groovygamers.com

OOC: I will assume whoever is going to the construction sites will post. 

Both sites mentioned in the news have been gone over by the police, and cleaned up for the most part.  There is still work to be done rebuilding what was destroyed, but the heavy equipment has been righted and any debris has been cleared away into the dumpsters.

It's still obvious that someone with enormous strength tore through the sites.  Cement, wood, and metal supports have been shattered, broken, and snapped off.  Some of the wreckage shows that things were thrown around, and the news photos had some heavy equipment and earth movers tipped over and damaged.

The sites were an apartment complex and an office building, the only thing they have in common is that they were both under construction.  Framing had gone up, foundation work and plumbing had been done and wiring in one but not the other. 

OOC: If you want to go to both I just need to know which one you will go to first.

Sammy does an aerial survey of the damaged apartment building and whistles in awe at the level of destruction.

She alights on a beam and checks for signs of acid fatigue, remembering the bleachers incident.

No acid damage, or fire or anything along those lines.  It literally looks like someone just tore the place up.

OOC: Search Roll DC 18 for Sammy please.

Search (1d20=15) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1825354/) +1 Search bonus = 16
If I can stack in Notice I get +2 for that

The destruction is pretty random.  There doesn't seem to be anything that sticks out about except the amount of damage.

Are the construction companies that are responsible for the sites connected?

From her elevated vantage point, Sammy sends out a group message (easier than shouting)

I don't see anything special up here.  It just looks like someone tore the place up.  John's double, maybe?  Or mechanical assists to something organic?  I'm not going to limit myself to human.  Ha! Sarah's giant alien ants?   :)

Donnie waits near COlin as the smaller teenager typed furiously on his phone. He blos on his hands and wishes he had worn the bomber jacket instead of his normal winter coat. It as warmer and had the long fleece-lined gloves he wore while flying. "Why don't you just touch a few things, Colin? See if any images of the past pop up."

I'm there now, on what's left of the 4th floor.  I'll just wait here unless you want me to give you a lift?

"Well, that was the plan." he says, as his hands somehow convince the huge padlock that sealed the site to open for them.

He takes a look around with the ghost site, searching for any presence. Then he looks for one of the most evident traces left by whatever devastated the yard, and runs his finger above it.

OOC: Colin and Donnie I need a Fate Roll.

Nothing shows up on Colin's Ghost Site.  As he walks around he sees a lot of places to look, but none of the impressions left behind are very powerful.  this wasn't an act of anger.

Fate roll (1d20=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1825766/)

"Weird. I was wrong. It wasn't anger. Any guesses then? Someone testing how much damage they can cause?"

He looks around for any interesting or peculiar traces. If he doesn't find anything, he does the same, but flying around on the blackbird's wings.

Notice check (1d20+12=24) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1825771/)

Fate Roll (1d20=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1825767/) ooo nice..

Edited

Um. I haven't been clear. I meant the padlock opens when Colin touches it. That's one of his quirks.

Nothing sets off Collin's senses in any particular way.

Sammy looks to see if she can figure out if there was a clear damage path; did it start at one end of the site and work to the other, or did it start in the middle and work outward, or does it seem random?  If it seems random, she goes higher, and looks again.

She texts down Indian burial ground here?

Jakob is present but kind of at a loss for what he's looking for.

He follows Sammy's lead in looking for a path - kind of what his old man would have done if he needed to track a large predator that came through his cornfield.

When he receives Sammy's text regarding a possible burial ground he starts scanning the ground in earnest.

Sylvia's sort of noodling around uselessly, too, but she does take a minute to scan the area for anyone who might be watching them.

Jakob walks over to where Sylvia is.  "Anything interesting?"

"I don't know," she says, squinting into the distance.  "I'm looking for someone who might have seen what went on here."  She pauses.  "Well, not looking.  Searching.

"If you were super strong, what would make you go out and wreck an unfinished building?"

"Besides just being pissed off for some reason?  I'd say that I'd be looking for something."

He looks around some more.

"That is, if I were super strong."

"What do you look for at construction sites?  Building supplies?"

"Maybe something that used to be here."

He kicks around a bit of debris.

"Or maybe there were more than one bad guy and there was a fight here.  Seems like a good place for a supervillain throwdown."

Sammy replies
Wondering what the two sites might have in common.  Its nothing I can see, so it might be something we can't see.  Or can't see unless we look the right way?

OOC: Need a Notice check from Sammy and one from Sylvia as well

Donnie can do some Google-Fu from his phone.  Mom got him one of the new high speed ones with internet access, a full keyboard and a hardened case.  She seems to be coming to grips with his life and the dangers that it seems to have wrapped up inside it.

Their is nothing that stands out about the two sites.  Different development companies, construction companies.  Neither site is historic or displacing anything interesting.  They seems to share only that they are both under construction and on good sized lots.

Sylvia isn't just inobservant.  She runs into a steel girder that's sticking out of some rubble and spends the next five minutes whining piteously and rubbing her head.

Looking around while chatting with Jakob (1d20=1) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1826835/)

Sammy takes another look around (1d20=11) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1826866/) +2 bonus for a grand total of 13

"Nada. Nothing in the two sites match up. Different ownership, different construction companies, nothing particular about the sites themselves. No indian burial grounds or ancient settler cemetaries." He slips the cover back don on his Fuphone and slips it back into his jacket.

Donnie makes appropriate soothing nises at Sylvia's banged noggin and looks around. "Maybe we aren't the only superkids in the playground. Was there any blood or signs of a fight? Jets versus the Sharks kind of rumble? Or is it just random Hulk SMASH kind of destruction?"

Sammy catches a glimpse of something in her peripheral vision.  Turning her head she sees Alicia.  She is moving along a nearby rooftop, he strides are fast, her frame fluid as she glides over and around obstacles.  Never pausing as she moves forward, then she steps to the edge, shifts her weight and rolls into a fall.  It's like watching a feather drift on a breeze.  She touches a fire-escape for a moment, her handstand lasting only a second as her weight drags her downward, her feet lighting on the next fire-escape, and pushing off.  The passing truck is there as she lands, rolls, and leaps.  The fence her perch for a mere second before she seems to fold herself into a tight roll and plant her feet on the ground in the construction lot.

Sammy laughs softly to herself.  "Heh."

For lack of any better ideas, because it amuses her, and because she's reluctant to come down where she might actually have to speak to or come within close proximity to Donnie, she plays with the giant alien Ant idea. She focuses on any large mounds of earth that might still be on the site.  Any signs of a cave in, landslide, or possibly even an indentation that might indicate a hole under the ground?

Sarah sits on the top of the site looking around.  Wonder what caused all this?  If it was all locked up it could be a double.  A doppleganger John, or... what if a doppleganger Seth showed up?  When he freaked he could toss cars around.  Or someone entirely different.  It's not like we've had a shortage of baddies. 

When it seems like no one is looking she pushes off the beam she sits on and plummets towards the ground.  A heartbeat before impact she vanishes for a moment only to appear standing at the point where she'd have become a pancake.  "Heh."

Sylvia's singing a little song of profanity as she wipes the tears from her eyes and struggles heroically to contain the pain to her head and her head alone.  Stupid girder.  Stupid rubble.  Stupid Colin with his stupid healing power that has never done her one stupid lick of good.

She does contain the pain.  The self-pity, however, can be felt for miles.

"How close?" she grinds out, squinting lopsidedly up at Donnie.  "How close is this to the other site?  What's between them?"

Oh, this I can't resist...

A voice speaks calmly from behind Sylvia. "What'd I miss?"

It's Alicia, leaning against a still-standing girder, looking slightly smug if a bit out-of-breath.

Her school attire has made way for more practical clothes. Stretchy but clingy dark gym pants tucked into scuffed high-top sneakers. A black hoodie that once had some sort of design on its back but has now been meticulously removed, leaving only a discolored patch. The shades replaced by goggles now resting on her chest, revealing her cat-like eyes, pupils dilated in the dim light so that her eyes seem to be nothing but back pools. A small backpack strapped between her shoulder blades.

Sylvia grinds at the sore spot on her head with the heel of her hand.  "Like I'd be the one to ask.  Jakob thinks two hulk types were having a throw-down.  Thing is, why twice?  Why such limited damage?"

Donnie turns, annoyed and surprised that she snuck up on them so easily. Well, likely not Sylvia. She probably heard her coming a mile away.

Alicia scans the surrounding wreckage, taking a few steps past Donnie and Sylvia to take in the whole scene. She pointedly doesn't acknowledge Donnie. As she stops, she smiles and looks up, waving to Sammie up on the girder.

