Vanguard Roll Call!

Vanguard Roll Call!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Vanguard: Issue 136: The Once and Future Kings.


Having switched places with Vanguard Omega against their will, Vanguard hid in the labyrinth of New York City’s subway system from a phalanx of CHESS Knights and attack copters and began to formulate a plan of action. Clone, Menagerie, Soldier and Talon scouted the vicinity to ensure Vanguard’s safety.
Another Clone stayed behind so that the two teams would be connected via Clone’s weird telepathy.


The four scouts find the tunnels to be in absolute darkness. Sentinel’s construct and Soldier’s flashlight are the only light source. Even the meta-vision of Talon and Menagerie’s cougar shape cannot pierce the pitch. With Soldier’s light, they find cast iron pipes hanging down from the ceiling and jutting out from the walls, deep drainage pits for flood control, staircases, steep ledges, varying ceiling heights, old rusting ladders and decrepit stonework. The stench of sewage is strong in the warm, damp, foul air, and large rats and roaches scamper from their light. They are unable to descend far before finding the lower areas are flooded with stagnant, insect-infested, garbage-strewn water. They find no human threat in the area, and no trace of the Knights.

Menagerie can only detect one predator in his range, a starving feral dog above ground. It had once been a family pet. His family died in “the war” and he’s been roaming the ruins of New York ever since. The subway is too dark for him to move through. He’s forgotten his name and begs Menagerie for food.


Soldier detects no wireless and only picks up faint and garbled radio transmissions from the Knights. From what little can be deciphered, the Knights cannot find Vanguard Omega.


Meanwhile, Lightning Strike transformed himself into sentient electricity and travelled via cables in the tunnels to his two safehouses. He found that every route he travelled in Manhattan was without power.
He could not see into the first one, his main safehouse. The security camera must have been removed or destroyed. His second safehouse could be viewed. Strike powered the dead security camera there and saw into the empty, basement room. Nothing seemed amiss but this backup safehouse did not include an electronics workshop. Strike returned to the group.


By then, Vanguard had reached a consensus to retreat from the city to a completely random location, the Tesla estate in Shoreham, Long Island. Symbiote had been there before in his world, and Clone had heard of it from television. There they would regroup and begin to work on getting some answers.


Vanguard accessed sewer tunnels and followed them to the river. They could hear distant crowds and helicopters. They opened the pipe grate and slipped into the East River under the cover of darkness. Sentinel’s bubble energy construct moved them up the dark, murky river and out to Long Island Sound.


Soldier’s communications capabilities picked up weak radio transmissions. Men were still searching for Vanguard Omega.
When they thought they were well beyond sight of New York City, the energy orb surfaced and flew over the black waves of Long Island Sound. The island was dark save a few scattered campfires. The sky was still overcast and empty of planes. Menagerie detected dogs down there, but fewer than he expected.
(OOC: During the trip everyone heals back full Power Points, save Lightning Strike who requires an electrical source to heal, and Sentinel who is actively flying the energy orb. Also, the Mother Russia DNA template times out from Symbiote’s Harper Harness and is expended.)


Before dawn, they arrived at the Tesla estate, also called Wardenclyffe. There were no leaves in the trees but the temperature was just below 50 degrees F.


Between Clone, Lightning Strike and Symbiote, Vanguard knew that Nikola Tesla was an inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer, born an ethnic Serb in modern-day Croatia in 1856. He was an important contributor to the birth of commercial electricity, and is best known for his many revolutionary developments in the field of electromagnetism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Tesla's patents and theoretical work formed the basis of modern alternating current (AC) electric power systems, including the polyphase system of electrical distribution and the AC motor. This work helped usher in the Second Industrial Revolution.


Because of his 1894 demonstration of wireless communication through radio and as the eventual victor in the "War of Currents", he was widely respected as one of the greatest electrical engineers who worked in America. He pioneered modern electrical engineering and many of his discoveries were of groundbreaking importance. In the United States during this time, Tesla's fame rivaled that of any other inventor or scientist in history or popular culture including Thomas Edison. Because of his eccentric personality and his seemingly unbelievable and sometimes bizarre claims about possible scientific and technological developments, Tesla was ultimately ostracized and regarded as a mad scientist by many late in his life. Tesla died with little money at the age of 86 in New York.


Wardenclyffe Tower, sixty miles from New York City, was a ‘main base of operations’ for Tesla. Sitting on 16 acres of land on Route 25A, close to a railway line and the Long Island Sound, Wardenclyffe was divided into two main sections: the wood-framed transmission tower, restored by the local historical committee in 2005, whose foundation held 300 foot long steel rods sunk into the earth, and the main building which included a laboratory area, instrument room, boiler room, generator room, machine shop, electromechanical devices, electrical generators, electrical transformers, glass blowing equipment, X-ray devices, Tesla coils, cases with bulbs and tubes, wires, cables, a library, and an office. It was constructed in the 1900’s in the style of the Italian Renaissance.
(OOC: You’re right Kevin, a real-world superhero base. Thanks!)
The property was in disrepair and the building had been broken into but neither vandalized nor looted.
Slingshot found enough raw materials to regenerate and Vanguard got to work. They formed two teams:


Clone, Lightning Strike, Slingshot, Symbiote and Zephyr got to work re-awakening the long dormant facility and examining the technology they stole from the Vanguard Omega Vault.
There was no power at the estate until SHAKOW! SHAKOW! Lightning Strike discharged electricity into an experimental battery generator to power the building.


They got a great, antique radio receiver working. It picked up radio signals from distant transmissions.
“Vanguard Omega is dead! We’re free! The world is free!”
“No, they say they survived the fall of the Vault!”
“Then where the hell are they?”
“They have to be dead! They have to be. Please, God.”
“What were they all doing together in the same country at the same time, let alone he same city?!”
“You’re right. That hasn’t happened in years!”
Zephyr held her hand to her mouth as she listened in horror.


They found the “Datanaut” suit section included technology of indeterminate purpose, at first glance.
The rusty Harness was as Hal remembered: an experimental cul de sac he abandoned a decade ago.


Vanguard’s brilliant scientific minds spent the day in the lab examining and retro-engineering the module extracted from the “portal” at Vanguard Omega Vault. By day’s end, the super-scientists believed they could reconstruct a “gate” that could bring them home! The materials for the gate could be scavenged and forged from what was on the estate! The module’s telemetry would guide them back to their world.
But there were still two daunting challenges to be solved!
1)       The gate would require an unimaginable power source! Far more than could be created by the turbines and generators of Wardenclyffe, or the power of Vanguard.
2)       It was possible they required a “gate” or other such “receiver” on the other side, in their world. If that was true, assuming Vanguard Omega destroyed the Digital Zone gate upon their arrival, what would they use?!?


(OOC: Thoughts? Solutions? Thanks!)


Meanwhile, Avatar, a second Clone, Menagerie, Sentinel, Soldier and Talon formed an expedition to the Shoreham Public Library.
Flying there, the grey, morning light revealed a burned, black forest to the east.
The town of Shoreham seemed deserted, evacuated in a hurry by the looks of its chaotic state. Moving among the silent homes, they saw that several had burned. Entering empty houses, they appropriated clothing and blankets. Food was harder to come by. They found canned, jarred and packaged goods.
There was no water, heat or electricity.


