ooc: this will be my 666th post on this forum board, muhahaha
ooc: due to the slowdown on game time, I'm going to fudge through the last few moments of this chapter to blaze towards Chapter 7 and back on track with regular posting. Not trying to railroad things too much, but I'm going to pull the seperated scenes back together.At the homeless shelter as Spellbound completes restoring Solo to full health, two men in grey coveralls wearing sleeve patches that read "Paladin Institute" walk in and approach the two superhumans. They show ID badges to both of them and explain that they are from a privately-funded organization that protects the Earth from supernatural threats, and that Maximillian Pride of the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a ranking member on their board of trustees. One of them examines the glowing symbols on the mysterious pendant around Solo's neck and says to the other "It's a crude replica of one of the Seven Keys. Jacobs' key. This is not good."
Before any questions can be asked, the man examining the pendant specifically looks at Solo and tells him point blank "We know you are innocent of the the terrorist attack on the plane in Italy last year. You might say we have mutual enemies. Our scientists developed some of the teleportation nano-circuitry implanted into your brain by the US Army. We know it was not you that betrayed Omega Strike, but we can not expose our sources and methods at this time. But, we can assist you in clearing your name if you will help us."
Looking at Spellbound, the Paladin agent continues, "Flashdance is one of our field agents. Both of you, please come with us. We need to get you and the rest of the group off the streets. We'll brief you all once you're all together. This danger with Bartholomew Jacob's grimoire is much, much more serious than anticipated."
The Paladin agents lead Spellbound and Solo quickly to a waiting van outside.
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Flashdance stands atop the overturned dumpster containing the blinded Dreadnought robot. Elixir has drained another robot's power supply, while another is frozen solid in a block of translucent ice.
Windchill has seriously injured himself ripping a Dreadnought's spike out of his gut. It seems the spikes have barbs intended to tear flesh if they are pulled out without surgery. He needs hospitalization.
Oldschool rouses from being stunned, looking around to see that the battle is over.
Firefighting boats continue to hose down the pier area, containing the flames. They should have the situation under control in a few hours.
News helicopters continue to flutter to and fro around the scene.
Flashdance's baseball bat beeps out a cheesey country song, and he slides a panel back on the handle end, revealing a cellphone text message screen. After reading the message, Flashdance looks up and tells everyone, "the cavalry has arrived."
Several vans pull up, cordoning off the area in a half-mile radius with roadblocks. The news helicopters fly away suddenly, replaced by SHIELD and Homeland Security helicopter gunships patrolling over the pier area as firefighters continue to work on the blazing warehouses. A medical team quickly rounds up Windchill, as others that look like technicians hoist the drained robot and the robot encased in ice and load them into a van.
The medical team and the technicians all wear patches that read "Paladin Institute."
A van with the Paladin Institute logo pulls up almost to the dumpster Flashdance is standing on, and Maximillian Pride steps out. Spellbound and Solo peer out of the door of the van.
Some Paladin agents are arguing with arriving SHIELD and Homeland Security agents over jurisdiction, but then suddenly they move aside and let the Paladin agents continue to work the scene.
They collect as many of the glass globes of strange colored liquids as they can as Flashdance explains to Shockwave, Elixir, and Oldschool that "these are my people. Go with them, I'll see you there."
With that, the air around Flashdance glistens with bright light as he and the dumpster he's standing on disappears, taking the Dreadnought trapped underneath with him.
The Paladin agents turn over the crate filled with Kick to the SHIELD agents as Shockwave, Oldschool, and Elixir get in the van with Solo and Spellbound. Windchill is carried away quickly by the medical team in another van.
Maximillian Pride slumps into a seat in the van with the heroes as a Paladin agent takes his blood pressure. The agent says, "Mr. Pride, you're exerting your powers too much. Those SHIELD agents have never been more agreeable. Just a few minutes longer, sir, and we'll be back at the outpost."
The van carries the heroes away from the scene quickly. Maximillian Pride says to the heroes, "please save your questions until we're secure."
As the van passes the vandalized museum SUV, Shockwave notices Paladin agents rigging it up onto a flatbed wrecker tow truck.
The van drives though southern Manhattan, reaching the Angel Towers building, pulling into a sub-basement garage beneath One Angel Tower.
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ooc: the briefing, and all questions answered, will come at the start of chapter 7.
Take this opportunity to formulate questions.... ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
Renegade, wait for Chapter 7 to begin, they'll be a quick tie-in there for you.