Log:Harrisburg Dreams, Scene 4

Harrisburg Dreams 2009/11/03 	 Annihilator Sable|Regan Spirit Zeal Zudares X 	 Lorelei Yolanda Jennifer and Jessica Lightray 4

The large banquet hall is bustling, filled with over 500 people. Wrangled invitations clash with white and black tuxedoes as the people move back and forth, donating money to the victims of the Harrisburg disaster. Martin Danzinger and his wife are seated at the head of a central table, where they chat with the head of their campaign staff, Ryan Holperman.

There are thirty tables, each seating about twenty, with a podium set up near Martin Danzinger's chair. Eight exits surround the room, each leading off into the bowels of the hotel. All of the exits are sealed double doors, the two largest of them leading out to a hotel lobby...

The banquet has been going on for about twenty or twenty-five minutes, with the polite sounds of classical music echoing in the background, and people moving about the room and talking with each other, socializing as the dance floor is currently set up with a rolling bar. The thick panelled wood of the hotel is backgrounded by smooth pale olive wallpaper, and several chandeliers grace the large room, shining down with pale yellow light.

Dorian is attending with his fiancee, Zeal, since she's part of the high society set of people in town. They're currently talking with a city councilman and his wife over to one side of the room. Every so often, Dorian looks around the room, trying to be relatively wary.

Lightray slowly wanders from group to group with an easy charm. He seems quite comfortable in this sort of setting. A faint smile rests on his lips as his gaze travels slowly about the room.

Yolanda mingles with the other dinner guests accompanied by a date, a tall, slim African American gentlemen in his forties. She chats merrily within a group of a four or five dinner guests, with a cocktail in one hand.

Jennifer and Jessica stay in the background as far as possible, their smart casual look definitely out of place in such a gathering. As she told the hotel manager when he was called by the doorman, 'you don't want me here and I don't want to be here. However neither of us have much choice in it. So I guess we're stuck.' Someone is clearly expecting the possibility of trouble and along with the perks of her position in M.I.A. comes the occasional hardship. This counts in her book as hardship.

Lorelei does her best to hide it, but is ill at ease, half expecting trouble and glancing often round the room. Of course, her best to hide it is very good, and she appears fairly well at is as she mingles. Her date is Charles Everton, from one of the old money families of Colonial Heights. For his part he's not looking at much except Lorelei.

Lightray chats for a few minutes with one of the doyens of Colonial bay society who has graced the event with her presence. He smiles politely at her slightly barbed opinions on various attendees who do not measure up to the dress code.

The music dies down, and Martin Danzinger walks up to the podium. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe we all know why we're here tonight." He pauses and looks around. "A paragon of evil has afflicted our city, the notorious Devastator. In just a few short days, this fiend, and I hesitate to use any other word, has brought victimization to people who can do nothing about it. I'm not used to raising money for causes, just for my campaign." He gives a sheepish look as he turns to look about the room.

"Fortunately, my wife Lisa has spent the better part of twenty five years working for such causes, so everyone give her some applause before she comes up here." Martin gives Lisa a look, and she returns it with a butter-melting smile. The room begins clapping politely.

Lightray listens semi-attentively, but continues to let his gaze travel about the room looking for signs of trouble.

Dorian and Zeal both turn to look at the stage, and clap. Dorian still finds himself glancing around, looking for signs of trouble.

Lorelei joins the clapping, though she keeps a sharp eye on the Danzingers, still trying to assess if they're all they seem.

Lorelei thinks. o O (I should have dressed more practically, in case there's trouble. Still I'll have to remember this dress if I ever want to make sure people aren't looking me in the face....)

Jennifer reluctantly goes on a higher state of alert. If she was a villain, this one of the points at which an entrance could be made with villianous timing.

Yolanda smiles and raises her glass. She catches a glimpse of Lorelei across the crowd, and then leans to her date to comment on something quietly. They excuse themselves and move towards Lorelei and her circle.

"Circle" seems apt, as Lorelei as so often seems to have gather a roughly circular cluster of people about her, without so much as trying.

Lorelei, focused on the Danzingers now, fails to mark Yolanda's approach.

