[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/427634103614177303/582345123720069121/dont-walk-run.png[/img] [sub]September 12th, 2015[/sub] [img]https://drfhlmcehrc34.cloudfront.net/cache/7a/2e/7a2eca87d796d9fd03a702d75817da61.png[/img][/center] [center][h2][color=0035C6]Final Guard[/color] and [color=008D63]Junior Guard[/color][/h2][/center] In answer to Presidio's questions, [sup]4[/sup]Sight raised his hand to press the button on his earpiece. [b]"The Director wants us to move forward, start to approach. He thinks it won't put the hostages in any danger."[/b] He said, [b]"Be careful and watch your surroundings."[/b] He finished, before nodding at Dart. He took a step forward, eyes glazing over slightly as his power let him observe the situation more closely. It was hard to walk and use his power at the same time but he managed it, slowly taking in the battlefield. After a few moments he spoke again. [b]"If the situation gets dire Slingshot, I want to you get under those hostages. Don't let them hit the ground at all costs, use your power and throw yourself into the midst. Dart will probably do the same, but you're going to be much more effective in that regard."[/b] Slngshot nodded, seeming to fully grasp the importance of his role now. He was the last line of defence, truly the last resort. He focused on his breathing and started moving forward. The first step felt wrong. So did the second. There was no third step, he just floated forward instead. For her part, Dart also started to approach. [b]"Let's go."[/b] She said, placing herself in the lead of her squad. The new hostage wasn't being trapped just yet it seemed, the wires still hanging, some churning about in nonsensical patterns. [hider=Matthew and Penelope in the war room] The room was dim, with two televisions side by side hung on the wall closest to Matthew. The footage playing on the TV was the current encounter. A villain, apparently going by the name of Spindle, was sitting high above the street and most of the two squads seemed frozen in place. The camera on [sup]4[/sup]Sight's chest was decent quality, but he still couldn't quite make out even the villain herself, only the wire she was apparently on top of. Turning his head slightly, he looked at John, and then turned away back to the screen. He felt bad that he couldn't assist the squads in any way, he could give his insight if it seemed relevant, but whether or not it reached the squads wasn't in his control. So much had to be given up for this squad to even start to exist. Sighing, he turned the opposite direction of John to the operative on his left. [b]"I don't think she'll execute those hostages no matter how close they get. I think she believes that if she kills even one of them, we stop caring about her leverage."[/b] The man at the computer seemed confused momentarily, but he nodded, and replied with an affirmative. Matthew didn't believe in that reasoning, but it was something to get them moving if they did hear it. From the short amount he'd seen, she wouldn't execute the hostages [i]ever[/i], but he had no good explanation for the people actually in charge. Briefly, Matthew wondered about that thought, about whether or not they felt like they were the people in charge. Probably not, not even John. How high up would you have to go in this command structures to find someone who felt like they were the person in control? The door closed behind Matthew, and he reached into his pocket. He pulled up the dialer and simply pressed 3. The phone speed dialed Sandra, who answered on the third ring. [b]"Get Penelope into the office soon, we have some legal work to do with the Junior guard members, and I'd rather have the contracts written up sooner rather than later."[/b] He said, sounding pretty happy with the situation. Penelope was just about two thirds of the way through her morning routine when she got the call from Sandra--she’d taken to just wearing her handsfree headset as soon as she woke up on account of the somewhat random nature of her schedule. “Good morning, Sandra. As soon as possible? I’ll be there in fifteen, traffic permitting.” Sandra hadn’t sounded… urgent, per se, but she had a particular tendency to shift her pitch a little in high octane situations. The woman never cracked under any amount of pressure, and the only external qualities that ever really gave her away were the shift in pitch and the fact that one of her worry lines wrinkled just a little bit more than the others. Something was happening, if Penelope had to guess, and it was not strictly within the remit of legal work like she’d been informed. Regardless, Penelope went about the remainder of her morning routine more quickly than usual and made her way to the office. She walked through the door, no coffee in hand, and Sandra handed her a steaming mug of black coffee, no sugar, with a side of exactly one almond biscotti--her usual. Penelope gave Sandra a knowing smile, and asked her to reserve the usual table at the Italian restaurant that they liked. She normally left the details to Sandra, but it was assumed that at least her, Sandra, and Matthew would eat--sometimes Kelly came along if he wasn’t busy, and sometimes it was a potential client or someone that the Final Guard wanted to poach from one of the various