Quinn

Push Coffee Shop Blues Too Many Questions, Too Few Answers con't Capes In Space Black Markets Are Easy To Find Victory Rush! Wanted Man! - Deal Against The Devil A Moving In Christmas The Closing Of The Year GM Midnight Banking

Quinn's jaw nearly dropped. Roma. He was in Roma. What. The. Fudgesicles. "I...uh...I...wow....bwuh?" The place certainly looked authentic. He clutched briefly at his bag, feeling the reassuring weight. Okay. No problem. I'm in Rome. I can handle this. And the good news is that it's far from those AEGIS agents. That's definitley a bonus. He stood up straight and looked around, drinking in the sights, and pointedly avoiding the staring gazes of some tourists who saw the two just appear out of nowhere.

Within 5 minutes, Push was throwing a box on the back of his bike, looking up at the shop (Kennedy's Kustom Kostumes) and smiling again. He pressed the commlink again, reestablishing the link and checking the police bands for the location of the ship. "Powerhouse, meet me two blocks over from where I am, Jericho Boulevard, Centre City. And bring cards. Or dice. Supercape, if you can do anything to buy us time, do so. Try flapping you arms, probably won't do much, but it'll be a funny story for the funeral." And he sung his legs over the side of the bike, taking off at max speed again.

"You are absolutely crazy, you know that? Absolutely frakkin' nuts!" Push roared as he vaulted off the roof, landing neatly on his bike and taking off at high speeds. This situation was insane. He was going to convince an interstellar pirate (for he had heard of the Captain before) who had repeatedly had the chutzpah to attack Freedom City, couldn't stand heroes, and had the head of a squid. "Cthulhu f'thagn..." He murmured as he rounded a corner, stopping abruptly and staring at a storefront. A wide grin started to spread across his features... "Cape, I think I've got an idea. Ten to one it'll wind up with me and Powerhouse walking the plank over Saturn, but it's something. How long can you give us?"

Despite the situation, Push couldn't help letting a little snark flow into his words. "Oh, a space ship? Why, that's no problem at all, I'll just walk down to the nearest dealership and....right, fat chance of that. You're in deep, dude, gimme a sec to think...uhm..." The second voice came through, but he couldn't focus on it. This was bad. Very, very bad. Gottathinkgottathinkgottathinkgottathinkgottathink! Flight? Too slow, and he sure as hell couldn't breathe in space. Launching something into space? Not viable, too far, and no way he had enough juice to make that launch. "Ok. Ok, stay calm. Not you, me, sorry. Look, you teleported out there. Is there any way you can open a one-way portal back? I might be able to yank you through if that's the case. Or...do you have a ship? You said you're one of Freedom City's heroes, if you got one hidden I might be able to fly it?" Ok, he was reaching at straws here, but no way he was going to stand here and do nothing while some poor cape got frazzled far from home...even if it did mean missing lunch.

Push was rather quick on the uptake. He was also rather ashamed to realize he'd just landed right in front of Dragonfly. And the last time he'd met her...she'd wound up out cold on a warehouse floor. Eeeh...though admittedly she was also quite quick to react, nearly shanking that loudmouthed battlesuit...except something went wrong. Then she vanished. Wow. First time I haven't pissed someone off right out the gate. Plan B? Plan B. Plan B wasn't all that complicated. Generally Plan A consisted of a torrent of taunts in the hopes of drawing them off-guard, or (at best) getting them to surrender. That was generally the hard part. Plan B was if that went awry, which was actually more often than you'd think. Plan B usually consisted of him hitting the enemy as hard as he could, as often as he could, until they decided to give up. Bad guys were funny that way, they never seemed to realize ahead of time that they were outmatched even when one of their homies got planted into the ground. All these ran through Push's head in a few seconds as he launched himself forward, boots thudding into the ground as he reared back with the hammer and threw a look Powerhouse's direction. "Name's Push, buddy! And this here's why!" The hammer swung, a kinetic pre-charge warping around the buisness end, connecting with the still-somewhat disoriented battlesuited woman. The sheer force blew right past the force field, connecting with her midsection and sending her flying off, shot like a ball from a cannon. The backwash from the strike whipped a huge wind up behind him, air rushing to fill the gap the woman had just rapidly vacated, and causing his coat and scarf to billow even further. Fortunately, Push had taken the liberty of deliberately aiming for a nearby wall, ensuring the suit would not end up way out of his reach. Some new armor plating for the bike would be damned useful, and Dragonfly would likely appreciate being able to have a look at the tech behind 'em. He owed her that much, at least. Well, that, and imagining the look on that snide frakker's face when she found herself being rung like a bell then slammed a good few feet deep through a wall put a smile on his face.

