United Heroes MUSH - User contributions [en]

3918/The Man of Tomorrow and the Demons Daughter

2018-02-21T02:42:31Z

Shadowlite: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2018/02/20 |Location=Lex Luthors Office- LexCorp Tower |Synopsis=Talia joins The Light |Cast of Characters=92, 958 |pretty=yes }} {{Poses |Poses=:'..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/02/20
|Location=Lex Luthors Office- LexCorp Tower
|Synopsis=Talia joins The Light
|Cast of Characters=92, 958
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' It probably isn't often that someone besides the Batman takes enough interest in Talia to actively track her down... but so it happened. Arriving via mob messenger in New York, Talia was given a letter -yes, an actual letter- via her mailbox. "I have a proposal for you, if you have an interest in shaping world events to better serve humankind... and ourselves. LexCorp Tower awaits, if you're interested. -LL" Certainly to the point, at least. If Talia comes to Metropolis, she gets a warm welcome from Team Luthor, and directed to Lex Luthors main office, where Team Luthor lines the hallway to the main doors. She's let in without issue... and comes into the Man of Tomorrows office. Lex Luthor himself is standing, facing the glass wall out into Metropolis. 

:'''{{#var:958|Talia al Ghul (958)}} has posed:''' Talia al Ghul -does- respond to the invitation, but only partially out of curiosity. 'Keep your friends close and you enemies closer', but which category does Mister Luthor fit into? She travels to Metropolis via a private jet, and is met by Team Luthor at the airport. The woman also travels alone, which is curious enough in its own right. Dressed in a neat, stylish business suit of emerald green, she removes the coat and jaunty fedora to hand them to someone at the door. Heels thunk softly on the carpeted floor of the office. "Mister Luthor, I presume?" the woman offers, her voice unaccented and yet thick as honey. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "You'd presume correctly, Ms. Al Ghul." Lex Luthor responds as he looks out into Metropolis. Mercy and Hope are flanking his desk... but when Talia comes in, they move to flank their employer. Their look to her suggests they know her reputation, and are giving a respectful assessment of her. The Amazonians know their stuff, it seems. "I had hoped you would be interested. You and your... resources... would bring many options to the table." Lex says, before he finally turns around, and heads for his seat, behind the desk. Mercy and Hope move to flank him, behind it. Then, he offers a hand to a chair in front of his desk, "Please, sit, if you like. Would you like refreshments?" 

:'''{{#var:958|Talia al Ghul (958)}} has posed:''' Talia al Ghul arches a brow when she's addressed, a small smile touching those red lips. She appears to be unarmed, but that shouldn't come as a surprise even under the worst of circumstances. "Refreshments would be most welcome, thank you. Bourbon?" The Amazons are each given a glance before she moves to the offered chair, pulling it out and seating herself. She makes no effort to dissuade any possible threat or alleviate concern. Were their positions reversed, she would certainly have her own guards. "Your letter was most intriguing, to be sure. As a responsible citizen, how could I refuse the opportunity to join like-minded individuals in shaping world events?" 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "I like your style, Ms. Al Ghul. May I call you Talia?" Lex gives, before he presses a button on his desk, "Nancy, Ms. Al Ghul would like a Bourbon. Have a bottle brought up." There's no reply; there's no need. Lex Luthor has issues a command, it would be carried out. Then, he leans back and looks back to Talia, "With the world being as it is, people who have the worlds actual best interests at heart are finding it increasingly difficult to operate without dealing with the teams of enhanced individuals working to counter their plans." Lex presses a button then, and a display pops up out of thin air between them, above the desk. It has just enough height so they can see each other clearly... and Talia can see a number of boxes on it with ? marks, "I propose an adaptation to these teams, one that can serve the best interests of Earth, since clearly the governments of the world are lacking in wise guidance. A council of those who see the actual problems of our planet, and do what needs to be done to bring enlightenment." A pause, "I'm calling this council, The Light. A Light to bring forth that enlightenment." 

:'''{{#var:958|Talia al Ghul (958)}} has posed:''' Talia al Ghul crosses one leg over the other, the skirt parting neatly up to mid-thigh. The stockings either blend in quite well with her exotic skin tone or she's wearing the pumps without them. "Talia would be fine, Lex." she replies, keeping the playing field even. She regards the display with all the open boxes, head tilting curiously. "You have already stepped out into new territory, of course." the woman offers. "Most of these discussions focus on singular pronouns, and yet you open with the proposal of a council. I am considerably more intrigued than I was ten minutes ago." "It has always been a weakness among those with vision that we operate alone, while our opposition is in League." Talia agrees, with emphasis on the 'L' word. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "A weakness that must be dealt with, if we're going to make lasting changes, despite the individuals who think that their ridiculous notions of 'morality' somehow make them superior." Lex agrees. The skirt parting briefly gets Luthors attention, since it's an obvious ploy for it... whether or not he was swayed doesn't show. Another button is pressed, and the first slot is filled with Lex, with the title L1. "All members of The Light will be equals to one another; no exceptions. The designations in no way suggest a hierarchy. L1 is simply a matter of seniority, being the one to first propose the Council." Lex Luthor continues, before another button is pressed, and a rotating hologram of Earth appears, "Obviously, we all will have our resources our own influence. We each have our own plans, to a point. This last part /must/ change, if The Light is to survive, and thrive. We can no longer afford to pretend doing things on our own can work." Another button is pressed, and sections of the world are highlighted, "What I bring to the Council is obvious; a legal front for The Light to operate from. I own and operate a corporate Empire completely legally. I have the resources to fund any operation we consider, and the company fronts to do so if we need a legitimate front. I also have a space station in the works under LexTech as a major project that will serve LexCorp as a space hub and more, in time. This station can and will have consideration given for use to The Light." Another button is pressed, "You, on the other hand, have major connections to underworld elements across the planet, have no need to worry about appearing legitimate, and have the resources of your organization to bring to bear, without legal consequences. Correct me if any of this is wrong." Lex smiles, warmly. The man has charisma, and he let's it show as he finishes, "Does all of this sound interesting to you, so far?" 

:'''{{#var:958|Talia al Ghul (958)}} has posed:''' Talia's expression remains schooled and mostly neutral, although she is clearly intrigued. "One of the negatives to being completely legal and legitimate is that you are also exposed. Vulnerable. You depend too much upon your opponent's willingness to play by the rules." She pauses, then adds. "An observation, not a criticism." Talia considers his words for a moment, the smile broadening a touch. "My resources are not presently aligned with my father's, but everything else you say is certainly correct." Her gaze meets his own. Evenly. Resting elbows upon the arms of her chair, she steeples her fingers together and adds. "Please continue." 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "I have less than legal resources as well, but your point is the very reason why the Council is a necessity." Lex agrees, and points out. "All members of The Light will be anonymous outside of one another. We will know each others identities for the sake of cooperation and trust among ourselves. We will /not/ give our identities to anyone else, barring a full majority Council vote; and even then, if the person whose identity is to be exposed says no with good reason, that person gets full veto power over the present vote... though the Council may propose again if those reasons are dealt with. Adding members of The Light will require a unanimous Council vote, in turn. Our plans must start to work through this Council in an overall strategy. We do what we must to maintain our resources, or to gain more, informing The Light of doing so. This way we keep off of each others toes, can inform one another of potential setbacks, and offer support if we are able to one another. In exchange for this forced informational silo, we can work to build The Lights overall influence in the world, and see to it that each member of The Light can make sure world events do not escape our overall notice." 

:'''{{#var:958|Talia al Ghul (958)}} has posed:''' Talia looks thoughtful for a moment, nodding. "The Council seems like it would help to keep us out of each other's way, if nothing else." she agrees. "The availability of support will need to be vetted over time, of course. Trust tends to be a rare commodity among megalomaniacs." Her upper lip twitches with the sarcasm. "Mutual trust will be the biggest issue, I think. Or should I say mutual DIStrust. But I think it's possible, by taking small and careful steps. Combining complementary skills and resources are how our opponents maintain their strength of position. We should learn from that." 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "The intention is to work towards more than 'keeping out of each others way', but the first step is as you say, building that trust and support. The foundation needs to set before long term plans are set in motion." Lex nods, "one long term goal I eventually intend to propose is the infiltration or elimination of the SHIELD network and fleet. That network is where much of the support for the Avengers and Alpha Flight comes from. Deal with it, and containing the enhanced teams becomes much easier." 

:'''{{#var:958|Talia al Ghul (958)}} has posed:''' Steepled fingers tap lightly together and Talia nods. "Agreed. One of their greatest strengths is their support network. We should not only develop our own but find ways to counter theirs." The woman looks thoughtful for a moment, then offers. "There will be those who question your right to lead this Council. And those who seek the inevitable power-play to assume personal control. It is the natural way, when one puts so many alpha predators in the same cage together." 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "I will not be the leader, only the founder. There's a reason this Council will rule itself by vote, rather than by dictatorship." Lex notes, "Now, if the Council later decides to vote a leader into a universal veto position? That would be their right. Equal though, means equal." Lex then presses another button, and the globe changes... to known SHIELD assets, "In the short term, we'd be best served in planting agents in the UN itself. SHIELD is famous within the community that knows about them for having a robust spy network... but an initial indirect approach would serve us well, I think." 

:'''{{#var:958|Talia al Ghul (958)}} has posed:''' That idea seems to please Talia, and she lets her smile show it. "I agree that SHIELD is too well fortified for immediate infiltration. That would have to be done as a very long game. The UN, on the other hand, is riddled with vulnerabilities to those who are clever and resourceful." Hands unsteeple and she sits up a bit more. "Might I recommend multiple insertions from a variety of sources? The risk is that our collusion could be uncovered, but the greater chances of success far outweigh the risk." 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "Once the first Council meeting is set, it'll be my first proposal. I have a couple others I'm considering for this Council, but I have one almost certain yes in Magnus, AKA Magneto." Lex presses a button, and Genosha is highlighted, "I think it's safe to say that having mutant -and a national leaders- support has all kinds of potential for this Council. Assuming the UN recognizes Magnus as the head of state, we'll also have a member within the UN itself, with full legal access." Lex then smiles to Talia, "And another in you, potentially... since I haven't heard any objections so far." 

:'''{{#var:958|Talia al Ghul (958)}} has posed:''' "I'm in." Talia replies, when Lex puts the question more pointedly. The conversation so far has been a mixture of sales pitch and infomercial, after all. "Recognize that my assets are not necessarily my father's, of course. If you want his assistance you should contact him separately. But you will likely lose me as a result." She pauses for a moment, then adds. "I do not offer explanations, only outcomes. My father thinks me to be dead, and I has no desire to change that assessment." 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "The Light only has seats for those who can share power and work together with a team. Your father has proven he is only interested in his own vision. Your visible death and low key 'resurrection' gave the implication you're not returning to the League of Assassins. As a gesture of good faith, I'd also recommend you propose to The Light that we work towards you claiming the League yourself." Lex gives in response. Then, he stands, and reaches across the desk for a handshake, "I look forward to working with you, Talia." 

:'''{{#var:958|Talia al Ghul (958)}} has posed:''' "I'm uncertain whether taking control of the League of Assassins is on my agenda, but I do appreciate the thought, Lex." she replies. Talia rises when he does, reaching over to accept the offered hand. Her manicure is professional, and only when she grips his hand would he feel the callouses from years of weapon training. "Thank you for inviting me. And I greatly look forward to seeing how this plays forward." 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' For his part, Lex Luthor has the feel of a man who has had some training... but most of it mental. But then, he's an incredibly brilliant man all on his own, possibly the greatest Mind in history, given that he's planning to build a private corporate space station at 37! "Mercy can give you your copy of my encryption and application I plan to use to handle our network meetings once the Riding Tides attacks have been dealt with." As if on cue, Mercy comes around the desk, and offers Talia a thumb drive, "Feel free to have your people inspect it, as it contains the source code for both, as a gesture of good faith." A firm shake, and he releases her hand. "Feel free to stay around, if you're interested. The LexMall has quite a few interesting items you might like." 
}}

3877/'Routine' inspections

2018-02-16T07:16:10Z

Shadowlite: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2018/02/14 |Location=Milano - Lower Deck |Synopsis=There's a hole in the cargo hold where Peters Booze was. Rocket may or may not be to blame. |Cas..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/02/14
|Location=Milano - Lower Deck
|Synopsis=There's a hole in the cargo hold where Peters Booze was. Rocket may or may not be to blame.
|Cast of Characters=111, 155
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:111|Peter Quill (111)}} has posed:''' Downtime is good. Downtime with booze is better. Peter had made sure to always keep a decent bottle of Carnosian 'Grease' for those times he wants to get blackout drunk and ride the buzz quick. Nothing was going on, after all. Spending a half hour checking his cargo though -double checking even!- there was a ... noticable hole in the floor, where the bottles should have been. "Rooockettt." Peter gives in exclamation... in both an amused, and frustrated, tone. He'd Done Something Again (tm).... and just stared at the gooey hole on one knee in his corner of the cargo hold. 

:'''{{#var:155|Rocket (155)}} has posed:''' Rocket wasn't in the hold. He was in the little kitchen space, making some sort of sammich. Just given the fact it is clearly quite messy it must taste particularly good. "Wha?" he calls around a moutful of said sammich. "Whaf ew ant, Q'ill?" He saunters back looking unconcerned and quite pleased with his culinary creation. 

:'''{{#var:111|Peter Quill (111)}} has posed:''' Peter stands, and points right at the hole, "I didn't have anything in here that could do... /that/." Peter thrusts his finger at the hole in emphasis. Then, he turns to regard the Raccoon, "You remember what I said about cargo boundaries, right? I'm pretty sure my Grease bottles melted right through down there with... whatever it was that you put here." "What was it?" Peter asks, slightly accusatory. 

:'''{{#var:155|Rocket (155)}} has posed:''' Rocket saunters over, chewing appreciatively on his sammich as Quill protests. He looks at the hole, leaning over to peer down inside. "...greeff? Wha'ya 'eepin' greeff for?" He swallows, "I mean, c'mon. Ya think *I* had somethin' t' do wit' dis? Pfff.. Nothin' I had would'a done this. At. All." "'course there was that /one/ thing. But I doubt it." 

:'''{{#var:111|Peter Quill (111)}} has posed:''' Peter just gives the Raccoon a very, very neutral stare. "Carnosian 'Grease'. My specialty booze. I picked it up out of Knowhere last time we were in that sector." Then, Peter squints, "Well?" 

:'''{{#var:155|Rocket (155)}} has posed:''' Rocket looks back down the hole. "Well that would explain the wet stuff around the hole. I mean c'mon. you greased it!" he laughs. "That's funny. C'mon!" He snickers and then looks around, "Well. that case there? That's where I had the Thing. But it's not there. Someone must'a moved it. But that's not MY fault." 

:'''{{#var:111|Peter Quill (111)}} has posed:''' "Rocket. What Thing?" Then, Peter sighs then, instead heading over to the toolbox over to one side, and grabs a scanner. Then, he heads over and gives it a good check, "I really hope this stuff won't burn through to the plating." Peter notes. 

:'''{{#var:155|Rocket (155)}} has posed:''' Rocket shrugs. "Ammo, Quill. Ammo. I TOLD you about it when I scored it. The Thermium Razor rounds." He looks around again. "They ain't here. Someone moved 'em." He looks at the hole. "If they stuck 'em near your booze... if the alcohol got to the casings. Yeah. Guess it could'a done this.." He shrugs, "Still not my fault." 

:'''{{#var:111|Peter Quill (111)}} has posed:''' "Why would you even /want/ Razor rounds?" Peter looks at Rocket like he's grown three heads, "Those things are just as likely to bounce around to hit /you/, as they are to hit your target." Then, Peter reads the scanner, "Well, it's not acidic, so there's something." Peter chuckles, then, looking back to Rocket, "We're not saints or anything man, but cargo boundaries, man. Cargo boundaries!" 

:'''{{#var:155|Rocket (155)}} has posed:''' Rocket shakes his head, "No, Quill. Therium Razor rounds. /Thermium/. they hit their target then shatter and turn the target to goo. That. That is why I want them. And why I got them." He looks at Quill. "Yah.. not acidic... that's...that's good.." He fails his poker face. "But I DID store my cargo safely. Someone else stored it dangerously!" He looks at the hole. "Hadda be Drax. Groot knows better. Gamora... just wouldn't care. Drax's the culprit. Go yell at him!" 

:'''{{#var:111|Peter Quill (111)}} has posed:''' "Turn the target to goo." Peter looks at the hole... gooey itself. "And just so happens to go off next to my booze." Peter sighs, "Now I'm going to have to go back to Knowhere and hope the dealer is still there." Peter turns to look back to Rocket, "I had it all right here, out of the way... and then this happens." Peter starts to walk off, "This is coming out of someones paycheck." Peter grates as he heads for the cockpit. 

:'''{{#var:155|Rocket (155)}} has posed:''' Rocket shrugs, "What's the big deal, Quill? You got so much booze on this boat we could practically float through space!" He fires back, "paycheck? You still haven't paid us for the LAST four jobs we did!" He then retorts, "Hey. Hey.. this is Drax's doin! You should totally be fining him! I'd have used those rounds to keep badguys offa you. Now what am I gonna use??" 

:'''{{#var:111|Peter Quill (111)}} has posed:''' "I can get the cheap stuff anywhere, Rocket." Peter notes, "This was /specialty/. That stuff isn't exactly floating around in Burnout." Peter heads for the ladder, "We'll find you something on Knowhere." Peter gives in reply, before he starts to head up. 
}}

3858/Rising Tide: Speed Call

2018-02-12T16:04:37Z

Shadowlite:

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/02/11
|Location=Internet
|Synopsis=Three monsters of business come together about the Rising Tide being in their way.
|Cast of Characters=22, 23, 92
|Tinyplot=Rising Tide
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:''' The video call comes in, seeking Gregory Stark's attention. Which, considering how communications are almost entirely down, is already weird and interesting. Then again, Tony Stark Finds A Way, like a contained dinosaur, to burst free and do things he shouldn't be. Although on another hand, it's bizarre to get any contact from Tony at all that isn't an invitation to a party or gala that also suggests Greg wear a costume, even if it's not a costumed event. So this video call may mean Tony's dying. ...Again. 

:'''{{#var:23|Gregory Stark (23)}} has posed:'''      Gregory is fairly quick to answer the call. As the image comes in it's fairly grainy and it's hard to make out exactly what Gregory is doing as he starts to speak. "To what do I owe the rare pleasure?" His form coming into focus as it becomes clear that he's on his back on a pure white concrete flooring working on something above him. His attention falls squarely on the camera.      "I swear if this is another invitation where you want me to wear that damn lobster costume I'll" He cuts himself off shaking his head as he grabs for a fancy looking wrench with a flashlight attachment on the side of it before going right back to working. 

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:''' Tony's face pops up on the video screen with his usual confident smile. He's looked better, though. He has a dark red hoodie on that entirely reads as something he threw on so that his bandages don't show for the video. He's pale from physical pain, and is pretty obviously in some kind of lab of a medical type based on the poles and tech sort in the background. He's sitting up in his bed though, and looks fired up. The video screen is too high to show his consoles, but there's a clear movement of hand on them and reflection off his eyes that makes it apparent. "Hi, Greggo," Tony says, cheery. It's only a little heavyhanded; Tony clearly belongs in the hospital bed he's in. "It's about business. Sort of. Hang on, pulling in Luthor..." Tony makes some adjustments. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' As the call comes in as Lex sits behind his desk in his office, he hits the intercom to his secretary, "Hold my calls for the next ten minutes, Nancy." Then, Luthor stands, walks out into open space, and places his hands behind his back with a nod to Mercy... who hits receive. The holographic interface suite built into the office constructs a 3D space for both Gregory and Tony, and gives an accurate 3D model of Lex Luthor himself, if the other two are using holographic technology for their own calls, "Gentlemen. To what do I owe this pleasure? The Rising Tide nuisance, or something else?" Lex Luthor greets and asks, warmly. 

:'''{{#var:23|Gregory Stark (23)}} has posed:'''      "Luthor, what do you mean lu-" Gregory cuts himself off as the feed is transferred he wasn't exactly in a position to be talking with potential business rivals at the moment, from his spot under the Rolls Royce. "Mr.Luthor." Gregory offers with a wide smile switching out one wrench for another as he works away on the car that's currently above him. "I was just about to ask the same question." His attention falling towards his ailing brother. There's a bit of concern on his expression but at least the man was IN a hospital this time. 

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:''' "The same, the Rising Tide of Shit on our doorsteps. Right on target as ever," Tony grins to Lex. Yes, there's some holographic techology, though Tony is deliberately limiting how much of him gets cast. Masking the injuries and all that. "This'll be pretty quick, because I have..." Tony's eyes move a little bit to one side. "Seventeen minutes, and eight seconds, as a somewhat rough guess, so I'll do what I can to keep the jokes to one-liners only," Tony says, as if that was greatly painful to him. "I'm calling an all hands on deck sort of thing to take control off their hands. And, in the same stroke, pick up huge sections of it," Tony describes. "I probably don't need to detail out the benefits of rolling out on this, the PR alone is massive," Tony continues, charismatic and charming as always. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' It's basically a charm and charisma convention in this holocall... but then, these are some of the most powerful men in the world. They didn't get that way by being timid. "I've looked at the problem from a few angles, but I've been busy with too many other matters to put my nose to the grindstone, as it were." Lex Luthor gets a look in Tonies direction, "Do you have a strategy already, or were you looking to brainstorm?" 

:'''{{#var:23|Gregory Stark (23)}} has posed:'''      "As much as I love making use of the spotty satellite coverage I've got to agree" Gregory's own holographic image still laying down as he works occasionally grabbing a tool from beside him to work on the car. His eyes narrow somewhat as he adds. "It's high time someone stepped in and took away their toys."      "I don't see why we shouldn't be the ones profiting from it happening." He further adds leaning back slightly to get a better grip. 

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:''' "I knew I could count on you to like money, Greggo," Tony teases his brother. His tone swaps more businesslike to address Lex, though still Tony's casual flavor. "I have a strategy prepped, Mr. Luthor, and I have all the overpowered super-teams of astroid-hurlers fired up. I have files for you on it, exactly what I'm asking for. I didn't write up a lengthy essay to convince you on what you'll gain, though, I'm pretty sure you'll see that on your own," Tony smiles. "I mean... there's obvious monetary benefit of giving billions of people things they so desperately want. The porn revenue alone..." Tony whistles once teasingly and continues. "As I said, I've some hero teams doing the heavy lifting. Satellites, ships in orbit. /We/ would need to take the opportunity and defend, and, ahem, own -- the communications we regain. I'm good, but being everywhere at once is just /exhausting/," Tony says. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "I can only imagine the pain being omnipresent would cause a man like you, Mr Stark." Lex dryly quips, before he brings up a hand, and swipes it across, starting the download as he begins to read the files. Lex can multitask, after all. "I'm reading them over now. So far, I'm assuming there's an exploit in the base code they hijacked, and this is to get a clean variant up to upload into the networks." It's stated as a question, despite the lack of tone for it. 

:'''{{#var:23|Gregory Stark (23)}} has posed:'''      Gregory's own multitasking comes as he too looks over the collected files, his focus split now between three venues with little effort shown to the effect. "Low risk, high reward." He mutters to himself, before motioning with his eyes to scroll through the documentation, his hands already too busy working on the car. "So anyone else you plan on bringing in on the operation or are we looking at a three way split?" 

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:''' "Omnipresence has it's advantages, though; everybody wanting your merchandising is very lucrative," Tony answers, obviously assuming 'Mr. Stark' is himself: "Please call me Tony. Greg, do you need to be 'Mr. Stark' on this call?" Tony questions across mildly to Gregory, a brief tease that Tony can never resist. And then Tony's rapt attention fires back to Lex. Tony's more of an extreme nuclear tunnel-vision most of the time than a multitasker, most evident when he's on a project: good luck derailing that train. "I only have a minute or two left now -- but no, that's the assumption they want everyone to leap to," Tony says. He isn't mocking at all, just describing, quickly now. "We are looking at their fake little world; the real one still /exists/. Think of it like that they are routing everything into their personal box, but our real box is still there. When we reconnect to it, we need to get it stable. As for the 'split' or whatever? Greggo, it's so massive: just stabilize whatever you can. I put some suggestions of areas in your file as priority, but it's up to you if you like banks and credit or not." Tony pauses. "I think ... the Tide-Pod has had it's day as a meme, enough already. And if we are ready to make our 'real' internet stable again, it'll work out the best for everybody." Money and Heroism is a great combo. "Any last words? Trying to keep this open, but..." 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "They overlaid a sandbox version of the original signal for the various networks, and piggybacked out of it so perfectly most of the worlds technical experts didn't notice. They must be running themselves exhausted to pull this off in real time." Lex Luthor observes as he reads, "it'd be clever, if it didn't rely on such simplistic deception." Lex notes, before he looks to Tony, "Playing whack-a-mole like that will make it very easy to take back the global network, once we work out their pattern." Lex agrees. 

:'''{{#var:23|Gregory Stark (23)}} has posed:'''      "Personally I was thinking Lord Stark, of the noble house stark, but Mr.Stark works just fine" Gregory comments idly his attention turning fully to the documentation as he begins to type out something on the air in front of him. There's a long pause from him before he adds. "Already working on it." Spoken through his teeth as his fingers move like a blur dancing from one spot to the next as he works. "Once I'm out from under this car I should have at least some functionality returned within the-" And his connection cuts completely. 

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:''' "You can be the Stark that's beheaded by a Lannister?" Tony suggests helpfully. Tony makes a finger gun 'bingo' at Lex through the call, then coughs and flinches some, drawing his arm back. He's not as healthy as all this suggests. It's just as well the time is up, really. "I'll pop up another one of these to field any timing issues between us, and to give you heads up on a 'go' time--- Aw, lost Greg. Well, joke's on---" And the last thread of it ends. 
}}

3858/Rising Tide: Speed Call

2018-02-12T15:52:05Z

Shadowlite: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2018/01/11 |Location=Internet |Synopsis=Three monsters of business come together about the Rising Tide being in their way. |Cast of Characters=22,..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/01/11
|Location=Internet
|Synopsis=Three monsters of business come together about the Rising Tide being in their way.
|Cast of Characters=22, 23, 92
|Tinyplot=Rising Tide
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:''' The video call comes in, seeking Gregory Stark's attention. Which, considering how communications are almost entirely down, is already weird and interesting. Then again, Tony Stark Finds A Way, like a contained dinosaur, to burst free and do things he shouldn't be. Although on another hand, it's bizarre to get any contact from Tony at all that isn't an invitation to a party or gala that also suggests Greg wear a costume, even if it's not a costumed event. So this video call may mean Tony's dying. ...Again. 

:'''{{#var:23|Gregory Stark (23)}} has posed:'''      Gregory is fairly quick to answer the call. As the image comes in it's fairly grainy and it's hard to make out exactly what Gregory is doing as he starts to speak. "To what do I owe the rare pleasure?" His form coming into focus as it becomes clear that he's on his back on a pure white concrete flooring working on something above him. His attention falls squarely on the camera.      "I swear if this is another invitation where you want me to wear that damn lobster costume I'll" He cuts himself off shaking his head as he grabs for a fancy looking wrench with a flashlight attachment on the side of it before going right back to working. 

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:''' Tony's face pops up on the video screen with his usual confident smile. He's looked better, though. He has a dark red hoodie on that entirely reads as something he threw on so that his bandages don't show for the video. He's pale from physical pain, and is pretty obviously in some kind of lab of a medical type based on the poles and tech sort in the background. He's sitting up in his bed though, and looks fired up. The video screen is too high to show his consoles, but there's a clear movement of hand on them and reflection off his eyes that makes it apparent. "Hi, Greggo," Tony says, cheery. It's only a little heavyhanded; Tony clearly belongs in the hospital bed he's in. "It's about business. Sort of. Hang on, pulling in Luthor..." Tony makes some adjustments. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' As the call comes in as Lex sits behind his desk in his office, he hits the intercom to his secretary, "Hold my calls for the next ten minutes, Nancy." Then, Luthor stands, walks out into open space, and places his hands behind his back with a nod to Mercy... who hits receive. The holographic interface suite built into the office constructs a 3D space for both Gregory and Tony, and gives an accurate 3D model of Lex Luthor himself, if the other two are using holographic technology for their own calls, "Gentlemen. To what do I owe this pleasure? The Rising Tide nuisance, or something else?" Lex Luthor greets and asks, warmly. 

:'''{{#var:23|Gregory Stark (23)}} has posed:'''      "Luthor, what do you mean lu-" Gregory cuts himself off as the feed is transferred he wasn't exactly in a position to be talking with potential business rivals at the moment, from his spot under the Rolls Royce. "Mr.Luthor." Gregory offers with a wide smile switching out one wrench for another as he works away on the car that's currently above him. "I was just about to ask the same question." His attention falling towards his ailing brother. There's a bit of concern on his expression but at least the man was IN a hospital this time. 

