Riftgate - Jefferson's America 7

Ayn Rand Conference Room

Nearly half of the seventeenth floor of the hotel is given over to an exhibition hall that doubles as a conference hall when needed. The three sided talks between the Colonial Bay City Council, Eastern Seaboard Confederacy, and the Bank of Berlin, are being held in here. Picture windows span the full length of the south wall offering superb views over the city's downtown district.

The talks are taking place around a large circular marble topped table some twenty foot in diameter. Plush comfortable chairs are placed around the table for the delegates. Even such a large table looks small in the middle of the expansive conference hall and leaves plenty of distance for groups of participants to go into corners and talk quietly and privately.

Following the events at the Science fair and the aftermath of those, it's time to head back to the hotel. Lunch goes peacefully. The Mayor of the city has recovered sufficiently to resume his place at the talks although his assistant Ellan will continue to be present.

Ellen stops on the way past the table where the heroes are seated. She tells Lorelei and Alex that since the talks haven't really progressed they're hoping to see some progress which may mean a long session. So she wonders if Alex is interested in watching rather than sitting around all afternoon.

Rebound looks to Lorelei. "If you're going to be tied up here, I can run down some leads, I'm thinking."

Lorelei is doing her best, while of course also acting as Mediator, to keep one eye on Wilson Smythe, and one on the mayor, as a surviving target. All the while acting like everything's running smoothly to reassure the Germans. It's not the easiest role she's ever had to act.

[To Rebound] Lorelei says, "It looks ok at the moment - have anything in mind in particular?"

Rebound shakes his head. "Actually this is probably the place to be. I'll patrol here, in case anyone tries anything funny."

[To Rebound] Lorelei says, "Good idea. You can probably cover more if you're not stuck at my side."

It's been noted by the heroes that Wilson Smythe has been very active in the talks acting as the ESC head delegate. Somehow his interjections have served to throw up complications slowing the talks down or put up stumbling blocks.

Rebound says. "A lot of ground to cover here. I'll try to not stretch myself too thin." He smiles, briefly, though his tone is mostly serious.

Lorelei gives Alex a smile.

Rebound sighs. o O ( Hopefully I do better than last time. ) "I'll start by talking with the security chief, see if I might spot any holes."

Lunch concludes. The delegates head up to the conference room to restart the talks. There are SWAT team members guarding the bank delegation, as promised. The SWAT members take up position outside the doors to the hall as the delegates go in.

After coffee is served by carefully vetted waiters the hotel staff leave the room so the talks can begin.

Lorelei hopes the vetting of the SWAT team members was as careful.

Unnoticed by any of the delegates Lorelei begins to influence Wilson Smythe, sapping his will to intervene in the ongoing talks.

Rebound takes a step towards trying to find the security chief. He looks towards the conference room for a moment. He turns and decide to step into the room. He stands quietly and tries to keep his eye peeled for any suspicious activity.

The talks restart. At first they seem as deadlocked as ever. But after a while it appears that the objections being raised by Smythe of the ESC are being answered to the satisfaction of that delegation. Certainly Smythe is not taking as active and negative a stand on issues as he normally does.

The talks are actually making progress. Wilson Smythe is sitting also silently, hardly taking part in the discussions. Mark Peters of the ESC has stepped in to hold up the ESC's part in the talks but he seems to be more amenable to compromise than Smythe is.

Lorelei is satisfied - that seems to get the talks going again without, she hopes, forcing anyone to agree to anything that will be disagreeable in the long term.

Lorelei covers her mouth with her coffee cup to reply to a comment from Rebound relayed by their New Blood team communicators.

Rebound nods slowly as he speaks softly to himself it seems.

Time passes with points being raised, discussed and agreed. Even if little was resolved in the previous meetings the groundwork was covered and so, now Smythe is not taking much part in the talks, details are being settled with dispatch. By the time the Sun is illuminating the sky outside the windows with a glorious sunset the final deal is agreed and the contracts are about to passed around for signatures.

Lorelei is especially on her guard - it occurs to her that if anyone is going to make a last-ditch effort to stop this, now is the time.

Rebound walks the perimeter of the room. He cracks open the door to the kitchenette and has a look inside.

