Variant Earth 13 E Mail Game Archive Number 34

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Sat Sep 13, 2003  2:09 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> "Why hello, what do we have here?  Some sort of... wizard, it seems." 

Masque stops and says,
"Ummmm ..Wizard? Where?"
He almost sounds like he really believes it isn't himself.
"Just the two of us here."

> "Well then, feel free to match wits with... the Pinball Wizard!"

Masque blinks.
"You are Joking right? I mean..I thought i was nuts. but you take the proverbial cake. Heeyyyyyyyy..waitaminute. You can see me.?"
 
He walks up to the Man and waves his hand about in front of the guys face.
"Hellllooooo.....Ooooogyy booogy booogy? Nope...I guess you can see me. That's no fun.  I can't even do a card trick..or pull a brassiere from my sleeve...."
 
He starts doing some stage magic..
"Nothing up my sleeve, nothing behind my back, nothing in my hands..."
..and promptly kicks the Pinball Wizard in the balls...and not the silver ones.
"and NOTHING up my shoe either."
 
(Rolls....stage magic distraction:84, Kick: 93, damage: 24 (ummm), dodge: 58)

From:  EmarZero@aol.com 
Date:  Sat Sep 13, 2003  6:39 am
Subject:  Out of town.

Back monday night.

Stay safe.

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Mon Sep 15, 2003  1:53 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

(O.O.C.    I this is what i get for playing two characters.....I didn't mean Discohead....sheeeeeiiiit)
He trains his guns on Discohead, but doesn't shoot just yet.
"Mobeius, I knew you were into Kink, but wow..."

From:  Charlie Chicanery <charlie_chicanery@yahoo.com> 
Date:  Mon Sep 15, 2003  1:58 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> That's quite a sophisticated hologram projection system, there.

WAS.

> "Back off, you dumb broad, or I'll plug her!" 

Crap. Crap crap crap.

Hm... i suppose i'll have to be cagey here. Or not, really, what with Moebius being all super-speedy-like ... i could just hit the guy. But no... i'm theoretically a good guy.

Or good GIRL. Or something.

Egad i need to fix this before i get used to breasts.

"Hey hey hey, tough guy, calm down. There's no need for that. It's bad enough you shot me, but you can't shoot her - it'll only make her stronger. And angrier. And she'll probably hurt you. Either that or you'll miss, and hit one of these innocent diners here. We definitely don't want that; it's okay to hit interloping troubleshooters like us, but you just can't go around shooting bystanders. And you KNOW that you can't hit her. i mean heck, you know you only got lucky when you shot me. And Jeebus, you shot me dead in the head and still couldn't get it right. Not to mention this whole robbery thing has gone sour.
You know you're not getting away from all those cops, much less my hard core friends outside. We just got you outclassed... sorry.

"Not my fault you're a third-rate criminal..."

That ought to rattle him enough to shoot me instead.

Rolls:

dodge - 87 (finally a good one), others - 54, 22, 96 (yes), 21 (no)

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Tue Sep 16, 2003  4:56 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

"Third rate?  THIRD RATE?!?"

Yes, Charlie, you definitely found his BUTTON.

"I'll show you third rate, you two-bit floozy!"

The Holographic Man then aims at you and shoots.  Well, he tries to shoot, at least, but it would appear that his precious laser gun is no longer working.  He's flexing on the trigger, but there's no coherent light coming from the thing at all.

You can stop cringing now.

"Who the what the?!"  The Holographic Man then does the standard villain thing, and looks into the barrel.  "Hmph... must've ran out of charge."  He then holsters the gun (and you hear a crunching sound as he does so, presumably from the barrel getting mushed).

This causes the man a bit more unease, until he pulls out a back-up weapon - an energy blade!  It makes a menacing "wooooom" sound as it kicks into life, and he proceeds to cut your former table in two.  "I may be 'halving' technical difficulties, but you're in trouble now.

"Now, for my next trick..."

He then swings at you with the blade, Charlie!

It would appear that this fellow is completely ignoring the two of you, Geoffrey, Gunslinger, despite the fact that you've walked into the place regardless of the current police stand-off.  Must have something to do with him being homicidally focused on Charlie Chicanery.

S/He has that effect on people, after all.  But, as you enter and quip wise, Gunslinger, Moebius screams at you.  "Ha ha ha, jerk.  Help me out, here, I can't see a damn thing... this 'Holographic Man' nailed me with some sort of flash-bulb attack or something.

"You need to point me at this guy...!"

?!

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Tue Sep 16, 2003  5:12 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

Re-entering your cabin real quick, you see that a few items have been overturned here and there, but aside from some windows here and there, it looks like the overall damage is quite minimal.  At least the place didn't get burned down...

Anyhoo, when you make it back outside, your mystery friend returns your shake and introduces himself.  "Heya.  Name's Will Cross, but most people seem to call me Hardcore these days - long story.  As far as what I'm doing here, well... there's another long story.

"The punch line is that these guys are with a group called the Terran Directorate - you may've heard of 'em.  They're supposedly a charity group out to help the homeless, but the sad truth is that they're out to take over the world... or something like that.

"For some reason, they seem to think that you're a threat to them, and want you dead.  I found that out after I... ran into a group of them out in California, where I got my van back from some jerk I used to work with... but that's not the point.

"We need to get you out of here, and maybe send the Directorate a message about leaving you alone, I think... but that's just me."

?!

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Tue Sep 16, 2003  6:58 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> "You need to point me at this guy...!"

Gunslinger, on the verge of firing at Holographic Man, puts his guns away.
 
"Heh, this outta be good. Alright Moebius. He's dead ahead of ya."
Gunslinger grabs Moebius by the shoulders, turns her and grabs an arm and moves it to point right at Holographic Man.

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Tue Sep 16, 2003  9:30 am
Subject:  Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

Sebastian shrugged aside the damage in his cabin. He was due for some yard sale shopping anyway...

Once his "mystery friend" introduced himself, Sebastian unvoluntarily narrowed his eyes. Will Cross, uh? While serving in the Navy Seals, he had heard of that name. During "Operation Desert Storm", a whole platoon of Marines had been killed by some Iraqi chemical, including someone named Will Cross. And the guy facing him was not the North Pole adventurer either... Maybe the name wasn't THAT uncommon after all.

The codename "Hardcore" also rang a bell, but the vague memories he had did not fit the profile of the man who had just helped him knock out these thugs. The Hardcore he had heard of was a merc, the kind who sold his guns to the highest price. Not exactly the smiling face with canes he saw right in front of him.

Sebastian sighed. Yes indeed, he had heard of the Terran Directorate. They were just one of the various groups of people who sought world domination. And it came as no surprise that they wanted him dead. He didn't know exactly what he had done to anger them this time, but it was a known fact in the family that the Pitt men always had some sort of "weirdness magnet" around them. He'd simply need to add them to his long list of people who wanted him dead.

Sebastian sighed again. "I have no reason not to believe you pal. Don't think of me as ungrateful, but... there are still some things unexplained. Hope you don't mind the questionnaire... How did you know where to find me? Why did you want to warn me? What makes you think I'll be safer somewhere else? What kind of message do you think we should send to the Directorate and finally, who are you, really?"

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Tue Sep 16, 2003  11:56 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> (snip laser gun getting all broke)

Geoffrey smiles to himself, seeing something finally work for him. Yep, that's it. Continue to appear innocuous and take this idiot apart from a distance. Make it look like the rest of the team is totally in control of the situation....

> "Now, for my next trick..."

Excellent. Focus on the distraction. Charlie can fully take care of herself.... 

Geoffrey will start dampening the energy sword and weakening it at the same time... just waiting for him to break the thing against Charlie's staff...

> "You need to point me at this guy...!" 

"Don't worry, Moebius, Charlie has him fight where she wants him...."

(Rolls: Init: 9, Dampening: 61, Weakening: 78, Anything else: 94, 98, 27...couldn't last...47, 43)

From:  Charlie Chicanery <charlie_chicanery@yahoo.com> 
Date:  Tue Sep 16, 2003  1:29 pm
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> Yes, Charlie, you definitely found his BUTTON.

Sweet. My plan worked... i so rock.

> "I'll show you third rate, you two-bit floozy!"

>> (minus holographic boobery)

> You can stop cringing now.

Well, all right.

>> (minus more holograpic boobery)

"Heh... thanks for the demonstration. i wasn't quite sure how to gauge third rate villainy, but after seeing it in person, i guess i was right all along.  You are the single most incompetent criminal i have ever encountered - EVER. And i've dealt with them in over a dozen star systems. Egad, if i were as pathetic as you i'd have been killed off by now by some jerk in an alley with a rusty knife. You so suck... you should give up now, i say."

It seems to be working so far... i figure why not?

> (ninus energy blade thing)

> "Now, for my next trick..."

> He then swings at you with the blade, Charlie!

Get some!

i will parry his blow with my transient steel staff, knowing full well that the nigh-invulnerable metal should be able to absorb any damage that something built by this 'tard can manufacture. It's not like this is the hard core (not to be confused with Hardcore, there) death-dealing energy staff i used to use when i contracted out for ESE, but i still know how to wield it like nobody's business, and i'm sure i can use mine better than he can use his.

Take that as you will.

Some barrel rolls:

70 - to put my tachyon-charged transient steel staff between me and him, 81 - to hit him upside his dumb-headed self with my tachyon-charged transient steel staff, and other assorted rolls: 01 (jeez!), 44, 68, 00 (now i get the goods... these dices are all over).

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Tue Sep 16, 2003  2:05 pm
Subject:  OOC: Quick appreciative note...

OOC: Hello all! Just thought I'd write a word to congratulate all on the good humor of this group. Although my character is much more serious than yours (for now anyway!), I'd like to take a moment to say that I enjoy the humor you guys keep putting in your posts and replies. It's rather unusual, but it seems to work just fine and I hope I'll be able to fit in nicely with all of you.

Take care!

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Tue Sep 16, 2003  4:18 pm
Subject:  RE: [v13] OOC: Quick appreciative note...

OOC: Good humor? You haven't seen Masque in all his glory yet. Just wait.
Now THAT floors me every time.

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Tue Sep 16, 2003  4:34 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] OOC: Quick appreciative note...

OOC: Great...no pressure here or anything.....sheesh...hehe
OOC:  Good humor?  You haven't seen Masque in all his glory yet.  Just wait.
Now THAT floors me every time.

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Wed Sep 17, 2003  9:46 pm
Subject:  Technical Difficulties.

OOC: Okay..so my computer is all kinds of fugged up so If I disappear it's either because I...A: Threw this motherfucker off the balcony and do not have it anymore or...B: It has crashed for a final time.
 
I shall endeavor to try and use another computer and reply through the *cringe* yahoo account. 
 
Catch y'all on the flip side.
 
Acers.

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Wed Sep 17, 2003  10:29 pm
Subject:  Re: Technical Difficulties.

OOC: Typical GPF: "Broken Windows. Watch out for glass fragments..." BTW, if you throw that computer off the balcony, make sure there's no one underneath: lawsuits ARE expensive... ;-)

More Microsoft "errors":
http://www.leo.org/~ankh/winerrors.html
http://toastytech.com/evil/errwindows.html

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Thu Sep 18, 2003  5:24 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

So this crackpot swings at you with his energy blade, Charlie, but you manage to get your staff between you and a would-be early demise... and your block works better than you imagined.  A lot better.  To start with, the blade gets disrupted upon hitting your staff.

And then the device generating it quite literally shatters!

(Seems like you do good work, Geoffrey)

The Holographic Man just stands there and stammers, unmanned after watching his light sabre (TM) break like it were made out of cheap aluminum foil.  He's so distracted by the bent metal that he fails to note that you're attacking him back - until it's too late.

You clock him a good one upside the head, giving him a healthy dose of tachyons as you do so, and as the man lands on the ground, you see that he isn't a man after all.  Your energies must've disrupted another hologram generator, for the Holographic Man is, in fact, a Woman!

"Owww!," she says as she hits the floor.

Picking up the remains of his energy blade, you see that the thing was apparently the product of shoddy workmanship.  The case is all corroded, there's exposed wiring all over the place, and it looks like his fusion cell had really, really bad shielding.

You should know - you saw the power pack on yours go out once.

So at about this point, while you're inspecting the goods, Moebius finally makes her way to where the Holographic... uh, Woman is sprawled out on the floor, thanks to Gunslinger's assistance.  She puts the tip of her blade right at the center of your foe's throat, and grins a spine-chilling grin.

"So give me ONE GOOD REASON why I shouldn't kill you now..."

All the Holographic, eh, Person can say to this is "Erm..."

!

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Thu Sep 18, 2003  5:33 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

Will just shrugs.  Too much talk for his taste, you think.

"To answer your first question:  I didn't.  I just followed these bozos, and they led me to you.  I honestly didn't know you existed until about a day or so ago, when I picked up the trail of Larry, Curly and Moe here."  This prompts a downward glance from the man.

"As far as the second, well... I've been on the business end of the Directorate's guns for quite a while - they REALLY don't like me.  There's  a bunch of other rejects like 'em that want me dead, but for some reason the Directorate seems to want it... more.

"I just figured I'd spare you that fate, though it looks like you may not have needed my help here as of yet.  Which, of course, leads to your third question.  See, when the Directorate fails to kill a body with four guys, they send fifty.  And if that fails...

"They break out the alien hardware.  Really.

"Not sure about the fourth question.  I just figured a case of boots to the head might let 'em know that we mean business, and don't want any more of theirs.  I happen to know where a few of their major staging grounds for black ops are... been saving that info up for a special occasion.

"You never know, after all.

Will then pauses before continuing.

"And I already told you, I'm Will.  Will Cross.  Believe what you will."

Mister Hardcore then glances sideways, toward the woods, where he presumably left 'Shemp' tied up...

?

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Thu Sep 18, 2003  8:21 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> "So give me ONE GOOD REASON why I shouldn't kill you now..."

"You're on camera for one. She's completely helpless for another. And finally, if you let her live we can make a killing with all the free publicity we are about to get."

Geoffrey gives Gunslinger a look of "I hope you can calm her down" and heads out of the building after making sure his suit is perfectly pressed. He moves towards the officer he spoke with earlier, making sure that the camera crew is following his every move and helping them telekinetically to get into a good position to film this exchange if necessary.

"Good news, officer. The criminal responsible for this incident has been neutralized and may be arrested at your leisure. Should you require similar assistance in the future, simply give us a call. The number is on the business card I gave you on the way in, but in the off-chance you misplaced the card, the number is 1-800-GET-THEM if you don't have it handy. Our organization is equipped to handle any situation that may arise. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to negotiate a contract. As a gesture of goodwill, we will waive our usual fees for resolving this incident."

