Bursting out of the Chest of the Robot,
Adamas watched as the new Hero took the Goliath down. "Heroes arise when they are
needed", he thought to himself. He
shot up, and used his vision powers to take a look around to ensure there are
no nearby dangers, or people in danger. Adamas spotted no danger and no person
in danger. A few people needed medical attention but the danger had past.
Amidst the sounds of short circuits and sparking wires that only she could see, The Black Orchid looked around seeing the two remaining crewmembers lying unconscious on the back wall of the Doomsday Robot, Slowly she pulled her hand away from the switch and relayed across the communications link, “Self-destruct has been deactivated. There are two in here who might be wounded and need medical attention. I'm in....," she looked around for an indicator of some sort, "It looks like Deck C." The Black Orchid slowly let the darkness dissolve into light while she's waiting, allowing her to assess the destruction even more completely. She looked at herself and her own suit. This was the most battered she has been, but she's still standing and not feeling nearly as bad as she thought she might.
With the metal monster's defeat, James cast aside his alter ego of Erdbeben for a moment to survey the destruction. His first instinct was to help the wounded with his medical training kicking into high gear. Assuming the 'supers' had their own resources, he focused first on the civilians that may have been caught in the crossfire.
With a joyful look, Rubicon reached up to activate his earpiece communicator. "Enforcer! Hey, It's Demy! DA! Da, I did get the JEEP. You should see it, it has a lift kit a... - Oh, of course the robot. Yes, sir, we got it. I should say the rest of the supers on the scene got it. I see Manta-Man, Laserfire, Adamas, Dr. Wildman, Orchid, Strike and a few more I'm not sure of yet". Look around he continued, "I believe C.H.E.S.S. is here, too. We did catch one of the robot operators so I'll turn him over to them. Da, I'll stay in touch and let me know if you have any new missions. I'm on leave for another week and then there's another rotation to exercise planned. Ok dokie, OUT."
A darkening change came over Rubicon face who then smirked while eyeing Caufield, "Ah, it appears I'm late to the party. Too bad. Let's take a walk, shall we..?" Rubicon motioned with his pistol in the direction of the congregating heroes. M.I.S.H.A. moved towards the captured crew member to push the point.
"Hello!" Rubicon called out as the three of them make their way around the Doomsday Robot to the rest of the group. "I found this one trying to leave without saying goodbye, but I'm sure he will have plenty to talk about, nyet?”
Emergency First Responders and CHESS flooded the area rendering aide and taking the captured crew members into custody. Soon other agencies were arriving to assist as needed. It was easier to name a government agency that wasn’t there than it would be the list all there were.
James was satisfied that he's done all he can do for the injured people; he approached the members of the New Crusaders and introduced himself.
Manta-Man turned from where he stood with the other New Crusaders and the arriving CHESS agents. With a slight limp, he walked over the James. "Thanks for the assist; I'm Manta-Man glad to meet you. Come with me I would like to introduce you to the other New Crusaders."
James was a little star struck as he was greeted by Manta-Man. His large sunglasses did little to hide his jaw dropping three inches. "Hi.. I'm Jam... eh, Erdbeben. Sorry, I'm still new to this 'hero' thing."
Laserfire smiled, "Hi, what's cookin? Is your flame burn'in bright? I'm Laserfire, Where did you learn to 'Shake, Rattle, and Roll' like that? Sorry, I guess I should first ask your name. Let me try once again, Hi I Laserfire, it's smokin to meet, what’s yours?"
Feeling a little more relieved by Laserfire's introduction, he's able to crack at least a wry grin as he begins talking nervously in answer to Laserfire's question. "I.. I'm Erdbeben, but you can call me James. James Watts. I, uh, recently got my powers. It was through an experiment that went wrong. It appears that vibranium isn't the miracle material that all of the physics egg heads think it is.” Thinking he may have said too much, he gave a quick chuckle and followed Manta-Man around to the next member of the New Crusaders.
Adamas introduced himself.
Strike Force took the opportunity to introduce himself to the new arrivals. "Thanks for your assistance. I hope that you will continue to help, since this Dr. Apocalypse situation is far from over, and I have the feeling that we will need all the help we can get." He said. “I would appreciate it if you would give us a rundown of your powers so that we know what we bring to the situation." Turning his attention toward Black Orchid, he said. "Is there some way that we can ascertain where this robot flew here from, or could we get some of the prisoners to tell us?"
Black Orchid said, "We really need to take parts of this for study. There are always technological 'signatures' somewhere which can help us pin down, who contributed, either willingly or unwillingly, to the creation of this behemoth."
Dr Wildman ran his hand through the thick mane of his long dark hair. Without his Cowl of Storms, which perpetually had its hood up, most of his team was unaware what hair crowned his head.
He looked up at the brightening sky and sighed with relief. “Finally, some sunshine at last!” he mused.
William walked over to where the rest of the team was starting to gather. It had been a long day and the morning had started pulling a family out of the river with StrikeForce and stopping the school bus from skidding off the bridge.
“That Ladies and Gentlemen has to be the longest 24 hours of my life. I don’t know about you but I am shattered!” He slumped down and leaned against the Crusader hovercraft in a place where he knew the first rays of this day's sunshine would fall.
“So let’s see the new people then. Perry I have briefly met (he smiled at Patty Plus), then there is the guy with the hammer dressed like one of the Village People...and the thin looking chap who actually knocked this bad boy over”... (he pointed to the prone giant robot)...”good job sir...and then there is… (He sighed sadly to himself) yet another hi-tech hero with a mechanical...bear...is it? It does seem my lot in life to be surrounded by gadgets and gizmos.”
