The bird's eye view of Bahrain revealed large pockets of destruction radiating out from the Utopia facility, and continued fighting that virtually guaranteed further destruction in the hours to come.  Several overzealous young terats took Manus Aequitas's decree as an invitation to riot, while a few opportunists within Nova Vigilance fanned the flames of their rebellion and provided transport to the region.

The Utopia base was indelibly stamped with a giant hand print, the slap of an angry god at the pathetic creatures who would dare desecrate his good works.  Where his psionic force struck, the building had crumbled and collapsed into the sub-basements.  There were undoubtedly survivors somewhere in the building, though finding and freeing them would be time consuming.

Radiating out from the base, the damage was mostly isolated to key infrastructure and businesses known for catering to utopian interests.  A local toy manufacturer that specialized in T2M action figures was severely damaged and, ironically, several crates of it's most expensive toy lines stolen.  The airport was still under attack from unknown parties.  Two overpasses were collapsed, and a gang of monstrous novas were working at breaking a third.  Several supply trucks with Utopia's logo were overturned, with their terrified drivers surrounded and taunted by nova youths.  Utopia-sponsored apartments, catering to the hundreds of civilian employees working at the base, was under attack.

Thankfully, most of the efforts of the terats seemed to focus on taunting "zips" and destoying property; most of them still lacked the killer instinct that novas like Shrapnel and Geryon had.  But even discounting the Utopia personnel killed by Manus, there were hundreds injured and likely dozens dead.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
insert any other scene you find interesting. or want to interact with.

---

Everything seemed to be a blur... Suzukaze had stared at Buendia as he cured her the rush of quantum filling her. Her powers calling out to her. The air in the facility begging her to move through it like the wind. But this was not the time Imp was in the room calling for help. Then the child suddenly surrounded in crystal. She followed Imp out the door. She knew what was going on but her mind and body were playing catch up. Proteus. The Elementals. Paul. Shiro. Annette and her memories. Imp's child. And now fully powered. She remained silent and went with the flow. She was lost and broken. She helped with whatever needed, and listened to Imps speech. Then the facility was going to self destruct and they raced for the teleporter. She thought of Annette and hoped that if she wasn't tagging along in someones mind that she'd find her way home.

Back on Earth in the ruins that was the Bahrain facility she could feel the tug of her powers begging to be used. The true air was calling, but she had to resist. She listened as the others talked of where to go and what they were going to do. She came to a realization, and looked up to the sky. "I've got nothing left in this world..."

Comstock turned and stared at Suzukaze.  "Then you are the Dead."  He pointed at her.  "You lived entirely for others.  So you never were alive."   He could not comprehend her lack of purpose.  Not as he was now.

He wanted to be out there.  To fight, or to lift wreckage.  But if Impetus was going to New York to visit Laragione, than he would need all his strength to support his friend.  He looked to Gravitas, Slider, and Phantasm.  One of these three would be least useful here, on the battlefield.  And one in particular deserved an apology from the Director.  "We need a portal.  Slider, will you take us to New York?"

"So that's where things are going then.  Alrighty, but I'm standing behind you when they start shooting at us." Not that Utopia had the luxury of doing that, not now.  But there would nonetheless be consequences to all they'd done, and she wasn't looking forward to them.

A portal irised open, leading to the familiar New York destination. "Uhm, age before beauty then?"

Comstock nodded.  "Everyone, we'll be back soon.  Hopefully with help."  He nodded to Impetus and lead the way.

Imp gazed around at the destruction, horrified at the actions of his fellows.  Some small part of him recognized why they had done so, but the childish pettiness of the terats was saddening.  He turned up the juice, and put his hand on Buendia's shoulder "This is worse than I imagined, far, far worse.  Buendia, my friend, I know that you will find the integrity and courage to help them to recover their full powers, as this will not only endear you to some of the most powerful novas on the planet, us included, but all novadom.  I thank you for your dedication to our future."  His phone chirped an update, apparently The Dierector was going to speak to the UN.  "We'll portal to New York, then it looks like I'll have to fly us to the UN HQ
He looked at the rest of the assembled demigods, "Please help those here that need help, both nova and baseline."
He stepped through the portal after 'Stock, chrysalis held protectively under his arm, and onto the sidewalk in front of HQ.  Instead of going in through the lobby he put his shoulder under one of 'Stock's steely arms and rocketed towards the UN bulding.  The UN's security novas rose into the air to meet them, but seeing who it was that was approaching, they let them through.  Imp landed at the top of the stairs, just before the doors, at almost the same time that Director Laragione reached them.  "Hello, Director.  We need to talk."