Geoffrey confidently strides back into the restaurant fervently hoping that things are under control as he leads the police in to arrest the thugs and "ringleader".

He smiles at the rest of the team. "Well done. Well done indeed."

(OOC: Arrest! woo woo! Haven't gotten arrest karma in years....)

(Oh, and if anything needs to be rolled: 73, 18, 60, 16)

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Thu Sep 18, 2003  8:26 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

OOC: No, I have no idea if that phone number goes to anything, so don't start dialing it.

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Thu Sep 18, 2003  9:42 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> "So give me ONE GOOD REASON why I shouldn't kill you now..."

> (snip Geoffrey's reasons not to kill the Holographic Indeterminate Gender Guy)
 
Gunslinger agrees..
"He's got a point. As do you it seems, right on her throat but seriously. The law enforcement on this world can be a bit stubborn. Apparently cold blooded killing is frowned upon. "
He shrugs his shoulders and walks out of the building to his vehicle.

> (snip Geoffrey speak outside)

As Gunslinger passes Geoffrey, he nudges him.
"I am glad yer the one that's full of cheese. I'll be in the car."
Gunslinger makes his way through the crowd to his car , not saying a word to anyone.
"Did he say waive the fee?...Damnable humans."

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Thu Sep 18, 2003  10:22 am
Subject:  Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

Sebastian stared back at Will for a few seconds, as if appraising  him. Finally, he nodded his agreement: Will's answers satisfied him.  For now.

"OK, I hear you loud and clear. I also have a few clowns on my back 
from time to time. Bruised them enough to leave me alone for a while, 
but it seems that those bad guys arrange their schedules together so 
that WE don't get a break."

As he walked towards where Will was looking (Shemp), he asked him:
"Got anything important in that van of yours that you would like to 
pick up before we leave? I was thinking of using a somewhat faster 
vehicle... Ever heard of the PBY-5? Mine is actually a mix 'n match. 
Had enough trouble finding parts for it without bothering if it was 
Canso or Catalina... It's anchored right down that seacliff over 
there..." said Sebastian, pointing the way with the gun.

"Oh, one more question... Just how "alien" is that hardware anyway?"

OOC: Just realized I totally forgot to give my character some skills 
at piloting. Dear GM, do you think we could slip that in without too 
much trouble? I mean, the plane was on the character sheet almost 
from the start, but I just forgot the skills... It could be just for 
that specific plane too, if you prefer...

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Thu Sep 18, 2003  1:57 pm
Subject:  OOC: Ever wanted to have your own KITT from Knight Rider?

OOC: Found on EBay.com, for a "small" price of about 34 000$ US... ;-)
The owner is from Austria, but you'd have to go pick up the car in Texas...

Towards the bottom of the page, there's a link to the website of the garage where the transformation was done, with pictures of the whole process. Worth looking at, whether you're a fan of the show or you like custom vehicles like me! :-)

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2432281024&category=18306&rd=1 
(Copy the first line of this link into the "Address" field of your browser, then copy the second line at the end of the first. Then press enter.)

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Fri Sep 19, 2003  4:17 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Dead Presidents?

(warning:  this echelon-happy mayhem may involve adult subject matter)

You're trying to enjoy the overwhelming aroma of spearmint, Jinx, but you're finding that this uncomfortable sensation is not subsiding.  This fellow isn't making any threatening moves or anything, much less any MOVES, but you have a bad feeling something is about to break.

So, reacting in your true-blue, Jinx-style fashion, you extend the ol' probability field and grab hold of your purloined vibro-blade.  Sitting on the bed, you see the guy grin.  "Yeah, that's right baby, you and the Fornicator are gonna have us a nice ol' time...?!"

The... Fornicator... stops dead in his tracks as you forcefully disrobe him, and he at first smiles.  "Yeah, now that's what I'm talkin' about, baby.  Come on over here and...?"  That's when you notice that your p-field is working, for the Fornicator is having a... malfunction.

"Aww, no WAY...!

"Not after twenty-six years on ice.... yeeargh!"

Heh.

On the other side of Ford's home, you fling some sticky strands of goo at Browneye the Pirate, Rebound, and seize his weapons before he can use the things on you.  With deft, dual hand maneuvers, you flip both of the ancient, flintlock guns to aim them at the scoundrel before you.

BOOM!

You create quite the concussion with the old firearms when you fire them both at Browneye, and you tag him dead in the chest with both shots.  Blood explodes from the entry wounds each lead ball makes as they pass through his chest, and you knock him back six feet.

He flies through the hall and lands on his posterior, but when it looks like Browneye is going to keel-haul over, he sits back up.  "Arrh, now that wasn't very nice, now was it?  Eeeyarrh."  Browneye the Pirate then stands up, and looks at you with his, well, brown eye.

"Loser, eh?  I suppose I'm not the one that just shed blood with cursed weapons then, now, am I?  Arrh har har har har! Of course, you need not fret much, my strange masked friend, for I have no intention of allowing you to keep them - I've grown rather attached to 'em over the years..."

Browneye then pulls out a sword, one which seems to glow (if that's the proper word) with an eerie black light.  Though you try to move out of the way, Browneye stabs you with the thing with a jab that slices through your normal protection from injury like it didn't exist!

You suffer Remarkable (30) Energy damage from the blade... and feel very, very cold where it struck you...!

In the foyer, you whip out the ball containing Tropius, Ari, and you eject your newfound friend in order to do some damage.  And Tropius does, too, in that it flies up into the air about ten feet, grazing the ceiling, and it then drops on the Obstinatrician with a heavy stomp.

STOMP!

Tropius is standing on top of the Obstinatrician with all four legs, having planted him halfway into the basement with that rather... weighty maneuver.  "Urgh...!"  The man seems to be reaching for his calipers, which he dropped when he got smashed upon.

"No, I'm NOT 'Doctor Worm', I'm the Obstinatrician!  Don't you kids pay ATTENTION these days?"  Apparently your wit is lost on the man, Ari.  "That wasn't very nice, young lady.  I'm going to have to be extra rough during your examination...!"

You guess he doesn't see you holding your Lego (TM) gun.

Outside, you see Och eat dirt when he hits the ground after taking one heck of a hit, Masque, but he brushes it off and gets up quickly.  Running back towards the house, he sees Stone Cold facing off against some overweight fellow, and yells "Tag me!" as he approaches.

Stone Cold then gives him a high five, says "Yo," and then runs off towards the house.  This leaves your diminutive friend to handle this guy.  "Hm... stunted extradimensional entity... got a tool for that too..."  The guy then starts rummaging through his tool box.

This gives Och an opportunity to stomp on his toe.  "Diminutive, huh?  I got your short right here!"  You instinctively look away as Och makes a rather obscene gesture in this guy's direction.  The man hops up and down for a few seconds, then pulls something out of his box.

"That's right, mock the Utoolitarian all you want, but now you're gonna get it!"  Looking at his hand, you see he's got a really big hammer.  It's getting bigger by the moment, too, until it's as big as he is, and adopts something of a comical, cartoony look.

"This ought to squish you good..."

The Utoolitarian then swings, attempting to smush Och like a bug... but Och is too fast for him, and rolls to the side.  "I LIKE you, tubby.  I'm gonna enjoy this..."  You don't like that tone of voice.  Och shouldn't sound so... malicious...!

Meanwhile, you find yourself beset upon by the Pinball Wizard... and you unman him by kicking him where he lives, Masque.  He drops his pinballs, naturally, and falls to the ground with a squeak.  "Squeak..."  It looks bad for the strange, geeky fellow.

After he breathes for a few seconds, though, he hobbles back to his feet and curses.  After that, he snaps his fingers, and his chrome balls start orbiting him in a truly reckless fashion.  "No, no joke.  I can see you - it's a special spell of mine.

"It can detect morons."

The Pinball Wizard then snaps his fingers, and all of his pinballs stop spinning around him and instead streak through the air towards you.  You flail about and try real hard to not get hit by the things, but you nonetheless get pounded repeatedly by the fast metal balls.

He knocks you to your knees, as he actually inflicted a full Remarkable (30) Blunt Attack damage on your unprotected self with that heinous assault.  "Still think I'm joking, you pathetic also-ran?  I am the PINBALL WIZARD!  Mock me at your peril, you smelly ruin of a man!"

His balls return to him, and resume their wacky orbit...

Back at the foyer of Ford's home, Stone Cold makes it to the front door, only to be accosted by the Sultan of Swing.  "Halt, you silly misshapen rock-thing!  Please for to be not entering here, lest you be smote by your superior!"  The Sultan then gets ready to throw down again.

To this Stone Cold simply says "What'choo talkin' 'bout, Willus?"  Your rocky ally then collects moisture from the air around him, and fires a bolt of ice at the Sultan, freezing him in his tracks.  His feet, at least; the Sultan now has 300 lb, over-sized ice shoes.

"Que?" says the Sultan of Swing.

Now now brown cows?

(Note:  in the interest of keeping the action moving, I have had to start 'ghost writing' Stone Cold - at least until he responds or something.  I was hoping to not have to do this, but then it's been about a week now, and things were coming to a standstill... bleah.)

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Fri Sep 19, 2003  8:16 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> You suffer Remarkable (30) Energy damage from the blade... and feel very,
> very cold where it struck you...! 

(ouchie!)

Rebound, being the eminently calm and collected hero, (ok, not so calm or even close to collected), is rather surprised.

"I...FELT...that."

He then cups the pistols in the palms of his hands and slams both of them simultaneously against the sides of Browneye's head sandwich-like, letting the resultant explosion destroy the pistols and well, hopefully, stun the guy. Rebound follows up with a crushing kick to (oh, what the heck) the pegleg.


(Rolls: Init: 7, Fighting Feat: 52+25 karma=77, Pistol Slam: 51+25 karma=76, Kick: 99, Other: 63, 27, 63, 26, 16, 96)

From:  EmarZero@aol.com 
Date:  Fri Sep 19, 2003  9:11 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> "Urgh...!"  The man seems to be reaching for his calipers, which he dropped 
> when he got smashed upon.

"Tropius!  Toss me his ...pointy things!"  Assuming Tropius gets the idea, Ari will take the calipers and shove them into The Bag.  Fat chance he'll ever see THOSE again!

> "That wasn't very nice, young lady.  I'm going to have to be extra rough 
> during your examination...!"

Ari smirks, very much getting into this "asswhoopin" thing.  "The only thing you're going to be examining is another jail cell, pervo."
If he moves, she shoots him.  Simple, eh?

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Fri Sep 19, 2003  10:37 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> "It can detect morons."
 
Masque huzzah's.
"Huzzah! At least you're witty."

> (snip pinball strike)
 
"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!!"

> (snip Pinball Wizard gloat)

Masque rights himself, throws his *ahem* shield (that he thought he had up from a post earlier...*ahem*) back up.
"Owwwww...that wasn't very nice. No biscuit for you, you mean man."
His Mask glows that wonderful blue and he sends forth a stream of...Mystical Steed at the guy.
"I can throw things too. You...You.....Ninny!"
(rolls: Stream, to hit, spell effect, whatever you wanna call it, 100 (kick ass): Damage...Their Mystical Horseseses...I don't know what they can do in Trample damage but i'll roll anyways, 45 and last but not least..number of Horseseses, 6)
 
*Trample Trample Trample*
 
His Mask glowing, he also starts generating Bad Luck at this Pinball Wizard as well.
 
*Bad Luck Bad Luck Bad Luck*

From:  "William Lockwood" <albedo1@cox.net> 
Date:  Fri Sep 19, 2003  7:54 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

Jinx, having been manipulated by this chauvinistic son of a bitch, decides to get even...by kneeing him in das dysfunctional jiblits.
 
"I'm sorry, but you seem to have something wrong there. Why don't I HELP you with that?!" punctuating the sentence with the aforementioned groinal strike.
 
OOC: Rolls: 7 + modified for Initiative, 75 + 25 Karma for 100 (convenient that) to resist the Fornicator's mojo, 70 + 25 Karma to knee him, 99 for Damage (ouch!), 99 (whoo!), 52, 23, 100, 70, 84, 18.

From:  Charlie Chicanery <charlie_chicanery@yahoo.com> 
Date:  Sat Sep 20, 2003  5:57 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> "So give me ONE GOOD REASON why I shouldn't kill you now..."

Chris Acers wrote:

> (silly stuff)

Doug Lohse wrote:

> (silly stuff)

Heh... the fools.

They appeal to the wrong side of Moebius. Threatening her with law enforcement isn't the answer. i may not know Moebius very well, but i know malicious anger. 
And the true heart of evil that beats within her bosomy... thinige. "Forget the money, Moebius, and forget the cops. Just think about this. If you let her live, she'll just come back after us some day, when we're all rich and famous. And then... and THEN... you'll have the joy of humiliating her ALL OVER AGAIN.

"You can't buy that kind of satisfaction. Well, maybe in Amsterdam, but you know what i mean. You'll see yet, this hero-ing can be downright fun. Hmm?"

i will waggle my eyebrows at Moebius.

i would supply die rolls, but unless Moebius tries to eat my brain, i should be coo'.

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Mon Sep 22, 2003  5:30 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

Doug Lohse sed:

> OOC: No, I have no idea if that phone number goes to anything, so don't 
> start dialing it.

Too late... but it was out of service anyway.  At least to the Omaha dialing area ("not available to your service area.  please hang up now.")

Heheheh.

Back to our story...

You address the police and media outside, Geoffrey, and they seem quite amused at what has gone down.  You don't get to see ninjas all that often, even if they were just the product of an expensive light-show.  That and you know New Yorkers love a good show.

(at least that's what the tee vee tells us)

Though they were unable to handle the Holographic... Person, the police were more than happy to deal with you - especially since it kept them from peeing themselves when ninjas showed up.  At any rate, you leave before any of the typical reporter questions can be asked.

Like things about Gunslinger's nose, or Moebius' skin tone... or Charlie's hair dresser... that sort of thing.  

Heading inside...

Moebius pokes the Holographic Gender-Issues-Having-Villain in the throat... ever so slightly.  You see the tiniest drop of blood form, and then Moebius smiles and puts her blade away.  "You know, I've been thinking about what you guys said... and I guess you're right.

"I can't WAIT to do this again, ma'am."

She then manhandles the villain, tying her arms behind her body, and carts her outside, to the waiting police and press.  Naturally, this prompts a round of applause from the dining crowd at Haberdasher's, who haven't seen such heroics up close and personal in quite a while.

Choruses of 'Yay!' and 'Hoo-Rah!' erupt, making you feel almost good about life in general - you don't get that often, you know.

At any rate, Gunslinger heads out to his car, leaving the rest of you present... though Moebius quickly follows.  She almost seems embarrassed by all this attention, really, and is trying to make a quick exit - and tries to stick as close to the alien gunman as possible.

