack, then, as KC's fire would otherwise be ignored by the impervious nature of the baddies. Needless to say, it does not go well for the poor metalturtle monstrosity. You can make an IC post if you want to, Troll, describing the takedown. If not I'll describe what happens and we can get on with the last of these suckers.

Backed into a corner, Vance tried to change the topic as smoothly as possible. "W-well, in either case, I'm not going to be telling anybody right now. This is pretty important and it'd be a mistake to cause a... uh... unpredictable reaction." Creature Feature nodded with a small amount of self-satisfaction in an attempt to make his self-justification a little more plausible. He wasn't sure if even he bought it, but it was still grounded in the truth. "I'll at least need a proper excuse for this thing. It might take a while to get things tracked and whatnot, and any sorts of things could go wrong. Finding Ms. Lights and bustin' up SHADOW ninja nazis might take more than a day, and I don't think a 'study slumber party' is gonna fly, y'know?"

"See, exactly." Vance gestured to Dragonfly for assurance while completely missing the point. "I just don't thing they'd get it. This isn't the sort of thing you just bust out and tell someone. This stuff is pretty crazy, even by movie standards." Vance sighed to himself. "But I guess I could study more. If it'll make things better." he begrudgingly acknowledged. Between his budding super hero career and his newfound need to study harder to keep things under wraps, there wouldn't be any time at all for movies or games. Ah well. He could always cut back on sleeping. Afterall, when was the last time Silhouette slept?

Defeated, Creature Feature throw his hands up. "Alright! Alright. I get the hint. So I'm not so good at makin' up cover stories. What do you guys suggest?" Vance paced to the side, letting his massive, be-clawed hands drop down, hanging noticeably lower than an average human person's arm would. He stared at a multitude of screens. The soft glow of the images flickered and reflected off of Creature Feature's eyes as they darted back and forth, trying to find anything familiar that wasn't the old horror show. "It's not like I can tell them the truth. They're... not so good with things like this. They'd freak - I'm sure of it. And not just hysterical yellin' in the house kind of freakin' either. More like global news choppers, SWAT team, talk show 'My baby is a super-monster' kind of freakin'. They're not really good at... I mean, they're sort of... uh, "paranormally challenged"." Vance swallowed hard. He never really understood why his parents moved to Freedom City, considering how they talk all the time about thee dangerous super-powered things that happened all the time. Deep down, he wasn't sure if he was more afraid of the public outing that he considered inevitable if his parents ever found out that he was a super hero, or the likely move away from Freedom City that would occur, snuffing out his ability to figure out the shape-shifting hero thing and destroying his chances of ever finding Ms. Lights.

Creature Feature let the inventor work as he turned to address Silhouette. He rubbed the back of his head as he got as he looked to the side sheepishly. "To be honest, I sorta told 'em that I've been doin' extracurricular stuff. Science projects and extra homework, y'know? They kinda eat that sort of thing up. My big brother is real freaky-smart, y'know? Not, like, talk to nanomachines and build tiny power supplies in a matter of minutes-smart, but Straight-A-in-everything smart. And they figure I should be doin' the same." Vance shrugged as he remembered a few of the excuses he had already given when he was heading out. After a few trial-and-error excuses, he was careful to try and make up excuses that were more difficult to verify than others. At the beginning, his parents had given him a lot of leeway, chalking up odd behavior to grief at the sudden disappearance of Lindsey Lights, his employer and friend. That bit of grace would not last forever, however. "It's not exactly a lie. Afterall, I'm learnin' a ton of stuff! I betcha I could learn more in an hour 'round a place like this than you could in a year of shop class! And fightin' crime is like... a community service, right? That's the kinda thing schools want you to do!" Creature Feature beamed as he finished justifying himself, showing his unsettling array of newfound teeth.

Creature Feature nodded as he smiled. "You'd do...? Uh, thanks! I was thinkin' the small one would be best. I kinda prefer to have something as hard to see as possible, so I can hide it and stuff. Out in the open, I can probably find another video, y'know? Even if its just a one-shot video, in case of emergencies, I'd be okay with that. And a faster build would be better too. The sooner I can find these guys and get 'em away from m... the houses, the better." Creature Feature's eyes glowed as his imagination went to work in all the ways he could hide a tiny video screen and what sorts of films he could put on it.

