Log:The Fall of Barnabas Bighead, Scene 1

The Fall of Barnabas Bighead 2020/05/29 	 Bran Felix Ghost Hotfoot Phantom Reactor Barnaba Bighead ElectroRat Superrat 1

Phantom has picked a spot to meet up with his team and others. He already contacted Code Dark and reached out personally to Bran for assistance. Given a premonition he had, he put out a call to the larger hero community on HeroNet after some scouting, and arrange a meetup at a quiet loading dock nearby but just out of view of EverGreen Chemicals, which he believes is the potential target. He asked that people be sneaky and discrete on arrival. He's already waiting, cloaked invisibly from sight and sound.

Bran shows up, after having been contacted by Phantom. This will likely be his second outing for hero-related stuff. He arrives on his own, dressed still like he normally does. T-shirt and jeans.

Phantom texts Bran as he sees him <>

Bran reads the text and raises his brow. But he shrugs and walks over where he's directed to go.

Phantom can feel a mind approaching at high speed, and then Hotfoot simply appears a few meters from him.

A voice from nowhere whispers in Phantom's ear. "You have an interesting life. I'm here."

Reactor arrives on scene and decends to a level to match the others as he closes in to find out what's going on and how he can best be of service.

As Bran gets within 4 meters of Phantom, he suddenly sees Phantom and anyone else around him. Phantom is mindlinked with his team currently. He waves to Bran now that he can see him, then holds out a fist for a fistbump. "I really appreciate you coming. I know this isn't your deal, but you could really make a difference."

Felix arrived with Phantom and is checking the gear in his bandolier. He nods to others as they arrive and enter Pnantom's 'zone'.

Once Hotfoot appears within a few meters, Phantom and others around him appear to her.

Bran blinks as people appear. "Umm...hi." He looks around cautiously, but relaxes after a few moments.

It's a clear evening, with visible stars despite the streetlights, refreshingly cool, and pleasantly cool after the hot day. With many plants not working through the night, the industrial park feels relatively deserted.

Phantom tilts his head slightly as he hears a ghostly voice in his ear that's become familiar. He smiles and seems to talk to himself. "Glad you're watching your back. I need a favor from you if you're willing. We need you and your watcher's eyes on Evergreen Chemical over there," he points to the building's direction, though it's just obscured from their location.

Phantom waves to Reactor and Hotfoot as they arrive. "Don't think I know you guys, but thanks for answering the call."

Ghost nods, not that it can be seen. "On it." the voice whispers to Phantom. The astral bunny stays with Phantom. Ghost walks into the plant through the wall and starts searching for activity.

Reactor has only met a few of the people assembled and so waits to find out what he should be doing. So for now hovers about 2m above the ground, as he spots hotfoot he gives the woman a nod.

Phantom nods and says to the astral bunny, "We're looking for rats. They're hyperintelligent and trying to steal stuff." It may still seem like he's talking to himself. He's a strange fellow.

Phantom waits a bit and checks the time, finally talking to the rest. "I think that's all of us that're going to show, and I don't think most of you know what's going on. Some hypersmart labrat experiments robbed a lab at the university recently. It's major Animal Farm stuff. They're led by a dictator rat with strong mental powers. There's lots of them, armed with lasers and armor. Strong enough to take down a hero if you get hit enough. They stole some equipment and mutagenic...goo stuff last time and most got away. I think they're here to hit up Evergreen Chemicals."

Phantom speaks a bit like he has some military background, even standing at ease for a bit. Once he realizes his stance, he quickly adjusts to something more casual.

Hotfoot frowns a bit while Phantom speaks, but relaxes when he does.

Reactor listens to the speaker and chuckles a bit, rats with laswers and armor, hmmm this should prove interesting at least. Reactor shield changes color frequencies as he alters it's strength.

Bran furrows his brow, "Umm...I could likely hit a bunch of rats at once. But...my powers aren't terribly particular. I'll probably hit a few of you, unless I'm far enough away."

Phantom rubs his chin at that. "So you got to be kind of in the thick of them to make the most of it?"

The invisible bunny speaks quietly, "A ship's bilges full of rats in the chemical plant. Lots of rats in the manufacturing area. A dozen with energy rifles on lookout. There's a vat filled with purple goo. Unarmed rats are lined up to take turns bathing in it. A rat with a swollen head is standing on a platform above, giving a lecture about how this is a New Beginning for ratkind. Standard dictator/tyrant rant.

