Alerts, mission information, and other critical communication will take place here.

The team meets here with the British Commandos who are overseen by the MI6 section of the Secret Intelligence Service. The ready room is located in a secret bunker deep beneath London, safe from any conventional bombardment. There are rudimentary quarters in this bunker which is very secure. Plenty of armed soldiers are around and sometimes some members of The Odd Squad (I like it) feel like some of the soldiers are there to keep an eye on THEM as well.

One afternoon the intercom clicks on and a soothing voice is heard over it; "Odd Squad team members are to assemble in the Ready Room in 30 minutes for briefing. Please be punctual. That is all." The intercom cuts out with a *click* and team members are left to make their way to the Ready Room.

OOC: Feel free to make an entrance into the room as each of you see fit. Also feel free to give an impression about yourself to other team members; appearance, mannerisms, etc. Red Dragon of course does NOT have room here to be in dragon form. :)

...and so it begins. I am going to just try and jump into things. If Jill's player returns I will work her in otherwise to quote Izzy Mendlebaum; "It's GO time!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:38, Sun 28 Aug 2016.

*One minute late, he walks in with an air of ease and grace, his handsome, chiseled features broken in a wide grin. He wears a plain ribbed turtleneck - black - and olive camo pants, but makes them look like he bought them off the rack in Milan.*

"Sorry I'm late, he says. Traffic in the halls, you know."

Red Dragon winged quietly over the roof tops of London. The night sky hiding his huge form from view though the black outs help a lot to.

As he dropped to the river his night vision found the entrance to the old Victorian sewer system..

With grace he flew low and into the dark abandoned tunnel.

Twisting and turning the huge beast came to a gentle stop outside a small metal door.

Slowly the dragon shrank and moments later a tall naked and relatively handsome middle aged man stood there.

He reached into an alchove and pulled out a set of coveralls and slipped them on.

From around his neck he pulled out a chain with a key on it. Unlocking the door he stepped through and locked it behind him.

Moving through the now lit corridors he entered his quarters he changed into his British army uniform just as the speaker announced his attendance at the briefing.

Lord Arthur Doyle captain in the British army stepped into the briefing room ten minutes later nodding at the faces of his team mates before taking his seat

Hattie was given a stern look when the cabbie dropped her off outside the otherwise nondescript building.  She smoothed her wool skirt suit and adjusted the brim of her felt hat.  She knew where she was going, but the cabbie only knew military types went in there and this bird wasn't dressed the part.

"Where's your uniform?" he demanded.

Hattie returned his look, defiant.  "I am consulting, if you must know...from Cambridge."

Properly chastened, he doffed his cap and accepted the coins she offered.  As she walked inside she was braced by military police and checked against a list.  A young female corporal visually confirmed that she'd met Dr. Falcate previously and Hattie was allowed to pass inside.

"Sorry for the bother," the corporal began, but Hattie waved her off.

"I understand and it's no doubt necessary, what with the Boche sniffing all about."

"Quite right.  This way, Doctor."

Hattie followed the adjutant with a smile and was escorted to the ready room.

"Tea, Doctor?

"Oh, well, no bother, Corporal.  I'm sure you have better things to do."

"It is no bother, Doctor."

Hattie was getting the idea the corporal was quite pleased to see a woman in some position of power and probably wondered how she fit on to the Odd Squad.  "I appreciate the offer, assuredly.  But I will abstain."  And with that, Hattie entered the Situation Room.

The Corporal saluted, did a a smart about face and was off.

"Hello," Hattie offered as she entered the room.  "I'm Hattie Falcate.  And who might you blokes be?"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:34, Mon 29 Aug 2016.

Dr. Jetsetter walked into the situation room. "Oh sorry," he explained. "I thought this was the bathroom. That's not right, dagnabit, I think they call it a loon or something over here."

He's about to walk back out the door, when he looks around at everyone who has already gathered. "Hey, is somebody throwing a party and didn't invite me? Well, could at least one of you direct me to the nearest loon?"

Chen Zen walked in, taking to his newly changed name quite well. The small man, no more than 5'7" in height(with his shoes) moves with grace and silence. It's almost unnerving. He wears a loose cotton shirt and pants and flat soled slipper-shoes. He gives each person an individual half bow, "Herro." he says, his English NOT coming along well, but he was relentless in his studies and trying to learn. It seemed he craved knowledge, but only certain things. "I am Chen Zen."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:43, Mon 29 Aug 2016.

"Jarmil," he says, rising and crossing over to Hattie. "Please, have a seat near me. I need someone to keep me awake. These briefings are so awfully dull."

"I'm thankful that this will not be a 'Boy's Club'," said the statuesque beauty smoking a cigarette in the corner. The woman wore slacks and white button-down blouse, regarding Hattie with a pleasant smile and a friendly nod. Black hair fell in soft waves to frame a full-lipped face with striking dark eyes. Her olive complexion and accent suggested an origin in warmer climes with lush vineyards and inviting beaches.

She strode toward the group with an easy, confident sway of her hips. "My name is Lydia. Welcome." Lydia offered her hand. "On the battefield, our enemies will call me 'The Fury'--and they will despair."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:27, Mon 29 Aug 2016.

With everyone having made it to the Ready Room in a timely manner as each enters they see a man in an obviously high-ranking officers uniform standing at the head of the table with seat arranged around it. To the right of the man is a woman sitting who has a black briefcase in front of her and is dressed in a sharp, dark suit. Behind the officer is a blackboard as well as tables to the left and right with numerous books and folders on shelves. The man gestures for everyone to be seated and the woman observes the group coolly.

As people finish introducing themselves and take seats the officer clears his throat and raises one hand for attention; "Hrm...good afternoon to you, members of the Odd Squad. I appreciate the prompt arrival here. My name is Brigadier Thomlinson of the British Commandos and I will be part of the briefing on an impending crisis." He finishes his introduction and looks over at the woman.

The woman stands, her eyes taking in the disparate members of the group for a moment before she begins speaking; "And you may call me Agent Mullalley of the MI6 branch of the SIS, the Secret Intelligence Service for those not familiar. I will be beginning this briefing." She opens her briefcase and takes out a folder with papers in it. Placing it in front of her and glancing briefly at the Brigadier she open it and looks at the group; "We have received confirmed information that the Nazis are planning an attack on one of our radar installations. As many of you may now be aware these installations are our first line of defense against Luftwaffe air incursions so to lose even one could have dire repercussions. We are confident we know WHICH installation is the target although we have full brigades of highly trained soldiers at the others, just in case. As one of our groups of superoperatives, for lack of a better word, we plan on placing you at that installation to intercept and stop the Nazi incursion. I will turn this over to Brigadier Thomlinson but do any of you have questions to ask of me before I do?"