Neither of you are stunned, then, so you can both try to take this sucker down.

Nick Cimitiere thrusts towards the walking armor, who parries the onslaught with a wild swing of its large arm. Its other arm swings around towards your back, pulling you close as it winds up for a full-powered slam with both of its fists... ...which leaves the brute remarkably open for assault. In a flash, the metallic armor is sundered open by the power of Ereshkigal's Talons, revealing the minion to be nothing more than a hollow shell, fueled by the power of magic. The eyes of this minion dim as well, as he loses his balance, falling forward towards Nick Cimitiere. Rolling out of the way to avoid getting crushed by the immense weight of the giant golem, you find yourself moving towards the final minion, who does not hesitate to seize the opportunity to exploit your momentary momentum. The ferrous felon squarely strikes Nick Cimitiere with an uppercut, much to the joy of the malevolent mistress. "Good! Now rip his arms off! We'll see just how mouthy the peon is without those precious claws of his!" Her servant shambles over to do his queen's bidding.

It's non-lethal. You're stunned and bruised. If it wasn't clear, the guy you attacked last turn is down. He didn't make his saving throw, and minion rules state he goes down regardless by how much he failed the save. After this second attack, there is one guy left (From 3). Your turn to make a save, Nick! DC 26 toughness. You are no longer stunned, KC, and can act when you post!

Yeah - absolutely build it. I'm rebuilding Creature Feature anyway to fix some forms and correct some math. Working out something shouldn't be too big of a deal.

"Uh..." The conversation had taken an uncomfortable, if optimistic turn. On one hand, the very idea that a brilliant technologist would make him anything, let alone a super-cool TV, felt like something out of a movie. On the other hand, the conversation had turned to a discussion of money - something Vance never had a lot of, even while he was working. Normal portable video devices were fairly costly devices, and the hazards Creature Feature came across made borrowing such a device out of the question. Whatever it was that Silhouette's friend was thinking about, it certainly didn't sound like a "run of the mill" model. "I really don't need anything expensive or nothin'. I can figure somethin' out. SHADOW nazi guys have to have videos of some sort too, right?"

"All skin and bone?" The wolfguy form of Creature Feature frowned a bit as he looked down at his arms. He had been trying to bulk up a bit with exercises and diet, so he could help Silhouette fight crime a little more effectively. It only struck him now that the version of Vance Malloy from the summer vacation video will always be that skinny and weak. Of course, the arms he was sporting now were large, monstrous things ending with claws, making his introspective comparison rather pointless. Creature Feature shook his head as he stood up tall, towering over many things in the warehouse. "Weak or not, I'd rather be convincing bait than let any of those ninja-SHADOW-freaks near m-... Vance's house. I don't wanna think about what they could do to the neighborhood, y'know?"

Hope you still have some hot rolls, LS. Their impervious toughness stops the autofire attack and one of the goons managed to hit you. I'll need a toughness save: DC 26 as part of your next post, please. It's non-lethal damage and you are definitely not flat footed, so you'll have your defensive roll as part of the save.

"Arrogant Fool! Did you think I would fall for the same trick twice?!" The sea witch motions to her metal minions who have all been knocked to the ground by the ferocious force of Kid Cthulhu's mystical blast. To your amazement, two of the armored goons rise back to their feet, even after suffering shots of mystical fire that would have demolished most tanks! "You see? I've made my lovelies impervious to your pathetic attacks! Not even the greatest whale could hope to create a dent in these magnificent bodies of metal!" The watery wench cackles as the goons prepare a counter attack. You notice that the one Nick attacked is still down for the count, as his magical talons have somehow managed to rend through the walking tin can's armor. "Don't just stand there! REND them limb from limb!" The lady shouts her commands as she sweeps her finger towards both of you. In immediate response, the creatures lunge forward with a surprising amount of speed. Nick Cimitiere is fortunate enough to have his defeated victim between himself and the metal men, and draws away from the attack easily. Kid Cthulhu, however is not so fortunate and is caught in the sweeping strike of the monster's huge, metallic arm, striking him squarely in the ribs.

Nice shootin', Tex! Go ahead and post ICly. I'll post results after.

