Cleveland logs for meg

•Antioch|GM> The prolonged wail of sirens joits Cwn awake from restless sleep.
5:43 PM The sound is continuous, volume and pitch rising and falling, and she's been passed out long enough for the sun to set.
5:43 PM The only light that illuminates the small break nook in the Protectorate quarters is a red, flashing alarm light, sweeping across the PRT base's ground and lighting up the window every few seconds.
5:43 PM ||
5:44 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "Shit." I mumble as I scramble to my feet, barely keeping balance. "Shit, shit, shit." No one has briefed me on what's supposed to happen when the alarms go off. Hell... Isn't everyone at some fundraiser thing? God /damnit/. Was I told about this stuff but just... didn't pay attention? Was I too busy trying to rip Sirocco's dick off?
5:45 PM I run out of the room and into the hallway, trying to look around for another person. Maybe a squaddie, maybe another hero? Shit. I picked the worst fucking time to take a nap. I unzip a few of the panels on my costume and let my shadow armor coalesce over my skin. If something's going down, I'm going to need it.||
5:47 PM A<•Antioch|GM> Inside the Protectorate hallway, emergency lights are strobing, with LED panels lighting up the floor of the hallway. The building, as far as she can tell, seems to be empty, but it's not as if she can shout for someone's attention and be heard over the alarm system. ||
5:50 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "God damnit." I shout, though it hurts my throat to do so, and start running down the hallway. What on /earth/ is going on? The lights are bright enough that it's making my mouth dry and taste like metal... and god damnit I'm so out of my depth right now. There /has/ to be someone here. Think, Gwyn. They had mentioned maybe patrolling with Gigawatt.... shit.
5:50 PM Did I miss that? She's probably not in the building... Valiant had something to do... Who on earth would be there? Undine maybe? Or Forgemaster? No one else was in the break room.... Shit. ||
5:57 PM A<•Antioch|GM> ((Wits roll, please.))
5:57 PM ((Awareness applies.))
5:57 PM S<Saff|Cwn> $roll 1d6 wittsu
5:57 PM A<[ATM]> Saff|Cwn "wittsu" [6]  = 6
6:03 PM A<•Antioch|GM> As she sprints through the hallways, the sinking suspicion that she's alone in the building grows deeper and deeper.
6:03 PM Nobody's there, not even Quickdraw, and the fact that her room seems to have been tidied up with her new hat, some makeup supplies, and other knick-knacks left on the bed only faintly registers in the back of her mind.
6:03 PM Looking outside, in the darkness, she realizes the ground isn't poorly lit -- it's just obscured by a thick cloud of murky, rolling fog. ||
6:04 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "Shit, shit, shit." My heart is racing so goddamn fast right now, it feels like it's going to burst straight out of my chest. What did Freeman say? Deep breaths or whatever? Yeah. That's not going to help if I'm alone in the building. Maybe... Maybe I should run down to Forgemaster's lab just for the hell of it? See if he's there... Oh god oh god why haven't
6:04 PM they briefed me on any of these protocols? I don't know what I'm supposed to do? Think, Gwyn.
6:05 PM I stop in place and take a few deep breaths until I can center myself. Fog. That's... Odd. I'm the only person that I know of that makes black smoke like that. It doesn't seem like it's a fire... Shit. Yeah. I'm going to run and see if Forgemaster is still here. He's bound to know something.||
6:07 PM A<•Antioch|GM> The elevator that she takes to get down to his lab is still in service. The ride down takes far longer than she's comfortable with, particularly with the siren still screaming at her from what seems to be every direction.
6:09 PM A<•Antioch|GM> In the basement lab, the alarms are somewhat muffled, and it's as scorchingly hot as she remembers it.