Inside the kitchenette the two waiters look up from their poker game. "Hello, Sir. Do they want more coffee in the hall?" one of them asks.

Rebound shakes his head, "No. I think they're alright." He takes look about the room for anything that might be suspicious.

Back in the conference hall a copy of the contract circulates to a spot in front of Smythe for his signature. However he just sits in the seat looking uninterested.

Lorelei thinks. o O (Drat - have I overdone it? Or is it something else?)

Lorelei says, "Sir - Mr Smythe?"

Rebound lets the door to the kitchenette swing shut. He takes a moment to survey the conference room again as he makes his way to the door to the restroom.

Smythe responds to his name at least and turns his head to look towards Lorelei.

Lorelei says, "The contract is with you, Mr Smythe." She's not going to force him to sign, though she rather hopes the rest of the ESC delegation might pressure him that way. Indeed, she stops trying to influence him.

Rebound checks the restroom, pulling open the door and looking inside.

Smythe blinks. Mark Peters nudges him and whispers in Smythe's ear, "What /were/ you doing last night you lucky son-of-a-dog. Wake up. Sign the contract." Lacking the will to resist Smythe picks up the pen and signs.

Lorelei thinks. o O (I *did* overdo it. I just hope he's shamed into sticking with it though - after the assassinations, it would serve him right....)

Lorelei thinks. o O (I'm sorry, Seattle, if you get a bad deal because of it. But Smythe shouldn't have played dirty in the first place.)

The contracts circle the table and finally end up in front of the Mayor. He stands, smiling. "Well, folks, it sure 'nough took us time to make the round up but now the cattle are corralled. I'm for sure and certain looking forward to seeing that new airport opening up and opening up trade for the city and the ESC."

Lorelei smiles but is still watching everyone, the delegates especially, closely. She has a nagging feeling this has just gone too smoothly given how it started.

Rebound hmms and shifts weight between his feet anxiously. o O ( Did we do it? It can't have been this easy. )

The remainder of the Mayor's speech is rather curtailed. The main doors of the hall burst inwards in a howl of wind. The two SWAT team members who were guarding the door are sent rolling on the floor into the hall. Standing in the doorway are three comic book characters. A heavy set man who's flesh looks to be made of metal. A woman with long hair whipping wildly in a wind, and a slight youthful maiden sheathed in crawling electricity.

Lorelei thinks. o O (Oh crap.)

Lorelei says, "Everyone take cover!"

Rebound springs in front of the trio of metas. "Sorry, folks. If you're looking for the Goldstein wedding, that's in the Starlight Room."

Lorelei thinks. o O (You'd think in this world security would be tighter. How the heck did these three get in unannounced?)

There's stunned inaction for a moment from the delegations. In that frozen instant the man steps inside and speaks in a booming loud voice. "Your time is past puny normals. Evolution has spoken and it's time for you to step into the pages of history. From now on we control this city." He looks at Rebound. "You should be with us. Lightning Lass, Wind Woman, Metal Man. We are your kind. They are obsolete."

Lorelei thinks. o O (Wow, they are new to meta-dom. Such dated names!)

Rebound shakes his head. "Those names are soo Golden Age... you guys really just did start as metas yesterday, didn't you? Look, if you step outside, maybe we can talk about more constructive and legal ways to use your powers for profit."

Lorelei encourages the delegates to take cover, leaving Rebound to do the talking. It doesn't stop her from pulling the same trick she did on Smythe.

Metal Man is seeming to be considering Rebound's words. But Wind Woman scrowls impatiently. Lifting her hands she sends a gust of wind howling into the conference room causing papers and loose small items like pens and cups to fly through the air. "Surrender your authority peacefully NOW or face the wrath of The Cosmic Comics!"

Lorelei, on hearing the team name, breaks out into laughter.

"Hey, Windy." Rebound says. "Let's talk about things. I don't want to have to get Rob Liefeld on your corny backsides."

The delegates scamble for cover but that consists of the only item of furniture in the hall, the table. So they duck and crawl underneath it like children hiding from a nasty monster.

Narosia shimmers through the wall like mist, a darkened outline with glowing eyes that reforms into the more opaque girl in the harsh glare. She still looks far from serene, shooting the three metas one slitted luminescent glare.

