CHICAGO, CHICAGO: BATTLE IN THE WINDY CITY [Ashiya, an alien telepath, has led Nancy Hartwick and Kim Brenner to Chicago in search of other superhumans, particularly Chad Reiter, a young telepath whom Nancy encountered earlier and whom Ashiya now feels a duty to "rescue". Following the readings from Ashiya's psionic tracking devices, the three women found themselves driving into Chicago's infamous Cabrini Green housing projects, and straight into the middle of a gang war in the making. As Nancy makes a daring attempt to intimidate the gang-bangers, she gets momentary respite by the arrival of Falling Star, a flying fireball which has been seen in the Chicago area in recent weeks, and now turns out to be a mere child, a young girl intent on stopping this battle.] <><><><><> Nancy: Nancy had had a retort in mind when the youth with the gun threatened her...after all, she did have the vague outlines of a plan as to how she was going to intimidate them into submission when she left the car. But she doesn't get a chance to use it as the tension is shattered by the arrival of "Falling Star". However, she knows when to take advantage of a situation. She rises a few feet off the ground and adds in her best "teacher" voice, "You'd better do what she says...your guns can't hurt us, but we could sure hurt you if you make us mad! Go on now...go home!" However, being a prudent lass as well, she's keeping a close eye on the two gangs and keeping her powers ready to defend her. <><><><><> [GM] The gangsters keep their guns at the ready. While they seem to have a certain amount of respect (or fear) for Falling Star, they are by no means completely cowed by her. And Nancy's trick of levitating into the air made an impression, but not the panicky terror she was hoping for. You sense they're still posed on a knife-edge, deciding whether to retreat or open fire. Two men suddenly get out of a van that was parked at the corner, just behind the gang at the far end of the street. They both look hispanic, but one is wearing plain denim jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, and sports a short beard, mustache, and long black hair to his shoulders, which looks unkempt and rather greasy. The other one is clean shaven, and wearing military-style kevlar body armor. He's also holding a gleaming silver weapon that looks like a shotgun with a huge magazine in one hand, and a long rifle in the other. With a smooth motion he slings the shotgun behind him, hooking it to something on his back, though you can't see a strap or anything. At the same time, he raises the rifle, brings the hand that just released the shotgun up to hold the stock, and sights on Nancy. Nancy barely has time to realize she's being aimed at before the rifle makes a soft "whuff!" sound. The schoolteacher's heartbeat slams into overdrive, and she feels gravitic fields enveloping her. Something small and terribly fast darts through the air, straight at her stomach, and then the window of a parked Toyota, next to the idling rental car, shatters as the projectile is deflected away from the floating woman. "Merde!" the rifleman says, loudly but calmly. Then he pulls something off his belt and tosses it onto the street, where it rolls right into the middle of the crowd of startled young black men in front of him. A grenade. "Scatter, vermin," he says. Then a shimmering translucent green wall appears, circling the two men and their van. <><><><><> Kim: Kim instinctively ducks as the projectile approaches and destroys the car next to them. "Time to retreat, I think", mutters Kim, "Ashiya, are either of the men in the van Functionals? Have you any idea what that green wall is?" She quickly backs the car out of the line of sight of the van, but stops around the corner to wait for Nancy. <><><><><> Nancy: Nancy is a little dismayed...she hadn't expected abject terror from the two gangs, but was hoping her trick would have been enough to push them towards dispersing peacefully. Apparently, though, that wasn't going to happen.... But these strange new men appear and the whole situation changes. She doesn't even have a chance to try and negotiate with them before they try to kill her. That doesn't annoy her nearly so much, though, as the callous action of throwing a live grenade into a throng of children. "Run for it! I'll deal with these two!", she yells to the gangs. The first thing to do is try to save the kids. She turns to face the miscreants, still in the air. Her gravity sense is attuned to the grenade, though, as she grabs ahold of it and sends it shooting up into the air. Once it's several stories off the ground, she increases the object's own natural gravitation as much as she can. She hopes this will crush it into tiny pieces, but if that doesn't happen, at least that will help slow down the shrapnel from the explosion. "That WASN'T very nice," she says to the attackers, her eyes blazing. <><><><><> [GM] The grenade levitates into the air, much to the surprise of the gangsters which are scattering in all directions, diving over cars and running between buildings or through open doors. At a few stories above the ground, Nancy tries to crush it. Her gravity field doesn't seem to be strong enough to do that, but when it detonates, the flames and metal fragments burst outwards, then curl back and converge on the point where the grenade was. Nancy's gravity field limits the explosion to about a ten foot blast radius, though not with 100% efficiency; a few fragments do rain down on the street below, plinking off the roofs of cars or bouncing on the asphalt of the street. While the schoolteacher is occupied with the grenade, Falling Star assumes her ball-of-energy form and soars off the balcony, reaches the street, and then in a space of about fifty feet, accelerates from a slow glide to what has to be several hundred miles per hour, heading straight at the two men behind the glowing green wall. Tearing through the air faster than some jets, the crackling sphere slams into the energy field- and bounces off, spinning into a nearby car and taking off the entire side of the vehicle facing the street, continuing down several car lengths and stripping paint and metal off each one it connects with, before finally braking to a halt. It floats in the air for a moment, pulsing angrily....and then the long-haired man inside the energy dome makes an open- handed gesture at Falling Star, and suddenly there is another green sphere surrounding her. The ball of energy glows brightly against the inside of the wall, trying to push its way out, but without success. Then it begins zipping back and forth frantically, bouncing off the inside of the sphere, trying to break its way out. Soon it's moving so fast that all that can be seen inside is a kaleidascope of brilliant streaks of light as Falling Star batters herself against her confinement like an angry hornet in a glass jar...but the field holds, and the man who seems to have generated it shows no sign of strain. The other man, the one with the armor and the weapons, has exchanged his rifle for the shotgun with a deft motion. He speaks to his companion in Spanish, and a small hole appears in the wall around them, just large enough for him to thrust the barrel of the weapon through. "Gosh lady, sorry to make you mad," he says to Nancy. She notices that there seems to be a second weapon attached to the underside of the shotgun, as the gunner pulls the trigger and another grenade ejects from this lower assembly, soars through the air towards the flying superhuman, and is deflected slightly by her gravity field so that it falls on the hood of a car next to her (the same one whose window was already shattered by the other projectile, in fact.) It goes off with a thundering roar, and Nancy feels herself buffeted by a tremendous shockwave. There are no flames, and no metal fragments, but air rushes past her so fast that the pressure seems to pop her eardrums. Barely able to stay "afloat", the blonde woman is sent flying by the blast, and winds up all the way on the other side of the street with the right side of her face numb, an agonizing headache, and her hearing muffled to the point that she can barely hear anything below the level of a shout. The little Toyota's hood is shredded, and every nearby car has its windows blown outwards. The ground floor windows of the tenament building nearest where the grenade went off are also shattered. * * * * * Meanwhile, as Kim begins to pull away, Ashiya protests. "We cannot leave Nancy there!" She reluctantly stays still for the moment, and replies "The man...the one without all those weapons, he is a Functional, I do not know about the other one, he was not using any psionic abilities that I could sense." You see Nancy float the grenade into the air, and hear the sharp explosion that echoes back and forth between the buildings. Ashiya cries out as you see Falling Star attack the two men, and become imprisoned in an energy bubble, then she opens the car door just as you're backing around the corner, as you see the man fire something at Nancy. "We cannot leave Nancy to face those men by herself," she says grimly. "I may be no warrior, but I am not helpless, and Nancy has had even less training