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
aside from using his patented Charisma Sledge-Hammer(now with the halo enhancement) on Buendia, Imp's not doing anything overt here.  Hopefully Laragione and others will take this as a gesture of good faith.

---

This message was last edited by the player at 03:09, Tue 27 Aug 2013.

Justin was literally running toward the building as the novas entered through the portal, having just tossed a tablet to an aid and taken a cell from another.  He, his aides, and the security staff accompanying him turned toward the new arrivals, unsure of what the unexpected visit heralded.  Justin was the first to respond, talking into his phone.  "Sir, I'll have to call you back."

Looking around, eyes fixing on one of his aides just a fraction of a second too long, he replied to Impetus.  "Imp.  Impetus.  I'm glad you're still alive, bou shouldn't be here... What is that in your arms?  No, never mind, you shouldn't be here.  It's dangerous for you, and it looks bad given what's going on right now, I... I have to present this train wreck to the security council, and try to salvage things, but of course we should talk..."

Justin wasn't quite himself, possibly due to the incredible setback to all his years of hard work, perhaps something else.  But he did seem honest in his sentiments, especially the danger.  Danger that was punctuated by Slider falling to the ground clutching her stomach, foaming blood visible at the corner of her mouth.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
playing edit tag tonight.  you're it.

---

This message was last edited by the GM at 03:34, Tue 27 Aug 2013.

"Inside this cocoon is my daughter, Justin.  She was ripped from her mother's womb in the facility on the other end of the teleporter in the basement of the Bahrain complex.  Trust me when I say that us being here is the best thing that could possibly happen to help this situation from going more pear shaped than it already has.  And we need to stop this, to end this war before it begins, or millions will die.  We should talk privately."

Slider's fall to the ground pulled his head around.  "Slider! Cover the Director, Stock!  Get him inside!  Solitaire, Slider's been shot! Get Grav to make a portal to the UN and send Flare through, armor up."  Trusting his force-field to stop any ordnance not fired from a tank, Imp picked Slider up and shielded her with his body, then rushed her inside into cover inside the building.  Once there he focused his remaining energy on keeping the blood from pouring out of her ruptured organs while shouting for medical assistance.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:29, Tue 27 Aug 2013.

"This is important.  We found those responsible for Corbin's murder as well: people within the Project."

Comstock stood in the way, dumbfounded.  Peace was sliding out of their grasp.  Nothing made sense.  Bullets hammered into him.  He struggled to feel anything.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:03, Tue 27 Aug 2013.

Justin wore the look of a trapped animal.  The situation was advancing in a manner he desperately wanted to avoid.  "Impetus, get the hell out of here, talk LATER when all this dies down!"  The shout wasn't opposition, it was fear.  Fear of what would happen next.  Fear that was validated in the next few moments as soldiers equiped with the latest arms and armor from Utopia R&D flooded out of the UN building.  They were accompanied by a miasma of disquiet, a palpable feeling that jarred the nerves of the novas present.

Blood foamed up from Slider's lungs, but she still held the portal open.  She had maintained it in case of an emergency, and her caution was apparently justified as the soldiers began firing on the known terrorist that was approaching the United Nations.

Comstock, in front of her, took the brunt of the attack.  Most of the bullets glanced off harmlessly, doing more damage to the pavement on their ricochet than to him, but a few miraculously penetrated.  Over penetrated actually, as two went completely through his metal chest and out his back.

Impetus was free to act, though a wrong move would sent the firing squad after him as well.  His force of personality could end this in an instant... if not for the thrumming voice inside his head.  You will not use your charisma, you will not toy with our emotions, you will not alter our minds, you will not...  the voice droned on, and somehow he could not resist it.  But he had other powers at his disposal...