Looking back down at the two, she tilts her head and says in a questioning tone, "Practice?"

Donnie furrows his brow. More and more like a cat. Strolled by without even looking at us.

"Who'd need to practice knocking down a building twice?"  Sylvia nods at the structure.  "I don't suppose these buildings have the same dimensions, do they?"

Alicia shakes her head slowly. "No, not breaking buildings..."

She struggled to formulate the thought she's forming in her head. "Take a kid and give him a new toy. What's the first thing he does? Run outside and try it out."

She gestures around vaguely to indicate the scene. "This wasn't a deliberate attack. This was joy-riding."

"So--"  Sylvia looks at Donnie.  "--how are these sites connected?  How far are they?  What's between them?"

"Um. We've all had new toys, but if we did the same, there'd be fewer cities on the maps by now. That said, it's a good call."

OOC: Can I roll a a Gather info check (or something like that) for the researches Colin did prior to visiting the sites, and maybe answer Sylvia's questions?

"Depends on the toy," Alicia murmurs, absent-mindedly. An undercurrent of dark meaning winds through her comment.

Without another word, she slinks off into the shadows, intent on her surroundings.

OOC: She'll do her own recon, see if any interesting smells are present.

OOC: Certainly.


OOC: Make a Search roll.


OOC: Sammy needs to make a Notice Roll. And a Fate roll.

Notice (1d20+2=15) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1827664/)
Fate (1d20=5) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1827665/)

Search: 1d20+5=17 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1827679/)

Jakob searches until he finds the spot where the damage seems to be the worst.  He looks around, a little self-consciously, and switches to metal form.

He gains a couple of inches in height and several in breadth but still looks pretty much like Jakob, just made entirely of steel.

He starts digging into the twisted debris.

Alicia begins to prowl around the site.  She's partied at constructions sites, and her inclination is to look for the debris of such an event.  As she moves along she finds a nice spot between one of the dumpsters and a stack of lumber.  A few cigarette butts and a couple of empty beer cans.  Nothing major, but certainly signs that someone took a little time out to relax.  A closer examination of the cigarette butts shows lipstick on them.  And there is some on one of the beer cans as well.

Sammy watches the site from her perch.  And something catches her eye.  Not on the ground, but near her.  She glances over to see a person floating towards her.  He's about her age.  He orbits her slowly.  "I'm sure you hear this all the time, but you are exquisite."  

Jakob sees that the majority of the damage is from lateral swings.  But the breaks are wide ranging and vary in height and angle.  He would be hard pressed to make this many different breaks, even if he were to hop around the site flailing his arms.  some of them were made on fairly high supports, some on low one.  It's incredible random.

OOC: Do I need a fate roll?  I haven't really done anything yet.  Mostly I'm here for uh.. well it's better than homework. 
Fate Roll (1d20=19) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1827702/)  Search Check (1d20=2) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1827704/)

IC: Sarah pokes around looking at the busted debris and sort of vaguely searching. 

OOC: No, you didn't need a fate roll that I recall.  But since you made one.....

"What are we looking for?"  John asks from just behind Sarah, and the flutter of dust tells her he only just arrived at super speed.

She smiles and says "Actually, no, no I don't."  But she stands as she smiles, then hovers over the girder, her shields up.  She has no idea who this guy is; he might be the one who caused the damage below.

Is there any way of telling if the cans and cigs were consumed around the same time as the destruction? In other words, were the people who drank and smoked here gone by the time it went down? Or did they end up with a ringside seat (or even were a part of it)?

Sarah tenses and cries, "Gah!"  It's followed by taking a deep breath and turning to smile at John.  "I have no idea Speedy.  I'm mostly here for moral support and to delay homework.  Sherlock I'm not."

He smiles, "Then you're not spending enough time with the right people."  He inhales deeply.  "You smell like the world after a spring rain."  All the while he continues to orbit her.  She's sure she's seen him before, somewhere.  "What brings an exquisite beauty like you up here?"


"Well, I can think of plenty to do better than homework."  and in a blur he's standing with his arms around her waist.  "WE could compare notes.  Maybe make a list of things?"


There looks to be rain water in the cans.  So it suggests they were here before the event, since it's only rained once since then and hasn't laid down fresh snow.  The ice crystals on the cigs suggest they have not been disturbed since being dropped there.  Alicia has been around plenty of smokers, so she'd say that the number of butts suggest the smoke wasn't here more than an hour, maybe two at the most.

"The mess down there.  Know anything about it?"  She glances down and a gasp escapes her lips.  "Holy shit, has John gone insane? Colin will KILL him!"

Sarah blinks at John, completely caught off guard.  "Um..."  Then her head kicks into gear.  John.  Not John.  No goatee?  Stupid they don't have those they're all slutty.  Mmm John.  Evil!  Oh right.  And really really strong.  Snap me like a twig.  Careful.
"Um.. that's a very nice offer but I'm," starts Sarah.  Don't says spoken for, he'd squash Colin before he even saw anything coming!  "I'm just wondering what brings you out here tonight?  You been tossing tinker toys around?"  She gestures to the destruction.

John wrinkles his nose, "What are you talking about?  You me and TJ came here to look around and then poof, you vanished.  I've been running all over town and finally spotted you do that dive off the girder."  He leans down to kiss her.



He looks over his shoulder at the scene below.  "No.  Can't say as I did."  his gaze shifts towards John and Sarah.  "They look cozy."  He looks back towards Sammy.  "Would you like to dance?"

"Any of you guys good with physics?"

He points out the angles & heights of the damage pattern he's noticed.  Maybe someone can trace a trajectory and get a little closer to gaining a clue to how the damage was inflicted?

Probably your only chance.  Every girl in school has a crush on him and it's not like your any exception to that rule. OMG SHUT UP BRAIN! The internal dialogue lasts a moment but it's a long enough distraction.  His lips press to hers just before *kapwing* Sarah vanishes in a blink.  Morpheus - help me with a heads up.  

OOC: Teleporting to somewhere within eyesight... behind John and then somewhere hopefully out of his vision and with some cover.  Double Movement.  Eek!  Sarah doesn't stand toe to toe with people who can toss cars.

If Sylvia hasn't noticed what's going on with Sarah and Sammy, it's because she's gawping at Jakob.  She grabs Donnie's sleeve and points in the new guy's direction.  He's shiny, and big, and Sylvia thinks muzzily that he's what it would look like if the Michelin Man and an Oscar had a love child.  "I think I have a concussion."

John laughs, "Ok Sarah, very funny."

OOC: Donnie, Colin, and Sylvia hear John say that.

I'm not sure what you want me to tell you.  John is where you left him.  Colin, Donnie, and Slyvia are about 20 meters away, Jakob is about 35.  Sammy is about 15 meters above us with someone I don't recognize. 

Colin is blissfully unaware of what's happening to Sarah, being in another section of the wreckage. He does see Jacob turn into metal though. And, unlike Sylvia, he isn't surprised at all. He saw him in his dreams. He saw him change for the first time at the farm. He remembers the sun glistening on his steel skin. And he saw him in what he guesses is a scene from the future. Future? Colin frantically tries to recall exactly the setting of the vision.
Is that happening already?


He hesitantly turns back to Jacob.

"I... Well, I wouldn't say good, but I can try. John is good, I think. Why do you ask?"

Colin turns with a smile. "What did she say this time?" He notices Sarah isn't there though. "Sarah?"

OOC: I was posting away from home on my laptop and totally forgot to have Morpheus mention Alicia's location, so just pretend he did.

John looks over at Colin.  He furrows his brow in that way John does when he's confused.  "Nothing important."  he says, turning to move out of Colin's site.  He whispers "Sarah, we should get out of here.  TJ is gonna be looking for us." 

OOC: Alicia certainly hears that, but no one else is close enough except perhaps Sarah depending on how far away she moved from him.

A somewhat distracted Sammy keeps watching the unfolding scene below. It looks like Sarah has it under control...  "Uhmm... yeah, sure,  whatever... "  Then she recollects herself, and the fact that there's a guy up here -- flying!-- who thinks she's exquisite and wants to dance.  "Wait.  Do I know you?  You seem awfully familiar, but I can't remember your name.  Were you at one of the Janush parties?"

Alicia stands up from examining the party debris. Her ears had picked up the conversation, but she hadn't processed its meaning until the tension in Sarah's voice alerted her.

Something's wrong.

Moving quickly, she approaches the group, reaching the periphery in time to hear John's whispered comment.

