>>5105510

No! Not now! You think, trying to steer your thoughts away from your older brother whose face is still plastered on those oversized screens. If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that exposing yourself right after John and his new coworkers declared total war on you is a very bad idea– more so when all of them, plus a good amount of FutureLabs-funded security, fill this place to the brim.

As that telltale fog makes its presence known, you push down the slew of intense emotions directed at John and focus on something–anything– to keep yourself grounded.

>Where do you steer your thoughts?
>The present! Get a hold of yourself, Ellie!
>The past. Good or bad, doesn’t matter one bit.
>Something pleasant (such cope. Much wow)
>Write-in

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>Previous Threads:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?searchall=mutant%21quest

Pastebin: Now added: Recap of Thread #9:
https://pastebin.com/u/SiirenQM

>QM Twitter for updates:
twitter.com/QmSiren

----------

>Dice:
>31d100 unless otherwise noted

>Other:
This thread might be slower/shorter for reasons. Namely school restarting a week earlier than last winter and the spicy flu just not going away. Other than that, welcome back, fellas! Hope your Christmas/New Year/whatever was very merry!

>>5105511
>>The past. Good or bad, doesn’t matter one bit.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! Good to see you. Here's hoping we roll low, stir up some shit.

>>5105521
Low rolls? In our quest? Last time we did that, someone almost lost an arm :^)

>Blasting to the past!
Writing!

good to see you back siren

>>5105679
>Low rolls? In our quest? Last time we did that, someone almost lost an arm :^)
fuck man, that roll was mine and no one else came to save me ;-;
jk, nice to see you again and happy new year

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>>5105521

>Blasting to the past!

It couldn’t have been a month before you mutated.

It’s dark, nearly midnight, and you are in your kitchen. John is pulling a late-shift for the umpteenth time, and Matt has already gone to sleep. The only company with you is the person (people?) at the other end of the line– people that have yet to answer.

You’ve been avoiding this talk for the better part of the year, knowing exactly what your parents will say to you. The only reason you’re making this call is so that they will get off of Matt’s and John’s backs for you not doing this in the first place.

Two rings, three rings… you feel a little relief well up in your chest the longer your call goes unanswered. However, like a pair of fingers to a match, that relief is quickly snuffed out as a familiar voice sounds from the other end of the line.

“Hallo?” The voice of your father, Francho Martins, answers. When you don’t respond, your father speaks again. “Johannes? Is that you?”

Johannes had been John’s much-beloved childhood nickname. That and ‘Hans,’ you recall, your father seeming to be more fond of those names than your brother’s actual name.

“A-Ah it’s me, dad.” You clumsily stammer, correcting him. “It’s me. Elise.”

“Ah, Elise!” Your dad exclaims. “How’s my favorite daughter?”

“Very good, dad. I’ve been great.” You immediately answer. “What about you?” You return and hope that your dad will just shoot the breeze with you until it’s time for him and your mom to go to work, as your parents have definitely been awake for a good, long while.

“Ve are busy lately. Busy, but very good.” Your father intones and then pauses for a beat, only to answer with something that makes your gut churn. “Your mother wanted to talk to you.”

You don’t even get the chance to protest, as you can hear his shouts for your mother loud and clear. Soon enough, the phone’s been passed to your mom, and the next thing you hear is her inquiry of, “Ellie? Is that you?”

“Yeah.” Is your very-eloquent response.

“How are you doing, love?” The voice of your mother inquires from the other end of the line.

>(1/2)

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>>5105781

“I’m fine.” You say, dithering a little bit, and then you tell her. “I got high-honors.” From Karlskirche, that’s no laughing matter. Though John got highest honors and you expect Matt to do the same, you worked yourself ragged for that through your junior and senior year.

Now, however, you’re just glad it’s over and done with.

“That’s wonderful, Elise.” Your mother says, and you hope she’s at least a little bit impressed because you think high-honors is really good for you. “I’m sure you’ll bring that same ethic into college.” You cringe at the word “college” because you know exactly where this conversation is going.

“You’ve already applied to KIT? You’ve definitely gotten in by now.” At that, you give a short mhmm. “Good. Then I hope you’ve been thinking about your future and what we’ve been talking about.” If there wasn’t a pit in your stomach before, then there is now.

There’s a long beat of silence, and, although you’re the only one in the kitchen, there’s a tension in the air that wasn’t there before. You know what she’s going to say before she even says it, which is why you’re ready for it when your mother says: “Your father and I… we still think you’ll do best as a nurse.”

While they’d attempted to make John into your family’s next doctor, he didn’t fight them until the very end when he’d fallen in love with his studies of quantum physics. Matt, meanwhile, is extremely good at biology stuff– amazing, even by your parents’ standards. Although your parents have yet to find out, you know very well that your younger brother’s passion lies with computers.

You, on the other hand, are just you. Plain and simply you.

You’ve never been that smart, only good at memorizing facts– doing problems over and over again until they were ingrained in your muscle memory (and sometimes then it wasn’t enough).

“Elise, are you still there?” Your mom has noticed your silence. “Please don’t hang up. We needed to have this conversation one way or another.”

You’re not sure what to say to her. Even with how hard you studied and with how much your parents tried to shove the subject down your throat, you’ve never liked biology, ever.

>In any case, what do you say?
>”I don’t want to be a nurse.”
>”Why do you want me to be a nurse so badly?”
>Write-in

That's it for the night, folks! I'm kind of pooped and gotta wake up a little early tomorrow, so see you next time!

>>5105681
good to be back, fren!

>>5105740
All is forgiven-- Julia can deal with it in therapy.

>>5105783
>”Why do you want me to be a nurse so badly?”
Might as well hear where they're coming from first. Also glad to see you back, king--hope you feel better!

>>5105783
>”Why do you want me to be a nurse so badly?”

>>5105783
>>”I don’t want to be a nurse.”

>>5105783
>>”Why do you want me to be a nurse so badly?”

>>5105783
>>”I don’t want to be a nurse.”

>>5105787
>>5105791
>>5105878
>>”Why do you want me to be a nurse so badly?”

>>5106001
>>5105866
>>”I don’t want to be a nurse.”

Writing!

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>>5106416

For as much time as your parents have been gone and as much time that you’ve spent out of their company, you know exactly what they’re thinking.

Instead, you ask very pointedly, ”Why do you want me to be a nurse so badly?”

There’s silence on the other end of the line as the landline crackles a little bit before your mother finally speaks again. “Ellie,” She starts, sounding a little exasperated. “You know college is a lot of work, right?”

You don’t say anything but clearly remember how John worked himself to the bone while taking care of you guys. You think you could do it too, that is, if you push yourself hard enough. Your mother takes your lack of answer as agreement.

“Elise.” She says your name, still thinking you’re on the same page as her. “You’re a very capable young woman, but your father and I aren’t sure you should be putting yourself through all that.”

“But John got a Masters in quantum physics in, what? Five years?”

“John’s different,” Is your mother’s response. “Your brother could handle that kind of work.”

“And what makes you think I can’t?” You’re raising your voice just the slightest and drawing it out into a hiss. You don’t know where that outburst came from, but, if your mom didn’t know you were frustrated before, she certainly does now.

Truth be told, you’ve never given life beyond high school much thought. However, you know very well that you do not want to be a nurse, and, the more your parents insist, the more you hate the very idea.

>(1/2)

>>5106534

“Elise,” Your mother repeats your name, breaking you from your thoughts. Her tone is a little more wearisome this time around. “Please. You know how much your father and I love you, which is why we’re telling you that we just…” She stops, unsure of how to continue. “...sometimes you need to understand just how far you can push yourself…”

There’s something about that statement that causes a pit to form in your stomach and your throat to burn unbidden. You– past you, a person that had no clue how to stand up for herself– are at a loss for words.

>What can you possibly say?
>”What? Do you think I’m stupid or something?”
>”Is that why you want me to be a nurse?! Cause you think that’s the best I can do?”
>”Goodbye.” Hang up. You don’t want to deal with this. You’ll figure out your future on your own.
>Write-in

>>5106535
>”Is that why you want me to be a nurse?! Cause you think that’s the best I can do?”

>>5106535
”Is that why you want me to be a nurse?! Cause you think that’s the best I can do?”

>>5106535
>>”Is that why you want me to be a nurse?! Cause you think that’s the best I can do?”

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>>5106622
>>5106596
>>5106560

Aight. Looks like the vote is unanimous! Writing!

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>>5106696
What is that pic supposed to mean ?

>>5106697

It was a joke about Elise's intelligence, which may or may not be directly proportional to OP's sobriety. Meant to write that joke under the post.

On another note, if it hasn't been clear for anyone (though I think I've addressed it a few times, maybe), while Elise definitely isn't stupid and *can* be booksmart with the necessary effort, she's definitely more suited to more hands-on, in-the-moment thinking-- it's definitely lends to her fighting prowess.

>>5106714
Thanks for clarifying her intelligence

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>>5106696

”Is that why you want me to be a nurse?! Cause you think that’s the best I can do?!” You vociferate, feeling angrier the longer you ruminate on your mother’s words.

Your mother doesn’t answer. The silence tells you everything you need to know.

Though you never have been jealous of Matt or John, you find yourself wishing that you had a little more of your brothers’ intelligence. You wonder if your parents would’ve given more of a crap about you and your future then, instead of trying to push you headlong into a career they know you won’t and will never like.

Your next inhale is less of an inhale and more of a sniffle, and pathetically you try to mask it as a cough. Your parents never liked it when you cried, and you don’t want either of them to know you’re on the cusp of it.

“Ellie…” Your mother starts after a long beat, her tone placating. Whatever she was going to say next is lost on you, as you hear the sound of footsteps nearing the kitchen.

You think you’ve awoken Matt with how loud you’d been, but, whipping your head to the source of the noise, you find it’s an extremely-disheveled John instead.

Concern blossoms on his face the second his bespectacled eyes land on you and then the big, clunky phone in your hand, and, if you look as distraught as you feel, he doesn’t point it out. There’s something in his eyes you can’t quite discern as he makes a motion to give him the phone; whatever that may be, it’s a stark contrast to the calm, reassuring expression he has on his face.

>(1/2)

>>5106868

The next thing you know, you’ve handed off the phone and you’re back in your room. Then there’s shouting coming from the kitchen– shouts of German (your father’s native tongue), which you cannot understand and are better off not understanding. You can’t remember the last time you’ve heard John this livid, but you hear your name being said multiple, multiple times.

The rest of that terrible night was mostly a blur, the conversation with your mother and the ensuing shouting-match leaving you in a funk, but you know John came to talk to you sometime later about it, looking way more pissed on your behalf than you think he should be. “Don’t listen to them, Elise. They haven’t seen you in years– they don’t know anything about you anymore.” When he hugs you, you can still feel how tense he is from the shouting match that had just transpired. “Whatever you want to do in life, Elise, I promise you you’ll be good at it. Mark my words.”

—-----------------------------

When you bite down on your lip, your teeth are flat– human.

Why did you remember that? You wonder to yourself as you tentatively unclench your fingers. No matter, you don’t feel like you’re going to lose control of your powers anymore. However, where your brother once stood, Doctor Atticus Charles now stands in his place.

Where John and the other FutureLabs mutants went, you’re not quite sure, but there’s only one building behind them and, therefore, one place they could’ve headed.