Luckily, Push didn't drop the sandwich. Unluckily, he was feeling a very sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Space? Supercape? Pluto!? "How the...what the...you...Pluto...bwuh?" He put the sandwich down, standing and staring into the sky with big eyes, as if he hoped to see Supercape hanging there in midair or something. "Holy...buddy, did you get the wrong number. I'm a vigilante, aye, but the best I can do is throw around a kinetic bolt or two! How the hell did you get out there?!"

Ah...lunchtime. The sun was shining, the breeze was breezy, and the top of St. George's Cathedral in Midtown was the perfect place to enjoy a good gyro. One thing for sure, Push thought as he opened his mouth to take a bite, the delis around here knew how to make a proper sandwich! And what was even better was that the police band was mercifully quiet. No trouble at all... "Hello? Hello? Anyone there?" . . .The sandwich was about a millisecond away from being a tasty lunch. A very large scowl crossed his features, as he poked his commlink. "Whoever this is, you have just interrupted my lunch. This is the second time today my lunch has been interrupted. I do not like it when my lunch is interrupted. So. Two questions. One, who is this, and two, how in God's green Earth did you reach this commlink?"

See, this is why attacking out of nowhere always works. Crooks never expect you to do it, and it gives such humorous results.

The cultist stayed upright, gasping out words from the ritual as best he could under the circumstances. How could this have happened? The brotherhood was strong, all dedicated to the cause, and yet these interlopers destroyed the Master's greatest servants, dispersed his followers and sent them fleeing into the darkness...the ritual...the ritual must be completed! If his followers flee, then only he would recieve the glory that the Horned One would grant him! Rallying once again, with a dazed and crazed look in his eyes, he waved his hand over the flames once more, and they leapt into the air. A third rune formed over the last corner of the triangle, and the three began to rotate as the runic wards on his robe began to sputter and smoke.

So Push is finally settling down in Freedom City, having found some new friends and made some new enemies. Fun-fun-fun times for all. Ok, I'm spending all my points here on equipment. Specifically, a hideout and souping up his bike. I'm intending on doing a solo thread to reflect this later, maybe call it "Moving Day" or "Housewarming". We'll see. First up, I need a swap-out of my costume description to this: Made some minor tweaks there, refined the outfit a bit. Next up, Equipment 5 goes up to Equipment 9, and I'd like the apartment and the motorcycle in my equipment section changed to: The remote control is going to be vocal, linked to his commlink, and only works for his voice. The other features are just some ideas I had kicking around to keep him from getting caught. Next, the headquarters: Yeah, looks pretty spiffy, but it really isn't. The garage part is actually a fairly run-down old auto repair that's been boarded up in Midtown, near St. George's Cathedral. He's fond of the location, there are some nice restaraunts nearby, takeout places and food stands, and the cathedral's a great place to rest (particularly high up on the roof, near the statues of the saints, with a hoagie in hand). Underneath the place, however, in the bunker where you'd normally be working on car undercarriages, he's converted it into a decent-sized hideout (Concealed). Only three rooms, the main room (underneath the Garage, which he's managed to get somewhat functional) is the location of a small generator/dynamo he managed to fix up (Power System), which provides power to a laptop computer (Computer) which is connected to a security system (Security System, really only some cameras he's stuck up here and there and some electric locks on the doors, though the alarm connected to said cameras and locks are connected to his commlink) and a local wireless signal. That main room also functions as a workshop where he tweaks with things he finds, usually tech he's pinched from Wyrd or some new toy Michael's sent him by post. The other two storage rooms he's made a bit more homey, having purchased a small pile of books and filling one room up with bookshelves (Library, he just loves to read), and the other storage room into a cross between a living room, bedroom, and small kitchen (Living Space). As a joke, he's referring to the hideout as Lazarus Auto Repair, like the place he used to live at back in Gear City, but he's really just a squatter. Still, one of these days he does plan to drop some cash on actually purchasing the place and maybe converting it into a proper garage. And finally, if you could add "Struggling" as a complication. EDIT: And these other two complications: And those are my edits! ReallyQuickLastMinuteEditGo! Drawback: Recurring Nightmares - DC 10 - +3 PP Skills: 11 PP = 48r (+12) (adding the 3 PP from the drawback) Bluff 8 to Bluff 12 (4r) Craft (Mechanical 6 to Craft (Mechanical) 8 (2r) New skill - Drive 6 (6r) Edit under History: "So Gabe bought up a small apartment," to "So Gabe found a hideout, coincidentally under an abandoned auto repair,"

Taunt check! Lets me use Bluff to Demoralize instead of Intimidate Kekeke. First though, a Covering action. Lets him let that hammer-shot off the chain at any moment, and he can cover the distance between them in a heartbeat Covering action - Hammer blow (1d20+8=26) Means he rolls, but doesn't strike yet, so don't roll that Toughness check. Next, the Taunt check! 1d20+9=18 Not bad, could be worse. Use the normal rules for Demoralizing, but apply the Bluff check instead. Resist using Bluff, Sense Motive, or Will, whichever is best. Either way, Push shall Taunt you!