The library was also abandoned. Windows were broken and raccoons nested in the shelves.
Vanguard began pouring over old magazines and newspapers in the derelict, dusty stacks.


They soon recognized the difference between their world and this one!


In this world, the Animal Revolution actually occurred! This was the echo that Menagerie had felt.
Avatar and Sentinel remembered the Revolution, but to Soldier and Talon, it was brand new.


An old Time magazine cover showed the Primate, a great silver-backed mountain gorilla with fiercely intelligent eyes and a dignified bearing, on a television screen! Inside was the transcript of his message:


“Humans of this world, I am the Primate. Your cruel stewardship of Earth is ended. A new era has begun. No longer will you be permitted to destroy this planet, threatening all the life forms upon it with your shortsighted and insatiable avarice. No longer will you murder my brethren for sport or pleasure or fashion. No longer will we be your slaves. No. Your time here is ended.
“Homo sapien will be pruned away. A new world is dawning. A green world where the harmony of nature is restored. One year from now, you will all be dead. Your empty cities will be reclaimed by The Green and by the rightful masters of this world, the Animal Kingdom.
“We have no demands. We just wanted you to know why your civilization is being undone; why your sins have come back upon you. Today marks the end of your blight upon this world.”
The world turned against the human race. The atrocities were detailed in moldy old magazines and newspapers: Across America, dogs were gruesomely killing their masters in their beds! Zoos across the world reported animal escapes! Ships at sea in every ocean were calling in maydays! In Congo, mountain gorillas attacked a militia camp known for poaching! In Hong Kong, rat hordes ate the flesh off pedestrian shoppers in a grotesque nightmare! Bees, long missing in America, returned in savage attacks!
In Brazil, jungle wildlife entered Sao Paolo! In Canada, polar bears were killing oil pipeline workers! In England, cattle stampeded near a slaughterhouse, killing and injuring ranchers and slaughterers. Around the globe of planes going missing! Shark attack reports in Australia, Florida, South Africa and elsewhere! Mosquito swarms on a level never before seen plagued Latin America! Hundreds of alligators were sighted in the streets of Miami and Orlando!
Governments grounded all commercial aircraft! Beleaguered local authorities warned people to stay indoors and lock their pets outside! Citizens were urged to stay off the roads! “This is not a localized event! Power outages are widespread! The president was calling for calm in what appears to be a global crisis!” Panic seized the world. What news that came from Europe appeared catastrophic. Panic, mayhem and looting were thrown on the fire. Putin’s Russia had gone quiet. China too. Africa and Asia were hemorrhaging. The Primate was right. It was the end of civilization. The end of the human world.        


A million people died worldwide.


Then the global phenomenon was over. The Animal Revolution had stopped as suddenly as it began. Thanks to Vanguard. This is why Menagerie perceived the Natural Order to be preserved here.


Governments moved to regain control over their populations, and rioting and looting ceased. The networks began broadcasting again. Information about the CHESS Castle jailbreak had been leaked to the public by anonymous whistleblowers. When it was learned that an extranormal was behind the global attack, a European criminal named the Primate who escaped from a secret prison inside the US, the outrage was massive and unprecedented. Everyone on Earth had been affected by the three day event. Everyone on Earth knew someone who had died, and had been shown a glimpse of the end of the world.


The world demanded those responsible. They demanded the Primate. When it was revealed that he could not stand trial for his crimes against humanity, that he would never face justice, due to the actions of Vanguard, outrage exploded. Avatar and Sentinel recalled with shame the duplicity and strife that threatened to tear the team apart! (see Issues 82-84 on the game blog for the whole sordid tale)


Earth would never be the same. With a unified cry of “never again,” every government on Earth was furiously preparing new legislation on extranormals.  Congressmen were announcing a full investigation of CHESS and CHESS Castle. Some elements within the press saw extranormals as a threat that mankind cannot contain; the greatest threat known to Earth. Extranormal Control was the topic on every newspaper and magazine. “If their imprisonment cannot be guaranteed, there is only one solution left to ensure the survival of the human race!” opined more than one talking head.


In time, CHESS Rook Jenn Christensen came forward. Wracked with grief over the loss of her children, she told the press everything she saw when she was with Vanguard, including the existence of a government employed extranormal AniMan who was working with the Primate himself: Inhuman!
Hysteria kicks into overdrive, triggering inquiries into members of Congress and the Administration who are, or have relatives who are, extranormals.


Silas Caine (who himself had been attacked by warrantless government-backed extranormals in his own offices!) becomes a powerful voice for the Extranormal Control movement.
“They said they would protect us. It’s now clear to all that extranormals cannot or will not protect humanity from other extranormals. Well I say, Earth is for the human race!”
His business interests were (oddly enough) perfectly poised to capitalize on the new demand for technologies to monitor, contain and neutralize extranormal threats.


CHESS attempts to control the PR battle were hamstrung by existing divisions within the organization, mass defections and chronic leaks beyond Rook Christensen. Voices in defense of extranormals are few and far between. Politicians who do speak up are marked as “soft on extranormals.”


Within a month, Director Grey is forced to resign and CHESS is paralyzed. Agent Sam Drake, Shelley Harper and many others resign in Grey’s wake. Shortly after that, Dr. Clark Rocket passed away in the hospital due to a stroke, the final casualty of the Animal Revolution.


In 2011, Silas Caine announces his bid to become President of the United States. He consistently refuses to speak about CHESS’s stalled investigation into his activities. “I don’t know why they were persecuting me with unsubstantiated charges. But I think we’re beginning to see what CHESS is really about.
“Extranormals have long placed themselves above the law and above humanity. I for one will not stand for it. They are far too dangerous for the public’s good, as this tragedy has sadly revealed!”


Word spreads that two extranormals, Nanite and Slingshot, have produced a baby extranormal, the first publicly known such baby. Information soon appears on the internet graphing an exponential birth of extranormals, so that in 200 years the human race would be outnumbered and obsolete.


In a perfect storm of anti-extranormal sentiment, Silas Caine is elected President of the United States in the landslide 2012 election. His vice president is General John Steele, retired. (OOC: Soldier’s father!)


In late 2013, Congressional investigations into Vanguard’s actions during the Animal Revolution expose that Vanguard discussed covering up Symbiote’s murder of the Primate’s intellect. “Extranormals: Above the law, above humanity,” is the cover of Newsweek.


In 2014, Inhuman is captured, tried and executed for crimes against humanity.
CHESS moves to arrest Vanguard for their crimes during the Animal Revolution. They resist arrest and Vanguard’s known families are detained and questioned, including Clone’s family, Avatar’s friend who managed his antique book store, Hal and Shelley Harper’s father, a couple thought to be Talon’s biological parents, former CHESS agents Sam Drake and Nathan Lamb, and Sgt. Stone. A number of wild animals thought to be Menagerie’s are captured and destroyed.


Congress passes, and the President signs, the Extranormal Defense Act which actively limits the rights of extranormals, making them second class citizens. The law includes government registration of so called “secret identities.” Many extranormals disappear. Others resist.
CHESS is repurposed to monitor and defend against extranormals. CHESS Knights and the US military successfully hunt rogue extranormals and those that would harbor them.
Congress approves record-setting military spending to defend against the extranormal threat, and a form of martial law to protect America. The government regularly releases secret identities of extranormals.


