Miss America 5 years later

[CaptainChaos]

Miss America

Erica stood silently looking at one of the displays in her favorite museum in the city. It was pretty quiet in here today with most of the people out attending memorial services or one of the numerous other events commemorating the attack 5 years ago today. Her life had changed so much since then. She closed her eyes and pictured the events of that day in her mind.

She had been sitting outdoors enjoying lunch and a glass of wine when the sky opened up and all hell broke loose. Aliens flying about on chariot like ships blasting away at people and buildings. Like others around her, she had run for cover. Moments later she saw HIM. The man her grandmother had talked about, had told tales of his heroism. Captain America and a few others had arrived and quickly fought back against the invaders. In the end, they were victorious but the city had suffered massive damage. Hundreds of people had been killed or injured. She helped administer basic first aid in an effort to assist the overburdened first responders.

It was a day she would never forget. That and the day she had been gifted with special abilities. Since that day, she had dedicated herself to the ideals of her idol, her hero, Captain America. Granted she wasn't fighting alien invaders but she did her part to keep crime in the city a bit lower.

That was part of the reason she was here now. She had been out late fighting robbers, saving people from assaults and shootings, and generally trying to make the city a better place to live. When she finally arrived back at her shared apartment, she snuck into her room through the unlocked window. She was changing clothes when her friend and roommate walked in. The two of them had an argument and Erica left the apartment.

She went to a nearby bar and proceeded to consume far too much alcohol. After the bar closed she wandered the streets for awhile and fought off a couple of would be attackers. Eventually she slept for a few hours and then made her way to the one place she felt safe and comfortable in. It helped calm her to be here.

Erica had been so lost in thought that she didn't hear the approaching footsteps behind her.

"I thought I'd find you here. I've been looking all over for you." the feminine voice said softly.

"I needed to get away. I needed time to think."

"I've never been here before. He was quite a hero, wasn't he?"

"Still is."

"So are you it seems. Come home. We need to talk."

"That's an understatement Leticia. Not yet though. There's someplace I need to go today. They're having a memorial service for all the brave police officers that gave their lives to defend the city that day. It's my duty to pay my respects to the families. It's what he would do."

"Okay Erica. I'd like to go with you if you don't mind my company."

"Sure, I'd like that. Then we can grab a cup of coffee at Starbucks."

Perception: 1D20+6=[8]+6 = 14

[StarGuard]

The crowd is light at the museum today.

Today ... five years ago, it was crowded, filled with visitors, tourist from all across the country,
tourist running for their lives when the Chitauri tried to invade New York for their alien masters. Five years, millions of dollars and loans from other museums around the world, made today's grand opening possible.

Earlier the rooms had been filled with lovers of art and history. The Incident Event room had drawn the largest crowds. Even more than the ancient Egyptian room, which was always a popular exhibit when it touring the country. That had been in the morning though, before the parades and festivals had started throughout the city, Each times to begin at the same time of the first sighting of the Chitauri.

Now the crowds were light and the early afternoon sun shone brightly through the museum windows. Leticia and you are sitting at a small table drinking coffee when suddenly the museum lighting flickers and slowly dims to nothingness. The security shutters put in place to protect the museum from another incident starts rumbling down and security guards start to guide people toward the entrance. Leticia lets one of the guards, Dan, know you are with her but excuses herself to check on project the team has been working on down in the Restoration Room. It isn't until she is gone that you realize none of the guards are using their walkie talkies ... and you hear other patrons complaining about their phones not working.

[CaptainChaos]

Miss America hp: 1, condition: normal

Erica and Leticia stayed at the Captain America exhibit for only a short period of time. From there they attended one of the dozens of memorial ceramonies in the city before going to the Met where Leticia worked in preservation. The Met had expanded their collection recently and, with the help of many generous donations, expanded the building as well to accommodate the exhibits. Ericas new job was just across Central Park at the American Museum of Natural History.

The two women sat in the museum cafe having coffee and talking softly. Leticia had started the conversation asking about Ericas other identity and life, what could she do, how did she get these abilities, and more. Erica had politely refrained from answering those questions in public and assured her friend they would discuss that later at home. From there the conversation drifted from the weather, to the anniversary of the invasion, to what was for dinner, and finally about their relationship. Before they could get too deep into that topic, the lights went out.

"A blackout?" Erica suggested.

"Without any warning? Blackouts here are rare with all the improvements done to the electrical grid. Partial outages usually happen first." Leticia replied.

They looked around and saw the protective shutters coming down and the guards starting to evacuate the patrons.

"The shutters are automatic. They're on a separate generator. I'll be right back."

Erica watched Leticia get up and go talk to one of the guards for a moment. Her friend look worried. When she came back to the table she excused herself, telling Erica she needed to go downstairs to check on a restoration project. She gave Erica a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving.

Erica decided she should go across the park to her own employer. There was nothing she could do here anyway. She stood and went to the guard Leticia had spoken to.

"Is everything okay?"

"Oh sure. Probably just a power outage. It happens." he explained.

It was then, when Erica was closer to the other patrons, that she overheard some of them complaining about their cellphones not working. That was odd. She quickly checked hers and saw the 'no service' message. Could the outage have affected the cell towers as well? If so, then it wasn't a localized event. It had to be affecting the entire city or more. People might be panicking. She remembered seeing old news footage of a massive blackout that happened in the 60's. There had been massive looting, riots, and car accidents. There might be people injured or worse.

