Log:Freakshow

2012/03/03 	 Captain Frost Freakshow Frost Jolt Paul Anthony Quinn|Q Scrapper Toby Total Babe 1

Part 1: SGGHQ
Scrapper says, "You are pink and fly. I don't think we can avoid the looks."

Jolt wanders in from somewhere inside the HQ... Likely an elevator, having overheard the last bit as the doors open "I dont think mine lets me go everywhere either... but if I really want to go somewhere I'll try. Most of what you're not allowed to go into areas are just a bunch of nerds working on stuff that's only interesting to brainy people anyways"

Starguard Gamma director Paul van Sterran calls a status meeting in his office to get everyone up to speed and to look for new ideas with the hyperspace piracy problem.

Anthony is at Starguard for the simple reason that he's still going over data trying to narrow down the location of the Canadian gravitational emitter. As such he's not currently in his super suit.

Total Babe arrives at the meeting in good time, and stands leaning up agsinst the wall waiting for the briefing.

Toby shrugs at Scrapper, "Eh, you'd be surprised, I'm not the weirdest thing in this city, trust me." Toby smiles brightly as she turns to face Jolt, "Oh, hey there!" As the call is made, Toby turns to Scrapper, "Come on, they normally don't mind when other people drop in for these types of things...I think" Toby points towards the aformentioned office, as she leads the way there for Scrapper.

Jolt rolls her eyes and smiles at Toby "Geez... just when I was about to leave I get called into a meeting. Ah well" she heads over to the office "Yeah. I think they're always looking for new recruits"

"After what I have met lately," Scrapper says, "I don't think I'm anything all that special." but she follows the pair to the meeting anyway.

The reception area has muted black tiled floor, with the walls and roof painted off-white. The secretarial desk enclosure is barely twenty feet from the double set of glass doors. To its left is a large double-hinged door ominously labeled 'Security'. A seating area full of soft couches is to the right. Down the hallway that leads deeper into the building is the office of the Director of Operations and the exit to the landing field outside.

Anthony shakes his head and sets aside the stylus he was using as he heads to Paul's office to see what it is that he wants.

Paul is standing in his office. He watches as the team gathers. "Right so as we know..." he begins. He double takes, seeing Scrapper. His eyes mark the presence of her Guest ID. He looks to Toby. "Who is that?"

Anthony also has a non-member ID hanging around his neck, his identifying him as a 'Consultant'.

Total Babe looks toward Scrapper too, similarly curious.

"This is Joanne Hopewell." Toby offers, gesturing to Scrapper. "She's 18, even if she doesn't look it. I'm not too sure what the extent of her powers are, but I know she's a meta." Toby offers a shrug, and looks to Scrapper, curious of what details she'll add.

Paul nods, and he begins: "As you already know, there's a criminal organization known as the Power Company that's been responsible for knocking Guild cargo ships out of hyperspace and pirating them. There have been at least three incidents so far..."

Paul nods, and he begins: "As you already know, there's a criminal organization known as the Power Company that's been responsible for knocking Guild cargo ships out of hyperspace and pirating them. There have been at least three incidents so far..."

Paul adds: "Thanks to the work by Quinn and Interface, we know how they're doing it; a set of three Earth-based graviton emitters based equipment designed to protect Earth from asteroid strikes. We think that the emitters are based in Kroskev, Zu, and Western Canada, but we haven't been able to pinpoint their location yet."

Jolt shrugs a bit and ponders "Shouldn't it be as easy as throwing a rock at the earth?" she points out, figuring if they're designed to stop asteroid strikes it might be an easy way to find them

Anthony gives a nod to Paul. "We're hoping to try and pin down the locations a bit more," he says, "but I think we are reaching the limits of our analysis of the current data."

Paul says to Jolt, "The design was never implemented, but it looks like they took the technology and turned it into their weapon."