She steps out of the shadows, looking at John in confusion. "What's going on? Who's TJ?"

John's brow furrows again.  "Long or short answer?"  he says.  Alicia sees his stance shift slightly, not threateningly, more like he's about to run.


He smiles, "The last time we met you were probably too out of it to notice me.  But I noticed you.  I'm a friend of Donnie and Sylvia's.  My name is Dylan."  He bows as he orbits her, "You look a lot better today.  But I'm starting to sound like a broken record.  You never did answer me.  Would you like to dance?"

Alicia's frowns, still confused, then Colin's words from earlier that day replay in her memory.

"...interdimensional trouble... Sammy's and Sylvia's doppelgangers... Where are you from? This dimension or another one?"

Her eyes narrow and her nostrils flare as she takes a deep breath. Who are you? she thinks at John.

OOC: She'll do a sniff test on John and do a mental comparison to his scent from lunchtime.

He certainly smells different from the John she knows.  More smell of.....Sarah on him.  A lot more.

"Uh?"

Colin doesn't understand what's going on, and reflexively turns on the ghost sight.

"Dyl-Dylan?!  Oh!"  Sammy blinks, then nods slowly.  "I do know who you are."  She looks down.  "OK, I will, when this is over."  She gestures at the ground below.  "I'm a little curious about what's happening down there, and want to be around if they need me," she smiles most sincerely. "But I'm not about to turn down a chance to dance with somebody else who can fly.  So, yes, I would."

"Good.  I'll be here when you're done."  He smiles as Sammy heads towards the others.


Colin is greeted with a very bright glow coming from John.  And Alicia's aura has a faint black thread that twists and floats inside it, like a breeze is shifting it around.  A single thread in the tapestry of her aura, but it stands out.

Once his eyes 'adjust' to the brightness of John he sees a faint smudge along one portion.

"Uhmm."

He frowns slightly, and takes a couple steps closer to John and Alicia, to see the smudge better. He uses his normal light as well, trying to recollect the John they saw in the morning, to spot any eventual difference.

Alicia's mind works furiously. He could be a not-John, but if he is, what do I do? What did the others do with them? Should I fight him? Talk to him? Ignore him? I don't know!!!

Almost without volition, Alicia's external demeanor shifts. Her eyes soften into half-lidded smolder and her body relaxes into a sway. She slinks closer, trying to keep his attention on her as her voice purrs like warm honey.

"What's the matter, John? You seemed a lot happier to see me earlier. Stay and tell me all about it."

Sarah pauses to think.  Alternate John... and TJ?  TJ is here?  Whiz kid TJ might be who is behind the Dimensional portal thing.  Or he would likely know more about it than anyone else.  Maybe I could find some information out..  but I can't fake being a alternaslut... well it might not be so bad.  Shut up brain.  If AlternaJohn is here and into me then that means that SluttySarah is out here somewhere!  

Sarah flips open her phone and starts tapping as furiously as she can.  Even still she knows it will take precious seconds to get the message out... and then however long before it gets to someone.  Instant message my ass.  She sends her message to the whole gang and steps back out where John can spot her.  

ALERT: Alt Uni John here.  Said TJ is here!  Also Alt ME around? Mybe out slutting.

She whistles a quiet 'youwho' because she knows that John will likely hear it.  Then again so might Alicia.  

Sammy stops to read Sarah's message before going all the way down, and forwards it to the local John before continuing her descent.  She sees Alicia move in from the front, and sees Sarah come out from some hiding place, so she takes up a position near Sarah.  In a friendly manner, she calls out

"Hey John Eliot from another dimension!  Everything all right?  Feeling okay?  Do you need help?  We're uh, the good guys.  Welcome to my world."

Sylvia tears her eyes away from Jakob and looks at her phone.  Her stomach lurches, and she scans the site until she sees him standing near Alicia.  Danger! she broadcasts to the new girl, her telepathy tinged with fear.  He can tear through a building.  He can tear through you.  Back away.  I'll try to cover for you.

Alicia hears Sarah's quiet call and winces inwardly. She mentally shouts at Sarah, Shut up! That much of your scent on him didn't come from sharing a soda. If he decides to get himself a slice...

Her heart starts pounding, as too familiar images of what could happen flash in her mind. Dios mio, no!


The voice in her head, combined with the unearthed memories, prove too much. Her seductive act crumbles as she crouches, clutching her head, whimpering, No, no, no...

John holds his hands up, palm out.  "Ok.  Let's relax.  Everyone just relax.  We're just here looking for a couple of....aquantances that have gone missing."  When Sammy speaks Alicia can see the flinch, but it's not likely anyone else did.  It fades the longer she talks.  "Right.  I'm from another dimension, and some other girls I know have sort of gone on a....spree of sorts.  We're trying to take them home.  My friends and I."

Sammy continues.  "Was one of them, well, a sex crazed, off the deep end me?  Wait, you don't know me, so you can't gauge the relative level... I'm nothing like her.  Nothing."  She shakes her head emphatically.  "Is the other one a Sylvia? Because she's not like that either.  We had a run in with them a little while ago.  They were both hurt pretty bad and popped through a, whattyacallit, dimensional gate at school. Do you need to go there to track them?"

Alicia stands stock still, hugging herself, unresponsive to the conversation around her. All traces of the seductress is gone; all that remains is a young girl trying to keep herself from falling apart.

Donnie moves with Sylvia, doing nothing overtly threatening. However, his mental call for Uther is already out, and the battle dragon is forming on a perpendicular to Donnie and Sylvia.

"Gone, alternajohn. If you mean Sylvia and Sammy. Nabbed by a wall of goo and sucked back through a nasty looking vortex. Was there others you were looking for?"

His hands are loose at his sides, sword-hand already curled, prepared for the appearance of the sword if it comes to that.

"Well."  he nods slowly.  "Sammy was a bit of a.....she liked boys.  And apparently Sylvia has some issues with.....she has problems with boys that Sammy likes.  My Sammy, er... the one from where I'm from." 


John's shoulders slump some.  "No, we'll just have to go back and try again.  TJ's...ah.  That's complicated.  A friend's other....actually it's really complicated.  I actually just need to find my gir....ah I need to find the Sarah from where I'm from and get going."  John's head tips slightly and he looks at Alicia, "Are you ok?  Is she ok?"

Jakob interposes himself between John and Alicia in a manner that is more protective than it is threatening. 

"We heard rumors about Sarah dancing on tables and partying with Kel Stilley. Our Kel is aay at boarding school though. Dude, where you come from things are quite messed up, huh?" He moves slowly until he is standing between John and Alicia.

He's quite relieved when Jakob does the same.

Sarah walks around the corner and sees Alicia huddled.  She hurries over.  She crouches down next to their newest enlistee.  "Alicia?  You okay in there?  Want me to take you home?"

She glances at John and says, "Sorry, I'm not your table dancer.  She'll be a tough one to catch if she doesn't want to be.  Donnie could you whip something up to catch me?  Or maybe stun me?"

"We've been getting more than our share of travelers, haven't we?  But its okay, Alicia, its all cool.  Nobody's doing anything stupid here."  Except me if I'm wrong.  Sammy reaches slowly into a small pack that she is carrying.  She pulls out some high calorie protein/energy bars, and tosses them to the ground next to alternaJohn.  "Here.  Our John is always hungry -- I think our Jakob is that way too, right Jake? -- so I've started packing snacks.  You'll probably need this if you still need to find your Sarah.  Maybe she went to one of your homes?"

Alicia takes a deep breath and a shake that ripples through her body like a wave.

Straightening, she glances around as if nothing had happened and answers Sarah's question. "Yeah, I'm fine."

To the other-John, she says, "Hey, I wasn't here when your chicas came by, so I can't help you out. So, later."

Her voice is not harsh, but is undoubtedly dismissive.

Without waiting for an answer, she lopes off back into the shadows.

"Dancing on tables?  With Kel?  Ah, not my Sarah, er I mean the one from where I'm from.  Kel is doing four years for beating a girl to death."  John has obviously caught the motions of people, he realizes you're all on the defensive.  And his glance to the side shows he probably knows the large dragon is standing not terrible far away.  "Things have been rough.  some of us try to help out.  Some of the others use their powers to get what they want.  I guess it's like that all over."  He looks at the energy bars, and you can tell he's tempted.  "No thanks, and she knows better than to go to our homes.  She's probably just waiting for me where we arrived, impatiently."  He floats up a few inches off the ground.  "I'll go see.  If you see her, tell her I'm there.  Take care."