Lydia raised her hand first. "Yes. Will our 'Odd Squad' only fight the Germans?"

The Brigadier gestures with one hand; "Allow me to field this one Agent Mullalley. While the Nazis are our primary concern the team would be used to fight, if needed, any of the Axis powers. So with Italy being a firm partner of the Nazis it is likely the team would see action in that arena as well. I am honestly not sure WHAT to make of the Soviet position in all of this right now however."

"I understand our bargain, Sir. We help you defeat your enemies, and you help us with our enemies in return. Of course I will help you crush the German menace." Lydia shifted forward in her chair. She met the Brigadier's eyes with an unwavering intensity. "However, I want Vengeance against Mussolini and his forces. What I am cries out for their blood, She who gave me my power demands it."

"Geez," Dr. Jetsetter commented. "Why get your tights all in a bunch over a clown like Benito? Lissen up, if the ratzis are their way, we better be ready for a tough fight. Because if there's one thing I know about ratzis, it's that they know how to fight. So, do we know if they're comin' by air, land or sea?"

Lydia calmly gripped the edge of the table. "That 'clown' murdered my mother and brother when his army invaded from Albania." Delicate fingers squeezed, and the table cracked. "Make foolish jokes about my family again, and you will see what happens when my 'tights are in a bunch'." 

"I'm sorry for your loss," Hattie said to Fury, and after a pause, added, "but shouldn't we be saving that for the enemy?"

She regarded each in turn.  "Europe is in the clutches of a mad men and he cannot be allowed to win."

"Fight the Nazis and you'll inevitably run into those little brownshirts anyway. They ran half the propaganda studios."

The Brigadier looks at Agent Mullalley then raises his voice slightly; "At ease you two, save it for the Gerries. We have enough problems without us fighting amongst ourselves. Anyhow you will get your chance Fury but remember this is a TEAM and rogue operatives who go off-mission is not something we are looking for." He pauses for a moment then turns to Dr. Jetsetter; "As to your question on HOW they are getting here we are not sure. We have operatives monitoring ports and airfields and there doesn't seem to be any large activity. Of course they could come by U-Boat which is much harder to track. I doubt they would come by air but I wouldn't stake my life on it. Best to be prepared for all possibilities as best as we can."

Arthur smiled to himself at the argument between his new team mates before clearing his throat " this installation why are the Germans targeting it?...does it allow the largest radar cover thus if it goes down allow them the biggest hole in our defence to exploit?"

He stands and leans forward on the table " excuse my bluntness but why us? Our unique abilities could be used better elsewhere. As you have mentioned all the other sites are well armed with our boys so why use us here? Unless the Germans have a counter unit like us that you think might be leading this attack and need us there to stop them....."

This time Agent Mullalley fields the question, turning to the British lord; "The answer to the two most important of your questions is yes. Yes, if that particular radar installation is destroyed it will be a huge hole to exploit and yes, we believe it is entirely likely that the Nazis may be using some of their own 'ubermenschen' on this mission. We feel confident of that because we have seen no sign of ANY staging for an attack force as well as already having seen some in action. In fact at least a couple of you have had encounters with either Axis supers or programs designed to create them." She finishes her statement glancing pointedly at both The Fury and Flamethrower.

Arthur nodded "then we need to know who we might be up against....could all the Intel on all the Germansupers you have be made available for us to review...I'd rather go into this knowing the enemies powers than go in blind"

Agent Mullalley sighs somewhat sadly and is quiet for a moment; "Unfortunately what information we have is spotty and incomplete at best. Before the war we had some idea about the existence of supers but no real reason to investigate further. Now one year into the war we have had some encounters and some reports about Axis supers. There was one known Ubermenschen Aktion that one of you had intimate experience with, I will let that person explain if they so choose. My guess is there were others but with everything going on all over gaining information is tricky because individual entities are hard to track. We DO have some names at this point and maybe that might help. Some known Axis powers are Storm Knight, Gateway, Shroud, Hoarfrost, Valkyrie, and The Sun. These are the English translations of their names of course and there is another named Gladiator which one of you is already familiar with. I wish I had more concrete information to give you but do not have any at this time. At least I am pretty sure the Nazis have little if any information about most of you at this time."

Ooc posting from phone... Sorry

Chen listens carefully, "we must all be prepared for any outcome. i am hand to hand specialist. The best."

"Very well we will just have to prepare for anything that may came at us" replied the captain.

"So long as they burn, I'm ready."

"Good we have a few close quarter combatants and a few ranged fighters...Due to my true form i think i will be best as support to the rest of you. The last thing anyone needs is me destroying the station just because i put my foot in the wrong place" he wasn't too sure how much the rest knew about his true form or that he wasn't human but by the end of this first mission they'd know they were working with a real life dragon
This message was last edited by the player at 20:18, Tue 30 Aug 2016.

"Yes, Agent, I...know Gladiator. He moves faster than the best Olympian athlete, but not faster than a car. He possesses the strength of ten men, but he isn't stronger than me. Just more ruthless." Fury raised an eyebrow at the Welsh man's oblique comment about his foot.

She glanced curiously at the man. "Why would your foot destroy an entire station?"
This message was last edited by the player at 08:28, Wed 31 Aug 2016.

"Clearly," Hattie began, "we need to accomplish the mission, but it would be grand if we could capture one of the Bosch for interrogation."

She then moued and said to herself something about the probability of compartmentalization.  She thought it for a tick then added, "Well, having one alive is better than not, I reckon."

"Go ahead and beat up an old man, as long as it makes you feel better, I don't care, sweetie," Dr. Jetsetter shrugged. "Heck, I might even like it!

"But back to the matter at hand, I'd like to think they'll come racing in here on jetbikes they developed from my stolen technology. Sadly, however, I don't think that will be the case, since between us and the RAF we seemed to have that pretty well covered.

"My guess is they'll come in by sub. Since we seem to be lacking in mermaids, I think that means we either take a chance and patrol the coast, or guard where we pretty much know they are headed: the radar station."

In reply to The Fury (msg # 27):

Arthur turned to the Amazonian warrior "Miss Fury the person you see before you is but an illusion of my real form...I come from a race of creatures far older than you humans ....my ancestors were the nightmares to scare children, even though our calling was to nurture and protect your race, my great great grandfather inspired the Welsh to adopt his image as their flag....my dear I am of the noble race of dragons my true form is over forty feet high..." He chuckled and gave her a smile "So you see in that form putting my foot in the wrong place could have disastrous consequences."