Paul says, "In case they strike again, we have a network of Quinn tech graviton scanners in place in orbit around Earth. The next time they try it, we'll be able to pin point their locations. But we need to try and stop them before they attack again, because the Guild has warned us that if we don't get this piracy under control, they will sort it out for us. And we do not want that."

Toby nods, and mostly just floats in place listening, unsure of what to add herself.

Paul says, "We've captured some of the members of this conspiracy. Blowhard - a meta with wind powers - is in jail, but he's refused to talk. During fight in orbit, we arrested a number of space pirates who pointed us to a launch facility in Kroskev."

"Aside from Blowhard and the space marines," Paul say, "The Power Company has a number of other metas: power man in power armor named Silverback, a woman with plant control powers named Redwood, and we think that they've teamed up with Veidra, a Phylxian criminal exiled from her home planet.

Paul says, "Are there any questions? Are there any other avenues that we should be pursuing?"

Anthony says, "Any idea what Veidra's able to do? And can't you guys do that CSI stuff on Blowhard where you find out that he's got pollen inside his gloves that comes from a rare pine tree only found on the southern slope of a single mountain or something like that?"

Paul says, "All Phylxians have some kind of psionic ability. Hers manifests as hand-to-hand fighting ability and the ability to project energy as a blade or as psychic pain lighting from her hands."

Jolt ponders and asks "Did the idea of decoy ships come through yet? I thought we were gonna ask the guild about it"

Paul says to Jolt, "The Power Company seems to be casting out that graviton beam at random, and grabbing whatever ship they can. It would be hard to set up a decoy. Apparently, Earth is close to an hyperspatial shipping lane."

Scrapper listens quietly, placing herself out of the way with a good view, as uninportant as a bodyguard or furniture.

Scrapper adds nothing to Toby's description of her either.

Toby continues to just float in place and listen, still having nothing to add, really.

Anthony shakes his head. "I can't believe it's at random," he says. "Space is just too big. To create a gravitational field of .01 G's 100 kilometers across would require a projected mass of one point four seven time ten to the tenth million tons.

Paul says to Anthony, "We have people working on the 'CSI stuff', Tony. So far you're the only one who's generated any useful leads."

"They are targeting the shipping lane," Paul says. "So that much is not random. But there doesn't seem to be any pattern to the ships they've targetted. So far they've only netted hyperspace drive components. There have been more valuable things passing through that lane all of the time."

Scrapper raises her hand.

"Wait, that doesn't sound random at all." Toby notes, "It sounds like they're targeting hyperspace drive components...somehow."

Anthony nods and smiles a little. "That alone is suspicious," he says. "If they were really random attacks what are the odds that all their attacks would net hyperspace components? I'm guessing those more valuable shipments have also been better protected, haven't they?"

Jolt shrugs a bit "Sounds like someone wants to get off earth"

Anthony says, "You don't ship car engines in armored cars."

Scrapper says, "Are they taking *all* of the hyper-whatsis components they find, like they are trying to supply a buyer or just select parts, like a stranded motorist?"

Paul nods and looks to Tony and Jolt. "Both possible," he says, sighing. He looks to Scrapper. "There have been three ships hit, but only one case where they were able to get tech off of the ship. It seems like they just grabbed what they could get before the authorities showed up."

Anthony says, "At a guess there probably aren't even that many shipments of hyperdrive components. You would usually manufacture the engines near where the ships are made. The same reason we build car engines near the same place we build the cars. That would indicate that there's something slightly unusual about the engine shipment, though it could be something as simple as they are refurbished engines."

Jolt shrugs at Anthony "Do we know how far the hyperspace route is... Also you manufacture where the materials or labor is. I mean we make components in China, they get turned into engines in Mexico and shipped up to Canada to be turned into cars which are sold in the States... These hyperspace transport lanes could be like a similar supply chain?" she offers "Just on a galactic scale"

"Well, surely there's other, far more valable goods being shipped in not-so-secure ships than hyperdrives, kind of like we have trucks that drive all over that aren't really secure, but still transport lots of valuable materials. It just seems odd that they've only gotten hyperdrive components..." Toby offers, shrugging.