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:''' "The same, the Rising Tide of Shit on our doorsteps. Right on target as ever," Tony grins to Lex. Yes, there's some holographic techology, though Tony is deliberately limiting how much of him gets cast. Masking the injuries and all that. "This'll be pretty quick, because I have..." Tony's eyes move a little bit to one side. "Seventeen minutes, and eight seconds, as a somewhat rough guess, so I'll do what I can to keep the jokes to one-liners only," Tony says, as if that was greatly painful to him. "I'm calling an all hands on deck sort of thing to take control off their hands. And, in the same stroke, pick up huge sections of it," Tony describes. "I probably don't need to detail out the benefits of rolling out on this, the PR alone is massive," Tony continues, charismatic and charming as always. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' It's basically a charm and charisma convention in this holocall... but then, these are some of the most powerful men in the world. They didn't get that way by being timid. "I've looked at the problem from a few angles, but I've been busy with too many other matters to put my nose to the grindstone, as it were." Lex Luthor gets a look in Tonies direction, "Do you have a strategy already, or were you looking to brainstorm?" 

:'''{{#var:23|Gregory Stark (23)}} has posed:'''      "As much as I love making use of the spotty satellite coverage I've got to agree" Gregory's own holographic image still laying down as he works occasionally grabbing a tool from beside him to work on the car. His eyes narrow somewhat as he adds. "It's high time someone stepped in and took away their toys."      "I don't see why we shouldn't be the ones profiting from it happening." He further adds leaning back slightly to get a better grip. 

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:''' "I knew I could count on you to like money, Greggo," Tony teases his brother. His tone swaps more businesslike to address Lex, though still Tony's casual flavor. "I have a strategy prepped, Mr. Luthor, and I have all the overpowered super-teams of astroid-hurlers fired up. I have files for you on it, exactly what I'm asking for. I didn't write up a lengthy essay to convince you on what you'll gain, though, I'm pretty sure you'll see that on your own," Tony smiles. "I mean... there's obvious monetary benefit of giving billions of people things they so desperately want. The porn revenue alone..." Tony whistles once teasingly and continues. "As I said, I've some hero teams doing the heavy lifting. Satellites, ships in orbit. /We/ would need to take the opportunity and defend, and, ahem, own -- the communications we regain. I'm good, but being everywhere at once is just /exhausting/," Tony says. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "I can only imagine the pain being omnipresent would cause a man like you, Mr Stark." Lex dryly quips, before he brings up a hand, and swipes it across, starting the download as he begins to read the files. Lex can multitask, after all. "I'm reading them over now. So far, I'm assuming there's an exploit in the base code they hijacked, and this is to get a clean variant up to upload into the networks." It's stated as a question, despite the lack of tone for it. 

:'''{{#var:23|Gregory Stark (23)}} has posed:'''      Gregory's own multitasking comes as he too looks over the collected files, his focus split now between three venues with little effort shown to the effect. "Low risk, high reward." He mutters to himself, before motioning with his eyes to scroll through the documentation, his hands already too busy working on the car. "So anyone else you plan on bringing in on the operation or are we looking at a three way split?" 

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:''' "Omnipresence has it's advantages, though; everybody wanting your merchandising is very lucrative," Tony answers, obviously assuming 'Mr. Stark' is himself: "Please call me Tony. Greg, do you need to be 'Mr. Stark' on this call?" Tony questions across mildly to Gregory, a brief tease that Tony can never resist. And then Tony's rapt attention fires back to Lex. Tony's more of an extreme nuclear tunnel-vision most of the time than a multitasker, most evident when he's on a project: good luck derailing that train. "I only have a minute or two left now -- but no, that's the assumption they want everyone to leap to," Tony says. He isn't mocking at all, just describing, quickly now. "We are looking at their fake little world; the real one still /exists/. Think of it like that they are routing everything into their personal box, but our real box is still there. When we reconnect to it, we need to get it stable. As for the 'split' or whatever? Greggo, it's so massive: just stabilize whatever you can. I put some suggestions of areas in your file as priority, but it's up to you if you like banks and credit or not." Tony pauses. "I think ... the Tide-Pod has had it's day as a meme, enough already. And if we are ready to make our 'real' internet stable again, it'll work out the best for everybody." Money and Heroism is a great combo. "Any last words? Trying to keep this open, but..." 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "They overlaid a sandbox version of the original signal for the various networks, and piggybacked out of it so perfectly most of the worlds technical experts didn't notice. They must be running themselves exhausted to pull this off in real time." Lex Luthor observes as he reads, "it'd be clever, if it didn't rely on such simplistic deception." Lex notes, before he looks to Tony, "Playing whack-a-mole like that will make it very easy to take back the global network, once we work out their pattern." Lex agrees. 

:'''{{#var:23|Gregory Stark (23)}} has posed:'''      "Personally I was thinking Lord Stark, of the noble house stark, but Mr.Stark works just fine" Gregory comments idly his attention turning fully to the documentation as he begins to type out something on the air in front of him. There's a long pause from him before he adds. "Already working on it." Spoken through his teeth as his fingers move like a blur dancing from one spot to the next as he works. "Once I'm out from under this car I should have at least some functionality returned within the-" And his connection cuts completely. 

:'''{{#var:22|Tony Stark (22)}} has posed:''' "You can be the Stark that's beheaded by a Lannister?" Tony suggests helpfully. Tony makes a finger gun 'bingo' at Lex through the call, then coughs and flinches some, drawing his arm back. He's not as healthy as all this suggests. It's just as well the time is up, really. "I'll pop up another one of these to field any timing issues between us, and to give you heads up on a 'go' time--- Aw, lost Greg. Well, joke's on---" And the last thread of it ends. 
}}

3803/Go get me some hot wings!

2018-02-08T22:39:57Z

Shadowlite: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2018/02/04 |Location=Superbowl 2018 |Synopsis=The superbowl starts, just as the Serpent Society tries to target Lex Luthor. |Thanks=Batman |Cast of..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/02/04
|Location=Superbowl 2018
|Synopsis=The superbowl starts, just as the Serpent Society tries to target Lex Luthor.
|Thanks=Batman
|Cast of Characters=104, 92, 1618, 93
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:104|Batman (104)}} has posed:'''     "Welcome, Sports Fans, to the beautiful Mercedes Benz stadium in lovely downtown Atlanta." The screens in the enormous arena spring to life with the image of the two men doing the sportscast in their prim grey and black suits as each of them hold a microphone in their hands and with smiles plastered on their faces. "Today we have the plucky AFC champions, the Bludhaven Brawlers, matching up against the historic Green Bay Packers. The Brawlers bring their seemingly impregnable defense to match up against the league's best offense. Looks like we're in for a show here today, Bob."     "Indeed, Ted. Looks like we're going to see a match of titans in more ways than one..."     The two men in the broadcasting booth some ways down in the great structure continue their show even all around them almost one hundred thousand people all gather to celebrate the contest. High above, in the flower-like 'petals' of the stadium's super structure, the myriad of security cameras and remote drones twist and turn as they display the many many people in the stands below. In the infrastructure of the great building itself support staff rush about, moving quickly to handle the demands of the greatest sporting event in the world. Customers move in the halls to the sweeping array of shops and food counters, almost like a small city in this moment of time.     But what many people aren't aware of, is that far below the stadium is almost as much real estate as above. The criss-crossing interwoven tunnels seeing almost as much activity as above. There are trains of several golf carts all connected together carrying equipment from one place to another, and the freight elevators there all provide the best ways for people to get to the various levels.     Yet with all the chaos, security is tight. Teams of men, well-paid and trained, are all handling the possible crimes and events that could come up during just such an incident. Security forces are mixed with easily identifiable men in yellow jackets, combined with plain-clothes men working the crowds. So it's no surprise when one of those small golf cart trains in the tunnels below are halted as they load onto one of the large freight elevators.     "Hey. Where are you guys going? None of this equipment can be up on level five." Joseph Houston, security guard, 44 years old and father of two asks even as he touches a hand to the sidearm at his waist.     Only for a tentacle to lash forth with a rush and a slither and a snap, then slither around his head and /pulls/ him hard into the elevator where he disappears. The door closes with a /wham/ and then the elevator hums as it begins to rise up and up...     Towards the luxury suites. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' It's been a while since the Man of Tomorrow has been seen in public, with the business world and other endeavors taking up so much of his time. Lex Luthor has nonetheless made a public appearance in the luxurious business suite for the stadium, his impeccable outfit showing off Green Bay colors as he sits. Giving a wave here and there to admirers from the crowd who shout out to him, he exudes warmth and charisma even as he enjoys the show. Perhaps this is as much PR as entertainment, for him. As per usual as well, Mercy and Hope stand guard over their employer, the two Amazons giving a clear 'do not enter' zone around the business mogul as they keep watch. Both Amazons also wear Packers hats. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' Starr has herself probably one of the best seats in the house. Nestled above with a great view down, she lays on a blanket draped on the roof. Binoculars sit nearby, but she hasn't needed them yet. Next to her sits a six pack of soda and a bag of chips. Legs kicking in the air behind her she snacks as she waits for the game to start. Idle curiosity at this human game everyone has been going crazy about for years, and now she is going to see what the hollar is about. So far? Boring. 

:'''{{#var:104|Batman (104)}} has posed:'''     Jimmy J. Colt, nouveau riche land developer from Kentucky who scored it big on the fracking development trend, seems to be enjoying the pageantry, the excitement of the show there in the luxury suite. Him and his entourage, bodyguards and beautiful women, stand around him even as he stands there at one of the buffet tables, talking up the bartender.     But when Lex Luthor had entered as well, joining the gathering of the many high rollers who are there to observe the contest, he stops what he's doing and walks over towards him. "Mr. Luthor!" His voice is friendly, loud, a bit twangy with his accent. "So good to see you out and about. I'd been thinkin' you might be a myth or somethin'. Scary whispers given in Metropolis meant to scare up and comers and all, hah!"     He looks towards Mercy and Hope, smiling to them but sensitive to their mood or protectiveness. "Spare a word?" He asks before trodding on toes.     Yet even as he speaks the glass exterior window starts to shift slightly darker. Not enough to block their view of the event of course, but darker on the outside so it's harder to get a look on the interior.     Outside the luxury suite, there's enough hustle and bustle going on that it might not seem too boring considering the amount of activity going on. But as for it being a show... definitely not entertaining to a new comer considering the game hasn't started yet. But, to be fair, not likely to change soon. But from her vantage point, Starr can almost hear the crowd of people as a large vibrant living thing, the steady humming drone of its chatter, thousands of voices all going at once and from her position of observation with the noise filtered through that circular hole in the roof, it might be a touch daunting. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' Lex Luthor does tend to have beautiful women around him on occasion, but has seemingly opted not to crowd himself tonight. As Mr. Colt speaks, Lex gives him a warm smile, "The game is about to begin, Mr. Colt, so we can spare a few minutes to speak." Then the glass goes darker, and he gives a look to Mercy, who nods... silently setting her cybernetic laser to standby mode even as Lex sits down, Hope right behind him. "What can I do for you, Mr. Colt?" Lex looks to the man, then his women, who get that charismatic smile, too. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' Headphones are plugged into her phone with streams the announcers below. The road of the crowds still gets in and she pops another chip in her mouth. "Boring. Why do people like this again?" She asks no one visible, reaching to grab a can and take a drink. ~The game hasn't even begun.~ Vicky's voice whisps through her mind. It makes her smirk and roll her eyes. "Well I can see that, child. But why all the hype about getting here early?" She takes a chip and eyes it before flinging it through the opening and down towards the field below. She did say she was bored. ~What are you doing?!~ Vicky sounds affronted and it only makes the demon smile mischeviously. "Entertaining myself," Starr says happily, watching to see where it falls. 

:'''{{#var:93|Natasha Romanova (93)}} has posed:'''     In the luxary suite there are plenty of staff bustling about as well. In black dress slacks with matching jackets and crisp white shirts, the faceless move through the crowd of movers and shakers to offer drinks or snacks. There is everything from beer in bottles, for those who like that sort of thing, to champagne in perfect crystal flutes. The varieties of food seem boundless. There are the traditional ballpark snacks such as hotdogs and popcorn but there are also dishes with caviar served on ice for the more refined tastes.     One of the servers circulating through the crowd is a certain SHIELD agent. Thanks to the technology at her disposal, she currently is disguised as a young woman of about twenty who is rather nondescript with straight brown hair falling to shoulder length.     She moves to the next guest in the suite, offering the tray if they would like a glass of champagne. While she isn't watching Lex Luthor in a way that can be noted, she is keeping a close eye on him. He's the target. Though he has his own bodyguards, they were not going to leave things to chance. A couple pick up two glasses off her tray then move to sit. 'Susan' takes a few steps and offers the tray in the direction of Mr. Colt and Lex Luthor. 

:'''{{#var:104|Batman (104)}} has posed:'''     Stepping up past the two women, Colt gives them each a warm smile. He's handsome enough, a bit tall over six foot and all, but a little thin and long of face than might entirely be considered fashionable in certain circles. He looks around, past Lex towards the field, then back to the man. He's got that easy going sincerity to him that often comes from the Southern states. "My lucky day, a few words with Lex Luthor, and I got an angle on the game that's gonna have me rakin' it in. Inside thing, heard that Keith Sheldon twisted his wrist in practice. You still got time, Mr. Luthor. Can call it in, make a little coin, keep things interesting."     The fellow is companionable enough, but even as the two men talk the rest of the crowd in that luxury box are still milling around and enjoying the spectacle. Waiters and waitresses wander about the crowd, and many canape is lost to the hungry fingers of a patron.     Far above, the gargoyle gal will see the small chip twirling in the air as it falls and falls, so far down, only for an errant breeze to catch it. It's enough to twist it away and towards the stands where it may well disappear into all the vibrant activity there.     But then there's a roar from the crowd as the Bludhaven Bralwers begin to run onto the field, even as the announcer starts to roar out their names, drawing out the last syllables of their last name or nickname. And each one is met with a cry from the crowd.     But then Susan wanders up and he gives her a warm smile, "Hey there, darlin'." A wink is given and then he accepts one of the glasses to take a sip. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "Lucky indeed." Lex gives in companionable reply. Mercy and Hope don't make a move to stop Jimmy, though Hope does keep her formidable eyes on the man. "I'm afraid I have some team loyalty to display, Sir... but I can appreciate the favor." Then, Lex leans in, almost conspiratorial. "A tidbit for a tidbit. I have some business dealings with the UN coming up that I'd like to consult with you on. It'll probably do wonders for the real estate industry... but a man like you seems like a good one to discuss it with. How partial would you be to expansion?" Luthor inquires. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' Starr watches the chip swirl and fall before the first team bursts out onto the field. "Aha!" She says with obvious pleasure, picking up the binoculars and looking down from above. "Oooooo, cute." She comments to her rapt audience of one. The mental sigh the comment elicits just makes her smirk. "There is nothing wrong with admiring the human form, V. Stop being a prude," And she trains the binoculars on the next guy in bulky shoulder pads. ~I am -not- a prude!~ Vicky replies in annoyance. "You keep tell yourself that," Starr says as she takes a sip of her drink. As she brings her binoculars back up, after the sip, they wash over the various luxury boxes. "Ohhh...what is this?" She begins to peer at the boxes themselves, stopping on the one with the blacker window. ~Don't give us a headache just to assuage your endless curiousity.~ The request falls on a mind fully intent on ignoring Vicky. The flames around Vicky's eyes flare slightly, though they give off no light, as she shifts her vision to the IR spectrum. Peering curiously through the darkneded glass. What do the rich have to hide? A swinger party? Drugs? Or perhaps even darker sins. 

:'''{{#var:93|Natasha Romanova (93)}} has posed:'''     At the greeting from the man, Susan blinks in surprise that any of the attendees would even speak to a server. She stares at him for a half second then tucks her chink down and drops her eyes to the tips of her perfectly polished shoes. It's a miracle that she isn't blushing as she quickly turns away and keeps her head tilted forward so her hair falls around her face and hides it more from view. As with most of the servers, she's comfortable with being invisible. Nothing but furniture as they go about their lives of luxary.     As the conversation gets more intense, she moves away into the crowd once more, continuing to offer glasses to the patrons. 

:'''{{#var:104|Batman (104)}} has posed:'''     Jimmy's eyes widen a bit but his smile keeps its sincerity there as he meets the other businessman's gaze. "That's a kindness, Mr. Luthor. Much obliged." He lifts a hand to the side, "I've actually been looking into broadening some of my interests in the flyover states of late, got a good chunk of liquidity I can throw around after that last bit of legislation. But you know how it is, never quite as much as I'd hope..." He seems interested as he adds, "But feel free to bend my ear, I won't cry uncle." His lips curl.     Inside that luxury box, behind the darkened glass, Vicky won't see anything too terribly untoward. Oh there's perhaps a couple one box over that are rather enjoying each other's attentions. But in the largest one it's just a bunch of seemingly older men and slim-bodied women who are wandering amongst each other, drinking, enjoying the occasion.     But something might well catch her gaze as beyond that box she'll see something, a larger heat signature as a group of large bodies seem to approach the entrance to that luxury box...     And then on the inside the door smashes open heavily with a loud /KA-WHAM!/     Off its hinges the door flies, smashing across the room and positively trashing the entire buffet as it bounces off the walls and crushes the chocolate fountain under its hefty weight. A billow of greenish smoke rushes into the room, seeming to foul the vision of most of those people inside. Through the open door emerges an extremely large scaled woman with blonde hair, her arms already growing as she lifts them and /lashes/ them forwards straight at Mercy and Hope.     "Anaconda, ressssstrain them!" A hissing voice is heard as a being in a long cloak and a lizard-like face steps through, followed by four other men who quickly fan out around him. Voices lift in abrupt fear and panic, some of the escorts shriek and hide behind their patrons. Immediately two bodyguards draw their weapons...     Only for a blur to rush past as a slithery bipedal creature of some sort leaps across the way and lands on them, long claws slashing abruptly and sending a splatter of blood upon the walls and ruining the fondue for everyone. "Exssssscellent Death Adder. Exsssscellent." The Serpent Society has attacked. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' Then, the door explodes, and Lex looks back to it... more in annoyance than anything. The business mogul has had more than a few assassination attempts on his life over the years; you don't get as big as he is without stepping on a few toes, after all. When Mercy and Hope are first targetted, they have just enough time to get to Mercy as her arm mounted laser cannon is fired to one side deperately... the elevator and back getting a good dose of it as she tries to fire. Hope, already near the elevator, gets retrained quickly enough. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' "Hmmmm...that can't be good," Starr says idley as she watches the door explode inward and the bodies go scurrying about. She pops another chip in her mouth in an idle fashion. In the back of her mind though... ~Your just...going to sit here and let people get hurt aren't you?~ The voice drips disappointment. That doesn't bother Starr. What does bother her is Vicky always assuming she isn't going to do something because she's a demon. They would need to have a heart to heart...or mind to mind, later. "Oh no, I'm all for helping. But we're going to have to break that glass first. And that, my dear, is right up your alley. I mean...I can melt the thing, but cold and glass shatter so much better." Starr says with a little smirk. "You want to be hero? Go play hero." The change only takes a handful of seconds. Horns recede and her skin turns a normal shade of pale. The claws change to normal nails, teeth unsharpen, and her eyes are no longer black, flaming pits but pale blue and wide in surprise. "Did you...but..." Vicky shakes her head, caught off guard by the sudden switch. "Fuck," And she stands up conjuring two pale silvery orbs over one hand. Pulling back like a baseball player she hurls it straight at the window of the box. When it hits liquid nitrogen splashes across the glass of the box, disipating before any extra falls on the crowd below. 

:'''{{#var:93|Natasha Romanova (93)}} has posed:'''     As the doors explode, Susan screams along with most of the other servers, males and females alike, along with many of the guests. She dives for the floor, dragging a screaming blonde woman down with her since she was about to get pegged by pieces of door shrapnel if she'd kept standing there. It looks like an accident. The klutzy server taking down the modelesque woman but it was no fumble. Susan gets up off the floor when there is no gunfire, standing with the cowering crowd. Yet somehow positioned nearby to Lex Luthor again.     His bodyguards being targeted first fits with the intel. If he's the target, it was a given. She glances from one member of the Serpent Society to the next, assessing who the threats are and recalling their abilities from the files.     For the moment, she does nothing more. 

:'''{{#var:104|Batman (104)}} has posed:'''     Jimmy Colt reels back from the abrupt onslaught, his own bodyguards drawing their weapons and making ready to engage only for the purple battle-suited monster known as Cottonmouth roars and slams them both into the wall. His gaping jaw opening with fangs bared as he growls and buries them into the side of the neck of one of the men, rending his throat viciously.     Yet even as Anaconda's large arms twist and draw back, holding Mercy and Hope in her iron grip as she grunts, that laser /slashes/ through the air, the light from it almost blinding as it slashes a line of burnt metal and concrete as the wall gives way, the door, and then the freight elevator's door and the elevator itself. There's a /crumpf/ and a crackle as the lift crashes down and down, smashing any hope of the Serpents escaping unnoticed.     Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the mayhem inside the luxury box, the glass suddenly crackles as intense cold suddenly cascades over the surface. From afar Vicky can see the criss-cross latticework of feather thin cracks settle into place even as there is a faint shift of the image seen as if the material was bending just slightly.     "Ahhh, Misssster, Luthor." The lizard-faced man steps forth, his cape billowing about him rather ominously. "My name is Sidewinder. Allow me to introduce my compatriot." He gestures with a clawed hand beside him, "This is Cobra." A creature that seems to have been torn and twisted out of nightmare with only a small semblance to the creature named, looking more like a man in a battle suit but with slits on his neck and scaly skin. "I am the founder of the Sssserpent Ssssociety. Trust your employees shall not be harmed." And indeed, one of the other figures slithers further into view. A black man whose lower body seems to be replaced with a long green tail and two long claws that seem to thrust forth from his forearms. "Bushmaster, if you will, please." The slithering man approaches Mercy and hope, brandishing the blades that drip with a faint ill-coloured liquid.     "We are intending to relinquish you of your liberty. Our employer has paid us quite a fine ssssum. Of course," He smiles, fanged, "We are open to negotiation." 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' The Serpent Society comes in, and Lex Luthor is calm, his eyes taking it all in within seconds, before he sighs. "I don't negotiate with fools who attack well protected public events with a hit squad. If you had even a lick of sense, this might have gone better for you." Then, Lex looks to Mercy, "Deal with them. The game is about to start." Then, Lex turns around and /ignores/ them. Meanwhile, Mercy and Hope go to work. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' Vicky licks her lips and eyes the crowd below and then the glass. "Awwww what do I do?" She says to herself, biting her lower lip and frowning. Teenage anxiety plays its part, making her incredibly undecisive. ~MMmmmm, finish what you started is always a good way to go,~ The demon purrs, delighting in her companions inner turmoil. "He's gonna kill me," Vicky mutters before diving through the center of the rose-petal opening of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. As she does her iris' turn black as her pupils expand, giving her once again vision beyond the glass. She arcs in her dive, aiming for the intruders closest to the window. A moment before she hits, and shatters inwards, the window she drops her IR vision and a front of cold drops on the room, arctic temperatures coming out of nowhere. Maybe this super strength will do some good for once, instead of making her break her silverwear and such. 

:'''{{#var:93|Natasha Romanova (93)}} has posed:'''     More blood and more screaming as the villains try to negotiate a higher paycheck. Only to get shut down by Lex Luthor. Susan is too close to the group and can hear everything although she is keeping her head down and trying to cower back behind the couch. Yet still staying close to Luthor.     Then the room decends into cold and she pulls her jacket closer around her. The movement allows her to pulla up her sleeves slightly, a pair of wristbands hidden beneath the material.     Just as something comes flying toward the glass outside, Susan raises her arms and lines them up with two targets. Death Adder and Cottonmouth.     She fires off the Widow's Bites. 

:'''{{#var:104|Batman (104)}} has posed:'''     "Tony!" Jimmy Colt gestures with one hand towards the crumpled form of one of his bodyguards, but then he rounds back upon Sidewinder, "You bastard, he had a kid!" And for a moment he seems like he's about to leap across the distance even as Lex rounds on the men and tells them rather sternly that he doesn't take any of their nonsense.     Sidewinder, for his part, looks at first incredulous, and then angry even as Anaconda tightens her grip, trying to keep the two Amazons contained while Bushmaster moves in to try and give them a taste of his envenomed claws. But at the word from their master they focus inwards, stretching... tensing. "What the?" Anaconda's voice is heard sharply as she holds onto the women and doubles down herself.     And then the glass shatters, the window crashing forth and smashing into small safety glass nodules that spatter all over the room and seems to catch the light for a brief moment. Vicky appears seemingly out of nowhere as she collides heavily with the armored Cobra who hisses angrily even as he crashes to the floor with the woman.     Death Adder rises from his crouch, his bloody claws flaring his attention is drawn towards the window, only for that widow's bite to /smash/ into him with a bzzzzt of sound that thumps him into the wall, his tail lashing angrily as he attempts to stagger back to his feet. Cottonmouth had been about to feast on the other only for that blast to blast into him and kick him head over heels off of the prone figures.     But then the lights snap out, leaving the room in darkness save for the small halo of light from the window, filtered through the greenish smoke. In the dark there's a clang from above and then a whumpf of a falling form, then suddenly there's a blaze of electricity from either side of Anaconda's head as two thin disks burst into life.     Red lights kick back on and reveal the dark silhouette of the Batman even as Anaconda crumples to the ground and suddenly leave the two Amazons free to enact their master's will. There's that rumbling voice as the Dark Knight growls, "Take them down, fast."     Then mayhem ensues. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' Everything happens all at once... but Lex Luthor isn't one to crumble under the pressure. Instead, his eyes go over to where Vicky is, "Interesting..." Lex gives in musing to himself, even as Mercy and Hope go to work. Mercy, for her part, brings up her laser, and there's a red flash of light as she cleanly slices off Bushmasters tail... then goes in for the 'kill' as she aims a roundhouse kick right to his face. Hope, on the other hand, moves over and /crushes/ Anacondas' arms with a stomp to each, hard... her heels designed with pneumatic hammers activated by toe switch. Those boots aren't just for show, folks. Then, Black Widow and Batman show themselves, and Lex Luthor turns around with his chair to regard the two, assessing. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' As the weather grips the room, setting normal people's teeth to chattering almost instantly, Vicky drops her concentration on maintaining it to conjure two globes about each fist. Then the liquid-nitrogen fist crashes into the Cobra's armor. Strength and cold cracking it like eggshell. As Sidewinder recovers and comes at her she is bringing her arm up to punch Cobra again, her elbow clocking his squarely across the jaw. Though the hit was accidental, that doesn't mean it doesn't carry demonic strength. The sound of teeth clacking shut is followed by his body hitting the ground at her side. The punch is paused with her fist back and she looks in surprise at the knocked out snake-person. Here she shows her own youth and lack of experience as Cobra, wheezing hard, managed to throw her to the side. "Hey!" She shouts as she falls to the side, falling awkwardly on her own wing. As he tackles her, looking to get hands around her neck, she simply slaps him across the face. "GET OFF ME!" She yells angrily, the slap leaving him staggered and open to her throwing him off of her and into the wall with a meaty THWACK. 

:'''{{#var:93|Natasha Romanova (93)}} has posed:'''     As the electricity takes down her two targets, Susan is moving toward the fallen bodies. Others have the ones closest to Luthor well in hand. She needs to deal with the two killers quickly and decisively. The words of Batman mirror what was already going through her brain. Her first target is Cottonmouth as he is the stronger of the two. He will recover faster and be the more difficult to combat. She simply leaps onto his back, puts her fist to the side of his hide and fires off another Bite directly into him at a higher power level. It should take him out of the fight.     She is up and leaping over the nearest seat to close the distance with Death Adder, bringing up her arm as he swings for her head. The block holds but his strength is more than she expected. She brings up a kick only to have his tail lash out and block her. Spinning she brings her elbow sharply into his face then drops below his swing. She catches his arm and brings her legs up, catching him around the neck and using her body weight to flip him to the floor. 

:'''{{#var:104|Batman (104)}} has posed:'''     Anaconda, still dazed from the shock, reels back as she screams. Her arms, although cybernetic, have tactile feedback and she can feel each grinding twist and snap of the artificial tendons. She pushes herself back and towards the wall even as the capacitors in the disks attached to either side of her neck finish their charging cycle and sense their target is still active... and she gets another jolt again, /ZOT./ She slides down that wall, and then seems to be out.     Bushmaster hisses angrily and then slashes his tail around, "Let's see what you got, bitch!" He snarls, claws brandishing as he /leaps/ Mercy, only for her beam to lash out again and /ZZZLASH!/ through his torso, cleaving his tail clean from his body and leaving him to hit the ground in agony even as the kick spins around and catches him clean in the jaw, knocking him back and smashing him into the wall.     As Vicky handles the two she's faced against, Cobra manages to maintain some small measure of awareness, even as the fins on the sides of his neck flare and he hisses angrily, getting ready to continue the fight against her...     Only for a pair of batarangs to slice through the air and straight into those extended fins with a /thwok-thwok!/ The second in command of the serpent society reels, even as a puff of gas explodes into his face from those small hurled weapons, enough to finish the job that the gargoylish demon girl started.     Cottonmouth had been trying to get to his feet, only for the Widow to fire the coup de grace against the side of his head as she closed the distance. His overly large mouth opens in a silent scream, blood-smeared fangs bared as he falls backwards and then crumples onto the bodies of the men he had murdered. Yet it's Death Adder who might be the more formidable of the two, the freakish creature long of limb and claws. It slashes an arm at her, trying to rend her from waist to chest only for her to make that block. Her elbow impacts hard and smacks his head around, lifting up into the sharp scissors and then slamming him to the floor.     Death Adder tries to fight back but he'll freeze when a heavy boot rests on his inner wrist and the Batman holds a weapon in his hand seemingly pointing at the head of the monstrous being. "It's over." He tells the man.     And when Death Adder stops struggling, it truly is. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "Hmpf." Lex Luthor gives in a contemptous tone, before he stands... and walks over to the one that tried to /negotiate/ with him. His hands come up to smooth out and dust off his suit, before they go behind his back. Mercy and Hope move to flank him immediately, ready to strike should anyone try anything more. "Normally, consultation hours are on thursdays, but since you'll be going to prison, I'll give you some free advice." Lex declares without amusement as he stares at Sidewinder, "Negotiating comes /before/ the contract is legally binding, not after." 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' Vicky rolls onto her feet and falls into a defensive stance as she eyes Sidewinder and Lex uncertainly. Slowly she relaxes and finds herself barely breathing hard. Yet at the sound of Batman's voice declaring things over her head jerks up. o O (Oh shit is that...) ~Mmmmm? Who?~ Starr doesn't seem to much care about Batman, the fun part now evidently over. Not nearly enough wrath for her tastes. Realizing how exposed she is, and probably being one of the few who can escape with ease, she turns and slowly walks for the new open-air view of the field and it's game. It is hard for her to be inconspicuous, but that is her hope. Get to the opening, leap out, fly away, everyone is happy. 

