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Post by Bixir on Jan 5, 2024 20:57:05 GMT
(In order to maintain a fair pace, ongoing field missions will have a one-week deadline for each player to post with their character in a given round. Once everyone has posted, the mod will post their response to start the next round. The first time a player does not meet the deadline for a round, they will be skipped and issued a warning. For every time afterwards, their character will be NPC’d for that round. Repeat absences may result in further penalties. Please let the mods know if you expect to be absent for any reason.)
Robot crouched low to the ground. Maintaining his profile, he looked out from behind the bushes, scanning the building in front of them. For the rest of them, the pitch black night may have made it difficult to discern that they were looking at the Philadelphia Museum of Natural History. The light of surrounding lampposts, holiday decorations, and all other sources of illumination was mysteriously absent. It was not only that the lights were off; as far as Robot or Livewire could tell, they were still running on power, and yet there was no illumination to be had in this specific section of the district. ”We are here.”
The proximity of the mission area meant that the team had traveled on foot to their destination. There was no need to arrange for discreetly parking extranormal transportation. By all accounts, this security alert indicated a routine break-in. An excellent first outing for their new member. Robot had dozens of reports of Ben 10's accomplishments from Agent Tennyson, but that was then, and under significantly different circumstances. Robot needed to see it for himself; more importantly, Ben needed to show it for himself.
Robot turned to see if everyone was present. ”Roll call.” Though he did not expect difficulty, vigilance was the most important principle of the job. He did not want to account for tardiness - or the misinformed. If any of the present Champions had questions about their purpose here, now was the time to ask them.
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Post by Beriadan on Jan 5, 2024 22:28:28 GMT
"Ghost-Spider, present, Mister Robot, sir!"
Gwen saluted, one hand hanging onto the web that was allowing her to dangle upside-down from a convenient tree, hidden from the view of anyone who might be looking out towards them. Her legs were bent, feet sole to sole to steady herself as she slowly turned to and fro from her sticky reversed perch.
"Seems awfully dark for such a public place. Not just a regular old cat burglar or petty break-in, huh?"
Gwen dropped from the web, landing softly and gracefully the right orientation, hands on her hips as she looked towards the darkness that surrounded and obscured the Museum before them. She glanced towards Livewire, and then to Robot.
"Has the electricity been shut off entirely in this whole area? That screams organised villain hit, if you ask me, which you didn't, but I'll say it anyway. Plus, y'know, the fact that weve been called out, and not the police."
Gwen nudged the newest member of their team with an elbow, her mask shifting into a more light hearted expression.
"Hey, new kid. Having fun on yet? I promise it gets better than staring at dark buildings for hours on end!"
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Post by FreudTastic on Jan 8, 2024 18:50:54 GMT
"Ben 10, here and ready!"
Ben smirks as he gives a thumbs up to Robot, his Omnitrix giving off a faint glow to make sure he could locate it easier, but the glow was not too intrusive and revealing. It was more like a dull light than anything. He was both excited and a bit nervous for this, for some reason. He figured it was the same reason for meeting the Champions for the first time; just first time nervousness. This was his first REAL gig as an official hero, and he wanted to make it count! He was not a kid with a cool toy anymore... well, maybe at heart he was, but he had grown a lot since his pre-teens. He was wanting to be more sensible, and responsible.
Ghost-Spider's summary made him frown a bit. From the outside, it looked like power had been cut to this area, indeed. He'd huff a bit as Ghost-Spider nudged him, but he'd just smirk a bit.
"Yeah, I'm sure we'll have a lot more fun in a moment. But I dunno... this is all fishy as hell. Cops haven't shown up despite the power outage... or anyone else for that matter. So clearly no one's called to report it. Means whoever did this is, like ya said, not just a regular thief. And the fact that it's a museum... whatever they're after must be hella pricy."
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Post by jessiebear on Jan 12, 2024 16:08:07 GMT
"Livewire..."