>What do?
>Listen to what the doctor-- perhaps you'll want to listen to what he has to say
>See if you can head to that building-- see if there's anything on the other side
>Get out of here-- while you have a bone to pick with John, no doubt you'll be seeing him
>Write-in

>(2/2(

>>5106874
>>See if you can head to that building-- see if there's anything on the other side

>>5106874
>See if you can head to that building-- see if there's anything on the other side

>>5106874
>Gotta get some info
Man, the new 4chan prompt doesn’t auto copy like the old one and we gotta crtl+v on the window

>>5106898
Is this for listening to the doc or attempting to sneeki beeki into the building?

>>5106886
>>5106888

>Sneeki beeki

>>5106898

>Listen to the doc!

Come to think of it, I might be able to incorporate both... and, on that note, I will need you all to roll a dice+1d2 for no real reason whatsoever (best of 3).

>>5106874
>>5106900
Meant to vote but the problem I said happened again
> Listen to what the doctor-- perhaps you'll want to listen to what he has to say

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>5106903
1d2?

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>5106903
What a strange dice

>>5106909
>>5106908

Anyone who's rolled, feel free to roll one last time (though the results are pretty much set)

>>5106957

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>5106960
Fucks sake

>>5106964
>>5106909
>>5106908

>Why the d2s?
They say good things come in twos, don't they? :^)

Writing!

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>>5106968

>1 [???]

While something tells you that you might want to listen to what Atticus Charles has to say, you have a bone to pick with John, and, like it or not, he’s not getting away from you that easily.

Weaving through the crowd, it’s no trouble at all to keep your ears peeled; and, while the majority of the things the doctor is saying are blatant lies at this point– promises of stopping both gang and mutant activity for good– you never know if he’ll say something of actual value.

“So far, our teams have saved over a hundred captured mutants from the hands of human traffickers, and they are now safe and sound in our facilities.” It takes a couple of seconds to process that statement as you push through the throng of people, but the realization hits you like a ton of bricks. That was them. Muscling past someone with a little more force than needed, you mull that over in your head once more as you become more sure of yourself that it was them.

Definitely, definitely them. You reason with yourself– because who else could have been in Maranzano’s warehouse before you?

“Kelpie, Blink, Bludgeon.” The doctor enunciates. “For the greater good of Konigsburg and for the safety of yourselves and others, I personally implore you to turn yourselves in, as well as Pharos and any other mutants you may be harboring.” There is a smile on the doctor’s face, and it’s one that carries all the warmth of a politician. “If not, we will come down upon you with force of both human and mutant alike, so I hope you will choose wisely.”

You don’t like that cheering from the crowd. Not one bit. But, with the sheer amount of bullshit Atticus Charles and his merry band shoved down the throats of the public thus yet, it’s not unexpected.

Still, you’re pretty sure the doctor knows what your answer to his question would be. You’ve beaten his forces time-and-time again, and you’ve fought your fair-share of mutants. He can eat shit. You think vexedly, and so can Clyde, John, and whoever else thinks they can stop you.

When the cheers of the crowd die down, the doctor takes that as his cue to continue. “Lastly, I’d like to give a word of thanks to the men and women who’ve strove to help make Konigsburg a safe place once more.” You call bull, but again the crowd just eats it up.

>(1/?)

>>5107139

“Even though the advent of mutants has caused a great deal of discord and strife in this city, with the help of mutants and ethically-derived mutant technology, we have and will continue to make leaps and bounds in the fields of particle science that were once thought impossible– perhaps, in the near future, we will even have the largest, working particle accelerator on the eastern seaboard.” At this point, considering how many people had died to the first particle accelerator, you thought there’d be at least some objection to the possibility of another, but there’s none. Nothing whatsoever. Just how gullible are these people? You wonder to yourself, as Atticus Charles continues his rotten spiel. “Just remember, these wonderful innovations that have and are still taking place would never be possible without you.”

All around him, cameras flash, and, if the crowd wasn’t buzzing before, then they certainly are now, and it doesn’t die down until Atticus Charles disappears from the stage. Quickly ducking into the closest opening that had been poorly-guarded by its lone security guard, you heave a sigh of relief as you finally find yourself on your lonesome.

Man. You really do hate crowds. Your shoes click-clack on the marble tile, and you’re acutely aware that you’re the only person around.

>(2/3)

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>>5107141

Strange… You would’ve expected more people around, given the nature of the event– especially where you assumed the mutants would be. Extending your proprioception, you find it difficult to single out any nearby heartbeats with so many people surrounding the building.

It is why you realize a second too late that there is a sole heartbeat behind you.

Before you can find yourself a room to duck into, a masculine voice sounds from behind you. “Who are you?” The tone isn’t malicious; it’s a curious one if you had to say– curious with an underlying sharpness to it.

Shit. You think, the faintest amount of dread welling up in your gut.

Turning to face the owner of the voice, you find yourself faced with a very familiar individual, if only for the fact that you’d seen him not even fifteen minutes prior. Zeus–one of the mutants on FutureLabs’ new mutant-squad. Second to the doctor, Zeus had been the cockiest person on the podium.

“You’re not supposed to be here, you know?” He starts again, frowning just the slightest bit, and you know that there's no way this guy's going to let you through.

>Wat say?
>“Whoops-- I'm lost, I guess. Do you know where the exit is?” (Leave)
>”Wow! Are you the guy from the conference? Are you really a mutant?”
>”I’m with the press. I’m just looking for my coworkers.”
>”I’m just looking for the restroom. For, you know... woman business.”
>Write-in

>(3/3)

>>5107149

That's it for the night! Glad we got through that flipping flashback-- that freaking plot point has been in my docs for ages! In any case, thanks for playing, kings, and see you next time!

>>5107149
>”I’m just looking for the restroom. For, you know... woman business.”

>>5107149
>>”I’m with the press. I’m just looking for my coworkers.”

>>5107149
> ”I’m just looking for the restroom. For, you know... woman business.”

>>5107149
>>”I’m with the press. I’m just looking for my coworkers.”

>>5107149
>”I’m just looking for the restroom. For, you know... woman business.”
If we go with the Press excuse he might ask for proof--this excuse might work a little better.

>>5107661
We dressed like we have a job, I'd say the lie does have leg to stand on.

>>5107187
>>5107201
>>5107661

>The oldest trick in the book!

>>5107194
>>5107521

>Werk it!

Got snowed in today, so early update time!

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>>5107743

As Zeus seems to be awaiting some sort of response, you wrack your brain for the perfect excuse. Briefly, you considered telling him you were with the press, but then he might ask for proof that you don’t have.

“I’m looking for the restroom.” You tell him, putting a sheepish look on your face, and, feeling rather devilish, you then add. “For woman business.”

It’s the oldest trick in the female book– a trick that works every single time, you think, judging by the expression on the other mutant’s face. Wordlessly, he points to the restroom, which you think could’ve made it to had you noticed him a second sooner.

You wait a good five minutes in a stall and then a little longer until you’d think that this guy would either lose interest or leave. However, stealing a peek from the doorway, you find that Zeus is waiting some ways away and had been playing with his phone the whole time, much to your chagrin.

Thankfully, the other mutant hasn’t noticed you yet as you wrack your brain for a workaround, and, with the sheer amount of security crawling around this event, any less-than-legal or brute-force solutions are evidently out of the question.

Son of a gun. You knew it wasn’t going to be that easy.

Tentatively stepping out from the doorway, you feel rather torn as you wonder if you should leave while you’re ahead of yourself or try to get past this guy.

However, any thoughts of what you’re going to do next are brutally and mercilessly interrupted with all the force of a bull in a china shop.

“Bloody hell– I must be high on crack-cocaine right now.” Of course. Of freaking course. Of all the people that could’ve ran into you, it had to be Clyde. “Nick, are you seein’ what I’m seein’ right now?” The bastard sounds like a cat who caught a particularly delicious prey.

>(1/?)

>>5107989

“See what?” Zeus, or Nick, looks up from his phone.

“Not a what– a who is more like it.” Clyde says, striding forwards towards where you are. With Clyde on one side of you and Zeus on the other (though you’re pretty sure Zeus is the lesser of the evils), it’s clear that you’re screwed. “Why don’t you step into the hallway so I can see you nice and dolled-up, Ellie?” Hearing your nickname on his tongue sends a surge of anger coursing through you, but, seeing no way out, you have no choice but to step into the hallway.

“Do you two know each other?” Zeus looks to you and then back to Clyde.

“Do we?!” Clyde barks, looking like he’s on the verge of laughing. “This is John’s little sister, and she’s a connivin’ bitch is what she is. Don’t think I forgot about what ya did to me in the hospital, tryin’ to make me look like a predator of all things.”

“You were harassing me and my brothers.” You cross your arms. The only thing you regret about that is that you didn’t actually call security on him.

“Don’t be so dramatic, ya dumbshit.” Clyde sneers. “Learn to read a room, why don’t ya?”

“Learn to act like a human being.” You return, unyielding.

“You weren’t actually here for the bathroom, were you?” Zeus clicks his tongue, looking a little miffed at himself for not realizing it sooner.

“Is that what she told you? She played you like a bloody fiddle, didn’t she?” Clyde laughs raucously. “Say, what are you doin’ here anyhow? Dontcha have boys to kiss, buildings to vandalize, or some shit like that?” You envision yourself planting your fist in his sternum. The idea is becoming increasingly appealing.

>(2/?)

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>>5107990

“Waitwaitwait…” Clyde stops himself, unaware of your current deliberations. “I bet you want a word with Johnny-boy, right? Or should I say Jacobson now.” He taunts, using your brother’s new alias. “Not a freakin’ chance in hell you’ll get anywhere near that dumbshit, but-but this is rich then. I can’t imagine the look on that face of yours when ya saw him on the podium.” Again, he laughs another long, grating laugh. “Guess Johnny couldn’t stand havin’ such a piss-poor sister that he literally turned himself in the second he got the chance.”

“Fuck you.” The words fly off of your tongue. Just as quickly does a hand strike your face, right across the cheek. It doesn’t hurt whatsoever, but you hold a hand onto that side of your face regardless to play on the fact that he indeed just slapped you.

“No hard feelings, Ellie, but you looked like you needed that.” Clyde doesn’t look repentenant in the least. The only thing stopping you from hauling off on the Australian is the fact that he could call security on you at any time. Why he hasn’t is a complete mystery to you.

“What the hell, Clyde?” Zeus looks positively disturbed and is leveling a glare Clyde's way. “Are you trying to cause more work for us or what? You want her to tell John and have him lose it on the way back?”

“Oh bite me, will ya?” Clyde rolls his eyes. “Trust me when I say this is the kind of bitch that doesn’t know when to stop runnin’ her mouth, and if her boyfriend isn’t doin’ it then someone’s gotta nip that shit straight in the bud. If John throws a piss-fit, that’s on him. I’m sure the van can handle it.” He says, waving off the other man.

>(3/4)

>>5107991

>”Screw yourselves. I’m telling John whether you like it or not.”
>”What? Is John that dangerous or something?”
>"What kind of authority are you if you're going around and hitting civilians? What makes you think you can get away with this?"
>Don’t say anything. Hit him back and run– you can make it back into the crowd.
>Write-in

>>5107997
> "What kind of authority are you if you're going around and hitting civilians? What makes you think you can get away with this?"

>>5108035

>Y U NO ACT LIKE COP?
Writing!

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>>5108195

You still have your hand over your cheek as you continue to envision what you could do to Clyde that you positively can’t, like breaking his nose all over again or breaking one of his hands for starters. Nothing that he can’t recover from, of course… just something that’d be enough to teach him a lesson.