6:09 PM The creepy, sort-of-fleshy sort-of-melting statues are still there, and she finds Forgemaster standing at a mechanized rack, robotic clamps and frames in the process of putting his armor on. ||
6:11 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "Forge!" I shout, sprinting over to him. "Thank god someone else is here. I thought I was all alone. Look." I'm nearly out of breath, and god damnit it's hot in the lab. "I don't know what's going on. Or how to handle this. But I'm willing to help you. Is anyone else here?" More and more questions just keep tumbling out of my mouth. /I/ can barely keep up
6:11 PM with them, so I don't know if Forge is at all. ||
6:12 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "Uhh," he says, as the armor rack clamps a set of graves onto his legs. "Everyone's on patrol or at the fundraiser, I think. Did you check your phone?" ||
6:12 PM *greaves
6:15 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "I um. I fell asleep." I say. I'm probably blushing under the shadow armor. "It's just. Us?" Shit. They left the basket case and the shut in to defend the base? "Do you know what's going on? I saw some black fog outside but. Look, they haven't told me jack shit since I got here. I'm... I'm in way over my head right now. And I know... you probably don't care
6:15 PM for me or whatever. But I want to show you that I can do this."||
6:17 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "It's Caitiff," he says. "Probably trying to break Cremator out or something. Do you have a gas mask?" ||
6:20 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "Who?" I ask. Jesus Christ I'm really lost. "And no. Will I need one?"||
6:21 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "Caitiff, Blackguards, Tinker six, makes smoke bombs that make you hallucinate or turn off your powers. If you don't have a gas mask, you may as well not bother. No one's gonna blame you for it." ||
6:23 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "I'm going to fight." I say. No one is keeping me out of the fray. "Where can I get one?" I stop and take a deep breath. Maybe I should just stop and think for a moment? But my mouth is running faster than my head. "And who's Cremator? And the Blackguards? No one tells me anything except that I'm crazy and dangerous!"||
6:24 PM A<•Antioch|GM> He shrugs. "I don't keep any gas masks around here."
6:24 PM "Look on your phone, it's all in the alert briefing." ||
6:27 PM S<Saff|Cwn> I don't even know if I brought my phone with me. "Guess I'm going to have to go without one then." I say. "So it's me and you. Do we have any squaddies or. Did they all get sent home after um." Does Forgemaster even know about what happened with Sirocco? ||
6:28 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "There's probably still one around. Another's at the fundraiser."
6:28 PM "What about me?" he asks. "I don't have a gas mask either." ||
6:32 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "We better find some then." I say before grabbing Forgemaster's wrist. "Let's go. You know protocol. I led a gang. I can /do/ this." I start pulling him towards the door, though he's got all that armor on. It's not doing much. ||
6:34 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "Take the phone," he says, sighing. "Get caught up. There's probably masks where the squaddies keep their gear. Don't expect me to run to keep up." ||
6:36 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "I can run fast enough. I'll get them. And read. And bring one to you." I'm taking on a lot. And I'm probably not ready. I mean. Just earlier today I attacked a teammate and thought about shooting myself in the head. "Ride the elevator up. If I'm not back in ten, assume something went wrong."
6:36 PM I'm getting... a rush. It's nice to feel like maybe I'm not a useless shit again.||
6:37 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "Oh, okay," he says, sounding even less enthusiastic as before. "Alright."
6:37 PM He picks up a massive metal pipe with a handle, something that looks like a souped-up rocket or grenade launcher -- she can't tell, having never seen a weapon its size or particular shape. ||
6:39 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "I'll see you in a few, Forge. I won't let you down." I give him a thumbs up and run towards the elevator. I vaguely remember where the squaddies keep their stuff? I could make it over there... Get gas masks... God damnit. This is a whole lot harder than robbing and torching a grocery store. And I didn't do that alone. "Fuck." ||
6:40 PM A<•Antioch|GM> ((Knowledge roll.))
6:41 PM S<Saff|Cwn> $roll 1d6+1 Cashy ilu
6:41 PM A<[ATM]> Saff|Cwn "Cashy ilu" [6] +1 = 7
6:48 PM A<•Antioch|GM> Elevator up to the skybridge floor, over to the PRT building proper, to the first floor, rear of the building. Two hallways down from the gym, where all the equipment is stored. Maybe where the other squaddies are, as well. Hopefully.
6:48 PM Forgemaster's phone has the alert briefing pulled up, and she scrolls through as she navigates.
6:48 PM Caitiff is a Tinker 6 with sub Stranger, Shaker, and Trump designations. He does holograms, smokescreens, and effects that fuck with peoples' heads or powers, and sticks to ambush tactics. He's the only guy left in his gang, the Blackguards -- two of his gang members are in the PRT's cells, at this very moment, Cremator and Verminator.