:'''{{#var:93|Natasha Romanova (93)}} has posed:'''     Susan stands, dusting off her work clothes and pulling her sleeves back down into place over those wristbands. Her brown hair remains in place as does the mask, never giving a glimpse of the woman beneath. She gives a nod to Batman with a soft murmured, "Thanks."     She touches her right hand to the comm link in her ear. A moment later, there is the sound of heavy boots in the hallway as SHIELD personnel in tactical gear begin to take the various Serpents into custody. Some have to be helped since they are unconscious and missing cybernetic parts. Others are cuffed and led away. Medical personnel flood the room to help those they can. Or to gather the bodies of those they cannot.     Two of the tactical team stop and seem to be contemplating Vicky and Batman. Susan frowns in their direction. "Negative. These are allies," she tells them in a voice that brooks no argument. Knowing she is the senior agent, they both nod and continue to help with the Serpent Round Up. Susan glances toward Vicky, "You will not be harmed or detained today. Please, to keep from drawing more attention you can exit this way. I will walk you." She motions to the hallway instead of the window. 

:'''{{#var:104|Batman (104)}} has posed:'''     Sidewinder's eyes are wild and hazed, the abrupt dissolution of his plans causing his mind to reel. His misshapen brow twists in ire and dismay, but the he holds up a hand, "Currsssse you Luthor. Cursssse you!" He starts to try and shake a fist, but fails.     But then there's that gravelly and grim voice as the Batman says low, "Step away from him, Luthor." Curious thing for one to imagine having to protect an attacker from his 'victim' but such is the way with the man. The white eyelets in the man in black's mask offer no insight into his thoughts, but it's clear at least from his stance and the growl in his voice that he doesn't trust Luthor one whit.     Jimmy Colt, however, frowns and kneels beside one of his fallen bodyguards. He shakes his head and reaches a hand out to close the man's eyes. "Dammit, Tony..." Is all he says for now, just shaking his head at the moment and what's passed.     But it's then, as the SHIELD team begins to filter in, that Batman turns and moves towards the door. Soldiers rush into place, the serpents are secured, though the few who can struggle against their restraints. Quickly the shades of the window are drawn and closed to block any further visibility into the luxury box. He takes a moment to survey the situation, to shoot a glowering look Luthor's way, then he turns.     Just as a young agent holds his SMG to the side and brandishes his cuffs, "Sir you're... you're to be detained."     Only for Batman's gaze to level fully on him. His eyes narrow.     But then the Widow's orders are heard and he quickly answers her, "Yes ma'am, standing down." 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "The Batman presumes to give me orders?" Lex Luthor gives in reply to Batman, before he moves back to his seat, "You overstep." But, Vicky gets a glance. "You there... feel free to visit me at my office sometime." Lex offers to the half-demon girl, before he looks to 'Susan'. Trying to get a read on her. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' Vicky freezes for a second as the agents flood the room. Quickly she backs up to the wall and looks about to bolt like a frightened pigeon. Then Susan is speaking to her and she pauses. She doesn't know this woman, though she clearly is in charge of the SHIELD people here. That makes her SHIELD as well. Blue eyes dart to those felled by the Widow and then back. "I'm sorry. I...I shouldn't have," She says uncertainly, taking a step back towards the window and freedom. Then the light is cut off as the shade is drawn and Vicky realizes she has little choice. Lower lip is nibbled as she steps carefully through the wreckage over to Susan. "Is this a trap?" She finds herself asking of the brunette, hands clasped into tight fists at her sides. The cold has almost faded away as the stadium's heating system pumps warm air into the box. ~It probably is. You should just run. I don't like this...~ Starr replies her attention tight and focused on the dangerous situation they have found themself in. As Lex speaks that attention snaps to him and so does Vicky's. Surprise crosses her face and she glances at Susan next to her. He must be talking to her, right? "Umm...you mean her... or-or me?" She asks of Luthor. Even her, secluded from the world for years, knows about LexCorp. 

:'''{{#var:93|Natasha Romanova (93)}} has posed:'''     The agents are efficient as they go about their duties. Already behind the scenes, any video from this room or cameras outside is being taken in as evidence. They will be doing their best to keep this one quiet out there in the world but they can't control the people who were there. It's more to keep there from being panic in the streets that an event with this level of security was breached. People didn't always see things that way.     She gives a soft smile to Vicky and shakes her head. "No trap. No tricks. You helped today and I appreciate that. Without you, there could have been more lives lost. I will be sure that my superiors are aware of your contributions here. You are free to go. And to be sure of that, I can escort you outside personally where you can fly back to where ever you came from."     She does reach into her pocket and pulls out a small cell phone. It's a burner, cheap and useful. "There is one number in this phone though. If you would like to clear things up with SHIELD, feel free to call. If not, just toss it in the trash on the way out." She holds it out to Vicky in offering. "Say the word when you are ready and I'll get you out of here." She glances to Lex then back to Vicky, giving them the time they might need as she goes to be sure the agents have things well in hand. 

:'''{{#var:104|Batman (104)}} has posed:'''     Meanwhile, the broadcast did briefly show over the broken glass and the faint wisps of green vapor, but then with the drawing of the shades and the securing of the area the announcers only draw it to attention once during the broadcast. For now, it seems like the heroes may well have saved the day enough to allow the game to go on, albeit with the monitors having to display the game in the luxury box as opposed to the window.     Batman doesn't respond to Luthor for now, instead starting to move out into the hallway, leaving the SHIELD team behind him. Silent footsteps carry him towards the shattered elevator and the small train of golf carts that had been removed from it. For now he seems to be intent on opening the various storage crates there that had perhaps been brought up with the Serpent Society. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "Yes, you." Lex then points directly at Vicky, "You're an interesting one, and you came in to help, did you not? I'm always on the lookout for capable individuals for LexCorp." Lex Luthor notes to her, before he turns to regard Jimmy, "We can discuss business later. I think we've both had enough interruptions for one night, don't you?" Lex gives in an amused tone, before he goes to concentrate on the game. "Think about it." Lex gives in a last aside to Vicky. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' Vicky's mouth kind of hangs open when Lex confirms that it is she he means. ~Shut your yap, girl!~ Starr snaps and almost instantly her mouth clicks shut. Blinking rapidly she drops her gaze and nods with a smile to Lex. "Um, yeah. Okay, thank you," She says to Lex before turning back with a shy smile for Natasha. She eyes the phone, but does take it and slides it into her fanny pack. For the first few steps she doesn't say anything. As they head out the door she glances back into the room, a little incredulous still, then turns back to follow out and to freedom. "Thank you," She says to her before taking a running leap into the skies outside the stadium. This is one SuperBowl she won't be forgetting. 
}}

3829/Rising Tide: An Offer They Can't Refuse...

2018-02-08T22:24:44Z

Shadowlite: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2018/02/08 |Location=Safehouse 4 |Synopsis=Lex Luthor offers a mutually beneficial arrangement to the Rising Tide; unofficially. |Cast of Character..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/02/08
|Location=Safehouse 4
|Synopsis=Lex Luthor offers a mutually beneficial arrangement to the Rising Tide; unofficially.
|Cast of Characters=92, 137
|Tinyplot=Rising Tide
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' Officially, an abandoned granite mine somewhere in the State, Luthor has privately -and secretly- had it converted into one of his many safehouses. Today, it will play host to a 'business' meeting between Lex Luthor and his mercenaries and a delegation of Rising Tide. From the outside, the tunnel is collapsed... with Luthor having paid a ridiculous sum to make sure any sensor known to man made it look that way from the outside. Nonetheless, when Rising Tide was given the coordinates to this place, they were told to 'walk right in'. When they do so, they're met with a full biometric scan and visual indentification by a camera, before the entire 'collapse' is pulled into the ground... and a dozen men of Team Luthor greet them, decked out in state of the art PMC gear, carbines at the ready... but not pointed at them. Yet. Down the shaft is an elevator. That elevator goes down... a few ways, until it reaches a fairly spartan panic room of sorts, Team Luthor escorting them down the cargo elevator. Once they round a corner, they see the man himself; Lex Luthor, as he watches a monitor bank on a wall of what is obviously a security hub. Mercy and Hope stand off to each side of that hub, their keen eyes looking over who's come. Then, Luthor speaks as he watches the monitors, Team Luthor fanning out to cover them. "Welcome to Safehouse 4. I had hoped you would be receptive, after that bit of... theatrics." Then, Lex Luthor turns around in his seat, his business suit impeccable, and steeples his fingers as he regards them, an amused, slightly smug air about him evident. 

:'''{{#var:137|Clint Barton (137)}} has posed:''' The delegation sent by the Rising Tide is a small one, four people, but then they're in the middle of a major operation and its otherwise all hackers on deck so to speak. Still, as it was Luthor who had reached out to them so an effort was made. Luthors scans would show that the visitors were human and that two of them, ones who look like PMC types more than hackers, were armed, all four were human. Stepping out of the elevator, the two security types, eye the situation warily, as does the shorter of the two hackers in his charge, the bearded man, sticking close to the guard while his taller more athletic companion steps forward, "We are receptive Mr. Luthor and we're grateful for your welcome, but we'd hoped to meet on more equal terms," he gives a glance around to the men of team Luthor. "There seems to be a lot of uneeded hardware around here." 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "There is no being equal on terms with me." Luthor declares it as a fact as he stands up, placing his hands behind his back. "As for the hardware... this is as much for my protection as it is for anything else. We're far away from LexCorp Towers, after all, and for all I knew, you had leaked this meeting to others as a trap." Then, he steps forward to the security sorts, giving them an appraisal, "That you came despite the hardware speaks well to your intentions, so you have a chance." Then, he steps over to the leader, looking him right in the eye. Neither Mercy or Hope, nor Team Luthor, move. "We can do business." He smiles warmly... there's a charisma to the man, despite his well-displayed (and well earned) arrogance, "I've only just started to look into the perpetrator of your massacre on my end, but I wanted to touch base and see if you had any information regarding the man before we continued." 

:'''{{#var:137|Clint Barton (137)}} has posed:''' The security men don't flinch as Luthor steps close, but Jinx seems to shrink back a step, sensing that they may be in a bit over their heads. Hound though, meet's Luthor's eyes with a sort of brash confidence. "Makes sense," he says about the hardware. "You can be assured this meeting hasn't been leaked, but, if we don't report in within the hour, I can't promise that won't happen or any number of other things. But I can definitely say, honestly, I am hoping your hardware and our data doesn't need to be used and we can do business like civilized people." He wipes the sweat off his palm on his slacks before extending his hand to Luthor. When the slaughter is brough up Hound's expression darkens. "Oh, we know who was responsible for that, it's Alfred Pennyworth or whatever he's calling himself now, the spy we leaked a dossier on. If you're able to help deal with him, we'd be grateful." 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' "I am nothing if not civilized." Lex Luthor replies as he moves back to his chair, sitting down once more as he finished his read. His fingers steeple once more as he regards Hound, "I was curious to see how many of your Index exposees would come after you... I've been keeping an eye on your group throughout, but seeing the violence from your work has been very interesting. Now though, you have a problem... one that will require delicate handling, as Pennyworth has powerful patrons of his own." Luthor notes, before he looks to Mercy, "Show it to them." The blonde nods to Lex, and takes a USB drive from her pocket, walking over to Hound and offering it. "That is a database of safehouses for your people I'm willing to divulge for your protection, along with a private phone number that goes to a contact that will be our lliason after this meeting." Luthor smiles, "Before your Index leak, I had no reason to suspect the man was anything other than what he seemed. So, here's my offer; I'll give you this database, along with a reactive mercenary team that will be paid for anonymously that can be used to protect your people, or contain Pennyworth if you find a location they can strike at. Right now, you're essentially making the entire world angry at your group over a philosophical disagreement... so you can expect more of these sort of people to come out of the woodwork in time. I myself see potential in your group... anyone with the courage to go after the electronic backbone of our planet is someone I'd like to... shall we say, have help from, from time to time. See, I realize that groups like yours will do what you do with or without anyones approval... but if you want my help, I'll need some cooperation on your part." He leans forward, then, "For example... when you go on general hacking sprees like these? I want prior notice so I can prepare for it at LexCorp. You're costing me millions in revenue after all... and despite that, I'm willing to work with your group." Theres a moment as Luthor allows them to absorb that information, "Are you with me so far?" 

:'''{{#var:137|Clint Barton (137)}} has posed:''' Hound gives the blonde an appreciative look as he takes the flashdrive from her hand, "Thank you," he says with a smile before slipping the drive into his shirt pocket. He glances over his shoulder at Jinx, the other man nods, then he turns back Luthor. "I think we can accept your offer, we have our own security, as you can see, but given the level of the threats we face, we're happy to have more as well as these safehouses." He reaches into his pants pocket, slowly, in deference to the security around them and produces a flashdrive of his own. "We can also let you know in advance of our future projects, in fact we can do one better and give you this flashdrive. It won't get you around everything we're doing, but it will show you some of the pathways to get data moving faster than it would otherwise. I am sure you have your people working on finding those pathways right now, this will save you some time and hopefully some money, consider it a gift from us and a further show of good faith. To unlock the files, the password is HandsUnyoked." He holds up the drive waiting for word to either approach Luthor and hand it to him or for one of his assistants to collect it. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' When the drive is offered, Mercy looks back to Luthor, who gives a nod. Mercy exchanges one thumbdrive for another, before bringing the other one back to Lex... who plugs it into a laptop and starts to sift through it himself in a virtual sandbox containment program. "Do you have any other Index files you're planning to release?" Luthor asks, not looking up from the laptop. Mercy herself goes off to one side again. 

:'''{{#var:137|Clint Barton (137)}} has posed:''' When the drive is inserted and password entered, it delivers what Hound promises. Paths through the net, mostly the darkweb where data is still moving. It's not going to bring LexCorp back online but it will give them some connectivity to work with. There is also a file on the drive, text only, with contact details for Hound. "I hope that meets with your approval?" Hound asks. 

:'''{{#var:92|Lex Luthor (92)}} has posed:''' After a moment to double check his results, Lex nods, "It looks legitimate." Then, Lex looks up to them. "I will, of course, deny any involvement with your group if asked. The number given to you goes to a voice mail box that's anonymous and will destroy itself if tampered with. The mercenary team themselves will be operating by proxy... and those safehouses are under dead end names that can't be traced back to me." Luthor replies, "Let's see how this goes on both our ends before we make any other arrangements. Since you didn't bring any recording equipment with you, you may leave the way you came anytime, and I will consider this a trial arrangement for now." 

:'''{{#var:137|Clint Barton (137)}} has posed:''' Hound nods, "I wouldn't expect any less," he says of Luthor's keeping this arrangement at a distance. "We're not exactly wanting word of this deal to get out either, though we appreciate your support for our efforts." Hound nods when he and the others are dismissed. "A trial arrangement, that works, anyhow, thank you for your time and support, we'll be in touch through the agreed upon channels." And unless there is further business, Hound and the others depart. 
}}

3721/Lesser of Two Evils

2018-01-26T00:04:19Z

Shadowlite:

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/01/23
|Location=Unknown
|Synopsis=With an army of demons continuing to chase Shadowlite and Vicky across Earth, they finally tire... and attract more heroic attention.
|Cast of Characters=1618, 1595, 138, 107
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:1618|Starr (1618)}} has posed:''' The wind blew icy and damp with fog. Daylight faded into evening. They had gotten to rest for a few hours. A need for food had driven them here. You can't think on an empty stomach. Out of the way, in the trees, Vicky sat devouring a hot dog. Suddenly Vicky sat bolt upright, dropping her hot dog, a sense she was just becoming aware of tingling. "Shadowlite, we have to go now! They're coming," She says urgently, as she bolts to her feet looking around. No visible sign yet of what she has sensed, but that means nothing where these things are concerned. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' "Oh come the fuck on. We can't have a day to ourselves?" Shadowlite growls, supremely frustrated for the first time in his life. They've been portal hopping across the planet, trying to find someplace, /anyplace/, that the relentless chase won't find them. For two straight days now, Shadowlite has been pursued by their army, and he's almost reached the breaking point... the violet glow of his eyes so intense now it's seen right through the AR goggles he uses. He's dangerously close to the Lost One pushing his way into the mutant, and that's a loss-loss for everyone. "I really hate it, but we might have to take our chances with the Justice League, or you will, at least. I have warrants out for me like this, but I can get you there. Maybe they can contact that Sorcerer fellow." Shadowlite steps down out of the tree, and onto the ground as he speaks. "Come on. If I use another portal, Lostie is going to take control. I can feel it." indeed, The Lost One was laughing in his mind in the background, just /waiting/ for the chance... and he pulls his black flight disk over the Darkforce barrier again, setting into the air as they run. 

:'''{{#var:138|Loki (138)}} has posed:'''     The latticework of power within the magical world is a tenuous thing. To most who perceive such it is a myriad of lines of power that criss-cross over the world and mark points of energy where a magician can tap into, can draw strength and use that strength to put their wishes into existence. But for those who have been raised to magic, who have embraced it for millennia, it is not just a power construct. It is a web of information that carries upon it messages from across the world and creation.     It is so for the one known as Loki, the god of chaos and mischief, who had often tuned out the various noises of mortality as the creatures on Midgard went about their lives. But something of late had caused a disharmony, had caused a subtle change to the texture of power between ley lines and for one so attuned it was unpleasant. Some might even say annoying.     From his small office in Manhattan, the tall man had stood from his chair and set his glass of brandy aside. One hand lifted and in his mind's eye a whiplash of power lanced out, tracing along the world's curve to show him the current focal point of the situation that proceeds apace. A moment passes and he learns of their location. Another and he will divine their antagonists. And then in the next... a subtle tear in the world will open and allow him to step through.     It's just about then that near Vicky and Shadowlite a small tear will manifest in the area and through it will step a man in an olive green coat. Bright eyes narrow a touch as he looks about the surroundings, then his attention falls heavily upon the pair. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Starr (1618)}} has posed:''' Vicky launches into the sky. Her own wings straining as she has been using them on and off without rest nearly every hour. "You're not the only one wearing thin!" Vicky says through gritted teeth as she paces Shadowlite. She glances aside at the vibrant purple flowing from the goggles, frowning in worry. Loki is not the only one with a portal opening up onto things. "Shit, Shadow reverse!" She says as her sense tell her of the demon teleporting in front of them. The smell of brimstone wafts through the air as the demoness appears.     Like all the demons that they have run across, this one has the body of a teenage girl. Her original visage warped by the possession. A sickly yellow flame, hellfire, flickers about her eager to consume. A mouth much too wide to be human smiles a smile with too many teeth. Black hair writhes about her like la living thing. Her eyes are simply yellow flame as she regards the couple. "You can run, but you can't hi-iiiiide!" She taunts in a slow growl. From the other direction comes a familiar purple flame, though the face is different. Pride was not banished, like her sister Sloth, merely left to find a new host. As before she is breathtakingly perfect. Those people she passes above find themselves awe struck, staring like fools. Everyone feels the presence though their will may resist it. It sweeps easily through human minds, she is the best. Do as she says. Please her. "Though running doesn't look very likely either," She says smugly. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' "Whatever the fuck you two are, you do not want to push this any further. I'm completely tapped for controlling my passenger, and once he's out, he can destroy cities and has no qualms killing you." Shadowlite growls, that intense glow sputtering as Shadowlite starts to hold his head, and screams in pain as a black mist engulfs him as reality warps around him, Darkforce randomly sliding in and out of this reality as the dimensional barrier weakens around him, the will of the Lost One trying to claim his prize. "Goddamnit, LEAVE US ALONE!" Shadowlite screams, as he barely pulls back from the brink, the black mist fading, but reality continues to warp around him as he struggles for supremacy over his own mind and body, Darkforce randomly flying around him as his disk fades, sending him plummeting to the ground. 

:'''{{#var:138|Loki (138)}} has posed:'''     This was the correct place, assuredly. The focal point is evident even as those demonic beings manifest. It becomes plain to see with the flap of wings and the roaring and the crying coming from the assaulted minds of the mortals that rush about now hurtling this way and that. It all seems to stem from the winged creatures and those are the beings that gain the attention of the Trickster.     A hand lifts, seemingly empty but then when he brings it back down a large golden staff appears with a flicker of power and a gleam of energy that slides up and around the very edge of the weapon, its hooked blade shining with a beam of light that swirls around and abruptly casts portions of the world into the brilliance of day. Yet that flash is accompanied by a heavy /rumble/ upon the ground when the staff's haft strikes down, causing a short shaking shockwave to lash out and assuredly draw the attention of those winged beings.     And it is then, even as Shadowlite seems to plummet to the ground, that Loki Liesmith speaks, "What transgression have these beings made that you are free to seek recompense in the realm of Midgard?" His voice is strong, ominous even as it echoes off the walls and carries with it a weight of import. But as the young mutant hurtles to the ground he lifts a splay-fingered hand and gestures in his direction...     For eldritch tendrils to lash out and seek to at the least arrest the man's fall even as he rounds on the manifestations of the deadly sins. "What gives you the right to interfere in a world that owes Asgard its loyalty?" 

:'''{{#var:1618|Starr (1618)}} has posed:''' "Go back to hell!" Vicky yells at Gluttony, the yellow-flamed demon. Her anger overcoming her innate docile nature. The temperature plummets, knocking enough sense back into innocent bystanders to have them running for shelter and warmth. As the area becomes arctic the street and sidewalk begin to quickly grow slick from the mist. Everything seems to explode at once. The magic flare and Darkforce swirling around Shadowlite warring for Vicky's attention. Then he falls and Vicky dives to catch him. Both demons recoil and cover their eyes against the flares. Then their attention is on Loki. Gluttony falls after Vicky, keeping close though not approaching...yet. Pride, as is usual, floats to land some twenty feet from the God of chaos. "Hail Lord of Chaos," She purrs. "We only seek her, or rather the other that dwells with her. Our lady of sin has duties to her Father to perform! Satannish is not one to disappoint, you know." This, she feels, is all she has to say and turns to regard the couple covetously. "The man is of no interest, beyond bait of course," Her smile is cruel as she walks towards where Shadowlite and Vicky have come to rest on the ground. She had caught him, slowing his fall, but only a few seconds before her own wings gave out. Thank goodness for tendrils and only being ten feet up at that point. Vicky leans over Shadowlite, wing draping weakly about her, and faces Pride. "My father is a dentist!" She spits at Pride. 

:'''{{#var:107|Thor (107)}} has posed:''' Not too far from here a blond man stands up from a teeny tiny table with a teeny tine capuccino on a saucer before him. "Thank you raven haired wench. But it sounds like I am needed." That or there is a fight just down the road and the God of Thunder feels it in his bones.     Thor approaches the scene with his hair flowing behind his head and slapping against his shoulders in the breeze, the thick wool hoodie underneath a tight grey coat keeps the god warm as he steps up in a pair of worn boots he was given by a fan that thankfully fit the enormous humanoid.     Thor raises his voice and it echoes off the walls around as he projects his mighty voice to take agro, "HARK!" 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' He kneels there on the ground, visibly straining as he alternatively emits black mist, and takes on a violet glow across his body as Shadowlite fights against another entity entirely. "GetoutgetoutGETOUTGETOUTGETOUT." A pulse of mist floats around him as suddenly the reality warping is taken to another level, and randomly sized and shaped bits of Darkforce matter start to come through the dimensional barrier, going in random directions and at random speeds. The mutant is becoming a danger to himself, and to others, visibly. Some of them are like silly putty, and yet others are like titanium. 

:'''{{#var:138|Loki (138)}} has posed:'''     At the sound of Thor's call, the man in the green grimaces faintly. Over his shoulder he glances, one eye narrowing as if having espied a most difficult weed bursting forth from his garden bed. Even as the world seems to grow cold and chill, the sheen of ice seeming to settle easily upon Loki's features, he scowls to himself.     Then he turns away. Shrewd eyes narrow as the Son of Laufey peers first at the Sins who offer their words to him, but then to the fallen and the other demonic being whom they seem to be in the hunt for. He rests his hand upon the grip of that staff, gaze thoughtful as he considers them, but then a small nod is given to Pride for now.     "Your efforts are ill-timed and I find that your presence displeases me in this instance. Delicate matters proceed apace and your heavy-handed attempts at administering to the situation are tedious." That having been said, Loki turns towards the duo of Shadowlite and Vicky. He motions with the curved bladed edge of his staff. "For now I extend my protection to these two. If only to gain a measure of the peace that I require for my efforts. You will have them in a fortnight's time unless they can remonstrate the matter sufficiently with your liege lord."     He shifts his weight to the other foot, his olive green great coat curled around his legs even as the staff whispers out of existence and leaving him there with his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "Go, take my words to the myriad ears of your betters..."     There's a pause, then he adds, "Lest I turn my brother loose upon you with his mighty hammer, Mjolnir." And for some reason that makes him smirk. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Starr (1618)}} has posed:''' Pride stops and turns to glare at Loki in distaste. "And what of -our- projects? You cannot dismiss Satannish so lightly! That," A finger points to Vicky, "Girl is his daughter. By right of blood she is his and already under his protection. She just doesn't want to come quietly." Gluttony, for her part, eyes Shadowlite. "Shall I eat you and end your suffering?" She asks, distorted face grinning. Vicky stands, placing her body between Gluttony and Shadowlite. Her wings drag on the ground, no longer able to be held up by exhausted muscles. "You will not!" She shouts at Gluttony, throwing a sudden sphere of bluish icy brilliance. The yellow demon ducks it easily and chuckles, as the liquid nitrogen splashes harmlessly to the street. Finally her attention goes to Loki, faint hope there. "Can you help him?? She begs the strange man, gesturing to Shadowlite and his struggle. 

:'''{{#var:107|Thor (107)}} has posed:'''     As if on cue, Thor steps up and his hands clench slowly into fists and tug on the sleeves of his tight coat, showing off poorly his bulging muscles and with a twist of his head, ancient bones and cartiledge twist and pop loud enough to echo on the streets. "I need not sully the uru metal of my hammer against the skin and bone of these lesser hellspawn." Thor says as he stands next to Loki with those blue piercing eyes of his. There's trust there for Loki, always willing to give the man another chance, as he is his brother, by name which to the god is more important than blood.     "I do hope you know what you're doing Loki." Thor says before he takes a step forward and leaves to approach the trio of individuals, after a couple of steps Thor leaps into the air in a perfect arch starting with the base of his boots cracking and splintering the ice beneath him, and ending with his meat hook of a fist coming down like a missle at Gluttony's cheekbone. "Try something with much more substance!" He quips! 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' There's a loud, agonied scream as suddenly a /massive/ wave of mist is released around Shadowlite in a shockwave, Darkforce suffusing the air in a good eighty meter radius and blinding everyone for a few seconds. The wave itself is harmless, but it is aerosol Darkforce that dissipates into the air. Shadowlite himself collapsed onto the ground after that, unconscious, that violet aura around his body still there, but subdued compared to before. 

:'''{{#var:138|Loki (138)}} has posed:'''     Footsteps carry the trickster god forwards, his hands still deep in the pockets of his coat. A steady stream of vapor slips from between his lips as the air has taken on such a chill. He moves towards Shadowlite and Vicky, pausing long enough to gauge the two of them. His brow furrows slightly and then he holds up a hand over his shoulder as if staying the words of the demons.     "I could, little demon." He tilts his head slightly towards Vicky, curiousity gleaming in his eyes for a moment. "It's feasible. Will I, however, is another question." That having been said he turns and rounds back upon the demonic beings. "Did I misspeak?"     The Asgardian in green flicks his gaze back and forth between the aggressors and cocks an eyebrow. "For now they are to be my guests. All rights and privileges that such conveys. The only matter left to address is whether or not you shall transgress."     But then he looks towards Thor, "Ho now, brother could you..." But even before he's done speaking his sibling has already leapt to offer the gift of battle to their guests. That leaves Loki to turn away, "Alright, very well, let's see what we can do about your friend." 