Lisa Danzinger steps up to the podium, blushing a little bit as she steps up. "Hi..." She says. "Martin's a bit more aggressive with certain things than I am, but I think a little simple aggressiveness might help to open your wallets tonight. Thank you all for coming. This has nothing to do with parties, nothing to do with politics. Thank you for coming, Tom..."

She looks over to where Tom Schoffnaus, the Republican candidate, is seated. Everyone who has money and is anyone in Colonial Bay is here, it seems. "I hope we can get you to open your wallets and checkbooks at the end of the evening. Many are still injured and dying from the Devastator's cruel attack. Even when ACE threatened to destroy the entire city many years ago, Colonial Bay has never seen a criminal with such ruthless disregard for life. Let's show him we care more about people than he does in his hate-filled world."

There is more polite clapping, and Lisa continues, taking her husband's hand. "Thank you, and enjoy the meal..." Lisa and Martin walk back over to their seat, holding hands, and sit down.

Lorelei thinks. o O (Hm, I surpised Schoffnaus didn't insist on equal stage time under the circumstances....)

Dorian claps again politely, continuing to look around the room for anyone seemingly out of place. Other than Jennifer and Jessica, at least.

Lorelei glances about again.

Jennifer relaxes a little after the speech is concluded, figuring she's got a chance to grab a bite before the next logical time for trouble, the point at which donations are beihg sought.

Lorelei thinks. o O (We're *such* a target. I'm glad this do is out of dad's price range - I don't want him to worry about too....)

"Lorelei!" Yolanda says, as she escorts her date through the ring of people around the movie star. She waves as she approaches.

Lightray moves to his assigned seat at a table near one wall. He nods to his table companions as he takes his seat.

"Oh - hello Yolanda!" Lorelei moves a few steps in Yolanda's direction, somewhat parting the crowd.

Zeal says to Dorian, "Relax, will you? There won't be trouble here." Dorian shakes his head, "I'm not convinced. I hope you're right, but it's a highly-publicized event. A perfect time for this guy to strike. I wish you had been willing to stay home safe." Zeal frowns and looks at him, "I'm not going to hide everytime you get worried about me. We weathered that situation with 'Syphon'. We'll be fine here."

As if on cue, mimicking Lorelei's thought, Tom Schoffnaus gets up from his seat and heads over to the podium, to more polite applause. "Ladies and Gentlemen, tonight I am not running against Martin, and Martin isn't running against me. We are all angry and concerned citizens here tonight, angry and ashamed. We must open our wallets and our checkbooks. I've called upon Martin to open his campaign war chest for this event, and we've settled on an amount that hits us both pretty hard." He shoots his campaign manager a friendly look. "This tragedy is unequalled in Colonial Bay History, and we intend to meet it." Martin gets up from his seat and walks over to Tom Schoffnaus, and they shake hands. Martin sits back down.

"How are you doing?" Yolanda asks. She'll greet Lorelei politely with a kiss on each cheek. "I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, Floyd Brewster. Floyd, this is Lorelei..."

Regan moves into the room a few moments before Mr Schoffnhaus is schedule to start his address. Her lips curl into a soft smile as she spots so many familiar faces and makes her way through the elegantly costumed throng To Jennifer's side. "Hello, You look wonderful this evening."

Lorelei says, "Hello Floyd. This is Charles Everton - Charles, this is my neighbour Yolanda Simmons."

Floyd shakes Charles hand firmly before exchanging a handshake with Lorelei. "A pleasure to meet you both."

Charles expresses like sentiments.

Yolanda shakes Charles's hand as well. She says to Lorelei, "Just wanted to say hello before we found our seats. We'll catch up later, alright? -- You have to tell me about who you're wearing tonight." She smiles and casts a glance towards the stage a moment to see if she's missed anything.

Dorian raises a brow, "Interesting. I'm impressed that both candidates were behind this. I guess it would have been political suicide to not be." Zeal shakes her head and grins, "Stop with the conspiracy theories, already."

Lorelei says, "Ok - I'll talk to you later!"

Lorelei thinks. o O (Times like this I really wish Cliff were still around. Maybe he could even have stopped the disaster before it happened....)

Jessica remains on overwatch as Jennifer slips out of the hall through a staff only door and follows a waiter to the kitchens. Catching the attention of a chef she asks about the chance of getting a couple of sandwiches.