6:48 PM Cremator is a pyrokinetic with fire that produces a nasty, choking smoke, with the side benefit of fucking over anyone who's trying to keep track of Caitiff with thermal imaging, and he's been with the gang for the longest. Verminator, on the other hand, is pretty new, having joined up recently. She has a Changer power that rips people apart with fang and
6:48 PM claw.
6:48 PM There's not too much she gets out of the briefing, being forced to skim it as she sprints over to her destination, although it turns out that there aren't going to be any squaddies around to help, probably because of her fuck-up earlier. ||
6:51 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "Shit. Shit, shit, shit." I mumble as I get to the equipment room. Two gas masks. Got to find them. Got to keep my shadow armor up. Got to... not break down. These guys sound dangerous. Why the hell was I left here alone? With Forgemaster? Who the Hell decided this was a good idea? I look around the room for a few more things that could possibly be useful.
6:51 PM I'm probably not authorized to use them but at this point... better to beg for forgiveness than to ask permission. ||
6:52 PM A<•Antioch|GM> ((Wits))
6:52 PM S<Saff|Cwn> $roll 1d6 cashy pls
6:52 PM A<[ATM]> Saff|Cwn "cashy pls" [1]  = 1
6:56 PM A<•Antioch|GM> She's probably not authorized to use anything in the room, given that she can't access it. There's a access card lock on the side of the door, and the handle is very firmly locked.
6:56 PM Forgemaster's phone beeps with a few more alerts. Valiant and Fleetfoot are heading back from the fundraiser early to handle things, while Feral, Undine, and one of the squads are cutting their patrols short and heading back, but everyone's ETA is in the ten to twenty minute range. ||
6:57 PM S<Saff|Cwn> Guess I'm rending the door open. I slash at it, because god fucking damnit I'm not dying before the others come back.||
7:02 PM A<•Antioch|GM> Two claw swipes to the hinges and one to the frame on the other side, and the door is loose enough to be shoved out of position, thick, reinforced steel mulched by the spatial distortions left behind. If alarms weren't already going off, they probably would be now.
7:02 PM There's a hefty quantity of gear in the room. Body armor, rifles, shotguns, pistols, cases that contain grenades (which type? there's no telling), two flamethrower-esque devices she remembers are foam sprayers... it's a lot to take in.
7:02 PM Amidst the face masks, she finds a set of gas masks, picking the one that seems closest to her face size and swapping it out with her dog mask. No telling if she put it on properly, if it's airtight -- if it'll even do anything worthwhile against a Tinker's special smoke bombs -- but it's on, at least. ||
7:04 PM S<Saff|Cwn> Great. I grab one for Forgemaster, then as many grenades as I can carry. Maybe I'll get lucky and I won't blow myself up? I've got to get back to Forgemaster before it's too late. I run as quickly as I can back towards the elevator. I can do this. This is my chance to shine. ||
7:06 PM A<•Antioch|GM> Two separate cases of five each. It would be terribly ironic if the grenades she grabbed were smoke bombs, but not in a particularly funny way.
7:06 PM Sprinting back to the Protectorate building is longer, with the heavy equipment in tow, but Forgemaster is standing in the skyway, looking at thick smoke clogging the ground.
7:06 PM "Oh, you found them. Cool." ||
7:09 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "Told you you could count on me." I say, before I hand him the gas mask. "Is mine on right?" I have to make sure. For my piece of mind I guess. "I grabbed some grenades. I don't. I don't know if we're allowed to use them but I got them. Here's your phone." I hand it back to him and take the time to take a few deep breaths. "Now. Let's do this."||
7:13 PM A<•Antioch|GM> He retrieves his phone and takes off his helmet, tossing it onto the floor -- she can feel the impact from where she's standing, and it's probably going to leave a dent. Putting on his own gas mask, he gives hers a cursory glance.