OOC: If no one has anything further for him he flies off.  But he's not left yet if there is more to ask.

"Well that's effing great. We have heaps of dimension-hoppers now."  Syl, was he telling the truth?

Sammy can't help the delighted gasp that escapes her as he floats up.  "You CAN fly!  You can!"

He looks at her with a smile, "Yeah.  For a couple of years now."  then he shales his head, "But you wouldn't know that about me."  His brow furrows, "Your me can't fly?"

After the Alterna-John had left...

If she's keeping track, Sylvia will sense Alicia moving closer to her still keeping to the shadows.

Her voice hisses softly out of the darkness. "That was you, wasn't it? In my head?"

"Not yet.  I guess you didn't get speared with a piece of rebar when you were younger?  We're working on it though.  I'll work harder, now that I know it's not just a theory.  He'll be able to fly!"  She's grinning like an idiot, or like someone who has just wrapped the most perfect present ever for somebody else.

Does Donnie 'sense' Dylan near, or does he have to make a regular Notice roll?

In case he does: Notice roll (1d20+3=8) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1828118/)  

"You guys be careful."  And then he zips off like a bullet.

OOC: Donnie knows Dylan is up on the girder Sammy was on earlier.  He felt him when Uther appeared.

Donnie looks up into the sky where Dylan crouches. "Come, brother." he says, in informal low-draconic.

He knows Dylan's senses are way better than his own.

Dylan stands slowly and falls forward, his trench coat opening and for a fraction of a second it looks like wings unfolded, then he slows and lets his legs drop underneath him and lands.  His strides are long and smooth as he walks closer to the group.  "Finding your own brand of trouble again I gather?"

Sammy alights and stoops to pick up the rejected energy bars.  She's still grinning like an idiot.  The sight of Dylan doesn't dim her expression one bit; if anything it adds another bit of sparkle because she's finally going to fly with someone like she's always wanted to do.

"Dimensional hopping alternate versions of these people," Donnie says, thumbing over at the group at large. "Haven't met one of me. The only other me I've herd about died a while back." He smiles and clasps Dylan, palm-to-arm. "How was my pronunciation? I know my accent is terrifyingly bad."

"For being a human, not bad."  he looks at the group.  "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

Table dancing with Kel, making out with John.  Can't be all bad in that dimension. muses Sarah.

Sammy looks up from her stooped down position and smiles like she knows him.  "No, I think the party is over."

When he sees his friends greet Dylan warmly Jakob stands down and shifts back into normal form.

He's in way over his head, compared to wringing a living out of the earth.  The last few days have been a crash course in things he'd only dreamed were possibilities and his confusion is plain to see.  He isn't sure if he fits in yet and is only slowly getting a grasp on what each of the others can do, let alone who the bad guys are.

Accordingly, he just sort of stands aside, watches, and listens.  His mother always told him that people were born with two ears and one mouth, which means that he should listen twice as much as he talks.

"John, wait!" Colin shouts. If he's anything like our John, he would no doubt hear him.

If he comes back, he explains. "I can help. I can track your Sarah through your... connection." He pauses. "You know who I am, right?"

He also keeps eying Alicia. Eventually, he asks the blackbird not to lose sight of her. He's got to try to talk to her, possibly alone.

Then he turns to the others. "Wait a moment. Where's our John? Coming here was his idea, after all."

John doesn't return, but that really doesn't surprise Colin.  He could certainly feel how uncomfortable John was.

OOC: Clarification.  Alicia is still here yes, since she talked to Sylvia?

OOC: Everyone make a Notice Check.  Post it with your next post or in the Action thread if it's a while before you post.

Sammy's smile fades as she quickly stands up.  "I don't know.  He should have been here by now,  even if he wasn't with us at first.  I forwarded Sarah's message to make sure he knew he had an alt running around..."  She grabs her phone and calls John.

Notice (1d20+2=21) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1828483/)

Sylvia says it out loud.  "Sort of.  He has good intentions, but he neglected to mention that, where he's from, his buddy TJ had a little breakdown and had an Enemy Within moment.  He's good Kirk and bad Kirk right now.  Good Kirk is with John and Sarah.  Bad Kirk was with Sammy and Sylvia."

She turns to Alicia.  "Yes, that was me.  I thought he was going to pulp you."

The Notice Checks are trying to kill me! (1d20=17) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1828506/)

Yes, she hasn't left the premises.

Notice (1d20+10=27) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1828510/) [/teal]

"Okay."

There's a meaningful pause.

"I... wasn't sure."

There's obviously something more intended to be said, but Alicia doesn't provide any more information.

Sylvia has to wrestle her reflexes into submission not to chase after all that remains unsaid.

Sammy gets a text message on her phone from John.  Sorry I'm not there.  Had the strangest encounter with Sarah.  But maybe your AlternaJohn explains it.  At least I hope it does.

OOC: Notice Check (1d20+8=23) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1828537/)

IC:
'Nobody found anything?  Just someone with super strength or maybe.. telekinetic powers was tossing stuff around here for fun?  Or...  Sammy could you whip up wind to make up this kind of mess?" asks Sarah.

"Giant alien Ants, Sarah.  I'm holding out for the Giant Alien Ants."  Sammy shakes her head in an I don't know gesture.  "I couldn't see anything obviously unusual from up there."  She smiles quickly at Dylan.  "But then again, I had some unexpected company so I might have overlooked something."


She kiss you?  They're dating on that side.  And your alt can FLY, so I expect you at my house for lessons every Saturday, unless you want to try sooner. :)

Alicia moves out into the light. The goggles are now firmly over her eyes.

"I found some empty beer cans and smoked cigs over there." She points toward a dumpster and lumber pile in a corner.

"It looks like someone was partying just before or after this happened. So either there were eyewitnesses, or whoever did this decided to knock back a few to celebrate.

"Oh, and at least one of them was a girl."

Colin looks at Alicia as he would look at a beautiful statue of glass in precarious balance, but goes checking on the traces left behind, trying to channel his inner Grissom. Well, more like his inner Phoebe Halliwell, but that isn't as dignified. His inner Abe Sapien? Not much better. Uhmm. His inner Eric Draven. That's it.

Notice check (1d20+12=23) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1828573/)

Sammy looks up from her phone,  relief plain on her face.  "John is ok.  He met the other Sarah."

She looks around at the mess.  "I don't know if my wind would do this.  This damage seems more random than that.  But maybe."

"Colin, can I see that?"  Sylvia holds out her hand for the beer can.

If he doesn't pick up anything from it either, he hands it to Sylvia.

Sylvia has no psychic tricks up her sleeves.  Instead she holds the can up to the light and scrutinizes the color of the lipstick.  "Sammy, is this an autumn or a winter?  You or me?"

"Oh, hey new people. Don't get freaked out. One of my dragons is here."

Uther walks serenely around the corner, four-horned head held high. Uther looks a dark brown in color with darker patches of color and an iridescent sheen to his scales. In the half-light of the city streetlights, his eyes flicker green and his broad face seems to have a perpetual look of amusement on it. Uther is about 12 feet in lenght and 5 feet at the shoulder. He is very broad and his nails on his feet are broad and blunt. He has no wings.

Uther pads over to Donnie as the blonde teen makes introductions.

"Uther, this is Jakob, and Alicia is somewhere around here as well. Dylan you know"

Uther sits on his haunches and bows his head towards Jakob. "Master Jakob. It is a pleasure."

Uther bows much lower and courtly towards Dylan. "Master Dylan, it has been too long." When Uther says 'Dylan, it's not quite the same pronunciation. Much more gutteral, but sounds approximately like Dylan.

Notice checks (1d20+3, 1d20+0=[17, 3], [14, 0]) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1828651/) Donnie:20, Uther: 14

Sammy looks at the lipstick color and tries to guess.

fashionista? (1d20=9) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1828660/)


When Uther enters, she nods politely to him, but doesn't speak first for fear of invoking Donnie's darker side.

Alicia stands stock still, all else forgotten. Even with the goggles, there's no hiding the expression of complete and total shock and awe on her face.

Madre de Dios, that is a real f**king dragon just walked up.

Her body trembles slightly with a delicious mix of excitement and primal fear.

After a few more seconds, she struggles to recapture the tattered remains of her cool demeanor. She manages to paste an expression of mild interest on her face. She crosses her arms partly to affect a proper aloof manner, partly to still the shivers still coursing over her body.

Uther turns his massive head and liquid green gaze toards Alicia. She sees his nostrils flare as he takes her scent in. "Mistress Alicia," he says in his deep grave voice.

