Horry County Hudson City Campaign - D20 Modern (modified)

[DarrenGMiller]

This is an account of my new D20 Modern Hudson City campaign. We all live in Horry County, SC. Hudson City is the Dark Champions setting published by Hero Games, written by Steven S. Long. Our modifications to D20 Modern are: 1.) Grim n' Gritty Hit Point & Bleeding Rules; 2.) 4th Edition Critical Hit Rules; 3.) alternate wealth rules. For those of you familiar with Hudson City, I've raised the level of grittiness and corruption in the city.

The game is a high reality, very gritty, street level, very low supernatural, no magic, now tech level, very cinematic game along the lines of the following inspirational material: Christopher Nolan Batman movies, The Punisher, Boondock Saints, Death Sentence, Daredevil, The Brave One, Taxi Driver, Death Wish, Sin City, Die Hard, Cop Land, The Crow, Unbreakable, Four Brothers, V for Vendetta, The Spirit, The Watchmen and other Alan Moore and Frank Miller grahic novels (especially their Batman), Don Pendleton's early Executioner novels (War Against the Mafia), and the TV shows The Equalizer and Dark Justice.

The PC's are normal people (but with above-average stats, most in the 15-16 range) who are living in corrupt, crime-ridden Hudson City. At some point, through their experiences with the crime and corruption of the city, they decide to become vigilantes, eventually taking alternate crime-fighting identities. There is a great deal of "role-playing" and very little "roll-playing" involved. Many action resolutions are approached cinematically, rather than by rolling dice. As I write this, we have played 3 sessions (though we generally role-play by telephone, text, email and our website forums and chat between our weekly sessions to handle small-group and individual situations) and have rolled very few dice outside of combat (a few resolutions such as search and spot). The few times the characters have entered into the vigilante crime-fighting realm thus far, they have either been wildly lucky or received a harsh reminder of their fragility.

I will start my "story hour" (campaign log) in the next post. First, allow me to introduce the cast of player characters:

Aaron Cage - a strip club general manager with a heart of gold (looks a lot like Dwayne Johnson). His club, Close Encounters, is one of the more legitimate clubs in North Elmview. He takes care of his employees and expects them to respect the club's code of ethics.

Johnny Amperello - a former juvenile delinquent who got a job as a janitor at Strake Industries but had to leave due to an accident in which he received a near fatal jolt of electricity. He is a genious (very much like Will Hunting from Good Will Hunting, but Italian). You will sometimes see him referred to as "The Italian" and his alternate identity is "Ampere."

Robert "Conan" Kreider - a former professional bodybuilder who came to Hudson City and opened a gym. He served under James Hardwick's father in the military and is a close friend of Aaron Cage. His alternate identity is "The Man In Black."

Hampton Fiennes - owner of an Elmview laundromat and dry cleaner. He feels responsible for the death of his twin as a child. His wife died in childbirth, so he is raising their young daughter (Cassandra) with the help of a young former medical student (Danni) he saved from muggers in his earliest foray into vigilantism.

Lt. James Hardwick - on temporary leave from the military mourning the death of his father, a retired colonel who was murdered during a break-in. Hardwick is staying with Rob while he is in Hudson City.

All significant PC's and NPC's can be found here.

The story begins with Aaron receiving a visit from Hudson City Police detectives after a former employee at his club is found brutally murdered in a telephone booth several blocks away. If there's anything you need clarification on, please feel free to visit our campaign website, or feel free to ask.

 

[DarrenGMiller]

Session 1 - Too Close To Call (7/20/08)

June 7, 2008 - Hudson City

It begins in a phone booth on the strip. A young girl is brutally beaten and killed. HCPD Detectives figure another hooker went too far and ticked off her pimp, or maybe she was killed by a tourist when she wouldn't go along with some bizarre fetish. Still, the business card is there, just stuck in the coin return slot. It has some of the girl's blood on it. It's also the only lead to the identity of this Jane Doe.

The detectives pay a visit to the club named on the card. A strip club. The man's name on the card is Aaron Cage. Cage claims that the girl quit working at the club, Close Encounters, about 3 months ago and that he hasn't seen her since. He said he gave her the card to call him in case she ever needed anything. Apparently, she needed something. Still, his size, and the size of his friend and part-time bouncer Robert Kreider cause some suspicion. She was killed by a big guy. These are two big guys who know the victim. Still, she's only some two-bit whore. One more death in a city that's known so much death. The cold case files are full of them.