Bran nods. "Yeah, probably in the middle of them?"

Phantom stiffens as he listens to the invisible bunny spirit. "Shick...the rats are already here. But these places just closed." He turns her head towards the sound of the bunny's voice. "I really wish Starguard sent some heavy hitters. Is there any way we can get in past their lookouts? I think I can shield us from them for now...but I don't know about their boss." He looks to the others. "I guess my intel was a bit off. The rats are currently at the chemical plant with about a dozen lockouts with energy rifles. The other rats are bathing in some sort of purple goo where their boss, the rat with a big swolen head, is lecturing them about the new beginning for ratkind."

Phantom then looks to Bran and nods. "Okay...maybe we can get you in the middle of them safely. I'll risk the hit and keep you covered, bro."

Hotfoot says, "I can get you there."

The voice continues, "The goo is mutating the rats. Might be controlled or random. Haven't seen enough to tell as yet." Then unless something significanrt happens the voice starts a rolling commentary of the internal loyaout of the plant and location of the armed rats.

Reactor "I can easily assist with those laser packing rats, Depending on the energy output of the lasers my sheilding should be more than able to handle what they discharge. While you all deal with the lead rat and possibly the disposal of the Goo. ?"

Phantom adds, "If you all stay within...hmm...about four meters of me, I can hide you from most senses. But the boss is a mentalist, so he might see through it. And if you attack, I can't cloak you from their perceptions."

Phantom tilts his head. "Mutating them how? Giving them powers, making them bigger?" he asks the air.

Reactor gives Phantom a brief nod. "Well it does seem you'll need a distraction to deal with this right?" as he looks to those assembled. "what better distraction then me.. Hell I'm a glowing-flying, energy projector. I'm sure I'll do great at keeping their attention so that you all can slip in unnoticed. "

The voice replies after a moment, "Giving some powers. I can see a speedy rat running a high speed. Some don't make it. There's distorted bodies here. But the success rate seems over 50%. I'm looking for a way in but no luck so far other than the doors or make your own entryway."

Phantom looks uneasy. "It seems like now some of the rats are getting meta abilities, so we got to move quick." He nods to Reactor. "Okay, you run distraction if you think you can take the hits. You," he looks to Hotfoot. "Um. Maybe we should at least know our names. I'm Phantom. You said you can get us in there fast? Can you get us close to the most rats? I can keep us cloaked, but as soon as we start fighting, I'll have to drop it. If we can blind their boss, he may not be able to take control of any of us."

Felix murmurs without looking up from checking a set of tools he took out of his bandolier. "Perhaps if the lookouts are outside the building, we can move closer and Bran can incapitate them? Then you can recloak us all while I work on bypassing security and getting the door open?" He gestures vaguely towards Reactor. "Keeping you in reserve might be a better idea."

The voice says, "I can give you a few moments of distaction. What's the worse that can happen. They kill me?"

Phantom chuckles at the voice. "Hopefully they can't do that. Are you...able to affect the physical world at all? Maybe you can open a door for us discretely."

Hotfoot says, "I'm Hotfoot. I can get one person in fast - too fast to be spotted by most."

Phantom says, "Fast enough to get us through a locked door or find an access point?"

All those years playing Call of Honor are totally coloring Phantom's strategy. Only he has to remind himself people won't respawn.

"Big Head is inside the building being Mussolini Mouse. He cannot detect you trhouigh the walls, Phantom. And if so, all this is for nothing in any case. Can we please just move before he makes more metarats?" snaps Felix.

Hotfoot says, "I can't walk through walls if that's what you mean. I just run real fast."

Ghost pushes against the dimensional barrier and forces her way through onto the material. Still invisible and desolid. Going to the security office she forms the sembelance of a physcial body, and invisibly flips the power switch to the camera monitor station.

Bran rubs his chin. "I...might be able to sneak in?"

Hotfoot says, "Oh, yeah. I know my way around locks and stuff."

Phantom smiles. "Great. So you can get us through security," he says to Hotfoot.

Reactor "Will Attempt to get to the roof if I can climb higher than any external viewing can pan I should be okay and either find a door, or create one if I must to get inside to start distracting."

Ghost manages to switch off the power to the security station unnoticed by the rat, which was eating some doughnut crumbs presumably left by a previous occupant of the station. It looks about, trying to work out what's gone wrong.

