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Post by acathala on Aug 16, 2022 17:55:44 GMT -5
"It's like they're trying to force her to flee by reliving a traumatic memory, only it's not enough to relive it, she had to kill someone." He has a thought. "She was definitely running that day of the car take over. Her father has been missing. Did she kill him and it's been covered up?"
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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 16, 2022 18:55:17 GMT -5
Mays shrugged. "Maybe, but if that's what happened, then it happened somewhere I can't reach. All I've seen so far is pleasant memories. Comforting memories. The memories we recall when we feel threatened and alone. She is trying to do anything she can to feel some sense of relief. It's like that rain storm never ended. She is constantly afraid. You know she is ombrophobic, right?"
"Who is afraid of rain?" Geek asked. His part in the line just so happened to come up close to them.
Zena rolled her eyes. "Listen, ninja, I'm not just trying to be melodramatic. If this is all happening while she is asleep, then it means something could change if she finally wakes up. And I'm not just talking a punch in the face. I'm talking about a real jolt. Like something chemical. Anything less and whatever is keeping her sleep might be able to resist."
"What if we shock her?" Geek said.
"Sure, if you want to kill her. Can't say that won't stop her from killing anyone else. If it's the only option, we'll have to consider it." Mays crossed her arm. "Although something tells me if you don't manage to kill her in one shot, then things will get worse. A whole lot worse."
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Post by acathala on Aug 16, 2022 20:03:12 GMT -5
"Do you have any other ideas? We don't have any chemicals, and I'd rather keep lightening off the table if I can."
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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 16, 2022 20:26:44 GMT -5
"Do I look like a doctor? I can only tell you what I see. It's up to you to decide what to do about it," Mays explained.
A nearby ride suddenly powered down, its spinning components slowing to a crawl while its shouting riders stared in bewilderment. Numerous other nearby rides snout down, and many of the bright neon signs began to flicker. Concerned mutters rose up around them.
"Damn," Mays muttered. "I was hoping she wouldn't show up for at least another hour."
Street Geek joined them with a cone of cotton candy in hand. "I don't know much about this Alice person, but from what you told me..." He looks around worriedly, "There are a lot of innocent people here."
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Post by acathala on Aug 16, 2022 20:59:48 GMT -5
"Everyone! Park security. We all need you to head to the nearest exits as a precaution whilst we check for technical malfunctions." Tom calls out, hoping to at least get some people out.
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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 17, 2022 16:59:38 GMT -5
Tom's yell drew confused glances more than anything else.
"You're not park security," one person said.
"What are you trying to pull, son?" said a geezer.
A giant grizzly bear suddenly appeared next to the cotton candy stand. It stood on its hind legs and roared loudly at the crowd.
That got people moving. Within seconds, the entire area had cleared.
"Uh...yes! We've got this under control, but please, make your way to the exits in a calm and orderly manner!" Geek called out. "I wish we knew exactly where in the park Alice would appear."
"I've done my part. Think I'll join the crowd," Mays said. "Good luck, ninja."
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Post by acathala on Aug 18, 2022 21:27:58 GMT -5
"Good job." Tom tells Pan. He nods to the female heroine as she departs. He had hoped she would help with Alice. As to Geek's question he sighs./"Alice will be close by. We just have to follow the drained machinery."
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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 25, 2022 3:14:16 GMT -5
(Whatever. just write it out)
**Actually, just had a thought. Will Pan remain in bear form while the team closes in on Alice?
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Post by acathala on Aug 25, 2022 20:23:29 GMT -5
Back to mouse if this is a stealth mission)
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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 26, 2022 19:30:37 GMT -5
Pan returned to mouse form, then jumped into Tom's pocket.
Tom and Geek followed the malfunctioning machinery. Numerous rides had come to a halt or were in the process of powering down. Many people were being instructed to exit the rides despite being stuck in the middle of the track. Tom looked worriedly at people stuck in high spots or other difficult to exit places. All he could do was hope Alice wouldn't notice those people. Word of something wrong had spread through the park and now security was instructing people to make their way to the exits. Tom heard some people mentioning "power fluctuations" and "safety precautions". Good. That means the killing hasn't started yet. He continued following the failing machines. Just ahead, towards the pier, he noticed many of the lights had failed completely. Most of the people in this area were quickly evacuating, but Tom noticed some teenagers and a few other stubborn types standing around smoking or finishing off a hotdog or something. There were also vendors and games managers standing in their booths cleaning or doing inventory and the like.
