Chipped Chaos Session 9

Princess Guard - The New Era 2016/09/08 	 Titan Charm Caleb Daemon Aaliyah Harlequin 19

Prof Myers' House
Chaos is approaching maximum. Daemon and Titan are in Prof Myers' house with Micky and the VENOM team. Titan has Micky grabbed. Four of the VENOM team are out of action. The fifth is looking as if he wants nothing more than to leave...

Meanwhile outside Ronin and his two henchmen are bounding down the hill towards the house. And from the direction of the city of Cambridge the mind controlled local hero team are on their way. Blue Orchid has been freed from mind control but the remaining three are still under the influence.

Daemon looks around to make sure there are no other impending dangers. Satisfied with his handy work he realizes Titan's arrival was not by accident. With the immediate crisis well in hand, Daemon stands to his full height (5"5) and looks down to Titan.

"Can't imagine you're here by chance, Titan. Perhaps we can compare notes?" He asks, totally unaware of the oncoming storm.

He walks along the ceiling and takes a look at the Earthen wall that popped up just outside the bay window he busted through.

"That yours?" He asks as he points to the wall.

The PDA of every PG team member who has registered their contact number with the Embassy communications tower signals an incoming call. If anyone has set up individual ring-tones, the ring-tone being used indicates the call is coming from the Embassy.

Charm keeps singing, hoping to free the next of the Cambridge heroes from control! Meanwhile she pulls out her PDA so she can answer the call when she has the chance.

The Atomic Kid halts briefly in flight. Then he utters a scream of furious rage and blasts a wild bolt of radiation into an innocent lawn. "He's dead. Dead! When I get my hands on that kid he's dead." he shouts.

Charm is glad that worked, because her magics are getting very tiring.

Caleb places a hand on Charm's back. "You're totally our most effective weapon... I'm gonna see what I can do about offering some protection." Then he shifts them both partially out of phase with this dimension.

Titan grimaces, "Well, I can't keep the incoming assassins from killing you, Micky...unless you're unconscious first. Plus, I have a call to take."

Charm takes the call now she's desolid. "Hello?"

"Incoming assassins?" Daemon asks as his head snaps away from the window and towards Titan.

"Good grief. What the hell did I mix myself up in this time?" Daemon mumbles to himself before he speaks a bit louder- this time to Titan.

"What do you mean incoming assassins?!"

When she takes the call Charm hears her grandmother's voice saying - "Return to the Embassy at once. All Princess Guard Members hearing this, return to the Embassy at once." It seems to be a repeating loop.

Titan winces as he realize he probably squeezed harder than he should have, hearing a crunch. "Damn...damn! We're going to need a healer!"

Titan nods to Daemon, "Two groups incoming. A group of assassins who will want to kill the kid...and another group of heroes, mind controlled by the kid."

When Titan squeezes Micky the boy appears to have no defences beyond the normal for a boy of his age. Cracking and snapping ribs can be heard as Titan's embrace crushes the boy.

Charm says, "We've got to get back to the embassy at once! Something is very wrong!"

Caleb sends over the comms .oO(Seriously? Are we sure this isn't some kind of illusion? Seems awfully convenient.)Oo.

Caleb adds .oO(Besides, why would Undermoon call us on our _phones_ rather than the PG comms?)Oo.

Charm adds, .oO(Princess Liandere sounds *afraid*.)Oo.

Titan grimaces, .oO( I'm not leaving this kid to die at the hands of assassins. Sure, he belongs in jail, but he doesn't deserve that. Let's wrap things up quickly here, and then check in at the embassy. )Oo.

Caleb nods. .oO(Your call, chief.)Oo.

Starblaze continues to close on the house. He is becoming more visible as energy collects around him.

Blue Orchid flies back to Atomic Kid and shouts at him, trying to draw the youth out of his almost berserk rage.

Bravo makes another mighty leap and Ursine is making the ground shake as he runs closer.

Starblaze releases the energy he has collected in a vivid bolt of light at the only person to have 'attacked him' so far, that is Charm. The bolt passes through her desolid form with no effect and tears a long gash into the rapidly getting destroyed lawn.

