Log:Countdown to Meltdown, Scene 1

Countdown to Meltdown 2012/10/18 	 Ashes Firefly Ripcord Longbow Okami Star Girl 1

Star Girl sits on top of a building, legs crossed over the ledge, eating from a microwaved cup of ramen.

Longbow is climbing up underneath her with a basket of food. He was summoned and answered the call. His is unnaturally faithful in his response times. "Greetings." He states as he climbs up over the edge. "I brought food."

"Ummhmf (Heya)!" Star says with her mouth full of noodles. She slurps down another mouthful. "Cool."

Longbow opens the basket. There is a fair amount of disposable storage containers. There is four pieces of fried chicken (2 breasts and 2 thighs) some macaroni and cheese and two cans of arizona tea. "It's cheap food but I was in a rush." He stated. "I appologize. I figured you'd enjoy more than your normal 79 cent rammen noodles.

Star Girl's eyelets widen immediately. "Ooh!" She pauses just long enough to say "Thanks" before grabbing herself a thigh. Ramen quickly forgotten she digs in. "I am soo starving," she says between bouts of attacking the chicken. "Between class and Starguard, I've brely had a chance to eat anything!"

Longbow nods. "I had surmized. How goes your social life in addition to these extracorriculars?" He asks nibbling the chicken. It's not much to his liking, the cheap precooked stuff. He isn't a fan of much else and the tea his fellow student rave about is mediocre at best to him. He wonders if Star is aware of his current net worth.

Star Girl thinks about it. "Things with Victory are... good." She quiet a moment at she continues to devour her food in a manner most unladylike. "Did you know that he can't get drunk?"

Longbow says, "Increased metabolic rate?"

Jeremy enters from Sky Above Central Colonial Bay.

Star Girl says, "Not sure how it works - he might just have a resistance to poisons."

Longbow nods. "I see." He puts his nibbled chicken to the side. its worth noting his face never became visible though his mouth opened to eat. he wipes the corners of his mouth. . o 0 (this is distasteful)

It's a minor tremble at first, but then the ground starts to shake and rumble, seeming to turn to liquid and rippling like a stone was dropped in a glass smooth pond. The ground shimmies and then out of the asphalt comes the granite head of Atlas, and soon appearing (after Atlas' shoulders) is Ripcord in a white silk suit (tailored perfectly of course), and Firefly in all her goth loveliness. Of course why they'd appear here is strange, there's not really anything worth robbing...

Star Girl drops her hand to steady herself against the tremor. "What the...?" She spins towards the center of the disturbance and spots the trio. o O ( Oh,

Longbow turns to face those who appear, no weapon drawn at the moment but he does close the basket top. "It seems we have visitors. I do believe I vaguely recall them..." His tone is hushed.

Ripcord looks around, "Hmmm well, rather than wait for the officials to show up to investigate the disturbance of your excellent transportation Atlas... Firefly, do be a dear and call the police. Tell them where we are and that we need to speak with some of them caped crusaders."

Firefly rolls her eyes, "I still think this is a bad idea." But the gothling walks over to the nearest public emergency call button and holds it down.

Star Girl holds out her hand to Longbow. "Wait... we don't stand a chance against these guys on our own." She crouches low and puts her hand up to the side of her head. "This is Star Girl. I need assistance in Low Town close to..."

Longbow nods observing them for the time being. "They appear to be seeking a fight. A distraction perhaps?" He holds his position quietly and as stealthily as possible.

Okami is fortunately relatively close by when he hears Star Girl's call for help. Possibly she's tried jumping off another building or something, he's not sure, but he jumps to the top of a passing mag-train, surfing it the remaining distance to Lowtown to find out what's up.

When Firefly finally unleashes the button, after what must have been an annoyingly long buzzing for the operator on the other side, there is the operators voice: "Please state the nature of your emergency." And Firefly sneers down at the call box, "There's a big nasty dirty bomb that's gonna blow up your fair city if you don't send the capes to this location, right now. And no, this isn't a joke." The pretty young gothling inhales (with an impressive lift of her bust) and then breathes a torrent of flame on the call box, melting it with sparks and smoke. She turns towards Ripcord, "They should be here soon." And then she checks her black painted nails as she walks back over to the trio.

Ripcord (A well dressed older gentleman with graying black hair, and a white silk tailored suit) nods to Firefly and then looks towards Atlas (A nearly ten foot tall beefcake made of granite), "Be ready to take us away if they do something stupid like shoot first and ask questions later. There are plenty of call boxes we can use. They'll listen eventually."