7:13 PM "Looks fine to me." ||
7:14 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "Okay. How can we tell where they are in the building?" I'm in so over my head. I haven't been on a patrol yet, and I was left with the world's shittiest tinker to defend the base. Fuck. ||
7:15 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "He's probably going after the other building," he says, pointing, it appears, to nowhere in particular amidst the fog. "Where they keep the prisoners." ||
7:16 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "Then we go there. Why are you so fucking apathetic?" I roll my eyes at him and start running again, taking the fucking grenades with me. "I don't have time for this."||
7:20 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "The guy does ambush shit, he's not going to be easy to see or pin down, and I'm slow enough that it won't really make a difference if I'm there or not. You do whatever," he says, sounding irritated. ||
7:23 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "I will do whatever. You hold down this building. I'm going over there. I'm not letting anyone down." I say before heading over to the other building. Fucking Caitiff. Fucking Cremator and Verminator. Ruining my nap. ||
7:24 PM A<•Antioch|GM> She takes the elevator down to the ground floor and steps out into the PHQ. Thick clouds of black fog blanket the area. It'd probably be more off-putting if it wasn't something she was used to, at this point, but finding her way through the murk is going to be an ordeal in and of itself. ||
7:41 PM S<Saff|Cwn> I can do this, I think as I try to feel my way through the smoke. The advantage is that it'll be harder for them to see me too. I have to keep quiet. I have to push through. I can't let Valiant down. ||
7:42 PM A<•Antioch|GM> ((Wits))
7:44 PM S<Saff|Cwn> $roll 1d6 pls Cashy ilu
7:44 PM A<[ATM]> Saff|Cwn "pls Cashy ilu" [5]  = 5
7:49 PM A<•Antioch|GM> She wades through the smoke, headed in the direction of the PRT cells, trusting in her navigational sense to point her the right way.
7:49 PM As she does so, it becomes hard to tell if the smoke pouring from her body and the smoke around her are mixing, or if one is pushing away the other. Either way, breathing doesn't seem like it's much of a concern. ||
7:50 PM S<Saff|Cwn> Maybe one of the grenades is a flash bang. Wait. No. That'll blind me. Shit. I keep pushing through the smoke to get to the door. I need to get inside. And damnit. Maybe I should have taken the phone. I have no clue if anyone is close. Shit shit shit. ||
7:55 PM A<•Antioch|GM> She loses track of time as she fumbles her way towards the prison, hands outstretched in front of her to avoid bumping into anything.
7:55 PM Hearing a voice loud enough to be heard over the alarms, apparently awfully close and coming from different directions, she freezes for a moment.
7:55 PM "Oh, Cwn Annwn! Fancy meeting you here. What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"
7:55 PM There's a flippancy to the tone that clashes almost jarringly with the situation at hand, like the speaker can't hear the wailing sirens that threaten to block out the conversation. ||
7:58 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "A girl like me? I'm at home in this smoke." I say, though. God damn I'm nervous and disoriented. The voice doesn't seem to be coming from a single direction. "Now. Come out. I'd love to play."||
7:59 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "Aren't we playing right now? I was always the best, when it came to hide-and-seek. You should thank me, you know." ||
8:01 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "Thank you for what? Waking me up from my nap? I was having a great dream about kicking your ass, Caitiff." I grab one of the grenades, but don't pull the pin. If I can find out where he is... I'll throw it. ||
8:07 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "If I hadn't felt like coming down here and causing a little mayhem, you'd be locked up in PHQ, you know. Bored out of your skull. Watched 24/7."
8:07 PM "You're basically the same as Cremator, you know. Just a prisoner. Difference is, they have to pretend to be nice to you."
8:07 PM Caitiff's voice still seems to come from multiple angles, and the alarm wail is only making it harder to pin down the exact source. She doesn't turn around to try and get a better sense -- no use losing her bearings and ending up not being able to find her way to the cells. ||
8:10 PM S<Saff|Cwn> He's kind of right. But. He doesn't need to know that. "You're out of your mind. I'm not a prisoner. This hound's free to howl, Caitiff." However, I don't give him a demonstration. If I can get to the doors I can seal them off with rend portals. He won't stand a chance. ||
8:16 PM A<•Antioch|GM> Soldiering on in the direction of the cells, she still hears Caitiff talking -- his voice doesn't seem to get any softer or louder, despite her moving (away? towards? it's hard to tell, directionally).