:'''{{#var:1618|Starr (1618)}} has posed:''' Nice meaty thwack goes across Gluttony's distorted maw and she grunts. Her altitude nixed as it drives her to earth with a, "Urk?" Of surprise. Pride narrows her eyes at the attack on her sister and sneers. "I've already been ripped from my host and returned. Please, cause damage to these shells," Her voice drips venom. Then purple eyes turn to the Trickster, "Sorry, but orders are orders," And she flashes dakr puple hellfire, it ripples all over her body as Gluttony stands, wiping blood from her lip. "Asshole!" And she swings her own punch, filled with enhanced strength, at Thor. But it doesn?t need to hurt to be a problem. Gluttony's touch drains energy! Vicky kneels to pull Shadowlite close, wings weakly wrapping around them both. Determination is in her weary eyes, "FINE! I'll owe you one, please!" Oh she has no idea what she just did... 

:'''{{#var:107|Thor (107)}} has posed:'''     "I recommend to thee: Stay down."     Thor squints his eyes at the woman before him as she curses and it only causes him to smirk his lips in a grin. "You choose to fight me while inhabiting one of my charges?!" Thor says as he leans back away from the punch with another powerful jab to the possessed one's nose. A move he learned to have great effect on the midgardians. Most falling like a sack of potatoes from the god's simplest punches. Still focused on Gluttony, Thor speaks to Loki, "Do get the mortals out of here, the slaves of Satannish will feel the wrath of Odinson. And my wrath overfloweth." 

:'''{{#var:138|Loki (138)}} has posed:'''     As the battle rages behind him, Loki kneels down beside Vicky and the young man whom she protects. He holds up a hand and frowns marginally, green eyes flicking to her features and then back to the fallen shadow-wielder. The fingertips of that hand begin to sparkle faintly as eldritch powers grow into existence around them, his eyes catching a bit of that gleam as he smiles absently towards Vicky.     "Ever is it unwise to agree to a deal without knowing the terms, young mortal." He presses a hand to Shadowlite's temple and then straightens up a touch. "Oh hm, interesting." A few glimpses are gained into the psyche of the young man, his nature, and the particular connection he has to the shadow realm.     "You have chosen a rather unfortunate soul to connect yours with." He offers in comment before he snaps his fingers and then gains his feet. "There, he should be able to martial his resources to resist what predations might pass." A tilt of his head is given to Vicky, "We'll discuss my fee later."     Then, over his shoulder he calls out to Thor. "Off we go. You have this under control?" But even before his brother can answer the world starts to shift around them as the spell begins to take effect. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Starr (1618)}} has posed:''' The young woman, still a teenager, looks up at Loki with tired eyes, holding the man who rescued her close. "He saved me. I owe him too," She says weakly to the God. Tears begin to fall as the aura abates as the Lost One is sealed away for a time. "I'm not a demon!" She protests to Pride, eyes going to the demoness and filled with hate. It sounds hollow even to her ears. "Thank you," She whispers as Loki's magic encircles the weary pair. r The purple-flamed demoness rises and snaps her fingers. Gluttony, struck to the ground but seemingly as durable as Thor, rises with a grunt. "My cat has a better jab," She hisses at the God of Thunder. She looks to be about to attack when Pride's voice snaps, "Gluttony!" Making her pauses and snarl at Thor, yellow eyes somehow hungry. "You have a day. Get your affairs in order, for a new age is due to begin," Pride says as Gluttony moves with blurring speed to her sister's side. "Next time it will be Satannish," She warns as a circle of black, hellish magic rips through the fabric of space behind her. A hellish landscape appears behind then and then the tear swallows them. "I shall not forgive this, Trickster," Are her parting words. Vicky bends her head and visibly wilts with weakness. The power that kept the area cold releases. But it doesn't really warm up. It will take time in Winter and at night. 
}}

3711/I hate demons

2018-01-22T16:52:01Z

Shadowlite:

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/01/22
|Location=Queens
|Synopsis=Shadowlite is pursued across the planet by minions of Satannish, ending with a confrontation in Queens.
|Cast of Characters=1618, 1595, 1429, 100, 1092
|Tinyplot=Awakening (Daughter of Darkness)
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' The city had been hit with a lot this weekend. Tonight sirens wailed in the distance still. Was it that presence she had felt rush past earlier that was the root of all the commotion? The one that left the faintly green trail of fire? Vicky leaned against the railing on the balcony. In the distance an apartment blazed, smoke going to the sky. "Damnit," She says with a frown, wondering if the people who lived there had gotten out. Behind her she lightly fanned her wings, resisting the urge to put her resistance to flame and freeze to good use. But the disappearances...they held her staring with stark worry and frustration on her face. ~There are other heroes, give it a rest and do something fun!~ Starr whined in her mind ~You'll just make ourself sick. I hate nausea.~ Vicky's lip twitches and she sighed, turning from the blaze still frowning. "I can't focus on anything else!" ~I hadn't noticed,~ Comes the dry reply, dripping sarcasm. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' For his part, Shadowlite had disappeared for most of the day. That is, until Vicky watched as a dot of pure blackness came into view fron the horizon, followed closely by a pair of... somethings. Shadowlite is flying above the city on his black disk, and is visibly firing some kind of black bolts at the things as he goes. He's going decent fast at 200mph, but those black bolts are doing some serious damage to the city below as well... they seem to burn right through buildings with ease, along with various other city infrastructure. He's doing some real damage on his own, defending himself. He seems to be holding his own, though. When the two creatures get near him, he forms some sort of Darkforce barrier and controls it to slam it away, dissolving it right after. All in all, he's pretty visible in the city... and for the first time, showing off his real power to Vicky. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' The night is heavy with smoke as fires, random, pop up all over NYC. Heroes public and private have taken to the streets to help. A nasty wind off the Atlantic is only making things worse. The things chasing Shadowlite are both female and young. One trails behind the other, though Shadowlite knows she is the faster. They have been playing cat and mouse all day. Around the lead demon, for the horns, wings, and miasma of evil could ve nothing other, wears an aura of purple flames. She is breathtakingly beautiful just as she is fiendish. Her companion is softer with donkey-like ears and curling rams horns. Her aura burns pale blue. A blast from the man in black severs the braces for a billboard. It begins to screech, tilting quickly forward towards the street below. The time means there are less people for it to fall on... 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     And fall it... Doesn't? To say that anyone should be used to things just arresting in motion is somewhat flawed, but luckily, this particular large falling object's loss of momentum isn't mysterious as a jagged hand made of nigh-luminescent blue ice pushes up from the ground, palm flat against the surface. It doesn't necessarily put it back the way it was- just catches it and holds it there, so that people can flee from beneath it. The hand extends into a forearm, which runs all the way into the ground, seemingly emerging from the concrete.     Standing next to it is the only person who wasn't running- a black clad figure with eyes aglow in azure. They pulse with power, as her head shifts, her masked face directing its attention at the flying figures. As soon as the civilians are clear, she starts taking off towards Shadowlite, breaking from a stand into a ninety mile/hour run as if that was just a thing that people did. 

:'''{{#var:100|Arthur Curry (100)}} has posed:''' Arthur Curry has been spending more and more time on land, and away from Atlantis. Almost all of this time has been spent in civilian clothes, and blending in. Few recognize him outside of his noted scaled armor, and he kind of likes it that way. Instead, the 6'4" man tends towards jeans and flannel, and various Hipsteresque band shirts, making him blend in with the other Millenials about. Tonight he had been enjoying some time along, walking the streets of Queens and pondering life and his situation, when the chaos erupted. He races forward along the sidewalk when the billboard begins to teeter, but he stops when it is caught. He nods as he sees that happen, and instead he turns to begin ushering the civilians into the safety of the shops or indoor buildings. "Everyone get inside! Be safe!" 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     'Jen' and the rest of her Capoeira troupe are packing up their instruments after an enjoyable evening's practice in the Park. The mood is jovial, and the motion to find a pub is quickly seconded and enthusiastically carried by the majority, with only Jen herself begging off, pleading the need to study for an exam. She's standing by the curb, waiting for her taxi to pull up when the sky starts raining fire and screams fill the air. She swears inwardly even as she looks around 'in terror', searching for the sources.     A taxi stops by her with a screech of squealing tires, and Benny opens the door without being prompted. Jen gets in and slams the door behind her as Benny takes off again, flooring it in the general direction of the flying demons. "Tonight sure got interestin' fast, Boss," he comments, glancing briefly at the figure in the passenger compartment through the rear-view mirror -- and then looking away again with a wince. 'Jen' and Natasha are both perfectly easy on the eyes, but that moment in between when shadows crawl over her face and through her hair, shifting from one to the other, never fails to disturb him. Fortunately, it doesn't take long, and Natasha is already pulling the briefcase containing her 'work gear' out of its hidden compartment.     "Truth be told, I'm not sure how much help I'm going to be in a situation like this," she admits as she slips into the Shadow's signature greatcoat. "... But we all do what we can. See what you can do for the injured -- I'll get off here." the Shadow finishes as the scarf and hat settle into place, opening the side door and jumping out, vanishing into the gloom and heading toward the confrontation... 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' For his part, Shadowlite ignores his surroundings, concentrating on the flying females. A voice scrambled baritone is heard as he goes, "Look. I can appreciate the female form as much as the next man. I've even had a couple stalkers in my time, but this is hardly the way to get my attention!" The black armored man quips as he switches direction and flies down an alleyway... then reaching out with his right hand. A misty black aura surrounds it as he puts up a titanium grade sheet of Darkforce at the entrance, trying to trick the two into flying into it. Portals, useless. Running, useless. For the first time in a decade, the general public is watching the mercenary mutant use his powers full out in public. So much for keeping a low profile. As it is, once he's at the end of the alleyway, his arms are aimed right above the sheet. They'll have to fly over it to get to him after all... and a barrage of Darkforce Bolts should be enough anti-air. He hopes. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' "NO!" Vicky's eyes widen from the balcony she stands on. Her wings snap closed but ready and she simply leaps onto the railing and then off. A snap like a whip echoes among the nearby high-rises as she dives fir the battle. Blue eyes blaze to a near ice-white and glow faintly as she angles to impact the slower demon. "Leave him alone!" She screams as she twists to grab and let the other's flight carry them for a moment. Fury like nothing she has felt rips through her and the vicious bone spears that just from her wings are raked across the demonesses back, stabbing quickly, before Vicky releases and lets her fall give her flight momentum again There is a screech of fury from the blue-fire demoness as her flesh is torn by the unexpected assailant from above. A streak of hellfire leaps from both hands, following Vicky's flight. It hits and does...nothing? The demoness pauses before sniffing the air. A slow smile creeps over her face. "PRIDE!" The blue demon cries as she shoots off after Vicky, catching up fast. The purple demoness turns from their original quarry and her eyes blaze "HAHAHAHAHA! Get her, Sloth!" She calls before looking at Shadowlite, "It's been fun, boy, but I have bigger fish to catch,? The other says regally, her voice suggestive and demanding of admiration. Then she turns and aims to cut off the other flyer as her 'sister' flushes her forward. Vicky is inexperienced and it shows as she focuses on her pursuit. People in NYC have learned to find cover when shit hits the fan. The issue is the people in red robes and the neighborhood dogs. The dogs? Their eyes burn with pale blue light and everything about them seems stronger and more menacing. Regular people find themselves fleeing in terror as packs start chasing people. Those in the red robes follow, chanting, a faint black and green sphere surrounding them as they move. 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     Caroline is charging forward- the dogs and the cultists are of no mind for her. They aren't necessarily normal, but they're more normal than the two literal demons- well, three- that seem to be running the show. It makes a level of sense. Cultists follow demons. Cut off the head.     The woman doesn't know what fear is anymore. Nor does she tire, or slow, or fall out of a sprint after all the running she does to get to where Shadowlite and the demoness are. She won't necessarily be able to pin the one called "Pride" on the ground, but she is likely to get there just in time to seemingly punch at the air... Which causes a bright blue chain to erupt from the hem of her sleeve. It surges forward, as if sentient, doubling down on her speed as it tries to catch an ankle, a hip- Really, -anywhere- on the demon that had lingered to taunt Shadowlite before taking to the sky.     It only needs to touch, though, to be effective. The tip of the chain is not another link, but a small sphere, and at the moment of contact it bursts, freezing to flesh like one's tongue would to a metal pole in the winter.     It might make sense to burn the ice, to try and melt it, or to tear it apart: But, that's the catch. This ice is incredibly hard, almost impossibly so- as every molecule of it is being held together by a willpower perhaps strong enough to wear a green ring. 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     Sometimes cultists follow demons and serve them. Sometimes cultists summon demons and command them. Either way, when demons and cultists both show up, they're both problems that need dealing with -- and the Shadow is not equipped for surface to air work at the moment.     As she approaches the procession, she reaches out with her Will to the hounds, smothering their rage and aggression in shadows while she draws a bead on the lead figures and pulls both triggers. Time to see if a few blown-out kneecaps will stop the chanting. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' "The fuck?" When you've been chased for most of the day on and off across the planet, and your obsessive fangirls suddenly bolt, confusion is a thing. For Shadowlite, it takes a second to register 'went somewhere else'. "Ok, now what." Shadowlite growls as he tries to fire off a bolt at the retreating demon... only to find Caroline trying to grab it. The bolt probably hits a nearby building instead as Shadowlite spares a split second to look down to the woman as he speeds off then out of the alleyway, the sheet that was there dissolving into black mist as he goes to see what changed the fan girls' mind. Soon as he spots Vicky though, Shadowlite stops in midair and 'throws' a fist Darkforce construct at Sloth, trying to intercept her with fairly good aim, "Ok, I get it. You're jealous. There's enough of me to go around, but there's taking a hint, and having to be beaten off with a stick. Guess which one you are." Shadowlite quips, audibly out of breath. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' A perfectly shaped leg is struck by the will-chain and Pride lets out a yell of pain. Her forward momentum suddenly arrested dislocates her hip with an audible crunch. Purple fire runs down the chain, trying to burn it. When that doesn't work it moves on to the apparent owner. "Release me, peasant!? She shrieks as she lashes out with her own will. The will of an other-worldly being whose very essence is their indomitable belief in their power. Pride snarls as her leg begins to pull back in. In the meantime it is time to take Caroline for a flight. Straight up. Sloth cackles with delight as she catches on Vicky despite her best. However the blue demon doesn't expect the two spheres the teen spins spins to fire. They splash against her and Sloth's flight turns on a 90 degree angle and starts to rocket away. The black fist of Darkforce is just inches from Sloth when she vanishes in a pale blue flash to appear flying next to Pride, glancing down with only one eye and have her face frozen seemingly solid. "It's her,? She snarls, voice garbled by the liquid nitrogen freezing her skin. Yet demonic healing is starting to melt away the edges. Soon she will have both arms and eyes again. A chorus of wines run through the mega-pack. Several stand apart, the thing driving them fighting terror with fiendish might. These three, the biggest, cease their attack on fleeing civilians and turn to the thing firing at the cultists. They charge towards Natasha, teeth gnashing, foam flying, eyes blazing. On the plus side two of the men go down with cries of pain. Their sphere flickers and loses some vibrancy. On silent feet a pack of dogs comes from the shadows behind Shadowlite and all leap in unison at the dark force wielder. 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     It's hard to tell what might be more terrifying. That Caroline is on fire, or that it doesn't seem to be doing anything. The flame is not necessarily impotent- but it has long been impossible to burn the dead-thing that is Caroline Ramsey. The fires of Darkseid's Omega beams were her baptism into an existence as a walking nightmare. If she's to be dealt with, a more direct approach is required.     It also helps that the monster cannot feel -pain- at all.     Surprising, too, would be that she takes to the air. Her gambit is not to pin the demon to the ground- she knows she can't. She can lift a truck, but she isn't relying on that strength alone to hold Pride down. Instead, she's taking the fight to the air.     The chain is, truly, sentient- and if Pride wants her to go up, for a moment, it's bound to seem like she's merely succeeding and Caroline is failing... Until perception catches up to ego and it's revealed that, like a fisher with a catch, she's reeling in the chain, and fast.     It is likely that Caroline will be upon Pride before the ice detaches- and if this is the periphery, what the cold of this horror's heart can do at range, one must imagine what it can do up close. 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     Three slavering hell hounds leap as one at their target, maws open to tear and rend -- and slam headfirst into a brick wall while sinister laughter echoes mockingly along the alleyways. More shots ring out, aimed to injure and cripple those cultists not quick enough on the uptake to stop chanting and run for cover.     Not that running will help them; Natasha has been quite angry with them as well as herself for the loss of life in the earlier incident. If Pride and Sloth are currently fighting a mid-air battle, Wrath is right here on the streets, incarnate in an indistinct dark shape that flows from one place to another, still laughing as it fires again and again, a wordless promise of inevitable retribution... 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' "Ok. I get fangirls chasing me across the entire planet for the /entire damned day/ and-" And he's cut short from the hellhounds leaping onto his disk and chomping on his back. "Really? REALLY?!" That'd be the sound Shadowlite makes when he's goaded into actual anger, and he throws his arm around, a black mist flowing heavily out of it as he forms a wall filled with spikes out of the Darkforce sheet he's standing on, and sweeps his 'playmates' off like a windshield wiper. Then, he lifts more into the air, and turns to regard the two. "I'm tired, hungry, and really do not want to start leveling entire city blocks just to get rid of you two." Both arms pop up then, aiming for each. Two tiny portal apertures open once more as Shadowlite prepares to fire Darkforce bolts again. "Go back to whatever dimension you came from. With the mess you've made here, you're going to get most of the metahuman community coming down on you here in a minute." 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' Another cultist goes down though he doesn't scream. His teeth grit and he slashes his hands in the air. A glowing shield of black light forms around him, hiding him as if he were never there. The dogs whimper and fall, dazed and whining, as the others begin to shake off their terror. Noses sniff the air and then they move around the remaining cultists. shots that were meant for the red robes are taken by dogs. Leaping in the way with enhanced speed. Vicky pulls up and lands on a rooftop, panting, and stares up at the other two. Fear is in her eyes, but also a determination. The temperature suddenly plummets and the road and sidewalks freeze solid. The wind storm blowing through the area only make the sudden -128 Fdegree weather worse. Pride snarls and reaches out to Sloth, glaring at the death-blessed woman drawing closer. As their fingers interlock they cease to be where they were in a flare of blue. Yet they do not reappear. Not visibly anyway. Is it time fore hide and seek? Vicky has moved out of sight on the rooftop where she landed, probably hiding to recover her breath. 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     When the two in the air literally just... Disappear, Caroline has little that she can do about it. The chain she was attached by is no longer attached, and soon enough, her upward momentum becomes zero. The fall doesn't seem to alarm her, as she lands acrobatically enough, thudding to the ground on her feet with little recoil.     As well, the cold doesn't seem to be bothering her... For obvious reasons. She looks around at that very moment, taking in the remaining cultists and the dogs protecting them. Like a lumbering colossus, Caroline begins to approach the group of them, flanking them on the opposite side of the Shadow. 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     Instincts and reflexes are wonderful things, allowing one to react quite literally faster than thought in a crisis. Unfortunately, both come at a price -- much like a hair trigger will let you shoot faster at the cost of an increased risk of an accidental discharge, tense reflexes tend to be much more susceptible to a well executed feint. Twitches and flickers of movement at the very edge of perception trick the hounds into leaping on pointless intercept courses moments before the *actual* shots tear the air and shatter yet another joint or two. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' Then, they're gone. "Yeah, they're not gone." Shadowlite muses to himself, before he takes off in the direction of where Vicky went. The mess on the ground doesn't concern him; the two do-gooders on the ground are taking care of that, after all. No, suddenly they're nowhere, and have painted Vicky as their target. "I just had to stop being a solo act..." Shadowlite grumbles as he scouts for the demons, and Vicky herself, arms kept extended as he seems poised for further combat. His armor and suit are keeping the temperature from affecting him, so another variable down. He also switches his AR goggles to have a PIP for thermal detection. Fire in a blizzard should be incredibly easy to spot. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' The remaining cultists cease their chanting. The sphere drops and a woman steps forward, her head shaved like the rest. "She is found!" As a bullet slices through her flesh. She stumbles but remains walking and standing as she approaches Natasha and Caroline. Nothing in her spread arms and hands "Let mine be the first sacrifice in her name!" An atheme appears in her hand and seems to be made of bone. Crazed and fanatic eyes stare down the Shadow, for once her influence meeting a solid wall. Then the fanatic plunges the ceremonial blade into her jugular. It's design special as blood flows through a chamber to spurt from the handle. Black and green magic crackle and the blood that exits becomes black smoke, streaking towards the roof that Shadowlite now hovers above. Vicky lays in a snowdrift on her side, groaning vaguely, apparently just thrown there. Pride stands only feet away, walking towards her, while Sloth appears suddenly behind Shadowlite. "Boo," She says and hellfire erupts from her whole body giving him only a blink to react. The sickly smoke blankets the unconscious teen before sinking into her flesh. She awakens with a jerk and gasp, eyes wide, and a blast of pure cold slams into Pride. The demoness is thrown from the roof and to the ground below with a grunt of pain. 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     To say that Caroline is out of her element, in at least some regard, would be an understatement. She doesn't say anything, as yet, simply watching the cultists sort of... Stop? Then, to her amazement, the one that steps forward... Commits suicide. Caroline doesn't understand the occult- she has no idea what to make of magic. She's a product of a force of nature, perhaps something akin to magic, but it is far from anything she's anything more than aware of. For now, unless the cultists begin to attack again, she'll hold firm, waiting to find out exactly -what- just happened. 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     Natasha does not need to understand what that athame is doing to know that it's something bad. Truth be told, the last time she tried something like this the results weren't to her liking, but this time there aren't any innocents in the likely blast radius, and that woman is clearly already dead regardless. Her next shot impacts on the athame even as she backs up to gain distance from whatever might happen next... 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' The scream of pain can be heard clear across city blocks as Shadowlites back armor is instantly melted through, and he's thrown off his black disk. Itself winking out of reality as Shadowlite musters all his willpower simply to reform his armor as he falls. Everyone on the ground can see the inky black figure plummet to the ground as Shadowlite drops like an anvil... and cracks through the ice and the cement from the force as he creates a crater. His armor holds, but Shadowlite himself isn't moving.... the only sign of life the swirling blackness reforming, then trying to keep the cold out. Good thing the Darkforce suit keeps Darkforce particles in this reality without him needing to concentrate on them, or he'd probably be dead right now from that. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' The air that was cold in a second is as hot as the Sahara in high summer. The very air leeches moisture from the breath. Though the wind still blows it dies little, but chap and rob more liquid from the air. The ice and snow melt in huge gushes of liquid, quickly flooding gutters along the street. The winged teenager rises to her feet in fury. Now her eyes blaze red and she launches at Sloth with speed she didn't have before. Again Sloth and Her collide, but Starr's strength and momentum is greater. The demoness is stunned and squirms against The red-eyed Starr's grip. The soul known as Vicky has retreated, leaving the battle to those more suited. As the two slam into a building the side cracks, crattering beneath. "BEGONE!" Starr roars with a power and fury that Shadowlite didn't know she had. With those words a horrific sound that no human throat can make screams. Windows shatter and the sound pierces to the soul, it even reaches Caroline's Soul-tethers. Then a flash of blue and Starr holds a regular teenager, about her age, unconscious and bruised. Started by the scream and blast she had dropped the other, and she now plummets some ten stories down. Pride groans from where she lays not but ten feet from Shadowlite. Slowly she begins to pull herself up. The flash makes her stare in sudden concern at Starr. For those red eyes, burning brightly, have locked on her. They glance at Shadowlite and another snarl forms, "If you broke my new toy I will end your existence!" That voice again. It makes Pride stumble, backing towards Natasha and Caroline. "You're supposed to be on our side!" She stammers, obviously afraid of the temporarily enhanced Starr. All attention on her as she dives to Shadowlite's side, carefully gathering him against her chest. "Stay with us, Vicky'll lock me up for good I let you die," She says, setting him back down now she knows he is alive. The bullet hit the athame and it shatters. The black magic that had begun to slow returns to blood. As it does Starr's next step is a tumble, her energy supply cut off. Pride stops retreating and smirks suddenly, "Oh, run out of juice? Daddy's got plenty more." 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     The howl that erupts does indeed rattle something within Caroline. The tethers are like ethereal chains, binding her soul to her body for however long it takes her to accept what she is. They are not a way to kill her, but rather a way to incapacitate her, and though that is not what this does, for a few moments it is as if someone is literally plucking her nerves. She slumps for half a moment, but it is not very long before her eyes flare momentarily, resuming their luminescence.     It is that instant that she notes the retreating Pride. The woman's back is to her. She'd even been backing closer, until she stopped to -gloat.- Caroline's arm lurches backwards, and then forward, a renewed chain shooting forward, seemingly unaffected by gravity. If she'd been around in the nineties, she'd even have a catch phrase, because the -moment- it makes contact, she'll be pulling both with the telekinetic might that pilots the chain, and with the superhuman strength in her arm.     The drag, of course, will be a nightmarish trip away from one's goal and right into the left hand of the death-touched, beautiful horror that is the former detective.     If Pride finds herself in that grasp, what follows could be called nothing more than an absolutely brutal takedown- each hit from Caroline packs genuine might, yet what comes with it is a flash-freze of the liquid within the body beneath. Once frozen, too, it is a tool for her to use. She shatters bones, severs internal tissue- always avoiding injuries that will kill... But when your knees and arms bend the wrong way, and muscle groups sever, it may even test the resilience, and regeneration of a demon. 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     Natasha curses to herself as she sees the falling body. This... complicates matters, although after the earlier incident it wasn't entirely surprising. She makes a quick estimation, then leaps at the wall -- enhanced physical strength and dexterity combined with Parkour training allow her to scale surfaces faster than most humans would consider possible, and she gets into position to catch the girl before she lands on something less forgiving, while marking the stumbling demoness as someone to ask questions of later... 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' If Shadowlite had more than a shred of coherent thought, he'd ask The Lost One for a split second analysis of his surroundings, but he's way too far gone right now... so Shadowlite has no real way to know Caroline is dealing with Pride already, since he fallplanted, but he can hear her talk, "Try... this... for.... juice..." Shadowlite reaches out a hand, and a Pride sized Darkforce fist winks into existence... thrown as hard as Shadowlite can muster with a dimensional boundary slingshot. With no care for the property damage he's about to do. All in all, it's thrown pretty fast. Then, he collapsed into exhaustion, going to sleep, his body going slack. The armor has a day before it falls back into the Darkforce Dimension, and most beings on the planet can't get through it easily... Yeah, he's going to be stuck in there for a while. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' "The church, drag her there," Starr shouts to Carolone, pointing to the Baptist one on the corner. She doesn?t know why, but she knows it has a chance. A chance of making the demon flee. Finding herself unusually weak she turns back to Shadowlite and falls to her knees at his side. "Aw hell, how am I supposed to carry you in my state?" Always about her, though she doesn?t look like she really could carry him anyway. The falling girl begins to scream as she comes to her senses, certain it is in time for her death. But then someone is catching her and she gasps in surprise and pain as ribs break and breath is knocked out of her. But it would have been much worse. This may be the first, or one of the rare ones, that someone has looked upon the Shadow like they were an angel and not a terror in the dark. Pride is thrown back into Carolone's grasp by the darkforce punch. As the woman begins to pummel her she finds it isn't as easy as it should be. Her body resists. And it becomes more like one normal woman beating the snot out of another. Surprised and stunned she gets arms up to block, struggling against death's curiosity. "I will not be banished by beatings, fool. I am Pride and it takes much more to destro-" Carolone silences the monologue with a well places punch in the mouth. Black blood pours from her nose and mouth as she lays stunned. 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     Caroline has never met anyone that she hasn't been able to freeze before- but that doesn't mean she can't freeze the demon... Nor that she's going to continue trying. As it turns into a more traditional fight- albeit between a demon and a dead woman- Caroline starts to get creative, and employ some more traditional methods.     It helps that her powers are very adaptable, as shortly after she cuts off the word 'destroy', she shakes her fist not in pain, but to perform the gesture required... And the next hit is delivered not just by a fist, but one clad in a series of studded plates made of ice, each knuckle bearing a small, but pointed, spike. As she starts pummeling the demon's abdomen and other exposed areas, she quips- the first time she'd spoken, this harsh and horrid rasp sounding as if a woman's death throes had been translated into letters and words.     "Is this much more enough?" 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     Finally, actual useful information. The Shadow nods, fully visible for a moment as the tall figure lifts the injured girl into a bridal carry -- cliche, yes, but the formal fireman's carry puts entirely too much weight on the ribs that Natasha is sure she heard break on impact. The figure sprints to the edge of the roof, then leaps, twisting in midair to brace against the wall on the far side of the alley and using it to slow its descent from "literally breakneck" to "stupidly dangerous even if you're in a hurry" and landing on the ground with a thud loud enough that most regular humans would need new knees and shins.     The Shadow, however, simply straightens as if that was little more than skipping the last two steps of a staircase and strides over to the church, the doors opening on their own accord. Holy places are protected from evil and demonic forces -- despite occasional superficial similarities, those adjectives do not accurately describe The Shadow.     Natasha walks straight down the aisle, coldly indifferent to the stares or words of any parishioners present, and lays the girl down at the foot of the altar before rising and looking the vicar straight in the eye. "Her name is Alice McKenzie, and until very recently she was suffering from demonic possession. She also has several broken ribs; I recommend someone call emergency services."     With that, and without waiting for a response, the dark figure turns and marches out the same way it came in, back into the chaos and madness outside... 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' The demon grunt and attempts to get her feet up under her and kick Caroline off. A kick that has about a five ton capacity at the moment. "I will...not be...defeated!" She shouts, bloody black spittle flying. Starr reaches into the fanny pack and pulls out a 2" wide leather belt. As Caroline deals with Pride and Natasha with the girl, she belts him to her about the waist, his back to her chest. As Caroline lands another meaty thwack and wraps her arms under his and about his chest. Powerful legs allow her to spring higher into the air than one would expect. But her muscles are built to help her fly, thick and layered differently. And it seems her earlier 'weakness' has ebbed or she was faking. It is hard to tell. But she is getting her and Shadowlite out of dodge as cop cars round a corner, lights going, but cruising onto the scene silent and ready. The church is where many took shelter from the chaos. Many scream and hide as the Shadow brings the girl in. The vical seems unsure for a moment before springing to action. Someone can be heard calling the paramedics as the holy man bends over the girl. Alice beginning to fade in and out before slumping unconscious. One down, one to go. And holy ground only across the street from Caroline and her target. 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     Five tons is just not enough. Her back curls, and her body lurches upwards, but for every bit of what she was hit with, Caroline gives ten strikes back. The pounding is unrelenting, and worse, the nature of her being is beginning to show. She could be at this for hours, for days, and while other beings would grow exhausted and tired... Caroline has an infinite reserve of stamina. She doesn't breathe. She doesn't eat. She doesn't sleep.     Similarly, she is capable of seeing her surroundings- but despite that she knows there is hallowed ground not too far away, there is a message to be sent. This demon had called herself Pride. Caroline was going to beat her into the ground, to defeat her in a mundane fashion, before she resorted to the chapel.     "You will. It doesn't matter how strong you are. How tough you seem to be. You will shatter, just like everything else."     It's only a few hits after she speaks that Pride loses consciousness- as Caroline would define it, utterly defeated, though individual definitions may vary. It's a certain sense of fitting, and the message is, hopefully, sent.     Hand gripping Pride's throat, Caroline drags her across the street, and onto the grounds of the church, towards the chapel if need be. 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     The Shadow was moving to assist Caroline -- but holds back when it becomes clear the assistance isn't required. Instead, the dark figure stalks over to one of the cultists, pulling him up by the collar of his robe and lifting him off the ground, heedless of the bullet hole in his shoulder. "TALK. What did you do? Why are you doing this? Who leads you?" Sapphire blue eyes blaze into the Cultist's, filling his world with the impossibility of lying or refusing to answer. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' Beaten, battered, and broken Pride is a limp doll within Caroline?s hands. No more resistance or wit tossed about. So when Caroline hits the hallowed ground it may puzzle her that dragging the demon in proves to be complicated. It is like pulling something through a wall of gooey taffy, only requiring all her amazing strength. The will of this demon and how tightly it clings is shown in this way. And it takes a good solid tug before the body falls through with her. As it does a purple cloud is left on the boundary of holy ground. It sits like mist before being dispersed by the wind. And that wind is one again cold. The unusual heat vanishing as winter reasserts her authority on the thrashed streets. A slow and superior smirk spreads on the cultists face as Natasha shakes him. "Our lord and master will have his daughter back," He says in a gritty voice, eyes unfocused and almost drugged in their appearance. "Hail Sattanish, take my soul!" A tooth compartment. That is the sound Natasha hears. And it is evidently cyanide suicide capsule. The man begins to froth and convulse, that superior smile on his face as he dies. Police have blocked off the street on both ends. Ambulances have arrived as well as animal control. "Ma'am! Put the man down," A cop says, fear trembling his voice, as he aims a gun at the Shadow. 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     Caroline would normally transport what remained after the demon was gone to the hospital, but admittedly, she's normally not there when the police arrive. She leaves the girl, therefore, in the capable hands of the authorities, as it's likely better that way. As well, she has a few people that she can speak to in regards to who or what Satannish or the cultists are... So she has no reason to linger.     Caroline Ramsey will be gone by the time the police reach the church, having pulled a Gothamite and taken to the rooftops by means of ice-chain. As is the usual respect, Caroline does not assume that the Shadow does not also have a way to escape the police. 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     The limp body drops to the ground as the Shadow releases it and turns their head to regard the cop, giving him a brief impression of a red scarf between the black coat and hat before those blazing blue eyes bore into him across the distance, laying his soul and all his sins bare for a brief instant -- and then he blinks, and the Shadow is gone, leaving only a sinister chuckle to echo off the walls.     Some time later and a few blocks away, Benny doesn't even look up as he hears the passenger door open and close. "Drive," comes the command, and Benny obediently floors it.     "Problem solved, Boss?" he asks, taking a smooth left turn while Natasha removes her hat and scarf.     "Solved? Probably not. But at least now I have some answers."     Now, The Shadow Knows. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' A couple blocks of queens have sustained a lot of cosmetic and some structural damage. Some were injured, but this time the only lives lost were the cultists. And to a one they killed themselves, a whispered name on many lips, "Satannish!" 
}}

