Ultimate SECRET WAR "Issue #0, Prelude to WAR"

[Kevin Perrine]

the X-MEN face the Ultimates!

Roll = 7 +6will +1amazing= 14 [just missed the save]

Rolling on the floor amid popcorn and the shattered remnants of the bowl that once contained the popcorn. Still shaken by the "dream" he stands weakly to his feet. All seemed quiet and the tele no longer had that indescript newscast, no helecopters hovered overhead and no sounds of impending attack were present.

"Mein God!! What hapened?!?" He says weakly as he staggers to Kitty the nearest X-man writhing on the floor in some inexplicable nightmarish hell.

"Kitty, mein fruind?!? Kitty!" Kurt says shaking his head trying to clear the fog that so recently placed him in a horrific nightmare.

"Kitty are you OK?!? Can you hear me?" ....
[/color]

"... Kuuuurt.... ugnnhhh... hey you fuzzy elf..." Kitty confirms that she's okay if not a little shaken by the mental barrage...
"what... what's going on.... I was.... upstairs and now.... OH-MY-GOSH, WHAT'S GOING ON?!!?!"
As Kurt turns to toward the large windows looking out onto the Quad, each X-man within (Nightcrawler, Angel, Colossus & Rogue) can see the grounds lit up suddenly by News Helicopters and flood lights...
then suddenly......
KRRAASSSHHHH
A wheeled armored tank/truck smashes through the exterior wall of the campus gates some 200' away!!!
Captain America is atop the tank, his shield raised high in the air as he barks orders - so powerful a GOD follows him!!

You catch sight of Wolverine rushing across the quad, bullets straifing the surrounding ground as he runs criss-cross through the yard toward you.
The Television ECHOES what's going on just outside...
and then
a blast of air and fire as if from a jet engine burns and blows the grass and leaves in front of the elder X-man... and a golden Ultimate decends from the sky cutting Logan off from your position!!

"that's far enough 'Wolverine', you go no further..."IRON MAN says as he holds out his two palms ......
kkkshhhhshshshh - dzuuuurrrrr
and a blast of super-heated energy encircles the X-man, as nothing but bone laced with metal collapses to the ground...

"anyone else have issues?!!"
IRON MAN smirks as he turns to the mansion, at the same time extending his audio in and through the mansion's televisions and radio recievers...

"X-men, by federal mandate you will come out with your hands on your heads and face your sentence..."

 

[Kevin Perrine]

the ULTIMATES - Quicksilver

Quicksilver arrives to Black Widow quaters and knocks at the door.
"Widow? Fury call a meeting at 21h00. Usual place."
After making sure Widow have the message, he go to the satellite room.

A nod in confirmation - the sultry, sexy Ultimate spy named Natasha Romanov continues...
"Ahh.. a mission perhaps? Vwe should do well to stretch our leg, no - Pietro?"
As Quicksilver continues on his task...


ELSEWHERE... across town
Stark Towers, the "Ultimate" Penthouse Suite
Mid-Town Manhattan, NYC
Evening [local time]
June 30, 2004

Tony shrugs himself away from her embrance and stands, stretching. Sheryl wraps herself in sheets and starts to follow him.
...
Tony turned and almost ran for the door. Without another glance back he said, "Sheryl, I've got to go. Good luck tonight, you're gonna kill." Five minutes and a cocktail later, Tony Stark - now Iron Man - leapt from the roof of his skyscraper, flying toward the Triskelion. As he flew, he grepped every sensor readout for anything that could distract him and provide some much-needed release.

The golden Ultimate streaks across the cityscape, north up the East River line...

Quicksilver starts to enter some information.
He tries to track Stark, Tony. He intensifies the seach up to a meter of precision, and get the altitude in case of a many floor building.

As the speedster punches in data to track Iron Man, a power even fastern than he intercepts transmission......

"GREETINGS - MR. MAXIMOFF ...
WOULD - YOU - LIKE - TO - PLAY - A - GAME?"
as a happy-face emoticon appears on the screen that appears to be loading information...