--

It's late when Johnny gets to the phone booth. He almost leaves until he sees the legs. The homeless vagrant parked next to the dumpster is drinking expensive scotch. He's also got a bag of blow. Also, he seems to know something. He just wants a ride to Boxtown, where he can blend in and the huge guy with the short blond hair and the blue track suit won't find him. He tells Johnny everything his drug and booze addled brain can remember. Johnny finds the shoe.... one of the red heels the girl kicked off for speed as she dashed around the corner and into the phone booth. One of the shoes she ditched when she realized she was being followed and her life might depend on running. Johnny can almost smell her desperation to get in that booth and make that call. The one that was already too late to save her life.

--

When the alarm goes off downstairs in the club, Aaron isn't even in bed yet. It's been a long night, with the cops interviewing people who might've known Tina. He sees them on the closed-circuit monitors. Four young kids in hoodies. Two aiming for the office and two for the bar. He sprints down there and grabs one. The other three escape just as Johhny approaches the door. He almost grabs another one, but those kids are fast. The kids tells Aaron about the man. The big guy in the track suit who slipped them a hundred bill and a tool to break in and do an easy job for him. The cops return to the club and haul the kid to lock-up. Its only later that Hardwick finds the shoe. That bulge in the front pocket of the kid's hoodie. The kid whose body would show up on the curb a few blocks south. Tina's shoe. Planted in the club.

--

At Elmview Terrace, or "The Terrors" as the locals call it, there is nobody who has seen Mr. Track Suit. But Tina's apartment and answering machine, along with her caller ID, yield some clues.

--

The dry cleaner sees the familiar black car, the one he saw on Saturday night outside that strip club where that dead girl used to work, drop a passenger out on the curb without even stopping. He rushes up to see if the kid's okay, and finds his throat slashed. A call to the police and the body is removed.

--

Then, "they" came into the place. Fiennes Cleaners. They were VERY suspicious. The Italian's words sounded like threats. Mr. Feinnes had the boy dial 911. Then it happened. The Italian said it. Or did he? These three, the Italian, the bodybuilder, and the soldier... were they really on the side of justice? Not on the side of the law of course, but on the side of justice? And the cops were on the way. Hardwick and Kreider dashed out the way they had come in, before the cruiser made it to the cleaners. "Hit me and run out the back door." Instead, Fiennes got tased by the Italian, but he apparently escaped the police, because there was the note on the grill the next morning.

--

Many questions remain to be answered. Who killed the girl, and why? Why are they after Aaron? These are but a few.

 

[DarrenGMiller]

Session 2 - Myspace Or Yours (7/27/08)

On Monday (June 9th) afternoon while Johnny is running from the police after tasing the dry cleaner, the detectives show up at Close Encounters with a search warrant. Not bad for a case that only 24 hours ago pulled a disappearing act from the HCPD active case files. They were acting on a tip and concentrated on the area around the bar, where Hardwick found the shoe that was planted by one of the hoodlums who broke into the club Sunday morning. Good thing he found the shoe and removed it before the police arrived. Still, the detectives tell Aaron not to make any out of town plans for the forseeable future.

--

Johnny the Italian tracks down Tina's friend Lorraine to the Paradise Theatre on the Strip just a few blocks from Close Encounters. Seems Tina found a new job not far from her old one geographically, but miles away all the same. Finding heavy security that would make a government installation proud, but memberships still relatively easy to come by, Johnny pays for a Green Card and gets Paradise For A Day passes for Kreider and Hardwick. Once inside, they flash the cash and get Lorraine (a.k.a. Candy - or is that her real name?) and her Russian friend Nona to come to the table. Johnny gets Lorraine in the back for a private dance and stuns her with talk of her dead friend. Scared witless and in full cooperation mode, Lorraine gives Johnny some information. Seems our friend Tina was asking a lot of questions during her time dancing at the Paradise. Sounds like she was looking for information about someone or something.