A tiny little "eep" escapes her lips.

Clearing her throat, she manages a passable "Hey" as her standard greeting.

Notice Check 1d20+9=21

He returns Uther's greeting.

"You ok, Alicia?"

The objects throw ghostly flashes about, snapshots of things flying about.  They're not full motion, and you can never see who's doing it in the moments that are frozen still.  It's late in the day, the sun is low.  And there are only images when Colin handles the things the girl handled.  There are no impressions from the other beer can.


OOC: Need a Will Save from Sylvia, DC 12

The lipstick isn't a color either Sammy or Sylvia would look good wearing. 

OOC: Sammy make an Int Check DC 18 please.

Must resist urge to wear lipstick and become Evil Sylvia! (1d20+4=19) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1828708/)

Sylvia feels an impression, like being slightly impaired.  Drunk maybe, or drugged.  The one time she had to take Vicadin for a whicked tooth ache felt like this.  Then the feeling passes.

She staggers for a moment.  "Whoa."  Her hand goes to the bump on her head, but she didn't honestly hit herself that hard, did she?

Sarah asks Jakob, "Have you always been shiny?"

"As long as I can remember.  It made life... interesting, until my dad & I figured out how to control it so I only transformed when I wanted to.  The hard part was learning to move in that form.  It was like learning how to walk & move & everything all over again."

Jakob looks at Uther again.

"So there's another Sammy, another Sarah, and another John popping in and out of here?  Does that mean there's another, possibly very bad Uther out there too?"

Dylan smiles and slaps Uther on the shoulder, "I certainly hope not.  The old man is bad enough already."  and then the boy dodges as the dragon swings his head, mouth wide and snaps his jaws closed where Dylan had been standing.  This elicits a laugh from Dylan and Uther both.

Alicia spoke with exactingly precise calmness. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you."

Sure. I've got a freaking dragon the size of a minivan eyeing me the way I used to look at Mrs. Alvarez's parakeet. How the f**king hell am I supposed to be?

INT check (1d20+1=18) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1829007/)

As she looks at the color it reminds her of someone from school.  She smokes, and you recall seeing her with a cigarette between her perfectly painted red lips at the Halloween Party.  You can't recall her name, but you remember she was dressed like Jessica Rabbit at the Halloween Party.

And then you and Sylvia feel a presence just behind you.  And the gentle aroma of colone.  Dylan is standing there, looking over your shoulders.  He smiles at any glances he gets.  "Pretty color."

Sammy can't help but smile back.  "Yes, it is," she says.  "And I know who it reminds me of.  At the Halloween party, there was a girl dressed like Jessica Rabbit.  She was wearing this color."

She sniffs appreciatively.  "Nice cologne."

Dylan nods, "Thanks."

A slight disturbance of dirt and a momentary breeze and John is there.  "Sorry, I got uh...hung up.  Did you guys already check out the other site?" 

Alicia turns her head towards John and takes an audible sniff.

OOC: Sniff test!

"John!"  Sammy is happy to see him, uh, intact?  "It is you, isn't it?  Where did we go on Saturday?"

He certainly smells like John, with a hint of a Sarah like smell on him, but not much.


"Sheboygan"  John says looking at Alicia.  "Are you cold?"  he asks, "You're shivering a little."

"It's him," Sammy says.

Alicia nods in confirmation.

"It's him. But he smells a bit like Sarah so I'm guessing he had to deal with the other one."


"I'm perfectly fine. I don't know why everyone seems to be worried about me all of a sudden." She even manages a haugty tone, which is spoiled by a quick glance at the reptilian form resting some distance away.

Sammy finally clicks on what's bothering Alicia.  "Oh.  It's Uther," she murmurs.  She walks over closer to Alicia and says calmly, "Uther won't hurt you.  I promise. He's very civilized.

John's color changes to a reddish hue and he looks down.  "Yeah, I saw her."  he says.


"Ah.  Is people worried about you a bad thing?  Did I miss something?"

Sarah can't help herself.  "You saw her?" she asks.

Alicia makes a dismissive wave, "Of course he wouldn't. Why would I be worried? I'm not scared of him."

With another glance, she says in a lower tone, "Uh, Sammy, is he one of the dragons you were talking about, ah, playing with?"

Sammy nods.  "Yeah.  Just to fly around,  have some fun. There are others, but he's the largest."

"Althea's bigger, isn't she?" Sylvia says.

OOC:  is she?  oops

Sammy pauses.  "You might be right.  For some reason I always think of Uther as bigger."

[I don't honestly know.  She's the two-seater, though.]

"He's more intimidating, I guess.  Althea's like a little kid.  A little bus-sized kid."  She pauses.  "Well, a short bus, anyway."

Sammy nods.  "Yeah.  It must be a dominance thing.  When I think about it, her wingspan is larger.  She's very sweet though."  Sammy shrugs and dares to look reproachfully at Donnie.  "Its been a long while since I've seen her, so my memory is probably faulty."

John turns to look away from the group at the site.  "So did you guys find anything here to shed any light on who did this?"

Sylvia glances at Donnie to make sure he's not going to snarl at Sammy and takes the opportunity to sidle up to Colin.  "Did you get anything from this?" she asks him, holding the beer can up on her fingertips.

"Oh." Alicia looks at Sammy with newfound respect.


Alicia pointedly ignores Sylvia in an almost-comical childish manner.

Sammy quits pouting at Donnie long enough to say "No.  Maybe.  Some cigarettes and beer cans, could have been some kids partying here.  Lipstick that looks like what Jessica Rabbit wore to El's party.  She smoked cigarettes...  He might know who she was.  Dave or Greg might know too."

Uther harumphs, sounding much like the old man Dylan says he is. "Althea is bigger than I, but far more playful. Wind drakes are generally of lower intellect than most. Size does not matter in regards to intelligence however. The smallest of our kind are quite intelligent and cunning, as are some of the largest. Breeding and parentage often have great-"
"Uther." Donnie says, and the dragon's toothy maw snaps shut. His eyes keep their amused glint however. "Let's not talk about breeding and parentage please, and concentrate on what's at hand." Donnie very carefully does not look at Sammy and Sylvia as he says this. Especially with Sylvia having threatened to have my balls, thankyouverymuch.

"Does anyone remember who it was at the Halloween party dressed as Jessica Rabbit?"

Absently he reaches up with one hand and a small teal serpentine head appears at his palm, eyes whirling in color. Pip dives out of his hood an makes a beeline for Sarah, landing neatly on her shoulder and rubbing his head against her cheek. Pip is a small teal-pale-green dragon ith a soft pale belly, and is about the size of a small housecat. He chirrups a greeting at Sarah, and snuggles himself under her hair. "That's Pip. Sarah's his favorite person in the world because she gives him cookies."

Alicia spins around to face John, happy to help him out of tht jam after neatly putting him there.

"I found the beer cans and used cigs. I'm thinking whoever did this left those behind."

She smiles, looking pleased with herself.

Sylvia pulls her phone out of her coat pocket and taps in a message to Dave.

Who was Jessica Rabbit at Elrod's Halloween party?


"I'm asking Mr. President," Sylvia says.

Alicia's smile stays fixed as Uther speaks.


Alicia's gaze fixes on the small serpent. Unlike her reaction to Uther, her interest in Pip is devoid of any fear.

Donnie shrugs without looking at her. "We've had finals."

Sammy looks down and turns away,ostensibly to look at the scene around her.  Under her breath she mutters, "But you don't hate Sarah..."

The phone is put into use again.

Hi - working.  Q:  who was Jessica Rabbit @ 10/31 party?  tks

WHat's the DC to hearing Sammy's comment?

Sarah strokes Pip and scratches him where he likes best.  Completely on autopilot her free hand digs into her pocket and brings out some partly broken cookies.  Sugar cookies with Christmas frosting.  She happily feeds the little dragon and lets John sneak out of answering... at least until she remembers again. 

OOC: 20, since you not only have to hear it byt make out what she said.

Ha! Is Sammy even really here?
Notice check (1d20+3=4) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1829331/)

OOC:  why don't you ask Dylan?  He's right there near her, getting all twitterpated over a girl who smells like Ozone

Sammy feels a hand on her shoulder. It's Alicia, her goggles back down. No words are said, but the meaning is clear.

Sammy gives her a half smile, then pulls herself together.

"Want to go check out the other site, Alicia?  Right now?  I'll fly us there, if you want.  Maybe we'll find something that will make this all make sense."

OOC: Ah! Thanks for reminding me.

