IC: Dawn of the Artifacts., In Character Thread. Options

[Kerenshara]

Dartha's lip curls up into a snarl and she points at the ground at her foot.

"I want his ass, Hodder. Right. Here."

[pbangarth]

"At the moment, it's up to my Fire Spirit."

[Kerenshara]

Hodder can tell her obvious fury probably isn't directed at him, but that's not much comfort at the moment.

"Then tell the spook to move its hoop. He and I need to have a little... chat."

[SincereAgape]

Hawkeye scans the rest of the tarmac and the rest of the airfield. She finds no other threats in the area.

Jane asks for Vera or one of the flight crew members to call off the airport security.

When, who, and if the team climbs the top of the flight tower, they a circular platform with one of the large windows shattered to pieces. There is a blond man with short military style cut hair wearing camo armor, on the ground. He appears to be breathing, but is knocked out.

[Not sure where Belloq left the sniper rifle, but it is around as well.]

There is also a large fire spirit floating above the man.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2400/216375...93679cf.jpg?v=0

[Pete, let me know if you wanted the spirit to enter the sniper. If so, forget the last sentence.]

[Chrysalis]

Vera calls off the alert and finishes packing the rest of the things. She looks at Jane. "You okay?"

Vera sighs and looks at the rest of the aiport. "I never did like Cairo anyways."

[pbangarth]

Hodder and the others make it into the tower to find a bizarre scene. An unconscious person lies on the floor of a warm room, and a chair, radiating waves of heat, is rolling back and forth across the tower room, bumping the unconscious man towards the stairs leading down. There are a few chair-leg-shaped singe marks on his clothes where he has been bumped.

Hodder lets out a roar of laughter and says,"Thank you, elohim. You have served me well. Your service is complete."

The chair rolls over to an air conditioning register in the corner that is vibrating during use. The chair rolls onto the grate and modulates the vibration. Careful attention to the modulation picks out the following message:

"Services altogether complete they are, Simon. Learn to use us better it is hoped."

With that the aura around the chair fades, and the room begins to cool immediately.

[pbangarth]

Hodder immediately begins checking the assailant's clothing and possessions. "Could someone see if our assailant here is in danger? Wouldn't want him to die before we get to interrogate him." Hodder chuckles at that. Nuclear strike sniper shots and spells, it will be a wonder if the team doesn't leave a swath of destruction across Africa.

"Come to think of it, if we did the searching and questioning on the plane, we could be out of here before authorities come to check the fireworks."

[SincereAgape]

The sounds and sights of sirens begin to fade away in the distance. Hodder finds a Ares Predator Pistol, singed armor, and Ranger Arms - SM4 Sniper Rifle laying besides the body. Other then the singes from the chair, the body appears to have no other marks on it. The man has no commlink.

Glass is lying shattered all over the floor. The man is blue eyed, blond haired, and just under six feet tall. He has no commlink. Another pane glass window behind Hodder lays shattered. You assume that it was Hawkeye's missed bullet shot. He groggily begins to stir a little bit.

On the tarmac, Jane stands by Dartha, Vera, and Texas Jack. Dexter is in the plane covering them. Hawkeye and Dartha scan the rest of the area, and see no enemies. It looks like it is a lone sniper.

The troll on the ground is dead, there is a large hole the size of a crater in the middle of his stomach. Jane checks her commlink and nods. She turns to the ork who was awaiting on the tarmac.

"Everyone. Let me introduce you to Texas Jack. The hacker we are picking up before we head to Lagos."

[Mister Juan]

Just when I sling my rifle around the door, Dartha launches some nasty balls spell towards the tower. I know how the fuck magic behaves; I've been around the bloc enough times to know. And normaly, that shit ain't all fireworks like what just happened. Either someone got very lucky, or that new kid is packing some serious mojo firepower. I guess all in all thats a good thing.

For a few seconds, there's nothing in the air but Dartha and Hodder yelling it back and forth across the tarmac. I've got the butt of my rifle nested well in my shoulder. Sure, the guy's probably down. But maybe he brought along a few buddies. Maybe, in the next second, someone going to start pounding at us with something more than sniper fire. My entire body feels like its about to go on seizure mode, but I reel it in.