Her first thought was to find a secluded place to change but pushed that idea to the side for now. There wasn't enough evidence to suggest her alternate identity was needed, yet. She headed for the stairwell. From there she headed for the roof. The door was normally locked but her roommate had given her a key since she knew Erica liked to go on the roof after hours and watch the stars and occasional meteor shower. The roof would give her a better vantage point to observe what was happening in the streets. There were other buildings nearby that were a lot taller but Erica didn't feel like climbing hundreds of flights of stairs.

[StarGuard]

You make it to the stairwell just as the emergency lighting starts to dim. Just as you start up the stairs you hear the sound of magnetic locks clicking into place ... the museum is now on total lock down. Checking the door you can tell it is heavily armored. Nothing less than your full powers could make it budge.

Following your original idea, you start up the the stairs toward the roof top. The door to the roof is just as armored as the one three stories below. You'll have to call up the fill power of your telekinetic shield to cut through the door's locks. In the middle of this thought you hear an explosion and screams from below.

[CaptainChaos]

Miss America hp: 1 condition: healthy

Erica stopped at the top of the stairs and studied the armor protected door. She could probably break the lock on it but it would raise a lit of questions later. Still, she needed to find out what was going on. While she contemplated her options, the sound of explosions and screams from below made up her mind. Whatever was happening was no mere power outage. There were innocent people in danger. Okay, maybe not all of them were innocent but they still needed help. She knew that her idol would not hesitate, that he would put himself in danger to save others. That's what she had to do, what she needed to do.

Wasting no more time, she found a dark corner and peeled off her dress. Luckily her uniform was small enough to conceal under most normal clothing. Erica reached into her duffel bag and removed boots, gloves, and a mask. Quickly kicking off her heels, she slipped the boots on followed by the gloves and mask. After stuffing her dress into the duffel bag, she tucked her small wallet into a hidden pocket inside her uniform.

Kicking the bag into a corner, she headed downstairs as quickly as she could.

[StarGuard]

Even though shedding your civilian attire only takes seconds, it seems like hours as you suddenly realize the blast downstairs ... came from Leticia's Restoration Room.

The thought sends an adrenaline rush through you, your telekinetic abilities instinctively activating as you leap over the rail jumping sixty feet down in a single bound. You land on the platform above the Restoration Room. Angry unintelligible and scared English speaking voices mix rising from the room below, one of them Leticia ... At least you know that she's alive. From the platform rail you can see the shattered glass that once protected the artifacts from outside contamination while they were worked on. Through the rubble you see two figures holding the museum's technicians at gunpoint?


The third shoving Leticia through an open thick vault door ....



OOC: Roll Initiative please

[CaptainChaos]

Miss America hp: 1

Her heart was racing as she leapt over the railing. This was bigger than anything she had dealt with before. Erica wasn't going to let that deter her though. As she approached the source of the commotion, her mind quickly registered the fact it was coming from the restoration area. Leticia had gone there after their chat. She was in danger and so were dozens if not hundreds of others in the museum.

Coming upon the scene she saw two humanoid figures holding weapons aimed at museum employees while a third was roughly shoving Leticia through a vault door. From this angle she couldn't tell if they were human or alien.

She mustered up as much bravado as she could and announced;

"Excuse me! I guess you didn't get the memo? This city, this museum, and everyone and everything in it is under my protection. I suggest you leave immediately before you get hurt!"

Initiative = 8 http://orokos.com/roll/549762#

[StarGuard]

<"Siew Terran próbuje ingerować w naszych braci misji. Musi zostać wyeliminowana, jeśli tak ... ">

Is all you hear as two of the alien soldiers turn and open fire upon you, the blaster's high pitched sound drowning out Erica's scream before disappearing into the vault. One of the two shots splash against your shield. the other striking you square.

Miss America needs to make a DC25 saves versus the sonic blaster.
Miss America is awarded 1 HP for activating a Complication.

[CaptainChaos]

Miss America hp: 2

Aliens! she realized when the two thieves turned to face her.
What could they possibly want in the museum? Well, whatever it is, I'm going to stop them.

She raised her shield mere split seconds before they opened fire. The first shot was blocked by her shield while the second struck her high in the chest. She shrieked in pain as the sonic blast tore into her flesh. The blast hurt more than she expected and she dropped to the floor in agony.

Toughness save: http://orokos.com/roll/552776 1d20+8=13. Using a hp to reroll: http://orokos.com/roll/552780 1d20+8: 9 [1d20=1] the dice hate me tonight. Even with the +10 It's still a fail.

[StarGuard]

Captain keep the HP, the first roll totaled 21 not 13
-1 Toughness
Miss America's turn to act

[CaptainChaos]

Miss America hp: 2
Condition: -1 toughness

Erica fought through the pain. It seemed more intense than any she had ever experienced. She wasn't looking forward to dealing with Leticia later. The aliens were now hiding in the vault. She needed to find out what they were up to but charging headlong in there was potentially suicidal. She rose to her feet and made her way to the vault door. She needed intelligence before acting. Slipping her cellphone out, she activated the recording and aimed the camera around the corner so she could see their positions and activities.