-------- Flashback -------
{After being introduced to the team}
The bewildered Skink looked around at the
assembled heroes and admired their "twernt nuthin' " attitude about
dimension hopping.
Red Hawk could tell from Skink’s body language
what he was thinking and with a smile said “Adamas is an alien from a different
planet than Earth, Black Orchid is a scientist and CHESS agent, StrikeForce is
a cybernetic warrior, and I am a sentient android created by a Super Villain.
So traveling to a different dimension is not that far off the beaten path for
us.”
{After defeating the ghoul}
"W-what was that? WOW! Didja get a load of
the size of that brain coral?" the skink took out a tiny smart phone from
his S-belt.
“That isn’t going to be much use to you”, Red
Hawk said, “This dimension doesn’t support our electronics very well. I’m not
sure if you used it only to take photos if it will properly save them.”
{After leaving Dr Avery’s house}
"I know this is gonna sound messed up, and
I'm sorry, but I’m just a kid. The coppers think I killed doc. I got nowhere to
go. I guess I’m a superhero full time now..."
The Skink glumly perused his phone for ideas for
a next move, sources of food, and a base.
As he stood there half heartedly searching for
ideas, a bum lying in the alley way stood up. “You look like you could use
something warm and food to eat.” He motioned for Skink to follow up down the
alley way. Not sensing any threat, Skink followed. They came to several
cardboard boxes arranged into a make shift dwelling. “A mutual friend asked me
to look out for you. He wants to know why you didn’t rejoin the others.” The
raggedly old man paused and waited for Skink to answer. When he didn’t, the old
man said, “What? You don’t think Dr. Arcane could be friends with the likes of
me?”
Standing up he said, “I am a powerful sorcerer in
my own right. You can call me ‘Guardian Spirit’. I protect the down and out. I
am a protector of those who live life on the streets. I am the guardian spirit
of the lower class, the working man struggling to make it in this world, not
those in fancy high rises and mansions.”
“I am not a powerful as the Sorcerer Supreme”. A
frown appeared on his face, “or a former Sorcerer Supreme. Yes, I heard he had
to pass the mantle. I have my doubts about Pietor in the morals department but
there is no doubt he is powerful enough to be Sorcerer Supreme and he has
protected the Earth on multiple occasions.”
“Well, enough about the politics of the magical
world. We need to get you to Florida if you are going to join the Crusaders.”
The Guardian Spirit handed Skink an old chicken bone. “If you ever need me,
just snap the bone in two. I will either come to you or open a way for you to
come to me.”
Guardian Spirit walked out into the alley way. He
stood next to a large dumpster. He took a large ham hock bone from his coat
pocket. He waved it around as he muttered an incantation. He tapped the
dumpster with the ham hock bone once, twice, and then a third time.
“In you go youngster. The portal is at the bottom
of the dumpster it will take you to where you need to be in Florida. Manta Man
will be waiting for you.”
------ End of Flashback -------
{Location: Everglades Florida}
The two men took the Crusaders through the ripped
section of electric fence and then onward to the crushed side of the chemical
storage building. Ramirez informed the Crusaders that it had been determined
that an explosion of dynamite could not be responsible for the gaping hole in
the structure. Once inside, they were shown there were great smears of swamp
mud splashed over the entire floor of the building. Many of the remaining
chemical containers have similar muddy smears. Within some of the smears are
the footprints of some unknown person wearing boots. One guard had been killed.
There was nothing extraordinary about the bullet that killed him. Hector
Ramirez informed the team that it has been determined that nothing else of
importance has been found.
As he listened to the description, Adamas would
be scanning the “Mud Splashes”, the downed fence, and the damaged walls. “They must have known what they were looking
for, it doesn’t appear they were just trying to wreck the place,” Adamas
stated. “How could they know what was
going on here?”
Manta Man said, “Maybe they had someone on the
inside providing them information?”
They are informed they will be allowed to perform
their own investigation on the base. Hector will need to accompany them to make
sure that the military personnel don’t hinder their efforts.