Meanwhile, out in the main room of the club, Hardwick is checking out the security and not liking what he finds. This place is tighter than Fort Knox, but there's nobody there who looks like blue track suit guy, though its tough since they've never seen him.

--

After doing some "creative hacking for fun and profit" Johnny finds that, like she told Aaron, Tina was dancing at Close Encounters to finance her studies at Hudson City College. What she didn't tell Aaron was that her major was Criminal Justice. The earned her Associate's Degree in it shortly before leaving the club and moving on to the Paradise.

--

Rob (Kreider) checks out Myspace and Facebook and the like for any pages Tina may have kept. They didn't find a computer at her apartment, but these days anybody can go online at an internet cafe, college computer lab, or public library. He finally hits the jackpot, finding that she signed up for Facebook with her real name and listed her Myspace page on her Facebook profile. He turns the info over to Johnny, so the Italian can work his computer magic.

Johnny works hard hacking into her profile pages and email account (ladytee123@yahoo.com - nice), okay so he doesn't have to work THAT hard, its only Myspace and Facebook. Plus, she used the same password for both, along with her email account. He finds that other than the usual college associates (no mention of her erstwhile career as an exotic dancer - big surprise there), there is one guy who she corresponds with that seems to be a promising (and downright creepy) lead. Tracking his IP address leads to a handful of computers at the main branch of the Hudson City Public Library.

--

In the meantime, Hampton, who was last seen getting tased by the Italian, has had a busy social calendar, if you can call stopping a mugging and being treated to lunch by the would be victim a busy social calendar. Deciding that the Gadsden Mall needs safer bus stops, he equips himself with zip ties and brass knuckles. It isn't long before he gets accosted by a thug, "Hey Chico, you need a ride man?" A knife is pulled, brass knuckles crack against flesh, the goon's two friends flee the scene. Not long after that, the police discover his assailant, one Emilio Marquez, secured to the bus stop's bench with zip ties. There is a note attached to his chest and he is unconscious and bleeding. His statement to police after surgery is not exactly an accurate representation of events.

--

The next day, Hampton rents a storage unit. There are going to be some equipment upgrades at his laundromat and he needs a place to store the old equipment until he can sell it.

--

After the police leave Close Encounters, Aaron takes public transportation out to Hudson City college with his girlfriend. He places a phone call to Indiana to express his condolences. His girlfriend poses as Tina's sister and makes some inquiries at the college as to who Tina's Criminal Justice advisor might be.

 

[DarrenGMiller]

Session 3 - "Sloth and Other Deadly Sins" (8/5/08)

On Thursday (June 12), Aaron meets Dr. Julius Lincoln, professor of Criminal Justice at Hudson City College and learns of Tina's time as a student. He also receives a letter from Tina's mother, who he contacted after her slaying, and learns from these two sources that Tina's father apparently lives in the city. He is a wealthy banker named Robert Anthony, who had a love affair with Tina's mom during their early 20's, which resulted in Tina's birth. Tina never let him buy his way into her heart, so they had only recently established contact when Tina became interested in a business proposition.

On Friday morning, Aaron pays a visit to Mr. Anthony at his bank. Knowing only that his daughter was beaten to death by a huge man, Mr. Anthony regards the large and muscular Aaron with suspicion and calls his contact to verify Aaron's identity.

Johnny (the Italian), Hampton (the dry cleaner), Hardwick and Rob (the bodybuilder) meet at Close Encounters Friday morning to take a field trip to the library, where Hampton surprises them with copies of the documents he found in Tina's storage unit, an accordian file containing documents and photos purporting that the owners of the Paradise Theater are involved in the smuggling of humans, drugs, and guns into Hudson City. The owners, Carl Spears and Carlos Mendoza, are apparently dealing with the Russians to "import" their goods into the city. Tina has some pretty solid evidence linking them to the club and implicating the club as a front for all sorts of illegal activity.