Patty acknowledged comments directed her way and returned conversation (also winking at the platypus references), not impolitely but somewhat on autopilot. Since she had begun this, well she had to call it what it was, superhero life nothing like this had come her way. It was SO BIG, literally and philosophically. She had been strictly "street-level" up until now.
"I am Rubicon, and this is M.I.S.H.A., but friends call me Demy."
Rubicon looked around the group of heroes and in turn pointed to each one:
"Adamas, I know you". I see your recruitment poster up in the Super Forces Team Room.
"Manta-Man and Laserfire, you maybe not remember me, but Enforcer introduced us in passing not long ago".
Manta-Man nodded that he remembered and Laserfire tried to pretend that he did but his face showed that he didn’t.
"Dr. Wildman! I love you so much!"
<<IMPATIENCE>>
"Oh yeah! Hey, animals, huh?" Rubicon pointed to M.I.S.H.A. "He's not natural, but he has much spirit!"
<<!>>
"We are connected he and I. Russian military: they sync us you see. Special secret military program. I thought I would be great Spetznatz operator, but Mother Russia, she had different agenda. They say I'm going to be a, what do they say, drone pilot. Then they hook me up and connect me to M.I.S.H.A.". Rubicon's smile waivers for moment, "Well, I almost die, but the sync works and now we are a team."
"Black Orchid, da? We must talk some time, you and I. I think you will find us ... interesting."
Rubicon goes around the introducing himself individually to Demolisher, Patty Plus, Edbeben, and StrikeForce.
"Is that it? Is there anyone inside the rust bucket over there, friend or foe who needs to be brought out? We can get them, nyet? If not, let me know how we can help."
Manta-Man said, “No, everyone is accounted for. Thanks for the offer.”
The sun peeked over the horizon and Dr Wildman basked in its welcome embrace. He stood up and dusted himself down. “My advice Ladies and Gentlemen is never go into combat without your superpowers, I speak from experience now...it is not a pleasurable experience. I must now briefly depart to...I believe the phrase is...suit up. We have a busy day ahead of ourselves I suspect.”
With a hand gesture the familiar emerald eldritch energy cascaded from Dr Wildman’s finger tips creating a circle of light through he planned to stepped into and disappear.
StrikeForce stopped Dr. Wildman before he gated away. "Doc," He said, and walked away from the crowd while motioning for his friend to follow. "I know that all this technology is a sore spot for you and that the Natural world is where you feel the most comfortable, but it doesn't have to be one or the other. I consider you a friend, and I hope you think of me as one as well. Now if two opposites like us can coexist and become friends, then surely technology and mother nature can do so as well."
William pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to physically clear his thinking.
"I know Strike; I get that and appreciate the encouragement. You know me - I'm all about 'life finding a way' and all that. You have certain...prosthetic enhancements... (As if to make a point he puts a friendly arm on StrikeForce's shoulder) that you have embraced...and, in your case, life has found a way. You are alive and free to make good choices; and that's the foundation of our friendship...life and freedom.
But I'll be honest...I do struggle with mechanical engineered life. That's not life (he stabs a thumb at the engineered ursa), that is not a bear! It's cogs and steel and code trying to be life, but it's not life and it's not free. Dr Apocalypse has just tried to kill us with artificial androids piloting giant robots; programmed, like slaves, to do so. No choice and so no life.
Anyway, I'm just tired and cranky. It hasn't escaped me that he'll use magic next to kill us and that is my field - which means more than enough people will have equal concerns about what I do. Listen, I need to go and find myself a stick (he nods at StrikeForce's Escrima sticks) and replace the Cowl of Storms with something from my wizard’s trunk! No doubt Stormlord will be up to some sort of mischief with it now that this World storm is over...that reminds me I'd better warn the 'Padawan' as she goes to collect it.
I'll be back in about 5 minutes." Dr. Wildman said.
With that he pulled out his rugged covered Nokia 3310 and hit the speed dial entitled 'Dr Arcane (Jr)' as he stepped through the portal and disappeared!
Addressing his teammates, The Cyborg Crusader replied. "Black Orchid, while I know that it isn't your area of expertise. So to speak, I thought that between your vast intelligence, and you’re C.H.E.S.S contacts, that you could get us headed in the right direction. I also heard talk of a strategy that you employed while traveling to Rapa Nui. That invisible plane trick should come in very handy, if you can replicate the results."
“Hmmm... flew here from...” The Black Orchid was clearly thinking. “That’s not quite my area of expertise, but we could definitely get some residue from the exterior of the bot, especially if it went high enough and fast enough. Some of it would have partly fused to the surface which we could then isolate from the debris that got deposited during the battle. When I take this to the CHESS Engineering lab, I can get one of the bio folks to scrape a sample.” She finally smiled and says “Good idea!”
" All right team let's get patched up and see if we can recover as close to full strength as possible before we take the fight to Apocalypse", StrikeForce said.
Patty Plus said, "Ok everyone, fun's fun but a gal's gotta run. I have this radio thing so call me if you need me. I was glad to be able to help while not getting in the way of the pros!"
With that she removed herself, changes to her civilian guise somewhere out of sight and away from the noise, and then returned to help with the aftermath using her first responder skills and training.
Patty found Manta-Man trying to revive Skink. She attended to him. He revived shorting after being rendered aide. Manta-Man took him to the hovercraft. “I have to get him back to the Crusader Academy. CAST can look after his recovery. He is in no condition to stay here.” Manta-Man said. He quickly flew away.