"What kind of authority are you if you're going around and hitting civilians?” You pointedly question, wondering how and why FutureLabs would hire someone like him. “What makes you think you can get away with this?"

“You’re lucky you got off with a slap– if I were feelin’ real nasty, I’d have actually called security on you afterwards and have you arrested.” Clyde grins a wicked grin. “Gettin’ away with it’s easier than bloody bootcamp because Nick will keep his mouth shut if he knows what’s good for him, and who will believe a word you say? If anyone should be in trouble, it’s you for trespassin.’” Stealing a glance around the room, you look for any security camera that would have caught your encounter but find none. The one time you needed a security camera in the room…

“I was looking for the bathroom.” You insist, though you both know that’s not true.

“Sure, and I’m the tooth fairy.” Clyde throws back. “And don’t compare me to those third-rate shits with the tranq-guns. My position’s leagues above them, so I can do whatever I want to whoever I want, human, mutant, or otherwise. That includes all the freaks I now have working under me, including mister big-and-stupid.” Again, you shoot him a glare for the dig at John, but there’s nothing you can do about it whatsoever.

“Clyde.” Zeus interrupts your stand-off. “We have to go.”

“Oh alright. Fine…” He huffs, throwing his head back like a very petulant child. “Remember, if I see you again, I’ll hit you twice as hard.” Clyde threatens. “Not cause I’m an asshole or anythin,’ but because you seriously piss me off.”

>(1/2)

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>>5108340

“That’s completely reasonable and sane.” You deadpan, forgetting your scared act you had going on. Clyde’s about to say something else, but the other man grabs him by the arm just long enough for you to dart back around from where you came from and out of their sights.

By the time you step back into the sun, although there’s still a considerable amount of people, a good portion of the crowd has already dispersed.

You want to call Bernard and have him pick you up, but remember you hadn’t taken your cell phone along. Crap.

The day hasn’t even started, and, between the whole John-thing and running into Clyde, you want this day to be over already– but you need to address this with everyone ASAP so you can make your next move, be it saving mutants from the Maranzanos, getting that evidence out, or breaking back into FutureLabs to save Conduit.

>Wat do now?
>See if you can find a payphone somewhere; you didn’t want Bernard anywhere near this place for very obvious reasons, but now you want a quick and easy return home.
>Take the metro home. It’ll take longer, but you’ll have plenty of time for yourself. Perhaps to think a little bit.

>(2/2)

>>5108342
>Take the metro home. It’ll take longer, but you’ll have plenty of time for yourself. Perhaps to think a little bit.

Metro's full of cameras and other people, plus we oughta ponder our next move.

>>5108342
I'm gonna stop it here for the night since I started a New Year's resolution of getting a good night's sleep (I think I did the same thing during thread #8 and failed spectacularly. kek). Let's see how it goes this time!

Oh, and since everyone was curious, if we'd rolled majority 2 for that d2 we rolled, we would've ran into Anna (tsundere blonde) and Otto (the janitor guy). There was a chance they might've been less merciful than Zeus/Nick depending on the choices, but you certainly wouldn't have gotten deliberately slapped.

In any case, thanks for playing and see you next time, kings!

>>5108353
Good luck

>>5108349
>+1
I’m so gonna break Clyde’s face the next time we face him as Kelpie

>>5108419
>>5108349

>CHOO-CHOO!!

Writing!

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>>5109301

You didn’t want to put Bernard at risk by dragging him along to this event, and you sure don’t have any intention of doing so now, which is why you begin the trek from the City Hall to the metro. In spite of the distance being the same, the journey back to the station feels much quicker than your journey to the City Hall, and it’s not long before you’re seated in the train car that will take you back home.

Crap. You let out a long, aggravated huff as you slump into the seat, a multitude of thoughts swirling through your mind and none of them remotely positive. The one thought that stands above the others is how? How the hell was John able to hide his mutation for so long when you could barely hide yours?

Again, it doesn’t make sense. From what you’ve seen of mutants who are related, they tend to have powers along the same lines. You don’t even need to know the specifics of his powers, but it’s plainly obvious that John mutated into something animalistic, if not something completely similar to you.

Now, along with everything else that’s on your plate, you’re going to have to race against him, Clyde, and several other mutants to save the ones being trafficked and sold by the Maranzano family.

And, if he’s remotely strong as you…chances are you’re going to be the one to fight him.

You spend enough time ruminating on these thoughts that you nearly miss your stop, but, once you’re off the train, you make it home in record time since you want Matt and Bernard to know you’re okay.

When you walk through the door, they’re both sitting at the kitchen table, but it’s plainly obvious that they had been waiting for you to come back for quite a while.

“That fucking bastard…” Is the first thing that comes from Matt’s mouth as he looks straight at you, his eyes wide and furious. You’ve never heard him refer to John like that, not once in his life. Bernard, on the other hand, looks immensely troubled at the whole thing but is otherwise silent.

“I can’t believe it.” Your brother is at a loss, as angry he is towards John as he is towards himself. “He’s– he’s a freaking mutant, and I didn’t see it.”

>(1/2)

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>>5109325

“Come on, stick,” Bernard interjects. “None of us knew.”

“That’s exactly my point.” He huffs. “Like, once you know someone who’s a mutant, you can kind of tell that there’s something up with them— especially the shapeshifters like Ellie– so it’s easier to pick them out if you know what to look for.”

“Son of a– then why’d he turn himself in if he was so good at hidin’ it?” Bernard slumps forward against the table, eyebrows furrowing. “You don’t think this was cause we stole Eddie and dumped his body? I mean, come on, we didn’t kill him.”

“No. If they wanted to use him sooner, they would've done it. I think those bastards finally realized they needed to fight fire with fire.” Matt mumbles, and then his eyes are on you as if remembering something. “By the way, you didn’t do anything stupid, did you?” He asks, shooting you a suspicious glance. Aw crap, you think. Your brother, ever-the-smart-one, knows you and knows you well.

>Wat do?
>Give a half-truth– just tell him that you tried to look for John but couldn’t find him.
>Stupid? You? Never! What Matt doesn’t know doesn’t hurt him.
>Spill the beans. You’re better off letting him know Clyde has a grudge against the human-you.
>Write-in

Also, what are you going to address with the others:
>Julia and her kill-code– FutureLabs is still after her, but could you circumvent the code somehow? A set of extra hands (or fists) would definitely give you all an extra edge.
>Maranzano– now that FutureLabs has their eyes on the traffickers as well, it’s more important than ever to drive out the Maranzano family from Konigsburg for good.
>Rescuing Conduit– knowing that there's free mutants roaming FutureLabs is a game-changer, but should you dive right into that right away?
>Write-in

>(2/2)

>>5109332
>Spill the beans. You’re better off letting him know Clyde has a grudge against the human-you.

Might as well rip this band-aid off now--we're gonna need some transparency if we're gonna navigate this shitshow.

>Julia and her kill-code– FutureLabs is still after her, but could you circumvent the code somehow? A set of extra hands (or fists) would definitely give you all an extra edge.

>>5109332
>Spill the beans. You’re better off letting him know Clyde has a grudge against the human-you.
>Julia and her kill-code– FutureLabs is still after her, but could you circumvent the code somehow? A set of extra hands (or fists) would definitely give you all an extra edge.

>>5109332
>Spill the beans. You’re better off letting him know Clyde has a grudge against the human-you.
>Julia and her kill-code– FutureLabs is still after her, but could you circumvent the code somehow? A set of extra hands (or fists) would definitely give you all an extra edge.
They got new agents, so do we.

>>5109344
>>5109409
>>5109460

>Spill dem beans!
>Deprogram a bitch!

Writing!

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>>5109465

Since Clyde seems to hate your civilian identity as much as the mutant one (that, and the fact that he actually laid his hands on you), you think Matt should know what you got into while you were at City Hall.

“Yeah…” You start, watching Matt for a reaction. “I tried to look for John.”

“And?” Your brother wants the full scoop.

You recount the details of your run-in with Clyde and Zeus, from the conversation you had with the Australian to the slap you received after he had egged you on. While Matt and Bernard remain silent through the telling of your story, the more you tell them, the more furious their expressions become as it is evident that they want to break Clyde’s bones more than you.

All of this is because you pIsSeD hIm OfF.

“I’m gonna break his everythin’ if I see that guy ever again…” Bernard finally says, which seems to be the general consensus of the table. “Seriously,” He breathes. “What an absolute douchebag…”

As the air around the table settles into something less tense, you remember you were also here to discuss your next move. While Clyde is only a fraction of the problem, you have four other mutants, plus all of FutureLabs’ forces out for yours and everyone else’s heads.

Which includes Julia and Pharos. You can’t imagine what could happen if they triggered her kill-code. At the same time, you can’t help but think how much of an edge you might have if you had a mutant as strong as her on your team.

“Guys,” You pipe up as an idea comes to mind. “What if we use Julia against them? We could have her fight with us.” You didn’t take her along to the warehouse since you didn’t know what you were getting into, but, knowing what you’re up against, you’re pretty sure you could use the extra help this time around, be it against the traffickers or whatever else you’re planning to do.

“Doesn’t she have that kill-code?” Bernard points out the obvious.

“Yeah, but remember how Valjean made the Healer forget his and Julia’s names?” As you glance across the table, you see Matt’s eyes widen as he comes to the same conclusion as you.

>(1/?)

>>5109658

“Hey that– that could actually work.” A smile spreads across the blonde’s face, but it drops just as fast as he remembers a very important detail. “You know the jerkface will be askin’ why his girlfriend has a killcode.”

Right… That opens up a whole different can of worms.

“Well, we can't afford to be picky here, guys.” Matt interrupts. “Ellie’s right. We could really use the edge right now if we’re going to be facing mutants that have been trained for this stuff. If Valjean runs his fat mouth, we'll just have to suck it up and deal with it.”

A few seconds pass before Bernard finally says, “Let’s get going I guess…”and that’s all the signal you need for the three of you to gather for a teleport.

You’re not really looking forward to having this conversation either. The last thing you want is to have to go through the explanation of why you have a FutureLabs employee living under your roof– two if you count Eddie– and why that employee’s a mutant so that Valjean can accuse you of being a mutant trait–

You don’t even get to finish that thought before you’re enveloped in the familiar green light of a teleport, right in front of where Valjean and Julia are sitting.

The former Crux leader doesn’t say a word at your arrival, as he’d been tinkering with the little recorder you’d fished out from the river last night. Julia, meanwhile, is nose-deep in one of the many novels you’d given her. However, when Valjean looks up from his work, there’s a sharp look in his eyes– one that tells you he knows– and your eyes dart to the crackling radio that sits on one of the crates.

“Well, well, well,” Valjean starts, putting down the recorder and the screwdriver he had on hand. “I’m guessing you guys aren’t here for fun and games.”

>(2/?)

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>>5109661

“No.” You shake your head, crossing your arms. “We’re not.”

“Then would I be correct in assuming you guys are here to beg for extra help against FutureLabs’ newest pet project?” Valjean grins a sardonic, almost self-righteous grin. “Before or after you leave out the part where your family member’s a mutant traitor? Is that where you get all your intel on FutureLabs?”

“That’s not it either.” You ignore his snide questions. “Julia’s in danger.”

You expect another biting remark, but something about your expression must have actually convinced him to believe you as his face shifts into something more serious.