Since Rob fired one of his employees and had him arrested by the County Sheriff for selling HGH and other controlled substances out of his gym, and has since encouraged Sheriffs Deputies and their families to work out at the gym by offering discounts and specials, Hampton investigates the former employee, one Sean Goulan after his release from the county jail and, after some "gentle persuasion" gets Goulan to admit that his connection for obtaining the high-priced, designer HGH is a group of Russians, including an abnormally large Russian whose face is included in several of Tina's photos. The big guy, whose name may be Andrei, appears to be an enforcer of lieutenant with the Russians, and he matches the description Hardwick got from the Korean sex shop owner of the guy who was seen leaving the area of the phone booth around the time of Tina's murder. Hardwick learned from the Korean that the big guy calmly left the vicinity of the phone booth after a woman's screams were heard, but not before stopping to talk to a bum in a nearby alley and picking up some items off the sidewalk. He nonchalantly got in his car and drove away.

Later Friday night, Johnny goes to the Paradise Theater, while Rob, dressed in black, takes up a position in a nearby alley, and Hardwick, in his mother's mini-van, waits behind the club. After Lorraine, a dancer Tina befriended at the club, makes eye contact with Johnny and moves away, Nona, the Russian dancer, slips Johnny a note on a napkin with a phone number.

Johnny calls and speaks to Lorraine. After talking to Johnny the previous week, she has learned that there is trouble in the Paradise. She is scared. She's learned enough to confirm Johnny's fears about what Tina discovered at the club. She's also scared for her friend Nona, who is dating one of the Russians.

The next night, Saturday (June 14), a body is found in the dumpster behind Close Encounters. An employee taking out the trash runs and tells Aaron about his grisly find. Aaron calls police and the homeless man's body is removed from the trash bin behind the club. In his coat pocket, police find a small amount of cash, a motorcycle license and a credit card belonging to Tina.

Now, with Goulan's cell phone, they wait for a call from the Russians.

 

[DarrenGMiller]

Session 4 - "The Best-Laid Plans"