Able to grab a spare moment, Jason called his family to ensure that they all made it through the storm intact. Jason reached his father, Jack Miller II. The family was okay, all of them had been able to get to safety from the storm. Their home and offices were able to withstand it with only minimum damage. Wyatt, as he preferred to be called, was very upset and agitated. He kept asking Jason if he had been able to examine the Doomsday Robot’s armor and if it had any automated repair systems. Jason’s dad pleaded with him to investigate and let him know immediately what he found.
Shutterbug came to Erdbeben asking for an interview. “Help me introduce the hero of ‘Doomsday at Times Square’ to all of Megalopolis and the world. So first how what is your official Licensed Superhero name and where are you from?”
Several CHESS Rooks joined Black Orchid. They informed her that a CHESS mobile lab would be landing any minute. There wasn’t time to waste disassembling the robot and returning it to CHESS HQ. They could examine it as it was being disassembled. Black Orchid recognized two of the Rooks. They were Rook Technical Agents Getman and Phoebe Lynd.
{GM Note: the Rooks were last seen by our readers in Red Hawk Issue 10. Check it out on the website}
Black Orchid took a piece of the exterior of the robot to Rook Phoebe Lynd whose specialty was particle physics. Black Orchid told Rook Lynd her idea. Phoebe’s smiled grew as she listened. “We definitely can do that, let’s get started”, Phoebe said.
Black Orchid spent time poring over the various components on the assumption that they are able to take significant chunks of it back to a CHESS engineering lab.
They were successful. Black Orchid and the CHESS scientific team were able to trace the flight path of the Doomsday Robot back to where it originated from.
5 minutes had passed...
William stood before the New Crusaders and
threw his staff at StrikeForce who caught it deftly: "Here's that stick I
was talking about!"
"So then..." addressing the company of heroes before him: "...what's the plan?"
Examining the staff thrown to him by Dr. Wildman he commented. "Quality construction Doc. I agree that we need a plan, but there are so many unknown variables. Base location, security measures, underlings, and does he employ super powered individuals? Right now it seems like we are flying blind and that really concerns me. If we can ascertain the answers to some of these, I hope that it would reduce some of my trepidation over the upcoming conflict."
Black Orchid had finally heard about the 'Apocalypse challenge' The Black Orchid commented, "Do we have a means to strike now? He's probably mad and a little unsure of his next steps. We need to not give him any time to recover."
StrikeForce said, “Adamas, if you could get Dr. Arcane to give us any Intel that he possesses on Apocalypse. We would definitely be grateful."
Adamas said. “I can reach out to Dr. Arcane again, but I doubt he has additional information. I think Dr. Wildman already had that discussion. I just can't believe Pietor could be behind this. Someone or Something else has to be behind it. I've known him for a long time, one of my earliest adventures after arriving on Earth was with him.”
“He was not like this, a bit rough around the edges, but obviously things have changed."
Adamas' usual cheerful outlook darkened as he looked toward the islands Apocalypse demanded in his request.
"This has to stop."
StrikeForce said, "Adamas, I am truly sorry for you. It must be rough thinking that someone you are well acquainted with could possibly have gone to those extremes. I know that Dr. Wildman already talked to Dr. Arcane, and while we may not gather anything else, the two of you, because of your shared history with Pietor, may jog something in either of your memories that could help."
Adamas agreed and stepped aside to call Dr. Arcane on his communicator. Dr. Arcane wasn’t sure what Pietor was really after. He had recently become Sorcerer Supreme. It had not been an easy journey for Pietor. He had served an apprentice to Dr Arcane. He had to gather up the necessary enchanted items to supplement his magical abilities. You remember how he obtained the Cloak of Ambulation {Quest Issue 19} and the Mystic Gem of T’pao {Quest Issue 23} as you were there, Adamas. After Pietor left my apprenticeship he started his long road of magical combat to become Sorcerer Supreme. He defeated Morto Void, The Black Mage, to become gain the position of The Black Mage. I was on the verge of retirement so Pietor fought my apprentice instead of me. At that point Magus was more capable than I, but he was no match for Pietor. He easily defeated Magus. {He was a former member of The Team in Quest comics}.
Dr Arcane told Adamas not to worry about Magus. He had recovered very nicely since and was doing well. Now that Pietor was Sorcerer Supreme he must be trying to tie up loose ends. Dr Arcane didn’t understand why he wants the islands; maybe Pietor has confused the way of Magic with the way of Civilization. He was challenging Megalopolis in the same way that he had challenged both Morto Void and myself. Unfortunately Dr Arcane didn’t know where Pietor was now and wasn’t able to pierce the magical protections and wards that Pietor had put in place. Dr Arcane did suggest that maybe the people that build the robot for him would know where to find him as the robot wasn’t something he could have done himself.
Bishop Prince and Knight Demanis of CHESS {Red Hawk Issue 10} asked if any of the New Crusaders wanted to assist in the questioning of the Doomsday Robots crew. Because of the Mocker and Red Hawk court cases, there was precedent that sentient androids and robots were entitled to the same legal rights as humans and aliens it was going to be a real questioning. No one was allowed to access their hard drives and download the data for analysis.
Demolisher was standing to the side of all the activity taking place. There wasn’t much for him to do.
“Hi, nice hammer you have there,” said the older gentlemen who had just walked up. “My name is Ross Davidson; I am an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Paranormal Behavioral Science Unit. I am also a Marine, no longer on activity duty. When I was I was a Devil Dog, ever heard of us?”
Demolisher indicated that he hadn’t.
Agent Davidson said, “The Marine Corps is the only branch of the US Armed Forces to have its own thaumaturgy unit called The Devil Dogs. US Forces captured a vast Nazi treasure of occult artifacts and knowledge after World War II, and that acquisition formed the basis of this unit.”
