Log:Assault on Prometheus Labs

Eclipsed 2014/12/08 Alistair Ebon Star Forge Lightray Matt Paragon Porter Seraph Showdown Snow Toby

6

Those who are 'in the know', would know that there is apparently supposed to be a move against Prometheus Labs in the next few hours, if Spartan is to be taken at his word. Things get started... as they are wont to do, with a sudden spurt of violence. The prep work was done over the course of hours if not days, and right on the dot... as if it was timed flawlessly... which it was... seven vehicles experience what happens when C4 meets just the right amount of electrical charge.

Three employee sedans, three security patrol vehicles, and one delivery truck all go up in balls of flame as the explosive attached to their fuel tanks erupt into violence. It is utter chaos, with the vehicles spread out as they are, over the grounds of the Prometheus Labs campus. There -are- several outlying buildings, but one -main- lab building which was... untouched by the explosions. Not that the people seem to notice or even care about that. Panic has just been started.

Police vehicles that were kept out of the grounds because.. nobody could really give them exact details of what was going to happen, but told them that things -were- going to happen, respond immediately. Officers charge in to assist. There are wounded personnel at various places, and it is their job to help. The explosions cut off routes that would be used to evacuate employees, and so they fall back to their fallback plans. Staff members are routed and officers begin assisting people..... this is the scene unfolding as our heroes come onto the scene, some there cooperating with the officers and others.... well others couldn't have missed the explosions and frenetic activity...

Having been in the area, the green and gold blur that is Showdown charges towards it, trailing a larger green and gold coloring as he zips from half-way across the city in near an instant. Apparently he had time tonight after having been absent for a long while. The cowboy armored hero slows down as the glow fades and green sparks skid from his feet as he twists to spin in the air, taking in the area as he looks around.

Rising up to his feet, still standing in the air, he looks around as he tries to get an idea of the situation. All he saw was the explosions, after all. Raising a hand, he makes a whip made of what seems to be lightning before swinging it and beginning to move the burning cars away from others. No point in letting the exploding cars set more cars off, after all!

Paragon's eyes shrink slightly as explosions shake the scene and the police go into action. "...and that's the queue that Spartan was being honest. Trust the officers to do their job. Make sure to keep Event Horizon's crew off their backs if they focus on the police." She looks to Porter. "Event Horizon probably has the triggers to all those bombs, and any others he's set up," she says in her hard, metallic voice. "Just like with the hostage incident downtown maybe? This time we focus on taking Event Horizon down, Partner." She turns her head towards the untouched main facility to regard it. "...I was told there may be other metas detained by Prometheus Labs for their experiments. My guess is that's why the main building is untouched. Event Horizon wouldn't want to harm them if they could be recruited."

Porter knew something was going to happen. Well, he was told something would happen, and when. Other than that... Ok, something always happens around him. He's here with Paragon because of the possibility Spartan wasn't lying. And they have a bit of an ongoing grudge with EH. And aren't too fond of Prometheus, either. But that doesn't mean innocent people should be hurt.

When the booms go boom, he startles and ducks out of reflex. Then straightens up to look around at the burning vehicles. "Well, I guess we didn't wait around for nothing after all..." Next he looks to Para as the cops come running in. "Right. Because he's a bigoted madman... And yeah, we need to get him this time. Not let him use his goons to get away."

Even before Paragon let him in on the potential for an assault by Event Horizon & Co., Malcolm Gibbs had been wanting to keep an eye on Prometheus Labs. The results of their work with Toby and Toby's myriad concerned - those voiced to him, at the very least - have long since secured a special place in Malcolm's after-hours rounds of Colonial Bay. Paragon's ominous debriefing and request for aid is simply the icing on the cake, the thing that gives him authority to act in a fashion he would not ordinarily consider.

As explosions rock the Labs' campus, Malcolm swivels this way and that inside of his "hunter's blind". Which is to say, Malcolm pivots slightly on the small wooden platform he's placed in one of the trees on campus to observe the spectacular detonations. He flicks his headset on, eyes glittering behind the holographic display that manifests over his eyes. Quickly he sends Alistair a text to drop in on the campus as he prepares himself. Steel springs start to emerge from under his flesh, causing ripples in his jeans as he waits for It. There's always an It in a situation like this.

Paragon nods once in the affirmative to Porter and signals him with a tap on her left temple with a soft tinny ringing sound of plated gauntlet on metal.

Somewhere else in the city, Alistair's phone pings. He fishes it out of his pocket and looks at it. Awesome, so that sound was explosions. Sweet. Well not sweet, people could be hurt or dying. Alistair vanishes from where he had been standing, and within a couple of jumps, winds up right outside of the campus.

He rapidly scans for Malcolm, since he's the one who told Alistair to get out here, but if he doesn't catch sight of him, he'll soon jump into harm's way to try to save anyone who looks like they're going to need help

Porter nods to Para and hits a button on his N.I.C.E.P.L.O.T. Device, more officially known as "The Whatchadoohickagizmo." It's not easy to not get distracted by burning things and/or people running about, but he then looks for where things aren't burning. Or running. Or exploding. Since he figures that's where EH and crew will show up. Like maybe the big untouched building.

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << Ok. I'm here, Partner. Think he's going to show up out here? Or try and sneak into one of the buildings. He did steal that teleporter gizmo... >>

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << "If he isn't out here making an example of them with the explosions, then I'm guessing his inside. He's been quiet when infiltrating. It's his exits where he makes a scene," she analyzes as she thinks back on past encounters with Event Horizon. She thinks quietly as she looks at the main building, thinking of how she got dropped fifteen stories under a truck, "...at least it's not too high up..." >>

Moving rather more slowly than the rest of the assembled heroes the robed figure of Dark Star floats leisurely toward the scene, climbing gradually to get a better view of the scene below. A cloud of small opalescent boads of magical force form a slowly rotating stellated aura around her, coalescing and splitting unhurriedly as they ripple and shimmer.

With helpers charging in, selflessly trying to help get to wounded victims, mostly security staff... things progress. Those watching for patterns, for specific things... may notice details. (They will be paged). But... as if planned... when police are reaching into twisted wreckage, or pulling warped doors from vehicles... or if they are staff members being redirected to alternate evacuation routes...

That is when the fragmentation explosives buried -just- beneath the surface of the grass go off. No warning (except for Porter who has a very bad feeling about the situation... and can and likely -does- stop a few of the people within the reach of his voice.

Either way, it is a truly sadistic that it is arranged to wipe out the wave of first responders, and evacuees all at once. It is quite lethal and far less.. cinematic. This was larger amounts of explosive compound with ball bearings, and several small sharp items contained and prepped for angled discharge. It was arranged by an expert.

Porter looks at the sky, the untouched building, then back around at the CBPD and probably paramedics rushing in to help escort people out. Most are probably the kinds EH doesn't like. And they're all drawn to the burning cars, or funneled one way... He blinks. "Wait! There might be-" He never gets to finish the thought when more explosions happen.

Porter's eyes squint shut, then widen. Too little, too late is far too often the norm for him. But his last-second yell did slow a few people rushing in nearby. Even if it was just to look his way to wonder what he said. So a scant handful out of ... he doesn't want to think about how many... are spared the full meat grinder. This doesn't make him really feel any better. "Damnit!"

Toby decided to fly above the labs, circling it quickly, creating what seems to almost be a circle of pink light above the facility.

When trouble first strikes, Toby zooms down, leaving a trail of pink in his wake. Immediately, he gets to work trying to help the people, using his telekinesis how he can, and hoping nothing bad happens...