than I!" She leaps out of the car and runs down the street towards the conflict, diving for the ground and rolling as the concussion grenade goes off. <><><><><> Kim: Kim swears (using language that would shock her parents). She jumps out - then remembers the scattering gang members, and locks the doors [OK, so that'll only give a car-thief a five-second delay ]. She runs after Ashiya, ready to dive for cover if a gun is pointed at her (or to kick the wielder if they're at point-blank range). When she gets closer, she will try to sneak round the corner, and get closer to the van - unless Ashiya has a change of plan. **Ashiya** Kim telepaths urgently, **Nancy went out to distract the gang so we could get away, to return when we aren't outnumbered. Once we're out of the line of fire, she can fly over the building and re-join us. A frontal assault on that van is madness** Ashiya may get brief flickers of undercurrents in Kim's mind: the Charge of the Light Brigade, Pickett's charge at Gettysburg, Bonnie Prince Charlie's charge at Culloden, the Somme... all cases where commanders tried mass charges at emplaced guns, and were cut to pieces. [OOC: OK, perhaps Kim wouldn't know the details of Culloden ] **Unless... can you get into the mind of the one with the gun? Make him shoot their own van, just to immobilize it? Or break whatever is forming those globes? I don't think I can do too much to it - although teleporting into their field of view might distract them!** <><><><><> Nancy: Nancy says a quick prayer of thanks as the first grenade is rendered pretty much harmless. She wasn't quite sure that that would work...but after the incident with the cinderblock back home, she certainly wasn't going to go tossing a live grenade just anywhere! And then her thoughts are rudely interrupted by the second grenade. She re-orients herself and tries to clear her head. She glares at the two men and says, "You two seem to think this violence is funny. Frankly, I don't see the attraction!" She points and.... [Now that the witty banter is out of the way , the next bit depends on whether Nancy can sense the gravity WITHIN the green energy barrier. If she can, Nancy alters the gravity INSIDE the barrier so that their van is now the center of gravity...and "turned up" high enough so that they'll both hopefully be plastered to the side of their vehicle. If she can't, she warps the gravity of the concrete (or whatever) BENEATH them and tries to raise the whole chunk.] <><><><><> [GM] [partial repost of Nancy's last move, with my own additions] >>> Nancy says a quick prayer of thanks as the first grenade is rendered pretty much harmless. She wasn't quite sure that that would work...but after the incident with the cinderblock back home, she certainly wasn't going to go tossing a live grenade just anywhere! And then her thoughts are rudely interrupted by the second grenade. She re-orients herself and tries to clear her head. She glares at the two men and says, "You two seem to think this violence is funny. Frankly, I don't see the attraction!" She points, and suddenly the two men are jerked backwards as if by an invisible leash. They slam into the side of their van hard enough to dent the metal. The man with the shotgun (which is now stuck to the side of the van, next to its wielder's head, like a refrigerator magnet ala Schwarzennager ) moans something in Spanish. The other man, with great effort, turns his head, and stares at Nancy. A green wall suddenly appears in front of Nancy, expanding so fast she can't think about avoiding it before it slams into her. The gravitic field around her provides a slight "cushion", allowing her to be pushed slightly ahead of the wall before it actually hits, and absorbing some of the impact. But it still feels like being tackled by a 300-pound lineman at a full sprint, and added to the battering she already took from the concussion grenade, the schoolteacher finds herself gasping for breath and seeing large dark splotches eating up her field of vision. She's vaguely aware that she's bounced off the ground, still floating momentarily, then her concentration gives out and she falls. As she struggles to catch some air, and tries to blink away the haziness that's clouding her vision, she hears Ashiya cry out, "Nancy!" * * * * * Ashiya leapt to her feat immediately after the shockwave from the concussion grenade passed over her. Running forward, she raised the small silver weapon Nancy and Kim saw earlier, and pointed it in the direction of the two men, then hesitated as Nancy pinned them both to their vehicle. When the energy field projector knocks Nancy out of the air, Ashiya gasps, then points her weapon again. Nothing seems to happen, but Ashiya lowers it and runs over to the fallen Earthwoman, crying out "Nancy!" Even though Nancy is barely conscious, her gravity field seems to be persisting; the two men are still stuck to the van, and the flesh on their faces is rippling and stretched tight against their jaws and cheekbones. Both are gasping for air. The globe around them and their van, and the one imprisoning Falling Star (who's still darting frantically around inside her prison) remains erect. As Kim comes running after Ashiya, the beautiful alien rushes to Nancy's side and kneels next to her. "I am so sorry Nancy!" Ashiya whimpers. "I did not mean to bring you to harm!" She puts a hand to Nancy's temple, concentrating on something. Around her, some of the gang kids are cautiously emerging from cover. Their looks range from confused to hostile, though most of the latter are directed at the two men behind the green bubble. One kid points a large pistol at them and fires a few shots, but the only result is another shattered car window and small chunks of asphalt being blasted out of the street as the bullets ricochet off of it. "GodDAMN!" one young man intones, looking at Ashiya. "Hey, they gonna stay like that?" another one asks, gesturing at the two men plastered to the van. The exotic woman looks around, obviously distraught at being surrounded by so much violent intent, even if it's uncertain whether it's directed at her. Kim also is being scrutinized by a dozen pairs of eyes, as she approaches her two friends, amidst a crowd of armed and dangerous gang bangers. Meanwhile, down the street, the other gang was also dispersed by the sudden exchange of superhuman powers, but isn't gone; they are cautiously regrouping, and staying behind a row of cars, watching what goes on at your end of the street. <><><><><> Nancy: Nancy struggles to regain her feet, swaying drunkenly from the abuse she's taken, barely awake. She seems unaware of the crowd around her except for Ashiya. "S..s'alright, 'Shiya," she exclaims in a loud but slurred voice. She waves vaguely to the green barriers. "Turn...green stuff...off!", she yells at the imprisoned men. <><><><><> Kim: Kim feels momentarily helpless - what can she do against that sort of power? Seeing that Ashiya is looking after Nancy, she breathes a sigh of relief. She continues to quietly approach the van, seeing if she can sense the occupants using her powers (ie. will they go through that green globe?). <><><><><> [GM to Kim] As you approach the van, you can't sense anything at first. Only when you get within about twenty feet do you start to make out thoughts from the two men. They're both thinking in Spanish. Concentrating on one, you're able to briefly go beneath his mind, circumventing the language barrier, and get a glimpse of his actual knowledge, in impressions and memories. The one with the long hair is a superhuman, and he's generating the force fields. Nancy's gravity field is causing them a great deal of pain (which makes you uncomfortable, as it's telepathically transmitted to you), and they're about to black out. Wasn't expecting the blonde gringa bitch, have to get a shot at her, shoot everything that moves if we get free, get the Hell out of here.... [GM to Nancy] Ashiya's cloying presence and whining is really getting on your nerves, she's been nothing but trouble since you first met her, and you are getting really, REALLY *ANGRY!