He's parting the crowds, after all.

So now what?

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Mon Sep 22, 2003  5:38 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

Mister Hardcore shrugs.

"Well, not really.  As long as it'll be here when we get back, I'm not too concerned about the van.  It's a hunk of junk these days, but we've gone through a lot together.  And it took some hits when some jerk Cobra shape-shifter stole it and ran over some zombie..."*

As the two of you head towards the plane, Will tries to answer your other question.  "Well, not all of it - these guys try to blend in whenever possible.  But from what I've experienced, a few of their 'elite' thugs seem to carry stuff that's not of this world.

"Some have strange technology that acts like both machinery and living things... it's hard to describe, really.  But definitely deadly - I've seen it in action."  Will grows quiet at that, and you get the impression that he doesn't want to talk about it.

When you get to the plane, though, he seems to brighten up.  "Wow... haven't seen one of these in a long time... brings back memories."  Speaking of memories, he looks back towards your cabin suddenly.  "Hey, what did you want to do with the goon squad?"

!?

* Long story - but it's in the archives... heheh.

OOC:  incidentally, I don't see too much of a problem with adding the piloting skill there, guy.  Of course, I haven't had time to properly go over the finalized dingus you sent me, but it shouldn't be a big deal... I think it should be a - o - k.

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Mon Sep 22, 2003  7:21 am
Subject:  Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

Sebastian grinned at the mention of the "hunk of junk":
"Take it from me pal, if you love that van as much as I think you do, 
I can help you give it a very nice face lift... when we return of 
course. See everything that's around us? That's sort of my 
playground. I've resurrected about a dozen vehicles out of this junk 
and they all work wonders..."

Sebastian's mind then brought back to his thoughts the fact that Will 
had mentioned a "Cobra shape-shifter":
"Shape-shifter, uh? Look, I don't want to be intruding or anything, 
but... It takes one exceptional man to knock out those thugs as you 
did, with just two canes and no armor. Don't get me wrong, but I 
suspect you're not exactly human yourself. Not that it matters much, 
but I just want to set things clear, that's all."

He paused, while examining the line of trees where the last thug was 
supposed to be (*):
"For the records, I've seen weird things myself. I've seen and 
handled strange, possibly alien technology and so far, I'm not 
surprised by anything you said."

Sebastian was pleased to see that Will was enjoying his work. The 
whole thing was more or less complete when he found it 200 feet deep, 
east of St-John's Newfoundland, but the wings were torn apart and the 
windows had shattered. Plus, time had taken its toll on it and a lot 
of stuff had rusted. He had scoured the internet and various military 
bases to get the replacement parts and what he couldn't find, he had 
reproduced based on the rusty parts. His plane was now in working 
order and best of all, he had gotten his Aircraft Certification from 
Transport Canada, a certification that was also recognized throughout 
the rest of the world.
"Memories, uh? You'll have to tell me about it when we get a 
chance... As for the squad, including that guy in the forest, we HAVE 
to tie them up, away from tools they could use to free themselves. We 
could also call the cops to pick them up, but I'm not sure I want to 
expose them to the goons' rescue team... Plus, the cops would want me 
to answer questions and that's just plain annoying..."

(*) I thought we were walking towards the area where "Shemp" was? I'd 
like to tie him up and bring him back to the other goons. I just 
don't want to let them free so that they can warn their leaders... 
Well, not so soon anyway! ;-)

OOC: Sounds cool (pilot talent). Let me know if there's any problem. 
I am the flexible type. BTW, I certainly CAN'T claim to know what's a 
real SeAL like, but I imagine that they must know a bit of 
everything. For example, if the pilot of the mission dies, there must 
be a backup plan. Which is why I think that Sebastian should know the 
basics of flying. I wouldn't expect him to know how to fly a fighter 
plane (no way!!!), but probably a few common helicopters and planes.

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Mon Sep 22, 2003  9:01 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

>> OOC: No, I have no idea if that phone number goes to anything, so don't 
>> start dialing it.

> Too late... but it was out of service anyway. At least to the Omaha dialing
> area ("not available to your service area. please hang up now.")

> Heheheh.

(gee, and I was afraid it would be a phone-sex line...) 

> So now what?

Geoffrey will join the gaggle, hopping in and hoping everyone else follows
suit as quickly as possible. He'll make sure to hand the ladies their cell
phones and give them some quick instructions as to their use. He then
creates a bit of a distraction to cover the departure of their flying car.
Namely, telekenitically lifting a police car a foot off of the ground and
dropping it. He'll make sure that no one is near the thing so he won't drop
it on anyone's toes. The foot drop should be loud enough to get everyone's
attention, but shouldn't do any lasting harm to the car.

Once back at the "headquarters", Geoffrey is all smiles. 

"That was GREAT!!! Charlie, you handled that perfectly. Moebius, I think
the poor sod soiled herself and aged 10 years when you put your sword to her
neck. That was priceless. 

You both showed remarkable restraint in not tearing the place down to take
out the...just what the heck did that hapless child call herself, anyway? I
can't tell you how impressed I am with you. Gunslinger and I really could
have just hung back and let you two handle it."

Geoffrey makes sure to give detailed instructions on the cell phones since
he's sure Moebius has never used one and he's not too sure if Charlie has
either.

"Well, now that we all know how to get in touch with each other, let's see
if anybody has called 'THEM' yet, shall we?"

Geoffrey puts his phone on speaker and dials the message retrieval number....

(Rolls: Car hopping: 87, anything else: 46, 76, 76, 70...ain't consistency nice)

From:  Charlie S Clay Jr <cclayjr2@juno.com> 
Date:  Sat Sep 22, 2018  2:24 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Digest Number 859

> "Que?" says the Sultan of Swing.

> (snip ghost writing notice)

(OCC: No problem Yahell foul up. I was sure I had posted, but it didn't
come through apparently)

Stone Cold commences with the smackdown laying into Swing with several
blows hoping to leave an icy trail all over his face. "This is too
weird!!" Pushing the Sultan on and ice bridge under the block of ice he
is standing in as he moves to get by him. "Swing that!!"

From:  Charlie Chicanery <charlie_chicanery@yahoo.com> 
Date:  Tue Sep 23, 2003  3:50 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> (gee, and I was afraid it would be a phone-sex line...) 

Heh... now that'd have been funny.

At any rate...

i'll follow along with Geoffrey and Moebius and Gunslinger, since there's no real reason for me to stick around - that Holographic Thingermabob wrecked our table - with our rather expensive supper on it.  Feh... that broad... i concur with Moebius - i can't wait to rough her up again. And again... But again i digress. i will accept Geoffrey's telephone as it is offered, and check the doo-hickey out proper.

Once we get back to the place, i will keenly enjoy the praise that Geoffrey is heaping on us. But i won't get smarmy about it, oh no.

> (snip praise and such)

"Hey, no biggie... i tend to restrain my restraint when tooling around with super-types, but i know better than to wreck a posh restaurant... i figure there's a reason there aren't more people like me running around, and i don't want the gub'ment to get any ideas about drafting and/or hurting me lots..."

> "Well, now that we all know how to get in touch with each other, let's see if 
> anybody has called 'THEM' yet, shall we?"

Yess.... this should be interesting.

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Tue Sep 23, 2003  5:42 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Dead Presidents?

(ooc note:  I seem to have indeed missed the part where Masque threw up his defenses... s'what I get for answering game mail so late (or early) in the day... bleah.  So, I am retroactively shifting that damage back down to Good (10) after his defenses... I c'n admit I goofed... heh)

In wing number one, you see Browneye the Pirate readying for another sword strike, Rebound, but you manage to get to him first.  He didn't seem to be expecting you to hit him with his own guns, much less the concussive force you tend to provide with an impact.

He falls to the ground again, and his guns fell in his lap (they won't break for some reason).  Of course, once he hits, you smash his peg leg, and leave him reeling on the floor.  "Arrh, that smarts."  He's holding his head and looks on the verge of unconsciousness.

Though he's not quite out yet...

In wing number two, you move way too fast for this thankfully-forgotten relic of the seventies, and indeed give him a knee smash he'll never, ever, ever never forget, Jinx.  You could swear you saw stars start floating around the Fornicator's head when you pound him one.

"Urghck...," says the Fornicator.

And he's definitely out for the count.

In the foyer, Tropius leans his head down to the ground, his impressively long neck making that quite easy, Ari.  He nudges the calipers right over to you, at which point you drop 'em in the bag... and they wind up likely lost in the strange expanse of ... stuff forever.

When the Obstinatrician threatens you, though, Tropius gets a bit... annoyed, and hops up and down on the villain a few times.  STOMP STOMP STOMP.  This seems to take most of the fight out of him, but he seems a bit bemused by your armament.

"OohhOOOooohhohoooo... Legos (TM)."

He starts to struggle out of Tropius' grasp - or tries to wriggle, at least - when you plug him one. This causes this perverted, time-lost villain to stop moving.  He's still BREATHING, mind you, but he ain't about to menace your bits any time soon.

A few feet away, the Sultan of Swing receives one heck of a pounding at the hands of Stone Cold.  "Oy!  Yeow!  Aie-ah!  Stop it, you schmuck!"  BEAT BEAT BEAT.  He then shoves the Sultan aside on a freshly slicked floor, and knocks him over.

"Achg, that's all you got, weenis?"  The Sultan of Swing then flexes most of his muscles at once, and shatters the icy boots holding him hostage.  "I've got a special number for you..."  He then starts dancing all around you despite the ice on the floor, and attacks.

With a veritable blizzard of punches!  You see him moving around you with reckless speed, and he hits you lots of times.  While you may be all armored and such, the fact is that this guy's got super human strength to match that speed, and he hurts you lots.

He gives you an impressive, Monstrous (75) Blunt Attack damage before your armor (so you only really take 35 points of damage).  "How you like them apples?"  The Sultan starts doing a strange, almost tap-dance like dance on the floor before you... the weirdo.

You can see how he dealt with Och so easily...

Outside, you recover somewhat from the Pinball Wizard's, well, pinball strike, and unleash a horde of spectral steeds at him, Masque.  The ground shakes as the fell beasts issue forth from the place they usually reside, racing out from your mask right at the surly villain.

"Aiee!"

He doesn't like horses, it seems, and definitely doesn't like getting trampled by several of them.  This seems to have completely taken the fight out of the man, and he just lays there on the grass, unconscious and covered in horse hoof prints (and droppings).

Looking to your left, you see Och trying to deal with that Utoolitarian fellow.  The villain is swinging that ridiculously sized mallet at Och in a cartoon-like scene of violence, but Och isn't taking it lightly.  He's ducking and weaving, but not attacking with his axe.

He sees you looking at all this and winks at you while dodging.

Meanwhile, looking to your right, you see that Jake guy trying to deal with somebody that could almost be you... except that he's possessed of manual dexterity and such.  He's got long stringy hair, a foot-long, mangy beard, and is wearing only dirty, holey pants.

He looks like a ... dirty hippie.  

The man is incredibly nimble, though, and seems to be an equal to Jake's own acrobatic ability.  Both of them are throwing punches and kicks and whatnot at each other, but they appear to be too evenly matched to get any headway.  And they're both chatterboxes.

"You're getting rusty, Captain Cocksure!"

"And you still need a shower, you Dirty Hippie!"

And so forth...

!?

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Tue Sep 23, 2003  5:54 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

(hey there... again, it seems I answered game mail while half asleep... for some reason, I thought you were HEADED towards the plane, and not just POINTING at it... urg.  So, to fix that, just assume you were headed towards 'Shemp', and Hardcore was reminiscing as you mentioned it.

Then, we can assume you talk about it once you make your way there to show it off... hmm.  That almost works... or we can go with it as is... whichever sounds best.)

   ***

At the mention of fixing his bashed up ride up a bit, Will chuckles.  "Well, we can give it a shot, but the thing seems to enjoy being in a state of disrepair.  I fix it and it gets broken, et cetera, et cetera... but it never hurts to try, eh?"

After you collect all four of the fellows that attempted to wreck you and your place, Will nods at your assessment.  "Well, I am a bit... more... than your average joe.  I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, but not quite as many as some other people I've worked with in the past.

"I make do though... as you can see."

He seems to agree about the goons, though.  "Well, we can't kill 'em, and you're probably right about the cops, so I figure we should just leave them, oh, a mile into the woods, maybe close to their van... but not TOO close.  That should give us a few days lead time.

"Shall we?"

He doesn't seem to mind leaving his van behind, so it's really just a matter of going, I s'pose...

?

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Tue Sep 23, 2003  9:35 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> Though he's not quite out yet...

"Arrh, wehlcome yerself ta da twenty-first century, matey!" Rebound leaps upon the fallen pirate and delivers a solid punch to the nose to put him down for the count (at least that's how it goes in theory). He then gathers the guns and the sword. No sense leaving the pirate his eq if he wakes up before the authorities arrive.

Rebound pauses a moment, listening for sirens, and runs through the rest of
the house, looking for Discohead and/or Ford with a renewed sense of
urgency. He definitely does not want to have to answer any questions that
the authorities would want answered.

(Rolls: Init: 3, Punch: 81, Dam: 52, Anything else: 97, 80, 75, 35, 87, 65,
09...ok, so I kept rolling till it stopped rolling well)

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Tue Sep 23, 2003  10:13 am
Subject:  Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

OOC: No prob, let's just wing it. Reminds me of a Garfield joke:
"Gotta stop getting up BEFORE I wake up..." ;-)

BIC: Sebastian grinned at Will's comment about his van and nodded:
"When we return, I'd like to give it a try. I don't think I've ever 
met a vehicle that couldn't be improved on..."

Then, in answer to Will's humble answer, regarding his fighting 
skills:
"Your obvious efficiency in combat is indeed noticed. I haven't 
proven myself to you, but to be honest, I don't fancy fighting 
anymore, especially not if it means clubbing normal humans. Mind you, 
I have no problem protecting myself, but I just don't pull out the 
big guns, so to speak..."

Looking at the goons, Sebastian agrees with Will. They bring them far 
into the woods and they check their bindings, to make sure it will 
take them a while to escape, even if they find a branch or a rock to 
cut them. Once that's done, Sebastian pulls out a black marker and 
starts writing a few words on the chest of the thugs. "NMIL" on the 
first guy, along with "Nemo". Then "Me" on the second, "Impune" on 
the third and finally "Lacessit" on the fourth.

Sebastian then turns to Will, grinning and points at the full message 
*Nemo me impune lacessit*:
"Here's my first message to that Terran Directorate..."

He then picks up the strict minimum from his house (proper clothing, 
papers/money, food, a cell phone, tools, his emergency backpack, 
etc.) while Will grabs his own stuff from his van, before heading to 
the plane. Sebastian starts the pre-flight procedure, requests the 
necessary authorizations from the nearest control tower and readies 
for wherever Will wants to take them.