Total Babe thinks. o O (Let's face it, we just don't kniow much about hyoerspace shipping.)

Anthony shakes his head to Jolt. "That's just it," he says. "We don't do that. We do that with little components, but heavy things like engines? The cost to transport those offsets any gains over cheaper labor elsewhere, and honestly in an advanced society like the guild I suspect most labor like that is automated meaning its cost will tend to be much more consistent." He pauses a minute. "Think of it this way; if you were to pick out 100 trucks at random on the free way how many of them would be shipping engine components?"

Paul says, "From what I've been told by the Guild, the drive components were from older model drives -- maybe refurbished like you said, Tony."

A call to the office comes in over the loudspeaker. "Sorry to interrupt sir, but local police are requesting assistance with a meta-involved robbery in progress."

Total Babe says, "Hm, why choose older models? Easier to understand? Or do they have a drive they're trying to dox?"

Anthony thinks for a moment and says to Total Babe, "Here's the thing, even if we don't understand hyperspace shipping, if 80 percent of all ships carried hyperdrive components then the odds that all three attacks were carrying hyperdrive components would only be fifty-fifty."

Scrapper sits up, far more interested in a local issue that not-breathing in space.

Total Babe says, "O agree - doesn't sound random to me - but looks like this has to wait...."

"Reports that a meta with cold powers, one with super strength, and a number of armed men are attacking police responders outside a bank in Downtown."

Jolt nods a bit "Looks like we have to go handle something...but it would depend on the highway as to how much of the traffic is engine parts. A highway between a supply of parts and engine fabrication place or between that and a car assembly place would have higher odds of components after all right?"

Paul looks to Jolt. "This can wait... Take the team and handle this robbery, ok?"

Toby also seems a bit more alert as she hears about the issue developing. Toby nods to TB, "Yeah, looks like it." Toby stretches a bit, and brightens the light field surround her, then dims it once more.

Jolt nods some "Alright everyone lets get over there"

Total Babe says, "Downtown? Great, in running distance - see you there!"

Anthony nods. "I've got a spare suit outside," he says. "I'll meet you guys there."

Total Babe heads off at top speed, knowing she's not the fastest meta.

Jolt smirks a bit "Or we could just take one of the vans over there... You gonna let me drive them yet?" she asks Paul

Toby offers, "I can just fly us all there in a few seconds, I should be able to hold everyone with my telekinesis..." Toby looks to Jolt, giggling.

Anthony heads outside because its more important for him to get changed than to get a lift and once he's changed he can get there faster than just about anyone but Toby.

Part 2: Downtown
As the heroes fly in, the scene below is as follows: Police have set up a roadblock at at the street facing First Colonial Bank's flagship branch and they are shooting ineffectually at group of criminals exiting the bank. There are 6 for them. 4 guys armed with RPGs and assault rifles, dressed in winter parkas and skimasks, a blue skinned guy who's blasting things with ice, and a hulking behemoth of a man. He's carrying that bank vault door and using it as a shield behind which he and his mates are taking cover.

Freakshow A skinless, towering, musclebound hulk of a man. Freakshow stands nearly ten feet tall, with an unnaturally muscular frame, bursting with muscles. This man is complete without skin, or with transparent skin, allowing a gruesome view of his body beneath: muscle, bone, organs and all. He wears a pair of shorts for modesty, and nothing else.

Captain Frost A customed adventurer with pale blue skin. He's dressed more lightly than his comrades, seeming at home in the frozen environment.

Scrapper flies under her own power, manifesting an aerodynamic transparent bubble around herself for added speed. As she arrives at the conflict, she drops the bubble and surveys the scene below. Spotting the man with the bank door, she smiles and heads that direction.

Q comes roaring in on his boot jets, speakers blaring out Bohemian Rhapsody as drops down "BISMILAH! WE WILL NOT LET HIM GO! LET ME GO! BISMILAH! WE WILL NOT LET HIM GO! WILL NOT LET HIM GO! WILL NOT LET HIM GO!...."