*!! It's about time you taught her a lesson, you've REALLY had it with her arrogance and her crying and her instability and "We Galactics" this and "We Shabaali" that, let's see how superior she thinks she is if you give her a few extra Gs to think about.... "Oh no!" she gasps. Then you feel Ashiya's gentle presence in your mind, suddenly wiping away some other influence, as if taking a burden off your shoulders that you weren't aware was there. As your beartbeat slows down almost to normal, you're aware suddenly of the gangsters surrounding you.... [GM] Ashiya supports Nancy as the latter maintains the pressure on the two men pressed against the van. Meanwhile, Kim moves forward, approaching the green barrier that encircles them. The looks of the young black men around Ashiya and Nancy suddenly go from confused, nervous or annoyed to glaringly hostile. "Oh no!" Ashiya gasps. She reaches out and puts a hand on Nancy's shoulder. Then she forces the blonde woman down to the ground with a shove of amazing strength; Nancy feels that she'd have been slammed to the ground even if she'd been prepared for it and resisting. A fist, wrapped in chains, swings through the air where Nancy's head was a moment ago, narrowly missing Ashiya's face as well. The dark-haired alien stands over Nancy and extends her own hand in a stiff-fingered jab that catches the attacker in the solar plexus; he backs away, doubling over and wheezing. But two more tackle Ashiya immediately. Ashiya falls backwards, then lifts the one most directly above her off the ground with a foot planted firmly in his stomach. She tosses him backwards, kicks out with the other foot and catches a second young man in the kneecap. She leaps to her feet as he goes down screaming, catches a third attacker's wrist as he lunges at her with a knife. "Kim!" she cries out, twisting the kid's wrist hard enough to create a snapping sound, and sending him writhing to the ground, screaming louder than the other two. Nancy shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts, as two more men grab Ashiya from behind, and she doesn't move quite fast enough to block a punch that cracks her across her high, lovely cheekbone. Then yet another jolt of pain goes through the schoolteacher as the toe of a boot cracks into her ribs. <><><><><> Kim: Kim hears Ashiya's cry, and runs towards them - the men in the truck will have to wait. She races over and kicks the one attacking Nancy, then fights targets as they become available. [OOC: I have a feeling Kim is soon going to discover her Atla powers ] Just before running to Ashiya, Kim will note the position of the van - so that if she has to pull off a dramatic () teleport to get at them, she can do so. Kim will pick on some leader-like gang member, and send them a telepathic message (as loud as possible - if volume has any meaning in Telepathy!): **I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF PLAYING SOFTBALL. GET OUT OF HERE NOW, BEFORE I BURN YOUR BRAIN AND LEAVE YOU A DRIBBLING WRETCH IN THE GUTTER** (Hopefully, he'll decide to leave, and some of the gang members will follow him!) <><><><><> Nancy: "I've had quite enough of this foolishness!", Nancy annouces, as if she were trying to tame a room full of unruly first graders rather than a full blown gang war. She gestures to the trio surrounding Ashiya (and any of the rest of them that are within 20 feet or so), giving them negative gravity with respect to the alien so they go flying off of her. Once they're clear, she surrounds herself and her two friends with that same aura. "Are you all right?", she asks Ashiya anxiously. Once she gets an answer, she surveys the situation and says in loud voice, "Chad, stop this! We only want to talk to you! There's no need for all of this!" <><><><><> [GM] As Kim rushes forward, one of the gang members, the biggest loudest one, suddenly jumps and looks around in a panic. Then Nancy, trying to concentrate as she takes yet more abuse while struggling to stand, gestures, and suddenly the kids are flying backwards, away from her and Ashiya. The two that had Ashiya's arms (though the alien was in the process of breaking free) are thrown away violently, to Ashiya's surprise almost as much as theirs. Unfortunately, Kim is also affected, and finds herself off her feet and trying not to land too hard. Fortunately, she manages a passable judo roll and springs back to her feet, leaning forward as the gravitic force emanating from Nancy and Ashiya pushes against her. The gangsters, though dispersed, haven't given up, at least not all of them. Ashiya yells "No!" as one kid points what looks like an automatic weapon at her. He suddenly spasms and falls to the ground as if someone had hit him on the back of the head. But he's not the only one with a firearm. Kim sees another young man with a pistol, crouched not far from her and braced against the pressure, trying to point it at her two friends. With a speed that surprises even her, the teenager leaps at him and kicks the gun out of his hand. "Please try not to hurt them, Kim!" Ashiya gasps. "They are under telepathic assault!" To Nancy she says hurriedly "I do not think it is Chad!" The gang seems to have had enough though, and those still standing are retreating. Just as you win this momentary respite, you see the two men inside that green sphere, standing. At least the one with the gun is. The other one is kneeling and trying not to retch. But Nancy's gravity field seems to have worn off, and the one with the gun is speaking urgently to the other in Spanish. <><><><><> Nancy: An aggravated look crosses Nancy's face as Kim is swept up in the gravity wave as well as the gang members. "Sorry!", she yells to the young girl. She looks with confusion at the alien when Ashiya mentions Chad. "Who's been had?", she asks in a loud voice. "I can't hear a thing!" [Let me know when Nancy's deafness no longer amuses you. ] Her face set in a scowl, she walks over towards the green barrier. "This is getting VERY annoying!", she shouts to the two men. "That green energy doesn't protect you from any of us, so you might as well take it down and surrender to us...before we have to hurt you even more!" <><><><><> [GM] Ashiya repeats herself telepathically- **I do not believe it is Chad; the telepath we are dealing with is too skilled, and-** Nancy realizes she's made a mistake as the gasping man on the ground looks up at her and glares. She doesn't even see the wall appear this time, just feels a sudden impact that knocks her lights out. Ashiya and Kim watch with horror as the wall around the two men suddenly bulges, and forms a pseudopod-like projection that hits Nancy broadside from her chest to her face, slamming her backwards and knocking her into the ground- hard. Ashiya cries out in dismay as Nancy lies there, bloody and unmoving, and the armed man begins pushing the barrel of his shotgun against the inside of the shield, giving the other one some kind of order. <><><><><> Kim: Kim watches the gang go, ready to lend a hand (or an encouraging foot) if any seem about to shoot Nancy, Ashiya or herself. **Don't hurt them, indeed** she thinks, **What am I supposed to do when they point guns, tickle them?** Then she turns to face the van, moving until she can see inside. Standing arms akimbo, she watches it to see if its occupants plan on causing further trouble. With the sudden attack from the van, Kim disappears - leaving something behind <><><><><> [GM] A hole appears in the green bubble, through which the armed man points his shotgun. Ashiya drops to the ground, just under the blast that follows. She rolls to a crouching position, looking shaken, as Kim suddenly disappears, leaving her clothes hovering in midair for a moment before they fall to the ground. A naked Kim reappears on the other side of the energy wall. Quickly assessing the gunner's kevlar armor, she plants a foot behind his ankle and slams her arm across his throat in a clothesline maneuver. The upper edge of his chest armor catches most of the impact, but Kim is successful in knocking him off his feet. Both of them- the whole world in fact- seem to be moving a little slower than they should. Kim doesn't know if she's in shock or what, but her pulse rate seems to be hammering away as she follows up with a sidekick to the long-haired man's knee. His leg *snaps*, bending inwards with a sickening crunch that alarms Kim; she knew a sidekick to the knee can do that in theory, but she'd never done it for real, and his leg seemed to break all too easily! He screams and falls to the ground howling. The energy wall shimmers, then restores itself, as Ashiya stares at the scene inside with horror. <><><><><> Kim: Kim is momentarily sickened by what happened to the man she'd kicked, thinking **I thought you only heard bones crunch like that in Bruce Lee films**. Then she turns to the man she'd knocked over, and tries to hit him in a location not protected by kevlar or similar - failing that, she'll wrestle the gun from his hands. She directs one thought at the man she kicked: **Drop the green stuff now** <><><><><> [GM] Kim tries to kick the armored man in the side of the head, but he flinches and takes the blow on his shoulder. As he raises his shotgun, she grabs it and wrenches it out of his grip. He yells something in Spanish at his still-moaning companion, of which Kim notices the word "muerte" figures prominently. The other man abruptly stops screaming, though. Kim sees that Ashiya has her little silver handweapon raised again, and the long-haired superhuman is crouching, still clutching his shattered knee, wobbling a little but otherwise frozen in place as if with rigor mortis. The man on the ground tries to grab back his weapon, but Kim dances out of the way. Before she can threaten him with it, he suddenly slumps and falls unconscious. [to Kim] After the man whose weapon you took blacks out, Ashiya's mindvoice comes to you; **Kimberly, there is another Shabaali in the area, and he or she is very good, they are resisting all my attempts to neutralize these men, and I cannot locate him/her! My probe can project a psionic null-field which will hinder this person, but it will also hinder us. I would recommend you not attempt to teleport again until I turn it off.