"REQUESTING ACCESS... STARK-PLATO-IRONMAN RELAY..."the IRONMAN Artificial Intelligence known as "PLATO" overrides Quicksilver's controls as the Iron Man team begins to relay directional details

"PROCESSING... PROCESSING... COORDINATES TRIANGULATED AND RECIEVING... LOCATION 40 DEGREES, 42 MINUTES, 51 SECONDS N LATITUDE, AND 74 DEGREES, 0 MINUTES 23 SECONDS W LONGITUDE. END DESTINATION TRISKELION, ESTIMATED TIME TO ARRIVAL - 2.347 MINUTES ON MARK... MARK.
SHALL I CONFIGURE VOICE CONFIRMATION MR. MAXIMOFF?
AFFIRMATIVE...
VOICE ACTIVE ON MARK... MARK.
YOU ARE GO AHEAD FOR MR. STARK...."

IronMan and Quicksilver now on voice comm as IronMan streaks up the island...

 

[Kevin Perrine]

the ULTIMATES - Dr. Bruce Banner

Bruce walks away from Clint with an uncomfortable tension and breaks into a sprint as soon as he's around the corner.

Damn it!!!! If I don't get that interface figured out before the briefing Fury is going to lock me up again. I'll murder that GI jerk if he ruins this chance for me. What was that "feeling better" crap about? Did he think I wouldn't realize he was calling me crazy? Idiot.

A small time stamp appears in the corner of a panel showing the briefing room Bruce snatches the pile of paper from the printer tray and spreads them out on the table tackling them with a marker from the media closet.

In the next panel time stamped 5 minutes later he has covered the paper with scrawls and the assorted screens in the room are coming to life with diagrams and 3-d models.

OOC: Bio-chem (or physics) roll with prof:scientist synergy bonus = 36
Computers roll = 21
Mechanics roll = 25
Elctronics roll = 24


"YES!! That should do nicely. Now I just need to send these schematics down to the fabrication department."

Banner is drawn as a dynamic energized character as he stands surrounded by the complex problem and solution. The meek character from the cell bears only a passing resemblance to this proud man who stands emmersed in his lonely world of science. If only he could feel like this when other people were around.

[as the page turns, we see the entire spread of the huge "War Room", dwarfing Banner... as other Ultimates begin to enter]

Banner, David Bruce Banner... Doctor. Degrees, Masters, PHDs... One would think he could have the world. And he could - but not as Banner. Pym, Stark even the insane Osborne regularly embarasses Banner with their tenacity... Being at the right place at the right time has never been Bruce's strength. He spends years developing breakthrough genetic solutions and Pym finds a living legend barried in ice that overtakes anything Banner's done in the last 3 years.
Pym, Stark, even Osborne regularly stand on the shoulders of giants to build their personal success... No one ever pays attention to the ones baring the weight. Banner is part giant, but only a select few have been unlucky enough to see the goliath HE can become.
And they lock him away for months because of it...
...Typical............

The room dwarfs Banner.
The lights are all wrong for his presentation!
and then everything else goes wrong....

Sir... sir... Dr. Banner sir!! an ensign rushes in sir... umm they asked me to tell you... your schematics... ummm they're lost sir... We've had some sort of spike in the system... it's off the charts, some mutant psion aberation in upper Westchester County. And it's... then it pulsed in Mid-Manhattan and zeroed all your files!! We've got nothing for your presentation sir......
The young man looks as if he feels sorry for the Scientist, but then he has more bad news...
... and sir... Col. Fury has arrived 32 minutes ahead of schedule. something's happening on his flight deck with the agent he was bringing in... but he's likely to be ready to address the Ultimates within the next 15... I'm... I'm sorry Dr. Banner, you have no presentation...
The ensign waits for any support he might offer the Doctor, then returns to the fabrication labs.

