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Yeah, between Shadow, Vigilante, the Loco's Phaser and Squib we'd have ourselves a terrifying Please take Squib our for some proper practice in the desert!
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Oct 8, 2015 17:43
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Outrail posted:Yeah, between Shadow, Vigilante, the Loco's Phaser and Squib we'd have ourselves a terrifying He's been getting all sorts of practice with the Boneyard. I do hope he isn't picking up any bad habits!
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Oct 8, 2015 17:48
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 The dream is always the same. The dark wet road, squealing brakes, and then the suffocating closeness of being inside a box in total darkness. Your heart rate spikes as you fumble about inside the box, panic rising as there’s no way out and how did you get in here and you slam your hands against the surface of your own coffin, again and again, screaming now and kicking – You open your eyes. You are tucked into your bed in Intercept and Squib’s apartment, and as you start to shift you can hear the tell tale crinkle of the tarp that’s protecting the mattress underneath you. You throw off the blanket and swing your feet out of bed, giving unused muscles a stretch. It is dark outside. Padding into the living room, you see Intercept sitting at his bank of monitors and Eel asleep on the couch. “What day is it?” you ask as Intercept looks up, and he tells you. You’ve been out for roughly 36 hours, and your last memories are filtering back as you lift your left hand and wiggle your fingers. The skin is soft - no matching calluses to your right hand - and your nails are unridged and short. You’re also starving. You walk into the kitchen and root through the fridge, dumping instant coffee into hot water as the microwave heats up The media has been all over the “crazy mutants” at the MLM rally, splashing the names and faces of the accused on the news. Monstro turns out to be Ales Hlinka, a quiet family man from Orange County, while the electric powered mutant is James Scott, a transient. Both are reportedly in custody of the LAPD thanks to the help of Haven Corp, who has come forward as partnering with the police in this matter. Haven is providing manpower and specialized training for dealing with powered individuals to the LAPD, paid through provisions in the Homeland Security Act. A partially (mostly) decomposed body at the scene is being blamed on more mutant activity, but no witnesses or suspects have turned up. “The mutants aren’t being held downtown,” adds Eel, still trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. It’s about three in the morning. “We think that Haven has them, but Intercept can’t figure out where. Yet,” he says, giving Intercept a nod. “Just a matter of time,” agrees Intercept. You can hear Squib snoring in the other room, a strange accompaniment to your reawakening that somehow isn’t annoying, but comforting. All is well, at least in this apartment. Eel tells you that Digger has some broken ribs but is healing up, Vigilante made contact with a mutant who can either turn into black smoke or is black smoke. Intercept has discovered that the smoke guy has been terrorizing the Locos for the last couple weeks, or at least Carlos. The Locos leader hasn’t been outside in days, sitting in a room full of lights and fueling himself with paranoia and anger. His lieutenants, Eightball and Stick, are seemingly at their wits ends with him, and seem ready for a change. Vigilante has been acting normally. Eel looks at you strangely when you ask about her, but doesn’t ask questions. Spectrum is still on board, but she’s at her cousin’s house, busy writing a blog article about the rally from an ‘alternate perspective.’ Billy is restless, Wildfire is angry. The sky is blue, grass is green. You shovel more food into your mouth and consider your possibilities. You’re already planning to send Intercept away to a new apartment, paid in cash under a false name. You look at the back of his head, haloed by the glow from his monitors. The sooner the better. Tonight, in fact. Pick one or more A. Find out where Haven is keeping the mutants by investigating the LAPD’s involvement with them. B. Find the tipping point for the Locos and break them apart. C. Spend time with Squib, honing his abilities (or assign someone else to help him with training. In the desert. Preferably far away from people) D. Go back to the Haven Corp business offices and break in at night, see what you can find out. E. Confront Vigilante right away (after moving Intercept), in a ...non-confrontational manner? F. Keep watching Vigilante. Closely. Very...closely. G. Something else. Write in! hollylolly fucked around with this message at 18:28 on Oct 10, 2015 |
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Oct 10, 2015 18:01
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Carlos is a timebomb of crazy. Let's take him out before he messes up the neighbourhood. B, with a side of E. What's the drat girl up to?
