conversations: human
conversations:  It's a normal autumn day in New York; at least, as normal as any day could be in these times. Yet, the streets are deserted. The city's numbers had been decreasing ever since people gone off to fight in the war but this... this is something else. As you watch the streets, you see a group of younger people walking purposefully through the town, talking excitedly amongst themselves. Further away, in Time Square, you can see and hear an enormous crowd gathering, but who, or what, could rally the entire town like this? You decide to forget what you're doing for the moment to see what this is all about, or perhaps you've already pushed your way to the square.
conversations: Business Scrub:
conversations: human
conversations:  Adina Teferi clambered up the last few steps onto the roof of the Times Square Information Center and peered over the edge down at the swarming crowd.  It seemed like all of Manhattan, hell, all of New York, was descending on the Square.
  
  This part of town was not her usual stomping grounds, but the bizarre activity had led her to grab her "superhero" gear before heading out.  In reality, it was a rather modest collection of equipment; a stun gun, a Leatherman tool, her phone, and an asp.  She also had a homemade domino mask tucked in her pocket.  She grabbed the railing and leaned out over the edge, trying to see what had everyone in New York out in the streets.
  
   
   Spoiler 
   (1d20+7)[ 15 ]  Notice Check
   
conversations: ripleycat:
conversations: human
conversations:  Unit 6 had chosen a simpler route - the sidewalks and building sides of Times Square would be perfect to slip into.
  
  She had no need for equipment to use her abilities, so she was dressed in plainclothes, trying to observe what was going on...
  
   
   Spoiler 
   (1d20+2)[ 10 ] 
   
conversations: NekoIncardine:
conversations: human
conversations:  John stayed hidden in the nearby alleyways while watching the crowd. It wasn't that he couldn't just go out there, but a 9' tall metal man does tend to stick out even in New York. Squinting, he tried to see over the crowd to whatever they were gathering around.
  
   
   Spoiler 
  
  Notice
   (1d20+2)[ 11 ] 
   
conversations: GFawkes:
conversations: human
conversations:  James put down his beer when he heard the commotion outside.  He swore under his breath as he searched for his pistol.  He couldn't carry a rifle out in the middle of the street, so the M9 would have to do.  After opening the door he saw just how huge the crowd was that was rushing past him.  He moved with them, though he always pulled a step back from the main group.  If this was a trap, he wanted an easy escape route.
  
   
   Spoiler 
  Notice:  (1d20+4)[ 10 ] 
   
conversations: Dienekes:
conversations: human
conversations:  As the four of you watch the crowd, you here a scream erupt, and a single gunshot from somewhere in the center. The crowd begins to part in areas: one around an injured policeman in the center, and six smaller areas. The six small gaps in the crowd seem to move, as if the people are avoiding some things that are moving, spreading to the outside of the square.
conversations: Business Scrub:
conversations: human
conversations:  Unit 6 responded by moving towards the square's edge - she was guessing some kind of blockade, and getting caught in it, while not too bad for her, was still dispreferable... She had to see what one of the things was, though, and that could be harder...
conversations: NekoIncardine:
conversations: human
conversations:  Oh no, what now?    Faster than most people could react, Adina had her mask on and leapt over the railing, rolling smoothly out of her landing on the level below.  She dashed to the edge and dropped down another floor, sliding down a drainpipe.  Sprinting along the edge of the roof, she tried to keep pace and cut off one of the moving holes in the crowd.
  
  She couldn't' make out clearly who or what the things were, but people seemed frightened by them, and something making a run for it after a cop was shot was pretty unlikely to be friendly.
conversations: ripleycat:
conversations: human
conversations:  Seeing the downed officer, Iron John leapt into action. Literally. Pushing off hard against the ground, he bounded into the air, landing near the nearest moving clump.
  
   "Now wha' in tha' blazes o' Hell be goin' on 'ere?"  he called in a loud and angry voice.
conversations: GFawkes:
conversations: human
conversations:  As soon as he heard the shot ring out James pulled out his pistol.  He moved into a crouch, his eyes moving wildly to get a clear picture of what was happening.  Six unknown enemies moving from the point of confrontation.  Moving to the side James hid around the corner in wait for whatever new monster he had to fight.
  
