Infinite New Vindicators Return (M&M 2e IC)

[Horsenhero]

Ch. 6: August & Everything After-

David Gordon, Merle Tremblay, Gaspar Zorrilla e Higueras (npc's: Lorena Argento, Horacio Importuna, Lei Kung, Juanita Salazar, Angela Zapata)

Headmaster Importuna stroked his mustache for a moment, then snapped to action. "Very well. As much as you've been through recently, I think we can consider a rescue mission like this a training exercise. Merle, you are in charge. Take a small team of combat capable students. Lei Kung will act as de facto faculty observer for this. The only thing I ask is..."

Importuna vanished for a moment to reappear the next, holding a slim file. "...take this new Freshman, Anton Villiam with you. He hasn't seen action before, but preliminary assessments are that he is bullet proof and possible much more. Since we cannot rely on your teleportation until exfiltration, I'll assign you the APC. In the favelas safety trumps stealth. I don't want you ambushed by a different gang before you reach your target. Can any of you drive or should I ask the motor pool for a driver?"

Turning to his assistant he says: "Call the authorities and inform them of our situation and request they give our team space to work. I'll have some students do a PSA for the widows and orphans fund if they agree."

Turning back to Merle, he asks: "Who do want with you besides the people here and Anton?"
After Merle answers he turns to David

"Senor Gordon, if you go try to give Senor Marchi a sniff. I assume you know what marijuana smells like?"

Anyone paying attention notices Angela almost imperceptibly blanches at that.

Finally, the Headmaster turns to Gaspar: "Regardless of your dimension of origin, you have a couple years more experience than my students with a tactical training regimen. That being the case, please feel free to share that experience in the field. I would have you lead, but as of yet, most have built no rapport with you and clashes in the field can be deadly, as you are no doubt aware."

Francis Gold (npc's: Louisa Garcia, Pia Mendoza, Raheem Waters)-

Both Pia and Louisa stare at Francis, weighing his evasion for a moment, then Pia laughs. "Smooth hermano. One day you will make a fine politician."

Louisa just snorts; "Gringos...no huevos."

"What about eggs?" Raheem asks, sliding up. "Hey, I'm tired of thees mon. Can we call it quits for today? I'm pretty certain the city crews can do de rest and de crowd is growin' large. Stupid t'ings happen in big crowds."

When Raheem asks his question, they students all look at Francis. Francis had noticed the trend over the last week. The students who fought the Armada...and survived...were deferred to. They were the school war heroes. Even some of the teachers treated them differently. Not Dr. Argento, but she'd been a Vindicator herself once upon a time. This was definitely the most blatant display he'd seen to date though.

Anton Villiam (npc's: Victoria Heflin, Delilah Medina, Rebecca Sanderson, Juan Vasquez)-

"Nah...I'm waiting for a life skills class. Senor Avilles handles all the cooking for the cafeteria...like all the time, so it isn't like I get any chances to learn. I watch a lot of shows on the Food Network and being a chef looks kind of epic."

Suddenly a rosy glow, tinged with orange and gold fills the cafeteria and Anton notices many of the students freeze like cornered animals while others stare mouth agape.

"Becca!" Dee says with a broad grin. "Anton, this is my good friend, Becca Sanderson."

As Anton turns to look, he sees possibly the most beautiful girl he's ever laid eyes on descending to land gently. He can't help but notice that while Dee looks happy, Juan looks nervous and Victoria is impassive, though she and her wasps are watching Rebecca as well.

"Hola Dee." Rebecca says in a clear, friendly voice her cerulean eyes fairly twinkling in happiness. Then the sunrise hues of coruscating energy consume those human eyes and an inhuman burning gaze turns on Anton. When Rebecca speaks again, her voice has an eerie, reverberating echo. "Anton, the man who twists time wants you to help David. You are to rescue the lucky vermin though I do not know why. Anton, beware the old thing, it has hated for untold millennia and while it does not know you yet, it already hates you."

"on the plus side...you get some time out of class."

"Becca!" Dee raises her voice. "You're going to scare Anton to death and he's just got here!"

