A message and a mission

While going about your business in the week preceding the anniversary of Obelisks death something strange happened. Each of you were approached by a stranger in a long silvery grey cloak with the hood pulled up. The person made no aggressive or threatening moves, only remaining still and speaking to you without answering any questions. The figure spoke in a soft rasping and ethereal voice that sounded male but was hard to tell. Their face was hidden behind what appeared to be shifting smoke or mist with only two points of blue light as eyes able to be seen.

-Tremor after, stopping a high speed chase by stepping into the path of the vehicle bringing it to an abrupt stop, was surprised to find the figure standing next to him abruptly. Bystanders report the figure appeared in a swirl of blue grey smoke.

-Shade had a visitor waiting for him sitting alone in the corner of the homeless shelter cafeteria when he arrived one day. A slight aura of a mystic nature surrounds the figure.

-Fear had a knock on his door late one evening while working away. Perhaps reflexively or as a conscious act of self defense he enacts his Aura of Fear, but the figure seems unaffected.

-Archangel, while standing on a rooftop looking down to the street below, was startled by a presence behind her. So much so she fell off because she was trying her best to do a heroic gargoyle pose on the edge of the building. She quickly flew back to find out what the figure was all about.

-Nadia Delacroix, when cuffing an armed robber who attempted to knock over a convenience store the thankful clerk came out tentatively offering her a box of snack cakes and thanking her in his broken english. Waving off the payment she tried to explain to the clerk she didn't want the snack cakes. Going back into the store the clerk then returned with a package of D cell batteries but before he could offer them his eyes went wide with fear and he scrambled back indoors. Pivoting quickly and raising her wrist gun to aim she comes face to face with the cloaked figure, scanning through infrared it seemed to be a real person not just an illusion.

-Logan Brynmor, while sitting in her dark room developing her most recent roll of film Logan felt a presence in the room with her. Tensing for a brief moment and preparing to escape from the figure she turned to look at it and felt an odd sense of relief at the cloaked figures appearance. Somehow this situation felt more understandable than a normal intruder.

-Constance Blanche, after sitting in on a council meeting Constance left the building to attend to other business standing at the bottom of the stairs from the main entrance was the figure whose hood seemed to be watching the doors. Others leaving the building seemed to skirt around the oddity but unfazed by the unusual situation Constance marched over to see what it wanted while the figures focus tracked her from the entry way.

You were all approached on varying days or at different times. Offering no name and not using yours (alias or otherwise) the person spoke to each giving a similar if not exactly identical speech.

“This Sunday at midnight the Third Street savings and loans will be targeted by unsavory individuals. The persons involved plan to use the money they steal to purchase a dangerous weapon to hold the city ransom. If they succeed in this the people of the city, the whole city, will suffer greatly. Do with this information what you will.” the quavering voice relayed.

With that the figure figure fades into a swirl of blue grey smoke and is gone. A search of the area provides no clues or insight as to the identity or even existence of the figure. You have some time to investigate, gather supplies and allies, or just lay in wait for the specified time. Or perhaps you ignore the message, why should you to trust this mysterious visitor?

Fear grunts a little bit, a sound of pure confusion to be sure. After a quick search of the area, he returns to his apartment and loads his weapon. "If this guy's lying to me, it won't waste my time to be present and watching, just in case." Fear gets in his car and drives go the Third Street Loans and Savings Bank.

When Fear arrives, he will slouch down in his chair and attempt to blend into the darkness, while also watching the bank.

{{Stealth: d6 + wild: (3, 1) = 3}}

If it really is threatening the city levels of potential here, Shade would probably try to flag Tremor down. I'm not sure if they exchanged numbers or have a place where they meet up occasionally but in the "time to investigate, gather supplies and allies, or just lay in wait for the specified time" Shade would see if any of his people know anything about any action around the Third Street savings and loans, and would try to get in touch with Tremor to coordinate some sort of response.

felixmac09 wrote:... Shade would see if any of his people know anything about any action around the Third Street savings and loans...