Friday, June 20th - 2:03 a.m.
The sound of a ringing phone wakes Hampton from his sleep. He fumbles for his cell and realizes quickly that its not HIS phone ringing... its the other phone. THAT phone. The phone he took from Goulan. Shaking out the cobwebs, he answers quietly, "Hello?" The voice on the other end of the line replies with a thick Eastern European accent, "1005 Nelson Street. This Sunday. 8 P.M. If you can be there." The call disconnects. The game is on.
Later Friday morning, after scoping out the address, the dry cleaner calls the Italian and tells Johnny about his early morning call. They plan to gather at Johnny's house that aftenoon to discuss their plans for Sunday evening.
The general consensus is to make a move against the Russians, with the hopes of taking down the big one, blue track suit guy, the one they've been calling "Sloth." He was the one that killed Tina. They want to avenge her death. But there are so many unanswered questions.
At the meeting, Hardwick's military training kicks in and he begins to devise a battle plan, which Johnny helps him to refine. The others sit in stony silence, disbelieving what they are hearing. Harwick wants to eliminate them methodically and with all force necessary. A tactical strike. Hampton was reluctant to include him in the first place because of his government connections. Now, he is listening to the man speak of explosives and covert infiltration.
Finally, Hampton can stand it no longer. "I'll give you guys the address. I want no part of this. Let me know how it goes." He starts to leave. Rob takes the opportunity to advocate a less forceful approach, which is also supported by Aaron. Hampton wants no explosives, no guns, not even tear gas, smoke grenades, ether, or the like. The group is stymied over how to plan a strike against the Russians without use of deadly force, or even small tactical charges designed to take out tires. Finally, Aaron suggests using a vehicle to cause an accident with the car the Russians will be using.
It is decided. Using Tina's street bike for transportation, Hampton will attend the meeting, posing as Goulan's replacement; a small-time dealer in HGH and performance enhancing drugs. He will report on the Russians to Johnny by cell phone when they are leaving the warehouse. The rest of the group will be a few blocks away in a truck that Johnny plans on "borrowing from a friend."
At this meeting, Johnny admits to Rob that he is indeed the vigilante that busted up the mugging of the high school basketball player in LeMastre Park the previous week. He shows the group his hood and gloves, with the stun guns built in, that he wore at the park that night. He was the vigilante that Harvey Justice was talking about on his radio show.
On Sunday (6/23), with the Russians only scheduled to be in town a few more days, the group executes their plan. Johnny hotwires a truck belonging, fittingly enough for him, to Hudson City Power & Light. He picks up Hardwick, Kreider and Cage and they equip themselves. Johnny dons his vigilante outfit, while he gives Rob and Aaron black ski masks. Hardwick is already wearing his night combat gear and head covering.
Hampton runs into trouble at the meeting. He is a novice at buying drugs, obviously. He speaks to the Russians and shows his inexperience by not knowing what is expected of him at the meet. Since the Russians knew of Goulan's arrest and were suspicious that the Sheriff's Office would send someone to infiltrate the meeting, they watched the dry cleaner carefully. When he tried to leave with the HGH without paying his fees up-front, the security at the warehouse door calls their bosses inside the warehouse and draws their guns while Hampton is on the phone with Johnny. Hampton, inexperienced with the raw horsepower of the motorcycle, fish-tails all over the parking lot, which actually makes him a more difficult target to hit.
Notified that their plan is going south, Johnny tells Hardwick to get them to the warehouse quickly. Hardwick guns the truck through the narrow city streets while Hampton is being shot at by the Russians. Inside the warehouse, Andrei, and the others, including "Sloth," get into their Lincoln. Outside, Hampton is finally hit with a bullet, while another blows out the back tire of the bike.
Harwick guns the big truck into the parking lot of the warehouse and sees Hampton and the two Russians outside. Unable to run them down without hitting Hampton, he swerves around them and swings the rig into the garage bay of the warehouse, JUST as the Lincoln containing the rest of the Russians is attempting to leave the warehouse through the SAME garage door at high speed, with the intent of running Hampton down and escaping.
There is a LOUD crunching of metal, breaking of glass, and a hiss of steam as the huge utility truck collides with the Lincoln. Everyone in both vehicles is stunned for a moment, but they manage to pile out of the vehicles. Everyone, that is, except the driver and front seat passenger of the Lincoln, who have taken the brunt of the impact.
Kreider, and Johnny rush to save Hampton from his two assailants, one of whom points his gun directly at Rob's stomach and pulls the trigger. Blood blooms across the front of Rob's shirt and he looks down. He's been shot in the gut. He looks back at the Russian who shot him and punches him in the face with his brass knuckles. Blood spurts from the Russian's nose as he comes to grips with not only the pain in his face, but also the fact that the huge man he just shot in the stomach, at point-blank range, still has enough fight left in him to break his face. The Russian turns and runs.
Mr. Blue Track Suit, a.k.a. "Sloth" climbs from the wrecked Lincoln and looks for something to use against his attackers. The big Russian rips the open rear door off the Lincoln and starts using it as a weapon AND a shield. Bullets and punches fly. Johnny tases the other Russian guard who was shooting at Hampton, and Hampton joins Aaron and Rob in attacking "Sloth."
Andrei, the leader of the Russians, hides behind the car and starts firing off shots over its roof. He manages to hit Hardwick, who crumples to the floor of the dirty warehouse, bleeding profusely. While Hardwick bleeds, the rest of the group has their hands full, especially with the big guy fending off three of them at once. Finally, the big Russian is worn down and Rob and Hampton manage to land solid blows with their brass-clad fists. He swings the door at Hampton, who dodges out of the way and follows it with an uppercut to the now unprotected Russian's jaw, rocking him back on his heels. Slowly, the big man, Tina's killer, topples like a felled tree. Once he goes down, Aaron checks on Hardwick and tries to stop his bleeding, or at least slow it a little.
With the remaining members of the group now focused on Andrei, and Andrei's two remaining men in the car still showing no fight, the Russian mobster lays his gun on the roof of the Lincoln and turns to allow himself to be handcuffed, obviously thinking that his attackers are some elite squad of police or FBI agents.
They are badly wounded. Rob, the bodybuilder, is barely conscious. His gut wound is bleeding profusely. His friend Hardwick, the lieutenant, is unconscious and near death. Johhny, the Italian, and Hampton, the dry cleaner are bleeding from their wounds as well. Only Aaron is virtually unscathed. They've won this fight. Just barely, but they all survived.

 

[DarrenGMiller]

Session 5 - "The Clean-Up" (8/17/08)

The fight is finished, yet there is still much left to be done at the warehouse. After securing Andrei, the leader of this group of Russian criminals, as well as his driver and two other flunkies, Hampton checks on the big guy, Mr. Blue Track Suit, and finds him still alive. The dry cleaner tends to the big Russian enough to ensure that he will not die here in the warehouse before the group tends to other matters.