Willpower Save Bruce!! then give me your plan of action... after the folks deal with the current situation in the Spidey and Cap threads Nick will have everyone ready for debriefing and your plans for using Parker to track the Psy Phenominon to it's origin...... Your rolls GOT the details on HOW to do so... you can have some fun with techno-babble describing how it will work... make it up as you like once Fury give you the floor! You're welcome to wait in the War Room, or join the Spidey thread...

 

[Kevin Perrine]

the FANTASTIC FOUR

The Torch pesters the Thing until he finally acquiesces. The Thing rises up out of the chair and stubs his cigar out.

"Look Luke, I'll call ya back later. I need to go pummel the Torch. Keep me in mind though, OK?".

[the scene set tight on a vintage 1977 Special Edition Y82 (T-Top) "Firebird" Trans Am, as it corners Broadway & Canal St. rolling toward Manhattan Bridge... Then a quick cut while the long landscape panel focuses on the rear-view mirror as Power Man adjusts...]

"I gotchur back Benji, you keep it real - my brotha of anotha color!! heheh..."
Cage smirks as he collapses and pockets his cell-phone in one smooth motion into the lap of the cute audurn haired girl to his side, roaring toward Long Island...
"Man, Jess... Ben's havin fits again - think's Reed and the others don't want him... that dude's got some serious confidence issues..."
"maybe it's real Luke... I could look into...."
"Nooooo-hold it right there miss-Jones..... you don't need to get all Magnum PI on my buds..... you know what happened last time....."
as the black car and their conversation trails across the bridge...


BACK AT the Baxter Buiding...

The Thing slams down the phone and yells down the hall towards the Human Torch.

"Don'tcha even think about scorching my leather chair pal! Or I'll dump a vat of ice on your head so big you won't flame on for a week! Now what is all yer flusterin' about eh?"

Ben Grimm squeezes his way out of the den and heads upstairs thinking how, if he decided to leave the team, he would miss pestering the Torch.

"Sticks and Stones and Car Crashes and really fat people, will break my bones but words they will not harm me..."
Johnny taunts as he speeds up rounding the corner toward into Reed Richard's cavernous labratory...

Reed - hard at work on something that neither Johnny nor Ben will understand prattles above in lab coat and tools galore...
And the large green-skinned beauty aids holding steady the gizmo the size of a small bus that Reed stretches around as he works to attach it to the quantum-what-cha-ma-callit...

Johnny spins in his wheel-chair... his leg broken from his recent car crash...
"WAaaahhhhHooooooo!!"
Not seeing Jennifer he lets loose another blast of firepower... pushing him and his chair toward the Jade-Giantess and the weight balanced above her head!!


Torch gets a 15 total...
Reed,
Thing,
She-Hulk...
Roll INITIATIVE!!

 

[Kevin Perrine]

the ULTIMATES - Iron Man

Stark Towers, the "Ultimate" Penthouse Suite
Mid-Town Manhattan, NYC
Evening [local time]
June 30, 2004

Sheryl pulls the dress from his hands. "They don't matter, Tony." As she carefully lays them out on the bed, she misses Tony's knowing smirk. "They're just clothes."

"We both know how good you look in that dress, but compared to what's under that bedsheet, it's just an ..." reminded briefly of his dream, Tony's next words were barely a whisper, "expensive shell."

The dream ... unusually lucid ... it would continue to echo in the hero's mind for some time, "beyond"... His "greatest fear" perhaps... lain out for him to wallow in...

Five minutes and a cocktail later, Tony Stark - now Iron Man - leapt from the roof of his skyscraper, flying toward the Triskelion. As he flew, he grepped every sensor readout for anything that could distract him and provide some much-needed release. "I've spent so much time just playing, lately. Maybe it's time for a change. I'll send Sheryl another dress tomorrow, she'll understand."

The release of the New York skyline helped to take the shallow sting from Tony's mind as the golden Ultimate streaks across the cityscape, north up the East River line...


MEANWHILE...

Quicksilver starts to enter some information.
He tries to track Stark, Tony. He intensifies the seach up to a meter of precision, and get the altitude in case of a many floor building.