The Atomic Kid blasts Blue Orchid with a stream of radiation as she tries to hold him back.

Blue Orchid, knowing her teammate, gives up trying to talk to Atomic Kid and blasts at him with a particle beam weapon that just misses.

Caleb calls out "Hey Blue! They're _your_ crazies, who do we free next?"

Blue Orchid calls back to Caleb, "If you can, Lady Thunder. She's the smart sensible one."

Daemon turns back as he hears the commotion. "That's just great..." He says to Titan as he bounds from the window, shooting a line of webbing to secure himself to the overhang of the roof.

Attached to the line, his momentum carries him up and over on to the roof so that he might get a better view of things.

'Mind controlled heroes... and assassins... I probably asked how the hell I was supposed to tell one from the other- but I guess we'll sort them after they've been rendered unconscious.' He thinks to himself as he watches the building melee.

Daemon recognizes the metas arrived and arriving. All are fairly well known. Ronin is a hard-case merc. Ursine and Starblaze are his henchmen, Ursine a growth DI brick and Starblaze a radiant light energy blaster. The others in sight are recorded as heroes, a hero team based in Cambridge. Blue Orchid, flying energy blaster brick, Atomic Kid, flying radiation energy blaster, Bravo, a brick, and Lady Thunder, another flying energy blaster.

Ronin arrives with Ursine just behind him. Glancing at the earth wall surrounding the house, then at Caleb and Charm he puts two and two together as there aren't that many Earth based Metas - particularly ones involved with the Prof Myers incidents. "You're the ones from the Red Rose Club, right? Listen. I don't have any gripe with you. Walk away and leave Prof Myers to me."

Caleb says, "Ronin - yeah, that's us, Myers isn't the bad guy here. There's a mind-controller in play. That's why the folks Charm," he indicates Charm, "is whammying get so pissed off. Chill out, stand down, or help us take out the last of the puppets, but _please_ don't make us have to fight you too. Our dance card is full."

Ursine waits to take his cue from Ronin. Which is when Bravo leaps in, kicking down with his feet as he lands. A shockwave radiates out from his landing point, potentially knocking down anyone standing on the ground.

Ronin and Ursine manage to stay on their feet.

Caleb 's attempt to explain the situation to Ronin is interrupted by attacks from the last two Cambridge puppets. He can tell... they're fighting him, rather than each other. He keeps him and Charm phased until their attacks pass harmlessly, then resolidifies and shouts "YOU ARE ATTACKING THE GOOD GUYS, YOU MINDCONTROLLED MORON!!!" at Bravo. He doesn't attack anyone, figuring it's easier to convince them to stop fighting that way, and prepares to phase Charm out again in a second.

Charm quickly changes her song to try to free Lady Thunder.

Ronin tells Caleb, "Let's say I accept what you say. Someone put a price on my head. If it wasn't Prof Myers it was someone else. This mind warper you mentioned? Whoever it is, he's mine. Nobody sets me up and walks away."

The just arriving Lady Thunder lets the sonic blast she was preparing fade out. "Okay, what's going on here?" she says in a controlled and calm sounding voice.

Caleb replies exasperatedly to Ronin. "Look, can we take it as read that we'll take exception to that and try to stop you from killing him because that's what the good guy rule book says, ONCE THE CURRENT CHAOS IS RESOLVED? Right now I don't even know where the kid is!" At Thunder's comment he laughs bitterly. "Your team! Mindcontrolled! If you can leash your brick we'd appreciate it! Or your psycho speedster! How I ended up on the _sane_ team I have _ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA_!!!"

It's possible Caleb is losing it a bit.

Titan gets up and says to Harlequin, .oO( Going to need your help in here. I'll guard you while you take a look at him. )Oo.

Caleb sends over the comms .oO(Ronin's team is _not_ mind controlled, is _not_ attacking us, is _probably_ not attacking the professor anymore, is _probably_ after Micky. Getting the kid out of sight is a good plan.)Oo. Ronin looks at Caleb is wavering disbelief, "Kid..?" he asks.