Push thumbed his nose at her, slinging his hammer over his shoulder with the ease and grace of a man who's done it a dozen times before. "What was that? That was your worst nightmare, toots. That was a howling gale of force and solid metal that sent your compadre a good six, or probably more, feet underground. That is what I like to see, bad guys diggin' their own graves!" He dropped the haft of the hammer, hearing the cement crack beneath the end of the handle as it hit the ground, his hand grasping the handle near the top. "Drop the suit, and I won't use this oversized can opener to peel you outta there. Not like it would take me long, I cut my teeth on two-bit hoods like you back home. You're the one outta the nursery, sweetcheeks, thinkin' you can play in the big leagues thanks to some back-alley tech." Push laughed again as the torrent of snark flowed from his mouth, gauging her reaction and visibly charging kinetic energy into the hammer again, the same blow that had crushed her comrade and sent him spiraling into the ground. "This is Freedom City, love! The heroes here threw back Omega! They've thrashed demons, flattened the undead, and squash no-account thugs like you every day before breakfast! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE?!"

Ok, that didn't work out so well, since the crook failed by only one on the test...but I demand this moment be AWESOME! Heroic Surge! Taking a second blow as I go by... 1d20+8=14 BOOYAH! And according to Flare, he fails by 10. Hope you like the taste of pavement, jerkface! I'll cap it off with blowing a Hero Point to spare me some fatigue. All in all, quite satisfactory. EDIT: Correction! Not done yet, rolling initiative: 1d20+8=24 Solid roll. This'll keep me in the running and let me do some damage ;)

"HEADS UP!" A streak came flying down out of the sky, and with a sound akin to a dozen gongs ringing, what looked like an oversized hammer crashed into one of the battlesuits with thunderous force...once...twice! A whirlwind blow and the figure roared by, the wake of his passing putting the criminal into a spiral as he descended at a decidedly unsafe rate to the ground, and hit it in a cloud of dust and asphalt. "Stick that up your tailpipe and smoke it!", a laughing voice roared. The streak came to a halt right near Dragonfly. A familiar figure to her, a man in a brown longcoat with an oversized red scarf, black wool cap, and heavy work boots, hefting a hammer taller than she was. The bottom half of his face was obscured by the scarf, but twinkling eyes stayed fixed on the rather sizeable crater he'd made out of the ground. He pointed right at the crooks, his coat and scarf billowing dramatically in the backwash of his flight, snapping in the wind. "Now THAT is how we do things in Gear City! You heard the lady, hand over the suits, punks, and I'll forget that you ruined my lunch!" The Sensei of Shockwaves, the Kinetic King, the one and only Push had arrived!

Frak initiative, time to Drop The Hammer! AP: Enhanced Strike 8 (adds to Warhammer for Strike 12; Extra: Penetrating 3, Knockback 12, Improved Critical 1) [24/24 PP] Push is coming in from above, hammer swingin'! Showtime! 1d20+8=15 Catching that jerk flat-footed, that's a DC 27 Toughness Check, Flare Here's hoping he loses by 5 or more, I want to crater this SOB! I'll roll initiative after I find out how much happy fun time I'm about to have ;)

1d20+15=33 - solid pass on the Concentration check, he manages to keep the ritual going. And aye, he's stunned for this round again. So currently, he's suffering three bruises and one stun? Ouchies.

1d20+15=31 on the Concentration check, Force Field stays up. Lessee, though...with the +4 gone and the -2 applied, he now has a defense of 14. Lovely. Mutt's attack still misses, but you got both of those shots in solid. Tunk and tunk. Rolling the toughness checks... 1d20+14=23 First one failed, that's a bruise. 1d20+13=26 Second one failed! Two bruises, nice work Dead Head!

Quinn looked at her somewhat askance, then slung his messenger bag on his shoulder. Rome? Across the ocean? Sure, he'd never been there, but...a smirk quirked his mouth as he took her hand, really expecting her to laugh that he'd fallen for some gag. "Heh, I thought it was the man who was supposed to sweep the lady off her feet and carry her off to an exotic locale. You don't even have a foreign accent to cap it, Elizabeth. I say why not, but I warn you...I don't speak a lick of Italian." He winked at the last line, which was a tiny bit of a fib. He could say a few words in Italian, German, and Spanish, really only about two or three...except none of them were fit for public hearing. Cursing in different languages was a lot more cathartic than just in English.