Geek gasped. The cotton candy fell out of his hand.
Tom turned to see a piece of crumpled paper float by the former student's face.
Uh, oh. She's close and there were still people hanging around the park.
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Post by acathala on Aug 29, 2022 19:41:03 GMT -5
Does Tom see the direction of where the paper came from?)
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Post by TG Barighm on Aug 29, 2022 21:37:16 GMT -5
Nope.
The paper is not important. It's window dressing.
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Post by acathala on Sept 1, 2022 21:18:55 GMT -5
Even though it's going to expose them. Tom tells Pan. "Beat please. Score those people away."
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 2, 2022 7:50:31 GMT -5
Pan jumped out of Tom's pocket and disappeared behind some vendor. He reappeared as a bear, roaring at the stragglers and charging them like the ferocious beast he appeared to be.
That got rid of some people. The teens dropped their food and ran, and the smoker screamed and followed. But the gambit wasn't entirely successful. The carnies in their booths either ducked down and hit or they retreated behind some kind of screen or door.
"I'm not sure if that's enough to save them from Alice," Geek observed. "Maybe if they hide well, but if any of them try to sneak a peek..."
Some of the nearby lights went out.
Geek began backpedaling. "Uh, oh. She's close. Last chance to deal with this people. I will...uh...be over there." Geek ran behind a booth.
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Post by acathala on Sept 4, 2022 21:49:51 GMT -5
It was probably too late for the hold outs to run now. Tom sighed. He knew he was about to put a target on his back. "Everyone still here! I need you all to stay hidden until the lights come back on! It is not safe!"
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 5, 2022 18:35:24 GMT -5
(Oh, that's right...I can write on the other team's fortunes while I decide what to do with Tom) NEW MILLENNIUM, EAST CITY MALL AND STATIONMEANWHILE...Watch Dog stepped off the escalator, duffel bag in hand. He stepped up to the guide sign at the top of the escalator. The holographic display floated above the floor of the mall. Bright letters and marks provided directions for the assorted foot traffic making its way through the plaza. Watch Dog frowned at the display through the biker's helmet that also served as his augmented reality assistant. It was not difficult to identify a route to the monorail station in the mall, but it was a bright, flashy route full of pedestrian traffic. He would have preferred a quieter, less heavily secured station at the edge of the downtown core. Unfortunately, the goal of this mission was to attract attention, and they needed to attract it quickly, so the flashier, the better. But it was also extremely risky. Incredibly so. Even for supers. The mercenary glanced at the duffel bag in his hand. Even without the scan shields within the bag-space that was wasted-it should be pretty obvious for any trained eye to spot the guns poking out of the bag. Thankfully, New Millennium preferred robotic eyes over a properly trained police force, but there have been plenty of movies featuring gunmen walking into buildings with duffel bags full of guns. Anyone could see he was suspicious person let alone a policeman. A child playing some violent shooter could see he was up to no good. Watch Dog sighed to himself. But that was the point. He had to look suspicious. He had to look dangerous. He had to attract attention. But he needed to avoid starting an actual fuss until they were actually on that train. It wouldn't do to start a shoot out in the mall. And he didn't have nearly as much weaponry as he preferred. Or his most trusted companion. The only companion he was capable of trusting... It was a damn good thing he was being grossly overpaid for this job. "You lost, shithead?" a mildly irritating voice said into his ear. Watch Dog didn't need to turn his head to know the punk rocker playing hero, sometimes villain, was standing behind him. "You're incapable of following protocol," Watch Dog replied. "Fuck protocol!" the moron replied. Watch Dog felt the rocker slap his back. "We got style." Hopefully the idiot will die quickly, but not too quickly. "Where is Fire Hawk?" "Here," Corvus said from nearby. The pyro had ditched the red leather jacket and replaced it something more inconspicuous: a forgettable looking hooded winter jacket. He had also ditched the name. Fire Hawk seemed appropriate for this mission. "You guys know what to do next?" Watch Dog asked. "Yes," Gainer said. The moron communicated some kind of grunt Watch Dog took to mean a confirmation. He didn't turn to see exactly what. Watch Dog removed something from his pocket. An unusually thick coin. "Here's the kitty beacon," Watch Dog explained. "An extra bit of insurance the cat thought of at the last minute." "I was wondering why you hit the lockers," Gainer said. "Whoever wears this will broadcast the unique signal that cat armour uses. It's encrypted and will confuse the drones, acting exactly like his armour normally would, but that's what it's supposed to do. The more convincing the digital fingerprint, the more drones it will attract." "What about security?" "Real human eyes won't know the difference, but just in case, he also included some of the unique munitions his armour uses," Watch Dog continued. He held up the coin. "Whoever carries this coin will, for all intent and purposes, be Steel Cat." The former Corvus crossed his arms. "Don't we already have a large enough target on our backs?" "Yes, but this is the one that matters...which means whoever wears it, will be targeted more than the rest." Gainer held out a hand. "My life is worthless. I will take it." Watch Dog shook his head. "But if you go down, you'll take out a city block. We were instructed to limit the collateral damage, plus I'd rather not reveal to the police you still live. Superhuman bounty hunters are well beyond my capabilities." "Hell, I'll take it! I like it rough," Strongarm said. Watch Dog shook his head again. "No." Strongarm frowned. "Why the fuck not?" "You're an idiot," Watch Dog answered bluntly. Strongarm barked a laugh. "So who will take? You? You're not even super!" The idiot had a point. Watch Dog glanced at the coin in his hand. So, who will carry the kitty beacon?
