Storm raised her arms so they were straight out from her sides. She allowed lightning to spark and snap along those outstretched arms as her eyes faded from blue to white.

"Fifteen minutes, according to one expert on the matter. Is it possible that this is an event where both time and space have been affected? Or even that the past has been altered by, er, something or someone?"

Storm continued to use her mastery of electricity to put on a display that might cause one to mistake her for a deity, if one were rather primitive.

Joining the others in their ascent from the crater on extensible limbs, X-51 stops abruptly taking in the post-apocalyptic scene with a bewildered expression saying, "Oh no, it's quite clear that more than fifteen minutes have transpired.... Glancing at She-Hulk, he states, "Let us hope the Avenger's Tower has aged well."

Bishop pulled the grappling hook out of his belt.  He looked up the crater the assess the right amount of rope he’s going to need, then, with one single, supernaturally powered, throw, he tossed the hook up 20 feet over the edge of the crater.  After giving it a good tug to make sure it is latched firmly, he started pulling himself up, his feet against the wall for support.

When he finally did reach all the way up he looked at the sky, and the surrounding, with an scowl

Anyone looking at the top of the wall sees the head peaking over it from outside the crater. But the Punisher sees it the same time as well! Once the vigilante sees the other presence above, he lets loose with the War Machine cannon, spraying the stealthy intruder with a cloud of bullets. Other heads peek over the lip around the crater as well, but many are pushed back, some of them in arcs of blood. When the Punisher pauses to aim at more that pop up, he sneers, without taking his eyes off his targets, "Reminds me of the Nguoi Rung." He pops off a few more. "But when those showed up, they couldn't hide either." Then he lets off another barrage of deadly bullets, intended to take out as many invaders as he can!

Punisher adds d8 to the Doom Pool

Doom Pool: 3d6, d8 +d8 = 3d6, 2d8

Next Action: any (then pick next action)

KRAK-KRAK-KRAK!!! go the War Machine's cannon, by way of the Punisher and his savage fury in combating a new foe. The staccato clamor of the weapon exults a violent rhythm, uneven when the Punisher pivots to aim at a new enemy, but a horrible volume that punches angry holes in the silence just as bullets blast through the air. Plink-plink-plinks are the only variances in sound as a scant few of the Punisher's multitude of intended bullets miss targets that luck into avoiding being shot, if only for the moment. The horrific litany pauses when the Punisher takes half a second to catch his breath. "I could do this all day," he grunts.

Either a pained but determined grimace or a maniacal but committed smile crosses his face as he lifts the machine cannon into position again. "You gonna help out or are you just gonna stand there with thumbs in butts, heroes?" he barks as he begins his deadly barrage anew.

KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK!!!

As sickly and deplorable the gathered throng looked to be, they were still...technically...organic, and X-51 had some deep rooted core programs and established parameters regarding human...or in this case...humanoid life. X-51 did not see a looming threat, certainly as not all were even armed, and what they were armed with hardly qualified as being potentially threatening. Their own physiology denoted a distinct lack of overall physical capacity. Ms Walters, also known as the She-Hulk, could probably traipse right through them without even remotely breaking stride...

KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK-KRAK!!!

Without a second thought...X-51 launches an extensible arm at The Punisher, hand striving to grab the discharging firearm in hopes to disarm the trigger-happy human. The Punisher may be strong, for a human, but X-51 was no man as he states, "Let us not escalate the situation, shall we?"

Okay, X-51 isn't just going to sit back and let The Punisher mow down a bunch of post-apocalyptic degenerates. X-51 will be operating autonomously so I'll opt for the Solo affiliation...others may not agree with his plan of action, but he's not waiting for the committee (D10). Obey The Three Robotic Laws I could see playing out as a hindrance, but since his programming's goading him into action, I'll play off it as an advantage (D8). For traits, I really wish I had my Senses but for now I'll be using Stretching because long limbs be useful (D8) and Enhanced Strength (D6 due to Multipower SFX). Alas, no Specialties apply. Knowing Punisher's history, I'm going to try and attack his Weapon Trait in order to shut it down (yes, I know, The Punisher has a lot of guns...X-51 will pluck pretty much anything that isn't directly attached off him - pistols, grenades, etc, if successful that is...)