I hold the tower in my sights a few more seconds, making extra sure there ain't nobody moving.

A few meters off from the plane, Hodder being to huddle towards the tower. I got a vague idea what the halfer's got on his mind; noble enough idea. Hope for him he don't need any backup cause the way I see it, I've got my hands full.

I don't so much get down the stairs as I just jump over them. The jap kid has her big ass rifle readied, and is already scanning around. I stop by her side, taking cover behind the stairs.

With my free hand, I point straight north.

“Take 12 to 6. I'll watch 6 to 12, and get these people on. If you get contact, sound it off.”

By the way she just behaved, I ain't real worried anymore. She's tiny as fuck, but afterall, that small head seems to be screwed on real tight. I don't really wait for an answer or anything. The way she's already scanning around her, she knows how to maintain a secured permiter. I turn round, my rifle low but ready. As I scan my sector, I move in a low crouch towards the van.

Soon as I'm there, I grab myself some partial cover next to one of them. Most of the rest of the crew is within arms reach from me. I glance quickly towards what left of the troll. The sob's fuckin' dead, for sure. Most of his inside aren't inside anymore. Poor bastard. Ain't no way to go. Probably never knew what hit him.

I don't as much talk over my shoulder as I just yell.

“Is anyone hit?”

I don't see Vera, but the calm voice ain't hard to recognized.

“We're all fine.”

“Right. Vera; the kid and I are going to maintain perimeter security. Take Jane on the plane. Digits, unless you ain't got enough fuel, I want you to get your bird ready for wheels off as fast as you can.”

My eyes keep scanning my arc of fire. Half of hopes this is already over. The other half... well... it aching for some trigger time. When I feel them moving to cross the open space, the safety pops off from the my rifle.

[Kerenshara]

Dartha looks Jack over carefully and appraisingly.

"Well, I was too busy to notice him too much during that brief... annoyance. Have to see what he's like on the plane. And I was going to listen to language books. Oh well. I should probably talk more closely with Hodder as well.


"Hello Jack; I'm Dartha. I hope the circumstances of our collective meeting aren't a sign of things to come."

[SincereAgape]

Jane brushes herself off. Acknowledges her lack of wounds to Vera. At the command of Dexter, Digits salutes him and runs off towards the plane.

"You'd have to be a loon to stay on this bleeding tarmac any longer." The Dwarf Rigger mumbled.

Texas Jack. When you scan the area for wireless signals or any types of wireless traffic, all you encounter is the commands from the flight towers and communications to other planes. You also here muttering from airport security about a false alarm. Dartha then greets you.

"That was an interesting experience," Jane begins. "There is no way Lockwood could know about us tailing him, that would mean there is a leak in the organization if we cannot identify this intruder."

She commands Hodders via commlink.

"Hodder. Bring the attacker down to us, we should interrogate him on our way to Lagos. Beckon if you need assistance carrying him down. I can send one of the other members to help you.

[Whoever does. Feel free to use the Hermes Van to assist Hodder. If no one, the troll who survived goes and drives the van over there. Don't need to roleplay this, just fastforward to the plane.]

"As Pope made reference. Let's get this bird off the air ASAP." Jane says with slight smile. She then looks over at the dead troll and stares at the body before heading into the plane with Vera.

[Kerenshara]

"The Organization? Um... okay, now I'm starting to worry a little."

[Mister Juan]

As Jane nears my position, about to discard the cover of the van, I hold up my meat palm facing her. I raise my rifle, scan my sector once more.“Ok......... Now.” I simply say, telling her hustle along as fast as she can, minimizing exposure.

I only relax, somewhat, when she disappears inside the plane.

Feeling my way around my belt, I grab the hair thin connection cord from my commlink and jab it behind my right ear. Right about now, I just wished we had callsigns. Guess I'll have to make em on the fly and hope everyone gets them.

“You heard the lady Mac. Call it if you can't haul that bastard out. Ground perimeter is secured, and will hold until you board.”