“It is very hard for spell casters to fight together as they trip over each other as they change the physics laws and other natural laws but an artifact that is enchanted has the area it is changing confined to an exact special location, mostly in and immediately around itself. That is why you see most a Magician that cast spells being supported by heroes and magical enchantment users. One magic caster supported by such a team can be highly effective. Nothing worse than being in a magic combat when the spell you are casting is cancelled out by your partner, not good at all.”
Is that really the Sliver Hammer of Sargantanas?”
Rubicon was walking around enjoying all the activity when he spotted a member of the Super Forces. He called out happily to Agent America. He asked why he was here.
Agent America replied he hear to get Rubicon on the New Crusaders as an official member. After he had conferred with Manta-Man, by communicator, and StrikeForce, in person, Agent America asked Rubicon to follow him into one of CHESS mobile labs. In it was a robot larger than the crew members he had seen before. It was about 9 feet tall. The design looked familiar. Agent America said, “This was inside the Doomsday Robot. It was protecting the crew. StrikeForce defeated it. We have seen this design before. There are several others in custody from when the Super Society saved Adamas from them.” {Quest Issue 17}
“Please have a look”, Agent America said.
Rubicon looked at the Cyberion Robot. It did look familiar. It was designed in the same Russian research center that M.I.S.H.A. was developed in. Demy remembered a plan to plant the robot designer in America as a sleeper Supervillian to wreck havoc on the USA when the time was right. Demy muttered the project code name, “Siberdum”.
“Yes, Cyberdoom is the name he uses now,” Agent America said.
At the end of the day, the team leads gathered to out brief each other and the New Crusaders. When Adamas walked into the meeting he was surprised to see Agent America. {They were teammates on the original team of the Quest. Check out Quest comic from the beginning, including pre-issue 1 entries on the website.}
“Yes, old friend,” Agent America said, “I am back. No I am not joining the New Crusaders. I am with the Super Forces. It was decided besides having a hero to liaison with each of the military branches, there was a need for a liaison with all the other Government Agencies, you know, Homeland Security, CIA, FBI, National Guard, and others. I was selected as I because of my background and how well I work with others.”
Adamas smiled. He knew that Agent America having once been with MEDUSA was the unspoken part of his background. Adamas also knew that Agent America was one of the few that were able to work with DarkStar and StarCorp which was a major plus as well.
Agent America’s tone became serious. “Adamas you have to promise me that you will stay for the entire briefing and you won’t leave without the rest of the New Crusaders. Promise me.” {Mysterious reference to their shared past can be found in Quest issues 15 to 17}
Agent America joined CHESS Bishop Prince and FBI Agent Ross Davidson in the front of the meeting room. After a moment to allow everyone to become silent Agent America spoke.
“We are ready to provide our results from all the efforts performed today. It appears this has been some kind of Supervillian team up. We already knew about Dr. Apocalypse since he so kindly announced himself and set everything in motion but we know that Cyberdoom was providing the Doomsday Robot crew and internal protection in the form of himself and a Cyberion of his. We have intercepted an encrypted communication coming from the robot which was being beam to a third party. We were not able to neither break the encryption nor trace the beam but we know the majority of the Doomsdays Robots design and capability came from this third party. Thankfully from the efforts of Bishop Black Orchid and our CHESS Rooks we know where that flight path originated from and that gives us a good idea who is behind it.”
“Unfortunately we don’t know where Dr. Apocalypse’s base is. The best way to find it will be to capture one of his partners and their bases. We should be able to find the intel we need there.”
“From the Android crew we learned that Cyberdoom was only doing this to be paid. He has some plan involving Research Station MegaGamma. He needed extra funding to put his plan in motion. It is a moderate target from a national security perspective. We can’t figure out why a Russian sleeper agent would target it. We will inform them on the increase threat level because we don’t know when Cyberdoom will be ready. He needed the money for something but it could be something like for bribes which means he can act immediately or it could be to buy needed material which could mean it will be months, even a year before he is ready.”
Bishop Prince spoke next, “Bishop Black Orchid has successfully traced the flight path back to a location that CHESS already had under surveillance. Knight Demanis can brief the New Crusaders about the surveillance detail and the information they have gather after this briefing if they like.”
“CHESS has taken a page from the FBI Organized Crime playbook of putting supervillain teams under surveillance in an effort to document their associations and hopefully discover their secret identifies so we can trace them to their crimes. Once we do that they can be charged with their crimes and wearing costumes without a superhero license. Until we do that we can’t charge team because no jury will convict a person if we can’t prove they were in the suit. That is where Agent Davidson and his team come in.”
Agent Ross Davidson spoke, “The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Paranormal Behavioral Science Unit uses the same techniques and procedures developed to capture serial killers, the FBI opened the Paranormal Behavioral Science Unit in 1999 in an effort to create profiles of supervillians and criminals who utilize paranormal abilities or advanced technology. By studying a supervillain’s powers, type of origin, method of operation, territory - even such minor details, as voice, phraseology, chosen name and costume design, the Paranormal Behavioral Sciences Unit can develop a highly accurate profile that is very useful in revealing a villain’s secret identity.”
“Since its inception the Paranormal Behavioral Science Unit has played a pivotal role in the capture of hundreds of supercriminals. It is also catalogs psychological test results for all supercriminals who have been in custody. Originally there was political resistance to the creation of the Paranormal Behavioral Sciences Unit, much of which came from high-profile superheroes who expressed concerns that the government could also employ these techniques to uncover superheroes’ secret identities. Even if the Government properly handled this information, they questioned whether they could keep it secure. This debate was resolved when then acting Attorney General Hamilton Burger III placed language in the PBSU directive, forbidding them from investigating any superhero not currently accused of a crime. Any data they do gather must be forwarded to the US Bureau of Superhero Affairs.”