From:  EmarZero@aol.com 
Date:  Tue Sep 23, 2003  11:29 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> (Snip the Sultan of Swing's mean Strike)

Ari makes the "ssssh" face to Tropius, and then turns to the Sultan.  "Hey, daddi-o!  What's a hep cat like you doing in a square joint like this?  Shouldn't you be out cuttin' a rug somewheres else?"

If he makes a move towards her, she starts backpedaling, continuing to taunt him.  The idea here is that she's probably faster than this guy, and if she can get him into a confined area, like a hallway or something, her an' Tropius can probably deal with him.

And if not, she's still not sure who Tropius's buddies are...

From:  "William Lockwood" <albedo1@cox.net> 
Date:  Tue Sep 23, 2003  6:04 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

Jinx nods at the unconscious Fornicator.
 
~Right, one down.~
 
With that, she'd move further into the house, searching for miscreants to discombobulate.
 
OOC: Rolls - 6 + Modifier for Initiative, 82, 77, 96, 27, 23.

From:  Charlie S Clay Jr <cclayjr2@juno.com> 
Date:  Mon Sep 24, 2018  5:47 am
Subject:  RE: Dead Presidents?

> You can see how he dealt with Och so easily...

"I like my apples with caramel you igit!!" Stone Cold says, slamming into
his feet with ice shards to keep him in place then wails on him a couple
of good times to put him on ice.

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Wed Sep 24, 2003  9:19 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

"Right."
Masque quickly steps over to the fallen wizard, dissipates the Horsesesses..es and binds up The Pinball Wizard with his Bands. 
"Yoink!"
..he says as he picks up the Balls O' Danger and the wand.

> (snip Och versus the Utoolitarian)

He sees you looking at all this and winks at you while dodging.
 
Masque does his stale 'who me?' impression.
"Heeeyyyyyy..I may be a wizard, but my staff still has a knob on the end."

> (snip Captain Cocksure versus the Dirty Hippie)
 
Masque looks back to the left, then to the right, to the left again, right, left, right , left....and then falls down because he got dizzy. 
"Oomph."
Picking himself back up, he does his best Pee Wee Herman impression.
"I meant to do that."
...and ventures one last look left to right...and smiles.
He issues forth the Mystical Bands of Cytorrak and sends them streaming to The Dirty Hippie and The Utoolitarian. Attempting to grab them and smack them into each other as if they were both on either end of an elastic band...and the band came together.
(Rolls: 53,53,71,53 and 61...i think the 53's are spent now)

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Wed Sep 24, 2003  9:25 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> (snip Moebius following Gunslinger)

Gunslinger turns,
"Nice Job, I'd have killed her though."
He says matter-of-factly.
 
"You gonna ride with me, or did you drive yer car?"

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Wed Sep 24, 2003  9:43 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> (snip Geoffrey vandalism)
 
Gunslinger puts his car in gear and..goes.
"No need for that. This is also a land vehicle."
..and he Drives back, via the streets...that is until his patience wears thin in the New York traffic and ends up Flying the vehicle back anyways.

> (snip later Geoffrey praise)
 
"Except fer the Ninjas."
 
Gunslinger seems non-plussed by all this and uses his phone for Good. He orders Pizza.

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Thu Sep 25, 2003  4:30 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Dead Presidents?

You start yelling at the Sultan of Swing, Ari, and the man sneers.  "Feh, silly American girly-girl.  The Sultan of Swing can make anywhere, no matter how silly or square, a happening place!"  He then starts to swing towards you, prompting you to retreat.

You back up towards a handy, nearby hallway, when Stone Cold literally nails his feet to the floor with spiky ice shards, and beats him senseless.  It took a lot of doing, too, as the man appears to be rather TOUGH.  Twenty blows seem to have done it, though...

Looking on, Tropius just says "Tropius?"

You wander in to the foyer from your encounter with the Fornicator, Jinx, to spy that the place seems to have been wrecked up a bit - but that Ari and Stone Cold seem to have things in hand... with two (count 'em) unconscious blasts from the pasts laying about.

You can all hear Rebound down another hallway, however, beating... somebody into submission.  His characteristic punches are quite... loud, after all.  BOOM BOOM BOOM.  Soon enough, he ventures forth, armed with plenty of pirate gear.

Though the flintlock hand cannons vanish soon after he joins you...

Outside, you pull your little stunt with the mighty Cytorrak's bands, Masque, and though they are not normally used in such a... cartoony style, it would appear that your otherplanar benefactor saw fit to humor you with this one... and you wrap both the Dirty Hippie and Utoolitarian up.

Smashing them together, you land the two of them in a crimson bundle right by Och, who approaches the villainous duo.  "Huh... I got a tool for that, too," says the Utoolitarian, prompting Och to pick up the Utoolitarian's tool box, and then smash him in the head with it.  BASH.

He then repeats this maneuver with the Dirty Hippie who, being bound, cannot make use of his super-human agility.  "I'll get you, man..."  BASH.  Och then collects that rather large hammer, and puts it in the tool box.  He then walks towards Ford's home, with said box.

You could swear you heard him say 'yoink' as he did so.

Though he DOES look back at you and say "I wasn't after your WAND, you boob."

That seems to be that...?

(good thing these motley villain crews don't understand teamwork... heh)

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Thu Sep 25, 2003  5:01 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

As you walk out, Moebius mmms at you, Gunslinger.  "Mmm."  She waits until you get to your car, though, and when you're a bit away from the eavesdropping reporters and bystanders, she adds "Yeah, but Charlie oddly had a point.  Go figure..."

Once you bounce the police car, Geoffrey, the two flying cars take off - though neither of them actually fly.   Not sure who you and Charlie rode with, but either way, the four of you make it back to your pad in decent time... the traffic jam was BEHIND you, after all.

Once you're all comfy, it takes some time to help Moebius figure out the cellular telephone you picked up for her.  She's good with magic and money and swords and guns, but electronics are something that escape her for the most part.  She's still working out the driving thing, too.

But that's a story for another day.

But, you all chat for a bit, and while Gunslinger orders in some pizza, Geoffrey checks with the voice mail for 1-800-Get-Them, and finds that he's got a lot of messages.  Most of them seem to be obvious crank calls and plenty of requests for interviews.

Seems that six different news programs would like to profile you and/or ask you at least twenty questions, a lot of which seem to pertain to Moebius and Gunslinger's ... rather odd appearances.  People aren't used to 'their kinds' roaming about, after all.

So, Inquiring Minds want to know.

One call that does strike your fancy, though, is from one Christine Chase, the owner of a new NFL expansion team in New York (as if the state didn't already have ENOUGH pro sports organizations handy) called the Smashers.  It seems she has something of a mystery on her hands.

Something about a ghost or some such...!

?

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Thu Sep 25, 2003  5:20 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

He seems willing to give the whole 'van' thing a try - of course, you haven't SEEN it yet, so you never know if it's just a bunch of holes held together by a bit of van.... but you never know.  Will seems similarly agreeable about the whole fighting thing.

"Well, I'm not quite so tired of scrapping just yet.  Not that I'm sadistic, so much as I enjoy putting the hurt on people that are asking for it - the kind of people that we met here tonight, who have nothing better to do than try to take over the world.

"I don't have a problem beating on ordinary folk as long as they're armed and menacing, though.  Sure, it's not much of a challenge, martially speaking, but I usually do my best when people are trying to shoot me... most folks that use guns really don't know how, after all."

At any rate, once you deal with your would-be assassins, the two of you make for your older aircraft and take off, headed towards Davenport, Iowa - arguably the armpit of the United States.  The place is simply littered with ne'er do wells, you know.

(you'd have to visit to know, really)

Situated on the border between Iowa and Illinois, Davenport is part of the infamous 'Quad Cities', four surly towns straddling the Mississippi River.  Landing your plane there, you follow Hardcore's direction, but it's not like you need to look very hard.  They have billboards.

Walking the short distance between the airport and the Terran Directorate's Davenport office, you then see Will pause as he stops across the street from the would-be homeless shelter.  "Humph."  You're not quite sure what he's thinking, or planning, really.

And neither is he.

"You think we should just bust in, or wait 'till later?"

?

From:  EmarZero@aol.com 
Date:  Thu Sep 25, 2003  10:02 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

Ari waves.  "Hi, Jinx.  Hi, Rebound.  D'jou guys beat up your third-string retard villains too?  Good.  Now, let's go save President Jerry!"

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Thu Sep 25, 2003  10:13 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> Ari waves. "Hi, Jinx. Hi, Rebound. D'jou guys beat up your third-string
> retard villains too? Good. Now, let's go save President Jerry!" 

Rebound waves back, unamused at the fading flintlocks.

"Third-rate? I don't know. That guy actually managed to HURT me. Can you believe it? Anyway, I haven't seen hide nor hair of the ex-pres. We've got to move fast 'cause I have no intention of still being here when the cavalry arrives."

From:  EmarZero@aol.com 
Date:  Thu Sep 25, 2003  10:17 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> (snip Rebound speak)

Ari nods.  "This place got a basement?  I bet Disco Dude is probably down there."

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Thu Sep 25, 2003  10:37 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

(OOC...Imagine that.....Teamwork...ha)
 
> (good thing these motley villain crews don't understand teamwork... heh)

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Thu Sep 25, 2003  10:58 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> Though he DOES look back at you and say "I wasn't after your WAND, you boob."

Holds out his trophy and beams.
"... Thats good..'cause i won this fair and square."
He waves it about, seemingly excited about it. Quickly realizing Jake and Och are heading in, he follows suit.
 
Once entering the Foyer, he seems elated to see the others.
"HI GUYS!. LOOK WHAT I GOT. IT'S....." He stops to lower his voice, "...a wand."
*Wave Wave Brandish Brandish*
Once again, He beams.
 
He starts sliding around on the ice.
"whooosh.....zoooom....Heyyy....wait for me."
He hurries up to follow them to where ever they seem to be going. Although it would seem he is stuck for a few seconds before the friction of his rapidly moving feet finally melts the ice underneath and he finally takes hold.....
"WHooooaaaaaaaaaa!"
He says as he glides past them on his derriere and comes to a spinning stop.
He seems to be beaming again. 

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Thu Sep 25, 2003  11:03 am
Subject:  Re: Dead Presidents?

OOC: "Boom, boom, boom, let's go back to my room, so we can do it all 
night and you can make me feel right..."
Er... Oups, sorry, traumatic flashback occurring... Couldn't help 
it... AAArrhhhhh!!! (smashes head, repeatedly, against the wall).

Giles

--- In v13@yahoogroups.com, Firebomb <firebomb@t...> wrote:

> You can all hear Rebound down another hallway, however, beating... somebody 
> into submission. His characteristic punches are quite... loud, after all. 
> BOOM BOOM BOOM. Soon enough, he ventures forth, armed with plenty of pirate 
> gear.

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Thu Sep 25, 2003  11:32 am
Subject:  Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

As Sebastian handles the piloting, he nods at Will's comment about 
people not knowing how to shoot:
"Unfortunately, those who choose to shoot without having the talent 
for it, select crowded places to discover how bad they are... Which 
means lots of innocent die because of them... I prefer, whenever 
possible, to use slow but effective techniques, just as when I 
disarmed the thug near my cabin. Can't run the risk of rushing them, 
only to have them shoot somebody else..."

(snip the "unboarding and making sure the plane is secure with the 
local port/airport authorities" part)

As they walked towards the Terran Directorate's office, Sebastian 
noticed the billboards:
"They like to be discreet, uh?"

Sebastian then noticed that Will was busy trying to think of what to 
do. When asked his opinion, Sebastian answered:
"I hate to be the party pooper, Will, but I usually respect the 
authority in place. Meaning that if we barge in, the Directorate will 
send their law sharks after us and possibly the police. I don't know 
about you, but I've got a clean record and I'd like to keep it that way."

He settled behind a wall/car/whatever is handy to hide him and Will 
and pulls out his binoculars from his pocket, then aims them at the 
highest floors of the Directorate office, trying to see something 
that would be of interest to them:
"However, I don't mind doing some birdwatching..."

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Thu Sep 25, 2003  11:41 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> (snip call results)

> Something about a ghost or some such...!

(Great! Let's all pile into the Mystery Machine (tm) and get going...)

Geoffrey smiles as he runs through the messages, noting the reporters and what agencies they represent. He even chuckles at the crank calls. When he hears the call from Christine Chase, he perks up.

"That one's the money-maker, folks. We perhaps could expand to a national organization if we get this one right. There doesn't seem to be many details in the message, but I think it bears further investigation and pursuit. Other opinions?"

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Thu Sep 25, 2003  11:42 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

OOC: Took the words right outta my mouth
 
>> Something about a ghost or some such...!

> (Great!  Let's all pile into the Mystery Machine (tm) and get going...

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Thu Sep 25, 2003  12:06 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> Other opinions?"

Gunslinger shrugs.
"A Ghost huh? Can't say I have ever dealt with a Ghost before."
He takes a bite of pizza, thinks about it the Job.
"Alright...lets do this."

From:  "William Lockwood" <albedo1@cox.net> 
Date:  Thu Sep 25, 2003  6:17 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

Jinx nods to Ari, Rebound, Stone Cold, and, with only a bit of hesitation, Tropius, "Right. Things seem secure here. Didn't Disco Head have access to a teleporter? Do we have any ability to track them if they 'ported out of here?"
 
[The Space Intentionally Left Something Akin to Blank (Insert Responses Here)]
 
Once again nodding (she's like one of those bobble-head thingees), "Right, we should check up on the others to see if they have any suggest-"
 
At this point, she'd probably be interrupted by a slip-sliding Masque accompanied by Och and Jake, "So, any idea where Disco Head has taken the President?"

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Fri Sep 26, 2003  4:43 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Re: Dead Presidents?

La La La... I can't hear you... 

You Sed:

> OOC: "Boom, boom, boom, let's go back to my room, so we can do it all 
> night and you can make me feel right..." Er... Oups, sorry, traumatic 
> flashback occurring... Couldn't help it... AAArrhhhhh!!! (smashes head, 
> repeatedly, against the wall).

From:  Charlie Chicanery <charlie_chicanery@y...> 
Date:  Fri Sep 26, 2003  9:49 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

Doug Lohse Sed:

> "Other opinions?"

Chris Acers Sed:

> Gunslinger shrugs.
> "A Ghost huh? Can't say I have ever dealt with a
> Ghost before."
> He takes a bite of pizza, thinks about it the Job.
> "Alright...lets do this."

"Sounds good to me."

Mmm... pizza.

"Hey Gunslinger, that weird thug with the gender issues, she sort of wrecked me'n Moebius' lunch... any way I could borrow a slice of pizza, there?"