“What do you mean?” The question lingers in the air, tensely, silently, as you mentally fumble for how you can say your next words.

Except there’s no easy way to put this whatsoever– absolutely none– which is why you have no choice but to rip the bandaid off.

”There’s a kill phrase.” You start, finally breaking the silence. “Julia has a kill phrase. We don’t know what happens if we say it, but whatever it does to Julia and her powers could kill us. And FutureLabs will try to use it as soon as they find her.”

At that, there’s a stony expression on the former Crux leader’s face, grey eyes dark and vengeful. “Then why did you feel the need to tell me when you were clearly content on leaving that part out?”

“Because you can save her.” You tell him simply. “If you can make someone forget your names and faces, you can make Julia forget the kill phrase.”

Stealing a sideways glance, you notice Julia, who had stopped reading when you started talking and had been listening in on your conversation, looks downright petrified at the whole thing. “Am–Am I really dangerous? Please tell me that isn’t true.” As she moves closer to you, she looks like she’s on the verge of tears.

“You won’t be, once I fix you.” Valjean states, taking her into his hold. “But, before I do anything, I’d like to know what else you three have been conveniently keeping from me.”

>He’s gonna help you guys save Conduit– he brainwashed him, he’s going to help (or at least get Eddie back to his body)
>The other Crux girls– they’re likely brainwashed as well; probably got those neat-o kill codes too!
>Nothing. You’ll tell him what he needs to know when he needs to know it. You don’t owe him a thing.
>Write-in

>(3/3)

Aw fuark. Looks like I broke my New Year's Resolution cause I'm up late again. Whoops. But, yeah, this is the last update of the night-- no clue how they get so long (fingers can't stop typing once they start!).

As always, thanks for playing, and see you next time, kings!

>>5109663
>He’s gonna help you guys save Conduit– he brainwashed him, he’s going to help (or at least get Eddie back to his body)

>>5109663
>He’s gonna help you guys save Conduit– he brainwashed him, he’s going to help (or at least get Eddie back to his body)
This'll cheer John up

>>5109663
>He’s gonna help you guys save Conduit– he brainwashed him, he’s going to help (or at least get Eddie back to his body)

>>5109663
>>He’s gonna help you guys save Conduit– he brainwashed him, he’s going to help (or at least get Eddie back to his body)

>>5109663
oh nice this is back!

>The other Crux girls– they’re likely brainwashed as well; probably got those neat-o kill codes too!

not sure if telling him he's gonna do something for us is the best move after revealing we've been hiding info from him guys

>>5109714
>>5109893
>>5109968
>>5110048

>Conduit!

>>5110177

>Crux!thots!

Writing!

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>>5110311

sorry guys had to run some errands

“Why don’t we start with Conduit?” Ernst had been the first thing that came to mind. “Does that name ring a bell?”

“Of course it does.” Valjean’s eyes narrow. “If you want him to start making bombs for you, you’re out-of-luck. He’s probably either captured or dead.”

“He’s alive, jerkface, no thanks to you,” Bernard growls. “Couldn’t have looked worse if you asked me.”

“Not my fault he was so easy to brainwash…” Valjean states. “Now what do you want with him?”

“Simple. We’re gonna break him out of FutureLabs.” You tell him. “You brainwashed him, you’re going to help us get him out.”

“Tell that to all of the other mutants that I brainwashed and are trapped along with him.” That obviously was the wrong thing to say, as the former Crux leader’s scowl deepens. “How about you give me one good reason why I should throw myself into that deathtrap for one, single mutant?”

“Who said you were going into the labs, jackass?” Matt butts in. “And I thought you liked the idea of screwing over FutureLabs any way you can?”

“I do…” Is Valjean’s response. “But I like it more when there’s some benefit to it. You think I would’ve woken up those coma patients if I thought it wouldn’t help the mutants?” Matt rolls his eyes. Would’ve worked way better had FutureLabs not outed Pharos and Sopor as one-in-the-same.

“Here’s my question: how do I know you’re not going to pull your punches when you cross paths with John?” He smirks as he draws out the name. “If you can tell me with a straight face that you’ll fight him without mercy, then I might consider whatever you have in mind.”

>You won’t pull your punches, and you never had any intention of doing so. If he’s as strong as you, you’ll fight him with all you got.
>You’ll fight him without mercy for as long as he aligns himself with FutureLabs. Until you can reason with him– somehow– and get him on your side.
>No. You’ll do what you have to and nothing more.
>Write-in

>>5110430
>>You won’t pull your punches, and you never had any intention of doing so. If he’s as strong as you, you’ll fight him with all you got.
As if we would have it any other way. Let's break both arms this time.

>>5110430
Running ERRANDS? HOW DARE YOU.

>You won’t pull your punches, and you never had any intention of doing so. If he’s as strong as you, you’ll fight him with all you got.

>>5110430
>Our punches are gonna be pulled on John, but we'll make up for it by punching Clyde extra hard.

>>5110433
>>5110467

>NO MERCY!!!

>>5110476
>Uhhh... Maybe just a little mercy-- BUT NOT ON CLYDE!!!

Called! Writing!

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>>5110484

The image of John is still fresh in your mind, alive, well, and ribs unbroken as he bares his mutation for the world to see. Nothing you can think of could possibly rationalize what he’s done, and, the more you think about it, the more your instinct pulses in your mind.

“You think I’m planning on showing any mercy on him after everything he pulled on us?” When those words leave your lips, you’re not looking at Valjean– you’re not even looking at Matt or Bernard. Your words are fueled by a burning want to throw yourself neck-deep into the heat of the fight.

And John is at the receiving end of it. Not just for today, but for the past year of lying.

“Good…” Valjean hums, snapping you from the light haze. “I expected you to get sentimental or something over having to fight him, but I like that attitude.”

If Valjean thought that you had any intention of pulling your punches, you pull your punches for no one. No one whatsoever.

“Alright, alright, enough talkin.’” Bernard interrupts, tired of this spiel. “Let’s just get goin’ on this kill-code already.” At that, the blonde grabs Julia and disappears in a flash.

“Okay, she’s gone. Hand over the code.” Valjean’s looking to you. However, while you heard Clyde say the kill-code, he never got the chance to say the rest of it before John got to him. Thankfully, Matt has your back.

>(1/2)

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>>5110512

“We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness.” Matt recites, droningly.

“We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness.” Valjean parrots the phrase. Then the three of you wait for Julia and Bernard to return, and, once they do, the former Crux leader looks more than ready to get this show going.

Now, for the moment of truth… You think, as Julia steps towards him.

Once Valjean starts humming, you watch as Julia’s eyes glaze over, vivid blues brightening until they’re glowing a bright, blazing gold– one that fills the whole space in your vicinity. Helplessly, she pitches forward, and you think she’s going to fall, but Valjean catches her before that can happen, still humming the same, languid tune. He doesn’t stop until the light in her eyes has diminished, returning to their typical, crystalline blue.

“W-What just happened?” Julia whispers, disoriented from the whole thing; her fingernails dig into the back of his shirt. “Was that it?”

“Yeah… it’s over…” Valjean affirms as Julia stares forwards, unblinking and unmoving.

“So how do we know it actually worked?” Bernard asks the question that the rest of you are wondering.

“It did, you airhead.” Valjean glowers. While you all saw that something definitely happened, still, you can’t help but wonder if Julia’s actually in the clear.

>Wat do?
>Say the kill code to her– see if it worked.
>Don’t say the kill code. You know it worked. Let FutureLabs have the honors.
>Write-in

>(2/2)

>>5110515
>>Don’t say the kill code.
We'll fuck around and find out.

>>5110515
>Don’t say the kill code. You know it worked. Let FutureLabs have the honors.
If it didn't work it's on Valjean. Works for me!

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>>5110517
>>5110520

>And then everyone died, the end!
Writing!


Just kidding.
>Don’t say the kill code.
Writing!

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>>5110531

no Gainax ending here...

The temptation to say the kill-code out loud is extremely tempting, almost as tempting as if a live, bloodied fish landed right at your feet. However, you’d rather not fuck around and fiind out, as Matt would so eloquently put it.

You’ll just have to wait until your next brush with FutureLabs to find out whether or not it worked, and, if it didn’t and you’re lucky enough to live through the consequences, Valjean can pay for it with a nice knuckle-sandwich. So, with that, you smooth over your features and try not to think about the kill-code that you definitely did not want to say. Nope. Not whatsoever.

But now that everyone’s gathered here– and now that you’ve got one of your biggest concerns out of the way– you can easily plan your next move.

While you could plan to rescue Conduit here and now, the code still isn’t quite finished. You might be waiting around from anywhere to a day to a week depending on how fast Eddie works.

However, as Atticus Charles had said, their team would move quickly and ferociously against the Maranzano family, and, in that regard, there would be a lot of unfortunate mutants ending up in FutureLabs’ clutches.

>What’s your next move?
>The gangs– now that FutureLabs is getting their hands dirty with the trafficked mutants, you’ll have to work faster to remove Maranzano’s forces from the city.
>Rescuing Conduit– though the code isn’t quite finished, you can at least start working on a plan for breaking in (and retrieving Eddie’s body)
>Write-in

Also if you choose ‘gangs,’ what will be your primary focus?
>Finding Maranzano’s primary base-of-operations and killing the roots at the source
>Saving the trafficked mutants– let FutureLabs’ team clean up the rest

Alright. That's it, for the night.

As always, thanks for playing, and see you next time, kings!

>>5110547
>The gangs– now that FutureLabs is getting their hands dirty with the trafficked mutants, you’ll have to work faster to remove Maranzano’s forces from the city.

>Saving the trafficked mutants– let FutureLabs’ team clean up the rest

So the copying is when you click the reply button without having to ctrl+v still works on pc, but not on phone.

>>5110547
>The gangs– now that FutureLabs is getting their hands dirty with the trafficked mutants, you’ll have to work faster to remove Maranzano’s forces from the city.

>Saving the trafficked mutants– let FutureLabs’ team clean up the rest

Let the Stuper Friends do the grunt work. We've got folks to save!

>>5110547
>The gangs– now that FutureLabs is getting their hands dirty with the trafficked mutants, you’ll have to work faster to remove Maranzano’s forces from the city.
>Saving the trafficked mutants– let FutureLabs’ team clean up the rest
prioritize what is most time-sensitive

>>5110547
>>The gangs– now that FutureLabs is getting their hands dirty with the trafficked mutants, you’ll have to work faster to remove Maranzano’s forces from the city.
>Saving the trafficked mutants– let FutureLabs’ team clean up the rest

>>5110896
>>5110834
>>5110810
>>5110556

>Le unanimous vote

Called and writing!

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>>5111158

“Now that we fixed the kill-code, we’re going to keep fighting Maranzano.” You start, because, with Eddie taking his sweet time on that code of his, you think that removing Maranzano’s forces from the city would be the next-best thing.

That, and you would pretty-much have a death wish if you burst into FutureLabs literal base-of-operations on the exact same day they declared war on you.

With Maranzano likely focused on FutureLabs’ new team, you might have a better chance at saving more trafficked mutants faster.

“Yeah, I wasn’t really ready to rescue Conduit today anyways.” Matt is on the same page as you. “Good news is that while you and B were sleeping like babies last night, I was doing more research.” As if to emphasize his point, the end of his statement is punctuated by a yawn.

“So here’s the thing, guys… I’ve been comparing where the disappearances go to, and they all seem to lead back to the same place.” Matt mutters. “You know the Miller-Ford building?”