I pause for a brief moment.

“That don't mean I feel like hanging my ass out here any longer than it should.”

[pbangarth]

At the first sign of the assailant rousing, Hodder restrains him... securely. He pockets the pistol, slings the rifle over one shoulder and tosses the man over the other shoulder. He descends the stairs gingerly, making sure of his footing. By the time he exits the tower, the van is there to pick him up.

Back at the plane, he climbs the stairs with his cargo to the door and claps Dexter on the shoulder. He turns to look at the city, and says in Arabic to no one in particular, "Come again when you can stay longer."

He enters the plane and carries the sniper to one of the seats in the back and tosses him down into it. The sniper moans. "He looks like he'll be ready soon for some questioning. Knock yourselves out." That comment reminds him of his own weariness. "Oh well."

Looking around the plane, he sees the ork. He goes over and says, holding out his hand, "You must be Jack. I'm Hodder. Pleased to meet you. Hope you don't bring this kind of fun with you all the time."

[Chrysalis]

Vera took Jane into the plane, dragging the med kit and drugs with her. It was a simple operation of placing everything inside and zipping it closed. Something she could do and had done in under 10 seconds. She looked over Jane professionally makign sure she had not been injured, sintead of giving her an injection in the bottocks she simply gave it in her arm.

"Jane, you're in great shape. I just gave you a vaccination shot. It will be slower to react than before, but it should be okay."

She turned to Jack and tapped her chest with the palm of her gloved hand, "Vera. Nice to meet you Cacutus Jack."

She hooked up the doctor's assistant from the medkit to the sniper and checked his vitals. She peered in his eyes checking for concusion or drug effects, hands and arms for needle marks and a general pat down to see if anything was broken or damaged.

She turned to Hodder, is there a particular reason his clothes look singed?"

[pbangarth]

Hodder turns back to look at Vera when she asks about the burns. He smiles a rueful smile, the kind a parent gives during explanation of a child's quirky behaviour. "My creative and persistent Fire Elohim possessed a chair and tried to push him back to us. It was succeeding marginally."

[Kerenshara]

Dartha looks over at the helpless sniper bound and unconcious on the floor and lets a small snarl curl up her lip.

[SincereAgape]

The jet takes off for Asante, Nigeria. Leaving behind the Cairo metroplex for good. Final destination, Lagos. The team had managed to survive their brief encounter on the airport runway. Functioning well as a unit, the attacker was only able to kill one crew member. Hawkeye's shot had been a difficult one to make, only coming a whisker away from killing the man. One man's piece of junk could be another man's treasure as the team was able to keep the sniper alive for interrogation.

Laying in the plane, restrained from behind, and adorned in scorched armor, Vera and anyone else who examines the blond are able to see that he has no physical injuries on him other then slight burns from the flaming chair. A half hour into the flight be begins to stir, before finally awakening.

The man has medium length blond hair, a long crooked nose, and large beady eyes. He looks around at all of you.

[Spoiler for Digital OYABUN aka Texas Jack]

[ Spoiler ]

Despite his blond hair, he is not Gunther aka the German.

Jane unfastens her seat belt and makes her way over to the man. She addresses him.

"Well. You're lucky you survived the ordeal. If you want to keep your luck intact and survive the next hour, it will be in your best interest to answer our questions. Namely, who you are, who you work for, and what were you doing trying to kill us?"

Jane gives him a moment to answer the question. After a comfortable silence, he does not answer. The sniper maintains a poker face. Jane speaks to all of you while keeping her eyes fixed on the man.

"Well. It looks like he is being stubborn. Maybe one of you can make him talk? Also feel free to ask him any questions you would like answered."


[ If anyone of you are going to try and make the sniper talk, please add the appropriate roll to your next IC post. For example, if you are going to try intimidation - roll intimidation, if your next post depicts a negotiation - roll negotiation.

You may attempt to assist your fellow PC's by making a teamwork roll. IE. "Hawkeye draws her pistol and points it at the man, while Dartha in intimidating him."