“The PBSU consults with other law enforcement agencies that gather supercriminal methods, obsessions, and taunting riddle/puzzle clues left behind at supercrime scenes.”
Agent Davidson continued, “Supervillains are divided into 3 characteristics. These are Thematic, Non-Thematic, and Mixed. Thematic Supervillains have a compulsion to stay within their theme. All the henchmen will fit the theme, all their weapons will reflect the team, crimes, clues, etc. Everything revolves around that theme. They will forgo more powerful and more efficient means if it would require them to break their theme. Two examples are Shortstop {Crusade Issue 10 to 14} and Highwayman. Both purposefully limit themselves to stay in theme.”
“Second, is Non-Thematic. Their costume or identify may reflect their background or their powers but that is because it is meaningful to them but they will get rid of it to protect themselves or further the goals or plans. Spyder with his use of a katana {Crusade Issue 46 to 53} and Vibron {Crusade Issue 10 to 14 and Archer Issue 14} are examples on non-thematic supervillains.”
Finally there is the Mixed. The supervillain will stay as much on theme as possible but will break theme with it will give them an advantage as well as power upgrade. It is the more efficient or powerful method combined with surprise that frees them from the grips of their theme. Dr Velo changing costumes and identities to escape capture is an example. Also Ben the Ice Cream Man is another {Bonesnapper Issues 11 and 12}. While he has trick items in an Ice Cream Man theme he will use syringes and pistols to achieve his goals.
The Magician whether a Caster and Enchantment User falls into the mixed characteristic. The nature that Magic is the alteration of the rules of physics and the natural world creates its own set of boundaries that the Magician has to follow which in itself presents itself to the untrained eye as a Theme but any Magician would change spells or artifacts at a moment’s notice if it will make them more powerful or efficient in their magical combat.
“The Motives is the second part of the supervillain. The profile needs to both to define the characteristics and the motive. There are 4 motives: Visionary, Mission-Oriented, Hedonistic, or Power/Control.”
“The Visionary suffers from psychotic breaks from reality, sometimes believing they are another person or are provided their superpowers by entities of a divine nature. The two most common subgroups are ‘demon granted’ or ‘God granted’. Examples are Mother Superior or Obituary {Both in Quest issue 42}”
“Mission-oriented supervillains typically justify their acts as ‘ridding the world’ of certain type of people perceived as undesirable. These can include superheroes. They are generally not psychotic. Some see themselves as attempting to change society, often to cure a societal ill. Examples are Mocker with his mission to defeat the Crusaders {Crusaders Issue 17 to 22} and Dr. Velo with his desire to eliminate over population of the planet.” {Crusade Issue 46 to 53}
“Hedonistic motives fall into either Thrill or Comfort seeking. The primary motive of the thrill supervillain is to induce pain or terror in their victims, which provides stimulation and excitement to the supervillain. They seek the adrenaline rush provided by hunting and defeating their victims. Spyder, Leader of the Inhuman League, {Crusades 47 to 53} is the example of this.”
“The primary motive of the comfort supervillain is material gain and comfortable lifestyle. Crime Teacher is an example of this. She obtains her lifestyle from her pupil committing crimes and providing her a share for her protection and foresight as their teacher.”
“Lastly is Power/Control. The main objective for this type of supervillain is to gain and exert power over their victims. Leo the Lion is an example of this. He ruled an entire country and would challenge other countries or supers for dominance. It didn’t matter to Leo whether the super was a hero or villain; it was about his having power over them and their being under his control. Since he has been overthrown from his country we believe it is the supervillain team called the Zodiac that he is aligning with to regain his lost power and control”
Agent America looked Adamas directly in the eyes and said.”The super team that CHESS has under surveillance falls directly into the motivation of Power/Control. Their members have different characteristics but share the same motive”.
“They are the Destroyers.”
{To read the history of Adamas and the Destroyers read Quest Issue 16a and 17, if you dare. Issue 17 is extra with the PCs split up. If you want to read Adamas section, do a find on Back at the Donor’s Ball with Adamas. That starts with his section of the issue so you could read only about him, but Agent America has a section also, so if you want to read about our Super Spy too you can.
<Turns and Actions due November 2nd >
After Battle Conditions (Mighty Protectors character data):
Adamas Hit Points: 20 Power
Points: 74 Healed 2 HP, Recovered all PP
Black
Orchid Hit Points: 24 Power
Points: 92 Regenerated
all HP, Recovered all PP
StrikeForce Hit
Points: 20 Power Points: 93 Healed 8 HP, Recovered all PP
The
Skink Hit Points: 8 Power
Points: 82 Healed 4 HP, Recovered all PP
Manta-Man Hit Points: 5 Power Points:
66 Healed 2 HP, Recovered
all PP
Dr.
Wildman Hit Points: 12 Power
Points: 60 Recovered all PP
Demolisher Hit Points: 30 Power
Points: 74 Regenerated
all HP, Recovered all PP
Patty
Plus Hit Points: 15 Power
Points: 60 Recovered all PP
Laserfire Hit Points: 8 Power Points:
49 Recovered all PP
Erdbeben Hit Points: 46 Power
Points: 66 Recovered all PP
Rubicon Hit Points: 20 Power
Points: 66
MISHA Hit Points: 41 Power
Points: 101
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom,
Great issue. I will work on what to do next.