3711/I hate demons

2018-01-22T16:51:15Z

Shadowlite: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2018/01/22 |Location=Queen |Synopsis=Shadowlite is pursued across the planet by minions of Satannish, ending with a confrontation in Queens. |Cast..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/01/22
|Location=Queen
|Synopsis=Shadowlite is pursued across the planet by minions of Satannish, ending with a confrontation in Queens.
|Cast of Characters=1618, 1595, 1429, 100, 1092
|Tinyplot=Awakening (Daughter of Darkness)
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' The city had been hit with a lot this weekend. Tonight sirens wailed in the distance still. Was it that presence she had felt rush past earlier that was the root of all the commotion? The one that left the faintly green trail of fire? Vicky leaned against the railing on the balcony. In the distance an apartment blazed, smoke going to the sky. "Damnit," She says with a frown, wondering if the people who lived there had gotten out. Behind her she lightly fanned her wings, resisting the urge to put her resistance to flame and freeze to good use. But the disappearances...they held her staring with stark worry and frustration on her face. ~There are other heroes, give it a rest and do something fun!~ Starr whined in her mind ~You'll just make ourself sick. I hate nausea.~ Vicky's lip twitches and she sighed, turning from the blaze still frowning. "I can't focus on anything else!" ~I hadn't noticed,~ Comes the dry reply, dripping sarcasm. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' For his part, Shadowlite had disappeared for most of the day. That is, until Vicky watched as a dot of pure blackness came into view fron the horizon, followed closely by a pair of... somethings. Shadowlite is flying above the city on his black disk, and is visibly firing some kind of black bolts at the things as he goes. He's going decent fast at 200mph, but those black bolts are doing some serious damage to the city below as well... they seem to burn right through buildings with ease, along with various other city infrastructure. He's doing some real damage on his own, defending himself. He seems to be holding his own, though. When the two creatures get near him, he forms some sort of Darkforce barrier and controls it to slam it away, dissolving it right after. All in all, he's pretty visible in the city... and for the first time, showing off his real power to Vicky. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' The night is heavy with smoke as fires, random, pop up all over NYC. Heroes public and private have taken to the streets to help. A nasty wind off the Atlantic is only making things worse. The things chasing Shadowlite are both female and young. One trails behind the other, though Shadowlite knows she is the faster. They have been playing cat and mouse all day. Around the lead demon, for the horns, wings, and miasma of evil could ve nothing other, wears an aura of purple flames. She is breathtakingly beautiful just as she is fiendish. Her companion is softer with donkey-like ears and curling rams horns. Her aura burns pale blue. A blast from the man in black severs the braces for a billboard. It begins to screech, tilting quickly forward towards the street below. The time means there are less people for it to fall on... 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     And fall it... Doesn't? To say that anyone should be used to things just arresting in motion is somewhat flawed, but luckily, this particular large falling object's loss of momentum isn't mysterious as a jagged hand made of nigh-luminescent blue ice pushes up from the ground, palm flat against the surface. It doesn't necessarily put it back the way it was- just catches it and holds it there, so that people can flee from beneath it. The hand extends into a forearm, which runs all the way into the ground, seemingly emerging from the concrete.     Standing next to it is the only person who wasn't running- a black clad figure with eyes aglow in azure. They pulse with power, as her head shifts, her masked face directing its attention at the flying figures. As soon as the civilians are clear, she starts taking off towards Shadowlite, breaking from a stand into a ninety mile/hour run as if that was just a thing that people did. 

:'''{{#var:100|Arthur Curry (100)}} has posed:''' Arthur Curry has been spending more and more time on land, and away from Atlantis. Almost all of this time has been spent in civilian clothes, and blending in. Few recognize him outside of his noted scaled armor, and he kind of likes it that way. Instead, the 6'4" man tends towards jeans and flannel, and various Hipsteresque band shirts, making him blend in with the other Millenials about. Tonight he had been enjoying some time along, walking the streets of Queens and pondering life and his situation, when the chaos erupted. He races forward along the sidewalk when the billboard begins to teeter, but he stops when it is caught. He nods as he sees that happen, and instead he turns to begin ushering the civilians into the safety of the shops or indoor buildings. "Everyone get inside! Be safe!" 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     'Jen' and the rest of her Capoeira troupe are packing up their instruments after an enjoyable evening's practice in the Park. The mood is jovial, and the motion to find a pub is quickly seconded and enthusiastically carried by the majority, with only Jen herself begging off, pleading the need to study for an exam. She's standing by the curb, waiting for her taxi to pull up when the sky starts raining fire and screams fill the air. She swears inwardly even as she looks around 'in terror', searching for the sources.     A taxi stops by her with a screech of squealing tires, and Benny opens the door without being prompted. Jen gets in and slams the door behind her as Benny takes off again, flooring it in the general direction of the flying demons. "Tonight sure got interestin' fast, Boss," he comments, glancing briefly at the figure in the passenger compartment through the rear-view mirror -- and then looking away again with a wince. 'Jen' and Natasha are both perfectly easy on the eyes, but that moment in between when shadows crawl over her face and through her hair, shifting from one to the other, never fails to disturb him. Fortunately, it doesn't take long, and Natasha is already pulling the briefcase containing her 'work gear' out of its hidden compartment.     "Truth be told, I'm not sure how much help I'm going to be in a situation like this," she admits as she slips into the Shadow's signature greatcoat. "... But we all do what we can. See what you can do for the injured -- I'll get off here." the Shadow finishes as the scarf and hat settle into place, opening the side door and jumping out, vanishing into the gloom and heading toward the confrontation... 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' For his part, Shadowlite ignores his surroundings, concentrating on the flying females. A voice scrambled baritone is heard as he goes, "Look. I can appreciate the female form as much as the next man. I've even had a couple stalkers in my time, but this is hardly the way to get my attention!" The black armored man quips as he switches direction and flies down an alleyway... then reaching out with his right hand. A misty black aura surrounds it as he puts up a titanium grade sheet of Darkforce at the entrance, trying to trick the two into flying into it. Portals, useless. Running, useless. For the first time in a decade, the general public is watching the mercenary mutant use his powers full out in public. So much for keeping a low profile. As it is, once he's at the end of the alleyway, his arms are aimed right above the sheet. They'll have to fly over it to get to him after all... and a barrage of Darkforce Bolts should be enough anti-air. He hopes. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' "NO!" Vicky's eyes widen from the balcony she stands on. Her wings snap closed but ready and she simply leaps onto the railing and then off. A snap like a whip echoes among the nearby high-rises as she dives fir the battle. Blue eyes blaze to a near ice-white and glow faintly as she angles to impact the slower demon. "Leave him alone!" She screams as she twists to grab and let the other's flight carry them for a moment. Fury like nothing she has felt rips through her and the vicious bone spears that just from her wings are raked across the demonesses back, stabbing quickly, before Vicky releases and lets her fall give her flight momentum again There is a screech of fury from the blue-fire demoness as her flesh is torn by the unexpected assailant from above. A streak of hellfire leaps from both hands, following Vicky's flight. It hits and does...nothing? The demoness pauses before sniffing the air. A slow smile creeps over her face. "PRIDE!" The blue demon cries as she shoots off after Vicky, catching up fast. The purple demoness turns from their original quarry and her eyes blaze "HAHAHAHAHA! Get her, Sloth!" She calls before looking at Shadowlite, "It's been fun, boy, but I have bigger fish to catch,? The other says regally, her voice suggestive and demanding of admiration. Then she turns and aims to cut off the other flyer as her 'sister' flushes her forward. Vicky is inexperienced and it shows as she focuses on her pursuit. People in NYC have learned to find cover when shit hits the fan. The issue is the people in red robes and the neighborhood dogs. The dogs? Their eyes burn with pale blue light and everything about them seems stronger and more menacing. Regular people find themselves fleeing in terror as packs start chasing people. Those in the red robes follow, chanting, a faint black and green sphere surrounding them as they move. 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     Caroline is charging forward- the dogs and the cultists are of no mind for her. They aren't necessarily normal, but they're more normal than the two literal demons- well, three- that seem to be running the show. It makes a level of sense. Cultists follow demons. Cut off the head.     The woman doesn't know what fear is anymore. Nor does she tire, or slow, or fall out of a sprint after all the running she does to get to where Shadowlite and the demoness are. She won't necessarily be able to pin the one called "Pride" on the ground, but she is likely to get there just in time to seemingly punch at the air... Which causes a bright blue chain to erupt from the hem of her sleeve. It surges forward, as if sentient, doubling down on her speed as it tries to catch an ankle, a hip- Really, -anywhere- on the demon that had lingered to taunt Shadowlite before taking to the sky.     It only needs to touch, though, to be effective. The tip of the chain is not another link, but a small sphere, and at the moment of contact it bursts, freezing to flesh like one's tongue would to a metal pole in the winter.     It might make sense to burn the ice, to try and melt it, or to tear it apart: But, that's the catch. This ice is incredibly hard, almost impossibly so- as every molecule of it is being held together by a willpower perhaps strong enough to wear a green ring. 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     Sometimes cultists follow demons and serve them. Sometimes cultists summon demons and command them. Either way, when demons and cultists both show up, they're both problems that need dealing with -- and the Shadow is not equipped for surface to air work at the moment.     As she approaches the procession, she reaches out with her Will to the hounds, smothering their rage and aggression in shadows while she draws a bead on the lead figures and pulls both triggers. Time to see if a few blown-out kneecaps will stop the chanting. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' "The fuck?" When you've been chased for most of the day on and off across the planet, and your obsessive fangirls suddenly bolt, confusion is a thing. For Shadowlite, it takes a second to register 'went somewhere else'. "Ok, now what." Shadowlite growls as he tries to fire off a bolt at the retreating demon... only to find Caroline trying to grab it. The bolt probably hits a nearby building instead as Shadowlite spares a split second to look down to the woman as he speeds off then out of the alleyway, the sheet that was there dissolving into black mist as he goes to see what changed the fan girls' mind. Soon as he spots Vicky though, Shadowlite stops in midair and 'throws' a fist Darkforce construct at Sloth, trying to intercept her with fairly good aim, "Ok, I get it. You're jealous. There's enough of me to go around, but there's taking a hint, and having to be beaten off with a stick. Guess which one you are." Shadowlite quips, audibly out of breath. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' A perfectly shaped leg is struck by the will-chain and Pride lets out a yell of pain. Her forward momentum suddenly arrested dislocates her hip with an audible crunch. Purple fire runs down the chain, trying to burn it. When that doesn't work it moves on to the apparent owner. "Release me, peasant!? She shrieks as she lashes out with her own will. The will of an other-worldly being whose very essence is their indomitable belief in their power. Pride snarls as her leg begins to pull back in. In the meantime it is time to take Caroline for a flight. Straight up. Sloth cackles with delight as she catches on Vicky despite her best. However the blue demon doesn't expect the two spheres the teen spins spins to fire. They splash against her and Sloth's flight turns on a 90 degree angle and starts to rocket away. The black fist of Darkforce is just inches from Sloth when she vanishes in a pale blue flash to appear flying next to Pride, glancing down with only one eye and have her face frozen seemingly solid. "It's her,? She snarls, voice garbled by the liquid nitrogen freezing her skin. Yet demonic healing is starting to melt away the edges. Soon she will have both arms and eyes again. A chorus of wines run through the mega-pack. Several stand apart, the thing driving them fighting terror with fiendish might. These three, the biggest, cease their attack on fleeing civilians and turn to the thing firing at the cultists. They charge towards Natasha, teeth gnashing, foam flying, eyes blazing. On the plus side two of the men go down with cries of pain. Their sphere flickers and loses some vibrancy. On silent feet a pack of dogs comes from the shadows behind Shadowlite and all leap in unison at the dark force wielder. 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     It's hard to tell what might be more terrifying. That Caroline is on fire, or that it doesn't seem to be doing anything. The flame is not necessarily impotent- but it has long been impossible to burn the dead-thing that is Caroline Ramsey. The fires of Darkseid's Omega beams were her baptism into an existence as a walking nightmare. If she's to be dealt with, a more direct approach is required.     It also helps that the monster cannot feel -pain- at all.     Surprising, too, would be that she takes to the air. Her gambit is not to pin the demon to the ground- she knows she can't. She can lift a truck, but she isn't relying on that strength alone to hold Pride down. Instead, she's taking the fight to the air.     The chain is, truly, sentient- and if Pride wants her to go up, for a moment, it's bound to seem like she's merely succeeding and Caroline is failing... Until perception catches up to ego and it's revealed that, like a fisher with a catch, she's reeling in the chain, and fast.     It is likely that Caroline will be upon Pride before the ice detaches- and if this is the periphery, what the cold of this horror's heart can do at range, one must imagine what it can do up close. 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     Three slavering hell hounds leap as one at their target, maws open to tear and rend -- and slam headfirst into a brick wall while sinister laughter echoes mockingly along the alleyways. More shots ring out, aimed to injure and cripple those cultists not quick enough on the uptake to stop chanting and run for cover.     Not that running will help them; Natasha has been quite angry with them as well as herself for the loss of life in the earlier incident. If Pride and Sloth are currently fighting a mid-air battle, Wrath is right here on the streets, incarnate in an indistinct dark shape that flows from one place to another, still laughing as it fires again and again, a wordless promise of inevitable retribution... 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' "Ok. I get fangirls chasing me across the entire planet for the /entire damned day/ and-" And he's cut short from the hellhounds leaping onto his disk and chomping on his back. "Really? REALLY?!" That'd be the sound Shadowlite makes when he's goaded into actual anger, and he throws his arm around, a black mist flowing heavily out of it as he forms a wall filled with spikes out of the Darkforce sheet he's standing on, and sweeps his 'playmates' off like a windshield wiper. Then, he lifts more into the air, and turns to regard the two. "I'm tired, hungry, and really do not want to start leveling entire city blocks just to get rid of you two." Both arms pop up then, aiming for each. Two tiny portal apertures open once more as Shadowlite prepares to fire Darkforce bolts again. "Go back to whatever dimension you came from. With the mess you've made here, you're going to get most of the metahuman community coming down on you here in a minute." 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' Another cultist goes down though he doesn't scream. His teeth grit and he slashes his hands in the air. A glowing shield of black light forms around him, hiding him as if he were never there. The dogs whimper and fall, dazed and whining, as the others begin to shake off their terror. Noses sniff the air and then they move around the remaining cultists. shots that were meant for the red robes are taken by dogs. Leaping in the way with enhanced speed. Vicky pulls up and lands on a rooftop, panting, and stares up at the other two. Fear is in her eyes, but also a determination. The temperature suddenly plummets and the road and sidewalks freeze solid. The wind storm blowing through the area only make the sudden -128 Fdegree weather worse. Pride snarls and reaches out to Sloth, glaring at the death-blessed woman drawing closer. As their fingers interlock they cease to be where they were in a flare of blue. Yet they do not reappear. Not visibly anyway. Is it time fore hide and seek? Vicky has moved out of sight on the rooftop where she landed, probably hiding to recover her breath. 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     When the two in the air literally just... Disappear, Caroline has little that she can do about it. The chain she was attached by is no longer attached, and soon enough, her upward momentum becomes zero. The fall doesn't seem to alarm her, as she lands acrobatically enough, thudding to the ground on her feet with little recoil.     As well, the cold doesn't seem to be bothering her... For obvious reasons. She looks around at that very moment, taking in the remaining cultists and the dogs protecting them. Like a lumbering colossus, Caroline begins to approach the group of them, flanking them on the opposite side of the Shadow. 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     Instincts and reflexes are wonderful things, allowing one to react quite literally faster than thought in a crisis. Unfortunately, both come at a price -- much like a hair trigger will let you shoot faster at the cost of an increased risk of an accidental discharge, tense reflexes tend to be much more susceptible to a well executed feint. Twitches and flickers of movement at the very edge of perception trick the hounds into leaping on pointless intercept courses moments before the *actual* shots tear the air and shatter yet another joint or two. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' Then, they're gone. "Yeah, they're not gone." Shadowlite muses to himself, before he takes off in the direction of where Vicky went. The mess on the ground doesn't concern him; the two do-gooders on the ground are taking care of that, after all. No, suddenly they're nowhere, and have painted Vicky as their target. "I just had to stop being a solo act..." Shadowlite grumbles as he scouts for the demons, and Vicky herself, arms kept extended as he seems poised for further combat. His armor and suit are keeping the temperature from affecting him, so another variable down. He also switches his AR goggles to have a PIP for thermal detection. Fire in a blizzard should be incredibly easy to spot. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' The remaining cultists cease their chanting. The sphere drops and a woman steps forward, her head shaved like the rest. "She is found!" As a bullet slices through her flesh. She stumbles but remains walking and standing as she approaches Natasha and Caroline. Nothing in her spread arms and hands "Let mine be the first sacrifice in her name!" An atheme appears in her hand and seems to be made of bone. Crazed and fanatic eyes stare down the Shadow, for once her influence meeting a solid wall. Then the fanatic plunges the ceremonial blade into her jugular. It's design special as blood flows through a chamber to spurt from the handle. Black and green magic crackle and the blood that exits becomes black smoke, streaking towards the roof that Shadowlite now hovers above. Vicky lays in a snowdrift on her side, groaning vaguely, apparently just thrown there. Pride stands only feet away, walking towards her, while Sloth appears suddenly behind Shadowlite. "Boo," She says and hellfire erupts from her whole body giving him only a blink to react. The sickly smoke blankets the unconscious teen before sinking into her flesh. She awakens with a jerk and gasp, eyes wide, and a blast of pure cold slams into Pride. The demoness is thrown from the roof and to the ground below with a grunt of pain. 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     To say that Caroline is out of her element, in at least some regard, would be an understatement. She doesn't say anything, as yet, simply watching the cultists sort of... Stop? Then, to her amazement, the one that steps forward... Commits suicide. Caroline doesn't understand the occult- she has no idea what to make of magic. She's a product of a force of nature, perhaps something akin to magic, but it is far from anything she's anything more than aware of. For now, unless the cultists begin to attack again, she'll hold firm, waiting to find out exactly -what- just happened. 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     Natasha does not need to understand what that athame is doing to know that it's something bad. Truth be told, the last time she tried something like this the results weren't to her liking, but this time there aren't any innocents in the likely blast radius, and that woman is clearly already dead regardless. Her next shot impacts on the athame even as she backs up to gain distance from whatever might happen next... 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' The scream of pain can be heard clear across city blocks as Shadowlites back armor is instantly melted through, and he's thrown off his black disk. Itself winking out of reality as Shadowlite musters all his willpower simply to reform his armor as he falls. Everyone on the ground can see the inky black figure plummet to the ground as Shadowlite drops like an anvil... and cracks through the ice and the cement from the force as he creates a crater. His armor holds, but Shadowlite himself isn't moving.... the only sign of life the swirling blackness reforming, then trying to keep the cold out. Good thing the Darkforce suit keeps Darkforce particles in this reality without him needing to concentrate on them, or he'd probably be dead right now from that. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' The air that was cold in a second is as hot as the Sahara in high summer. The very air leeches moisture from the breath. Though the wind still blows it dies little, but chap and rob more liquid from the air. The ice and snow melt in huge gushes of liquid, quickly flooding gutters along the street. The winged teenager rises to her feet in fury. Now her eyes blaze red and she launches at Sloth with speed she didn't have before. Again Sloth and Her collide, but Starr's strength and momentum is greater. The demoness is stunned and squirms against The red-eyed Starr's grip. The soul known as Vicky has retreated, leaving the battle to those more suited. As the two slam into a building the side cracks, crattering beneath. "BEGONE!" Starr roars with a power and fury that Shadowlite didn't know she had. With those words a horrific sound that no human throat can make screams. Windows shatter and the sound pierces to the soul, it even reaches Caroline's Soul-tethers. Then a flash of blue and Starr holds a regular teenager, about her age, unconscious and bruised. Started by the scream and blast she had dropped the other, and she now plummets some ten stories down. Pride groans from where she lays not but ten feet from Shadowlite. Slowly she begins to pull herself up. The flash makes her stare in sudden concern at Starr. For those red eyes, burning brightly, have locked on her. They glance at Shadowlite and another snarl forms, "If you broke my new toy I will end your existence!" That voice again. It makes Pride stumble, backing towards Natasha and Caroline. "You're supposed to be on our side!" She stammers, obviously afraid of the temporarily enhanced Starr. All attention on her as she dives to Shadowlite's side, carefully gathering him against her chest. "Stay with us, Vicky'll lock me up for good I let you die," She says, setting him back down now she knows he is alive. The bullet hit the athame and it shatters. The black magic that had begun to slow returns to blood. As it does Starr's next step is a tumble, her energy supply cut off. Pride stops retreating and smirks suddenly, "Oh, run out of juice? Daddy's got plenty more." 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     The howl that erupts does indeed rattle something within Caroline. The tethers are like ethereal chains, binding her soul to her body for however long it takes her to accept what she is. They are not a way to kill her, but rather a way to incapacitate her, and though that is not what this does, for a few moments it is as if someone is literally plucking her nerves. She slumps for half a moment, but it is not very long before her eyes flare momentarily, resuming their luminescence.     It is that instant that she notes the retreating Pride. The woman's back is to her. She'd even been backing closer, until she stopped to -gloat.- Caroline's arm lurches backwards, and then forward, a renewed chain shooting forward, seemingly unaffected by gravity. If she'd been around in the nineties, she'd even have a catch phrase, because the -moment- it makes contact, she'll be pulling both with the telekinetic might that pilots the chain, and with the superhuman strength in her arm.     The drag, of course, will be a nightmarish trip away from one's goal and right into the left hand of the death-touched, beautiful horror that is the former detective.     If Pride finds herself in that grasp, what follows could be called nothing more than an absolutely brutal takedown- each hit from Caroline packs genuine might, yet what comes with it is a flash-freze of the liquid within the body beneath. Once frozen, too, it is a tool for her to use. She shatters bones, severs internal tissue- always avoiding injuries that will kill... But when your knees and arms bend the wrong way, and muscle groups sever, it may even test the resilience, and regeneration of a demon. 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     Natasha curses to herself as she sees the falling body. This... complicates matters, although after the earlier incident it wasn't entirely surprising. She makes a quick estimation, then leaps at the wall -- enhanced physical strength and dexterity combined with Parkour training allow her to scale surfaces faster than most humans would consider possible, and she gets into position to catch the girl before she lands on something less forgiving, while marking the stumbling demoness as someone to ask questions of later... 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' If Shadowlite had more than a shred of coherent thought, he'd ask The Lost One for a split second analysis of his surroundings, but he's way too far gone right now... so Shadowlite has no real way to know Caroline is dealing with Pride already, since he fallplanted, but he can hear her talk, "Try... this... for.... juice..." Shadowlite reaches out a hand, and a Pride sized Darkforce fist winks into existence... thrown as hard as Shadowlite can muster with a dimensional boundary slingshot. With no care for the property damage he's about to do. All in all, it's thrown pretty fast. Then, he collapsed into exhaustion, going to sleep, his body going slack. The armor has a day before it falls back into the Darkforce Dimension, and most beings on the planet can't get through it easily... Yeah, he's going to be stuck in there for a while. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' "The church, drag her there," Starr shouts to Carolone, pointing to the Baptist one on the corner. She doesn?t know why, but she knows it has a chance. A chance of making the demon flee. Finding herself unusually weak she turns back to Shadowlite and falls to her knees at his side. "Aw hell, how am I supposed to carry you in my state?" Always about her, though she doesn?t look like she really could carry him anyway. The falling girl begins to scream as she comes to her senses, certain it is in time for her death. But then someone is catching her and she gasps in surprise and pain as ribs break and breath is knocked out of her. But it would have been much worse. This may be the first, or one of the rare ones, that someone has looked upon the Shadow like they were an angel and not a terror in the dark. Pride is thrown back into Carolone's grasp by the darkforce punch. As the woman begins to pummel her she finds it isn't as easy as it should be. Her body resists. And it becomes more like one normal woman beating the snot out of another. Surprised and stunned she gets arms up to block, struggling against death's curiosity. "I will not be banished by beatings, fool. I am Pride and it takes much more to destro-" Carolone silences the monologue with a well places punch in the mouth. Black blood pours from her nose and mouth as she lays stunned. 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     Caroline has never met anyone that she hasn't been able to freeze before- but that doesn't mean she can't freeze the demon... Nor that she's going to continue trying. As it turns into a more traditional fight- albeit between a demon and a dead woman- Caroline starts to get creative, and employ some more traditional methods.     It helps that her powers are very adaptable, as shortly after she cuts off the word 'destroy', she shakes her fist not in pain, but to perform the gesture required... And the next hit is delivered not just by a fist, but one clad in a series of studded plates made of ice, each knuckle bearing a small, but pointed, spike. As she starts pummeling the demon's abdomen and other exposed areas, she quips- the first time she'd spoken, this harsh and horrid rasp sounding as if a woman's death throes had been translated into letters and words.     "Is this much more enough?" 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     Finally, actual useful information. The Shadow nods, fully visible for a moment as the tall figure lifts the injured girl into a bridal carry -- cliche, yes, but the formal fireman's carry puts entirely too much weight on the ribs that Natasha is sure she heard break on impact. The figure sprints to the edge of the roof, then leaps, twisting in midair to brace against the wall on the far side of the alley and using it to slow its descent from "literally breakneck" to "stupidly dangerous even if you're in a hurry" and landing on the ground with a thud loud enough that most regular humans would need new knees and shins.     The Shadow, however, simply straightens as if that was little more than skipping the last two steps of a staircase and strides over to the church, the doors opening on their own accord. Holy places are protected from evil and demonic forces -- despite occasional superficial similarities, those adjectives do not accurately describe The Shadow.     Natasha walks straight down the aisle, coldly indifferent to the stares or words of any parishioners present, and lays the girl down at the foot of the altar before rising and looking the vicar straight in the eye. "Her name is Alice McKenzie, and until very recently she was suffering from demonic possession. She also has several broken ribs; I recommend someone call emergency services."     With that, and without waiting for a response, the dark figure turns and marches out the same way it came in, back into the chaos and madness outside... 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' The demon grunt and attempts to get her feet up under her and kick Caroline off. A kick that has about a five ton capacity at the moment. "I will...not be...defeated!" She shouts, bloody black spittle flying. Starr reaches into the fanny pack and pulls out a 2" wide leather belt. As Caroline deals with Pride and Natasha with the girl, she belts him to her about the waist, his back to her chest. As Caroline lands another meaty thwack and wraps her arms under his and about his chest. Powerful legs allow her to spring higher into the air than one would expect. But her muscles are built to help her fly, thick and layered differently. And it seems her earlier 'weakness' has ebbed or she was faking. It is hard to tell. But she is getting her and Shadowlite out of dodge as cop cars round a corner, lights going, but cruising onto the scene silent and ready. The church is where many took shelter from the chaos. Many scream and hide as the Shadow brings the girl in. The vical seems unsure for a moment before springing to action. Someone can be heard calling the paramedics as the holy man bends over the girl. Alice beginning to fade in and out before slumping unconscious. One down, one to go. And holy ground only across the street from Caroline and her target. 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     Five tons is just not enough. Her back curls, and her body lurches upwards, but for every bit of what she was hit with, Caroline gives ten strikes back. The pounding is unrelenting, and worse, the nature of her being is beginning to show. She could be at this for hours, for days, and while other beings would grow exhausted and tired... Caroline has an infinite reserve of stamina. She doesn't breathe. She doesn't eat. She doesn't sleep.     Similarly, she is capable of seeing her surroundings- but despite that she knows there is hallowed ground not too far away, there is a message to be sent. This demon had called herself Pride. Caroline was going to beat her into the ground, to defeat her in a mundane fashion, before she resorted to the chapel.     "You will. It doesn't matter how strong you are. How tough you seem to be. You will shatter, just like everything else."     It's only a few hits after she speaks that Pride loses consciousness- as Caroline would define it, utterly defeated, though individual definitions may vary. It's a certain sense of fitting, and the message is, hopefully, sent.     Hand gripping Pride's throat, Caroline drags her across the street, and onto the grounds of the church, towards the chapel if need be. 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     The Shadow was moving to assist Caroline -- but holds back when it becomes clear the assistance isn't required. Instead, the dark figure stalks over to one of the cultists, pulling him up by the collar of his robe and lifting him off the ground, heedless of the bullet hole in his shoulder. "TALK. What did you do? Why are you doing this? Who leads you?" Sapphire blue eyes blaze into the Cultist's, filling his world with the impossibility of lying or refusing to answer. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' Beaten, battered, and broken Pride is a limp doll within Caroline?s hands. No more resistance or wit tossed about. So when Caroline hits the hallowed ground it may puzzle her that dragging the demon in proves to be complicated. It is like pulling something through a wall of gooey taffy, only requiring all her amazing strength. The will of this demon and how tightly it clings is shown in this way. And it takes a good solid tug before the body falls through with her. As it does a purple cloud is left on the boundary of holy ground. It sits like mist before being dispersed by the wind. And that wind is one again cold. The unusual heat vanishing as winter reasserts her authority on the thrashed streets. A slow and superior smirk spreads on the cultists face as Natasha shakes him. "Our lord and master will have his daughter back," He says in a gritty voice, eyes unfocused and almost drugged in their appearance. "Hail Sattanish, take my soul!" A tooth compartment. That is the sound Natasha hears. And it is evidently cyanide suicide capsule. The man begins to froth and convulse, that superior smile on his face as he dies. Police have blocked off the street on both ends. Ambulances have arrived as well as animal control. "Ma'am! Put the man down," A cop says, fear trembling his voice, as he aims a gun at the Shadow. 