Total Babe callls over her communicator as she approaches the bank, "Shall we just charge? I'm happy to take on Captain Ugly and male sure he doesn't hurt anyone. But Ice Guy may be able to freeze me in ice or something so I'd rather have him distracted...."

Scrapper yells, "Everybody take out blue guy first. He has the ranged attacks!"

Toby flies in as well, in the bright pink streak of light that's her signature way of moving around the city, taking as many people as will let her carry them, and letting them down on the ground. Toby uses her communicator, 

Jolt guesses she's with Toby as she looks around and shrugs "Sounds like a plan... ok we'll all knock out the one with the ice first... If anyone has any attacks that hit a bunch of things go ahead and use them to take out the armed thugs"

Captain Frost says, "You might have stopped my last bank robbery, but this time you could say I brought a little extra muscle."

"Time to earn your cut of the money, Freakshow!" Captain says.

Total Babe, since the brief is to take out the blue guy as fast as possible, makes the attempt, charging right at him like a maniac while simultaneously swinging her three-part-staff for maximum impact!

Toby talks to Jolt via communicator, 

Total Babe's charge is too obvious to go undodged - but at least she'll have got attention....

Thoom! Freakshow slams the bank vault door into the pavement, wedging it into place. "Sure -- hit the blue guy first..." He sneers and the muscles of his face contort visibly. "I'll show you who the real threat is." He turns and tries to smask Total Babe with a right hook.

Total Babe smiles at Freakshow as she takes the hook, seemingly unconcerned. "Oh? And who's that?"

Freakshow seems taken aback at how easily Total Babe shrugs off his attack. "What the... Hey, wait... I know you..."

Total Babe says, "Can't say I can place the face. Um, not thhat you exactly have one."

Captain Frost peers around the edge of the bank vault door at the heroes. "This should be easy -- looks just like a bunch of little girls." He disappears behind the bank vault, from here, he still has full view of Total Babe. He raises his hand and unleashes a blast of cold. "What's wrong? Were all the real heroes busy?"

Jolt looks around and peers at Toby "you know what... follow mylead" she suggests as she moves forward to close some distance and actually uses magnetic force to push the door over and onto the badguys

Toby nods to Jolt, and follows.

Toby floats over the door, and broadcasts a line of light to the door, also trying to push it.

The vault door teeter's omninously, threatening to fall over onto Frost and his goons. Frost backs up, out of shadow of the door and fires on Total Babe. "Freeze."

Total Babe says, "Freeze? Really? Did you stay up all night working on your witty banter?"

Captain Frost scowls. o O ( It was the first thing that came to mind. Jerk. )

Toby sighs as the door doesn't go anywhere, and looks to Jolt, not really angry, just disappointed, "Hmm...Perhaps we should try just hitting him? I mean, I've seen your zaps, they're pretty strong."

Total Babe thinks. o O (That's it, keep them mad at you. If they keep attacking you while you're help;less in a block of oce the others have less to worry about.....)

Scrapper sheathes ber body her body in a suit of glowing medieval armor and flies at full speed toward the top of the door.

F-WHAM! Scrapper kicks down the massive steel door. It bounces against Freakshow who's the largest of the people behind it. It turns, and then falls to the ground with a resounding thoom. All four of the gunmen are pinned beneath it.

Heince he's no longer got any concern about the door making an escape thanks to everyone attacking it Quinn decides to set his sights on Freakshow instead. "You've got one power," he says to Captain Frost as he rockets toward the giant. "It's not like you need to come up with snappy patter for your neural blast and your eye beams and your shockwave attack and your quantum bolts-tee-em." His speakers cut out as he reroutes power from the system into his strength as he tries to slam into Freakshow at full speed.