   
   Spoiler 
   (1d20+7)[ 8 ] 
   
conversations: Dienekes:
conversations: human
conversations:  In the center of the parting crowds, a small... thing scuttles. It looks unlike any creature you've seen, yet surprisingly simple: a small, stocky, three legged thing with bulbous, featureless head. It walks along, seemingly heedless of the crowd around it. By now this one and the five others have almost reached the edges of the square.
conversations: Business Scrub:
conversations: human
conversations:  "Wha' th' bloody 'ell is this monstrosity?"  Iron John says, picking the...thing with his left hand.
  
   
   Spoiler 
  
  Just to be on the safe side here, grapple check.
   (1d20+14)[ 29 ] 
  
  Though to be honest, I don't quite see how I'm not going to be able to pick it up.
   
conversations: GFawkes:
conversations: human
conversations:  "Stay back, folks.   What on God's green Earth is that?"    Adina vaults down off the roof, landing a few feet away from the... thing.  She's filled with an almost overwhelming urge to poke it with a stick.  It just seems like the natural reaction to the odd being.
  
  Adina doesn't have a stick, but she does have a collapsible baton.  She pulls out the asp and takes a few cautious jabs at the creature, while staying light on her feet, ready to react if it proved hostile.   "Hey, buddy.  Can you talk?  What are you?" 
   
   Spoiler 
  Initiative:  (1d20+8)[ 16 ] 
  
  Move: Draw asp.
  Standard: Feint (using Acrobatic Bluff)  (1d20+9)[ 20 ] 
   
conversations: ripleycat:
conversations: human
conversations:  Iron John pries the little creature off the ground, immediately noticing it ridiculously heavy for its small size, though not heavy enough to stop him. It squirms in his grip, the pointed ends of its legs scratching and flailing wildly. The crowd around Iron John is quiet for a moment as he lifts it, then erupts with questions.  "What is that thing?!"
  "Is it yours?"
  "What about the cop? Is he ok? We heard a gunshot." 
  
  The creature near Adina doesn't respond to her prods or talk even slightly, it just keeps making its way to the edge of the crowd. Meanwhile, Adina is ambushed with similar questions, but the people back away from the critter a bit more at her direction.
  
   
   Spoiler 
  Opposed Grapple check for the little guy with Iron John. If greater than his, he breaks free (though I doubt it...)  (1d20+3)[ 18 ] 
   
conversations: Business Scrub:
conversations: human
conversations:  As one of the creatures draws near James whirls out of his cover, pointing his pistol at the creature.  " Stop !" he shouts.  " Tell me what happened here ."
  
  Who knows maybe he'll get lucky and the thing will actually understand him.
conversations: Dienekes:
conversations: human
conversations:  "Hell if I know what it is."   Adina admits to the flurry of questions.  Whatever it was, it didn't seem overtly dangerous.  Aside from its pointed legs, it had no visible weapons, and wasn't being aggressive, just single-minded, if it even had a mind.  Still,  something  had injured a police officer, and that meant assuming the worst.
  
   "All right..."   Adina glances around the crowd and finds a greying, competent-looking man in construction worker's gear.  Probably a foreman or something like that.  He'd do.  "Sir, can you keep an eye on this thing and keep people away from it?  Just for a few seconds.  I need to go take care of that cop.  I'll be right back, I swear.  Faster than you'd believe."   She turned back to the crowd, speaking loudly and clearly without yelling.   "Anyone here a doctor, nurse, EMT, anything like that?  Please come with me, I'll clear you a path." 
  
  Adina had to do some first aid training for her courier job.  It had been a while, but if there was nobody else, she could probably remember enough to at least not make the policeman any worse.
  
   
   Spoiler 
  If needed, Diplomacy  (1d20+2)[ 16 ]  for the crowd.
  