Turning to the professor "Both valid comments but I think we are too small a unit to split up and as you rightly point out we have no water combat ready people among us which would give us a disadvantage to begin with....no we need to work to our advantages we will have to defend the station rather that attack them at sea."
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:24, Wed 31 Aug 2016.

This time the Brigadier takes the reigns of the conversation after listening to the back-and-forth; "Quite right, we have some troops on the beaches and have some aircraft on standby. Doctor, no we don't expect any 'jetbikes' and I don't even know if they have a working prototype at this point. If so we will cross that bridge if it comes up. But yes, working to your strengths is the plan. The team has aerial options through Red Dragon and Dr. Jetsetter and a number of different ground options including a bit of the old burny. However the Gerries end up getting there you just need to be watchful and we will communicate what we can over radio. We feel certain they will be coming at night, the cheeky bastards, so that complicates visual acquisition but spotlights we be available. I just hope between the team and our other forces elsewhere we can keep the line active otherwise things could go south quickly."

"Sounds like a good plan to me. I'm not exactly a close-range fighter, but I'm not quite artillery either. Herr Jetsetter, is there room on your jet for one more passenger?"

"I can take you all if you need transportation...but remember i am not a horse thus i with control our flight " he added with a slight smile

The Brigadier chimes in again as transportation is being discussed; "It is quite unnecessary for you to be in dragon form and the jet bike to be used at this point. We have plenty of time to transport the team, including the jet bike, by lorry to the radar installation. That will also conceal what is going on if there are any prying eyes on the site. You will be mixed in with a small unit which will be deployed inside the installation as a second line of defense on the off chance the Gerries slip past. So if that works for you all people can report to the motor pool topside within the next 30 minutes. Any further questions before we end this briefing?" He looks around at the team as does Agent Mullalley who starts gathering her paperwork.

"Right, crack on then, shall we?"  Hattie agreed with a smile.  She'd been plagued with dreams from the bloody prince and his unrelenting quest to have her offer herself to him that she needed to exorcise his intrusive thoughts by doing something.  Preferably something violent.

Arthur stood and gave a salute " i will meet you all in the garage in 30 minutes
" with that he left to grab his combat equipment and then headed to the vehicles

"I'll powder my nose and be along shortly."

"I just need to swing by my lab and pick up a few useful items and I'll be right there," Dr. Jetsetter said, contemplating what might be needed.

Lydia rolled up her blouse sleeves. Gleaming bracelets that complemented the golden belt glowed as she CLANGED them together! In a dramatic burst of light, Lydia transformed into the Heir of Hippolyta, the warrior-woman called Fury! Instead of a blouse and slacks, the Fury wore a leather breastplate the color of heart's blood. A pteruges the color of the midnight sky circled her waist, and her legs were clad in armored boots. "If you go into battle, then The Fury shall stand beside you."

Chen shrugged, "I am ready. And thankful The Fury is on our side."

Dr. Jetsetter came storming into his lab, walking past Acie, his 300+ pound goon/bodyguard, who barely acknowledged the disturbance.

"Acie, where have you been?" the Doctor asked. "I almost got beaten to a pulp by some doll and you've been standing around here all day long?"

Acie non-chalantly grunted, "Ugh."

"What do you mean I probably deserved it?" Dr. Jetsetter retorted. "And I am not misogynistic. I love me some dames. Who's teaching you big words anyhow?

"Ugh," Acie grunted.

"Well, I'm glad some of my intelligence is rubbing off on you," Dr. Jetsetter's answer was muffled as his head was currently buried deep in a bin, digging through piles of mechanical pieces. "Here it is," he finally came up with a ridiculous looking contraption, which fit on top of his head. "The Spymaster 5000, good for detecting objects at long distances, even their heat signatures. I figure we'll need some good detection for this mission."

"Ugh," Acie grunted.

"Of course I'm bringing along some firepower. This is the Triple A Heatbeamer," Dr. Jetsetter held up something that looked liked a ray gun from the old Flash Gordon serials.

"Ugh," Acie grunted.

"You don't have to remind me to be safe," Dr. Jetsetter pointed to his back, "I've already got on my mini-parachute. Now, are you gonna stand around blabbering all day, or come with me and beat up some Nazis?"

The two walked out the door toward the parking garage, Dr. Jetsetter compliment of silly looking gear clanking all the way.

It has been 1 day since the skirmish with the Nazi commandos and the pair of Nazi supers at the radar installation. People have been resting and healing as needed from the conflict and getting back into a "down" state. Team members notice that Sister Moon left abruptly first thing in the morning without information about where she was going but she was packed for long travel.

As lunch is finishing up the intercom clicks on with a familiar sound and a calm voice makes an announcement; "The Brigadier requests the presence of the Odd Squad team members in the Ready Room in 30 minutes for de-briefing. Please be prompt. That is all." The intercom cuts out and the remaining team members are left to finish whatever they need to before gathering in the Ready Room.

OOC: I know it has been a CHUNK of time but I am feeling more back to myself and able to move on. I'd like to do a little de-briefing (feel free to look in on the mission thread to refresh your memories of what happened) before moving on to the next mission. Sister Moon's player hasn't been on in a while so I am putting her on hiatus but her departure will be useful for me. Hopefully Jill of the Jungle and Malachite are still interested in joining, I will work them in if they do.

I apologize again for the LONG delays and I hope people are still interested and willing to continue. :)

Flamethrower makes sure his hair is meticulous and arrives at a stroll after that occurs, and no earlier.

Dr. Jetsetter was lying down under a desk with his eyes closed when the intercom goes off, causing him to bend up and hit his head against the desk bottom.

"Consarnit," he rubs the red welt on his head. "I almost had the correct lightwave frequency for an anti-invisibility ray calculated out. Now I'm going to have to start over. Oh well Acie, it's time for us to head to this meeting."

Jetsetter stands up and proceeds out the door, followed by his Government Issued Bodyguard.

Red wiped the sweat off his brow as he finished his workout.

He preferred his natural form but around humans it wasnt ideal so he had to make an effort to keep his weak human body in shape which he actually liked doing in a wierd sort of way.

He showered and dressed in his uniform before heading for the briefing roim

Chen would likely help Red with his workouts, being in incredible physical shape himself. Chen will be at the ready room 15 minutes early, for if not punctual we were no better than animals.