8:16 PM "You stick out like a sore thumb here, Cwn. You could ditch them, you know. All this smoke? They wouldn't be able to keep track of you. There'd be bigger things to deal with, at any rate." ||
8:24 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "I'm not leaving, Jackass. I like working with people who don't want to burn me because I flashed the Internet." God damn. This guy really doesn't shut up. Wait. Is that his tactic? Is he trying to rile me up? Has he been watching the base all along? Did he watch me lose it on Sirocco? "I'm going to stop you. I'm a hero."||
8:25 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "Be a good dog all you want," he says, and she can practically hear the shrug that accompanies it -- "at the end of the day, you're still going back into the kennel." ||
8:37 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "Everyone likes to make fun of the dog thing. It's getting kind of old, Caitiff. I get it." I keep walking towards the door. Seal the exit. Wait for Valiant to come. I've got to do this. I've got to be good for him. ||
8:39 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "I could fix your smoke, you know. It wouldn't be especially hard to do." ||
8:48 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "You're not touching me." I shout. Anyway. That train already sailed. Thanks QuickDraw. The idea of that slimeball being anywhere near me... nah. No. No thanks. I have to make it to the ducking door.||
8:51 PM A<•Antioch|GM> Quack. At least Duck Queen isn't a concern anymore.
8:51 PM "Ah well. If that's how you wanna play it, that's how it's gonna be. Shame, really. You're much shittier of a hero than you were a villain." ||
8:54 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "I know that, you cock." I hiss. God damn. Maybe I should throw a grenade. But... I take a deep breath and run as fast as I can towards the door. I can't let him try to break me. ||
8:59 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "Let no one say I didn't try! Don't let down more people than you already have, y'hear?"
8:59 PM She bumps into a wall, starts feeling blindly along it to find the entrance.
8:59 PM "Have fun -- well, as much as you can, in this place, which is to say, none at all. Ta!" ||
9:00 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "Come back, asshole." I shout as I fumble for the door. Get inside. Rend the doorway. Defend the perimeter. I can do this. Though. God. Caitiff's fucking voice is still vibrating in my head. I know. I'm a shitty hero. ||
9:04 PM A<•Antioch|GM> After some further fumbling, she manages to find her way to the reinforced doorway to the holding cell complex. It's locked. Which makes sense. Who wouldn't lock a jail?
9:04 PM Caitiff seems to be silent, now, and she hasn't suffered any of the ill effects of the smoke -- her breathing isn't even worse than usual, which is a slight curiosity. Maybe she's breathing in her own smoke, and that's fine. ||
9:06 PM S<Saff|Cwn> Okay. In front of the door. I just have to leave rend portals in front of it. Maybe... Maybe Valiant is on his way. And maybe he'll be proud that I've done so much to help. Maybe he'll... I stop. I can feel the heat rise to my face. I know I'm blushing fucking hard. "Come on Caitiff. We were having such fun. Someone's got to entertain me out here!"||
9:07 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "Actually, I wasn't really having fun. You're 10,000,000,000% more boring than I thought you'd be. What a letdown. Later." ||
9:08 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "What? Did you think I'd come out here and tear you to shreds? You're hiding. I can't exactly sink my claws into you if I can't find you, Caitiff. You fucking coward!" I swipe at the air in front of the doors, leaving jagged purple marks in the air.
9:11 PM Where the hell is he? Why is he trying to play mind games with me? Has he been watching me all along? After I leave the marks, I press my right thumb into the wound on my left wrist. I have to make sure I'm still all here. I need to save the day, and show Mendez and Valiant that I /can/ do this. I'm... I'm ready to be a hero. ||
9:17 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "Oh boo hoo, sorry for having a power that makes me the king of fucking cowardice. Have fun yellin' at smoke. I'm outta here." ||
9:17 PM -||
9:17 PM The sensation of the not-fully-healed cut keeps her... more grounded than she'd otherwise be.