other organizations deep within the Silver City. Penelope had a particular knack for recruitment, and given that she got a free meal at an excellent restaurant out of it it was generally something she was happy to put her time towards--provided that she liked the cut of their jib, and that she genuinely thought they were in it for the betterment of humanity as a whole. She was very lucky to have found an employer who largely thought along the same lines that she did, even if she still wasn’t sure [i]why[/i] yet. She walked into the room with Matthew, raised an eyebrow at John being there, and sat down promptly, taking a sip of her coffee as she did so. “Traffic was pretty bad this morning--has something happened?” She made a point to ask them in as nonchalant a way as possible, but from the second she’d gotten within range of her power she had immediately known that something very wrong had happened. It wasn’t quite panic, but there was a palpable aura of tension that Penelope only normally found in a courtroom. It intrigued her enough to ask, but not enough to be overt--if her experienced with John were anything to go by, she knew that he’d rope her in as quickly and bluntly as possible. She didn’t like the man, but she appreciated his candor in a way that bureaucrats often didn’t. John didn't speak, just stared down Penelope. He seemed annoyed at the question, but he didn't answer it. [b]"We're gonna need three contracts written up for some Junior Guard kids. I don't expect you to do it personally of course, if you need to subcontract it, that will work fine. More relevant to you, I'm gonna need an analysis of some of the laws that put our organization into place, and a look at how this will affect our budget. Mostly one-fourteen C and D. E might become relevant, depending on how the current mission actually goes. Speaking of-"[/b] Matthew glanced at John, and let a moment pass. John nodded in response, and Matthew turned back to Penelope. [b]"A shaker attacked a First Guard helicopter. Took it right out of the air, and took its pilot hostage, along with some first responders. Demanded the disbanding of the First Guard. Our squad is on the scene right now, so we'll see if they can turn this situation around."[/b] Penelope listened to Matthew’s instructions and gave him a curt nod, beginning to press her left hand up to her left ear where her headset was, before getting halfway and deciding against it. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and quickly tapped in a few details, telling Kelly to get one of her associates, likely Naomi, to write up the contracts. The employment contracts were… not one of Penelope’s favorite parts of working for the Final Guard, given that they were filled with contingencies that were unduly harsh for rule breaking and the fact that the financials were… stingy, at best--she couldn’t help but wonder just how bad it’d be for the minors. It was simply a part of the public perception towards capes, she told herself, and that she’d make it better as soon as she could. As soon as she garnered enough influence, as soon as she’d advanced her plans enough. It was enough to make her right eye twitch, almost imperceptibly, and as she finished sending her text to Kelly she looked up at the TV screen, then to John, and then to Matthew. “... you do realize that this entire hostage situation is a farce, yes? Even if, hypothetically speaking, we were capable of dissolving the First Guard on a whim--and according to bylaws one-thirteen D and its various addendum we most certainly are not--this… shaker would have absolutely no way of holding us to that arrangement. It is commonly known that hostage situations are a race against time--the more time law enforcement has to prepare, the more difficult it becomes to make it out of there with what you want. Given enough time, it becomes increasingly likely that you simply don’t get out of there at all.” Penelope looked at the screen, studying it intently for a solid thirty seconds, before turning back to Matthew. “Whatever it is that she’s doing, it’s just a distraction. Her true objective, or perhaps that of a co-conspirator, is elsewhere. You might remember that the Telford vs. Johnson case whose notes I provided for you at my interview detailed a negotiation strategy in the same sort of vein?” Penelope asked with a smirk playing at the corner of her lips. She doubted John would see the humor in the situation, so she took a sip of her coffee and a bite of her biscotti to give him time to process what she’d said. For his part, John was genuinely surprised by what Penelope had to say. Matthew looked slightly surprised as well, but all of that was reserved for Penelope’s ability to see the bigger picture. The situation had been about as obvious to him, and so he composed himself quickly and smiled. John shook off the initial shock halfway through her bite of the biscuit, his mind racing through the ramifications. [b]”That case--actually, all of these types of cases--are so much easier to grasp when they’re on a sheet of paper after the fact, the intentions much more obvious. There’s a Red Eye bank robbery, some Fallen plays, and some B and S activity. None of them are big enough to be what she’s trying to conceal, but I’m not ruling out her working with [i]all[/i] of those groups, as well as another. You are right about the chances of getting out decreasing, and so I see two possibilities here. The first is that she has a trump card, some undeniable escape plan. That’s an unsettling prospect, of course. More unsettling is the alternative though.”