Solo: D10
Obey The Three Robotic Laws: D8
Stretching: D8
Enhanced Strength: D8 (D6 due to Multipower SFX)

Today: Machine Man rolled 7,2,8,5 using d10,d8,d8,d6 ((7,2,8,5)).
Total: 20 (15+5 for 1 PP)
Effect: D8
Opps: 0
PP: 1 (2-1 for adding die for total)
This message was last edited by the player at 20:20, Fri 21 Feb 2020.

Ororo chided the Punisher. "Why do you think it's a good idea to start shooting before diagnosing the situation? Violence most always begets violence."

Storm nodded appreciatively at X-51's quick reactions as she wasn't in shape to do much herself. Ororo did continue her display of electrical power, watching the creatures to see how they reacted.

"Should have killed the bastard when I had the chance" Bishop mutters under his breath for the second time today.  You know what they say - "third time's a charm".
Aiming at the Punisher, he fired a quick succession of concussion force blasts.  Whether he saved any of the mutants was immaterial at this point.  All he wanted was to see the man down for good:

Make a difference 1d4
Team 1d8
Energy Blast 1d10
Combat Expert 1d8


Today: Bishop rolled 2,2,4,6 using 1d4,1d10,1d8,1d8 with rolls of 2,2,4,6.  energy blast at the punisher.

4+6 = 10, effect = 1d10
PP: 0+1=1
Next Action: She Hulk

This message was last edited by the player at 20:46, Sun 23 Feb 2020.

Shang-Chi has just started his ascent up the crater wall when he hears the gunshots. Still shaking off the effects of "temporal displacement," he feels an unusual lag in his body as he hurries himself upward. Worse, the arrival of the humanoid beings has taken his attention off the Punisher for just an instant, and apparently that is all the invitation the madman needs to start shooting. As he reaches for one of the few natural handholds in the crater wall, Shang-Chi feels something warm and wet spray onto his hand: blood from one of the yellow-skinned beings. His brow furrows at the sight.

"Let us not escalate the situation, shall we?" he hears a voice say from the ground. Shang-Chi hears a mechanical whirring noise and looks up to see the extensible limb of Machine Man shoot by overhead. With a sudden inspiration, Shang-Chi leaps from the wall and onto the mechanical appendage, dashing along its length with a lightness of movement belying his muscular frame. He hops off at the lip of the crater, rolling to break his fall and emerging into a solid fighting stance.

"You'd gun them down in cold blood?" Shang-Chi asks the Punisher, shaking his head. "Where is the honor in that?" He looks around at his allies for support, hoping one of them can help talk the man down.

"Do unto others before they do unto you," the Punisher snarls, looking elsewhere while X-51's appendage shoots toward him.

Machine Man: Since you're part of the group, your Affiliation is Team

Defend from Machine Man's attempt to remove Punisher's Weapon, Total: 20, Effect: d8 (msg #39):
Solo    d12
Dead Inside    d4
(step up Doom Pool die)
Combat Master    d10

Punisher rolled 11,2,1 using d12,d4,d10 ((11,2,1)).

Total: 13, Effect: d4 (default)
Extraordinary Success steps acting Effect die up, to d10

1 Opportunity (available first to Machine Man)

Punisher's Weapon removed

Amidst a burst from the Punisher's War Machine cannon, X-51's elongated arm comes down to swat the weapon from the vigilante's grasp and send it to the rough ground, breaking it in two, enough to stop its assault, no matter how righteous. Before the Punisher can react to the action against him, Bishop follows up with massive energy blasts!

Defend from Bishop's physical attack, Total: 10, Effect: d8 (msg #41):
Solo    d12
Dead Inside    d4
(step up Doom Pool die)
Combat Master    d10
Bishop Mental Stress    d12

Punisher rolled 7,3,8,1 using d12,d4,d10,d12 ((7,3,8,1)).

Total: 11, Effect: d12

1 Opportunity (available first to Bishop)

Doom Pool: 3d6, 2d8 (-d6/+d8) (-d6/+d8) = d6, 4d8

If Bishop is distracted by mental anguish for even a moment, the Punisher takes the opportunity of a heartbeat of warning to defend himself, pulling X-51's mechanical arm toward himself as a shield to send the mutant's energy blast ricocheting into the air. Rather than push the attack, however, the Punisher releases the metal arm and takes no counter-action on the mutant. Instead, he brushes himself off with a swipe. "Typical idiot heroes," he says. "More nobility than sense. Now you've got who-knows-how-many of these things coming at you and you just took out the only person who knows this situation." He spits. "See where that nobility gets you now," he says, looking up at the humanoid creatures peaking over the top of the crater, many more of them when they are not being forced back by being shot. "You're about to die and you don't even know where you are."