Arthur Kent, AEGIS Power Level: 9 (157pp) Trade-offs: None Unspent PP: None In Brief: A cunning and clever government agent, AEGIS's go-to man for any situation that needs "rectifying". Alternate Identities: "Mr. Black", "K." Identity: Public profile as an AEGIS representative, Classified profile as to his true position in AEGIS. Birthplace: Liverpool, England. Occupation: AEGIS Special Agent and Troubleshooter. Affiliations: AEGIS, U.S Government. Family: Susan Kent (wife, lawyer), Jacob Kent (son, 3 months old), Franklin Kent (brother, FCPD) Age: 50 Apparent Age: 40 (he looks young) Gender: Male Ethnicity: British-American Height: 6'11" Weight: 190 lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Grey Description: A fairly tall, well-built man, Kent never leaves the office without a sharp black suit, standard uniform for AEGIS field agents. The quintessential man in black, he is always impeccably dressed, and alternates between a pair of coke-bottle glasses or contact lenses, depending on whether intimidation or diplomacy is involved. His hair is always well-combed, a steely grey that never seems to darken no matter how much dye he applies (though he gave up on that a long time ago). He has a hatchet-face, all angular and sharp features, and is almost perpetually frowning, with his eyes carrying a great deal of weight. When he speaks, it is generally in a low, doleful bass tone, but can quickly become commanding when decisive action is required. History: The Kents have always been representatives of the law, and Arthur was no different. Watching his father grow up as a Liverpudlian cop, walking the beat, Arthur knew that one day he wanted to collar the big crooks, hand 'em over and watch the law deal with them. Unfortunately, his family immigrated to America shortly before he graduated high school, and he considered it incredibly unfair that he didn't get a shot at the same police force his father and grandfather worked in. Eventually, however, he found he might be meant for bigger things. Still, life went on, he was a police officer in New York for several years, but was forced to retire after being severely injured in the line of duty (It was during the Omega invasion, he'd managed to evade a group of Omegadrones while carrying an injured hero, but lost his eye in the process). Suffering from depression due to the loss, he quietly settled down with a woman to whom he had been engaged with for several years (one Susan Lee, a rather successful Freedom City lawyer who his family had introduced him to). It was during a visit to a local shopping mall in New York that Kent found what some would call a lucky break. A pair of would-be metahuman robbers actually tried to make off with the contents of an entire jewelry store, and Arthur happened to be right nearby when it occurred. Filled with memories of the old days, he seized a nearby fire hose, leapt across their path and tripped the two up, then used the high-pressure blast to keep them down and stop them from using the strange sonic abilities they kept trying to manifest (filling their mouths with water whenever they tried to make some sound was generally quite effective). Police soon arrived to arrest the pair, known as Rant and Rave, and Arthur (40 years old) attracted the attention of an AEGIS rep who was acting as a liason to the New York Police Department at the time. He was approached and asked if he'd like an internship with the organization due to his quick action (not to mention the history they'd dug up on him). Kent accepted on the spot, and ten years of hard work landed him a solid position as a reliable and cunning agent, with innumerable arrests and busts on his record. He also has tested several new experimental technologies for AEGIS, using new types of MAX armor in the field, and trying a new longevity formula that promises to keep him fighting fit even when he's in his 80s. Rant and Rave in particular seemed to crop up regularly on his list of collars, the two always seeming to commit a crime just when Kent is spending time at home in Freedom City with his wife. Of late, Kent has taken an interest in the Push case, an unsolved crime listed in the AEGIS files of a metahuman who apparently murdered 10 people and harmed several police officers escaping from the scene of the crime. Having made this case his personal baby, he's spent most of his time between major missions for AEGIS tracking down Push and trying to bring him to justice. The two have only met twice, neither having gotten a clear view of the other's face, but Arthur is determined to bring the young felon in. Personality and Motivation: Kent's got a lot of old-school values, having been a cop for quite a few years before losing his eye. He believes firmly in the ideas of bad guys and good guys, criminals and heroes, and he knows he's on the good guy side, tracking down and bringing criminals to justice. Still, he's a genuinely nice guy when not in "troubleshooter" mode, friendly and affable, often knowledgeable on the latest crime news or hero stories from all over the USA. He's not a hero junkie, but he's quite fond of the men and women who, in his words "use their wonderful abilities for more than just a common dollar." When in "troubleshooter" mode, though, he's a real hard case. All buisness, he knows his job is to get the case solved, bust the bad guy, and save anyone he possibly can, superpowers or not. He's learned hard and fast that metahuman crooks often don't play by the rules the lawmen do, and he's not averse to playing dirty when it comes to busting a particularly dangerous bad guy. After all, without powers, you gotta take every edge you can get. AEGIS knows that when Kent's on the case, villains don't get away. And he's proud of that reputation. Anything that can help keep the law, he's more than willing to do. It's what his family would want, after all, and he knows his dad's proud of him up there in that big beat in the sky. Complications: Reputation - He's got a rep for always making the collar, and he's determined to live up to it, no matter the risk involved. Family Man - He's collared a lot of villains over the years, and with a family to look after, he's starting to get a bit worried... Loyalty - He's loyal to AEGIS, right or wrong, and doesn't like hearing the organization he's sweat and bled for questioned. Abilities: (6 + 6 + 8 + 6 + 8 + 8 = 42pp) STR: 16 (+3) DEX: 16 (+3) CON: 18 (+4) INT: 16 (+3) WIS: 18 (+4) CHA: 18 (+4) Combat: (26 + 20 = 46 pp) Attack +13 [+9] (Ranged; one eye) (+13 Base) Defense +10 (+5 flat-footed) Initiative +7 (+3 Base, +4 Improved Initiative) Grapple +16 Knockback -4 Saves: (3 + 3 + 2 = 8 pp) Toughness +8 Fortitude +7 (+4 Con, +3) Reflex +6 (+3 Dex, +3) Will +6 (+4 Wis, +2) Skills: (144r = 36 pp) Bluff 8 (+12) Climb 8 (+11) Computers 8 (+11) Diplomacy 10 (+14) Disable Device 8 (+11) Drive 8 (+11) Gather Information 12 (+16) Intimidate 12 (+16) Investigate 8 (+11) Knowledge [Civics] 8 (+11) Knowledge [Tactics] 14 (+17) Notice 8 (+12) Pilot 8 (+11) Search 8 (+11) Stealth 8 (+11) Survival 8 (+12) Feats: (27 pp) Benefit (Security Clearance) Connected Contacts Elusive Target Equipment 14 Improved Initiative Leadership Master Plan Precise Shot Quick Draw Sneak Attack Takedown Attack Ultimate Effort (Knowledge [Tactics]) Well-Informed Powers (1pp) : Immunity 1 (Aging; 1pp) (AEGIS Longevity Formula) Drawbacks: (-3pp) Disability (One eye, -4 with ranged attacks; Common, Moderate; -3pp) Abilities 42 + Skills 36 (144 ranks) + Feats 27 + Powers 1 + Combat 46 + Saves 8 – Drawbacks 3 = Total 157 DC Block Attack Range Save Effect Unarmed Melee DC 15 Toughness Damage (staged) Revolver Ranged DC 20 Toughness Damage Machine Pistol Ranged DC 18 Toughness Damage (staged) Knife Melee DC 16 Toughness Damage Explosive Pipe Ranged DC 18 Toughness Damage