In Russia and elsewhere, similar laws are written. The Soviet Super Squadron is executed by the state, after they publicly confess to crimes against humanity. Dr. Monster, the last surviving member of AEGIS, is ambushed and killed by NATO forces in Germany.


In the library, a small line item at the back of a yellowed copy of the New York Times is found. It states simply: “The original Sentinel, unregistered extranormal Lancaster Gerard, died in one of the many anti-extranormal riots that grip the world. Mr. Gerard died outside his home.”


Hank Archer, a “crooked cop, reported to be soft on extranormals” was put to death for his assassination attempt on Silas Caine reports USA Today.


During a battle between the US armed forces and Vanguard, Nanite and her child, the first known offspring of two extranormals, are reported as collateral damage by the Daily News.
Nanite is listed as a member of Vanguard. There is no known photo of her and Slingshot’s child.


Then the headlines scream that Vanguard has fired Earth’s nuclear arsenal into outer space.


After that, newspapers and magazines seem to stop publishing. If it’s is now 2021, that’s a seven year black out.


Wondering why Oracle’s precognitive powers didn’t prevent the Animal Revolution, as they did in their world, Vanguard finds bound news magazines that report she was murdered years earlier, by a villain named Dr. Change.
Vanguard had never heard of Dr. Change but in this world, he was infamous; the Freedom Force’s most implacable foe, a brilliant scientific and criminal mastermind who could control and rearrange the molecules of his own body.
He was never apprehended, and there are no reports of his activities after the S’Korian invasion of Earth (please Google search the game blog to read up on the S’Korians, Eon the Eternal, and the Freedom Force if you need to).


Dr. Change murdered Oracle in a battle with AEGIS, and therefore Oracle could not help prevent the Animal Revolution. In the 1980’s he also murdered a Freedom Force member named Zephyr, a speedster unrelated to Shelley Harper.


There were few other differences between this world and their own that could be detected. Technology seemed slightly more advanced here, and society less optimistic and civil, even before the Animal Revolution.


Vanguard reunited at dusk at Wardenclyffe and shared everything they had learned. It had been a long day and they began to determine their next steps!


To be continued!


OOC: Now what? What’s the plan? Once again, the next steps are up to you.
Please converse early and often to meet our deadline. Thanks.


Best,
Jeff


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Current Conditions:


Avatar: Hit Points: 58, Power Points: 85, Manifesting: none


Clone: Bodies: 2, Hit Points: 9, Power Points: 63, Hit Pool: 19


Lightning Strike: Hit Points: 47, Power Points: 51


Menagerie: Hit Points: 26, Power Points: 66, Form: Man, I assume at this point.


Sentinel, Hit Points: 30, Power Points: 50, Creation Points: 100


Slingshot: Hit Points: 79, Power Points: 92, Invulnerability: 8


Soldier: Hit Points: 57, Power Points: 81, Invulnerability: 8         


Symbiote: Hit Points: 40, Power Points: 80, Charges: 12, Copied: None


Talon: Hit Points: 53, Power Points: 88


Zephyr: Hit Points: 17, Power Points: 69, Charges: 12, Armor: 7


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Avatar:
OOC: Only got around to reading this right now and, I have to say, I think that we need to oppose our GM as he's shown himself time and time again to be a villainous mastermind and this may be his crowning achievement.


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Clone:
OOC:
. . . Another Clone stayed behind so that the two teams would be connected via Clone’s weird telepathy.”

LMAO – wait a sec ! Why does it have to be weird? What can’t it be . . . err . . . I don’t know . . . sexy, or devilishly handsome, or super neat-o keen telepathy? Weird? You know . . . telepathy is like a box of chocolates . . . err . . . wait . . . bah, wrong quote . . . with great telepathy comes great . . . ack, wrong again! Anyway - you guys know what I mean, so from now on we’ll all just refer to it as Clone’s super-sexy-telepathy-stuff-that’s-cool . . . how’s that sound? =D

Ok, now on to more serious matters . . .

( OOC: You’re right Kevin, a real-world superhero base. Thanks! )”

It’s always a pleasure and an honor for me to be able to help if I can =)

. . . the wood-framed transmission tower, restored by the local historical committee in 2005, whose foundation held 300 foot long steel rods sunk into the earth, . . .”

This could be good for the group, or maybe not. As near as I can recall, that tower was supposed to be a prototype for many, many more just like it around the world. Tesla said he would be able to use the Earth itself as a means to distribute electricity and these towers would be the source of that electricity. His vision was to create a global wireless electrical grid ( that could be used for FREE ).

Before creating this tower and facility, he created a much smaller proto-prototype of this up in Niagara Falls. With this device he was supposedly able to light about 200 electrical lamps, 25 miles away in Buffalo.

So what could his tower have done? God only knows . . .

I’m not sure how this knowledge ( or this tower ) might be able to help us, but I figured I would just throw that tidbit of trivia out there ( assuming I’m remembering all of that correctly ).

But there were still two daunting challenges to be solved!”Clone wouldn’t be able to come up with these idea's; being a simple farm boy and all, but perhaps some of the other members of Vanguard could.

1) Given the electrical equipment present in the Wardenclyffe facility, and knowing what Tesla planned to do with it all – perhaps Avatar could summon some lightning with his Weather Control powers, and with just a few repeat lightning strikes ( a few billion joules of electrical energy per hit ) on the tower maybe we could get the energy we needed to power up the module. Maybe . . .

2) Going with the realization that we’re not only dimensionally displaced; but also temporally displaced, couldn’t we just use the same exact dimensional/temporal portal coordinates that Vanguard Omega is/was using? We could power up the module and essentially just jump through at the same exact time that Vanguard Omega is/was, and hopefully stop them before they can do any damage to our dimension. I mean assuming that the module allows users to time travel, couldn’t we just jump back to when the gate was still open?

I'm over simplifying all of this of course - just figured I would throw some idea's out there.

Talk to you all soon,
-Kev
PS:
Hey Jeff, I've got a question for you - the next time Clone levels would it be possible for him to undo his Psychological Limitation Weakness with his 'level up'?

Psychological Limitation: Raised in an Orwellian, closed society, Clone’s world view has been severely limited. He also doesn't understand everything that occurred in The Program.”

I was thinking maybe he could have some of the members of Vanguard tutor him ( given their wide assortment of skills and knowledge areas ) about the world, technology, etc . . ., so that not only would I not have to 'dumb him down' ( for lack of a better term ), but also so I could suggest things ( such as my ideas above) IC instead of OOC. Just curious - thanks

-Kev


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GM:
OOC:
Thanks Harold/Avatar! Some credit and/or blame goes to Greg/Symbiote too. ;)))


Kev/Clone: Hi. That weakness wouldn't prevent you from suggesting those ideas.
Having a 'limited world view' means his sense of world history and geopolitics are severely distorted; twisted through the lens of what the Iron Tsar (Putin) would want his subjects to know about the USSR and her enemies. (This weakness probably triggered his paranoia during the cloak and dagger segments of his Solo Adventure at the Berlin Wall)
But the Tsar wouldn't want to limit your understanding of science. To the contrary, he's in a science race with the West.