Alicia turns to regard Dylan. She saw him being all chummy with Donnie and the walking suitcase. Her nose twitches interrogatively.

OOC: So? Does he smell like the Lizard?


Without taking her eyes off of Dylan, she says, "Sounds like a plan, Sam. Let's go."

Sammy speaks out in her stage voice, "Alicia and I are headed over to the other site."  She reaches out a hand towards Alicia, and her voice drops.  "I can hold your hand, or grab you around your waist if you're scared.  Or I don't have to hold on with my hands at all.  I won't drop you either way.  You tell me."

Alicia's face is split with a Cheshire grin. "Thrill me."

Sammy looks at Dylan over her shoulder and says "Don't forget, you promised me a dance."

With that, she lifts Alicia up to fly parallel to Sammy, and they zip across town, doing the fast thrill ride thing down alleys and between any tall buildings.

OOC: Would this be a time to shift to a new thread? Alicia definitely has stuff to talk to Sammy about.

Donnie watches Dylan watching Sammy, and a thoughtful and possibly apprehensive look comes over his face.

"Whose a good little dragon den?  You iz!"  says a brain dead Sarah and tosses the greedy critter the last of the cookies.

OOC:  fine by me.  She reminds Sammy of Sammy's mother, anyhow.  Momma used to run with thugs.  One of them put some major hero in the hospital -- some guy named Jack Justice?  Then things got out of control,  she ran and joined the witness protection program...

"So what do we do now?"

He looks around at the damage again, as if the answer will magically appear from the pile of debris on the ground.  He looks up at the obvious damage at higher elevations, still trying to connect the dots from place to place, from impact site to impact site.

Would a notice roll be in order here?

OOC: Search roll.

"Not enough."  John says.  "Colin did you get pictures?"


OOC: He smells like a boy, wearing nice colone.  And something else.  Maybe like a forest right after a fire.

OOC: Alas, no Search skill.  Straight INT roll then?

OOC:Whatever it's based off.  I have not my book and can't remember.

Everyone makes their way to the other site.  Perhaps stopping for soda and cheese fries (with bacon), perhaps not.  But through the magic of ....well magic, everyone arrives around the same time (unless you make an effort to get there first and hide evidence).

OOC: Need a Fate Roll from Colin.  Everyone needs to give me a search roll.  Drop it in a post if you want to describe what you're doing, or the Action thread if you have nothing to say.

Sarah taps in a message to Dave.
Dave!  Dave!  Dave!  hi.   :laugh:  Hope I'm not bothering you... much.  Do you know if there are any parties going on tonight?  Or another Kel sighting?  I'm trying to track me myself and I down.  Oh anyone see me anywhere doing something I probably wouldn't do normally?  Did any of that make sense?  hugs n kisses


OOC:
Search Check (1d20=13) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1829851/)

Dave replies to Sarah;
I'll put the word out and let you know if I hear anything.

Dave Replies to Sammy;
Checking.  There were a lot of people at the party, might take me some time.  Greg-O is checking the video and pics now.

Elrod replies to Sammy;
There was a girl at the party besides you?  Hadn't noticed :)  I'll ask around.

OK.  Heads up, there's an alt Sarah running around, maybe two, and at least one other John.  AFAIK, just the one me today.  Be careful.

"Something, but nothing really useful, at least so far. It's quite blurry."

Colin seems more distracted than usual.

Fate roll (1d20=14) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1829954/)

Search check (1d20+3=10) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1829956/)

Sarah tap tap taps, U Rule.  All Hail Dave!  tnx

Donnie lifts the Invisibilty spells he had been holding on the three travelers ad they rode across the city, and Uther, Sylvia and Donnie reappear at the construction site in a shimmering wave. Donnie slips off Uther with practiced ease and offers a hand up to Sylvia.

He begins to prowl around.

Search roll (1d20+3=18) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1830017/)

No search skill - int roll 1d20=11

Jakob switches to metal form and wades into the debris field again.  He's looking for a pattern - to see how the damage was caused and possibly see how many destructors were involved.

Sylvia slides down Uther's side, and where she'd pet Althea and make much of her, she curtseys to Uther and thanks him with gravity and sincerity.  Then she follows Donnie, scanning the area with all her senses to see if anything's out of place.

I need a better Notice Check. (1d20=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1830028/)

"So it was weird," she's telling Donnie.  "I was holding the can, and I got that too-much-Dimetapp feeling.  Ever have that?  Grape is a little too good."

Sammy sees Uther land and discharge his passengers. She makes a point of entering from the opposite side and staying airborne.  She searches from above much like she did at the other site.

Search (1d20+1=19) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1830033/)

With a whoop, Alicia sails over a building roof, uses a convenient tree branch to redirect her flight path, and lands with a roll on the site grounds.

She lies there, out of breath, for a moment. She raises one arm, panting, "I demand a rematch!"

OOC: Sorry, I missed it.

"A couple, after we found out you weren't you. Here, take a look." he says, handing him his digital camera. "Here, you see? Jacob asked who was good with physics, and among us it's definitely you."

"Physics?"  John says, "Physiology, not Physics."  John looks at the pictures.  "Brian.  Brian Parks, he's on the Constitutional Debate Team.  He's good with computers and math.  He might be able to make something of this."

Sammy continues flying around in circles.

Jakob keeps digging in the debris.

Int roll 1d20=13

Alicia whips up into a standing position with a smooth motion, then fastidiously brushes and slaps the dirt off her clothes.

Once she's clean enough to her satisfaction, she moves off into the site, looking for the remains of a party like the one in the first site.

Search (1d20+5=13) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1830885/)

The group begins to look around.  The nature of the damage is a match for the other site.  There are no party residue items at this site, but the damage seems to follow the same context as the other site, except that there is more damage here.

Donnie finds a metal plate that has a strange imprint in it.  A sort of triangular dent that is several inches deep.

Sammy is flying around the site and notices that one of the upright steel girders has a number of dents in it that are evenly spaced.  They're several feet apart and alternate from one side to the other along the narrow side, and they gave her the impression of foot prints in the snow, which is what drew her attention to them.

Alicia is prowling low, looking for signs of a party and noticed that there are a lot of holes in the ground.  They're not big, only a few inches across, but they all taper inward.  And when she goes back over the 'track' of them she ends up walking around the site.  They are pretty evenly spaced, several feet apart, then she realizes there is a second set running parallel to the first but at a different internal.  The twin tracks are about six feet apart and each individual impression about twelve feet from the last.  They give her the distinct impression they're like foot prints from the alternating 'stride' of the marks, except for the distance and the small size.

Jakob walks around in the wreckage.  There is a more orderly nature to this destruction.  He can tell that whoever did it started in one place and moved around in a particular way.  The last site gave the impression of being just totally chaotic, but here there is a more orderly nature to things.  There are fewer odd angles to the breaks, this site looks more like the breaks were focused closer to the ground and on more straight lines.

At this site Colin's senses give him more an impression, but still to faint to know anything.  Whoever did this was gaining confidence and enjoying the event, but he can't tell anything more than that. 

She uses her camera to make a video of the dents, the pattern they make going up the girder, and says they look kind of like foot prints to her.  She shoots it down to the Scooby gang below and perches atop or near the girder in question in case anybody wants to come up for a closer look.

A few minutes later Dylan glides into view, and hovers out a few feet from the girder, his arms crossed across his chest, "I have to go.  I have social obligations, but I still want that dance."  He reaches into his pocket and hands her a chocolate bar (Good chocolate), and on the wrapper is a phone number written with a silver sharpie marker.  "Give me a call when you have some time."  He says something else she's sure means 'until we meet again', but it's not in a language she knows, and it doesn't sound like Draconic. A second later he glides off into the night.

Donnie watches Dylan speak to Sammy and glide away. "Huh, not even a goodbye to his brother. I see how it is, D. Hos before bros."

With a gloved hand he picks up the dented plate and carries it over to Colin. "Hey dude, found this. Caught my eye."

He waves over Sylvia as well.

She says "I will." as he flies off.  Sammy transfers the phone number to her phone, then tucks the chocolate away somewhere safe (where it won't melt all over her clothes!)  To some "careful" might mean total avoidance; to her it just means keeping her eyes open and her other senses alert.  She hasn't broken her promise to Alicia.

She tries to repeat the words he said, just to get the feel of them in her mouth, to see why they seem familiar.  All the while she's watching what is going on below.

"Be nice," Sylvia says, following along.  "Sammy's not a ho, and I'd totally hope that--"  She blinks twice, looking dour, then smacks herself on the forehead.  Further cursing ensues as she aggravates her bump.  "Do you have any idea if that was our Dylan?"