Eventually everyone is assembled in the Ready Room, some coming in just at the last moment. As the clock clicks onto the appointed time Brigadier Thomlinson and Agent Mullalley arrive and take seats so the entire team is viewable to them. She sets down her black briefcase and opens it, taking out a pad of paper, a pen, and a folder. She looks over at the Brigadier who nods to her to begin. Clearing her throat she starts to speak; "Welcome back Odd Squad and congratulations on foiling the Nazi attack on the radar station. Those of our boys who survived already passed on their info about what happened and the pair of Nazi supers who led the attack. At this point I would like to hear what you all observed about who are now confirmed to have been Gateway and Shroud. I will say first that had your team not been present I think they would have succeeded in their task. Oh yes, as you all may have noticed Sister Moon is not here. She was called away to look into some historical research and possible occult links with the Nazis; more on this later. Anyhow, who wishes to be the first to speak?"

"The numbers were against us, and they had good strategy - much credit to the soldiers for holding them off until we could get in and take care of them."

" If I may?" said Red as he stood " the one called Shroud seems to be the ranged weapons expert, they use him to give firing cover to their team and with his ability to be invisible I would suggest that all installations around the country that you feel might be targeted are issued some sort of heat sensor device perhaps our good professor could come up with something that would help in that." he added giving Dr. Jetsetter a nod

"as to the other one he is their transport he gets the teams into the target facilities but I think his range might be limited, I state that due to the fact the hit squads came in by the beach and had to fight their way to the facility before Gateway used his powers to gain access....this would lead me to believe he only has a short range power."

"either that or it costs him greatly to use it. As he seemed to be well armoured I would also surmise he is an important member of their super team they want to give him as much protection as possible. Which I would do if I was leading them. He might only have short range but anyone that can transport a squad of men like he did would be a valuable asset."

"It is inevitable we will come across these two and others like them in the future, my recommendation would be as soon as we know we are to confront supers a squad of crack shot riflemen are equipped with heat goggles to find and eliminate Shroud and we do all we can to take down Gateway before he gets to his target. With out cover and transport our guys can easily handle the nazi soldiers"

"I was just contemplating the situation when I was interrupted to come here," Dr. Jetsetter yawns a little. "Anyhoo, I believe the teleporter is using some kind of foldspace technology, where he is literally able to open a doorway into another dimension, one where space and distance is not so far as here on Earth, and then reopen another doorway back into our space some distance away. With the right wavelength emitters, we should be able to shut down these doorways. Then there's just the invisible guy, which is a fairly easily solved problem."

Chen nodded, everyone was making good points, "Doctor how do we determine the proper wave length? Perhaps I can slow down Gateway long enough for us to take him down next time?"

Both the Brigadier and Agent Mullalley listen carefully as different team members report with the Agent writing furiously at times on the pad of paper. At turns each nod or shake their head slightly as information as taken in. As the room goes silent the Agent and Brigadier look over her notes carefully in silence for a few moments before the Agent addresses the team; "We appreciate the additional information that you were all able to glean in the battle. I will say that Red Dragon's theory about Gateway's range does not jibe with what information we do have. From our information Gateway would have been the key to the attack and knowing that he was present gives us a hypothesis of how things went down. We are pretty sure he has enough range in his teleportation that he could have opened a gate on the French shores and a destination gate on the beachhead near the targeted installation. The air attacks on the other installations were to our estimation both a diversion and an attempt to create cumulative damage to the overall radar chain. Shroud is indeed a ranged specialist, we theorize that a number of assassinations in various command branches in Europe could be attributed to him."

Agent Mullalley stops and reviews her notepad for a few moments before continuing; "As far as technology to counter both Gateway and Shroud it is certainly something we are working on. Heat sensing devices exist but they tend to be bulky and fragile. Heat sensing goggles are something we have been working on as well but again the weight of the current prototypes is prohibitive to easy wear. Dr. Jetsetter we would be interested in hearing more about your ideas about ways to disrupt teleportation and gateway technology. Anyhow, does anyone have anything more to say?"

"Well I know the Big Red guy here would definitely like another crack at those two, and I can't say as I blame him," Dr. Jetsetter speculates. "If I know one thing about ratzis, it's that they're well organized, almost to a fault. Unless I miss my guess, those boys (and probably others like them and us) have an extensive base of operations, probably close to the French shore so they can continue to cause mayhem and mischief on this little island. My guess would be the channel islands. I can take the turbobike and do some quick scouting if you want.

"You might also want to check with the French resistance to see if there's any unusual activity in large imposing structures. The darker, more ominous the better. The ratzis just love that symbolism stuff."

"I take whatever damn Nazis you have, frankly. Those two tin cans or any others."

With the last bits of input ending Agent Mullalley puts aside her notepad for a moment and the Brigadier stands up to address the team; "Well enough, now that that is done we can move on to the next business. For starters it looks like The Fury is going to be departing to return to Greece to assist the underground in fighting the Nazis, a loss to the team to be sure. Fortunately we have some new recruits just in from their various countries. I will let them in to introduce themselves then we can move on to the next mission briefing."

The Brigadier finishes speaking then goes to the door and opens it, calling out into the hallway. A moment later three men enter the ready room, all dressed differently. The Brigadier sits down then gestures for each to introduce themselves.

OOC: Off Ramp, Ringleader, and Igor can feel free to introduce themselves and inform the team of what each brings to the party. Feel free to throw in physical descriptions as well. :)

Igor walks with the bearing of a soldier, dressed in grey cargo pants and a black leather coat. His build is lean and his hair over-long. He nods awkwardly at his new companions. "Hello. Name is Igor. Igor Krivov."

He scratches his head for a moment, trying to figure out how best to describe his situation within his limited vocabulary. "I think it is best called... 'Arch-Crone'? It is monster living inside me. Becoming me, but only for small time. Only when really bad. Old woman. Magic. Evil. Eat the little babies, at least in olden times."

He throws his hands up with an alarmed look. "But! No more." He points at his chest. "I am prison. Baba... Eh. 'Arch-Crone,' is too far from home. Cannot hurt little people, good people. Cannot hurt babies. Only Nazis."

He allows himself a small grin then. "Old woman is hard to kill. Good for outdoors. Has power on wind and lightning and others. Indoors, also not bad. Can turn one thing into another- Hitler into bunny, maybe, or pile of the bones. As for me... I am normal soldier. Was. Nothing special- good speed, maybe. Shoot fast. Sometimes hit."

Johnny walked in with the other two guys, in uniform. Unlike them, his outfit was dusty and looked like he had come from the motor pool. He even had driving gloves and goggles. His helmet was off and in one hand, and he gave a salute to the brigadier, but it was not an especially professional one.

He then listens to Igor introduce himself. He stares at him, blinks, and shrugs.

"Nice to meet you jokers. Private Johnny Wizbowski, at your service. Everybody calls me Off-Ramp."