Shang-Chi takes a position at the top of the lip, with a plunge straight down into the crater a step behind him and the humanoid creatures in front of him closer and getting closer. Though he can only see the crowd before him, a view over their heads would reveal that their number goes back along a wrecked street as far as the eye can see.

Without communicating among them or looking at each other, they appear to know their objective and move forward.

She-Hulk acts like she doesn't hear the Punisher behind her. "Stormy," she calls as she brings her arms up in a defensive position, even if the creatures haven't poured into the interior of the crater... yet. "You got the best vantage point up there. How many we got? What's our best play here?"

Next Action: Storm

Taskmaster shakes off the disorientation pretty quickly, and sees the Punisher, of all people, staring him down.

The golden man does his thing as golden men do. No idea what that’s about, but he’s got an angry killer staring him down at the moment.

GUN. TRIGGER FINGER. STANCE. TM’s mind starts pulling all the information Punisher’s giving off about himself that he doesn’t even know he’s giving away.

Taskmaster would sigh, but that’s not where his head is at right now. It’s gonna be a fight and he’s going to start stacking the deck n—

Taskmaster is surprised as the blasting makes Punisher turn away from him. He sees that one of the, uh, X-Men? Maybe? Is shooting at Punisher.  Now this isn’t too surprising, these guys will always start beating each other up at the drop of a hat.

Welp, time to mosey off, Taskmaster thinks, making his way to the side of the crater not infested with “heroes” He leisurely climbs up the side of the crater as he hears a lot of commotion on the other side as they continue to attack each other, then some yelling about other people being killed, then more attacks.

It really must be exhausting to be one of the good guys.

OOC: Oh most assuredly I'll be activating that opportunity The Punisher rolled, Cybernetic Senses restored for 1 PP! - current total: 0.

If the sound of gunfire did not spurn X-51's maintenance programs into high gear, Bishop's energy blasts certainly provided an additional power boost! Like a flood of existential awareness, X-51's sensory perception and range extends to the edge of superhuman cybernetic capabilities. Retracting his arm, x-51 flexes his fingers and grins happily as he gazes about localized area seemingly oblivious to current events.

"I am sorry, you must have me mistaken for someone else...," X=51 states off-handed to The Punisher, "I am a tool, nothing more...rejoice, my targeting systems have restored and are working in accordance to nominal parameters."

"Easy, there, Skeletor," She-Hulk says as Taskmaster strolls by her. His cape trails behind him, giving the jade giantess plentiful slack to grab. Her hand rubs some fresh soot off the white cloth as she pulls him back. "If you're not going to fight, then we have to make sure you survive." She looks down on him from her considerable height, and her muscles can't help but flex even in their natural state of rest. "And you really need to fight." The look in her eyes, though not a glare, could be a dare to test her.

The Punisher stands, hands empty, before X-51. "I don't care, robot," he grumbles. "You just better be ready to fight," he says, calmly but gruffly looking past the mechanical man and at the humanoid creatures which are already coming over the lip of the crater.

"How many? I guess I would call it an army? Hard to have a good idea of numbers just yet." Storm briefly considered how she might guesstimate the total number of heads, though put those thoughts aside for the moment.

"They all seem nearly identical, but...very low tech? Loincloths and the occasional spear. Eerily silent except for the movement of feet and air." She shrugged. "As far as I can tell, they didn't do anything to threaten any of us. At least not before someone decided to start shooting them."

She pointed in the direction opposite from where the yellowish creatures were approaching. "Head out of the crater that way, then we can try to get our bearings. It's not like there's anything to protect down there."

Bishop was done talking.  He'll only say something once the Punisher lies dead at his feet.
He surveyed the man yet again after his initial assault failed, searching for an opening that would allow him to bring him down once and for all

OOC: passing on the opportunity

In hearing Storm's report, X-51 activates his flight systems and takes aloft, extending a hand...literally, towards The Punisher, "Care for a lift? I believe the phrase is 'Fight OR Flight'...and since there are options, it is efficient to choose the path of least resistance - agreed?"