There isn't much in the way of word on the street. By asking around Shade learns that Third Street savings and loans is a middle sized bank, not huge but not small, it would provide a nice chunk of change to anyone able to raid the vault meaning tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets rather than a million or more. Unfortunately beyond that Shades contacts aren't exactly the type to rub elbows with the banking elite. As for any doings in or near the bank not much is to be heard. No rumor mill about a heist or any messages spread among the lower class to avoid the bank for a while, it seems to be an ordinary bank with not much going on.


[OOC: I'm assuming Fear went to the bank at the time noted or slightly before to begin his stakeout, not days in advance. If so I will update that when others have completed any "leading up to" actions]

[OOC: I think it's safe to assume Tremor and Shade have exchanged numbers.]

Having just been hit by a car, Tremor takes a moment to push the car back, checks to see that the driver's alive, and stomps the ground. A pair of asphalt pillars lift up from the street, blocking the doors. Listen, Gandalf, I'm kinda busy right now.

The apparition continues with his speech as Tremor waits for the police to catch up. As the cop cars arrive and officers start climbing out, he stomps the street again and the pillars drop, leaving a street aaaaalmost as level as it was before.

That's definitely the weirdest thing I've seen lately. Might be a trap, but I should probably see what he was talking about. Tremor pauses for a moment. If it's a threat to the whole city, I might want backup on this one.

Tremor shifts back to his normal fleshy form, pulls out his cellphone and sends a text message to Shade. Might have a lead on something, big hit at 3rd St Savings on Sunday night. Wanna meet up? Good diner a couple blocks from the bank.

"Funny, was just about to ask you the same thing. Clementine's at nine?" Shade texts back. I'll have to ask him about where he got his info. Not sure I like being visited by knowledgeable wisps.

As evening nears they each begin to gather up their usual crime busting gear including armor, weapons, and any other gadgets they might need. Or in Trevor's case making sure he wasn't sporting any particularly offensive bands t-shirt just in case whatever went down tonight showed up on the news.

Shade and Tremor set out early enough to reach Clementines at the agreed upon time while Fear waited a bit longer to ensure darkness had fully set in before taking to the streets.

From the outside Clementines was the kind of place that most people wouldn't give a second look unless they were literally starving. The outside looked like a 50's diner that the world forgot with it's metal siding and red neon sign it was probably a nice joint back in the day but the owner either didn't care or couldn't afford the upkeep so tarnish and plant growth marred the exterior and the "i" in Clementines flickered in and out.

Inside however was a bit of a different story. With only a few booths along one side and a counter with swivelling stools running along most of the other side it was a cozy place. The interior kept up the 50's diner feel with the style of booths and swiveling stools as well as some memorabilia hanging on the walls of the neighborhood around the time Clementines was built. But the floor had been remodeled along with a new cash register, it was also clear that someone cared about the inside with floors you could use as a mirror in the right light and not bit of torn or cracked vinyl on any of the seats.

Shade arrived first making good time by taking some shortcuts and weaving through any major traffic on his bike. Walking in Raphael caught the eye of the old codger of a cook, who was both the owner and the diners namesake, and gave him a nod which the old man returned. A few months back some punks had tried to start up a protection racket in this neighborhood and threatened to smash up the place if they didn't get their money. It turned out Shade really liked the food here, plus they served beer. It didn't end well for the thugs. Ever since then Clementine had been a little less gruff with Raphael, one might even say he was even friendly on an occasion or two.

Shade picked a nice corner booth that gave a view of both the entrance and the door to the kitchen through which he knew to be a rear door. A few minutes later and Trevor entered the diner. His bored gaze swept over the patrons as the usual hubbub of a well liked local eatery died down to whispers. He was used to it and new that most people would return to their own business if he just ignored it. Spotting Raphael in the corner booth he strode over to take a seat...

Why is this guy hassling me personally? There are official channels for tipping off police in situations like this!