And then the explosions hit. While Toby himself is unharmed (if a bit stricken), his heart sinks. He mutters to himself, and just sort of floats there, searching for something he can do to help the situation.

...But he gets the feeling that there may be a third of fourth bomb here. Or, who knows what else.

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << Holy shit! He did that on purpose! >>

Dark Star is at altitude to one side as she approaches and has a clear view of the flood of responders rushing to the scene and then in quick succession the second wave of detonations rips through the tightly clustered knots of people. The orange glow of the explosions illuminates nightmarish scenes of destruction and suffering overlain by the sudden flare, distortion, and destruction of dozens of minds. The torn and damaged bodies interspersed with equally maimed spirits. The mind-mage's progress falters and she hovers horror-struck overhead.

"No!" Paragon shouts in horror. She never expected Event Horizon would sink this low. She looks to the nearest police coordinator. "Get your men back. We'll try to get to the others." She leaps for the nearest victims, preparing to do triage.

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << "He...he just....why would anyone do this?!" Paragon is beyond horrified. And grief stricken at not having been able to consider anything so horrible in order to prevent it. >>

A sudden loud boom is followed by a smoking missile of a body going upwards. It actually takes Showdown a good couple of feet before he flips in the air, skidding on the green sparks as a small pulse of green appears. His armor is scorched and he shakes his head. It's only then that he realizes what is going on. He drops to his knees in the air as the green platform he is using to fly manifests. "No... the EMTs... the police..."

He starts to sink downwards slowly, the platform trailing green sparks as he looks at the entire thing. Raising a hand, he freezes. Then it clicks. Something odd. He knows he needs to save lives, but he saw... turning, he darts for the main building at full speed, his armor bulking up as he switches his powers, magenta joining the green and gold as an exoskeleton. He reaches to open a door to see if his guess is right. "Someone set those bombs." He says to himself. "And I get the feeling those guards might know who."

First responders. They're his people. After all, he's a doctor in real life. He only plays a superhero on television. Or something like that. When the first detonation went off, the mild mannered psychiatrist Alan DeLucca found somewhere else to be. It's easy when everyone is going to look at the smoke. The Six Winged Seraph was arcing through the sky when the second detonation occurred. Now, soaring in on glowing gold wings, the hero scans the wounded for the most dire. He bellows out into the air, "Villains! Knaves! Is there no depth to which thou shalt not fathom!? There shall be wrath! Rectification!" He lands beside a grievously injured policeman. "Be still." His words are calm and reassuring. "I will heal you, my brother."

Porter thought it was a little odd that some of the guards he yelled at to get back ducked inside when they were probably too far away t hear him. When Showdown calls out and starts heading in for the building, Porter starts running that way, too. "Yeah! We know who the !@$!@#$ is, to!" He waves Para over and points, even if it's probably not necessary.

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << Wait! Some of those guards ducked, I think. Like they knew it was coming. And they're in the building! C'mon! >>

Toby takes note of the security guards. And last he checked, PL didn't know about the bombs, nor did they have some sort of mind-link-type things.

Toby glows brighter, moving slightly towards one of the guards, and then, /whoosh/, a ray of light runs from Toby over to one of the guards who retreated. "Ok. You're going to tell me how you knew what was about to happen." Toby dictates to the guard, frowning. There's no joy in Toby's voice, just anger, and an eerie calm.

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << But...but these people... >>

It doesn't click at all for Malcolm until the second wave of explosions go off. The tall man's face curls into a riot of mixed and mingling emotions: anger, grief, anguish, shame, guilt, fury, and the list goes on.

Malcolm clenches his hands into fists, his jaw sets tightly, and his muscles tense sufficiently that the springs in/on his legs creak ominously. Liquid metal drips from the corners of Malcolm's eyes, beads of it start to spread across his furrowed brow, and drizzle from the base of his skull down his back. The flow starts small, but quickly spreads to encompass Malcolm's full body.

Forge erupts out of the tree on a roughly ballistic arc toward the central building with a metallic report as he strains his spring legs to their limit. En route, Forge auto-dials Alistair so he can suggest the half-demon assist with retrieving the fallen. His eyes, however, are locked on the retreating form of his target - a pair of security guards running back into the building - and Forge looks notably unhappy for a man of metal.

Paragon is conflicted at first as she observes the devastation. Her priority is always lives, but...as she looks at the injuries, they may be well beyond her limited first aid skills. She sees Porter's wave and hears his warning in her head. There are more people inside at risk, too. Looking down at the person she came to; a person already gone. Her eyes tear up behind her helm. "I'm...sorry..." she forces out, then turns and leaps to pursue Porter and the guards he points out to her.

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << She becomes resolved. "I'm with you, Partner." >>

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << I know, Sweetie. It sucks. Worse than sucks. But we gotta catch the bastard for him to answer for it! >>

Overhead the cloud of droplets around Dark Star abruptly spasms, some of the stellations abruptly growing and twisting and then flickering back to normalcy for only an instant before there is a second flare and the cloud disappears completely at which point the mentalist flies gracefully downward in much the same way that bricks do, quickly, in a straight line, and to thump solidly against the pavement beneath.

Alistair had just been heading inside to try to save folks when the bombs went off. The half-demon gets nailed by shrapnel but his skin is too thick for the ball bearings to do anything but shred his hoodie and knock him on his ass.

It takes him a couple of moments to figure himself out, but as soon as he does he looks around, seeing what's happened...He vanishes again and appears next to someone who's hurt, scooping them up and teleporting them away to one of the ambulances that's nearby...They're going to need more ambulances

Falling objects tend to catch Porter's notice. They're usually him. Or going to land on him. So when it's Ebon Start, he blinks. And frowns. Great. One more thing for her to yell at him about. "Ebon!" And he thinks he knows why. Which isn't his fault!

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << Damnit again! Ebon just fell out of the sky? Can you get to her quick? Or is anyone else there? The explosions... she could be having a seizure! >>

The guards withdraw... well, those eight guards noted... and as the heroes charge in, they are met with a new experience. Before each door... something happens. Really, it's that generic, mostly because there are four separate things happening.

Door #1) With Showdown and Toby angling towards it... is where a lightning bolt streaks down from the sky... and as it ends, it reveals a very muscular looking man. He points at the approaching heroes and seems to be grinning as his pointing finger turns and the hand twists so he's giving the 'come get some' summoning with his finger.

Door #2) Where Malcolm is heading... There, all that can be seen is some motion behind the glass doors... doors with blinds drawn to make it opaque, not so transparent. I know, not as interesting as musclebound lightning lad.

Door #3: Paragon is faced with a rush of air, as Slipstream swoops down out of the sky and forms into a solid body there before -her- door, rolling his neck. "You don't want in here, trust me." he says to the approaching Paragon.

Door #4: I forget who is heading there. But another something something happens behind an opaque door thingamagoober.

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << "Seizure? Is that something Cerebellum can do? I can try to see if I can help," but she doesn't sound so mentally sure that she'd know what to do. "I'll try--" and then Slipstream shows up to face her. >>

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << She has epilepsy. Flashy lights. Muscles twitch. Triple damn. Never mind. Deal with AirHead. I'll figure something out! >>

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << On it. Be careful, Partner. >>

Toby seems uninterested in the man at the door-he's obviously there to stop them from entering. And that just makes Toby want to get inside even /more/. So, he has a simple plan: The walls aren't /that/ tough, are they?

Thus, Toby charges up a bolt of pink, and throws it at the nearby wall, trying to break it apart!