Lightray carries on a quiet conversation with the the others at his table. He deftly moves the conversation ball around so that no one person dominates the discussion.

Lorelei suggests finding their seats to Charles, while there's a gap in the circle to move through.

Yolanda and Floyd find their seats as well, with Floyd casting a parting glance over his shoulder at Lorelei and the two couples part company.

Tom Schoffnaus prepares to get down from the podium as the chandeliers shimmer with light, a massive CGI head coming into being as the purple goggles and golden helmet of the Devastator come into being, the voice deep and booming in the charity ballroom. "THOMAS SCHOFFNAUS!" The voice echoes. "I am the DEVASTATOR! You think to send your army against mine? Harrisburg is a free and independant state, Thomas Schoffnaus! Behold MY army, fool, and tremble!

There is a thunderous BOOM of white hot light from the four doors to the ballroom as they are blasted apart! Standing in each doorway are two cyborgs, slender and ill-fed, with a massive freon cannon replacing their right arm. Oddly enough, the door behind the podium is blasted open but has no cyborgs behind it. In the kitchen, twenty meters beyond that door, Jennifer is just receiving a ham and cheese when two cyborgs come around the corner and the chef begins to sputter and declare "BUH!"

Standing in between the two cyborgs across from Schoffnaus is a massive metal man, his skull shaped helmet thick, as thick as his heavy boots and gauntlets in black and silver. His hands pulse with white hot-energy, as the Devastator thunders "Now, Thomas Schoffnaus, pay the price for daring to oppose me! Behold, the Annihilator!"

Jennifer sighs, "My sandwich... Listen up you metal tinpot crborgs. Any of you that ruins my sandwich," she puts the plate down on a nearby table, "will end up taking an acid bath."

Jennifer simply picks up a heavy meat cleaver and throws it hard at one of the two cyborgs in that area with her. There is a loud crash as the cyborg hurtles backwards, smashing into several large turkeys, spreading cold, freezing goo all over them as they suddenly refreeze. The man slumps, twitching and staring at Jennifer, his eyes whirling as his circuits spark….

Jessica is in the main hall. There's a lot of potential targets, sadly on both sides. "Get down!" she yells to nobody in particular and everyone who is non-combatant in general.

Dorian mutters to Zeal, "Get down! Under the table!" He quickly moves from his seat, changing form in a flash of light, and flies over to interpose himself between the Annihilator and his apparent target. Flickering shields come up around his body as he arrives in place. He says to the Annihilator, "This doesn't need to happen like this...why endanger people who are...trying to help your supposed 'subjects'?"

The Annihilator looks up at Dorian and lets out a rumbling laugh. "You tiny gnat..." He rumbles. "Flashing like a li...li...lightning bug..." His head rolls and turns as he says it, his hands clenching and preparing to fire. "My soldiers will destroy you. You have been analyzed." The skull creaks a little bit, moving about as if in a mockery of a smile. He lifts a hand. "For the Devastator! For Harrisburg! For Freedom!" It is a bestial bellow, the glowing white hot hand burning brighter and brighter, and he turns to beckon at Dorian. "Come on..." He rumbles. "We'll see who shines the brightest..."

Lorelei clambers up onto her table, almost falling out of her dress in doing so. "Cyborgs and Annihilators, your attention please!" she says in a stage voice, making sure she's easily to be seen - and being especially eyecatching in the Annihilator's direction (not least because of the issue with her dress).

The cyborgs hesitate, their shifting eyes momentarily distracted through the painkillers as they focus on Lorelei, their gaze shifting as they pay attention to her. The Annihilator stares dimly as Lorelei's thoughts penetrate his brain...

The Annihilator's brain appears to be somewhere else! The dim, fogged mind inside the armor seems exceptionally stubborn and resistant, his chuckling echoing through the helmet. "Foolish..guh...guh..ghurl..." He struggles with the word. "I will destroy you utterly. Get out of my HEAD!" His mood swings wildly as his glowing hands come up, and he fires a massive, glowing bolt at Lorelei, the shrieking noises echoing through the room. "ANNIHILATOR, YOU FOOL!" Booms the CGI head. "Schoffnaus! Shoot Schoffnaus!"

Lorelei lands messily on another table and slides off onto the floor, supine.

