After a quick trip to the bathroom, Frank found a quiet corner somewhere to make a couple of phone calls.

Kate also had made a call.  But it didn't last TOO long so she was back to wandering fairly quickly.  Poking her head around various offices and peaking over shoulders and saying Hi.  Her tail, currently more feline than lupine lashed behind her as she wandered, ears twisting and turning to pick up gossip from the building as she went, nose twitching to see if there was anything particularly good smelling to be had.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:57, Sat 27 Aug 2022.

The Friends of Humanity, and their supporters, showed up in droves for the Washington Rally.  Men, women, and children, crowding the streets in the biting cold of December, bearing signs of which 'No More Mutants' were the tamest.  The protestors numbered in the hundreds of thousands, possibly up to a million.  And while most were only there as a show of force, it would only take a single match to start a conflagration.   That single match may very well be Graydon Creed.  The charismatic leader of the FoH was set to give his speech at the Washington Monument in little less than thirty minutes.  Nobody knew exactly what he was going to say, but it would be a good bet to assume 'peace' and 'tolerance' wouldn't be a part of it.

Johnson decided to deploy Freedom Force right at the epicenter, close to the main stage at the monument.  Some hotheaded Mutant assassinating Creed was a very likely scenario. Or, according to Misty, 'guaranteed', unless Freedom Force was going to be there to intervene.

Black Hole floats above the main stage, hoping that this vantage will let him spot any miscreants. He also attempts to bend light so that it passes around him, rendering him invisible. "Nothing so far. Geez, there's a lot of people here." He frowns remembering the destruction wrought by Slab, as his eyes pass over the massive crowd, including many kids, "Tank, I might focus on controlling collateral damage. If there's a fight, a lot of people are going to get hurt."

OOC:
Attempt to create Invisibility asset

Willpower d10
Bend Light d8
Unwavering Confidence d4 (+1 PP)

Black Hole rolled 2,5,1 using d10,d8,d4 with rolls of 2,5,1.
Total = 5
Effect = d10
PP 1 + 1 (d4 distinction) + 1 (opportunity) = 3

Shiva watched over the crowd from the rooftops, unseen and silent. That being said, he made sure to be in easy reach of any troublemakers...and easy reach for him was several city blocks. That and he would proceed to check phones, whispered comments, and social media traffic as only he could. Granted there where thousands of people here, but isolating the voices and recording them for later could prove useful. Even if it took time reducing background noise and searching through texts, emails, and posts.

For now, he would just keep watch. Granted he could keep track of Freedom Force, just to make sure they would be ok. However, he had his own backup now, and he had to also make sure they where ok.  Now they would be relying on him for the survivallence data he would provide.

To do that he once again attempted to set up his programs to help the digital process. Keeping that running would allow him to analyze ever bit of sensor data. In his new suit, he could access all the data from his pervious use of that program and refine it to an even smoother system.

ooc-
14:15, Today: Shiva rolled 3,4,11,1,4 using d10,d12,2d8,d4,d8 with rolls of 3,4,8,3,1,4.  Digital assitance program asset.

Wits-d10
Senses-d12
Tech-2d8
Massive crowd of hostiles-d4(+1 pp)
Resources-d8

Spending 1 pp to activate resources

Spending 1 pp to insure asset lasts for the scene.

Spending 1 PP to add to roll.

1 Opp.

Total=15
Effect die=d12

Total PP remaining=2
This message was last edited by the player at 18:34, Mon 29 Aug 2022.

"Do it," Tank agreed. Having some sort of riot or battle would risk untold lives. If anything went wrong, Freedom Force would need to protect civilians from God-knew what. "We need this day to have zero casualties."

She had started the day as a cat, prowling all around where the speach was likely to take place, getting familiar with all the little way's in and out, the stage, and more.  She had wanted to be ready and had thought she could just monitor the minds of those who got close.

But, even though Kate had been practicing hard to try and pick up the slack from Ana moving to become a prison warden here and now, the crowd was far too immense, the emotions too volatile and she found she just couldn't bear to try and feel out the minds and emotions of the crowd.  So instead she pulled in on herself.