Heh.

From:  Charlie Chicanery <charlie_chicanery@y...> 
Date:  Fri Sep 26, 2003  9:52 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

Das Funslingerspielen Wrote:

> "Alright...lets do this."

Er.

One thing that occurs to me (whether pizza is forthcoming or not), do we call this lady or just show up at their stadium?

From:  Charlie S Clay Jr <cclayjr2@juno.com> 
Date:  Wed Sep 26, 2018  7:16 am
Subject:  RE: Dead Presidents?

Stone Cold encases them both in ice. "I should kick your friggin @$$ again for being so stupid." He mumbles mostly to himself, upset for having been beat on by this tasteless clown. "So what next?" He asks looking at Ari.

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Fri Sep 26, 2003  9:22 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> "... any way I could borrow a slice of pizza, there?"
 
" Why not. It's not very good anyways. I knew i shouldn't have ordered Papa John's."

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Fri Sep 26, 2003  9:23 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> "I knew i shouldn't have ordered Papa John's."

(OCC: anyone who orders Papa John's pizza in New York City should be shot on sight)

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Fri Sep 26, 2003  9:52 am
Subject:  Re: Dead Presidents?

OOC: Aaarrrrhhhh... Even worse! The SMURFS song!
"La la lalala, la lalala, La la lalala, la lalala..."
(Looks outside at the people dressed in white, banging on the door, one of them holding a straightjacket...)
"I HATE those SMURFS!"

Giles

--- In v13@yahoogroups.com, Firebomb <firebomb@t...> wrote:

La La La... I can't hear you...

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Fri Sep 26, 2003  12:50 pm
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> Heh.

Geoffrey calls the contact number. 

"May I speak with Ms. Chase? This is Geoffrey McAllister. I am returning her call."

Assuming he has to wait for her to get on the line....

"Ms. Chase, good to speak with you. Your request for aid was most interesting. Perhaps we should discuss the matter in more depth and in person."

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Mon Sep 29, 2003  4:35 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

Anyhow, all of you are together again, when you note the sounds of police sirens - lots of sirens - approaching in the distance.  Thinking quickly, you scour the house, starting with the basement and moving up, but none of you find any trace of the former President.

Much less Disco Head and his strange, teleporting cohort.

Thinking back to when those two villains walked off with their target, you seem to recall him saying something about 'the Discotheque of Doom' - at least, those of you who were present when he did so *cough ARI cough*.  When you mention this, Jake perks up.

"Discotheque of .... Doom?  Well, I've never been there, but according to the files we have on Disco Head, that jerk used to own a Discotheque in L.A... not too far from here, actually.  I'd imagine that this is the place he's talking about.

"Unless any of you others have a better idea?"

Assuming you don't, Jake can lead you all there.  Again, assuming you go for this (in order to avoid a week worth of wrangling back and forth; if you decide otherwise, ignore everything past this point), you all race back to Harry's ship and fly over to the City of Angels!

When you get there, Harry has the ship hover just a few feet over the address Jake had his minions look up - and you managed to verify with your electronic slate, Rebound.  Currently occupying said address is a somewhat older-looking building.

It's a four story thing, though you don't see any indications of power within, as all the windows are boarded up.  The only indication of any life there is a metal sign.  Well, a sign with metal plates on each side, lit from within by some sort of flame.

The cut-out letters in the sign simply say "Nessus", implying something infernal going on within.  Looking closer, you can see that there's a minder at the door, a fellow who looks a good seven foot tall, and is wearing a deep black suit.

He's also wearing expensive black shades and some sort of ear piece communicator.  He looks menacing, of course, but then not actively so - just ... looming, really.  Despite the light rain coming down on him, the man isn't moving.  Not an inch. 

How do you proceed?

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Mon Sep 29, 2003  5:03 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

You look upon the Directorate's offices, and you don't see anything of real interest, Sebastian.  You're seeing executives here, accountants there, people shuffling about moving papers and boxes to and fro.  Doesn't look like they're trying to take over the world.

Much less with alien technology.

Mr. Cross scoffs at this, though.  "Legalese... feh.  I'll be back..."  Will then wanders off, leaving you to watch the Terran Directorate's local affiliate all by yourself.  Assuming you just keep an eye out, you stay for a few hours, and Will eventually returns.

He's dressed differently, though.  In much worse clothing, it seems.  "I gave a homeless fellow fifty bucks for his clothes, and then laundered them a few times so's I don't catch any unpleasant parasites or anything.  I did this twice, actually... if you're up for any 'direct recon'.

"If not, well... what to do with these horrid clothes... hm."

?

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Mon Sep 29, 2003  5:09 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> (OCC: anyone who orders Papa John's pizza in New York City should be shot on 
> sight)

Heh... bitter much?

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Mon Sep 29, 2003  5:47 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

The receptionist takes your call cheerfully, Geoffrey, but it would appear that Christine Chase isn't all that much for telephony, apparently.  "That would be excellent, Mr. McAllister.  I will be in my offices all day long, so feel free to drop by anytime."

Unless you have any other questions, she hangs up and leaves you to your own devices.  That just leaves you to go have a chat with the lady about her little 'ghost' problem.  The question remaining is thus:  do you go alone or take some (or all) of the others with you?

(sorry for the somewhat light post - it's just one of those turning point thingies)

Out of Character thinger:

Incidentally, it would appear that the last adventure is over, and that a new one is beginning.  So, here's some Karma.

Charlie Chicanery:  You didn't get much, since you DID die earlier in the previous story (even if you did come back).  You managed about 320 Karma.

Gunslinger:  You didn't die, and you didn't kill anybody for once, so you managed more than Charlie.  I'd say about 1135 overall.

Geoffrey McAllister:  As was the case with Gunslinger, you didn't manage to do any karma-draining activity... mostly.   Call it 1380 Karma.

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Mon Sep 29, 2003  7:34 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

> Heh... bitter much?

Well...I REALLY miss New York pizza.

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Mon Sep 29, 2003  9:42 am
Subject:  Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

Sebastian, not familiar with the office world, wonders at what he thinks is unusual: moving papers and boxes to and fro? Why would people spend their day doing that? Unless they're trying to get rid of those documents? But from here, nothing can confirm such a thought...

Will leaves and returns within a few hours. During that time, Sebastian tried to get familiar with each and every face that he could observe from his position, without revealing himself.

When offered to wear a similar "reconditioned" suit, Sebastian doesn't seem to mind the idea. Being a former Navy SeAL and a professional diver meant that he had to crawl through nasty stuff and putting on the clothes-that-had-seen-better-days wasn't something he frowned upon.

"Look Will, I don't mind going to a costumed party, but... just where do you think we're going, dressed like that? I doubt that these "suits" above would be happy to see us coming in, so what else do you have in mind?"

He looked around for a safe place where he could hide his own clothes and anything else that could reveal he was not a bum, such as his watch and tools.

From:  EmarZero@aol.com 
Date:  Mon Sep 29, 2003  11:06 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> (snip description of door-man)

Ari muses.  "The hell with that dude, let's just bust in a window."

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Mon Sep 29, 2003  11:43 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> Ari muses. "The hell with that dude, let's just bust in a window." 

"If we knew where the Ford was in the building, I'd suggest letting me take a few story fall and blast a hole in the roof and go in that way. But then, again, we don't know where he is."

Rebound tries to tie the slate into any sensors he can find and see if he can locate the ex-pres. 

" Well...you could always just drop me on the bozo in front and leave it at that..."

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Mon Sep 29, 2003  11:49 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Workin' Hard for the Money

Geoffrey smiles as he hangs up the phone. "Looks like I've got to put a little face-time in on this one to start. I'll go meet with Ms. Chase and work out the specifications for the job. My initial estimate is a total of 40 hours work, but we'll see how that changes as the details become more apparent. I'll let you know when I'm ready for the rest of you."

Geoffrey heads out, taking the Lotus to go meet with the woman.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Chase. Geoffrey McAllister at your service. Please explain the nature of your difficulties and we'll get the process rolling..."

(Rolls if needed: 41, 42, 82, 09)

From:  "William Lockwood" <albedo1@cox.net> 
Date:  Mon Sep 29, 2003  6:05 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

Jinx nods at Rebound when he starts fiddling with the slate, "Right. While you're at it, see if the word 'Nessus' pops up anything of concern in any databases that thing can tap into."

From:  "Charlie Clay Jr." <cclayjr@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Wed Oct 1, 2003  8:34 am
Subject:  Re: Dead Presidents?

"I can see if I can get in through the ground, locate him then come back  out?" Stone Cold asks looking at the group ready to get this over with in a big way.

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Wed Oct 1, 2003  12:32 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Re: Dead Presidents?

Masque looks around at everybody.
"Hmmmmm....We can't just all sit out here and stare at the place. We're bound to draw the goons attention sometime. I mean we look like a freak show here and believe you me, I had to live next to the freak show for a bit. Smelly."
 
He sniffs his underarms.
"Not bad, I'm going in."
 
He walks non-chalantly up to the Goon and waves the Pinball wizards wand about.
"Let me in buck-o. I got beat up by this really powerful Wizard named Masque. He was sooo tough. He should be Sorceror Supreme of this planet. He even altered my Appearance."
When the goon doesn't move or buy it, he says:
"I am the Pinball Wizard dammit!!! Seee I got balls."
...and he brandishes his ... Balls... the silver ones he yoinked of the Pinball Wizard....

From:  Charlie Chicanery <charlie_chicanery@yahoo.com> 
Date:  Wed Oct 1, 2003  3:34 pm
Subject:  Working It

Hm.

While tiddlywinks is talking to the lady, i'm gonna eat pizza and watch the tee vee... see if they show my good side in the news.

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Wed Oct 1, 2003  11:47 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Working It

Gunslinger nods a goodbye to Geoffrey,
"Call me when you get the Deal going huh. I will be at The Bar."
 
He stops...
"Moebius? Charlie? Wanna drink some Drink?"
 
Either way, he heads to The Bar with whomever in tow. On arrival he smiles at the Guntoting Bartender,
"Hey Sweets. Bottle of yer Finest Rum please."

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Thu Oct 2, 2003  6:11 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

As you guys sit in Harry's craft above the apparent Discotheque of Doom (if Jake is to be believed), you examine the data that Rebound's electronic slate has retrieved from Temporal Management's rather extensive database.  You find several references to 'Nessus'.

For one thing, it is the centaur in Greek legend that slew Heracles.

It is also the ninth layer of a dark plane known as Baator.

Either way, it sounds ominous.

Unfortunately, though, while the slate can eavesdrop on computer networks and their throughput, it cannot seem to locate Ford within the building below.  It is demonstrating a whole lot of electronic music, though, and 'Blood is Pumping' by Voodoo and Serano pipes through the slate.

Nice speakers on that thing.  Not that you see speakers.  Hmm...

Regardless, you remove yourself from Harry's space (and possibly time, now) craft, Masque, and assault the fellow below in your own, unique way.  He looks down at you not out of disdain so much as you're simply so much shorter than he, and makes a face.

That's the one... you know that by heart.  It's the face people tend to make when you talk at them for awhile, and they have NO DAMN CLUE what you're babbling about.  "You want in?  No problem there, buddy.  Let me get the door for you..."

Once he opens the large metal door, you hear the sounds of music issuing forth from within the club.  THOOM THOOM THOOM THOOM and such.  Walking inside, you see naught but boarded up hallways, and a exquisitely welded spiral staircase that goes down several stories.

Assuming you insert yourself into the earth and eavesdrop on the basement, Stone Cold, you'll also see this (just f.y.i.).

Entering the basements, for there are several, you spy a whole lot of people in rather small amounts of dress, dancing like their lives depended on it to really loud electronic music.  It's also quite fast, and it seems some of these folks can't quite keep up.

Either that or they're all hopped up on drugs.

The place is decked out with several laser projectors to display fun imagery to the beat, along with a few disco balls to bounce the light off of in creative ways, and a few spotlights in the ceilings above (the basement levels open up in the center to make the place look BIG).

Not to mention a bar and several television walls on every floor.

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Thu Oct 2, 2003  6:25 am
Subject:  Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

Moebius shrugs at you, Gunslinger, indicating that she's probably had enough excitement for one day.  "You go ahead, I think I'll just help myself to this pizza, since you don't seem to like it.  Unless you're taking it with you..."

You leave to go get yourself a drink or six, Gunslinger, and miss the excitement.  While you are watching television, Charlie, you hear a knock on the door to Geoffrey's place.  Before you can answer it, Moebius gets up to see what's what, and opens it.

Outside, you see two girls dressed up like Japanese school girls, and they look way too happy for their own good.  One of them grins while Moebius scowls at them, and the other presents a book.  "Hello!  Have you ever thought about the benefits of SCIENCE-ology?"

You note the emphasis on SCIENCE, Charlie.  She sounds so perky...!  And here when you finally show up on the news, too...  They did catch your good side, though you were groping yourself in the process... go figure.  The media always has to focus on the bad parts...

At The Bar, Gunslinger, you note that there is absolutely no sign of the earlier brawl that you wound up getting sucked into, albeit unwillingly (go figure).  The Bartender is happy to dish out the rum, and after you pay for it, she settles in for some Talk.

"So, I see you and your friends are famous all of a sudden...!"

Elsewhere, you make your way to the Smashers' stadium, Geoffrey, and after a few minutes of wrangling with the secretary, you finally get to meet Christine Chase in person.  After you introduce yourself, the lady opens up, and reveals a few things about herself.

"Well, Mr. McAllister, it's nice that you could come at such short notice.  You see, we've been having a problem here at the Stadium for about a week, now.  Some of the night-time cleaning staff have been claiming to see a ghost - usually when they find something broken.

"I personally doubt that the place is haunted.  After all, when my late father had the Stadium built, not a single construction worker was killed here, and nobody's actually died on the playing field - or due to freak accidents in the stands.

"But, the staff refuse to come in until the problem is resolved, and the police think the whole thing is rather amusing, when you get down to it.  So, having seen your performance on television, it would appear that you and your fellows have experience with... oddities...?"

?

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Thu Oct 2, 2003  6:29 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

"Heh... that's the idea.  They're suits.  They'll HATE to see the likes of us showing up.  They claim to cater to the needs of the homeless, but have you seen ONE homeless fellow show up there in the last couple of hours?  I haven't been watching, but I bet I know what your answer is..."

He's right... you haven't seen a single needy person show up here.  And this isn't exactly a nice neighborhood (or a nice town, for that matter).

"I'm thinking maybe we show up in cog nee to, see, and see what they do to us.  Or try to, at any rate.  I figure that may rattle loose a few secrets here or there.  Or at least ruin their pretty little day, I dunno.  I'm running on empty, here..."