“The one that caused the controversy for being a wind hazard?” Valjean clarifies. You know which one it is as well; it’s the only building in Konigsburg (or perhaps the whole country) whose foundation is built completely underwater.

“Yeah.” Matt nods, pulling a familiar red-and-gold card from his pocket– the one that reads Gladiolus. “There’s a club in the building that goes by the name of ‘Gladiolus,’ which is very exclusive– like you either gotta have a shitload of money or know someone. Unfortunately, thanks to the wind hazard controversy, there aren’t actually any available blueprints of the building itself, or anything that can tell us where in the building this Gladioulus place is, much less any information on the club itself.”

So you can’t just teleport right in, guns blazing. You frown– not without the possibility of having either the police or Maranzano’s men swarming you– and you’re sure everyone else knows this as well.

>(1/?)

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>>5111282

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot–” Matt pipes up, interrupting your train of thought. “--so that license you got from the water last night was from some guy that worked at FutureLabs…a Doctor Allen Zhang. Don’t think it’s very relevant, but I thought you all should know.”

“Guess some guy was tryin’ to make a quick buck off of sellin’ mutants, huh?” Bernard lifts a brow. “Dunno how he’d even get em’ outta there– the security’s intense.”

“Who knows, B?” Matt shrugs. “I can’t imagine either if I’m being honest. In any case, Maranzano killed him for whatever reason… probably didn’t want the loose end.”

“If I’m not mistaken, there’s a small group of buildings that looks suspiciously like a compound in the area around the Miller-Ford building. They rent boats, and give tours around the Bay of Konigsburg and the Miller-Ford building as well, but do you wanna guess who owns it?”

“Junior, right?” Valjean grins, and, at that, Matt gives an mhmm.

>(2/3)

>>5111284

“Say stick, how’d you get all this info so fast anyhow?” Bernard looks impressed at Matt’s ability to research.

“Cause I’m a genius, that’s why.” He grins, a little self-righteously. “That, and I got a little help from Ermac.” While you know Matt could gather all that information on his own easily, having a person (consciousness?) that's literally a sentient computer program on hand made the whole thing go way faster.

“Well… I’m ready to roll anytime, since, you know, I’ve got all the free time in the world.” Valjean remarks now that the you have all the information you’ll need.

>In any case, when will you be scoping out this potential trafficking hotspot?
>Tonight. No time like the present.
>Tomorrow night. Wait a day for shit to cool down before you get moving.
>Write-in

Also, where to first?
>To the Miller-Ford building-- looks pretty big. Could be sus.
>To the boat-rental-- If Maranzano owns it, that's all the proof you need.

>(3/3)

Well... kinda slow night. I'll be picking up tomorrow since I'm kind of tired anyways.

As always, thanks for playing, and see you next time kings!

>>5111290
>Tonight. No time like the present.
>To the boat-rental-- If Maranzano owns it, that's all the proof you need.

>>5111290
>Tonight. No time like the present.
>To the boat-rental-- If Maranzano owns it, that's all the proof you need.

'Always Be Hustlin', that's our motto!

>>5111290
>Tonight. No time like the present.
>To the Miller-Ford building-- looks pretty big. Could be sus.

>>5111290
>Tonight. No time like the present.
>To the boat-rental-- If Maranzano owns it, that's all the proof you need.
MORE NIGHT OCEAN FUN

>>5111426
>>5111463
>>5111664

>Hustle-and-bustle!
>Boat-rental!

>>5111664

>Hustle-and-bustle!
>Citicorp building-ripoff!

Called and writing!

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>>5112474

Oh, should it be assumed we're taking the whole flipping crew?

>Yes.
>No.

I'm assuming yes and am still writing under that assumption, but just in case...

>>5112505
>Yes
Not reason not to and Julia needs the experience

>>5112505
Heck yeah
Squad up

>>5112505
>YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD

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>>5112505

You think that if you wait any longer on pursuing Maranzano, that’s more time for him to funnel mutants out of Konigsburg– that, or those mutants will invariably fall into FutureLabs’ clutches.

Still, you’re kind of surprised that Maranzano-Junior hasn’t pissed his pants already from FutureLabs’ most recent announcement. Then again, from Atticus Charles’ words, the new group of mutants has already been in pursuit of him for quite some time.

No matter, with how easy it was to fend off the mafiosi last night, you think it’s a perfect time to let Julia in on it this time around. Though you don’t know how affected she still might be by that fight you guys had, you wonder how well she fights without either cranial damage or the influence of Aurum Impulsum.

Out of curiosity, you pull up your suit-jacket sleeves (lest they end up like paper in a shredding machine) and shift into your fish form, watching the other woman’s reaction.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Julia’s giving you a look.

“Just testing something out.” You return, feeling the other sets of eyes on you. Though there’s a little bit of wariness in her glare, it doesn’t look like she’s going to run away or anything like that. If anything, she looks mostly annoyed.

Good. You think, shifting back into your human form. That settles it.[/i ] Looks like Julia will actually fight with you this time.

There’s little preparation that the five of you need to do, save for Matt, who spends the whole afternoon sleeping due to the late-night he pulled for you guys. You’re feeling better about this lead than the last one and a little glad to be doing something to get your mind off of your most recent troubles.

“There better be a fight this time...” Are the words you get from Valjean when you arrive at the warehouse once night falls, and, without further ado, you’ve been taken to the far-side of town– one where the highway meets the edge of the city and you can even see the beginning of some trees in the distance. It’s a contrast to the gleaming city lights, the Miller-Ford standing like a sentinel in the bay.

>(1/2)

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>>5112663

You’ll admit it’s kind of impressive, but you have to wonder who had the brilliant idea of building a whole freaking skyscraper on the water like that. Well, at least whoever built it was smart enough to put it as far away from the majority of the population.

“Hah…” You hear Bernard take a heaving breath from behind, and, turning to face him, you note he looks a little winded. “Good crap… teleportin’ the five of us that far is a real pain-in-the-neck.”

“You gonna make it, B?” You feel a flash of concern for the blonde.

“Yeah, I just really felt it there– I’m fine though!” He says, straightening up quickly. “I can definitely make it back home. Just… this place is really outta-the-way…”

He’s not wrong, you think. Unlike the warehouse you were at yesterday, which was right smack-dab in the thick of the city, this place is nearly at the city limits.

Overlooking the boat-rental, you find that Matt was right-- it really does look like a freaking compound.

Nonetheless, you can sense some people within the buildings; you even see some people moving to-and-fro between them, some well-dressed and others not. If there were trafficked mutants anywhere, it’d be hard to tell which part of the complex they’re in.

>How will you approach this?
>Head to where the people were going.
>Head to the roofs, get a closer look.
>Hop into the center and figure out where to go from there.
>Write-in

How will you approach this?
>All in– five or nothing!
>You’ll take– (Write-in)!
>Just you! The ultimate sigma move!

>(2/2)

>>5112669
>head to the roofs for a better look
>just you

Obviously it’s smarter to take Bernard but op called this the ultimate sigma move and Elise is the ultimate sigma female

>>5112696
>+1

>>5112696
>>5112715

>Roof-rave!
>Sigma-variant!

We are the ultimate sigma-female. Or so we think, b-baka!
Writing!

>>5112669
Also, assume there's more city buildings in the picture. I just didn't draw them cause they weren't places-of-interest.

>>5112771
>Also, assume there's more city buildings in the picture. I just didn't draw them cause they weren't places-of-interest.
gotta have that stock building to put in the drawings, kek

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>>5112771

Before anyone else can say a word, you’re already shooting yourself down to the roof of the main building, shouts of protest sounding from behind you. If you need anyone else, you got your comms, you think, positioning yourself to land.

Your impact with the roof sends a few tiles skidding, but, thankfully, they do not fall, and, taking stock of your surroundings, you find that the whole thing looks… actually pretty fancy. With the plethora of palm trees, a sizable courtyard, and even a pool, you suppose it has to be if it caters to rich people.

If you’re being honest, the whole thing feels like less of a boat rental and more like a posh vacation home– a vacation home that is way larger than you initially thought.

A pair of heartbeats in your periphery interrupts your thoughts, and you whip your head to face one of the gunmen trying to draw a bead on you from behind the ventilator.

Bang. You feel the bullet whiz right by you.

The gunman tries again, but, from his position, he can’t get a good aim on you as you deftly leap out of his sights and high into the air. However, like a swarm of cockroaches, the telltale noise of a gunshot all it takes for even more gunmen to come out of the woodwork, the slew of heartbeats making their way towards your position.

>Now what?
>Head into the main building.
>Head into the courtyard.
>Call a teammate (Who?).
>Write-in

>>5112797

Gonna end it here for the night! Not feeling too hot.

Anyways, we should be getting into the fun/actiony stuff next session, so see you next time, kings!

>>5112797
>Head into the main building.

>>5112797
>Head into the main building

>>5112797
>Head into the main building.

>>5113221
>>5112838
>>5112837

>Main building!

Alright! I'll need some dice so we can beat the crap out of whoever's waiting for us in the building! Roll me some 1d100s-- best of three!!

Rolled 16 (1d100)

>>5113243

Rolled 13 (1d100)

>>5113243
rock and roll. Please.

Rolled 94 (1d100)

>>5113243
We are gonna look really dumb if we fuck it up right after running off.

>>5113272
Thanks to you we won't.

>>5113266
>>5113268
>>5113272

Wow-- what a save! Looks like we're not gonna look like idiots after all!

Writing!

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>>5113314

From mid-air, you aim your body towards the first roof-ledge of the balcony, and, once you land, you waste no time ducking beneath it, finding yourself face-to-face with yet another pair of gunmen.

“Uhhh… fish?” You hear Bernard’s voice in your ear. No doubt they’ve heard the gunshots.

“...I’m not even going to ask.” That comes from Valjean.

There’s another crackle of static in the comms– a weary, resigned-sounding huff that you think comes from Matt. Evidently, he has no words.

You can only imagine what they’d all say to you if you came back within the first two minutes of this. A little dread worms its way into your gut… there’s no way in hell you’d be able to live it down.

Fervor driven by the prospect of humiliation has the first man on the ground, unconscious before he can even point his rifle. The second man fares no better, and you can clearly see the look of horror on his face the moment before your fist meets his head. Not sparing a second, you break open the nearest door, finding yourself in a rather spacious-looking office that is no less-fancy than the outside.

“...Fish? You still with us?” Bernard inquires.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” You return, letting everyone know you’ve got it handled for now.

Still, you can’t help but think that, for a place that’s supposed to be trafficking mutants, wouldn’t you say the security is rather… lax? You kind of expected more if you’re being honest.

>(1/2)

>>5113447

Taking a quick glance of the room, aside from the opulent decor, the only things of note you see are a desk at the far end of the room, and a very large portrait of the eldest Maranzano with the word ’GIAGUARO’ emblazoned over it. Otherwise, while the desk is very clean– almost too clean for your liking– the only reason you take note of it is because of your irreparable urge to snoop in other people’s business.

You wonder if you should check it out...

Unfortunately, your deliberation is cruelly interrupted by your proprioception warning you of more presences nearby, just in time for a large, golden thing to whip itself straight at you and plant itself into the tile.

A second gold appendage that’s just like the first narrowly misses you, and you spring onto the mantle to avoid it.