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
I have no intention of depowering anyone so soon after a year without powers, but your charms are well known and your mind-affecting stuff is being countered by other powers.  You still have access to Kinetics.  Stock, take some dmg, 3L.

---

---

Back in Bahrain, a damaged building collapsed under its own weight, piercing the quiet at the heart of the destruction.

"Director ... it didn't have to be like this."  He looked Justin Laragione in the eyes, then turned to face the bodyguards and their future-tech weaponry.  Through the bullet holes, the director caught a glimpse of Comstock's insides as he turned: nothing but a tangled mess of fibrous steel and mercurial sludge, pumping and twitching together as it replaced Dillon's organs and flesh.

"I will not harm you."  Comstock tasted their weapons, found them to be advanced ceramics rather than anything metal.  An alien and unpleasant 'flavor', something the Hell Kraken could work with, but not him.  But he'd helped build the Las Vegas mag-lev, so he knew the weaknesses of such things.  His metal skin turned brilliantly shiny as he exuded layers of copper, cobalt, iron, and neodymium over each other.  A rich, palpable electromagnetic field resulted, reducing the velocities of the bullets or else deflecting them away.

"We mean no harm," he repeated.  Cameras and more security responded.  Only a matter of time.  "Director ... Justin ... the Project was supposed to be more than this."

There was not much time.  Impetus' gambit had turned into a catastrophe.  Step by step, maintaining the electromagnetic field with his metal skin, he backed away toward the portal.

Solitaire heard Slider gasp, whirled, saw the portal flicker and knew. Today had been a lot of highs and lot of lows. She was just done.

"Grav, please be prepared to open another portal to the UN if this one does not hold. Flare, your healing will be needed shortly. I am going to sort this out. Please do not follow." Solitaire said flatly.

As she stepped forward, to those the could see her, her face seemed to sharpen, and lacking its customary grin, seemed cold and frightening. Gone was the laughter in her eyes. The air around her shimmered with power and light blazed through her clothing in abstract traceries along her limbs. An aura of well, Doom seemed the most appropriate word, radiated from her.

Somebody had succeeded in making her angry.

The sound of her boot striking the ground managed to echo through the area despite the gunfire, as did her well trained and Quantum fueled voice.

"Slider is one of Mine. She is under MY protection. This will stop NOW, or I will stop it myself. This is your one warning."

Proclamation made, Solitaire pushed off with her back foot and blurred to Sliders side, gathering her up. Her face softened slightly as she looked at Slider, whispering that it was going to be all right.  Then she glanced around to see if either Sliders portal remained active or if Grav had opened a new one. She made for whichever was closer.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Activating Awe-Inspiring, Face of Terror, Commanding Presence and generally just being a scary bitch. Solitaire is also completely prepared to wreck this whole place if anyone interferes with her retrieval of Slider, and everybody should know it. This is not a bluff.

---

Justin, blocked by the troops surrounding him, managed to push to the front of the group. "No one needs to be hurt here! If you all just leave we can get out of this without any more injuries." He looked at Comstock and Impetus then, with a queasy look of shame. He whispered, too low for the ever present media to pick up, but clear to those present. "I know Dillon. I'm sorry. "

The troops ceased fire, were poised to attack at any hostile move. Though it remained to be seen whether they had the nerve to do so in the face of both Impetus and solitaire's overwhelming presence.
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:52, Tue 27 Aug 2013.

"No," said Gravitas, defying the requests of some of his closest friends and allies. Light was already beginning to bend and twist around him as he set himself up to dive into the ongoing battle raging in Bahrain. "I will not assist others in leaving this place. There are things to do here - things more important than talking to Utopian puppet-kings."

Any human features were then completely obscured as his matte-black protective field finished enveloping him. "We must stop this conflict before we do anything else."

He rose into the air, some dirt and debris trailed after him, drawn up in the gravitational field that enabled his movement. He floated forward, erect, searching out his fellow Terats - though he found that some measure of emotion accompanied the thought of considering them 'fellow' anything. What was it? Something like revulsion, he thought. Perhaps even shame.

For the first time since the Columbian Conflict, the matte-black form of the Master of Gravity floated over a battlefield. Cameras turned in his direction - he hadn't been seen in public at all in months. Some of the younger and more impressionable Terats, many of which had joined since his fall from the Pantheon, looked on in disinterest. Gravitas was history to them already. Others, their seniors within the organization, kept closer track. Some of them followed.