What would mildly limit Clone's clever ideas would be his 12 Intelligence and his lack of science skills.
But still, the kind of stuff you suggested last email (like your idea of taking cover from helicopters in the subway) wouldn't be impossible for him to dream up in his non-technical way. Please feel free to suggest it IC.
After all, he's just watched the Vanguard brainiacs muck about in Tesla's electrical hyper-lab for 12 hours.
And Zephyr, in her friendly style, could have been explaining to him what they were doing all day.


Level Advancement next time could be science/ tech skills and more Intelligence from hanging around Doc Rocket and Vanguard if you like, or the duplicatable staff we discussed a few issues back, or something else of course.


Hope that helps.


Have fun,
Jeff


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Avatar:
OOC: Blame.  If Greg has anything to do with anything, the word is "blame".


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Sentinel:
OOC: Blame. Definitely blame. :)


I'm glad you didn't prolong the whole escape from NY thing and the Tesla building rocks!


I'd had a feeling about things being like this with Menagerie's sensing the Animal Revolution, that it had  actually occurred here, but this is even worse than I'd imagined. (but certainly shows what turned Vanguard) I'll try to come up with Kirk's IC. What a miserable miserable world. <<< ugh >>>


I absolutely think Clone could suggest things IC and definitely idea#2 - in fact, I think its such a simple and obvious solution for someone without the scientific background that it’s perfect. And actually it handles the bigger problem - what the heck did Vanguard Omega do to our world and how to we undo the damage and what the heck do we do with them after we defeat them. With this, we stop their plan before it happens and hopefully we don't have to deal with any of that stuff.


Jeff: Not that I wanted to hear it, but kudos on Lancaster's death. I've no doubt that was the event that pushed Kirk over the boundary in this world. I've often thought of that possibility being a turning point in Kirk's character and certainly a challenge for him. It's certainly something that would cause Kirk to 'lose it' beyond anything else encountered until now and without his friends to talk him down (ie them already on a dark path) it would push him to join it. You didn't establish it, but it certainly would make total sense to me.


I'll work on something IC after I get over my nauseousness :)


Seth


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Symbiote:
OOC:  Boy, that devolving Primate idea just keeps paying dividends, doesn't it?  :(


IC:  Hal's initial giddiness at once again visiting Tesla's famous lab--even under these horrible conditions--melts away as the teams rejoin and he learns just what has happened on this misbegotten earth, and why.
He walks away from the group for a moment, in silence, his head hung low.  Symbiote "remembers" his plan to quietly devolve the Primate from Oracle's vision.  It had seemed so wise at the time--so final and eloquent a solution, and he would take the responsibility alone, he alone would bear the guilt of the murder of the Primate's soul...


What an arrogant jackass he had been.  Or could have been.  Had been, in this world.
He shakes it off and returns to the others.  "We have to get back to our own Earth.  Soon.  Whatever happened during the 'lost years' when Vanguard Omega took power, it clearly turned them into monsters," he says. 


"The members of the Omega Team have much to answer for themselves--some more than others," Hal says sardonically,  "But if they're somehow wanting to make a fresh start on our world, it's probably safe to bet that they'll first attack the two beings they believe most responsible for the horrible condition of this world:  Primate and Silas Caine.  We have to get back to our world and stop them before they complete these two assassinations, especially of Caine.  Otherwise, the public could turn against metahumans in our world just like they did in this one."
  
Upon hearing Clone's theory for using Avatar's weather control powers to activate the module, Hal manages the first true smile since arriving on Omega Earth.  "It's brilliant, Alex," he says. 


 "As for a 'receiving gate', I have a theory.  Remember who discovered the Digital Zone with us?  Caine.  We've been dealing with Caine to one degree or another for months--have we ever known him to ignore a potential source of power, a possible way to gain an advantage over his enemies?  Five will get you ten that immediately after the Digital Zone affair he had his own scientists start researching the Zone too, trying to figure out a way to use it to further his own ends.  If anybody else on either planet has anything close to a working Digital Zone gateway, it's Silas Caine."


Hal takes a deep breath.  "So while we're building our own version of 'ruby slippers' to take us home, we also need to find out what happened to the Silas Caine of this earth, where his laboratories were, and specifically where his Digital Zone research facility was or is.  I'll bet there will be an analogous one in our world as well."


OOC:  Or we could just let Joan Collins die.  A shame, in her prime she was quite lovely.  ;)


Viva Vanguard Alpha,


Greg


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GM:
OOC:
Thanks Seth.


Sorry, Greg. Didn't mean to pick at old scabs. :)
I knew I wanted to do a story with an evil Vanguard. But as cool as the concept is, I always found the Crime Syndicate to be a little boring in their execution, with their motivation just being "born evil in an evil world."
Even the great STOS episode "Mirror, Mirror" moves the evil Kirk and McCoy offstage asap because they're so one-dimensional. The fun in that episode is the goateed Spock and how easily his logical personality could become evil, or good, under the right circumstances.


I thought that was where the interest could lie. So I set out trying to figure under what extreme circumstances could "good" turn "evil" without feeling too phony.
In my "dangling thread" file was the alternate universe from the Primate saga just sitting there. It was actually forged by Vanguard which made it more personal than a randomly formed opposite universe. Seemed made to order for my evil universe, so I went with it.


No offense intended.  :)


Best,
Jeff


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Symbiote:
OOC: None taken.  This is a fun direction, looking forward to seeing where it goes.


Plus, you have to realize, Harold would blame me for rain during a picnic...


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GM:
OOC: Thanks.


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Menagerie:
OOC: Menagerie agrees that the priority is to get back to their dimension.  He will offer to hand tools or provide lookout.  If any of his Parker Ranger knowledge would be helpful he will offer it up.


Tom


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Sentinel:
In the library, a small line item at the back of a yellowed copy of the New York Times is found. It states simply: “The original Sentinel, unregistered extranormal Lancaster Gerard, died in one of the many anti-extranormal riots that grip the world. Mr. Gerard died outside his home.”  


Kirk clutched the newspaper bringing it closer to be sure he was reading correctly.  As he did so and confirmed what he read his hands subconsciously wrinkled it in anger and sadness.  He walked away from his teammates needing a moment alone to compose himself.  But he knew.
  
This had been Kirk Omega’s turning point.  This was the event that pushed him onto the slippery slope downward into what he’d become in this reality.  This event darkened the beacon of hope.  It extinguished his light.
  
As he composed himself and read further his heart ached as he saw similar turning points for all his friends and mourned their loss as it echoed his own.
  
As he researched the events and decisions that led Vanguard Omega down their dark path the worlds of Abraham Lincoln came to mind, “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”
  
With that seven year gap he didn’t know what transpired afterward but one thing was for certain… in this reality mankind as a whole abandoned the qualities that push them to greatness, they gave up liberty and freedom and hope.  They sold out their future for the façade of security and closed their minds to the cost.
  
A cost that came to account quickly.  If not Vanguard Omega, it would have been someone else.  When a society looks for scapegoats and bases decisions on fear and prejudice it will not flourish.  And unless this world has learned from its mistakes, their newfound liberty that they proclaim this day will not succeed.


Dr. Change murdered Oracle in a battle with AEGIS, and therefore Oracle could not help prevent the Animal Revolution. In the 1980’s he also murdered a Freedom Force member named Zephyr, a speedster unrelated to Shelley Harper.