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Oct 10, 2015 18:08
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Yeah, Carlos is going to snap with the paranoia and we or rendition house will be the target. Call Anna and let her know what's up, and if anyone one of her people know who Shadow is, coz his harassment is going to get some people killed. B doesn't need much, find out the tipping point and then plan for the showdown. Call/visit Digger and give him some glad handing/Butter Chicken with garlic naan, he did a brave thing, we're so grateful, likely saved a few lives, if you need anything let us know etc etc. He's brave and strong and good to have around, make him feel appreciated. Intecept can do A. not much we can find out on the street. Where did the electronic bug we slapped on the SUV go to? Assign Wildfire to C take Squib out and practice wholesale and targeted destruction far away from people. Give them some cash to buy poo poo to blow up. I don't think Vigilante is working against us. Keep an eye on her for now.
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Oct 10, 2015 19:00
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I think Shadow has a specific grudge against Carlos. that kind of attention indicates he has a hate on for the man for something in particular. Having Intercept check out any news stories about Locos in the last couple of months might help us find whoever Shadow is. Did Carlos kill anybody? Did the Locos shoot up any houses etc.Outrail posted:Yeah, Carlos is going to snap with the paranoia and we or rendition house will be the target. Call Anna and let her know what's up, and if anyone one of her people know who Shadow is, coz his harassment is going to get some people killed. B doesn't need much, find out the tipping point and then plan for the showdown. I agree with all of this. However, Vigilante is working against us, most likely, in that she is feeding information to her controllers. We really need to find out the hold they have on her and if we can lift it. However, if it is loyalty to someone before she joined us, we need to know that as well. Especially if she got the drug she experimented with from her controller. That thing is what messed up the mutants at the rally. Secondly, Wildfire is too much of a wild card to trust her to train Squib. Maybe ask him if he'd like to take his new buds out to the middle of nowhere to practice instead. Cultivate the relationships he's made, in other words, and get practice in.
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Oct 10, 2015 21:14
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B: Call Anna / Antonio to check in on them / the kids and let them know what's up, figure out a way to topple the Locos (possibly using Boneyard) A: Focus less on the mutants and more on Haven. They're probably the biggest threat to us at the moment and represent something we should be afraid of. We can't beat them in a straight up fight, but if we can find the skeletons in their closet or frame them for something, we might use the extra media scrutiny going on right now against them. Call / Visit Digger: Show we care about our troops Talk to Vigilante, bring up the video and investigation leading to Haven. See if she wants to come clean about it, considering poo poo is getting real and we can't afford to be suspicious of one of our most valued members. Assuming Vigilante is cool, consider sending her to train Squib and Wildfire to be more disciplined. Right now we're investigating poo poo and doing lots of talking, may as well take advantage of the down time. ElrondHubbard fucked around with this message at 23:29 on Oct 11, 2015 |
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Oct 11, 2015 23:25
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A xxx (have Intercept track SUV, etc) B xxxx C xx (maybe with Wildfire) D E xx F Visit Digger xxxx I'll start writing the update 
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Oct 14, 2015 17:03
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I've been staring at this off and on for a few days and nothing is coming out. I haven't forgotten! Hopefully I'll have time to get something written down that's worth posting by Sunday night. Sorry!
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Oct 16, 2015 21:11
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 The next day was relatively quiet. Someday you might look back and see this as the calm before the storm, if you had time for reflection. Your new hand feels just as strong as it was before, though you are eating larger meals than usual for a few days. A conversation with Intercept ended with Eel helping him pack up into his little Toyota truck, and you sent him away - to safety, you hope. He is keeping in touch, of course, but you’re not even sure you want him to tell you where he ends up. Haven has a telepath or some sort of mind altering mutant, and the more you think about it the more uncomfortable it makes you feel. The more you think about Haven, the more the need to speak to Vigilante grows. She is happy to see you back on your feet when she stops by later in the day, but you’re beginning to wonder exactly what secrets she’s hiding behind her offers of help. She did come out from the East Coast after working on her own against the mobsters there, and yet is seemingly content to take orders. You try to imagine sitting back and letting someone else call the shots, and know that you wouldn’t be happy for very long. Squib isn’t very happy to have his favorite