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Post by acathala on Sept 6, 2022 21:25:52 GMT -5
Strongarm.
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 7, 2022 12:10:02 GMT -5
BACK TO TOM...
Tom shouted for everyone to hide. Some people listened. Others just turned and ran. Some probably went in the direction Alice is approaching from, but he can't save everyone. All he could do is hope those people didn't encounter the hydromancer.
Tom suddenly gets the nagging feeling he's forgetting something...
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Post by acathala on Sept 10, 2022 21:07:44 GMT -5
(Where is his team? And oh crap I don't know what I've forgotten.)
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 11, 2022 1:43:49 GMT -5
Hiding.
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Post by acathala on Sept 15, 2022 20:24:10 GMT -5
Tom decides his team has the right idea, and finds a hiding place.
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 18, 2022 0:07:36 GMT -5
Tom came within a hair of dying. He ducked behind a garbage can and was surprised to see Alice appear not from the pier, but from behind a candy corn vendor just off to Tom's right. He would have been a sitting duck.
Alice looked exactly the same as when he last saw her, seemingly confused and scared at the same time, her ragged clothes dripping wet. Her hair floated strangely as if submerged by water, as did a lot of the trash and random junk on the ground around her. A teddy bear from a nearby game came loose and floated by her head. Alice stared at the toy as it went by.
The person manning the game saw this happened and squeaked in alarm, then dropped behind the counter. But this was enough to catch Alice's attention. The hydromancer moved to the game stand and peered inside, seemingly searching for the source of the disturbance.
If Tom doesn't do something she will surely discover the man hiding inside.
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 18, 2022 1:20:48 GMT -5
MEANWHILE...
Strongarm took the kitty beacon. He stuffed it in his pocket. "Fuck ya!"
Watch Dog slowly shook his head. "Let's just get this over with. Break up."
The trio went there separate ways. Watch Dog made a beeline for the monorail station. It was at the top of the escalators on the far side of the plaza. He was the most likely to draw attention, and the least likely to cause any collateral damage, so he would be the one to walk through the gate. He rode the escalator to the top of the plaza and followed the signs to the station. Upon approaching the gates, he sped up. He couldn't afford to be caught by any security.
The gates were surrounded by panes of heavy glass with each booth separated by a group of turnstiles. Only one booth was manned. The rest were watched by drones and a couple security guards. Scanners were automatic: simply walking through the gate triggered an ID scan. If anything suspicious was found, the gate would lock down...unless you had one of the city's old monorail tokens. Then the initial ID credit scan was skipped and thus the ensuing security scan. It was up to security to trigger a manual scan.
Of course, that didn't mean anything if Watch Dog couldn't through the gate. The turnstiles, old tech that they are, were still outfitted with their own credit scanners for those wishing to skip the booth. Only the man at the booth would accept tokens. And a good group of people were currently working their way through the turnstiles. He had to move fast.
Watch Dog marched right up to booth and used the duffel bag to shove a woman out of the way. She cursed at him, but he kept going, right up to the booth. He shoved the token in the slot and lifted the duffel bag high to get it above the manual turnstile.
"Wha...? Hey!" the booth attendant said as Watch Dog barreled through the gate. The man glanced at the drone hovering over the gate, but it didn't budge. He then looked to the security guard nearby. One of them was already hopping over the turnstiles and giving chase.