As the speedster punches in data to track Iron Man, a power even fastern than he intercepts transmission...... that same system alerts Tony to the request for contact...

"REQUESTING ACCESS... STARK-PLATO-IRONMAN RELAY..."the IRONMAN Artificial Intelligence known as "PLATO" downloads the request from the Iron Man team at the Triskelion and begins to confirm directional details...

"PROCESSING... PROCESSING... COORDINATES TRIANGULATED AND RECIEVING... LOCATION 40 DEGREES, 42 MINUTES, 51 SECONDS N LATITUDE, AND 74 DEGREES, 0 MINUTES 23 SECONDS W LONGITUDE. END DESTINATION TRISKELION, ESTIMATED TIME TO ARRIVAL - 2.347 MINUTES ON MARK... MARK.
CONFIGURE VOICE CONFIRMATION FROM MR. MAXIMOFF REQUESTED?
AFFIRMATIVE...
VOICE ACTIVE ON MARK... MARK.
YOU ARE GO AHEAD FOR MR. MAXIMOFF...."

IronMan and Quicksilver now on voice comm as IronMan streaks up the island...

 

[Kevin Perrine]

Spider-man & Thor

May Parker's Home...
Queens, New York
[We are dominated by the image of the Green Goblin, drawn from the profile. ]


As the S.H.I.E.L.D. Chopper raised from it's position above the Parker home, a hauntingly familiar figure strides atop the 2-story home...
The Goblin's foot rests atop a pile of human forms, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents that had just gathered Gwen and MJ!!
In his left hand he holds Mary Jane Watson, beaten and bloody, by her neck.
In his right hand he holds Gwen Stacy, beaten and bloody, by her neck.
MJ, Gwen and the Goblin are looking at Peter, the formers with a look of fear and pleading, the latter with an evil look of satisfaction.
"I told you I would forgive you once, Peter. But how do you reward my understanding of you just being in the wrong company?
Maybe after this punishment, you will finally realise..."
The smaller frame has a close-up Normal Osborne's, now Goblinoid, face that has a maniacal grin on it.
"...that you are my boy."
*CRACK*
"Now and forever."

Dropping the two lifeless bodies, Osborn jumps to his sky-sled as he begins lobbing pumpkin grenades at the Helicopter... The pilot, turns and twists the machine up into the air - racing for reinforcements at the Triskelion.....

the madman cackles!!
"Hahahehehahahahaehaheaehaheheh.........."

Closing in on the Triskelion
Upper Manhattan, New York
Evening [local time]
June 30, 2004…

The S.H.E.I.L.D. chopper banks hard right and then left with the storm, taking them across the East River - North toward HQ. The wind pulls them farther west than would normal but the chopper holds course...

[the spread shows a long view of nearly the entire island of Manhattan... the Statue of Liberty close in the shot looking back down the bay from upper Manhattan, the city lights sparkle as the remanents of Lightning crashes around the chopper]

Quartermain puts the bird down on the Emergency Deck, in the background we see Thor as he enters the Triskelion... a blur of blue and white rushes to him from deep within. For a fleeting second Quicksilver's image is caught by the lightning - then he's gone again...

"THOR!! Get a med-gurney, we got a man down... looks like he's going flatline... some sort of aneurysm... Get Stark to call in the Psy-Trauma Specs we had when Xavier was on board!!... MOVE IT HIPPY!!"
Fury yells as the chopper skips down to rest on the deck...

Lightning crashes...
Kkchachzzztttt!!
followed by Thunder...
KRAaaa-KOOOOOOOOMMM

The Green Goblin - straifs the chopper, cutting with his sled blades!!... Pete's eyes open as he sees the blood of Nick Fury's headless body splatter across his face, dropping Pete to the ground as he falls!!

Osborn has just taken another life as a Goblin Bomb clanks to a rest in the Helicopter perched precariously on the landing deck above the river!!
It flashes oranges as if counting down until the chopper and the entire medical wing of the Triskelion is blown to oblivion!!

Thor... Quicksilver, Fury and Quartermain... They see none of this, as Pete's mind invents his greatest fear come to life HERE and NOW!!!