Leslie seemed distracted by what she saw in contrast to what she felt as she answered Robot. She squinted out into the dark region in front of them, hands on her hips as she tapped her foot. This didn't make any sense at all. Something was screwy, some kind of force at play. "Something isn't right here. The power's on but... no lights?" Leslie gestured out with her hands, genuinely confused. Her mind immediately went to some of the more fringe corners of her podcast's forums. This had to be some weird tech or power at play. She then remembered something about the last member of their team, she might have a bit of insight into this line of criminal activity.
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Post by scarletsentinel on Jan 12, 2024 17:06:23 GMT
As soon as she had heard where they were going and why, Claire immediately went into an old mindset. On the trip over, she was doing a bit of research on the internet. What exactly the museum had on display, anything that would be featured or things that had been put to storage. One of these might give her an insight into what was going on as they arrived. She was quiet as everyone else gabbed on with role call and their commentary. "Volcana." She said as she tried to listen to what her team was saying while looking over the area for clues.
If this was a heist, they had certainly gone overboard in trying to keep this under wraps. Livewire's analysis was interesting, the power was on, but no lights or anything else that would make illumination. She could probably throw up a nice fireball into the sky like a flare, but that might be showing off all of their cards. Stealth would probably be the best approach here, Robot would probably be great depending on his kit of sensors and tech, Ghost Spider was basically a ninja, Livewire could probably slip inside if she could control her mouth. This whole situation didn't scream your average thief.
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Post by Bixir on Jan 13, 2024 23:10:45 GMT
Robot looked between Ghost-Spider and Livewire. Their comments required direct input. "Negative, Ghost-Spider. Livewire is correct. My sensors indicate that power has not been shut off. Something else is amiss." He tilted his head in Ben's direction. "I was alerted to this incident by Detective Cramer. He has directed the Philadelphia Police Department to maintain distance from the museum to give our team room to operate. Whatever is happening here tonight, it is beyond the purview of formal law enforcement."
Robot looked out at the darkened museum again, and paused. He leaned forward, with audible noises from his optical lenses and cranial implants. He relaxed those "muscles", then placed a hand on his chin in a pensive gesture. "This is most unusual. I am unable to receive, or transmit, any signal through the building. There is extreme interference of some kind. It is likely to be what is causing the electronics of the building to present as functional without producing any light."
Robot looked at Ben. His eyes were on the green watch on his wrist. "Ben 10, can the Omnitrix be tampered with?" Agent Tennyson had assured Robot that the Omnitrix was foolproof technology; it was time to test those arguments. Robot looked at Livewire next. Though he said nothing, he was silently asking the same question as well. This was not only getting strange, it was getting complicated as well. Over half of this team could be at risk.
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Post by FreudTastic on Jan 20, 2024 9:08:14 GMT
"Right. Good thinking there by Cramer. Don't want the boys in blue getting needlessly in danger and all."
Ben nods sagely to Robot's words, before he recalls what he said about Livewire's assessment. The power was still on...? Perhaps a selective rerouting of power? Or just shutdowns of specific power sources, while keeping others on? And then Robot adding that he could not receive or transmit any signals through the building. Extreme interference... he'd glance to his Omnitrix, just before Robot asked him if it could be tampered with. He shook his head firmly.
"No Sir. Grandpa Max has assured me that this thing's fool-proof. The only way it could get screwed up is if I'M the one screwing around with it... which I'm not planning on doing, don't worry! I don't think it'll short out or malfunction if we step within the perimeter of the interference.
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Post by Beriadan on Jan 20, 2024 9:49:57 GMT
Gwen was staring out towards the building, frowning beneath her mask. No signals were getting in and out of the building, which meant it must be some kind of localised, focused power block. Some advanced tech, or a superpower. Could there be multiple enemies in there? An operation to steal... what? What could be so valuable in there that someone would go to all this trouble?
She glanced at Ben 10, then to Robot. So a few of them would be potentially at a disadvantage. Gwen reckoned she'd be fine, even with her web slingers. Ben 10 too, and Volcana had no use for electronics. Robot and Livewire might have some problems, so that meant they had to be careful.