roomie suddenly leave him behind. He’s sulking in his room, so you collar him and take him with you to Digger’s house after Eel finally goes home to clean up after staying in the apartment waiting for you to awaken. He stares out the window of the car as you drive, arms crossed across his skinny chest. You look over, tempted to just ignore him, but you inwardly sigh and initiate the conversation. “Squib. Intercept needs a safe place to work from, and the apartment just isn’t that anymore.” Silence. (Or perhaps *grumpiness intensifies*) You bite your bottom lip, merge into another lane on the freeway as cars fly by in the fast lane. “Things are getting...complicated. You’re going to have to trust me on this, Squib. I -” “Trust you?” He turns to face you, arms still folded, his voice pitching higher. “I’ve been trusting you, Jane. I went to work with a gang because you said to, and yeah, it’s been cool an’ all, but now you’re ordering Intercept outta our apartment? We were here first, Jane, and you came here because of us.” “All true,” you say, scanning the signs for Digger’s exit. “I know it’s not fair of me to not give you more information but -” “No buts,” he says stubbornly. “He’s my friend. If you think he’s in danger then I wanna know.” You glance at him, and gauge the fire in his eyes. Despite his flaws, Squib was part of the team, and an important one at that. The whole reason you were even going to Digger’s house was to talk to him and make him feel important, and you couldn’t focus on newcomers while letting the guy who’d been enthusiastically by your side from the start slip away. “I have reason to believe the apartment has been compromised. Intercept is the source of all our information, and if the people who are attacking mutants in the open are focusing in on him then I want him in a safe place. He can’t defend himself when we’re out doing things.” You cut off a delivery truck and gun it for your exit, making Squib grab the ‘oh poo poo’ handle. “I don’t even know where he’s going to be staying. For now it’s safest that way, for him and for us.” He pursed his lips, not satisfied, but grudgingly accepting your explanation. “Who is it?” You stop at a red light. “Who is it?” “That’s compromised the apartment? Is it… Spectrum?” His face was screwed up in concentration. “She’s new, connections to the LAPD, and the threat is new, so…?” “Um…”  You’re outside Digger’s house. Do you tell Squib…A. ...that it’s actually Vigilante B. ...that you can’t confirm or deny anything Your visit with Digger goes well. He lives alone in the subburbs, and seems pleased that you dropped by to see how he’s doing. Squib manages to refrain from touching anything, and eventually the conversation goes around to the fact that the Brotherhood needs a better base of operations than a dinky apartment. “I know a place,” Digger says cautiously, shifting position on his battered couch as his ribs were still very tender. “I… get the urge to dig, because of my mutation. So I spend time down in the old subway tunnels. There’s a place we could use that the urban explorers won’t find.” New HQ? 1. Get Billy on this with Digger, give them some money and have them start setting up 2. Let’s take care of the possible mole in our midst before changing our HQ (coming up next: Conversations with Vigilante and dealing with the LOCOS. Thank you for your patience!)
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Oct 18, 2015 20:16
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B. "This started before Spectrum. I'm getting close to an answer, and as soon as I know, I promise I'll tell you." Then we _really_ need to have a chat with Vigilante. 1.5. Get Billy on it with Digger, give 'em some cash, tell 'em to keep it absolutely just to themselves until you give 'em the word.
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Oct 18, 2015 22:03
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Ghostwoods posted:B. "This started before Spectrum. I'm getting close to an answer, and as soon as I know, I promise I'll tell you." Then we _really_ need to have a chat with Vigilante. This looks good. Yeah, make it very clear that they are the only ones to know. We could also let Squib know there is a mental mutant in play as well, and that may be part of the whole puzzle.
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Oct 18, 2015 22:43
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Ghostwoods posted:B. "This started before Spectrum. I'm getting close to an answer, and as soon as I know, I promise I'll tell you." Then we _really_ need to have a chat with Vigilante. Sure
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Oct 19, 2015 00:52
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Wentley posted:This looks good. Yeah, make it very clear that they are the only ones to know. We could also let Squib know there is a mental mutant in play as well, and that may be part of the whole puzzle. Yep, yep. Gotta talk to Vigilante at this point.
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Oct 19, 2015 06:21
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Are we actively recruiting or keeping an ear to the ground? Let's ask Intercept if there's any news that might set off a flag for a mutant in the area. Does Digger have any friends whom may be interesting? I hate to make this roster too unwieldy, but I'd love to have more options, especially if Vigilante is a liability. We need to find a telepath of some sort that's friendly to our cause. Let's get Squig a bouncy ball. That should cheer him up. 