Star Girl whispers over to Longbow from her perch on the rooftop of the building, "I'll go down and see what I can find..." She slowly fades from sight as she activates her cloaking systems. She begins to make her way down to where Firefly and the others are.

"Careful." He states. Analyzing those involved, a rough feel at least. He registers Ripcord as the brains of the opperation and likely atlas is the muscle. Firefly potentially unstable in terms of loyalty, she may be convinced to turn her back on them with some persuasion, but not Longbow's speciality.

Atlas nods towards Ripcord, "Whatever yah say Rip." Which gets a roll of the eyes and sigh from Ripcord, which makes Atlas grin widely, enjoying ribbing the smaller man it seems. He folds his arms across his chest and drums granite fingertips against granite biceps like rocks clacking against each other in staccato bursts. "You'd think they'd be swarmin' all over the place. I mean we stole the whole VAULT last time." Atlas grumbles in a deep rumble.

Firefly smiles slyly, "Maybe we should start torching the place." And she looks around for anything that might even be remotely flammable. Or made to be flammable.

Ripcord says simply, "No. We wait. They'll show. Just stay alert. I want to talk to them, they don't listen well when they're bruised and bloody." His hands go into his pants pockets loosely.

Longbow stands, risky yes, but he stands and makes his presence known. "You wish to speak than do so." He states. Ripcord may recall him as the man who put some arrows into his chest once long ago.

Star Girl tries to walk up to within a couple of meters of Ripcord, under the cover of her stealth field. From this close she can hear what they're saying. o O ( Wait... they want to talk to us? Maybe we can stall until more heroes show up... ) She appears, arms folded, trying to look tough. "You've got our attention. Now what." Trying to sound tough, too.

Okami spies the trio by the burning call box. Great. Criminals out causing a scene for no reason than to see who shows up. Never a good sign. He prepares to head over to them to see what it is that they want when Longbow suddenly stands.

Atlas grins as Star Girl appears, "Hey sweetlin'." He rumbles, "When you gonna join the winnin' team?" He rumbles down to her amiably.

Firefly however gives Star Girl a murderous look, oh she remembers her, yes she does and she starts breathing smoke, literally. It looks like she's about to take a deep breath when Ripcord places a hand lightly on her shoulder, "Be calm." He murmurs to the much younger woman and she grumbles, but is calm.

If Ripcord remembers either Star Girl or Longbow one couldn't tell by looking at him, but, since Star Girl is closest it's to her that Ripcord mostly speaks to, though he keeps Longbow in peripheral vision as well. "Ah, yes, good good." He smiles and claps his hands together, rubbing them lightly. "I don't recall if you were present during our last forray into this quaint little town of yours, but we were in pursuit of some rather dangerous women. I have it on good authority by one of their creators that one is going to go nuclear within the next two weeks. Quite literally. I'd like to catch her before then, and I'm sure you'd prefer she didn't do so in your city." He offers with a smile, "So it appears that we both want the same thing, or at least similar enough that bygones can be bygones."

Longbow looks at them dubiously. "Why would you threaten the city with distruction if your goal is to save it, even in such a vicarious manner?"

"What's your angle, Ripcord? It doesn't seem like you to want to play hero all of a sudden." Star Girl says. She studies Ripcord's outfit carefully, her eyelets sweeping over him from head to toe.

Ripcord looks at Longbow, "Dear boy, I am not threatening anything. I am a hunter, my quarry is quite radioactive and unstable. She managed to elude us, with help from this cities... defenders interfering." He looks back towards Star Girl, "My angle is very simple. I am at heart a mercenary. Mercenary's are businessmen. I make no money if Halflife explodes. It is no skin off my back other than lost profits. However, her threat to this city, is very real."

Okami watches the three as Star Girl and Longbow speak to them, keeping his own council for the moment.

Longbow says, "If you are to hunt the pray would be emitting high levels of radiation, yes? A gigar counter, and a trace of any recent large amounts of led purcahses, as well as a thermal aerial scan, combined with a tracking of any strange radiation related illnesses in an area would be a good start. Do you agree, sir?"

Star Girl's eyelets narrow suspiciously: "And why are you all chummy with Halflife's creator?"