"So, like, what if I go high with Ben, sling up to the roof and infiltrate in from up there? We can scope out what's going on, and rendezvous with you two inside, near the entrance. If Livewire's gonna at risk, then you wanna take it slow and see how much, right? And Mr. Robot, too. But we don't know how much time we've got, so I think it makes sense for some of us that aren't all electrified or full of wires to go ahead first."
Gwen placed a hand on her hip as she turned her head back to the building. It would be entering the unknown, but she wasn't adverse to that. Gwen was used to entering danger without much thought. She was a girl of action, not thinking!
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Post by jessiebear on Jan 21, 2024 16:57:22 GMT
Leslie looked annoyed as she stared at the building, flexing her fingers out as she made tiny sparks. Robot's explanation of what was going on really grinded her gears. "Man... I bet this is some magical crap." She huffed, waving her hands around before crossing her arms as she went into conspiracy theory mode. "Now that I think about it... It's a museum, not a tech industry joint, I bet some Star Wars Emperor looking freak is in there doing stuff with something that everyone else thought was a mundane artifact or something..." She threw her hands up, pacing back and forth. "Something something darkside." She said in a croaking voice hunched over like the character before sucking her teeth and kicking the ground. "Would people be mad if I just caused a power surge? I know there's priceless antiques in there but if it makes a little fire, red can just go in and do her firebendy thing." She asked, finally standing still as she looked at everyone.
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Post by Bixir on Jan 22, 2024 5:50:35 GMT
(As a reminder, please post with your character within a week of the mod post, or inform me within a reasonble amount of time prior that you won't be able to post for the current round in time.)
Robot was not expressive, so his dutiful response to Ben was not much of anything. However, the fact that he did not have a follow-up question or rebuttal for the new Champion was a positive sign.
This was not the case with Livewire. He turned to look at the electrical hero sharply. He pointed emphatically at her, speaking with disbelief. "Absolutely not. We have no idea what is happening inside the museum. Volcana may not be able to reach whatever incident you create before irreparable harm is done to the museum."
Robot gave Volcana a stern look as well. She says nothing, content to let the matter slide. It was a reckless idea. Robot addressed Ghost-Spider's own idea with similar apprehension. "Caution is of the essence. I am confident that my systems will be unaffected by the anomaly within the museum. However, it would be prudent for those of us who are not as technologically inclined to take point."
This might be their best course of action. Robot addressed Ben again. "Agent Tennyson's report noted that the Omnitrix can be... unpredictable. Will your xenoform be able to follow Ghost-Spider on the roof? The rest of us will approach on foot."
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Post by Beriadan on Jan 22, 2024 6:59:37 GMT
"Would people be mad if I just caused a power surge? I know there's priceless antiques in there but if it makes a little fire, red can just go in and do her firebendy thing."
"Absolutely not. We have no idea what is happening inside the museum. Volcana may not be able to reach whatever incident you create before irreparable harm is done to the museum."
"Plus, we don't know what we're dealing with inside! An ancient Spider proverb reads; 'don't sling webs into dark places, in case there's something in there that eats webs to get stronger'."
Gwen raised a sage finger as she spoke, her voice taking on a deep baritone as if some ancient philosophical master was channeling through her. She sighed when Robot half-shut her idea down as well. He was right, as usual. Risking any of them to an unknown force would be silly.
Gwen balked slightly at the mention of Ben's powers. Xeno... huh? What was this, super old film nostalgia night? Star Wars, Alien... what was next? She didn't say anything, in case her world's versions of those films were different from here, but merely crossed her arms and stared upwards again.
"So I'll take the roof, with... Xenoform. That makes sense, seeing as I can get in and out undetected if I like. They don't call me Ghost-Spider for nothing."
Not that many people did. Female Spiderman, Spider-woman, Lady Spider, Spider-girl... no matter how hard Gwen tried, she couldn't get Ghost-Spider to stick for a lot of this world's villains, and even civilians and other superheroes. Gwen shook that train of thought from her mind, setting her brain mode to Concentrate and giving Robot a thumbs up.
