Saff's so far

<Antioch|GM> ...
<Antioch|GM> It's better, at least, than being woken up by the PRT headquarters sirens.
<Antioch|GM> Her phone buzzes and rattles on her nightstand.
<Antioch|GM> NOTIFICATION: CLEVELAND CRISIS ALERT, ALL-HANDS MEETING.
<Antioch|GM> Fifteen minutes from now, fifth floor of the PRT tower. There are more notifications and alerts on her phone, but this one's clearly the more pressing amongst them. ||
<Saff|Gwyn>  /Fucking Christ,/ Gwyn thinks as she pulls herself out of bed. At least there's time for a quick shower before she has to put her costume on. No time to do her hair. Whatever. That doesn't matter. She starts wiping the sleep from her eyes and tries to check the other notifications on her way to the bathroom. Have things gotten worse in town? ||
<Antioch|GM> Much worse, as it happens.
<Antioch|GM> Rioting, house fires, looting, muggings, outright violence, property damage, vandalism...
<Antioch|GM> There was enough chaos involved in dealing with the Tinkers outside of town, but now the city proper has gone to hell too.
<Antioch|GM> The PRT squads have already been deployed to help out the police, and there's no way that certain parties in town (Caitiff comes to mind) won't take advantage of the chaos. ||
<Saff|Gwyn> Great. Just great.
<Saff|Gwyn> Gwyn showers quickly, gets into her costume, and then heads upstairs. Better to be early than late, and maybe she could ask someone what the hell is going on? Why did things get worse pretty much overnight? What the hell happened while she slept?
<Saff|Gwyn> She stops herself, taking a few deep breaths. Got to stay calm. Can't fly off the handle, even though it still feels like something is drilling into her skull and screaming for her to rip someone limb from limb. Even with all the bullshit going on in town, she's pretty sure Mendez would rip her seven new assholes if she killed someone. ||
<Antioch|GM> As she crosses the skybridge over to the Protectorate building, nervously glancing every which was, a looming shadow causes her to hesitate.
<Antioch|GM> A gigantic Tinkertech castle is hovering over the base. ||
<Saff|Gwyn> "What the actual fuck?" Gwyn mutters to herself. She stops to look at it. Have the tinkers stormed the PRT? Or is this an ally? ||
<Antioch|GM> The alarms aren't going off and it doesn't seem to be raining lasers or missiles down on anyone, so hopefully it's the latter.
<Antioch|GM> She's the eighth person in the briefing room when she gets up there. Valiant, Feral, and Sirocco are talking to four capes that she doesn't recognize -- the reinforcements mentioned on her phone, probably. ||
<Saff|Gwyn> Gwyn walks up to the group and gives a small wave.
<Saff|Gwyn> "Morning." She says, though her voice isn't loud. She doesn't want to look at Sirocco, mostly because she still feels guilty about trying to kill him. Instead she keeps her focus on Valiant. "What's the deal with the... thing outside?" ||
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<Antioch|GM> A woman in a Tinkertech bodysuit waves her hand. "That's mine."
<Antioch|GM> She pauses, raising her hand to her mouth in mock concern. "I didn't leave the lights on, did I?"
<Antioch|GM> Nobody in the room laughs. ||
<Saff|Gwyn> Tough crowd. In any other situation, it'd probably be funny.
<Saff|Gwyn> "I'm Cwn Annwn. I mean. You probably knew that. From... The smoke. I'm the only one who smokes. Not like, cigarettes. Just." Gwyn kind of gestures towards her skin. Again, it's not really funny. Her shadows coalesce onto her skin to hide her from the group, and she frowns. "I'm sorry. I'll just. Valiant, what's the news?" ||
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<Antioch|GM> "From what we can tell, an investigator in the HPIA unleashed a lot of blackmail and threats to maximum effect, though we're not certain what about the 'why' of it. The timing couldn't be worse, though, as it ties up our resources and means we're less equipped to deal with our primary focus, the Tinkers. To that end, Avalon, Hammerwatch, Crimson Hand, and
<Antioch|GM> Liar's Dice are here as temporary reinforcements to help us out."
<Antioch|GM> "Howdy," the cape in the massive suit of gunmetal-grey armor says, raising a hand.
<Antioch|GM> "Regardless, we're splitting up our forces into suppressing the in-city chaos while trying to either stymie the efforts of Tinkers that will be taking advantage of the chaos or just eliminating them." ||
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<Saff|Gwyn> Gwyn nods. "Right."
<Saff|Gwyn> Blackmail? Holy fuck. At least all of the dirt on her is already out in the open. Right?
<Saff|Gwyn> "So... I'm assuming this meeting will touch on all of that?" She's still not used to how the Protectorate works. In Blackjack, it was mostly just a matter of running around and doing shit until Wink told you to stop. ||
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<Antioch|GM> "Not to any great length," Valiant replies, shaking his head. "This is more coordinating to deal with the fallout, giving various groups target objectives. The sooner we're actually out there putting a stop to things, the better."