Slightly miffed about the batteries, Nadia cuffs the robber to a bike rack and waits for the police to come pick him up, since they presumably would want a statement from her. "By the way, I received an anonymous tip about a possible bank robbery on Third Street this Sunday night," she tells the cop, before sarcastically adding, "Can I possibly hope not to hear that this is a job for 'people like me' in an hour?"

With not much better to do that night, Nadia decides to satisfy her curiosity anyway and tries to access the city's building records, looking for the bank's blueprints. How many entrances it has, number of floors, whether there is a basement that could be accessed from a nearby building, etc. Let's hope I don't have use for this information...

[Edit: quote text color didn't show up on mobile site, I'll have to mess around with that.

After her interaction with the man, Constance immediately sends a message to the mayor informing him of the situation.


"I will scope out the situation, but it may be a trap. Let me handle this one" she adds. The mysterious visitor had left her with a strange feeling of unease.

She attempts to talk to supers she has interacted with, asking if they know anything about an apparition in a long silver-grey coat. She would attempt to do so in which ever method they have indicated as best. Included in her list of contacted capes is Shade.

Constance also sends out a message to Logan, who she knows is always looking for special scoops.
"If you happen to come, make sure to keep a safe distance, and bring protection if possible. I would hate for an innocent bystander to be hurt."

kalindra wrote:
With not much better to do that night, Nadia decides to satisfy her curiosity anyway and tries to access the city's building records, looking for the bank's blueprints. How many entrances it has, number of floors, whether there is a basement that could be accessed from a nearby building, etc. Let's hope I don't have use for this information...

Going to the public records office Nadia flashes her ORACLE ID which expedites the process of getting her hands on the blue prints. Physically a smaller bank than some it has three points of entry the main door and two emergency exits that only open from the inside, one in the public space leading to an alley on the left of the bank and one at the back behind security doors for the employees in those offices. The bank has two floors a main floor with offices and tellers and the basement vault. For obvious reasons certain notes and measurements are not available on the public blueprints for security reasons but the vault seems very secure from a below ground entry. Not impossible for some powered individuals but definitely not easy either.

Notes in the file indicate that legal documents and agreements were drawn up for the properties adjacent to the bank that they are not allowed to have any below ground floors and any sales of the properties are contingent on the new owners signing similar agreements. It seems they were able to do this because the owner of the bank's property owned those lots as well and only sold them to buyers who agreed to the condition.

---

Hannah wrote:She attempts to talk to supers she has interacted with, asking if they know anything about an apparition in a long silver-grey coat. She would attempt to do so in which ever method they have indicated as best...

None of the Supers she contacts have heard anything about such a thing. Except perhaps Shade and Logan...

Trevor sits down across from Shade and gets comfortable. "Shade, how's it going?" Speaking up a bit louder than is strictly necessary, he adds, "You'd think these guys have never seen anyone with a skin condition before," laughing slightly.

"This is going to sound dumb, but some guy in a robe popped up in front of me today and told me the bank's gonna get hit tonight. Something about a weapon they wanna buy." Trevor looks up to catch a waiter's attention and continues. "How'd you hear about it? You got any plans or info?"

Nadia tries to occupy herself for a while, but eventually gives up and heads over to the bank around 10pm. Why not, it's not like I'm missing dinner plans for this...

She flies up to a roof overlooking the emergency exit in the alley on the left and finds a spot to watch from. She considers using Stealth Mode, but leaves it off to conserve power.

Shade chuckles.
"They're just not used to seeing TWO male models eating together. They got used to me, they'll get used to you. You ever had an egg cream before? Only place I've found that makes them."
He waits for Trevor to get settled in before he leans forward conspiratorially.
"Sounds like we got visited by the same tooth fairy. Definite arcane activity, said his piece and bolted. I don't know a ton about the bank; it doesn't sound like anything special, but I got a call from someone who might. She should be meeting us here any second now.
Shade checks his watch. "If she's not too busy shaking hands and kissing babies, that is."

As if on cue, Constance speeds through the front door and into the booth. A few papers go flying and she apologizes sheepishly.

"I apologize Shade, I got here as fast as I could."

She nods to Tremor in greeting.