Ripcord raises an eyebrow, "Dear girl, please, lets at least pretend there's a brain behind those blank eyelets shall we? I will reiterate: I am a mercenary. I work for money." He gestures lightly with his left hand as if to say 'do the math'. "Regardless, she is here, it's the safest place for her, not so safe for the rank and file civilian no?" He smiles and then looks towards Longbow, "Mmm perhaps so, but then again, she contains the energies herself. She only bleeds when she chooses to. Which I am told is part of why she is going to explode. She's containing it all in order to hide." He shrugs, "Let us be frank. I cannot operate freely here due to past business. I understand and hold no ill will towards any of you. Good games. However... unless you wish to allow me and my associates free reign in the city until we find her I feel it's in both our best interests I share this information. Don't you agree?"

"Then you don't really know that she's going to explode," Okami says. "Or is it that you don't really know when she's going to explode since you don't know whether she will bleed off energy or not?"

Longbow says, "An opening bargain of a death threat and an earthquake is one of dubious nature. I can help you hunt if desired however your team free reign is something of a large offer for information, do you not agree. Hunter to hunter, the pack can only work together while trust is instilled. And if the eneregies are contained, the law of conservation of energy, she must be generating heat. Even capacitors begin to warm up while charging and with radiation she'll have a low level emition regaurdless. If I may, let us apply a tracking device to each of you, one not to be tampered with. be your claims legitimate we will see to it that you and your associates are released upon completion of your task. A small amount of observance for the, presumably hefty amount of money you'd earn. Or perhaps a large sum for the information you posses may be in order. Either way, you surely understand why I'd be slightly distrustful ofpeople of your profession, and methodology thus far displayed freely wandering the city in which we protect." holy crap this is the most anyone who knows longbow has ever heard him speak. "My assosiate also makes a valid point.""

Star Girl's eyelet narrow slightly as she reacts to Ripcord's barb. "Free reign...? So we're just supposed to trust you? How are you planning on finding HalfLife?"

Star Girl looks over at Longbow. o O ( Whoa. )

Atlas laughs at Longbow and Firefly rolls her eyes this time. "Tracking device. That's cute." Ripcord however sighs, "Well, I have done my good deed for the day. I have given the information I intended to. Now, unless the three of you and however many others whom might be hiding and building up the nerve to confront us wish to try and take us in for past offenses. We'll be leaving." He looks over towards Firefly, "Be ready, just in case." And then he offers a polite sketch of a bow as the ground starts to rumble around Atlas' feet, and around the other two. "Oh, two things." Ripcord says while gesturing for Atlas to continue, the older man fixing his gaze on Longbow, "I am not the threat to your city today. Halflife is. Think about that before you keep accusing me of threatening your city. Second," And here Ripcord smiles good naturedly, "How many laws of physics are the three of you breaking with your very existence? I know we, are breaking several. Good evening."

Longbow replies. "Thirteen laws of physics, but other laws bing me. And good day, Mr. Ripcord. I look forward to future encounters. Thank you for your help in the matter."

Star Girl says, "Wait! How do we find her!"

Longbow thinks. .o0 (probably a good call... makes hunting a tad easy though but this is more than a game at this moment.)

Okami gives a short scoff as the trio prepares to depart. "That it?" he asks. "You give us a name she's probably not using and a vague timetable and you expect us to find her for you? You want to have any hope of trying to cash in on her after we find her you're going to need to do better than that."

As the ground turns liquid looking and the trio start to sink Ripcord says, "Dear girl, if I could find her, do you think I'd have bothered talking to any of you? I'd already have her." He looks faintly vexed towards Okami, "I have shared what information I have on this matter." A shrug of his shoulders and then Firefly and his head sink into the earth, Atlas rumbles towards Star Girl, "I'll catch you later hot stuff. Love that skin tight look, can totally see your-" then his head goes under, mercifully.

Longbow looks at stargirl to try to gather her response. "I believe you have another call to make." It's worth noting he never once summoned his bow.

Okami shakes his head as the three vanish. "Why do they always think we're as stupid as they are?" he asks no one in particular. "Shared what information he has. Sure. He came out here looking for her with nothing but a name." He gives a shake of his head.

ZAM! Star Girl uncorks a blast of energy at the spot where Atlas's head sinks beneath the pavement. "Screw you," she grumbles. Then she realize that she's just put a giant pothole in the road. o ( @#$@@! )

Longbow says, "I'll cover that... more important isses. Potential nuclear incident."

Star Girl calms down a little. "We have one advantage those guys don't have, though."

"Opposable thumbs?" asks Okami.

Longbow says, "Access to the worlds largest group of meta?"

Star Girl snickers at that. "Good one, Okami. Actually, I was thinking something different -- we've got all the resources of law enforcement on our side."