Paragon stops as Slipstream shows up, trying to control her personal emotions down and embrace a mechanical calm. "I really do. And I want your boss. I'll give you this one chance to surrender now. If you don't surrender, I'm going through you," she points to him calmly and politely, "And then I'm going through that door, and anything else that stands between me and Event Horizon."

With one officer stabilized, Seraph straightens with wings unfurled to watch the hero Ebon Star plummet from the sky. Epithets about dark stars can wait for now. A single swoosh of the powerful sextet brings him next to the downed heroine and he quickly lays her back, blasting any nearby detritus away from her thrashing form with a dismissive gesture of his will. "Fiends to be striking at her thus. They have no honor. Peace to you Ebon Star. This too shall pass."

Having been reunited with mother earth via a rather solid thump Ebon Star's robed form convulses and thrashes in a series of clearly involuntary but extremely powerful paroxysms, legs and arms flailing blindly as her back arches.

Grinning a bit, Showdown does the smart thing. Especially as he knows that if he goes in there... he's just liable to shoot first, ask later. So, he does the smart thing. Charge at Mr. Electric Hulk. Cocking back a fist as he twists in the air, curls his legs, then takes off in a blast of green, the armored cowboy brings a magenta covered fist back, then flips and drops to ground level before another green platform appears at an angle, allowing him to bounce off it towards the electric covered man.

"Out of the way!" He says towards the man, attempting to shoulder tackle him backwards into the door with what force he can muster. Even then, he's at least going to hit something even if he does miss. "If you're the one that set those bombs, I'm making sure you pay for it!" The armored cowboy declares. Showdown sounds more than a little angry as he attempts to just beat the daylights out of the man currently in his way.

Paragon tenses the muscles in her body, her armored plates shifting and pulling inwards in kind as she waits for Slipstream's answer. She takes a deep breath and holds it.

Forge hits the pavement some distance from the doors to the building still. His fists ball for a moment as his legs compress to absorb the impact momentum; his legs release their tension with a *SPROING*, propelling the metal man toward the doors at speed, long before his fists unfurl.

"This is Malcolm Gibbs of Star Guard. /I/ am going to give you /ONE/ chance to surrender peacefully. Do not squander your chance."

Give him a moment. Forge will be there to stamp blinds-concealed tickets very soon. Very soon indeed.

The heck with waiting for an answer, or someone taking a swing at Paragon. Porter isn't as fast, but he's still inbound. He also doesn't have to be right there for the Improbability Index to divide by zero. See, there was actually another car bomb. That should have detonated, but fizzled. Thats what you get with bulk discount on C4. It now slow-burns, which is still a detonating. Just... instead of ripping things to shreds, it just launches the vehicle upwards in a high arc. It hits apogee, then descends. Towards Slipstream. He's about to get SUV'd.

"You care about those norms! That's so cute!" says Thunder. Yeah, that's the only word he uses to refer to himself. As he speaks and cocks his own fist back... thunder rumbles.. maybe the sound of thunder near him, or overhead, it's hard to tell. But it's obvious that his plan is to meet force with force. Toby is.. well... ignored for now. He's the reason they are all here after all. But Thunder has no way with words. He does his communicating with gigawatts and fists!

Slipstream just laughs, "Once you are inside... remember, you -wanted- to be in there. Don't let -me- stop you. I was just told to give you the chance to stay out. After you..." he says as he gestures towards the door like a matador, dissolving into wispy streamers of air. However, at the last moment, his eyes look upwards and he says, "I think your friend has it in for you. He threw a car at you." and then he's desolid...

The door Forge charges towards just kinda sits there. It must be too intimidated to talk or even to surrender. Nobody indicates from behind it that anyone wants to speak to Forge...

Meanwhile, Seraph is being a hero too, saving another poor epilepsy laden heroine. Ebon Star is in the grips of a Gran Mal, and she is restrained, and her airways cleared while making sure that she doesn't injure herself, bite her tongue off, or any number of other terrifyingly dangerous things superheroes deal with.

Ebon Star continues thrashing and so on but is probably less in need of direct medical aid than dozens of bomb victims or indeed Paragon who just got hit by a car...

Paragon's eyes blink off and on at Slipstream's comment. One glowing round eye shrinks smaller than the other as she cocks a brow. It takes her a moment to look to see what Slipstream is talking about, but she's too slow. The SUV lands on Paragon and slams her into the door that Slipstream was warning her about. Caught off balance, she sprawls on the ground with the SUV on top of her.

Maybe it was Porter's turn to sneeze while trying something. Or that pigeon threw it off course. Or the gravitational constant of the universe decided it was tired of being constant. His panting smirk turns into a gasp as- "No no no. Damnit!"

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << While she is clearly surprised, Para senses Porter's worry and reassures quickly, "I'm fine. Just got caught off balance. I really wasn't expecting that..." >>

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << "Are you Ok?! I'm sorry! I-" He finally gets the incoming. "Ok. Yeah, not meant for you. If Airhead's going to stay air, doesn't that mean we can walk right through him? Literally? >>

And, Paragon is SUV'ed through the doors. They open to allow her and the front end of the SUV that was blown her way. As it hits, the radio kicks on... a bass beat hitting: Boom Boom Boom.. Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom... Another one bites the dust!

And about the same moment, Showdown slams into Thunder. The impacts rattles teeth for quite a distance. The windows shudder, but don't break. Lightning strikes and Thunder rolls... a flash of light goes off when the punch lands. Afterwards, Thunder shakes his head, stumbling and going to one knee. "That's a heck of a punch y'got there." he mutters, almost as if impressed. But.. he appears stunned himself.

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << "Yeah, we should be able to just go through. He didn't say he was going to stop us going on. Just that we wouldn't want to. If Event Horizon is willing to hurt innocent first responders...what are we going to find inside with the people he's actually after...?" There's a note of dread in her thoughts. >>

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << Don't know. But we'll find out together.... You can get that car off you, right? >>

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << Not a problem. Come over here and--what the...? >>

Alistair isn't yet aware of the arrival of the villains who caused this whole thing. Plus there's still people who're hurt. Teleporting them to the ambulances doesn't seem to be working fast enough, so instead he teleports them directly to the closest hospital. He can manage maybe two at a time, though he's trying to prioritize people who need the most help, he has no medical knowledge and is just kinda trying to figure it out as he goes.

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << "What? What is it?" His Worriometer just lowered a hair and now it spikes again. >>

Appearing stunned after the impact, Showdown shakes his head, his poncho has actually flown off from the impact and the hat's skewed a bit. The green and gold armored figure's magenta armor glows brightly from the impact as he looks up at Thunder. "Could say the same about yourself... why are you doing this? Why kill people who were just trying to HELP others?" He says in response.

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << "Music..." Paragon responds, dumbfounded. "Another one bites the dust? It just started playing." >>

Toby's blast strikes the wall and there is some cracking. However, it's evident that these walls aren't -normal- outdoor building walls. They are fairly reinforced....

Forge slams into the ground outside of the door, bouncing to and fro on his springy legs for a few seconds before he straightens out, the springs coiled about his legs melting back into his metal flesh. The metal man quirks an eyebrow at the abject silence and stillness from within the door. He reaches out with one hand to try the door, his other hand reaches up to his headset, auto-dialing Alistair.

"Yello? I saw you moving in there a moment ago."

The door opens easily. It's not locked. Inside, as the door opens, -four- of those guards are holding what appear to be some sorta future-tech energy pulse carbine. "Hey there. We gave at the office!" all four say as one. Then... they fire as one.

Forge opens the door to find himself facing four guys with some kind of energy carbine. There is even cocky banter thrown his way. He jukes behind the door as energy blasts sizzle and crackle through the air around him. One shot nails him dead in the leg, kicking his leg backward just long enough to throw him off balance for a second shot to nail him in the abdomen before he swings around behind the door.