The voice tells Phantom, "External cameras are down. Should have ten to twelve seconds before the security system finishes a reboot."

Phantom straightens up. "Sorry, we gotta go. Now. My inside person just shut down the external cameras and we have 10 to 12 seconds before it reboots."

Bran nods. "Alright...let's go, then."

Upon hearing that security measures were down for even a brief time Reactor bolts hard and fast up and over to get to the rooftop of the building before those security measures are reinstated. Once on the top he crouches down as he looks around for any sighs of roof access to the inside, or weither or not he'l have to blast a hole in the roof to begin the fun.

Felix sticks cloes to Phantom inside the field. He makes certain his goggles and rebreather are settled properly. The gadgeteer then takes out something that looks like a rune inscribed grenade as he actives the shunt field around himself with a though.

Phantom starts to run towards the chemical plant, keeping those who keep up with him shielded from the senses of those outside his field, heading for a safe side door that Ghost had passed along to him with her locations report.

As the group heads toward the building, Hotfoot pulls out her lockpicks in preparation for dealing with the door. "A bit different from boosting hovercycles to joyride..."

Phantom frowns slightly at that detail. "Are...are you a thief? Shick, no time to get into that now..."

Bran heads along with the group, running along. At Phantom's reaction to Hotfoot's comment...he keeps very, very, quiet.

As she's working the lock, Hotfoot says, "I used to run a bit wild, back when I was younger than you, but not any more." The lock clicks.

Hotfoot says, "Ah, there we go."

"Okay. I don't got an issue with that," Phantom says quietly.

Hotfoot says to Bran, "You ready to go in?"

Bran nods. "All set."

Phantom whispers to the bunny, "We're at the door and about to go in, so distraction time opposite where we're coming in."

Having spotted the skylight, Reactor launches up and then with full power to his shielding, blasts his way thru it as he enters the building.

At the sound of the skylight breaking, one of the gooed rats is suddenly wearing what looks rather like a rat-shaped suit of armour!

Ghost needs all her mystical strength for this. She comes more fully onto the material plane, visibly manifesting as a vague ghostly form. Leaning into the main area she summons a Earth Elemental on the far side of the rats to the door where Phantom and the others are about to enter, commanding it in Old Saxon, 

The earth elemental stamps. And clomps, to boot. It seems satisfied in its stampiness. STAMP!

Phantom whispers to Bran and Hotfoot, "Okay, let's go get in the middle of them and give them a headache. You're gonna be seen as soon as we let loose on them. I'll try and deal with the big brain and guard Bran's back."

Hotfoot says, "In that case, I'll start on the guards."

Felix stays by the door and let's the field travel away from him.

Phantom gets ready to run to the center, pointing it out to Bran. "Ready? I'll go at your pace, but I'll lead ahead a bit so I don't hopefully get the full brunt of your powers. I'll try and defend you unless you knock me out," he grins at his friend. He offers to lead the charge.

Bran sighs as what he thought was going to happen...doesn't. Wasn't there some rule about superheroes being decisive? Isn't that part of their job description? He breaks into a run, tyring to get toward the center of the room.

Phantom gets his attention on the Bigbrain as the rats look at his and Bran's direction. Like Goldie sensing him when he was hidden. He gives Bran a thumbs up, then lowers his hand and focuses on the Big Brain without looking its way.

Bighead looks straight at Phantom, but otherwise seems unaffected.

Hotfoot zips in through the door and up to the first guard by the main door, and punches him with a fist wreathed in fire. She then proceeds to the next guard, and the next...(as many as she can reach)

The rats just raise their force fields in time, but are all knocked back agains the wall.

Felix slipped into visibity as the zone around Phantom slipped away from him as he remained by the door. The black and grey clad figure appears to waver slightly as if a heat haze surrounds him. He tosses the rune inscribed crystalline sphere in his hand towards a corner of the room where is strikes and shatters. A light mist engulfs a large area, missing the other heroes, but engulfing Felix and the armed rats near the doorway. It seems the area was carefully chosen to avoid any of the other heroe.

It appears the defenses around the armed rats to the right don

Another rat leaps into the vat of goo!

It appears the defenses around the armed rats to the right don't include no needing to breathe. The soporfice mists makes all of them crack their jaws and seems a bit stunned.

