Vendetta - A Champions campaign
- Thread starter The Crimster
- Start date
Cougar
Felis Concolor
Edge's Military History
In response to the questions posed by Black Omega and (especially) The Crimster (the GM) about why a government agency would allow an experiment to leave after spending millions on it, let me go a little deeper. It still may not hold water with you all, but hey, I have a mysterious group hunting me, this may well be them.
First, allow me to ask if Black Omega ever served any time in the military or government? I know The Crimster hasn't.
The government agency that created Edge was a black ops type, no official funding, not answering to any official committees or agencies. So when the funding was cut the personnel in charge pretty much got reassigned elsewhere, in other black ops stuff or simply vanished. Edge, along with some of the paperwork on him, like his entrance medical exam and psych eval got transferred to the CIA, where they tried to make him into a field agent. They didn't know about the full extent of the experiment or about his abilities because the documents and serum that were important got stolen by leaving personnel, destroyed, or just plain lost. Edge was not sent to the CIA as a meta-human, but as an excellent civilian martial artist, who might be able to fill certain roles needed by the Agency. Edge began to feel the pinch of being a low-level government employee, especially while supporting his sister to go to college, then law school. So he decided to leave the CIA by being a less than stellar performer. A few training missions botched and a few bad evals and the CIA decided they didn’t need another martial artist with a huge ego. So he quit, with no questions.
Now I think this is reasonable because people can quit their jobs in the CIA. This is what Edge did. I am not directly familiar with any real black ops agencies or experiments (of course), but from the way they are portrayed in the movies, they are managed by one person or a small committee and if they close up shop, they close up shop for real. The only other option is KILLING Edge, which wouldn’t be very fun for me as a player, although I would like to try a character with a battlesuit. So they transferred him, but kept the serum and records for themselves, maybe to make other meta-humans. Maybe the agency that created Edge is now Umbra, the main villain organization. If it wasn’t before, it probably is now, eh Crim?
When I was in the Navy (in real life) and got transferred to other stations, I hand-carried the ONLY copy of my service record. I could have taken out or altered anything I wanted to in them. Sure they had records of me being in other places, but not all the info I had in my record. And even though I was no multi-million dollar test subject, I don’t think it is that different in other areas of the government.
Any comments good or bad let me know.
In response to the questions posed by Black Omega and (especially) The Crimster (the GM) about why a government agency would allow an experiment to leave after spending millions on it, let me go a little deeper. It still may not hold water with you all, but hey, I have a mysterious group hunting me, this may well be them.
First, allow me to ask if Black Omega ever served any time in the military or government? I know The Crimster hasn't.
The government agency that created Edge was a black ops type, no official funding, not answering to any official committees or agencies. So when the funding was cut the personnel in charge pretty much got reassigned elsewhere, in other black ops stuff or simply vanished. Edge, along with some of the paperwork on him, like his entrance medical exam and psych eval got transferred to the CIA, where they tried to make him into a field agent. They didn't know about the full extent of the experiment or about his abilities because the documents and serum that were important got stolen by leaving personnel, destroyed, or just plain lost. Edge was not sent to the CIA as a meta-human, but as an excellent civilian martial artist, who might be able to fill certain roles needed by the Agency. Edge began to feel the pinch of being a low-level government employee, especially while supporting his sister to go to college, then law school. So he decided to leave the CIA by being a less than stellar performer. A few training missions botched and a few bad evals and the CIA decided they didn’t need another martial artist with a huge ego. So he quit, with no questions.
Now I think this is reasonable because people can quit their jobs in the CIA. This is what Edge did. I am not directly familiar with any real black ops agencies or experiments (of course), but from the way they are portrayed in the movies, they are managed by one person or a small committee and if they close up shop, they close up shop for real. The only other option is KILLING Edge, which wouldn’t be very fun for me as a player, although I would like to try a character with a battlesuit.
So they transferred him, but kept the serum and records for themselves, maybe to make other meta-humans. Maybe the agency that created Edge is now Umbra, the main villain organization. If it wasn’t before, it probably is now, eh Crim?When I was in the Navy (in real life) and got transferred to other stations, I hand-carried the ONLY copy of my service record. I could have taken out or altered anything I wanted to in them. Sure they had records of me being in other places, but not all the info I had in my record. And even though I was no multi-million dollar test subject, I don’t think it is that different in other areas of the government.
Any comments good or bad let me know.
Conjureman
First Post
post deleted
Sorry, it won't let me delete my posts for reasons unknown to me so this is the best I can manage.
Sorry, it won't let me delete my posts for reasons unknown to me so this is the best I can manage.
Last edited:
The Crimster
First Post
Issue #2 - Part I
Issue #2 - Part 1
"The Greek Brothers"
///Begin Report 04.24.2001 03.04.00 GMT
The incredible non-edible Hacker here, with another rousing rendition of Hacker's Heroes (that's what they're going to call themselves, I hear - I swear!). There was quite a bit of excitement the past couple of days, let me tell you. Especially for Nate and I. But you'll see what I mean near the end.
******START::
After the events at the Umbra base, the team spent a day relaxing and recovering. Nathan brought in a doctor to look at Edge's stomach wound, but it was fairly superficial. Nonetheless he disinfected and bandaged it (who knows where Feral's claws have been?).
The next couple of days were spent under the stern gaze of Colonel Parks. Much to the team's dismay, Nathan gave him their reports. The Colonel wasn't pleased - he kept referring to Edge as 'Door-Man' for obvious reasons. He pushed them harder then he ever has, trying to mold them into a team that Power Force would be proud of. If he doesn't break them first.
Nathan called them all into an early morning meeting, three days after the attack on Umbra. A stack of paper sat on the table in front of him, and as the team filtered in, he smiled and continued to go through what must their reports.
"Good morning, thank you for coming." The only response from the team were a few mumbles and a deep, metallic yawn from Steel Scorpion. Nathan pushed his intercom button.
"Mrs. Finch, could you have the kitchen prepare a carafe of coffee. Bring it and six mugs, pronto." Nathan looked up at the team. "Maybe some coffee will wake you up. Now let's get down to business, and talk about your last mission. I'd like to talk... tactics." Working perfectly together at least this time, the team uniformly groaned. For the next hour, Nathan complimented them, scolded them, and then complimented them - all in the manner of a psychologist trying to delicately give criticism. When it was over however, it was clear that Nathan was impressed with their overall performance, and the new information they found out about Umbra.
"...And that leads me to your next assignment. Hacker turned up very little about the individual members of The Resources, except for Ego and Ghost. Hacker?"
The lights dimmed, and the translucent image of Hacker appeared, handsome smile firmly in place. "Hey guys, what's up?" The team greeted Hacker, who then launched into his report.
"Ok, these two guys. Ego and Ghost. Pretty interesting, actually. Real names are Darren and Steven Thermopolous. Second generation Greek immigrants. About five years ago, these two show up on the metahuman scene. And get this - they're heroes. Yup, the whole thing, foiling a local bank robbery, they get the good press, they even hire a PR firm. It goes good for them for about a year. No major bad guy captures, but a few minor metahuman busts here and there. They were pretty much small potatoes. Oh, and hey - get this. At one point, they interviewed for PF2, but were rejected." Hacker gave a half smile, and then continued. "They began to fade from the public eye. Disappeared for about six months, and then - boom. Caught red-handed trying to lift the contents of the vault at a Bank of America. Went to the real Vault for 2 years six months, each. Pretty light sentence, if you ask me. Served their time and got out, and became nice little citizens again. And then apparently in some way hooked up with Umbra. I also did a search for their address, and found out that they just bought a house in Bel-Air, six months 3 days ago. Pretty nice for a couple of ex-cons, eh?"