Since he's no longer got any concern about the door making an escape thanks to everyone attacking it Quinn decides to set his sights on Freakshow instead. "You've got one power," he says to Captain Frost as he rockets toward the giant. "It's not like you need to come up with snappy patter for your neural blast and your eye beams and your shockwave attack and your quantum bolts-tee-em." His speakers cut out as he reroutes power from the system into his strength as he tries to slam into Freakshow at full speed.

Scrapper grins at Freakshow beneath the visor of her helmet as Q shoots by over her head, then the expression falls. "Seriously? He's freak'in ten feet tall!"

For a big guy, Freakshow moves pretty well. He easily steps out of the way of Q's head-on attack.

Q shouts back, "He's still smaller than the freaking door!"

All four of the Snow Goons as stuck underneath the door. One of them calls ovr to Freakshow, "Get us out of here!"

Total Babe is helpless in the ice - or is she? She has just a little wiggle room - pehaps she can pull the trigger of her gun....

The gun goes off - saddly the bullet pretty much passes through doing minimal damage to the ice.

Captain Frost tells Freakshow, "Get the men out from under there. I'll hold them off." He turns and tries to blast Q and trap him in ice as well.

Q suddenly finds himself encased in a block of ice much like the one surrounding Total Babe. "Really?" he shouts. "Really? I don't even get a token pun, like 'I'm putting you on ice' or 'This should stop you cold'?"

Jolt takes a deep breath and calls out "Alright stick with the plan... target Frosty and get ready to blast him"

Frost says: "How's this for funny? Death by hypothermia."

 Total Babe says, "Um, might be handy if people helped us get freee before we're all in blocks of ice."

Total Babe says, "Hah. This is hardly even cool. This the best you have, really?"

Freakshow says: "Sorry Frost. Change of plans..." And with that he tries grab Total Babe and bound off with her. "You and I? We need to talk."

Freakshow secures Total Babe under his arm. "It's about a mutual friend of ours..." He's up into the air in the blink of an eye, landing down the street with a thud that sets off car alarms.

 Toby says, "TB, can you take care of yourself?"

Total Babe says, "Ok, sure - I guess we can talk...."

Frost says, "What the hell are you doing, you idiot! Where are you going?" He's shouting after Freakshow.

 Total Babe says, "I'll be ok. I'l call if the situation changes...."

Toby gets within point blank range of Frost, and stares at him, and creates a sphere in front of her from a line that stretches back to one of her hands. The sphere grows in size and intensity, and she calls to Jolt, "You ready?"

"If you leave now, you get nothing! Nothing!!" Frost shouts at Freakshow.

Jolt smiles a bit at Toby and closes in on Frost "You know I've been working on this one for a while... it'll be nice to test it out at full power" and with that she starts to draw in energy towards her core. It almost looks like her energy shield flickers for a moment or two but that's just because she's going to be using that much power. Then she focuses that energy on Frost in one big blast of lightning and thunder

Frost tries to avoid the Toby's attack, but too late he realized that hehas avoid Jolt as well. Both blasts hit him. Frost drops to his hands and knees, dazed for a moment.

Scrapper, runs over to Captain Frost, yelling as she stomps on the vault "Hush down there. Big brother is busy gettin' some." As she approaches, her armor sloughes off her body and reforms as a baseball bat. Planting herself close enough to Captain Frost for the Captain to touch her with his elbow, she swings, muttering, "That's the problem now days. Nobody listens," but it is hard to tell if she is talking about the goons, Freakshow or the original plan.

Scrapper bat cracks into Frost's jaw, levitating him off of the pavement for a moment before he drops down and lands on his back.

He's still conscious, but only just.

Well, with Captian Frost down Anthony elects not to point out that he's been to Enceledus and that it's a lot colder than his little ice prison, so instead he tries to channel all available power into his strength in an effort to break out of the ice bonds in order to pursue Freakshow and Total Babe.

Well, with Captian Frost down Anthony elects not to point out that he's been to Enceledus and that it's a lot colder than his little ice prison, so instead he tries to channel all available power into his strength in an effort to break out of the ice bonds in order to pursue Freakshow and Total Babe.