The Master of Gravity noticed them. He opted to turn up the melodrama and projected his voice as much as he was able "Cease this conflict!" he told them. "Tell the others to stop their fighting and return home. The Master of Gravity demands it!"

He floated on, and as he did, memories of similar violence filtered through his mind. In a lesser being it might have been an episode of post-traumatic stress. For him, it was simply reflection. Some of the memories were more recent; they were events he'd seen in the news, but that he'd considered irrelevant as he pursued a cure for his own condition - or he'd been too out of his mind to register what they were.

"Scripture! Manus! Geryon! Are you still here!?" he shouted. He was almost sure at least two of the three could hear him if they were within a mile or so.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
OOC: In addition to shielding and such, also popping Persuader and am already Awe-Inspiring.

---

The madness left Dillon then.  He saw Justin not as a visionary, but just another man.  The project, at last, lost its luster.

With some considerable will, he revealed his face, forcing the metal skin back.  He locked eyes with the security guards.  "Impetus is coming back with me.  And so is Slider.  I'll let you all decide on the cover story you want to tell."  The eufiber and steel on his arms were beginning to glow, as his improvised electromagnet heated into the radiant spectrum.  Not much longer for this trick.  "I'm going to clean up Bahrain with my friends.  And then you're going to leave us alone while we clean house."  We.  Nova-kind.  "The world needs you.  But the Teragen's right.  You've lost your right to police nova-kind.  From now on, that's my job.  I'm not putting the blue on again."

He kept his eyes locked on the heavily armed guards, prepared to do something violent and stupid if they took the first hostile action.  Once Solitaire, Slider and Impetus were safe, he'd stand down and exit through the portal.

"No!" The shout tore from Impetus' throat as violence threatened to bring his world to an end.  "No!"  He stepped forward, Slider's blood covered his hands, and spattered his face.  He tried to not hear her gurgles as he stopped using his powers to help her.  This was more important. Forgive me, Slider.  Forgive me.He fought the voices in his head that told him to stand aside, told him to let everything he had fought and bled for be for nothing.  He looked at Comstock, "You taught me better than that," then to Laragione, "As did you.  The only way for evil, ignorance and injustice to triumph is for good people to stand aside and do nothing."  He stepped between Comstock, Justin, Solitaire, and the firing squad, then he addressed the mob.  "I know that many of you have been given drugs, specifically developed by the Columbian cartels we fought against in Brazil to stop their troops from allowing me to find a peaceful solution, and now those same drugs have been usurped by powers in our own homeland to do exactly the same thing.  I know that your emotions are deadened, and that there is no appeal to your humanity that I can make that you will listen to.  I know that my powers of persuasion have no hold on you."  He let his aura diminish, stopped being as if a god among men, and became something more human, more like them.  He hoped that the entire crowd hadn't been dosed, but you couldn't bank on hope, today had taught him that. "But, I do know that those same drugs that deaden your emotions make your powers of reason greater, and your ability to disobey an unjust, foolhardy order greater.  You are no mindless drones, you are soldiers given clear heads to decide what to do as intelligent men and women.  Think about what is going to happen, today, if those orders are carried out.  We have witnessed my cousin, the nova you once knew as Caestus Pax, driven to madness by the pain of betrayal.  He  leveled an entire city single-handed.  I too have witnessed betrayal, from those I once held as close as family, yet here I stand before you, telling you that this course that you might allow to be plotted for us all is suicide.
Think about the great things we have accomplished together.  The oceans are clean, the air is clean, the rain forests are coming back, and humanity is entering an age free from disease, and hunger, where poverty is mitigated or eliminated in many areas, and education is the birthright of all children.  Logically, is this a world that your children should grow up in, that you should live in in your old age?  Of course it is, to say otherwise is irrational and foolish.  You know that with greater connection between us that there is greater peace, and the peace dividends alone make working together, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder to give this new world a chance to happen is the only logical choice." He paused, eyes sweeping the crowd.  "Or, you can murder me.  Right here.  On tv that will be broadcast around the world in a heartbeat.  Doing so will start a war that none of us will win, that will make the wars of the past look like mere practice sessions.  Either shoot me, right now; or do the logical thing and lower your weapons, right now, because I'm not leaving." With an audible crackle the force field around him winked out.  He became silent  for a long, slow second and waited to see if someone was going to martyr him,
OOC the following is what Imp will do if he doesn't get executed.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
  "Thank you, for listening to your better selves. Now, I am going to walk inside this building with my friend, Director of Project Utopia, Mr. Laragione, and we are going to talk with the security council about what we can do to move forward, for the good of us all.  He stopped projecting and turned to his friends, worry etched on his face, Sol, Stock, take Slider to Flare, pray to whatever angels are watching over us that she survives."  With that he walked with Justin into the building, Slider's blood still dripping from his hands.  The chrysalis containing his child floating out from its hiding place and hovered obediently at his side, where the blood dropped onto, tiny sparks erupted, turning the droplets into tiny red teardrop shaped gems that fell to the floor.