Speaking more in general to the rest, X-51 states, "My chassis has effective load bearing limit of a few metric tons so I should be able to bear any who wish to leave this scene." Looking at his extensible limbs, he sighs and adds, "Alas, I am afraid with "Machine-Man Airways"...you are always riding coach, so to speak."

While the heroes speak to the Punisher, the vigilante crosses his arms and takes a step back. At the same time, the first wave of the horde of humanoid creatures breaches the lip of the crater and run, tumble, and fall down wall of the bowl and rush toward the group of heroes, followed by a drove behind. Dust kicked up by their travel obscures their number, but without an ending to them on the horizon it could be possible that that number may not end.

The Punisher does not flinch. "Might want to stop talking and start fighting, morons," he says, without weapons.

In just a moment, the crush of an untold multitude of humanoids will be upon the heroes!

... and then she watched as the hoard of spear-wielding yellow people charged on into the crater ... apparently unperturbed by the large werewolf in their midst.
Maybe it was human flesh they desired.

She wandered over to the crater lip to watch how effective the fellowmen were.

Shang-Chi takes one look at the advancing hordes, then turns back toward the crater. Spotting Machine Man rising into the air, he shrugs his shoulders. "Retreat seems wise. My thanks for the lift." With that, he leaps off the rim of the crater, grabbing onto one of the android's outstretched limbs. "Apologies for not asking permission the first time," he adds.

"This group seems nearly endless. Retreat seems the wiser course of action, by far." The weather witch continued to allow lightning to cover her in what seemed like a random pattern, though she wasn't quite ready to unleash it just yet.

OOC: Storm will wait to act. Next action is Shang-Chi.

Shang-Chi lights atop Machine Man's robotic frame with an ease of movement as though he were borne by a divine wind. Though the acrobatic leap appears effortless, only he can feel the unusual lag in his muscles, no doubt due to the strange temporal effects at play. Crouching atop his android ally's metal chassis, he extends his fists toward the advancing mobs in a fighting stance. For now he merely studies the yellow figures charging forth, waiting to see if his allies down on the ground will beat a retreat or stay and fight. In either scenario, the martial artists' focused gaze says all too well that he is ready to cover them.

OOC:
My idea here is that with Machine Man's help, Shang-Chi now has a tactical position in the air from which he can survey the battlefield and swoop in to assist any ally who gets too overwhelmed by the oncoming hordes. I'd like to roll to try and create an asset called "I Have the High Ground."

Team d8
Master of Kung Fu d4 + 1 PP (He's a master of Kung Fu, not airborne robo-combat.)
Enhanced Reflexes d8
Acrobatics Master d10

I'm also activating my Limit: Exhausted to shut down Enhanced Stamina for 1 PP, simulating the lingering effects of "time-lag."

12:15, Today: Shang-Chi rolled 10,14,4 using 1d10,2d8,1d4 with rolls of 10,7,7,4.  Rolling to create an asset, "I Have the High Ground."

Total: 17
Effect: d8
Opportunities: 0
Plot Points: 2

Next Action: Wolfsbane
This message was last edited by the player at 20:19, Sun 01 Mar 2020.

Doom Pool (d6, 4d8) reaction to Shang-Chi's attempt to create "I Have the High Ground" Asset, Total: 17, Effect: d8:
Shang-Chi emotional stress    d12

Watcher rolled 5,6,8,7,5,5 using d6,d8,d8,d8,d8,d12 ((5,6,8,7,5,5)).

Total: 15, Effect: d12

Higher reacting Effect die steps acting Effect down, to d6

Shang-Chi climbs aboard X-51 -- whether the man-machine approves or not -- and is able to rise above the approaching throng of humanoid creatures, but, due to his extreme disequilibrium after being transported across a great distance, and the inherent difficulty of the task, unsteadily perched upon another person's body, even one made of metal, though the added weight could be enough to drag both of them down. For the moment the pair could be beyond a sickly arm's reach, though perhaps just barely.

Meanwhile, the hoard of creatures approach quickly, makeshift spears waving and ready for attack, and impromptu weapons of rocks and debris if not fists at the ready. Wolfsbane, above at the lip of the crater, has avoided the rush for a moment but in a moment the swarm will be upon her, her werewolf form only making for an easier target.