Thanks,
Jamey
----------------------------------------------------------------------
With the metal monster's defeat, James casts
aside his alter ego of Erdbeben for a moment to survey the destruction. His
first instinct is to help the wounded with his medical training kicking into
high gear. Assuming the 'supers' have their own resources, he'll focus first on
the civilians that may have been caught in the crossfire. Once he's satisfied
that he's done all that he can do for them, he'll approach the members of the
Crusaders and introduce himself.
Paul
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul IC: With the metal monster's defeat,
James casts aside his alter ego of Erdbeben for a moment to survey the
destruction. His first instinct is to help the wounded with his medical
training kicking into high gear. Assuming the 'supers' have their own resources,
he'll focus first on the civilians that may have been caught in the crossfire.
Once he's satisfied that he's done all that he can do for them, he'll approach
the members of the Crusaders and introduce himself.
GM IC: Manta-Man turned from where he stood
with the other New Crusaders and the arriving CHESS agents. With a slight limp,
he walked over the James. "Thanks for the assist, I'm Manta-Man glad to
meet you. Come with me I would like to introduce you to the other New
Crusaders."
Laserfire smiled, "Hi, what's cookin? Is
your flame burn'in bright? I'm Laserfire, Where did you learn to 'Shake,
Rattle, and Roll' like that? Sorry, I guess I should first ask your name. Let
me try once again, Hi I Laserfire, it's smokin to meet, what 's yours?"
Tom
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi Tom,
I love the newt on the cover!
Amidst the sounds of short circuits and
sparking wires that only she can see, The Black Orchid looks around seeing the two remaining crewmembers lying
unconscious on the back wall of the Doomsday Robot, Slowly she pulls her hand
away from the switch and relays across
across the communications link,
"Self-destruct has been deactivated. There are two in here who
might be wounded and need medical attention. I'm in....," she looks around
for an indicator of some sort, "It looks like Deck C." The Black
Orchid slowly lets the darkness dissolve into light while she's waiting,
allowing her to assess the destruction even more completely. She looks at
herself and her own suit. This is the most battered she has been, but she's
still standing and not feeling nearly as bad as she thought she might [I'm
assuming that The Black Orchid doesn't really know the extent of her endurance,
because she hasn't really been tested in that area yet.]
Marc
------------------------------
After the battle:
"We really need to take parts of this
for study. There are always technological 'signatures' somewhere which can help
us pin down, who contributed, either willingly or unwillingly, to the creation
of this behemoth."
She will spend some time poring over the
various components on the assumption that they are able to take significant
chunks of it back to a CHESS engineering lab.I can kick in IP if I need to in
order to improve the analysis.
Later, when she hears about the 'Apocalypse
challenge' The Black Orchid will comment, "Do we have a means to strike
now? He's probably mad and a little unsure of his next steps. We need to not
give him any time to recover."
- Marc
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Amazing issue as always Mr Hise, top job.
Dr Wildman ran his hand through the thick
mane of his long dark hair. Without his Cowl of Storms, which perpetually had
its hood up, most of his team were unaware what hair crowned his head.
He looked up at the brightening sky and
sighed with relief. “Finally, some sunshine at last!” he mused.
William walked over to where the rest of the
team were starting to gather. It had been a long day and the morning had
started pulling a family out of the river with StrikeForce and stopping the
school bus from skidding off the bridge.
“That Ladies and Gentlemen has to be the
longest 24 hours of my life. I don’t know about you but I am shattered!” He
slumped down and leaned against the Crusader hovercraft in a place where he
knew the first rays of this day's sunshine would fall.
“So let’s see the new people then. Perry I
have briefly met (he smiled at Patty Plus), then there is the guy with the hammer
dressed like one of the Village People...and the thin looking chap who actually
knocked this bad boy over”...(he pointed to the prone giant robot)...”good job
sir...and then there is…(he sighed sadly to himself) yet another hi-tech hero
with a mechanical...bear...is it? It does seem my lot in life to be surrounded
by gadgets and gizmo’s.”
The sun peeked over the horizon and Dr
Wildman basked in it's welcome embrace. He stood up and dusted himself down.
“My advice Ladies and Gentlemen is never go into combat without your
superpowers, I speak from experience now...it is not a pleasurable experience.
I must now briefly depart to...I believe the phrase is...suit up. We have a
busy day ahead of ourselves I suspect.”
With a hand gesture the familiar emerald
eldritch energy cascaded from Dr Wildman’s finger tips creating a circle of
light through which he stepped and disappeared!
OOC: Dr Wildman will Teleport back to his
Steading and gather mystical items and artifacts to equip himself for the next
chapter...
Steve
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul IC: James was a little star struck as he
was greeted by Manta-Man. His large sunglasses did little to hide his jaw
dropping three inches. "Hi.. I'm Jam... eh, Erdbeben. Sorry, I'm still new
to this 'hero' thing."
Feeling a little more relieved by Laserfire's
introduction, he's able to crack at least a wry grin as he begins talking
nervously in answer to Laserfire's question. "I.. I'm Erdbeben, but you
can call me James. James Watts. I, uh, recently got my powers. It was through
an experiment that went wrong. It appears that Vibranium isn't the miracle
material that all of the physics egg heads think it is.." Thinking he may
have said too much, he gives a quick chuckle and follows Manta-Man around to
the next member of the Crusaders.
Paul
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Bursting out of the Chest of the Robot,
Adamas watches as the new Hero takes the Goliath down. "Heroes arise when they are
needed", he thinks to himself.
