OVIEDO, 9:30AM (Dennis; NPCs: Robyn)
It hit Dennis then: 3 didn't dirty his own hands. He coerced innocent people into doing his killing, or entrusting a bomb to handle things. It was likely that the madman wasn't at any of the sites--not the house, or the car, or wherever Mateo's sister was...
Then Otso confirmed it: this had been a distraction for something else, Dennis realized. He left Mateo and rejoined Robyn. "Listen, the would-be sniper's another person with a relative as hostage, as per 3's apparent MO. Tell the police to get over to Calle Jesús, number sixteen, and definitely make sure they send the bomb squad. The others will meet them there."
Robyn wasted no time in moving the police into position. Once they had an all-clear there, they would be able to confirm Mateo's sister's safety, get him to back down, and free the janitor's mother.
Thanks for pointing that out, EO. I had completely missed that. Since I didn't really give you any information, keep the hero point.
OVIEDO, 9:30AM (Jack, Otso; NPCs: Ellen)
Jack watched as the police converged on his location. Fortunately for him, he spoke Spanish, and had no trouble at all in explaining his presence there. Soon, they were sweeping the area, looking for a bomb. Jack, meanwhile, had his eyes on the skies: if Mateo was watching Missus Rodriguez, who was watching Mateo's sister? 3 himself, or another pawn in his warped game?
Can I get a Search check from you, TM?
SHREWSBURY, 3:00AM (Tamati, Violet; NPCs: Abe, Augustus, Herta, Joseph, Shelby)
"Right killing others is okay but your life is much more important." Tamati couldn't help himself contempt dripping off each word.
"Regardless, we're not going to kill him." Violet sighed. "He's going to give up on finding any more of these women and help us find Nemesis. And if we believe him, we'll take him back to the school and see if the headmaster will give him another chance like he did for Herta.
"I want to hear you say it, Joseph. You're done with this. Do we have a deal?"
"Shiver," said the British girl's father, "a word." He didn't ask; he simply led her out of earshot.
"I need to tell you something. You can be made at me if you want, but... Mister Arnett? My predecessor? When the Laputa children were turned over to that school, he gave me dossiers on each of them--everything MI18 had on them. Dewhurst was positioned inside of the school, and documented several encounters with them. He obtained the results of their psychiatric evaluations through shadier means. His daughter was a student there, and he knew that you had just been enrolled as well. He was concerned about Kirstie living among terrorists and thought I might have similar concerns...
"My point is... I know Herta better than you think I do, and I know that that boy is nothing like Herta. Every psychologist who met with her concluded that she had likely been abused all her life. She craves acceptance to the point that she became a terrorist just to try to fit in. Still, she has the moral fortitude to recognize that what she did was wrong and she needs to atone.
"That boy hasn't admitted to anything of the sort. He doesn't see what he did as wrong. He's only docile now because he fears for himself, and I'm terrified that this. Will. Change. What happens when he finds out who you are? Who your mother is? The role she played in his creation? Honey... Will told me that if I wasn't comfortable with any of the Laputa kids being near you, they would disappear to Row 64. Herta, Lexus, Pirjo, Armande... I trust them.
"I do not trust Joseph to be at your school.
"He can tell us what he knows about Nemesis and be sent to Tokyo, but... not Vienna. Not around you. Not for him to use you to get to your mother."
VALENCIA, 11:35AM (Kas, Lex, Martin; NPCs: Beatrice, Buddy, Fiore, Rusty)
Hovering outside of the window, Magnitude moved to trap the pregnant woman in a gravity well. Impossibly, the woman stumbled to the side, shaking free of his gravitational grip. <<"Domingo!">> she shouted as flaming wings--wings whose heat Lex could feel coming off of them--erupted from her back, burning away at the shirt she was wearing. <<"They're everywhere! We need to get out of here!">>
As she shouted out a warning, Vestige burst into the room, followed shortly by Rusty.
The pregnant woman charged for the window. Instantly, Lex had visions of her getting cut on the glass. Still, she barreled through and took flight, moving towards Kas.
Once she was clear, he let a blast of hellfire fly for Magnitude before lunging at and through the wall.
The Order, Round Three
- Domingo (X): Blinded, Bruised x3, Stunned (Lex, R2)
- Current (27)
- Magnitude (22)
- Fluxx (14)
- Fiore (16)
- Vestige (17)
- The Incredible Shrinking Rusty (8)
- Eiron (5)
- Mena (0)
Mena - Reflex - DC 18:
1d20 18 Really?
The others will move in.
Mena will dive through what's left of the window.
New round. Try to recover from the blindness.
Domingo - Fortitude - DC 23:
1d20+8 25
I'll fiat to remove Domingo's stunned condition--hero point to Lex, Kas, and Martin--then attack and move. Though Kas and Mena aren't engaged in melee combat with each other, given circumstances, I'm imposing the -4 penalty on Domingo's attack roll to avoid hitting Mena.
Domingo - Attack:
1d20+4 18 If that hits Magnitude, HH, DC 23 Toughness. Domingo will then charge through the wall, moving to follow Mena.
Lex is up again.