"Do either of you have information on this erm.. Hooded character?"

You don't ignore a spirit who foretells of danger, Logan thought. Whether it had been a bad entity or a good one (or indifferent, she supposed), it was probably best to scope out the situation and go from there. After receiving a message from Constance, tipping her off to the same event that the cloaked figure had, Logan knew there was really no other option. She wondered vaguely to herself if the spirit had contacted anyone else. He must have. Maybe Logan really could just go as a civilian. That really would be for the best.

Nevertheless, she opened a dresser drawer half-filled with neatly folded shirts and pulled out a thin layer of body armor, which could be worn comfortably under her everyday clothes. Once dressed, she bounced around a bit, testing her movement. Good enough. Logan grabbed her bulky camera bag and replaced a couple of lens options with a pair of binoculars. She double-checked her film, making sure she had remembered to replace the last roll, and gently tucked the camera back in the bag. Hood pulled over her head and camera bag slung over her shoulder, Logan climbed onto her bicycle and pedaled toward the bank.

Logan got there with some time to spare, and chained up her bike a few blocks away, out of sight. She picked out a four-story building across the street from the bank, and crept into the space between buildings. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching [Notice roll, d8: 5 Wild: 6,1 +2 = 9] she took deep breath and teleported herself to the roof. Once there, she took up a position to watch the bank, binoculars in hand, and waited.

"Jesus, Shade, you didn't tell me your friend was Constance Blanche." Trevor starts to stand up to greet her but stumbles back down, seemingly having forgotten he was sitting in a booth. "It's, uh, nice to meet you. And no, today was the first time I'd seen him. Or her, I couldn't really tell."

Once everyone settles into their seats, Trevor orders a coffee and gets back to business. "I've done one of these bank jobs before - turns out I can break an armored car, by the way, I had always wanted to try - but not one that warrants mysterious strangers with prophecies or omens or whatever. I think I'm a little out of my depth here."

"She volunteers at the kitchen sometimes." Shade grins. "It's a bit beyond my ordinary day also. But the three of us, together? It's a smallish bank getting knocked over for a couple hundred thou. How bad could it be?" Shade looks between the other two, an eager gleam in his eye.

Constance orders a tea after pleasantly greeting Trevor.

"Never underestimate criminals, Shade, that's a dangerous way to be under prepared." Her scolding is motherly.

"...However, it should be exciting at least, especially with such a great team." She smirks.

"I can run back to City Hall and gather some information about the bank. I may be able to identify some weak points they may attempt to take advantage of. I can send what I find out via phone, if that is the easiest way to contact both of you."

Shade rolls his eyes a bit at the reprimand. "Phone's better than carrier pigeon or morse code, ma'am. I can probably scale the wall and go in through the roof. Get the drop on them, tell them to stop what they're up to. If they don't, you step in and help... persuade them?" He gestures to Tremor.

[To simplify things and get everyone on the same page as of the end of this post the time is now 10:30 PM on Sunday for all characters]

---

This is definitley a trap Archangel thinks to herself as she begins her descent toward the bank. Leaving her cruising altitude of several thousand feet, but still well below most aircraft's having learned that lesson the hard way, she flies down to the street in front of the bank and switches from flight to strength. Her orange wings fade and if anyone were close enough they would see her swell as musculature that wasn't their previously formed almost instantly. Confidently she strides up the stairs of the bank and leans against the wall next to the main doors, crossing her arms and resting one foot against the wall leaving her standing on one leg in a "cool" pose or at least she thinks so...
All of Archangels actions are easily visible to the three watching the bank

[just a reminder that videos of her have been on the news and the internet at this point]

---

Shade gets comfortable making sure a clock is easily readable without much movement from him and settles in for his stakeout. He doesn't have to wait long before a figure flies overhead with a soft blue glow coming from it's back landing on the banks roof taking up a position looking over an alley on the left hand side. Seconds later a police car rounds the block driving slowly past the bank before moving on...