And just like that, the glow enveloping the room and burning in Rebecca's eyes is snuffed. The chestnut haired Neo-Sapien blushes and holds her hand out to Anton to shake. "Sorry about that. Pleased to meet you Anton..."

"Ant." Victoria corrects her.

"...I'm Becca, the resident safety hazard."

[Michuru]

LLUVIA / Gaspar Zorrilla e Higueras
HP: 1 / Condition:

"Regardless of your dimension of origin, you have a couple years more experience than my students with a tactical training regimen. That being the case, please feel free to share that experience in the field. I would have you lead, but as of yet, most have built no rapport with you and clashes in the field can be deadly, as you are no doubt aware."

Gaspar wanted to laugh at the idea of him leading anyone, but found the restraint to keep from doing so. He didn't really understand the situation--something about an animal attack at the beach? A shark, maybe? He didn't know how severe it was, and wasn't about to look so jovial if this was a serious situation.

Instead, he simply nodded to the headmaster. Him, a leader. Martin or Kas, perhaps, but not him. He knew he wasn't cut out for such things. Still, that Importuna thought Merle was... Merle, the guy who had been creeping in the shadows the first time they'd met--he was the leader?

[Shock]

Prehistoric (David Gordon)
HP:2

David nodded to the Headmaster when asked about marijuana. He wasn't particularly interested in it himself but his travels had left him with many experiences. "I don't have a license but I can drive well enough. If that's not allowed, perhaps Mr Lei can drive so you don't have to put one of your drivers at risk."

[EnigmaticOne]

Cooker
HP: 1

Francis awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck at the focus he was getting. If this were an anime, he would have sweat-dropped. "Um, sure?" This wasn't something he was used to at all. The irony of his words came back here. Not the popular one. Right.

[Gilliam]

Anton "Carnudo" Villiam
HP: 1
Condition: Normal

"Becca!" Dee says with a broad grin. "Anton, this is my good friend, Becca Sanderson."

With a hint of trepidation Anton turned to look where Dee was indicating and couldn't look away, he couldn't stop staring in fact he couldn't even breath as what could only be an angel descended towards him, was that ringing in his ears, why did the room suddenely feel so hot.

"Gaaa ... geee ... "

"Hola Dee." Rebecca says in a clear, friendly voice her cerulean eyes fairly twinkling in happiness. Then the sunrise hues of coruscating energy consume those human eyes and an inhuman burning gaze turns on Anton. When Rebecca speaks again, her voice has an eerie, reverberating echo. "Anton, the man who twists time wants you to help David. You are to rescue the lucky vermin though I do not know why. Anton, beware the old thing, it has hated for untold millennia and while it does not know you yet, it already hates you."

"on the plus side...you get some time out of class."

He should have been terrified at the change in Becca and what she was saying and part of him was, another part of him was still staring with his mouth half open, hopefully his tongue wasn't hanging out like an old english sheepdog. Yet another part of him was trying to make sense of what she was saying "help David, save vermin and something that hates me yet doesn't know me?"

"Ahh .. arggg ... "

"Becca!" Dee raises her voice. "You're going to scare Anton to death and he's just got here!"

And just like that, the glow enveloping the room and burning in Rebecca's eyes is snuffed. The chestnut haired Neo-Sapien blushes and holds her hand out to Anton to shake. "Sorry about that. Pleased to meet you Anton..."

"Ant." Victoria corrects her.

"...I'm Becca, the resident safety hazard."

And with that Ant's mouth finally closed with an audible snap and he had control of his body again, if he didn't look directly at Becca perhaps he could make a good impression.

Lifting his hand to shake Becca's gently Ant tried to speak, stopped then tried again

"Hola Becca nicer to meet you, would you like to join us for lunch?"

See that wasn't that hard why did it feel like he just run a 100m sprint.

[Arkrite]

Merle Tremblay
HP: 1 LP:1 Condition: Normal

Merle had been expecting a few things.

He had expected to be told there was nothing they could do.
He had expected to be told that the Vindicators would be taking over the lead.

He had not expected to see him placed in a leadership role to go save Valderon with the other students.