Freakshow lands and bounds into the air, this time leaping really far. "I didn't always look like this you know -- I used to look good, too. I used to be a professional body builder. I did whatever it took to win. And when our friend offered me a deal, I took it. But he didn't tell me it would turn me into -- in this."

Total Babe nods. "Yeah. A lot of that going about. This isn't exactly what I asked for, either...."

Total Babe says, "It's what he, it, whatever, does. Grants people twisted wishes to turn them into villains, from what I understand...."

"Yeah, we're not the only ones, either," Freakshow says. "The demon told me there were ten of us running around out there. He also told me there'd be some kind of reward if I nabbed you for him."

Toby gets into position to strike Frost again, this time just creating a normal sphere of kinetic hurt, though. "Again?" Toby asks, looking to Jolt.

Jolt smiles at Toby and looks at Frost "Time for you to take a nap" and with that she charges up another epic blast of distruptive elecrical energy

Total Babe thinks. o O ($&*!)

 Total Babe says, "Ok, I may not be so fine after all..."

 Toby says, "Be there in a sec, just wrapping up over here."

Frost is down for the count. And he doesn't seem to be getting up any time soon.

Total Babe cracks the ice with another shot from the pistol and it falls away in chunks, but she remains in Freakshow's grasp/

Scrapper shoots a purple pseudopod in Toby's direction and says as she renders herself weightless, "Can you catch him?"

Scrapper jerking her head toward the vault door, she adds, "I think the police have these guys."

Q says, "grimaces beneath his mask. "Oh, give me a break," he says as he struggles against the ice once more in an effort to break out and pursue after Freakshow."

Toby calls back, "Yeah, I can catch him, I can fly anywhere in this city in a single second once I'm charged up and ready."

Q shatters the ice and in an instant is after the fleeing Freakshow, windows rattling as he creates a sonic boom at roughly ten times the speed of sound.

Freakshow chuckles at Total Babe's effort to get free. "Yeah, seems like he has it in for you... You were his last deal - some kind of screw-up that he wants to set right. Man... if he could give me your powers too, I'd be unstoppable. You're perfect. Just perfect."

Freakshow smashes down on top of a building, and leaps again. This time heading even further and leaving the city limits.

Total Babe says, "Huh, I'm number 10 huh? And the last? Maybe he didn't want to take the chance of messing up again?"

Q calls out, "Give it up, Freakshow. There's no way you can get far enough away that I can't track you."

Total Babe tries to wriggle free of Freakshow's grasp, hooing he'll be surprised at just how good she is at this.

Total Babe slips free of Freakshow's grasp before he can tighten his grop. "Yeah - perfect ten!" she laughs.

Freakshow's momentum carries him far past where Total Babe slips free.

Total Babe tumbles to a stop through a combination of acrobatics and invulnerability.

Total Babe says, "Hm... Perfect Ten... you know, that isn't bad....."

Q comes zooming up to Total Babe a few moments after she manages to break free. "Looks like he's making a run for it," he says to her. I'll keep an eye on him for a moment in case he doubles back but it doesn't look like he's slowing down."

Scrapper sighs and lets go of Toby. "You two go get him. I'll make sure the guys under the vault door are alive."

[To Q] Total Babe says, "If you can track him, it'd be great - love to know where he was taking me. Of course, he may not be going there any more."

Total Babe thinks. o O (Ten. So were 8 and 9 my friends then? Or did something else happen to them?)

Scrapper steps over to the vault door, uses her knees, bending low, and lifts. "You guys might want to think about surrendering," she says. "I can bring this down a whole lot harder the second time."

[To Q] Total Babe says, "If you can track him, it'd be great - love to know where he was taking me. Of course, he may not be going there any more. [repeated in case missed]"

Q nods to TB. "I'll see what I can do," he says and takes off after Freakshow, though he hands back several kilometers now.