Cube

1d20+1=16 Phew! Okay! I need more ranks in bluff.

"Congrats, Mona! When's the wedding?" Lou sunk into the chair with a sigh. Ahh... accommodations. "It'll be nice to be able to come into an office again. Castle is nice, but... you know how low the ceilings can get. Plus it's been kind of awkward there lately, you know?" He glanced over the floorplans for the future Archimedia offices. "You know, I'd be more than willing to help get set up. It'd be great to get some work down outside of the house. ...Aside from, you know." He gestured vaguely, making an odd coughing noise that sounded vaguely like "Krampus", or maybe "Crackers".

Shrike was so engrossed with the investigation that he failed to notice the lead detective climbing up to meet him. "Hello there! It's good to be back, yes." 'OhGodWhoIsThisPerson? Of all the times to have forgotten to update your old contact list...' 'It's fine... just act natural. She clearly knows you. You just need to play it cool.' "Mind telling me what's going on? Looks like a mess down there." 'Just focus on the case. If you can focus on the case, you might be able to get through this...'

The Fens... You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. At least not in Freedom City. Still, it was an area he had been neglecting on his patrols; something he aimed to rectify immediately. Gliding from Rooftop to Rooftop, Shrike's attention was drawn to the sound of sirens. Police activity this early in the morning? He needed to investigate. Coming to a stop a few rooftops away, the mechanized hero watched as the police gathered around a bloody corpse. A Murder... at 6:00 no less. Either it had been there a while, or someone was getting bold. Perhaps he should move in to investigate further...

Tag! I'm in!

"Heh, yeah..." Movies? Friends? Sure, he was wired better, but... "Listen, I'll be here for a while. You can go ahead and grab some food while I try to get this fixed. You might want to get some movies too." It'd be nice to watch one without having to scan it for fighting styles, that was for sure. "I'll let you in at the gate. And... uh. Let me know if there's anything else I can do to make you comfortable. I hope it's not too cold..." Note to self: Google "Slumber Parties". May be useful.

"Heh. No, I don't. Justice around the clock, really. It's kind of a pain sometimes... Though, I could go into sleep mode if I wanted, I guess." The robotic workshop was hard at work repairing Shrike's broken neck, wires of various colors being threaded from spools. "It's part of the reason this place is such a wreck. I don't really need to use everything so... well, I shut off power to those sections and just leave them alone. How can I use a bed or a gym or something if I'm not even alive?"

"No... I can clean it up." He would blush if he had the capacity. "And... thanks. My creator designed me to look just like he did when he was in costume, so that no one would be able to tell the difference." Was she blushing? Oh my. That's... kind of adorable actually. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. "If you want to stay around, you're welcome to. I don't have anywhere for you to stay, though... unless you want to bring down a mattress or something from upstairs. I really do appreciate it though. I've... kind of been alone down here for a while now."

A hand came down from the Autoworkshop and patted the woman on the shoulder. "I'll be fine. It just takes a while to re-solder all of these wires." From the safety of his mainframe, Shrike looked out onto the Nest. The Lair that was his Birthplace and Home. And like the home of any young being, it was absolutely filthy. "...I really need to get this place cleaned up. I'm kind of embarrassed. But... please don't be upset. I know this is kind of shocking and all... What with me being a robot..."

Shrike snapped into the operating table with a swift click as the device whirred to life, slowly dismantling him to inspect the damage. Almost immediately, Shrike's voice crackled over the intercom. "It's alright... I hadn't checked my neck after that fight a few days ago. That guy must have done more damage than I thought." From the computer in the center of the base, Shrike's AI let out a sigh. "I'll be fine in a few days, though. But... I think I have a lot of explaining I need to do, don't I?"

GM POST The mechanism hidden within the suit of armor groaned to life as the nearby bookshelf slid open, a few precariously balanced books tumbling down as it did so. "Down... there..." rasped Shrike. "That's The Nest..." The secret passage closed soon after the pair stepped through it, though it had much better illumination in comparison to the floors above. The trail of blood did not fade though. He really had to get that cleaned up... As they reached the bottom of the staircase, the lights blinked to light over a vast, if not particularly well maintained lair fit for a superhero. A massive computer stood in the center of the room, at the eend of the mysterious trail of blood. The dust covered vestiges of gyms, infirmaries, and other facilities lay scattered around the base, with "out of order" signage hastily tacked to them. What wasn't out of order, however, was a vast operating table surrounded by rather unpleasant looking robotic arms. "Put me in there..." said Shrike, as he pointed toward the fearsome looking device.