Rob and James (Lt. Hardwick) are badly wounded. Though stable, both could die if not treated by medical professionals in the VERY near future. Johnny (the Italian) takes the gun from one of the Russians and picks up the empty shell casings. He uses the Russians' second vehicle, the one that was not involved in the head-on collision with HCP&L truck, to transport Rob, who is still conscious, and James, who is not, back to an alley near Rob's gym and apartment. He fires a few shots into the wall near his two associates, takes their wallets, and flees back to the warehouse while Rob dials 911 to report the "mugging" that has left them in such a sorry state. Sure, if there's a thorough investigation, the crime scene will look suspicious, but that is a chance they have to take. Knowing the police in this city, the cops will see what they want to see.

Returning to the warehouse, Johnny finds Hampton and Aaron presiding over the bound and gagged Russians and has Aaron drive him out to find a van that they can use to haul some of the evidence they've gathered. Among the crates in the warehouse are thousands of hollow point 9mm rounds, parts and tools to convert cheap, readily available 9mm semi-automatics into full automatic weapons, several crates full of drugs hidden inside stuffed animals and similar toys, and most disturbingly, several crates of the most brutal, vile pornographic DVD's any of the group have ever seen. They have stumbled onto a major operation using the Paradise Theater as a base for this sickening filth. Also, in the trunk of the Lincoln, they find Tina's purse.

Johnny photographs the evidence, loots all of the cash from the Russians, and removes some of the evidence for further processing while Hampton and Aaron load the big Russian into the trunk of the Russians' second car. Then, the three of them sanitize the warehouse with bleach that Aaron picked up on his way back from helping Johnny find a van. Since all of them were masked except Hampton, who was posing as a dealer at the drug buy, they know that the Russians they are leaving at the warehouse will only be able to identify him, but he is also the only one with a small child at home.

Finally, just before leaving the warehouse, Johnny calls Lorraine to tell her that Tina's killer has been taken care of, and then calls the FBI from the prepaid cell phone to inform them that if they come to 1005 Nelson Street in North Elmview, they will find Russian smugglers and arms dealers with a stash of drugs, weapons, and illegal pornography.

...

Hampton delivers "Sloth" to Tina's storage unit and leaves him tied up there in the summer heat while he informs Tina's father, Mr. Robert Anthony, a Hudson City investment banker, that his daughter's killer has been captured. They arrange for the big Russian to be left tied up in the car (which has been sanitized) on a pleasant street in Irishtown, telling the FBI where to find him.

...

Aaron contacts Mr. Anthony and arranges for a meeting, to thank the group for bringing his daughter's killer to justice. He also calls Tina's mother and tells her that her daughter's killer has been captured.

...

After nearly a week, Rob is released from the hospital. The Lieutenant's stay is a full two weeks, as James' injuries are far more severe. Thankfully, the bullet missed his major organs and spine. Still, he lost a lot of blood and takes time, and several minor surgeries to regain his strength.

...

The group begins to talk about cleaning up the streets of Hudson City, something that several of them have been doing on a small scale already, and doing what police and politicians are unable, or unwilling, to do. They begin discussing the delicacy of their public identities and the need to conceal them from the criminals they will be fighting, especially from the Russians and their Colombian and American associates, who are no doubt eager to track down the people who disrupted their smuggling ring. Johnny also plans to find the stores who are selling the types of pornography they found, and shut them down. He plans on starting a fund to free women who wish to escape the sex industry.

***

Johnny Amperello (the Italian) will take up the mantle of "Ampere" and continue to utilize his gloves with built in taser/stun gun apparatus. His affinity with electricity spurs him to study his body's unique electrical properties, no doubt from the lab accident at Strake Industries, which allow him to easily boost cars, improve the speed of computer processors, and boost cell phone and wi-fi connections. Unfortunately, this same affinity proves that it can be a dangerous thing, delivering mild electrical shocks to those he comes into contact with if he is not insulated or discharged.

James Hardwick, when he is released from the hospital, seeks to identify and bring to justice the home invaders who murdered his father, retired USAF Colonel James Hardwick Sr. His injuries have bought him extra leave time from the military, but he must find a way to remain in the city to find his father's killer(s) and pursue justice in the"war zone" that IS Hudson City. He acquires a skull mask and a hooded overcoat, calling himself "The Reaper."