Spider-man... Thor.....
What do you do??

 

[Kevin Perrine]

Daredevil

The thug's name is Silke, Sammy Silke a nobody midway on the Kingpin's food chain. He likes to intimidate his marks...
Central Park seperates a bit from the tall buildings gently rolling into the few trees within Mid-town...

"dat's it, you're toast meat!!"
Sammy says as he glances once for onlookers and then starts to pull his arm back to shove the shiv into the patsy's throat!

As Daredevil freefalls down, he glares at the thug in Central Park. With a graceful movement, he twists around and shoots his club at a Light post near the thug, swings around, and leaps down. As he plummets to the floor, he aims the club for the thugs back and fires(Ranged Attack= 10 + 8 + 1(Point Blank)=19)(Damage Save=28)

the scene opens again with an extreme close-up of the poor victim's left eyeball... Sammy Silke's shiv is close... ready to pierce the poor man's brain...

Sammy pulls back - silent, quick, violent... when
SUDDENLY!!
....
FIVE HITS!!

1 - the crimson red billy club hits the backside of Silke's skull...
KER-THWACK!!Wow... Sammy craps out and rolls a Natural 1... NO LIE! that means he fails his Dmg Save by..... ALOT (ie. more than 10)

2 - a silvery metal shiv drops from the thug's had and hits the ground
clack-ackackackack...

3 - Sammy Silke's eyes roll to the back of his head, bloodshot-white is all we can see.... he hits the ground.
shhhllluuunnkkk....

4 - and as Murdock dressed as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen hits the ground

5 - the man he has just saved from a certain death ... his eyes hit Daredevil...

JEEZUS, MAN... you kill'd 'em... you kill'd em!! I hated the scumbag-mutha but you KILL'D 'EM!!
Matt can easily hear Silke's heartbeat... he wouldn't be waking up for a good long while, and he'll likely have trouble lifting his head for several months but he's alive...

the victim, breathing heavy from his cancer filled lungs lunges to the ground... he's sweating ... fat... overweight... probably 276.5 lbs Murdock could estimate... but he's not sweating from the action... it's fear!
and he's... he's going for Silke's gun!!

the man goes to pull the gun from Silke's pants (sending a Villain Point to get Quick Draw) and roll's initiative for next round! That means you need to roll initiative too... the surprise round is OVER

FIGURES..... Save a worthless thug that's getting shock down by one of Fisk's men... looks like he's just another thug...
As he swings up his sweat stained arm in Daredevil's direction!!


and as Matt hears the pull of the hammer on the .35, beyond it somewhere he hears the sound that he noticed back in the Tea Room... then it was
...... 2 blocks away a strange buzzing sound he's never heard. NOW - its just beyond the rise into Central Park, approximately 67 feet 10 inches, North by North East... and a smell... OZONE...

Make DDs Initiative roll... also roll a Willpower Save. Go ahead and describe your actions (don't assume you WILL go first just yet, ie. don't think you'll take the guy out before he fires on you) and THEN, (like the X-men/Spidey) you need to describe your Greatest Desire and Greatest Fear for me...


MEANWHILE...
the Russian Tea Room
150 W 57th St, Manhattan, NY
Just off 7th & 6th, ~2 blocks from south end Central Park
Just after Matt left

Uhhh... Matt??... Matt?!!! What the hel... Matt?... Where's he... uhhhh I'm SO SORRY Karen. I don't know what's gotten into... Matt?!? Foggy looks back and forth, back and forth. He's flabberghasted... No idea what to do.
Waiter... waiter? I'll go ahead with the Anti-Pasto Salad, half order please... hold the Canadian Bacon, with a Bleu Cheese please... Oh and a bottle of your Louis Roederer Cristal please...
Ms. Page simply smiles at Foggy Nelson, as she crosses her arms sips from her water glass and double-glances down at the floor next to where Matt was sitting...
Foggy - sits up and leans far to his left to look around the table... Matt's breifcase sits on the floor along with is coat......
Karen smiles deviously.
I'm guessing that Mathew left his briefcase and coat for a reason... I'm guessing his billfold would be inside... I'm guessing that he'd like us to have a wonderful dinner... on him. is that what you'd guess Foggy?
Foggy chuckles...
Known him for a LONG time... he'll never miss it... he's BLIND you know... heheh

the two chuckle as the recieve the beautiful dinner, Karen Page glances out toward the street...
where IS he... she thinks...