Looking down, Forge quickly assesses the smoking, blackened metal covering his body. He's had worse, he decides, but by the Olympian gods that STINGS like the dickens! Just look at all of that slag he splattered all over the ground twisting out of the way!

With other heros occupied with conflict, Seraph obeys his primary calling. The Hippocratic Oath demands that he see the injured treated and so he places both palms to the side of Ebon Star's head and bows his own. The glow emanating from the angelic hero intensifies as he focuses his energies upon the convulsing heroine.

The intensely focussed incandescence around Seraph's hand seems to slow Ebon Star's thrashing, after a secondary tremor the convulsions seem to stop entirely and the diminutive figure slowly sits upright, one hand rising to her cowled and almost visibly throbbing head."Uggggh"

Paragon rises up to her feet awkwardly, the SUV position making it impossible to kipup. With an effortless push, she shoves the SUV back out of the doorway to allow others entry, then heads towards the open office area with her eyes narrowed in determination. The music is a poor choice.

"I assume that I do not need to tell you who this is..." says a voice coming over the building's PA system. Those who have spoken to him, heard him speak, or watched video of him recognize it as Event Horizon's voice. "I had hoped that the only harm here tonight would come to those who assist this place in its endeavors to mutilate, to experiment upon, to use and abuse their superiors... word has reached me of the manipulations of metahumans that they have inflicted upon a local. Word has reached me that he is out there. To that victim... I say that we should not be enemies. You should be thanking me. I am here on your behalf. My intent is to bring this entire place down. And to punish these... lesser beings for their impertinence. I have the actual research team that -did- the manipulations here with me. So by all means, come charging through the place like you always do... and let yourself wonder where in the building I am... "

Swirling after Paragon, Slipstream streams past her and coalesces before her. "Seriously. You're not wanting to be in here. This place is about to become ground zero... and the boss doesn't want any Metahumans caught in that." He grins a bit... almost plaintively, and adds. "So please... just leave so I don't have to futi... fut... " he shakes his head, "So I don't have to fail to make you leave." Yep, half move, half hold.

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << It sounds like this whole building is rigged to blow! >>

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << "Damnit!" At this rate, it'll replace 'Sorry' soon. "Then we need to find him now! And the scientists! Do you know where anything is in there?" >>

Paragon's eyes narrow down into lines. "And leave the researchers and others to die? I don't care what they did; they don't deserve to die. It's up to the justice system to decide their punishment for whatever criminal acts they've done. You should know we won't just back down." She thinks for a moment, and her eyes dim to a less harsh light. "If your leader truly doesn't want any metahumans hurt, and you don't want to fail, please. Tell me how to stop this and where to go," she tries to make a plea for Slipstream's help.

Sighing, Slipstream looks back down the hallway, and then back towards Paragon. "Look." he says. "Seriously. There's a bunch of other metas here who need medical help and care. Boss figured out how to warp space without the belt anymore." he adds, "He's mounting a rescue op for them. We got Legion movin'em through the gate right now. Once they are out... and the research team with'em." He rambles now, adding, "Cuz they need special medical help and until the boss can get some local experts... he needs those experts." He sighs and shrugs, "Once everyone is out, this place is gettin' sucked into a black hole."

"And after those special experts help the metas?" Paragon prompts with a worried tone. "What will Event Horizon do with them then?"

A shrug is given. "Give them a choice. Join their savior or not. Keep in mind, they were all collared with paralyzers that had -kill- switches on'em." Slipstream facepalms and reaches into a pocket to pull out a folded up paralyzer in a plastic baggie, "Here's one of'em. Evidence! Now, please... tell your people to stop this."

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << "I convinced the villain to tell me about Event Horizon's plan," she says as she broadcasts the conversation she just had with Slipstream, so he knows what she knows. >>

It just so happens that as Alistair is coming back from a hospital trip he spots the guys blast his best friend. This angers the half demon, and he starts to blink across the field in order to try to get to Forge. He makes sure to stay out of line of sight of that door, however, so the guys inside won't see him coming. He manages to make it almost there without an issue after the teleport, but doesn't want to risk going too much further.

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << Ok... Great. No, really, that's awesome, Para. But now what do we do? >>

Toby's heart runs cold as he hears this announcement. This wasn't a time to play games. He /needed/ into this building, and damnit, he's getting /into/ this building.

Thus, he stands back, and begins charging, collecting more and more light around his right hand, pointing it towards the wall.

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << I'll try to find out if more innocents are here. But...even if Event Horizon is trying to 'help', he killed all those people there. I...I can't just let him walk away with impunity. But it's going to be dangerous going after him. You don't have to come with me. >>

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << Warn any heroes near you about Event Horizon's plan to destroy this building. >>

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << Right. I will. >>

Brushing one hand over his midsection, Forge smears the molten, scorched biometal into an ugly, pulsing scab as he braces himself against the wall of the building. He grunts as he straightens himself out and twists around to face the door again, keeping an eye out for the goons trying to make a move on him. Since he just realized he aborted this phase to dodge, so he's still dodging, right? Right.

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << I'm not going anywhere else but with you, Partner... >>

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << He gets a warm, encouraging reply. "Thanks, Partner. We've got this." >>

Now that Para was nice enough to re-park the car... that he accidentally dropped on her head... Porter can follow her inside. Before he does, though, he calls out to whoever he recognizes that's closest. "Event Horizon's got a bunch of scientist's inside. Collared with some kind of kill switch thing. He's going to kidnap them and then dump the place in a black hole!"

There now that he's let others know, he can go in and try to do something foolish to stop EH. "Where's he keeping them?" He asks Slipstream. EVen f Porter isn' nearly as charming as Paragon.

Slipstream just stares at Porter, "Are you nuts? He didn't collar the scientists! The collars were on the metas they were -holding- and experimenting on!"

Paragon accepts the collar from Slipstream and tries to explain to Porter, "Prometheus Labs uses these collars to control their test subjects. I've seen them use one on Toby before." She hands the collar to Porter, since he's the one with the pockets. "Hang on to this?" she asks kindly.

She looks to Slipstream and says earnestly, "Thank you for telling me. I want to help rescue the metas, too. Prometheus Labs kidnapped one of my friends. Please...can you tell me where to find Event Horizon? Before it's too late?"

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << Ready for a ride, Partner? Sorry if it won't be the most comfortable, but I'm afraid I'll need the armor. >>

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << Oh. Oops? Yeah, I'm ready to go. Can't keep up with those legs, and I want to stay with you. And keep the armor. Please. >>

"Okay, I told you more than I am supposed to. I'm sure he is watching the feed. But... as much as I want to help, I can't actually -betray- the boss. I owe 'im my life. If you know what is good for you, you'll get on out." says Slipstream, looking to Porter and then back to Paragon. "Spartan, when he was still with us... told us -you-" he looks to Porter, "were the most dangerous meta he'd ever met. So... please walk away." that said... he turns and wisps away like... well, like the wind.

Ebon Star rises groggily and rather inelegantly to her feet. From with the darkened cowl the distorted voice betrays lingering grogginess. "Thank you for that". Her attention rests on the one villain obvious to her and though a little unsteady on her feet she raises a gloved hand in a smearing gesture attempting to obscure her target's senses."

Paragon smiles a bit behind her faceplate. "That's my partner. A hero to be reckoned with." As Slipstream disappears, she turns to Porter and picks him up for a piggy back ride on the Paragon express. "We have to move fast." She looks around and listens for maybe some clues on where to go, and then leaps off with him in tow.