** Abruptly, her "voice" is muted, as if with static, the way it was back on the Sebth ship when she was imprisoned behind that force wall. You sense an oppressive cold, dull aura surrounding you, though nothing visible occurs. <><><><><> Kim: Kim watches the long-haired superhuman, to see what he's going to do. "Drop the barrier" she repeats, this time aloud. As soon as the green barrier drops, she'll attend to his broken leg. <><><><><> [GM] Ashiya has been kneeling next to Nancy, with tears running down her face. "She is injured, but not critically so," she murmurs. "This is all my fault. She was right, I did make this 'blow up in our faces'." At Kim's demand of the superhuman inside, Ashiya looks up. "He cannot," Ashiya says. "I froze his neural activity. Actually, it is remarkable that the force fields he created are still existent, but here we again face the impossibility of Terran Functions in general." She sighs. "I will try to reach into his mind and shut off his abilities and his consciousness, though it will be difficult with the neutralization field." She scoots over a few feet, pressing against the force wall as close to the man as possible. Closing her eyes, she concentrates, and stays that way for almost a full minute, causing beads of sweat to pop out on her forehead and neck. Kim remembers the painful feedback she felt back in the Sebth ship, when Ashiya was struggling to use her abilities through the neutralization field there. Her subject slumps and goes limp, just as the energy fields disappear. Ashiya almost falls down, then catches herself and looks at Kim. "Are you injured?" she asks, while Kim realizes that recovering her clothes would probably be a good idea- this is pretty near the worst place in the world to be running around naked! There's a roar a few feet away. As Kim and Ashiya look up, they see Falling Star ascending so quickly that she's out of sight in moments. Seconds later, a sharp "BOOM!" echoes down over the neighborhood, rattling windows. "I think she was frightened", Ashiya says. <><><><><> Kim: Kim appears to notice her missing clothes for the first time, and hastens to recover them, carrying the strange gun with her. "How is Nancy?" she asks Ashiya while getting dressed, "And how long will those two remain unconscious?" She examines the strange gun. If no-one stops her, she'll try disabling it by putting it on the ground and stamping on the barrel, aiming to flatten it. And if there's any sort of magazine, she'll remove it. <><><><><> [GM] Ashiya doesn't stop Kim while the teenager disables the weapon. It actually takes several kicks to bend it, but it finally looks non-functional. "They will sleep deeply unless something wakes them", Ashiya says. "And Nancy- I do not know for sure, I think she is not seriously hurt, but could have a concussion or even a skull fracture, certainly could have cracked ribs. I have a medical device, but should probably not use it openly." She's looking all around, and says "We need to find that other Shabaali." Nancy gradually emerges from a haze of pain and numbness, to find Ashiya kneeling over her, gently trying to revive her. Her tear-streaked face is marred by an ugly bruise under her eye. Nearby, Kim is looking over the two unconscious men next to the van. And there are still some gangsters in the area, watching cautiously from the sidelines. <><><><><> Nancy: Nancy's eyes slowly open as she gazes at the alien through a haze of pain. "Hey," she says softly, taking Ashiya's hand. "Don't blame yourself...wasn't your fault. You...couldn't have known...." She lies there for a moment, seemingly taking stock of the situation. "Kim," she finally groans, "go...find a phone. Call...911. We need police...and an ambulance." She looks up at the alien again. "Anybody else...hurt badly?" She rests there for a while, resisting the urge to go back to sleep. "I still think...," she says after a bit, "it might...have been Chad...stirring up...the gang. Don't...underestimate him. He is...a child...but had his powers...almost a year now. He might be...better with them...than you think." <><><><><> [GM] Ashiya looks at Nancy with a trace of skepticism. "What you described of his power before was brute-force telepathic domination," she says. "What was used on these poor people was mass empathic projection, a much more subtle and refined use of the Shabaali Function. Not only that, but I could not sense him, and neither could my probe! It takes a great deal of training to mask your telepathic signature, and this was a masterful job. Finally, I sensed the other telepath attempting to undo all my efforts; reinstilling you with rage, shielding those men when I put them to sleep. I barely won the contest, and I had the advantage of close physical proximity, and in your case, greater knowledge of your mental patterns. If I did not know better, I would think we were dealing with another Shabaali. A real Shabaali, I mean, from Galactic society." Then she looks up, and her eyes widen in alarm. "Oh!" she gasps. The two men she injured earlier, the one whose kneecap she kicked, and the other whose wrist she broke, are still on the ground, moved to the sidewalk by their friends, who are huddled around them and watching the three women in the street warily. Heedless of their glares, Ashiya jumps to her feet and approaches them directly. "Are they badly hurt?" she asks plaintively. Her voice sounds pained, as if she is badly hurt herself. "Please forgive me, I did not want to hurt them, I could only react as I was trained, because they were being telepat-" "React my ass...react this, bitch!" says a young man with a checkered shirt and bandana and opaque black shades. Kim is moving even before she consciously realizes it, seeing the gun elevating in slow motion. She leaps over Nancy and darts towards Ashiya in a blur as the gangster holds out a short-barreled shotgun and pulls the trigger. The teenager is an instant too late, as the blast knocks Ashiya halfway across the street. <><><><><> Kim: Kim's foot connects with the gunman's gun arm an instant too late, crunching bone. Without looking behind her, she knows that Ashiya has been badly hurt, perhaps killed - with unexpected viciousness, she knife- hands the gunman's collar-bone, to ensure that he doesn't even think of moving that arm for a while. If any of the others look like they want to cause trouble, she'll threaten to hit them too, and carry out her threat if they approach. She doesn't feel like holding back - any blows will be designed to cause injury. Assuming the uninjured ones finally slink off, Kim will kick the shotgun well clear of the injured ones, then turn to the scene of destruction behind her. She will take a look at Ashiya to see how badly hurt she is. <><><><><> Nancy: Nancy's not in much of a mood to listen to listen to Ashiya's explanation. It hurts to think about it, so she makes something like an understanding grunt and continues to lie there. Something clicks, though, when the alien suddenly takes it into her head to care for the fallen gang members. "Wait!", she yells, forcing herself to her feet, grimacing in pain. "It's a...." But her warning is cut short as the shotgun roars and Ashiya goes flying. If she can, she tries to prevent the young woman from hitting the ground and brings her over to Nancy's side. She ignores another burst of pain as she kneels, keeping her defenses up as she looks to see how badly the psychic was hurt. "You idiots!", she yells, her face twisted with pain and anger. "We risked our lives to help you...to keep you from killing yourselves...saving you from those two...and this is the thanks we get? We only attacked you when you tried to hurt us, when whoever this is made you do it. Do you think that if we wanted to hurt you that you'd still be alive? When are you people going to wise up and learn that violence is NOT the answer?" At least the urgency of the situation seems to have brought her back into focus.... <><><><><> [GM] Kim snaps the gunman's wrist, then feels the crunch of bones again as the edge of her hand slams down onto his collarbone. He collapses with an anguished cry, dropping the smoking sawed-off shotgun. Another one lunges at Kim, and receives a devastating kick in the gut which sends him hurtling back against another buddy, where he collapses and curls up into a little ball. The remaining gangsters back off, eying Kim warily, but they don't run away, just try to keep their distance. "You f***** crazy bitch!" one yells. Another says "F*** man, didn't 'spect Cos to blow 'way that girl!" "Who all dese freakin' chicks with dese freakin' powers? Bad 'nuff, Fallin' Star, now we got white c***s wit' powers messin' wit' us..." Staying on guard, Kim turns away from the foul-mouthed gang-bangers for a moment, to glance at Ashiya, who is now floating down to Nancy. The first thing Nancy notices is that there doesn't seem to be a lot of blood. In fact, there are just a few streaks, on her wrists and neck and one cheek, where some of the shotgun load grazed her on the rebound. Her long-sleeved blouse, while blackened with burned powder and coated with the metal residue of the shotgun blast, is not even torn! It looks almost like the cartoon aftermath of a stick of dynamite; blackened and marred, but not really hurt. Ashiya is gasping for air, staring up