[/b] Matthew let it hang in the air, knowing Penelope would connect the final dot. John spoke before she could. [b]”She has no escape plan.”[/b] His voice was older than it had been earlier, as if the situation had aged him. It was almost humorous to Matthew, as the point was so obvious, he hadn’t seen a need to say it. A joke that John wasn’t in on. Penelope just laughed at Matthew’s first comment, the kind of titter that a bemused parent gave their child after working something very obvious out. It wasn’t patronizing, per se, but it was enough to make it well known that she found the comment, well, laughable. “What’s the expression? Hindsight is 20/20?” she quipped back, dryly, as she took another mouthful of her coffee. Sandra had made sure that it was cool enough to drink immediately--that woman was a saint insofar as receptionists went--and as Penelope cradled the cup in her hands she looked over at John. “I quite agree. What does that tell you, John? It tells me that she either intends not to perish or to martyr herself in the name of the so-called ‘greater good’, a sentiment with which I’m sure you’re familiar. Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori?” She knew that if she pushed John he’d be more likely to actually work out the truth of the matter on his own. Matthew couldn’t just tell him, and neither could she, but goading a soldier into really looking into the motives of a person and the logic behind their strategy was almost always successful. Many people were soldiers, Penelope had found--individuals who substituted devotion and zeal for acumen and analysis, who wanted to follow orders and simply trust that they were ‘doing the right thing’. John was no different, not really. “So the question becomes,” she turned to Matthew, “does she intend to die a martyr or turn the tables? I’d guess the latter, I think, if things happened as abruptly as you implied. Have [sup]4[/sup]sight scout the area more thoroughly for anything going on that seems untoward, perhaps? If necessary, I'd be happy to go and take a look myself, but I’m not sure exactly how much help I could really be, other than being an extra body that the shaker doesn’t know is affiliated with the Final Guard.” [b]”Everything I’m seeing here from her is telling me that she doesn’t intend to martyr herself, but this situation is very dangerous. It’d have to be quite the trump card. John, please make sure [sup]4[/sup]sight is more thorough than usual. . . Tell him to check nearby buildings for accomplices actually.”[/b] Matthew said, trying to sound like it was suggestion instead of an order. John didn’t like the tone either of them had, but he was holding his tongue for the moment. He turned a bit, and nodded at the operator listening in nearby. The man spoke into his mic briefly, while more action started happening on the screen. Two buildings in the distance were suddenly surrounded by wire, leading to an audible gasp by another operative in the room. Matthew looked behind himself at the screen and sighed. [b]”Hopefully they can stop her soon, before half the city is her hostage. And no, we’re keeping you here, you’re not something we want to throw at a situation like this in a direct way.”[/b] “I figured as much. I just don’t like to give suggestions that I wouldn’t be willing to follow myself.” Penelope replied, somewhat offhandedly. She was very much a ‘lead-by-example’ sort of character, and though it would objectively make very little sense given her (ostensible) skillset, Penelope was quite certain that she’d be able to figure out the nuances of the situation if she could get close enough to use her power. Still, that wasn’t something anyone in the room knew about, so it wasn’t really a factor they could consider. John seemed to be teetering on the edge of losing control of his emotions. Penelope could feel the anger welling up inside him, threatening to burst from his chest and take over--she smirked internally at the thought. “You should also try to work out what it is that she actually wants. Disbanding the First Guard is... well, it’s a fool’s errand. I haven’t studied the particulars--and it’s likely that neither has she--but I can tell you that it’d require no less than a 6/7ths majority vote by the Council and the approval of the Governess. There may well be an obscure method by which its dissolution could be achieved, and I’ll be happy to look into it if that’s what you want, but that kind of information is dangerous--once we know, we won’t be able to stop knowing.” Penelope mused, half to herself and half to Matthew, as she finished the rest of her biscotti. “But if that’s what you want, I'll be happy to start researching now?” she offered, punctuating the sentence by reaching down to pull a laptop out of her briefcase and set it on the table. [b]”Out. Of. The. Question.”[/b] John said, his face turning slightly red. He took a breath, trying to calm himself while turning to Matthew, who was already nodding in agreement. [b]”It [i]cannot[/i] come to that.”