Harlequin fades into sight as he 'steps' in from another room in building, appearing next to Titan. He hears the sounds of combat outside, sees the broken and bloodied body of Micky in Titan's arms and then says in a surprisingly calm voice, "What is going on? And give the child, Titan, so I can heal him."

Caleb sighs. "Yes. Kid. I shouldn't have said that. He's a complete asshole and we'd all be better off if he'd never been born and we're bringing him into custody but we're not going to let you kill him and please don't make me end today by having to DEFEND the fucker because I swear I'll just cry and you don't want to see me cry, do you?"

Ronin sighs, "I - DON'T - take out kids, Mr Hero. I'd better not find out later you're lying though." he tells Caleb. Then to Ursine and Starblaze, "We're done here.

Blue Orchid is blasted down into the ground by the Atomic Kid who seems to still be enraged beyond control. "I could use some help here." she says painfully from the battlesuit shaped depression in the lawn where she landed.

Daemon checks his dossiers on each of the metahumans flanking the building. A few of them are real threats, but he prioritizes based on the imminent threat to life posed by each. When categorized and sorted that way, one takes the lead well ahead the rest of the pack.

Ronin - a mercenary well known and often called upon due to his hardened demeanor & 'any means' attitude.

Daemon shoots a webline out of each wrist - each line connecting to the edge of the roof. He gives each line a good tug to make sure they're well attached and then begins stretching the lines as he steps backwards. He pulls the nanotech spider-thread to their limits and aims for Ronin. He of coruse can't hear the conversation being held by Caleb and Ronin.

In fact it might look like Ronin is squaring off with 2 visually non-combative meta-humans from Daemon's perspective. Well Daemon will clarify that by making himself a very obviously combative metahuman.

He releases his spidery cling to the rooftop and stops resisting the held tension of his weblines.

He's launched straight at Ronin at high speed.

It is quite a shame that he has no connection to the Princess Guard. He might not be such a wild card otherwise.

As he closes in on Ronin, he balls up his fist and his nanites rearrange the material of his gauntlets to harden around his fist.

Ronin is caught as he was starting to turn away to leave. His face twists in anger, "So it was a lie. Ursine, Blaze, let's take 'em."

The Atomic Kid blasts Blue Orchid again before she even has a chance to stand from the last blast.

Blue Orchid slumps limp and unmoving

It appears one victory is not enough. The Atomic Kid is still enraged.

Caleb says, "WILL YOU PEOPLE PUT A LEASH ON YOUR GODDAMNED SPEEDSTER!!!"

"That," Lady Thunder tells Caleb, "is easier said than done. The Atomic Kid is probably the most effective of us." She sighs and also knowing him, forgoes talking to fire a sonic blast at him.

Lady Thunder knocks the Atomic Kid down with her strident voice.

Daemon 's fist connects with Ronin but it doesn't put him down. This is good, becasue he wasn't hoping for an easy takedown.

Daemon's feet shuffle back and forth rapidly then readies his next blow - an upper-cut to the underside of Ronin's chin.

"Sorry- we're not acepting any mercenaries at this time. Please try your operation later." He says snidely as he swings for the moon.

"Look, Ronin," Cale adds in an oddly resigned voice, "I don't expect you to believe me, but if you wuoldn't mind focusing your firepower on the jerk who attacked you, and maybe the berserk speedster if you've got a spare moment, and let the rest of us get on with the mission, I'd appreciate that."

Ronin's response to Daemon's second punch show just how much the first successful punch counted on being a sucker punch. He turns his body to center on Daemon and his hands lift, one forearm easily blocking the punch aimed at his chin.

For those who remember and saw the twins in action, that maneuver by Ronin was the same easy confident movement that Jenn and Jess were so good at.

Caleb stares in astonished recognition at Ronin.

Bravo heads for the house, clearing the earth wall around it in an easy leap. Entering the house by the simple process of smashing through the stud and shingle wall he tells Titan and Harlequin to move away from 'the Master'.