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Oct 19, 2015 15:53
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 Choosing the location for your talk with Vigilante had taken some time. You didn’t want to make it so overtly hostile to her abilities that she became suspicious, but doing it in the open was a little too trusting. In the end you went with the apartment, with the blinds all closed. It was a compromise that didn’t make you happy at all, but now it was too late, as she was handing you the takeout bags of Thai food you’d asked her to bring over (well, why not?) and collapsing onto the couch. “So, whats up?” She seems relaxed and open, and you feel stiff and uncomfortable. You sit down opposite her and dig into the food, but give up after a minute. “I was going to ask you the same thing,” you say. “I know you’ve been having late night meetings with people from Haven Corp, Vigilante.” Well, that was one way of easing into it! She sits up straight, confusion on her face. She was pretty good, you had to give her that. “What? I… you what?” “Intercept caught you on a security camera, meeting with them. The night before the Locos raid.” Realization dawns on her face. “So, that’s why you said I should come to you to talk about stuff. But, Zombie, I … I haven’t been meeting with anyone.” “So, what, Intercept is fabricating evidence now?” “Well, I guess.. I don’t know!” She is agitated, sitting on the edge of the couch, and looks to be wracking her brain for what to say next. A trickle of blood comes out of her nose as she talks. “I tried that drug, like I told you. It was dumb, and it knocked me for a loop most of the night. I wasn’t out doing anything, I swear. I don’t understand.”
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Oct 19, 2015 20:48
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She's either lying or that drug is even worse than we imagine. Also looks like they mind wiped her pretty hard. My guess is either a sleeper agent, or the drug makes you really susceptible to suggestion and she's a sleeper agent. We could neutralize her, find a mutant that can go inside her brain and try to reconstruct things, or we can play catch and release and see what she does. Put her under house arrest. No phone. A room with only one guarded exit. Two man watch. Then reach out through the contacts to find a mutant doctor to study the drug and a psychic to probe around.
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Oct 19, 2015 21:13
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Arkanomen posted:Put her under house arrest. No phone. A room with only one guarded exit. Two man watch. That sounds kinda extreme, and probably beyond out resources anyway. How about we tell her precisely what we witnessed, and what we know about their mind-wiping ways, and go from there?
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Oct 19, 2015 21:20
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Or her mind was changed, and she can't remember it. Ask her to focus on remembering where she's was at the time we know she was meeting with them. She might be able to break through a block.
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Oct 19, 2015 21:24
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Ask her if she remembers visiting the location of the meeting Intercept recorded. If she does, ask her what she did there. If she can't remember, ask her in what way her plans changed before and after being there, or if after she had shared information with a third party that she hadn't before. Gotta be twisty to work around this, I bet.
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Oct 19, 2015 21:52
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You hadn’t really expected her to just roll over and give up all her secrets, but pretending not to know what you are talking about is disappointing. Still, the nosebleed is concerning. You reach down and pick up a paper napkin, holding it out to her and pointing at your nose. Vigilante takes it uncertainly and dabs at her upper lip, and then sees the blood and holds it in place. “The footage he found has you in a neighborhood, meeting with a guy who looks like he’s military. You have military connections, Vigilante.” You unlock your smartphone and find the video in question. “Here, take a look and tell me that there’s an innocent explanation for this.” She catches the phone as you toss it over to her, and watches the video, her eyes narrowing. “I… I can’t explain this.” Vigilante pushes the phone away from her on the coffee table, like it’s going to bite her. “You don’t remember being there at 1:13 am?” You’d be more incredulous, if not for your own experience with whatever mutant it is Haven has working for them. A mind wipe is suddenly a plausible explanation, though not a satisfying one. She could be working with them purposefully, and agreeing to be mind wiped, after all. If anything, your little question and answer session seems to be turning from checkers into three dimensional chess. “Where were you at 1 am, then? Think back.” Vigilante grabs another napkin for her nose, though the bleeding seems to have stopped. “I was… I was at my apartment. I did Headlight around… midnight. I… my ability was… I was just sitting on the couch…” A fresh trickle of blood drips down her lips as she concentrates on her memories, the napkin forgotten in her hand. You are leaning forward as she talks, your body unconsciously tense, and your eyes track the blood as it drips onto the floor. Vigilante blinks, and you look up in time to see her eyes meet yours. She smiles slowly.
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Oct 19, 2015 22:40
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SLEEPER AGENT! KNOCK HER OUT!
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Oct 19, 2015 22:43
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Arkanomen posted:SLEEPER AGENT! KNOCK HER OUT! YEP
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Oct 19, 2015 23:09
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Arkanomen posted:SLEEPER AGENT! KNOCK HER OUT! Does she need to see the place she's porting to? If so hands over her eyes. If not knick her out.
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Oct 19, 2015 23:19
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A fist to the face is pretty blinding.
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Oct 20, 2015 00:24
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This day just keeps getting better. Overwhelm her before she can use her abilities. Attack without regard for self preservation, since it's the one advantage we have.
