It happens on an average weekday; the height of the business day. The vans were unremarkable as they worked their way through the downtown traffic and converged on City Hall. Parking on side streets and in nearby lots they each disgorge a group of trenchcoated, sunglassed men in black who heave sports bags in the direction of the government building.

The screaming starts a few minutes later as there is the sound of gunshots, the crackle of energy and panicked people start fleeing City Hall screaming about robots and strange machines.

By the time first responders arrive a short while later there are no more people leaving City Hall but far from everyone who had been inside is accounted for. The assailants have barricaded and seemingly fortified the entrances for purposes which are unclear.

The media attends within the half hour; television crews forming up behind the police lines. By that stage the invaders have attached a series of strange brass devices that look rather like large turtle shells to seemingly random parts of the building though at this stage there is still no indication of what they might be doing or what they might want.

Certainly, however, they can be up to no good and it looks like this might be one which is beyond the police's ability to resolve!

Zero heard about the robbery and might have let the cops handle it. After all, the situation required a subtle touch that was difficult for him. They might hurt the hostages if he just charged in.

However, upon seeing the tech used he knew standard police methods might not be enough. He needed to find a way to disable the device and discover what they do. His hand scanner might tell him what he needed to know as he watched the scene from a nearby rooftop.

OOC-
16:33, Today: Doctor Zero (E) rolled 4,2,3 using 1d8,1d12,1d6.  Principle of the Gearhead.

Minor twist-Hand scanner shorts out after getting data.

Gets a hero point for Principle of Gearhead.

OOC: I chose to invest my XP from the last episode as 5 +1s.  These are fragments of the strange monster that Advocate absorbed before the creature was discorporated.  Like that creature, they are morphically flexible, and will give Advocate brief boosts to go beyond their already flexible nature.

As soon as the events hit media feeds, Advocate was absorbed with fascination and a need to do something.

Advocate watched the screens with fascination from the strange, new safety of the pocket dimension.  As Doctor Zero continued to work, Advocate was narrating the events as they watched them.  Absentmindedly Advocate was also taking on the faces of people who were fleeing the scene on the televised feed.

"We should call Spectre and Demiurge.  This looks like it will need diverse skills and talents to deal with it."

When Zero left to get to the scene, Advocate followed.

***

As Zero was scanning  the devices, Advocate waited for his word.  "If necessary, I would be fine going in as a hostage or trying to infiltrate as an automaton."

Spectre was at home when he got the call.  He didn't know about the situation at City Hall because he was knee deep in research.  He was planning his next possible exploration, looking for areas that people hadn't overexplored.

It was easier back in the day before the whispers put him in what amounted to suspended animation and altered him.  He still wished for the day when it was possible that you might find a new land around the next corner, but this was the hand he was dealt.

"Acknowledged.  I am enroute."

The word 'Demiurge' had scarcely left Advocate's vocal apparatus and she was there, squeezing water from her dreadlocks. "Sorry I'm early. Late. Whatever. It's all relative. Caught me in the shower. What's up?"

In reply to Demiurge (E) (msg # 5):

"You should really pay more attension to the news. Or police radio scanner I set up." Zero said to the others. Adjusting his high tech detection device and pointing it at the odd tech surrounding the bank.

As you all convene on a nearby rooftop Zero runs his scanner over the strange devices. They appear to be designed to generate an anti-gravity field though are currently inert. As far as disabling them goes then pure physical violence would seem to be an effective option though more technical methods might work to - if only the scanner didn't take that moment to pack in!

"I can muck up technology of any sophistication pretty easily," Demi remarks. "Enough of a change to even a single variable that allows it to operate, and it goes out with your choice of a fizzle or a bang. Sometimes a boom. Volatility."

"I can become both invisible and intangible enough to allow myself etterance into the bank."

Demi cradles her staff in the crook of one elbow and raises her hands to either side of her head. Touching her temples with the tips of her index fingers, her other fingers flared outward in a dramatic fashion, she closes her eyes and concentrates. "I'mma extend my awareness into one of those thingamabobs and see what kind of tech we're talking about, the better to mess with it later."

18:44, Today: Demiurge (E) rolled 7,9,1 using d8,d10,d8.  Overcome (Awareness, Insight, Green). I'm going to use one of my +1 hero-point bonuses to make that an 8, for a complete success.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:56, Sat 28 Oct 2023.

"Once we know, we can decide how best for us to enter.  I do not think I can pose as a robot, which seems to be what is in there, but I might be able to pass as a hostage."

Advocate watched while Spectre and Demiurge worked on gathering intelligence.

"As I am not very subtle, I recommend we send in our stealth experts first. They clearly plan to lift the entire building off the ground to get away from the cops. I am going to work on a jammer to keep the devices from working once Demi gets me detailed info." Zero pointed out.

OOC:
11:12, Today: Doctor Zero (E) rolled 5,11,2 using 1d8,d12,d6 ((5,11,2)).

Principle of the gearhead, +1 hero point, max result=11.

Will put into operation as soon as Demi shares her info.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:14, Mon 09 Oct 2023.

Demi and Zero's co-operation achieves the desired success. Demi manages, through means even she may not fully understand, to understand some of the intricate workings of the devices. Armed with this information Zero manages to piece together a fairly basic jamming device. Now you're set to go!

OOC: Mechanically I'm running it that the bad guys will need to successfully Overcome the jamming before they can progress their dastardly scheme!

In reply to GM (msg # 13):

Ooc-so who is on team stealth? Demi can teleport in, Advocate turn into one of the criminals/hostages, and Specter can just shadow stealth inside. As I said, Zero is not subtle. However he does have the awareness power. Could he use that to sense where the criminals and hostages are-via thier heat patterns? That way he can direct the more sneaky team members to get out the hostages before we attack the criminals.