Poltergeist spoke up. "Any information on their weaknesses?"
"None. PR firms don't usually advertise that type of info." Hacker smiled at his own joke, but the team was all business. Hacker pressed on, saddened at the team's obvious lack of humor. "However, I thought of something. The monitors in front of each hero suddenly displayed a 3-D representation of Hacker's weapon, with detailed combat specs. It looked like nothing more than a crumpled blanket.
Hacker seemed proud of himself. "If you're thinking that's a blanket, you're right. Mr. Ego relies on sight for his mental powers, you know. Put that sucker over his head and he's powerless."
Dr. Darwin interrupted. "How do you know that will work?"
"It works for Vanguard, who use to be a member of PF2. He was a mentalist, too. Based upon records of known mentalists, there is a 84.5% probability that this tactic will work on Ego as well." Hacker shrugged. "Just a thought...."
Nathan nodded. "That's fine, Hacker. Let me proceed with the layout of the assignment." He turned to the team. "It is within the realm of possibility that Ghost and Ego are dead. If they weren't killed by the gas, they may have been killed by the subsequent explosions. Deep explosions, people. The news is reporting a small localized earthquake in that area; but I think Umbra destroyed all egress from the cell using explosives. However, there is still the nature of Ghost's powers. From what Hacker has found he is able to turn Ego intangible as well. So therefore, they may have survived. Your assignment is to visit and investigate their home. If they are there, get as much information from them as you can. The means by which you do this is up to you, but I remind you: We are operating on the side of law. And we will continue to do so. The Thermopolous brothers have committed crimes, but they've served their time. What happened in the Umbra base... never officially happened. So we're in a gray area." Nathan paused for a moment, as if considering. "I will admit to this - that if they were here now, and knew something of my daughter - I would do whatever it takes. But... those are the ways of our enemy, and we must do our best not to devolve to them."
The meeting started with tactics, and now came back to it once more. Everyone became involved, and threw in wild ideas on how to capture and interrogate Ego and Ghost if they turned up. Discussion included how to best disable Ghost - whose powers may make all of this futile. There was even a point when it was thought best to attack first. Team tactics were discussed as well. Based upon her previous experience with a metahuman group of teens, Poltergeist suggested everyone use 'code words' during battles, so as to not alert the enemy to changes in plan. They rapidly came up with ten different phrases that they could all agree on. During this time, Nathan left and returned with a smartly dressed man who introduced himself as Peter Paulings, salesman for Heber Electronics. Peter showed the team the latest in communication technology - headsets with small microphones that could be turned to their own specific frequency. The team each took one - Poltergeist and Edge took a more advanced version that fit snugly in the ear and was virtually invisible.
*** GM NOTE: The team got communicators! <cheers> Poltergeist and Edge took the IAF (Inobvious, Accessible Focus) versions, while the rest took cheaper (Obvious, Accessible Focus) versions. The team also chipped in a point for a team vehicle (which I still have to write up, but makes it's appearance below).
Poltergeist turned to Hacker. "Hacker, what is the phone number of the publicists for Ego and Ghost?"
"Checking." Hacker cocked his head to the side, and closed his eyes. Suddenly he opened them, and gave a startled yelp.
"Whoah! That was close!"
The team leaned in, concerned. "What happened?" asked Arsenal.
Hacker looked at them, and seemingly took a deep breath. "Well, it's sort of complicated. But I'll try and explain. We talked about AI's before, right? Well, I've encountered them before in cyberspace. Big. Powerful. Nasty. You don't want to mess with them. But then again, they're never interested in me. I just skate by 'em, know what I mean? Like walking through the legs of a giant." Hacker smiled, pleased with his metaphor. His smile then dropped. "But then there's this.... shadow, lately. I don't know what it is... I don't think it's an AI... It has it's claws sunk in a lot of different places. I can't actually see it, you understand. I just can recognize the... absence of things that make it up. And the bad thing is this... it reaches for me. I can feel it's probing routines trying to infect my own systems, hoping to copy and/or locate me. I can avoid it most of the time. But when I go to some places.... Like the main-frame at Langley, for the FBI, you know? It's there. So don't be mad if sometimes I can't go out data-scrounging. Cyberspace is getting spooky, let me tell you."
Steel Scorpion asked, "What do you think The Shadow wants, Hacker?"
Hacker smiled at Steel. "Yah, that's a good name. The Shadow. It fits." Hacker paused for a moment, as if thinking. "I don't know, and I don't want to know. But I can tell you this... it scares me."
The group paused for a moment to digest this. Then Steel Scorpion asked, "You know, I was serious before. I can build you a body with a neuro-positronic matrix that would download your systems. You wouldn't be stuck in Nathan's computer anymore."
Hacker gave a shy smile to Steel. "I heard you first time you mentioned it, Jack. It's just that... just that... I both love and hate the idea, ya know? I love it - because you're right, I can be free in a way. And yah, I'd like to work with you on that. But I hate it because... I shouldn't have to. I'm someone damn it, and I was alive ya know?" Hacker bowed his head. "Errr, sorry for the cussing, Janey."
Poltergeist looked to Hacker, a compassionate look on her face. "That's all right, Hacker. I understand."
Hacker looked up, his smile back. "Yah, Jack. We'll work on that. Thanks."
Talk turned once more to the Thermopolous brothers. The formulated plan was simple. Poltergeist would use her sometimes-job as a reporter for Fate magazine as an excuse to call and set up a meeting with Ghost and Ego (they had never seen her face during their confrontation) The so-called story would supposedly be about long-unseen heroes, and how foolish PF2 was to reject them. Poltergeist planned on playing to Ego's... errr... Ego, and this seemed the best way. The rest of the team would wait outside in the recently delivered Humvee (that Nathan so graciously purchased for them). All this time they would listen in on Poltergeist's conversation with the new communicators. If anything went wrong, Poltergeist would use the code phrase, "Is there a problem?" - and the rest of the team would haul ass to her side.
*** GM NOTE: The tactics discussion took up a lot of the game. But the players were enjoying it, and it was all pure roleplaying (so I enjoyed it as well. We didn't get that much done this week, but we still had fun. =)
Nathan sat quietly through all this, listening. He couldn't manage them in the field, but it sounded like they had a good idea of what to do. He was lucky - Power Force 2 had good cohesiveness, and were definitely a team - but they lacked in flexibility. PF2 used tactics that were developed by Blacksmith a few years back. But when it came to new situations, they were sometimes caught in the lurch. Hopefully this team would never grow to that point. Once they were done, he made an announcement.
Nathan stood, and buttoned his jacket. The team had decided to do some recon, and the meeting was over. "Also, I wanted to say one thing, and then make an announcement. The first is that while we are not a team with fame and press on their agenda, we still need a name. I leave that up to you. I'm not going to waste money on PR firms and focus groups, that's not what this is about. Come up with one by next week, or I'll have my 8-year old niece come up with it." Nathan smiled and continued. "Also... I am happy to announce that in two days, you have a meeting with the leader of Power Force 2, Skull." The team looked to each other in surprise. "As you know, he was a good friend of my daughter. He searched for quite some time for her, and may have some info or point of view I may have overlooked. I asked his assistant to set up a meeting in two days. It will be at his home in the Santa Monica Mountains. I'll brief you just before you go on how best to handle him..." Nathan grabbed his briefcase and began to walk out. "Fill me in as soon as you return from your assignment."
Arsenal and Edge left as well. They followed the directions Hacker gave them to the brothers' home, but found nothing of interest. No movement. They did note that there was a 'Guardian Security' sign in front of the home. Once they returned, investigation by Hacker turned up a paid bill for the service a few months ago - but nothing since then. The team did a bit of investigating of their own, and found the number to the publicist. With a bit of social engineering, Jane managed to squeeze the home phone number for the brothers out of a rep at the PR firm ("But just so you know, they are no longer a client of ours. We don't represent ex-felons."). Within moments, Jane made the call.
"Hello?" The voice was unmistakable. The nasally pompous tone gave it away - it was Ego, and at least he was alive. Jane quickly introduced herself as a writer for Fate Magazine. Ego was surprisingly cordial, if a bit creepy. He seemed pleased with the subject of the piece, and agreed to an interview in one hour, at his home.
The team put on their game faces and went out to the Humvee. Poltergeist dressed down, of course. She wore a simple but plain business suit, and brought along her tape recorder. She looked every inch the reporter. Once at the address, the team marveled at the neighborhood. The houses were rich and extravagant, and widely spaced. They parked the Humvee a block away, and Jane got out. She tested the new communicator as she walked towards the home, and it worked perfectly.
She walked up the driveway, and knocked at the door. A few moments later, Ego himself answered. He was dressed in a red velvet smoking jacket. A dark cigarette in a black holder dangled from his mouth. His eyes lit up when he saw Jane, and a smile curled his vulpine mouth. His bald head, and lidded eyes made him appear like an old lizard sunning itself. "Ah yes, the reporter! Do come in." Walking in, Poltergeist could suddenly feel the heat inside the house, as well as an odd buzzing sound.
Ego lead her to the back, past the front room. Once there, she saw an unusual sight. A large field of blue energy sat in the middle of the front room, emanating from two machines set on the floor and ceiling. Sitting in the center, cross legged, was Ego's brother, Ghost. He looked up at Poltergeist sullenly and waved, and then began to switch channels on his remote. "What is that...??" asked Poltergeist. Ego looked about, unsure of what she was pointing at. "Oh. That. That is what keeps my brother from simply falling through the earth when he's sleeping. It also allows him to touch things without making him too tired. Poor baby." Ego sniffed, evidently done with discussion of his brother. Ego took Poltergeist out on the back patio, and offered her a drink.
The talk at first was of Ego and Ghost. Ego informed her that he was actually writing a book about his life ("I'm thinking of calling it... 'Super-Ego'. What do you think?") He seemed genuinely dismissive of his brother, and mentioned him only briefly. But then Ego began to ask questions of Jane. Personal questions. And there were those lustful eyes... Jane decided a properly phrased comment about her supposed personal life might get the 'interview' back on the tracks.
"...Oh yes, and it is difficult being a lesbian reporter, don't you know." Jane shrugged and drank from her glass of water.
Ego leaned forward almost casually. "A lesbian, you say?" Rather than throw him off, he seemed.. even more interested. Without warning, a thin trickle of blood began to pour from Ego's nose, though he did not notice. Immediately, Jane sensed a light, feathery probing in her head. Yes, it was as they feared. Ego could in fact read minds. The game was certainly up.
******END::
The second part of my report should be tomorrow. I'm working with Arsenal on some programming for some of his software tonight, so I'm going to cut this short.
Tomorrow I'll tell you how Hacker's Heroes got into a fight with Skull! >>> insert DirgeMusic.wav here <<<
///End Report 04.24.2001 03.04.01 GMT
Issue #2 - Part 1
"The Greek Brothers"
///Begin Report 04.24.2001 03.04.00 GMT
The incredible non-edible Hacker here, with another rousing rendition of Hacker's Heroes (that's what they're going to call themselves, I hear - I swear!). There was quite a bit of excitement the past couple of days, let me tell you. Especially for Nate and I. But you'll see what I mean near the end.
******START::
After the events at the Umbra base, the team spent a day relaxing and recovering. Nathan brought in a doctor to look at Edge's stomach wound, but it was fairly superficial. Nonetheless he disinfected and bandaged it (who knows where Feral's claws have been?).
The next couple of days were spent under the stern gaze of Colonel Parks. Much to the team's dismay, Nathan gave him their reports. The Colonel wasn't pleased - he kept referring to Edge as 'Door-Man' for obvious reasons. He pushed them harder then he ever has, trying to mold them into a team that Power Force would be proud of. If he doesn't break them first.
Nathan called them all into an early morning meeting, three days after the attack on Umbra. A stack of paper sat on the table in front of him, and as the team filtered in, he smiled and continued to go through what must their reports.
"Good morning, thank you for coming." The only response from the team were a few mumbles and a deep, metallic yawn from Steel Scorpion. Nathan pushed his intercom button.
"Mrs. Finch, could you have the kitchen prepare a carafe of coffee. Bring it and six mugs, pronto." Nathan looked up at the team. "Maybe some coffee will wake you up. Now let's get down to business, and talk about your last mission. I'd like to talk... tactics." Working perfectly together at least this time, the team uniformly groaned. For the next hour, Nathan complimented them, scolded them, and then complimented them - all in the manner of a psychologist trying to delicately give criticism. When it was over however, it was clear that Nathan was impressed with their overall performance, and the new information they found out about Umbra.
"...And that leads me to your next assignment. Hacker turned up very little about the individual members of The Resources, except for Ego and Ghost. Hacker?"
The lights dimmed, and the translucent image of Hacker appeared, handsome smile firmly in place. "Hey guys, what's up?" The team greeted Hacker, who then launched into his report.
"Ok, these two guys. Ego and Ghost. Pretty interesting, actually. Real names are Darren and Steven Thermopolous. Second generation Greek immigrants. About five years ago, these two show up on the metahuman scene. And get this - they're heroes. Yup, the whole thing, foiling a local bank robbery, they get the good press, they even hire a PR firm. It goes good for them for about a year. No major bad guy captures, but a few minor metahuman busts here and there. They were pretty much small potatoes. Oh, and hey - get this. At one point, they interviewed for PF2, but were rejected." Hacker gave a half smile, and then continued. "They began to fade from the public eye. Disappeared for about six months, and then - boom. Caught red-handed trying to lift the contents of the vault at a Bank of America. Went to the real Vault for 2 years six months, each. Pretty light sentence, if you ask me. Served their time and got out, and became nice little citizens again. And then apparently in some way hooked up with Umbra. I also did a search for their address, and found out that they just bought a house in Bel-Air, six months 3 days ago. Pretty nice for a couple of ex-cons, eh?"
Poltergeist spoke up. "Any information on their weaknesses?"
"None. PR firms don't usually advertise that type of info." Hacker smiled at his own joke, but the team was all business. Hacker pressed on, saddened at the team's obvious lack of humor. "However, I thought of something. The monitors in front of each hero suddenly displayed a 3-D representation of Hacker's weapon, with detailed combat specs. It looked like nothing more than a crumpled blanket.
Hacker seemed proud of himself. "If you're thinking that's a blanket, you're right. Mr. Ego relies on sight for his mental powers, you know. Put that sucker over his head and he's powerless."
Dr. Darwin interrupted. "How do you know that will work?"
"It works for Vanguard, who use to be a member of PF2. He was a mentalist, too. Based upon records of known mentalists, there is a 84.5% probability that this tactic will work on Ego as well." Hacker shrugged. "Just a thought...."
Nathan nodded. "That's fine, Hacker. Let me proceed with the layout of the assignment." He turned to the team. "It is within the realm of possibility that Ghost and Ego are dead. If they weren't killed by the gas, they may have been killed by the subsequent explosions. Deep explosions, people. The news is reporting a small localized earthquake in that area; but I think Umbra destroyed all egress from the cell using explosives. However, there is still the nature of Ghost's powers. From what Hacker has found he is able to turn Ego intangible as well. So therefore, they may have survived. Your assignment is to visit and investigate their home. If they are there, get as much information from them as you can. The means by which you do this is up to you, but I remind you: We are operating on the side of law. And we will continue to do so. The Thermopolous brothers have committed crimes, but they've served their time. What happened in the Umbra base... never officially happened. So we're in a gray area." Nathan paused for a moment, as if considering. "I will admit to this - that if they were here now, and knew something of my daughter - I would do whatever it takes. But... those are the ways of our enemy, and we must do our best not to devolve to them."
The meeting started with tactics, and now came back to it once more. Everyone became involved, and threw in wild ideas on how to capture and interrogate Ego and Ghost if they turned up. Discussion included how to best disable Ghost - whose powers may make all of this futile. There was even a point when it was thought best to attack first. Team tactics were discussed as well. Based upon her previous experience with a metahuman group of teens, Poltergeist suggested everyone use 'code words' during battles, so as to not alert the enemy to changes in plan. They rapidly came up with ten different phrases that they could all agree on. During this time, Nathan left and returned with a smartly dressed man who introduced himself as Peter Paulings, salesman for Heber Electronics. Peter showed the team the latest in communication technology - headsets with small microphones that could be turned to their own specific frequency. The team each took one - Poltergeist and Edge took a more advanced version that fit snugly in the ear and was virtually invisible.
*** GM NOTE: The team got communicators! <cheers> Poltergeist and Edge took the IAF (Inobvious, Accessible Focus) versions, while the rest took cheaper (Obvious, Accessible Focus) versions. The team also chipped in a point for a team vehicle (which I still have to write up, but makes it's appearance below).
Poltergeist turned to Hacker. "Hacker, what is the phone number of the publicists for Ego and Ghost?"
"Checking." Hacker cocked his head to the side, and closed his eyes. Suddenly he opened them, and gave a startled yelp.
"Whoah! That was close!"
The team leaned in, concerned. "What happened?" asked Arsenal.
Hacker looked at them, and seemingly took a deep breath. "Well, it's sort of complicated. But I'll try and explain. We talked about AI's before, right? Well, I've encountered them before in cyberspace. Big. Powerful. Nasty. You don't want to mess with them. But then again, they're never interested in me. I just skate by 'em, know what I mean? Like walking through the legs of a giant." Hacker smiled, pleased with his metaphor. His smile then dropped. "But then there's this.... shadow, lately. I don't know what it is... I don't think it's an AI... It has it's claws sunk in a lot of different places. I can't actually see it, you understand. I just can recognize the... absence of things that make it up. And the bad thing is this... it reaches for me. I can feel it's probing routines trying to infect my own systems, hoping to copy and/or locate me. I can avoid it most of the time. But when I go to some places.... Like the main-frame at Langley, for the FBI, you know? It's there. So don't be mad if sometimes I can't go out data-scrounging. Cyberspace is getting spooky, let me tell you."
Steel Scorpion asked, "What do you think The Shadow wants, Hacker?"
Hacker smiled at Steel. "Yah, that's a good name. The Shadow. It fits." Hacker paused for a moment, as if thinking. "I don't know, and I don't want to know. But I can tell you this... it scares me."
The group paused for a moment to digest this. Then Steel Scorpion asked, "You know, I was serious before. I can build you a body with a neuro-positronic matrix that would download your systems. You wouldn't be stuck in Nathan's computer anymore."
Hacker gave a shy smile to Steel. "I heard you first time you mentioned it, Jack. It's just that... just that... I both love and hate the idea, ya know? I love it - because you're right, I can be free in a way. And yah, I'd like to work with you on that. But I hate it because... I shouldn't have to. I'm someone damn it, and I was alive ya know?" Hacker bowed his head. "Errr, sorry for the cussing, Janey."
Poltergeist looked to Hacker, a compassionate look on her face. "That's all right, Hacker. I understand."
Hacker looked up, his smile back. "Yah, Jack. We'll work on that. Thanks."
Talk turned once more to the Thermopolous brothers. The formulated plan was simple. Poltergeist would use her sometimes-job as a reporter for Fate magazine as an excuse to call and set up a meeting with Ghost and Ego (they had never seen her face during their confrontation) The so-called story would supposedly be about long-unseen heroes, and how foolish PF2 was to reject them. Poltergeist planned on playing to Ego's... errr... Ego, and this seemed the best way. The rest of the team would wait outside in the recently delivered Humvee (that Nathan so graciously purchased for them). All this time they would listen in on Poltergeist's conversation with the new communicators. If anything went wrong, Poltergeist would use the code phrase, "Is there a problem?" - and the rest of the team would haul ass to her side.
*** GM NOTE: The tactics discussion took up a lot of the game. But the players were enjoying it, and it was all pure roleplaying (so I enjoyed it as well. We didn't get that much done this week, but we still had fun. =)
Nathan sat quietly through all this, listening. He couldn't manage them in the field, but it sounded like they had a good idea of what to do. He was lucky - Power Force 2 had good cohesiveness, and were definitely a team - but they lacked in flexibility. PF2 used tactics that were developed by Blacksmith a few years back. But when it came to new situations, they were sometimes caught in the lurch. Hopefully this team would never grow to that point. Once they were done, he made an announcement.
Nathan stood, and buttoned his jacket. The team had decided to do some recon, and the meeting was over. "Also, I wanted to say one thing, and then make an announcement. The first is that while we are not a team with fame and press on their agenda, we still need a name. I leave that up to you. I'm not going to waste money on PR firms and focus groups, that's not what this is about. Come up with one by next week, or I'll have my 8-year old niece come up with it." Nathan smiled and continued. "Also... I am happy to announce that in two days, you have a meeting with the leader of Power Force 2, Skull." The team looked to each other in surprise. "As you know, he was a good friend of my daughter. He searched for quite some time for her, and may have some info or point of view I may have overlooked. I asked his assistant to set up a meeting in two days. It will be at his home in the Santa Monica Mountains. I'll brief you just before you go on how best to handle him..." Nathan grabbed his briefcase and began to walk out. "Fill me in as soon as you return from your assignment."
Arsenal and Edge left as well. They followed the directions Hacker gave them to the brothers' home, but found nothing of interest. No movement. They did note that there was a 'Guardian Security' sign in front of the home. Once they returned, investigation by Hacker turned up a paid bill for the service a few months ago - but nothing since then. The team did a bit of investigating of their own, and found the number to the publicist. With a bit of social engineering, Jane managed to squeeze the home phone number for the brothers out of a rep at the PR firm ("But just so you know, they are no longer a client of ours. We don't represent ex-felons."). Within moments, Jane made the call.
"Hello?" The voice was unmistakable. The nasally pompous tone gave it away - it was Ego, and at least he was alive. Jane quickly introduced herself as a writer for Fate Magazine. Ego was surprisingly cordial, if a bit creepy. He seemed pleased with the subject of the piece, and agreed to an interview in one hour, at his home.
The team put on their game faces and went out to the Humvee. Poltergeist dressed down, of course. She wore a simple but plain business suit, and brought along her tape recorder. She looked every inch the reporter. Once at the address, the team marveled at the neighborhood. The houses were rich and extravagant, and widely spaced. They parked the Humvee a block away, and Jane got out. She tested the new communicator as she walked towards the home, and it worked perfectly.
She walked up the driveway, and knocked at the door. A few moments later, Ego himself answered. He was dressed in a red velvet smoking jacket. A dark cigarette in a black holder dangled from his mouth. His eyes lit up when he saw Jane, and a smile curled his vulpine mouth. His bald head, and lidded eyes made him appear like an old lizard sunning itself. "Ah yes, the reporter! Do come in." Walking in, Poltergeist could suddenly feel the heat inside the house, as well as an odd buzzing sound.
Ego lead her to the back, past the front room. Once there, she saw an unusual sight. A large field of blue energy sat in the middle of the front room, emanating from two machines set on the floor and ceiling. Sitting in the center, cross legged, was Ego's brother, Ghost. He looked up at Poltergeist sullenly and waved, and then began to switch channels on his remote. "What is that...??" asked Poltergeist. Ego looked about, unsure of what she was pointing at. "Oh. That. That is what keeps my brother from simply falling through the earth when he's sleeping. It also allows him to touch things without making him too tired. Poor baby." Ego sniffed, evidently done with discussion of his brother. Ego took Poltergeist out on the back patio, and offered her a drink.
The talk at first was of Ego and Ghost. Ego informed her that he was actually writing a book about his life ("I'm thinking of calling it... 'Super-Ego'. What do you think?") He seemed genuinely dismissive of his brother, and mentioned him only briefly. But then Ego began to ask questions of Jane. Personal questions. And there were those lustful eyes... Jane decided a properly phrased comment about her supposed personal life might get the 'interview' back on the tracks.
"...Oh yes, and it is difficult being a lesbian reporter, don't you know." Jane shrugged and drank from her glass of water.
Ego leaned forward almost casually. "A lesbian, you say?" Rather than throw him off, he seemed.. even more interested. Without warning, a thin trickle of blood began to pour from Ego's nose, though he did not notice. Immediately, Jane sensed a light, feathery probing in her head. Yes, it was as they feared. Ego could in fact read minds. The game was certainly up.
******END::
The second part of my report should be tomorrow. I'm working with Arsenal on some programming for some of his software tonight, so I'm going to cut this short.
Tomorrow I'll tell you how Hacker's Heroes got into a fight with Skull! >>> insert DirgeMusic.wav here <<<
///End Report 04.24.2001 03.04.01 GMT
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Conjureman
First Post
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The Crimster
First Post
Issue #2 - Part 2
Issue #2 - Part 2
"Friend, Foe, or Something Else?"
///Begin Report 04.24.2001 05.13.00 GMT
Without further ado, here is the rest of what happened to Hacker's Heroes.
******START::
"Errr... Is there a problem?" Jane asked. Ego smiled, and wiped at his nose. "No, no. Not at all. Happens sometimes." He stood. "Give me but a moment, my dear. I must ask my brother something." Ego opened the glass door, entered, and closed it behind him.
Meanwhile, the Humvee exploded into action. Edge jumped out, and began to run towards the back of the house. The rest of the group stayed inside the vehicle, which accelerated and took off towards the house. Almost, they decided to crash the Humvee into the front window of the home, but instead parked it at the front and jumped out of the vehicle. Edge was already at the back however - running so fast he was almost a blur, he arrived to see Jane knocking at the back sliding glass door. Inside could barely be seen the forms of Ego and Ghost speaking to each other rather animatedly.
At that moment, the front bay window of the home exploded in. Arsenal and Steel Scorpion jumped through, sending shards of glass all over the living room. Steel Scorpion landed on an ornate wooden table that collapsed under the weight of his suit. They slowly began to walk towards the back of the house where they could see Ego and Ghost. Arsenal's gun was readied and pointing at the two. Energy began to pulse from Steel Scorpion's tail, ready to strike the brothers if they so much as breathed funny.
BioLogic used his suit's stretching capability to reach towards the second story of the home, and then pulled himself up and into a second floor window. It appeared to be Ego's own bedroom, decorated with the cheesiest in bachelor furniture. Nothing of any immediate interest or value, except for a nearby computer system that immediately caught the doctor's eye.
Meanwhile, Ego and Ghost stood in the living room, next to Ghost's machine. Ghost held the hand of his brother, and fear was written on his face. His brother however wore a look of barely restrained anger. Poltergeist knocked on the sliding glass door once more, and the brothers walked over. Ghost extended his hand and opened the locked door, his hand apparently corporeal. Edge and Poltergeist entered, joining Arsenal and Steel Scorpion, who now stood surrounding the two brothers. Ego looked at the group with a mixture of annoyance and disgust.
"Oh. It's you." He turned to Poltergeist. "And that must make you the woman who floats. Hmmm, yes." Ego turned back to the group, his voice rising. "What is the meaning of this...?!?"
Edge stepped forward and looked at the brothers with a menacing glare. "Umbra. Tell us everything. Now."
Ego seemed nonplussed. He looked at his brother and chuckled, then back to Edge. "You were responsible for our employer terminating our services and a rather hasty escape from their facility. Not to mention the difficulty that poor Ghost had in attempting to rescue some of our team-mates." Ego turned and began to walk towards the front of the house, his brother's hand still on his shoulder.
"And my window! Do you know how much those cost to replace?!" Ego looked at the ruins of his front room and scowled.
Poltergeist offered to pay for it (she was the only one with a check book), and Steel Scorpion said he would cover the check. Poltergeist even offered to write up a favorable interview in Fate Magazine if he would cooperate with them, but Ego scoffed at her idea. Instead, he railed against the heroes destroying his home ("And who knows what's going on upstairs! That other one is up there, no doubt!"). During all this time, BioLogic removed Ego's computer and stashed in the Humvee. Who knows what it might have on it? When Steel Scorpion mentioned that money would not be a problem (he was quite wealthy himself), Ego suddenly quieted and became interested.
"Hmmm... Tell you what." Ego looked at the heroes and released his hand from his brother's shoulder. He reached into his robe and lit a cigarette, which he took a deep drag on. "I will tell you what I know of Umbra. I know a little, but more than you I think - and I will tell you everything." He blew out a cloud of smoke at Steel Scorpion. "For a price." He smiled.
The team bickered with Ego for quite a bit, who seemed more interested in money than fighting (he also refused a personal check from Poltergeist, evidently miffed at her deception. The team went down to the local bank and Steel Scorpion got a cashiers' check for $30k). Once the team returned, Ego already had a company starting to replace his bay window. He had noticed his stolen computer, and demanded it back. The heroes agreed, once they checked it out for any information on Umbra. Ego didn't like this, but he agreed once he saw the cashier's check. He accepted it with a shark-like grin.
True to his word, Ego had little information on Umbra. They hired him and his brother to serve as a metahuman security team of sorts, as they apparently do at all their locations. He knew that the leader of The Resources for Umbra is named 'Gabriel' - a seemingly powerful metahuman. An off hand comment by Gabriel to Ego about another cell in Los Angeles gave the team a real clue - something about it being in a building as tall as this cell was deep. Ego offered to inform the heroes if he was contacted by Umbra for more money, but they declined. Having Ego literally on payroll did not seem like a good idea at the time. As the heroes left, they said their good-byes - but Ego merely stared at the check and licked his lips.
The team made their report to Nathan. Hacker began to examine the computer with Arsenal's assistance. They found nothing on the hard drive other than a self-aggrandizing book half-written by Ego. Also, it appeared that Ego had quite a few outstanding debts to various bookies around town. Then Hacker made a real find - a bug of some kind attached to the hard drive, sending out a weak pulse at intervals. The team confiscated that and packaged up Ego's computer, and shipped it to him as he requested.
Nathan had little to say about the assignment. He was pleased that it was successful, and the team now had an avenue to pursue. He seemed more interested in explaining how best to deal with Skull, as their interview with him would be later on that afternoon. Nathan explained that Skull could be difficult to communicate with - and not just because of his telepathy. He was almost alien in his thinking and held little regard for the niceties of typical conversation. But he could be a gold mine of information for the heroes - after all, he searched for Elizabeth for over a year. Nathan gave them instructions to Skull's home, and the team once more departed.
They made their way up into the Santa Monica mountains, giving them a good view of both the Valley and the Los Angeles basin. As good a view as you can get with the levels of smog that seem to cover the city like a dirty blanket.
Skull's home was surprisingly small, and looked like little more than a 2 story log cabin. The team parked the Humvee and exited the vehicle. There were no security guards, no dogs, and no cameras in evidence. The road did have a booth they had to check in at - but that was miles ago, at the base of the mountain. Scattered about the front of the cabin were dozens of wood carvings. Many were of animals, and they ranged from rough carvings of eagles to extremely detailed representations of wolves. A rocking chair sat among them, a pile of wood shavings scattered about it. Small carved wooden skulls lined the stairs leading to the front door. This must be the right place.
BioLogic rang the front door, and whether it was humor or not from the owner of the house - a funeral dirge sounded. The team waited a few minutes and rang the door again. No one answered. Edge tried the door, and it opened with a creaking sound. The team looked in.
The first floor was apparently but one room. Near the left wall, stairs ascended to the second floor. But the first floor contained nothing - no furniture, no windows, no wall hangings. Nothing, except for Skull himself. He is much like he appears in the movies or on TV - a skeleton, though the bones that make up his structure are noticeably thicker than a true human skeleton. He sat in the middle of the floor, Indian style, unmoving. He faced the door, as if expecting visitors. The team greeted him and moved inside.
Suddenly, Skull stood up. His eyes flashed with a pale light, and the team heard his voice in their heads. In the movies, Skull's voice is often dubbed-in by James Earl Jones - and it bears an uncanny resemblance.
"So... you are to be Nathan's team, and perhaps Elizabeth's finders."
"Y-yes." It did not seem to be a question, but Poltergeist answered nonetheless.
Skull crouched, and his hands suddenly turned into fists. "I do not think so." Without warning, he leaped for BioLogic. It was so unexpected that BioLogic was totally caught off guard. The impact was horrifying, flinging the doctor back into the walls of the cabin. He hit with an odd thud - the wooden logs were nothing but a facade. Steel beams made up Skull's home, for whatever reason. BioLogic was not seriously hurt, and staggered to his feet.
Poltergeist looked to Skull with horror. "What are you doing...?!?" Thoughts of Skull being the leader of Umbra flashed through her mind. Some of the team even screamed into their communicators, asking Hacker and Nathan what was going on. But they knew nothing - and had no idea why Skull would attack.
Edge sensed combat, and that was all he needed - no matter who it was against. With a blur, his arm pistoned forward towards Skull's head - but surprisingly Skull moved aside at the last moment. Edge may be slightly faster, but Skull had years and years of experience to draw on.
Most of the team was stunned and unsure of how to proceed. A few paused to plead with Skull to stop his senseless attack. BioLogic however reared back and delivered a thunderous punch to Skull's jaw that actually caused him to stagger a bit - no mean feat. Poltergeist used her telekinetic powers to keep Skull rooted and unable to move. It was a tactic that worked so well on Livid, but Skull was far stronger. Though he was slowed, he continued to advance on her teammates one by one. Meanwhile, Edge peppered Skull with punches and kicks that either failed to hit or apparently had no appreciable effect. BioLogic stretched his organic suit to the rafters, grabbed a hold of a wooden support beam for the roof, and pulled, hoping to bring the roof down. But the beam itself was made of steel as well (to his credit, it bent slightly). For his part, Skull's fist slammed into the nearby chest of Arsenal, sending him flying back into a wall, stunned. Skull seemed unstoppable.
Poltergeist rose into the air, and flung herself full speed at the Skull's back, hoping against hope to do some damage to him. Just as she was about to impact, Skull turned aside and reached out. His hand wrapped around her neck and he drew her near. Poltergeist made a small choking sound, and pulled at Skull's hands ineffectively. His eyes pulsed, and everyone heard his voice.
"Cease your attack, or the woman dies."
The team hesitated for a moment, unsure of where to proceed. To fight a metahuman is one thing, but to be attacked by one so powerful and respected? It was almost too much to process.
Poltergeist heard this but continued to struggle. She used her telekinetic powers to wrap her cloak around Skull's head, hoping to perhaps distract him for a moment. But with his free hand, he ripped it aside, unfazed. Edge, taking that as a cue, jumped forward and slammed his fist into Skull's side. Skull merely turned his head and looked at the hero, and said nothing. BioLogic moved forward, intent on attacking Skull as well, despite his warning.
Skull's hand opened, and Poltergeist dropped to the floor, unhurt. He looked down at her, and his eyes flashed.
"You should be dead." He looked back up at the team.
"Cease your attacks. She is not harmed. It was not my intent to harm."
Edge looked at Skull, furious. "So what was your intent??"
"To test your mettle, of course. To see whom it was that would serve Nathan. To see if you possess the strength to see your task through, to find Elizabeth. You will not succeed if you are fools or cowards." His head swiveled to look at all of them. "At the least, you are not cowards." Skull walked past the obviously infuriated Edge, and towards the stairs. "Come, I wish to speak with you more."
The team looked to each other, and one by one began to follow the Power Force leader. All except for Edge. He merely shook his head and left the cabin.
The upstairs were much different. This looked to be where someone could stay and sleep, and there was even a small kitchen. Most likely things for guests, as Skull neither required sleep or food. In one corner of the room stood a trophy case, containing odd bits of things, most unidentifiable. One item in particular was recognizable however - a battered armored helmet belonging to Blacksmith. Skull moved forward and sat at a computer system. His eyes flashed.
"Sit. I wish to speak of Elizabeth, what I have found, and what you have found."
Skull congratulated them on the recent break in the search for Umbra - something he found nothing of for over a year. His care for Elizabeth was apparent, as was his respect for Nathan. He gave them phone numbers and other ways to contact him if they ever needed his help. Skull also provided the team with a full blood work-up for Elizabeth, taken six months before she disappeared. It contained nothing unusual - she was no mutant or mutate, much to the dismay of certain members of the team who thought that might be a reason for her kidnapping. They discussed Umbra more, and Skull agreed that whomever was behind the group must possess a great deal of money. More money and reach than a normal terrorist organization might have - along the lines of a country or a rare few individuals. This gave the team pause.
Skull gave them all the files he had on Elizabeth and began to walk the team outside. His eyes flashed.
"If you think me testing you in this way was wrong, then I am sorry. But I will not have Nathan served by the Weak. He deserves only the Strong." Skull said those two words as if they meant something to him. "All of you fought well, but..." He looked outside, almost as if he could see Edge. "The fighter - Edge. He cared little for your well-being, Poltergeist. If I were an enemy, as I appeared to be, I would have been able to snap your neck quite easily. This worries me."
Poltergeist looked up at Skull. "Well, we thought it might be a test..."
Skull nodded. "Then if it were a test, your tactics should have been to take everything as serious as possible."
The group exited the cabin, and walked towards the Humvee. Skull looked at Edge, who sat on the vehicles bumper, but said nothing. He did once more reiterate to the group that if he were near and they needed him, he would be there. He also told them that Power Force 2 would soon be in Europe to cover a World Trade conference, which had received some threats from a metahuman terrorist group. The team said their good-byes, and left to return to Nathan's home.
******END::
And that's it for now, dear reader. I hear good ol' Colonel Parks is going to tear into the team, and have a few words to say about their tactics. But then again, I don't think there is a way to please the guy.
///End Report 04.24.2001 05.13.02 GMT
Issue #2 - Part 2
"Friend, Foe, or Something Else?"
///Begin Report 04.24.2001 05.13.00 GMT
Without further ado, here is the rest of what happened to Hacker's Heroes.
******START::
"Errr... Is there a problem?" Jane asked. Ego smiled, and wiped at his nose. "No, no. Not at all. Happens sometimes." He stood. "Give me but a moment, my dear. I must ask my brother something." Ego opened the glass door, entered, and closed it behind him.
Meanwhile, the Humvee exploded into action. Edge jumped out, and began to run towards the back of the house. The rest of the group stayed inside the vehicle, which accelerated and took off towards the house. Almost, they decided to crash the Humvee into the front window of the home, but instead parked it at the front and jumped out of the vehicle. Edge was already at the back however - running so fast he was almost a blur, he arrived to see Jane knocking at the back sliding glass door. Inside could barely be seen the forms of Ego and Ghost speaking to each other rather animatedly.
At that moment, the front bay window of the home exploded in. Arsenal and Steel Scorpion jumped through, sending shards of glass all over the living room. Steel Scorpion landed on an ornate wooden table that collapsed under the weight of his suit. They slowly began to walk towards the back of the house where they could see Ego and Ghost. Arsenal's gun was readied and pointing at the two. Energy began to pulse from Steel Scorpion's tail, ready to strike the brothers if they so much as breathed funny.
BioLogic used his suit's stretching capability to reach towards the second story of the home, and then pulled himself up and into a second floor window. It appeared to be Ego's own bedroom, decorated with the cheesiest in bachelor furniture. Nothing of any immediate interest or value, except for a nearby computer system that immediately caught the doctor's eye.
Meanwhile, Ego and Ghost stood in the living room, next to Ghost's machine. Ghost held the hand of his brother, and fear was written on his face. His brother however wore a look of barely restrained anger. Poltergeist knocked on the sliding glass door once more, and the brothers walked over. Ghost extended his hand and opened the locked door, his hand apparently corporeal. Edge and Poltergeist entered, joining Arsenal and Steel Scorpion, who now stood surrounding the two brothers. Ego looked at the group with a mixture of annoyance and disgust.
"Oh. It's you." He turned to Poltergeist. "And that must make you the woman who floats. Hmmm, yes." Ego turned back to the group, his voice rising. "What is the meaning of this...?!?"
Edge stepped forward and looked at the brothers with a menacing glare. "Umbra. Tell us everything. Now."
Ego seemed nonplussed. He looked at his brother and chuckled, then back to Edge. "You were responsible for our employer terminating our services and a rather hasty escape from their facility. Not to mention the difficulty that poor Ghost had in attempting to rescue some of our team-mates." Ego turned and began to walk towards the front of the house, his brother's hand still on his shoulder.
"And my window! Do you know how much those cost to replace?!" Ego looked at the ruins of his front room and scowled.
Poltergeist offered to pay for it (she was the only one with a check book), and Steel Scorpion said he would cover the check. Poltergeist even offered to write up a favorable interview in Fate Magazine if he would cooperate with them, but Ego scoffed at her idea. Instead, he railed against the heroes destroying his home ("And who knows what's going on upstairs! That other one is up there, no doubt!"). During all this time, BioLogic removed Ego's computer and stashed in the Humvee. Who knows what it might have on it? When Steel Scorpion mentioned that money would not be a problem (he was quite wealthy himself), Ego suddenly quieted and became interested.
"Hmmm... Tell you what." Ego looked at the heroes and released his hand from his brother's shoulder. He reached into his robe and lit a cigarette, which he took a deep drag on. "I will tell you what I know of Umbra. I know a little, but more than you I think - and I will tell you everything." He blew out a cloud of smoke at Steel Scorpion. "For a price." He smiled.
The team bickered with Ego for quite a bit, who seemed more interested in money than fighting (he also refused a personal check from Poltergeist, evidently miffed at her deception. The team went down to the local bank and Steel Scorpion got a cashiers' check for $30k). Once the team returned, Ego already had a company starting to replace his bay window. He had noticed his stolen computer, and demanded it back. The heroes agreed, once they checked it out for any information on Umbra. Ego didn't like this, but he agreed once he saw the cashier's check. He accepted it with a shark-like grin.
True to his word, Ego had little information on Umbra. They hired him and his brother to serve as a metahuman security team of sorts, as they apparently do at all their locations. He knew that the leader of The Resources for Umbra is named 'Gabriel' - a seemingly powerful metahuman. An off hand comment by Gabriel to Ego about another cell in Los Angeles gave the team a real clue - something about it being in a building as tall as this cell was deep. Ego offered to inform the heroes if he was contacted by Umbra for more money, but they declined. Having Ego literally on payroll did not seem like a good idea at the time. As the heroes left, they said their good-byes - but Ego merely stared at the check and licked his lips.
The team made their report to Nathan. Hacker began to examine the computer with Arsenal's assistance. They found nothing on the hard drive other than a self-aggrandizing book half-written by Ego. Also, it appeared that Ego had quite a few outstanding debts to various bookies around town. Then Hacker made a real find - a bug of some kind attached to the hard drive, sending out a weak pulse at intervals. The team confiscated that and packaged up Ego's computer, and shipped it to him as he requested.
Nathan had little to say about the assignment. He was pleased that it was successful, and the team now had an avenue to pursue. He seemed more interested in explaining how best to deal with Skull, as their interview with him would be later on that afternoon. Nathan explained that Skull could be difficult to communicate with - and not just because of his telepathy. He was almost alien in his thinking and held little regard for the niceties of typical conversation. But he could be a gold mine of information for the heroes - after all, he searched for Elizabeth for over a year. Nathan gave them instructions to Skull's home, and the team once more departed.
They made their way up into the Santa Monica mountains, giving them a good view of both the Valley and the Los Angeles basin. As good a view as you can get with the levels of smog that seem to cover the city like a dirty blanket.
Skull's home was surprisingly small, and looked like little more than a 2 story log cabin. The team parked the Humvee and exited the vehicle. There were no security guards, no dogs, and no cameras in evidence. The road did have a booth they had to check in at - but that was miles ago, at the base of the mountain. Scattered about the front of the cabin were dozens of wood carvings. Many were of animals, and they ranged from rough carvings of eagles to extremely detailed representations of wolves. A rocking chair sat among them, a pile of wood shavings scattered about it. Small carved wooden skulls lined the stairs leading to the front door. This must be the right place.
BioLogic rang the front door, and whether it was humor or not from the owner of the house - a funeral dirge sounded. The team waited a few minutes and rang the door again. No one answered. Edge tried the door, and it opened with a creaking sound. The team looked in.
The first floor was apparently but one room. Near the left wall, stairs ascended to the second floor. But the first floor contained nothing - no furniture, no windows, no wall hangings. Nothing, except for Skull himself. He is much like he appears in the movies or on TV - a skeleton, though the bones that make up his structure are noticeably thicker than a true human skeleton. He sat in the middle of the floor, Indian style, unmoving. He faced the door, as if expecting visitors. The team greeted him and moved inside.
Suddenly, Skull stood up. His eyes flashed with a pale light, and the team heard his voice in their heads. In the movies, Skull's voice is often dubbed-in by James Earl Jones - and it bears an uncanny resemblance.
"So... you are to be Nathan's team, and perhaps Elizabeth's finders."
"Y-yes." It did not seem to be a question, but Poltergeist answered nonetheless.
Skull crouched, and his hands suddenly turned into fists. "I do not think so." Without warning, he leaped for BioLogic. It was so unexpected that BioLogic was totally caught off guard. The impact was horrifying, flinging the doctor back into the walls of the cabin. He hit with an odd thud - the wooden logs were nothing but a facade. Steel beams made up Skull's home, for whatever reason. BioLogic was not seriously hurt, and staggered to his feet.