“Merda.” The owner of the voice mutters, a woman in a short club dress– one that matches the tail-like appendages retreating back to her person. “Let’s hope the boss isn’t too broken up about the floor.”

The second person next to her is one you would’ve mistaken for a man with boyish clothes and cropped hair if not for the rough voice that was definitely feminine. “Who gives a flyin’ frick? Just kill ‘er before I do.” Her New York accent is extremely thick– even thicker than Bernard’s-- and something tells you that she's probably a mutant as well.

>What do you do?
>Evade! Keep moving further into the building! Forget the damn desk and look for the mutants!
>Fight them! These mutant women are going down!

Also, will you call someone in?
>Yes (Write-in).
>No.

>(2/2)

>>5113454
>>Fight them! These mutant women are going down!
>Yes (Julia).
This is why we brought her

>>5113464
>+1
We've come here to chew fish and kick butts and no fish in sight

>>5113464
>>5113478

Time to show these New Yorkers who's boss! Roll me some 2d100s-- one for Elise and one for Julia-- best of three!

And don't forget to write any specific strategy if you have one!

Rolled 54, 86 = 140 (2d100)

>>5113549

Tail lady needs to go. We're best close range, so get rid of that ranged advantage. Close in but keep nimble, ala in-fighting. This also means it's harder for the New Yorker to get a clean hit- though it could mean that she just tried to dogpile you. That's what Julia is for. Her thing is crystals, right? See if she can take potshots at the Yawker.

Rolled 91, 28 = 119 (2d100)

>>5113549

Rolled 39, 6 = 45 (2d100)

>>5113549
Tell Jewel about the gold tendrils and have her fight her, let's see what mangina yankee can do.

>>5113549

>ROLLS: 91, 86

Nice... Very nice...
Writing!

>>5113550
>>5113551
Our luck is back, boys
Fish is fresh

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>>5113549

Face-to-face with the two mutant gun molls, you’re not quite sure which one you should fight first. While those tendrils from the first woman look pretty nasty, there’s murderous intent on the other woman’s face that gives you a bad feeling.

Right at the same time the tomboyish one pulls out her gun– right when you’re ready to make another move– there’s a crash through the window that sends glass flying everywhere, and with it comes a much-welcomed presence.

“Don’t tell me they were giving you a hard time.” Julia says in lieu of a greeting, straightening herself up. You can only imagine where she picked up that kind of sarcasm.

“How about you take the blonde one?” You return, eyes on the woman with the tendrils. “I’ll go for her.”

Not another word is needed as the two of you charge your respective targets. Sending a flying fist towards the chest of the tendril-woman, she lifts the golden-appendages to block you, but the impact from your own, stronger body sends her crashing into the wall.

There’s the smell of blood in the air– a telltale mark of a good hit– but, much to your disappointment, the woman manages to get back on her feet, right as Julia's quarry fires several bullets that whiz past her and straight into the wall. However, as if the wall were a trampoline, those bullets bounce right off the wall in every single different direction, and some fly right out the window, while others continue to bounce around like pinballs.

You’ve hardly landed for a second when the two tendrils shoot straight for you again, but you’re quick enough to catch them before they hit you, the pincer-like endings of her tendrils piercing the inside of your palms.

There’s an odd, almost-burning sensation exactly where they hit, and you ignore it for the moment so you can move your grip to crush the main parts of the appendages, feeling a rush of instinct-fueled euphoria as they easily give beneath your hold.

From the side, you watch as Julia fires off a slew of crystals whilst avoiding the gunfire, sending them straight at the New Yorker whose bullets are no match for a woman made of diamond. One of the stalactites embed themselves in her shoulder, coloring her white dress-shirt red, but she doesn’t yield.

>(1/2)

>>5113666

Instead, you see the woman’s purple eyes make contact with the tendril woman’s for the splittest of seconds, and, from beneath you, the tendril-woman stops resisting. Yes…This is it– you’re definitely going to win, and then you’ll–

You’re on the mantle again. There’s no glass on the floor, your palms aren’t burning, and Julia is nowhere to be found.

What? Before you can say another word, the sound of glass shattering heralds the arrival of Julia.

“Don’t tell me they were giving you a hard time.” The crystalline mutant says to you, straightening herself up.

“Hard time? We were just–” You stop yourself, looking back to where the gun molls were as the realization hits you. Deja. Freaking. Vu.

You’re positive the boyish mutant had something to do with that– the feeling of those tendrils getting crushed by your hands had been no dream of any sorts.

Still, the smell of blood fills the air, but you can hear the sound of footsteps quickly retreating into the hall.

Roll me some 1d100s to pursue! Best of 3! Make sure to type in any specific strategy you have to take those Yawkers down!!!

>(2/2)

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>5113677
God damn, how did this shitty gangsters get mutants this strong. Go Berserk and focus on the Tomboy

Rolled 62 (1d100)

>>5113677
Watch THIS!

Rolled 48 (1d100)

>>5113677
...REWIND? THAT'S SUPER BULLSHIT.

Rewind needs to go first, turns out. We need to hit her hard, fast, and surprising. It might be an idea to cause friendly fire; particularly from Tendrils to Rewind.

Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>5113677
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhKH_bma5WE
now things got interesting

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>>5113684
>>5113690
>>5113691
>>5113697 :c

>Highest roll: 62!
>Writing!

>>5113691

>Callin' bull
Refer to my very well-placed macro of Todd Howard. Though, I wouldn't say her power is time manipulation per se... it's something close enough to do so...

>>5113713
It's King Crimson adjacent, I figured. She can't manipulate time outright, but she can say 'Nope, the last 30 seconds didn't happen' or something akin.

>>5113717
I think it's more like Bites the Dust, she saw the tendril woman in the eyes and sent her back in time, and we got carried along

>>5113727
Eye contact isn't necessary to use her power-- that was just the ma'am giving tendril-gal the "I'm gonna pull some bullshit" signal.

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>>5113727
>enemy mutant is Bites the Dust user
oh fuck

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>>5113713

You fools barely made the DC. Yeet.

Hopping down from the mantle, you let your senses take you towards where the gun molls were headed and hope that Julia takes that as the cue to follow your lead.

Though the two of them likely know the building from top-to-bottom, none of them are a match for your speed, and you quickly gain on them. However, when the two reach a fork in the hallway, crop-cut wastes no time shooting some of her bouncing bullets in your direction before the two split up.

Like the last time she pulled that trick, the majority of the bullets miss, but a lucky bullet manages to graze you. Another few sink themselves into the wall, melting through it like hot butter.

Well… glad she didn’t get you with those bullets…

“Go left and get the other one!” You shout to Julia, and, while crop-cut has gotten some distance on you, no matter how many twists and turns she tries to lead you through, her blood is a beacon for your keen senses. You suppose that the injury she got from Julia stayed with her in that little time-trick she pulled.

Outside, you can hear even more commotion and gunfire, the males of your group inevitably joining the party.

Finally, you burst into a sitting room, sensing crop-cut behind a decorational jaguar statue. You’ll knock her out before she does that time trick– again?

The heartbeat suddenly disappears, reemerging from behind you, and, in a stunning act that you would either consider really stupid or really brave, the woman tries to shoot you point-blank. The fist to the gut changes her mind pretty quickly, and you see her face go purple before you’re at the door to the sitting room again.

Following your gut feeling, you whip around behind you, finding crop-cut in the doorway but still keeping her gun trained on you. Aside from the bloodstained shirt, courtesy of Julia, she looks like she’s had the wind knocked out of her, and, if looks could kill, you’d be long gone.

“Haah… sonnovabitch, that hurt. Guess ya don’t know when to scram, do ya?” She growls, still convinced she can take you down. She struggles to pull up her gun this time around. “Fuckin’ Konigsburg and your stupid mutants– guess what? In the end, they all bleed the same, damn color.”

In spite of her words, she still is aiming for your head… so there’s only one thing left for you to do here.

Roll 1d100+5 to knock her out! Best of three as always! (+5 for injured enemy)

Rolled 22 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>5113942
"You've got something on your face..."

Rolled 9 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>5113942

Rolled 6 + 5 (1d100 + 5)

>>5113942
Oof. Well, here's hoping...

>>5113944
>>5113956
>>5113971
Jesus christ, I click on this thread randomly and you guys are over here with the worst Bo3 3d100 rolls in a month of Sundays. Condolences.

>>5113944
>>5113971
>>5113956

Welp, time to face the consequences of our rolls. Shouldn't be that bad. Probably.
And remember folks.. we don't die, we regress :^)

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Sorry folks, I don't think I can finish the update tonight. My brain's logging off, and I'd like my noggin to be fresh when I write the next part.

As always, thanks for playing, and see you next time, kings!

>>5113942
a shame I couldn't roll, but considering the situation and that we didn't get a crit low, we may lose her but won't get badly hurt

>>5113983

Alright! Time to, like, face some consequences and sheeit. Writing!

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>>5114714

Your assailant– if she can even be called that– looks ready to fall to the floor. Still bleeding out from her shoulder and having likely cracked a bone or two, how she remains standing is a mystery to you.

Rearing yourself up for the knockout punch, your lips pull into a grin as you feel a quip on the tip of your tongue. “You got something on your face.” You tell her smartly.

Crop-cut’s lips curl into an annoyed snarl at your response, and, right as you launch yourself at her, you see her purple eyes blazing with fiery intent.

“Try this one on for size, ya damn blabbermouth.” She says, whipping her gun at you in a sudden second-wind.

The bullet hits you square in the chest, and, in the split-second of impact, you’re seeing stars– stars that flash and burst like fireworks in the night sky–but there’s no pain or blood. Instead, you feel oddly…odd. Floaty, even.

The next moment, your gills start taking in water, and, when your vision swims back into focus, you find yourself surrounded by concrete on all sides. Bringing a hand to where the bullet impacted, you find that there’s no wound present, but now you’re in a sewer… or a drainage tunnel of sorts.

Crap. You think. No chance that crop-cut will be where you left her. You don’t think she could’ve sent you that far, considering her own abilities; but now the most prudent thing would be to get the hell out of here.

The water only goes up to your neck when you stand up to your full height, rushing heavily against you, and, taking stock of your surroundings, you can see thick metal grilles on both sides of the tunnel– you think that either way will lead you back to the fight. The question is, which one way will take you back to the boat rental the fastest?

>Where to?
>Go towards the flow.
>Go against the flow.
>Write-in

>>5114885
>Go towards the flow.
Getting a little annoyed at this chick... the sooner we get back, the better.

>>5114885
>Go towards the flow.
I call bs on how far we were sent

>>5114885
>Go towards the flow

ok gun mutie is weird
she can make her bullets either bounce or drill
and she can do a weird time rewind that doesn't heal her but heals others
for some reason we remembered what happened before the rewind, but it didn't look like julia did
and this time she apparently teleported us somewhere we hadn't even been

these are all the clues I could gather and I must say I'm hella confused

>>5114905
>>5114901

I'll give the basic rundown of her powers since a) we're gonna kick her ass anyways no matter what shit she pulls on us b) I'm not a douche c) I like clarifying stuff and loredumping autistically.

I'd describe her power as a very low-level impossibility manipulation. For now it seems she can only use it on bullets and people, but, for the most part, she can only use it on either small instances or small things (again, bullets, snippets of time, short distances). Like that one anon said >>5113717, she could King Crimson the last thirty seconds like it didn't happen, or she could imbue some power into a bullet to a) not act like a typical bullet b) "impossibly" have Elise positioned in the drainage tunnel instead.