---

Logan sees a black car down the road but it doesn't seem to be positioned well to see her, she moves further down just in case. Teleporting to the top of a building whose sign marks it as a high end party planner she takes up a position on the left hand side of the building giving her a clear view of the banks right side, roof, and a good section of the street. She hunkers down behind the raised section around the rooftop and peers through her binoculars. Using the night vision she picks out a figure on the banks roof watching the alley on the banks opposite side...

---

Nadia settles in with a good view of the alley and some of the street. She noticed a black sedan parked nearby otherwise the streets are mostly clear as the businesses here are closed for the night. The alley below is lit by a soft yellow glow from a bulb over the emergency exit door. A few trashcans and debris fill the alley otherwise all is quiet...

---

With a plan beginning to formulate between the three Constance dashes off, after taking a moment to enjoy her tea, the diner is once again filled with the small whirlwind left in her wake. Running at nearly five times the speed of the cities traffic she makes the trip in just a few minutes. With the lateness of the day Town Hall is closed up for the night but being the pseudo caretaker of the property Constance fishes out her keys and opens the doors. Reaching the records office she quickly sorts through the filing system to find information on the bank and relays what she finds to Shade and Tremor, three doors (one main, two emergency), two stories one above ground one below, no surrounding buildings should have any below ground floors. Information related to the security of the building has been redacted.

Constance relays this information to her two companions to collaborate on their next step...

After sending all information regarding the building and surrounding area, Constance sends two last messages before heading that way.

"We can't cover every side of the building, but at least we can cover all of the doors"

"I'm heading that way, if either of you are in position, let me know so we can meet up."

Tremor continues to sit at the diner polishing off a plate of fries. So, just a couple entrances, no basements around... Not sure if there'll be a way in from the roof on a building this small. I can get into the basement the hard way if I have to, but it might be cleaner just to bust the front door down if it comes to that.

Tremor looks back up from his plate and pulls out his phone to check the time. I should probably get outside so I can get in fast when the time comes. Trevor shoots off a text message to Shade. "Heading out to the street, give a signal if you need something."

Trevor pulls out his wallet, grimaces slightly at what he sees inside, and puts enough on the table to cover his share plus a half-decent tip. Wandering out to the street, it doesn't take long for him to catch sight of Archangel on the front step. Trevor sends a text to both Constance and Shade. "Looks like someone's here already, big chick in orange. Front door. Gonna check it out."

Tremor walks across the empty street heading straight for the front door. As he walks, he slowly transforms, gaining over a foot in height, and his skin shifts to match the asphalt in the street. Stony spikes grow out all across his body and his clenched fists grow to the size of basketballs. His previously baggy clothes suddenly seem almost tailor-made to fit him and the ridges of his eyebrows shift to give him a more menacing look.

He stops about 20 feet shy of Archangel's position, hopes he looks as cool as he feels, and calls out, "Bank's closed."

"Copy. I can go in near the back door I suppose. Looks like cape activity on the roof. Making my way up."
Shade begins to weave his shadows thicker around himself slowly, fading more and more into murky darkness [Illusion obscurement, -6 penalty to rolls dependent on vision, low light and other types of vision enhancements don’t reduce the penalty]
[Stealth Check (2,2= 2)].
Wreathed in shadow, he begins scaling the wall as quietly as possible, stopping when he gets close enough to peer over the edge.

Nadia briefly tries to scan the parked car with infrared to see if anyone is inside. 'Maybe a getaway vehicle?' she says to herself. 'If the cops don't manage to stop the robbery, maybe they can at least ID them on the way out. The risk for destruction of property will be reduced if an arrest is made after the fact, since presumably the criminals will have their hideout or whatever further away from downtown. Plus, if the police wait until they try to buy this superweapon, maybe the vendor can be caught, too.'

She starts to wish she'd brought a book or something. Stakeouts can be so tedious when you work alone.

Fear watches as Archangel soars overheard and lands nearby. Hmm... There may be others here... Fear checks his Desert Eagle, ensures that the safety is on, and continues to observe from his car.

{{Notice: d6: (4, 6) + ace (2) = 8 (for shade, 2)}}