From his perch above, Bighead shouts, "The human oppressors are here to prevent our rise to greatness. But they are too late! Onward, hurry into the vat. Power to ratkind! *EVIL SQUEAKY LAUGH*"

 Phantom says, "Please tell me you got something in that bag of yours that can gum up the vat, Felix."

Hotfoot turns back to the last rat she hit and punches him again.

 Felix says, "I'll try, Phantom. It may be too large to cover it all."

Stooping low, Hotfoot's fist connects with the fallen rat, sending him bouncing along the wall. He finally stops, motionless, near the door the heroes had entered through.

The rat which has been flying at high speed about the room charges the earth elemntal, holding its front paws out ahead of its nose in closed fists.

Fortunately, Superrat still hasn't learned to steer very well. It ends up in the control room with Ghost.

Ghost leans down toward the super-rat. "You nearly tagged it. Try again." she encourages the rat. Then to the Earth Elemental, in Old Saxon, "Make it easier. Stay still if the same rat tries again. And brace against being knocked back."

Reactor having taken notice that Phantoms attack didn't do what he was expecting it to, Reactor looks to the newly armored rat and says "Be with you in just a moment. " as he turns to the Big Brain and fires off his energy blast at the massive rat.

Phantom looks up to Bighead, since he looked back to him. "We're not here to oppress you! We're here to liberate you from him!" he says, flinging a finger towards Bighead.

Reactor blasts Bigbrain and the overhead lamp he's standing on, sending them both down - into the vat of goo.

"SQUEEEAKgurgl-"

Ghost by habit lifts her right hand to aim the barrel of her astrally formed spetspod weapon at Bigbrain. Just before firing she pauses, "New world. New rules," she mutters. She delays a faction of a second to cycle the weapon and load in a different and less deadly dart. Then waits for the bigheaded rat to bob to the surface and fires.

Phantom looks stricken for a moment as Bighead falls into the goo. His other vision may have been a self-fulfilling prophect. "Oh... . Is this how it happens...?"

 Phantom says, "Shick. Felix...I think we just made one of my visions happen..."

 Felix says, "Understood, Phantom, life the shick sometimes. Knock him out and get him out of the goo!"

The back of hand mounted weapon makes a 'chuff' sound as a tiny violet spark of light zips from it to strike the bidheaded rat.

A battered but still coherent Bighead impacts the far wall.

 Phantom says, "He's really resistant to my abilities. But this wasn't all of it. I saw a future where the whole world was in Bighead's paws..."

 Felix says, "Maybe it was a globe, Phantom, not the world. And there's no such thing as destiny, so, focus on the combat."

Bran had warned people about what he could do...what he WOULD do. So he does it. He grimaces as he concentrates...and he unleashes his mental powers in all directions, hitting everything within 16 meters of himself. The wave of power is only visible to those with mental awareness, though.

Phantom winces as he's struck by the wave. He knew it was coming. And now that he's sensed it for himself, he can see the radiation waves and how it thins out so he can get himself a little further while still being able to guard Bran. His mental training protects him from some of it.

The black and grey clad Felix feels the effect of Bran's power wash over him, but given the distance from the mental 'explosion' coupled with his genetics given superiority, he just nots it and continues with his actions.

Hotfoot feels like she's been hit with a big pillow.

The rats within aout 8m all look stunned.

Bighead, soaked in the purple goo, levitates from where he fell. His cranium throbs a glowing purple and visibly expands as he does so, angrily eyeing the heroes. And then he squeak-laugh. "YES! The power is mine! I feel my mental faculties increasing tenfold - a hundredfold..."

A gooed rat who hitherto has done nothing lets out a squeak in the wake of Bran's attack. Or rather a SQUEAK!

Phantom senses the sonic rat tying to squeak at Bran. He quickly reaches out with his mind to confound the rat and put his aim off from hitting Bran.

The rat looks bewildered by the piercing noise that just emerged from its mouth.

Another rat runs toward Hotfoot, opening its mouth wide as it goes. With each step its legs grow longer - as do the teeth in the now-gaping mouth....

The growing jaws only just miss their mark!

Felix watches all the action with a detached, calculatiing manner that's undone by a heartfelt sigh at the end. But instead of changing targets and rushing forward into the fray, he tosses another Lethe's Kiss sphere at the still conscious armed rats to the right of the doorway.

Felix shouts. "Get out of there Hotfoot! Run towards Phantom!

The two still-conscious rats that Hotfoot attacked fire on her.