---

[Private to GM: Ok, so I burned willpower to try to resist whatever was happening to me, I assume it was domination.  Powers that Imp will use, if he cannot defeat the mind control to use his charisma/appearance enhancements, are limited to analyse weakness.  On said enhancement roll I got 6 sux (2 from mega) bringing my base pool to 18.
On my following reasoning with the mob roll i got 9 successes. Which is still inhumanly good.  If Imp can use other powers he'll use Soothe to diffuse the situation and Natural Empath to try to read the crowd better. No voodoo mind control here.  Also, Imp's not going to move if he does get shot at.  If Proteus/Aeon wants a martyr, they can have one.  I assume they don't.]
This message was last edited by the player at 14:24, Tue 27 Aug 2013.

Dragón looked around with a growing sense of frustration and despair.  "So this is how it's going to be then?" he asked those who could still hear his voice, "whether we meant to or not, we've ignited the powder keg and now we each wander off to pursue our own vision of the future, or like Manus, our own personal vengeance?"

He watched Gravitas floating off in the distance, making pronouncements like some pitch black archangel.  Flare seemed to have recovered from whatever had kept her unconscious, but there was something different about her, like a veil behind her eyes.  Suzukaze was surrendering to despair, showing no spirit or will to fight.  Then there was Phantasm - his Bonita - behind her eyes were wheels within wheels.  She seemed to be operating on a purely intellectual plane now.

"What happened to the shared idea that brought us here?  We came to try to root out the dark heart that was corrupting Utopia.  We were trying to save Utopia, or was I mistaken?"

He turned to Phantasm.  "Even if we no longer feel able to be members of Utopia, does that mean that the values the organization worked for weren't true?"

Addressing all of them again, he said, "We're novas...that's true...each one of us is capable of miracles.  Are we not capable of even greater miracles as a group?"  He started to go on, but couldn't bring himself to say what was in his heart.  Either they had heard him already, or all the words in the world would do him no good.  He went back to his vigil, alert for any approaching danger.

No one argued with Solitaire, nor did they move to stop her taking the international fugitive through the unknown portal.  The assembled soldiers collectively released their held breath at awe-inspiring Nova's departure.  Though they had kept their weapons on target, they were shaking despite being veterans of multiple wars, and were all too happy when Comstock and Impetus chose pacifism over retribution.

Comstock made his way through the portal as well, while Impetus's indomitable sense of self-confidence kept him in New York.  Fighting the voice in his mind and twisting his thoughts around the restrictions of its commands, Impetus made a compelling plea to those present, and to the world watching through high powered recording equipment on helicopters and drones hovering nearby.  Though he didn't use his overt powers, Impetus broadcast his compelling speech to the vast audiences watching from home, and was able to make his words more pleasing to those watching without breaking the strictures put in place by the unknown telepath.

The assembled crowd, even the soldiers, were swayed.  Though they did not shoulder their weapons or betray their duty, they lowered their guns as some nodded and others frowned guiltily at their role in the unfolding drama.  The telepath did not stop her efforts, but they became more reticent, overtones of peace and sadness coming through in her mental voice.  Justin actually wept openly, shame and the lost years of work coalescing as a deep and profound grief.  He nodded slowly and continuously toward Impetus. "You'll have a say, I'll make them listen. Come with me.  Everyone stay back, we're coming through." The soldiers, knowing in their hearts that it was the right thing, allowed Impetus to pass.  The wrongness pervading the soldiers was almost palpable while he moved through their ranks, but passed as they approached the building.