at the sky and trying to inhale. Her body trembles with pain and shock, and Nancy realizes that while somehow, her ordinary-looking clothing proved to be bulletproof, the beautiful alien still took the full force of a shotgun blast at point-blank range. The kinetic energy had to be somewhat greater than a kick from an angry mule. You don't know if she might not have internal injuries or a broken sternum. <><><><><> Nancy: Nancy continues to keep Ashiya off the ground in a zero G state, hoping that the lack of gravity will help her to be able to breathe. She notices Kim still over by the gang. "Kim, what in God's name are you doing? I told you to go call 911! I can take care of Ashiya and myself...go find a phone!" She turns her attention back to the wounded alien, trying to keep her calm...though she still keeps her defenses up and an eye on the two gangs. "Shhh," she says in a soothing voice, almost surreal sounding in the wake of the warfare that occured only moments ago. "You'll be all right...just try to stay calm." She concentrates on projecting hope and love...praying that the alien will find her emotions an island in the middle of the emotional chaos around them. "Is there something I can do for you?", asks Nancy. "Don't try to talk...use your telepathy...but do you have some kind of a medical kit? Maybe I could help to patch you up before the ambulance gets here." <><><><><> Kim: Kim looks back to ensure that Nancy really can defend herself and Ashiya, then nods. Desperately worried about Ashiya's condition (she doesn't know about the bulletproof clothing), she runs off in search of a telephone - one that works. When she calls 911, she'll explain that they've been attacked by a gang, and they need an ambulance. She knows that the police will be along too. [OOC: Is Kim dressed yet?] <><><><><> [GM] Kim (who is dressed) runs off for a pay phone, noticing that numerous faces are now looking out windows from neighboring tenements. She can only hope that more gang-bangers won't decide to start shooting again. Nancy, still crouched by the van, and the two unconscious thugs, with Ashiya floating in the air next to her, becomes immediately tense as a youth wearing denim jeans and jacket, with the same gang colors as the other kids, approaches, flashing a prominent gold tooth in a smile as he holds his hands up. "Hey lady don' get all uptight, no need for them whacked out crap...hey, my man Cos jus' got a li'l edgy." Looking at Ashiya, he whistles and says "Sheee***, she still breathin'? Look lady, you for sure ain't from this 'hood, donchu know you can call 9-1-1 all's you wants, they's ain't gonna show 'til all the shootin' stops then all's they do is collects the bodies." Ashiya's mental voice comes to you faintly. **In my bag, a mini-healing unit Nancy why did he try to kill me I only wanted to help!** You sense she's hurt more by the intent to harm her than the actual result. Her bag, unfortunately, was left behind in the rental car, now down the street and around the corner. * * * * * At a pay phone, Kim dials 911 and reports the situation. A bored voice says "Cabrini Green, yes, some units are on the way, they should be there shortly." <><><><><> Nancy: Nancy forces herself to relax as the boy with the gold tooth speaks to her. It's not his fault things turned out like this. "I know," she says in a voice slightly on edge. "She's not from here, she doesn't understand that you don't just walk up to people after you get into a fight with them. Still, 'a little edgy' isn't a reason to pull a shotgun either." She sighs wearily. "I think this whole thing got blown out of proportion. All we wanted to do was find a few more of us super powered types...though we could have done without those two." She points to the two unconscious men by the van. "I know they're probably not going to get here for a while," she answers, "but I'm pretty sure we should let the police try to take care of those two maniacs. Speaking of that...you and your people should try to make yourselves scarce pretty quick...you don't need to get involved with any of this. But before you go...." She pauses for a second, trying to sort all of this out in her mind. "I know that your two gangs have probably had problems for a long time...but have you noticed things getting worse lately? My friend was pretty sure that somebody was playing with all of our minds here...has there been anybody on the sidelines recently that's been kind of egging you on? I mean, you didn't come here today just to bring Falling Star into the open, did you?" * * * * * **Shhh...that's okay...just try to rest and stay calm.** Nancy hopes that she's "getting through". **He tried to hurt you because you hurt him. That's the way things work here in this part of the city. It's not 'civilized'...but life here is cheap, without much hope. I know it's hard for you to understand...so just try not to worry about it for now.** **In any case,** she continues, hopefully after telling Kim to bring the car around, **I don't think you did what you did of your own volition. I know you care about other people, but you suddenly forgot all of your training and went over to help obviously hostile people. I think it's a good possibility that whoever it was that influenced the crowd against us was also powerful enough to change your emotions too. Everyone just let this whole thing go out of control. I don't anyone's at fault here except for the one who was pulling all of the strings." Once Kim gets off the phone, if/when Nancy can see her, the blonde yells, "Kim, please bring the car back over here! Thanks!" <><><><><> [GM] **No** Ashiya thinks, **I acted out of instinct, I have been trained to fight, but not how to think tactically...I just did not know better how am I supposed to know what to do in a firefight with savages? It is highly unlikely I was influenced by the other telepath, even if s/he is skilled enough to affect me which is unlikely and I would know but the neutralizer...** her anguished mental voice fades away as she blacks out. The comment about a "neutralizer" brings to your attention something that had been bothering you, which is that you're sweating and finding it very difficult to maintain the gravity field around Ashiya, as if your power isn't quite under control. This is adding considerably to your already severe discomfort. You also realize that you can sense a gravity field emanating from another one of Ashiya's invisible probes (at least that's what you assume it is), hovering just above the street. "Gold Tooth" crouches a "safe" distance from Nancy and squints at the masked blonde. "Playin' with our minds? Look lady, we fightin' 'cause that's the way it be 'round here, those motherf******, it be time to do 'em! Hell no we don't want that little sl-- Fallin' Star showin' up, she nothin' but trouble!" He stands, glances over his shoulder at his friends, including the wounded ones, and looks back at Nancy and Ashiya. "Never believed in no f***in' Superman or Wonder Woman before. If you like Fallin' Star, thinkin' you gonna clean up the 'hood, you better 'member what happened to honey here-" he gestures at Ashiya, who is now unconscious. "We all 'member her, and Cos and some de others, she live and she dumba** enough to come back, the bitch get wasted for sure next time, or worse! You too, maybe. You look pretty f***ed up so you ain't God, maybe you get f***ed up REAL bad next time." Pointing at the two men by the van, he says "They get wasted next time for sure, an' if you don't get 'em outta here, we do it ourselves 'fore long." He turns and with his friends, begin slinking into the alleys between tenament buildings. <><><><><> Kim: Kim brings the car over, and looks at Ashiya. "Is she badly hurt?" She recalls Ashiya's comments about her having Atla powers, whatever they are. Something to do with healing. It was worth a try. She takes Ashiya's hand, and tries to concentrate on her, on trying to heal her injuries. <><><><><> [GM to Kim] Ashiya doesn't look as badly hurt as you were expecting- of course, you were expecting a bloody mess. All your efforts to heal her, however, fail. The only thing you sense happening is that the close proximity facilitates a mental rapport. Ashiya is unconscious now, so her thoughts are dim and hard to read. You do notice her mental shield, which you can now recognize as such thanks to her giving you a "crash course" in how to form one yourself. And even though Ashiya can't consciously sense you, her shield doesn't impede your entry into her mind at all, almost as if it "recognizes" you and moves aside for you. <><><><><> Nancy: Nancy listens as Gold Tooth scoffs at her and the others. Then she smiles at him, though the pain she's feeling is still obvious. "Well, now you've got something new to believe in," she says. "We're not here to clean up your neighborhood...YOU should be responsible for that. I'm not trying to save the whole world...just the little bit of it that I'm in." She turns serious, though, when he threatens them. "Before you go into more of this 'macho' act, let me remind you that YOU didn't hurt me. My friend wouldn't have gotten hurt either, except she made a silly mistake that she's not going to make again. You don't scare me, and I'll go wherever I darn well please. I don't want to be your enemy, but I'm going to do whatever I have to so we can find the other supers like us." She watches as they head off into the alleys, making sure they're gone before she lets down her defenses. Nancy interrupts Ashiya as she starts to ramble about the other telepath. **Ashiya...I need to know what the healer looks like and how to work it. The rest of this can wait.