Charm decides that Atomic Kid is probably a bigger problem than Bravo, so she sings him a calming song.

The Atomic Kid jerks and a look of confusion comes to his young face. Immediately followed by a worried expression of concern. "Oh... no." he says and flies down to check on Blue Orchid.

Caleb kissed Charm on the cheek. "I owe you an ice-cream sundae. And a long explanation of what ice-cream sundaes are."

Ronin calls to his henchmen, "Hold off. Stay alert." Then to Caleb, "If this guy is one of yours call him off or lose him."

Caleb sighs. "He's not one of mine, exactly, but I guess I'm adopting him. Dude. Fighting the wrong people. If you're not actually mind controlled, could you _please_ put it back in your pants?"

La Ursine grows... until he is about twenty feet high. He appears quite disappointed by the command to hold off taking action.

Caleb sends over the link .oO(OK, I think we're down to yellow alert out here. How are things in there?)Oo.

"What? so this guy isn't with the kid?" Daemon asks incredulously. He sees La Ursine grow ... he gulps. "well good..." he mumbles backing away. he does not want to fight that.

Caleb says, "Good call." To Ronin "I promise, I will explain all of this when i get a breather. We're actually running late on another crisis. Give me a call, drinks on me. It's a funny story."

Harlequin replies tersely over the link. o O .oO(Healing Micky. Busy. Meta attacker in room. Titan and Aaliyah with me.)Oo.

Caleb looks around and counts on his fingers. "Oh, right, one got away. Charm, you up for an encore?"

Charm nods, if a bit feebly. "I think I have one more spell in me."

Caleb double-takes. .oO(Sorry, did you say _healing_ Micky?)Oo.

Behind her wall of swirling spirits and magical energy, Aaliyah peers at Bravo through it and inclines her head. "Master?" she asks. "Then your will is still subverted." she states, it's not a question, it's a statement of fact. "Titan, I would prefer not to harm him. So until such time as he batters through my spirits, I suggest we simply wait here." (Holding. Will use action to restore barrier if it gets damaged and not breached)

Titan turns, prepared to slug Bravo, and stops short upon seeing the barrier. He chuckles. "I finally see someone I can hit all out...and I can't." He points to Bravo and stands up straight in challenge, "You're under mental control. Break out of it before I have to hurt you."

Titan's words appear to clear Bravo's mind. He stops.. and then looks at Micky. "Did he..? Hey, you're Titan, right? What are you doing here?"

Harlequin kneels with Micky cradled in his arms. "Well, let's get you fixed up, shall we?" he murmurs to the unconscious little so-and-so. A wind wafts into the room carrying the scent of freshly turned earth, a hint of animal musk and the smell of sun drenched plants. A healthy green light blossoms in Harlequin's hands then sinks into Micky's body. The child's breathing steadies and strengthen.

Caleb ports into the living room with whoever feels like joining him. To Charm he asks "So what's the deal with the Embassy?" To Lady Thunder he asks "You guys got someplace to hold a mindcontroller?"

Charm says, "I don't know... it's just a recorded message - but it must be importand - and urgent..."

When the eyes of Bravo seem to clear, Aaliyah lowers her hands... and the spirits flowing through the barrier peel out of it one at a time, circling about her slowly and fading away as they dissipate. "We are all friends again?" she asks in her odd accent.

Caleb nods and looks to Titan. "Chief? We _are_ called the Princess Guard, after all."

Lady Thunder frowns, "We should call in the UE Marshals. And quickly. Before that boy has a chance to put us under his influence again."

Harlequin murmurs as he reaches into the messenger bag then pulls out a length of black cloth which he binds over Micky's eyes. As he does so, he murmurs, "Caleb, I suggest you scry the Embassy. In a moment I can Gate us there or you can."

Caleb shakes his head. "Can't do. Extradimensional target.. oh! Wait! Hold on..."

Titan nods to both Lady Thunder and Caleb, "Make it happen. We need him under guard. And we need to check back at the embassy."