As the two approached the shelter of the entryway, the feeling of wrongness suddenly increased, security camera wiring audibly shorted, and guards fell unconscious.  The squad of soldiers in front of the building were just out of sight, while news cameras captured only confused glimpses of the scene that would be poured over by conspiracy theorists for years to come.  Justin froze in place, empty eyes staring from a slack jawed face as something, a distortion in the air reminiscent of biblical wheels of burning fire in miniature, left his body to hover before Impetus.  A whispery mental voice that was in no way human sounded out in the nova's mind, though it was strangely distorted by a static felt in his node rather than heard. Well played Jason-Tybolt-Impetus.  We will have no martyrs today, nor rumors of them, but neither will you have the chance to sway world leaders.  You have already done enough harm with your little speech, and by forcing this revelation. Return to your allies, and leave the work of improving your world to the angelic benefactors that walk among you.

With that, Impetus was surrounded in a cocoon of force that held him upright and pushed him toward the portal.  The "angel" tried to mask it, but Impetus could sense through his node that there were other burning wraiths hidden beyond the visible spectrum aiding in the telekinetic effort.  He dug in to the air, stripping it of momentum to add to his own, an effort to break the hold. He stripped himself of momentum, willing himself to stop.  Neither produced a meaningful change.  There was something about the aura itself that disrupted his quantum fields but beyond that he could not tell what was locking him in place; surrounded by the cocoon of force, the static in his node blinded his quantum senses.

As he hovered on the edge of the portal, the voice spoke in his mind one last time.  Go in peace, and know that your world is in benevolent hands.  With those parting thoughts, Impetus was pushed through Slider's portal, the energy around him dissipating as it entered the quantum matrix of the portal and disrupted it, causing it to collapse.

---

In Bahrain, as Dragon attempted to inspire his friends, Geryon heard Gravitas's call.  He emerged from the shade of the overpass that the nova youths were in the process of destroying; apparently, despite his ability to destroy it on his own, he felt it better to give the new recruits a chance at mayhem.  With an incredible bound, he landed a dozen yards from Gravitas, minions flying or running to catch up.  Other pockets of low ranking terats left what they were doing as well, drawn to the new novas on the scene.

Geryon's voice was all pride and self-satisfaction when he spoke.  "Hey Grav', surprised to see you flying around, what with you not having enough juice to even walk on those crippled legs half the time.  But hey, I figured I'd help out in your absence, make some needed executive decisions on training the new terats, showing the world the Teragen philosophy, all that crap.  How you like it?  Now, be gentle though, I'm sensitive, and it's hard filling your seat at the planning table, so I just had to do my best."  The other terats, none of them evolved to a higher state and most little more than groupies or damaged souls in need of therapy, laughed amongst themselves.  Apparently the rumors of the Utopian's powerlessness had gotten around the movement, and the group's injured and worn state did little to help their reputation.

Solitaire emerged through the portal then, righteous anger palpable, and the first hint to the assembled terats that they may have made a poor choice in targets.  Fortunately for them, she was too busy tending to Slider and carrying the injured woman's slight body to Flare.  Despite being told to relax, she held on to the portal.  "I- I won't - won't leave him there!" she gasped out between pink foamed coughing fits.  Moments later, Comstock came through, metal pulled back to reveal a vulnerable human face.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Imp will appear after roughly mid-way into the initiative of the turn following the next one.  Since that is probably confusing though, go with: everyone gets a post for this next turn, maybe an extra for fast posters, then Imp will return

---

This message was last edited by the GM at 00:31, Wed 28 Aug 2013.

Solitaire laid Slider down gently on the softest patch of rubble she could find. "I'll know if he comes to harm, don't worry. You can't argue with him anyway. But keep the portal open if it makes you feel better." Solitaire said with a soft smile. "Flare, would you assist?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:12, Wed 28 Aug 2013.