"Uh..." Vance Malloy looked back and forth between Dragonfly, who apparently had discovered his presence through careful investigation and deductive reasoning, and Silhouette, who looked like she was keeping Vance's identity a secret for the time being, and doing a much better job than Vance did, who had almost given away when he introduced himself at secret security system gun-point. Vance knew he had very little in terms of a poker face. Fortunately, the scientist lady appeared to be absorbed by the screens of flickering data. Looking about for a better means to mask his face and emotions, Vance's eyes fell on the familiar image of Wolfguy chasing down a woman. With a few seconds of concentration, his form and size matched the large werewolf of the silver screen- a figure who's odd expressions would presumably be more difficult to read. "S-sorry..." Creature Feature's voice took the gruff, low tones befitting the wolf monster. "Just, uh, wanted to get a head start for tonight. But, yeah, I did get some numbers from the two guys I met. I, uh, didn't bring them with me or anything. They're still at home."

You get a turn before the iron guys go, LS. Whip 'em good when you get a chance!

The Talons pierce through the metallic minion's armor, much to the shock of the Lady. "Impossible!" she exclaims. "Nothing can break through the Aegis of the Deep!" Despite her claim, the metal begins to carve away when Nick applies enough force, dragging his talons down and rending the beast's breast plate with little trouble. The reddened eyes of the behemoth bruiser flicker and fade as it falls straight down. Furiously enraged, the Mistress points at her other two remaining minions as she shrieks out her commands. "Don't just stand there! DESTROY him!"

Even looking down on the street, the general direction wasn't too hard to figure out, as the heat from the flames was radiating out of the building dramatically, even after the stalwart amount of firefighting your team members have done. The real trick will be getting the water to the right height when Cannonade arrives at the scene. Too low, and the water will miss the fire completely. too high, and the water will splash off the side of the building rather than going for the fire's core, wasting your efforts!

"Well..." Creature Feature thought back as he talked to Silhouette. "The, uh, 'Monster Trainyard Incident', I met a guy named Nick and another monster kinda guy named Kid Cthulhu. They were on the west side too... We also met that Momentum guy together. I don't think he was from the West side, but I'll betcha he runs all over the city. I dunno if any of them have met SHADOW guys though." Vance shook his head, as he scratched his hair. "Either than that, not too many other people. Between fighting crime and school, there sure isn't much time for a social life!"

"A logo-type thing?" Creature Feature whistled. "Y'know, I tried a sticker once. I had one of those big 'Movie Mania Fan Club' stickers that the theater was givin' away. But the problem was that it... uh..." Vance grimaced as he thought back. There was something he hadn't told Silhouette, out of embarrassment more than anything. While assuming the form of guitar guy had gotten him a laid-back set of clothing and a confiscated baseball cap, occasionally the opposite occurred while changing, and he absorbed inanimate clothing or material too close to his body. It didn't happen all the time, although most forms would simply tear through the clothing he would forget to discard anyway. However it was particularly disconcerting, as he never did figure out how to get those absorbed objects back. Vance swallowed hard. A super-expensive costume would be a terrible thing to absorb, never to be seen again. With all of the trouble he had creating objects that should exist, Vance needed all the practice in shapeshifting he could get. "I'll, uh, work on it, Sil."

"Me?" Vance turned away from the video to address Silhouette. He looked down introspectively, spending a little time to gather up his thoughts before responding. "Well... these SHADOW... nazi... guys, whatever are pretty serious business. But it doesn't sound like they're the new kids on the block, y'know? I figure I might be able to, well, ask other heroes around about 'em. Figure out where they might be hiding. That sorta thing." Vance scratched his head as he thought on the topic longer. "To do that, I gotta meet heroes. Maybe at scenes of disasters or somethin'. I need to get in some fightin' practice anywho so the real bad guys don't cream me or nothin'." Vance nodded to himself as he continued. "And before that, I need to get some sorta costume thing goin'. I'm doin' real terrible in the public relations department, you know? It's kinda tough to do something with all the shapechangin' and stuff, but it'll beat gettin' beat up by those heroes I'm tryin' to meet." Vance looked back at Silhouette, pointing at her mask. "Say, where'd you get your costume, Sil? Ninja masks are pretty cool!"