:'''{{#var:1429|Caroline Ramsey (1429)}} has posed:'''     Caroline would normally transport what remained after the demon was gone to the hospital, but admittedly, she's normally not there when the police arrive. She leaves the girl, therefore, in the capable hands of the authorities, as it's likely better that way. As well, she has a few people that she can speak to in regards to who or what Satannish or the cultists are... So she has no reason to linger.     Caroline Ramsey will be gone by the time the police reach the church, having pulled a Gothamite and taken to the rooftops by means of ice-chain. As is the usual respect, Caroline does not assume that the Shadow does not also have a way to escape the police. 

:'''{{#var:1092|Natasha Cranston (1092)}} has posed:'''     The limp body drops to the ground as the Shadow releases it and turns their head to regard the cop, giving him a brief impression of a red scarf between the black coat and hat before those blazing blue eyes bore into him across the distance, laying his soul and all his sins bare for a brief instant -- and then he blinks, and the Shadow is gone, leaving only a sinister chuckle to echo off the walls.     Some time later and a few blocks away, Benny doesn't even look up as he hears the passenger door open and close. "Drive," comes the command, and Benny obediently floors it.     "Problem solved, Boss?" he asks, taking a smooth left turn while Natasha removes her hat and scarf.     "Solved? Probably not. But at least now I have some answers."     Now, The Shadow Knows. 

:'''{{#var:1618|Vicky (1618)}} has posed:''' A couple blocks of queens have sustained a lot of cosmetic and some structural damage. Some were injured, but this time the only lives lost were the cultists. And to a one they killed themselves, a whispered name on many lips, "Satannish!" 
}}

3647/Highway Robbery - Ancient China style

2018-01-14T07:16:44Z

Shadowlite: An armored truck is hijacked by mutant mercenaries

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2018/01/13
|Location=A road, outside New York
|Synopsis=Shadowlite and Juggernaut take a job to hijack an armored truck with some really fancy mercenaries guarding it. Wonder Woman shows up. Chaos ensues.
|Thanks=Selene, for GMing!
|Cast of Characters=314, 282, 1595, 42
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:314|Selene Gallio (314)}} has posed:''' A particular tech company was hiring out a third-party security firm to transfer some goods. These goods were so particularly special they didn't even trust their own company to process them. Each security guard carries some pretty high-end tech, a suit of body armor that is designed to withstand some pretty heavy hits (not meta hits, but assault rifle fair). The transfer of goods had been a success, and now they were driving them in a big box truck down the city streets of New York. Amongst the overall goods were old things, hundreds of years old, from China. The woman who hired Juggernaut and Shadowlite indicated she would pay them handsomely for the old things. The security, itself, could be pilfered as much as they liked and there was plenty to like. Lots of things that could be used, or at least sold on the black market to other villainy sorts all around the world. Lots of high tech weapons, armor, and even the box truck itself might have some special setup. Though, they can only sell what isn't destroyed. The box truck is headed on a course to get them out of New York City. And once they can get to upstate they'll have free range to their off-site storage facility. Selene didn't make any comment about where or when to stop this truck, just that whatever was on it. She wanted. And if they got it to her, she'd pay them in a huge bounty. 

:'''{{#var:282|Juggernaut (282)}} has posed:''' Having the route the truck is going to take, the Juggernaut set up at a certain spot to wait with the rest of the team that was hired. In this case, a single guy he's never worked with before. He's sitting behind a billboard, resting his helmeted head back against it as he waits for them to arrive, idly flicking rocks off into the distance with one oversized hand. "The waiting part is always so damn boring." He glances over at the darkly dressed merc. "So, you been in this whole thing for long?" He suddenly sits up, cocking his head. "Well, that sounds like more than just a car. That them?" He raises to his feet, walking to the edge of the sign then peering around to check what's approaching. Yep. Looks like their guys. "Alright then. I'm gonna do my thing, you get into the truck while they're focused on me." Cracking his massive knuckles, he quickly makes his way into the middle of the road, waiting for the approaching truck. He holds up a hand in a 'stop' gesture, waiting for them to comply. Might as well give them a chance to make this all easy. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' Technically, Shadowlite is hiding up in a nearby tree, but he can hear Juggernaut just fine from there. A baritoned voice is under a voice scrambler that replies though, as his legswings idly back and forth, Shadowlite relaxing against the trunk. "I'm hurt. *HURT*. That you haven't heard of me, big guy. I've been doing this sort of thing for almost a decade now. Granted, I've never done a high profile hijack like this before." Shadowlite looks in the direction of the truck now, his augmented reality goggles giving him the essentials immediately: speed of the truck, immediate life signs, and highlighting potential weapons. All of this is done via the programs in the wrist-comp on his right forearm. "If that isn't it, I'll eat my suit. I'll do you the courtesy of setting only the truck itself into pitch black. Keep to the front, and you'll be able to see." Then, when Juggernaut steps out onto the road, Shadowlite slides down over the tree branch and does a flip down behind the tree proper, getting out one silenced pistol as he waits for the fireworks to start... his left hand free to throw around Darkforce. He keeps silent and stealthy, waiting for the moment. 

:'''{{#var:42|Diana Prince (42)}} has posed:''' Someone talked. They always do, right? Someone along the line of communication within all the parties involved in this heist, had to go and spill the beans. Maybe they were drunk. Maybe they were trying to impress someone. Maybe they got pinched! Who knows, but what was known? The Justice League found out. From the heart of the city a screaching of alien-technology-powered engines ripped through the sky toward the outer-lying areas. Though the engines were a whistling sound, they couldn't be placed in the sky... there was no visible sign of anything being propelled even if the sound could be heard bouncing off of the ground below. It was drawing ever closer by the second. 

:'''{{#var:314|Selene Gallio (314)}} has posed:''' The truck's driver certainly notices Juggernaut. They are professionals, and the first thing that they do is send out a radio call. Wanting to alert authorities that they will be under attack soon. Not that the authorities are close enough to get there quickly, but if they can delay long enough... help should arrive. With a simple button part of the box on the truck collapses, and then a turret is raised up from the back. The whine of the automatic weapon is loud, piercing the air for miles, just as it warms up. Bullets are soon to follow, and each one carries with it enough force to derail a train, little blue streaks of energy come along with the bullets which when they hit disperses out as some kind of stunning electrical charge effect. The driver speeds up, but will attempt to go around Juggernaut, if possible. With Shadowlite's goggles, he can see there's a person inside of the gunner seat, two up in the driver's seat. And about 5 more on the inside, already ready for what's coming next. They each have guns that fire similar bullets, high-tech stuff - at least decently. Lesser villains probably would be decimated by these guns, and they all put on some kind of goggles themselves. The word that Diana got came from Gregory. He had tipped off some broad about these artifacts he was helping to import. Apparently she always wanted to keep an ear on the ground for Chinese artifacts of particular kinds. Some kind of material they unearthed with them was important, and all of it was going off to be studied by some legit tech company to see if any of the artifacts were alien tech - since they were giving off some bizarre energy readings. Poor Gregory soon passed out after spilling those beans - his payment paid for a lot of vodka. 

:'''{{#var:282|Juggernaut (282)}} has posed:''' The sound of the approaching vehcile in the sky makes Juggernaut cock his head briefly to the side, peering into the sky and trying to approach it. Hmmm. Well, maybe it's not connected. Then he sees the turret deploying from the truck, and breaks into a run forward towards the vehicle. He doesn't really make any effort to avoid the shots, and they don't seem to slow him down any when they ricochet off of him. He speeds up as he moves towards the vehicle, angling to intercept it if it tries to swerve around him. If he succeeds in catching it, he slams into the front and hooks his arms under the front of it, lifting the cab into the air. He can't see how many people are inside the vehicle, and probably wouldn't care if he did. He grabs the axle for one pair of wheels, and forcibly rips it off before tossing it aside, then steps back and lets the vehicle drop to the ground before grbabing at the turret of the gun, trying to squeeze it closed. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' As vehicle and unstoppable force try to avoid and smash respectively, Shadowlite sighs, "You'd think they'd learn..." Shadowlite muses to himself, before he reaches out with his left hand from his hiding spot. A black mist flows off of it like an aura as Shadowlite summons a reinforced sheet of Darkforce in the direction the truck tries to go, the sheet itself imbued with the properties of the hardest titanium as it 'flows' over the Darkforce dimensional barrier and into their own... effectively forcing it right into Juggernaut. Shadowlite himself? He keeps out of the way still, and ignores the engines. If he needs to dodge, a portal aperture across the way will get him out of the way. 

:'''{{#var:42|Diana Prince (42)}} has posed:''' Whatever was making those high pitched whistling noises in the sky... soared on over head and never made an appearance... But a moment later a figure free-fell from the sky and landed similarly in the center of the road ahead as Juggernaut had appeared in front of the vehicle moments before! With shimmering shield in left hand and her right grasping the golden glowing coil of rope in her right, Wonder Woman stood straight and peered over the edge of her shield. 'You would think they would learn...' She thought to herself. The golden glowing lasso was spun loose around and above her body, she whirled it fiercely through the air and it hummed/growled loudly! She was clearly seeking the attention of the attackers! 

:'''{{#var:314|Selene Gallio (314)}} has posed:''' Between a darkforce barrier and a big man, the driver swerves to avoid the large darkness mist that suddenly just appeared and puts themselves within reach of the Juggernaut. And the truck -was- more durable than most and took a bit more effort to tear off the front axle than any other box truck that Juggernaut's ever attacked, of which there are likely plenty. The gunner is automatically ejected as the turret explodes from having the barrel closed up, and he is sent into the sky in a torrent of jets as his seat takes him airborne. Another one of those goes off right behind Juggernaut, as the pilot himself ejects as well from the truck. And then rolling out from the sides, from hatches below the truck, come the others. They start to shoot from their Assault Rifles similar ammunition as to what was in the turret, except two of them. They shoot these thick titanium alloy cables, hoping to wrap them around Juggernaut's entire body, when they press buttons on their guns the cable ejects and swings around the big man. They will wrap, if unhindered, a dozen or so times, attempting to halt the movements of the Juggernaut moving about their truck. But with that, they see the woman drop down onto the road a bit ahead. And there's some murmuring on the radio as they start to back away, one of them currently has on a cylinder backpack. 

:'''{{#var:282|Juggernaut (282)}} has posed:''' Well. He's not surprised the vehicle is tough. Most don't have built in assault turrets either. He ignores the ejection of the pilot and gunner, turning his attention towards the men that exited the vehicle. He ignores the bullets like he did the larger ones, but grunts in annoyance when they fire the bolo-like cables at him. They wrap around his powerful frame, and he just stares at them for a time. "Really, guys? You think that's gonna help?" And he strains against the cables briefly, snapping them from around him. Then he hears an impact behind him, and turns to see what it was. On spotting Wonder Woman, one of his brows raise as he considers the world famous Amazon. "Hmmm. I know you." He crosses his arms while he thinks, then finally snaps the fingers of one big hand. "I know! You're the Armored Swimsuit." Yes, it does seem like he is intentionally mocking her rather than mistaking her with somebody else. "Shouldn't you be off foiling a crime at a photo shoot or something? I'm kind of busy here." 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' Oh, that's some juicy weaponry... and most of it is aimed in another direction! Wonderful. Shadowlite concentrates for a moment, and a misty blackness forms over his Darkforce suit... turning the younger mutant mercenary into a walking tank. With that, he reaches out with his left hand, and bolts of blunt concussive Darkforce launch out of an aperture at his palm at the guns with precision, at first. If any of the guns remain in goon hands after the initial volley, he just starts to rapid fire at them instead. These aren't bullets, but sledgehammers. Body armor can stop the kinetic energy of a bullet, but diffuse a hammer blow over a person, and they get knocked on their ass. 

:'''{{#var:42|Diana Prince (42)}} has posed:''' The machine guns were watched, the destruction survey... but Wonder Woman could do little about any of that at this stage, her goal was on the biggest threat she saw in the form of the Juggernaut. Diana was invulnerable to a lot of damage, and jokes were included in this. She continued to whirl the lasso around while Juggernaut observed her and spoke. She took a step forward then toward him. "The photo-shoot is not for another hour and a half." Diana said back at him then before she snapped her wrist and sent the unbreakable golden rope out toward Juggernaut's torso intending to wrap it around him! She followed this by leaping up into the air with her shield held at her side! 

:'''{{#var:314|Selene Gallio (314)}} has posed:''' These are elite mercenary soldiers, not goons. Still, they are taken by surprise and 3 of them are hit, guns being sent off in one direction, the security guards being sent of in a complete other. One of the two remaining turns and dives behind a tree for cover, hunkering down, while the one with the package on his back kneels backwards and holds up an arm. Unraveling from his armor is a shield of some durable composite, enough that when hit by the dark force bolts he's slide back but not fully knocked on his ass. Slinging his assault rifle over his shoulder, he pulls a combat knife off of his belt and presses a button at the top. That same blue energy starts to ripple over the knife as he charges toward Shadowlite - shield up. The other two are completely forgotten about at this point, seeing as The Juggernaut is immune to their weapons, and Wonder Woman doesn't pose a threat. The focus for the guards, now, is Shadowlite, and they've quickly lost more than half their remaining number. 

:'''{{#var:282|Juggernaut (282)}} has posed:''' The crimson-cladd mercenary smirks a little. "Oh? Guess you're gonna be missing it, unless you leave now." But... nope! Apparently she doesn't. He sees her starting to throw something at him, and begins to back up. Then the unbreakable rope is around his torso and he grunts, straining against it while still moving backwards. "The hell? What is this thing made of?" He grabs the rope in front of him with both hands, trying to yank back as hard as he can. Which is pretty high up there as far as strength goes. He glances over his shoulder to see what's going on with his current partner and the other people in the group. "You gonna be able to cut it there, Shades? Or do I need to give you a hand while I'm dealing with this one?" 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' "Really? A knife? You're joking." Shadowlite then turns his hand around, and a misty drifts off his arm again as he forms an elastic Darkforce tendril -a set of them, actually- and whips it around, the sheer number of them making it almost impossible to dodge up or down as he wraps them around the charging man, trying to throw the man clear around over to Juggernauts side, "I think I can handle this, though I think this guy wants to get into melee. Here, catch." Shadowlite tries to whip him around to offer a clothesline opportunity for Juggernaut. The other one can wait for two seconds. 

:'''{{#var:42|Diana Prince (42)}} has posed:''' Diana didn't reply to the man's words, she was too busy trying to stop him. With the lasso successfully around him she was more concerned with trying to remove him from the scene. She could tell the man was stronger than most, the evidence on the scene unfolding made that quite clear. When she pulled on the lasso, he resisted and tugged back. This yanked the woman from the sky and brought her back down onto her armored boots about ten feet from where he was. "What is your name?" Diana commanded him with the rope around him. "Who are your working for?" She added with strain in her voice as she was trying to keep the rope taught around the hefty enemy. 

:'''{{#var:314|Selene Gallio (314)}} has posed:''' Being tossed is easy. And getting away from the shadowmancer just sort of helps his cause. But, getting closer to the Juggernaut does not, at all, in the least. The rope would have snagged the man had Juggernaut pulled it and the woman of wonder down from the sky. So, instead the security guard lands hard on the ground only a few feet away from the heavy hitters, groaning on the ground. The other security guard, on the other hand is already moving, heading to another bit of cover and turning to shoot his super-tech bullets right at Shadowlite. These things, again, each one of them, punches into whatever it hits and explodes out in a ripple of electricity and enough force to knock over a train. These guys are pretty good shots, they just were completely ineffective against The Juggernaut. Now it's time to try shooting the shadow. 

:'''{{#var:282|Juggernaut (282)}} has posed:''' Withe the rope taut, Cains inexoerable backwards march drags her booted feet across the pavement, or possibly digs furrows into it depending on whether she digs in her heels. He growls as he continues to struggly to remove the rope, glaring at her when she asks her questions. "I' 

:'''{{#var:282|Juggernaut (282)}} has posed:''' Withe the rope taut, Cains inexoerable backwards march drags her booted feet across the pavement, or possibly digs furrows into it depending on whether she digs in her heels. He growls as he continues to struggly to remove the rope, glaring at her when she asks her questions. "I'm the unstoppable Juggernaut! And I was hired by none of your damn business!" He abruptly reverses directions, starting to charge forward instead. Hoping to catch her off-guard enough for the rope to go slack and be somewhat easier to remove. And also tryingo to close the distance, lowering his head and trying to tackle the Amazon Princess with all his massive ten foot bulk. He's ignoring the fight between the others at this point focused on Diana. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' With the man away from him, Shadowlite dissolves the tentacles... only to suddenly come under fire from the one with the package. Not completely unexpected, and Shadowlite starts to dive and weave, barely managing to keep just ahead of the initial volley from being prepared, though a few rounds to manage to graze his armor and bounce off, forcing noticable pained grunts. That's gonna bruise. Then, Shadowlite forms his black disk and aperture combo, flipping from the side onto it and strapping himself in. Shadowlite takes to the sky, before he summons a bubble of pitch black around the man in cover in a fourty foot radius, rendering him completely blind to light based sight, before he returns fire with a hail of Darkforce bullets, hoping to knock him out or kill him. "Lostie, keep an eye on Armored Swimsuit and let me know if she heads this way." In his head, the lost one replies, 'Of course, Michael.' That much exertion in a short time has him sweating just slightly. Yes, Shadowlite is totally copying Juggernaut. Shamelessly. 

:'''{{#var:42|Diana Prince (42)}} has posed:''' The lasso would go slack when the unstoppable Juggernaut made his charge toward the comparitively much smaller Amazonian Warrior, but he wouldn't be able to so easily barrel right over her (or so she hoped)! When he charged her she narrowed her eyes and planted her armored boots on the pavement then swept her shield up in front of her an held it out like a metalic wall for him to bull himself into and she'd BASH it at his head and body hoping to deflect him backward while keeping herself steadily planted in her place! 

:'''{{#var:282|Juggernaut (282)}} has posed:''' It could be a good plan in most cases. But, Wonder Woman apparently doesn't know much about the Juggernaut. The embodiment of brute physical force, he's literally unstoppable once he starts moving. He grunts as she bashes at him with her shield, but it doesn't even slow his charge in any noticeable way, just justles him back and forth some. Instead, he hits her with the force of a moving train and tries to knock her back in turn, attempting to plant a fist in her side in the process. Keeping her busy while Shadowlite finishes up and gets out with the payload seems to be his job at the moment. 

:'''{{#var:314|Selene Gallio (314)}} has posed:''' With the bullets coming out toward Shadowlite the elite soldier is backing up, firing, backing up, and firing. Then the shadowmancer leaps to the sky and starts hailing darkforce blasts down upon him without a worry. The guard was not prepared for that, but he turns quickly and starts to run. Unfortunately he's snagged by more than one of those darkforce bolts. Death might be an end result, but the armor they have on is pretty durable and very advanced. It's meant to keep them safe from some of the meta attacks, just not the mega-meta attacks that exist. Definitely unconscious, at least, the guard with the package is downed, and no one seems to be remaining. Those that ejected will be miles away and no where near capable of returning to the site. Though, off in the nearish distance a swarm of attack helicopters appears on the horizon... still minutes away, but quickly approaching. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' Shadowlite won't even take half a minute. First, he reaches out with his left hand, created an animated tendril that Shadowlite perfectly uses to start to grab all the soldiers and their gear. Whatever he can salvage. This stuff has to be worth thousands on the black market, along with the payday... not to mention what he can use for himself. Since Shadowlite can fly up to 500mph, it doesn't take more than twenty seconds for him to do so... and since Wonder Woman is busy with Juggernaut, he's free and clear to then open a portal aperture, black arcing lightning going off in and around the black hole being formed, creating a Darkforce net around everyone and everything, and tossing everything right through. Gear and package secured in the warehouse at the other end, "We're done, here. You can get through, Armored Swimsuit can't." With that, Shadowlite flies into the Darkforce aperture... a one way portal escape. 

:'''{{#var:42|Diana Prince (42)}} has posed:''' Diana Prince hadn't ever heard of the Juggernaut before, so understanding what his powers were capable of was something of a learning process for her unfortuantely in this instance. When he collided with her and her shield it was used to plant against him... She was shoved back on her feet against the pavement and then his punch to her side came, but he was a pretty huge beastly thing and his body motions were easily seen by the Amazon! Using his momentum, and her shield, Diana launched up against his body like he was a ramp and the shield were a sled! She shot up high into the air whipped the golden lasso up and around her body. Floating a good twenty feet up in the sky now, she swept her eyes around and over toward where Shades was speaking. 

:'''{{#var:314|Selene Gallio (314)}} has posed:''' Whatever tech the folks have, some of it registers the portal. The people inside the armor don't seem to budge. The armor itself gets pulled from them leaving them in some kind of full bodysuit type clothing. They stay on the ground where they were, some kind of anti-teleportation type technology. Shadowlite is off at this point and in another place with most of the tech that had been used in this situation. The guns, the armor, and the package... though with Wonder Woman now overlooking the situation it might not be safe to come back to pick up the guards. That, and well, there's a few attack commanche helicopters coming in... and they do look like they are packing some missiles. 

:'''{{#var:282|Juggernaut (282)}} has posed:''' Well, she's definetly agile. And she seems stronger than.... well, most people he's ever run into. And she can take a punch. He'll have to make sure to remember her. Swinging and missing against the Amazon Princess, Juggernaut glares up at her, clenching his fists. But, there's a job to do, so once the getaway portal is opened up he calls out, "I'll see you again! Next time you won't get off so easy!" Then he turns and steps through the darkforce portal to the distant warehouse. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' Coming through, Juggernaut and Shadowlite are both deposited into a New York warehouse that Shadowlite had scouted beforehand as abandoned, and hacked the feeds on the cameras to loop at this time. He's done this gig before, keeping messes from happening in the first place is the best way to make sure there's no cleanup needed. Once Shadowlite is clear of the portal, he flies just a bit off of it, and drops the black disk that allows him to 'fly'. Though he keeps the armor on, just in case. The gear and package themselves are haphazardly thrown around the room, guided through the dimensional tunnel by Shadowlites focus... same with the Juggernaut. Since Wonder Woman is not on the invited list, if she tries to jump in, she'll only learn that she's floating in another dimension... and the currents of Darkforce do not funnel her to the other side, making her forever lost unless she is rescued by another Darkforce user. Shadowlite, he starts to examine the haul until Juggernaut pops through, "Well, that's was all definitely new. I'm used to low key operations, but the payoff for this one better be worth it." 

:'''{{#var:42|Diana Prince (42)}} has posed:''' An extremely strong brawler, a man with... dimensional portals... Who were these people? Diana, still hovering high above the surface of the road put her right hand up beneath her black hair and pressed her comm unit on the side of her ear. "We need to find out all information on someone referring to themself as the Juggernaut." She said in her Greek accented voice to whomever wa son the other side of the comms. While speaking, the Amazonian Warrior started to glide back down to the street where she near-silently touched down upon it, her golden lasso was wrapped around her and it was active and shining.. she started to unravel it from around her and coil it back up with her shield-hand. Her eyes went over to the people who remained, those that were with whatever it is that was just stolen. 

:'''{{#var:314|Selene Gallio (314)}} has posed:''' At least Diana kept the guards from dying. If Juggernaut and Shadowlite had been left to their own machinations, then there'd be dead people at this scene when the authorities showed up. Although Wonder Woman didn't stop the heist, she managed to stop the bloodbath. And met a new opponent of considerable strength. That said, there are people injured here who need help. Many of them are groaning, the last one with the package is particularly bad off and probably needs help sooner rather than later. 

:'''{{#var:282|Juggernaut (282)}} has posed:''' Juggernaut wouldn't have set killed the guards for no reason. Though he wouldn't have made any efforts to keep them alive either. Once in the warehouse, he crosses his arms over his chest and glances around. "Alright, where is she? I want to get paid and get out of here." He doesn't seem like he wants to linger around too long and bond with his new associated. "Gonna kick that rope ladies ass next time I see her..." 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' As Juggernaut comes through, the aperture closes, cutting them off from the road completely. "I only just smashed reality to get here and double checked to confirm we had everything." Shadowlite offers in explanation, that flowing Darkforce armor visible in the warehouse light. Then, he walks over to the radio on a crate nearby, clicking it three times in a pre-determined sequence... signalling for Selene that the job was done and the warehouse rally point was clear to enter. "Should be here soon." Then, he looks to Juggernaut, "Armored Swimsuit is called Wonder Woman. She's associated with the Justice League. You'll probably deal with their kryptonians next. Probably Power Boobs." Yes, he went there. 