Alicia calls out to Donnie, loud enough for him,and anyone else in earshot, to hear. "What's that, Donnie? Did I hear a note of... jealousy?"

A Cheshire grin beams from her face.

Alicia opens her mouth for another retort, then stops. Looking back down to the marks on the ground, she frowns.

She squats down and brings her hand out. A twitch, and claws extrude from her fingertips. Almost daintily, she presses her claws down on the dirt, then studies the result.

OOC: Using her own attempt as a basis of comparison, could the marks she saw have been made by claws? Like, say, dragon claws?

The marks look more like someone jammed the pointy top of a wrought iron fence post (the ones with the diamond/tirangle shape) into the ground.

Alicia looked at the marks curiously. The site was trashed by a bunch of stilt-walkers? she muses skeptically.

She looks around.

 OOC: there seem to be anything in the area that could have been used to make the marks?

Sarah wanders over.  "I found... uh.. well... nothing."  She watches the video from Sammy and says.. "Is this another robot causing problems?  She looks at Sylvia, "Combine that with a warning about Kung-Fu and we know a couple of guys who might be involved."

There is nothing on the site that could have caused the marks.

"Is it time to interrogate?"  Sylvia tries not to sound too happy about that.  She's pretty useless when it comes to scaling tall buildings and zipping around from place to place, but interrogation?  Interrogation she can do.

Sarah nods, "I think it might be.  Donnie and Colin might be able to figure out more about these marks and the dented metal.  Sylvia, you should bring along a hitter for your questions.  Do you want to show muscle or keep them at ease a while?  You could bring along Jakob or Alicia."

Sylvia eyes the new guys.  She's never seen them in combat.  For all she knows, Jakob can lift buildings but can't throw a punch.  And Alicia has those teeny little claws and great abs, but if there's a robot stomping toward them, Sylvia might as well have Colin in front of her, trying to dazzle the enemy with his fancy footwork.  "Um."

Sarah watches Sylvia's glance.  She adds, "If you two want a fast getaway I or John can hang around off screen.  Heck Donnie could be outside the window with an invisible dragon if you really want to scare the b'jeebus out of em."  She gives Jakob and Alica a grin, "Besides, if they can't handle a couple of killer robots I guess the hall monitors could use back up once in a while."

"I'd be happy to have anyone there who wants to be there," Sylvia says, trying not to look a gift horse in the mouth.  "I'm hoping all I have to do is lay eyes on them."

"I'm sorry. I think I should be able to tell, but I don't know what I should look for. Or how."

He does seem genuinely mortified.


Colin inspects the dent. He doesn't really expect to have any more luck reading it for impressions then the rest of the site, but he tries anyway. He also looks at it with the art geek's eye, though. He considers if getting a mold of it would help them figure out better what it was done with. He also mentally compares it to the articles he read about robots, or about the missing metal tentacles. Has he seen anything like this before?


"I kind of have another idea. What about we take this, and drop it at school where everybody can see it? Would you be able to pick up the thoughts of someone who actually recognizes it? This way we wouldn't waste time interrogating people who might have nothing to do with this."

Sylvia gives the dented plate a thoughtful stare, but it's impossible for her to tell which has a better chance of working--direct confrontation with their chief suspect or sifting through the thoughts of everyone in school.  The former sounds dangerous.  The latter sounds like torture.  She makes mumbly, undecided noises and then goes with her innate instinct to defy Colin at every turn.

"Seems like that'd let our suspect know we were on to him.  We could try getting some long-distance surveillance first and then try mass screening."

Colin nods. "Sounds sensible. Now that I think of it, we could also play in advance. Whoever is doing this is having fun. He (or they) will do it again. Let's try to find out a possible next target. There has to be a list of building sites, somewhere. And if it exists, Dave can get it, doesn't he?" he can't help but grin.

"Yeah. Our Dylan. I didn't mean Sammy was.. I mean, it's just an expression. I didn't mean-. Ah forget it."

He shoves his hands in his coat pockets and ignores Alicia.

Just for completion's sake, Jakob finds a similar piece of metal plating, balls a fist with the middle knuckles extended, rears back, and throws a haymaker.  He compares the dents from the plate Colin found to the one in his.

INT check - 1d20=9  Any similarities at all?

"Jakob!" Sylvia blurts to Sarah.  "I'll take Jakob!"

"Whatever you guys decide is fine by me.  You guys are the pros at this, sort of."

He switches back to normal form.

"Besides, I'm just here to back up the hall monitors."

"Oh, no," Sylvia yammers.  "Jakob.  Totally Jakob."  If they're going up against a robot, she wants someone with a proven talent for putting big dents in metal.

Sarah blinks at Sylvia and says, "Ohhhkay.  Jakob if anyone messes with Sylvia feel free to put a dent in them at your discretion.  And don't feel bad about the hall monitor crack.  In our halls something seriously horrible may well come storming down them some day and it will likely not have any sort of permission." 

The dent Jakob made isn't nearly as uniform or pointy.  Although strength along the superhuman line would be required to make it.

Colin receives no impressions from the metal or the dent.  It's that same soft sensation without powerful overtones that he got from the other site.

Sammy watches Jakob put a dent in some metal, and is suitably impressed, but not so much that she comes down from orbit.  She starts fiddling with her cell phone again, and calls the number Dylan left.

"Woah! Woah! Woah! Time out!" calls out Alicia, making a "T" with her hands as she approaches the group.

"New guys here, remember? Care to bring us up on the news? 'Chu guys have an idea who did this? I heard someone say robots, and those pointy footmarks over there do look kinda robot'ish, I guess."

She snorts derisively at Sylvia. "Yeah, you better take Jakob. I might forget to save your skinny ass if the s**t hit the fan."

She does glance at Jakob's handiwork approvingly. "Nice, chico. Glad to know someone around here can actually do some damage."

Sylvia is baffled by the hostility, and her immediate instinct is to go spelunking for the root of it.  She tries to get some fairly passive insight into the problem without digging too far into Alicia's catty little brain.

The cocophony of sensory data that crashes into Sylvia is like when she opens her mind in a crowded room, only with no order.  Smells and sounds that threaten her equilibrium and thrust a wave of nausea over her is what greets her when she peeks inside Alicia's head.

OOC: If the reason is there on the surface, then share via PM if you'd rather not have it in the open thread.

Sylvia needs to make a Fort Save DC 13 or loose her lunch from the sensory overload.

Cheese, why'd it have to be cheese? (1d20=17) (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1831581/)

OOC: You manage not to loose your cookies, or your cheese.

OOC: Does Alicia detect the mental intrusion?

Sylvia ruminates over what she's seen.  "Jakob," she says again, more seriously.  "When you're done here, can you come with me to check out a couple of guys?  There might be danger.  And robots."

OOC: No she doesn't.

Also, point of order, it's getting close to dark by this time.  Also popping by Preston Wilde's house the last time got the door slammed in your faces (the characters would certainly remember that even though the players are several chap[ters removed from that event.)

 Face Off At Preston's (http://www.groovygamers.com/forum/index.php/topic,5118.0.html)

Alicia jerks as if startled. She looks around as if she'd heard a voice call out but can't make out its source.

After a second, she gives a minuscule shrug and continues to wait for an answer to her question.

[I don't mind conducting the scene off camera.  It could be that Jakob's job is just to get the door open so that Sylvia can enter invisibly for a minute or two to screw the top off Preston's head.  If all goes well, she comes back next scene with exposition.  If things go badly, well, forget I said anything.  :)  ]

OOC: I can shorten this.  If they go to his house and she looks in his heas she learns he had nothing to do with it.

Sammy disconnects after a few rings.  She doesn't bother leaving a message.

She zips down long enough to find out the plan, and 'logs out'; she's had enough fun and hanging around near Donnie is just making her grumpy.  Using a feeble excuse about some science homework kicking her butt, she heads for home.  She takes the long way.

Donnie is not stupid. He realizes Sammy is doing everything in her poer to avoid him. He watches her come in, utterly ignoring him, and shakes his head as she buzzes off into the night.

"I said I was sorry. If she isn't willing to forgive and forget one hastily spoken phrase, then it shouldn't be on my head."

He looks towards Colin for support.

Alicia turns to regard Donnie. After a second, she shakes her head with a small sigh of exasperation.

He looks steadily back at her.

He thinks loudly to Sylvia. Guess I lost another fan club member.  