Rob Kreider patrols the streets wearing a black suit and fedora, with a black (detachable) tie and a black stocking mask. The huge former bodybuilder calls himself "The Man In Black." He often finds that his mere hulking presence is a deterrent to small time criminals. His martial arts studies also allow him to disarm and subdue would-be criminals.

Aaron and Hampton have not yet decided how they will handle, or fully even IF they will handle, the vigilante lifestyle, with Danni (the former medical student he saved from being mugged, or worse, who lives with him and takes care of his daughter) acting as his practical voice for approaching vigilantism. Hampton does not like the thought of wearing tights or a body suit. Whenever he thinks of donning a costume, unappetizing pictures of "Spider-Hampton" have to be forcibly dislodged from his mind.

***

Soon after James is released from the hospital, Johnny receives a tearful, frightened call from Lorraine, who informs him that Nona's Russian boyfriend, the guy who shot Hampton and Rob before escaping the warehouse on foot, showed up and kidnapped Nona, telling her that he was taking her "back to the home country" with him. He had been laying low, hiding out since the debacle at the warehouse, and had finally booked passage on a Russian cargo ship with ties to Andrei's people. All she knows is that they left in a cab belonging to the Yellow Cab Co. and that the driver was wearing a turban or some sort of head wrapping. Johnny informs James and Hampton and calls a Yellow Cab. He quickly persuades his driver, with lots of cash, to find out where that cab was going. Luckily, the driver knows which driver Johnny is talking about, and sweet talks the dispatcher into giving him the information. Johnny's driver, Javed Hanif, takes him to the location where the cab dropped off the Nona and her erstwhile beau. As he is walking up to the shipping company, Hampton and James are also converging on the docks.

Hampton attempts to attach himself to a container about to be loaded onto the ship, when he hears Johnny ask a dock worker, in Russian, where he can find "the pretty blonde girl" who came with one of Andrei's men. Johnny says he is a friend who brought the change of clothes she forgot. The worker directs Johnny to the shipping offices, saying that they haven't come out yet, since the ship isn't leaving for almost two hours. Overhearing, Hampton and James sneak to the shipping building. James calls out to Johnny, and the two discuss the situation. Hampton enters just as the door to the shipping office is about to close behind his two associates. They are glad to see him.

As they take the stairs up to street level, Hampton and James hear Russian voices approaching the building and the sound of flesh meeting flesh and a woman sobbing from behind a door ahead. Hampton throws open the door. The Russian is smackin Nona around in the small, dirty office, lit by a single desk lamp. She sits crying on the ragged couch as her "boyfriend" rants at her and hits her again. Johnny closes the door behind the trio and dons his gloves. The Russian looks up as Hampton delivers a stunning head butt. Johnny moves to comfort Nona while Hampton, with his brass knuckles, and James, wielding a baseball bat, back the Russian thug against the wall. The Russian pulls a gun, but Hampton shatters his nose into a bloody pulp. He fires a single shot at Hampton with his small .22 pistol before Hampton crushes his left eye socket as well. James takes the baseball bat to his abdomen and the Russian crumples to the dirty office floor.

The three of them grab Nona and escape the building without incident. They take Hampton and Nona back to Johnny's place, where Danni and Lorraine soon meet them.

 

[DarrenGMiller]