:'''{{#var:314|Selene Gallio (314)}} has posed:''' Walking into the warehouse with a briefcase is Selene. The woman in black, and well, lots of black. Black hair, dark eyeliner, and very black high heels. She got the call from Shadowlite and it took her about 5 minutes to arrive. She must of been close, but not that close, and really doesn't care about time. "So, you have the package then?" Holding up the briefcase a bit she mentions, "Payment in cash. Though, I can offer you a lot more depending on whether or not you enjoy cash or other things." Waiting for a pause she smiles, "I can get you almost anything you desire, of equivalent worth of course. Gems, people, whatever." She sets the briefcase down on a nearby crate and starts toward the two gentleman, "Where is it?" 

:'''{{#var:282|Juggernaut (282)}} has posed:''' Juggernaut leans against a wall, crossing his arms over his chest and grunting. "I know what her name was. And if you mean who I think you do, I've already fought that other one. She was annoying to deal with too." He looks over at the door as their patron enters, eyeing the ancient vampire. "Yeah. We got the stuff. Cash is fine." Not like there was any specific hard to get things he particularly needed. He glances over at Shadowlite, letting him point out where he dumped the particular things that she wanted from all this. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' "It's all there." Shadowlite points at the package on the floor. "I'll take cash, useful technology or weapons. People? I'm pretty sure you can't offer what I'd be looking for, there." Shadowlite notes, before he goes to grab a cargo backpack he left off to the side, getting ready to grab the gear from the mercenaries. 

:'''{{#var:314|Selene Gallio (314)}} has posed:''' Not that Selene is known as an ancient vampire, or anything like that. After all, she looks like she's just past 20, in some instances she may very well still get carded for alcohol. "Assumption is the root of all failings." Selene offers to Shadowlite, and she waves a hand back at the briefcase, "Well, feel free to split the money then. Everything should be in there." And she walks over to the package on the floor and sighs, bending over to pick it up. Opening it she starts to sift through it before pulling out just one coin from what sounds like a multitude of coins. "Perfect." She turns it over in her hand a few times, "Excellent work." Then she stuffs that one coin into a small pocket on her black pants, and seals up the container and holds it there. "And, did they see you take all of the gear from the mercenaries?" 

:'''{{#var:282|Juggernaut (282)}} has posed:''' Cain watches Selene dig through the coins an extract a single one, a brow raising curiously at the sight. "So, you really went through all this just to get a coin? Why? What's so special about that thing?" He sraightens up, and moves over to take the briefcase, opening it and checking the contents. He counts out half of it, sitting it aside for Shadowlite, then keeps the briefcase himself. "And now that I think about it, what do you mean you could get us people? You offering to get us laid instead paying us or something?" He finally glancesat the pile of gear. "Well. Wonder Woman was there when we left so... yeah. I'd say they saw us take everything. Which'll make it harder to sell, I know." 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' "The mercenaries themselves and Wonder Woman did. I was going to take it all to a signal proof room and check it for trackers after this." Shadowlites replies, before he sits down on a create, "Alright, I'll bite. What people do you offer?" Shadowlite inquires, cautiously. "Because that sounds like slaves." Shadowlite seems to ignore the money for now... before he reaches out with his left hand, that black mist oozing off of it once more as an animated tendril reaches out and grabs the briefcase and brings it over next to Shadowlite, allowing him to start to count it out. 

:'''{{#var:314|Selene Gallio (314)}} has posed:''' When Cain walks over and grabs the briefcase, after a set of questions, she tilts her head to the side. "Just to get a coin. Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." She replies, though she grins slightly more when she learns that others saw them take everything. "Good. It could have only been done better by myself, bravo. And people? You are interested in people now? Not just cash. And yes, slaves. If you want one, I can arrange it. If you are trying to get laid, I can arrange that too. Though..." She looks to Juggernaut, "You do not seem very accommodating in that realm, but use it and toss it away if you must. There are always more people." 

:'''{{#var:282|Juggernaut (282)}} has posed:''' Cain eyes Selene at that. "Slaves. You're kind of messed up lady." At the comment about him being accomodateing he frowns and looks down at himself. "And what does THAT mean?" His voice grows take on a touch of irritation. He eyes the young looking woman up and down briefly in return. 

:'''{{#var:1595|Shadowlite (1595)}} has posed:''' "She just paid us to literally steal one coin, and you think she's normal?" Shadowlite quips, before he looks to Selene, "Seems like she's offering sex slaves and more, big guy. That strikes me as a recipe for trouble, though." Shadowlite notes, before he looks to Selene, "The money, and a refrence for a tech consultant willing to do work for mercenaries. I need some stuff reverse engineered, and some toys made for me." 

:'''{{#var:314|Selene Gallio (314)}} has posed:''' "Well, I will allow imaginations to run. And here I thought it was a compliment." Selene offers to The Juggernaut and she shrugs just a little, with a smile. "If you change your mind on the cash, let me know. Just do not spend it before then, fair is fair after all." Changing her eyes to look at Shadowlite she says, "I believe I know a weapons contractor. Should have someone they know who can do what you want. I will meet up with you later to introduce you. Just bring the money, people do not work for free." Turning she starts to walk back toward the exit, only a few steps away she turns back, "I hope you both are willing to work again soon, I may need you again." She is taking the entire package container that had more coins in it, but the one coin remains on her person instead of in the mix. "The rest of these are due someone else. Thank you again." 
}}

Shadowlite

2018-01-02T14:45:08Z

Shadowlite:

{{CharacterNew
|NameOnMUSH=Shadowlite
|Color=#333
|TextColor=#c1c1c1
|Char_id=1595
|Img=https://www.unitedheroesmush.com/images/2/24/Shadowlite.jpg
|FullName=Michael Hasvrac
|Gender=Male
|Species=Mutant
|Theme=Original
|Chartype=OC
|Active=Active
|Occupation=Mercenary
|Citizenship=US Citizen
|Residence=Gotham City
|Education=Private Mentors over the years
|Quote="If you want the good life, you need to take it with your own hands. People like Luthor just do it more subtle than I do."
|PAge=28
|AAge=28
|DOB=3 February 1996
|Height=5'11"
|Weight=145 lbs.
|Hair=Black or Blond
|Eyes=Violet
|Profile=Not much is known about the man calling himself Shadowlite. He keeps a low profile, and seems to be able to disappear without a trace as easily as he comes along. He seems to be able to manipulate a form of Darkforce, but no one has been able to pin him down long enough for any detail.
|Description=Shadowlite's entire body is sheathed in a black body suit, the only break in it bring the grey triangle visor at the front of his face. The suit doesn't give any real characteristics of the man, other than the distinct impression he's fit and fairly muscular... but nothing like a bodybuilder.
|History=Born into abject poverty amongst the downtrodden of New York, Michael had a roof over his head and abusive parents, but little else. Public school didn't agree with him, so his mother tried to home school; a fact that his father resented since it meant less alone time at home, and in general with his wife. Eventually, his parents goaded each other into a fight that had objects being thrown around... and one of them hit Michael... or almost did, if the Darkforce hadn't been called and wrapped around him like armor. Freaked out and finally united in their fear of their son, the boy who would become Shadowlite took to the shadows of the world, wearing a mask and getting into the underworld via contacts from his fathers friends. Eventually, he landed a solid, steady paying gig as a highly paid transporter for a super-crew that had heard about his exploits in the gang world. The mob wasn't too happy about losing one of their better couriers... but after quickly vacating his apartment, how were they going to find him? The ghosts (as they liked to call themselves) were interested in stealing from those who would not dare report the thefts... like Shadowlites former employer. Seeing the opportunity and the support it provided, Shadowlite and his new colleagues raided half the personal vaults of various mobs all over the countries, making new friends, contacts, and doing side gigs with contracts on occasion when the team was on the downlow. He learned a lot during this period, his quick learning and good memory making picking up the new skills along the way easy. People suspected superhuman involvement, but the thoroughness of their clean up jobs made it so directly reading the memories of the crew would solve where the money went. Eventually though, one of the team slipped up... bringing down a corrupt police force on the others, and superhuman mercenaries. Not having a clue where the others went, Shadowlite simply vanished into the night and laid low for about a year, going 'on vacation' and keeping low key as he assumed a new identity and waited for the heat to die down and his team to resurface. They never did. With the beginnings of a network for an independent agent, Shadowlite decided to take his work a step further, investigating Darkforce related research... and found Dr. Henry Marksomov, a Russian scientist who had worked with previous Darkstars. Shadowlite wanted to get more out of his powers... and Henry wanted to live. Henry went to work with a dutiful Darkforce construct as his daily bodyguard, knowing that harming Shadowlite in any way meant the thing keeping him alive would smash him into a pulp. After weeks of trial and error, Shadowlite and Henry managed to isolate his unique frequency of Darkforce barrier crossings. Building a suit to take advantage of this knowledge, Shadowlite managed a suit that allowed him much easier control over both his own natural Darkforce power, and the portals he could create. With that act though, Henry had outlived his usefulnesss... yet Shadowlite kept his word. Instead of killing the scientist, he destroyed the mans research, keeping a copy for himself, and hired a telepath to eliminate the memories of the time the Doctor has spent with the young man. He lived, and Shadowlite got what he wanted. In the years since, Shadowlite has worked to build and maintain his network of contacts to allow himself to do as little work as possible, for as much gain as possible. The thrill of the job isn't what interests Shadowlite... it's the luxury his work allows for.
|Personality=An unashamed hedonist, Shadowlite is a known mutant mercenary. Typically working alone or in small groups, he's directly challenged mundane law enforcement only... and has never really challenged a superhero. Why should he? He's not getting paid to assasssinate them, and actively avoids contracts involving them. He's not altogether bloodthirsty, but he has no qualms about killing people, either. A quick learner with a near photographic memory, Shadowlite is probably capable of learning at a rapid pace... but considers it to be too much work for too little gain. Civilization didn't help him with his parents, after all... so why should he help it? Despite this philosophy though, he does occasionally help friends and colleagues, even if it's for favors only sometimes.
|Abilities='''DARKFORCE ARMOR''' By projecting a body molded portal aperture to himself, Shadowlite can seal himself into a Darkforce void armor. This armor doesn't so much block blows as absorb, redirect, or negate them... either into his surroundings, or distribution of the energy expended over the surface of it. A sufficiently powerful blow (something that can rend concentrated Titanium) can crack open this armor from sheer overload of energy within a few seconds. The specialized suit he wears makes it easier to have it 'cling' to him, allowing him to need less focus to keep it concentrated. If this suit is cracked open, Shadowlites concentration is disoriented briefly, and he will need the few seconds it takes to reform the armor to regain the benefit of it. '''DARKFORCE BOLTS''' By opening micro-aperture in front, on, and around his hands, Shadowlite is capable of firing bolts of Darkforce at targets within rifle distance... though at very questionable accuracy after a few city blocks woth of distance. 'Machinegunning' his aperture use takes intense focus and exhausts him quickly. He is capable of launching bolts the size of bullets, all the way up to soda bottles, without intense exertion. These bolts are capable of rending titanium and brick easily, rendering him capable of decimating buildings within minutes if he puts his mind to it. Against beings like Superman, his bolts sting, but don't do much physical damage. The real damage to invulnerable people is Shadowlite focusing on spreading Darkforce over his targets, slowing them down with each bolt like a net. '''DARKFORCE CONSTRUCTS''' Capable of forming small constructs fairly easily (melee weapons, buckets, sheets, etc.) that can have a variety of properties, depending on how much focus and interest Shadowlite has. Typically, he forms his weapons before any work or mission up to a titanium level of solidity, but he can also create elastic constructs. useful for makeshift rope or trampolines or nets. Creating larger constructs a city block or closer is a bit harder, but is doable, but usually not up to the qualities of titanium. Creating anything beyond that (miles) is impossible with the effort it requires to shape from that long a distance. Outside of these main uses, he can shape the constructs in any manner he desires, with as little solidity as to create a mist... up to solid walls to block bullets. '''DARKFORCE ENERGY SOURCE''' For whatever reason, Darkforce seems to be able to used as an energy source by modern technology, if channeled properly. He can near instantly power most technology by touch. Anything that requires immense amounts of power will usually take a minute of intense channeling. Remotely powering technology can take a few seconds longer... with technology requiring immense power needs taking tens of minutes... and he can't power anything beyond a city block. '''DARKFORCE FLIGHT''' By using a technique similiar to Static, Shadowlite manages to be capable of flight with a Darkforce sheet suspended over a portal as a platform. He himself doesn't fly using this technique... but he can use the platform to 'fly' subsonic, up to 500 MPH. He can use gear to deal with the wind, or a 'dome' of Darkforce. '''DARKFORCE LIFE DRAIN''' Shadowlite has been careful to use this power out of the public eye to keep on the downlow, but he isn't above using this on bystanders if he needs a quick health boost, in or out of a fight. Currently, he can envelop a single person in Darkforce to slowly heal himself back from near death over a few minutes. Transfers will kill the host after a minute of exposure. He can stop the process anytime before death... but even then, years of their life are eaten. This process cann be interrupted without killing the host being eaten, though the victim will be exhausted after. Another Darkforce user pulling the Darkforce eating the host off of them, or knocking Shadowlite himself out are the two main ways to stop it. This is a consent only ability for PCs. '''DARKFORCE LIGHT CONSUMPTION''' Like many Darkforce users, Shadowlite can use his powers to absorb all surrounding light and radiation. He can do this up to ten meters instantly and keep the area in darkness for up to a minute without focus... and given about twenty seconds and a continual focus, plunge up to 40 meters into darkness. This has many uses, including pitching the area into darkness, but this also means that he can drain any light energy directed at him, as long as he is prepared to absorb it. Due to his natural Darkforce powers, he also has the ability to see if in any kind of darkness. '''DARKFORCE RESISTANCE''' Shadowlite has had plenty of practice using Darkforce, and is filled with it himself. This gives him an inherent resistance to it being used as a weapon against him, or to influence him. This resistance extends to the intelligence whispering into his mind. '''DARKFORCE TRANSPORTATION''' Capable of both 'sliding' through shadow at roughly the speed of a sports car, and opening safe dimensional portal apertures through the Darkforce dimension. Traveling through shadow is easier and instant compared to portals, which take around 5-10 seconds to form depending on stress level. Portal apertures are capable of transporting Shadowlite *and* others safely across cities one way, with a short delay, but the passengers must be in close proximity, or lose the natural protection Shadowlite provides from being lost on the other side. Shadow 'sliding' is an extension of harnessing Darkness around him. He converts his body into Darkforce and treats all shadows in the area as a 'highway', with the dimensional boundary to the Darkforce Dimension as a 'road'. Anyone with dimensional boundary based powers capable of keeping track of matter along it can potential knock him off it and back into the 'real world'. '''LOST ONE POSSESSION''' Almost certainly unique to Shadowlite, he has the ability to 'hear' the semi-intelligence that suffuses Darkforce itself... and the resistance to keep it from controlling him, instead treating it as a dark advisor of current events. That resistance has it's drawbacks though; if he goes too far with it (usually hours of sustained use, or a few minutes of incredibly intense use) he temporarily goes insane, his worldview shifting to the whims of the Darkforce entity that speaks to him until his mutant resistance can fight off the 'infection', and bleeding Darkforce around him... becoming a very obvious corruptive force that passively destroys matter around himself. In this state, he is not in control of himself and is capable of sustained, intense use of Darkforce in his insanity, making him an incredibly dangerous force to fight. Beings like superman can keep him busy effectively, but it takes another Darkforce user shutting down his portals to keep him grounded enough for subduing to work. This could be minutes, or hours, depending on how pressured Shadowlite was beforehand for the presence to be force itself into his mind. The longer it goes on, the more exhausted Shadowlite is after. Shadowlite has no idea how long a big backlash would consume him for, having never gotten to that point yet. He can always tell when he's reaching 'saturation' and needs to stop. The entity itself calls itself "The lost one", and seeks to supplant itself onto Shadowlite in order to escape its' prison within the Darkforce. Each time it takes control -through force or negotiation- gives it a little more power to suppress Shadowlites mutant resistance... effectively giving it longer in Shadowlite as a host. Regardless of the method of control, The lost one being in control effectively allows the creature to regenerate Darkforce through a portal aperture very quickly. If left alone to focus on pulling Darkforce into this reality like this, The lost one effectively cuts the exhaustion period of intensive Darkforce use down to about half a minute, from about two minutes.
|Skills='''AGILE''' Shadowlite has had plenty of practice and learned from mentors in the art of deception, theft, and general legerdemain. He's also fairly acrobatic by necessity of his work. '''MARTIAL ARTIST''' Shadowlite is an expert in Arnis (using Darkforce crafted weapons) and Karate, training weekly enough to be able to deal with the majority of uninitiated opponents effectively. Against well trained opponents like Batman and Deathstroke, his martial art skill is more of a 'maybe get out of the way before they pummel me' card, more than anything. '''PROFICIENT IN FIREARMS''' A natural extension of his marksmanship with Darkforce bolts, Shadowlite has trained to proficiency with firearms as a backup. He's nowhere near the league of more prominent gun specialists like Deadshot or Red Hood, but he knows how to use, shoot, and maintain his guns. '''SELF-EDUCATED''' Self taught and capable of quick learning, Shadowlite has taken the time becoming an expert on explosive and organic chemistry. Explosives are generally useful in his line of work and in general... while organic chemistry is useful for how much life force one can take without killing their subjects, monitoring levels of Darkforce corruption in himself... among other things. He has also learned computer use and hacking over the years, both as a means of keeping himself off the radar via hacking into government databases and evidence rooms to disappear anything that can be used against him, and as a means of making his work easier to not accumulate said evidence.
|Resources='''DARKFORCE SENTIENCE''' Almost certainly unique to Shadowlite, he has the ability to 'hear' the semi-intelligence that suffuses Darkforce itself... and the resistance to keep it from controlling him, instead treating it as a dark advisor of current events. The exact nature of this entity is vague and unknown to Shadowlite... but he is fairly certain that the entity only helps him to influence him to go too far and force his body to give in, becoming a conduit of their/its' will for the short time it can. It is, therefore, in its' best interests to advise him properly... but *always* advocate using his power in some fashion, if possible. '''DARKFORCE SUIT''' Created by a dimensional scientist early in his career with some testing on and off the field, Shadowlites Darkforce suit is able to help him do more with less Darkforce, able to keep his Armor more solidly glues to his body, and preserve his identity in the middle of work '''PILES OF MONEY''' Despite being low key, Shadowlite has built up a respectful money nest (in the 100,000 range) if he has to suddenly 'retire' for a while. '''TECH STASH''' A skilled technologist, Shadowlite has some decent gear for a wide variety of low cost applications. Hacking? Decent laptops. Stakeout? Teleportation through the shadow and planting bugs and video cameras. Infiltration? Darkforce suit and a set of night vision goggles. '''UNDERWORLD CONTACTS''' Having operated in the dark places of the world for years, Shadowlite has an impressive network of contacts and potential employers. Someone who can get in and out of just about anywhere through shadow is always in demand as a getaway mutant, after all... if nothing else. Being a known quantity in the dark places of the world, and a thief/killer for hire. Anyone who asks in the right circles will find out about his history and the various jobs he's pulled off in the past. Reactions vary, obviously. '''WEAPONS STASH''' Preferring Darkforce based weapons for obvious reasons, Shadowlite keeps a small armory of melee and ranged weapons. Everything from escrima sticks to sniper rifles can be found in it.
|Weaknesses='''CONCENTRATION''' As with most mutants, Shadowlite needs to focus -even if minimally- to conjure up his abilities. Most constructs can remain in our world without much effort (timing out after five minutes unless specifically given a task to bind them to our world... before their energy runs out in a day) but anything huge (the size of whole floors) needs intense focus. Shadowlite cannot build constructs, then simply dump them as guardians; they have a days worth of staying power at best without him to recharge them. '''CRIMINAL''' He's a known quantity in the dark places of the world, and a thief/killer for hire. Anyone who asks in the right circles will find out about his history and the various jobs he's pulled off in the past. When found out by idealistic or law abiding citizens, it can be an obvious problem. No stranger to killing, Shadowlite has outstanding warrants in a number of countries and states. '''DARKFORCE BACKLASH''' Almost certainly unique to Shadowlite, he has the ability to 'hear' the semi-intelligence that suffuses Darkforce itself... and the resistance to keep it from controlling him, instead treating it as a dark advisor of current events. That resistance has it's drawbacks though; if he goes too far with it (usually hours of sustained use, or a few minutes of incredibly intense use) he temporarily goes insane, his worldview shifting to the whims of the Darkforce entity that speaks to him until his mutant resistance can fight off the 'infection', and bleeding Darkforce around him... becoming a very obvious corruptive force that passively destroys matter around himself. In this state, he is not in control of himself and is capable of sustained, intense use of Darkforce in his insanity, making him an incredibly dangerous force to fight. Beings like superman can keep him busy effectively, but it takes another Darkforce user shutting down his portals to keep him grounded enough for subduing to work. This could be minutes, or hours, depending on how pressured Shadowlite was beforehand for the presence to be force itself into his mind. The longer it goes on, the more exhausted Shadowlite is after. Shadowlite has no idea how long a big backlash would consume him for, having never gotten to that point yet. He can always tell when he's reaching 'saturation' and needs to stop. The entity itself calls itself "The lost one", and seeks to supplant itself onto Shadowlite in order to escape its' prison within the Darkforce. Each time it takes control -through force or negotiation- gives it a little more power to suppress Shadowlites mutant resistance... effectively giving it longer in Shadowlite as a host. '''FAMILY''' His family has no idea where he is, or what he's up to. If they ever found out about him, he might abandon them... he might come after them. Lucky for him, that hasn't happened so far. '''LAZY''' There's a reason Shadowlite isn't one of the more famous names in the mutant community; he doesn't care. He wants the good life, maybe some good friends... maybe a lot of lovers. He'll fight for what's his, but idealism? Superheroes? That's what police are for (laugh). '''LIGHTFORCE BRITTLENESS''' Unique to Shadowlite, for reasons he has yet to discover, Lightforce tends to make his solid structures brittle. Concentrated blasts of Lightforce will anniliate his Darkforce constructs like tissue paper, including his armor. This applies to Darkforce constructs Shadowlite has summoned only, not portals. '''MAGIC''' Even being an expert in Darkforce use, Shadowlites power is still effectively the expert manipulation of an exotic matter. Any skilled sorcerer can bypass the material and deal with Shadowlite himself, whether bypassing the material proper, or attacking him directly. '''MENTAL ATTACKS''' Shadowlites power is the expert manipulation of physical matter. Matter which does nothing to resist mental attacks on himself. Any decent telepath can attempt to break his focus, or simply attack his mind. He is as resist as a mutant who mentally trains himself for focus can be. '''MORTAL''' Despite his powers and his training, Shadowlite is still mortal, with a body that responds to physical and mental stress the same as any other normal human. '''MUTANT''' Shadowlite is a criminal killer mutant, the very thing anti-mutant protesters march against, and the government wants to control. '''SECRET IDENTITY''' No one knows Shadowlites real name, and he likes to keep it that way so he doesn't have to deal with cops every other country.
}}

Shadowlite

2018-01-02T14:41:45Z

Shadowlite:

{{CharacterNew
|NameOnMUSH=Shadowlite
|Color=#333
|TextColor=#c1c1c1
|Char_id=1595
|Img=Shadowlite.jpg
|FullName=Michael Hasvrac
|Gender=Male
|Species=Mutant
|Theme=Original
|Chartype=OC
|Active=Active
|Occupation=Mercenary
|Citizenship=US Citizen
|Residence=Gotham City
|Education=Private Mentors over the years
|Quote="If you want the good life, you need to take it with your own hands. People like Luthor just do it more subtle than I do."
|PAge=28
|AAge=28
|DOB=3 February 1996
|Height=5'11"
|Weight=145 lbs.
|Hair=Black or Blond
|Eyes=Violet
|Profile=Not much is known about the man calling himself Shadowlite. He keeps a low profile, and seems to be able to disappear without a trace as easily as he comes along. He seems to be able to manipulate a form of Darkforce, but no one has been able to pin him down long enough for any detail.
|Description=Shadowlite's entire body is sheathed in a black body suit, the only break in it bring the grey triangle visor at the front of his face. The suit doesn't give any real characteristics of the man, other than the distinct impression he's fit and fairly muscular... but nothing like a bodybuilder.
|History=Born into abject poverty amongst the downtrodden of New York, Michael had a roof over his head and abusive parents, but little else. Public school didn't agree with him, so his mother tried to home school; a fact that his father resented since it meant less alone time at home, and in general with his wife. Eventually, his parents goaded each other into a fight that had objects being thrown around... and one of them hit Michael... or almost did, if the Darkforce hadn't been called and wrapped around him like armor. Freaked out and finally united in their fear of their son, the boy who would become Shadowlite took to the shadows of the world, wearing a mask and getting into the underworld via contacts from his fathers friends. Eventually, he landed a solid, steady paying gig as a highly paid transporter for a super-crew that had heard about his exploits in the gang world. The mob wasn't too happy about losing one of their better couriers... but after quickly vacating his apartment, how were they going to find him? The ghosts (as they liked to call themselves) were interested in stealing from those who would not dare report the thefts... like Shadowlites former employer. Seeing the opportunity and the support it provided, Shadowlite and his new colleagues raided half the personal vaults of various mobs all over the countries, making new friends, contacts, and doing side gigs with contracts on occasion when the team was on the downlow. He learned a lot during this period, his quick learning and good memory making picking up the new skills along the way easy. People suspected superhuman involvement, but the thoroughness of their clean up jobs made it so directly reading the memories of the crew would solve where the money went. Eventually though, one of the team slipped up... bringing down a corrupt police force on the others, and superhuman mercenaries. Not having a clue where the others went, Shadowlite simply vanished into the night and laid low for about a year, going 'on vacation' and keeping low key as he assumed a new identity and waited for the heat to die down and his team to resurface. They never did. With the beginnings of a network for an independent agent, Shadowlite decided to take his work a step further, investigating Darkforce related research... and found Dr. Henry Marksomov, a Russian scientist who had worked with previous Darkstars. Shadowlite wanted to get more out of his powers... and Henry wanted to live. Henry went to work with a dutiful Darkforce construct as his daily bodyguard, knowing that harming Shadowlite in any way meant the thing keeping him alive would smash him into a pulp. After weeks of trial and error, Shadowlite and Henry managed to isolate his unique frequency of Darkforce barrier crossings. Building a suit to take advantage of this knowledge, Shadowlite managed a suit that allowed him much easier control over both his own natural Darkforce power, and the portals he could create. With that act though, Henry had outlived his usefulnesss... yet Shadowlite kept his word. Instead of killing the scientist, he destroyed the mans research, keeping a copy for himself, and hired a telepath to eliminate the memories of the time the Doctor has spent with the young man. He lived, and Shadowlite got what he wanted. In the years since, Shadowlite has worked to build and maintain his network of contacts to allow himself to do as little work as possible, for as much gain as possible. The thrill of the job isn't what interests Shadowlite... it's the luxury his work allows for.
|Personality=An unashamed hedonist, Shadowlite is a known mutant mercenary. Typically working alone or in small groups, he's directly challenged mundane law enforcement only... and has never really challenged a superhero. Why should he? He's not getting paid to assasssinate them, and actively avoids contracts involving them. He's not altogether bloodthirsty, but he has no qualms about killing people, either. A quick learner with a near photographic memory, Shadowlite is probably capable of learning at a rapid pace... but considers it to be too much work for too little gain. Civilization didn't help him with his parents, after all... so why should he help it? Despite this philosophy though, he does occasionally help friends and colleagues, even if it's for favors only sometimes.
|Abilities='''DARKFORCE ARMOR''' By projecting a body molded portal aperture to himself, Shadowlite can seal himself into a Darkforce void armor. This armor doesn't so much block blows as absorb, redirect, or negate them... either into his surroundings, or distribution of the energy expended over the surface of it. A sufficiently powerful blow (something that can rend concentrated Titanium) can crack open this armor from sheer overload of energy within a few seconds. The specialized suit he wears makes it easier to have it 'cling' to him, allowing him to need less focus to keep it concentrated. If this suit is cracked open, Shadowlites concentration is disoriented briefly, and he will need the few seconds it takes to reform the armor to regain the benefit of it. '''DARKFORCE BOLTS''' By opening micro-aperture in front, on, and around his hands, Shadowlite is capable of firing bolts of Darkforce at targets within rifle distance... though at very questionable accuracy after a few city blocks woth of distance. 'Machinegunning' his aperture use takes intense focus and exhausts him quickly. He is capable of launching bolts the size of bullets, all the way up to soda bottles, without intense exertion. These bolts are capable of rending titanium and brick easily, rendering him capable of decimating buildings within minutes if he puts his mind to it. Against beings like Superman, his bolts sting, but don't do much physical damage. The real damage to invulnerable people is Shadowlite focusing on spreading Darkforce over his targets, slowing them down with each bolt like a net. '''DARKFORCE CONSTRUCTS''' Capable of forming small constructs fairly easily (melee weapons, buckets, sheets, etc.) that can have a variety of properties, depending on how much focus and interest Shadowlite has. Typically, he forms his weapons before any work or mission up to a titanium level of solidity, but he can also create elastic constructs. useful for makeshift rope or trampolines or nets. Creating larger constructs a city block or closer is a bit harder, but is doable, but usually not up to the qualities of titanium. Creating anything beyond that (miles) is impossible with the effort it requires to shape from that long a distance. Outside of these main uses, he can shape the constructs in any manner he desires, with as little solidity as to create a mist... up to solid walls to block bullets. '''DARKFORCE ENERGY SOURCE''' For whatever reason, Darkforce seems to be able to used as an energy source by modern technology, if channeled properly. He can near instantly power most technology by touch. Anything that requires immense amounts of power will usually take a minute of intense channeling. Remotely powering technology can take a few seconds longer... with technology requiring immense power needs taking tens of minutes... and he can't power anything beyond a city block. '''DARKFORCE FLIGHT''' By using a technique similiar to Static, Shadowlite manages to be capable of flight with a Darkforce sheet suspended over a portal as a platform. He himself doesn't fly using this technique... but he can use the platform to 'fly' subsonic, up to 500 MPH. He can use gear to deal with the wind, or a 'dome' of Darkforce. '''DARKFORCE LIFE DRAIN''' Shadowlite has been careful to use this power out of the public eye to keep on the downlow, but he isn't above using this on bystanders if he needs a quick health boost, in or out of a fight. Currently, he can envelop a single person in Darkforce to slowly heal himself back from near death over a few minutes. Transfers will kill the host after a minute of exposure. He can stop the process anytime before death... but even then, years of their life are eaten. This process cann be interrupted without killing the host being eaten, though the victim will be exhausted after. Another Darkforce user pulling the Darkforce eating the host off of them, or knocking Shadowlite himself out are the two main ways to stop it. This is a consent only ability for PCs. '''DARKFORCE LIGHT CONSUMPTION''' Like many Darkforce users, Shadowlite can use his powers to absorb all surrounding light and radiation. He can do this up to ten meters instantly and keep the area in darkness for up to a minute without focus... and given about twenty seconds and a continual focus, plunge up to 40 meters into darkness. This has many uses, including pitching the area into darkness, but this also means that he can drain any light energy directed at him, as long as he is prepared to absorb it. Due to his natural Darkforce powers, he also has the ability to see if in any kind of darkness. '''DARKFORCE RESISTANCE''' Shadowlite has had plenty of practice using Darkforce, and is filled with it himself. This gives him an inherent resistance to it being used as a weapon against him, or to influence him. This resistance extends to the intelligence whispering into his mind. '''DARKFORCE TRANSPORTATION''' Capable of both 'sliding' through shadow at roughly the speed of a sports car, and opening safe dimensional portal apertures through the Darkforce dimension. Traveling through shadow is easier and instant compared to portals, which take around 5-10 seconds to form depending on stress level. Portal apertures are capable of transporting Shadowlite *and* others safely across cities one way, with a short delay, but the passengers must be in close proximity, or lose the natural protection Shadowlite provides from being lost on the other side. Shadow 'sliding' is an extension of harnessing Darkness around him. He converts his body into Darkforce and treats all shadows in the area as a 'highway', with the dimensional boundary to the Darkforce Dimension as a 'road'. Anyone with dimensional boundary based powers capable of keeping track of matter along it can potential knock him off it and back into the 'real world'. '''LOST ONE POSSESSION''' Almost certainly unique to Shadowlite, he has the ability to 'hear' the semi-intelligence that suffuses Darkforce itself... and the resistance to keep it from controlling him, instead treating it as a dark advisor of current events. That resistance has it's drawbacks though; if he goes too far with it (usually hours of sustained use, or a few minutes of incredibly intense use) he temporarily goes insane, his worldview shifting to the whims of the Darkforce entity that speaks to him until his mutant resistance can fight off the 'infection', and bleeding Darkforce around him... becoming a very obvious corruptive force that passively destroys matter around himself. In this state, he is not in control of himself and is capable of sustained, intense use of Darkforce in his insanity, making him an incredibly dangerous force to fight. Beings like superman can keep him busy effectively, but it takes another Darkforce user shutting down his portals to keep him grounded enough for subduing to work. This could be minutes, or hours, depending on how pressured Shadowlite was beforehand for the presence to be force itself into his mind. The longer it goes on, the more exhausted Shadowlite is after. Shadowlite has no idea how long a big backlash would consume him for, having never gotten to that point yet. He can always tell when he's reaching 'saturation' and needs to stop. The entity itself calls itself "The lost one", and seeks to supplant itself onto Shadowlite in order to escape its' prison within the Darkforce. Each time it takes control -through force or negotiation- gives it a little more power to suppress Shadowlites mutant resistance... effectively giving it longer in Shadowlite as a host. Regardless of the method of control, The lost one being in control effectively allows the creature to regenerate Darkforce through a portal aperture very quickly. If left alone to focus on pulling Darkforce into this reality like this, The lost one effectively cuts the exhaustion period of intensive Darkforce use down to about half a minute, from about two minutes.
|Skills='''AGILE''' Shadowlite has had plenty of practice and learned from mentors in the art of deception, theft, and general legerdemain. He's also fairly acrobatic by necessity of his work. '''MARTIAL ARTIST''' Shadowlite is an expert in Arnis (using Darkforce crafted weapons) and Karate, training weekly enough to be able to deal with the majority of uninitiated opponents effectively. Against well trained opponents like Batman and Deathstroke, his martial art skill is more of a 'maybe get out of the way before they pummel me' card, more than anything. '''PROFICIENT IN FIREARMS''' A natural extension of his marksmanship with Darkforce bolts, Shadowlite has trained to proficiency with firearms as a backup. He's nowhere near the league of more prominent gun specialists like Deadshot or Red Hood, but he knows how to use, shoot, and maintain his guns. '''SELF-EDUCATED''' Self taught and capable of quick learning, Shadowlite has taken the time becoming an expert on explosive and organic chemistry. Explosives are generally useful in his line of work and in general... while organic chemistry is useful for how much life force one can take without killing their subjects, monitoring levels of Darkforce corruption in himself... among other things. He has also learned computer use and hacking over the years, both as a means of keeping himself off the radar via hacking into government databases and evidence rooms to disappear anything that can be used against him, and as a means of making his work easier to not accumulate said evidence.
|Resources='''DARKFORCE SENTIENCE''' Almost certainly unique to Shadowlite, he has the ability to 'hear' the semi-intelligence that suffuses Darkforce itself... and the resistance to keep it from controlling him, instead treating it as a dark advisor of current events. The exact nature of this entity is vague and unknown to Shadowlite... but he is fairly certain that the entity only helps him to influence him to go too far and force his body to give in, becoming a conduit of their/its' will for the short time it can. It is, therefore, in its' best interests to advise him properly... but *always* advocate using his power in some fashion, if possible. '''DARKFORCE SUIT''' Created by a dimensional scientist early in his career with some testing on and off the field, Shadowlites Darkforce suit is able to help him do more with less Darkforce, able to keep his Armor more solidly glues to his body, and preserve his identity in the middle of work '''PILES OF MONEY''' Despite being low key, Shadowlite has built up a respectful money nest (in the 100,000 range) if he has to suddenly 'retire' for a while. '''TECH STASH''' A skilled technologist, Shadowlite has some decent gear for a wide variety of low cost applications. Hacking? Decent laptops. Stakeout? Teleportation through the shadow and planting bugs and video cameras. Infiltration? Darkforce suit and a set of night vision goggles. '''UNDERWORLD CONTACTS''' Having operated in the dark places of the world for years, Shadowlite has an impressive network of contacts and potential employers. Someone who can get in and out of just about anywhere through shadow is always in demand as a getaway mutant, after all... if nothing else. Being a known quantity in the dark places of the world, and a thief/killer for hire. Anyone who asks in the right circles will find out about his history and the various jobs he's pulled off in the past. Reactions vary, obviously. '''WEAPONS STASH''' Preferring Darkforce based weapons for obvious reasons, Shadowlite keeps a small armory of melee and ranged weapons. Everything from escrima sticks to sniper rifles can be found in it.
|Weaknesses='''CONCENTRATION''' As with most mutants, Shadowlite needs to focus -even if minimally- to conjure up his abilities. Most constructs can remain in our world without much effort (timing out after five minutes unless specifically given a task to bind them to our world... before their energy runs out in a day) but anything huge (the size of whole floors) needs intense focus. Shadowlite cannot build constructs, then simply dump them as guardians; they have a days worth of staying power at best without him to recharge them. '''CRIMINAL''' He's a known quantity in the dark places of the world, and a thief/killer for hire. Anyone who asks in the right circles will find out about his history and the various jobs he's pulled off in the past. When found out by idealistic or law abiding citizens, it can be an obvious problem. No stranger to killing, Shadowlite has outstanding warrants in a number of countries and states. '''DARKFORCE BACKLASH''' Almost certainly unique to Shadowlite, he has the ability to 'hear' the semi-intelligence that suffuses Darkforce itself... and the resistance to keep it from controlling him, instead treating it as a dark advisor of current events. That resistance has it's drawbacks though; if he goes too far with it (usually hours of sustained use, or a few minutes of incredibly intense use) he temporarily goes insane, his worldview shifting to the whims of the Darkforce entity that speaks to him until his mutant resistance can fight off the 'infection', and bleeding Darkforce around him... becoming a very obvious corruptive force that passively destroys matter around himself. In this state, he is not in control of himself and is capable of sustained, intense use of Darkforce in his insanity, making him an incredibly dangerous force to fight. Beings like superman can keep him busy effectively, but it takes another Darkforce user shutting down his portals to keep him grounded enough for subduing to work. This could be minutes, or hours, depending on how pressured Shadowlite was beforehand for the presence to be force itself into his mind. The longer it goes on, the more exhausted Shadowlite is after. Shadowlite has no idea how long a big backlash would consume him for, having never gotten to that point yet. He can always tell when he's reaching 'saturation' and needs to stop. The entity itself calls itself "The lost one", and seeks to supplant itself onto Shadowlite in order to escape its' prison within the Darkforce. Each time it takes control -through force or negotiation- gives it a little more power to suppress Shadowlites mutant resistance... effectively giving it longer in Shadowlite as a host. '''FAMILY''' His family has no idea where he is, or what he's up to. If they ever found out about him, he might abandon them... he might come after them. Lucky for him, that hasn't happened so far. '''LAZY''' There's a reason Shadowlite isn't one of the more famous names in the mutant community; he doesn't care. He wants the good life, maybe some good friends... maybe a lot of lovers. He'll fight for what's his, but idealism? Superheroes? That's what police are for (laugh). '''LIGHTFORCE BRITTLENESS''' Unique to Shadowlite, for reasons he has yet to discover, Lightforce tends to make his solid structures brittle. Concentrated blasts of Lightforce will anniliate his Darkforce constructs like tissue paper, including his armor. This applies to Darkforce constructs Shadowlite has summoned only, not portals. '''MAGIC''' Even being an expert in Darkforce use, Shadowlites power is still effectively the expert manipulation of an exotic matter. Any skilled sorcerer can bypass the material and deal with Shadowlite himself, whether bypassing the material proper, or attacking him directly. '''MENTAL ATTACKS''' Shadowlites power is the expert manipulation of physical matter. Matter which does nothing to resist mental attacks on himself. Any decent telepath can attempt to break his focus, or simply attack his mind. He is as resist as a mutant who mentally trains himself for focus can be. '''MORTAL''' Despite his powers and his training, Shadowlite is still mortal, with a body that responds to physical and mental stress the same as any other normal human. '''MUTANT''' Shadowlite is a criminal killer mutant, the very thing anti-mutant protesters march against, and the government wants to control. '''SECRET IDENTITY''' No one knows Shadowlites real name, and he likes to keep it that way so he doesn't have to deal with cops every other country.
}}

Shadowlite

2018-01-02T14:25:57Z

Shadowlite:

{{CharacterNew
|NameOnMUSH=Shadowlite
|Color=#333
|TextColor=#c1c1c1
|Char_id=1595
|FullName=Michael Hasvrac
|Gender=Male
|Species=Mutant
|Theme=Original
|Chartype=OC
|Active=Active
|Occupation=Mercenary
|Citizenship=US Citizen
|Residence=Gotham City
|Education=Private Mentors over the years
|Quote="If you want the good life, you need to take it with your own hands. People like Luthor just do it more subtle than I do."
|PAge=28
|AAge=28
|DOB=3 February 1996
|Height=5'11"
|Weight=145 lbs.
|Hair=Black or Blond
|Eyes=Violet
|Profile=Not much is known about the man calling himself Shadowlite. He keeps a low profile, and seems to be able to disappear without a trace as easily as he comes along. He seems to be able to manipulate a form of Darkforce, but no one has been able to pin him down long enough for any detail.
|Description=Shadowlite's entire body is sheathed in a black body suit, the only break in it bring the grey triangle visor at the front of his face. The suit doesn't give any real characteristics of the man, other than the distinct impression he's fit and fairly muscular... but nothing like a bodybuilder.
|History=Born into abject poverty amongst the downtrodden of New York, Michael had a roof over his head and abusive parents, but little else. Public school didn't agree with him, so his mother tried to home school; a fact that his father resented since it meant less alone time at home, and in general with his wife. Eventually, his parents goaded each other into a fight that had objects being thrown around... and one of them hit Michael... or almost did, if the Darkforce hadn't been called and wrapped around him like armor. Freaked out and finally united in their fear of their son, the boy who would become Shadowlite took to the shadows of the world, wearing a mask and getting into the underworld via contacts from his fathers friends. Eventually, he landed a solid, steady paying gig as a highly paid transporter for a super-crew that had heard about his exploits in the gang world. The mob wasn't too happy about losing one of their better couriers... but after quickly vacating his apartment, how were they going to find him? The ghosts (as they liked to call themselves) were interested in stealing from those who would not dare report the thefts... like Shadowlites former employer. Seeing the opportunity and the support it provided, Shadowlite and his new colleagues raided half the personal vaults of various mobs all over the countries, making new friends, contacts, and doing side gigs with contracts on occasion when the team was on the downlow. He learned a lot during this period, his quick learning and good memory making picking up the new skills along the way easy. People suspected superhuman involvement, but the thoroughness of their clean up jobs made it so directly reading the memories of the crew would solve where the money went. Eventually though, one of the team slipped up... bringing down a corrupt police force on the others, and superhuman mercenaries. Not having a clue where the others went, Shadowlite simply vanished into the night and laid low for about a year, going 'on vacation' and keeping low key as he assumed a new identity and waited for the heat to die down and his team to resurface. They never did. With the beginnings of a network for an independent agent, Shadowlite decided to take his work a step further, investigating Darkforce related research... and found Dr. Henry Marksomov, a Russian scientist who had worked with previous Darkstars. Shadowlite wanted to get more out of his powers... and Henry wanted to live. Henry went to work with a dutiful Darkforce construct as his daily bodyguard, knowing that harming Shadowlite in any way meant the thing keeping him alive would smash him into a pulp. After weeks of trial and error, Shadowlite and Henry managed to isolate his unique frequency of Darkforce barrier crossings. Building a suit to take advantage of this knowledge, Shadowlite managed a suit that allowed him much easier control over both his own natural Darkforce power, and the portals he could create. With that act though, Henry had outlived his usefulnesss... yet Shadowlite kept his word. Instead of killing the scientist, he destroyed the mans research, keeping a copy for himself, and hired a telepath to eliminate the memories of the time the Doctor has spent with the young man. He lived, and Shadowlite got what he wanted. In the years since, Shadowlite has worked to build and maintain his network of contacts to allow himself to do as little work as possible, for as much gain as possible. The thrill of the job isn't what interests Shadowlite... it's the luxury his work allows for.
|Personality=An unashamed hedonist, Shadowlite is a known mutant mercenary. Typically working alone or in small groups, he's directly challenged mundane law enforcement only... and has never really challenged a superhero. Why should he? He's not getting paid to assasssinate them, and actively avoids contracts involving them. He's not altogether bloodthirsty, but he has no qualms about killing people, either. A quick learner with a near photographic memory, Shadowlite is probably capable of learning at a rapid pace... but considers it to be too much work for too little gain. Civilization didn't help him with his parents, after all... so why should he help it? Despite this philosophy though, he does occasionally help friends and colleagues, even if it's for favors only sometimes.
|Abilities='''DARKFORCE ARMOR''' By projecting a body molded portal aperture to himself, Shadowlite can seal himself into a Darkforce void armor. This armor doesn't so much block blows as absorb, redirect, or negate them... either into his surroundings, or distribution of the energy expended over the surface of it. A sufficiently powerful blow (something that can rend concentrated Titanium) can crack open this armor from sheer overload of energy within a few seconds. The specialized suit he wears makes it easier to have it 'cling' to him, allowing him to need less focus to keep it concentrated. If this suit is cracked open, Shadowlites concentration is disoriented briefly, and he will need the few seconds it takes to reform the armor to regain the benefit of it. '''DARKFORCE BOLTS''' By opening micro-aperture in front, on, and around his hands, Shadowlite is capable of firing bolts of Darkforce at targets within rifle distance... though at very questionable accuracy after a few city blocks woth of distance. 'Machinegunning' his aperture use takes intense focus and exhausts him quickly. He is capable of launching bolts the size of bullets, all the way up to soda bottles, without intense exertion. These bolts are capable of rending titanium and brick easily, rendering him capable of decimating buildings within minutes if he puts his mind to it. Against beings like Superman, his bolts sting, but don't do much physical damage. The real damage to invulnerable people is Shadowlite focusing on spreading Darkforce over his targets, slowing them down with each bolt like a net. '''DARKFORCE CONSTRUCTS''' Capable of forming small constructs fairly easily (melee weapons, buckets, sheets, etc.) that can have a variety of properties, depending on how much focus and interest Shadowlite has. Typically, he forms his weapons before any work or mission up to a titanium level of solidity, but he can also create elastic constructs. useful for makeshift rope or trampolines or nets. Creating larger constructs a city block or closer is a bit harder, but is doable, but usually not up to the qualities of titanium. Creating anything beyond that (miles) is impossible with the effort it requires to shape from that long a distance. Outside of these main uses, he can shape the constructs in any manner he desires, with as little solidity as to create a mist... up to solid walls to block bullets. '''DARKFORCE ENERGY SOURCE''' For whatever reason, Darkforce seems to be able to used as an energy source by modern technology, if channeled properly. He can near instantly power most technology by touch. Anything that requires immense amounts of power will usually take a minute of intense channeling. Remotely powering technology can take a few seconds longer... with technology requiring immense power needs taking tens of minutes... and he can't power anything beyond a city block. '''DARKFORCE FLIGHT''' By using a technique similiar to Static, Shadowlite manages to be capable of flight with a Darkforce sheet suspended over a portal as a platform. He himself doesn't fly using this technique... but he can use the platform to 'fly' subsonic, up to 500 MPH. He can use gear to deal with the wind, or a 'dome' of Darkforce. '''DARKFORCE LIFE DRAIN''' Shadowlite has been careful to use this power out of the public eye to keep on the downlow, but he isn't above using this on bystanders if he needs a quick health boost, in or out of a fight. Currently, he can envelop a single person in Darkforce to slowly heal himself back from near death over a few minutes. Transfers will kill the host after a minute of exposure. He can stop the process anytime before death... but even then, years of their life are eaten. This process cann be interrupted without killing the host being eaten, though the victim will be exhausted after. Another Darkforce user pulling the Darkforce eating the host off of them, or knocking Shadowlite himself out are the two main ways to stop it. This is a consent only ability for PCs. '''DARKFORCE LIGHT CONSUMPTION''' Like many Darkforce users, Shadowlite can use his powers to absorb all surrounding light and radiation. He can do this up to ten meters instantly and keep the area in darkness for up to a minute without focus... and given about twenty seconds and a continual focus, plunge up to 40 meters into darkness. This has many uses, including pitching the area into darkness, but this also means that he can drain any light energy directed at him, as long as he is prepared to absorb it. Due to his natural Darkforce powers, he also has the ability to see if in any kind of darkness. '''DARKFORCE RESISTANCE''' Shadowlite has had plenty of practice using Darkforce, and is filled with it himself. This gives him an inherent resistance to it being used as a weapon against him, or to influence him. This resistance extends to the intelligence whispering into his mind. '''DARKFORCE TRANSPORTATION''' Capable of both 'sliding' through shadow at roughly the speed of a sports car, and opening safe dimensional portal apertures through the Darkforce dimension. Traveling through shadow is easier and instant compared to portals, which take around 5-10 seconds to form depending on stress level. Portal apertures are capable of transporting Shadowlite *and* others safely across cities one way, with a short delay, but the passengers must be in close proximity, or lose the natural protection Shadowlite provides from being lost on the other side. Shadow 'sliding' is an extension of harnessing Darkness around him. He converts his body into Darkforce and treats all shadows in the area as a 'highway', with the dimensional boundary to the Darkforce Dimension as a 'road'. Anyone with dimensional boundary based powers capable of keeping track of matter along it can potential knock him off it and back into the 'real world'. '''LOST ONE POSSESSION''' Almost certainly unique to Shadowlite, he has the ability to 'hear' the semi-intelligence that suffuses Darkforce itself... and the resistance to keep it from controlling him, instead treating it as a dark advisor of current events. That resistance has it's drawbacks though; if he goes too far with it (usually hours of sustained use, or a few minutes of incredibly intense use) he temporarily goes insane, his worldview shifting to the whims of the Darkforce entity that speaks to him until his mutant resistance can fight off the 'infection', and bleeding Darkforce around him... becoming a very obvious corruptive force that passively destroys matter around himself. In this state, he is not in control of himself and is capable of sustained, intense use of Darkforce in his insanity, making him an incredibly dangerous force to fight. Beings like superman can keep him busy effectively, but it takes another Darkforce user shutting down his portals to keep him grounded enough for subduing to work. This could be minutes, or hours, depending on how pressured Shadowlite was beforehand for the presence to be force itself into his mind. The longer it goes on, the more exhausted Shadowlite is after. Shadowlite has no idea how long a big backlash would consume him for, having never gotten to that point yet. He can always tell when he's reaching 'saturation' and needs to stop. The entity itself calls itself "The lost one", and seeks to supplant itself onto Shadowlite in order to escape its' prison within the Darkforce. Each time it takes control -through force or negotiation- gives it a little more power to suppress Shadowlites mutant resistance... effectively giving it longer in Shadowlite as a host. Regardless of the method of control, The lost one being in control effectively allows the creature to regenerate Darkforce through a portal aperture very quickly. If left alone to focus on pulling Darkforce into this reality like this, The lost one effectively cuts the exhaustion period of intensive Darkforce use down to about half a minute, from about two minutes.
|Skills='''AGILE''' Shadowlite has had plenty of practice and learned from mentors in the art of deception, theft, and general legerdemain. He's also fairly acrobatic by necessity of his work. '''MARTIAL ARTIST''' Shadowlite is an expert in Arnis (using Darkforce crafted weapons) and Karate, training weekly enough to be able to deal with the majority of uninitiated opponents effectively. Against well trained opponents like Batman and Deathstroke, his martial art skill is more of a 'maybe get out of the way before they pummel me' card, more than anything. '''PROFICIENT IN FIREARMS''' A natural extension of his marksmanship with Darkforce bolts, Shadowlite has trained to proficiency with firearms as a backup. He's nowhere near the league of more prominent gun specialists like Deadshot or Red Hood, but he knows how to use, shoot, and maintain his guns. '''SELF-EDUCATED''' Self taught and capable of quick learning, Shadowlite has taken the time becoming an expert on explosive and organic chemistry. Explosives are generally useful in his line of work and in general... while organic chemistry is useful for how much life force one can take without killing their subjects, monitoring levels of Darkforce corruption in himself... among other things. He has also learned computer use and hacking over the years, both as a means of keeping himself off the radar via hacking into government databases and evidence rooms to disappear anything that can be used against him, and as a means of making his work easier to not accumulate said evidence.
|Resources='''DARKFORCE SENTIENCE''' Almost certainly unique to Shadowlite, he has the ability to 'hear' the semi-intelligence that suffuses Darkforce itself... and the resistance to keep it from controlling him, instead treating it as a dark advisor of current events. The exact nature of this entity is vague and unknown to Shadowlite... but he is fairly certain that the entity only helps him to influence him to go too far and force his body to give in, becoming a conduit of their/its' will for the short time it can. It is, therefore, in its' best interests to advise him properly... but *always* advocate using his power in some fashion, if possible. '''DARKFORCE SUIT''' Created by a dimensional scientist early in his career with some testing on and off the field, Shadowlites Darkforce suit is able to help him do more with less Darkforce, able to keep his Armor more solidly glues to his body, and preserve his identity in the middle of work '''PILES OF MONEY''' Despite being low key, Shadowlite has built up a respectful money nest (in the 100,000 range) if he has to suddenly 'retire' for a while. '''TECH STASH''' A skilled technologist, Shadowlite has some decent gear for a wide variety of low cost applications. Hacking? Decent laptops. Stakeout? Teleportation through the shadow and planting bugs and video cameras. Infiltration? Darkforce suit and a set of night vision goggles. '''UNDERWORLD CONTACTS''' Having operated in the dark places of the world for years, Shadowlite has an impressive network of contacts and potential employers. Someone who can get in and out of just about anywhere through shadow is always in demand as a getaway mutant, after all... if nothing else. Being a known quantity in the dark places of the world, and a thief/killer for hire. Anyone who asks in the right circles will find out about his history and the various jobs he's pulled off in the past. Reactions vary, obviously. '''WEAPONS STASH''' Preferring Darkforce based weapons for obvious reasons, Shadowlite keeps a small armory of melee and ranged weapons. Everything from escrima sticks to sniper rifles can be found in it.
|Weaknesses='''CONCENTRATION''' As with most mutants, Shadowlite needs to focus -even if minimally- to conjure up his abilities. Most constructs can remain in our world without much effort (timing out after five minutes unless specifically given a task to bind them to our world... before their energy runs out in a day) but anything huge (the size of whole floors) needs intense focus. Shadowlite cannot build constructs, then simply dump them as guardians; they have a days worth of staying power at best without him to recharge them. '''CRIMINAL''' He's a known quantity in the dark places of the world, and a thief/killer for hire. Anyone who asks in the right circles will find out about his history and the various jobs he's pulled off in the past. When found out by idealistic or law abiding citizens, it can be an obvious problem. No stranger to killing, Shadowlite has outstanding warrants in a number of countries and states. '''DARKFORCE BACKLASH''' Almost certainly unique to Shadowlite, he has the ability to 'hear' the semi-intelligence that suffuses Darkforce itself... and the resistance to keep it from controlling him, instead treating it as a dark advisor of current events. That resistance has it's drawbacks though; if he goes too far with it (usually hours of sustained use, or a few minutes of incredibly intense use) he temporarily goes insane, his worldview shifting to the whims of the Darkforce entity that speaks to him until his mutant resistance can fight off the 'infection', and bleeding Darkforce around him... becoming a very obvious corruptive force that passively destroys matter around himself. In this state, he is not in control of himself and is capable of sustained, intense use of Darkforce in his insanity, making him an incredibly dangerous force to fight. Beings like superman can keep him busy effectively, but it takes another Darkforce user shutting down his portals to keep him grounded enough for subduing to work. This could be minutes, or hours, depending on how pressured Shadowlite was beforehand for the presence to be force itself into his mind. The longer it goes on, the more exhausted Shadowlite is after. Shadowlite has no idea how long a big backlash would consume him for, having never gotten to that point yet. He can always tell when he's reaching 'saturation' and needs to stop. The entity itself calls itself "The lost one", and seeks to supplant itself onto Shadowlite in order to escape its' prison within the Darkforce. Each time it takes control -through force or negotiation- gives it a little more power to suppress Shadowlites mutant resistance... effectively giving it longer in Shadowlite as a host. '''FAMILY''' His family has no idea where he is, or what he's up to. If they ever found out about him, he might abandon them... he might come after them. Lucky for him, that hasn't happened so far. '''LAZY''' There's a reason Shadowlite isn't one of the more famous names in the mutant community; he doesn't care. He wants the good life, maybe some good friends... maybe a lot of lovers. He'll fight for what's his, but idealism? Superheroes? That's what police are for (laugh). '''LIGHTFORCE BRITTLENESS''' Unique to Shadowlite, for reasons he has yet to discover, Lightforce tends to make his solid structures brittle. Concentrated blasts of Lightforce will anniliate his Darkforce constructs like tissue paper, including his armor. This applies to Darkforce constructs Shadowlite has summoned only, not portals. '''MAGIC''' Even being an expert in Darkforce use, Shadowlites power is still effectively the expert manipulation of an exotic matter. Any skilled sorcerer can bypass the material and deal with Shadowlite himself, whether bypassing the material proper, or attacking him directly. '''MENTAL ATTACKS''' Shadowlites power is the expert manipulation of physical matter. Matter which does nothing to resist mental attacks on himself. Any decent telepath can attempt to break his focus, or simply attack his mind. He is as resist as a mutant who mentally trains himself for focus can be. '''MORTAL''' Despite his powers and his training, Shadowlite is still mortal, with a body that responds to physical and mental stress the same as any other normal human. '''MUTANT''' Shadowlite is a criminal killer mutant, the very thing anti-mutant protesters march against, and the government wants to control. '''SECRET IDENTITY''' No one knows Shadowlites real name, and he likes to keep it that way so he doesn't have to deal with cops every other country.
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