Kirk began to consider this.  With everything else so similar, it was strange that this major figure in this world had no parallel in their own.  He began to review his world’s own heroic history in his mind looking for a major figure in it that is missing in the Omega history.  Could the Dr Change of this world be a major villain in their own having assumed a different identity here?


He also thought about the loss of the original Zephyr.  Was that a coincidence or was Dr Change specific and determining in his elimination of Zephyr and Oracle?  He tried to recall significant events in their Zephyr’s career that may have changed because of his early death and whether it could have added to the butterfly effect that caused the dark path of this reality.


After regrouping with the rest of Vanguard, Kirk will ask Hal specifically, with the rest of the team around if he recalls any significant events of Zephyr’s career that wouldn’t have occurred (figuring that the two of them have the best bet of knowing, but perhaps others may too – maybe Shelly did significant research having assumed the name?).  He will also voice his concerns that this ‘Dr Change’ apparently didn’t exist in their world and that his actions played such a huge role in aiding the negative course of events here.


After Clone presents his thoughts Kirk turns to their scientific arm and asks, “Do you think it is possible we can engage Omega before they enter our world?”  “Do you think Avatar can generate enough power to power up the module?”
  
"The members of the Omega Team have much to answer for themselves--some more than others," Hal says sardonically, "But if they're somehow wanting to make a fresh start on our world, it's probably safe to bet that they'll first attack the two beings they believe most responsible for the horrible condition of this world: Primate and Silas Caine. We have to get back to our world and stop them before they complete these two assassinations, especially of Caine. Otherwise, the public could turn against metahumans in our world just like they did in this one."


After hearing Hal’s thoughts and considering all the darkness he had read about, Kirk responded, “Hal, I hope you are right and their goal was a fresh start, but given what we know of what happened here and Vanguard Omega’s cold-blooded murder of Clone’s dupes, knowing he could have simply reabsorbed them, I can’t help but think their plans more sinister.  I’m afraid that they plan to set up their rule in our world avoiding the mistakes that led to their downfall here.”


"So while we're building our own version of 'ruby slippers' to take us home, we also need to find out what happened to the Silas Caine of this earth, where his laboratories were, and specifically where his Digital Zone research facility was or is. I'll bet there will be an analogous one in our world as well."
  
“Our radio chatter got me thinking that the total tech blackout here might be more related to the battle that seems to have taken place with Vanguard Omega.  They spoke about them being ‘in the same country and the same city and that hasn’t happened in years’.  Obviously with the Knights and the copters tech is still in use in this world, at least in areas. 
  
I’m thinking that whoever ‘ruled’ the US would have established their base of power, their capital right in Washington DC.  It would have sent a message of power replacing the former seat of power with their own.  That also would have been Caine’s former base of operations as president.  Perhaps some of what we need to know still would be there, and if he did have a gate, it would have made sense that he’d have established it somewhat nearby.  Could you guys come up with a device to pick up the energy of such a gate within a certainly vicinity?
  
Of course, we do run into the issue that Washington DC is also likely the first area that this world will likely look to retake in the US and would be a few hours away even traveling at our members quickest speed.  If you feel it too risky we could try to scout out a closer major city to do more recon first, perhaps Boston?”
  
Kirk scanned his own memory and looked to Strike and asked, “What is the closest city that Caine had set up a base of operations in our world?”
  
Viva Vanguard!
Seth


--------------------------------------------------


Soldier:
OOC: Jeff, I'm going to be out of town for the next three weeks, so play Soldier as you see fit. As far as his actions at the library go...


IC: Matt's going to try to gather up as much info as possible, especially about his father, and his involvement in prosecuting extranormals. He'll record as much of the data as possible on his smart phone. He'll also look for maps of major cities, and try to record them, as they might come in handy if we have to make a run for it. Once that's complete he'll get with the other team members and compare notes. If possible, I'll check in and see what's going on, and shoot you a note.


--------------------------------------------------


Slingshot:
But there were still two daunting challenges to be solved!
·      The gate would require an unimaginable power source! Far more than could be created by the turbines and generators of Wardenclyffe, or the power of Vanguard.
The only answer Slingshot has to say to this: [runs out of the room] "1.21 gigawatts? 1.21 gigawatts? Great Scott!" 
·      It was possible they required a “gate” or other such “receiver” on the other side, in their world. If that was true, assuming Vanguard Omega destroyed the Digital Zone gate upon their arrival, what would they use?!?
 Then Symbiote interjects:
"As for a 'receiving gate', I have a theory.  Remember who discovered the Digital Zone with us?  Caine.  We've been dealing with Caine to one degree or another for months--have we ever known him to ignore a potential source of power, a possible way to gain an advantage over his enemies?  Five will get you ten that immediately after the Digital Zone affair he had his own scientists start researching the Zone too, trying to figure out a way to use it to further his own ends.  If anybody else on either planet has anything close to a working Digital Zone gateway, it's Silas Caine."

Hal takes a deep breath.  "So while we're building our own version of 'ruby slippers' to take us home, we also need to find out what happened to the Silas Caine of this earth, where his laboratories were, and specifically where his Digital Zone research facility was or is.  I'll bet there will be an analogous one in our world as well."


Scott rubs his chin. "You, sir, have a distinctly keen eye. Silas Caine is likely the only one that would have this kind of facility. I wonder if in this dimension we stopped The Entity? Silas backed off once we did. We may not be so lucky this time around. I'm not particularly interested in taking on the Secret Police if he's still the president." Still pacing.. "While he did have a tendency not to do things personally, when he thought that he needed to, he handled things personally. Maybe we could come up with a plan to pull him out of hiding or to be able to expose himself enough for us to have a chat. How about we send him a cryptic letter sign it L, for Luddite"


He slaps his forehead! "MAN! This might be why all the tech/electricity is so low. He's reducing the Entity's grasp to this dimension!"


He walks around agitated, "So making a big bang with lots of electricity will likely bring them running, but we don't want to make that kind of attention. We might want to lower all the electricity in this compound as soon as we need to. We've done enough calculations that we know what we need. We need a big bang of electricity, but we can't use a prolonged build up, we will either awaken the Entity or Silas's hunters."


OOC: I'm good with leading the mission to gain access to Silas. I think my character might actually get through to him as he had before. I'll help power down the generators and other electrical devices so we don't attract too much attention.


--------------------------------------------------


Clone:
(OOC: When the subject is brought up about a power source )

While working diligently on the equipment in the Tesla laboratory alongside the other members of Vanguard, one of the Clones suddenly stops what he is doing and suggests, “Perhaps we can be using much of this equipment comrades.”

Another one of the duplicates then breaks in and says, “Da, we can make most excellent use of this machinery if only we are having a source of great electrical powered energy.”

One of Clones duplicates then asks the others,” . . . but where are we to be finding of this powered energy comrade?”

Without even lifting his head or taking a break in his chores, one of the other duplicates blurts out nonchalantly, “Comrade Avatar could do it . . .”

The other Clones just stand there and stare silently with a look of epiphany on their faces as the duplicate continues,”. . . he could bring a storm of great power down and start many castings of a great electrically charged lighting bolts of very large powered energy at comrade Tesla’s tower. This could be giving us the power we are needing, nyet?”