You could swear you heard genuine, cartoon-style stomach rumbling there.

?

From:  EmarZero@aol.com 
Date:  Thu Oct 2, 2003  10:09 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> It is demonstrating a whole lot of electronic music, though, and 'Blood is 
> Pumping' by Voodoo and Serano pipes through the slate.

Ari muses.  "What time is it?"  If it's mid-morning or some other weird time for a nightclub to be blaring music, she will definitely point this out.  If not, she just nods.  Not like, in time with the music, but like in agreement with the time pointing out.

From:  Charlie S Clay Jr <cclayjr2@juno.com> 
Date:  Tue Oct 2, 2018  11:53 am
Subject:  Re: Dead Presidents?

'You know I get tired of the same complain with this group, next time we are not on a mission. Somebody is going to get us some damned communicators.' He thinks to himself as he continues to move and hopefully catch up to the others. "Dang this is a happenin' joint." He looks around spying the odd pieces of dress or...undress for that matter as he moves towards the stair case to check up.

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Thu Oct 2, 2003  1:17 pm
Subject:  Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

OOC: Nah, swearing is bad, remember? ;-)

BIC: This time, Sebastian's sensitivities were not triggered. He even smiled, imagining the disgusted faces of the "suits" when they would show up.  "Hey, I'm in. Let's go spook the suits. We might even be able to get our eyes or hands on some precious information..."

Then, as he heard Will's stomach complaining about the emptiness of life (or something like that):  "Let's look ravenous. Maybe they'll throw us some food to keep us away..." he grinned from ear to ear, obviously enjoying the change of scenery from his usual line of work.

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Thu Oct 2, 2003  1:26 pm
Subject:  RE: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> Nice speakers on that thing. Not that you see speakers. Hmm...

Rebound grabs a flashlight (assuming one is available) and changes tactics briefly, scanning every database he can get his slate into for blueprints or floorplans for the building before embarking on yet another attempt to take care of DiscoHead. Whether his search is successful or not, he'll depart the ship and take a walk around the building, looking for where the power lines come into the building. If he finds them, he'll use a thrown heavily strand-covered rock to break the lines coming in. Then he'll try and find an alternate way in, using the front door only as a last resort.

(Rolls: Scan: 34, Powerlines: 97, anything else: 94, 94, 71, 11)

From:  "William Lockwood" <albedo1@cox.net> 
Date:  Thu Oct 2, 2003  7:54 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

Jinx nods at the data the slate provided on "Nessus."
 
"Hmmm. Probably the plane of that 'B' place; I don't normally link fire with centaurs."
 
Noticing Masque and Stone Cold have disappeared she curses under her breath, "Damnit! We really need to get some communication devices..."
 
Then, turning to Rebound, "So, any luck locating alternate entrances?"

From:  Charlie Chicanery <charlie_chicanery@yahoo.com> 
Date:  Fri Oct 3, 2003  12:41 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

> Before you can answer it, Moebius gets up to see what's what, and opens it.

Before i can answer it... hahah. That's women's work, that. Oh wait... crap. Guess i'm more womanly than MOEBIUS is... brr.

> Outside, you see two girls dressed up like Japanese school girls, and they 
> look way too happy for their own good. One of them grins while Moebius scowls 
> at them, and the other presents a book. "Hello!  Have you ever thought about 
> the benefits of SCIENCE-ology?"

"Scienceology? The study of science?!"

> You note the emphasis on SCIENCE, Charlie. She sounds so perky...! And here 
> when you finally show up on the news, too... 

Oooooooh dear. This was unexpected.

Hm... how to handle this, how to handle this. Now, the lech in me would want to be as nice as possible to these nubile young things, in order to trick them inside, get them drunk, and then convince them to commit Crimes Against Humanity. On the other hand, the angry, tired-of-solicitors-in-general jerk in me, the one who is utterly burned out on telemarketers on my phone box, spam in my in box, junk in my mail box, and commercials on my television box, he'd see things differently.

i should go with the lech, but i imagine Moebius wouldn't let me do that, from the look on her face.  i'm sure the others wouldn't mind coming home to find these girls nekkid on the floor, all tied up and covered in honey barbecue sauce. But Moebius...

i guess it's the jerk today. 

"So, what you got on under those skirts?"

That usually riles up the telemarketers, at least...

Normally, anyway. i had this lady call me once and keep going on and on about buying a magazine subscription. So i asked her if they carried Hustler, and she said no. Well, i said i'm all about the naked ladies, or mostly so - i can get into the ones in underpants, too. What kind of underpants are you wearing? She had a hard time journeying back onto her script after that one... and after about a minute more of innuendo she finally gave up... though if she wouldn't have, i'm sure i'd have gotten her phone number.

After she stopped crying, anyhow.

But i digresss... as usual.

> They did catch your good side, though you were groping yourself in the 
> process... go figure. The media always has to focus on the bad parts...

Neh... i find that highly amusing. "Look, i'm on TEE vee!" i'll make sure the wonder twins or whatever at the door see that, and decide to lust after me in a most inappropriate fashion... ahahhaahha

i so rock.

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Fri Oct 3, 2003  9:21 am
Subject:  Re: Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

OOC: Reminds me of a friend who scared away two female Jehova's Witnesses from his doorstep. We had just come out of the pool and he went to change. But before he was done, the doorbell rang. Cursing and all, he went to open the door, with only his bathroom towel around his waist. When he noticed they were Jehova's Witnesses, he mumbled something along the lines of "Not interested" and proceeded to close the door. One of the lady decided to press her luck by blocking the door with her foot. If it had been a man, he would have slammed the door and beat the foot to pulp, but hey, this was a lady after all.

Instead, he dropped the towel. They ran and NEVER came back. Eh! That's what happens when you mess with a full-blood Canadian. (Whatever that means).

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Sat Oct 4, 2003  12:24 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

> "So, I see you and your friends are famous all of a sudden...!"

"Yeah....not so sure I am gonna like it so much. The good thing is though. This bunch of folk I am with don't seem all that different from the last bunch."
He takes a drink,
"I can deal with them."

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Sat Oct 4, 2003  12:35 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> (snip description of door-man) 
 
Masque Glares at the man, with all the effect of a 3 year old.

> "You want in?  No problem there, buddy.  Let me get the door for you..."

Masque struts on on.
"That's right, Don't mess with an unhinged wizard! No tip for you."
..and he Harumphhs.
 
"Harumphh."

> (snip description of club Nessus) 
 
Not quite sure what to do, he turns around and says to the group...
"I think we...should....ummmm.."
He panics as he realizes he is alone.
".....!"
He runs back to the door and, hoping that some are still watching the Door, he throws his arms up.
"Hellloooo..people! We can just come in."
He waves his arms about in a Disgusted-With-You fashion.

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Sun Oct 5, 2003  11:53 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

It's probably early evening at this point (to answer Ari's question).

Nobody else seemed to, so I figured a clock would tell the tale... hm.

At any rate, you use the electronic slate to try and access floorplan info on this place, Rebound, and are successful; Temporal Management tends to keep an eye on public documents and such for use when necessary, and had a copy of them handy for just such a contingency.

The slate says that there are four floors above ground, and four floors below.  The top four haven't been utilized since the place was purchased in the late seventies from the wife of one Job Hand, a man who mysteriously disappeared in '76.

He used to run a disco club here that he had named the Discotheque of Doom... not that this stopped the place from being wildly popular in its day.  Back then, though, the top floors WERE used extensively, while the bottom four floors were listed as a laboratory of sorts.

The basement levels had been opened up to fit rather large equipment within, but the place was modified when purchased, so that the dance club is in the lower floors, and not the upper ones... mostly to fit the 'Nessus' theme of an underworld or something.

That and it was easier to board up all the disco stuff above, and use the sleek metallic finish in the basement levels below, to make a sweet night-time hot spot.  At least, this is what Temporal Management thinks about the use of the place... who knows?

Regardless of whether or not you relate this info to Jinx, you also exit Harry's space-time ship thingie and land outside the place, Rebound.  Scouting about, you see that most of the windows are boarded up, and were subsequently walled off with steel bars.

As such, you see that you can very easily gain access to the place; metal won't stop your corrosive juices, and mere wood planks can't stand up to an explosively good kick or two from you.  You find the power lines quick enough; the building is wired in the alley.

You smash the power coupling easily enough, and then dissolve/kick your way into this 'Nessus' place.  Clicking on your flashlight, you see that you've entered what appears to have been a rather posh night club - perhaps 25 years ago.  Disco Balls abound.

And a lot of anti-Ford posters.  Curious...

All four floors of the place are quite dusty, but you find that all the levels above ground are quite open... no closed off areas to speak of, save for restrooms.  And they're not locked, so you can enter the non-maintained rooms to inspect them and make sure.

The odd thing is that, though you cut the power, you just felt music start to come from below.  You can feel it in your feet.  But it's not the same techno-stuff you heard piping through your slate, oh no.  This is music of a different stripe... much older...

Downstairs, you were talking to the group when you realized that the group wasn't around to talk to you, Masque.  Panicking, you leave in a huff, and start waving to where you think Harry's craft is hovering above.  You hear it land, though, as a loud 'thump' comes from the roof.

Harry seems to think the building is strong enough to hold his ship.

On the roof, give or take, you can see Masque waving at you all in an unhappy fashion, Jinx, Ari.  This prompts Jake to leap out of the ship in an acrobatic fashion, and he lands cat-like on the ground after a four story drop... apparently unharmed in the slightest.

Jake looks at you, Masque, and shrugs.

"You just look so weird dressed like that."

You have NO clue what he's talking about.

Meanwhile, Och takes a more... restrained approach to exiting Harry's ship - he just walks down the 'on ramp' onto the roof.  He then cuts down a roof access door and makes his way in the hard way.  It was either that or splat himself four stories down...

What do you do, Jinx, Ari?

Again inside the club, you spy Masque running off in a jiffy, Stone Cold, and he just barely misses the power getting cut.  All the lights go off, and the music goes dead.  You hear the petulant wails of a room full of drug-addled club-goers, and can tell a panic is imminent.

Until a voice rather close to you speaks up over the din.

With what sounds like a megaphone.

"Ahem - voice override, authorization Disco Fever!"

The lights then come back on, and music resumes... though it's different music.  Instead of playing Lords of Acid's "Box Banger", you're hearing "Stayin' Alive".  You look around rapidly, but can't quite spot Disco Head - and that's amazing, considering how conspicuous he really is.

"Welcome to the Discotheque of Doom, ladies and gentlemen.  Sure, the sign outside would appear to indicate that you are elsewhere, but have no doubt - Daddy's home now.  Not only that, but I'm sucking up the glow of Disco that I missed while I was away.

"Who'd have thought the Bee Gees had this in them?  Ahh..."

The crowd's reaction seems quite mixed...

?!

From:  EmarZero@aol.com 
Date:  Mon Oct 6, 2003  12:00 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> What do you do, Jinx, Ari?

Ari follows Och into the building.  That's a plan of action that's generally worked in the past, you know.  She's definitely keeping Tropius at the ready, and her machine gun tucked into her belt.  Awesome.

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Mon Oct 6, 2003  12:22 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

"Excellent."

So, once the two of you are dressed in freshly laundered, yet quite worn out clothing, you and Will head over to the Terran Directorate's building, and since the place is unlocked, you both just meander right in.  Will goes out of his way to act derelict, too.

"Hey!  HEY!  You guys got a BATH room?  I gots'ta go BAD..."

Looking around as he hobbles about on his two canes (you can see that they were a great choice for personal weapons, as nobody would suspect he could so easily trounce them as you've seen him do), you see various suit and tie folks cringing in mortal terror.

Or at least primal disgust.

They all just look at each other as if not knowing what to do...!

?!

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Mon Oct 6, 2003  12:41 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

(ooc:  I ain't skipping you, per se, just felt like posting, Doug.  Besides, I figured you driving to the Smashers' stadium - wherever that nebulous construct would occur within New York City - and getting to your appointment would take a few extra minutes... yeah, that's it...)

The two girls look at each other incredulously, Charlie, and then smile back at you.  "Well, it'd be easier to show you, ma'am... though we'd rather not do that in the hall, here.  It's kind of drafty to begin with, and what with all the perverts these days..."

Moebius' eyes almost pop out of her head at this for a second or two, and she slaps her forehead in disgust - or possibly to put her eyes back where they belong... hmm.  She then sighs, collects several weapons, and makes for the doorway - though she's going out, not coming in.

"Sorry, Charlie, I'm not into the girl-on-girl thing, so I'm going to go join Gunslinger for some booze.  Try not to let your little playthings get crabs all over Geoffrey's couch... I'm sure he'd just LOVE to have you explain that one..."

And with that, Moebius leaves Geoffrey's crash pad, though she gets some dirty looks from the Scienceologists as she goes... and understandably so.

Meanwhile, seeing your dismay, the Bartender just pats you on the shoulder.  "Don't worry about it, buddy, I'm sure you won't have to worry about it for long.  Fame is fleeting, especially in a city like this.  All you and your pals have to do is screw up a few things and you're set.

"Of course, that may put a dent in your pocket book, but hey."

You just chill and enjoy your rum as Iron Bar Through Your Skull stirs up some music for the joint.  Which is odd, since you could swear you've seen these guys play before on another planet - in another timeline, at least... when you ran with the so-called 'Defenders'...

Before you finish that bottle, though, you are joined by Moebius.  "Blech," she says. "I can't believe Charlie is going do get x-rated with those creepy religious school-girl outfit-wearing freaks.  I've never seen people so blatantly... blech...  Not for free, at least.

"Blech blech blech."

!??!

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Mon Oct 6, 2003  7:25 pm
Subject:  Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

Sebastian tried his best not to grin, as it would expose teeth that
would be out of place on a "bum". Instead, he tried to walk as if he
was both drunk and had a bad leg. Which was no small feat.

He noticed a man who was about to wolf down a "Three Musketeers"
candy bar and seized it from him as he explained, with a gravelly
voice:
"Me mum alwez sed dat shugr wuz bad for my zits. I guess she ain't
seen your face, dude!"

Sebastian broke the bar in two and threw one half at Will and shoved
the other half in his pocket.

He noticed a rather pretty, but snobbish-looking dyed-blonde woman in
her early thirties. She seemed the kind that would do anything to
promote her career, including sleeping with her 300-pound boss. He
gave her a leering, lustful look as he slurred:
"I tink yur de kinds dat me mum warned me 'bout. Plus, you must have
crabs. Ya just ain't look helfie, wif all dat white face an' yar too
skinny too... Yu problee ain't got anyting to eat, so... got a place
for us to crash?"

Between his shocking diatribes, Sebastian stole some glances here and
there, trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of something more
interesting than just "suits".