Sammy?  She'll come around.  Sylvia glances at Alicia.  If you're talking about that one, she doesn't like me either.  Feels like trauma, like someone else has been messing with her mind.

"I've been looking around at the damage here and it seems far less random then it did at the other site.  What that means I have no idea but over there the damage was all over the place, high and low.  Here it's centered closer to the ground and there seems to be some thought behind it.  Does that gibe with anything you guys have come across?"

He nods in Sylvia's direction.

"Whenever you're ready to roll..."

He

Donnie is staring at the punched metal, and the regular patters in the ground, when a lightning bolt of an idea hits him and he claps his hands. "I got it! Doc Ock arms! Remember? thet got snatched from the police impound! That would explain the even/odd placement of the 'steps', the way they travel up the side of the building, and also the level of destruction! Since they are metal and inanimate, it would explain why Colin can't get a feel for the person who did the damage!"

Sylvia takes a moment to think about that, then hazards a smile.  "Brilliant, Holmes!"

"Sweet Donnie!" says Sarah enthusiastically.  "So now we just have to figure out who swiped the arms... no problem right?  Right.  How were they stolen again?"  She's letting slide the whole Donnie missing the point of what he said to Sammy thing.  For now anyway.  Maybe they could all have a blowout fight at lunch tomorrow.  

She taps out a message to Sammy.  
Dear Ms. Jameson
yer fav. persn thinks the marks R DocOck mecharms.
Also - U ok?  Let me kno if u want to talk.
Alicia thinks he's an idgit.  
*mwah* *mwah* cu l8r

Alicia humphs. "Well, I suppose if one knew about such things in the first place, it wouldn't be hard to make the connection."

She frowns and looks at Colin questioningly. "But I thought the whole 'touchy-feely' thing transferred to objects. If someone is using the arms, wouldn't it pick up the vibes of the person using them, and wouldn't that then rub off on the stuff they touched?"

"Besides," she says, with a bit more energy. "I remember reading that his mechanical arms only responded to Doc Ock. What, has he busted out again?

"I'm guessing, if this is truly connected to the arms missing, is that someone snitched them and, like, reverse-engineered them or something, and made a set of her own."

She nods, proud of her own deductive logic.

i m gud.  not gvng him any chnce to grwl @ me.  2 scary!

Colin shrugs.

"Maybe a better way to say you're sorry would be to let her fly with Pip."


Colin starts to answer, but Alicia is quicker.


"I had thought of the tentacles as well, but whoever stole them has already used them in a robbery. I guess he wouldn't need to test them out this way. Unless, as Alicia says, he reverse-engineered them, and is trying out the new model. That would makes sense."

He turns to Alicia. "Doc Ock has served his time. He was interrogated at the time, and he resulted having nothing to do with the theft of his tentacles. They had been kept in a evidence storage by the police, and the thief used a... death ray to make a hole in the wall to get at them. The death ray cannon had been stolen from our school, and reverse-engineered too, in fact, so your theory is sound." he nods.

"As for the 'touchy-feely' stuff... I guess it doesn't rub off as much as we'd like it to."
That, or it's too soon for us to know.

"Can you think of anything else we could do here?" he asks. He keeps being distracted by Alicia's aura though. He'd like to investigate, but he doesn't want to intrude in her privacy. He can't help looking at it, though. Those not in the know see him looking either Alicia, or something just behind her.

Alicia beams at the evident praise.

Taking Colin's question as directed at her, she taps her chin with her finger in thought.

"Well, we didn't see no evidence of the tentacles over in the other place, so either the two, um, incidents, are unrelated, or it's more than one person responsible.

"Maybe it's one-upmanship? 'Anything you can do, I can do better?'"

"That'd be more trouble than I'd like to think about. It could also be that he perfected the model. The mess at the other site was more chaotic. Maybe the tentacles, or whatever, weren't behaving as he would have liked, and when he came here they were better."

Donnie looks back and forth between Colin and Alicia and slowly nods his head, lips pursed. "Well, if everyone has already figured everything out, I guess there's no need for my brilliant yet redundant ideas."

He turns and pats Uther on the snout before the dragon disappears completely. "Later, old son."

He turns back to Pip who was fastidiously cleaning his claws and face with a long purple tongue. "Go find Sammy, see if you can salvage my friendship, would you?" Pip bobs his head.

He begins climbing a nearby dumpster until he reaches the top.

"Syl, do you mind if Sarah fwip!s you home? I need to go somewhere else before I run out of feet to stick in my mouth."  

He clambers to the top of the dumpster and walks over to the edge.

"We're just shooting ideas. We're far from having figured out anything. For example, what's his purpose? A moment ago I was thinking that he could consider himself a hero in training. He picks these places to train, so he's sure not to hurt anyone as he tests his devices. Why the robbery though, then?"

OOC: Did I miss a plot?  Who committed a robbery with the tenticles?

"Sure.  Just remember:  boy parts; jar."

From chapter 49:

Alicia giggles, then coughs to cover it.

OOC: Ohhhhhh, that tentacle guy robbery. And proof the players do keep track, Yay!  ;D

[I'm not worried about keeping track.  I know history will reset itself when we go back in time.]

OOC: I would like the players to all make a note of who said this.  That being said I may have never told you all the guiding axiom of my GMing style.  Players write the best adventures.  I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

{JINX! JINX! JINX!  Kat spins around three times and spits, and hopes that is enough to thwart fate.
Aw, hell,  I didn't type fast enough.  Cass!  No fu for you!}

OOC: It's like watching a car wreck. ;D I'll just fasten my seatbelt and keep my hands and feet within the vehicle at all times...[color]

[For some reason one of Stanley's Juszkowski's lines is coming to mind.  "I always did have a thing for Latina women."

 ::) --> Alicia

High school for him would be right around the turn of the century.]

Jeebus Cluny Frog, woman! Now you're just baiting the GM. I'm holding you personally responsible for any damages, you hear?

 :-*

Oh, good lord, what have I gotten myself into this time?  ;D

Donnie shrugs his shoulders. "Last thing to worry about."

He takes a few steps and leaps as far as he can. There is a thunderous beat of wings and from the gathering darkness above, two sapphire blue clawed arms snatch Donnie out of the air and yank him into the darkness. The friends hear a childish voice say. "Isn't prettyprettypurplehairSylvia coming with us?"

Donnie's reply is lost as Althea beats for the sky.

Pip rubs his little head against Sarah's cheek and jumps off her shoulder, quickly winging away the same direction that Sammy flew off.

Alicia ruefully shakes her head.

"Boys," she mutters.

She looks around. "Are we done here?"

"We aren't all the same." Colin feebly protests.

"I think we're done." His eyes don't seem able to leave Alicia alone, though.

Blackbird, that black thread... is that something that hurts her, or just the way she is? It kind of looks odd. Misplaced.

Misunderstanding Colin's interest, she smiles slyly at him, "They say all cats are grey in the dark."

"Well," says Jakob.  "Now what?"

Sarah waves to Pip.  "Well technically I guess we go home and see each other in the morning.  Until we dig up some more info or another lead.  It would be sort of silly to just start randomly looking around for someone with mechanical octopus arms.  Plus it's cold and I stepped in a puddle."

"Anyone else want a ride home?  Beats walking or waiting for a bus." offers Sarah. 

Alicia bares her Cheshire grin. "Who walks?"

With a running start, she leaps, using a tilted girder as a ramp to gain enough altitude to clear the fence with a flip. And she's gone.

"Sure - I'll take a ride home."

He takes one last look around the site and he's ready to go.

Sarah grins at Jakob, "That's the spirit.  So we heading out to the farm or somewhere a little closer by for tonight?"

"Wherever you want to go.  All I have ahead of me is homework... so I'm in no hurry."

Sarah rolls her eyes. "I meant your address silly!  I'm heading home to do some work and check in with my family like a good little hero.  Or I can drop you anywhere in the greater Chicago area that you like but I always get lost when I head north of the city."

"Oh.  Heh.  I knew that.  I guess back at school is fine.  My aunt & uncle live near there and I want to stop at the deli on the walk home."

Sarah laughs and says, "You got it."  She takes Jakob and Sylvia's hands and ... *chicka* they're at the deli.  "I like their pastrami a lot.  See ya later Jakob.  Thanks for poking around with our little teen crime solving unit.  I'm glad to know that someone was there who could possibly put a dent into whatever was causing that mess.  Cause I sure couldn't." 

She pops Sylvia home *chicka* without further ado and then heads home *boom*   *boom*  to make a half hearted attempt at her homework.