One of the Clones responds, “This is a great idea you are having comrade . . .” An impish smile then slips across his face as he continues,” . . . you are not only a scholar or gentleman, but you are very much as handsome for a smart man. I have seen many of handsome mans in my time, but none are as sexy as you are being. You are much . . . err . . . what is word . . . pimping!”

With a suave look and a brilliantly cocky tone, Clone responds, “This is of course true comrade . . . thank you for noticing of such things.”

( OOC: When the subject of gates comes up )

One of the Clones chimes in, “If its possible that we are finding a gate that we can be using on this side of dimension, is it possible we can also be using of gate in our dimension that this Vanguard Omega used to come into ours? Since it is that we have moved not only through a wall of dimension, but one of time – is it not true too that we may also be moving in time as they did? We could make meeting of them as they are coming through into our dimension, nyet? All we are needing is a gate on this side I thinking”

Another of Clone’s duplicates then looks up at Clone and says with a smile, “You are truly ‘pimping’ comrade.”

OOC:
Clone will split his work force of duplicates up between the two locations; the library and the laboratory, as demand dictates. He will also keep in constant contact with himself between the two locations and relay and necessary information between them.

He will also do his best to translate any of Tesla’s notes or manuscripts ( or anything else within the building for that matter ) that may not have been written in English if the need should arise ( assuming he knows the language of course ).

Talk to you all soon,

-Kev


--------------------------------------------------


Avatar:
OOC:
Jeff: Avatar will entertain any yes/no questions that the others might have and will use Cosmic Awareness to try and answer them.  I would say that we limit them (if anyone has any) to 3 or 4, at most.  


Other than this, I have little to add at this point.  
--------------------------------------------------


Slingshot:
Here's a set of questions to get answers to, if you're willing to ask them:


Is Silas Caine friendly to our cause?
Will engaging Silas Caine give us access to a portal that will allow us to return to our dimension?


--------------------------------------------------


Avatar:
OOC: Anyone else have questions?  My success depends on a variety of things, number of questions asked being one of them.  If no one else has any questions, I can spend enough PR to virtually guarantee answers to just two.
--------------------------------------------------


Menagerie:
OOC: The only other question I can think of "Did the Entity successfully invade this world?"


Tom


--------------------------------------------------


Symbiote:
OOC: I wouldn't worry too much about the "friendly to our cause" question.  Either he is or he isn't but if he has a gateway we're using it, by force if necessary I think it's fair to say.


The other two are good.


--------------------------------------------------


Slingshot:
Damn! I'm stuck in the 4th dimension! Of course, we could simply jump dimension and go back in time to arrive just after we left.
So we only need a portal on this side and ensure ourselves that we will have a portal on our side.


--------------------------------------------------


Lightning Strike:
OOC: Hi all,


I have tried to keep up with the dialog back and forth but I have been swamped with work.


Here is Strike's opinion on what has been brought up.  He is naturally against any interaction with Silas Caine and he does not trust him in this dimension or any other. 


He agrees that getting back should be the first option but if any other way could be found that would not use Caine, he would pick that first.  One concern for Strike is that without electricity he will eventually run out of charge so finding any power source is particularly critical.  After reading the news reports, is there any possibility that something may be intact overseas? 


Sorry for being so brief but I have to get back to work.


Take care,
Tony


--------------------------------------------------


Symbiote:
OOC: A couple of quick replies...


1)  First, best wishes to Stephane.  Hope your child is in the pink before we know it.


2) "Timing our return to correspond with the 'Datanaut' invasion"....hmmm.  I hadn't thought of this, but since Vanguard Omega travelled in time as well as dimension (arriving seven years in the past, by their perspective), I suppose we can too, arriving seconds after they do and thus hopefully keeping their damage to a minimum.


3) Hal will spend whatever Luck Points are needed on this project, for as long as he has them.  In game narrative terms this can be reflected in the fact that he still feels partially responsible for this mess and is willing to work tirelessly and obsessively ("No Shelly, I don't have time to eat!  I've got to finish this quantum whatchamadoodle in order to deliver the 1.2` gigawatts of power!") to complete the project.


4) I haven't thought this through completely, but the nearest CHESS facility is probably the place most likely to have both electricity and some of the answers we need concerning this world's history, the most likely location of Silas Caine, etc, etc.  Maybe we need to do a covert invasion of the place.


More later, hopefully....


Viva Vanguard,


Greg


--------------------------------------------------


GM:
OOC:

Thanks Greg.

Hi everyone,

Re: 2) If we assume that Vanguard Omega will destroy/disable the gate as soon as Vanguard Alpha was beamed to Universe Omega, it means you have a very small window to hit, from a very far distance away.
There is no margin for error.

If you arrive a second too early, there could be two sets of Vanguard Alpha occupying the same place at the same time. None of the super-scientists of Vanguard are certain what that could result in except that, to quote Dr. Egon Spengler, "it would be bad."

If you arrive a second too late, then you are "beaming" yourselves to a disabled gate, or a gate that is being destroyed just as you are traveling through it. Not sure what that could result in either, except that it too "would be bad."

Just an fyi.

Best,
Jeff


--------------------------------------------------


Clone:
OOC:
Here's a little bit of temporal travel wisdom that I gain watching the
Bill & Ted movies:


If we manage to travel back in time along this dimension's time line (
Vanguard Omega's dimension ) and defeat Vanguard Omega before it travels
to our dimension then we would have never arrived in this dimension in
the first place - thus solving our need to get back home ( since we
would have never left ).


ALSO


To allow us to travel back in time in this dimension's time line all we
would have to do is defeat Vanguard Omega in the past and then hide
another gate device ( i.e. in the Tesla lab under an old floor board )
so that we could find it in the future ( a.k.a our current 'present time').




Party On Dudes! Station!!


-Kev


--------------------------------------------------


GM:
OOC:

Ok. Still need some answers.

There seem to be two lead possibilities. Please let me know what your character prefers:

1) Hunt down Silas Caine Omega and his gate in this world, assuming he has one.
If you choose this, how will you find him and the gate? There have been some thoughts thrown out already.

or

2) Vanguard reverse engineers a new gate, Avatar powers it, and you target the gate the Datanauts went through, knowing your margin of error is minimal.
If you choose this, who in addition to Symbiote is expending Luck Points to be used like Inventing Points?

Thanks.

Also, Avatar, are you using Cosmic Awareness? If yes, what are the final questions?
Anyone, if the answers to these questions will decide your choice for 1 or 2, please give me some if/then statements so I understand your collective intent.

I need to understand Vanguard's consensus to write the next issue.  :)

Best,
Jeff


--------------------------------------------------


Menagerie:
OOC: 
Choice 2 and Menagerie will expend a Luck Point.


I know this sounds like the worse choice but I can't figure out how Vanguard would be in position to stop the Entity this time with everything that happened before it.  So I believe that some combination of Caine/Luddite/Entity now rule the majority of the world and that is why Vanguard Omega ran.  I just can't see this world beating VO without the Entity.


Tom


--------------------------------------------------


Symbiote:
OOC:
I seem to have misunderstood Gate Technology Dynamics.  Must've been hungover for that class in college...