 

[Kevin Perrine]

oops... to many coming soons...

 

[Kevin Perrine]

the ULTIMATES - Captain America & THOR

up next
ROUND 4
--------------
LUFTWAFFE (3): 17
Captain America: 16
PANZERS (1 & 1 machine gun commanders): 16 [Leadership is gone]
NAZI TROOPS (7+3 more this round): 14
Thor: 6

Captain says "OK Nazi boys, time for the scrap heap..."

A mighty roars erupts from the Overlook Deck as Soldiers and Staff alike swap money betting on how many, which ones, how fast all the Nazi-Bots will get taken down by Cap...
It's not a guess...... it's a forgone conclusion, as we rejoin the action!!


Captain America let's loose his shield as simultaniously he is fired on from above!!

MWROOOOOROAROAROAROAR...
VRROOUUUUMMMMMM.....................
the buzz of three German Aces bank and curl...

[within the Luftwaffe, the Aces hear the commanding words recorded from Herr Furher himself taunting them to kill Captain America - the panel focuses tight on the lead Ace's goggles then quickly to his leathered hand as he squeezes on the trigger.... then shifts to the worm's eye view as bullets begin to riddle Rodgers!]

shell-shots track on the ground leading to the American!!!
Pthththt.... Pththhtht.... Pththththth....

Rolls to hit
Plane ONE: 4, 7, 19
Plane TWO: 12, 8, 2
Plane THREE: 14, 5, 10
DARN... the 19 would be a possible hit if not for the -4 modifier!!

As the planes scoop up they get a surprising sight!!

"Hope you don't mind a little company Cap, but Fury would be pissed if you were late for the meeting. Besides, it looked like you could use the help."

The large man wielding a 'big scary hammer' (tm) hovers above the field!

[the lead plane (#1) in the center, #2 to his left and #3 to his right, tear up through the sky in triangle formation...]
"Rogue Leader to Rogue 2 and 3... the American is quiet more agile than we were lead to believe... pull up and bank for return fire, lead him into my cross-hairs and I will destroy the infidel!!
bank on my mark.... WHA - AIEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeee"

The Ace pilots, no expecting this barrier, pull hard - the g-forces extreme..............

Rolls to avoid collision with Thor!!
Plane ONE: 6 + Reflex
Plane TWO: 9 + Reflex
Plane THREE: 6 + Reflex
Rolls to avoid collision one another!!
Plane ONE: 2 + Reflex
Plane TWO: 17 + Reflex
Plane THREE: 11 + Reflex


Pkroroosh!!
Wings and prop blades splinter in mid air!

Thor - hit by ALL THREE swarming planes must make his Damages Saves! (so must the planes as they hit Thor!)
Plane ONE: Damage Save (AFTER his Protection is subtracted) = 18
Plane TWO: Damage Save (AFTER his Protection is subtracted) = 18
Plane THREE: Damage Save (AFTER his Protection is subtracted) = 18

this shouldn't be too hard with his high Dmg SV...

the Plane's make (or DON'T make rather) their saves and this is the scene...

Out of the clouds of black oil smoke - rain metal and steel as the cacaphony of sound directly above Captain America's battleground is almost unbearable....

[Cap make a Dazzle - Willpower Check at DC 13, or be Dazzled from the sound, the smoke and the action that surprises you from just above...]