From:  "William Lockwood" <albedo1@cox.net> 
Date:  Mon Oct 6, 2003  10:43 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

Jinx takes in the scene, noting that Rebound appears to have taken out the power junction and entered through a window.

Not wanting to leave anyone of the team alone, Jinx moves to accompany Rebound and provide him some back up in the event he runs into trouble.
 
Once she's entered the darkened room, she'll activate her night goggles and look for any methods of entering the lower levels.
 
OOC: Roll for me, beyotch!

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Wed Oct 8, 2003  11:38 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

> "Of course, that may put a dent in your pocket book, but hey."

Gunslinger laughs at this.
"Not my pocket book, if the good people of where-ever want us to allow the 'evil-doers' to roam free then, so be it. We can just sit idly by, no problem there."
 
Gunslinger turns to look at the band and then swings back around,
"You know I think i have seen these guys before....Hey, I gots a question for ya. You wouldn't happen to know where I can purchase gear? You gotta see all sorts here. There has got to be someone who sells ..umm...Black market stuff. Ya know, weapons, defense, the like."
  
> (snip Moebius' disgust) 
 
"What? I missed them?! wait, nevermind. That means I'd have to deal with Charlie too. Echhh... nasty turn of thought there. Thanks Moebius."
 
He offers her some Rum.
"Here...ya need this."

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Wed Oct 8, 2003  11:42 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> "You just look so weird dressed like that."

> You have NO clue what he's talking about.

Masque shrugs and looks at his attire.
"Functional. I got pockets within pockets. AND, how is anyone to know I am Wizard without the stuff anyhow. A wizard must be known, feared, respe... Oh Hi Och... and look here comes Ari. Neat. "
 
With that said, he motions for everyone to follow him in. Harumphing at the door man once more.
"Harumphh"
 
He heads down the stairs.

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Wed Oct 8, 2003  12:11 pm
Subject:  RE: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> "Who'd have thought the Bee Gees had this in them? Ahh..."

> The crowd's reaction seems quite mixed...

If/when Rebound makes it to the crowd, he'll convince them to leave.

"OK, by order of the fire marshal, everybody needs to get out now! This building is unsafe and may collapse at any moment. Please leave in an orderly fashion."

Depending on how effective the tactic turns out to be, he may have to turn up the persuasion a bit. He'll yell and scream at them to get out.

If that fails, he'll start pushing people to the door.

If that fails...he may have to do something drastic...a last resort.

He'll crouch down, pull up his mask, stand back up and start screaming about the air burning him. THAT will clear the civilians out if nothing else worked.

(Rolls: 63, 81, 56, 01)

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Wed Oct 8, 2003  12:15 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

OOC: Heyyyyy..wait a minute...we're coming down the stairs......super.

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Wed Oct 8, 2003  12:19 pm
Subject:  RE: [v13] Dead Presidents?

OOC: This wouldn't happen if we ever had anything resembling a plan or teamwork....

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Wed Oct 8, 2003  12:25 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

Yet more OOC: Touch

From:  EmarZero@aol.com 
Date:  Wed Oct 8, 2003  12:34 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

SSSH!  NEVER USE THE "T" WORD!

From:  Charlie Chicanery <charlie_chicanery@yahoo.com> 
Date:  Wed Oct 8, 2003  2:35 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

> "Well, it'd be easier to show you, ma'am... though we'd rather not do that in 
> the hall, here. It's kind of drafty to begin with, and what with all the
> perverts these days..."

...

Heck, i'll even say that.

"..."

This keeps taking a weirder and weirder turn each, well, turn. Hm... now, rationally speaking, i know better than this. Charlie has the tact of a tack, and ALWAYS rubs people the wrong way... it's just a thing. But, at the same time, Charlie's a retard, and despite being female currently, is still thinking primarily with a different set of hormones... ah crap.

"Sure, c'mon in!"

> (snip Moebius critter-speak)

Heh... that's the nice thing about flying in space - all your 'riders' die off in transit.

"Neh, as many places like this as he owns, i'm sure it's happened before." i will then wink at Moebius for effect.

> And with that, Moebius leaves Geoffrey's crash pad, though she gets some dirty 
> looks from the Scienceologists as she goes... and understandably so.

i will observe Moebius leaving.

You know, peep out the window until i physically see her walking outside.

"Don't mind her, ladies - it's 'that time of the month.'"

i'll look around for a few seconds, and make sure death isn't on its way.

"Ah. So, now where were we...?"

(they're so going to kill me, aren't they?)

Some rolls - since i suspect the worst: 72, 10, 96, 09 (gaah... they're gonna go vampire and eat my brains, or turn out to be IRS creatures... noooo)

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Wed Oct 8, 2003  4:52 pm
Subject:  OOC: Re: Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

OOC: Aren't IRS creatures ALREADY vampires? Just a thought...

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Thu Oct 9, 2003  9:08 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

Geoffrey practices telekinetic driving techniques as he drives to the stadium pondering about all the possibilities of what the group is being asked to investigate. Ghosts? Not likely. More likely someone with an ability that either he or she is unaware of or someone with talent operating behind the scenes.

Thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of the team he hopes it is not something that requires subtlety. That seems to be a characteristic that is in short supply, but then again, he's been surprised already. Perhaps a man (no, correct that...alien) could be subtle? And Charlie showed remarkable restraint in the restaurant. Perhaps. Perhaps, this will work after all.

His musings fade as he pulls up to the security gate, explains who he is and why he is there. He proceeds on to his meeting...

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Fri Oct 10, 2003  5:33 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

You can see Will trying really, really hard to not laugh at the effect you're having on people you're tormenting... he's still grinning like a madman, though - which is still appropriate, when you get down to it.  He wolfs down the candy bar half as you pass it to him.

And makes sure lots of nougat and caramel stick to his teeth.

Mouth full, he ambles up to the first supervisor-type to run in as people start to cry and scream in dismay.  "What the devil is going on here?  I -" then Andy's on him.  "Woo!  You're a clean one!  They must've laundered you along with the money!"  He then puts his arm around the guy.

Who flees in terror.  "Ack!  Homeless people!"

Andy hobbles after him on his canes.  "Wait, come back!  I want some of that fresh Bounce smell to rub off on me!  Come Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!"

Everybody's focusing on this spectacle suddenly, allowing you to pocket anything and everything that looks suspicious in a paper-work sense.  Rapidly scanning desks, you have a hard time spotting anything that seems out of place... or at least overtly sinister.

Not counting office memos, that is.

However, you do come across a bunch of papers sitting in someone's printer bin that mentions something about a "Tijuana Project"... sounds interesting, even if it is only for a vacation prospect.  You pilfer it and do so just in time; the security guards are here.

When they begin to menace Will, he just says "But I thought you guys helped us bums...!"

?!

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Fri Oct 10, 2003  6:25 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

You drive to Smasher's Stadium, Geoffrey, and can't help but notice how... new the place is.  It's like the paint has just barely dried here - that's definitely the case in the parking lot, as the lines are almost painfully bright.  These fellows must've just set up shop this year.

Regardless, you are met by two security-types as soon as you pull up front, and they're all business.  Not threatening and/or intimidating, just there to do a job.  Once you identify yourself, one makes a call, and after he does so, leads you inside.

The guard is very small on talk, but he answers any minor questions you have about the place.  He eventually leads you to a box seat where you see a lady who is apparently in her late thirties, sipping wine daintily and passing the glass under her nose to test its quality.

When the guard introduces you, she turns and beams.  "Ah, Mr. McAlister!  Christie Chase, though most people tend to call me C.C. around here... one of those affable professional athlete things, I suppose.  Speaking of which, there's mine now...!"

Looking out the window, you see all sorts of fellows in red, white and blue uniforms prancing about, doing various football... things.  Some throw the ball.  Some catch the ball.  Some are attempting new plays and strategies, while others are falling victim to the same.

Lots of grunting and yelling... and plenty of profanity.

"I have to admit a... lack of enthusiasm for football.  Honestly, it was my father who was fighting so hard to set up this franchise in the city - I thought it unnecessary, but why argue?  After all, it seems to have worked well for me in the long run.

"Poor old man...!"

You get the impression that she INHERITED this team.

Assuming you have no questions in this stripe, she changes the subject to the matter at hand.  "Anyhow... this unpleasant ghost business.  Personally, I think it's all a bunch of silliness, but the cleaning staff maintain that they've repeatedly seen a ghost wandering about.

"I assure you that no construction workers died in the building of this stadium, and one was only slightly hurt - I understand it was a rather unpleasant incident with a nail gun... but the point is that there is no rational reason to think the place haunted.

"Not that I'm an expert in this regard, oh no.  I suspect some sort of prank is at hand, or perhaps an attempt to sabotage the Smashers in their first year of operation.  Heaven knows things have been like a roller coaster around here lately...

"Especially with that 'Ugly' Mack business..."

She then sighs.

Elsewhere, you are hanging out with those two strange girls in the Japanese school girl uniforms, Charlie, when you remind them just why you invited them in.  They giggle, and then one of them lifts up her skirt... revealing something purple.  Grape purple.

It looks like a... boxing glove?

Before even your smart mouth can comment on this, the thing flies towards you on a hydraulic piston and smashes you upside the head.  The considerable force of this impact knocks you back... into the other girl, who was apparently waiting with some sort of stun gun.

BZ-A-A-A-P!

You feel electrical current running through you in such a way that you're sure isn't going to kill you, but definitely is going to render you immobile for awhile.  After that, you fall to the ground, and can see the two girls standing above you.

They start giggling... and pull off their school girl outfits like they were paper!

"Cue the music Bambi!"

"You got it, Cindi!"

The girl who apparently has the stun gun manifests a purple boom box from... somewhere, and begins to play suitably dramatic orchestral music.  After the stuff gets going, Bambi and Cindi get going with what would appear to be a motto - alternating lines, even!

"Saving the world from Reprobates,"

"Not to mention fashion fakes,"

"We're Super Models and Super Heroes,"

"And sometimes repo stuff from zeroes."

"Bambi!"

"Cindi!"

"The Technoholic Twins are here to set things right,"

"Give up now or face our might!"

They then give you a dual action pose.

This sounds AWFULLY familiar, but you can't put your finger on where from, since you're kind of out of sorts.  You do note that these girls are, in fact, twins, and indeed Japanese - but they have bright purple clothes.  You know, bright purple leather hot pants.

And halter tops.

And thigh-high boots.

And exceptionally long gloves.

And... purple hand guns?

Elsewhere again, the Bartender shakes her head at you, Gunslinger.  "Well, there's a couple of people that can help you out, but they're exceedingly shady, and I wouldn't recommend it.  They're the kind of people that make it so I have to carry these at work."

She then makes an emphatic hip motion that makes you raise an eyebrow - those hip holsters are quite an accent.  "If you insist, I can drop some names, but... it's your funeral, even if you are lucky and famous.  Just thought I'd say."

That's when Moebius comes in, and when you offer her Rum, she takes the bottle and digs in deep... until you physically take it away from her (assuming you do).  She lets the booze kick in for a few minutes, and then suddenly seems concerned.

"Crap.  You know, those cootie girls seemed more than hard up... they looked like they wanted invited into Geoffrey's place really bad.  I bet they're creepy vampires or something, and I just left our 'business associate' to his grisly doom.

"Or maybe they were succubi or... things."

She manifests more booze in the event that she currently has none, and drinks more.  "I'm gonna call."

Moebius then whips out the strange device Geoffrey secured for her, this... cellular telephone, and she struggles to remember how it works.  With a bit of assistance, she finds "Charlie Chicanery" in the phone's memory, and calls him/her up.

Elsewhere again, you're admiring the forms of your assailants when your phone starts ringing.  "Ooh, let me get that," says Bambi.  Or was that Cindi?  She collects your phone out of your pocket, and answers.  "Hello?"  To this Moebius says "Hey - where's Charlie?"

Bambi (or Cindi) replies "Oh, he's all tied up right now."   Which is a lie, since no rope has been introduced to Charlie's frame just yet.  Scowling, Moebius says "Let me talk to hi- her... whatever it is.  It's really important.  Business and stuff."

In Geoffrey's place, the twin wielding Charlie's phone winks at the one that's not, and simply says "Sorry, Charlie's busy seeing God or something, you should call back later."  Cindy (or is it Bambi) then starts stomping you up and down, Charlie!

Meanwhile, you can hear profanity ensuing over the phone, Gunslinger... a tirade including lots and lots of words that begin with the letter 'f'.  Sounds like Charlie is getting beat up by door-to-door religious solicitors... or something similarly bizarre.

!?

From:  "Mister Christopher" <cacers@cox.net> 
Date:  Fri Oct 10, 2003  11:16 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

> (snip Bartender speak)
 
"Alright then. I think I know of some who can help me, but if no luck, I'll take the names later. Thanks."
 
> (snip Moebius doom and gloom speak)
 
Gunslinger smiles.
"We could only be so lucky."

> (snip overhearing Charlie getting mauled on the cellular telephone)
 
Gunslinger slams his bottle down.
"Doesn't that just fuckin' beat all?! I suppose we should go help Charlie huh? Dammit."
He moves to get up.
"Moebius, I want this understood now. We are merely doing this because he is a business partner right? Not because we feel obligated to help someone."
 
He pays the Bartender and nods a thankyou.
"You gonna leave yer car here?"
 
On the way out the door, Gunslinger muses to himself.
"When did I become the Good Guy?"

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Fri Oct 10, 2003  2:23 pm
Subject:  Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

OOC: Who's Andy? You mentioned that name twice? One has to wonder what a GM's thinking... ;-)

BIC: Sebastian shook his head, realizing that Will didn't mind eating someone else's chocolate bar... Oh well, he too had seen worse times...

When will started his diversion, Sebastian also had a hard time not watching. Will was just SOOO funny! Sebastian smuggled the "Tijuana Project" document into a deep pocket, wondering which Tijuana it was all about: the one near San Diego on the west coast or the other one in Mexico, about a 100 miles northwest of La Paz. If it was the second, history would just keep repeating itself: the male members of his family just kept being drawn to exotic locations where incredible stories happened to them... He called it his "trouble magnet".

Sebastian pulled back the flap of the deep pocket over the documents.  Obviously, these pockets had been used to store bottles, because they were deep enough to hide just about anything...

Noticing the guards, Sebastian tried to look as helpless (or was it hopeless?) as possible, knowing full well that security guards were often cops-wannabees and loved nothing better than a civilian showing ANY sign of resistance. After all, civilians were so easy to beat up...

Sebastian drooled as much as he could, trying to make himself look as disgusting as possible. He then approached Will and the guards, trying to defuse the potentially volatile situation: it would do no good to their cover to have done so much in disguise, only to end up fighting after all.