I thought the problem was not so much that we needed a gate on this side--we can make our own--but that we needed the location of a gate in our own home dimension, in order to complete the dimensional gateway.  Since (as Jeff pointed out) using our own gate at the Vault before the Omega team would require too much precise timing, we need to find where another might be.  For the moment we're operating on the (possibly inaccurate) assumption that the Caine of our world has built a gate, shortly after encountering The Entity with us.  So we want to find the analogous gate on Earth Omega--not necessarily to use it, we're already building our own--but so that we'll know a location to aim for with our own gate.


If I'm misunderstanding please let me know.  Assuming I'm not, I vote for a combination of 1 and 2:  Build our own gate, but at least find out where Caine's is, so we know where to aim it.


Viva Alpha,


Greg


--------------------------------------------------


Clone:
OOC: Hey Greg, don't know if this helps, but I grabbed this from the current issue ( Vanguard: Issue 136: The Once and Future Kings. )

From Issue 136:
"Vanguard’s brilliant scientific minds spent the day in the lab examining and retro-engineering the module extracted from the “portal” at Vanguard Omega Vault. By day’s end, the super-scientists believed they could reconstruct a “gate” that could bring them home! The materials for the gate could be scavenged and forged from what was on the estate! The module’s telemetry would guide them back to their world.

But there were still two daunting challenges to be solved!

1) The gate would require an unimaginable power source! Far more than could be created by the turbines and generators of Wardenclyffe, or the power of Vanguard.

2) It was possible they required a “gate” or other such “receiver” on the other side, in their world. If that was true, assuming Vanguard Omega destroyed the Digital Zone gate upon their arrival, what would they use?!?"



If I'm reading that correctly ( please correct me if I'm not, Jeff ), we can construct our own gate device with the use of the module we grabbed from Vanguard Omega's base and the raw materials laying around us here at Wardenclyffe ( a.k.a. Tesla'a Lab ). Locating / constructing a power source for our gate is an issue though. Also - assuming that we can get the gate up and running ( re-build it and find an adequate power source ), the issue still remains . . . where do we gate to?

There's been a few idea's kicked around; my idea ( for example ) was to use the electrical equipment here at Wardenclyffe ( a.k.a. Tesla'a Lab ) along with a few well placed lightning strikes ( via Avatar's Weather Control powers ) to power up our gate, and then use the last gate address dialed ( yes . . . I am an SG-1 geek / fan ) - assuming that info is still stored in the module( which I'm assuming it is given Jeff's comment in 'option 2' of his last e-mail to us - see below ) - and then just gate back to our own dimension and time ( since this issue takes place not only in an alternate dimension, but in a different time as well ) just as Vanguard Omega arrives there. After reading Jeff's last e-mail I'm assuming that our chances of success for this option are pretty good, but would require a bit of hard work and ingenuity / creativity ( a.k.a. Luck Points ) on our part ( Vanguard Alpha ) to work properly:
". . . or
2) Vanguard reverse engineers a new gate, Avatar powers it, and you target the gate the Datanauts went through, knowing your margin of error is minimal.
If you choose this, who in addition to Symbiote is expending Luck Points to be used like Inventing Points?. . . "


Hope that helps . . .

. . . with all of that said; I'm voting for option 2, and Clone will add a Luck Point to its success as well. Clone; assisted by his newly acquired hive-mind-like telepathic link power, will split up into as many bodies as possible in order to provide the team with a solid force of laborers. Hopefully this will reduce construction time and help spread his Luck Point around a bit ;)

This actually brings up a question for me, Jeff - if Clone is separated into several duplicates, could he use / provide more then one Luck Point at a time? Just curious =/


Talk to you all soon,

-Kev


--------------------------------------------------


Slingshot:
OOC: There's also the option that we use Caine's gate (assuming he has one) on our world as a receiver gate and at that point we have a stable gate on our side. We can still construct our own here. but we need access to  Caine's gate here so we learn it's particularities to be able to zoom in on it.


Yes, Jeff?


--------------------------------------------------


GM:
OOC:
Correct. Sorry I was unclear.

Either way, you'll build a gate at Tesla Estate.
I need consensus on which gate you target as the receiver in Universe Alpha. Is it:

1) Caine's alleged gate, after you discover it here. If you choose this one, who hunts for the Caine Gate, how do they look for it, and do they spend any Luck Points to find it?

or

2) The small window of opportunity at the original gate during the Datanaut Invasion. To be clear, the peril is not erased with Luck Points.

Either way, Luck Points, to be used as Inventing Points, will be needed to build the new gate at the Tesla Estate. Who will donate them? Anyone can spend more than 1 point at any time on different tasks that they are competent at, but no more than 1 per individual task.
Duplicate Clones don't generate more Luck Points, but can increase labor force to acceleate the speed of a task for which they are capable.

To get totally mired in the rules, here are the different tasks that Luck Points can be spent on.

Anyone could spend 1 luck point on hunting for the Caine Gate, assuming they have a reasonable method/plan/theory to find it.
Anyone could spend 1 luck point for inventing a new gate at Tesla Estate, assuming they have the skills necessary to invent such a thing.
Anyone could spend 1 luck point on operating the new gate, after it's been successfully invented, assuming they have the skills necessary to operate it. Difficulty modifiers will be applied to the operating roll, depending on which option you've chosen above. The operating roll is really the chance of success at Dimensional Travel, per the rules.

NOTE: Luck Points increase your chance of success but do not guarantee it.

In short, option 2, above, is much riskier, but saves you the time and trouble of hunting for the alleged Caine Gate.

Replies today please!
fyi, Soldier and Talon are tied up with RL stuff and won't vote, I don't think.

Best,
Jeff


--------------------------------------------------


Sentinel:
OOC: Hi all. 
Hopefully I haven't missed anything posted in my reply ... but here goes


It seems to me that if we are going to expend energies and/or hopes on a Caine gate, that would be the question for Avatar to ask using his cosmic awareness.  I don't know how that power works exactly, but perhaps the question could be phrased in a way to help us locate it, if there is one, but it would seem knowing whether there is a gate would dictate much of our action and decision here. 


Although frankly, I'm still for Clone's idea of going back to when we left which gives us the opportunity to (hopefully) stop Vanguard Omega from doing any damage to our earth before they get the opportunity.  Everything always comes down to a few seconds of opportunity all the time in theses sort of situation anyway.


Two questions:
(1) If we find the Caine gate, can that be used as a backup if we somehow miss our opportunity with the original gate?  Or would coordinates be set and we only get one shot?  If we only get one shot, then we need to decide what we are attempting because there would be little reason to pursue the Caine gate if we aren't planning to use it as our primary target and can't use it as a secondary.
(2) Do we have any idea why Vanguard Omega were in the Datanaut suits?  Do we need them?  Were they just for show to 'fool us' or did they serve a greater purpose in transversing the dimensions?

I don't like the idea of going back without knowing first what happened here.  Although priority has to be protecting our earth, (1) it would be good to know what happened here so we can be sure there are no similar threats to our earth (last time around we found out about some of Caine's covert maneuverings and began to investigate similar actions in our world) (in fact, if we don't intercept Omega on their arrival, knowing what happened here might help us figure out what they will do in our world) and (2) it doesn't seem right not knowing enough about things here to see if there is something we can do to help this earth.