Ebon Star blurs Thunder's senses before lifting her distorted voice in a yell. "Showdown! Ignore the meathead - he's useless. Get inside!!" Then her focus returns to maintaining the illusion she has fashioned.

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Slipstream rolls back in behind Paragon and Porter. . o o O O (Damnit!) he thinks to himself. He gestures and does his level best to be nonlethal... the air about the two of them being drawn away from them....

Air? Who needs air? Oh, right. Porter does. Though he did happen to just take a breath, the partial vacuum... well, sucks. It leaves him dizzy.

Part 2...

When we last left our intrepid heroes, Prometheus Labs had become the site of what amounts to a terrorist tactics sort of assault. Cars detonated to draw in emergency workers and heroes... and then new bombs detonated to sow even more death and chaos among those people. Then... the heroes rushed the place and confronted supporters of Event Horizon, the known metahuman supremacist. Heavy Metal, a massively hewed brick made out of metal held one door, Slipstream held another, and still another was held by the multi-man known as Tag Team. Nobody knows for sure what lies within the place.

However, Slipstream proved... amicable to coercion that didn't involve knuckle sandwiches. Paragon was able to talk her way past him, and was warned that she really should just go away, that this is a useless endeavor... or at least that's what he tried to tell her. She made her way inside and into an elevator shaft where he sighed and tried drawing the very air out of her lungs as well as Porter's. Others had attacked other doors, guarded by other metahumans... but nobody knows for sure what else may be waiting in store for them... *insert dramatic music here*

Lightray arrives late on the scene just in time to be close enough to see the mines taking out the first responders but too far away to save anyone from the explosion. The golden figure pours on the speed to rush to the aid of the injured and dying. In fact, he is probably falling right into what Event Horizon wants: helping the first responders rather than interfering with EH's plans.

The situation is all over the news, Matt gets the short version and takes to the air, flying to where the news reports say everything is going down, Prometheus Labs...

Snow had already been on her way, it just took her a bit longer. The icy hero is encased in her icy armor and sliding through the air on one of her ramps. She arrives on the scene to give what help she can, looking for where she might be need most.

Bastion is not fast. It's something he's definitely going to have to work on and he's figured that out by now since he's been having to ride the maglev to respond to emergency calls which... doesn't get him there in time except to help with clean up. This time the fight's not over, not fully anyways, and Bastion shows up just when people are starting to attack and get into the labs and Bastion is bringing up the rear or that's the plan though the scene is not what he was expecting, all the explosions have left their mark. His jaw tightens as fingers clench into massive fists, the giant of a man just simply stalking towards whichever entrance happens to be closest to the maglev.

Paragon doesn't notice the loss of air as she runs for the elevator shaft with Porter riding piggy back. But she hears Porter gasp for air and casts a glance back at Slipstream as she shoves her hands in the door seams and pulls them open. Those glowing lights in her helm narrow slightly. "You attacking me, I can let slide. But if you pursue and hurt my Partner again, I'm afraid I'll have to do something. She steps out into the shaft and prepares to leap up to the main lab's floor, being that she's visited Prometheus Labs on a few occasions to see Toby when he was being...worked on here.

In utter frustration, Slipstream groans and shakes his head, "I'm -trying- to make you leave, without doing real lasting harm to either of you. Trust me, you -don't- want to be here!" His voice comes across as quite... exasperated.

It had taken some doing but Alistair had made it to door 2. The door was open and he got a good enough view inside of there as he was teleporting up to the wall. Taking a few moments to compose himself and make sure he's got his wits about him before he vanishes again, reappearing inside of the room and hopefully behind the villain.

Throwing his hands in the air, Slipstream just shakes his head. "Seriously, you are so pigheaded!" he calls out to Paragon, flowing upwards and reforming above her in the shaft. "You're going to have to go -through- me if you really insist on charging to your death." he states, armfolding and trying to look stern. But it looks a lot like a VW Bug trying to stare down an oncoming freight train...

Matt floats a little ways away from the entrance being guarded by Heavy Metal and calls down, "Mate, you look like you need a hand, let me give you one.."

Teleporting in through the only door that seemed... unguarded... might be considered both a bold tactical move, or a big mistake. It really depends on who you ask. As Alistair appears inside... he is behind one guy holding a gun on the door and yet... something tickles down his spine. Glancing over his shoulder, he'll see three other men in identical tactical armor with what appears to be energy rifles... one lounging against a wall, one taking a drink from a water fountain, and the third appearing to be playing a game on his cellphone. All three look up and speak simultaneously. "Oh look, it's play time." they say... all four of them, in unison. Creeeeepy.

The steel in Heavy Metal's body doesn't feel -normal-. It's... well, it's metahuman and so it's weird. He narrows his eyes as Matt tells him to walk away, and then laughs. "Seriously... boss is here to level this place. I only take orders from the boss. So... either piss off, or I get to turn you into an ashtray. Also... next time you try to force -me- to do something... I'll make a pudding out of your brain."

"Four on one, huh?" Alistair says as he looks at the three guys leaning against the wall, "That's not really a fair fight. Lets even up the odds, shall we!" Alistair vanishes again, popping up right next to the guy who had been covering the door, the intent being to grab a hold of him and, once he secures him, he'll toss the guy at the other three.

Matt sighs, "So much for the easy way..."

"Hey, what gives?" asks the guarding guy as Al appears before him. "That's a neat ..." And he's grabbed. "..trick." Finishes another one even as the first is hurled and impacts #3. The other two wince and shake their heads. "Yep. I'm the smart one." they both say, and then they glare at one another, "No I am!" They say simultaneously again. Then they both look to Alistair and says as one, "I guess it's time to figure this out the hard way."

Thing 1 and Thing 3 seem entertained by their impromptu trip they took, courtesy of Alistair. "That was fun!" says one. "Let's do it again!" says the other. Now, it's worth noting.. they obviously did take damage from that. They're not unhurt. They're just crazy. All four of them vanish as one, and appear in a circle around Alistair, "We can do that vanishing trick too!" they say... all aiming and firing as one...

Snow hears the blaster fire within and uses her slide to slide right up to the door and look beyond to see where the fire is coming from and take a moment to figure out what to do.

Snow hears the blaster fire within and uses her slide to slide right up to the door and look beyond to see where the fire is coming from. She opens the door and moves just inside and take a moment to figure out what to do.

Two of the goons notice the door opening, since they are roughly facing it... and the other two look as if somehow alerted, and all of them chuckle. In turn, each of them speaks one word. It comes out in the same sounding voice, "It... takes.. two.. to... " and then all four yell, "TANGO!"

Snow took stock of what was inside and then the air around her drops in temperature, some places getting a lot colder than others. "Can you handle the cold?" she calls out.

All four see what's coming, and as one, they say.... at the last moment. "Oh poop." and then blam, they're tumbled over once or twice.... oh, and cold. They hate cold.

One... trips over another and stays down while the other three get up. The three up say, "Oh come on, get up. You're embarrassing us." to the one who didn't stay on his feet.

Lightray briefly looks over at the sounds of combat coming from Prometheus Labs then turns his attention back to the wounded and dying first responders. He makes liberal use of the healing powers of the Sun he commands to stabilize people as he moves them back away from the building. He longs to enter the fray but first things first. The golden figure barks orders in a stentorian voice to the walking wounded and the uninjured to get the others back and stabilized.

Porter hangs on for the ride. The ride being Para. "Keep going!"