** <><><><><> [GM to Nancy] Ashiya sends an image of a small white box that looks something like a laptop computer (smaller than the one she's been carrying around.) **It knows what to do** she sends, before fading away. <><><><><> Nancy: "She's unconscious," answered the schoolteacher as Kim arrives. "Her blouse...it's made of some kind of an armored material, so she avoided the worst of it, but she might have internal injuries from the impact. I can't tell...my Red Cross classes didn't get into things like this." She opens up the back of the car, gets the alien's bag, and then sets her down as gently as she can lying down on the seat. She starts looking through it to find the miniature healer. <><><><><> Kim: Kim uses her (slightly limited) first aid knowledge to see if Ashiya can safely be moved. If so, she'll help Nancy maneuver her unconscious body into the car, and they can drive off (there are enough injured people around for the ambulance to deal with!). Otherwise, they'll have to wait for the ambulance. <><><><><> [GM] Kim doesn't *think* that Ashiya has any spinal injuries; Nancy is able to float her into the car before her powers give out completely. Nancy finds in Ashiya's bag a small white box that matches the mental image the alien sent her. <><><><><> Nancy: Nancy pulls out the white box and looks it over. "It knows what to do, huh?", she says. With a sigh, she takes it and lays it on Ashiya's abdomen. "Okay, Magic Box," she says in a half hopeful, half joking tone, "do your thing!" She then waits to see what it will do. While they're waiting, she looks over to Kim. "Are you all right?", she asks. <><><><><> Kim: Kim smiles. "Fine. How about you?" "Let me drive; where shall we go? To a hospital? Or is that box doing something?" [OOC: Will they get caught up in the World Cup traffic? ] Once Nancy has placed the `healing box' on Ashiya, Kim will try to feel her mind to get an idea if it is doing anything. <><><><><> [GM] The box just sits there for a few seconds. Then it makes a gentle "bing!" sound, and panels unfold and various appendages emerge, with what looks like an assortment of gripping, manipulating and cutting tools. It suddenly resembles a rather bizarre mechanical spider. One mechanical protrusion begins moving down Ashiya's chest, starting at her collar. After a few inches, it stops, almost as if confused. Then two more appendages swing around, and with tiny mechanical fingers, begin unbuttoning her blouse with speedy efficiency. In seconds, they've peeled it open, and the same appendage as before moves over her chest again. The fabric of her underclothes separates instantly. You can now see that Ashiya's chest and stomach is already discolored, an angry black and blue and red. The box lowers itself onto the alien's skin, and two flexible, prehensile cables wrap around her torso. Two more waldos extend to various places on her body where she was grazed by shotgun pellets, such as her wrists, throat and the side of her face, and they begin cleaning the blood and spraying something over the lacerations. After that, Nancy and Kim hear whirring noises from the box, but nothing else seems to be happening. [to Kim] You find that your telepathy still seems inhibited by that field you sensed before. You can sense Ashiya's mind, barely, but can't get much else from her. <><><><><> Kim: Kim watches through the rear-view mirror at the spider at work. "I can think of a few boys at school who'd like to get their hands on that!" When it stops, she adds: "I think it knows better than us when it's finished. Do you want the hospital, or home?" <><><><><> Nancy: "I'm not doing so well," Nancy says with a grimace. "I think I've got cracked ribs...and the way my skull is pounding, maybe some kind of a head injury too. But I can't give in yet...." She closes the door so the topless alien is at least concealed from casual view. "I think that box is doing something for her, so we should just wait and see if she's going to need a doctor. She says she's human, but I don't want anybody we don't know examining her." "Anyway, we've got a bigger problem. I need to stay here and wait for the police. They need to know what those two men did and the fact at least one of them has powers...otherwise people might be killed when they wake up and try to escape." <><><><><> [GM] After what seems to Nancy like a *very* long time, you can hear sirens approaching. There are already some rubberneckers coming out of the tenaments and gathering around the scene, and it occurs to the two Earthwomen that they have no idea how long their two "friends" are going to stay unconscious.... <><><><><> Nancy: Part of Nancy's "plan" to talk to the cops involves her being able to fly away if they insist she come in for questioning. Are her powers totally gone? She'll experiment a little by floating a bit off the ground. <><><><><> Kim: Kim gives Nancy a sympathetic smile. "If I had healing powers like Ashiya said, I could help; but I tried on her, and nothing happened. Do you want to have a go with the spider after it's finished on her? I don't suppose there's a second one in her bag." "I can think of another problem with doctors: they'll probably go digging into her background, if only to find out what medical insurance she has. I don't know if Ashiya has set up her cover that well." She checks Ashiya's bag for any sign of medical insurance, and any more spiders. [OOC: If Ashiya has forged medical insurance, is the hospital likely to check it?] "Here come the cavalry. Time to hide the box and cover Ashiya up, or we'll have even more awkward questions." Kim checks that there are no obvious giveaways visible: that Nancy is no longer wearing her mask, that all of Ashiya's equipment is out of sight (especially her gun!), etc. The last thing she does is to switch to the passenger seat - she doesn't want to be done for illegal driving! "We'd better get our story straight - as close to the truth as possible. We were looking for a missing pupil, Chad Reiter, drove into a bad area by mistake, and got caught up in a multi-sided battle between three people with possible super-powers, and a couple of gangs? Two of the supers were over-whelmed, and are over there; the other left, and the gangs have slunk off. I hope that there aren't any other witnesses volunteering!" [OOC: Have the injured gang members limped away?] She gives a wry smile. "At least my powers aren't easily identifiable as such. I can always move myself up a couple of belts." <><><><><> Nancy: Nancy answers, "Yes...I think the 'spider' would be better than going back to my doctor at home...mostly because I don't want to have to explain any of this to his *or* Mike. He's going to have a fit as it is." Since Kim doesn't seem to disagree with Nancy's need to stay, she continues, "Okay...take the car down the street a couple of blocks...someplace you can still see me but where you're not obvious. I'll stay here and wait for the police. If they give me any trouble about leaving, I'll just fly over those buildings and meet you in that alley we saw on the other side." If Kim seems to balk at this plan, she continues, "Well, we can't ALL stay here, can we? I don't want to have to explain Ashiya...and I don't see any need for you to get tangled up in this either. I'm the one wearing the mask, nobody knows who I am, so I should be the one to talk with the police." <><><><><> Kim: Kim shrugs. "OK - I just hope they don't start firing on seeing a masked stranger! Good luck." She drives the car a couple of blocks down the street, parks, and turns off the engine and lights. She tilts the mirror so she can lie back a bit and remain partially hidden, while still watching events. <><><><><> [GM] [to Nancy] You're able to float, but with difficulty, and it increases the pounding in your skull. You have to conclude that flying away is something you'll have to save for an absolute last resort, because likely as not, you'll end up passing out before you can come back down.... * * * * * [The gang members, at least everyone you can immediately identify as such, seem to have slinked away, but there are plenty of other spectators. The hospital would most likely check on Ashiya's medical insurance, yes, though probably not immediately.] Kim doesn't find any more white boxes in Ashiya's baggage, though there are plenty of other odd gizmos to arouse her curiousity. However, there's no time for that at the moment, and with severe misgivings, she has to leave a masked Nancy, who looks like she just went a couple rounds in a bare-knuckle brawl with Mike Tyson and suffered the expected result, to face the police by herself. As the teenager drives off, Nancy tries to figure out just how she's going to go about "misdirecting", if not actually lying, to the police, something that goes