Her plan changed with her body, first into a smaller bird to escape to the sky, and then a larger eagle so she could ride what thermals the sun caused circling the event sight from on high and watching for any trouble with literal eagles eyes.  At least she could see almost everything from up here and knew the various way's in and out.

Creating an asset 'familiar ground' from her prior scouting out of the area, it's in's and outs, and just what was here.
1d8  Ride the tiger
1d8  Natures body: you can shapeshift into animal forms and gain their abilities
1d8  Distinction
06:52, Today: Kate Messer rolled 8,6,2 using d8,d8,d8 with rolls of 8,6,2.  create familiar ground asset. Total 14 effect d8
Total PP remaining 0

Misty, for her part, spent most of the day trying to inspect the various timelines.  And the closer they got to the time of the main event, the more panicky she got.

"Team; " she took a deep breath
"Multiple men in the crowd wearing explosive belts.  I think...I think this is a false flag operation by the Friends of Humanity"
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:32, Mon 29 Aug 2022.

"Crap." The Friends of Humanity were prepared to bomb their own people and blame it on mutants. Lovely. Worse, it was Frank and company's job to protect these rabid assholes from their own leaders. "Ilya, how many targets can you hit at once? If we need to pull people from the crowd, up is our best direction."

"All of them."

Misty closed her eyes and tried to focus:
"Yes...it is the only plan that has a chance of working.  If we try to engage any of them they will set the bombs off.  I'll try signaling them all out for you.  I hope I won't miss anyone.  Don't do anything till I confirm the targets"

Ilya gave the best possible answer, and Frank couldn't help but smile a little. It was still a grim situation, but at least they had a chance of doing things right.

Misty's confirmation was even better news. They really did have a chance here. Now all they needed was for her to paint them some targets.

Shiva found some very upsetting stuff, that went beyond just suicide bombers that where ready to die and take people with them. He would have to start looking for the explosives, and then trying to insure the team could target them.

FF's Commlinks blink on, and a video of the crowd appears. After highlighting the various concealed guns they have on many of them, there is a zoom in on one person. Someone with dyed hair, and he wearing a shirt with the Friends of Humanity logo and the image of a giant American eagle on the back. However, the person in question was shown next to a pop up screen displaying the mutant Pyro, who is cleary in disguise. He could easily incinerate thousands of people in the dense crowd. There is a note saying "He's not here on his own..."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:15, Wed 31 Aug 2022.

'I wonder if we could just tell them all that there are real mutants who are going to attack so they don't need to bother martyring people cause its going to happen anyway.'  Kate commented unhappily, but kept her eyes open and a mental link up with the rest of the group.  'Hey what's that you're looking at on your phone Tank?'

«Pyro is in the crowd,» Tank replied, remembering that Kate couldn't check her own phone while she didn't have hands. Or pockets. Or a phone. «If he cuts loose, we could have thousands of casualties. But he's obviously waiting for something, or someone. He might be targeting Creed.»

Tank had thought that Pyro was dead, after he and Newton overdid their taking him down the last time. Seeing him alive was no relief, though.

«Everyone, keep your eyes open for more Brotherhood.»

«Gwyneth, if Pyro lights up, can you take him out?»

"Well, this is all horrible. Can we find a way to herd the Brotherhood and bombers so that they're close to each other? Maybe they'll take each other out?"

«That sounds like a terrible idea.» Frank had thought this before he had a chance to self-edit; a pitfall of telepathic communication. «I mean, it would probably work... if we didn't need to get them clear of about a million other people.»

Misty spends the next few minutes calling out the targets.  There was the guy in the blue baseball cap and a matching red-sox winter jacket. The bearded man in a trench coat.  The middle-aged woman in the dark ski jacket.  The obese father, walking hand in hand with his six years old daughter.  As much as Black Hole tried, he couldn't keep track of more than three of them at any one time.  The four were walking and moving about with the crowd, and with so many people it was easy to lose sight of them.