He'll shoot up, and use his vision powers to take a look around to
ensure there are no nearby dangers, or people in danger before joining the
party where he will introduce himself.
Jon
---------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC: "Bursting out of the Chest of the
Robot, Adamas..." Ha! I love that! I can see a little alien in a superhero
suit bursting out of a chest :P
---
Patty acknowledges comments directed her way
and returns conversation (also winking at the platypus references), not
impolitely but somewhat on autopilot. Since she had begun this, well she had to
call it what it was, superhero life nothing like this had come her way. It was
SO BIG, literally and philosophically. She had been strictly
"street-level" up until now.
"Ok everyone, fun's fun but a gal's
gotta run. I have this radio thing so call me if you need me. I was glad to be
able to help while not getting in the way of the pros!"
With that she removes herself, changes to her
civilian guise somewhere out of sight and away from the noise, then returns to
help with the aftermath using her first responder skills and training.
Shane
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Strike Force took the opportunity to
introduce himself to the new arrivals. "Thanks for your assistance. I hope
that you will continue to help, since this Dr. Apocalypse situation is far from
over, and I have the feeling that we will need all the help we can get."
He says. " I would appreciate it if you would give us a run down of your
powers so that we know what we bring to the situation. " Turning his
attention to Black Orchid. "Is there some way that we can ascertain where
this robot flew here from, or could we get some of the prisoners to tell
us?"
" All right team let's get patched up
and see if we can recover as close to full strength as possible before we take
the fight to Apocalypse"
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
StrikeForce stops Dr. Wildman before he gates
away. "Doc," He says, and walks away from the crowd while motioning
for his friend to follow. "I know that all this technology is a sore spot
for you and that the Natural world is where you feel the most comfortable, but
it doesn't have to be one or the other. I consider you a friend, and I hope you
think of me as one as well. Now if two opposites like us can coexist and become
friends , then surely technology and mother nature can do so as well." The
Bionic Brawler walks back towards the rest of the team and tries to see where
he can help.
OOC: Strike Force will see if any local
authorities ie: police, fire, government liaison need something else. He wants
to help, and public relations are important.
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
StrikeForce stops Dr. Wildman before he gates
away. "Doc," He says, and walks away from the crowd while motioning
for his friend to follow. "I know that all this technology is a sore spot
for you and that the Natural world is where you feel the most comfortable, but
it doesn't have to be one or the other. I consider you a friend, and I hope you
think of me as one as well. Now if two opposites like us can coexist and become
friends , then surely technology and mother nature can do so as well."
IC: William pinches the bridge of his nose as
if trying to physically clear his thinking.
"I know Strike, I get that and
appreciate the encouragement. You know me - I'm all about 'life finding a way'
and all that. You have certain...prosthetic enhancements...(as if to make a
point he puts a friendly arm on StrikeForce's shoulder) that you have
embraced...and, in your case, life has found a way. You are alive and free to
make good choices; and that's the foundation of our friendship...life and
freedom.
But I'll be honest...I do struggle with
mechanical engineered life. That's not life (he stabs a thumb at the engineered
ursa), that is not a bear! It's cogs and steel and code trying to be life, but
it's not life and it's not free. Dr Apocalypse has just tried to kill us with
artificial androids piloting giant robots; programmed, like slaves, to do so.
No choice, and so no life.
Anyway, I'm just tired and cranky. It hasn't
escaped me that he'll use magic next to kill us and that is my field - which
means more than enough people will have equal concerns about what I do. Listen,
I need to go and find myself a stick (he nods at StrikeForce's Escrima sticks)
and replace the Cowl of Storms with something from my wizards trunk! No doubt
StormLord will be up to some sort of mischief with it now that this Worldstorm
is over...that reminds me I'd better warn the 'padawan' as she goes to collect
it.
I'll be back in about 5 minutes."
With that he pulls out his rugged covered
Nokia 3310 and hits the speed dial entitled 'Dr Arcane (Jr)' as he steps
through the portal.
Steve
--------------------------------------------------------------------
5
minutes passed...
William stood before the New Crusaders and
threw his staff at StrikeForce who caught it deftly: "Here's that stick I
was talking about!"
"So then..." addressing the company
of heroes before him: "...what's the plan?"
Steve
--------------------------------------------------------------------
“Hmmm... flew here from...” The Black Orchid
was clearly thinking. “That’s not quite my area of expertise, but we could
definitely get some residue from the exterior of the bot, especially if it went
high enough and fast enough. Some of it would have partly fused to the surface
which we could then isolate from the debris that got deposited during the
battle. When I take this back to the CHESS labs, I can get one of the bio folks
to scrape a sample.” She finally smiles and says “Good idea!”
Marc
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Addressing his teammates, The Cyborg Crusader
replies. "Black Orchid, while I know that it isn't your area of expertise.
So to speak, I thought that between your vast intelligence, and your C.H.E.S.S
contacts, that you could get us headed in the right direction. I also heard
talk of a strategy that you employed while traveling to Rapa Nui. That
invisible plane trick should come in very handy. If you can replicate the
results."
Examining the staff thrown to him by Dr.
Wildman he comments. "Quality construction Doc. I agree.that we need a
plan, but there are so many unknown variables. Base location, security
measures, underlings, and does he employ super powered individuals? Right now
it seems like we are flying blind, and that really concerns me. If we can
ascertain the answers to some of these, I hope that it would reduce some of my
trepidation over the upcoming conflict."
Adamas, "If you could get Dr. Arcane to
give us any Intel that he possesses on Apocalypse. We would definitely be
grateful."
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I can reach out to Dr. Arcane again, but I
doubt he has additional information. I
think Dr. Wildman already had that discussion.
I just can't believe Pietor could be behind this. Someone or Something else has to be behind
it. I've known him for a long time, one
of my earliest adventures after arriving on Earth was with him.
He was not like this, a bit rough around the
edges, but obviously things have changed."
Adamas' usual cheerful outlook darkens as he
looks toward the islands Apocalypse demanded in his request.
"This has to stop."
Jon
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Adamas,
I am truly sorry for you. It must be rough thinking that someone you are well
acquainted with could possibly have gone to those extremes. I know that Dr.
Wildman already talked to Dr. Arcane, and while we may not gather anything
else, the two of you, because of your shared history with Pietor, may jog
something in either of your memories that could help."
When he can grab a spare moment, Jason calls
his family to ensure that they all made it through the storm intact.
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I had
been really busy the last 2 weeks, so I extended the turn (without telling
anyone). As a reminder, if we ever have a turn where as a Player you feel lost
on what to do or what your options are you can always let me know how you are
feeling. I will either give you feedback through NPCs, as the GM I will give
you ideas you could explore with your PC, or as GM explain the Megalopolis
World more focusing on how your PC fits in. I do allow the players to world
build too, so if you have ideas that you would like to incorporate let me know.
There are a few Worldbuilding rules I have created to make sure that the
different game genres and player spaces are unique and distinct. I will be glad
to explain those as we go when the topic comes up.
Here is the summary of the turns and actions.
Please review and let me know if you have any changes or additions to make.
Adamas is watching for Danger and trapped
people. He is going to contact Dr Arcane.
Black Orchid is studying the Doomsday Robot
and its crew, including scraping hull for particles while using the CHESS lab
facilities.
Dr. Wildman teleported to the Steading and
returned with new magical artifacts. He contacted Dr Arcane (jr).
Demolisher (No Response)
Erdbeben is assisting with the injured and
introduced himself to the New Crusaders
Patty Plus is helping the injured in her
civilian identity.
Rubicon and MISHA (No Response)
Skink (No Response)
StrikeForce is assisting First Responders and
calling to check on his family
Thanks
Tom
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom,
That is correct for StrikeForce's actions.
I for one would enjoy hearing what those
world building rules are, and how my character fits in, so that I don't step
outside the assigned areas.
If you could send it to me in a private
e-mail, that would be cool
Jamey
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Patty's action is correct.
Shane
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Correct for Erdbeben.
Paul
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom,
Sorry, I know I wrote a response back on the
12th or 13th, but for the life of me can't seem to find it in sent, draft or
trash. Here's something of what I recall
I had in mind:
IC:
With a joyful look, Rubicon reaches up to
activate his earpiece communicator.
"Enforcer! Hey, It's Demy!
DA! Da, I did get the JEEP. You
should see it, it has a lift kit a... - Oh, of course the robot. Yes, sir, we got it. I should say the rest of the supers on the
scene got it. I see Manta-Man, Laserfire,
Adamas, Dr. Wildman, Orchid, Strike and a few more I'm not sure of
yet". Look around he continues,
"I believe C.H.E.S.S. is here, too. We did catch one of the robot
operators so I'll turn him over to them. Da, I'll stay in touch and let me know
if you have any new missions. I'm on leave for another week and then there's
another rotation to exercise planned. Ok dokie, OUT."
A darkening change comes over Rubicon face
who then smirks while eyeing Caufield, "Ah, it appears I'm late to the
party. Too bad. Let's take a walk, shall
we..?". Rubicon motions with his
pistol in the direction of the congregating heroes. M.I.S.H.A. moves towards the captured crew
member to push the point.
"Hello!", Rubicon calls out as the
three of them make their way around the Doomsday Robot to the rest of the
group. "I found this one trying to
leave without saying goodbye, but I'm sure he will have plenty to talk about,
nyet?".
"I am Rubicon, and this is M.I.S.H.A.,
but friends call me Demy."
Rubicon looks around the group of heroes and
intern points to each one:
"Adamas, I know you". I see your recruitment poster up in the Super
Forces Team Room.
"Manta-Man and Laserfire, you maybe not
remember me, but Enforcer introduced us in passing not long ago".
"Dr. Wildman! I love you so much!"
<<IMPATIENCE>>
"Oh yeah! Hey, animals, huh?",
Rubicon points to M.I.S.H.A. "He's
not natural, but he has much spirit!"
<<!>>
"We are connected he and I. Russian military: they sync us you see. Special secret military program. I thought I would be great Spetznatz
operator, but Mother Russia, she have different agenda. They say I'm going to be a, what do they say,
drone pilot. Then they hook me up and
connect me to M.I.S.H.A.".
Rubicon's smile waivers for moment, "Well, I almost die, but the
sync works and now we are a team."
"Black Orchid, da? We must talk some
time, you and I. I think you will find us ... interesting."
Goes around the introducing himself
individually to Demolisher, Patty Plus, Edbeben, and StrikeForce.
"Is that it? Is there anyone in side the rust bucket over
there, friend or foe who needs to be brought out? We can get them, nyet?"
"If not, let me know how we can
help."
OOC: Demy and MISHA will follow the direction
of those older and wiser of the heroes for immediate direction. If there are those still knocked out in the
robot such as other operators (or The Skink?), we'll go help retreive them.
Otherwise, we'll see how we can help local first responders until it's time to
move out with the rest of the party.
Glad to be with you all!
Greg
---------------------------------------------------------------------
No problem, it happens to us all
Tom
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom,
All looks good for Adamas.
Jon
--------------------------------------------------------------------
All good for Dr W!
Steve
--------------------------------------------------------------------