against all her ethics and everything she's taught her children. She also notices that there are enough people pointing at the rental car as Kim drives away that the chances are very good that someone will get the license plate number. With a screech of tires and howling of sirens, four police cars, two ambulances and a fire truck come roaring down the street. The police cars slam on their brakes and come to a halt ahead of the other emergency vehicles. At least a dozen kevlar-armored police officers emerge with pistols and shotguns at the ready, surveying the scene, especially the two men lying unconscious on the ground, the wrecked cars and shattered windows up and down the street, and a masked woman who looks like a blonde punching bag standing in the midst of it all. Nancy figures she has about 0.5 seconds to say something before the guns are pointed at *her*....meanwhile, even more police cars are approaching from the other end of the street. <><><><><> Nancy: Nancy knows how she's going to handle this situation...which is why she sent Kim and Ashiya away. It's not that she doesn't trust them...but she didn't want them to get involved if things got ugly and didn't turn out the way she planned.... She's rather taken aback by the response when the police do arrive. The impression she'd gotten from Kim was that the dispatcher seemed very unimpressed with the situation. Apparently the noise must have filtered up to one of the more affluent neighborhoods. As they get out of their vehicles, she has her hands in plain view. She raises them slowly in a gesture of nonhostility. "Don't shoot!", she asks. "I'm not here to fight you!" If they tell her to put her arms behind her head or get down on the ground, she'll say, "I can't, Officer...I think I have broken ribs...it hurts to move...especially my arms." She will do her best to do as they ask, though, and tries to present a nonthreatening demeanor. <><><><><> Kim: Kim watches the events unfold, making a mental note that the car must go back before the police become too interested in checking it! <><><><><> [GM to Nancy] As Kim drove away with Ashiya in the back seat, the invisible probe followed, about thirty feet overhead. And just as it reaches the edge of your sensing range, you feel the oppressive aura that was making the use of your powers so difficult fade. The lead policeman, holding a heavy shotgun, takes a few steps towards you cautiously. His weapon is at the ready, but not pointed at you. Behind him, the other cops are similarly holding their weapons where they *can* line up on you in an instant, but aren't doing so yet. "Who are you?" he asks. "Do you need medical attention?" <><><><><> Nancy: "My name isn't important," the blonde replies. "And yes, I need medical attention, but I can wait. I have to tell you about those two men there," she says, pointing to the two Functionals lying in the street. "They're paranormals, superpowered types...like I am, even though they don't look that impressive. I think they might have been hired to kill the paranormal who looks like a ball of fire and has been destroying all of the crack houses recently." "The one in the camoflague outfit," she continues, indicating the one in kevlar, "used guns...the shotgun he was using is right over there. [He does still have his rifle on him, right?] The other one projects this green energy which he makes into walls...and he can hit pretty hard with it too. These men are VERY dangerous and indiscriminate killers...so I thought you need to be made aware of that. He might kill some policeman if he tries to escape...and I wanted to try and prevent that from happening." She waits to see if they want to ask her more questions. <><><><><> [GM to Nancy] The officer you're talking to comes nearer, while half a dozen others move forward from behind their vehicles, now converging on the two unconscious men. They still seem wary of you, but for the moment aren't treating you as a threat. Even more cars are arriving now, and some of the uniformed cops are spreading out up and down the street, trying to get witnesses to the event who will talk to them....without much luck, as most of the neighborhood residents promptly shrink away and vanish as soon as the police come near. The one you've been talking to assumes a more normal tone of voice. "You mean Falling Star? We had a report she...or it, was involved here. How did you get involved in this?" Inspecting you at close range, he says "I have to tell you, *you're* the one who doesn't look that impressive right now. I think you'd better let one of the ambulances take you to the hospital." One cop trots over to your questioner and says "Lieutenant, feds are on the way. They said to go ahead with emergency threat procedures." <><><><><> Nancy: "Yes, Falling Star," Nancy replies. "I didn't know her name until a few minutes ago and I thought it might not be common knowledge." "I got involved because I'm trying to find other people with superpowers. I came to this neighborhood because I knew there'd been that kind of activity around lately...I was hoping that I could just TALK to Falling Star. I never expected a war to break out." She gives the officer a small smile. "I've already arranged to have medical attention after I finish here. And as trite as it sounds, I don't want you to find out who I really am...I have a husband and children that I don't want exposed to superpowered hitmen and such." She looks at the two on the ground. "I don't think I need problems like that. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of the danger these two pose." When the other cop says the feds are en route, she sighs and says, "Well, that sounds like my cue to leave. I don't mind dealing with the local police, but I hear federal agents are a bit less understanding. If you'll excuse me, Lieutenant?" <><><><><> [GM] "Hey, wait a minute!" the police officer protests. "Right now, you're the only person who can give us an account of what happened here! These people-" he gestures at the surrounding neighborhood, now suddenly nowhere near as full of onlookers as before- "aren't gonna tell us much. And the feds'll wanna talk to you." <><><><><> Nancy: "Well," she says in a tired but thoughtful voice, "I certainly don't mind giving you a statement here, but I can't wait for the other authorities...I don't think I can hold out that long. I'll do the best I can for you, though, officer. Is there something specific you'd like to know, or do you just want a general outline of what happened?" <><><><><> [GM] "A general outline would be good to start with. And where'd Falling Star go? Geez lady, at least let a paramedic look at you an' make sure you're not about to fall over dead from a brain concussion! You have to stay around to tell us what happened, or all we'll be able to charge these two with is possession of illegal weapons, disturbing the peace, and other stuff that won't hold them more than a day or two if they can come up with bail. If they were actually tossing grenades around and trying to kill people, we need a solid witness who can testify to that!" <><><><><> Nancy: Nancy sighs, she doesn't feel much like arguing, not with her head pounding the way it is. "Fine," she finally answers, "why don't I let the paramedics here take a look at me while I try to tell you what happened?" As they walk over to the ambulance, she continues, "Isn't there some way I can give you a statement now, go see my own doctor, and then give you a call back if you need anything else, to find out when you need me to testify at their trial? Oh, that reminds me...the one in the camouflage spoke to the other one in Spanish...he might not know English." Once they get over to the paramedic, Nancy submits to an examination (though she won't let her mask be removed). S/he will notice when when he checks her eyes, she's wearing contacts (or at least she was when the fight started ). Assuming she can tell her story while being looked over, she begins, "I read in the papers about Falling Star and I thought I'd like to talk to her, find out more about her. I was driving by and saw these two street gangs facing each other. I thought maybe if I intervened, I could startle them into backing off so they might not kill each other. Then, suddenly, Falling Star showed up and scattered them." "Then those two men stepped out of that van and the one shot me with his rifle. When that didn't work, he shot a grenade into the crowd, but I managed to contain the explosion. Then he shot me with some other kind of grenade that made this loud noise, deafening me. That's the one that blew up the hood of that Toyota over there. In the mean time, Falling Star tried flying into them like a battering ram, but the other one put up some kind of green energy barrier that made her bounce off. He then made a bubble of it around her, trapping her." "Things are a little confused after that," she continues apologetically, "since my ears were ringing and I was really dizzy after that second grenade. I used my powers and pinned them up against that van, then I asked them to let Falling Star go. The green barrier kind of rippled, grew some kind of tentacle, and then bashed me one. I blacked out, and when I woke up, they