"Sir, stop and submit yourself to a search," the guard ordered.
Watch Dog kept going. He continued walking at a brisk pace.
"Sir!" the guard yelled again. He looked over his shoulder. "Why isn't the drones doing anything?"
The booth attendant shrugged.
The guard rolled his eyes. "God damn robots. Hey, you! Stop!"
Watch Dog kept his pace. He reached the second set of gates just outside the platform. These ones were purely manual and designed to funnel traffic. He went around the gate, hopping over the arms meant to direct the flow of traffic.
"What the...?" another guard shouted.
"Stop him! He assaulted someone!" the first guard said.
Now two guards were on his tail, but he wasn't going to run until it was necessary. They don't carry any real weaponry, anyway.
"Hey!" the guard called again. "Where are those damn drones?"
"Calling it in," said the second.
A humming noise reached Watch Dog's ears. He had descended the short set of stairs just before the platform. He looked ahead. Just beyond another set of stalls and vending machines, and past one last set of pillars, was the brightly lit platform. Holographic ads and panels danced and flashed over the tracks. And just as he looked, the train pulled into the station.
Now he began to run.
"Halt, citizen!" a robotic voice called out. "You are acting suspiciously and must submit to a search. If you do not comply, this unit will be forced to utilize aggressive means. Injury is possible."
Watch Dog didn't bother looking back to see how close the drone was. He just kept running, duffel bag clutched tightly beneath his arm pit.
"Concealed weaponry detected. Meaningful threat warrants elevated response. Submit now or you will be shot," the drone warned.
Bystanders gasped and began to make way for Watch Dog. The trained had settled into the station and its doors opened. Watch Dog he had at least two more warnings before the drone would actually fire. Unless someone fired on them, first."
"Citizen, this is your last warning."
Watch Dog held out the bag before him. People were emerging from the train.
"Citizen, you have been warned. Forced incoming..."
A man standing in the door of the train froze at the sight of Watch Dog charging at him.
Shots rang out.
The man in the door of the train yelped and threw himself onto the platform.
Watch Dog dropped, sliding the last few yards across the ground and through the door of the train. He quickly rolled away from the doors. Crunches of projectiles striking plexiglass windows rang out throughout the cabin of the train. Passengers screamed and yelled in alarm.
"Get out!" Watch Dog shouted. He pulled a pistol from the bag. "Get the hell off the train!"
"Innocent bystanders detected! Please remove yourselves from the vicinity of the suspicious individual," the drone ordered.
Watch Dog jumped to his feet, gun in hand. He knew throwing himself into a crowd would buy him more time, but he had to be quick. The train is designed to lock down in the event of an emergency unless the conductor disabled it.
"Move it! Get off!" Watch Dog continued to yell. Passengers quickly evacuated the cabin. Watch Dog threw open the door to the next cabin and continued working his way to the head car. Luckily, it was the next on over. The drone continued to order people away while the mercenary fired on the door to the conductor's cabin. He threw the door open.
It was empty.
Of course the train was automated, and the controls present on the dashboard were more for maintenance purposes then actual daily use. The real conductor was some person in a booth somewhere monitoring a series of holoscreens. There was, however, and emergency radio.
Watch Dog pressed the button labeled "for emergency communications only".
"Keep this training going on its appointed schedule or I'll kill my hostages," Watch Dog said dramatically.
"What?" a voice replied.
"I've taken this train and I've taken hostages. Don't you dare shut it down or I'll kill everyone."
"Who the hell is this? What is..." There was a moment of silence. "Holy crap! I'm getting the drone feed now. What the hell do you think you're doing, you psycho? You can't take control of one of my trains. You're a sitting duck."
"Shut up. You're not in control, I am. Do not lock this train down. I will kill someone."
"You can't give me orders! That train isn't going anywhere. Welcome to your new prison, asshole."
Watch Dog fired his gun. "The next shot will be for a little boy. Do you want him to join his mother?"
"Are you crazy? I'm not doing anything you say!"
"Fine, but this kid's life is in your hands. I just want the train to keep moving. Do that, and nobody else will get hurt. Or do you want that on your conscience?"
There was a long moment of silence.
"Move. The train. Now. I'll give you three seconds. Three...two...one..."
"Fine! The train will stick to its schedule, but I don't know what you expect to accomplish. The drones won't stop following you just because..."