Toby manages to evade Heavy Metal and blasted a hole in one of the walls. As such, Heavy Metal kinda dismisses the little guy. After all, he has a new special friend. He starts slow but his feet carry him quite fast in a moment or two. Along the way, he scoops up a half of a blown up car and attempts to use that as a battering ram on Matt by leaping upwards with the car half held before him.

And... the car and brick holding it go sailing under Matt's feet. "Get down here!" yells Heavy Metal indignantly as he crashes to the ground

Bastion looks strangely at Matt and then at Heavy Metal as the car gets grabbed and leapt through the air with but it doesn't seem to do much good. It gives him an idea though. He doesn't announce what he's going to do instead he just closes the distance on Heavy Metal, reaches out a hand to try and grab hold of the other guy... and then throw him as far as he can away from the labs and civilians.

Matt sees Heavy Metal sail below him with a raised eyebrow..."On the way..." he sees a way in.

A soft chuckle escapes Paragon as she nods at Porter's command. She addresses Slipstream. "Pigheaded? You wouldn't be the first friend to tell me that, or the last. I have friends who could probably write a novel's worth of complaints on hos stubborn I can be." One of them happens to be piggy backing on her right now. She converses in amiable tones, which is a strange contrast to the fact that she is coiling her legs and drawing back her right fist. <> she mentally informs Porter, but she still moves her left hand behind her to help hold Porter onto her back. "I'm really sorry about this." And she even sincerely sounds like she is. "I know you're trying to help in a way, but we can't just walk away even though our lives are at risk. I don't want to hurt you, I just want to smash through the door behind you, so I recommend you dodge this."

Beyond the door Paragon struck, there is a hallway. At the end of the hallway, it appears that there is no actual door -there-. In fact, the door she slammed into flew off its hinges and whooshed down the hallway... only to stop dead when it hit a field of energy.... It doesn't hit and fall to the ground... it hits and quite literally crumples away until it can't really be perceived currently.. it's... been crushed... almost like spagettification, or perhaps.. crossing an Event Horizon...

Right about now, Slipstream is probably SO glad he decided to suddenly not be in Paragon's path as she leaps fist first past him. fist first. KraKOOM! No more door. And Paragon makes sure to shield Porter as she lands lightly at their destination floor: Energy Fields, Labs, and hopefully Event Horizons. Well, yes. Event Horizons, but not the one they're looking for. "Are we too late?" Paragon asks as she watches the the door spaghettify.

"Whoo!" Porter cheers as Para demolishes the door. "Oh crap." He's less cheery when the door farfallefies.

Wisping around Paragon as she slams through his airy body, Slipstream mutters, "Why did I know you'd do it that way?" He shakes his head and reforms ahead of Paragon again. "Seriously. You are being ludicrous." he states. "You want to go in, fine. I won't stop you. I hope that I see you again someday." He snorts then and vanishes into the air vents.... heading -somewhere-...

Matt sees Heavy Metal go flying far far away, so he does too...down the corridor that was being guarded by the steel man. He doesn't know Bastion, but he immediately likes him, giving Bast a thumbs up, he flies headlong into the building...

Porter eyes the... whatever it is that crocheted. the door. It's probably EH. Maybe all the door dust will make him sneeze. Or something.

Well, the field of energy isn't really fully transparent. It is semi-translucent. Behind it, there is movement, and as Porter tries to tweak things, it flickers a bit.. but doesn't fade away. The sounds of hurried movements can be heard up ahead. "Whatever it takes. Help them." says a resonant baritone voice.

On the edge of car park above, just beyond the carnage of the bombs and shrapnel Ebon Star gasps and shudders, her legs collapsing underneath her as she drops to her hands and knees. Pausing there she breaths heavily for several moments trying to summon greater reserves to keep on going but her focus is shattered and she slowly slumps onto her side almost as though going to sleep... som hero.

Snow smiles, "Well that worked so well, shall we try something else?" she asks and then moves a bit close, sliding across the floor on a mini ice ramp and turning so that she can catch the three without hitting Alistair and the fallen one. Her hands lift up, "Frosty cone anyone?" she asks and a blast of Frost flies from her hands at the foes.

The three of the others look up. "I... hate... cold." they say, taking turns. This just as the blast comes in and knocks them silly. They aren't quite out cold, but those three are certainly stunned.

The last one, the one Alistair struck.. lies there with his feet against a wall, over his head. He gives Alistair a thumbs-up, "Thanks dude!" he calls out, "I do love hockey!" And he vanishes. . . where he goes? Does anyone care?

After getting knocked to the ground, Alistair lays there for a brief moment before he hauls himself up, kipping up to his feet. He teleports mid-kip and winds up behind one of the guys. He doesn't even know which one it is but he kicks his feet out to dropkick the guy. He sends him flying, but it proves the point as the guy disappears again. Alistair drops back down and glares at..Well nothing, now, "What the hell was that?"

Lightray continues to aid the first responders but does look up from time to time at the top of the parking structure. Golden sunlight flows like liquid from his hands sealing the worst of the wounds and keeping some of the men from taking Death's hand. The sounds of battle continue from inside and call to him but he stays with his first duty.

Porter frowns. Pasta-making shields are something he doesn't want Para bashing through. Even if she wasn't carrying him. But that means he's holding her too! <> He spares one hand to smack a button on his doohickamajigger. All they have to do is go past. They don't have to go through.

Among the fallen Rose's legs quiver and spasm in tiny shivers as the worst of the seizure passes. She has almost stuck herself in coma position. She is stable and unhurt, there are many others this day who are in much greater need.

Porter grins. "I got this!" The blaring X sound from the gizmo says it thinks otherwise. "Uh. Gimme a second..."

Bastion watches Heavy Metal go Flying without being under his control and hit the ground some distance off. His head tilts towards his left shoulder, "Huh... heavier than I thought." He says to nobody but himself, offering a nod to Matt, "Go get the bad guy. I got this." And he takes up Heavy Metal's old position except, this time protecting the lab from the metal guy rather than the lab from the heroes.

And it's not long before heavy footfalls can be heard. Heavy MEtal is incoming, that's for sure. HE ends up 18 meters from Bastion... on the move, and looking quite.. angry.

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << So the doohickey isn't working. Which means the only way is probably through. Event Horizon's smart. He'd make sure we couldn't just go around this thing on another floor. I'm going to try and break through it, Partner. I'm going to put you down so you'll be safe... >>

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << No. I'm going with you, Partner. >>

There's some mental communication that went on. Paragon recognizes the voice beyond the barrier. And knowing how smart Event Horizon is, she guesses he'd be smart enough to ensure the only way to bypass the barrier is to get through it. Is she strong enough to fight against the pull of the barrier? She's about to find that out. She nods solidly once to herself at Porter's decision and backs up two steps, then digs her feet into the flooring as she prepares to charge. Then she runs a few steps and leaps forward like a cannon shooting forward towards the barrier, using her body to shield Porter as she tries to break through.

The impact is less pure slam force. It's... more like getting closer to the field makes you less and less able to move. You are slowing down as you approach, almost like you yourself are gaining extra mass. For the physicists involved, it feels like trying to break through is like trying to reach light speed in normal space... and approaching critical mass. But Paragon is not to be denied.... She pushes on through out the other side. It feels like several minutes passed but... it was only a second or so. Relativity, eh?

On the other side of the barrier... as it crumbles where it covers that archway, there are lots of people doing lots of things. In the center of the room is the middle aged man with the gunmetal gray hair, wincing at the feel of the barrier dropping. He looks over with eyes that are solid black like the void of a black hole, and everyone else in the room cringes. There are medical personnel, metahumans on gurneys, and there is what appears to be a technologically created warp gate. Maybe a stolen transmat tech type thing. They are pushing metahumans on gurneys through the gateway. Half a dozen remain behind... a nurse saying, "We can't take this one through, the spatial warp effect will cause havoc with his powers. They are already consuming him, and that will just accelerate the effect."