If Kirk's computer skills (I don't think he has anything else that would help) could be of service with the gate and in particular, perhaps helping to coordinate the ability to arrive in those precise seconds needed to be able to stop Vanguard Omega before they do damage to our world, he'd certainly extend the luck point.   If Kirk has some skills that would aid further here that I'm not thinking about, let me know.


If you need more from me, let me know what.  I'd really like to find out what happened with this world before leaving and if Kirk has an opportunity to pursue that, without endangering or slowing Vanguard's main efforts, he'd do so.  Frankly, it’s hard to decide the main course of action without knowing it...


Seth


--------------------------------------------------


GM:
OOC:

Seth / Sentinel, here are answers to your questions.

1) Yes, if you survive the failed attempt.

2) Still unknown at this point.

What was your vote? You made elegant, impassioned pleas for both choices.  :)
--------------------------------------------------


Lightning Strike:
OOC: I would be for Clone's idea except for the fact that I think we are operating from the wrong premise.  Have we seen any evidence that the portal works for time travel?  As far as I can tell (and I may have missed something), we simply ported into another dimension but emerged at roughly the same timeframe as when we left.  Dimensional travel does not mean time travel.  When The FF went into the negative zone, they did not go back or forward in time, although I am not sure if each minute in the negative zone translated into one minute in their normal dimension.


I think I remember there was a run during the Byrne period when the FF went into the negative zone and Annihilus emerged on Earth.  From the storyline, it looked like the FF spent far more time in the negative zone than Annihilus spent on Earth.


Anyway I digress.  Strike will vote for the riskier option.  The reward far outweighs the risk.


As for trying to find out what happened in this dimension, Strike thinks that is simply a diversion from our real task.  There is no causality between what happened here and what happens in our dimension.


Strike will offer up 2 luck points (assuming I have that many) to whichever scheme we all agree to.


Thanks,
Tony


--------------------------------------------------


Menagerie:
OOC: The Vanguard Vault that we materialized in had a prototype harness that was in work in our dimension but 10 years older in this one.  That has been our main proof that it is both dimension and time travel going on.


Menagerie agrees with Strike that finding out what happened in this dimension is a distraction.  His only concern about the Entity is to make sure that it doesn't appear when we start our equipment up. Not trying to solve this dimension's problems just making sure Vanguard is ready for any possible foes that appear.


Tom


--------------------------------------------------


Slingshot:
OOC: Jeff,
You weren't unclear, I was just asking for confirmation (me being an anal retentive IT guy).

Assuming the amount of luck points on the blog site is up to date, then I'm willing to give 2 luck points up for this (if there are enough people putting in points, I'll lower my contribution to 1 luck point).

Assuming we get a positive response from the Caine Gate/Avatar question, then I'll give a point towards hunting the gate that. and one towards inventing the Tesla gate.

Stephane


--------------------------------------------------


Avatar:
OOC: I say option 1.


As for Cosmic Awareness?  I can only get yes/no answers.  Let's limit it to two questions this session.  I'm open to whatever.  Just get consensus on the two questions, please.
--------------------------------------------------


Sentinel:
OOC:
I guess my choice would be #2 "The small window of opportunity at the original gate during the Datanaut Invasion." - Again, more for the reason that he'd like to prevent the chaos they will cause once entering our dimension rather than confront them after it has started.


Kirk wants to find out what has happened here.  He doesn't view it as a diversion and would like to try to determine if there is anything they could do to help (FYI, this is part of Kirk's nature and his 'weakness').  I would think that its going to take some time to get the gateway up and working and likely he could take some action to find out.


How about at some point (during the night) he flies upward to try to a great height to see if he can determine if the power outage is local or beyond that.  Perhaps with some height he can see what energies are available and working to get an idea of things.  If in the distance he sees things that look more 'normal' then perhaps we'd have easy access to determine what happened here.  I guess you could say at this point, that if the majority don't care what's happened here, Kirk wouldn't impede things, but would be looking for a way to investigate things further (unless the time frame of events absolutely doesn't allow it.  If Kirk does go to investigate anything, he'll take one of the Clones with him. 


If we are going after Caine's gate then it should be one of the Cosmic Awareness questions.


As mentioned, I would think that any assistance with the creation/working of our gate by Kirk would be secondary to our scientific genius members, but will give a luck point to help and assist anyway he can with his current skill set, etc.
  
Best,
Seth


--------------------------------------------------


Slingshot:
OOC: OK, let's clarify my moves and luck expanding, and make it more simple for Jeff (hopefully):


1) Slingshot is leaning towards Option #1, assuming we get a positive response from the Cosmic awareness from the following question:
"Will engaging Silas Caine give us access to a portal that will allow us to return to our dimension?"
-Slingshot will then help hunt down the gate and give up a luck point towards acquiring the information.
-If there is any more time alloted towards building the gate, Scott will help build the gate upon his return.


2) If the question is not asked or if the answer is a negative, then Scott will push for Option #2. 
- He will help build the Tesla gate 
- Give up a luck point towards matching the arrival time with the arrival of Vanguard Omega.


3) if there are no luck points towards building the Tesla gate, I'll give up a second luck point towards building the Tesla gate.


Stephane/Slingshot


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Clone:
OOC: I was just thinking - before Avatar starts raining electrical death down from the heavens with his Weather Control powers, it might not be a bad idea if Lightning Strike positioned himself somewhere between the tower and the electrical machinery. Given Lightning Strikes abilities ( Lightning Control, etc. ), he might be able to act as a power regulator / surge protector type thingie ( controlling the flow of electrical energy that gets pushed through to the equipment in Tesla's lab ) and manage the generating equipment output so that we get the most bang for our buck ( although I would image that juggling both of these tasks would be pushing the boundaries of his abilities a bit ). I'm thinking that Lightning Strikes involvement in this way might greatly reduce the chances of the electrical equipment ( and the portal device ) overloading and blowing, and at the same time giving the gate device the exact amount of energy it requires to function properly. If any of the equipment does overload and blow, I fear we might find ourselves stranded in this dimension for a little longer then we had hoped to be.

I'm also guessing that he could use any surplus electrical energy to replenish any lost Power Points and Hit Points - just a guess / assumption though - lord only knows whats going to happen once we get this party started.

Lightning Strike + Tesla Equipment = BIG WIN . . . I hope =/

Keeping my fingers crossed,

-Kev


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Lightning Strike:
OOC: That plan sounds good to me!!  LS as a conductor could actually amplify the actual electrical energy.


Of course this sounds a lot like what Marty McFly did but it is better than nothing.


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Symbiote:
OOC: Option #1 if Caine is involved, Option #2 if not, and again, Symbiote will spend as many luck points on this as he has and as needed.


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Avatar:
OOC: Just pick the two questions that seem most popular from the few that got mentioned and Avatar will use Cosmic Awareness and expend most of his PR points to ensure success.


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GM:
OOC:
Seth:
Sentinel can identify no Dr. Change equivalent from his world.
Sentinel can recall no world-shaking event that had the original Zephyr at its center.
Shelley didn’t name herself in homage to the original Zephyr. It was a coincidence. The original Zephyr retired before she was born! (Now I feel old)
Sentinel knows Silas Caine has a “base of operations,” or office, in New York City.