Lightning Lass gathers some of the electricity crawling all over her into a ball in her hand and throws most of it at Rebound. Not all of it though.

The ball of electricity misses Rebound as it flies through the air crackling and sizzling until it hits the wall length windows and blows them outwards.

Wind Woman extends her hands towards Narosia after Narosia enters through the wall and releases a whirling wind at her.

The whirlwind spins uselessly in the hall at the far end after missing Narosia. ooc Recound to act.

Rebound says, "Hmm. Let's try an experiment from Physics 101..." He reaches across the room for the control for the sprinkler system and flicks it on. The he stretches his other arm for Lighting Lass and tries to coil it around her."

Lightning Lass ducks away from the grab and smirks for a moment not having noticed Rebound's other action. Then she screams as the water spinkers send a deluge pouring down. As the water shorts her out sparks and smoke sizzle and crackle. Then she drops, out like a light.

Rebound gives a thumbs-up to Lorelei. "Great call."

Metal Man, who was hesitating, hesitates no lomger as Lightning Lass goes down. "Elanna!" he cries out in anguish and fury. Leaping across the the massive marble topped table under which the delegates are cowering he lifts it as if it was balsa wood. However it's too big to be swung so when he tries to hit Rebound with it the table breaks up against the ceiling, breaking through the ceiling, and only a stub remains in his hands to swipe at Rebound.

The broken stub of the tabletop strikes Rebound. He is smashed down onto the floor but as the table top breaks over his head he bounces back into position.

Rebound's body deforms with the force of Metal Man's blow. He snaps back into his original shape, seeming no worse for it.

Lorelei's target is obvious - the one male, Metal Man. Quite apart from the fact he appears the biggest threat just now. Hoping to take out another opponent quickly, she stands forth and gives him her best stunning pose. Wet look, as it turns out, though it wasn't originally intended that way. She can carry that off well, though.

Metal Man is distracted by Lorelei's pose for barely a moment. It hardly seems to affect him at themoment.

Narosia utters a hiss of fury, in jittering rage despite Rebound's bounceback and no bodily hurt. Holding onto a skein of control, she lashes out with a pulsation that emits a dispiriting, pulling chill straight for Metal Man.

Metal Man gasps in shocked horror as his impressive Metal form whithers under the dark lash of Marosia's drain.

Wind Woman screams in rage as Metal Man is turned into a whithered wraith of his former self. She stands by the doorway and hurls a gale of wind at Narosia.

The howling gale passes Narosia and flies out into the evening sky.

Rebound twists his body in an S so that he can remain in front of Metal Man, and not obstruct his view of Lorelei. He stretches his hand until his palm is a large as a table and he tries to hit Wind Woman with a backhand swat.

Wind Woman is knocked down as Rebound's over-sized hand swats her.

Metal Man grabs the largest remaining secment of the marble tabletop and hurls it at Narosia.

The slab of marble catches Narosia and slams her backwards with it. A dexterous grab with a hand grabs the window frame and holds on leaving Narosia dangling above a seventeen floor drop to the sidewalk as the marble slab goes on out.

Lorelei adjusts her now-soaking clothing to greater effect and tries once again to stun the metallic man. "Rebound - grab Narosia!" she shouts.

Rebound shouts, "Hang in there, Narosia!" He looks over to Wind Woman. o O ( Got to finish this now. )

Lorelei is relieved as metal man stares at her wide-eyed, then blank-eyed, then falls over with a resounding CLANG!

Narosia closes her eyes, hearing the crash sound bounce round. Her hands, wet by sprinklers slip back, tenously gripping the edge.

Rebound shouts, "Hang on, I got you!" He reaches across the room to grab Narosia before she falls.

Wind Woman cannot sight on Narosia when Narosia is dangling out of the window so she switches attention to the Mediator, who somehow knocked out the mightly Metal Man.

Rebound manages to coil his arms securely around Narosia's waist, and he pulls her back into the room and over to his side. "You alright?" he asks.

Another howling gust of wind flies across the room.

Narosia cringes, hair falling in rat tails front her vision. "Y-yes. Thank you." She clings tight to Rebound, uncaring of the touch issue.