Lt Nash stated he would be waiting back on the
road in the van. He will drive them to any other location they desire but of
course they could strike out into the swamp on their own. Lt Nash explain that
the only unusual activity occurring outside the based is that some of the
Indians from a nearby reservation have been scene sneaking around late at night
not far from the base. He can’t imagine how they could have done it but he
hasn’t visited the reservation in a long while either.
Adamas was also scanning the swamp, to ensure
they were not being watched, while listening to the two men’s description of
the events.
Adamas saw that they were being watched by 3
Seminole Indians. While they were well hidden they couldn’t hide from Adamas’
super eye sight.
"Adamas, Black Orchid, I would like for us
to examine the areas in question with our senses to determine if we can find
some clues that others may have missed." StrikeForce said.
Their search revealed a coin imbedded in one of
the walls a coin. After they removed it they notice the coin wasn’t American.
It was a German Deutschmark.
StrikeForce used his knowledge of superheroes and
supervillians to determine that the embedded coin was the trademark of Doctor
Velo. Using his satellite link up, he searched anything that seem relevant. He
discovered that Doctor Velo had a chemical background and had attempted to
evaporate the entire water supply of Germany. Blitzkrieg of the New Super
Society had uncovered Doctor Velo’s plans. Currently Doctor Velo was in custody
of the German police waiting trial. Doctor Velo’s entire legal defense was
build around his not being the real Doctor Velo but that the real Doctor Velo
had framed him and escaped to America.
Adamas speaking to their liaison, "What
about any security monitoring of the perimeter or base, could we receive access
to any that you have?”
“Yes, you are welcome to look through them,” said
Hector, “Unfortunately they were disabled as the break in occurred.”
Manta Man asked, “Have you been able to identify
who did that?”
“No.”
The Black Orchid took in everything that was
being said. She didn't like the similarities between this act and the one that
gave her the powers of The Black Orchid. "We need to cross reference
anyone who may have had access to that system with any contact with Germany or
with the local reservation."
Adamas asked, “What items were taken, we may be
able to track them by that."
Lieutenant Nash replied, “Experimental chemicals.
If they are tried to be sold anywhere in the world, we will know it and stop it
before it occurs. I am more worried if they don’t try to sell it.”
"Have they done any analysis of the mud or
water immediately outside to look for trace amounts of any of these
chemicals?" Black Orchid asked.
“We did pull samples of both mud and nearby
water. We only found trace amounts which would be attributable to spillage as
they were being carried out. There wasn’t enough in the water to form any kind
of trail to follow and we never found any similar mud floating in the water.”
Judging by what he had seen so far, StrikeForce
believed that the responsible person/persons escaped through the swamp. The
footprints and mud splashes supported that hypothesis; he tracked them to the
swamp where it appeared the thieves boarded a boat.
Adamas asked to know a little bit more about the
Indian village, general population, historical interactions with the base,
persons of interest, anything like that.
Lieutenant Nash said, “The Indian Village was a
small reservation that was granted to a small group of Seminole Indians in
1919, despite the fact that very few Seminoles lived here. The Government went
further to set up a small hospital and store for the care and benefit of the Indians.
This hospital care are was once government run, but has been run by a local
Seminole Doctor returned to the reservation after earning his medical
credentials so as to provide care for his family and friends.”
"Has anyone talked to the Doctor if anyone
has shown up with physical injuries that may be associated with the
break-in?"
Black Orchid asked.
“No. We have not launched any investigation
outside of the base. Both the Military and the Governor wanted to bring you in
to be the investigation was expanded.”
“The village population is only twenty-five men,
nineteen women, and fifteen children. There are from time to time
archeologists, historians, and activists staying on the reservation. I don’t
know if there is anyone there now or not but it rate when there isn’t.”
Hector answered the next question, “according to
the base commander, the Indians are never allowed on base but they are allowed
to walk nearby. There have been times in the past that he has sent Medical
Corpsmen to assist with the hospital when it is short staffed. Currently there
aren’t any Corpsmen assisting. The base also sends surplus medical supplies.