The Embassy looks to be on alert. There's a small group of Westmarch guardsmen in the courtyard and the firebird carriage is being readied for a journey.

As Daemon backs away from La Ursine and Ronin his image begins to burn out- the way a cigarette burns towards the filter but white & working its way from the outside towards his center until he's completely invisible. He activates his sound dampeners and leaps back toward the building- where he plans on listening in to figure out jsut what the hell is happening here. He figures the assembled Princess Guard will speak more openly if there isn't an outsider in their midst.

He climbs in the window and then skitters along the ceiling so he can see and hear all.

Caleb says, "My mistake, that really was a call. Sorry, Charm." He looks to Titan expectantly."

Charm looks at the carriage to see if she can see who it's being readied for.

Titan nods, "Tell you what...I'll stay here to make sure things get squared away. Ghost should be back at the embassy. Gate people back to the embassy to find out what's up."

A fae lord emerges from the doorway leading to the communications tower. Caleb will recognise the lord as Elorhir, the elven fencer who he was involved with in Australia.

Inclining her head as if she were listening to something only she could hear, Aaliyah merely nods. "Yes. We should return." she states. "There is much to do in our own realm."

Caleb nods, looking to Harlequin when the Gate is mentioned, then does a double-take. "That's, whatsisname, the fencer... Elorhir? What's he doing here?

Harlequin stands up with Micky cradled in his arms and against his shoulder. "Unless the UE Marshall's get here before I open the Gate, I suggest we take Micky with us. Between Ablewoman Charm and myself, and you, my dear," he nods at Aaliyah, "We can contain him. And I can keep him sedated. But I can also do as you wish, Titan."

While he waits for an answer, he begins to build the Gate. Silvery blue dots of light coalesce at a central point then explode out into a silvery-blue flmaed hole in Reality. Better known as a Gate.

Daemon considers following the rest of the guard quietly, to see what might be gained from their base of operations. Clearly the Guard knows way more abut what's happening than he does - and he doesn't really like that.

Caleb takes a deep breath. "OK, here goes nothing!" He steps through Harlequin's Gate, deciding that on balance he prefers driving these things.

One who understands the principles and workings of magic, Aaliyah trusts Harlequin's portal and merely strides through with all of the arrogant haughtiness one may expect from her. Her shoulders squared, and her chin held high. You know... the assumption of superiority even when doing mundane things.

Titan nods to Harlequin, "Alright...yeah, let's bring him with us."

Watching silently, Daemon examines every step and every movement of those around him. Data is everywhere if you know how to look for it. Caleb's worry as he steps into the portal makes him second guess his own decision to follow along.

As Caleb disappears and another lines up to follow Daemon forces that knot in the pit of his stomach out of his mind.

Aaliyah's confidence makes him feel a bit better as he drops from the ceiling and into the portal behind the Egyptian Queen.

Charm doesn't quite like the portal either. It's not natural - unlike a fairy path, the points it connects aren't 'really' the same. Still. she too passes through.

Harlequin waits until the others have passed through to say to the agents, Professor Myers, and the Cambridge team, "Back soon. Sorry to run off. If not back by morning, send help," in a chipper sounding Brit accent. Then he steps through and let s the Gate cloes behind him. He gently re-adjusts the still wounded Micky in his arms as he looks around.

The guardsmen in the courtyard are restless and some of the younger guards are showing signs of real fear.

Caleb decides to let Titan handle questioning the guardsmen, and walks over to Harlequin. "So whatcha gonna do with the kid?"

Swords are drawn and a couple of the guards unlimber bows and notch arrows. Lord Elrohir bows to Charm, "Highness." He nods to Titan, "Ableman Johnathan." He has been unfailingly respectful and polite to them since joining the Westmarch Guard. "Do you vouch for the stranger, Highness?" he asks pointing at supposedly invisible Daemon.

Harlequin purses his lips behind his face covering mask then looks over at Caleb when he asks his question. "Oh, the usual. Question him, delve into his mind, find out why he's acting up. Then, depending on the why will determine the what."