Out of the soot filled sky twist and turn two large hunks of metal... two damaged, but still flying German planes!! "Rogue Leader" did not escape - Rogue 2 sees his right wing nearly incinerated, while Rogue 3's cockpit is covered in oil, his prop sputtering dead...
Suddenly the lack of control from Rogue 2 forces the Ace's hand to twist into the airstream left by Rogue 3... Not seeing his wingman Rogue 3 pulls hard on his flaps to slow his plane - get back in control......
BAD IDEA!
With this Rogue 2 shoots through the debri to flatten out for the forced landing when ....
KAAAAAAA-BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!
As Rogue 2 runs up Rogue 3's tail in a fireball in the sky!!!


MEANWHILE... on the ground, Cap's aim rings true even through the blitz above!

first Nazi is NATURAL 20!!
Takedown Attack, Ricochet Second Nazi
Takedown Attack, Third Nazi Damage save 29;
Takedown Attack, Fourth Nazi Damage save 29;
Takedown Attack, Fifth Nazi
Takedown Attack, Sixth Nazi NATURAL 20!
Takedown Attack, Seventh Nazi is 26 -12 (ricochet) =14 (not sure if that still hits but assuming so).
ok this time lets see some NAZIES fall!!!

The Star-Spangled Ultimate vaults across the battle field of the Market Place in the pre-generated WWII city scene.
1 then 2 then 3 and on... a disk of the 'ol RED WHITE & BLUE flies though the air with amazing percision... Perfectly aimed it bounces off surface to Nazi scum and back again.

By the third and forth brown coat, the crowd gasps as the shield almost misses it's mark... as Nazi run it appears to overshoot the soldiers but surprising to all catches them on the fly [Rolled Natural 20s but still not enough to beat Cap's damage today!]

in all within 6 blinding seconds no less than SEVEN Nazi fall to the ground revealing their android-inards....
only THREE more to go as Cap's shield bounds back to his hand...

In perfect time the remaining Soldiers, undying in their attacks [they are androids after-all] take stance to fire on the acrobat!!
But not before...
The second Panzer turns to roll over the husk left behind by mighty Mjolnir... Panzer 2 commander shouts...

"Vee have him on zee run my comrads, do not let up! Never say die! Heil HITLER!!"
As he cocks the large caliber gun - training it on Captain America with the remaining troops as the main gun...
The MAIN GUN focuses directly on the Thunder God himself!!

BOOOOM!!

Shots from the Tank Commander and the remaining Nazi ground forces blast at Captain America...
Thwwttthh...Thwwttthh...Thwwttthh...
Thwwttthh...Thwwttthh...Thwwttthh...
Thwwttthh...Thwwttthh...Thwwttthh...
BRrrraaattttthh...BRrrraaattttthh...BRrrraaattttthh...

[9, 1, 5, 2...... MISSES]

*Once again Mjolnir is set loose as Thor hurls it towards the last remaining Panzer*

Attack roll: 22 Damage Save: 40 - (armor rating) note: protection reduced by 2

The final volly from both Tank and Thunder God pass in the air above the Market Street...
KRAAA-KOOOOOOMMM!!!Even with the riveted armor plating, the Panzer shreads under the crackling light of Mjolnir....... no match for the artifact!!

smoke and tears overtake the sky
KhaaaBOOOM!!
[Thor needs to make a Damage Save for the Tank Shell (Power Attacking) that he just took at close range!! Damage Save (after subtracting his protection) = DC 25!
This one will be close!!]

as the surviving shell of the Panzer's last barrage reaches Thor, we must ask gentle reader....
Will Thor fair as well!!!!


As Cap recovers to glance for a Sit-Rep... He sees "Part Two" of his training excercise rolling over the hill some 100' in the distance.
The coming BLITZKRIEG of Panzers - Tiger-Shark class... Tougher than these pushovers... lines with SS troops in full black. and at the lead a tank larger, more menacing than the others... Sharp angles, hooks and thorns cover it - almost scuplted as would a European Cathedral...
And it's RED ... Blood Red...
Drawing from the digital vid files the AI computer simulation has drawn up
the conquering invaders Supreme Commander of the shapechanging alien force called the Chitauri.... and now he bares down on the battlefield with over 30 support tanks!!