He stares back at Igor again. "You rooskies really like your bedtime stories, huh? No offense or anything...but...ummm...well, I really don't know what to say here." He glanced over at the brigadier, trying to get some confirmation that the weird story was real.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:44, Wed 14 June 2017.

*leans back and laughs*
"Well, just a few days ago, I saw a chubby Welshman turn into a dragon. It's a strange, strange war, my friend."

In reply to Flamethrower (msg # 58):

Johnny blinked at looked at the blonde man. "Please tell me that's a nickname for a tank or something. I mean, I can't explain what I do, buts it's some pretty crazy stuff. "

A tall well build soldier in a captains uniform looked over at the blond guy and in a gentle Welsh accent "less of the chubby please and I must correct you.. You saw a dragon turn into a chubby welshman"  he said with the slightest hint of a grin

Turning to the new men " I am in fact a real live dragon this man you see before you is just a shell to allow me to pass for one of you and to fit into buildings.  You can call me red if you like as that's my real colour.  It's a pleasure to have you on board off ramp?... And Igor I can understand your situation to a certain extend... This.... Old lady my kind have spoken of her in the past.  I commend your courage in taking on the job of jailer for such as her"

"Holy crow..." Off-Ramp shakes his head. "Anybody else turn into anything?  I just wanna know before before we head out to deal with the krauts and I get a sudden surprise...."

Igor nods at Red. "Thank you much. Crone is bad, but we have deal. She do good, kill Nazis, let me live; I take her where Nazis die." He taps his chin. "You are Dragon, eh? Yes, is strange war indeed."

"Well," *conjures a small, controlled gout of flame* "I turn things into ash, if that counts."

"Well, if we are doing 'You show yours, so I will show mine...'" Johnny shrugged. He reached to his left-and a small opening into a dark star field appears. His hand went in, and Flamethrower feels a tap on his shoulder. When he looks, he sees Johnny's familiar gloved hand waving at him from another such portal.

"well that impressive but wait until we go outside after the briefing I'll  show you a sight that will knock your socks off"  said red

In reply to Red Dragon (msg # 65):

Off Ramp pulls his hand back, and both portal openings vanish. "Ummm...about that." He says to Red. "If this is a...big dragon, I may not be able to transport him like I can others. Best I can manage is about 4 people at once..."

Walking in with his cane. He says I'm Called Ringleader and I'm an illusionist and empath.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:50, Wed 14 June 2017.

In reply to Ringleader (msg # 67):

Off-Ramp looked at the guy right out of the circus from when he was a kid. "A what path?" He asked, feeling confused.

An Empath it means I can control people's emotions.  Would you like a demonstration?

In reply to Ringleader (msg # 69):

"Control? Hell no! I will just take your word on that, buddy..." He adjusted his collar and steps behind Red.

*laughs as his shoulder is touched*

"A very strange war indeed."

*to Ringleader*

"No thank you, but you all seem like most impressive additions to our squadron. I look forward to working with you all."

"don't worry about transporting me I can be in my human form for that if need be but I do prefer to fly if at all possible" replied red to off ramp as he stepped behind the Welsh man

Chen nodded to the newcomers, "Welcome," his accent thickly Japanese.

Igor is silently grateful to Off-Ramp for asking the question. Amazing- men summoning fire, punching holes in reality, controlling the very mind. He wasn't sure if he should feel at home or afraid. After all, he was just a man- it was the Crone who had the power, here. Or maybe that was just something he told himself.

"Thank you for show," he says to Off-Ramp and Flamethrower. He looks nervous as discussion veers towards further demonstration. "Crone will come when crone will come," he says. He waves at Ringleader when the man enters. "Hello, Ringleader. Igor is my name. Do you have name?"

Igor. My name's Nathan.

Johnny smiled at the Asian man, remembering his trips down to Chinatown and some of the other kids he would hang out with there.  Not that he knew Chen was actually Japanese.  "Hey there, buddy. What's your neat party trick?"

Dr. Jetsetter talks to Arch-Crone. "You think you're freaked out by a little song and dance routine here, just wait until you see me when a house with giant chicken legs shows up! Here I thought my gran-nan had hit the vodka a little too hard when she was scaring me with that stuff when I was just a little kid."

"In way, I am like chicken house now," Igor says sadly.

The Brigadier stands up and waves his hand dismissively; "OK that is enough show-and-tell talk for now. You all will have plenty of time to learn more about what each other is capable of doing. The important part is learning to integrate all your talents to function as a unified team, playing to each of your strengths to the completion of any mission. That being said please everyone sit down because there is a situation we have on our radar that we need the team to investigate and if true put a stop to it. If it is a real thing it could give the Nazis something to shift the balance of power in their direction. So once you are all seated I will hand things over to Agent Mullalley."

Ringeader looks for an open seat and sits down. Ready to listen to what the mission was about.

Off Ramp gives a salute, and sits down. Granted he did not know if he was supposed to salute a British officer, but he was a couple months out of basic and barley knew his ass from his elbow. So he sat, took off his hat and waited for the briefing.

Flamethrower leans back and waits for the Brigadier to continue.

Red sat up straight in his chair suddenly all professional his relaxed attitude gone his eyes studying the people before him who were about to brief him on his next mission

Chen Zen took a seat silently, ready to learn, fight and defend those weaker than himself.

Dr. Jetsetter finds a spot to sit, preferably behind the Baba Yaga guy. When he doesn't see him in the room, he starts nervously looking under the tables and chairs.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:53, Fri 04 Aug 2017.

Igor nods quietly and finds a corner to tuck himself away in. He crosses his arms tight over his chest, knees pressed together and back straight against the wall.

It might not seem like a room would have many shadows in it, but every person in the room created at least one shadow, sometimes multiple shadows if there was more than one light source. Shadows were Nocturne's element. He couldn't quite disappear into them--yet, but he could use them to conceal his presence, to keep scanning eyes from actually seeing him.

One minute the chair was empty, the next the black-clad figure was sitting in it.

"I am Nocturne," he announced once several eyes were turned in his direction. "Master of shadows."

"I have been asked to join this disparate band of mystery men."

"I await your orders, Brigadier."

"Woah!" Off-Ramp says, surprised at the shadow man's sudden appearance. "I hate it when that happens! Expect when I do it of course...then it's fine." He chuckled.

Now that he's seated, he looks around to observe the others that are there. Naturally he doesn't know anything about these people, just as they will know nothing about him.

There was a time and a place for the 'master of shadows', but this wasn't it. Sure, he didn't know anything about these people, but he was confident enough in his own abilities to not be overly concerned about secrecy.