[/b] He said, despite his peer already agreeing with him. Matthew wasn’t happy with that response internally, but outwardly he seemed to agree. The First Guard wasn’t worth it, the First Guard was too dangerous, if the first Guard continued to exist, parahumans might not. Turning to Penelope he nodded. [b]”Just the contracts for now, we’re assuming victory. Defeat won’t mean the loss of the First Guard.”[/b] He said, while internally the word ‘yet’ barely held itself from his lips. Matthew would have to find the right defeat, this wasn’t going to be it, unless John made a bad call. Matthew turned to watch the screen more, deep in thought. “Well, Naomi will be taking care of those. She should have a first draft done within a few hours--we can discuss the particulars of what you want when it’s finished. She’ll just use the current Final Guard contract as a base and apply rules for minors as appropriate.” Penelope replied, not looking at Matthew as she replied. She was already tapping away on the keyboard of the laptop, seemingly engrossed in emails, though it was difficult for her to not crack a smile at John’s reaction. She began compiling an email for Matthew, first going over the minutiae of the details required for the Junior Guard contracts, but ending with a somewhat contentious statement--’Should I start research regardless?’ At the end of the day, Matthew was her employer, not John. She knew that Matthew was the kind of person to play his cards close to the chest--too close even for her liking, sometimes--and actually asking him without John’s interference was the most prudent cause of action. She very much doubted that he’d find out, but even if he did it was not like there was much he could do about her asking a simple question… but a part of her definitely wanted to see him try. [b]”That’s all then.”[/b] Matthew said at a pause in her typing. [b]”CC it to Sandra as well of course, and we can contact the kid’s parents after this whole fiasco is over.”[/b] He finished, smiling gratefully at Penelope. [b]”We’ll see how much longer they’ll allow me in the war room, and I’ll look over it with Sandra when I’m kicked out.”[/b] The tone here was bashful, though John seemed to take it at face value. The man wasn’t an idiot, but he also wouldn’t pick up on things that Matthew and Penelope would. After a short crackling, Spindle’s voice played over the speakers. [b]"I just got two more hostages. So many critters running around, getting caught in my web. If you don't start the process soon, you're going to. . . Regret it."[/b] She was calling this out across a distance, and one of the screens switched to the closer point of view that SWAT’s bodycam provided. [/hider] [center][sub]The Shaker[/sub] [img]https://drfhlmcehrc34.cloudfront.net/cache/7a/2e/7a2eca87d796d9fd03a702d75817da61.png[/img][/center] Spindle’s attention should’ve been fractured, but she seemed to be giving her full attention to SWAT. She looked him up and down, walking a few feet to be closer to him. [b]”Have you started fulfilling my demand?”[/b] She called out across the gap, seeming almost annoyed at his current attempt. While she talked, the message Enki had written disappeared into the wires, and was soon lost track of. Without the woman on the wire giving any indication, a new message appeared in the wires. [i]"No hostage. Start fleeing in 3"[/i] As soon as the three was fully formed, it changed into a two. Then a one. The wires squirmed and started moving towards Enki. The wires that had been busying themselves on the side of the building near Audrie suddenly rose above the edge, spiking six feet into the air. They surrounded 3/4ths of the building in a makeshift cage, leaving an opening behind her but still cutting off the fire escape. After gaining this height, it shifted to form a chain link fence type pattern and prevent immediate intervention. After forming this pattern, most of the wires froze in place. A few continued shifting along the bottom edge, appearing to form a braid. A similar event happened to Aesthetic's roof, however thicker wire was used combined with forming a point above the center of the roof. Again an escape route was left, but it was another straight drop downward. Feeling wire shift under her sundress she smiled at SWAT. [b]"I just got two more hostages. So many critters running around, getting caught in my web. If you don't start the process soon, you're going to. . . Regret it."[/b] She called, tapping the top of her wrist where a watch would be if she was wearing one. [center][img]https://drfhlmcehrc34.cloudfront.net/cache/7a/2e/7a2eca87d796d9fd03a702d75817da61.png[/img] [h2][color=4B0082]The Fallen[/color][/h2] [sub]The Trap[/sub][/center] Transcendent rushed past Edith as she rolled, but he stopped himself and pivoted faster than she’d ever seen him react. As the vehicles pulled up and people started getting out, Transcendent moving ever closer no matter how she evaded, there seemed to be little hope. Until there was an eruption of gunfire behind Edith followed by a thunderous roar. As everyone present turned to look at the commotion, a gigantic dinosaur that seemed like a mix between a t-rex and raptor smashed a jeep across the street and through a street light. It roared again and something blurred