Ok, Dead Head's up! Where is der Dok?

The Head Cultist visibly seemed to wilt before the blaze of glory charging at him, but he rallied and pushed outwards, the wards around him causing the blows to rebound with no effect. "Hah! Thou seest the power of my lord! I shall not fall while his might fills my very bones! Thy allies have fallen, thy attacks do naught! Thou art a fool!" And he roared another chant, deliberately ignoring the Templar while his hands contorted and the flames seemed to dance before them.

O_O Uh... 1d20+14=30, 1d20+14=31 Well, that's interesting. Sorry, mate, looks like neither attack works. ;)

The golem flew through the air, arms spinning as it tried to slow it's descent...to no avail. As the cultist mouthed more ancient words of power, his eyes widened as the great mass slammed into him with main force, a loud CRACK! coming from where the construct's spine would be. It flopped to the ground, the force field around the head cultist seeming to blink briefly as the runes smoked and burned. He clutched at his torso, breathing heavily and looking dizzy. The flames leapt high, seemingly attempting to reach into the rafters, but the cultist turned white and barely managed to resume his chant, the flames returning to the size they were before, and the smoking runes still hanging in the air.

Lovely. 1d20+6=10 for the Flesh Golem. Ouchies. Fail by 15 on a DC 25 Toughness check? Iz down. And now for the Head Cultist! 1d20+14=17. . .17, on a DC 25 Toughness check. Failed by 8. He's Bruised and Stunned, rolling to see if he can keep the ritual going... 1d20+15=26 Oof. Barely passed that one. The ritual doesn't fall apart ;)