"Sorry I'm late to this little shindig," he said in a more normal voice rather than the shadowy one he started with.

"Someone want to introduce the rest of you to me, and fill me in on what's been going on?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:02, Sun 27 Aug 2017.

The Brigadier sits down and gives the nod to Agent Mullalley who stands. Before she can even say a word Nocturne fades into the room out of the shadows obviously causing a bit of a stir. She smirks and shakes her head for a second; "Leave it to you to break the surprise in advance, Nocturne. Ah well, water under the bridge. What we have going on for the next mission will find Nocturne's talents to be of possible use. I don't know how many of you are familiar with Thule-Gesellschaft aka the Thule Society or their offshoot Die Schwarze Sonne aka the Black Sun. Anyhow, Hitler and Himmler are both heavily into the occult and these two groups are their way to find and capture any occult information and technology that could be of use to their war effort. We have received information that they have found the location of an artifact that is reputed to imbue magical powers upon those it is used on. Whether this is real or legend is ultimately irrelevant as we cannot take any chances with something like this. The team's mission is to go to the reported location of the artifact and either secure it before the Nazis do or take it back by force if they have already acquired it. The mission will likely require a blend of stealth and brute force which I think the team has with its new addition."

"Any photos? Or even just a place on the map, sir?" Female superior officers where always called sir...he thought. The US military still had issues with lady officers. "I can just zap us in and out-without the krauts being the wiser."

Red chuckled "in and out without being noticed....mmmm....think a 40 foot fire breathing red dragon might be a bit noticeable....I take it on this mission I'll be in the brute force squad."

Turning to the lady officer " do we know which unit the Nazis have sent to collect it...general solders or SS and if there are reports of any talents being along with them?"

My flames aren't exactly stealthy either - I back you up with ranged attacks, I suppose.

This can work.

Well My abilities are actually well equipped for the situation. In fact my empathy can be used quite easily to do this.

"I've encountered this Black Sun before," Nocturne said. "They have their own way of doing things, so don't be surprised if our abilities don't quite work as effectively on them as we think."

"Off Ramp may be our wild card, and I can't imagine that they'll be prepared for Red Dragon. Still, don't put it past them."

"If we have intel on them, they could very well have intel on us. As it is, I'm having a hard time processing Red Dragon myself!"

The Welsh army officer smiled at nocturne " it's quite simple instead of being a man that changes into a dragon....like a werewolf say..... I am actually a real life dragon who can take the form of a human "

"Crone can serve either team," Igor offers. "Power of weather and changing shapes. Crone can bring clouds and she can bring lightning."

Agent Mullalley listens to all the input from the team patiently, referring to her folder at times. Once the talk dies down a bit she responds to the team; "As far as the 'where' reports state that they are focusing their attentions on the Sedlec Ossuary, a small and macabre chapel in the Cemetery Church of All Saints which is located in Seldec, Czechoslovakia. Convenient for the Nazis since they already occupy the country. We would have to deploy the team there quickly. As far as exact types of forces we can assume the Nazis will be sending Black Sun special operatives in, possibly disguised as regular Wehrmacht troops. We are pretty sure there are some sorcerers within the Black Sun and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see other Nazi supers there. We do think they want to keep a low-profile and avoid unwanted attention which *could* work to our favor if they keep with small numbers but no guarantees. I think you will all figure out the best way for each of you to support the team in this mission."

OOC: Here is a link to some information and photos of the Sedlec Ossuary....kinda cool and creepy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedlec_Ossuary

"Ok...so any photos of the place I could use to bring us in. Not to mention getting a look inside before we actually 'just off' ramp in. Then again, the krauts might have preparations made for just such an occurrence. I know they are looking to make their boys able to do what I can do..." Off Ramp pointed out.

Agent Mullalley nods, having expected the question by Off Ramp. She looks in her folder and pulls out a handful of photos, placing them before her on the table for the team to see. As she does so she addresses Off Ramp directly; "Actually, the Nazis already have someone who can do similar things to you. He is known as Durchgang, Gateway in English. Some of the team have already faced him and he was responsible for moving the Nazi commandos into position to attack the radar installation before the team foiled the plan. That being said, here are a few pictures of the site and inside. The church itself is located where Cechova Street meets Starosedlecka Street."

In reply to The Battleteller (msg # 100):

Off-Ramp nods at the pics, and then examines the location of the church itself on the larger maps. "Gateway, huh? So for us to have the edge-he's gotta go. I am not sure he can detect my abilities-or visa versa. That being said, this is all I need to get all of us there right now...expect for the dragon. Sorry, Red-you gotta stay small for the trip there and back." He shrugged apologetically to the man.

"Now, what I usually do is look over the area with a scrying portal...the problem with that is if Gateway can sense it, it will ruin the surprise. What are your orders, sir?" He asked any commanding officer in the room.

Igor grips his chest as he looks at the images. His eyes temporarily flash blood-shot, his mouth twisting into a grin, then a grimace as his irises return to their usual color. "Baba like," he whispers bitterly.

Agent Mullalley and the Brigadier glance at Igor briefly, their eyes wide. As he appears to settle down she continues to speak; "We don't even know if Gateway will be involved here. At any rate unless you are able scry and gate from here to Czechoslovakia we will need to get the team much closer. We have operations going on in different places so slipping another transport plane into a convoy would be simple enough."

In reply to The Battleteller (msg # 103):

"The closer I am to a target the easier it is for me to make the trip. I can do jumps within the same country without any difficultly for example." He pointed out.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:58, Wed 13 Sept 2017.

What country exactly?  Because that varies quite a lot. As big as Russia or smaller like Italy? Ringleader questioned.

In reply to Ringleader (msg # 105):

"Ehhhh...Russia is not a easy trip, but still doable. Places like the UK, Poland, and Texas are no problem." He admits.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:00, Thu 14 Sept 2017.

Probably most efficient to take a plane, if we can. Easier to stay undercover that way.

"Hey, anyone spot those Allied troops winking into and out of existence?" ain't stealth.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:07, Thu 14 Sept 2017.

Cool. I just needed to know the limits of my transportation. Ringleader replied.

"Wah?" Dr. Jetsetter suddenly bursts out. "Oh, sorry, I blacked out for a second there. Something about skull decorations in a church, plus the fact that I'm an old coot."

"I think I still got the gist. We'z got a stealthy sneaky team and a raging loud and fiery team. Well, my turbocycle pretty much says I'm on the raging loud and fiery team. Although my buddy Acie here, government-issued of course, is skilled in all manner of subterfuge and intrusion. Just kidding, he's just big and hits and shoots people.