<Antioch|GM> A few other capes come in. Undine, a cape in chain mail with a rapier at his side, some of the Wards, a woman in crystalline armor. ||
<Saff|Gwyn> Gwyn quickly looks away from Undine and looks down at the floor. "Do you know what my assignment is? Or am I just stuck here again?" ||
<Antioch|GM> "Yeah," Valiant replies. "You're with me, Hammerwatch, and Topaz." He gestures to the cape in the massive armor and the crystal woman in turn.
<Antioch|GM> "We're securing the perimeter of the Tinker zone and tightening the net." ||
<Saff|Gwyn> Holy shit with /Valiant?/
<Saff|Gwyn> Gwyn feels her shadow armor coalesce on her skin once again. She doesn't need these people to know what she's thinking. It dissipates a few seconds later, and she blinks as if nothing happened.
<Saff|Gwyn> "Topaz and Hammerwatch?" She asks, trying to ignore the part where they're deploying her into Tinker goddamn Hell. ||
<Antioch|GM> "Protectorate Critical," Topaz says, forming a spike of crystal in her hand. "Flight, containment crystals."
<Antioch|GM> "Oh, uh," Hammerwatch says, taking her cue. "Department 31. Antigravity blasts and telekinesis." ||
<Saff|Gwyn> Protectorate Critical? Shit. They've really brought in the big guns.
<Saff|Gwyn> "Cwn Annwn. Um. Claws?" Gwyn says. ||
<Antioch|GM> "We've discussed your file," Topaz replies. "We'll be relying on your spatial distortions and Hammerwatch's terrain displacement to form a barrier outside the facility we believe to be Longinus's base." ||
<Saff|Gwyn> "Right." Gwyn nods. They're relying on her? Oh god. That's...
<Saff|Gwyn> /Stop. Breathe. In. Out. Look at Valiant. You can't crumple in front of him./
<Saff|Gwyn> "Keep the Tinkers out. Right. What's even supposed to be in there? Why is everyone going shit crazy bananas over it?" Gwyn asks. She only knows of Longinus because he put Wink out of commission, which led to Mortal Lock taking over and kicking her ass. And if he's not dead... is he after what's in there too?
<Saff|Gwyn> "Do we have a comprehensive list of... um... The tinkers that'll be in there?" Gwyn asks. ||
<-> Turncoat is now known as Turn|Heartless
<Antioch|GM> "From what I'm able to gather, some form of device that's supposed to improve or amplify Tinkertech," Topaz says. "Only Tinkers are after it, and the ones I've been speaking to have been cagey on the details."
<Antioch|GM> "High-Spec, Greaser, G.G., Caitiff, Russian Roulette, Greasemonkey, and some others in addition to that. Mortal Lock may be one of them. I can fill you in on them later, after the meeting." ||
<Saff|Gwyn> Gwyn sucks in a breath. "That's what I was afraid of."
<Saff|Gwyn> She thinks about that fucking taser thing that he zapped her with, and the idea of being hit with it at full force makes her want to puke. "Are you sure I'm the best person to send in there? If he's there, I mean?" ||
<Antioch|GM> "We'll have your back," she replies, giving a reassuring smile. "I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say you'll have the support of three of the Protectorate's best." ||
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<Saff|Gwyn> It's a small reassurance, but she's still quite nervous.
<Saff|Gwyn> "All right. Thank you." Gwyn wonders if she should have grabbed something to eat before coming here, as her stomach is doing flips. So much can happen at the literal epicenter of Hell. "I can do this." ||
<Antioch|GM> One by one, the rest of the capes arrive. Fleetfoot arrives with Ripcord in tow, Lumina comes in looking disheveled and preoccupied...
<Antioch|GM> Valiant stands at the center of the room, the window looking over the city his backdrop. There are multiple plumes of smoke dotting the horizon.
<Antioch|GM> "The city is in crisis, so I'll keep this fast. All of the squads save for Squad 3 have been deployed to assist the police in peacekeeping efforts. Liar's Dice, Undine, Knuckleball, Switchblade, Embody, and Ripcord, you're our primary strike force. Isolating and capturing priority targets. Avalon will handle your deployment, but your targets will be informed
<Antioch|GM> by Liar's Dice and his ability."
<Antioch|GM> "Sirocco, Crimson Hand, the two of you will lead individual teams for nonlethal riot suppression and crowd control. Crimson Hand, you'll be with Feral and Joyeuse."
<Antioch|GM> "Fleetfoot, you'll be with Sirocco. Topaz, Hammerwatch, Cwn Annwn and I will create a perimeter about the Tinker zone and tighten the net."
<Antioch|GM> "Gigawatt, Vorpal, Indomitable, and Lumina, the four of you will be flexible response, though we're expecting you to be deployed to the Tinker zone as stragglers slip through or attempt to bolt."
<Antioch|GM> "Understood?"
<Antioch|GM> ||
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<Saff|Gwyn> Gwyn nods along. It's all information she already heard from Valiant. Still, she can't help but watch him. He's so strong, and confident, and everything that she's not. Her armor starts to try to solidify, but she catches it and makes it rescind. It's an annoying quirk of hers. ||