Wilhelm sighed inwardly as he gently floated over BAH's outer perimeter.  "Was für eine sinnlose Verschwendung von Infrastruktur."  Someone had set fire to the terminal, all the glass was down from the tower, and a quick scan of the airwaves on his Cromlech indicated that ATC was offline.  Worse still, Runways one-three-right and one-two-left were both heavily cratered, a burning 737 was blocking the approaches to Runway one-two-right, and someone had dropped a fuel bowser in the middle of Runway one-three-left, the only undamaged runway long enough to accommodate the Silbervogel.  Nothing was getting out of BAH until one of the runways was cleared, a situation Wilhelm found damnably inconvenient on a purely personal level.  He could certainly fix the problem himself, but he had checklists to run through and there was the principle of the thing.  He settled to the ground and began searching for one of the airport's intercom ports.  Once one was found it was a simple matter to connect his phone wirelessly to the intercom system and broadcast a message to the entire terminal.  "All attacks on this airfield will cease immediately.  Honestly, you all ought to be ashamed of yourselves.  Furthermore, the debris on Runway one-three-left will be cleared to allow for the resumption of flight operations.  Failure to comply promptly will be dealt with most harshly."  There.  That ought to do it.

Though his emotions were... different from those of many others, he wasn't incapable of noting the sarcasm in Geryon's address. "Do not make the mistake of assuming that I remain in my weakened state. That time has passed." As if to punctuate the statement, space rippled out around him. Inwardly he sighed - he'd sort of hoped that part wasn't going to come back.

He gazed at the young Terats that had gathered to watch the exchange even as his perfect recall allowed him to continue to review events that had happened while he had been incapacitated. Geryon, perhaps predictably, had made a public statement by killing a number of Michaelists and then talked on camera about how novas were outside human law.

"As has, apparently, the time of the Utopian facility here. This job is done. More destruction is only senseless violence." The humanoid head turned to look at Geryon directly. "Though such seems to be your specialty. Through your actions here and at the trial of the Michaelist shooters, you have potentially set back baseline/nova relations for years to come. The future we build, the future built by novas and by the Teragen cannot be one bathed in blood."

He shook his head. "You are right when you say that we are a law unto our selves. On that point I will not argue. You seem to think that obviates the rights of others, and there you are wrong. Baseline laws may not apply to you - or any other nova - but that does not deprive a baseline of their basic rights. Rights like the right to life. To be judged for their actions by their peers and punished accordingly."

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
I have more I want to say, but I recognize that I'm monologing and that Geryon is likely to interrupt. In either event, I'm channeling quantum to max my gravity control on the next round.

---

Gale had deposited Phantasm to the ground after the aerial view, but returned to the sky to keep an eye on things.  Until she heard Dragon's admonishment.

The winged woman landed roughly next to him, kicking up a cloud of dust.  She straightened, her expression almost as thunderous as Solitaire's.  "Save Utopia?  And I thought I was the naive one."  A small laugh.  She paced a circle around him, lightning crackling along the edges of her silhouette.  "The shared idea that brought us here was revenge.  Revenge against a betrayal.  The very people who were supposed to support and accept us instead turned on us, treating us as less than human.  Less than dogs!"  Nobody here had seen the rage she had felt after the Michaelist wedding, but she recognized it as the same painful emotion.  However, now she was at full strength, and free to express all that anger.

Her pacing stopped abruptly as she noticed the trouble on the other side of the portal.  A quick assessment of the situation, and then her green eyes caught his.  "I saw Utopia born.  At this point, I don't care if it dies."

Turning on her heel, she went to help the other women, the lightning around her dying off as the need to protect overtook her rage.  If nothing else, she could make sure the other riff-raff didn't disturb them.

Phantasm listened to Gale as she vented a years worth of pain and frustration. "Oh Gale, this has been a bad year hasn't it?"  A rhetorical question whispered to the wind, loud enough for the winged woman to hear, but easy enough to mistake as Phantasm talking to herself.  She walked to Angelo and wordlessly squeezed his elbow, a gesture that said I understand.

Seeing the approach of the Terats though, Phantasm's bearing changed completely: he was ready for violence.  These were the people that had destroyed this city, and who were driving the world to the brink of yet another war.  She realized that if it weren't these novas, it would be others drunk on their own power.  Still, they pissed her off all the same.