"Whoah! Kool guys! We were just looking for the soup kitchen... Mind showin' us the way? I'm shur you guys know this place inside n' out, right?" said Sebastian, slurring and drooling like crazy.

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Sat Oct 11, 2003  3:51 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

> OOC: Who's Andy? You mentioned that name twice? One has to wonder 
> what a GM's thinking...  ;-)

Crap.

Sorry 'bout that... is a by-product of my answering game mails so late in the day - trying to keep things going but apparently am starting to slip in my half-asleep mode. I usually associate that name with Hardcore since that was the name of the fellow who created him a long, long time ago.

But I usually don't TYPE it... grr.  I've found myself randomly making that mistake (calling Ari Emar once, for instance... whoops) now and then, usually when I answer game mail when I ought to be getting one of my four hours of sleep each day.  You'd think I know better by now... but huh.

So if i make THAT slip again, just plug "Will" in for "Andy" and it should work out - though I'll try not to do that again... dangit.

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Sun Oct 12, 2003  7:02 am
Subject:  Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

OOC: Sure, understandable, "will" do. I figured as much, so forgive me for pointing it out. I should understand, since it happens to me as well...

From:  Charlie Chicanery <charlie_chicanery@yahoo.com> 
Date:  Sun Oct 12, 2003  9:38 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

> They giggle, and then one of them lifts up her skirt... revealing something 
> purple. Grape purple.

> It looks like a... boxing glove?

Er...

> (snip savage hentai girl attack)

> After that, you fall to the ground, and can see the two girls standing above 
> you.

> They start giggling... and pull off their school girl outfits like they were 
> paper!

You know, if i weren't actually in intense pain at this point, much less annoyed, i'd actually enjoy that. Huh.

> "Cue the music Bambi!"

> "You got it, Cindi!"

> (snip motto)

> They then give you a dual action pose.

> This sounds AWFULLY familiar, but you can't put your finger on where from, 
> since you're kind of out of sorts.

"Hey, where's the talking cat?"

> You do note that these girls are, in fact, twins, and indeed Japanese - but 
> they have bright purple clothes. You know, bright purple leather hot pants.

> And halter tops. And thigh-high boots. And exceptionally long gloves.

> And... purple hand guns?

Well, you know what i always say. If i'm going to get the crap kicked out of me, it should at least be done by Japanese hentai twins. i say hentai since there aren't too many normal Japanese school girls with hydraulic glove thingies in their skirts. Though admittedly i have not been to Japan, so i could be off on that score...... or somesuch.

> (sinp phoen call)

> "Hey - where's Charlie?"

> "Sorry, Charlie's busy seeing God or something, you should call back later." 
> Cindy (or is it Bambi) then starts stomping you up and down, Charlie!

Hey ooh ow aie argh!

"Mother f-argh! i'll fu-aieck! Kill youooogh!"

i guess i'll say similar things of that stripe but i
dunno how long i can stay awake, what with me not
being able to fight back... yeow.

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Mon Oct 13, 2003  6:00 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

OOC: Sure, understandable, "will" do. I figured as much, so forgive me for pointing it out. I should understand, since it happens to me as well...

Out of C:  Hey, no problem - If you hadn't said anything, I probably wouldn't have realized I was doing it...!

Back in C:

The guards seem nonplussed at your comment, but they seem to at least experience the dawn of understanding.  "Ah, gotcha.  You've just got the wrong building, fellas... we just keep the Directorate running here.  The actual cafeteria for unfortunates like you is about a mile down the road.

"We can escort you there if you like...!"

Will stops and looks your way, as if trying to figure out if you managed to find anything.  Or rather, at least think it's time to go...

"Huh," is all he says.

You know for a fact that he can take these security guards hands down, probably with two hands tied behind his back (not to mention at least one foot), but he's showing remarkable restraint... you can see he's being a bit twitchy, and that's not part of his act...!

?

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Mon Oct 13, 2003  6:36 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

You leap out of Harry's conveyance onto the roof before it lands, Jinx, and make your way behind Rebound in order to keep him covered.  Entering the Nessus through his makeshift ground-floor portal, you spy much the same as he did... exactly the same, really.

Meanwhile, you and Tropius follow Och into the building from the roof, and  (like Rebound and Jinx before you) you see that this place is actually in pretty good condition despite its considerable age.  This is before you make your way downstairs, however.

The four of you (five counting Tropius) find your way downstairs easily enough, as there's only a beaded curtain separating this section from the Nessus club below.  You head downstairs to find a bunch of club-goers looking kind of confused due to Bee Gees music.

And probably way too much ecstasy, but that's besides the point.

As you look about, Rebound makes his move, and begins to escalate his efforts to rid the club of the club-goers... and most folks pretty much shrug him off until he unmasks himself... then the panic sets in.  A veritable stampede heads towards the stairs upwards.

And since there's only one spiral staircase leading to the exit, you can see that Rebound wasn't joking about the fire hazard thing.  The new owners were much less sensible about putting this place together than the previous owner, that Mr. Hand.

Just then, you are heading down said stairs with Jake, Masque, and he shrugs at your affirmation.  "Wizard, huh?  That's you all right.  Don't play with high tech toys or anything, nope nope.  You just keep them there pockets to yourself.  Not to mention that wand..."

Before you can retort, however, you see a mob of scantily clad youngsters trampling up the all-too-narrow spiral staircase towards you, Masque.  Jake leaps over the side to avoid them, but this leaves you pretty much in the lurch... until something blasts the stairs before you.

A beam of intense light cuts through the air, and literally shears the stairs in two, causing the crowd running up the stairs to stop abruptly, though one or two fall forward in the newly open space where stairs were just previously extant, and fall about ten feet.

Looking around, you can see the source of the beam - it's Disco Head!  He's being carried along on a litter by four muscle-bound women in naught but rather... sparse two-piece bathing suits.  He then claps his hands and says "Voice override, authorization 'Unwanted Guests'."

Suddenly, about two dozen laser cannons issue forth from the walls on each floor, and are aiming at just about everybody present.  "Tut tut tut... nobody's leaving just yet.  Not when I've got something to share with you all.  In fact, there he is... behold!"

Motioning towards you from the bottom floor where he and his litter reside, Disco Head points to the largest disco ball in the facility, which  pulls a folding motion similar to his own Disco Head's storage feature, and reveals that it's holding President Ford within!

"Hah hah hah... ignorant worms.  You'd think that, after twenty years, at least SOMEbody would have checked the wiring in this place.  Nobody's looted my former laboratory for its many security devices.  But then, I suppose most people wouldn't know what to look for...!"

Ford, meanwhile, says "Help," as he hangs suspended from the ceiling inside a spherical cage that was formerly obscured by lots and lots of mirrors.  "I don't know what's going on here, but somebody please help me.  Help me...!"  He looks like the wits have been scared out of him...!

?!?!

From:  "Gilles Doyen" <Pinba77@hotmail.com> 
Date:  Mon Oct 13, 2003  9:22 am
Subject:  Re: A Beginning... (Justice)

Noticing the rather respectful chhoice of words the guard used Sebastian decided it would definitely be better not to fight them.  Respect deserved respect. Plus, based on his previous experiences, Sebastian was totally convinced that they had hit the jackpot. It was more of a hunch than a knowing certitude, but there was no doubt in his mind.

Looking at Will, Sebastian slapped him hard in the back, saying:
"Dumbass! Told ya so! Maybe I can't read, but I know the difference between a "suits" building and a food shack!"

Sebastian then turned back to the guard, wiped the drool off his mouth, then bowed as in those old ballroom movies:
"Man, you've been totally helpful and cool. We ain't gonna bother ya anymore! Down the road, uh? That way?"

The guard confirmed the direction and Sebastian and will hobbled towards the stairs, making sure to wave and grin at all the frightened bystanders.

Sebastian spoke to one of them:
"Pal, you reek. Gotta go change, you've got a brown spot dripping down your legs..."

To which the suit responded by turning scarlet red and hid behind a desk.

And then they were out, probably under the scrutiny of both the guards and the suits.

They walked towards the food kitchen, but as soon as they could, Will and Sebastian hid in an alley, to examine the document Will had helped Sebastian to pilfer.

"Let's see which Tijuana this project is about, shall we? If it proves important, we'll backtrack discreetly to retrieve our belongings. If not, we return and we'll spook them. By the way, Will, you're quite an actor! Got any experience on stage?" he winked.

From:  EmarZero@aol.com 
Date:  Mon Oct 13, 2003  10:10 am
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> (snip Ex President Ford speak)

Ari pauses.  "OK.  Guns in the walls.  Panicky raver kids.  President in a disco ball.  Hm.  What to do, what to do?  Och, any bright ideas, outside of shooting Disco Head?"

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Tue Oct 14, 2003  11:41 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

Geoffrey listens to the woman's prattle with minor interest. Instead, he
studies her surroundings, trying to get a feel for what is really driving
this woman beyond the all-powerful dollar...

> (snip Christine Chase speak about how she acquired the Smashers)

> "Poor old man...!"

> You get the impression that she INHERITED this team.

Geoffrey raises an eyebrow at this enlightenment...
"Poor old man? What happened to him?"

> (snip more Christine Chase speak)

> "Especially with that 'Ugly' Mack business..."

Geoffrey raises an eyebrow again. "Ugly Mack business? Please explain, and then, perhaps, we can get down to business."

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Tue Oct 14, 2003  11:53 am
Subject:  RE: [v13] Dead Presidents?

> (snip Disco Head speak, snip Ex President Ford speak)

Rebound re-masks, suppressing a shudder of revulsion after seeing himself reflected in all of those mirrors. He whispers over his shoulder...

"Jinx, how many laser projectors do you think you can take out in one volley? I have a sinking feeling that we are a bit outclassed with him on his own turf. Maybe we should stall until the others arrive."

Rebound continually scans the area looking for "Miss Behaving" convinced that Disco Head wouldn't let his personal roving escape-pod wander too far away. He also notes the location of every projector he can see, preparing to do something drastic if it comes down to it.

Truly unsure of what steps to take, Rebound stumbles forward (metaphorically speaking)...

"So, you managed to capture Ford and restart your disco craze all in the same day. What confuses me is this...Why come back here in the first place? Why not take Ford to the White House and gloat over him in full seat of his power? What makes this place so special besides the funky lighting scheme? Did your mommy beat you in this room or something?"

From:  Charlie S Clay Jr <cclayjr2@juno.com> 
Date:  Sun Oct 14, 2018  12:05 pm
Subject:  Re: Dead Presidents?

Stone Cold pulls himself up by the staircase and quickly forms another of
ice with ridges so that those on it don't lose their footing. He stands
there as if nothing is going on waiting for an attack trying not to be
blindsided by the half naked women totting 'Stupid Head'.

From:  "William Lockwood" <albedo1@cox.net> 
Date:  Tue Oct 14, 2003  6:33 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Dead Presidents?

Jinx scans the room visually, counting off the two dozen cannons, then responding in a whisper, "Not enough, maybe two or three if we're lucky. Our priority is the President; if we can distract Disco Head long enough to get Masque to portal him out of there, we might have a chance of pulling this off."
 
At that, Jinx takes another look around in an attempt to find Masque and perhaps even getting his attention, gesturing to the bound ex-leader of the free world.  

From:  Firebomb <firebomb@technohol.com> 
Date:  Wed Oct 15, 2003  3:28 pm
Subject:  Re: [v13] Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

You're looking around Ms. Chase's office, Geoffrey, and you're not too sure you're seeing much about her motivations other than money.  The walls are lined with photographs of her with famous people, sunning in rather expensive looking places, and always exceedingly well dressed.

She's apparently 'got the life', and is living it to its fullest.  You find that you don't actually see any pictures of her with the people that work for her, oh no; not one single image of her with any of her football players.  Or even near a stadium...

When you ask about the old man, she looks away and sighs again.  "Ah, Daddy was a good guy - perhaps a little bit too good.  When he was having the stadium built, some organized crime sorts tried to convince him to let them do... things here in the off hours.

"He said no, and the day construction was complete, he had a little... accident.  The police are sure that he didn't really fall off the roof with his hands tied, but they don't have any proof otherwise.  But that's why I'm here, I suppose.

"I'm not about to let his hard work go to waste, no matter how much I may not care for it..."

As for your other question, she seems unhappy to talk about it, but she does.  "'Ugly' Mack Thornton is - or rather, was - a quarterback for another team that we played against in exhibition games last year, before we even had a stadium to call our own.

"He permanently injured one of our players in our second game, and naturally our own team took that somewhat personally.  There was some ugliness in the press for a time, but when all was said and done he wound up quitting after being trounced on the field by our quarterback.

"Nothing outside the rules, mind you, but something went on down there that caused him to quit.  Well, this Thornton fellow decided that he couldn't live without football, I suppose, and took his life a few months ago.  Sort of put a stain on our entire operation.

"I don't know why he couldn't just get his old job back, but then I'm no expert...!"

Elsewhere, when you mention the source of their lyrical inspiration, you get savaged even more by these strange two twins, Charlie.  Furthermore, after you get a call from Moebius (imagine that), they proceed to stomp you up and down until you pass out.  Nice, eh?

*

When you arrive at Geoffrey's apartment, Gunslinger, you and Moebius find the door wide open, and see Charlie laid out on the floor, pretty much covered in blood and bruises.  Furthermore, you see a bow wrapped around her staff... but realize it's not her staff.

It's the one without the time travel doohickey in it.

Looking at the bow, you see a note attached.  It simply reads "Thanks for giving me back MY staff, Charlie!"

It's signed Charlie Chicanery.

It would appear that you arrived moments too late.  Or not, since Charlie's not DEAD... just resting.  In a world of pain.  But the point is that you missed all the fun, and apparently Charlie got rolled while you made your way back here...

Hm.

From:  "Lohse, Doug" <DLohse@banknorth.com> 
Date:  Thu Oct 16, 2003  1:15 pm
Subject:  RE: [v13] Mmm... Scooby Snacks...

Geoffrey listens to her tales of both her father's demise and the "ugly" incident. As the details become clearer, some ideas start to form in his mind. He turns up the Psychometry, focusing primarily on the chair he's sitting in to see if he can get any leads there.

Outwardly, he seems to mull things over.

"Ms. Chase, On the surface, this would seem to be a case requiring more mental effort than physical, so I will base my estimate accordingly. With the proper resources applied, we should be able to complete this investigation with only a small team of investigators. In fact, I have a special 'Manager' I think would be an excellent resource for this case. Based on what I have seen here, I would place the initial estimate at $40,000. We will require full access to this facility as well as access to anyone who may have seen this 'ghost.' Is this acceptable to you?"

Geoffrey will get out his phone and prepare to call in Moebius if Chase agrees to the terms.

(any rolls needed: 81, 18, 98, 98, 39, 19)