9:19 PM Standing in the middle of a bunch of dark fog, her back to an already-locked prison and some holes in space? She doesn't feel especially heroic, especially with Caitiff heckling her from the shadows. ||
9:21 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "I have fucking smoke too, fuckhead!" I shout. God damn. Maybe I should start throwing the grenades. I get one in my hand... Feel its weight... Yeah. "At least I'm not a goddamn coward! I might be Mendez's dog, but I'm standing out here and fighting!"||
9:22 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "Uh, sure. Have fun fighting the air. Peace." ||
9:24 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "No. No. You're not fucking running away from me!" I feel like a moron. Where are the others? Why don't I have a squad? Why am I so fucking alone all the god damn time? No one wants to be around me. That's why Forgemaster didn't want to fight....
9:26 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "No. Gwyn. Stop. You can't do this right now. Clear head. Deep breaths." I try to keep myself grounded, pressing on the wounds some more. Quickdraw wants to be my friend. Gigawatt shared her onion rings with me. Valiant... God damnit. "Caitiff, come out. You're boring me to death."||
9:27 PM A<•Antioch|GM> There's no response, this time. It'd almost be quiet – eerily so – if it weren't for those goddamn howling alarms. ||
9:31 PM S<Saff|Cwn> I'm worried that he's inside the building. I can't /see/ anything. I really wish I had my phone on me. Then again, I didn't look very hard. Maybe it's in one of the pockets? Shit. If he's inside the building, I should be to. But I've sealed the exit and if I claw through the walls then Mendez will actually rip me a new asshole. Think, Gwyn. I don't.... I
9:31 PM don't know how to handle this. No one has taught me anything since I got here. All it's been is a parade of 'Hey Gwyn you're a basket case.' and 'Hey Gwyn you're not good enough to be here.'
9:31 PM I know all that. I /know/ that I don't deserve this chance. But I have to at least try. "CAITIFF."||
9:33 PM A<•Antioch|GM> No phone. Empty pockets. Can't see. No response.
9:34 PM A<•Antioch|GM> It's been so long since she's had the opportunity to fight, to act on her urges and not get punished for it – and she's barking at shadows. There's nobody there for her to fight. ||
9:34 PM S<Saff|Cwn> That's it. I'm throwing a grenade into the smoke, and then I'll make it through the walls. If something is going on inside of the prison, I'm going to stop it. ||
9:36 PM A<•Antioch|GM> $roll 1d6 Fragmentation|Teargas|Flashbang|Flashbang|Foam|Foam
9:36 PM A<[ATM]> Antioch|GM "Fragmentation|Teargas|Flashbang|Flashbang|Foam|Foam" [4]  = 4
9:36 PM A<•Antioch|GM> ((Withstand roll, please.))
9:36 PM S<Saff|Cwn> ((What's my roll for that again?))
9:37 PM A<•Antioch|GM> ((I think it's 2h6+1))
9:37 PM S<Saff|Cwn> $roll 2h6+1
9:37 PM A<[ATM]> Saff|Cwn (3) [4] +1 = 5
9:38 PM A<•Antioch|GM> $lesser shock
9:38 PM A<[ATM]> [Torso] [Any 3] Thrown: Knocked away and back, STAGGERED.  KNOCKED DOWN if recently shocked.
9:39 PM A<•Antioch|GM> ((One more Withstand, please))
9:39 PM S<Saff|Cwn> $roll 2h6+1
9:39 PM A<[ATM]> Saff|Cwn (2) [6] +1 = 7
9:41 PM A<•Antioch|GM> A bright light sears her eyes – she's completely unprepared for it, and the gas mask lenses aren't tinted. Her whole world goes white for a moment, and she's effectively blinded, not that she could see through the smoke anyways.
9:42 PM What's worse, though, is that her ears ring a single high-pitched whine, and the flash of light seems to have stripped away some of her smoke.
9:43 PM Even with the gas mask on, she finds herself doubled over, coughing, trying to catch her breath as her throat burns. ||
9:46 PM S<Saff|Cwn> No. Shit. I fucked up. I fucked up so bad. Losing my smoke /sucks/. It tastes like metal and makes my skin itch and tingle in ways that are just /wrong./ "God damnit." I cough. I've got to get myself back on my feet. I can't let Caitiff get away with this. I can't be a failure. I can't... I can't... I drop to my knees, trying to recalibrate myself before I
9:46 PM go for the prison. I need to get inside. I need to stop him. I need to prove that I'm worth more than.... than this.||
9:48 PM A<•Antioch|GM> It takes her a moment to get her bearings, leaning against the wall and waiting for her smoke to pour back over her.