"Now I could grab a couple of gizmos which might help make us sneakier. I've been working on this light refracting field, for example, which could make us invisible (at least sort of, for a little while)."

"Also, I say we hop a transport a little closer before we use Mr. Teleportation. My buddy Tito could set us up just a couple of countries away in Yugoslavia. Of course, that guy is probably going to want something in return. He's always 'What can you get for my partisans, yadda yadda yadda. We could also try the Russkies, but there'll probably be a couple of Panzer divisions on the Eastern front in our way."

"I don't know if youse guys know geography, but we are definitely going to be close to the heart of the enemy."

"All right," Dr. Jetsetter is clearly now putting all of his brainpower on the subject. "Here's a possible plan. Let's say we have two teams: a fire and fury team and a dark and sneaky team.

"Team Fire and Fury should strike at a nearby, viable military target. I think there's a tobacco factory nearby, but maybe there's a better option, since cigarettes could eventually do our job for us against the Nazis. They just take a little bit too long. At least damaging the operation may demoralize the bastards if they can't get a smoke.

"Hopefully, Fire and Fury draw in any nearby Nazi forces, at which point Team Dark and Sneaky make for the artifact at the church.

"We still need a good insertion and evac plan, one that has an added option not involving Mr. Off Ramp there in case he buys the farm at some point (just saying kiddo)."

"Cigarettes sharpen the intellect and calm the spirit, friend Jetsetter, so THAT is a good reason to take them out of their hands. I like your plan."

Yeah that plan makes sense, so anybody have any ideas how to take card of transportation?

In reply to Dr. Jetsetter (msg # 110):

Off Ramp stares at the scientist for a bit. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence Doc. You are not gonna need any heart medication for this trip, are you?" He smirks at the Genius.

"Anyways, having a back plan for evac might be a good idea. I am almost 100% sure I can get us inside-especially if everybody wants to not use me to get the city and country in the first place." He grumbled.

"Unless someone has an alternate means of transportation, it would seem that our only two options are Off-Ramp and an airplane," Nocturne suggests.

"Stealing an aircraft should not be beyond our abilities, but we first have to find one. We should make sure we know where the three closest airfields are."

"So if we fly in, are we parachuting down, or can you do that, Off-Ramp? Or are we risking landing?"

In reply to Nocturne (msg # 114):

"I can make it there in 3 jumps, maybe 5 if you want to avoid Germany. From where we are standing." He said. "That's like 3-5 minutes if we want to be careful."

This message was last edited by the player at 23:28, Sun 24 Sept 2017.

Red smiled" who needs a plane when you have a 40 foot dragon. I can take all of you on my back if required but please don't make it a habit I'm not some work horse I am a regal noble creature....or so they keep telling me at high command" he added with a chuckle

Igor strokes his chin as he listens to Red speak. "Big red dragon would be big red target, yeah? Can you... make invisible? Somehow keep from nazi trackers?"

Agent Mullalley listens to all the ideas thrown about by various team members as does the Brigadier. She holds her hands out to still the storm of voices around her; "OK easy easy, stand down everyone. Thank you. OK those are all some great ideas but we do have a plan to get you in there. Like I said earlier we have operations going on to air-drop supplies to partisans. We fly transports in low once they are past air support range. The team can be on one of the transports and Off Ramp could gate everyone down into the Carpathian Mountains. That should put him close enough to try and view the location remotely and move the team in. While taking out a cigarette factory is a nice distraction idea with the possibility of Black Sun special ops, including sorcerers, it would be best to have team at full strength not split-up. Certainly any gadgets that Dr. Jetsetter can cook up would be handy once you are all in."

OOC: One thing I forgot, everyone has one permanent Competency Die and three Temporary Competency Dice to add to their characters. The original players as a reward from the last mission and the new people because I like keeping everyone at the same advancement....consider it from past exploits.

Permanent Competency Dice can be kept in the Competency Dice pool and refresh after every mission. They can also be used to improve Resistances, Aptitudes, or Powers as well as buying Boosts/Advantages or buying off Complications/Disadvantages. Purchases of additional dice in a Power, a Boost to a Power, a new Advantage, or a new Power should make narrative sense and be reviewed with me beforehand. It is also important to note that a 5D cap on Resistances and Powers remains, going to 6D once players get to the 24D hero level (currently at 21D).

Temporary Competency Dice only go into the Competency Dice pool and will only be usable in the next mission, disappearing afterwards as opposed to refreshing like a permanent Competency Die.

"Not to be a wet blanket," Nocturne replied, "but does your gate ability automatically compensate for angular momentum, Off Ramp?"

"It would appear that it does, somehow, for otherwise whenever you gated from one location to another, you would have the same momentum and direction as the previous location. The surface of the earth moves at roughly 1,000 miles per hour."

"The plane will be traveling about 200mph when the supplies are dropped. If we gate to the ground at that time, will we still have that same momentum? I don't relish taking a 200mph tumble to the ground!"

He wasn't even sure his magic could let him deal with that. No doubt, though, that the dragon could handle it. He didn't yet know the others well enough to say whether they could.

In reply to Nocturne (msg # 119):

"Ahhhh...I don't think so?" He said, not sounding sure at all. "Its not able to handle anything more than 800 pounds or so, but when I have jumped through I keep going to the other side...but when I was falling once I did manage portal out of it in order to land without killing myself."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:12, Thu 28 Sept 2017.

OOC: So for Off-Ramp's teleportation/gate ability it certainly takes into account the rotation of the Earth. As far as gating to the ground I would say it would be a unopposed roll vs. a difficulty of 12 to get the gate set up to counter the additional velocity. Range isn't an issue since the plane will be well within his teleportation distance even taking into account the movement of the plane. He could scout the landing location with Remote Sensing before opening the gate.

"So you can do some sort of 'remote sensing'?" Nocturne asks Off Ramp. "What kind of range have you got with that?"

"It'll be a big help when we gate to the ground... wait a minute. We're flying there on a cargo transport, right? Is there room enough for Red Dragon? For that matter, can the plane handle the weight?"

"Also, when you create a gate, how big will it have to be to accommodate Red Dragon? I'm just worried that if it's big enough for Red, how much of the plane will disappear into it as well?"

"Sorry to sound so pessimistic... I just try to anticipate problems ahead of time so that we aren't surprised when we start. The way I look at it, there'll be enough other problems that we can't anticipate... no reason not to eliminate the ones we can."

"Another thought just occurred to me as well. When  you create a gate, Off Ramp, how much control do you have over where it appears on the other end? If you create a portal on the plane that is right at floor level, will the portal at the other end be at ground level? Can you control it that much? And while we'd be traveling at 200mph on the plane, will the portal at the other end also be traveling that fast? In other words, will it move with us, or can you fix it in place... meaning that the actual distance will be constantly increasing as we continue to fly?"