Again, I will emphasize *small* instances of impossibility, or it would be bullshitty and overpowered. Though, additional power-training and refinement would definitely make her a force to be reckoned with (at least against most non-power-type mutants).

>>5114933
I see thanks. So what happened to us was a lucky shot due to second wind.

>>5114896
>>5114901
>>5114905

>Go with the flow!

Guess who's getting outta that drainage pipe? We are!
Writing!

>>5114933
Thanks, I was wondering if she had multiple powers or wtf was going on, never would have guessed that.

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>>5114996

If there’s a way out, it has to be in the way the water’s flowing, you reason, and shoot yourself towards the grilles.

The grilles provide more resistance than you would’ve liked, where it takes a couple of good hits to make an exit for yourself, but, once you pass through the grating, your gills are met with the familiar tingle of saltwater.

Quickly breaking the surface, you emerge at the edge of a well-decorated dock that is lined with all manner of boats, jet-skis, and even a yacht or two, and you waste no time in clambering onto one of the boats so you can springboard onto the outcropping and finally the compound’s outer wall.

Perched on the roof, you see the rest of your bunch still caught in what seems to have been (and still is) a hell of a firefight. Most of the men have been downed, but you can still see Julia and Bernard zipping around, picking off the remainder of the armed stragglers– stragglers who are trying their damndest to hide from their assailants– while Matt and Valjean… you have to blink a couple of times to make sure that what you’re seeing is actually real.

It’s a freaking jaguar– not even a jaguar-humanoid, but a crawling, oversized murder-machine– prowling around the building where Matt and Valjean have taken cover.

You hear Valjean trying to sing the jaguar to sleep as he and Matt take turns throwing knives at it from above, but, over the gunfire and commotion, it doesn’t look like his power is taking hold.

>(1/2)

>>5115053

What’s more? It looks like the jaguar is trying to find a way up to the two males, and you see Matt ready his bat for the oncoming big-cat, while the former Crux leader readies his gun.

Bullshit. You really call bullshit on this one. How Maranzano-Junior got so many mutants willing to work for him is far beyond you. Still, you don’t even remember the average Crux mutant being this strong. Though, unlike the Crux that relied on sheer numbers for its powers, you suppose that Maranzano was a lot more selective with its members.

>In any case, what do you do?
>Go for the jaguar– help Matt and Valjean!
>Go for the gunmen– help Bernard and Julia!
>Write-in

>>5115054
>>Go for the jaguar– help Matt and Valjean!

>>5115054
>Go for the jaguar– help Matt and Valjean!
CROIKY! Look at the SOIZE of him!

>>5115054
>Go for the jaguar– help Matt and Valjean!

>>5115055
>>5115078
>>5115098

>Law of the jungle!!

Let's show this big-cat who's really at the top of the food chain-- ROLL ME SOME 1D100S, STAT! BEST OF THREE!

Rolled 73 (1d100)

>>5115116
Time to put this cat back INTO the bag!

Rolled 84 (1d100)

>>5115116
Let's gooooooooooo
>>5115124
off to a good start

Rolled 69 (1d100)

>>5115116
is that even a mutant or just a jaguar they stole from the zoo

>>5115124
>>5115126
>>5115147
This catfish is going down

>>5115124
>>5115126
>>5115147

Woo! Nice rolls, folks! Writing!

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>>5115221

The jaguar is considered to be the most dangerous big cat in the world.

Why? Because their jaws can bite with a force of up to one-thousand five hundred Newtons. As such, their preferred method of killing is to bite through their preys’ skulls, crushing the bones in their jaws like butter.

However, such a creature is no match for you, Elise Martins– a true, apex predator in every sense of the word.

The jaguar doesn’t even stand a chance, your foot connecting with its face with a force that could put its bite to shame. On instant, the big cat crumples to the ground, alive but out-for-the-count.

How’s that for the top of the food chain? You think, examining the unconscious mutant. Whoever they are, they’re going to have a real headache in the morning.

“Thanks for the save.” Matt says as he climbs down to join you now that the danger has passed.

“How many mutants can they possibly have here?” You wonder how many mutants the rest of the gang encountered.

“Dunno. We haven’t seen any yet, but Jewel did.” He tells you.

“What about the jaguar?” You return, pointing at the unconscious body.

“Oh, the jaguar? That’s just a regular jaguar.” Matt waves you off, and the bubble of smugness you were riding on for the past thirty seconds is brutally and mercilessly popped. Come again?

“And here I thought that bastard would never go down…” Valjean drawls from his perch. “All good?”

>(1/3)

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>>5115353

“Yep.” Matt confirms, and that’s all the signal Valjean needs to hop down to join you. “Mind caging that thing? I know I saw a cage somewhere…” Your brother trails off, unaware of your internal crisis. You console yourself with the knowledge that you’re probably the only person on the planet who’s ever kicked a jaguar in the face like that.

One caged jaguar later, and it’s not long before the firefight is over, Bernard and Julia joining you at the edge of the courtyard.

“You guys ending up finding anything?” You ask to the rest of the group, not really expecting to find anything with the luck you’ve had so far..

“I did.” Julia raises her hand, and your eyes widen in surprise. “I saw a door by the fountain over there.” She points to the area behind her.

As she said, there’s a door waiting for you, innocuously labeled TOILETTE. You don’t know who’d be stupid enough to think restrooms have keypads, but this will be a cinch for you. So, stepping forwards, you rear your fist to break down the door.

Fist meets metal. At the same time, pain shoots like lightning up your whole arm. Quickly, your regeneration works to rectify the sensation, and, undeterred, you fire a whole volley of punches at the door.

There are several, small dents in the door, but otherwise it stands stalwart.

>(2/3)

>>5115359

“The hell?” Matt’s voice echoes your confusion, striding up to the door. “Wait a minute.” He stops, only to place his face against the metal and rub it like a cat. You see his eyes scrunch up thoughtfully, and, after a few seconds of silence, he says, “...this is freaking Ferro-Flex.”

“Ferro-Flex?” Julia repeats.

“Isn’t that FutureLabs’ special alloy?” Bernard tilts his head.

“Yeah.” Matt nods. “They use it for everything from textiles to bulletproof vests to armored vehicles, but, most notably, they use it to contain mutants. They must have made it pretty thick if even you can’t break it, Kelpie.”

“I can.” You stubbornly argue back, growing increasingly irritated the longer you stare at the metal. You can smash through buildings, throw cars around like toys… but you’re stopped by one, stupid door?”

“Swell…” Valjean clicks his tongue, not looking at all convinced at your insistence. “So how are we breaking through it? It’s only a matter of time before Junior sends more of his men here.”

>How are you bustin’ through?!
>Keep brute-forcing it! If the first few hits weren’t enough, then a couple more will surely do. You just gotta hit it harder!
>Try to guess the password– looks like the keyboard's an alphabetical one. How hard could it be?
>See if Matt can work some of his 1337_h4x0r magic on it. Might take longer than you want, but you think he can do it.
>Write-in

>(3/3)

>>5115364
>bust through the wall next to it

worth checking to see if they encased the whole room in ferro flex.

Matt can try hacking the door while we do it too. Multitasking!

>>5115364
>>5115377
+1 this. If Red Faction taught me anything it's that this works 99% of the time!

>>5115377
>+1
and
>See if Matt can work some of his 1337_h4x0r magic on it. Might take longer than you want, but you think he can do it.
If there's more ferro-flex tape inside the wall

>>5115377
>>5115378
>>5115392

>Punch the side walls!
>1337_h4x0r!!!

Looks like we're going all-in on this one--GIMME SOME 2d100s-- one for Elise and one for Matt! As always, best of three!

Rolled 92 (1d100)

>>5115395
Here goes...

Rolled 75 (1d100)

>>5115406
Aaaand another for Matt

Rolled 52, 96 = 148 (2d100)

>>5115406
2d100, let's go

>>5115409
>>5115412
just roll a 2d100 my dude, not 2 1d100

Alright. That's it for now-- gonna catch some zzz's.

>>5115417 Yeah that was my bad for deleting the post cause I typed 1d100 on accident. I'm counting the rolls anyhow.

Also for anyone who's wondering, there really was a password for the keypad, but I did drop quite a few hints (not sure how obvious it was).
It was 'JAGUAR.'

In any case, thanks for playing, and see you next time, kings!

>>5115430
smooth as always OP

>>5115430
what dastardly villains, stealing a jaguar from the zoo then gloating about it with their passwords

Feel free to roll again. I'll come back later to tally the results.

Rolled 41, 45 = 86 (2d100)

>>5115406

Rolled 27, 73 = 100 (2d100)

>>5115406
>>5115430
alright, here's another roll

>>5115409
>>5115412
>>5115414
>>5116219
>>5116274

Since it was my fault for deleting the first roll post, I'll be fair and count the two singular ones. On that note:

>Highest rolls: 92, 96!!!
>Writing!

>>5116274
Nat 100, nice

>>5116434
Though it might take a little extra time– more than any of you might like– Matt is convinced he can hack the keypad, and, while your brother works on that, you think it might be worth checking if the sides of the door are also encased in Ferro-Flex.

The walls are covered in stone, but a cursory punch to one of the sides reveals the thick layer of metal underneath. Now, you can assume the roof is no different.

Still, you’re undeterred, and, with a glance behind you to make sure you have ample room, you begin to unleash a flurry of punches at the impossibly-stubborn wall.

It’s a battle between an immovable object and an unstoppable force, your bones rattling as you punch the wall harder, faster as the wall refuses to give way. No chance did you expect the wall to give way, and the feeling of the metal caving beneath each strike fills you with a renewed energy– an energy that keeps you going until the wall finally breaks and there’s an entrance large enough for you to fit through.

It’s right as you give the broken wall an extra few punches for good measure that the door is swung open, Matt looking at you in utter surprise. “The hell? You actually broke it?”

“It wasn’t that hard,” You tell him as you step through the hole you made, wondering what’s the big deal. “Did you think I couldn’t?” You jibe, a smirk forming beneath your mask.

“Maybe.” He admits, eyeing the staircase laid out before you– a narrow, winding staircase, light shining up from the end– and, without another word, you jump through the hole in the center, finding yourself in a spacious chamber.

More than that, you feel heartbeats– several, in fact– but the smell of blood is what sticks out the most. Charging forwards, you hope that the others follow suit as you follow your nose deeper into the tunnels.

It’s nothing like the underground complex at FutureLabs– that place was practically endless– but, save for the concrete floor and the wine barrels spaced along one of the sides, the whole thing is lined with absolutely nothing but red brick.

Your short run stops at one of the very first cells, and, skidding to a halt, it doesn’t take long to find the source of the blood.

On the ground, ducked into one of the cages is crop-cut, hastily bandaging herself. Her suit-shirt thrown to the wayside, she doesn’t realize your presence until you’ve deliberately clanged the door open.

>(1/3)

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>>5116652

“How the hell did ya get in here?” Her face is a mixture of frightened and pissed. “I thought I frickin’ drowned you!”

“Gills.” You point to your neck. “Very useful in a pinch.” You suppose that the bar of intelligence for gang members is very low. “Where’d your friend go by the way?” You would’ve thought tendril-lady would’ve stuck around to protect the captives.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, ya frickin’ freak?” The gun moll retorts, pulling out her gun once more. “Doesn’t matter, cause this time I’ll make sure you’re really dead.”