"Okay, I'm ready to go on your command, Mr. Robot, boss!
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Post by FreudTastic on Jan 24, 2024 20:48:12 GMT
"Most of 'em should be able to, yeah! I mean, 'cept for Ripjaws maybe, since he's a fish and all... but that's still only a 1/10 chance that I'll mess up and get him! And I'm NOT planning on messing up."
Ben spoke that last bit a bit more firmly than he intended. Perhaps he was trying to assure, not just Robot and Ghost-Spider, but himself as well. This was a SERIOUS mission, so he had to be serious and do his damnedest to not mess up his Omnitrix's unpredictable nature. He'd glance down at it, actually, as if making a silent prayer that it would not screw him over.
But yes, taking to the roof with Ghost-Spider seemed like the most clear idea for now, though he frowned slightly as Gwen got his nickname wrong.
"It's 'Ben 10' for your information. But yeah! Ready and willing to go with Ghost-Spider, Robot!"
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Post by scarletsentinel on Jan 25, 2024 16:01:43 GMT
Claire got annoyed with how much everyone was talking, trying to eyeball a point of entry. Its almost like they've never broken into a place quietly before. "I hope you all don't talk this much inside." She sighed, rubbing her forehead before facing Robot. "Robot. Do you have the blueprints on hand? Are there external exits are behind blind corners? Or skylights in sections that are over dead end?" Clair asked, using her experience as thief. She had popped stuff out of museums before, though she had burned out sensors to prevent triggering alarms. It was strange that they had triggered the alarms and now all the lights were out despite power still flowing, she did seriously consider Livewire's nonsensical babbling seriously. She had never encountered magic before, she she couldn't plan around it.
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Post by Bixir on Jan 31, 2024 19:47:41 GMT
Volcana was to the point. That was what Robot liked about her. It took a half-second of computation for him to respond to her question. ”Affirmative, Volcana. They could be ideal points of egress as well as ingress. I have forwarded the data to your communicators.”
Robot walked to the front of the group, facing them all. ”Volcana is correct. Mission communication should be kept to a minimum once we are inside. Do not use your communicators - Robot paused to gesture to the side of his head, and then pointed at Ghost-Spider’s mouth - ”Unless absolutely necessary. They are expecting us. Volcana, Ghost-Spider and Ben 10 will find access through the rooftops. Livewire, with me.”
Robot turned around, looking ahead at the building. The darkness almost seemed like it was growing. ”Execute.”
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Post by FreudTastic on Jan 31, 2024 21:16:01 GMT
So they'd have minimum to no communication once inside... well, that suited Ben just fine. Constantly chattering was usually his strong suit, but he realized the dire weight of this situation at least. But the fact that they were probably being expected kind of made Ben feel a bit less nervous. He wasn't usually the... stealthiest kind of guy. Always preferred a direct approach. And if they already expected them, well... just made it easier! "Gotcha, Robot! Well don't worry, I'll be ready for anything."And as soon as the 'execute' command was given, Ben only gave a quick, excited grin to both Ghost-Spider and Volcana, before he'd fire up the Omnitrix, the small window on its button lighting up as he'd twist the knob around for a bit, thinking he had found a perfect form, and then SLAMMED the button down as a brief, green flash envelops him, and in that flash, he'd transform. Body-mass increasing and expanding exponentially, bright red fur coating his body and limbs, an extra pair of arms and eyes growing out. In the place where Ben 10 had once stood, was now the alien he had so cleverly nicknamed 'Four-Arms'"Oooh yeah, this'll work JUST fine~! Well, let's move out!"And with that, Ben would take the lead. He would of course do his best to not stand out too much... which was an issue, being a roughly 9-10 foot tall red giant, but he'd keep to the darkness the best he could, before getting within distance as he'd bend his legs down, and with tremendous power, he'd seek to LEAP straight off the ground, upwards and diagonally, to land on top of, or at least get onto the ledge of the museum's roof. |
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