In reply to Nocturne (msg # 122):

Off Ramp rolls his eyes. "Red Dragon can turn human whenever he likes. Which means both the plane and me can handle his weight. My scrying portal has the same range as my normal portals, allows me to see in the dark and get radio transmissions through it, as well as normal hearing. I can also have two way conversations with someone on the other end. And finally...stop worrying so much! If my powers where instantly lethal to anyone transporting through them I would have killed myself months ago!"

"Sorry. New here," Nocturne replied. "Didn't know Red Dragon could actually shape-change or if it was just using an illusion."

"That will sure be a surprise if someone captures him!"

Based on code names and appearances, he could only hazard a guess at that the others could do. Chen Zen appeared to be a martial artist... judo stuff. He wondered if there were any other neat tricks he could do.

He wasn't sure if Dr. Jetsetter was really as old as he looked, or if it was just some sort of disguise. He could also be old on the outside but still young and spry on the inside... under that old appearance.

Flamethrower's abilities seemed self-explanatory, although it remained to be seen what kind of control he had. He'd once witnessed a building burn down--that was completely uncontrolled.

The Arch-Crone was a puzzle. Appearance and her words indicated she might have mystical powers just like he did.

Agent Mullalley and the Brigadier close out the rest of the briefing and direct the team to meet up topside for transport to the airfield. Once there the team boards one of the transport aircraft and shortly afterwards the planes take off in a loose formation, flying low to the ground. Escort aircraft join the convoy as the transports reach the coastline and the whole formation flies across the Channel. Flying into Occupied France and following the French/Belgian border the team is informed by the crew that the escorts will have to return to England once the convoy reaches the vicinity of Karlsruhe in Germany due to range issues.

As stated partway through the flight as the convoy approaches the vicinity of Karlsruhe the escort aircraft jettison their drop tanks and wheel around to return to the airbases along the English coastline. The transport planes continue on a straight course towards Czechoslovakie and one of the crew comes back to the hold where the team is gathered and waiting; "OK so we are now over Germany. We were told that you will all be leaving before we reach our rendezvous location. The Carpathian Mountains are not far away so whatever your plan is it should happen soon. Good luck and Godspeed to you all!"

OOC: Sorry about the LONG delay but here we go. I need two rolls from Off-Ramp; one for his Remote Sensing and one to open the gateway safely in the desired location. Both rolls are against a difficulty of 12 (Very Hard).

In reply to The Battleteller (msg # 125):

Off Ramp made the portal-looking at it as if it was a TV screen. Once he was sure it was clear of the enemy or anyone who may spot them-moving its view point like a camera with sound and radio reception, then he would step aside. "Ok, I need to go through last or it will close." He said, and gestured to everyone else.

OOC:
16:55, Today: Off Ramp rolled 19 using 5d6 with rolls of 3,5,4,5,2.  Remote sensing.
16:56, Today: Off Ramp rolled 15 using 5d6 with rolls of 3,2,5,1,4.  Teleport.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:58, Mon 06 Nov 2017.

Off Ramp creates his viewing portal and scans through it. He locates the area of the mountains and then opens up a gateway. Holding the gate open he ushers the other members of the team through. As each person goes through one moment they are on a rumbling, moving plane and the next they step into an area of rocky outcroppings and brush in the mountains with the daylight starting to wane. The smell of pine trees and other mountain plants fills the air as does birdsong from various locations. Stepping through last Off Ramp appears through the gate on the ground and it closes behind him. It is like they were never on the plane and no one felt the slightest difference going from the speed of the plane to complete stillness.

Captain Doyle stepped through the portal and into the forest his machine gun ready for action.

As soon as he was through he moved away and set up a forward observation point while the others followed.

He might in reality be a court foot long dragon but he'd been in enough wars in his long life time and been an officer in the British army to know what to do in a combat zone so he took point and kept watch for any enemy activity.
He stayed in human form keeping his true identity hidden until needed,

In reply to Red Dragon (msg # 128):

Igor follows the Dragon's lead, scanning the surroundings for escape routes, possible hiding places and signs of danger. He's grateful that, for now at least, the group is more in his element than the Crone's. He shudders slightly, knowing that before long her withered skin will become his.

Despite assurances to the contrary, Nocturne was prepared for a jolt upon landing on the other side of Off Ramp's portal, and was very surprised to find that there was none. It was just as if he'd taken a step on the plane.

There was one drawback to the portal, though--it couldn't let them see in all directions at once. The area had looked clear, but without more intel on German operations in the area, that could be misleading.

As Doyle and Igor scouted out the surroundings, Nocturne just crouched down to minimize his profile against the background, and looked around the immediate area. In particular, he was looking for potential cover, hiding places, and anything that smacked of human activity--trails, old campfires, cut down trees, etc.

Flamethrower moves out, keeping his flames dark ... for now.

Off Ramp looks around, obviously arriving last and checks to make sure everything is kosher. Then he creates another scrying portal back into the plane. This was very useful to command, because he could select one person to communicate with, who could also see and hear him and his location-as well as get radio signals if need be. Off Ramp did not even need a radio to 'hear' the communications.

"We are all here, sir. Is there anything else we need before heading out?" He asks. The best part of his 'portal communication' is that he never had to worry about the Germans accidentally overhearing it. Unless of course there where standing right nearby of course...

(OOC-Its been a while. Remind me of the mission again?)

OOC: The team is supposed to try and stop Black Sun operatives from retrieving artifact that bestows magical powers upon those it is used upon. It is purportedly located at the Sedlec Ossuary in Sedlec, Czechoslovakia. I am going to open up a proper mission thread so further posting can happen there...

link to a message in this game

It had taken all of their muscles to roll the Turbobike (which is just slightly larger than a motorcycle) up onto the aircraft before they took off. Dr. Jetsetter had visions of launching it out the back of the transport and firing it up on the fly (done once, sort of successfully, in an emergency).

As the portal opened, Dr. Jetsetter and Acie started shoving the Turbobike toward the opening, like a bobsled. Just before hitting the portal, they both jumped on, Dr. Jetsetter's thumb on the ignition just in case they needed another mid-flight start.

At which point, they rolled smoothly onto the Carpathian mountain trail. Acie clenched onto the Doctor tightly, his head tucked down, until he realized that the danger had passed, at which point he straigtened up, climbed off the turbobike, brushed the wrinkles out of his uniform, and grunted.

"Well, I'll be jiggered," Dr. Jetsetter looked around. "That actually worked."