The Mayor of the city fast-draws and shoots in the rough direction of the doorway.

The Mayor was first. A second later most of the city and ESC delegates are also drawing and firing. One shot hits Wind Woman. One shot strikes Rebound in the back.

Blood starts spreading across Wind Woman's costume on the chest.

Lorelei thinks. o O (She pulled of a stunt like that in *this* world and she's not even bulletproof?)

Rebound shouts, "Holds your fire! Hold your fire!"

Narosia slides out of Rebound's protective hold, holding out her arms as though in surrender or pacification. Darkness curls and flows from her body, not before she locates the bleeding Wind Woman.

Wind Woman creates a howling wind in her area trying to blow the darkness away.

Wind Woman curses as the assumed dark 'smoke' doesn't get blown away.

Rebound shouts, "Give it up, Wind Woman. You're surrounded, outnumbered, in the dark, and you're hurt. Give it up now and we'll get that gunshot looked at. What do you say?"

Wind Woman shouts in fury, "Never. You killed Arron. I'll never rest until I avenge him."

Rebound says, "Arron... is that Metal Man? He'll be alright."

Rebound looks to Lorelei. "Maybe you can talk some sense into her."

Lorelei whispers to Rebound, "I'd be happier to if I knew what I was talking about. *Is* Metal Man all right? I don't know what Narosia did to him."

Wind Woman says slightly quieter, "Arron is okay? You give your word as a Jefferson that he's okay?"

Rebound looks to Narosia and asks quietly, "What exactly did you do to him..? He'll be alright, right?"

Narosia frowns, hesitant to affirm "I drained his lifeforce. The effect should have been buffeted by his thick hide."

Lorelei goes and check Metal Man for signs of life. Not that she knows exactly what she's looking for in a metal man.

Rebound says, "How quickly will he recover from that?"

Narosia shakes her head, lost for an affirmative answer.

Rebound's brow tightens, concerned. "An hour, A day? A week? A month...? You hit him with something and you don't know what it does?"

Lorelei frowns. "I just can't tell how he is."

Narosia swallows hard, joining Lorelei to check the Metal Man. Words are hard by this moment.

Rebound says, "He's fine. Just knocked out right now."

Wind Woman lets the winds around her die away. She stands for a few moments longer and then, with the support of anger gone, she collapses.

Lorelei goes to assure the delegates that the fight is over, no serous harm done. Becoming aware of the stares, she re-adjusts her clothes.

Rebound goes to check on Wind Woman. "Rest easy. We'll see how badly you're hurt, ok?" He waits to get Wind Woman's permission before trying to treat her wounds, if she's still conscious.

Rebound treats Wind Woman's gun shot wound.

The Mayor and delegates get to their feet. "Dang darn it, Ms Lorelei. You all made us miss a fine shoot out."

Smythe is crawling around on the floor looking through the litter of papers. He has a cigar lighter in one hand.

Lorelei says, "Some got in a really good shot there. But I'm afraid shootouts are likely to get very messy very fast now more and more people are developing comic book powers. You - excuse me. Now, Mr Smythe, what *are* you doing? It's a bit late for a change of heart."

Lorelei says this loud enough to draw everyone's attention to Smythe.

Lorelei says, "Mr Mayor, I suggest you arrange to get these documents safely collected and preserved."

Smythe looks up to see everyone looking at him. "I.. uh, I was looking for the contract. Before anything happened to it."

Lorelei says, "Oh don't worry, I'm sure the people here will make quite sure no harm comes to the contract."

Smythe mutters under his breath.

Narosia shoots the scuttlebutt Smythe her irritated glare, crossing her arms.

Narosia thinks. o O (...I shall try and be gentle. Indeed...oh, did overstep my boundary. Sorry Master.)

The Mayor comes over to Lorelei, Rebound and Narosia. "Well thank you all right kindly. I guess you'll all be wanting to mosy on back home now the talks are over. You all are welcome so come back anytime, you hear."

Lorelei nods. "It is about time we were getting back. I would like a word before I go though - and I want to write a letter for the Mediator."

Rebound nods. "We're just glad to be of service, Mr. Mayor."

This plot ends... the story however continues...