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Oct 20, 2015 01:54
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ATTACK You don’t hesitate, and you’re still too slow. You leap forward out of your chair, hands balled up into fists, and she turns into purplish smoke before you reach her, the *bamf* sound of all the air rushing into the area she’s vacated making your eardrums pop due to your close proximity. You’re shoved face first into the couch as she lands on the coffee table behind you, Thai food knocked to the carpet. You scramble around and lunge for her legs, tackling her, but she ‘ports again with you in tow. It’s a disorienting nanosecond that makes your stomach flip, and she’s by the closed windows, you clinging to her calves as she bends the blinds apart with a finger. “Vigilante - why?!” You pull to drag her down, but with another *bamf* you’re both in the air outside the apartment building. You can’t get your bearings. It’s happening too fast. She kicks you off of her leg and teleports again, leaving you to fall.
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Oct 20, 2015 04:37
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Try to throw ourselves into the side of the building and slide down. It won't really do much but keep us going feet first. We gotta be hopped on adrenaline so we will survive the fall, but we got hosed. Get ready to bug out.
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Oct 20, 2015 04:49
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No worries on being high on adrenaline, your heart is pumping plenty fast. You're about thirty feet away from the building and thirty-ish feet off the ground. You're not likely to die (or be grievously injured) unless you turn and try to land on your head. There are some 20' palm trees under you, you can try landing on them?
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Oct 20, 2015 06:03
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hollylolly posted:There are some 20' palm trees under you, you can try landing on them? Sure, why not? Breaks are better than shatterings.
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Oct 20, 2015 09:29
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I'm so glad we moved Intercept. Vigilante, you're not a team player. 
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Oct 20, 2015 15:15
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Cannon_Fodder posted:I'm so glad we moved Intercept. Yeah, I'm sorry I was wrong about her. Still the chance she's a mind controlled /unwilling sleeper agent. Aim for the trees.
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Oct 20, 2015 15:18
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I think she's mind controlled, or has a trigger in her to alert the mind mutant if someone goes snooping. Also, that drug might give the mind mutant a hold as well. Aim for the trees.
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Oct 20, 2015 15:36
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She is most likely being controlled the same way the mutants at the rally were. Past experience with that tells us that an a significant emotional shock will return her to her senses. Use every bit of emotional blackmail material we've gathered in our association. Scream her betrayal of any known family, friends she's made among the others, whatever. Easier to repair the damage from that afterward than it is to track down a teleporter.
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Oct 21, 2015 00:04
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Tran posted:She is most likely being controlled the same way the mutants at the rally were. Past experience with that tells us that an a significant emotional shock will return her to her senses. This sounds good.
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Oct 21, 2015 01:26
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Nah, the mutants at the rally seem to have just not been able to control their powers. I mean that might work, but on the other hand this might be the "real" her and we were interacting with a fake personality.
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Oct 21, 2015 06:27
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You try to yell curses at her, but the ground is coming up fast and she’s just gone. Before you can get your thoughts together you’re crashing into the leafy fronds of the date palms that line the street. You grab at them, get a good handful, and then you’re bouncing off of the tree and flailing toward the pavement. You managed to take some of your momentum away, but still land heavily and awkwardly on your right arm and leg. You struggle to your feet, pain throbbing through your body but like a distant memory of an injury you once had. People on the street are staring, pointing phones at you. gently caress. You try to take a step and your ankle crunches like gravel; your arm is dangling at a bizarre angle, your elbow shattered and shoulder out of whack. You stumble back to the ground, catch yourself at the last minute with a graffitied bike rack and push back to your feet. Your phone rings as you walk/hop as quickly as you can, and you fumble to dig it out of your pocket. The screen is smashed, but somehow it’s still working. Are you headed to the apartment? Your car keys are inside. Or maybe Vigilante is also inside. A. It’s worth the risk to get wheels and get out of here B. Just head away, doesn’t matter what direction (or maybe it does, write in) Answer the phone? 1. Yes, it’s probably Intercept or another ally 2. Suspicious timing! You throw it away from yourself in paranoia
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Oct 21, 2015 18:31
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A 2 Time to bug out. Hopefully our phone has some text to speech function and we can use that to send a message to the others to bug out as well to the safe house. We go to our orphanage friend and coordinate from there after getting a new phone. Everyone switches to burners and we work on finding a psychic mutant.
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Oct 21, 2015 18:41
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Arkanomen posted:A 2 So you want to throw away the phone... and also use it to text people? 
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Oct 21, 2015 19:14
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hollylolly posted:So you want to throw away the phone... and also use it to text people? I'm assuming we don't have a backup phone and really don't remember everyone's numbers so I'm figuring one last mass text and then tossing it.
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Oct 21, 2015 19:21
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