His eyebrows raised, but he otherwise remained quiet while the headmaster laid out the situation for him. Access to students for a mission, plus an APC and a driver if they needed it. While he really didn't like the premise of being put in charge, the benefits were far too good to complain about. Especially since he'd likely be roped into going anyways.

He accepted the file on Anton Villiam, giving it a quick glance, if only to see the student's face. There wasn't really time to learn much about him, and Merle wasn't going to try to learn everything about him in the span of a few minutes. He also largely expected the bit he was allowed to see didn't contain much beyond what he'd been told, for Anton's the privacy.

Invulnerability would be useful, but with no idea of how he'd react in a fight the kid was a liability. He could be the perfect backup. He could also go completely catatonic, or wind up putting more people in trouble.

However as the help they would receive was dependent on Aton's inclusion? They'd bring him and if he had to Merle could send him back if he became an issue.

Turning back to Merle, he asks: "Who do want with you besides the people here and Anton?"

"I suddenly regret not having spent more time learning about the student body," Merle notes dryly as he considers his options.

Vincente's ability to make things invisible could be helpful, but if the animal monsters had any means of seeing through that invisibility he'd be nothing but a liability. If he had time to do some tests he might have been a good choice.

Rafael was probably a poor choice, he didn't know how Donna's ability to remote view things worked which sidelined her.

He frowned and looked at the people who were there, and considered where they'd be fighting.

"We have two ranged combatants, a melee combatant, and a support member with us right now. I know you said you'd come, and I appreceate that but none of you need to feel obligated to come."

"Gaspar, your ability to hit ranged targets is very valuable, but we're going to be fighting in a slum area with poorly built buildings. I'd like you to come, but I'm not going to lie, you're going to have your arm tied behind your back when it comes to your other powers. We're already looking pretty bad to the public, destroying the houses of a bunch of innocent people is going to get us in trouble."

"So we'd both need to avoid using anything that could do any collateral damage," Merle paused, "Which might be difficult for me. Hopefully you can work around it?"

"David, I know this isn't your fight but you're a strong melee combatant and your ability to shift to fit the situation would be very helpful."

"Lorena," He paused then bowed his head, "I know combat medic is not really a situation you really wanted to be in. Honestly with my portals we can get the wounded to you in the med bay, if you'd prefer. Honestly it could be safer for you and the injured party."

After hearing how her father had died and how she hadn't wanted to go into such a role.

"But I bow to your experience in that decision."

"As for other teammates I would like to invite... I don't know if we have anybody who can track people, and rather than focus on people I don't really know I think I should stick the few I do," he pauses, "Francis. He's another ranged combatant, and he's very aware of the fallout of his attacks."

That he was another Survivor didn't hurt either.

"After that I'd say we need some additional short ranged muscle, and I'd prefer people I'm familiar with. Desiree and Eva are a great team. If I can't get them, or I have more room on the team, Arturo would be a good choice."

"Does anybody else have any suggestions?"

He waited to hear what the others had to suggest then also added, "I'm afraid I can't drive. I can hardly fit behind the wheel of most vehicles. I'd suggest bringing a driver with us, if a volunteer can be found."

"We'd be in trouble if our driver was injured during the fight and we needed to drive out."

[Shock]

Prehistoric (David Gordon)
HP:2

David cocked his head to the side, wondering why Merle said it wasn't his fight. "Valderon is one of us, of course I'll help. I can drive if needed and I can probably get his scent off Angela if she's touched him recently."

[Horsenhero]

Ch 6: August & Everything After-

David Gordon, Merle Tremblay, Gaspar Zorrilla e Higueras (npc's: Lorena Argento, Horacio Importuna, Lei Kung, Juanita Salazar, Angela Zapata)-

As things begin to shape up, Lorena interjects; "Desiree' can drive. She's almost as good a driver as Lupe, but since Lupe is missing I think she's the best we have. She has the advantage of being hard to hurt as well." Turning to Merle she said; "I'm coming along. Valderon could be injured and having me on scene could be critical...even with your powers available."

Headmaster Importuna nodded at that. It dovetailed nicely with Merle's list of potential squad members and he wanted the decision to be as much the students' as could be arranged. "Very good. Why doesn't someone see if Mr. Gold has his comm unit on? He was scheduled to be out with a clean up crew today, so he may not be on campus."