Since medical supplies to expire, when they are using less than planned that is
when it is declared surplus. Currently Gunnery Sgt. Leo McAlister is delivering
supplies today. It is cheaper and more efficient to give it to the reservation
then ship back to the main Supply Depot in North Carolina.”
“The only villagers of note are the new Doctor,
Dean Nay and the Village Shaman. His name is Rolock.”
"Even if someone from the tribe isn't
involved, they may have been in the area when the break in happened. We should
talk to them and see what they know. "
StrikeForce planned to gather as much information
as possible on Doctor Velo. IE: known powers, weaknesses, known associates. As
much as he could from his satellite link-up.
"If Velo is involved, I want to be ready for
him."
Black Orchid said, "StrikeForce, while you
are looking up Dr. Velo, I want to research the new doctor at the Reservation."
"No problem Black Orchid, anything
else?"
Adamas agreed that they needed to check out the
Indian village, and speak to the doctor.
As StrikeForce started his online search, Manta
Man asked to be excused he had to meet with someone off base. Manta Man had
Lieutenant Nash drive him to the nearest junk yard. There he found Skink inside
the hollow out shell of a ’57 Chevy Bel Air.
Manta Man helped Skink out of the car. “Humph,
Magic users! Why must they always have a shtick? And why can’t they ever
deviate from it. Sorry, about that kid but it was the only way to get you here
in time.”
The three drove back to the base and Manta Man
filled in Skink on the way and provide him with his temporary Superhero
License. It showed that Manta Man was his assigned mentor.
Skink said hi to the others when they arrived at
the base. Adamas, Black Orchid, and StrikeForce gladly welcomed him and welcomed
to their new team.
StrikeForce’s online search review that Dr. Velo
has heightened intelligence and strength. Dr Velo has the ability to control
Velocity in objects. There are videos showing him increasing the speed of an
object to a terminal velocity. He basically can get a straw of wheat enough
velocity for it to punch through a telephone pole. He can decrease velocity of
objects as well. That is how he had escaped the German Police for so long. He
can stop their bullets in flight so they fall harmlessly in front of him.
Somehow he can do it to humans as well. In the video of the police trying to
arrest him, after the bullets fall to the ground the police officers do as
well. StrikeForce watch as he saw the German Police Officers fall to the ground
in a spasmodic state. Only after Dr. Velo flew away did their bodies stop
having spasms. The files noted that Dr Velo carried a gun. He called it his
Dehydration Gun.
There were no known associates of Doctor Velo in
America or not in jail in Germany. Dr. Velo did have a habit of partnering with
a local Super Villain team to bring added muscle and other support to his
plans.
StrikeForce could find no connections with anyone
on base with access to the system and Dr. Velo.
The only connection that StrikeForce could find
with base personnel to the Indian village was the Corpsmen that had assisted in
the Medical Center in the past and the enlisted that delivered supplies. Gunnery
Sgt. Leo McAlister volunteered the most often to make the deliveries. When
asked about this, the Camp Commander commented that he believed the ‘Gunny’ was
smitten with some archeologist that was performing research in and around the
village.
StrikeForce’s search on Doctor Dean Nay showed
that he graduated college and medical school in the middle of his class in
both. Not a great physician but he was far better than the villagers have had
ever before. Dr Nay was from the village and was trying to do best for the
village. Dean had no issues with the law that wasn’t typical for a college
student. He did have debt from student loans for medical school. He had state
grants to cover undergrad. There was no evidence of any secret benefactors
paying his way or covering his debts. The doctor had come home to the village
two months ago.
After hearing everything the team decided it was
time to visit the village.
Before leaving, Adamas did a quick aerial search
over the base to see if they missed anything obvious. They hadn’t.
When the heroes arrived in the Indian Village,
they attracted a great deal of attention. It was very uncommon to find
superheroes in the middle of a swamp. This wasn’t Megalopolis where a superhero
could be seen on the streets, running across roof tops, or flying in the sky
daily. The first tribesmen they meet gave them directions to the Shaman’s home.
The Shaman was commonly known as Rolock to all the villages and any visitors.
At the Shaman’s house they found a very friendly
and receptive old man. He would not shake hands with any of the heroes or
touch, or allow himself to be touched in anyway. He offered the heroes a seat
and did all those things normally expected of a gracious host.
When asked if any visitors with injuries had
recently come to the village, he said no. Shaman did say if there were any
outsiders looking to hide in the swamp it would be easy for them to avoid the
village and not be seen by them. There was an old ‘swamp goat’ who seemed to
know about everything that happened in the swamp region, especially if someone
wanted to keep it secret. He could give the heroes directions to the fishing
hole where he can always be found if they liked.
When asked about the authorities having seen the
Indians sneaking around lately, he calmly replied that they have had problems
with a black panther roaming at night and that they have had to take actions to
stop the depredations of this creature. He informed that that because the
village is not in Park territory, they have the right to take care of this threat
as they wish, though they intend to only capture the beast and return it to the
park. They would never harm a protected species. The officials, Shaman said,
must have seen the Seminoles hunting for the panther at night for it sleeps
during the day and cannot be found other than in time of darkness.
Afterwards they found that the archeologist,
Karen Morgan was in the village. She said she was here because of her interest
in Indian artifacts. She confirmed there had been a panther prowling nearby.
The heroes were able to meet with Doctor Dean Nay
in the Medical Center. Dr Nay told the heroes that he had treated a young boy
and an older woman for injuries caused by some large, clawed animal. He offered
to show the heroes his records if they would like to see them. Dr. Nay said he
had not treated any outsiders for injuries in the two months he has been back.
<Turns
and Actions due Apr 10th >
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Everyone welcome Chuck back! He hadn’t dropped
out but was having medical difficulties so he couldn’t respond. He is getting
better and is back in the game.
It’s wonderful to have you playing again
Chuck.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The bewildered Skink looks around at the
assembled heroes and admires their "twernt nuthin' " attitude about
dimension hopping.
"W-what was that? WOW! Didja get a load
of the size of that brain coral?" the skink took out a tiny smartphone
from his S-belt.
"I know this is gonna sound messed up,
and I'm sorry, but Im just a kid. The coppers think I killed doc. I got nowhere
to go. I guess im a superhero full time now..."
The Skink glumly peruses his phone for ideas
for a next move, sources of food, and a base.
Chuck
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Obviously StrikeForce will relay the
information to the team.
IC: "Even if someone from the tribe
isn't involved, they may have been in the area when the break in happened. We
should talk to them and see what they know. "
StrikeForce will try to gather as much
information as possible on Doctor Velo. IE: known powers, weaknesses, known
associates. As much as he can from his satellite link-up.
"If Velo is involved, I want to be ready
for him."
Jamey
----------------------------------------------------------------------
“Yes, you are welcome to look through them,”
said Hector, “Unfortunately they were disabled as the break in occurred.”
Manta Man asked, “Have you been able to
identify who did that?”
The Black Orchid took in everything that was
being said. She didn't like the similarities between this act and the one that
gave her the powers of The Black Orchid. "We need to cross reference
anyone who may have had access to that system with any contact with Germany or
with the local reservation."
Lieutenant Nash replied, “Experimental
chemicals. If they are tried to be sold anywhere in the world, we will know it
and stop it before it occurs. I am more worried if they don’t try to sell it.”
"Have they done any analysis of the mud
or water immediately outside to look for trace amounts of any of these
chemicals?"
but has been run by a local Seminole Doctor
returned to the reservation after earning his medical credentials so as to
provide care for his family and friends.
"Has anyone talked to the Doctor if
anyone has shown up with physical injuries that may be associated with the
break-in?"
"StrikeForce, while you are looking up
Dr. Velo, I want to research the new doctor at the Reservation."
Marc
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"No problem Black Orchid, anything
else?"
Jamey
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Adamas agrees that they need to check out the
Indian village, and speak to the doctor.
Before leaving, he'll do a quick aerial
search over the base to see if they are missing anything obvious.
Jon
----------------------------------------------------------------------