 

[Kevin Perrine]

NAMOR & Sue Storm

And now gentle readers, for love of this melodrama we listen in once more to the turmoil that could brew for the FF... The newest heroes of the Ultimate world!!

"Let's work this out Neiman-Marcus"
"Johnny! Ben! Tell Reed I went out to go shopping"
Sue leaves the elevator at the Baxter Building and receives a letter from the doorman. "This note is for you Mrs. Richards."

"It looks like it's from the UN", Sue thinks to herself. "I wonder..."

Namor, dressed in a fine suit and tie, walks down a Manhattan sidewalk. People he passes point and cover their mouths as they recognize him.
The Prince of Atlantis did not care for limousines - he far prefered to walk from his hotel to the UN, despite his advisors' admonitions to the contrary

Duties were required of Namor, of course, but he was looking forward, even savoring, a meeting to come after this unpleasantness.
Namor sits alone at a table at a streetside cafe. He is sipping tea.
The best part of his day would be the anticipation. Tea was served, and it wasn't bad at all.
Namor smiles. In the foreground, we see the backside of a woman facing him

"Ahh, Sue Storm. So nice of you to agree to meet me. Please sit down."

SUE - "Namor!"
"How wonderful to see you."
"This is a strange place to find you."
Before Namor has a chance, the waiter pulls the chair out for Sue Storm to sit down.
"I never expected to be meeting with you today, but I'm glad we are. You'll have to tell me about your business with the UN."

Suddenly, BLINK, Sue flashes from visible to invisible for a second. To fast for normal people to see, but it makes Namor raise an eyebrow.

SUE - "Ohh! It's hot out here. Can I get some water please?" Sue tracks down the waiter.

SUE - "So Namor, tell me why you asked to see me today."

1 - The Crown Prince of Atlantis smiles casually as Sue is served.
NAMOR
Yes, it seems that I have made some time available. How unlike me. There is something... different about you, Susan.
But I won't ask any embarassing questions. I assume you have it all under control. These things have a way of working themselves out, don't they?
But I have something important to discuss with you. Is now a good time, or are you about to rush off somewhere?

SUE - "Please tell me what's on your mind. Don't mind me... I've been feeling a little under the weather lately." She downs her glass of water and flags down the waiter for some more.
finishing her second glass of water. "So...."

1 - Namor wrenches at his necktie, loosening the collar of his dress shirt.

The suits you land-dwellers wear can truly be trying at times.
I have been watching you from afar, Sue, though I suspect you know that I have had my eye on you.
Namor stands and faces the traffic passing by just past the iron filigree railing forming a separation between the cafe and the street.

I realize there is some... competition for your heart, Susan. I want you to know that I am not one to shy away from competition.
It will be your decision, and you know that. I wanted to make sure it was said.

But before Sue Storm can even look up with a responds the crackle of thunder overhead dampens the mood in Mid-town Manhattan, as people start rushing in beneath the many drapes and ledges. Securing a spot from the downpour of rain.
and somewhere above a Thunder God smiles!

as the two rush awkwardly from the conversation with the crowd into the restaraunt - nearing simultaniously alerts appear for each of the heroes in disquise...

first Namor...
"Namor - this is FURY, we have a situation of regional proportion - you'll want to know about this. We'll likely need your involvement if it's what I suspect. Please report to the Triskelion A-sap. and before you decline... Rodgers asked that we pull you in on this one."

then Sue...
PERIMETER ALERT - RECALL STORM, SUSAN... BAXTER BUILDING. FURTHER BRIEFING ON ARRIVAL. zziziziztt... ziziziizzttt...
"Hey Sis, Reed... he's got this big thingy that he needs us on... says it might have something to do with the energies that transformed us... you gotta get back. Cool? - see ya there!"

and as quickly as they'd came together it looks as though the star-crossed must depart. Perhaps they will see one another again soon...
A fact we all KNOW will be true...For THEY will be two of the recruits for the war that is eminent!!!

stay tuned dear readers!!