9:49 PM Enough forms over her hands to solidify into her signature claws. They'll cut through anything, this included.
9:49 PM Okay. Okay. She can do this. ||
9:52 PM S<Saff|Cwn> As much as I hated the smoke... God damnit it's my security blanket now. I need it. I thrive off of it. It's as much of a part of me as my heart, or my kidneys. I'm going to do this. I'm going to get inside, going to claw through the walls and stop Caitiff. I need to. I can't... I can't screw up. I swipe as hard as I can, digging through the exterior. I have
9:52 PM to do this. I /have/ to. I'm not weak. I'm broken... but that's... That can be fixed. I have to show them. Show /Valiant./||
9:54 PM A<•Antioch|GM> One swipe across. Another. A third, a fourth, gouging deep enough to breach the other side.
9:56 PM Put her back into it, rip, tear, and she's got a makeshift entryway. The unsupported segment of wall crashes onto the floor where she pushed it inward.
9:56 PM Alright, good. She's in. She ca—
9:56 PM "CONTAINMENT BREACHED," a digitized voice announces from within the prison annex.
9:56 PM ((Athletics roll, please.))
9:57 PM S<Saff|Cwn> $roll 1d6 oh god cashy please
9:57 PM A<[ATM]> Saff|Cwn "oh god cashy please" [6]  = 6
9:58 PM A<•Antioch|GM> She hears a bubbling hiss, diving out of the way of the aperture by way of reflex before she even knows what's happened.
9:59 PM In milliseconds, the hiss becomes a gush, and the ceiling mounted foam sprayers violently deposit their payload through the entire prison.
10:00 PM Even out of the way, she can feel flecks and globs of containment foam splash onto her, growing into fist-sized lumps that cling onto her costume. ||
10:01 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "No god damnit." I shout. I've fucked everything up. I'm going to be stuck her. I'm going to be stuck in fucking foam and Caitiff is going to get away and Valiant is going to hate me and I'm going to go to fucking /prison/ and.... God damnit. I can't breathe again. It's not from the smoke. Just the fact that I'm a massive failure. Maybe Caitiff was right.
10:01 PM Maybe I should have run off with him. Let him mess around with my body. Let him fucking break me. Maybe that's what I deserve for being a worthless sack of shit. ||
10:04 PM A<•Antioch|GM> She's far enough away from the interior of the prison that she seems to be clear of the worst of it. From the hole she cut out, she can faintly make out the shape of a tube of foam, extruded from the aperture. What's covering her doesn't seem to immobilize her, though the blobs here and there are inconvenient. ||
10:06 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "CAITIFF I KNOW YOU'RE OUT HERE. FUCKING. LISTEN TO ME YOU SACK OF SHIT." I scream, even though at this point it's screaming into the void. If he is out there, then he'll just come and kill me. Great. "FIGHT ME. RIGHT NOW. COME HERE AND FUCKING FACE ME YOU COWARD."||
10:07 PM A<•Antioch|GM> Nothing.
10:07 PM She gets nothing.
10:07 PM No fight.
10:07 PM No response.
10:07 PM No outlet.
10:07 PM No chance to prove herself a hero. ||
10:09 PM S<Saff|Cwn> It's infuriating. Absolutely infuriating. This was my chance. My one /fucking/ chance. And they're just going to see how much I failed. They're going to hate me. To laugh at me. Look at poor stupid Gwyn, can't even stop Caitiff. Can't do anything but get herself flashbanged and covered in foam. My head is pounding. I want to hurt someone. To tear something
10:09 PM to shreds. That animalistic part of my brain, the part that everyone has been trying to shut up is just... reeling. "CAITIFF. COME OUT COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!"
10:09 PM I go running into the smoke. What do I have left to lose?||
10:10 PM A<•Antioch|GM> Her sense of direction, for one.
10:10 PM Surrounded by smoke, no idea where she's headed, she screams herself hoarse.