  Move action (or two) to get to the injured officer.
  
  Use Beginner's Luck and my starting Hero Point to give Adina 5 ranks in Medicine  (1d20+8)[ 28 ]  for first aid for the cop, if Adina has to do it herself.
   
conversations: ripleycat:
conversations: human
conversations:  The creature near James, again, doesn't respond even slightly to his threat. The people around him press back further, shouting mixed ideas;  "Shoot it!"
  "I hope you know what you're doing with that!"
  "For the love of God, don't shoot it again!" 
  
  The construction worker Adina finds nods, clearly ready to take charge.  "A'right everyone, I want you all a'least five feet away from this thing. We dunno what it's gonna do, but it looks like it aint here to hurt us." 
  A man speaks up when Adina calls for a medical professional, a tall man, blonde, green eyed.  "I am. A doctor, at Sinai." 
  He follows Adina through the crowd until they meet the policeman. He's lying on the ground with a gun at his side and a bullet wound in his shoulder. He seems conscious but breathing irregularly. The doctor puts his hand on Adina's shoulder, getting her attention in the noisey crowd.  "Put pressure on it and don't let him move. I've got some things in my car, I'll be right back. Keep him talking, if you can."  As he pushes his way out of the crowd he pulls out a phone.
  
  Meanwhile, all of the small creatures reach the end of their journey, besides the one Iron John is holding. They raise their legs, one at a time, and drive them through the concrete, burying them in the ground. Then, quickly, the bulbous head area begins to extend upward.
conversations: Business Scrub:
conversations: human
conversations:  "All right.  Please hurry."   Adina nods nervously to the doctor and does her best to follow his instructions, keeping her fingers pressed tightly on the cop's wound.
  
   "Hey, can you hear me?  You're going to be OK.  Doctor's on his way.  Stay calm, stay steady, please don't move, if you can help it.  Do you remember what happened?" 
  
  The murmurs from the crowd cause Adina to turn and look back towards the creature she'd left.  She watched wide-eyed as their necks began extending.   "That's not natural, and probably isn't any good, either.  Come on, hurry up doc.  Too many things to do, too little time, even for me." 
conversations: ripleycat:
conversations: human
conversations:  "Be ye mortal or be ye machine, beastie?"  John mutters to the thing in his hand, giving it an experimental poke with a finger.
conversations: GFawkes:
conversations: human
conversations:  The words "don't shoot it again" stayed James hand.  " Get out of here !" called back to the crowd.  He wasn't going to shoot at the creature unless it attacked someone.  With all the crazy crap he'd seen the last few months he wasn't going to start a war with the Three Legged Scuttlemen from Betelgeuse 6 or whatever they were.
  
  James moved out to stand between the creature and the other civilians.
conversations: Dienekes:
conversations: human
conversations:  Unit 6 quickly moved for one of these devices, ultimately deciding to phase down into the ground next to it, and see what its claw was doing...
  
   
   Spoiler 
  INITIATIVE:  (1d20+4)[ 9 ] 
   
conversations: NekoIncardine:
conversations: human
conversations:  The doctor returns surprisingly fast with a case of tools in hand. He speaks quickly to the cop as he works,  "Ok, two things to know: the less you move, the faster it will be, and... this is going to hurt like a bitch." 
  
  Meanwhile, the creatures' necks reach their full height, somewhere around a massive twelve feet above the crowd. The people inch away from them, pushing together in the middle, their voices raised in fear and anticipation. Someone near the edge of the crowd shouts, though he goes seemingly unheard  "Shut up! Everybody be quiet! Can you guys hear that?" 
  
  In Iron John's hands, the beast continues to struggle.
  
   
   Spoiler 
  Creature's grapple check:  (1d20+3)[ 15 ] 
  
  I'm going to roll perception checks for everyone, but the SOPA protest is going on.
   
  
  Unit 6: 
   Spoiler 
  Beneath the ground, the legs are sunk in about six inches, sprouting tiny spikes, like those of a harpoon.
   
conversations: Business Scrub: