Darwineffect
First Post
Re: THE HACKER FILES
.
.
Last edited:
Vendetta - A Champions campaign
- Thread starter The Crimster
- Start date
Poltergeist
First Post
*taps her foot impatiently waiting for issue three*
Your keeping your fans waiting! I know they all want to read the part where I save the day!
Your keeping your fans waiting! I know they all want to read the part where I save the day!
The Crimster
First Post
Sorry my friends - just been a little busy at work. I should be completing it later today. 
The Crimster
The Crimster
RavenSinger
First Post
Woo-Hoo!!! Champions!
Loved as a teen in the '80s and love it still. Major kudos to the Crimester for some great Story Hour writing, and to his players as well. Add me to the growing list of fans!
--RavenSinger <as he waits with eager grin for the story of Poltergeist's heroics>
Loved as a teen in the '80s and love it still. Major kudos to the Crimester for some great Story Hour writing, and to his players as well. Add me to the growing list of fans!
--RavenSinger <as he waits with eager grin for the story of Poltergeist's heroics>
Breakstone
First Post
Bump!
The thread was getting too close to the bottom!
The thread was getting too close to the bottom!
The Crimster
First Post
ISSUE #3
Issue #3
"Beginnings and Endings"
///Begin Report 05.01.2001 20.12.11 GMT
Hi there, e-journal. Hacker here. Not in the best of moods, sorry. Bad things happened to the team today... Not sure how it will turn out. Not going to spend a lot of time introducing this, so. Here goes.
******START::
May 1st, 2001
Jane (Poltergeist), Arsenal (Alex) and Daniel (Edge) lounged about the Olympic sized pool in the back of Nathan’s home. The water was blue, the sky was blue, and the air that hung over the Los Angeles basin was a somewhat bluish-brown. Regardless, it was a beautiful day in Southern California. Jane sat back from the pool under the eaves of the house. Her skin was too fair to stay outside sunbathing for long. Alex merely sat in a patio chair, staring at his employer through his dark sunglasses, ignoring the sweltering heat. Edge was busy doing laps in the pool that would make an Olympic swimmer envious. There were some benefits to being genetically altered by the US government, apparently.
Nathan finished up his own set of laps, and floated over to the edge of the pool. Though he was in his mid to late 40’s, he was in exceptional shape. Arsenal, ever the vigilant one, noticed a curious star-shaped scar on Nathan’s chest, but said nothing. Nathan sipped on a drink that Carruthers, the housekeeper, has brought him, and looked at the heroes.
“Good afternoon everyone, thank you for coming to this somewhat... informal meeting. Jack is on personal business with his father, and Dr. Darwin... I'm unable to reach him - but I'm sure he'll turn up.” Nathan smiled at Jane and waved over Daniel. “I wanted to talk to you so that I could update you on a few items of interest. First off, let’s talk contracts.”
Nathan spent the next 30 minutes briefing the team about the soon-to-be completed contracts, spelling out exactly how much they would be making, the hours that they are required to work, etc. Health insurance would thankfully be covered, which was always at a premium for metahumans. Nathan also told them that his ‘group’ would be much more relaxed than Power Force. He didn't believe in stepping in and fully directing their investigations, unless they showed themselves to be incompetent in some way. He would rather they have the freedom to try everything they think might work.
Nathan then began laying out the specifics of their future base of operations to the team. Apparently it is quite difficult to get the proper permits for any type of metahuman base within city limits. Nonetheless, Nathan secured the rights to a rather old textile mill in a commercial district in Century City. The surrounding area is financially depressed, and so he was able to buy quite a bit of the surrounding land - a buffer just in case it is ever attacked by their enemies. The mill was currently being gutted and renovated, and should be livable within 2-3 weeks. The various employees that would keep the base running should be hired during that time, and the team would have a hand in interviewing final candidates. As time goes on, various luxuries (such as labs )would be added on slowly.
*** GM Note: As in, they’ll be added in when the players start paying the points for it…!
Nathan exited the pool and began to dry himself off. Discussion turned to the information that Ego gave them, and how it might lead to another Umbra cell - or hopefully, Elizabeth herself. The biggest lead was what Ego heard from Gabriel - the supposed leader of The Resources (“…something about it being in a building as tall as this cell was deep”).
“Hacker is looking into that. There are two main areas in Los Angeles that have high rise buildings. The first is downtown, the second is Westwood. From Hacker’s latest update, he’s found 22 possible sites, and now he’s sifting through the rather large amount of data on the residents in those buildings to see what is the most likely place. Once we find that out, we'll talk about what we should do.”
Talk turned to Elizabeth, and why Umbra might want her in the first place. Edge suggested that the team take Elizabeth’s medical records (provided by Skull) to a metahuman doctor, and see if there is anything unusual about them. Nathan stated that Skull already visited Dr. Samuels, the doctor for PF2 - but Edge countered that it might be best to find a doctor that has nothing to do with Power Force, Skull, or even Nathan himself. Nathan seemed pleased with this as a possible line of investigation.
“There is one item I’d like you to look into today, however. It might be nothing, but… I want to be sure. Hacker did some research at your request, and found that there was a metahuman criminal by the name of “Gabriel” during the 1950’s and 1960’s. He apparently was killed in an automobile accident in 1972 . There were witnesses. One of them was what you might call his 'arch-nemesis' - a metahuman hero by the name of 'Kid Speed'. For those not up on comic book lore, Kid Speed had his own series back in those days. Popular, but not in the league of The Guardian. Kid Speed still is alive. Hacker says he's in his seventies now. I'd like you to visit him and find out any information you can about this 'Gabriel' - and see if it has any connection to the current Gabriel we're pursuing."
The meeting ended, and the team began to make plans for visiting Kid Speed. Poltergeist took the initiative and called Kid Speed - now going by his real name, Max Hardin. Poltergeist asked if they could come by, and he seemed more than willing to see them. The team grabbed their gear and began to head out, when Hacker interrupted them over one of the many speakers throughout Nathan's home.
"Hey guys, I have a suggestion." Hacker said. "If you want, I'll have your home numbers forwarded here - that way if you get messages, I can alert you and send them through to your communicators. What do you say?" The team agreed that it was a fine idea, and Hacker made the necessary arrangements. Everyone hopped into the Humvee, which still had the new car smell. As the team proved themselves, Nathan promised he would outfit the vehicle with enough gadgets to make James Bond proud. For now, it was still a heavy-duty transport that could survive many different types of terrain.
Kid Speed now lived in North Hollywood, in the poorer side of town. The apartment complex - Del Fuego - looked to have been built sometime in the early 70's. It was apparently lived in only by the elderly and near-elderly - many glared at the heroes as they walked by, as if they were intruders in some way. The team followed the directions Max gave them to his apartment and knocked on the door.
Max Hardin - once Kid Speed - opened the door to greet the team. He was an older man, obviously well into his seventies. He used a thick brown cane and it was obvious to anyone that every movement was painful for him. He nonetheless smiled up at the young heroes. The team introduced themselves, and Max warmly welcomed them inside.
Max's home was an homage to the heroes of the 50's, 60's, and 70's. Posters, souvenirs, and trophy's of that time were everywhere. One wall in particular was dominated by a huge poster of Kid Speed #1, showing a young and muscled Max punching some type of dastardly thug with a right cross. The caption read, "Introducing Kid Speed.... the hero with a heart of gold and fists of iron!" Max painfully walked into the kitchen, his days of lightning speed and thunderous punches long over. He offered the team lemonade, which was accepted by all.
*** GM Note: Most Shocking GM Moment #233: The players actually accepting drinks and/or food from one of my NPC's! Come on guys, I've only poisoned you once!! Errr... Maybe twice.
He seemed more than pleased to meet the heroes, asking them a few questions about their powers and names. After a few minutes of talking about themselves, Poltergeist asked Max about his abilities.
"Ohhh, I was fast. Fast like your friend here, I think. Edge is it? Yes. I could land a dozen punches to any crummy bum that tried anything on my turf. It was back in dubya dubya two that they made me into what I am." Max chuckles. "Make that, what I was. Uncle Sam asked for volunteers, and I applied."
Edge leaned forward, suddenly interested. "You say the government gave you your powers...??"
"Ayup. It was all because of the krauts, you know. We'd uncovered some plans for what they called the Ubermench program. They wanted to make super-men that would serve the fatherland and all that. They ended up killin' a bunch of poor kids that didn't know better. Of course, they succeeded too, and those were the bastards our side went against." Max shook his head sadly. "Well anyways I-"
"Did they inject you with drugs...? How did they give you your abilities?"
Max frowned. "Ayup. Drugs, and other things. It was somethin' they called Project Blue-Light."
Poltergeist laughed. "Seems like they pegged it right, Edge. They seem to have a blue-light special on your powers." Edge chuckled, but then leaned back, thoughtful.
Max laughed along with the group. "I'm sure that's not why you've come though... Tell me what you want, and I'll help you if I can."
Poltergeist smiled. "We're looking for information on your old enemy, Gabriel. We're investigating someone who has the same name, and wanted to see if there might be a connection."
Max frowned. "Ahhh, yes. Gabriel. Connection? Probably not. Considering I watched him die!" Max told the team what he knew of Gabriel. Apparently, he had been a tall, thin and black-haired genius that specialized in inventing weapons. He briefly was a member of the 'Fearsome Four' - a team of like-minded metahuman criminals. Other members were Arch-Angel, The Confessor, and Brother Sin. ("Hmmm..." pondered Poltergeist. "They all have some type of religious connotation.") Gabriel died in front of dozens of witnesses when he was struck by a semi while battling Kid Speed on the streets of Los Angeles. He was pronounced DOA by paramedics.
During the conversation, Max turned to Poltergeist, an odd look on his face. "You look... familiar, my dear."
Poltergeist cocked her head to the side and smiled. "Ever heard of Young Justice? I was a member of that group at one time." Max nodded. "Ah yes. That must be it. I do my best to keep up on you young kids. There was a young kid in that group by the name of... Phase, right?" Poltergeist nodded and smiled even broader. "Yes. He always was the most popular."
The group thanked Max, and got up to leave. Max shook their hands, seemingly star struck by a group of new metahumans. He invited them over anytime.
As the group walked back to the Humvee, Hacker came through on Edge's communicator, telling him he had an incoming call on his home line. Edge seemed uninterested, so Hacker simply recorded a message.
The team sat in the Humvee for some time, discussing Gabriel and whether Kid Speed's old foe might have something in common with the leader of Umbra. Arsenal surmised that the current Gabriel might be the original's son - apparently he had some type of relationship with his ally, Arch-Angel. But a quick chat with Hacker turned up a roadblock. Arch-Angel was 'destroyed' in the late seventies - she was apparently some type of artificial being. The team was stumped by this, unsure if the new information they had on Gabriel was of any worth.
About that time, Hacker came over the communicators, sounding a bit... excited. "Hey guys, are you still in North Hollywood?" Poltergeist told Hacker they were. " Nathan wants you to get down to Panorama City ASAP. On Westchester Street north of the 10 Freeway - there's a Ralph's' Market. You know, the kind with a bank in it? Well the police band is abuzz with chatter about a metahuman by the name of Terror who just decided to rob the place! Probably has his whole gang there, too. Nate thinks you can help." Without even hesitating, the team punched the gas to the Humvee and took off.
As they neared, the team could hear the whup-whup-whup of helicopters, doing fly-byes on the market. Traffic was horrible, and it took longer to arrive than anticipated. Poltergeist decided to telekinetically fly out of the vehicle and do some reconnaissance. Once up in the air, she could easily spot the Ralph's. Two dozen police cars surrounded the place, the tiny specks of the police taking up positions behind their vehicles, weapons trained at the front of the store. Poltergeist lost some altitude so that she would not be seen by the police helicopters.
Meanwhile, Arsenal and Edge finally made it to the vicinity of the market and parked the Humvee. Edge grabbed his arm bracers and attached them. No doubt there might be bullets flying, and the bracers were built to deflect that. Sadly, they were still slightly warped from Skull's fists. Edge also realized he didn't have on his fighting uniform - only a pair of jeans and a white muscle T-shirt. He looked more like a civilian than a metahuman. Meanwhile, Arsenal took out his Smart Gun and activated it. Self-running diagnostic systems beeped back that everything was running within parameters. Both exited the vehicle, ready for a fight.
Edge took off at full speed through the city streets towards the market. Nearby gawkers, pushed back by the police, only saw a white blur as he ran past them. He moved to a nearby policeman who held a shotgun and watched the market, almost two blocks away. Edge offered to help, but the officer merely looked at him, smiled, and directed him to stay behind the lines. No respect for the heroes today!
After getting a good idea of the layout, Poltergeist directed Edge and Arsenal to a nearby parking lot. Once there, she concentrated, and her two teammates flew up into the air beside her. They flew directly to the roof of the market and landed softly.
Arsenal and Poltergeist walked over to the air conditioning ducts and inspected them. Edge scurried softly to the back of the building, and looked down. He could see the back door open, and the arm and weapon of someone sticking out. Apparently they had the back covered.
"Let's try a coordinated assault. I think I can probably fit through here." Poltergeist pointed to the air duct system. "You two go through the back. Listen in on the communicators. As soon as I give the signal, all of us get in and hit 'em hard." Arsenal and Edge agreed.
Poltergeist attempted to wrench the cover off of the duct, but her telekinetic strength was not enough. Arsenal stepped forward, and put his cybernetically enhanced muscles to the task. The cover came off with a screeching sound. Poltergeist waved at the team and jumped inside. While it was a tight fit, Poltergeist used her powers to keep her weight off of the duct itself.
Edge and Arsenal moved once more to the back, and kept an eye on the one gang member they could see. After a few moments, Poltergeist was in position, just over the middle of one of the aisles in the market. She gave the signal, and the assault on Ralph's Market began.
<<< insert MatrixSoundtrack.mp3 here >>>
Even before Poltergeist's code word was finished in his ear, Edge leaped off of the roof. He spun in mid-leap, landing in front of the door with a smirk. The man standing in the doorway was in his early twenties, black, and wore a blue rag on his head. His eyes bulged at the man who suddenly appeared in front of him. Before he could do anything, Edge gave a sideways kick to the man's chest. A wet snapping sound could be heard - most likely a rib. The gang banger sunk to his knees, his face now a mask of surprise and pain. Edge merely smiled, patted him on the head, and began to move in.
Poltergeist exploded out of the air duct. Armed gang members were everywhere - but Terror was no where in sight. At the front of the market, near the cash register, could be seen almost two dozen innocent civilians, face down on the floor. Standing above them was another thug, armed with what looked like a large automatic. Poltergeist concentrated, and flew towards the front of the store at almost full speed. Halfway there, she slammed into the back of the thug, sending him sprawling but not hurt too badly. Once she was hovering over the cowering market-goers, Poltergeist concentrated once more - and she felt an invisible wall spring up around her and the innocents.
Meanwhile, Arsenal jumped down from the roof as well. The gang member was slowly trying to rise, and began to reach for his shotgun. Arsenal kicked the shotgun inside the store, grabbed the 'banger by the back of the head, and threw him to the asphalt a few feet outside. He then stepped into the back loading area of the market, and closed the door behind him. That takes care of that.
Edge moved inside the storage area, his head darting back and forth, looking for targets. He arrived at the door that led into the real market, and looked through. He spotted two gang members raising their weapons, looking to the front of the store.
Meanwhile, Poltergeist floated up to the front window, her cloak billowing out around her. She backhanded the window, loudly cracking it - and focusing everyone's attention on her. "We are the Harbingers! Surrender now, or pay the consequences!"
*** GM Note: I had asked the team to come up with a name and not tell me out of the game. So this was the first time I heard it, too.
Suddenly a loud and commanding voice could be heard, coming towards the front from the banking office. A loud voice.
"What the @#$% do you think you doin', @#$%&...? The voice came from a rather large black man, dressed much like the others. The only difference was that his entire body was covered in a crackling yellow energy field, that seemed in some way to be sucking in the nearby light. He looked up at Poltergeist with no shock, but quite a bit of anger. She merely looked down at him with disdain. "Getting ready to take your sorry @$$ to jail!"
Edge and Arsenal entered the market, and began to attack the nearby gang bangers. One whirled about, shotgun at the ready, and fired it point blank at Edge. Edge merely raised both his bucklers and crouched. The bucklers took the blast, but Edge felt his arms briefly go numb. Better than being shot.
The gang member that Poltergeist knocked down rose up, and unloaded his weapon at her. The bullets hit the invisible wall, and Poltergeist felt it come down. One of the bullets shattered the front window of the market behind her.
More gunfire erupted at the back of the store. The gang members, thinking they had Edge pinned down, opened fire on him. He merely raised his bucklers and deflected each shot.
Poltergeist, rather than put back up her force wall, instead began to use her telekinesis to lift the innocents up and out through the broken window. She did it quickly, virtually throwing the people out, a dozen at a time.
Terror looked at Poltergeist in disbelief. But just as he lifted his hands to attack, he saw the crouching Edge and thought him an easier target. Energy crackled around his fist as he raised them towards the hero. A bolt of pure destructive energy shot out from his hands, but Edge nimbly dodged aside. The bolt hit the aisle behind him, literally tearing into it. Exploding condiments rained about Edge, covering him in ketchup and mustard. Today is just not his day.
Arsenal loaded his taser bullets and fired at a gang member point-blank. The 'banger convulsed and dropped his gun, all of his muscles firing randomly and no longer under his control. Arsenal merely looked at him impassively.
Edge, tired of being defensive, launched himself at Terror. He moved next to him and threw a chop at his neck - and hit! Terror grunted, and moved a step back. At the same time, Edge felt slightly weakened from touching the gang leader. His shield seemed to not only protect, but to inflict weakness on anyone who touched it!
Edge shook it off, and jumped into a spinning kick. It landed, and Terror's head jerked to the side. He rubbed his jaw, and looked at Edge with a smile. "Awww, it's on now, mutha-@#$%&@!"
Poltergeist, finished with the last of the civilians, looked at Terror and tried a trick she learned back when she was in Young Justice. She telekinetically twisted Terror's internal structure. Not enough to kill him, but enough to hurt him. Terror went to one knee and cried out in pain. It was as if his stomach was on fire and he was having a kidney stone at the same time.
Though there was no way of being sure, Terror thought it must be the floating woman. He shot a blast of energy at her, but missed badly. It exploded what was left of the front window as well as a dozen bags of dog food. He cursed in frustration.
Meanwhile, Arsenal used the communicator, and told Hacker to contact the police and tell them that all of the civilians had been removed safely. Hacker, ever the vigilant sidekick to the heroes, did so. At the same time, Arsenal shot another gang member with his taser bullets. He dropped to the ground like the other, spasming.
Edge backhanded Terror, again doing minimal damage to both - but it was adding up. Terror rose to his feet unsteadily, rage written clearly on his face. Edge sneered at him, hiding the fact that Terror's shield has weakened him severely.
Poltergeist, still floating above the ruins of the front of the market, concentrated on Terror. Suddenly, Terror felt invisible hands caress his face - and then slam his eyelids shut! He spun about, totally unable to see, yelling and cursing.
This was too much for the so-called leader of the East Side Crips. He focused all his rage and anger - and exploded with energy! Cash registers, glass, food - anything nearby was destroyed. Edge and two nearby gang members were thrown back by the explosion. The gang members hit hard and only one got up shakily. Edge, blown up and back, landed on one of the supermarket aisles, which slightly buckled under his weight (and now covering him in chips and salsa).
Arsenal, seeing an opening, activated his explosive shells and fired on Terror. The explosion ripped through the already damaged front of the store, and sent Terror to the ground. His yelled curses had now become mere mumbling.
Edge kipped up and ran the length of the aisle towards terror. He jumped off the end with a flying kick, that connected solidly with Terror and sent him sprawling back into a pile of dog food - completely and totally unconscious. His energy field flickered once, twice - and went out. Edge turned on the remaining gang members. "Surrender, you've been defeated!"
The surviving gang members began to flee as best they can, unmindful of Edge's order. Most ran to the back, where they saw the rather large form of Arsenal pointing a huge gun in their direction. Most went down to their knees. One of the gang members, a small skinny kid, jumped into the small bank branch with his shotgun.
Poltergeist floated to the back of the store and telekinetically blocked the door. The gang members, realizing the game was up, went face down and put their hands behind their backs, knees crossed. They've apparently been through this before.
Poltergeist surveyed the scene, pleased with the results. They managed to keep the metahuman bouncing back and forth, and he did no real damage. The press they get out of this should --
Her thoughts were interrupted by a shout.
"Whatcha gonna' do now, hunh? Whatcha gonna' do now?" The skinny kid that jumped into the bank now emerged with his shotgun aimed at the neck of a man dressed in a business suit. Most likely the bank manager. The kid looked pale and was sweating, obviously scared. So was the bank manager. The kid pushed back the hammers on the shot gun, and laughed weakly.
Arsenal heard this, but was on the other side of one of the aisles. He leapt up and grabbed the edge, and climbed up despite the vast amount of salsa. He saw the kid and his hostage, and murmured into the communicator, "Poltergeist, use your telekinesis to lift the weapon away, I'll distract him." He then began to make awkward sounds as if he was trying to climb up on top of the aisle.
Poltergeist began to turn around, but she was too late. Almost as if in slow motion, she saw Edge run up right next to the scared kid, either meaning to punch him or to talk him down. Neither happened. The young gang member looked at Edge, who seemed to come out of nowhere - and freaked.
**BOOM**
The shotgun blast echoed throughout the shopping market, and the bank manager's limp form dropped to the ground. He was most assuredly dead. Blood covered the floor, walls, and Edge. Everyone looked at the gang member in shock - who appeared to be stunned as well, looking at the shotgun and his finger, and wondering what happened.
Edge quickly beat the boy down. Everything was silent for a moment, and then the sounds of the police entering the market en masse could be heard.
The team's first mission was over.
******END::
Yup. The police spent the next two hours interviewing the team. One cop - Detective Julie Brennan - was particularly hard on Edge. Poltergeist was pretty quiet throughout this, but from what I gather, she gave Edge a piece of her mind later. I won't repeat it here, as I want to be respectful and all towards Janey. I don't know what Edge was thinking myself. >>> insert ShruggingHacker.gif here <<< Damn. They were doing so good, too!
How did Nathan take it? Well, not good. But I'll tell you about that next time, dear e-journal.
///End Report 05.01.2001 20.12.15 GMT
Quote of the night: "Ahem! Stop beating up Crips and attack the supervillain, please." - Poltergeist
Issue #3
"Beginnings and Endings"
///Begin Report 05.01.2001 20.12.11 GMT
Hi there, e-journal. Hacker here. Not in the best of moods, sorry. Bad things happened to the team today... Not sure how it will turn out. Not going to spend a lot of time introducing this, so. Here goes.
******START::
May 1st, 2001
Jane (Poltergeist), Arsenal (Alex) and Daniel (Edge) lounged about the Olympic sized pool in the back of Nathan’s home. The water was blue, the sky was blue, and the air that hung over the Los Angeles basin was a somewhat bluish-brown. Regardless, it was a beautiful day in Southern California. Jane sat back from the pool under the eaves of the house. Her skin was too fair to stay outside sunbathing for long. Alex merely sat in a patio chair, staring at his employer through his dark sunglasses, ignoring the sweltering heat. Edge was busy doing laps in the pool that would make an Olympic swimmer envious. There were some benefits to being genetically altered by the US government, apparently.
Nathan finished up his own set of laps, and floated over to the edge of the pool. Though he was in his mid to late 40’s, he was in exceptional shape. Arsenal, ever the vigilant one, noticed a curious star-shaped scar on Nathan’s chest, but said nothing. Nathan sipped on a drink that Carruthers, the housekeeper, has brought him, and looked at the heroes.
“Good afternoon everyone, thank you for coming to this somewhat... informal meeting. Jack is on personal business with his father, and Dr. Darwin... I'm unable to reach him - but I'm sure he'll turn up.” Nathan smiled at Jane and waved over Daniel. “I wanted to talk to you so that I could update you on a few items of interest. First off, let’s talk contracts.”
Nathan spent the next 30 minutes briefing the team about the soon-to-be completed contracts, spelling out exactly how much they would be making, the hours that they are required to work, etc. Health insurance would thankfully be covered, which was always at a premium for metahumans. Nathan also told them that his ‘group’ would be much more relaxed than Power Force. He didn't believe in stepping in and fully directing their investigations, unless they showed themselves to be incompetent in some way. He would rather they have the freedom to try everything they think might work.
Nathan then began laying out the specifics of their future base of operations to the team. Apparently it is quite difficult to get the proper permits for any type of metahuman base within city limits. Nonetheless, Nathan secured the rights to a rather old textile mill in a commercial district in Century City. The surrounding area is financially depressed, and so he was able to buy quite a bit of the surrounding land - a buffer just in case it is ever attacked by their enemies. The mill was currently being gutted and renovated, and should be livable within 2-3 weeks. The various employees that would keep the base running should be hired during that time, and the team would have a hand in interviewing final candidates. As time goes on, various luxuries (such as labs )would be added on slowly.
*** GM Note: As in, they’ll be added in when the players start paying the points for it…!
Nathan exited the pool and began to dry himself off. Discussion turned to the information that Ego gave them, and how it might lead to another Umbra cell - or hopefully, Elizabeth herself. The biggest lead was what Ego heard from Gabriel - the supposed leader of The Resources (“…something about it being in a building as tall as this cell was deep”).
“Hacker is looking into that. There are two main areas in Los Angeles that have high rise buildings. The first is downtown, the second is Westwood. From Hacker’s latest update, he’s found 22 possible sites, and now he’s sifting through the rather large amount of data on the residents in those buildings to see what is the most likely place. Once we find that out, we'll talk about what we should do.”
Talk turned to Elizabeth, and why Umbra might want her in the first place. Edge suggested that the team take Elizabeth’s medical records (provided by Skull) to a metahuman doctor, and see if there is anything unusual about them. Nathan stated that Skull already visited Dr. Samuels, the doctor for PF2 - but Edge countered that it might be best to find a doctor that has nothing to do with Power Force, Skull, or even Nathan himself. Nathan seemed pleased with this as a possible line of investigation.
“There is one item I’d like you to look into today, however. It might be nothing, but… I want to be sure. Hacker did some research at your request, and found that there was a metahuman criminal by the name of “Gabriel” during the 1950’s and 1960’s. He apparently was killed in an automobile accident in 1972 . There were witnesses. One of them was what you might call his 'arch-nemesis' - a metahuman hero by the name of 'Kid Speed'. For those not up on comic book lore, Kid Speed had his own series back in those days. Popular, but not in the league of The Guardian. Kid Speed still is alive. Hacker says he's in his seventies now. I'd like you to visit him and find out any information you can about this 'Gabriel' - and see if it has any connection to the current Gabriel we're pursuing."
The meeting ended, and the team began to make plans for visiting Kid Speed. Poltergeist took the initiative and called Kid Speed - now going by his real name, Max Hardin. Poltergeist asked if they could come by, and he seemed more than willing to see them. The team grabbed their gear and began to head out, when Hacker interrupted them over one of the many speakers throughout Nathan's home.
"Hey guys, I have a suggestion." Hacker said. "If you want, I'll have your home numbers forwarded here - that way if you get messages, I can alert you and send them through to your communicators. What do you say?" The team agreed that it was a fine idea, and Hacker made the necessary arrangements. Everyone hopped into the Humvee, which still had the new car smell. As the team proved themselves, Nathan promised he would outfit the vehicle with enough gadgets to make James Bond proud. For now, it was still a heavy-duty transport that could survive many different types of terrain.
Kid Speed now lived in North Hollywood, in the poorer side of town. The apartment complex - Del Fuego - looked to have been built sometime in the early 70's. It was apparently lived in only by the elderly and near-elderly - many glared at the heroes as they walked by, as if they were intruders in some way. The team followed the directions Max gave them to his apartment and knocked on the door.
Max Hardin - once Kid Speed - opened the door to greet the team. He was an older man, obviously well into his seventies. He used a thick brown cane and it was obvious to anyone that every movement was painful for him. He nonetheless smiled up at the young heroes. The team introduced themselves, and Max warmly welcomed them inside.
Max's home was an homage to the heroes of the 50's, 60's, and 70's. Posters, souvenirs, and trophy's of that time were everywhere. One wall in particular was dominated by a huge poster of Kid Speed #1, showing a young and muscled Max punching some type of dastardly thug with a right cross. The caption read, "Introducing Kid Speed.... the hero with a heart of gold and fists of iron!" Max painfully walked into the kitchen, his days of lightning speed and thunderous punches long over. He offered the team lemonade, which was accepted by all.
*** GM Note: Most Shocking GM Moment #233: The players actually accepting drinks and/or food from one of my NPC's! Come on guys, I've only poisoned you once!! Errr... Maybe twice.
He seemed more than pleased to meet the heroes, asking them a few questions about their powers and names. After a few minutes of talking about themselves, Poltergeist asked Max about his abilities.
"Ohhh, I was fast. Fast like your friend here, I think. Edge is it? Yes. I could land a dozen punches to any crummy bum that tried anything on my turf. It was back in dubya dubya two that they made me into what I am." Max chuckles. "Make that, what I was. Uncle Sam asked for volunteers, and I applied."
Edge leaned forward, suddenly interested. "You say the government gave you your powers...??"
"Ayup. It was all because of the krauts, you know. We'd uncovered some plans for what they called the Ubermench program. They wanted to make super-men that would serve the fatherland and all that. They ended up killin' a bunch of poor kids that didn't know better. Of course, they succeeded too, and those were the bastards our side went against." Max shook his head sadly. "Well anyways I-"
"Did they inject you with drugs...? How did they give you your abilities?"
Max frowned. "Ayup. Drugs, and other things. It was somethin' they called Project Blue-Light."
Poltergeist laughed. "Seems like they pegged it right, Edge. They seem to have a blue-light special on your powers." Edge chuckled, but then leaned back, thoughtful.
Max laughed along with the group. "I'm sure that's not why you've come though... Tell me what you want, and I'll help you if I can."
Poltergeist smiled. "We're looking for information on your old enemy, Gabriel. We're investigating someone who has the same name, and wanted to see if there might be a connection."
Max frowned. "Ahhh, yes. Gabriel. Connection? Probably not. Considering I watched him die!" Max told the team what he knew of Gabriel. Apparently, he had been a tall, thin and black-haired genius that specialized in inventing weapons. He briefly was a member of the 'Fearsome Four' - a team of like-minded metahuman criminals. Other members were Arch-Angel, The Confessor, and Brother Sin. ("Hmmm..." pondered Poltergeist. "They all have some type of religious connotation.") Gabriel died in front of dozens of witnesses when he was struck by a semi while battling Kid Speed on the streets of Los Angeles. He was pronounced DOA by paramedics.
During the conversation, Max turned to Poltergeist, an odd look on his face. "You look... familiar, my dear."
Poltergeist cocked her head to the side and smiled. "Ever heard of Young Justice? I was a member of that group at one time." Max nodded. "Ah yes. That must be it. I do my best to keep up on you young kids. There was a young kid in that group by the name of... Phase, right?" Poltergeist nodded and smiled even broader. "Yes. He always was the most popular."
The group thanked Max, and got up to leave. Max shook their hands, seemingly star struck by a group of new metahumans. He invited them over anytime.
As the group walked back to the Humvee, Hacker came through on Edge's communicator, telling him he had an incoming call on his home line. Edge seemed uninterested, so Hacker simply recorded a message.
The team sat in the Humvee for some time, discussing Gabriel and whether Kid Speed's old foe might have something in common with the leader of Umbra. Arsenal surmised that the current Gabriel might be the original's son - apparently he had some type of relationship with his ally, Arch-Angel. But a quick chat with Hacker turned up a roadblock. Arch-Angel was 'destroyed' in the late seventies - she was apparently some type of artificial being. The team was stumped by this, unsure if the new information they had on Gabriel was of any worth.
About that time, Hacker came over the communicators, sounding a bit... excited. "Hey guys, are you still in North Hollywood?" Poltergeist told Hacker they were. " Nathan wants you to get down to Panorama City ASAP. On Westchester Street north of the 10 Freeway - there's a Ralph's' Market. You know, the kind with a bank in it? Well the police band is abuzz with chatter about a metahuman by the name of Terror who just decided to rob the place! Probably has his whole gang there, too. Nate thinks you can help." Without even hesitating, the team punched the gas to the Humvee and took off.
As they neared, the team could hear the whup-whup-whup of helicopters, doing fly-byes on the market. Traffic was horrible, and it took longer to arrive than anticipated. Poltergeist decided to telekinetically fly out of the vehicle and do some reconnaissance. Once up in the air, she could easily spot the Ralph's. Two dozen police cars surrounded the place, the tiny specks of the police taking up positions behind their vehicles, weapons trained at the front of the store. Poltergeist lost some altitude so that she would not be seen by the police helicopters.
Meanwhile, Arsenal and Edge finally made it to the vicinity of the market and parked the Humvee. Edge grabbed his arm bracers and attached them. No doubt there might be bullets flying, and the bracers were built to deflect that. Sadly, they were still slightly warped from Skull's fists. Edge also realized he didn't have on his fighting uniform - only a pair of jeans and a white muscle T-shirt. He looked more like a civilian than a metahuman. Meanwhile, Arsenal took out his Smart Gun and activated it. Self-running diagnostic systems beeped back that everything was running within parameters. Both exited the vehicle, ready for a fight.
Edge took off at full speed through the city streets towards the market. Nearby gawkers, pushed back by the police, only saw a white blur as he ran past them. He moved to a nearby policeman who held a shotgun and watched the market, almost two blocks away. Edge offered to help, but the officer merely looked at him, smiled, and directed him to stay behind the lines. No respect for the heroes today!
After getting a good idea of the layout, Poltergeist directed Edge and Arsenal to a nearby parking lot. Once there, she concentrated, and her two teammates flew up into the air beside her. They flew directly to the roof of the market and landed softly.
Arsenal and Poltergeist walked over to the air conditioning ducts and inspected them. Edge scurried softly to the back of the building, and looked down. He could see the back door open, and the arm and weapon of someone sticking out. Apparently they had the back covered.
"Let's try a coordinated assault. I think I can probably fit through here." Poltergeist pointed to the air duct system. "You two go through the back. Listen in on the communicators. As soon as I give the signal, all of us get in and hit 'em hard." Arsenal and Edge agreed.
Poltergeist attempted to wrench the cover off of the duct, but her telekinetic strength was not enough. Arsenal stepped forward, and put his cybernetically enhanced muscles to the task. The cover came off with a screeching sound. Poltergeist waved at the team and jumped inside. While it was a tight fit, Poltergeist used her powers to keep her weight off of the duct itself.
Edge and Arsenal moved once more to the back, and kept an eye on the one gang member they could see. After a few moments, Poltergeist was in position, just over the middle of one of the aisles in the market. She gave the signal, and the assault on Ralph's Market began.
<<< insert MatrixSoundtrack.mp3 here >>>
Even before Poltergeist's code word was finished in his ear, Edge leaped off of the roof. He spun in mid-leap, landing in front of the door with a smirk. The man standing in the doorway was in his early twenties, black, and wore a blue rag on his head. His eyes bulged at the man who suddenly appeared in front of him. Before he could do anything, Edge gave a sideways kick to the man's chest. A wet snapping sound could be heard - most likely a rib. The gang banger sunk to his knees, his face now a mask of surprise and pain. Edge merely smiled, patted him on the head, and began to move in.
Poltergeist exploded out of the air duct. Armed gang members were everywhere - but Terror was no where in sight. At the front of the market, near the cash register, could be seen almost two dozen innocent civilians, face down on the floor. Standing above them was another thug, armed with what looked like a large automatic. Poltergeist concentrated, and flew towards the front of the store at almost full speed. Halfway there, she slammed into the back of the thug, sending him sprawling but not hurt too badly. Once she was hovering over the cowering market-goers, Poltergeist concentrated once more - and she felt an invisible wall spring up around her and the innocents.
Meanwhile, Arsenal jumped down from the roof as well. The gang member was slowly trying to rise, and began to reach for his shotgun. Arsenal kicked the shotgun inside the store, grabbed the 'banger by the back of the head, and threw him to the asphalt a few feet outside. He then stepped into the back loading area of the market, and closed the door behind him. That takes care of that.
Edge moved inside the storage area, his head darting back and forth, looking for targets. He arrived at the door that led into the real market, and looked through. He spotted two gang members raising their weapons, looking to the front of the store.
Meanwhile, Poltergeist floated up to the front window, her cloak billowing out around her. She backhanded the window, loudly cracking it - and focusing everyone's attention on her. "We are the Harbingers! Surrender now, or pay the consequences!"
*** GM Note: I had asked the team to come up with a name and not tell me out of the game. So this was the first time I heard it, too.
Suddenly a loud and commanding voice could be heard, coming towards the front from the banking office. A loud voice.
"What the @#$% do you think you doin', @#$%&...? The voice came from a rather large black man, dressed much like the others. The only difference was that his entire body was covered in a crackling yellow energy field, that seemed in some way to be sucking in the nearby light. He looked up at Poltergeist with no shock, but quite a bit of anger. She merely looked down at him with disdain. "Getting ready to take your sorry @$$ to jail!"
Edge and Arsenal entered the market, and began to attack the nearby gang bangers. One whirled about, shotgun at the ready, and fired it point blank at Edge. Edge merely raised both his bucklers and crouched. The bucklers took the blast, but Edge felt his arms briefly go numb. Better than being shot.
The gang member that Poltergeist knocked down rose up, and unloaded his weapon at her. The bullets hit the invisible wall, and Poltergeist felt it come down. One of the bullets shattered the front window of the market behind her.
More gunfire erupted at the back of the store. The gang members, thinking they had Edge pinned down, opened fire on him. He merely raised his bucklers and deflected each shot.
Poltergeist, rather than put back up her force wall, instead began to use her telekinesis to lift the innocents up and out through the broken window. She did it quickly, virtually throwing the people out, a dozen at a time.
Terror looked at Poltergeist in disbelief. But just as he lifted his hands to attack, he saw the crouching Edge and thought him an easier target. Energy crackled around his fist as he raised them towards the hero. A bolt of pure destructive energy shot out from his hands, but Edge nimbly dodged aside. The bolt hit the aisle behind him, literally tearing into it. Exploding condiments rained about Edge, covering him in ketchup and mustard. Today is just not his day.
Arsenal loaded his taser bullets and fired at a gang member point-blank. The 'banger convulsed and dropped his gun, all of his muscles firing randomly and no longer under his control. Arsenal merely looked at him impassively.
Edge, tired of being defensive, launched himself at Terror. He moved next to him and threw a chop at his neck - and hit! Terror grunted, and moved a step back. At the same time, Edge felt slightly weakened from touching the gang leader. His shield seemed to not only protect, but to inflict weakness on anyone who touched it!
Edge shook it off, and jumped into a spinning kick. It landed, and Terror's head jerked to the side. He rubbed his jaw, and looked at Edge with a smile. "Awww, it's on now, mutha-@#$%&@!"
Poltergeist, finished with the last of the civilians, looked at Terror and tried a trick she learned back when she was in Young Justice. She telekinetically twisted Terror's internal structure. Not enough to kill him, but enough to hurt him. Terror went to one knee and cried out in pain. It was as if his stomach was on fire and he was having a kidney stone at the same time.
Though there was no way of being sure, Terror thought it must be the floating woman. He shot a blast of energy at her, but missed badly. It exploded what was left of the front window as well as a dozen bags of dog food. He cursed in frustration.
Meanwhile, Arsenal used the communicator, and told Hacker to contact the police and tell them that all of the civilians had been removed safely. Hacker, ever the vigilant sidekick to the heroes, did so. At the same time, Arsenal shot another gang member with his taser bullets. He dropped to the ground like the other, spasming.
Edge backhanded Terror, again doing minimal damage to both - but it was adding up. Terror rose to his feet unsteadily, rage written clearly on his face. Edge sneered at him, hiding the fact that Terror's shield has weakened him severely.
Poltergeist, still floating above the ruins of the front of the market, concentrated on Terror. Suddenly, Terror felt invisible hands caress his face - and then slam his eyelids shut! He spun about, totally unable to see, yelling and cursing.
This was too much for the so-called leader of the East Side Crips. He focused all his rage and anger - and exploded with energy! Cash registers, glass, food - anything nearby was destroyed. Edge and two nearby gang members were thrown back by the explosion. The gang members hit hard and only one got up shakily. Edge, blown up and back, landed on one of the supermarket aisles, which slightly buckled under his weight (and now covering him in chips and salsa).
Arsenal, seeing an opening, activated his explosive shells and fired on Terror. The explosion ripped through the already damaged front of the store, and sent Terror to the ground. His yelled curses had now become mere mumbling.
Edge kipped up and ran the length of the aisle towards terror. He jumped off the end with a flying kick, that connected solidly with Terror and sent him sprawling back into a pile of dog food - completely and totally unconscious. His energy field flickered once, twice - and went out. Edge turned on the remaining gang members. "Surrender, you've been defeated!"
The surviving gang members began to flee as best they can, unmindful of Edge's order. Most ran to the back, where they saw the rather large form of Arsenal pointing a huge gun in their direction. Most went down to their knees. One of the gang members, a small skinny kid, jumped into the small bank branch with his shotgun.
Poltergeist floated to the back of the store and telekinetically blocked the door. The gang members, realizing the game was up, went face down and put their hands behind their backs, knees crossed. They've apparently been through this before.
Poltergeist surveyed the scene, pleased with the results. They managed to keep the metahuman bouncing back and forth, and he did no real damage. The press they get out of this should --
Her thoughts were interrupted by a shout.
"Whatcha gonna' do now, hunh? Whatcha gonna' do now?" The skinny kid that jumped into the bank now emerged with his shotgun aimed at the neck of a man dressed in a business suit. Most likely the bank manager. The kid looked pale and was sweating, obviously scared. So was the bank manager. The kid pushed back the hammers on the shot gun, and laughed weakly.
Arsenal heard this, but was on the other side of one of the aisles. He leapt up and grabbed the edge, and climbed up despite the vast amount of salsa. He saw the kid and his hostage, and murmured into the communicator, "Poltergeist, use your telekinesis to lift the weapon away, I'll distract him." He then began to make awkward sounds as if he was trying to climb up on top of the aisle.
Poltergeist began to turn around, but she was too late. Almost as if in slow motion, she saw Edge run up right next to the scared kid, either meaning to punch him or to talk him down. Neither happened. The young gang member looked at Edge, who seemed to come out of nowhere - and freaked.
**BOOM**
The shotgun blast echoed throughout the shopping market, and the bank manager's limp form dropped to the ground. He was most assuredly dead. Blood covered the floor, walls, and Edge. Everyone looked at the gang member in shock - who appeared to be stunned as well, looking at the shotgun and his finger, and wondering what happened.
Edge quickly beat the boy down. Everything was silent for a moment, and then the sounds of the police entering the market en masse could be heard.
The team's first mission was over.
******END::
Yup. The police spent the next two hours interviewing the team. One cop - Detective Julie Brennan - was particularly hard on Edge. Poltergeist was pretty quiet throughout this, but from what I gather, she gave Edge a piece of her mind later. I won't repeat it here, as I want to be respectful and all towards Janey. I don't know what Edge was thinking myself. >>> insert ShruggingHacker.gif here <<< Damn. They were doing so good, too!
How did Nathan take it? Well, not good. But I'll tell you about that next time, dear e-journal.
///End Report 05.01.2001 20.12.15 GMT
Quote of the night: "Ahem! Stop beating up Crips and attack the supervillain, please." - Poltergeist
Last edited:
The Crimster
First Post
Ok, now the bad news.
As planned, Vendetta will be taking a brief hiatus for the next few weeks as we play our 3E game, Eye of the Empress.
Never fear, however. The Harbingers will be back, soon enough.
*** WILL EDGE FIND THE REAL ANSWERS TO HIS POWERS?
*** WILL EDGE GET ARRESTED FOR INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER?
*** WILL EDGE GET ONCE MORE DOUSED WITH CONDIMENTS?
Same Vendetta time, same Vendetta channel...!
The Crimster
As planned, Vendetta will be taking a brief hiatus for the next few weeks as we play our 3E game, Eye of the Empress.
Never fear, however. The Harbingers will be back, soon enough.
*** WILL EDGE FIND THE REAL ANSWERS TO HIS POWERS?
*** WILL EDGE GET ARRESTED FOR INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER?
*** WILL EDGE GET ONCE MORE DOUSED WITH CONDIMENTS?
Same Vendetta time, same Vendetta channel...!
The Crimster
Similar Threads