Watch Dog released the comm button and walked away. He dropped the duffel bag on the floor next to one of the open doors. There was still only the one drone outside. The platform was completely clear of people.
"Citizen! You have violated the laws of this city! Surrender or prepare to be subjected to deadly force," the drone warned.
Three warnings. Always three warnings.
Watch Dog removed one of this favourite weapons from the duffel bag. It was a little old fashioned and wouldn't be much use against the drones, but for some wanton destruction it was more than up to the task. Watch Dog stepped up to the open door and pointed the semi-automatic grenade launcher at a stall.
"Citizen! This is your final warning."
No, it's not. One more. Unless it, or someone else, is fired upon.
Watch Dog fired at a stall. It exploded in a ball of fire. Gaslight rounds these were called. More flash than damage, but nothing gets the ants running like a good fire. Watch Dog fired again. There goes a vending machine.
"Citizen, this unit will now..."
Watch Dog continued firing at choice targets. Fireballs erupted all over the platform. Thick smoked blanketed the station. The sprinklers went off, but this kind of fire would not go out easily.
The drone dipped, assuming the position Watch Dog knew all too well. He spun away from the door just as a hail of gunfire hit the side of the train. White spots crunched all throughout the windows.
The doors closed and the train began to accelerate. It pulled away from the station and into the city's night time lights.
One of the cabin doors opened and into the cabin stepped Strongarm. Fire Hawk, formerly Corvus, followed.
"That was fucking aces!" Strongarm remarked.
"That was quite the show," Gainer said.
Watch Dog removed the circular magazine from the grenade launcher. "Now they won't immediately suspect it's you when fireballs start erupting all over the place."
"How do we stop them from locking down the train when they realize there are no hostages?" Gainer asked.
Well, isn't he the clever little crow.
"I'm going to detonate an EMP in the conductor's booth," Watch Dog answered. "This will disable the scheduler and local controls, but the rail itself is electrified. The train will continue to run its last protocol, but with the scheduler damaged, it won't be able to change protocol."
Gainer raised a curious eyebrow. "More intel from the cat?"
Watch Dog nodded. "The man is surprisingly knowledgeable about how this city runs."
"So, now what? We just keeping fucking shit up?" Strongarm said.
Gainer nodded. "For as long as we can."
Watch Dog nodded alongside the pyro, but he didn't actually agree with him. It was more like for as long as they lived.
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Post by acathala on Sept 20, 2022 21:36:04 GMT -5
Tom looks for something small he could throw that would distract Alice. He throws it at something he knows that there's no one near. Hopefully she's working on instinct and not higher thought.
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 21, 2022 21:23:03 GMT -5
There are no shortage of things to throw. Tom reached into the garbage can to produce an uneaten candied apple. He threw the apple towards the pier. There was nobody there. The apple hit the ground with a thunk.
Alice turned, staring curiously at the sound. She walked over to it and picked up the apple. She stared at it, but Tom couldn't see her face at this point. The vendor merchant disappeared into a back room and locked the door.
So she can be tricked with the right distraction. But the wrong one...
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Post by acathala on Sept 23, 2022 20:39:13 GMT -5
(I'm a bit unclear about what I'm supposed to be doing here. I get this is meant to be a stealth sequence, but what is the exact goal here?)
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 24, 2022 4:56:23 GMT -5
(Originally it was like a previous encounter with Alice where she moved through the area and Tom had to evade her without being spotted except now he also had to worry about leading her away from innocent bystanders while also keeping hidden. But that was before I put the game in fast forward mode.
Just focus on keeping her away from innocents and avoid being spotted for a bit until she moves on...or you think of some other idea that might work)
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Post by acathala on Sept 26, 2022 20:58:53 GMT -5
(The only thing I could think of, was to use both Pan's and Geek's electric attack on her, and hoped that acted like an EMP on her, but I'm pretty sure our "expert" said that was a bad idea before she left. I was hoping to get Alice before the inevitable arrival of the doctor, but I doubt that will happen.)
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Post by TG Barighm on Sept 26, 2022 21:35:39 GMT -5
Let me clarify: find a way to get Alice out of the park without harming innocents and without being caught yourself.
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Post by acathala on Sept 29, 2022 21:46:47 GMT -5
Tom is going to keep an eye out for things that might provoke a happy memory in Alice, like sweet food, toys, etc, that he can throw as a distraction to try and lead her out of the park.
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