Jessica pulls a shock baton out from the inside pocket of her jacket. "That fancy armor looks kind of conducting to me, Annihilator." she says as she leaps over and slams the business end of the shock rod at the villain's head.

Regan moves simultaneously with Jess, dashing through the crowd of the ballroom with surprising speed and grace, her right hand curling inot a tightly clenched fist which she whips in a quick, powerful arc aimed at the Annihilator's flank, just below the floating ribs.

The Annihilator grunts as the coordinated attack slams into him, as he goes nowhere, his skull like head shining through the eyes as his gauntlets and fists grow brighter, the strange whitish radioactive energy glowing about his fingertips. "Hnnngh!" He grunts, recovering from the blows far swifter than he should as the impact of Regan's kick staves the armor in a bit. It compresses with an eerie hum and high pitched whine as the glow gets brighter.

Regan's lips compress as she looks to Jess. "This thing is absorbing the kinetic energy of my blows."

Jessica nods to Regan, "I remember fighting Dark Syphon. Use nerve strikes if you can, something that will take him down but not feed his energy."

Lightray says firmly to the people near him. "Get under the table. It will provide some protection." He then stands and moves away from the table to a clear space as sunlight wraps itself around his form. His gaze is distracted from the Annihilator as he attacks Lorelei. A grimace crosses his face as takes to the air, firing off a blinding burst of sunlight at the nearest cyborg as he closes to Schoffnaus. It looks like he trying to get between Schoffnaus and his attackers.

"Ahk..." The Cyborg declares. "vision impaired...vision impaired..." It wobbles around a little bit, as if horribly confused.

The cyborg near Jennifer who isn't stunned lifts its hand up and fires the freon cannon at the meat cleaver throwing heroine, the eerie gaslike gun making a horrid crackle in the kitchen.

The cloud of Freon gas goes wide, missing Jennifer completely, but turning Jen's ham and cheese into a frozen treat!

After what she saw, through Jessica's eyes, in the hall as Lorelei was attacked the fate of a sandwich no longer matters that much.

The two cyborgs near the Annihilator aim at Regan and Jessica and fire wide, turning a couple of tables into ice along with the rollaway bar. There's a sickening crack as an expensive bottle of champagne rolls along the floor, still shaped like the bottle.

Lightray is suddenly engulfed in a sheet of ice as he is wrapped in freon, which suddenly condenses into a roughly Lightray shaped iceblock!

Spirit deftly moves his hands in front of the bursts of frozen gas, causing the shields to coalesce, sending the gas back vaguely toward their respective points of origin. The two bursts of gas erupt around the two cyborgs, but they nimbly manage to get out of the way.

Yolanda is currently without her force field generator -- it's not the sort of thing one wears to an event like this. She ducks down out of sight beneath a table and peers out from beneath the table cloth it, trying to get a feel for who and what the heroes are dealing with.

Regan's left hand stiffens into the shape of a flat kite and slashes for the Annihilator's face, aiming a scything gouge that is apparently intended to plough across her target's eye-sockets.

Jessica brings the sparking shock baton down from the head hit on Annihilator and tries to jam the active electrodes into the chest of the armored figure.

The Annihilator grunts as the blast slams into his chest, his skull mask lighting up as the electricity courses through him. "NGGHGH..." He roars. "You, first..." He lowers his hand at Jennifer and his hand crackles to life, unleashing a savage blast of energy at Jennifer as the bolt hurtles towards her.

The gauntlet flares wide at the last possible second, as the strange white hot energy fires down the center of it's own core and expands like the blossom of a flower, SLAMMING into Jessica.

People scream as the battle continues, diving under tables and fleeing for exits, as the CGI head of the Devastator gloats and chuckles. "HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA! Freedom! Freedom for Harrisburg! Run now, lily livered dogs in your tuxedos!"

X flies down and enters the hotel place, wondering what the heck is going on in there. X puts his Force Field up and activates his Sonic Reflection, wanting to get an idea of what's going on before attacking.

Annihilator doesn't even turn as X comes flapping forward. "Hey!" He rumbles. "A little bat guy! We could freeze it, and ta...ta...take it out...stuff it...yeah..." His helmet stares eyelessly at Jessica. "And now, you will burn..."