The guard rat by the guardroom fires at Ghost.

The remaining 5 rats with rifles fire on Bran - given he hurt them all!

Ghost was concentrating on Bigbrain and off guard whern one of the baster rifle rats shoots at her, and hits. Her ghodtly form is stretched out and partially torn before slowly starting to reform.

Phantom tries to keep up with all the people firing on Bran, managing to mentally nudge three of them to miss, but he can't keep up with all of them an two get through. "No!"

The armoured rat gesticulates in the direction of Phantom.

Bran is hit..and knocked over...but he seems to be okay, at least for hte time being.

The mist from the second sphere Felix threw makes all the rats to the right of door slump into the arms of Somnus and Morpheus.

The armoured rat gesticulates in the direction of Bran. And osmium ball appears above his head and drops toward it.

Bran is rocked by the attack...and rattled. And with it...another wave of mental energy lashes out in all directions, like the first one that he could control.

Practically every rat within 8m of Bran passes out.

Bran slumps to the ground after his mental energy is unleashed, unconscious.

Phantom grits his teeth from the psychic backlash, looking over at Bran worriedly as he passes out.

As the waves of pain rolls off as he goes uncoinscoius, Felix notes that letting Bran pass it is a tremendously bad idea. A small part of him also wonders if it'd happened if Bran passed out from drinking too much. Hmm, science must know.

The remaining gooed rat turns and looks toward Bighead, nose twitching. <> can be heard in everyone's mind. She dashes for the back door!

"HAH! I HAVE TRANSCENDED BOTH HUMAN AND RAT! I SHALL BE A GOD!" rants Bighead, his throbbing head growing ever larger. Waves of psychic force come off him, causing the air to shimmer."

The last rat to enter the goo of its own accord climbs out.

Hotfoot runs over to the rat by the guardroom and punches him with her Flaming Fist.

Hotfoot runs over to the rat that just crawled out of the goo and punches him with her Flaming Fist.

ElectoRat is smacked across the room.

Superrat, despite Ghost's not very convincing speech, does try to plough into the earth elemental again!

As Hotfoot punches the goo-covered rat, she feels a shock - like she's touched a live wire. It doesn't hurt (much), but her legs give out under her and she falls to the floor.

Another rat-sized hole is punched through the wall.

Phantom steps over to Bran, interposing himself between Bran and the rats. They didn't have a problem shooting him when he was down, so he doesn't expect they'll stop just because Bran's unconscious.

Reactor sighs seeing that the Big Brain is still active, "Guess I'll have to pop that big ol' head of yours now wont I?" as he gets ready for another blast. "I wonder if I do if you'll fly around like a pop'd balloon."

The aim is true - but Bighead's telekinetic shield disperses the energy.

Ghost astral steps, briefly stepping back into the astral and back out 20m closer to Bigbrain. She cycles her weapon twice to load a sleeper dart and fires.

The sleeper dart slips through the swirling barrier of mental energy, but misses its target.

ElectroRat gets to its feet and, crackling, instinctively shoots a lightning bolt at Hotfoot.

Bighead laughs scornfully, if squeakily. "Fools! You are less than flees to me! Here is but a sample of my power....

As the electric rat sends a bolt of electricity toward her, Hotfoot manages to twist just barely enough to avoid injury.

 Ghost instructs the messenger currently on Phantom to switch to Bigbrain via her mind link with it.

Squeak turns her attentions to Hotfoot, since Bran is down. She tries squeaking deafeningly again!

But clearly she needs practice aiming!

Reactor isn't expecting a mental attack directed solely at him as his attacks so far have been thus uneffective, but as the mental blast hits him it not only stuns him but renders him unconcious as he crash's down (into the Goo?) -- who knows

Not the goo. Skylight wasn't directly overhead, as I said.

Phantom is surprised by the power behind Bigbrain's blast.

Shifty rat keep tries to bite Hotfoot, since it lacks a closer target too!

 Phantom says, "I don't think any of us can withstand that."

Felix moves forward as he throws his last remaining Lethe's Kiss sphere towards the armed rats to the left of the door this time. The sphere shatters with a crystalline crack, flooding the area with a light mist. He also shouts, "Probably a TK barrier, phase, teepee or hit it hard!"

The mist smells so good, so relaxing that the armed rats breathe it in deep. And then drop off to dream whatever dreams rats dream.