Event Horizon simply nods. "Then I will try to help him myself. Do not take him through the gate, but I will -not- leave him here with those who did this to him..." And.. the man places himself between Paragon, Porter, and the rest of the people here. "So, what will it be?" he asks, flickering blackness swarming about his black bodysuit (his force field effect)

Porter says, "You're going to surrender. You want them free and cared for, we'll make sure they are. Without blowing up innocent people. That's how it's gonna be."

Porter is maybe getting a little Paragon from osmosis? Or that spatial thing mixed stuff up?

"Oh, I will not be harming any innocent people in here." says Event Horizon with a smirk. He's a zealot who believes his own hype. "Only those who harmed others. Also... you could join us. MEtahumans would benefit greatly from your aid. I do -not- want to harm you but... you cannot be allowed to stop me from doing what must be done." A hand lifts and Event Horizon asks, "Will you force my hand?"

Porter says, "Cops? Medics? Heroes? No. The one hurting people is you and your psycho squad. You're the one forcing things. Not letting you do it anymore."

Paragon could perhaps swoon at Porter's heroic commands. But there's a job to do. And a villain to possibly punch. "We can aid metahumans without resorting to your methods. As Porter said, we'll make sure these captives are freed. You have our word. But the law will determine the appropriate punishment for what Prometheus Labs has done to these people. And you have to answer for your crimes," Paragon adds her voice to Porter's.

Smirking, EH shakes his head, "Listen to my words. I did not say that I have not harmed innocents. Only that I was not planning to harm any further." He looks to Paragon, "You have no right to judge me. This corrupt government also has no authority over me. I do not recognize them in that way. So, you are not convincing me of anything except for the fact that you have no intention of doing what is right, only what your venal authorities have you brainwashed to believe is right. Now... shoo." he states, another hand-flick motion gesture rippling the air just before Paragon and Porter.

And, while Porter just... evacuates the building, the same gravitic effect distorted things a bit. Paragon... flickered. It was more like a teleport than a physical movement. She ends up right up by Event Horizon, and even he inclines his head her way. "How odd." he states.

Down in the room where Alistair and Snow were facing off against 4 to 2 odds... Slipstream flows out of an air vent and snorts. "Idiots." he mutters, "Seriously, the place is about to come down around your ears. My advice, don't be in it!" he yells as he flows out the door.

Porter proves that he can leap through walls, too! Ow. Ow. Ow. Though he seems to find windows and cracked sections very well. Even as he comes outside to land on his back. On a gurney.

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << "Porter!" Para thinks out in a mental shout of worry as he gets hit, while she somehow gets teleported out of the way of the blast, and right in front of Event Horizon. >>

Matt feels the very air upset, from the stairwell, he flues to the source,and sees Paragon and the hole and the awesome looking baddie...he's not sure what's going on, but he doesn't like it. A ball of darkness forms around his hand and he throws it at the big bad..uh baddie. ..

Paragon hears Porter's voice inside her head: << Get him! I'm OK. I'll get back to you! >>

And, the darkness seems to strike at EH's field... and flare a bit as it is absorbed down to a point source and then it's gone. Event Horizon looks past Paragon and raises a brow. "You have more deluded ... heroes.. you have doomed into going up against me and mine?" he asks Paragon.

Paragon looks over her shoulder, her eyes expanding in diameter as he sees Matt. Her head whips back to Event Horizon. "Don't you dare. He's just a teenager!"

"Unlike your young ally, I do not simply -attack- without knowing the situation, without giving a chance." EH says to Paragon. "Three options young man. Depart, come -with- me, or die. I leave that choice to you." And then he looks to Paragon again. "See? I can be reasonable."

Matt frowns...he hit didn't he? he swears he did, in his hands a pair of daggers of light appear..."What was the second option again?"

Lightray looks up when he sees Porter burst through the wall three stories up then fall to land on a fortuitously placed gurney. "Right," he says in a resigned tone. He then shouts, "Get all these people back and away from here and someone go help the young lady on that roof over there!" The golden figure rises into the air with a sweep of his tendril-like wings as the sound of many mighty wings beating rises with him. Lightray flies swiftly towards and then through the hole Porter made in the building.//Full Move towards combat, Pushing Movement if needed to get there sooner than later.

Paragon sends a telepathic message to Porter: << Relieved, Para responds, "I'm on it. See you soon, Partner!" >>

"Oh very well. Your impertinence is boorish." says Event Horizon towards Matt. "Option number two was to join me, but I can see that you are planning to be difficult. As such.." He just lifts off the floor and drifts back a couple meters, just to be... you know.. not within reach of Paragon... Then he lifts a hand... and closes his fist..... and the air ripples again...

Matt looks at Event Horizon, "I thought that's what you said...I'm in."

And... at the last moment, Event Horizon inclines his head and snaps his fingers. Paragon is suddenly... held in place by gravity. Then he gestures to Matt and nods, "You have made a wise choice. I will give you one chance. Betrayal is punished severely." And he gestures to the portal. "After you."

Bastion takes a long moment to look around the entrance Matt went through and then towards the charging Heavy Metal and waits for the rust bucket, "Can you run any faster? Please? I haven't got all day." He folds his arms across his chest and taps a foot impatiently.

Porter is on his back. Luckily, he doesn't need to stand up to hit a button. He smacks it while looking up at the hole he just made. He's got to get back in there. And with a flashthwump, he tries to do just that.

Everything beyond the door has finally gone quiet. Forge peeks around the corner just in time to have Slipstream streak past and, presumably, through his skull. Yuck, intangible cooties. The metal man shakes his head a few times, noticing Alistair on the way upstairs and the goon squad on the ground.

With a shrug, Forge flexes his arms and legs before lunging at the building's wall. Striking the wall with hands and feet, Forge sinks his steel claws and cleats into the edifice and starts scaling the exterior of the building, headed for the sounds of active combat on the next floor.

Far removed from the hustle and bustle of actual honest-to-goodness hering the inert form of Ebon Star receives attention from a passing medic who quickly ascertains she is stable and drops a green plastic marker to show low priority before moving on to more needy patients. Untouched by the blast - nor by the epic-scale villain - the alleged heroine lies helpless and useless. Has anyone ever seen her do more than fly around? Meanwhile within the Prometheus Building...

By the time he realizes that everybody's gone, Alistair just sort of blinks a few times, "What the hell?" He asks, peering around at the stunned trio of identical villains and the complete lack of anybody else, "I really need to get on a team so I can have some communications with people or something. Shit." He mutters a bit to himself as he makes his way towards the stairs. He'd normally just teleport up to where the fight is, but the last thing he wants is to wind up in a desk or something.

And... here comes the freight train. The big steel guy, who is also about the same height as Bastion... charges in. Apparently, on the way in he steps in a hole and loses his balance... instead of ramming into Bastion, he is falling... face heading right for Bastion's feet...

Bastion was waiting and watching, preparing for the impact and digging his feet in when Heavy Metal starts to trip and fall right in front of him. It's pure reflex, he steps forwards and *STOMPS* down on Heavy Metal to stop his momentum and inflict a little punishment perhaps. "Man, that was /smooth/. You'll have to teach me that one when I grow up to be as cool as you." Things sound bad enough in there with the main baddy, he can't let support make it up those stairs.