Poltergeist looked to Skull with horror. "What are you doing...?!?" Thoughts of Skull being the leader of Umbra flashed through her mind. Some of the team even screamed into their communicators, asking Hacker and Nathan what was going on. But they knew nothing - and had no idea why Skull would attack.
Edge sensed combat, and that was all he needed - no matter who it was against. With a blur, his arm pistoned forward towards Skull's head - but surprisingly Skull moved aside at the last moment. Edge may be slightly faster, but Skull had years and years of experience to draw on.
Most of the team was stunned and unsure of how to proceed. A few paused to plead with Skull to stop his senseless attack. BioLogic however reared back and delivered a thunderous punch to Skull's jaw that actually caused him to stagger a bit - no mean feat. Poltergeist used her telekinetic powers to keep Skull rooted and unable to move. It was a tactic that worked so well on Livid, but Skull was far stronger. Though he was slowed, he continued to advance on her teammates one by one. Meanwhile, Edge peppered Skull with punches and kicks that either failed to hit or apparently had no appreciable effect. BioLogic stretched his organic suit to the rafters, grabbed a hold of a wooden support beam for the roof, and pulled, hoping to bring the roof down. But the beam itself was made of steel as well (to his credit, it bent slightly). For his part, Skull's fist slammed into the nearby chest of Arsenal, sending him flying back into a wall, stunned. Skull seemed unstoppable.
Poltergeist rose into the air, and flung herself full speed at the Skull's back, hoping against hope to do some damage to him. Just as she was about to impact, Skull turned aside and reached out. His hand wrapped around her neck and he drew her near. Poltergeist made a small choking sound, and pulled at Skull's hands ineffectively. His eyes pulsed, and everyone heard his voice.
"Cease your attack, or the woman dies."
The team hesitated for a moment, unsure of where to proceed. To fight a metahuman is one thing, but to be attacked by one so powerful and respected? It was almost too much to process.
Poltergeist heard this but continued to struggle. She used her telekinetic powers to wrap her cloak around Skull's head, hoping to perhaps distract him for a moment. But with his free hand, he ripped it aside, unfazed. Edge, taking that as a cue, jumped forward and slammed his fist into Skull's side. Skull merely turned his head and looked at the hero, and said nothing. BioLogic moved forward, intent on attacking Skull as well, despite his warning.
Skull's hand opened, and Poltergeist dropped to the floor, unhurt. He looked down at her, and his eyes flashed.
"You should be dead." He looked back up at the team.
"Cease your attacks. She is not harmed. It was not my intent to harm."
Edge looked at Skull, furious. "So what was your intent??"
"To test your mettle, of course. To see whom it was that would serve Nathan. To see if you possess the strength to see your task through, to find Elizabeth. You will not succeed if you are fools or cowards." His head swiveled to look at all of them. "At the least, you are not cowards." Skull walked past the obviously infuriated Edge, and towards the stairs. "Come, I wish to speak with you more."
The team looked to each other, and one by one began to follow the Power Force leader. All except for Edge. He merely shook his head and left the cabin.
The upstairs were much different. This looked to be where someone could stay and sleep, and there was even a small kitchen. Most likely things for guests, as Skull neither required sleep or food. In one corner of the room stood a trophy case, containing odd bits of things, most unidentifiable. One item in particular was recognizable however - a battered armored helmet belonging to Blacksmith. Skull moved forward and sat at a computer system. His eyes flashed.
"Sit. I wish to speak of Elizabeth, what I have found, and what you have found."
Skull congratulated them on the recent break in the search for Umbra - something he found nothing of for over a year. His care for Elizabeth was apparent, as was his respect for Nathan. He gave them phone numbers and other ways to contact him if they ever needed his help. Skull also provided the team with a full blood work-up for Elizabeth, taken six months before she disappeared. It contained nothing unusual - she was no mutant or mutate, much to the dismay of certain members of the team who thought that might be a reason for her kidnapping. They discussed Umbra more, and Skull agreed that whomever was behind the group must possess a great deal of money. More money and reach than a normal terrorist organization might have - along the lines of a country or a rare few individuals. This gave the team pause.
Skull gave them all the files he had on Elizabeth and began to walk the team outside. His eyes flashed.
"If you think me testing you in this way was wrong, then I am sorry. But I will not have Nathan served by the Weak. He deserves only the Strong." Skull said those two words as if they meant something to him. "All of you fought well, but..." He looked outside, almost as if he could see Edge. "The fighter - Edge. He cared little for your well-being, Poltergeist. If I were an enemy, as I appeared to be, I would have been able to snap your neck quite easily. This worries me."
Poltergeist looked up at Skull. "Well, we thought it might be a test..."
Skull nodded. "Then if it were a test, your tactics should have been to take everything as serious as possible."
The group exited the cabin, and walked towards the Humvee. Skull looked at Edge, who sat on the vehicles bumper, but said nothing. He did once more reiterate to the group that if he were near and they needed him, he would be there. He also told them that Power Force 2 would soon be in Europe to cover a World Trade conference, which had received some threats from a metahuman terrorist group. The team said their good-byes, and left to return to Nathan's home.
******END::
And that's it for now, dear reader. I hear good ol' Colonel Parks is going to tear into the team, and have a few words to say about their tactics. But then again, I don't think there is a way to please the guy.
///End Report 04.24.2001 05.13.02 GMT
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The Crimster
First Post
Second part of Issue 2 is up. =)
The Crimster
The Crimster
Lazybones
Adventurer
Cool developments. I like the idea of a new group being tested by an ultra-heavy good guy. The players should repost their takes on the battle, though; those were interesting to read (after the GM gives the 'official' version of course 
)
I'm curious--are any of the "traditional" enemies present in the newer editions of Champions? I remember the good ol' days of Ogre, Dragonfly, Icicle, and of course, Mr. Super-Robot himself, Mechanon. Plus I had the old "Enemies" books, which had a lot of both cool and cheesy villains...
Lazybones
)I'm curious--are any of the "traditional" enemies present in the newer editions of Champions? I remember the good ol' days of Ogre, Dragonfly, Icicle, and of course, Mr. Super-Robot himself, Mechanon. Plus I had the old "Enemies" books, which had a lot of both cool and cheesy villains...
Lazybones
The Crimster
First Post
Lazybones said:Cool developments. I like the idea of a new group being tested by an ultra-heavy good guy. The players should repost their takes on the battle, though; those were interesting to read (after the GM gives the 'official' version of course
Yes, I loved Poltergeist's tactical essay. Of course, Colonel Parks is trying to get me off the keyboard to have his say, so... =)
The new version should be out in the next month, I think-I hope. I don't know if it has those guys, but it wouldn't be Champions without Bulldozer, Foxbat, Mechanon, and all those.
And those guys WILL be making appearances here, but just under different names and powers. I have to keep the old school Champions players in my group on their toes.
The Crimster
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Dude, this story hour is good.
I'm a child of the eighties and a fan of the comic books of the nineties. My brother, however, has a slew of vintage comics, some of which he left to me (the crappy ones).
One series that he picked up, I noticed, was called Champions. The villian of several of the comics, Foxbat, has been mentioned on this thread.
Champions might be a game to pick up later. Although I like comics with a darker feel, like Powers, The Crow or Frank Miller's stuff.
C-ya'll around.
I'm a child of the eighties and a fan of the comic books of the nineties. My brother, however, has a slew of vintage comics, some of which he left to me (the crappy ones).
One series that he picked up, I noticed, was called Champions. The villian of several of the comics, Foxbat, has been mentioned on this thread.
Champions might be a game to pick up later. Although I like comics with a darker feel, like Powers, The Crow or Frank Miller's stuff.
C-ya'll around.
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