Spirit flies over, behind Annihilator. "Let's see if we can make things a little harder on you, eh?" He reaches out a hand, and light emanates from his fingers, attempting to drain off some of the miscreant's energy.

Lorelei has the sense that the Annihilator is worried about her powers - and so despite her injuries she doesn't stay down. Rolling to her feet she climbs up onto *this* table in the tattered remains of her dress, and this time strikes a stunning pose, the best she can manage. She keeps her burnt side away from the Annihilator, though already that burn looks less horrible than before. She just prays the increased range will keep her safe!

There are mental blocks there, but not enough, Annihilator howls like a wounded beast. "If I can't...d...destroy you...I'll...force you...to save people..." He growls as his hands begin to grow brighter still, one hand clenched in a fist, the other clutching his head.

Lightray would be cursing, but is encased in ice. Instead, he lets loose with a blast of sunlight from his hands that illuminates the ice from within for a moment.

The ice cracks and blows off of Lightray, steam rising from his form as he stands up to his full six and half feet. The glow also shows that Lightray's clothing has changed back into his traditional garb. He snaps at the Annihiliator, "I have JUST..ABOUT..ENOUGH!"

Annihilator raises a hand as the Cyborgs go. "Fire on the Chandeliers!" He thunders! "KILL EVERYONE!" The cyborgs retreat through the doors, raising their guns and unleash their freeze rays on the chandeliers, firing at the massive glass objects as they begin to fall towards panicked people and Jennifer in the center of the room....

"AWK!" Knox Pooley is shoved out of the way by Yolanda, gasping as she pulls him out of the way. "Thanks!" He says. "Saved by a real hero, not like that Silver Spider woman!"

As the chandelier's slice through the air Regan turns, takes a few quick steps and then leaps in an arc over the group at group of bystanders at the closest corner of the quincunx. At the apex of her leap she grabs the chandelier and twists, using her momentum to yank the ice-laden light-fitting aside to crash harmlessly atop a nearby table.

X cancels his force field and missile deflect, and sends out arrays of soundwaves, all bouncing off of eachother forming purple walls of sonic energy in an attempt to stop one of the chandeliers.

The chandelier stops momentarily in midair, but the waves of sound are broken apart by the heavy mass, and the people beneath are trapped beneath it, but largely unharmed. Nonetheless, they are all unconscious.

Spirit shifts to underneath the chandelier closest to Zeal, flying over to it. Realizing he won't be strong enough to stop it, even with his telekinesis, he plants his feet on the ground, and raises his deflection shields again, intending to deflect the oncoming chandelier in the general direction of the corner, away from the people in danger.

The Chandelier is knocked away from Zeal and the people she's trying to flee with. It smashes into a table, and sits there, frozen atop a flower display, crushing it. "Magnifique" comes a french voice. "It is...it is...ART!"

"Stay down, you idiot" a woman's voice yells.

The other two chandeliers crash amidst the panicking people, amid noise, chaos, and violence....

X grahs as his shield breaks...He needs to figure out how to make that shield stronger...

There is a loud crash as people dive out of the way. Some don't make it. Pinned beneath the Chandelier, the few people struggle to get out from under it amid the ice and glass...those that can still move...

Annihilator growls as the Chandeliers come down, and his boots roar to life, charging up with that strange, white hot light. "This round to you, Colonial Bay..." He growls. "But we of Harrisburg are not done! For freedom! For all the people you ignore! We will claim this as OUR land." He rockets backwards, crashing out the front doors and destroying them, and turns a corner.

Jennifer starts a full blooded run as Jessica rolls back onto her feet and lets Jennifer catch hold of her. Jessica curls into a ball as Jennifer runs to the corner and ... throws Jessica at Annihilator. The shock rod is tossed ahead, than grabbed by the snaking lash of Jessica's energy whip, allowing a greater margin of error on the throw. As she gets into range of Annihilator the shock baton is slamed hard into his back as he flies away.

The baton slams into Annihilator's back, the massive hands flexing as he keeps his footing despite the impact, watching Jessica plummet behind her. "Good bye!" He chuckles. "And guh...good...good riddance..." He lets out another monstrous bellow as the impact shakes his heavy frame....

Lightray begins digging people out of the wreckage and healing them, making sure that nobody dies today...