Session 6 - "Blood Is Thicker Than Gravy" (8/24/08)
July 8, 2008

The Brass Rail sits at the corner of Cayuga St. and 16th Avenue. This is where the dinner will take place. This is why Johnny is hiding behind a newspaper an hour before the appointed time, sitting on a bench down 16th a little ways, watching the people who enter and leave the small restaurant.
Aaron called Robert Anthony, Tina's father, after Hampton drove off in the Russians' car with the big man tied up in the trunk. Tina's killer. Aaron hated the idea of Hampton just driving off with him, but agreed that his fate should be decided by the father of his victim, hopefully his last victim. Then, Aaron called Mr. Anthony and made sure that he received the "package" and dealt with it appropriately. Mostly assured that Hampton hadn't betrayed the rest of them, but still unsure how he felt about Tina's father, he finally agreed to meet with him at "The Rail" this Tuesday night, with the others. Mr. Anthony was thankful that his daughter's killer would finally be brought to justice and wanted to thank those who took the law into their own hands to make that possible.
Still, Aaron still didn't feel quite right about Anthony. What kind of man would allow his daughter to enter into such a dangerous situation. Also, the fact that she had called Aaron, her former employer at the club, instead of her father still rankled him. There was just something wrong about the whole sorry situation and Aaron didn't like any of it.
As they gather for dinner in the private dining room at the back of the restaurant, each arriving individually, they begin with stilted small talk while the banker looks on, greeting each of them, but mostly keeping to himself. Finally, the silver lids are removed from the steamers on the buffet table and Mr. Anthony thanks them for agreeing to meet and invites them to help themselves to the feast. The centerpiece of roasted quail, along with the tenderloin medallions and the succulent vegetables are all exquisite. Throughout the meal, the banker asks questions like, "Why did you go after Tina's killer?" and other. For quite some time they discuss the nature of justice, the state of the city, and the need for people brave enough, or is that stupid enough, to turn things around.
Aaron, still mistrustful, asked if his daughter had contacted him to set up a business. Robert Anthony, the investment banker who had hardly been a part of his daughter's life, admitted that she had approached him with a business proposal, unconventional though it had been. She wanted to parlay her street smarts from dancing in the clubs around the Strip, along with her criminal justice education, and her self-defense classes into sort of a non-profit private investigation business, though most p.i.'s would say that there business is non-profit to start with. She had heard of some illicit dealings that made her sick and wanted to take the fight against the criminals who were exploiting her co-workers, people she knew, and bringing more guns, drugs and evil into the city. She needed her father's connections with the powers of Hudson City, the lawyers and judges, the politicians, those who would be swayed by his power and wealth, so that she could blow the lid off the operation she had discovered, and then continue to make a dent in the city's crime-filled streets. Mr. Anthony, looking defeated, had believed in his daughter, had been swayed by her stubbornness and reasoning, and he had been crushed to think that he had allowed the daughter he barely knew to put herself into harm's way and be killed before she had accomplished any of those things. He feared that her death meant nothing. Johnny and Rob and the others reassure him that her death was not in vain, that her death was responsible for shocking them into action, that her killer had been brought to justice and that the operation she had uncovered had been dealt a severe blow by their actions. Her death had spurred ordinary people into action, and would be the start of a movement, of sorts, in Hudson City.
The group spends a lot of time talking about justice, and punishement, about the taking of life and the role of the authorities. Then, Mr. Anthony offers them a business proposition. How would they like to take up the newborn legacy Tina left behind and build upon her idea to start a clandestine company to fight the crime and corruption of the city? He offers his financial resources, to a point where they will not be traced back to him, his information on which judges and politicians are corrupt and which ones still serve justice (which he comes to call the Anthony Files), as well as his business acumen. Johnny, Rob, James, Aaron, and Hampton would bring their street smarts, their expertise in bringing criminals to their knees, and their other particular skills, like Hampton's detective work, Johnny's electronics knowledge and computer skills, James' special forces stealth and engineering knowledge, and Rob and Aaron's stature and strength, if they are willing to participate.
Johnny opts in immediately, almost too zealously, and James follows suit. Rob calmly throws his hat into the ring as well. Hampton, with much reservation, agrees to help the victims and would-be victims of the rampant crime in the city, contingent on the methods and degree of punishment meted out in the name of justice, saying that its not about the criminals, its about their victims. Aaron is still unsure. Could this Anthony fellow really be trusted? Had his wealth and power corrupted him? Was he setting them all up to really follow in Tina's footsteps? He is still not sure of the answers to those important questions.
They end the dinner talking about a location for their new business venture. A front for this illegal enterprise, or even a totally hidden location that would conceal the nature of their comings and goings.
After the dinner, Robert Anthony accelerates the diversifying his holdings into a portfolio of small coporations, some owned by other, trusted individuals. Finding ways to fund his newest enterprise without tying himself to the activity.
Just like there were more than fireworks on the 4th of July, there are also the increasingly curious radio broadcasts of Harvey Justice...