For the first time in nearly a year she could access her full abilities, and she stalked toward the terats like a panther hunting prey, a green corona of wailing chained souls misting out from her body to surround her.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
6 sux on a forcefield roll, 7 on the shapeshift I made earlier., if anyone cares.

---

"My mother had a saying," Dragón said, "you're throwing out the baby with the bathwater.  Project Proteus hides itself within Utopia and makes a cowardly and humiliating attack on us.  Your solution is to destroy the whole mess...like blowing up the whole damn neighborhood to take out a terrorist.  How very evolved of you."

He turned away from Gale and it was then he saw Phantasm stalking toward Geryon.  He started after her, ready to guard her flank in case any of Geryon's "flunkies" got an urge to pile on.  He was nowhere near strong enough to compete with the monstrous Terat, but he was going to make absolutely sure she got a fair fight.

Geryon made a point of looking Gravitas up and down, a sneer on his face as though he were examining something and found it wanting.  "You know Dr. Abernathy, you always struck me as the weakest link.  I mean, even at your full power you're still a cripple, and that big brain of yours can only get you out of so much."  A look around at the gathered group, another sneer.  "And really, the rest of your little group isn't worth much either.  Never seen little miss creepy or angel chick do a damn thing in any of the media coverage of these big wars.  "The Dragon" is just a tin soldier, metal man there has about as much initiative and sense as piece of re-bar.  Anime girl's crazy as a bag of rabid cats... and who the hell is that guy, Gun Man?  Really, only Sol and Imp had anything going out of you people, and they've both gone zip-lover and race-traitor on us.  Look at Sol, fawning all over that utopia bitch.  Man, I really think the Teragen would be a better place without you all in it.  What you think of that?  Any smart lines or preachy speeches? Tell you what though, if you just fuck right off, I'll let you go as long as you stick to your lab and don't bother your betters anymore."

Geryon was clearly attempting to bolster the nerve of his own clearly superior (in number at least) forces for an assault of some sort.  He might not actually kill anyone, just humiliate them; he had taken great pains in the past to avoid permanent injury to other novas.  Then again, Gravitas had been in direct opposition to Geryon's desires for some time, and the teragen movement was at a turning point, so all bets were probably off.

As Geryon continued his taunting, some of the younger terats, harvesters and nova vigilance mostly, circled in closer as they talked.  A dinosaur-themed monster with large patagia, a three and a half armed woman, and beautiful floating dark-haired man chatted the loudest.  "So, isn't she like supposed to be scary strong?"  "Yeah, so why's she playing nurse over there with that weak-ass utopia bitch?"  "No man, she's not playing nurse, she's playing doctor. Heh heh.  Get it, doctor?" "Shut up Dactyl, you're a fucking chud.  Besides, The Solitaire is too cold to play doctor with anyone, they say she don't give a shit about anything." Their chatter was nervous, even turned away from them Solitaire's aura was fierce, but they were making a game of pressing in, daring each other to test their own fears.

In the distance, Shrapnel could be seen approaching the area rapidly.  Apparently she had spotted the gathering as she left her attack on the airport.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Geryon is smarter than he looks.  All the taunting is probably hiding a plan, and  anyone that doesn't make a wits+empathy or manip+subterfuge at dif 5 will get a minus 2 to their first action due to the taunting

---

---

Kraken's plane remained intact, but after Shrapnel left the area, several terats took it upon themselves to torment the passengers and cause property damage.  Kraken's announcement was too tempting for them to resist, and they hunted for him like moths seeking flames.  Two finally found him, a short black girl, barely 5 foot tall, and a wiry, pasty faced young man with greasy hair, both in their late teens.  The unwashed boy spoke first.  "So who the hell are you to tell anyone what to do.  Actually, what the hell are you for that matter?"  The girl didn't talk, but her laughter punctuated his questions.

---

On the ground, Slider coughed harder.  Some sort of internal damage, but there wasn't a bullet hole, or a wound of any sort.  Biomanipulative nova?  Poison?  Slider was never the hardiest of them, so there were more options to eliminate.  She shuddered as something interacted with her portal, causing her to strain at keeping it open.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:10, Wed 28 Aug 2013.