GM POST From his rather awkward position on the heroine's back, Shrike guided her through the vast, imposing doors of the mansion. It was clear that this place hadn't had guests... let alone maid service, for some time now. What was once a vast, grand foyer was now filled with dust... debris, and most disturbingly of all, a trail of dried blood. The trail led up the stairs, through winding abandoned halls, until finally reaching an old study. Papers and journals on robotics and nanotechnology lay scattered all over the floor, as the faint droplets of dried blood led to a suit of medieval armor leaning against the far wall. "Pull on it's arm..." said Shrike, gesturing to the suit. Part of him was embarrassed as to the state of disrepair the mansion was in. He almost never came through here if he could. What was she going to think?

GM POST The old David Estate loomed in the distance, it's rusty gates looking as though they've stood guard without maintenance for decades. Managing to twitch his finger, Shrike activated the gate's remote mechanism, causing them to swing open with surprising ease as the Tigermobile entered. The grounds were wild and unkempt, with grass and weeds slowly creeping over the dirt road that led to the vast, imposing mansion up ahead. "Park in the bushes. I... haven't been able to get the docking station to work yet..."

Shrike could only manage to wrap his arms around her in a weak hug, but it would have to do. But it would have to do. "It... should hold. Just don't make any sudden turns..." The last thing he needed today was for his head to go flying off like a beach ball. That would look good on the headline news. Local Hero loses his head over sparring match. More at 11. "I can open the gates when we get there... take me down to the basement, and hurry..." How the hell was he going to explain this? He was done for...

Despite his currently inert body, Shrike's voice box was still functioning. "There's... a mansion not far from here. The old Davis place. Take me there." A small shower of sparks flew from his neck with each word. Oh bugger. "...And wrap the cape around me, please." If anyone else found out about this, he was toast. They'd repossess the house, he wouldn't be able to fight crime anymore... Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man... He didn't want to go out during a sparring match of all things!

Shrike's neck immediately snapped to an impossible angle the moment the foot collided with his head, a small shower of sparks flying from the freshly exposed wiring. //WARNING: CRITICAL HARDWARE FAILURE.// The wires connecting his control center to his body snapped as his body was rocked with spasms, before collapsing to the ground with a loud CLANK. This wasn't good... this wasn't good at all... He was lying there, partially decapitated, wires bare to the world, and he couldn't move. "...Ow."

1d20+7=11 Uh-Oh. Taking into account my stack of injured, Shrike failed by 10. Exactly. Shrike is Staggered, Disabled, and Dazed.

1: Crimson Tiger: Bruised X1, 0HP 2: Steel Shrike: Injured X1, 0HP. Your attack!

'Perfect! An Opening!' With flawless precision, Shrike turned and elbowed the martial artist in the gut. Not enough to seriously injure, but enough to knock the wind out of her. "The tables have turned, friend!" Was it too soon to say that? It was probably too soon to say that. Maybe he should turn invisible again so she didn't end up kicking his head off or something. Ooooh, but that would be cheating... Bah. 'It's okay, keep your cool. You're doing fine, Shrike...' He braced himself for the inevitable counter attack.

1d20+7=20 Hit! Make a DC 22 Toughness save. :D

OOOF. Right in the power core. That hit nearly sent him reeling. If he hadn't rolled with it in time, he would have been toast. "Hrmph. Lucky Shot." Lucky... incredibly painful shot. "Now it's my turn!" he growled, as he aimed a metal fist... roughly a foot to the left of where her she actually was. His visual sensors were out of alignment. Damn it... It took him a few seconds to get everything back into focus: Just in time for her next attack. Oh boy... He raised his cape in defense, hoping he could block the blow.

1d20+7=9 Shrike rolls to attack and misses SPECTACULARLY.

Post your attack. Shrike is... Staggered, Disabled, and Dazed. ...Wow. HERO POINT! Stack of Injured. OKAY!

Shrike nodded. "Sounds like a plan." The concept of warm ups was... new. "Ah! Right! Warmups! I did that before you got here. Always have to warm up you know. Especially in February. " Why didn't he at least try to Google these things more? WHY?! "When you're done, I'll let you come at me first, alright? I need to practice my countering skills." ...Also, he could never hope to out maneuver her because someone forgot to include agility enhancement servos in his default construction. Sheesh...

Shrike turned to face the superheroine with a flourish as she climbed up to the roof. Rule 1 of Superheroing: Always make good use of the cape. "Greetings, Crimson Tiger." He said, his mask showing the faintest hint of a smile. "Ready for that sparring match?" Shrike had been meaning to update his combat protocols for days now. The old Combat Simulator in The Nest was fried, and he really didn't want to get rusty... ...Of course, he was designed from a special alloy designed to prevent rust, so he wasn't sure why he was afraid of getting Rusty. Metaphors... bah.