M&M: Time of Crisis

[DJ_Colossus]

"Ha! Good show, all. I daresay we make an excellent team. The Freedom League would be proud.

Now, anyone know what these villains were up to in here? Did they crack open the vaults? Was this just a simple robbery?"

Eve will move around the casino searching [Search +2] to try and determine what the villains were up to and if they managed to break into the vaults.

 

[Toric_Arthendain]

The heroes quickly empty the casino of innocent victims and then usher the STAR squad in to take control of the fallen villains. Many of the rescued civilians take time to stop and thank the heroes for helping them, even though it is obvious that most of them aren't sure who each hero actually is.

In her search of the casino, Eve is able to determine that the villains had breached the vault but were apparently interrupted before actually taking anything by the heroes entrance into the building.

As the villains are taken away, the couple remaining concious stare sullenly at the heroes, muttering curses and threats of revenge.

Medical personnel take charge of the injured, treating the civilians before looking at any wounded heroes.

Captain Maddicks eventually makes his way over to the heroes and asks for a report on exactly what happened inside.

Before anyone can answer, in an instant, the heroes' surroundings disappear in a blinding flash of white light. Everything around them turns pitch black, as if an obsidian shroud has suddenly fallen over them. For what seems like eons, the heroes are trapped in a terrible state of non-being. They are neither alive nor dead, but they are aware of the void that surrounds them. So harrowing is this loss of everything save fear, even the excruciating burning of their empty lungs is a welcome reminder to cling to life.

Those heroes unable to withstand the tortures of the icy vacuum of space suffer until near death. At the last possible moment, warm, breathable atmosphere suddenly blankets the characters with no rational explanation for its presence. The heroes settle onto solid ground, although some feel the ground rise up to them or simply materialize in the darkness. Light begins to glow around them, revealing each other's presence nearby. All heroes are completely healed of all previous injuries, the injured heroes glowing temporarily brighter during their healing.

When the heroes finally get their bearings, they find themselves standing atop a flat, rocky asteroid about twenty feet square. It and they float in a void illuminated by a dim crimson light emanating from an indeterminate source - it seems to come from nearly everywhere around them. There is nothing else to see except for the dark void ahead of them that appears to be a black hole of some sort.

 

[bkmanis]

"What the...." Ghost exclaims looking around the surroundings, he sees the others recovering from the ordeal. "For awhile there I thought I actually pasted on from the land of the living." Ghost says to the others in his quite voice. "This is not an illusion, I would be able to tell." He tells the others as he continues to look around the area.

 

[DJ_Colossus]

"AIEEEE!!! AIEEEEE!!!! AIEEE!!!!! AH!! Uh... Huh... huh...

Wha-- what the h-hell... Whe-where are we?"

Eve looks hopefully at the others, obviously scared and in a state of shock.

"...space..."

 

[Mirth]

When the heroes finally get their bearings, they find themselves standing atop a flat, rocky asteroid about twenty feet square. It and they float in a void illuminated by a dim crimson light emanating from an indeterminate source - it seems to come from nearly everywhere around them. There is nothing else to see except for the dark void ahead of them that appears to be a black hole of some sort.

"Well, ain't this a b!tch..." Dr. Smooth says succintly, then looks around at the other group members. "Sorry, ladies."

 

[Green Karl]

Spyder is shocked into silence for a few moments looking around and trying to figure out what is happening "This an't right... ah man what's going on?!?" Spyder looks to thoose close by and says "Please tell me that is a joke?"

 

[maddmic]

Brain Freeze looks around their surroundings with his frozen eyes. "I'm guessing that this is the real reason that there was a break-in at the casino. Something about getting us all together. The real question is, who has done this?"

 

[Toric_Arthendain]

After everyone has a chance to compose themselves, a huge angelic face materializes above the heroes, radiating palpable levels of cosmic energy. Her indescribable beauty and long flowing black hair complete her regal appearance.

"Be not afraid," she says. "I am the Norn-The Guardian of Life. I preserved your existences so that I might beg your aid in undouing this great wrong-the destruction of the omniverse. You are all that remains of your universes-you are the Last Heroes."

"You are currently in a remote corner of the Terminus, and aside from some still collapsing pockets of reality, this is all that is left. I am not responsible for the destruction of your universe or any other. Powers greater than myself asked me to watch over and nurture life and its defenders rather than take an active role in fighting evil and death myself. Omega, a frighteningly evil being far more powerful than any one of us simultaneously detonated immense cosmic-energy bombs on four specific parallel Earths. An agent of Omega hired the Thieves Guild villains to rob the casino and divert your attention from the bonb on your Earth being activated. These detonations created a chain reaction that destroyed all the alternate universes, including your native one. Despite the cataclysm, fragments of the shattered time/space dimensions still exist, though there is no telling exactly how much time remains before all the shards cease to be. Luckily, the four specific Earth dimensions where the detonations occurred are among the shattered remnants of the universal realities. The cosmic-energy bombs left the 'eyes of the storms' intact as the unleashed forces shatter al else around them before closing in on them last. I can transport you through time and space into the fragments of the four key dimensions just prior to their destruction. Once in place, you must find and defuse teh cosmic-energy bombs before they detonate. If you manage to save even one universe, Omega's ultimate plan can be defeated, but restoring the omniverse to its original matrix-with all the alternate realities intact-requires you to save all four of the key realities. I cannot provide any assistance beyond healing you and moving you through the omniversal voids, as it took most of my energy to save you from destruction and the rest I need to send you on your mission. Also, each use of my powers draws Omega's attentions ever closer, and he must not know of our plan. What is your answer? Will you help me?"

 

[bkmanis]

"Doesn't look as if we have much of a choice." Ghost responds. He turns to the others. "We can help her or spend the rest of our existence here on this rock, sounds like a no-brainer to me. Even if she is not telling the truth there is nothing we can do from here." Ghosts says then waits for the others to respond.

 

[maddmic]

Brain Freeze looks at Ghost. "I'm guessing that you're the optimistic one of the group here." Then looking back at the being he continues. "That being said however, we don't really have much of a choice. I for one will do what I can to stop this from happening, or reverse it, etc. My only question is how do we get in touch with you when we need to be transported to the next dimension?"