All rolls receive a plus five because you outnumber him 7 to 1. (Opposed test vs. Group Rule in effect) ]

[SincereAgape]

*Edit. Double posted*

[pbangarth]

Hodder texts all, but the message is directed to Dartha in particular.

>>@Dartha--This may not be as much fun for you, but you and I could simply Influence him to answer completely. God knows it wouldn't be a stretch for him to believe it would be good for him to be forthright.<<

[Karoline]

With the sniper apparently disabled by that girl's spell, I turn my attention to the surrounding tarmac, making sure no other threats get a chance to take a shot at us. The old guy comes over to me and tells me to watch one direction while he covers the other. It is basic tactics, and so I follow the direction, though I still have an odd feeling from his direction, having to resist the urge to swing my gaze in his direction to make sure... Make sure of what? I don't know.

Eventually Hodder returns with the man, who smells as though he has been singed as he is dragged past me and up the stairs into the plane. I'm the last one on, still not trusting that the man was alone. Sure, a lone sniper may seem like a good idea, but there is a limit to what they can do by themselves, and are generally far more effective by keeping people pinned so someone else can move in, or having another sniper positioned so that cover from both is hard to find.

Finally the door closes and we take off again, the sniper no on board. I sit sideways in one of the chairs so that I can keep an eye on him. I rest my rifle in my lap in such a way that the barrel points towards him. I wouldn't actually fire on him unless it was a real emergency, the damage to the plane would be rather bad. Still, it should give him a nice scare when he wakes up.

Finally he does wake up. I let Jane have her crack at the man, and then decide to give my threat, the fact that I mean it likely making it all the worse for the man. "Since we've been working on getting to know each other better. I say in reference to the card game and some of the questions that were passed around "I can share that I really hate to miss a shot, I tried making it a little too clean and ended up getting sloppy back there." My voice is calm and cool, but I realize that I've only just learned these things as I'm saying them. "Maybe when we touch back down I can get another chance. But to make it fair for him, the more questions he answers, the more time he gets to run before I take my shot."

With that I pick up the rifle, still half curled up in my seat, and stare down the scope at the man's face, the zoom auto-adjusting and the vision still flicking between the different options. He may realize that I won't actually fire at the moment, but staring down that barrel can't be a pleasant sight.

[Kerenshara]

Dartha gives a truly vicious smile at the bound man.

"I'd be happy to help, Ms. Johnson," she says professionally before turning back to the captive.

"I think this will go a lot faster if I just skip the questions for now... besides, it's a lot more fun," she says to him in a viciously cruel but seductive voice before she makes a small gesture with her hand.

[ Spoiler ]

Agony (Realistic, Single Sense), F10 cast on the captive.
MAGic 5 + Spellcasting 6 + Specialist Aspected Spellcaster 2 + Power Focus 2 = 15 Dice
<Invisible Castle not responding>
(1,2,2,2,2,2,2,3,5,5,5,6,6,6,6) = 7 Hits
Target Resists with [WILlpower + Counterspelling]
Target suffers 10 + Net Hits "Physical" damage. If total damage >= Physical Track, target unable to function, writhing in pain.
DRAIN = [F÷2]-2 = 3 Drain
Drain Resistance Pool = 12 Dice
<Invisible Castle not responding>
(1,1,2,3,3,4,5,5,5,6,6) = 5 Hits = No Drain

"See? Now, do I have your attention?" she asks him in a sultry cruel voice as he writhes in agony on the floor.

[pbangarth]

>>Oooookay.... maybe not.<<

[SincereAgape]

It is obvious to everyone, that Dartha casts a spell on the sniper. Her small gesture emits a large wave of mana which takes a hold of the man. He begins to scream.

The man is in obvious pain. Inside he is feeling what it is like to die. And it's not like getting shot. It's like being burned to death, while someone is cutting off your fingers and toes in the process.

The man is unable to move or act. He is on the floor writing in pain.

[Kerenshara]

"Are you ready to talk to me?" Dartha asks gently as she walks over to where the man writhes on the carpet. She places her hands on her hips and extends the toe of one boot towards his face and says "You can respond by kissing my foot... I think you can still manage that much."