10:11 PM No sight of Caitiff, save for the ubiquitous smoke. ||
10:15 PM S<Saff|Cwn> He's doing this on purpose. He's trying to use my weaknesses against me. He's trying to lock me into my head and drive me absolutely insane. That has to be it. And it's /working./ God. Even Wink would have the mercy to rip me open and give me a reason to scream before he murdered me. Instead I'm here. And floundering. And god how long has it been? Have the
10:15 PM others returned? Have they just left me out here to rot? Or did they assume I took advantage of the chaos to leave? To run off and return to my old life? The silence... or rather. The lack of communication, the alarms are making it so it's not so silent, is deafening. ||
10:19 PM A<•Antioch|GM> Lost in her own thoughts, she loses track of time – a powerful gust of wind jolts her from her self-loathing.
10:20 PM The smoke around her clears, blown away, Caitiff's being swept farther out while hers clings to her body, forming a dense, wispy armor.
10:22 PM At the epicenter of the storm, dispersing the miasma around it, is a tall, thin obelisk. Sirocco, armor tinted a golden red from the lights of the alarm system, stands atop it.
10:22 PM ||
10:23 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "I never thought I'd be happy to see you." I say, taking a deep breath. "I... I'm not fit to serve the Queen. I'm not. I tried, but I'm not strong enough." I take a step towards him, my head hung in defeat. "You were right! How bad is it? Did Caitiff get away?"||
10:24 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "This smoke is coming from somewhere," Sirocco replies, ignoring her questions. "Find the source. Destroy it." ||
10:25 PM S<Saff|Cwn> "Aye aye, Captain." I say. There has to be a source, right? I look around to try to find it. It has to be somewhere. It /has/ to be. This can't be the end. This CANNOT.||
10:26 PM A<•Antioch|GM> ((Wits))
10:26 PM S<Saff|Cwn> $roll 1d6 cashy i'll sacrifice a virgin 2 u
10:26 PM A<[ATM]> Saff|Cwn "cashy i'll sacrifice a virgin 2 u" [5]  = 5
10:29 PM A<•Antioch|GM> As Sirocco's gale grows in strength, the smoke dissipates further.
10:32 PM A<•Antioch|GM> There are places where it tends to cluster, even as the wind shoves it away. Three, in all, and it doesn't take her too long to pick them out – her eyes have had plenty of time to adjust to the darkness.
10:33 PM She feels her strength drain away as Sirocco's storm nips at her, but it's not enough to keep her from making the trip to each source.
10:35 PM Arranged in a triangular formation, there are three odd, bulky machines – fog machines, almost. One swipe of her claws and they're reduced to twisted scrap metal. ||
10:37 PM <Saff|Cwn> "Got them, Sirocco." I call over as I return to his pillar. The winds are helpful... she just wish they weren't trying to drain her like they did before. "You... I need to thank you. And apologize. For before." He's probably not listening. Whatever. I feel better just by saying it. "I'm sorry for attacking you. I was wrong. Now. Let's go find Caitiff and
10:37 PM kick his ass." I crack a smile on my face for the first time since I last saw Mal. God damn. I miss him.||
10:42 PM A<•Antioch|GM> "The prison is secure. Moreso, now that it's drowning in foam."
10:43 PM The storm dies down, and slowly, her strength returns.
10:44 PM "Hunting Caitiff won't be needed, tonight. It's enough that he failed." ||
10:47 PM S<Saff|Cwn> I go quiet and kick at the ground. "He got away. I fucked up. I fucked this whole thing. And now there's a hole in the goddamn wall and..." I take off the gas mask and spike it at the ground. "Fucking. /FUCK./" I ruined it all. I fucked it all up. "Let's just. Go inside. Make sure I don't punch Forgemaster in the fucking /cock/."||
10:49 PM A<•Antioch|GM> Slowly, the rest of the Protectorate trickle in.
10:50 PM They convene in one of the Protectorate meeting rooms. Debriefings from all parties, starting with the ones actually present.
10:51 PM A<•Antioch|GM> Before they begin, something's wrong. She can't immediately put her finger on it.
10:51 PM Gigawatt's not present, but that's not quite it. Forgemaster, who she'd just assumed was dragging his feet, being useless per usual, doesn't show up.
10:52 PM He's not in the lab.
10:52 PM As far as anyone can tell, he's simply gone.
10:52 PM ||||