Near the back of the small crowd, Angela sidles over to David. "Can you really track by smell?" She seemed genuinely curious.

Anton Villiam (npc's: Victoria Heflin, Delilah Medina, Rebecca Sanderson, Juan Vasquez)-

The conversation didn't really have a chance to go any farther, because the school public address system crackled and Juanita Salazar's voice echoed through the cantina: "Anton Villiam please report to the Headmaster's office."

Francis Gold (npc's: Louisa Garcia, Pia Mendoza, Raheem Waters)-

Waiting for comm check.

[Shock]

Prehistoric (David Gordon)
HP:2

David nodded. "Si. A Tyrannosaurus had a very strong sense of smell. If I get his scent, I can track him."

[Arkrite]

Merle Tremblay
HP: 1 LP:1 Condition: Normal

Merle bows his head to Lorena.

"As you say," Merle says in agreement, "You are the expert and I trust your judgement."

"I would like to make sure you have some backup if you need to work on somebody," Merle tilts his head to the side, and rubs the back of his neck with one hand, looking mildly embarrassed, "You might not have this problem, but I tend to get tunnel vision when I'm doing first aid."

He paused then pulls his comm from his pocket, popping it out of it's carrying case, and popping it into his ear.

"<<Comm>> Francis? This is Merle. Can you hear me?"

[Gilliam]

Anton "Carnudo" Villiam
HP: 1
Condition: Normal

The conversation didn't really have a chance to go any farther, because the school public address system crackled and Juanita Salazar's voice echoed through the cantina: "Anton Villiam please report to the Headmaster's office."

"Oh that's me." Anton says in a surprised voice "I better go, it was nice meeting you all."

Getting up Anton looked wistfully at the remainder of his lunch, maybe he will get a chance to finish it later. Heading towards one of the exits Ant stopped in mid stride and turned round with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Can someone tell me the way to the headmasters office?"

A little later Ant arrived at the Headmasters office, a little surprised to see so many students already there, for its size the school seemed to be very busy.

"Hola I am Ant, Ant Villiam, I was told to come to the office." Anton says to the woman he assumes to be the secretary Juanita Salazar.

[Michuru]

LLUVIA / Gaspar Zorrilla e Higueras
HP: 1 / Condition: Thoughtful

Gaspar was quiet as the others talked. He didn't feel he had earned the right to speak up yet. He hadn't been here long--hadn't earned these peoples' trust. On top of it, he was mulling over what Gaspar had said: "I'd like you to come, but I'm not going to lie, you're going to have your arm tied behind your back when it comes to your other powers."

He was more than just his powers though, wasn't he? He had tried it back on Princess Sophie's world--fighting the guards without the use of his powers. He could take a punch and he could throw one too. Maybe he wasn't as capable in melee as Jack was, but he was no slouch.

The Spaniard cast a look to the muscular Asian man in their midst. That guy could probably carry himself in a brawl. Maybe Gaspar needed to log more hours in the gym on top of everything else...

[EnigmaticOne]

Cooker
HP: 1

Francis had his communicator on, but even then his radio senses would have picked it up.

*"Merle? What's up?"*

[Arkrite]

Merle Tremblay
HP: 1 LP:1 Condition: Normal

"<<Comm>> Ah. We've got a bit of a problem, one of the students is being hunted by the animal thugs we ran into at the beach earlier in the year. The headmaster asked me to put together a team to go rescue him," Merle pauses, "I won't lie, we are expecting a bit of a fight. Would you be interested in joining us?"

[EnigmaticOne]

Cooker
HP: 1

If there was one thing Francis found, that unexpectedly he wasn't so bothered by the suggestion of combat anymore. Was it the fear of hurting people had been reduced by seeing one person die near him, and learn Wally had died - and Tamati's status unknown? He still didn't want to kill - but somehow he was more... composed about the whole thing.

*"If it's Marchi again, I'm going to have to wonder what he's doing. Open me up a portal, I'll join you."*

To the others he explained: "There's more trouble, and the school wants to to lend a hand. Or possibly a microwave."