out from between its legs before reforming into a [url=https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/438898644217888769/585901265976819725/74914476_p0.png?width=478&height=677]young woman[/url] who quickly landed a series of hits against one of the Fallen before blurring away again. Behind Edith there was the sound of another commotion as several bodies went flying across the street as a giant ice golem shoved its way through the gap between two jeeps towards the remaining Fallen grouped between it and Edith. A [url=https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/416660156986818573/463088332507709440/Aelzki-385.jpg]woman[/url] that Edith recognized as Rend darted across the street towards the downed Fallen, placing her hands on them while the other Fallen engaged the golem. The last thing Edith got to see of the woman was her running back across the street faster than before and slamming into the golem with enough force to shove it back several feet. And then her attention was pulled back to her would-be-captor. Transcendent went back on the attack for Edith as the blurring woman engaged in a fight with [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4907763]someone wielding a gauntlet[/url] that Edith didn’t recognize. Before Edith could react to Transcendent, a giant tail whipped over her head and slammed into him hard enough to create an audible [i]crack[/i] in the air before he was sent flying down the street. [center][img]https://drfhlmcehrc34.cloudfront.net/cache/7a/2e/7a2eca87d796d9fd03a702d75817da61.png[/img] [h2][color=800020]Red Eye[/color][/h2] [sub]The Bank[/sub] [img]https://drfhlmcehrc34.cloudfront.net/cache/7a/2e/7a2eca87d796d9fd03a702d75817da61.png[/img][/center] A sigh of relief escaped Percy's lips, as he relaxed his body. They weren't going to fight anymore, they could leave, it was over. His power faded with every passing moment, and so he made the most of what remained. He turned away from his invisible foe, and started walking towards Vanish. His gate put as little pressure as possible on his injured leg without looking like he was limping. He could tell instantly that Vanish was upset with him, but he also knew she would wait to voice her concerns. [b]"Give me a first aid kit."[/b] He said, his voice very quiet and distant. Vanish stepped over the table, and looked over at the case 53. A quick nod, and there was suddenly a small metal box with a red cross clasped in her hands. She handed it to Percy who turned with it in his left and slid it easily across the floor. It stopped a foot above the downed guard's head, the cross pointing towards the croc. Percy turned, walking towards the front exit with the gun still in hand but not pointed at anything in particular. He pushed on the door, and let the cool air wash over him as Vanish followed close behind. In the distance were sirens, but he seemed to be ignoring those for now. They turned right and started fleeing as fast as Percy's leg would allow him, which turned out to be a slightly faster form of walking. After about a block they turned onto an alley, and Vanish started talking. [b]"Don't you think that was a bit much? Why didn't you shoot the big guy?"[/b] She asked, looking at the now haggard Percy. He shook his head before answering. [b]"I could've hurt him, but there was no way in hell I was going to down him. The only way to get him to stop was to threaten the kid. My power gave me no other option."[/b] He said, voice raw from yelling. [b]"That's gonna turn the heat up."[/b] Vanish said instead of what she wanted to say. [b]"We can handle it."[/b] Almost a minute passed before the squad cars actually arrived, screeching to a stop in front of the bank. Some police officers then proceeded on foot in the direction given by a recent 911 call. [center][img]https://drfhlmcehrc34.cloudfront.net/cache/7a/2e/7a2eca87d796d9fd03a702d75817da61.png[/img] [h2][color=008080]Exiled[/color][/h2] [sub]Not with a bang...[/sub] [img]https://drfhlmcehrc34.cloudfront.net/cache/7a/2e/7a2eca87d796d9fd03a702d75817da61.png[/img][/center] As the Exiled and the independent hero went to their own tasks, the tanks moved ever onward. Until Arson broke the canon off of one. Moments later and she slammed it into the gears of the track and the whole thing came to a grinding halt. It was now slightly turned as one side had continued when the other stopped, and people were crawling up from underneath. Pointing guns at Arson, they opened fire as the 50 cal on the front started shooting towards the speedster. The man aiming it was much too slow, however, and was unable to land a hit on Jackalope. Master, meanwhile, was able to close in on the other tank, which was aiming towards Arson as it’s forward motion stopped as Jackalope left a trail that they didn’t want to risk trying to cross. In the background, Manifold’s little bubble shield turned into goop and she held the tank round in one hand and something small and spiky in the other. She kicked the hood of the truck to get the attention of her allies before throwing the shell to the side where it landed harmlessly in the grass. A second later she lobbed the spiked thing straight towards Arson. Given it was her sister, she’d know to catch it and have an idea of what Manifold wanted her to do with it.