Jessica goes past Annihilator, propelled by Jennifer's throw. She thinks about the heroes back in the hall risking all to save the lives of the dinner guests from the crashing chandeliers. And is a little regretful that she isn't and never will truely be one of them. The Annihilator has killed hundreds and will kill many more if not stopped. Her army training dictates that stopping him, even at the cost of not saving some of the dinner guests was the correct tactical decision. But that doesn't make it any easier to live with.

Regan rolls smoothly over the wrechage of the table as it collapses to tinder under the impact of the chandelier and curls into a smooth forward tumble. She straightens as she comes back to her feet, using the momentum of the motion to smack a simple front kick into the torso of the nearest droid.

The cyborg grunts, his eyes shuddering as the impact catches him across the jawline. He staggers and falls the Freon cannon spinning wildly as he shudders from the kick impact.

His eyes focus on Regan, still programmed, still dangerous.

The Annihilator rockets away, turning a corner away from Jennifer and Jessica, the dull roar of jets carrying him away and out of sight between buildings. "You will pay for this!" He thunders, shaking his thick fist while the backwash of energy carries him far away...

Lorelei looks about in shock and dismay at the scene. But there seems to be nothing she can do except seeing if the cyborfs are susceptible to her - and so she strikes a stunning pose.

A cyborg blinks as Lorelei looks, and he looks back, there’s a momentary blink of discomprehension and he slams into the ground, as if overcome by beauty. “Hot…chicks…” he manages in a spastic babble. “Hot chicks…need…dope…and sex wax…need my board…need my board..”

A cyborg blinks as Lorelei looks, and he looks back, there's a momentary blink of discomprehension and he slams into the ground, as if overcome by beauty. "Hot...chicks..." he manages in a spastic babble. "Hot chicks...need...dope...and sex wax...need my board...need my board.."

Lorelei thinks. o O (How the heck did they surround this room without being noticed, with so many people on the alert? Was this entire dinner a trap? And if so, for whom?)

Regan closes in on the borg still sanding and aims the tips of her fingers into the base of his neck, thrust down behind the top of his sternum for the nerve cluster surrounding his esophagus.

The cyborg falls, twitching in a heap before the lights in his eyes suddenly go blank. "Oh...god..." He begins screaming. "My ARM! What happened to my ARM! Oh gahahhahaaddddddd."

X gets into the air, and spreads his Sonic Blast to try to hit both of them.

The two cyborg thugs stagger, as one teeters to the ground, still moving and dangerous. The other is hurled back through the doors to land in a wet melting splat of ice.

Jennifer turns and starts a run back towards the kitchen. She got her PDA out as she ducks and weaves around the people in the hall. Jennifer is talking to her boss in the M.I.A. but the fact she's outranked is hardly evident in her words or tone, "I want a spy in the sky and I want it right now! Get a satellite tasked ASAP. Also what's Danzinger's home address? I need that five minutes ago." Meanwhile Jassica is still in flight from Jennifer's throw. Pulling out a line she casts it at a convenient building and starts heading after the Annihilator, for now, as her best speed.

Lightray lets his gaze pass over the two cyborgs nearest him. His gaze locks on the one who can see and with a smile attempts to smite him with a bolt of sunlight.

The cyborg makes a wheezing grunt, and then topples to the ground with a thud. He looks up at Lightray and declares "Lights Out" as if he were reading off a cue card.

Spirit turns and entangles a cyborg in bands of light, attempting to neutralize him by immobilizing him....

Lorelei is still posing for the same cyborg to put him out of the fight for good.

The cyborg crashes to the ground, unconscious, his eyes rolling up into his skull. "Sex Wax." He mutters briefly.

The cyborgs tilt their heads up and shudder, collapsing to the ground in a heap of confused people and parts. "What...what day is it?" One asks. "What year is it?" Asks another. They don't seem to know a lot about what's going on, and their minds don't appear to be terribly strong willed. "Are you Lorelei?" One asks. "Can I have an auto...gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" He screams as he looks at his arm.

X looks at the robots, then around, looking at all the damage. Then he asks, "What the heck was that about?"

Lightray looks at the cyborgs, then back to X. "A madman named Devastator happened." He gesrures to the cyborgs. "To those poor sods as well."