Paragon feels gravity pull her down, making her limbs drag and her knees almost buckle. She watches, stunned, as Matt joins the enemy forces. "Kid! How could you?!" she cries out accusingly at Matt's betrayal. She gathers her strength to try and break free of the gravity field holding her.

Paragon grunts with exertion as she pulls free of the gravity field. One foot manages to lift and step ahead of her, then another that sticks as if it's in tar. She grits her teeth behind her faceplate, and with a full effort, she leaps forward and free of the field, her fist swinging at Event Horizon's head. But the second gravity distortion field around his person catches her fist and drags it downwards, stopping her in front of her target, leaving Paragon exerted from the effort.

Matt looks at Paragon his eyes harden, "I hate you. You and all your righteousness, judgement, you speak about protecting people, but you didn't protect any of them. You allowed them all to die." a tear runs down his cheek. A child's voice rises from him, "Nonono, she did all she could! Regent! Why are saying this?"

Matts voice returns, "She could have done more..." around his daggers hyper-heated light begins to spark into arcs of electricity. He flies at Paragon daggers extended.

Matt hates himself for saying what he does, but he has to try to free Paragon, he doesn't have the power to help...he wishes he did, he only hopes the electron power can disrupt whatever is holding her fast...but at the last second she seems to escape, he changes his vector to ventilate the bastard...

And... Event Horizon stands there, the field about his body absorbing move of the impact. "As expected." he says calmly. "You are but an amateur at this game -child-." He snorts and shrugs. Then... four tactical armored soldiers appear in the room... and Event Horizon gestures at Matt. "He is your priority. The rest... get a pass." He says. And as one, the four blaster rifles bark.....

The still-twitching from of Ebon Star is bundled onto a gurney and wheeled to the control centre to await an ambulance while what seems like a world away, the rest of the heroes fight overwhelming odds.

Matt's words do cut Paragon pretty deeply. She failed to save too many. Especially today. No more. As the soldiers show up and train their blasters on Matt, Paragon still has a duty to protect the legacy of the Regent. She manages to move faster than her bulky armor would seem to allow and dives between Matt and the blaster fire, getting sent flying back and smashing through a wall, and ending up embedded back-first in an office desk.

Lightray flies through the holes Porter made in the walls as a golden glow rises from his skin. Sunlight seem to concentrate in his eyes until the glowing orbs blaze bright as the Sun. He watches carefully ahead of himself, hesitates for a instant and at the last moment unleashes a powerful beam of sunlight from his eyes at the warp gate Event Horizon's people have been using. Or rather, at the physical structure of it.

Matt is ready for the attack, but it never comes, instead Paragon is sent flying by the fearsome foursome. "No!!" he shouts, "No! Paragon!"

"I'm fine," Paragon calls out to Matt. There's the cracking of wood form the desk she's embedded in. A threatening creak. And then a crash as the weakened desk breaks underneath her weight and deposits her on her shiny metal posterior on the ground with sawdust and splinters scattering. She's still able to fight.

The gate is damaged. It's a rather durable device though. Made of lightweight titanium and carbon fiber. The tech of it is delicate though... and as the blast strikes the outer layer of the gate tech, there is some damage. However, it doesn't rupture the tech hiding within the metal. "Oh brilliant. I am only using that... to evacuate the victims of this place's experiments. I am afraid that I cannot allow you to cause the deaths of those under my protection Lightray..." says Event Horizon. Hey, Lightray is known to him, not a surprise really.

Lightray looks back at Event Horizon as he says, "Take your minion and leave, Event Horizon. You do /not/ have the skills to heal these victims. I /do/. You have my word they will be safe. And justice /will/ be served on this lab." He motions gently at the gate.

Porter knows Para is Ok. He's still ticked. Not for what happened to him, either. But everyone else. No more. He's not exactly normal, but he's not a cape, either. And EH is insane. He's also screwing with ma nature and she doesn't like that. All those eddies and ripple in gravity. One crashing into another... all they need do is collide just right. Reinforce each other... at some point, they become more than the sum. Space-time curvature can become infinite. And open up a micro singularity right in the black hole where EH's heart would be. And with a reach of... well, let's call it truth in advertising?

Snorting, Event Horizon shrugs. "I do not. That is why I have those who -do- possess the right skills where the gate leads. But.. if you promise you will care for them... then by all means. Do so." EH gestures... and the four blaster armed soldiers lift off the ground. "We will depart. I advise you not remain here when the gate closes. It's not exactly the most... stable singularity, and when it is closed from the other end, this end... well, fifteen seconds after it closes, the singularity will implode the entire building and anything or anyone inside. So... take care to evacuate those you -wish- to help." And... as he is struck by the mild implosion of his own effects... EH looks towards Porter. "I really wish you would reconsider and join us." he says. Then... his eyes look to Matt, "You... will be punished eventually." he states as he pushes the soldiers through the portal, and then flies through it himself.

And... the portal field de-energizes, starting to pulse....

It's mostly a contest of strength down below, and leverage. Bastion trying to keep Heavy Metal pinned down to the ground and unable to hurt anyone until the super villain paddy wagon can arrive to transport the villain to a super-villain proof prison cell on the moon. ~ I /really/ gotta start learning to apply myself on how to get around faster... ~ Bastion thinks to himself all the while, ~ Pretty useless at the moment. ~

After several seconds of clawing his way up the side of the building, Forge appears in the hole that Lightray created. It's really rather convenient and, had he the time, Forge would no doubt thank Lightray for making such a convenient access point to the boss room. Forge didn't even have to really fight the minion swarm downstairs!

Forge peeks over the rim of the hole, just in time to see Event Horizon and crew disappear through the portal. The portal starts to pulse and Forge lets out a long suffering sigh as he climbs into the hole in the building. Clearing his throat, Forge calls, "LET'S MOVE, FOLKS! NO NEED TO GET IMPLODED!"

That doesn't stop Forge from hustling over toward the gate. He reaches into his metal, producing a pocket kit of electronics tools as he scrambles to try to use the device to stabilize the collapse of the singularity.

Lightray goes over to pick up the nearest remaining patient. "Get the patients to safety," he barks.

It's... stressful, but since Lightray damaged the outer layer, that makes it easier to rip a panel off and get into the guts of the portal. It is being powered by a capacitor, so isn't generating power... just draining its batteries. The problem is that the field is destabilized. There is still power in the capacitor though, and by tweaking things... it takes a few seconds... we are at 7 when Forge starts ripping at the wires. The clock is down to 4 when he twists two wires together and prays. At 2, a field springs up, containing the singularity with the magnetic containment that was turned off when the villains left. The timer hits zero... and the two heroes watch as the singularity implodes, and sucks in everything!... Everything within three inches of itself in the center of the ring. And then... the capacitor is drained and the portal just sits there.....

"... I am utterly and completely shocked that worked," comments Forge when he is not spaghettified by the collapse of warped space-time.

Paragon lets out a sigh of relief and gives Malcolm a jolting clap on the back after such a tense moment finally passes. "I knew you could do it!" she congratulates him, having faith in him all along.

The victims are helped... and now everyone is aware of what is going on at the labs. Putting it in the public eye will end a lot of the abuse of metahumans there for now at least.

With the gate handled, Paragon helps evacuate the injured metahumans, then puts her paramedic skills to use helping the EMTs outside triage the wounded as best she can.

Forge just takes a seat on the floor in front of the portal. He rubs the back of his head a little bit and frowns as he contemplates the metal ring that is the device.

Lightray concentrates his attention on the metahumans as per his word. It seems his healing abilities go beyond just gross physical damage. He seems tireless in his efforts not pausing for food or drink just to 'recharge' as he phrases it from time to time.