"Tank; you're going to need to take one of them.  And watch out.  Once we make our move we're going to come under fire.  There are plenty of hotheads in there who are going to assume Freedom Force are attacking peaceful protesters"

Black Hole reaffirms the targets as Misty calls them out.

"I can't do all four at once. They are so spread out that I can't keep an eye on all four at once. I can do three. Let me know my targets and on your mark I'll take them up and out over Chesapeake Bay."

Tank observed the four targets. The guy with the trench coat had a little space around him. It looked as though people were subconsciously (or maybe even deliberately) avoiding him because he looked like a creep. Tank could jump to him and grab him. Hopefully the surprise would give him enough time to jump away with the guy before he remembered to blow himself up.

"I've got Target number two. On my count." He took a deep breath and tensed his legs for the super-leap. "Three... two... one... GO!"


Prowess d8
Team Spirit d8
Leaping d6
Combat Expert d8

Tank rolled 6,3,6,2 using d8,d8,d6,d8 ((6,3,6,2)).

Total: 12

On Tank's say, Black Hole attempts to lift his three targets hundreds of feet into the air and then drag them over Chesapeake Bay, so that their explosions, if triggered, cannot harm anyone.

OOC:
Gravity Manipulation d12
Unleashed SFX d12
Willpower d10
Asset d10
Maximal Impact d8
Area Attack SFX d6, d6, d6

Spend 1 PP to add extra die to total

Black Hole rolled 4,4,1,6,1,4,6,3 using d12,d12,d10,d8,d6,d6,d6,d10

Total = 16
Effect dice = d12, d12, d10

3 - 1 (extra die) + 1 (opportunity) = 3

Edit cause math is hard
This message was last edited by the player at 14:51, Tue 30 Aug 2022.

Tank and Black Hole got to see firsthand how insane the Friends of Humanity terrorists really were.  Black Hole barely lifted the suicide bombers a couple of hundred feet off the ground before all three turned into bright orange fireballs.  Burning shrapnel from the homemade bombs fell on top of the crowd below, and despite their best effort, it looked like a few people were going to require urgent medical assistance.

Over on the other side of the National Mall, Tank started his leap holding on to one of the terrorists, to find himself grasping to a legless torso by the time he landed.

2d6 Prowess (mob size 2), 1d8 Crowded Street distinction, 1d6 Combat Novice
The Watcher rolled 6,7,4 using 2d6,1d8,1d6 with rolls of 1,5,7,4.  reaction to Black Hole.
Total 12 vs 16.  Attempted successful.  Mob defeated.
The Watcher rolled 3,4,4 using 1d6,1d8,1d6 with rolls of 3,4,4.  reaction to Tank.
Total 8 vs 12, bomber carried away by Tank.

"Daddy?"
The would-be sacrificial lamb looked up at the clouds, searching for her missing father that suddenly ascended into the heavens.  So distracted, she didn't realize she was about to be trampled by the panicked mob...

+1d8 to doom pool from Black Hole Opportunities. 
This message was last edited by the player at 19:12, Tue 30 Aug 2022.

It's now or never

Creed didn't go up on the stage just yet, and by the looks of things, he wasn't going to.  He could abort his plan, or he could incinerate the few toadies already on the podium.  He decided on the latter.

Lifting his hands up, he curled his lips with the satisfaction of what to come- just before he was hit by a bright ruby beam.  It was as if the man was hit by one of Tank's punches.  The impact from the beam tossed Pyro a good hundred feet away, his backward momentum only breaking once his back hit a signal pole.

Prowess 1d10, Tactical Genius 1d8, 2d10 Force Beam (Unleashed), 1d12 Digital Targeting Assistance Asset 1d12, Combat Master 1d10
Cyclops rolled 9,3,10,11,8 using 1d10,1d8,2d10,1d12,1d10 with rolls of 9,3,5,5,11,8.  energy beam attack vs Pyro. Total 19, Effect 1d12.  Physical Stress.
Pyro Eliminated!

A block away, on one of the rooftops, the Mutant sniper pressed the 'X' symbol on his chest, broadcasting the message to the rest of his teammates:

"Got him. Jean, Storm, keep your eyes open for the rest of them"