were unconscious too. Maybe I squeezed them a little too hard when I got knocked out. I really don't know." "Anyway, that's basically all there is I can tell you." <><><><><> [GM] The paramedics examine you as you talk, and pronounce "You should go to a hospital. You don't have any obvious critical injuries, but a possible concussion is nothing to play around with- you can feel fine, then get a ruptured blood vessel in your brain and drop dead an hour later. And you need your ribs X-rayed." The lieutenant asks you "What kind of powers are you talking about?" Behind him, you see a dark blue van with government plates coming around the corner. <><><><><> Nancy: Needless to say, the paramedic's diagnosis makes Nancy even more eager to leave. "I can manipulate gravity," she says simply to the officer's question. She notices the van's arrival and sighs. "I really don't want to do this," she says a bit testily to the officer she'd been talking to. <><><><><> [GM] The lieutenant says "Well, I can't keep you here. But they want to talk to any superhumans they can find. I can't arrest you or anything, but you'll have to show up at a hospital eventually, and they'll undoubtedly be waiting." <><><><><> Nancy: She sighs again. "Well, I suppose it can't hurt just *talking* to them. And you might be right." Of course, Nancy knows she has no intention of going to any hospital, but there's no need to tell him (her?) that. Before the officer finishes and wanders off, she'd like to get his card so she can contact him and find out when the trial is. Therefore, she adopts a stoic look and watches as the government van pulls up, waiting to see who gets out. <><><><><> [GM] He gives you his card, but stays near as two men in long black overcoats and sunglasses emerge....followed by four men in heavy black kevlar armor, including completely concealing helmets, carrying enormous rifles and an assortment of ominous-looking equipment on their belts and harnesses. The armed men hurry over to the unconscious men by the van. You see one pulling a black case from his belt, and withdrawing what looks like a compressed air hypodermic gun. The men in overcoats approach, surveying the police lieutenant, the paramedics, and you. One holds out a badge, and says "Special Agent Tim Mahon, Justice Department." He takes off his sunglasses, and you see that he's a rather handsome man in his late twenties or early thirties. "Looks like you got smacked around a bit, ma'am. Took out two other metas though." He asks for a rundown on what happens, and you and the lieutenant basically repeat what you've already said. The lieutenant seems a bit put off by the presence of federal agents, and they definitely give the impression that they consider him and all the other cops to be extraneous. "Ma'am, you probably know that there are people like these raising hell all over the country. And people like you are the only ones that can stop them, at the moment. We're doing our best to develop effective countermeasures, but it's awfully damn hard to arm law enforcement agents with something that will be effective against someone who creates bulletproof domes, or turns invisible, or can walk through walls." "Since you seem to be someone with a sense of social responsibility, I'm sure you can see why we need your cooperation. I'm sure the residents of this neighborhood are grateful for your stopping a gang battle and taking down a pair of super-powered thugs. But this kind of haphazard battle in the streets between 'good' and 'evil' metahumans is NOT going to serve the public good. You won this time; you could just as easily have lost. And a lot of innocent bystanders could have been killed. We need people like you working in full cooperation with the government." <><><><><> Nancy: Nancy visibly tenses as the armored men exit the van, but seems reassured at least a little when they devote their attention to the unconscious villains. She nods cautiously as he introduces himself. "Well, 'smacked around' is putting it a bit mildly. Not that I'm looking for sympathy, but I do need to get medical attention. I *do* want to co-operate, though, so I'm postponing that until I feel that I'm not needed here anymore. I don't want to be difficult about this, but I hope I've made my point." She listens carefully as he speaks. She thinks for a moment, then says, "Agent Mahon, I understand where you're coming from. Believe me, I realize the gravity of the situation (pardon the pun)...but I don't know about 'full co- operation'." She holds up her hand. "I'm not implying that there's anything sinister about working for the government. In fact, I'm all for law and order. But I have no intention of letting these...abilities become the main focus of my existence. I have a life beyond this...it might not seem important to you, but it is to me. I don't want to throw away everything I am just because of some accident that lets me do something that other people can't." "I didn't wear this mask as a fashion statement," she continues. "Though I didn't think I'd be getting into a gang war, it only helps to illustrate my point. I have loved ones that aren't able to handle the implications of people knowing who I am...and that includes the government. I know it sounds horribly trite, but secrecy really is my only way of protecting them." "I've also got the common sense to know that I'm not suited to this kind of situation. I'm not a fighter, Agent Mahon. There has to be some other reason I got these powers than to beat people up. I was only defending myself...none of this would have happened if those men hadn't tried to kill me. THEY were the ones that started it, not me. And it seems to me that my being alone reduces the risk of me accidentally killing someone than if I'm out galivanting with a bunch of other government sanctioned supers. As long as I don't insist on making a spectacle of myself like that Crystal person, I'm not causing trouble for anyone." <><><><><> [GM] "I can understand that, ma'am. But just why were you looking for other superhumans, then?" <><><><><> Nancy: "Why not?", countered the blonde. "Just because I don't want to devote my whole life to my powers doesn't mean that I can't meet other people who have them, does it? I enjoy meeting people...I like to think that everyone has SOME lesson that they can teach." <><><><><> [GM] "Umm, yeah." The agent looks a little nonplussed. "But, you don't just run around looking for people to 'teach you lessons', do you? You just decided you wanted to meet other superhumans, and came to Chicago's worst neighborhood to do it?" <><><><><> Nancy: "My powers only manifested a little while ago," Nancy replies. "I was curious, I had the time off of work today, so I took the opportunity to come to Chicago and nose around. Frankly, I realize there wasn't a GOOD chance I'd see Falling Star, but I've always been pretty intuitive and I just had a feeling I'd find someone." She gives a wry grin. "I should stop listening to those feelings. I'd be safer that way." <><><><><> [GM] "Probably, yes. Look, we need superhumans to help fight hostile supers like these two, but we also need them to cooperate in scientific studies, so we can figure out how superpowers work, and maybe how to counter them in the case of criminals. The government is willing to offer some very generous compensations, not just monetary, to any people like you who will work with us. You don't necessarily have to be a combatant, though by the looks of things, you did pretty well for someone who doesn't seem to be accustomed to getting in fights." He hands you a card and says "I know you're not going to just sign up on the spot, especially since you obviously need medical attention first. But think about it, talk it over with your husband, and call us. And in the meantime, I'd be happy to give you a ride to the hospital, perhaps tell you some more about the program the government has developed so far. Believe me, you're not the only superhuman who found themselves a little over their head when their powers manifested, and we've already helped several of them. And we know a bit about some threats you are probably unaware of." <><><><><> Nancy: When he mentions "doing well" against the two supers, Nancy shakes her head and replies, "I got lucky...and I'd rather not push my luck like that again." She takes his card and stands up, wincing a little from the ache in her chest. "I'm afraid I'll have to pass on your offer for a ride," she answers. "But I promise you that I will think about what you've said. I would like to say, though, that I appreciate being approached in a calm and reasonable manner, rather than being threatened. I...like your style, Agent Mahon. You'll probably be hearing from me in a few days." If the police officer is still there, she'll turn to him and say, "I'm sorry about all of this, Lieutenant. I'll try to be more careful if I come into town doing this again. And you can rest assured that I'll do everything in my power, no pun intended, to be available to testify for the trail." As she speaks to the two men, she surveys the scene...and looks beyond to make sure that the car with Kim and Ashiya in it is still where it should be. <><><><><> [GM] No. The car is gone!