Not wanting to fall victim to her trick-bullets again, you’re more-than ready to spring forward and knock crop-cut out, but a familiar voice breaks the standoff before you can do so.

“How~ about~ no~” Like a puppet with her strings cut, crop-cut falls to the ground. “Mind warning us before you run off again?” Valjean’s tone is none-too-pleased, Julia standing next to him. “Now kindly move. I want to see if she has a cellphone on her.”

You don’t see any problem in that, and, with that covered, you continue following your senses towards where you felt the other heartbeats.

Moving forwards, you’re taken through another, narrower tunnel. Then the space opens up into a room with even more cages.

You feel two mutants, to be precise. Two mutants who are sealed behind Ferro-Flex bars.

The first one appears to be some sort of harpy, the greys, blacks, and whites of her feathers reminding you of a seagull. Fast asleep on the hard ground and wings splayed out to each side, she looks extremely small in the spacious cage.

The second one, meanwhile, is an older kid that looks like a middle-schooler if you had to say. His hands are covered tightly, conjoined by the set of handcuffs– you suppose he has some sort of hand-activated power.

>(2/3)

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>>5116655

Where are the rest of them? You can’t help but wonder.

For all the trouble you went through, you thought there would’ve been more of them, especially with the amount of firepower Maranzano-Junior had stationed here.

“K-Kelpie.” Hand-kid stutters, interrupting your train of thought. As the only conscious kid out of the pair of mutants, the kid is staring at you silently, as if he can’t believe his eyes.

You can’t tell if he’s in shock or what, so you simply tell him, “Don’t worry. We’re here to get you out.” At that, he looks like he’s on the verge of tears, trying to grab hold of the bars out of force-of-habit but ultimately failing.

It’s then that Matt and Bernard finally arrive, and, when it dawns on them that there’s only two mutants in here, you can tell that they are just as confused as you are.

>Wat do?
>Question the kid–ask him if there were any mutants in here besides him and harpy-girl.
>Question the kid some normal stuff– names, homes, pets, powers. Calm them down before anything else!
>Bust the kids out brute-force style!
>Let Bernard get the kids out, he's got this!
>Write-in

>(3/3)

>>5116672
>Cut the bars, it's gotta be easier than punching
>>Question the kid–ask him if there were any mutants in here besides him and harpy-girl.

>>5116671

Only deleted cause I forgot to add one of the options.

>drainage tunnel
Well, at least we got to kick a jaguar in the face, right?

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>>5116676

>>5116672
>Question the kid some normal stuff– names, homes, pets, powers. Calm them down before anything else!

>Let Bernard get the kids out, he's got this!

inb4 cages rigged to explode

>>5116672
>Question the kid–ask him if there were any mutants in here besides him and harpy-girl.

Let's not be too hasty...

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>5116672
>>5116674
>Where them mutants at?

>>5116722
>Calm him down.

Also since we can multitask like bosses, I'll do a dice roll for our extraction method of choice:
>1= Cut the bars
>2=Teleport

Writing!

>>5116674
>+1

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>>5116775

“Hey, kid, mind if I ask you a question?” Your tone is calm as you address the kid– a kid with dark black hair and a healthy tan. Wordlessly he nods. “Don’t worry– they’re easy ones. I just wanna know if there were any other mutants here with you and her?” You make a motion back to the harpy-girl.

“Yeah.” Something in his face twists, but he nods anyways. “Only reason they didn’t take me and the bird-girl is cause they didn’t have enough room on the boat…” He stops himself in his tracks. “They took my sister– she’s gonna be sold off tonight.” The expression on his face is one of distress; his voice creaks as if it were on the edge of puberty. “...I-I’m never gonna see her again, aren’t I?”

“No– that’s what we’re here for. We’re going to get everyone back.” You assure him.

“Hey, you think they’re in that Miller-Ford buildin?’” Bernard, who’d been listening to the whole conversation, questions aloud. Already, at the mention of the boat thing, that building was the first thing you’d thought of.

“Listen, kid.” The blonde starts, teleporting to the other side of the bars. “We’re gonna go straight over there after this— and boom!” Another flash, and the handcuffs fall to the ground. “Everyone will be outta that place, easy-peasy.”

With that, he sets off to retrieve the harpy. Matt doesn’t look too thrilled as he hefts his bat across his shoulders. “Called it.” He says, like he knew this is what would happen.

It’s not long before Bernard’s retrieved the harpy-girl, now awakened. “Hey guys, we got ‘em.” The teleporter calls into the comms. “Get your butts back here so we can get movin!’”

“We’re heading back.” Julia’s voice answers. “Meet us in the courtyard.

>(1/3)

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>>5116896

“I can get you out of here.” The kid pipes up, giving the brick ceiling a thoughtful look. Now that the handcuffs are off, you notice some of the fire has returned to the kid’s eyes as he clenches and unclenches his hands.

“Yeah, why not?” Bernard, who’s quick to answer, sees no problem with the kid’s request, and that’s all the prompting he needs to give a shout of, “Hiyah,” as he throws his arms apart.

Like the waters of the Red Sea, the brick ceiling crackles and splits into a large crevice that reveals the night air. Then, he makes an upwards motion with his hands to raise a staircase. Not bad.

Maranzano and his men will have a field day with this, you think, smirking at the kid’s handiwork.

Haste makes waste, and, as promised, Julia and Valjean are waiting at the edge of the courtyard.
“Only two?” Is the first thing he says, like it wasn’t completely obvious.

Yes, only two. You wonder why he mentions that and not the big, gaping hole overtaking the courtyard.

>(2/3)

>>5116898

Well, now that you’re regrouped, you should figure out where to go from here. The night’s still young, and, from what that kid said, there are quite a few mutants getting sold tonight.

>In any case, what now?
>Ask Valjean what he got out of that cell-phone. Did he get anything else from crop-cut?
>Figure out what you’re gonna do with the kids.
>Gtfo before more of Maranzano’s men show up.
>Write-in

If you select the ‘get out’ option, where to?
>The docks– lotta boats to hide in, big and small. Undoubtedly low chance of being found.
>Your starting point around the highway. Not the safest, but you’ll have a good view of Maranzano’s goons finding their compound destroyed.
>Write-in

>(3/3)

>>5116903
>Ask Valjean what he got out of that cell-phone. Did he get anything else from crop-cut?

That's it for the night. Best be going to bed (even though I've been trashing my New Year's resolution for like the past week).

As always, thanks for playing, and see you next time, kings!

>>5116903
>Gtfo before more of Maranzano’s men show up.
>The docks– lotta boats to hide in, big and small. Undoubtedly low chance of being found.

>>5116924
+1

>>5116903
>Gtfo before more of Maranzano’s men show up.
>The docks

We can discuss the other stuff when we're in the clear!

>>5116903
>Gtfo before more of Maranzano’s men show up.
>The docks– lotta boats to hide in, big and small. Undoubtedly low chance of being found.

As tempting as gloating is, we gotta be responsible with our new rescues.

>>5116903
>Ask Valjean what he got out of that cell-phone. Did he get anything else from crop-cut?

>>5116924
>>5117140
>>5117170
>>5117194

>Skedaddle like bosses!

>>5117396
>>5116909

>Information game!

Come to think of it, I think I can work in both.
Writing!

>>5117584
That’s what I was gonna ask. It’s not like we’re gonna spend too much time on the info

>>5117601

Yeah, I figured in this situation I could work in both options, at least for the sake of not being tedious.

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>>5117584

By now, Maranzano’s men know you’re here and are likely on their way to deliver their special mafioso brand of retribution– best to get out of here before any more trouble shows up.

“We getting out of here, or are we gonna wait until Maranzano’s guys arrive?” Matt voices the obvious. “I think we should get moving before they sell off the rest of them.”

“We’re going.” You tell him, well-aware that the gangsters will be coming soon. Thinking of where you could go for the moment, your mind flits back to the docks with a literal armada of boats– it’s far enough away from the compound that Maranzano’s men would neither see nor hear you and perfect to camp out in… at least until you’ve figured out where to go from there. “We can go to the docks for now– they’re right down there.” You point over the roof.

At that, you don’t see any objections, though you notice Bernard starting as he looks at the small crowd he’ll have to teleport. Though you know he can pull it off, there’s no way you’re going to strain him before you go into the next frying pan.

“Hey, you. Bird-girl.” You address the harpy, who hasn’t said a word since you freed her. “Can you fly?”

The response you get is a long, crowing “Aiieeeeeee!” Not expecting that at all, the screech rattles your sensitive eardrums, all the way down to your brain, but it quickly stops as it’s followed by a series of wracking coughs. “Sorry.” She chokes out. “That was an accident.”

For her small stature, her voice sounds older than you expected, likely that of a high-schooler. “But I can fly.” At that, she flaps her wings– wings that have taken the place of her arms– and perches herself on the roof.

“I got my rocks.” Earth-kid, not to be outmatched by the harpy, summons a couple of rocks into his hands, and levitates himself upwards.

>(1/?)

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>>5117727

“By the way, how long have you guys been down there?” You can’t help but wonder aloud.

“About two days, I think–” Earth-kid tells you from mid-air.

“Eight…” Harpy admits, her voice rueful.

Ouch. You sure hope these kids’ parents will be grateful when they get home, or whoever their guardians are.

You lead the kids towards where you see the pinpricks of Bernard’s glowing eyes, down the cliffside and to a swanky-looking boat. You, having led the kids through the dark, are the last one on it, the rest of your crew already having made themselves at home down in the cabin.

“Ahoy, maties.” Valjean greets from the captain’s seat, looking like he owns the place.

“Just tell us what you found.” You want to just cut to the chase. “We don’t have time for games.”

“I was getting there, Kelpie.” Valjean puts his hands together as he leans forwards. “As WildCard was so kind to tell me, under duress of course, they’re selling off the rest of the kids later tonight at their secret members-only trafficking club. Drugs and weapons, too, if you guys are into that– but mostly kids.”

“If we all go in at once, that’s a death wish.” Matt interjects. “They know who the M-Guard is, so, once they see our faces, that’s basically it.”

“So what are we gonna do anyhow?” Bernard crosses his arms. “Ride a boat over and walk right into their club?”

>(2/?)

>>5117730

“We could…” Valjean hums, looking thoughtfully at the control panel. “Unless you want to go the helipad route. Far as I know, there are only two entrances into the Miller-Ford building, which are either through the top or bottom.”

“What do we do with the kids then?” You shoot him a look.

“Take them, leave them in the boat.” He shrugs. “I just want to do whatever gives good-old Junior the biggest middle-finger.”

“That’s great and all, but we can’t do that without a plan.” You very much wish this whole thing could be solved by just swinging your fists around.

“And who says I didn’t have one?” Valjean swivels around in his seat. “Well, if you’re so inclined to hear it, my idea was to have one of us go in as a seller and maybe two or three of us as the captives. Then, when we figure out where they’re keeping the kids, we can take it from there.”

“That’s crazy,” Bernard objects. “They know who we are.”

“They know who you are, Blink. They don’t know mine or Jewel’s faces… and Kelpie has that trick of hers.” The half-shift trick. That one trick that makes you look ugly as sin. You can’t help but cringe a little at the memory of it.

"I was thinking we could just use Pharos to sneak directly in and see if we could put everyone to sleep before they realize we're there, but I dunno." Matt looks indecisive at the whole thing. "It's your call, Kelpie.”

Any of those plans will do-- you're confident in yourself and everyone else. The question is, which one will you follow through with?

>(3/4)